Without Gilbert and Larrier

[maineuconnfan]

I think a lot of us are down on the season. Down on Ollie. Down on the future of Uconn. I was just thinking if we had these two, we probably would have been starting to hit a gro0ve around this point in the season. People could point to the first couple of games, saying it does not matter, we still would have had a terrible season. But you know how many teams in history, with lots of new talent struggle at the beginning of a season. In fact teams that have great experience still struggle at the beginning of the season. I remember Arkansas in 1995, coming off a loss in the title game, getting blasted early season, and thinking to myself how does that happen. But now we are here. 11 games in, with a heavily injured team. Good chance we win against Auburn yesterday if , Jalen does not go out. It is frustrating, because we have had some disappointments in recent years, but this year really is going to be an abboration on the future of Huskies basketball. We just have to be great fans, support them regardless and go out to as many games as we can possible.

 

[mauconnfan]

You think of the way this team has bounced back and played "short-handed" then watch games like this (and certainly a few others already minus the 2 debacles) and know that things would be on the right track chemistry wise with Larrier and Gilbert a part of it. But it is what is, once in a while expectations need to be dropped a couple pegs even though we're UConn.

 

[HungryHuskies]

Great post. We definitely had the game in the bag if Jalen didn't go down with the injury, but unfortunately these things happen. I still think KO turns this team around. Great things to come next year, but we are overdue for great things this year and they will come. This team doesn't give up and continues to fight, which has been a trademark of Ollie's teams. We should be thankful we are in the American because the title is still up for grabs. The tournament is also at the XL Center to play in front of our great fan base.

Still a lot of basketball to be played.

 

[nomar]

I think the next couple years are gonna be a lot of fun.

The demise of UConn Basketball is being greatly exaggerated.

This season stinks though.

 

[JSM1970]

Agreed, a combination of strong guard play with JA/AG/MAL, a lousy conference and serviceable front court play.

SE is improving and no idea on 4 for next year if that is a lot of TL and some Durham, maybe Polley.

Durham looks lost, but he needs a full year to get back into it. Would like to see him a lot more if the season gets worse and worse. Facey has been the best front court player so hate to sit him, but need to get ready for next season.

I think the next couple years are gonna be a lot of fun.

The demise of UConn Basketball is being greatly exaggerated.

This season stinks though.

 

[maineuconnfan]

haha...your really said what I wanted to say in a few lines...thank you.

I think the next couple years are gonna be a lot of fun.

The demise of UConn Basketball is being greatly exaggerated.

This season stinks though.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I'm actually not frustrated at all. I think we are on the edge of greatness. I think with gilbert and larrier we would be capable of competing with anyone.

 

[MexicoHusky]

The team is not good...no doubt. But they've clearly bought into what ko is preaching. I'm having a great time as a fan. We are winning the championship next year.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I look at teams in all sports as stocks or businesses. I believe there's a reason we've won two very unlikely championships in the last 6 yrs. believe UCONN is the best product.

 

[Scoe]

This season sucks but maybe these injuries can bring the team closer together. I believe we are a year away from being a very good team, I just hope we can establish something this year and take it into next year. The young guys are gonna get a lot of minutes I hope we have as many close games as possible this year preferably wins obviously, I feel bad for the Seniors though. It will be along year but overall as a program we will be fine.

 

[Cheddie]

The team is not good...no doubt. But they've clearly bought into what ko is preaching. I'm having a great time as a fan. We are winning the championship next year.

Love KO, but something is off this year. Purvis post-game on why the team chucked up 28 three-point attempts: “Just not listening to the coaching staff, playing selfish...”

 

[MexicoHusky]

Love KO, but something is off this year. Purvis post-game on why the team chucked up 28 three-point attempts: “Just not listening to the coaching staff, playing selfish...”

Emphatically disagree with you on this one. Nothing is off other than talent we have available. Rodney is not a good basketball player without the skillset to consistently beat guys off the dribble or finish off the dribble...thus he chucks up threes. That's not meant as a slam of Rodney. He was using the tools he has to try to win the game. Unfortunately he doesn't have a ton of tools. I love the guy.

