Boat

[Huskybass]

I really hope that Boat realizes that he needs to return for his junior season. He is the most athletic guard to ever put on a Husky uniform and is very exciting to watch. For a 5' 9" guy to get that high over the rim, it is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, his handle isnt quite good enough to keep up with his athleticism. I think Boat could really benefit from attending a point guard camp this summer and by spending another year under KO.

If Boat adds a little strength, improves his handle, and learns not to dwell on mistakes he can have a great junior season. Btw, I think he should have been honorable mention All Big East this year. I think he got slighted/ overlooked.

 

[sammydabiz]

Where's he going?!? At his current development, best case scenario is the Qatar Basketball Association.
Listen, if AJ Price was 8 spots from not getting drafted at all, no. 52, (this after carrying us to the final four in Detroit, mind you), then I really have a tough time imagining Boat fairing any better.
I think we (& the media) are getting a little head of ourselves with all this draft talk. That goes for Bazz and Daniels too.

 

[rbny1]

I like Ryan and he played an important part in the team's remarkably good season. But there is no way he would get drafted if he left. He would need to play point guard in the NBA, and he hasn't shown he can do that. The choice is Ryan's; it's his life to live. But I hope he stays, for the team's sake and his own.

 

[sparky]

Not going anywhere. He is a good college guard, but the world is loaded with good college guards that don't get to the next level. He has physical tools to get there, but I am not sure he has the mental make-up. He needs to get stronger and improve his decision making with the ball in traffic and transition. One more year maybe.

 

[freescooter]

I really don't see any of these guys being ready for the NBA. I'm skeptical that Boatright will ever be an NBA player anyway. He is a scorer more than a shooter but at under 6 feet I just don't see it. he's a good, not great college guard. I also suspect that he's getting advice from people like rose who absolutely want him to leave and are filling his head with nonsense.Napier is a really good college point guard. And he has icewater in his veins. I think his stock probably rose a lot this season. Clearly UConn was a much much better team with him on the floor. almost two different teams. One with Napier and a different one without Napier.

 

[Huskies4ever]

I really hope that Boat realizes that he needs to return for his junior season. He is the most athletic guard to ever put on a Husky uniform and is very exciting to watch. For a 5' 9" guy to get that high over the rim, it is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, his handle isnt quite good enough to keep up with his athleticism. I think Boat could really benefit from attending a point guard camp this summer and by spending another year under KO.

If Boat adds a little strength, improves his handle, and learns not to dwell on mistakes he can have a great junior season. Btw, I think he should have been honorable mention All Big East this year. I think he got slighted/ overlooked.

Great points. Look at the leap Kemba made from soph to junior. Same with Bazz. There's no reason to believe he won't show marked improvement should he return.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Where's he going?!? At his current development, best case scenario is the Qatar Basketball Association.
Listen, if AJ Price was 8 spots from not getting drafted at all, no. 52, (this after carrying us to the final four in Detroit, mind you), then I really have a tough time imagining Boat fairing any better.
I think we (& the media) are getting a little head of ourselves with all this draft talk. That goes for Bazz and Daniels too.

The kid talked about going pro in the media before the season started.
Sometimes kids listen to the wrong people who have a lot to gain if the player goes pro. Family members and hangers-on don't always have the player's best interests in mind.

And some kids are just too full of themselves. In short, it happens every year that a college kid makes the wrong decision. Just because Boatright isn't ready yet, doesn't necessarily mean he will be back next year.

I hope he makes the right decision.

 

[freescooter]

Great points. Look at the leap Kemba made from soph to junior. Same with Bazz. There's no reason to believe he won't show marked improvement should he return.

One thing you have to be careful of, and sports fans do it all the time, is to assume because player X did something, player Y will too. One of the reasons Kemba is so special is that he went from being a good player who showed flashes of greatness to a great player who seemingly always played great. But there are hundreds of players every year who show flashes. Only the special ones actually get there. So while you can hope Boatright makes that step (and personally I don't think he is at Kemba's level as a sophomore) You have to be careful in assuming it. He could make "marked improvement" and still not be Kemba Walker. Marked improvement would make him Shabazz Napier.

 

[Palatine]

The one to watch is Daniels. The NBA drafts on potential not production. DD has shown a ton.

