Bouknight Tonight

[metsfan2323]

6 boards in just 11 minutes was most impressive, they were tough boards too.

Kinda reminded me of Ray Allen's television debut vs Virginia.

 

[UConnDad]

Smooth shot, nice handle,quick second jump. Very impressive for first game.

 

[CTBasketball]

Minimal dribbling, but he’s got the ball on a string. Long and can grab rebounds, not afraid of battling down low. Plus he can shoot it. My god.

 

[mauconnfan]

He had no jitters he was looking to make plays immediately. He's longer than I knew so on defense, even though his on ball needs work for sure, his off the ball anticipation is really good and he's getting to passing lanes, getting down low on dribbles while quick to help. His rebounding is exceptional for his size good reader it would seem off the rim. The catch of the pass above the FT line ball fake (a beauty, not a fast one a deliberate show the ball ball fake) and then the dribble left to a 14 footer which he splashed was a thing of utter beauty. We haven't had that guy in ages. The alley oop, the putback OMG. Won't expect stardom every game or again tonight but we have something really special here, that's a no doubter and very exciting.

 

[Rico444]

What impressed me most about him was the way he moved. So effortless. The body control he had on the rebound putbacks was so impressive. You can tell he's really, really good.

I know he dealt with injuries in high school, but according to 247 he was the #66 recruit? This kid looks like he should be top 30, easy. He's one of those players you don't even have to know the game of basketball to know that he's gifted.

 

[browndog319]

Then it wasn't that bad a sprain you had. A bad ankle sprain you can't even walk on never mind have any lateral movement at all. It's not just pain it's swelling and stability. Especially a HS JV player not having college level treatment on it two times a day.

• Grade 1: Your ankle will probably feel sore and may be slightly swollen. In this case, the ligament has been overstretched but not torn.
• Grade 2: You have a partial tear in the ligament. This causes prolonged pain and swelling. It might prevent you from putting your full weight on the ankle. You may also notice bruising. This is because the tear has caused bleeding under your skin.
• Grade 3: This is a full tear of the ankle ligament. You may have heard a popping sound when it happened. This level of sprain causes severe pain, swelling and bruising. Because the ligament is no longer able to do its job, your ankle will feel unstable and will be unable to support any of your weight.

With that said I do agree that if he's on the floor the excuse should be gone. If he's not healthy enough to play he shouldn't be on the court.

I agree with this. There are also “high ankle sprains” which suck. I’ve had two in my life. That’s when the ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula are injured. There are degrees to this injury but the first time I did this, if I wanted to avoid surgery, I had to keep my left leg completely immobilized for a month (no weight) and then, after a month do PT for 2 months to build up scar tissue. Otherwise they would have needed to pin it together and I would have been immobilized in bed.
Those were some of the hardest 3 months of my life. I had a 3 YO. Imagine that with a 3 YO.
So, yeah, some sprains are pretty GD serious. Tape. .

 

[Mr. French]

8 points? I needed 25.

The kid obviously isn't mentally tough. Time to run some sprints!

 

[Mr. French]

In all seriousness, this dude has been the recruit I'm most excited about. I love Akok and he may have the most potential, but I'm always drawn to smooth guards, and he's not only that but he's athletic as he!!. And he knows the game, you can see how he sees the game ... I'm so excited to see Ba Ba Bouknight continue to develop.

I think he has Jeremy Lamb, maybe even Ben Gordon potential in college. And that's saying something from me, esp BG. I think he is the program's most underrated player ever.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Play that did it for me was when he effortlessly snatched a rebound then went up the court and went behind his back with the dribble but play was stopped due to whistle. I was like “woah”- kid has game. So smooth. U can just tell

He plays like he has played a lot of basketball. 180 degrees out of the recruits where fans are told the recruit is "raw" and needs time to develop.

 

[jibsey]

He has a nose for the ball and the ability to score. There are a lot of improvised point opportunities in games. Some players can convert them and some can't. I liked what I saw from Akok big time.

 

[UconnU]

This kid has the highest basketball IQ ive seen from a Uconn freshman in a long long time. You can tell he has played a lot of basketball.

 

[cap10dingus]

What he showed last night was a freshman who is learning but behind the curve and still, away from home, was not overwhelmed by the moment. On the court he has the ability to be a star.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Give him the keys, coach!!

As 'bass stated...haven' been this excited about a player since Vance!

Vance? Bouk is way better than Vance. Best freshman since Lamb.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

He has a nose for the ball and the ability to score. There are a lot of improvised point opportunities in games. Some players can convert them and some can't. I liked what I saw from Akok big time.

Really liked his willingness to mix it up for rebounds. Nice to have the ability out of multiple guards.

 

[Kitaman]

Bouk came in cocky as hell, sorta Bazz like. Now that he's no longer a virgin and its obvious he's got skills, cockiness will 'quickly' change to confidence. He knows he belongs, you can't teach that.

One thing you can count on, his swag will be off the chain!

 

[ctchamps]

Vance? Bouk is way better than Vance. Best freshman since Lamb.

Imo he’s better than Jeremy or Bazz. He held back against Buffalo. He played at 1/3 the gear I watched in the game someone posted in the Springs thread. I’m not exaggerating.

He was much higher ranked before his injury. Absolutely a top thirty player. Having a trio of Gaffney, Jackson and Bouknight gives me shivers.

 

[Psolo12]

Imo he’s better than Jeremy or Bazz. He held back against Buffalo. He played at 1/3 the gear I watched in the game someone posted in the Springs thread. I’m not exaggerating.

He was much higher ranked before his injury. Absolutely a top thirty player. Having a trio of Gaffney, Jackson and Bouknight gives me shivers.

