amore mailbag on freshman impact next year

[3rdbass]

Omar became a very good rebounder from the 3 spot as the season progressed, I don't think he's any worse than Niels there and he might even be a little bit better. Before the wrist injury took away his ability to shoot he was becoming a very well rounded player on offense and defense. I love Niels for his versatility but unless he stops pulling the string on his shot and becomes more agressive offensively he's better suited coming off the bench. A starting lineup of Boat, Bazz, Omar, DeAndre is a very good offensive lineup and could be scary if Boat/OC/DD make the necessary jumps in their game.

No way is OC as good as of a defensive player in staying in front of his man as NG. Rebounding favored NG over OC(6.8 over 4.8 per 40 minutes). OC might give us more offense but I rather have the extra rebounding and defense with 3 scorers already in the lineup. I think in the beginning of last season before DD developed offensively it made sense to start OC. Though now that DD is a bonafide 3rd scoring option I rather address the lack of height, defense and rebounding with NG. NG was covering the oppossing centers last year and doing a great job. I rather have OC on the bench but I'm sure KO will start him with SN, RB and DD.

The center position is the only opened position and I think PN with a little added muscle will end up being the starter there.

 

[Huskybass]

KO will know what the best lineup is. I think he had a fantastic year as a first year head coach. I have faith in him to get it right. The rest of us are just goobers who waste our time speculating on a message board. When you get right down to it, everything we type is meaningless other than for a little entertainment value.

 

[aceboon]

I never said OC was as good defensively as NG, my only arguments were rebounding and scoring. He's easily the better scorer, and over his last 10 games he averaged 5.4 rebounds per game. Would I expect that over the course of the season, no, but he averaged about the same over the year as NG while NG played more minutes at the 4 and even some 5 putting him closer to the basket. I really don't get the hang-up you guys have on OC's size(or size in general on here), he's what 6'4" or 6'5" in shoes, there is nothing wrong with playing a guy that size at the 3 in college. Ray was about 6'5" and he spent the majority of his college career at the 3, Jerome was even smaller and we were argually the best team in the country in 09 with him playing there.

No way is OC as good as of a defensive player in staying in front of his man as NG. Rebounding was about the same but NG played 11 less minutes per game so actually he was better. OC might give us more offense but I rather have the extra rebounding and defense with 3 scorers already in the lineup. I think in the beginning of last season before DD developed offensively it made sense to start OC. Though now that DD is a bonafide 3rd scoring option I rather address the lack of height, defense and rebounding with NG. NG was covering the oppossing centers last year and doing a great job. I rather have OC on the bench but I'm sure KO will start him with SN, RB and DD.

The center position is the only opened position and I think PN with a little added muscle will end up being the starter there.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

id like boat coming off the bench to be honest. but this would only work if oc has improved his handle.

KO's system is predicated on 2 ball handlers (at least it was last year). That's a major reason Purvis came here as well. Omar just isn't strong enough in that department yet. We need Boatright because he helps free up Bazz for open looks and helps us run and get our fast break going.

Boat has his flaws, but he was also a sophomore last year. Look at the jump both Bazz and Kemba made soph to jr year. I'm expecting big things from Boat next year. As well as big things for the Huskies.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

This is crazy. Boatright was our second best player last year. Did everyone saying he should come off the bench forget the Syracuse game last year? Boat was inconsistent, but he also had a 5 or 6 game stretch where he was our best player last year. He was a soph. Sophomores are inconsistent. Was Deandre any less inconsistent last year? No.

Boat will be starting next year and it wont be up for debate. Not only is he our 2nd or 3rd best player, but KO's system needs two ball handlers and Boat just happens to be our best one.

 

[3rdbass]

I never said OC was as good defensively as NG, my only arguments were rebounding and scoring. He's easily the better scorer, and over his last 10 games he averaged 5.4 rebounds per game. Would I expect that over the course of the season, no, but he averaged about the same over the year as NG while NG played more minutes at the 4 and even some 5 putting him closer to the basket. I really don't get the hang-up you guys have on OC's size(or size in general on here), he's what 6'4" or 6'5" in shoes, there is nothing wrong with playing a guy that size at the 3 in college. Ray was about 6'5" and he spent the majority of his college career at the 3, Jerome was even smaller and we were argually the best team in the country in 09 with him playing there.

I just think rebounding and defense inside is a bigger issue than scoring with DD's emergence on offense. Either way it is a moot point since OC will be starting and NG coming off the bench. Just would love to see a change next year especially if NG offense is improved even a little. The big thing is RB will be starting and anyone who questions that is a fool.

