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- Feb 10, 2013
- Messages
- 6,182
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The story of the season will be floor spacing and perimeter defense.
On the first, I'm not sure there's an easy answer - though Purvis has looked good these past couple of games, and I think Hamilton will improve. Regardless, we won't be the devastating end-of-shotclock team we were last year with Bazz, Boat, Niels & DD on the floor. So we don't score as well as we could/will eventually.
More disappointing has been the sporadic perimeter defense, from everyone including Boat & Samuel. Purvis & Cassell are net negatives on that end, full stop, while Hamilton has shown good on-ball ability but gets lost off the ball (like all freshmen). Omar looked lively today, but I'm still taking a wait-and-see. When these guys get beat off the dribble - and it's been happening a lot - it forces rotations from the bigs that they're not really equipped for (and that gets Brimah in foul trouble, which kills us on both ends).
The good news is that 1) we've shown for 20-minute stretches that we can play elite defense, especially when Boat is in "duck_k you" mode; 2) the Brimah & Facey combo protects the hell out of the rim; and 3) both of Ollie's previous teams have improved defensively over the course of the season. I expect this one will, too.
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A few more:
We attack the zone better than previous UConn teams because of Hamilton. When he flashes to the foul line he becomes a triple-threat, and is incredibly good at finding lobs to baseline cutters. I actually like when teams go zone vs. us because it forces us to get him touches in dangerous spots.
Facey is obviously "most improved," and is starting to remind me a lot of Roscoe, but with better (too much?) understanding of his own limitations. I'd love for KO to start designing a few plays per game on the block for him, because his footwork is better than expected.
Samuel's lack of a jumper has hurt us when he's in for the halfcourt. He doesn't have to be Ray Allen out there, but it'd be nice if he got himself into "Kevin Ollie" territory. Defenders sag 5-6 feet off of him.
We still rebound with 5 because Amida is still a poor rebounder. So we'll win a lot of rebounding battles, but in the process we're just not a danger on the break.
The secondary break, however, shows promise. It's especially good when Hamilton picks up a long rebound and pushes while Purvis drifts to the corner.
Free throws have killed us. Karmic payback for our otherworldly run in the tournament last year, I guess.
Cassell has been a big disappointment after a decent preseason. I expected him to shoot a higher percentage since he's a complimentary piece, but even in that role he's just been a bricklayer. He's also clearly below average athletically, which limits his defensive & dribble penetration impact. If his jumper's not falling, he has no spot out there.
To that end, missing out on Josh Perkins last year really stings. There's no clear secondary ball-handler in the halfcourt, which is nearly always fatal for college teams.
If the Omar of today (and of 2012-13) is what we'll get for the rest of the season, that makes us significantly better off the bench (duh). Right now we're 7 men deep, with neither of the bench options (Samuel & Nolan) providing any attacking push. Omar does that, and absolutely kills smaller defenders in mid-range. Yes, I'm thinking of the Yale loss right now.
Boat is a warrior, and has largely played smart and unselfish basketball in the halfcourt. His evolution since his freshman season on that end is one of Ollie's greatest feats, and one of the biggest reasons I'm bullish on the future of the program.
Lubin will need an even bigger evolution to become a contributor at UConn's level.
Nolan is underappreciated on this board. He gets to his spot early in the post and battles, handles the pick-and-roll better than anyone on the roster, and draws charges at Battier-esque rates. We're not "too good" for a guy like that.
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A conference title and Sweet 16 are reasonable expectations for this team, should we avoid injuries. Anything beyond that would be gravy unless we get an incredibly kind break in the draw, or unless Hamilton realizes his destiny a year early and morphs into Brandon Roy by the end of his freshman season (seriously, that's the right comparison for him).
I, like everyone else, am not happy with the record. A healthy Purvis has us at 8-2 with no bad losses, and if we win two more recruiting battles (Perkins, Chuckwu) maybe we're 10-0.
But... oh well. The pieces are there for this to be a top 15 team, and Ollie's shown the ability to get his teams playing their best ball at the right time.
