Terry Larrier to Transfer to UConn!

[Kembacity]

Guys Brimah can play, he's done it many times, he's not a star, he's not a MVP in the making, but he could be a very very good basketball player.... he could also slink out of the NBA in 2 years and play in Turkey, we don't know.

I believe in the kid, the enthusiasm he shows for the game, the fact that he can hit an open jumper, hit his hook shot, block big time shots, hold the ball... he's so much better than most of our previous project centers, and many centers that have started on somewhat successful UConn teams (Chuck I'm looking at you).

He doesn't get many boards because he's going for the block, I hope this coming year he learns more when to block and when to stay at home, and he gets better at avoiding fouls and getting respect from the zebras when opposing bruiser players simply throw him out of the box

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Yes, but as absurd to say he is a definite first round pick it is also as absurd to say he didn't markedly improve from Freshman to Sophomore year. He did, a lot.

I didn't think he improved all that much. Still in foul trouble and still trying to block every shot. His offense consisted of lobs that essentially came from one person, DHam. I think if DHam isn't there, you see no difference between the Fr and So years. I will cut him slack in that I didn't expect much change given his off-season shoulder surgery and having no chance to do much other than ride a bike to stay in shape. With a healthy off-season this year, I'm expecting more.
The obvious comparison is Thabeet. He's not as good as Thabeet yet, and Thabeet has been in and out of the NBA and D League for 5 seasons now. You can't teach height, so he'll surely get drafted, but I expect he'll be here all 4 years and will need all of that time to develop.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Block this dude @3rdbass from the thread, good Lord give it a rest already

...yeah but then he'll just hijack some other thread!

His freshman year Brimah had no offensive game, couldn't even dunk. He couldn't rebound and he fouled, a lot. On the positive side, he was great (not "good"... "great") at blocking shots.

His sophomore year he was still great at blocking shots, he learned how to dunk, and he added some offense (nice baby hook, and short jumpers). He still didn't rebound and he still got too many fouls (though slightly improved).

Most importantly his sophomore year, the team was hugely better when he was on the court than when he was sitting.

Bottom line is that AB has taken his game a long way in his first two years. If he can improve his rebounding this year, and add a little to his offense, he'll be a dominant college player next year instead of just an impact college player.

 

[mauconnfan]

Amida is a solid center for us now as we speak. Many teams would drool to have him in that slot. He makes a difference on defense because he can block shots and alter as many so right there alone he is fine to throw in the middle.

The fact he blocks shots is not the cause for his less than astounding rebounding, it's his ability to see the plays happening, the shots being taken and get himself into position to get rebounds. How many times did you see him as the guy in position to get a rebound yet someone beat him to it? A lot I promise - many times it wasn't having his hands ready and others were he was out muscled or just plain beaten on the timing and bounce off the rim. It is what it is and if he ever improves this portion, albeit somewhat mental, he will be really really good and may have a good shot to hang around the next level. But he does need to improve that in order to create optimism for an NBA career - bigs that don't rebound don't last.

Love his jump shot, he can shoot the ball and has a soft touch to boot. His ability to square up for the jump hook was negated by his lack of strength so hopefully a full summer hitting it hard will help him get to the next level on that part of his offense because we did see a nice jump hook when he was able to square.

The kid has a great attitude and it's infectious so I hope he does continue to improve and become the player we all hope he can be. Even as is with the players surrounding him, we're good with him in the middle. Any improvement will be huge for this team for the upcoming campaign though, huge!!

 

[UConn990411]

I didn't think he improved all that much. Still in foul trouble and still trying to block every shot. His offense consisted of lobs that essentially came from one person, DHam. I think if DHam isn't there, you see no difference between the Fr and So years. I will cut him slack in that I didn't expect much change given his off-season shoulder surgery and having no chance to do much other than ride a bike to stay in shape. With a healthy off-season this year, I'm expecting more.
The obvious comparison is Thabeet. He's not as good as Thabeet yet, and Thabeet has been in and out of the NBA and D League for 5 seasons now. You can't teach height, so he'll surely get drafted, but I expect he'll be here all 4 years and will need all of that time to develop.

Hmm, no to all of this.

You won't find many people on here who were more critical of Brimah this past season than I was, but you have a very selective memory if you don't think his offensive game improved. The guy averaged 5 more points per game and shot 67% from the floor, and those numbers include a 40-point outburst. I don't care if that 40-point game consisted of mostly lobs - he was never good enough to go for 40 as a freshman.

And let's not act like being in position for a lob takes no skill. That two-man game with Hamilton? He wasn't a smart enough player as a freshman to pull that off.

Lastly, the Thabeet comparison is extremely lazy and extends no further than them being 7+ foot centers from Africa. Thabeet was a dominant collegiate center - much more dominant than Brimah will ever be at UConn - but lacked the mobility to defend at a high level in the NBA (where defensive 3 seconds prevents big men from parking themselves in the paint). I'm skeptical that Brimah will make it at the next level, but he easily has the athleticism to do it.

