borges: UConn Preparing for Potential Life Without Boat and Bazz Next Season

[Tenspro2002]

The last comment about Boatright having close connections to AAU guys is what makes me think Boatright could enter the draft before he should. Napier will listen to Ollie and Calhoun. Boatright I'm not so sure about.

I think this is correct. If Boat was thinking about leaving after last year, he's probably more than 50% gone after this year. It's hard for Boat to drown out those selfish voices telling him he should take the money at the first opportunity (even though he's probably only a second round pick).

Bazz has more loyalty to the program and the coaches -- he loves KO, and I think he wants another crack at the NCAAT.

Boat, I get the sense, doesn't care as much about those things.

 

[Huskieforlife]

this is a joke! until either one of them say it or coach ollie ses so, nobody should buy this.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Napier and Boatright are both good to great college basketball guards. Nobody will argue that.

They are both undersized and don't have 1 exceptional NBA skill that will keep fringe guys in the NBA for years (i.e. a Steve Novak and 3 point shooting or Reggie Evans and rebounding).

I think they should play their 4 years, get a flyer as a 2nd round pick for a team that has a situation that fits. If they don't make, they would still be able to make a ton of money in Europe.

Unless either guy is in dire straits financially and needs the money in Europe this season, I think they would be best suited in playing out the string at UConn.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I love Bazz and Boat but I have not seen them on one single mock draft board, even in the second round. I will be shocked if both try and go pro.

 

[CTBasketball]

I love Bazz and Boat but I have not seen them on one single mock draft board, even in the second round. I will be shocked if both try and go pro.

This. There is just too many higher level players that will get drafted higher.

 

[Caronimo]

Dont see them leaving. Boat needs to improve on his shot and bazz needs to become more durable. Seems like he has been getting nagging injuries the last 2 yrs. the nba is a much longer season.

The fact that Ollie is our head coach and was a former nba guard may benefit us in keeping bazz and boat another yr

 

[61cygni]

Shabazz is thinking "National Championship next year."

Unfortunately I agree with pretty much everything the scout had to say about Boatright since his recruitment and watching him play here. I haven't been his biggest fan, but I hope he sticks around and surprises me.

 

[Rico444]

Boatright isn't as selfless as Shabazz, hut he sure as hell doesn't strike me as a selfish player. Isn't he averaging about the same number of assists as Shabazz? Give him one more year to have the game slow down for him a little more and he's gonna be a stud.

As far as the draft goes, I don't see a possibility for either to be a first rounder. They both have a little over a month to go from where they are (undrafted FA) to first round pick, and I just don't see it with no postseason spotlight.

 

[dtrumpet]

What also works against them both is that they won't have the showcase that is the NCAA tournament, where so many guys either get noticed or improve their draft chances.

 

[willie99]

Unfortunately, you're always gonna have a Thabeet or Lamb, who's too big for what they're worth. Hopefully both of these guys are smart enough not to go down that road though.

they were lottery picks, they received 7 figure guaranteed money

Boat & Bazz aren't on anyone's draft board yet. That's 64 to 100 players

 

[Bryan Lord]

I'm not necessarily saying they won't get drafted high, i'm saying that they definitely won't have a decent NBA career.

How can you even say that? Do you know something we don't? Give JL atleast a few years before you start bashing his decision. I wanted him to stick around too, and if it wasn't for the NCAA SCREWING US he might have.

 

[Chief00]

We have had this type of discussion before. Unfortunately, the ideal World play out doesn't happen as often as we would like. Guys leave before they should from an ideal basketball perspective. The reality is the scouts are at the games evaluating these two guys - what they think - I don't know. But there must be some consideration or else they would be somewhere else.

 

[CTKIDD]

Someone help me out , I think I'm on the right track.. A mock draft is some loser , who calls himself an expert, who ranks a bunch of kids who have not yet declared that they even want to go the next level. So, just for hoo haas while I eat my waffles I parooose the 2014 , not the 2013 draft and see bazz at 44 and boat not in the top 60. Meanwhile, we are preparing for life without them in the middle of our 2012 season. I have to be missing something..