 

[Huskybass]

If KO chooses to go with a bigger starting lineup to improve both defense and rebounding, Boat could flourish in an instant offense sixth man role and still get starters minutes. I don't see where that is a bad thing at all.

 

[3rdbass]

If KO chooses to go with a bigger starting lineup to improve both defense and rebounding, Boat could flourish in an instant offense sixth man role and still get starters minutes. I don't see where that is a bad thing at all.

It's not happening. No way are we going with just one good ballhandler on the floor. OC was dreadful and maybe can improve to serviceable ballhandler.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I think we need to embrace our mid-major identity (tongue-in-cheek, in case that wasn't obvious) and go with the small lineup we used a majority of the time last year. DD at the 4, OC at the 3, Boat/Bazz at the interchangeable 1/2, and either Nolan or Facey or Wolf or Olander at the 5 (Brimah should redshirt unless Wolf is gone). Samuels backs up at the PG position, Giff will get heavy minutes at the 3/4, and we go with the hot hand at center. That's your 8-9 man rotation.

I'm amazed at how quickly people have forgotten the abortion of offense we tried to run in 2012 with AD at the 5 and AO at the 4, two guys who can't play farther than 10 feet from the rim. The proposed lineups with Wolf and Nolan playing together are just horrible.

 

[superjohn]

1-4 are set, it's amazing how clueless some of our fans are, of course Boatright starts.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

If KO chooses to go with a bigger starting lineup to improve both defense and rebounding, Boat could flourish in an instant offense sixth man role and still get starters minutes. I don't see where that is a bad thing at all.

So if Boatright is going to get starter's minutes anyway, what are we really debating here? That just means the bigger lineup you suggested would be used for a few minutes at the start of each half and the majority of the time we'd go with Napier, Boat, Omar, and Daniels, at the 1-4 anyway.

 

[champs99and04]

Conservative projections for bigs: Kelis Fisher 5 pts. 6 Rebs, EW 5 pts. 4 Rebs, TO 4 pts 4 Rebs, PN 4 pts. 4 Rebs, AB 1 pt, 2 Rebs
Add it up: 19 pts. 20 Rebs from the 5 and less than half of the minutes at the 4.
Huge upgrade over this year and not an unreasonable individual goal for any player (although admittedly, it is unlikely that we would get that much consistent production out of all of them...but perhaps it can average out?)

Since Giffey, Daniels, Napier, Boatright, and Calhoun will likely be playing 80% of the minutes barring foul trouble, your projections are much closer to wildy unrealistic than conservative.

I'm guessing the minute distribution will read as follows, assuming everybody's back:

PG - Napier 25 min, Boat 15 min

SG - Boat 20 min, Napier 10 min, Calhoun 10 min

SF - Calhoun 20 min, Giffey 10 min, Daniels 10 min

PF - Daniels 25 min, Giffey 15 min

C - Facey 25 min, Wolf 10 min, Olander 5 min

It remains unclear whether Brimah and Samuel will be ready to contribute next season - my feeling is Brimah's a bit of a project who would be well-served redshirting and Samuel's somebody who would play minutes on the vast majority of BCS conference teams but will be squeezed here due to the depth in the backcourt. The bottom line is anybody who has Giffey playing less than starters minutes wasn't paying much attention last season - the kid is the best defender on the team by a pretty significant margin, he spaces the floor, and he's tough as nails. Olander will likely see his minutes cut drastically without substancial improvement and Wolf will have to improve dramatically in his pick and roll defense if he wants to see the floor in crunch time. Take it with a grain of salt, because I haven't seen Facey play more than a couple minutes here and there, but I'd wager Facey's somewhat of a rich man's Phil Nolan - a slightly better shotclocker with a slightly more polished offensive game. This is all obviously a fluid situation though, and for all I know, Wolf could be playing the lions share of the minutes at the 5. I have no idea. I wouldn't even be shocked if Giffey plays some center.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I expect omar to be a stud next year. he is going to put up a ton of points especially if he improves his handle. he could lead the team in scoring.

 

[SeattleHoop]

25 minutes for Facey and only 5 for Olander might be a stretch Champs. We have yet to see Facey in a Husky uniform...

 

[Huskybass]

Since Giffey, Daniels, Napier, Boatright, and Calhoun will likely be playing 80% of the minutes barring foul trouble, your projections are much closer to wildy unrealistic than conservative.

