Blind Player Comparison

[Hungryhusky99]

Agreed. He just has glaring weaknesses in finishing at the rim and isolation scoring, and unfortunately we are in a spot where we ask him to do both. He’s still very efficient, and on a team with a good scoring 2/3 (like Shackelford if he chose Bama over UConn), he’d probably be putting up gaudy numbers.

I think to be a "star" you have to be good at those two things that are crucial in late game situations.

 

[UConnStats]

I think to be a "star" you have to be good at those two things that are crucial in late game situations.

There have been plenty of star PGs that don’t do those things well (basically any star PG who isn’t an above average athlete). The issue is that this roster currently has nobody who can. So I hope we stop trying to force a square peg into a round hole, and I’m glad we attacked the rim in the final seconds of regulation the other day.

As for Cole, if you considered AJ Price a star, Cole is on pace to blow past Price’s best year on a Win Share basis (Cole on pace for 5.5, Price maxed at 4.0). His TS% is 52.7% which is slightly lower than Price’s was, but he has a larger role as well. If you considered Price a star, I think Cole is one too.

Everyone has their own perception of what a star is so to each their own, but Cole is very good IMO.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

There have been plenty of star PGs that don’t do those things well (basically any star PG who isn’t an above average athlete). The issue is that this roster currently has nobody who can. So I hope we stop trying to force a square peg into a round hole, and I’m glad we attacked the rim in the final seconds of regulation the other day.

As for Cole, if you considered AJ Price a star, Cole is on pace to blow past Price’s best year on a Win Share basis (Cole on pace for 5.5, Price maxed at 4.0). His TS% is 52.7% which is slightly lower than Price’s was, but he has a larger role as well. If you considered Price a star, I think Cole is one too.

Everyone has their own perception of what a star is so to each their own, but Cole is very good IMO.

I get all your general points, but I think there are plenty of college stars who weren't elite athletes that can still get their own shot in crunch time. Like you said though probably just different definitions of what we view a star as.

 

[tzznandrew]

There have been plenty of star PGs that don’t do those things well (basically any star PG who isn’t an above average athlete). The issue is that this roster currently has nobody who can. So I hope we stop trying to force a square peg into a round hole, and I’m glad we attacked the rim in the final seconds of regulation the other day.

As for Cole, if you considered AJ Price a star, Cole is on pace to blow past Price’s best year on a Win Share basis (Cole on pace for 5.5, Price maxed at 4.0). His TS% is 52.7% which is slightly lower than Price’s was, but he has a larger role as well. If you considered Price a star, I think Cole is one too.

Everyone has their own perception of what a star is so to each their own, but Cole is very good IMO.

But part of that is the fact that AJ Price had other players who also racked up a ton of WS. Thabeet had 9.4 that year. The players can only divide up as many wins are there are, right?

I'm not committed to AJ Price being a "star" either. He was a crucial player on a very good UConn team.

I like Cole, but I think everyone here realizes that, were he on a fully healthy 2009 team, he wouldn't be a starter.

 

[NowInStorrs]

This might not be a politically correct thing to say but I prefer my players to be able to see.

 

[uconngb]

I think the better comparison is RJ to AJ 2008. As we saw then and as we know now, both teams are dead without each of them. When AJ went down against San Diego we were as lost then as we were without RJ against SHU when he fouled out. They are both equally critical to their teams.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I like Cole, but I think everyone here realizes that, were he on a fully healthy 2009 team, he wouldn't be a starter.

I think there’s an argument he could be. Not a certainty either way. Which again, is meant to only be seen as a testament to his current performance.

As a reason for optimism, we have two all conference level players in RJ and Adama and excellent role players in Whaley, Martin and lately coming on Andre and Tyler.

That’s a pretty good recipe for thinking favorably about the upside of this team.

I’m bullish.

 

[Kolumbo]

I don’t care which player you pick, but those are outstanding stats for a blind player. I mean, how do they even know where to throw the ball to get those assists?

 

[Huskybass]

But part of that is the fact that AJ Price had other players who also racked up a ton of WS. Thabeet had 9.4 that year. The players can only divide up as many wins are there are, right?

I'm not committed to AJ Price being a "star" either. He was a crucial player on a very good UConn team.

I like Cole, but I think everyone here realizes that, were he on a fully healthy 2009 team, he wouldn't be a starter.

AJ Price absolutely was a star. He was First Team All Big East and a finalist for the Wooden award and named Second Team All American by the USBWA in 2007-08.