 

[Drumguy]

One thing you have to be careful of, and sports fans do it all the time, is to assume because player X did something, player Y will too. One of the reasons Kemba is so special is that he went from being a good player who showed flashes of greatness to a great player who seemingly always played great. But there are hundreds of players every year who show flashes. Only the special ones actually get there. So while you can hope Boatright makes that step (and personally I don't think he is at Kemba's level as a sophomore) You have to be careful in assuming it. He could make "marked improvement" and still not be Kemba Walker. Marked improvement would make him Shabazz Napier.

Kemba was a much higher rated talent all along with a better toolset and 3-4 inches. In retrospect we had no idea HOW good Kemba was- he made all the players around him better, Ryan is all about making himself look better. Don't get me wrong, glad he's a husky but it was evident that he was all about showboating when he was in by himself imho. I think he needs the extra time here to learn to be a better teammate and leader.

 

[freescooter]

drumguy,

I agree with most of your post. I'm not so sure that Boatright is all about himself exactly. I think he may just not have the skill set to be one of those guys who makes everyone better. Maybe he develops it. Maybe he doesn't.

 

[sammydabiz]

drumguy, I agree with most of your post. I'm not so sure that Boatright is all about himself exactly. I think he may just not have the skill set to be one of those guys who makes everyone better. Maybe he develops it. Maybe he doesn't.

That's exactly it,
Don't get me wrong, I'm a Boat fan (although I could reach thru the tv screen at times) The thing is.... Is that at his current stage of development, he's not a true point. which is why you can see such a difference when Bazz is on the court. What he is right now, is 5'10" scoring guard.... He can create for himself at will, but struggles to facilitate opportunities for others, which can come off as selfish, but in actuality it is just a missing piece to his game that he must improve on, especially if he has dreams of the association. Case in point, he was at one of the premiere Guard camps last summer with all the top college guards (the ChrisPaul one)..... Anyways, he ended up beating everyone there and winning the 1on1 tourney they had.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062112aac.html

 

[tykurez]

Wasn't Ryan's quote after the last game, regarding Bazz and himself, something along the lines of "we have a decision to make and we'll talk to everyone, including our family etc."?

Sounded to me like he's at least going to give it some consideration.

Ultimately I think he comes back and I'd hope to see that typical sophomore-to-junior jump from him in maturity and the ability to let the game come to him that we've seen out of so many of our players throughout the years.

 

[mauconnfan]

That's exactly it,
Don't get me wrong, I'm a Boat fan (although I could reach thru the tv screen at times) The thing is.... Is that at his current stage of development, he's not a true point. which is why you can see such a difference when Bazz is on the court. What he is right now, is 5'10" scoring guard.... He can create for himself at will, but struggles to facilitate opportunities for others, which can come off as selfish, but in actuality it is just a missing piece to his game that he must improve on, especially if he has dreams of the association. Case in point, he was at one of the premiere Guard camps last summer with all the top college guards (the ChrisPaul one)..... Anyways, he ended up beating everyone there and winning the 1on1 tourney they had.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062112aac.html

When all is said and done he's a 5'9" 2G............I like him on my team, he's got swagger and big ones...........but like you I do get frustrated with him many times, most often on the defensive end.....needs to come back and do a better job of just keeping his guy in front of him and not always thinking steal or blocked shot, just play the guy and be a nuisance!! Even more importantly position, you between the man and the basket, he sometimes gives the guy a free head start to the hoop because he tries to over play looking for the steal and puts our bigs at a disadvantage because of that.....he can be so good on that end........only gripe on O is the mid range shot - he's real good at it and should pull up more.......but like many others he is getting better and is a dynamic player and want him back!!

 

[Danzz]

He didn't make the all BE team including honrable mention (14 players) and isn't mentioned in any of the mock drafts in the first two rounds. He may get tryouts with NBA teams but he isn't getting drafted.

 

[Rico444]

Just because Boat is flashy and celebrates a little too much after made shots doesn't mean he's a bad teammate. I see a guy who lead the team in assists and made an effort to find the open man, but also a guy who saw our team go through ruts offensively and tried to do a little too much. I haven't read anything in his postgame quotes to lead me to believe he's selfish. I don't think enough people separate cockiness and selfishness; yes, he can be a bit cocky at times, but I still think it's a stretch to call him selfish.

 

[SubbaBub]

Boat reminds me a lot of Bazz last year.minus the commitment to defense.

