2014-2015 Starting Lineup

[Danzz]

I remember how good Calhoun was and he didn't provide much in the way of outside scoring, even at his best.

I know you say you remember but Omar averaged 11.1 PPG his freshman year.

 

[superjohn]

I pretty much think we have 4 locks as starters with Boat, Purvis, Hamilton and Brimah, the other spot will be either Nolan or Facey.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I'm not sure how starting the even more foul-prone Facey solves this problem.

My point was that Ollie's probably going to do everything he can to make sure both centers aren't in foul trouble at the same time. Starting them both doesn't lend itself to that strategy.

 

[bmayuc]

G- Boat - role: Primary ballhandler/distributor
G-Purvis - role: Dyson+ defense and scoring
F- Hamilton - role: Freshman JLamb
F- Facey - role: DeAndre Soph year, spread floor and finish lobs
C- Brimah - role: MVP, rim protector, (hopefully) back to the basket scorer

First Guard - Samuel - role: relief for Boat/Purvis, secondary ball-handler, defensive stopper. Swiss Army Knife
First Post - Nolan - role: 1v1 post defender, rebounder

Not sure how Calhoun, Cassell, Lubin fit in just yet.

 

[SixRings]

Brimah is a lock. Anyone that says otherwise is just ignorant. Just his potential and amount of NBA scouts that asked about him last year gives him the nod over Nolan. No chance that Phil starts but off the bench quickly. They won't play together except for very few instances.

Between Calhoun and Hamilton it probably depends on practice and preseason but my bet is on Hamilton. Hope OC is a beast but it would have to be an unprecedented leap from last year. Might take more than an offseason to re-establish himself. Just my opinion but have that happy feeling about anyone named Hamilton in a Husky uniform. That and the fact he is a gifted kid now playing for a gifted coach.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Huh? When he is on, and during his freshman year, his calling card was raining 3 pointers. We all thought his natural progression was as a spot-up sniper. I am not a fan of Omars game generally, but you are making no sense with this post.

You should get your UConn BBIQ up, dude.

He shot 32% from 3 as a freshman. That's adequate, but it's hardly the number I'd expect from a "sniper." A sniper is someone like Chris Smith, Ben Gordon, Ray Allen, Brian Fair, or Rashad Anderson, who shot 39%, 41%, 40%, 40%, and 39% as freshmen, respectively. The national average in Calhoun's freshman year was about 34%, so I'm not clear how his hitting 32% makes him a sniper or anything close to it.

 

[Inyatkin]

Brimah is a lock. Anyone that says otherwise is just ignorant. Just his potential and amount of NBA scouts that asked about him last year gives him the nod over Nolan. No chance that Phil starts but off the bench quickly. They won't play together except for very few instances.

Nolan started over him last year, and Nolan is still here. Brimah is not a lock to start, no matter his upside. Nolan could improve, too. And they aren't playing together.

 

[Tampahusky]

Just bc you shoot a lot of threes doesn't make you a 3 pt specialist. Freshman Calhoun was a chucker. He needs to be more well rounded ball player. If he wants more PT , he needs to take a step back and be a glue guy. I like Calhoun as a uconn guy but his game needs work on.

 

[superjohn]

I like Omar and think he will definitely have a role for us this year but he's simply not at Daniel Hamilton's level as a ballplayer. Omar might be as good or maybe even better as a three point shooter but Hamilton is clearly better in every other facet of the game.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Or, at least, he is against high school kids. That much we know.

 

[joober jones]

I kind of hope it's Boat rather than Brimah who rises to the role of our MVP this coming season. Nothing against Amida, but I want to see Boatright prove the doubters wrong and land in the first round of the 2015 draft. Plus, as history as shown, we're always a better team with a prominent and stalwart point guard.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

"you think that what we saw out of Omar last year reflects what he is as a player?" yes. yes i do. don't you think its a bit of a leap to say it was an anomaly, when he showed no upward trend as the year wore on? Thats usually the case with somebody rehabbing/getting back a feel. Youre right nobody said 25 mpg, but i just think he needs training wheels still. Dont get how people have to confidence to say "start him" over hamilton though

So you honestly are saying that last season is the true reflection of who Omar is as a player and that his freshman season, and basically his entire career up to that point, are some extended fluke? I hate to call you an idiot but you don't make it easy.

