Can Nolan make a two-footer?

[mauconnfan]

Your point is well-taken, and frankly it reinforces another contention I've made about Facey: his particular combination of diminutive size and lack of perimeter skill makes him ill-suited at any position in Ollie's 2013-14 system. In short, he has the size of someone like Daniels, and all the shortcomings in strength that go along with it, but without the ability to play beyond 15 feet from the hoop.

Unless he develops into a CJ Fair type, I'm not sure what role Facey has on this team. It's only if Ollie is willing to play with only 3 perimeter-capable players on the floor at a time, which hampers slashing and dribble penetration.

Kentan may not find a role this year and he may but what we see in this kid, his athleticism and skill set will eventually prove him to be a good player in Storrs. He needs to gain some muscle and experience. Another guy who has only been playing for 4 years or so and was able to get way with the flaws in HS but now needs to refine his fundamentals and understanding of the fast paced college game. He'll be fine - again we need to temper our expectations. Even Brimah is lost mostly but has his moments which are for now only defined by protecting the basket. Overall he has a LONG way to go.........nice to have them in our system though and learning.

 

[mauconnfan]

Add Boatright to this thread. The guy makes incredible moves to set himself up for layups and short jumpers and misses more often than not. If he could finish and make these shots his numbers would be through the roof.

The thing with Boat, and even Bazz sometimes, too much mustard and not enough "just score" in their drives. Sometimes uses the rim when he doesn't need to to make it look prettier than it needs to be and Bazz has been in double pump mode as of late with lots of spin. How about we just make wide open lay ups and get back on D......love these guys but can count the times this has happened.

 

[Waquoit]

As far as those little hooks go, it's just the last 5%. Nolan's move is strong and under control and his shot has nice touch. It's just at the last moment where the ball comes of his hand funny with some kind of uneeded spin. I'm hoping it's just a quirk they can hammer out.

 

[mauconnfan]

As far as those little hooks go, it's just the last 5%. Nolan's move is strong and under control and his shot has nice touch. It's just at the last moment where the ball comes of his hand funny with some kind of uneeded spin. I'm hoping it's just a quirk they can hammer out.

I've noticed it too......just use the square and he'll be fine.

 

[uconnwalker]

Phil needs to play with more passion!! He's just so darn passive on the court. He has a lot of potential, I just think it's all in his head. He'll make a million dollar move with a penny finish. You can tell that KO really believes in him, because he keeps on putting him out there. I think that he really needs to challenge him ala Deandre Daniels last night.

 

[mauconnfan]

Phil needs to play with more passion!! He's just so darn passive on the court. He has a lot of potential, I just think it's all in his head. He'll make a million dollar move with a penny finish. You can tell that KO really believes in him, because he keeps on putting him out there. I think that he really needs to challenge him ala Deandre Daniels last night.

He puts him out there because for now he is our best big man. Not sure he's passive just on a learning curve playing the middle......he's getting there. Will take time

 

[uconnwalker]

I agree...it's going to take time and there is a learning curve but he does need to play with more passion and a since of urgency

 

[jibsey]

You don't have to be 7' to have inside skill and ability. Granted we have not seen much of Facey, but I saw glimpses that he knows what to do around the rim, and he can block shots. Put him in.

 

[breezy]

We're really criticizing our best OFFENSIVE big right now? If we want this team to be as good as it could be, WE NEED A LOW POST THREAT.

At least Nolan put himself in the position to receive the ball in the paint, backed down his man, and posted-up for a shot. None of our other bigs is capable of doing that right now. He missed a few easy ones yesterday, but it's not like he missed them horribly. I think 2 of them back-rimmed, so he was right on-line and put just a little too much on it. I think he makes those shots in the future. At least he is comfortable enough to attempt it and put himself in the situation for a high-percentage shot.

Sure, he missed the shots, but we will NEED some semblance of offense from our low-post in the future, and Nolan offers that. None of our other bigs offer that for us right now. Keep trotting Nolan out there.

Agreed. Phil has had circa six legitimate back to the basket post-ups this year. Tyler might have around three. Ya its not much, but its the best offense we have at the true 5 right now.

 

[Huskyforlife]

its a wonder how people here defend nolan, not saying he won't get better but he does nothing well right now. besides dunking i'd love to hear how he is good in any way. although sadly he is probably our best option at C

 

[intlzncster]

Remember, Chuck didn't make a bunny until second half senior year. And he was a national championship center.

heh.

 

[champs99and04]

Your point is well-taken, and frankly it reinforces another contention I've made about Facey: his particular combination of diminutive size and lack of perimeter skill makes him ill-suited at any position in Ollie's 2013-14 system. In short, he has the size of someone like Daniels, and all the shortcomings in strength that go along with it, but without the ability to play beyond 15 feet from the hoop.

Unless he develops into a CJ Fair type, I'm not sure what role Facey has on this team. It's only if Ollie is willing to play with only 3 perimeter-capable players on the floor at a time, which hampers slashing and dribble penetration.

I agree with you to an extent. Your point on Facey is correct and one I've made a couple times - he's not skilled enough to play the four and not strong enough to play the five. But he also seems to have an instinctual tenacity about him that Daniels lacks, and that's why he's been a much better rebounder than Daniels thus far, and why he projects to be a major contributor for us going forward. You're certainly correct in saying Facey's current skill set seems to contradict the identity of the 2013-14 squad, but if Facey is our best option at the four next season, I'm sure Ollie will be able to adapt to his personnel and begin to integrate a more conventional two big set up that this program utilized effectively for many years.