So bring on the AAC.
On the first, I'm not sure there's an easy answer - though Purvis has looked good these past couple of games, and I think Hamilton will improve. Regardless, we won't be the devastating end-of-shotclock team we were last year with Bazz, Boat, Niels & DD on the floor. So we don't score as well as we could/will eventually.
More disappointing has been the sporadic perimeter defense, from everyone including Boat & Samuel. Purvis & Cassell are net negatives on that end, full stop, while Hamilton has shown good on-ball ability but gets lost off the ball (like all freshmen). Omar looked lively today, but I'm still taking a wait-and-see. When these guys get beat off the dribble - and it's been happening a lot - it forces rotations from the bigs that they're not really equipped for (and that gets Brimah in foul trouble, which kills us on both ends).
The good news is that 1) we've shown for 20-minute stretches that we can play elite defense, especially when Boat is in "duck_k you" mode; 2) the Brimah & Facey combo protects the hell out of the rim; and 3) both of Ollie's previous teams have improved defensively over the course of the season. I expect this one will, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few more:
We attack the zone better than previous UConn teams because of Hamilton. When he flashes to the foul line he becomes a triple-threat, and is incredibly good at finding lobs to baseline cutters. I actually like when teams go zone vs. us because it forces us to get him touches in dangerous spots.
Facey is obviously "most improved," and is starting to remind me a lot of Roscoe, but with better (too much?) understanding of his own limitations. I'd love for KO to start designing a few plays per game on the block for him, because his footwork is better than expected.
Samuel's lack of a jumper has hurt us when he's in for the halfcourt. He doesn't have to be Ray Allen out there, but it'd be nice if he got himself into "Kevin Ollie" territory. Defenders sag 5-6 feet off of him.
We still rebound with 5 because Amida is still a poor rebounder. So we'll win a lot of rebounding battles, but in the process we're just not a danger on the break.
The secondary break, however, shows promise. It's especially good when Hamilton picks up a long rebound and pushes while Purvis drifts to the corner.
Free throws have killed us. Karmic payback for our otherworldly run in the tournament last year, I guess.
Cassell has been a big disappointment after a decent preseason. I expected him to shoot a higher percentage since he's a complimentary piece, but even in that role he's just been a bricklayer. He's also clearly below average athletically, which limits his defensive & dribble penetration impact. If his jumper's not falling, he has no spot out there.
To that end, missing out on Josh Perkins last year really stings. There's no clear secondary ball-handler in the halfcourt, which is nearly always fatal for college teams.
If the Omar of today (and of 2012-13) is what we'll get for the rest of the season, that makes us significantly better off the bench (duh). Right now we're 7 men deep, with neither of the bench options (Samuel & Nolan) providing any attacking push. Omar does that, and absolutely kills smaller defenders in mid-range. Yes, I'm thinking of the Yale loss right now.
Boat is a warrior, and has largely played smart and unselfish basketball in the halfcourt. His evolution since his freshman season on that end is one of Ollie's greatest feats, and one of the biggest reasons I'm bullish on the future of the program.
Lubin will need an even bigger evolution to become a contributor at UConn's level.
Nolan is underappreciated on this board. He gets to his spot early in the post and battles, handles the pick-and-roll better than anyone on the roster, and draws charges at Battier-esque rates. We're not "too good" for a guy like that.
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A conference title and Sweet 16 are reasonable expectations for this team, should we avoid injuries. Anything beyond that would be gravy unless we get an incredibly kind break in the draw, or unless Hamilton realizes his destiny a year early and morphs into Brandon Roy by the end of his freshman season (seriously, that's the right comparison for him).
I, like everyone else, am not happy with the record. A healthy Purvis has us at 8-2 with no bad losses, and if we win two more recruiting battles (Perkins, Chuckwu) maybe we're 10-0.
But... oh well. The pieces are there for this to be a top 15 team, and Ollie's shown the ability to get his teams playing their best ball at the right time.
So bring on the AAC.
