14-15 backcourt discussion

[UconnU]

Boatright Samuel & Purvis has to be the most explosive backcourt weve ever had right? Going to be a lot of fun to watch.

 

[Yonick]

The big surprise in the backcourt just could be Mr. Cassell.

 

[UconnU]

The big surprise in the backcourt just could be Mr. Cassell.

I can see it although were guard heavy we can use another guard with handle. When boat plays off the ball or when hes on the bench we need another player whos better with the ball. TS has average handle hes much better off the ball slashing or in transition. I dont think purv is a primary ball handler either.

 

[pj]

Boatright and Purvis will be something to watch. Samuel offers diversity. Cassell will be interesting. Totally new chemistry - Ollie's coaching and the development of the team will be what I'll be watching.

 

[mauconnfan]

Deep and fun to watch…….an array of talent and while we know of Ryan what we get from the rest is kind of unknown although I expect in the end UConn will have one of the, if not THE, best backcourts in the country!

 

[pnete]

These two will play defense first, second and third. Only then will they be able to be great.

 

[UconnU]

Ive brought this up in other threads but does anyone else see us going to a G-G-G-W-C line up for substantial minutes? Our team lends itself better to that type of line up... especially offensively and with AB at center who can cover alot of space.

 

[mauconnfan]

Ive brought this up in other threads but does anyone else see us going to a G-G-G-W-C line up for substantial minutes? Our team lends itself better to that type of line up... especially offensively and with AB at center who can cover alot of space.

Yes and a lot of that will depend on the growth of all the bigs……..if Facey improves it will make those line ups less the norm or if Nolan is able to play next to AB as a PF…….otherwise you may see it more than you think!

 

[David 76]

I'm excited to see the new back court and watch their chemistry and KO's coaching to bring them along. But honestly, even with all the depth, I think it will be hard to beat last year's guard play.

 

[BearJWS]

Ive brought this up in other threads but does anyone else see us going to a G-G-G-W-C line up for substantial minutes? Our team lends itself better to that type of line up... especially offensively and with AB at center who can cover alot of space.

Ha, I was constantly mocked by a few posters when I said we played a G-G-G-W-C lineup last year (Boat-Bazz-Omar-DD-Phil/Amida early in the season). Some people just like labels & there is no such thing as a 3 G lineup, nor is DD as wing/SF.... according to them.

 

[UconnU]

Ha, I was ctantly mocked by a few posters when I said we played a G-G-G-W-C lineup last year (Boat-Bazz-Omar-DD-Phil/Amida early in the season). Some people just like labels & there is no such thing as a 3 G lineup, nor is DD as wing/SF.... according to them.

Remember when nova had a 4 guard line up with a bunch of 6'2-6'4 guards.. and they were top 10 the entire year.

 

[BearJWS]

Remember when nova had a 4 guard line up with a bunch of 6'2-6'4 guards.. and they were top 10 the entire year.

Jay Wright loves his guards. They've had some good ones over the years & they are definitely a guard school. I'm waiting for their 5 guard line up! LOL

 

[CTBasketball]

Remember when nova had a 4 guard line up with a bunch of 6'2-6'4 guards.. and they were top 10 the entire year.

They gave us some good games. We split if I remember correctly (trying to eradicate the 2005 & 2006 seasons from memory).

 

[scrappy2.0]

Boatright Samuel & Purvis has to be the most explosive backcourt weve ever had right? Going to be a lot of fun to watch.

I look at next years team and I feel we have the avenue to repeat. I know missing Shabazz will be huge but I think Boatright is ready to take that mantle and Purvis Cassell and Samuels give us probably the number #1 backcourt or darn close to it. Both Nolan and Brimah should improve--they are 6-10 and 6-11 and we add a 260 pound PF monster for depth. Add in Hamilton and Facey who combined can do a lot of what Daniels and Giffey did from SF/PF and maybe Calhoun can be a glue guy to bring it all together.


Backcourt PG/G

Purvis
Boatright
Samuels
Cassell

Frontcourt
Brimah
Facey
Nolan
Lubin

GF
Hamilton
Calhoun

The only thing we dont have is that extra depth past 10 when we had 11 last year. We have 3 true freshmen this year as we had 3 freshmen last year. We have a little less upper class-men leadership and maybe less in terms of intangible/role players.

 

[60'sfan]

I am looking forward to what KO can do with this team but it will be a tough task. We lost an awful lot of talent from last year. Aside from Shabazz who was the leader, and our best rebounder and scorer, we lost Niels Giffey, a great defender and three point shooter, plus a solid contributor in Kromah. To top it all, we lost Deandre Daniels who would have been on most all-American lists had he stayed. While we do have a lot of solid players coming in, they are untried at this point and may need a season to find their way.