 

[husky91]

We could be top 5 next year and make a deep tourney run. That would bring visibility and attention for them.

Neither's game is remotely ready for the league right now.

 

[tykurez]

This is a complete joke. Watching Russ Smith torch us solidified my view that Boatright will never be an NBA player. You need to be good at something to make it in the NBA. Boatright is not a good passer, turns it over against pressure, can't guard anyone even if they are slow, doesnt blow by people consistently like he should (russ smith vs uconn), can't get a shot up over a good perimeter or interior defender and isn't a great finisher even when he gets past his man. The worst part is that he yells at teammates after he makes a mistake and has weak body language. All those things he can work on over next 2 years and take to Europe but NBA keeps getting bigger and he ain't growing.
Bazz I could see being a jannero type backup pg but that's also a long shot.

'Dick of the week' award winner!

 

[UConn3432]

Why do you want him to stay in school? Clearly, you think he sucks. Wouldn't you be happier to let him go?

Why do you want him to stay in school? Clearly, you think he sucks. Wouldn't you be happier to let him go?

You win with juniors and seniors. He's only a soph and will get better, but he'll never be 6'3. Boat is an energy guy and in that role I think he can help win games. As a lead guard, I think we're in trouble.

You guys can call me a dick but you can't say you haven't thought those things about him over the last few games.

 

[Horatio]

This is why we need to recruit another pg . Juco or decommit we need another guard .

 

[Palatine]

If the goal is money. Both could play overseas next year. If the goal is the NBA. Another year with KO will increase their chances.

Usually, the determining factor in the NBA draft is potential. Production doesn't matter. Proto-typical guards with zero college production will go before either of them. Neither would sniff the guaranteed money of round one in 2013.

However, another year with KO would increase their chances of actually making and sticking with an NBA squad. They will be bigger, stronger, more mature and better able to meet the demands of the league. They will improve their skills and KO will instill them with the professional work habits needed to survive in a very tough environment.

None of this is a prediction. 20-year olds make very strange decisions. But another year at UConn will not hurt either a wit, and could make a major difference in their success at the next level.

 

[jibsey]

If guys like Donyell, Ray, and Hamilton stayed 3 years what are we talking about? Neither of those guys are Rudy Gay in the talent department regardless of position. Boat has a lot to clean up in his game and with his size he is playing uphill in the NBA, so i hope he gets good advice.

 

[CTBasketball]

You win with juniors and seniors. He's only a soph and will get better, but he'll never be 6'3. Boat is an energy guy and in that role I think he can help win games. As a lead guard, I think we're in trouble.

You guys can call me a dick but you can't say you haven't thought those things about him over the last few games.

He reminds me of Kemba during his sophomore year. He is out of control a lot, makes bonehead decisions sometimes, and turns it over way too much against top notch teams. At times I feel like he think he is the only one who can bring the team back or score. Obviously he hurts the team more than he does good when he plays like this. I just wish he involved other people in his offensive game, it would open the floor up so much more. Once he makes 1-2 shots in a row, nobody is touching the ball for the next 2-3 possessions.

 

[hungry husky]

1. Amazing how Emanuel Owootoah grew from 5'9 to 6ft in a week.

2. Boat and Bazz don't have the skill sets to be great players in the league. I can't see them being more the 2nd rounders unless one of them has a Kemba-like transformation next year.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

How many who have commented actually read the blog post? Seems like very few.

 

[joober jones]

It wouldn't be in the best interest of either of them to leave, unless they improve to a phenomenal degree before the end of the season.

 

[BoatShow]

At first I was like "I wish we could combine Bazz's shooting and decision making with Boat's explosiveness and all out aggressiveness" then I was like "oh, that's Kemba Walker."

 

[nelsonmuntz]

For a 6'1 and under player, you have to be absolutely dominant to even consider leaving early. Teams take flyers on 7'2 charmin soft centers (Thabeet), or 6'6 silky smooth guards that may be a step slow (Lamb), because the one thing no one can teach at any level of basketball is height. If you are a little guy, your game has to be airtight to even think about going pro.