 

[pnow15]

I do not share this optimism. It is imperative that Ollie brings in a ready to play big man who is healthy. He has to be able to contribute on at least one end of the court in a major way. Brimah, Facey and Purvis be gone. Enoch is still a huge question mark. Denham seems to lack legs and physical strength. There is no guarantee that either Larrier or Gilbert will be able to play at a high level. This leaves Adams and a couple of freshman. Jackson needs to get his shot off quicker or he will not see an open look once he is fully scouted. Vital needs to go to an eye specialist. I think he has depth perception problems.
Starting lineup could very well be: Enoch, Adams, Vital, Jackson, Denham. And then a lot of freshman and question marks.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

This situation is yet one more symptom of conference realignment. Foolish to think it won't eventually impact all sports at UConn.

 

[dwalks93]

This situation is yet one more symptom of conference realignment. Foolish to think it won't eventually impact all sports at UConn.

Ok I'm as frustrated as any UConn fan with our conference realignment situation but our current men's basketball situation is not caused by conference realignment. Ollie's recruiting the last couple of years has been as good or better than our years in the Big East. I agree conference realignment will likely eventually impact our basketball program's recruiting but the incoming talent does not indicate that happening yet.

We can all argue for hours why this year's team is struggling. Maybe its injuries? Maybe is the players? Maybe its the coaches not developing the players? Maybe (and probably) its a combination of the above factors? Or maybe it is just a one off year and an anomoly. But playing in the AAC is not why UConn is struggling now.

UConn's current conference affiliation is the 1000 pound elephant which adds despair to every situation. But fear we are being left behind does not always make it so....

 

[upstater]

This situation is yet one more symptom of conference realignment. Foolish to think it won't eventually impact all sports at UConn.

We've been saying these things for years. I'm sure it will eventually be true. It was said of the classes that brought us championships.

Go back on this board and have a look at what was said about the Napier, Giffey, Olander, Roscoe Smith, Lamb class.

 

[CL82]

This season is the price we have to pay for next season. Kids are getting a ton of minutes that typically would not be there for them. It will pay dividends for them down the road.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I think a lot of us are down on the season. Down on Ollie. Down on the future of Uconn. I was just thinking if we had these two, we probably would have been starting to hit a gro0ve around this point in the season. People could point to the first couple of games, saying it does not matter, we still would have had a terrible season. But you know how many teams in history, with lots of new talent struggle at the beginning of a season. In fact teams that have great experience still struggle at the beginning of the season. I remember Arkansas in 1995, coming off a loss in the title game, getting blasted early season, and thinking to myself how does that happen. But now we are here. 11 games in, with a heavily injured team. Good chance we win against Auburn yesterday if , Jalen does not go out. It is frustrating, because we have had some disappointments in recent years, but this year really is going to be an abboration on the future of Huskies basketball. We just have to be great fans, support them regardless and go out to as many games as we can possible.

Im one of the ones who isnt down on Ollie or the program but i am down on this season which has been very frustrating to say the least. The silver lining to me is seeing the level of talent and why people were so high on this class. Larrier and Gilbert are studs. Durham shows flashes and Vital is going to contribute. If these kids can get healthy we`re going to see some good basketball over the next few years.

 

[Mr. French]

Love KO, but something is off this year. Purvis post-game on why the team chucked up 28 three-point attempts: “Just not listening to the coaching staff, playing selfish...”

Understood, but I think he IS reaching them. It takes longer than people realize, as a coach, to really hit things home with a player, especially young players.

When they put it together (I'm thinking this year we wont have the tools, but next year we will) this will be a dangerous team.