I'm guessing the minute distribution will read as follows, assuming everybody's back:

PG - Napier 25 min, Boat 15 min

SG - Boat 20 min, Napier 10 min, Calhoun 10 min

SF - Calhoun 20 min, Giffey 10 min, Daniels 10 min

PF - Daniels 25 min, Giffey 15 min

C - Facey 25 min, Wolf 10 min, Olander 5 min

It remains unclear whether Brimah and Samuel will be ready to contribute next season - my feeling is Brimah's a bit of a project who would be well-served redshirting and Samuel's somebody who would play minutes on the vast majority of BCS conference teams but will be squeezed here due to the depth in the backcourt. The bottom line is anybody who has Giffey playing less than starters minutes wasn't paying much attention last season - the kid is the best defender on the team by a pretty significant margin, he spaces the floor, and he's tough as nails. Olander will likely see his minutes cut drastically without substancial improvement and Wolf will have to improve dramatically in his pick and roll defense if he wants to see the floor in crunch time. Take it with a grain of salt, because I haven't seen Facey play more than a couple minutes here and there, but I'd wager Facey's somewhat of a rich man's Phil Nolan - a slightly better shotclocker with a slightly more polished offensive game. This is all obviously a fluid situation though, and for all I know, Wolf could be playing the lions share of the minutes at the 5. I have no idea. I wouldn't even be shocked if Giffey plays some center.

Nolan?

 

[mauconnfan]

champs, didn't Phil Nolan show you enough improvement the last few games to ensure he will be a player for the minutes which are open?

 

[61cygni]

We can pencil in this lineup with the center spot blank, awaiting developments. I hope that KO remembers that there were a lot of times down the stretch of the last year where our best lineup had NG and DD as the frontcourt. There will be times when that lineup will probably be our best again, as long as there is not an opposing center who can really dominate our small lineup.

I would like to see Niels getting time at various spots depending upon the opponent. If Samuel needs time to develop and we are facing pressure, I would not be surprised if Niels would be at least as good as Omar in handling the ball. He's a much better passer. If Omar can show a secure handle, he could switch to the 2 (when Bazz or Boat out), Niels to the 3, DD at the 4.

Lots of possibilities, but lets not forget NG. I've been waiting for his game to emerge and he started to show it over the last third of the season. He became our best defender and toughest inside player. If he would just relax and shoot the ball in rhythm without overthinking, he might be our best outside shooter when open.

Love Giffey, think he has a lot of strengths, but I don't think passing is one of them. He guards well, rebounds well, cuts to get open well, maybe an edge in handling the ball compared to Omar. But he just passes around the perimeter or throws in entry passes, doesn't really drive and dish.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Love Giffey, think he has a lot of strengths, but I don't think passing is one of them. He guards well, rebounds well, cuts to get open well, maybe an edge in handling the ball compared to Omar. But he just passes around the perimeter or throws in entry passes, doesn't really drive and dish.

When Giffey first joined the team, he would try to push the ball on the fast break and attempted too difficult passes that led to turnovers too often. JC then went off on him many times, leading to his becoming extremely tentative in just about everything he did. I agree that we have not seen him drive and dish, but I don't think that means he can't do it, just that he has not been willing to try more aggressive plays. He has been (slowly) getting more willing to try to make plays and I just hope he will say "F.... it, this is my last year and I'm going to put it all out there."

Omar has not exactly been great at doing the drive and dish either. He did show more flashes of driving the ball effectively late in the season. He made a lot of turnovers while trying to pass on the fast break or even bringing the ball up the court and I have not had the sense that he has very good court vision. Maybe that is due to his handle not being that secure under pressure. He does not make entry passes and that is a big deal when playing against zones. I think that Bazz is the only Husky who is really competent at making entry passes, but Giffey could be really good if he would just play more aggressively with the ball.

 

[CTBasketball]

If anyone is expecting Kentan Facey to step up and play the starting 5 you're crazy. He'll be a role player coming off the bench at the 4. With more depth out there, Wolf will be the starting center, and he rightfully should be.

 

[James]

Facey isn't getting the same amount of tick as Giffey, atleast I hope. I think this board and we as fans, think size up front is a necessity when it really isn't. Playing small ball is the way to go. surround Daniels with shooters and every once in a while a shotblocker.

 

[ConnEd]

I'm guessing the minute distribution will read as follows, assuming everybody's back:

PG - Napier 25 min, Boat 15 min

SG - Boat 20 min, Napier 10 min, Calhoun 10 min

SF - Calhoun 20 min, Giffey 10 min, Daniels 10 min

PF - Daniels 25 min, Giffey 15 min

C - Facey 25 min, Wolf 10 min, Olander 5 min

It remains unclear whether Brimah and Samuel will be ready to contribute next season - my feeling is Brimah's a bit of a project who would be well-served redshirting and Samuel's somebody who would play minutes on the vast majority of BCS conference teams but will be squeezed here due to the depth in the backcourt.

