A few thoughts on the preseason

[bmayuc]

We have looked pretty good overall. Shown a lot of potential, there are a lot of combinations that could really work. This should be a truly fun season, because we don't have any expectations. All upside to me.

A few things that stuck out:

1. Terry Larrier does pro stuff. He's got the size/agility/skill mix to be a real player. He can handle, pass, and finish. Doesn't seem to be loose with possessions either, which I love. He reminds me in body type, skillset, etc of a very bad imitation of Paul George. He could be that kind of player, on the college level, in time. Very unique guy. I'll say it, Humongous upgrade over Hamilton. Sorry, but true.

2. I love Alterique Gilbert. He hasn't shot well, or even looked for his shot much. Whatever. He's in pure Shabazz/Kemba freshman mode. He has superlative athleticism, agility, handle, and poise. If he just handles the ball for half the game, grabs steals, and runs the offense with poise, his value is off the charts. I simply love what I see from him thus far. So calm on the court, swagger. Classic UConn PG. Love it.

3. Amida is Amida - he has runs of awesome play. He makes bonehead fouls. He dunks if you give him the ball at the hoop. It is what it is, we just need to use him smartly. This might be Ollie's biggest challenge.

4. There is some stuff there to unlock with Enoch/Facey/Durham. They all do different things, and in different matchups can be effective. I have a soft spot for Enoch and hope he figures out defense/fouling because when he's on the court he can put the ball in the hoop, and clear space out down low on the offensive and defensive glass. Durham is such a baby deer. Clearly he can shoot, Clearly he can dribble/move well. Just hope he stays healthy. Just doesn't seem to have great functional strength, wobbly.

5. Rebounding this year is going to drive me insane to the point that I might break the remote for my TV. Then call Verizon and say my dog chewed it and get a free one. Then break that one. We just don't have any above average glass eaters on defense. I was hoping Mamadou could be that guy in a pinch, but its just not realistic.

6. Jalen looks like he can shoot now, that's really good! Purv is Purv. Facey is Facey.

7. Vance can clearly shoot, hopefully he can bury a couple each game when it is needed. Vital reminds me so freaking much of a bouncier, plus version of Craig Austrie, even down to how they both shoot.

Should be fun, #GoHuskies

 

[superjohn]

We have looked pretty good overall. Shown a lot of potential, there are a lot of combinations that could really work. This should be a truly fun season, because we don't have any expectations. All upside to me.

A few things that stuck out:

1. Terry Larrier does pro stuff. He's got the size/agility/skill mix to be a real player. He can handle, pass, and finish. Doesn't seem to be loose with possessions either, which I love. He reminds me in body type, skillset, etc of a very bad imitation of Paul George. He could be that kind of player, on the college level, in time. Very unique guy. I'll say it, Humongous upgrade over Hamilton. Sorry, but true.

2. I love Alterique Gilbert. He hasn't shot well, or even looked for his shot much. Whatever. He's in pure Shabazz/Kemba freshman mode. He has superlative athleticism, agility, handle, and poise. If he just handles the ball for half the game, grabs steals, and runs the offense with poise, his value is off the charts. I simply love what I see from him thus far. So calm on the court, swagger. Classic UConn PG. Love it.

3. Amida is Amida - he has runs of awesome play. He makes bonehead fouls. He dunks if you give him the ball at the hoop. It is what it is, we just need to use him smartly. This might be Ollie's biggest challenge.

4. There is some stuff there to unlock with Enoch/Facey/Durham. They all do different things, and in different matchups can be effective. I have a soft spot for Enoch and hope he figures out defense/fouling because when he's on the court he can put the ball in the hoop, and clear space out down low on the offensive and defensive glass. Durham is such a baby deer. Clearly he can shoot, Clearly he can dribble/move well. Just hope he stays healthy. Just doesn't seem to have great functional strength, wobbly.

5. Rebounding this year is going to drive me insane to the point that I might break the remote for my TV. Then call Verizon and say my dog chewed it and get a free one. Then break that one. We just don't have any above average glass eaters on defense. I was hoping Mamadou could be that guy in a pinch, but its just not realistic.

6. Jalen looks like he can shoot now, that's really good! Purv is Purv. Facey is Facey.

7. Vance can clearly shoot, hopefully he can bury a couple each game when it is needed. Vital reminds me so freaking much of a bouncier, plus version of Craig Austrie, even down to how they both shoot.

Should be fun, #GoHuskies

Great post. My only gripe is I have expectations for this team. There is an awful lot of talent, speed, length and versatility with this group which makes me think/expect they have a chance to go places this year.

 

[ASweet3781]

The 3 biggest questions I think we all had for this team-

1. Is Terry Larrier going to be good enough to offset the loss of Hamilton? Yes.

2. Have either Facey or Enoch improved? Yes to both.

3. Can at least 2-3 of the freshman strongly contribute? Yes.

I like the potential of this team. Will take some bumps but the tools are all there. Main concerns will be the consistency of the front court with rebounding and other things but I think this is a better team than last years and complement each other better.