Better than Bazz...take it easy

 

[UConnRock]

Better than Bazz...take it easy

More natural talent and size than Bazz. Whether he has or develops the intangibles that made Bazz a winner is TBD

 

[ctchamps]

Better than Bazz...take it easy

I am taking it easy. He’s that good. And I love Bazz.
Bouknight is still a freshman but before his career is over I predict he’ll prove to be the superior player.

 

[August_West]

Vance? Bouk is way better than Vance. Best freshman since Lamb.

Vance as a freshman shot 40% from 3 on a high shot output.

He had some flaws to his game, but Vance Jackson (and DHam since he is mentioned) were effective Frosh.

Do I think Bouk is better and has a WAY higher ceiling? Certainly.

 

[wheelerdog]

This is the scorer we've been missing for awhile. That pump fake and jumper from the elbow was a thing of beauty

 

[Stinger92860]

Play that did it for me was when he effortlessly snatched a rebound then went up the court and went behind his back with the dribble but play was stopped due to whistle. I was like “woah”- kid has game. So smooth. U can just tell

I also liked that play, but I was happier with his pull-up in the lane. We have not had that in a while.

 

[Kitaman]

Imo he’s better than Jeremy or Bazz. He held back against Buffalo. He played at 1/3 the gear I watched in the game someone posted in the Springs thread. I’m not exaggerating.

He was much higher ranked before his injury. Absolutely a top thirty player. Having a trio of Gaffney, Jackson and Bouknight gives me shivers.

Bouk is the best prospect we've had in years so we all are giddy. I get your drift but having your jersey hung on the rafters is like deity. No freshman can ever be better (after one game) than one of our HOF'ers. Its very disrespectful, mainly because they earned it.

Bouk hasn't earned anything yet. Saying he appears to better now than AJP, Jalen, Ben Gordon, etc.. is fair game. But the rafters is off limits especially for freshman.

Another way of putting it is all of us would trade Bouknight right now for one of our players on the rafters.

Just saying . . . . . . . . . .

 

[Wise2]

Bouk is the best prospect we've had in years so we all are giddy. I get your drift but having your jersey hung on the rafters is like deity. No freshman can ever be better (after one game) than one of our HOF'ers. Its very disrespectful, mainly because they earned it.

Bouk hasn't earned anything yet. Saying he appears to better now than AJP, Jalen, Ben Gordon, etc.. is fair game. But the rafters is off limits especially for freshman.

Just saying . . . . . . . . . .

Yeah, I'm sure he is better than Ben Gordon too (3rd overall pick in the NBA draft)

 

[Kitaman]

Yeah, I'm sure he is better than Ben Gordon too (3rd overall pick in the NBA draft)

Yeah the Yard can get overly excited sometimes. But its understandable and only means fun basketball is being played. We are a fan crazy bunch.

 

[ctchamps]

Bouk is the best prospect we've had in years so we all are giddy. I get your drift but having your jersey hung on the rafters is like deity. No freshman can ever be better (after one game) than one of our HOF'ers. Its very disrespectful, mainly because they earned it.

Bouk hasn't earned anything yet. Saying he appears to better now than AJP, Jalen, Ben Gordon, etc.. is fair game. But the rafters is off limits especially for freshman.

Another way of putting it is all of us would trade Bouknight right now for one of our players on the rafters.

Just saying . . . . . . . . . .

It was a projection of what I believe his UConn career will ultimately end up being based on his overall talent. He has gifts that few players entering the program have had.

I wouldn’t put him ahead of several of our stars such as Ben or Yel but I will go out on a limb saying he’ll demonstrate he will be considered a better player than Bazz or Jeremy during their respective college careers.

I could be wrong. This forum was wrong about projecting Andre being a better player at UConn than Mek when he committed. But that sentiment was not ridiculous.

 

[Kitaman]

It was a projection of what I believe his UConn career will ultimately end up being based on his overall talent. He has gifts that few players entering the program have had.

I wouldn’t put him ahead of several of our stars such as Ben or Yel but I will go out on a limb saying he’ll demonstrate he will be considered a better player than Bazz or Jeremy during their respective college careers.

I could be wrong. This forum was wrong about projecting Andre being a better player at UConn than Mek when he committed. But that sentiment was not ridiculous.

Of course I hope you're right. The internet is forever.

 

[superjohn]

It was a projection of what I believe his UConn career will ultimately end up being based on his overall talent. He has gifts that few players entering the program have had.

I wouldn’t put him ahead of several of our stars such as Ben or Yel but I will go out on a limb saying he’ll demonstrate he will be considered a better player than Bazz or Jeremy during their respective college careers.

I could be wrong. This forum was wrong about projecting Andre being a better player at UConn than Mek when he committed. But that sentiment was not ridiculous.

It's nearly impossible to have a better career than Bazz had in college these days because most incredibly talented guys are gone in a year or two. Bazz never projected great for the NBA so he stayed all 4 years and won two championships, by the end of his senior year he was clearly the best player in college bball....
James will be gone before then, with his abilities the only thing keeping him from being a possible one in done or two and done is his 6'4 height which is a bit on the low side for an NBA 2 but it probably won't matter with his length and skills. I agree he has things basically none of the guys coming in have had in a long time for us.

 

[Gwynning]

PREDICTION: 18 min, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers

I'm taking you to Vegas my friend...

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I agree he has things basically none of the guys coming in have had in a long time for us.

The most exciting UConn basketball in years was the 11 minutes Bouknight played last night. I don't care if he's a sieve on defense - and I don't think he is - give him 25 minutes tonight.