 

[Dmike]

The only locks are a backcourt of Boat and Purvis. Calhoun and Hamilton will be fighting for who starts as the 3.

Neither Brimah nor Nolan established themselves as a lock for the 5 spot with their play last year. Brimah is coming off surgery and Nolan put on weight. They will fight for the 5. I do believe there is a chance they both play at the 4 and 5 as Facey has never shown that he has a jump shot that can stretch the defense. There ability to play together, however, will depend on what they show in practice.

I think that Facey is likely the 4, but Rock is a dark horse if he really rebounds in practice and shows he can defend his position. Bottom line, none of our bigs have done anything to establish themselves as locks. It will come down to how the perform in practice and exhibitions to determine who starts against Bryant.

My best guess is that on Friday, November 14 we'll have a starting 5 of: Boat, Purvis, Calhoun, Facey and Nolan. As the season progresses, I'm not sure who locks down the 3, 4 & 5, but we'll likely see some different starting 5s over the course of the season.

What really matters most though is which 5 are out on the hardwood at the end of the game.

 

[James]

So you honestly are saying that last season is the true reflection of who Omar is as a player and that his freshman season, and basically his entire career up to that point, are some extended fluke? I hate to call you an idiot but you don't make it easy.

I'm judging him on how he looked the last time he played. and I don't buy it was just his athleticism that caused this drastic drop in production. mentally wasn't there. So please continue with the insults like they have anything to do with the discussion at hand. Honestly it makes more sense for samuel to start than calhoun. Calhoun was a volume shooter his freshman year and averaged more turnovers than assists, I pray hamilton is better than that.

Starters : Boatright/Purvis/Hamilton/Nolan/Brimah . those guys should get majority of minutes, nolan is more feasible than facey. atleast nolan brings screen setting/ experience.

 

[UConn990411]

I'm definitely not predicting a major bounce-back season from Omar because, well, I have zero idea what to expect. But it's truly bizarre how people on here act like the recovery time for double-hip surgery is the same as something like an ankle sprain.

 

[superjohn]

Or, at least, he is against high school kids. That much we know.

facepalm

 

[bmayuc]

He shot 32% from 3 as a freshman. That's adequate, but it's hardly the number I'd expect from a "sniper." A sniper is someone like Chris Smith, Ben Gordon, Ray Allen, Brian Fair, or Rashad Anderson, who shot 39%, 41%, 40%, 40%, and 39% as freshmen, respectively. The national average in Calhoun's freshman year was about 34%, so I'm not clear how his hitting 32% makes him a sniper or anything close to it.

Yes, and you know who else shot 32% as a freshman? Shabazz Napier. And Calhoun did so on a team that was not very good, which relied on him to shoot the rock.

Point being the word "progression". His game clearly revolved around his ability to shoot. He's not a dribbler, not really a slasher, and is not, shall we say, a defensive stopper. He averaged 11 pts his freshman year.

Since you like looking back at old huskies, that is right in line with Ray(12ppg), Shabazz(13ppg) and BG(12ppg), so again factoring in progression you can see him developing into a spot up wing, increasing his percentages.

then he got hurt, and last year he was not right.

 

[Huskybass]

Yes, and you know who else shot 32% as a freshman? Shabazz Napier. And Calhoun did so on a team that was not very good, which relied on him to shoot the rock.

Point being the word "progression". His game clearly revolved around his ability to shoot. He's not a dribbler, not really a slasher, and is not, shall we say, a defensive stopper. He averaged 11 pts his freshman year.