 

[Scot-e]

We have looked pretty good overall. Shown a lot of potential, there are a lot of combinations that could really work. This should be a truly fun season, because we don't have any expectations. All upside to me.

A few things that stuck out:

1. Terry Larrier does pro stuff. He's got the size/agility/skill mix to be a real player. He can handle, pass, and finish. Doesn't seem to be loose with possessions either, which I love. He reminds me in body type, skillset, etc of a very bad imitation of Paul George. He could be that kind of player, on the college level, in time. Very unique guy. I'll say it, Humongous upgrade over Hamilton. Sorry, but true.

2. I love Alterique Gilbert. He hasn't shot well, or even looked for his shot much. Whatever. He's in pure Shabazz/Kemba freshman mode. He has superlative athleticism, agility, handle, and poise. If he just handles the ball for half the game, grabs steals, and runs the offense with poise, his value is off the charts. I simply love what I see from him thus far. So calm on the court, swagger. Classic UConn PG. Love it.

3. Amida is Amida - he has runs of awesome play. He makes bonehead fouls. He dunks if you give him the ball at the hoop. It is what it is, we just need to use him smartly. This might be Ollie's biggest challenge.

4. There is some stuff there to unlock with Enoch/Facey/Durham. They all do different things, and in different matchups can be effective. I have a soft spot for Enoch and hope he figures out defense/fouling because when he's on the court he can put the ball in the hoop, and clear space out down low on the offensive and defensive glass. Durham is such a baby deer. Clearly he can shoot, Clearly he can dribble/move well. Just hope he stays healthy. Just doesn't seem to have great functional strength, wobbly.

5. Rebounding this year is going to drive me insane to the point that I might break the remote for my TV. Then call Verizon and say my dog chewed it and get a free one. Then break that one. We just don't have any above average glass eaters on defense. I was hoping Mamadou could be that guy in a pinch, but its just not realistic.
6. Jalen looks like he can shoot now, that's really good! Purv is Purv. Facey is Facey.

7. Vance can clearly shoot, hopefully he can bury a couple each game when it is needed. Vital reminds me so freaking much of a bouncier, plus version of Craig Austrie, even down to how they both shoot.

Should be fun, #GoHuskies

Good post- but I think Facey looks like a whole new player this year. He seems to have made a big leap if the EGs are any indication. DOOMED!

 

[Matrim55]

I'll add my thoughts here instead of starting a new thread.

If we rebound we run, and if we run we win.

That's the season to come in a nutshell. The guys we have can all, on paper, do the job. But we've given up a ton of offensive rebounds to two division 2 teams through 80 minutes and that has me worried. Part of it is just those teams chucking a ton of 3s (long rebounds lead to offensive rebounds), but part of it is that none of our big guys really seems to be an instinctive defensive rebounder. Hamilton offset a good chunk of that last season, but he's gone now -- and gone with him are those secondary breaks we got at least five or six times a game when he'd push it up court all by himself. Those are easy points we have to figure out how to replace.

Teams that force us into the halfcourt will have a much better chance of beating us than those who can't. We do, however, have a couple of counters:

• We should post Enoch the first possession he's on the court no matter who we're playing against. I don't care if it's Bill Russell who's guarding him -- the dude can and will score in the paint. That needs to be imposed upon whoever we're playing. They need to fear it and start reorganizing their defense to stop it, which will in turn open lanes for the rest of our guys.

Having a guy like this is a cheat code for restarting stalled offenses. It's a luxury we've got to use even if he costs us points on the other end (and he will)

• We need to see a lot of the Adams-Purvis-Jackson-Larrier-Brimah lineup. Just run a high pick-and-roll with Jalen & Amida, and if the defense collapses it's an open 3. If it doesn't collapse it's a lob or a lay-up. This is the whole point of having a rim-runner in the middle and shooters all around, and this is the primary read that Adams needs to make if he's going to be a PG in the league (which he will be).

To put it another way: Make them defend Amida vertically at the rim. Doing so means they can't cover as much ground horizontally, and that leaves shooters wide open.

• I have no real worries defensively. There will be a few games where we look bad, and a few where we look great, and a whole lot where we look very good. The only issue we'll have is finishing off possessions (rebounding).

(Ok I lied as I have one defensive worry: the 1-2-1-1 press is a dumpster fire. Please stop it).

A few personnel observations:

• Amida & Facey look thicker, and Enoch looks more chiseled last year. In theory this should make Amida a more dangerous post scorer, but I swear to god every time we dump the ball down there it's a wasted possession -- and doubly so if he's out there with one of the other bigs. If the second-biggest guy is guarding Facey (which is what our starting lineup will force onto opponents), we should actually post Facey and leave Amida 16 feet from the hoop, because he can hit that midrange shot.