However, don't worry too much about what I say. I was adamant for most of this past year that no one could go deep in the tournament with two undersized guards.

 

[Gurleyman]

I am looking forward to what KO can do with this team but it will be a tough task. We lost an awful lot of talent from last year. Aside from Shabazz who was the leader, and our best rebounder and scorer, we lost Niels Giffey, a great defender and three point shooter, plus a solid contributor in Kromah. To top it all, we lost Deandre Daniels who would have been on most all-American lists had he stayed. While we do have a lot of solid players coming in, they are untried at this point and may need a season to find their way. However, don't worry too much about what I say. I was adamant for most of this past year that no one could go deep in the tournament with two undersized guards.

Being too big on the perimeter (Denham as a 2, Sticks as a 3, no Ricky in '96) has bitten us more often than being too small (Ricky-Khalid, Taliek-Ben, Kemba-Bazz, etc.). Granted, Bazz-Boat was even more undersized than usual.

 

[Deleted at users request]

Last year we weren't that talented of a team. At least we didn't think that going in. We were a great coached team through the season and tournament with Bazz making great plays throughout. This year we will be a lot more talented.

I also don't think we will feel the lose a Bazz too much. Ryan is a senior PG who has been practicing running the show for awhile. I expect Rodney to be really really good too. Scoring wise Hamilton will be better than Giffey or Daniels. Let's just hope Omar goes back to his freshman form so he could be a good contributor off the bench or a solid starter so Hamilton could be a scoring plug off the bench and get ready to be an all around wing his sophomore year.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

cautious optimism; history shows repeatedly UCONN never replaces stars rapidly with similar numbers/infusion of guys next season looks good on paper but wait til they hit the floor/maybe individual elite guys but teamwork could be suspect & olliewood is all about team

 

[Dogbreath2U]

cautious optimism; history shows repeatedly UCONN never replaces stars rapidly with similar numbers/infusion of guys next season looks good on paper but wait til they hit the floor/maybe individual elite guys but teamwork could be suspect & olliewood is all about team

The sum was greater than the parts in last year's team. They had played together for some time and it showed on defense and the way everyone picked up the team in crunch-time situations. Next year, we will have a team that will be much younger and the knowing how to play together will take some time. Can Boat be a positive leader that the team gets behind? Can he come out and keep his "create for the other guys" mindset? I think he can, but this could take time as well.

I agree that our "new" team has more talent, but will probably be a lot less-developed in the basketball IQ/maturity perspective. I have high hopes for Cassell to come in and be ready to contribute significantly. I expect that Hamilton will be the starter at the 3 from the beginning as long as he can commit to becoming a better defensive player and rebounder. Should be a lot of fun to watch.

 

[scrappy2.0]

The sum was greater than the parts in last year's team. They had played together for some time and it showed on defense and the way everyone picked up the team in crunch-time situations. Next year, we will have a team that will be much younger and the knowing how to play together will take some time. Can Boat be a positive leader that the team gets behind? Can he come out and keep his "create for the other guys" mindset? I think he can, but this could take time as well.

I agree that our "new" team has more talent, but will probably be a lot less-developed in the basketball IQ/maturity perspective. I have high hopes for Cassell to come in and be ready to contribute significantly. I expect that Hamilton will be the starter at the 3 from the beginning as long as he can commit to becoming a better defensive player and rebounder. Should be a lot of fun to watch.

We have 3 returning starters Cassell and Purvis really should be juniors and RP was with the team practicing all year. Boatright is a 4 year PG Samuels has earned pedigree. We only have 2 true freshmen coming in this year vs 3 last year. We **could* use a 5 year guy as a glue guy--but Calhoun is going to have to stand up as a junior and be that guy. We have a lot of answers on both end of the court and we definitely have some leftover chemistry.

 

[pj]

I think the Boat-Purvis-Dham-Nolan or Facey-Brimah starting lineup is fairly solid. Would have liked to see a graduate big man come in to provide depth, without one we'll need either Lubin to step up or the Brimah/Facey/Nolan trio to avoid foul trouble. I don't have confidence in any of the wings to step in to the 4 spot the way Daniels and Giffey did last year. Dham is too slight, Calhoun has never done it. That said, it would be a great way for Omar to earn time and round out his game.

Assuming all the bigs step up their game enough to stay on the floor and defend and rebound, we'll really be relying on the perimeter for points. With Samuel, Cassell Jr, and Calhoun, I think there's enough depth.