Since you like looking back at old huskies, that is right in line with Ray(12ppg), Shabazz(13ppg) and BG(12ppg), so again factoring in progression you can see him developing into a spot up wing, increasing his percentages.

then he got hurt, and last year he was not right.

Shabazz averaged just under 8 ppg as a freshman, not 13.

But back to Omar, none of us really know what to expect. He was a very good scorer as a freshman, but couldn't throw the ball in the ocean last season. My guess is that he will be somewhere in between those levels this season and will back up a fantastic player in Hamilton.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Yes, and you know who else shot 32% as a freshman? Shabazz Napier. And Calhoun did so on a team that was not very good, which relied on him to shoot the rock.

Point being the word "progression". His game clearly revolved around his ability to shoot. He's not a dribbler, not really a slasher, and is not, shall we say, a defensive stopper. He averaged 11 pts his freshman year.

You said that, as a freshman, "his calling card was raining 3 pointers." He was below-average on 3 pointers, so that was wrong.

I'm not saying he can't improve, but you're saying he's guaranteed to become something he's never been just because Shabazz Napier improved a lot at UConn. Even if we ignore last season, when Calhoun shot incredibly poorly, there's no particular reason to assume he's due to become any sort of 3 point marksman.

Since you like looking back at old huskies, that is right in line with Ray(12ppg), Shabazz(13ppg) and BG(12ppg), so again factoring in progression you can see him developing into a spot up wing, increasing his percentages.

then he got hurt, and last year he was not right.

Allen and Gordon were on the benches of really deep teams, they both averaged more than 20 points/40 minutes as freshman, and they did it with much better shooting numbers. I'm not sure what kind of comparison you're trying to make here, but it doesn't appear to make much sense.

 

[Yankees32123]

Or, at least, he is against high school kids. That much we know.

No. He was guarding guys like Stanley Johnson who was ready for the NBA when he was 16 or 17 years old. D-Ham is battle tested. Watch the St. John Bosco game against Mater Dei on youtube.

 

[champs99and04]

No. He was guarding guys like Stanley Johnson who was ready for the NBA when he was 16 or 17 years old. D-Ham is battle tested. Watch the St. John Bosco game against Mater Dei on youtube.

Stanley Johnson was not ready for the NBA at 16 or 17 years old. He probably isn't now, either. I don't care who he played in high school, college basketball is really hard. It usually takes even McDonald's all-Americans a year or two to adjust. Hell, just figuring out what you can and can't do out there can take a better half of a year. I'm sure D-Ham will learn there are some things he can't get away with anymore. D-Ham might be more talented than Omar. Difference is, Omar has identified and worked to improve his weaknesses. That alone might give him an upper hand.

 

[PAHusky]

1. Anyone who thinks we'll be starting Nolan and Brimah together, much less playing them together, is totally out of their minds. Makes absolutely zero basketball sense in so many ways.
2. The only locks to start at the beginning of the season are Boatright and Purvis. Nolan will almost certainly start over Brimah, at least to start the year off. Brimah has way more potential than Nolan but he's not as consistent, so until Brimah completely turns his talent into production he'll come off the bench like last year.
3. The 3 spot will be Calhoun's to lose. Could DHam pass him by the start of conference play? Absolutely, but I think that KO will give Omar every opportunity to start. DHam is a fantastic prospect and did extraordinary things in high school, and I think he has the chance to contribute more than any freshman we've had since maybe Lamb/Bazz or Drummond, but making the jump is a difficult thing, even for highly rated and supremely talented kids - just ask DD.
4. Facey will get the nod at the 4. I think he'll surprise many with how quietly effective he'll be this year. How fickle we are with our players! If you're a recruit and haven't played a minute we'll fall all over ourselves to declare you the next but if you're a sophomore who didn't get a lot of run because you sat behind an NBA draft pick you're totally marginalized. I'd love for Rock to turn out half as well as some on this board are convinced (that comparison to Blair was pure farce, by the way), but I think it will take a few years, at the very least. Kids who dominate due to size in high school usually take a bit to adjust to the fact that everyone is now physically their peer.
5. Start of the season I think we'll trot out Boat-Purvis-Calhoun-Facey-Nolan, with Brimah, TSam and Hamilton first off the bench, Sam Jr and Rock getting mop up minutes. By the beginning of conference play, if our players with potential turn that into production, it may be Boat-Purvis-DHam-Facey-Brimah, though I think DHam will get the nod before Brimah in the starting lineup.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