We have no idea at this point what the frosh will earn for time. But given the roster and team need, my guess is that Samuel gets the bench minutes at the 1 with Boat or Bazz moving to the 2 while he's in. It was clear last year when Bazz went out, and, to a lesser extent, when Boat went out, that we were a ball handler short. We struggled to start and run the offense. Samuel won't get a ton of time unless he surprises, but he should get Bazz & Boat 5-7 mins of rest a game.

I also think we're writing off TO a little quickly here. He is definitely limited. And he looked overmatched most of this year. But he also had a foot injury. He seemed to loose a lot of the minimal athleticism he had early on. Knowing he had the injury, I give him a lot of credit for playing through it. Let's wait and see how he does when healthy next year. He has some skills and a lot of experience. I think he and Wolf will get most of the minutes with the younger guys getting the scraps of 5/4 mins left. Young bigs need time to develop. Look, we beat a very good Mich St with a good front court with TO and Wolf. And, no, I'm not Tyler's mom writing this.

 

[gtcam]

This is crazy. Boatright was our second best player last year. Did everyone saying he should come off the bench forget the Syracuse game last year? Boat was inconsistent, but he also had a 5 or 6 game stretch where he was our best player last year. He was a soph. Sophomores are inconsistent. Was Deandre any less inconsistent last year? No.

Boat will be starting next year and it wont be up for debate. Not only is he our 2nd or 3rd best player, but KO's system needs two ball handlers and Boat just happens to be our best one.

Everything is open for debate except SN and DD

 

[champs99and04]

25 minutes for Facey and only 5 for Olander might be a stretch Champs. We have yet to see Facey in a Husky uniform...

Let's call a spade a spade - our frontcourt was horrendous last season, and that was WITH everybody active (Olander, Nolan, Wolf, etc.). They were physically and athletically overwhelmed for a large portion of the season, and in the case of a kid like Olander, there's little reason to expect more than a marginal improvement over the summer. Objectively, what does Tyler add to this team? He's a horrific rebounder, he can't protect the rim, he adds little to nothing offensively, he's not quick enough to guard fours, and he's not strong enough to guard fives. If there is any appealing reason to view him as more than a practice body, I'm all ears - I'm going to need a little more than "he's a senior". I don't mean to pile on, because he seems like a decent kid (at least when sober) and hard worker from all indications, but any playing time he receives next season, he will have earned, because after the season he put together last year, nobody owes him anthing.

Wolf showed flashes of potential, but he was still wildly inconsistent with no shortage of flaws in his game. And obviously, we don't even know whether he'll be on the team next year. Count me as one who is more or less indifferent to whether or not he returns. Sure, it would be nice to have an extra body, but let's face it, he averaged 3 and 3 last year. I think we can make due without him if we need to.

The fact of the matter is you need to count on freshman to win in this day and age of college basketball. The days of not expecting much from freshman are over, whether that's good for the game or not. I'm not expecting him to be an All-American, but I don't think I'm going out on too much of a limb in drawing parallels to Montrezl Harrell of Louisville, who was ranked right around the same spot as Facey in most recruitng services.

 

[champs99and04]

champs, didn't Phil Nolan show you enough improvement the last few games to ensure he will be a player for the minutes which are open?

No doubt Phil will have a chance to compete for minutes - he has just as much claim to those minutes as anybody else as far as I'm concerned. But Boatright, Calhoun, Giffey, Daniels, and Napier figure to play about 160 of the 200 available minutes, give or take. That means you have seven scholarship players - Facey, Tolksdorf, Brimah, Wolf, Olander, Samuel, Nolan - competing for 40 minutes of time. You don't need to be a math major to understand minutes are likely to be at a premium for those players, especially if somebody steps up and grabs 20-25 of them, which is likely. I happen to think it will be Facey, given I view him as a more polished version of Nolan at the time being - he's a bit more versitle and his offensive game is slightly more refined. That's not a knock on Nolan, it's just the reality of the situation. Either way, it's a good problem to have, this team is going to have depth.

 

[champs99and04]

If anyone is expecting Kentan Facey to step up and play the starting 5 you're crazy. He'll be a role player coming off the bench at the 4. With more depth out there, Wolf will be the starting center, and he rightfully should be.