We still should play Amida 20+ minutes a night because he's a game-changing defender, but it's insane to feed him the ball in the post more than once. Lobs, put-backs and the occasional 16-footer only.

• I have high hopes for Facey producing a Gavin-esque senior season.

• Adams has swagger, and I think he's going to have a big year. But he's going to have to hit that rhythm jump shot when teams duck under screens against him.

• Purvis looks a little bit more trim and perhaps a touch quicker. He still gets into the lane and leaves his feet without a plan, but otherwise this guy's ready for a big season.

• Larrier is a much better passer than I suspected he'd be. He also seems like a good off-the-ball cutter, which has a ton of potential for when Enoch draws double teams in the post.

He should also be a devastating defensive player who can guard 1-through-4. Hopefully that's what happens.

• Lots of folks love to call Durham a PF because he has that nice jump-shot, but given his length and current lack of lateral quickness, I definitely see him as more of a center. Hopefully once he's fully recovered he'll be able to defend more on the perimeter, but right now his agility is subpar away from the hoop.

• Gilbert looks smart and mostly under control. I agree with @bmayuc that he seems to be in freshman Kemba/Shabazz mode, which is perfect. He'll allow Adams to play off the ball for long stretches, and hopefully be able to calm the game down at times when Jalen inevitably starts playing a little too much hero ball

• If Enoch's post ability is our secret weapon, then Jackson's range is our not-so-secret weapon. He also seemed to be, at times, a smarter off-the-ball defender than most freshmen, which bodes well for his ability to stay on the court.

• Diarra looks like 5 fouls and hustle, and the same for Vital. And that's fine, since it's not like everybody can play 25 minutes per game. Perhaps by the middle of next year they can really push for meaningful minutes, but from what they've shown so far they're the 10th & 11th guys on the roster

-----------------

The ceiling for this team is, I think, about 30 wins and a trip to the second weekend of the tournament. Hopefully that includes a regular-season AAC title and a few Mick Cronin tears along the way.

The floor -- barring injury -- is low-20s in the wins column and an NIT run. The difference between those two extremes is how well we rebound and Adams's improvement curve.

 

[Jaker]

Like the past couple of seasons, we have to get some consistent offense from our bigs. If Enoch and Facey play well, we can potentially be an elite 8 team.

 

[joober jones]

I'm really liking what I've seen out of Facey so far. He seems to be the most improved returning player.

 

[Matrim55]

I'm really liking what I've seen out of Facey so far. He seems to be the most improved returning player.

He's looked very confident offensively. Problem is he has 3 defensive rebounds in 30 minutes, which is not good enough. Brimah (4 in 28) has been fractionally better, while Enoch (2 in 26) has been fractionally worse.

 

[mauconnfan]

He's looked very confident offensively. Problem is he has 3 defensive rebounds in 30 minutes, which is not good enough. Brimah (4 in 28) has been fractionally better, while Enoch (2 in 26) has been fractionally worse.

These are scary numbers. The one thing I will give them is SCSU shot a decent amount of 3's and our guards grabbed some long rebounds but nonetheless these numbers need to grow. What puzzles me is how good and aggressive Facey is not he offensive end rebounding the ball but you scratch your head as to why he is so awful on the defensive end. Any although he's improved on the offensive end his minutes will depend on whether he gets it eventually and rebounds on both ends.

 

[Thirty Three]

The offensive movement looks great. It's night and day compared to the stagnant "run the pick and roll and then just stand around when it doesn't work" offense of the past. This looks like a higher IQ team offensively overall. Lots of movement and passing which leads to better looks and more confidence in the half court. Players are spacing the floor well and moving to open spots (Larrier looks particularly good at this). Hopefully this carries over against better teams (I think it will).

Although he didn't do a lot, Christian Vital caught my eye. He looks like he's going to be a better player than I expected. He seems to have a solid bball IQ, which stood out to me. He was a net positive and didn't make many mistakes. He may not get many minutes this season, but I'm glad we have him. Looks like he could be a solid guard off the bench without many weaknesses. I was also pleasantly surprised to see him run the point better than I expected. Could be a very nice, versatile role player.

Alterique - I thought he would be more offensive minded and score more, especially against D2 comp, but 6 assists to 2 turnovers is a really great start for a freshman. He really opens things up and knows how to run an offense, and his outlet passes were really great. He's really going to help us push the ball and (hopefully) be a real running team again.

The combo of Gilbert, Adams, Larrier and Purvis is going to see a ton of playing time together, likely with Brimah or Facey at center (although that group also played well with Enoch). The only question I have with that "fast" lineup with Larrier at the 4 is if we can hold our own rebounding.

Really looking forward to this season. Looks to me like this may be a more fun, exciting and smarter team than the past couple of years.