Aresco Talks Up ESPN+
The Story: No one is happy about the AAC’s deal with ESPN, which puts a slew of games on ESPN+ starting in 2020. Commissioner Mike Aresco continues to sell the deal and convince fans, especially UConn fans, that it is a good deal.
SNY POSSIBLE, BUT NO SPECIFICS: Perhaps the big issue with ESPN+ owning all UConn content is the possible loss of the SNY telecasts for women’s basketball games. The big news here is that Aresco is adamant that games may continue to be broadcast on SNY if the two networks can work out a deal.
FOOTBALL A MUST: Of course, for some reason, the question about whether UConn should drop football was asked, and Aresco said that the Huskies are a less appealing program with no football. Our view on the importance of football has always been clear: it may be a great Twitter argument and definite columnist fodder, but it remains a fundamentally unserious idea.
OUR TAKE: This is simple. We like ESPN+, it is something we pay for and it is the future of sports broadcasting. We don’t like it specifically for UConn and, like all the other deals in recent years, it is chipping away at the UConn fanbase and making it harder to watch. Sure, people will have to adapt, but in a few years, when everything is streamed, we’ll look back and laugh that this was even an argument.
Lack Of Talent Shows For Football Team
The Story: It wasn’t too long ago that UConn had four players chosen in the first 65 picks of the NFL Draft. Now? The football team had only one player sign a camp deal in center Ryan Crozier and two others, quarterback David Pindell and wide receiver Kyle Buss, have had to participate in tryouts. UConn didn’t have a player near the draft boards.
EDSALL TALKS TALENT GAP: Randy Edsall spoke last week with the Hartford Courant about the football team’s struggles. A team that has had only one winning record in nearly a decade and was 1-11 last year didn’t have any hidden NFL gems. The Huskies’ recruiting classes under deposed head coach Bob Diaco backfired mightily.
“You look back and you say, Holy …,” Edsall told the Courant.
The last two draft picks for the Huskies, Obi Melinfonwu in 2017 and Foley Fatukasi in 2018, were Paul Pasqualoni recruits. Diaco, oddly, went with players who fit a certain body type and banked on his strength and conditioning and nutrition programs to turn them into major talents. That did not happen and UConn’s record the last three years is the result.
WHO WILL BE DRAFTED NEXT? The Huskies are entering their third season in Edsall’s second reign, but the talent level still seems particularly thin, especially at the top. Right now, there will be only nine seniors on the roster in the fall, two of whom are graduate students, and right tackle Matt Peart seems likely to be the only one who will start — thus making him the only one even on the NFL radar.
There will be 22 juniors, however, and though it’s too early to tell, we could be seeing that pipeline unclog itself during the 2021 NFL Draft. Of course, that’s a long way away, but it shows how long and complicated building a program can be.
Morning Read
WILLIAMS PREPARES FOR NBA: Little-used forward Kwintin Williams, who spent the second half of last season suspended, is ready to take on the NBA … sort of. His athleticism earned him an invitation to be filmed in a motion-capture suit for the NBA 2K20 video game. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
HUSKIES HEAD BACK TO MSG: The men’s basketball team will participate in the Jimmy V Classic in the fall, joining Texas Tech, Louisville and Indiana. (Jon Rothstein on Twitter)
IT’S A STRIKE! The Chicago Cubs invited Katie Lou Samuelson to throw out the first pitch yesterday afternoon. (Chicago Sky on Twitter)
DAILEY RECOGNIZED: Chris Dailey has been included in the inaugural class of the Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame, which was created by a coaching mentorship organization. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
BRINGING IT: Pitcher Matt Barnes, drafted out of UConn in 2011, has been effective this season as the Boston Red Sox’s high-leverage reliever. (Boston Globe)
CLOSING IT DOWN: The baseball team will play its final three games at J.O. Christian Field this weekend when it hosts USF for a three-game series. The Huskies are supposed to move into the new Elliot Ballpark across the street next season. (UConn Baseball on Twitter)
APR REPORT: UConn’s academic progress was reported and the women’s basketball team was at 990 and the football team was at a stellar 987. This is one of those metrics that people only care about when it is bad. We’re still floored that academic progress can lead to an NCAA tournament or bowl game ban. Considering how much money is out there now, it seems so insignificant. (UConnHuskies.com)
TOURNAMENT OPENS: The sixth-seeded Huskies will begin play in the AAC softball tournament in Houston tonight by taking on the hosts in the first round of the single-elimination event. (UConnHuskies.com)
HUSKIES HONORED: The AAC recognized five players, including Briana Marcelino and Olivia Sappington, as part of its all-conference teams. (UConnHuskies.com)