I get that Brimah has a long, longgg way to go, but it's bizarre how many people on here take for granted how much he already brings to the table.

 

[Tommyboy]

Hmm, no to all of this.

You won't find many people on here who were more critical of Brimah this past season than I was, but you have a very selective memory if you don't think his offensive game improved. The guy averaged 5 more points per game and shot 67% from the floor, and those numbers include a 40-point outburst. I don't care if that 40-point game consisted of mostly lobs - he was never good enough to go for 40 as a freshman.

And let's not act like being in position for a lob takes no skill. That two-man game with Hamilton? He wasn't a smart enough player as a freshman to pull that off.

Lastly, the Thabeet comparison is extremely lazy and extends no further than them being 7+ foot centers from Africa. Thabeet was a dominant collegiate center - much more dominant than Brimah will ever be at UConn - but lacked the mobility to defend at a high level in the NBA (where defensive 3 seconds prevents big men from parking themselves in the paint). I'm skeptical that Brimah will make it at the next level, but he easily has the athleticism to do it.

I get that Brimah has a long, longgg way to go, but it's bizarre how many people on here take for granted how much he already brings to the table.

There were definitely more than a few games last year that we won where games turned on a stretch where AB went crazy on defense.

 

[aceboon]

The Brimah debate continues to expose posters who have have no idea what they're watching.

 

[FartMan69]

Wait are people really saying Brimah's a sure fire 1st rounder? Are you high? The kid oozes potential and has improved steadily over the last 2 seasons but his deficiencies on both ends of the court couldn't have been more blatant. He's a good shot blocker but has not mastered the art of when to go for a block and when to box your man out, His lack of lower body strength hinders his rebounding, offensive game still mainly consists of oops and put-backs. Look I like the kid and he has the potential to sniff the 1st round if he improves those weaknesses but I think the successes of this off-season has gotten to our heads, pump the brakes.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Well I'm not looking through my rose colored UCONN glasses like some people on the board. Does AB have talent? Sure he does. Was he better than what he was touted coming in? Sure. Is he a sure fire NBA prospect? No way if we watched the same AB that got benched for PN at the end of the year. He would get killed if he played in the NBA as he just doesn't have the strength or ability at this stage. I mean look at the 5 out of conference games last year against top competition(FL, Stanford, West Virginia, Texas, and Duke). He had a total of 20 points and 18 rebounds which is an average of 4 Points and 3.6 Rebounds.

Now with this said if he comes back a different player with strength and better idea of positioning both offensively and defensively due to a full off season I will be very happy. Just at this stage he is a decent college basketball player who is great at blocking shots but not much else. I mean a big reason for increase offensive efficiency is all the passes that DHAM lobbed to him. I like the guy but the verdict is still out if he can improve his game to get to the next level.

He's an athletic nearly 7-footer.... someone is going to take a shot on him regardless of college stats. He may very well be a bust but that's not what we're talking about.

 

[Dooch]

We have 4 nat'l championships. VCU has been to one Final 4. Remind me again why we care about them and what their 'fans' think?

 

[CL82]

It's obvious that Fishy must be a sleeper agent who has been sent here to infiltrate the central core of the UConn fanbase, waiting for his time to strike! Come to think of it, how did the founders' of the Boneyard come to also run syracusefan.com? Fishy is the word that comes to mind.

"I'll bet he has a Commie flagged tacked up in his garage."

 

[Pudge]

The Brimah debate continues to expose posters who have have no idea what they're watching.

Totally agree.

Brimah is not an acquired taste. You clearly see his exceptional capacity to do a few things really well. It's not "Rose Colored" glasses. But, it is projection to say that he could play NBA. If you want to throw bricks ... go ahead.

You might recall that the kid is said to work really hard.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Amida is a solid center for us now as we speak. Many teams would drool to have him in that slot. He makes a difference on defense because he can block shots and alter as many so right there alone he is fine to throw in the middle.

The fact he blocks shots is not the cause for his less than astounding rebounding, it's his ability to see the plays happening, the shots being taken and get himself into position to get rebounds. How many times did you see him as the guy in position to get a rebound yet someone beat him to it? A lot I promise - many times it wasn't having his hands ready and others were he was out muscled or just plain beaten on the timing and bounce off the rim. It is what it is and if he ever improves this portion, albeit somewhat mental, he will be really really good and may have a good shot to hang around the next level. But he does need to improve that in order to create optimism for an NBA career - bigs that don't rebound don't last.

Love his jump shot, he can shoot the ball and has a soft touch to boot. His ability to square up for the jump hook was negated by his lack of strength so hopefully a full summer hitting it hard will help him get to the next level on that part of his offense because we did see a nice jump hook when he was able to square.

The kid has a great attitude and it's infectious so I hope he does continue to improve and become the player we all hope he can be. Even as is with the players surrounding him, we're good with him in the middle. Any improvement will be huge for this team for the upcoming campaign though, huge!!