 

[David 76]

Last year we weren't that talented of a team. At least we didn't think that going in. We were a great coached team through the season and tournament with Bazz making great plays throughout. This year we will be a lot more talented.

I also don't think we will feel the lose a Bazz too much. Ryan is a senior PG who has been practicing running the show for awhile. I expect Rodney to be really really good too. Scoring wise Hamilton will be better than Giffey or Daniels. Let's just hope Omar goes back to his freshman form so he could be a good contributor off the bench or a solid starter so Hamilton could be a scoring plug off the bench and get ready to be an all around wing his sophomore year.

I hope. But the same thing could have been said in 2012.We added Drummond, Daniels and Boat to Lamb, Bazz, AO, Roscoe.

We did lose 3 of our 4 best players and most of our points and rebounds. Purvis & A.B. have had surgeries. I suggest patience as this team develops.
This will be a lesser team in December with the hope to approach the 2014 team by March. The following year we could be a team for the ages. Especially if grab some top recruits.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I hope. But the same thing could have been said in 2012.We added Drummond, Daniels and Boat to Lamb, Bazz, AO, Roscoe.

We did lose 3 of our 4 best players and most of our points and rebounds. Purvis & A.B. have had surgeries. I suggest patience as this team develops.
This will be a lesser team in December with the hope to approach the 2014 team by March. The following year we could be a team for the ages. Especially if grab some top recruits.

It is true but this team will be a lot more experienced than that 2012 team. Purvis had surgery all the way back in December too so he should be more than ready to go by the time the season comes around. I hope Amidas progress doesn't slow down too much. If he could stay on the floor a lot this year he could be the engine that really gets going with the athletes and scorers it presents on the wing and his shot blocking ability to get fast breaks started.

This peremiter of Boatright, Purvis, Samuels, and DHam has to be the most athletic we've ever had. We just have to be able to operate a half court offense and play great defense. I fully believe that this team will not be a problem offensively (we saw Boatright run this team great against Nova in the tournament with Bazz on the bench 1st half) we just have to be able to lock guys up on the peremiter where we lost our best two defenders in Kromah and Giffey. We NEED Omar to step up here.

 

[otp85]

The backcourt has to be the least of our worries for all the reasons listed above and more. I'm honestly not all that worried about the frontcourt either; not the greatest depth but plenty of potential. And as many have said there's always the possibility we go small alot.

My concern is a wing defender. Beyond Hamilton we don't even have a true wing on the roster. And nothing about what I've seen from Hamilton screams defense. Can Calhoun return to healthy form? Even if he does is he strong/athletic enough to guard an elite wing? Facey quick enough? Purvis big enough?

Wish we'd landed Justin Martin rather than having to defend him twice next year.

 

[alfonse]

With boatright and purvis this team will be FAST. Will not be a team other teams want to run with. Expect lots of run-out dunks

 

[Danzz]

I can see it although were guard heavy we can use another guard with handle. When boat plays off the ball or when hes on the bench we need another player whos better with the ball. TS has average handle hes much better off the ball slashing or in transition. I dont think purv is a primary ball handler either.

Cassell could be that PG with a handle.
Purvis is converting from a 2G so we'll have to wait and see his handle and how he runs a team but I still think he starts in the backcourt with Samuel as a backup. From everything we've read Hamilton could be that special talent and will either start or get starter's minutes.. If we play essentially 3 guards it wouldn't surprise me to see Nolan and Brimah in the game together. It would be great if Nolan could develop better touch around the basket. Somebody is going to have to rebound. Bazz was our leading rebounder most games and we'll miss him big time on the boards.
If Omar turns things around and I think he will Ollie is going to have a lot of pieces at the SF and G positions. It will be interesting to see how KO fits all these pieces together.

 

[champs99and04]

Last year we weren't that talented of a team. At least we didn't think that going in. We were a great coached team through the season and tournament with Bazz making great plays throughout. This year we will be a lot more talented.

I also don't think we will feel the lose a Bazz too much. Ryan is a senior PG who has been practicing running the show for awhile. I expect Rodney to be really really good too. Scoring wise Hamilton will be better than Giffey or Daniels. Let's just hope Omar goes back to his freshman form so he could be a good contributor off the bench or a solid starter so Hamilton could be a scoring plug off the bench and get ready to be an all around wing his sophomore year.