I think they should all come back, but.only their heads are right. This team isn't as talented as '06 and it is an important year for the program. We can't afford a disaster.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Drumguy]

drumguy,

I agree with most of your post. I'm not so sure that Boatright is all about himself exactly. I think he may just not have the skill set to be one of those guys who makes everyone better. Maybe he develops it. Maybe he doesn't.

Fair enough. It seemed like when he had the keys to the car though he wasted too much time dribbling and setting up his own shot - I did wonder if he just couldn't see over the defense and which teammates were open!

Still glad he chose us and love his "tude" and would prefer he come back next year.

 

[huskyharry]

That's exactly it,
Don't get me wrong, I'm a Boat fan (although I could reach thru the tv screen at times) The thing is.... Is that at his current stage of development, he's not a true point. which is why you can see such a difference when Bazz is on the court. What he is right now, is 5'10" scoring guard.... He can create for himself at will, but struggles to facilitate opportunities for others, which can come off as selfish, but in actuality it is just a missing piece to his game that he must improve on, especially if he has dreams of the association. Case in point, he was at one of the premiere Guard camps last summer with all the top college guards (the ChrisPaul one)..... Anyways, he ended up beating everyone there and winning the 1on1 tourney they had.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062112aac.html

That picture illustrates part of Boat's turnover problem...as pointed out by another poster last week, his dribble is too high (chest high in this picture). He could be much more effective on drives if he works on emulating Collins from USF.

I certainly hope he stays and I agree that it would be better for his overall chances and certainly for the team next year. It was great to see him make that game-winning shot against PC...he was certainly due after multiple misses in similar situations throughout the year.

I hope the best for all of our players and it no-doubt helps recruiting to have more players in the NBA., but Boat has three big strikes against him right nowin the eyes of NBA scouts:

1)Height: likely 5'9"-5'10" and not likely to grow anymore...others in the NBA at this height are much better shooters, distributors and much stronger than Boat.
2) pure PG skills: needs to work on his handle as noted above, needs to improve decision-making with the ball & particularly needs to improve vision and trust of his teammates (offense frequently stalled when he avoided passing to some open teammates, instead waiting to pass to preferred teammates), needs to avoid/beat double-teams at the top of the key, needs to avoid getting easily blocked by taller defenders.
3) too slight in build: unlikely that he can put on a lot of bulk but at his current weight he is hindered on offense and defense
He can't do a lot about #1 & #3 but he can definitely improve on #2 with another year at Storrs. His pull up jumpers are very effective when he has enough space. His floater and banked floater from the side is also very effective. He could also likely score on plays similar the out-of-bounds play with Bazz where Bazz caught the ball in the lane and faded away hard to gain separation.
Hope he stays!

 

[Huskies4ever]

One thing you have to be careful of, and sports fans do it all the time, is to assume because player X did something, player Y will too. One of the reasons Kemba is so special is that he went from being a good player who showed flashes of greatness to a great player who seemingly always played great. But there are hundreds of players every year who show flashes. Only the special ones actually get there. So while you can hope Boatright makes that step (and personally I don't think he is at Kemba's level as a sophomore) You have to be careful in assuming it. He could make "marked improvement" and still not be Kemba Walker. Marked improvement would make him Shabazz Napier.

That was my point. I didn't mean that he will be as good as Kemba, just that he could make a huge leap from one season to the next, and I think he stands to.
It doesn't hurt having a former point guard who was very heady as your head coach.

 

[UConn990411]

Great points. Look at the leap Kemba made from soph to junior. Same with Bazz. There's no reason to believe he won't show marked improvement should he return.

I'm not ready to give up on Boatright by any mean, but people need to stop making the Kemba comparison.

Kemba was exception during the second half of his sophomore season - he was going for 20+ consistently with 5 or 6 assists per night. Boatright, on the other hand, got worse.

I still think he can be a really good player as a junior (let's not forget his freshman season was almost a lost year with those BS suspensions), but I'm waiting for his decision-making to turn a corner first.

 

[Huskies4ever]

I'm not ready to give up on Boatright by any mean, but people need to stop making the Kemba comparison.

Kemba was exception during the second half of his sophomore season - he was going for 20+ consistently with 5 or 6 assists per night. Boatright, on the other hand, got worse.