The only word I disagreed with in this whole post was Solid. I think we're making progress Mau.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

I think the longer he stays the less likely he is to be a first rounder unless he starts making some improvements on grabbing boards. The NBA teams will work with the rest. But if he can grab boards in addition to blocking shots and running the court well and catching oops, he'll find an NBA home as a 1st round pick and he'll excel in that role. In today's nba, he doesnt need to be a scorer.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

"I'll bet he has a Commie flagged tacked up in his garage."

Exactly! Something just not right about that glint in his eye. Or is it temery who is the commie SU closet fan corrupting the youth of New England from his teaching position? I'm going to check with my sources.

 

[caw]

I didn't think he improved all that much. Still in foul trouble and still trying to block every shot. His offense consisted of lobs that essentially came from one person, DHam. I think if DHam isn't there, you see no difference between the Fr and So years. I will cut him slack in that I didn't expect much change given his off-season shoulder surgery and having no chance to do much other than ride a bike to stay in shape. With a healthy off-season this year, I'm expecting more.
The obvious comparison is Thabeet. He's not as good as Thabeet yet, and Thabeet has been in and out of the NBA and D League for 5 seasons now. You can't teach height, so he'll surely get drafted, but I expect he'll be here all 4 years and will need all of that time to develop.

I disagree with even the comparison with Thabeet. Thabeet was 7-3, Brimah is 6-11, maybe 7-0. Those three inches are a big difference. Thabeet was also a lot less mobile. They got blocks in very different ways, heck even the way they were used on defense was vastly different. Thabeet had no position but the five in college or the NBA. Brimah may actually be more suited as a four in the NBA eventually.

Even if you do want to compare them, he may not be at Thabeets level right now in terms of effect on the game (I'll give you that) but that doesn't mean he didn't have vast improvements. I'd argue Brimah wasn't as good as Thabeet as a freshman in terms of raw effect on the game and he arguably wasn't as a sophomore relative to sophomore Thabeet but that doesn't mean Brimah didn't vastly improve because Thabeet also vastly improved between freshman and sophomore year.

There is a logical difference between improvement and being as good as another player.

 

[LoveThemHusky]

If KO beats out pitino on this one,I'll know we're in good shape for years to come.

 

[Husky25]

Weren't we talking about Terry Larrier?

 

[businesslawyer]

Weren't we talking about Terry Larrier?

Who?

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Brimah may actually be more suited as a four in the NBA eventually./QUOTE]
I struggle to see Brimah at the 4. Really I struggle to see where he fits at the next level period. He doesn't seem to have the strength of a 4 and I haven't seen enough of his mid range game to know if he can step out a bit and hit the 10-12 footer on a regular basis. At the 5, I haven't seen a progression yet with his back to the basket moves and again, strength is an issue. Hopefully he's a gym rat this summer and we can wipe those concerns out. They were much talked about last season, but it didn't translate into the games.
My comparison to Thabeet is based on them both being fairly skinny shot blockers with very raw offensive games and both playing the 5. I recognize there's a height difference and some other nuances to their games, but to my eyes I see AB at the moment as being a baby HT. I can only hope he makes the same jump HT did between his So and Jr years. I would be a happy man if that happened.

 

[Durks07]

Weren't we talking about Terry Larrier?

We were. Then, we did the BY Shuffle. We're one "20 minutes" post and an idiotic remark away from this becoming another pizza thread.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Hmm, no to all of this.

I hear what you're saying, but the comparison is what my eyes see. As I just mentioned elsewhere, they are both skinny shot blocking pivots with raw offensive games. Both made their mark on the defensive end well before the offense consistently kicked in. Having a healthy summer I look forward to what we see this year. I'd love to see some added strength and a little maturation on the defensive end with regard to his decision on whether to block a shot or not.

I'm done discussing AB on this thread. Welcome Terry Larrier. You made the right choice this time.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Weren't we talking about Terry Larrier?

You have to wait until after he suits up for at least one Uconn game, then yarders can bash him in a thread about some other future recruit. Plus I've learned in this thread that there is a chance Terry Larrier may not even really exist.

 

[HooperScooper]

Okafer was a three star when he graduated HS. After working with a coach and listing weights all summer, he gained skill and twenty pounds of muscle, and he was 4+ by the time he got to Stores. Calhoun's luck was finding a kid with that much self-discipline.

I said I would come back and prove you were way off. Here you go.

O.K., first off the recruiting rankings were all updated for the last time in April of 2001. Before Okafor graduated. Here are some of the rankings: https://sites.google.com/site/rscihoops/home/2001-final. So he was already into the top 100 at that point in most rankings. He was playing AAU basketball since he hadn't committed anywhere yet he was still eligible to play as a senior. He played really well at an event in Pittsburgh and that's when Calhoun went hard after him.

Here's an article from the Hartford Courant when he committed to play at UConn (April 2001 - Not sure why the article is dated November 13, 2002, that's impossible): http://www.courant.com/hc-okafor0420-story.html

Without taking you back to the spring of 2001 I don't know what else to tell you.

 

[UConnSwag11]

ollie needs to keep his foot on the gas with recruiting, we do need size upfront at the 4 and 5