No. He was guarding guys like Stanley Johnson who was ready for the NBA when he was 16 or 17 years old. D-Ham is battle tested. Watch the St. John Bosco game against Mater Dei on youtube.

I watched part of the 2013 game btw SJB & MD. Can you post the 2014 Utube game. I couldn't find that 1. Thx in advance.

 

[Inyatkin]

Even with all our new players, it's no exaggeration to say Omar Calhoun is our biggest wildcard this year. He could give us nothing, like last year, or emerge as a really good player. Either one is equally plausible, I think.

 

[scrappy2.0]

Brimah is a lock because he is the sole rim protector and thats who you start the game with. From what is sounds like Facey will be the stretch 4 likely to start Im sure Boatright and Purvis are in there--and then you have either 3 guard alignment with Samuel or whoever wins it out of Calhoun and Hamilton. It really doesnt matter right now--its not that big of a deal who starts.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

This team has the capability to put on the floor the best defensive team in the country. It just depends how often we see particular line ups. I think we have 5 guys that will be used at times... not just to protect the yard but also create havoc on the perimeter. My hope for a very deep run and possible title repeat revolves the potential this team has to defend. I anticipate being frustrated at times with various lineups. The good thing is I have confidence in KO that when it is winning time in March this team will be peaking and defending at a Nat Champ level.

UConn has a very legit shot at the Final4 with minutes dispersed putting a premium on D. Pretty exciting stuff.

 

[Mano]

Frankly, I don't think any of us can reliably expect to know what Calhoun will bring to the table this year. Last year was a lost year due to (mostly) injuries and confidence. If you couldn't see that Omar was not the same player in terms of mobility that he was as even a freshman then I'm not sure what you were watching. And to those begrudging his stats as a freshman, do none of you remember ALL the extenuating circumstances that affected that team that year? What freshman UConn wing is asked to play 32 mpg? And his final shooting numbers were severely affected by injuries that limited his shooting in his last two games (when they were struggling to even put enough healthy players on the court, and he missed the last game due to injury lest we forget) to 2-21 from the field and 2-15 from 3 which dragged his overall percentages down from about 44%/35% to where he finished. All in all, I'd say he had a damn good freshman year. Last year was a real shame that his development couldn't continue and this year I'm truly looking for him to get back to close to his freshman counting stats while improving those percentages.

 

[uconnbill]

Boat-PG
Purvis-SG
Calhoun-SF
Facey-PF
Brimah-C

Samuel first guard off the bench
Nolan first big man off the bench
Hamilton first forward off the bench

 

[jleves]

We've lost Napier, Daniels, Giffey, Kromah and Olander (and Watts!). The only sure starter is obviously Boat. The rest may be in flux for several weeks. Just give me a team with lots of interchangeable spots that is good enough to get to the final four and I'm good. I don't care who starts. Trying to decipher this now without seeing so many new players and so may existing players who hopefully have improved it ridiculous.

Let's let the coaching staff sort this out. People arguing absolutes at this point (other than Boat) are ridiculous. If you just want to predict, that's fun - but beyond that, I don't think anyone knows - probably not even Coach Ollie at this point.

 

[Yankees32123]

I watched part of the 2013 game btw SJB & MD. Can you post the 2014 Utube game. I couldn't find that 1. Thx in advance.

Here's the link … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-_ab10JAYQ