I think most of us thought we were a pretty talented team last season, we just weren't sure if there was enough of it in the front court. You could certainly make the argument that with the additions of Purvis and Hamilton, we are more talented this season, but I'd be surprised if we were better. If you don't think we will feel the loss of Bazz too much, I think you're underestimating the value of one of the best players in the history of the program who also happens to be a seasoned leader. I have no question Boatright can fill the leadership void, but it obviously remains to be seen whether he can be nearly as good. It definitely helps, though, to have a senior point guard who was a leader on a national championship team returning - this isn't like 2012 when we were relying on an untested Napier to fill the shoes of the guy coming off probably the best single season in UConn history. If you wanted to take a glass-half-empty approach, you could say it feels a little like 2010 when a senior Dyson and a sophomore Kemba were trying to share the play-making duties in the back court, and their skill sets ended up being more redundant than complementary. I tend to think the back court will be more than fine, but we'll see.

Daniels and Giffey will both be sorely missed, and even though I expect Facey to be a really good player in time, I can't imagine he'll be able to fill the shoes of those two right away. It isn't often you find a forward who can hit threes, drive, and also protect the rim on the other end, but that's exactly what Daniels was able to do. His skill set gave us the luxury of spreading the floor while not losing anything defensively; this season, I suspect we'll be forced into more either/or situations unless Nolan and/or Facey is further along offensively than we thought. Giffey gave us an additional long-range threat in addition to versatility defensively that is damn near unparalleled - he could guard centers in spurts and then step out onto the perimeter late in the shot clock and defend point guards, all the while usually being responsible for the opposition's best wing scorer. Granted, it's possible that Brimah will be enough of a force defensively at the five that we can play ultra-small and not get burned too often, but by the end of their time here, Giffey and Daniels were two of the best two-way forwards in quite a while. Daniel Hamilton is an awesome talent, but if I had to guess, I'd say that transition is going to be far from seamless. At the end of the day, freshman are freshman.

 

[boog204]

Ha, I was constantly mocked by a few posters when I said we played a G-G-G-W-C lineup last year (Boat-Bazz-Omar-DD-Phil/Amida early in the season). Some people just like labels & there is no such thing as a 3 G lineup, nor is DD as wing/SF.... according to them.

We had several moments of G-G-G-W-W last year with either DD or Giff playing the 5. In the college game you just need guys who can play.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I agree with most of what your saying there and I don't want to sound like a DD hater but he really was a guy who disappeared for long stretches of games, it seems like the boneyard remembers him only for his play in the tournaments which I understand but outside of the tournament he was a very inconsistent stretch 4 who can give you 2 points 3 rebounds next game and then 17 and 11 the next. I think KO did a great job getting him involved through screens to get him open on post ups and 3 point shots to let him drive. He didn't become a consistent low post scorer until the tourney and only played like that when his confidence was really high which wasn't too often. There's a reason he's projected to be a 2nd round pick after his great tournament run.

I'm just saying we won't have inconsistency problems with Facey like we did with DD because he seems like a guy who has a great motor to go along with his size to make a much better consistent fit at the 4. He also seems like he has that ability to spread the floor from the 3 and shows a great midrange shot. His high school tape seemed to show off a variety of nice post moves also and be a much more consistent rebounding threat. I know he didn't play much his freshman year but neither did DD and I think he was a lot less ready to play his freshman year than Facey was and Facey seems like a harder worker. I just don't know how he will play on the defensive end. Hopefully Ollie and the weight room will prepare him for that because he can really be one of the best 4s we've had here at UConn with his size, athleticism, and shooting touch.

Giffey and Kromahs defnense will not be replaced by Hamilton and Calhoun I'm sure. Which will hurt. But offensively they both will be able to fill it up more and in more variety of ways. I know everyone wants to downplay Hamilton because they don't want to build the hype machine but I'm very sure that he can come in and fill it up right away with his scoring ability and confidence with two of the best guards I the country to make the game easier for him and take the pressure off. Defense is something that will probably come along for him throughout the season.

I'm scared Bazz's leadership won't be replaced by Boatright either. I hope he can play with the more talented Purvis a long side of him with his eyes on impressing nba scouts. Hopefully he doesn't need the practice year to become a leader like Bazz did and can just take the torch and run. Scoring wise I'm sure Purvis can replace what Bazz brought to the table. I just hope Boat and this teams talent along with Ollie's coaching can bring us over that hump. I don't think everyone here understands how great a job Ollie did with the sets and plays ran for these guys last year outside of Bazz, Boatright, and Kromah to get these guys open looks and how much having a green light can help a player like Giffey's or DDs confidence shooting the ball. It really is just on the defensive end where they will be missed.