 

[joober jones]

I do not share this optimism. It is imperative that Ollie brings in a ready to play big man who is healthy. He has to be able to contribute on at least one end of the court in a major way. Brimah, Facey and Purvis be gone. Enoch is still a huge question mark. Denham seems to lack legs and physical strength. There is no guarantee that either Larrier or Gilbert will be able to play at a high level. This leaves Adams and a couple of freshman. Jackson needs to get his shot off quicker or he will not see an open look once he is fully scouted. Vital needs to go to an eye specialist. I think he has depth perception problems.
Starting lineup could very well be: Enoch, Adams, Vital, Jackson, Denham. And then a lot of freshman and question marks.

I don't know how Denham will start for us unless they grant him extra eligibility for his 111 point game.

 

[nomar]

Love KO, but something is off this year. Purvis post-game on why the team chucked up 28 three-point attempts: “Just not listening to the coaching staff, playing selfish...”

Exclusive post-game coverage from the UConn locker room:

 

[gtcam]

I do not share this optimism. It is imperative that Ollie brings in a ready to play big man who is healthy. He has to be able to contribute on at least one end of the court in a major way. Brimah, Facey and Purvis be gone. Enoch is still a huge question mark. Denham seems to lack legs and physical strength. There is no guarantee that either Larrier or Gilbert will be able to play at a high level. This leaves Adams and a couple of freshman. Jackson needs to get his shot off quicker or he will not see an open look once he is fully scouted. Vital needs to go to an eye specialist. I think he has depth perception problems.
Starting lineup could very well be: Enoch, Adams, Vital, Jackson, Denham. And then a lot of freshman and question marks.

Not surprised BUT who is Denham?

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Ok I'm as frustrated as any UConn fan with our conference realignment situation but our current men's basketball situation is not caused by conference realignment. Ollie's recruiting the last couple of years has been as good or better than our years in the Big East.

We can all argue for hours why this year's team is struggling. Maybe its injuries? Maybe is the players? Maybe its the coaches not developing the players? Maybe (and probably) its a combination of the above factors?

What players has KO brought in that have accomplished anything other than last year AAC Tournament Championship? Brimah, Purvis, D. Hamilton, J Adams, S. Miller, and others are/were no where near as good Donyell, Ray Allen, Omeka, Ben Gordon, Rudy Gay, Charley V., Rip Hamilton, Khalid and others I am currently forgetting.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Understood, but I think he IS reaching them. It takes longer than people realize, as a coach, to really hit things home with a player, especially young players.

When they put it together (I'm thinking this year we wont have the tools, but next year we will) this will be a dangerous team.

So how come it doesn't take Calipari as long to develop his very young players? We, as UConn fans, are always making excuses for freshmen, and sometimes sophomores (same thing in football) while other teams do quite well with their young players.

 

[PAHusky]

I like this team's hustle, I like that we're scrappy, and I trust KO.

But some of you are much more sanguine about the short term future of this team than I am, seemingly almost to the point of delusion. We weren't a great team even with Larrier and Gilbert healthy, and I feel like some on here act like if they were around we'd magically be gelling and back in the thick of things. Larrier is good, Gilbert probably will be good (though he's overrated by sheer virtue of having only played a few times now, less to pick apart on the BY) but neither is the kind of lottery talent that will immediately solve our problem next year. That's not counting the fact that 1. they're both coming off injuries, never a sure thing 2. they have to go through the entire process of gelling playing style wise with the team again next year. Our frontcourt next year is Enoch, who is clueless, Durham, who right now makes Enoch look like Wilt, and Diarra, who hasn't played a minute. There's no big coming in next year immediately ready to contribute at a starting level. Adams is good, but I feel like this season will be frustrating enough for him that if he can even sniff a draft slot he's gone.

This season isn't frustrating me because of the injuries, or the awful record, or blowing excruciating games. That stuff happens to every program except the bluest of blue bloods, and even they take their lumps. I'm just worried that this season is being written off as an anomaly (which it is, in some respects, but may not be in others) rather than admitting that it's possible that yes, we're having unique issues this year, but we also have inherent problems in the team going forward as well, ones that aren't excused by what's happened this year and aren't alleviated by the recruits coming in.

And on that happy note, Merry Christmas