Five years ago, I would have agreed with you, but I think the game is evolving into a sport where athleticism is prioritized over size, as evidenced by the current landscape of the NBA game where you have stringbeans like Chris Bosh starting at center. I don't doubt Wolf starts, but I think it's either Facey or Giffey out there alongside Boatright, Daniels, Calhoun, and Napier when the game is on the line - they are simply more versitile players who can guard multiple positions while holding their own on the glass. It's easy to pencil Wolf in as the starting center now, but what happens when Russ Smith has the ball in his hand with ten seconds left and Louisville's center comes out to mid-court to set a high ball screen? Do you trust Giffey to switch onto him, or would you rather have Wolf trying to check him? I'll take my chances with the former.

 

[CTBasketball]

Five years ago, I would have agreed with you, but I think the game is evolving into a sport where athleticism is prioritized over size, as evidenced by the current landscape of the NBA game where you have stringbeans like Chris Bosh starting at center. I don't doubt Wolf starts, but I think it's either Facey or Giffey out there alongside Boatright, Daniels, Calhoun, and Napier when the game is on the line - they are simply more versitile players who can guard multiple positions while holding their own on the glass. It's easy to pencil Wolf in as the starting center now, but what happens when Russ Smith has the ball in his hand with ten seconds left and Louisville's center comes out to mid-court to set a high ball screen? Do you trust Giffey to switch onto him, or would you rather have Wolf trying to check him? I'll take my chances with the former.

I understand your opinion and I agree the game is changing. But I'd rather have an experienced big-man out there starting. I mean Wolf proved to be our best rebounder last year; he really goes up and grabs the ball and doesn't let go of it (when he has it of course). And Wolf is an intimidator on the defensive end, he is 7'1" and can block shots. I know Facey is supposed to be a monster shot blocker, but I'd rather have a 7 footer out there changing shots. Not many will change their shots/alter shots going up against a 6'7" freshman who is thinner than DeAndre Daniels.

 

[James]

it all depends on the development of wolfe and Nolan. The more I think about it the more I could see facey playing major minutes at the 5. However if the aforementioned two get exponentially better they slide in. I don't really see a reason to play two bigs along with Daniels, ever.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I suspect Napier and Boatright will both average over 35 mpg, but that is not the best thing for the team or for them. Neither has shown the durability to play those kind of minutes, with both wearing down at year end the last two years. I would like to see both average around 30-32 mpg, dialing that up a bit as we get towards year end. Calhoun's handle should be improved enough by next year that he can play with either Boat or SN at guard, and Giffey and Daniels up front, and UConn would not have a problem with ball handling.

the difference between 36 and 31 mpg is enormous in terms of season long player fatigue and injury risk. Tired players are more likely to get injured, and tired players are more likely to be "taking breaks" on the court. El-Amin was a master of this, and Bazz is getting better, but I don't think we should do it if we don't have to. Keeping Bazz and Boat's minutes to around 30-32 will result in a better team over the course of the season. Every NBA coach knows this, and I hope Ollie's NBA experience influences his substitutions.

I generally agree with Champ's assessment except for Facey. If Wolf still struggles with pick and rolls, why will Facey be any better. Drummond practically lived in no-man's land on the pick and roll, and he is in the NBA now. Is Facey going to be a better defender as a frosh than Drummond was? It took Thabeet two years to learn how to play the pick and roll, and with his enormous arms it shouldn't have mattered. Some things just take time.

 

[champs99and04]

I understand your opinion and I agree the game is changing. But I'd rather have an experienced big-man out there starting. I mean Wolf proved to be our best rebounder last year; he really goes up and grabs the ball and doesn't let go of it (when he has it of course). And Wolf is an intimidator on the defensive end, he is 7'1" and can block shots. I know Facey is supposed to be a monster shot blocker, but I'd rather have a 7 footer out there changing shots. Not many will change their shots/alter shots going up against a 6'7" freshman who is thinner than DeAndre Daniels.

I understand these recruiting services are far from gospel, but ESPN lists him at 6'9. If he's closer to 6'7, maybe that changes things a bit, though my overall point still stands - if Facey can protect the rim and rebound in spite of his height and small frame, then I think his quickness advantage will prove to be the tiebreaker. It seems like Facey could be a Roscoe Smith-type player next year - if there is a Devonte Gardner type player on the other team, then Wolf will be forced into duty for 20+ minutes in all liklihood, but there aren't many of those players out there nowadays.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I like Wolf starting at Center, although I will be curious to see Nolan's improvement. Most players make a big jump between freshman and sophomore year.