I still think he can be a really good player as a junior (let's not forget his freshman season was almost a lost year with those BS suspensions), but I'm waiting for his decision-making to turn a corner first.

I don't remember Kemba being that good, I remember him being extremely inconsistent, and many here complaining about him as much as Boat this year. Read my post from a few minutes ago, and you will understand I am not comparing Boat to a once in a lifetime player. Just stating he could make a huge leap. If you expected Kemba to be anywhere near as good as he turned out going into his junior season, then you need to hurry and get a lottery ticket.

 

[UConn990411]

Kemba was awful during the first half of his sophomore season, but he picked it up the last month of two. This is all based on memory, but I remember him going off against Nova and continuing to play well after that.

Boatright never had a stretch like Kemba did his sophomore year - he was just inconsistent. Very good at times (i.e. the Cuse game), but he couldn't ever put it together for a stretch.

Again, I'm not close to giving up on him, but he's much further away from being a complete player than Kemba was at the end of his sophomore season.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Kemba was awful during the first half of his sophomore season, but he picked it up the last month of two. This is all based on memory, but I remember him going off against Nova and continuing to play well after that.

This is what I remember as well.
My point is don't give up on him. My only intention for mentioning Kemba, is where there's a will there is a way. Kemba had a ton of will. He was a great competitor, who wanted to be great. We know Boat is a great competitor, and he has a ton of physical attributes. Does he want to be the best he can be? We'll see.

Also, I was amazed at how great Shabazz was this year. He grew up big time, and was so clutch. A great leader of this team, and I loved watching him play. Extremely proud of him.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

He is and never will be Kemba.
Kemba had his quickness with SN vision.
Players like that don't come around to often.
That being said he can be a good PG just by being RB. Especially if his awareness of his teamates gets better.
A PG job by defination is to make eveyone on the team better.
I would love to see him bounce pass the entry instead of always going over the D.

 

[tzznandrew]

Kemba was awful during the first half of his sophomore season, but he picked it up the last month of two. This is all based on memory, but I remember him going off against Nova and continuing to play well after that.

Boatright never had a stretch like Kemba did his sophomore year - he was just inconsistent. Very good at times (i.e. the Cuse game), but he couldn't ever put it together for a stretch.

Again, I'm not close to giving up on him, but he's much further away from being a complete player than Kemba was at the end of his sophomore season.

These are just stats, but they are still instructive.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/6479/type/college/year/2010/kemba-walker

 

[Husky999]

Why does everyone here assume that just because Kemba went from wild his sophomore to all world his junior year that RB will do the same. What if he doesn't and is Jerome Dyson reincarnate and is the same payer his entire 4 years (most likely scenario). He hasn't developed in 2 years so far. No reason to think he will at this current pace.

 

[tzznandrew]

Why does everyone here assume that just because Kemba went from wild his sophomore to all world his junior year that RB will do the same. What if he doesn't and is Jerome Dyson reincarnate and is the same payer his entire 4 years (most likely scenario). He hasn't developed in 2 years so far. No reason to think he will at this current pace.

Jerome certainly improved over the course of the four years at UConn. That last season was difficult for a number of reasons (too many pinned on him). If he had a guard who could shoot from the perimeter in 2009-10 like he had in 2008-09, you would have seen it much more.

As it was, they clogged the lanes and forced him to take many bad threes, so his percentages went down and TOs went up his senior year...but he was clearly a superior player who just didn't match up with the skills that team had.

 

[tentoes4rings]

My thoughts on this are as follows:

-Boatright plays more like a 2 right now and needs significant development as a PG to have any chance in "the league"
-Ryan's game right now is very ratty but as many have pointed out I'm willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt due to the immense maturation we've seen from many other PGs from sophomore to junior year
-Ryan has always struck me as a kid who will take the first opportunity at a significant payday. I feel some guys think of themselves as 4 year student athletes that want to play in the NBA, I would bet Ryan thinks of himself as a basketball player who also goes to class
-Having the tutelage of a guy who played in the NBA for 14 years and is well connected in the league for at least another year would be by far the best strategy for Ryan but afraid external influences could force him into making a bad decision

Despite all his strengths, I'm not a huge fan of tiny backcourts and wouldn't be that upset if he left provided Bazz stays. That would allow Omar to move to the 2, where he belongs. Best of luck to Boat regardless of the choice he makes.