 

[mauconnfan]

its a wonder how people here defend nolan, not saying he won't get better but he does nothing well right now. besides dunking i'd love to hear how he is good in any way. although sadly he is probably our best option at C

I agree what the hell is any Husky fan defending Phil Nolan for? Hopefully it's not because he's a Husky?........."sadly" huh?

If you haven't seen a couple of nice back to the basket moves with good footwork, a kid who has gained a few pounds of muscle since arriving and an actual improvement from Day 1 last year then it's obvious you live in your own little negative bubble and just can't accept none of our bigs are there yet. But defend him, look at the uniform he's wearing and rethink that one?

 

[Huskyforlife]

I agree what the hell is any Husky fan defending Phil Nolan for? Hopefully it's not because he's a Husky?........."sadly" huh?

If you haven't seen a couple of nice back to the basket moves with good footwork, a kid who has gained a few pounds of muscle since arriving and an actual improvement from Day 1 last year then it's obvious you live in your own little negative bubble and just can't accept none of our bigs are there yet. But defend him, look at the uniform he's wearing and rethink that one?

theres a diffrence between defending and supporting a player. i support nolan because he is a husky(and our starting C), but i can't defend the way he plays.

 

[Rico444]

He actually has good offensive potential. He looks very poised and comfortable with the ball on the block. Every time he has gotten the ball in an iso situation this year, he has gotten exactly the shot he was looking for. Now if he would just jump for rebounds.

Agree with this 100%. With a little bit of tweaking, we'll have the best offense we've gotten from a C since Thabeet.

 

[ctchamps]

I agree...it's going to take time and there is a learning curve but he does need to play with more passion and a since of urgency

Last season Nolan was all smiles. The coaches wanted him to play more aggressively. This season he has. He's all business on the court now. But it had the opposite effect. He was playing so aggressively on defense he was fouling and wasn't getting in any rhythm. In this game, outside of the one play mau pointed out, he played very intelligently on defense.

This kid basically played scrub minutes until the last four games of last season. Until those games he had no clue about what he was supposed to do on the court. Then he began to understand what was expected and played decently relative to where he started from. But that is the salient point. He was not a polished post player. Anyone unaware of his progress and unaware of how much more he needed to develop from the end of last season to make this team a serious threat was kidding themselves if they expected more from him at this stage.

The critical factor for UConn is that Nolan continues to make progress over the season so that come tournament time he is a reliable five. That progress won't necessarily be linear, but it has to take place if Uconn wants to make a statement. TO is very limited and AB is just too raw.

Nolan certainly wasn't a ten point, ten rebound player in the Loyola game, but he did show progress in keeping his arms straight and not drawing quick fouls. And the moves he showed on offense makes me believe he will be a serious enough threat on offense as the season progresses, that teams will have to cover him. The bounce pass from NG in which he caught the ball and immediately went up for the dunk was a play that AB and AO and TO would have juggled and possibly been blocked.

 

[joober jones]

Last season Nolan was all smiles. The coaches wanted him to play more aggressively. This season he has. He's all business on the court now. But it had the opposite effect. He was playing so aggressively on defense he was fouling and wasn't getting in any rhythm. In this game, outside of the one play mau pointed out, he played very intelligently on defense.

This kid basically played scrub minutes until the last four games of last season. Until those games he had no clue about what he was supposed to do on the court. Then he began to understand what was expected and played decently relative to where he started from. But that is the salient point. He was not a polished post player. Anyone unaware of his progress and unaware of how much more he needed to develop from the end of last season to make this team a serious threat was kidding themselves if they expected more from him at this stage.

The critical factor for UConn is that Nolan continues to make progress over the season so that come tournament time he is a reliable five. That progress won't necessarily be linear, but it has to take place if Uconn wants to make a statement. TO is very limited and AB is just too raw.

Nolan certainly wasn't a ten point, ten rebound player in the Loyola game, but he did show progress in keeping his arms straight and not drawing quick fouls. And the moves he showed on offense makes me believe he will be a serious enough threat on offense as the season progresses, that teams will have to cover him. The bounce pass from NG in which he caught the ball and immediately went up for the dunk was a play that AB and AO and TO would have juggled and possibly been blocked.

I was also impressed by his quick reflexes and good hands when Shabazz got caught in the air and gave him the sudden shovel pass. I don't know if any of our other bigs would have done as well on that one.

 

[BearJWS]

I say go up strong or don't go up at all. Big guys need to take it to the rack to be effective. Nolan & Brimah have the athleticism to do that. Too much finesse from them so far. They are both athletic enough to dunk on most of their opponents. And if they don't convert, most likely they are fouled & bring it to the foul line. If you miss a FG, you miss FG, but give a solid effort & attack. Rules today favor players who attack. It is what it is, so adjust. Another part of the equation today is catching the ball. Keep your hands available for a pass, since our guards are capable of passing... but if you can't catch, you won't get the pass. Work on catching & attacking. Catching isn't that difficult. Don't force your hands into the incoming ball, you need to retract as the ball is received, so there is less resistance. Soft but solid hands are important! Catching 101. Rant over.... LOL

 

[ctchamps]

I was also impressed by his quick reflexes and good hands when Shabazz got caught in the air and gave him the sudden shovel pass. I don't know if any of our other bigs would have done as well on that one.

Forgot about that. And yes SN was heading to a turnover and Nolan bailed him out. That was another play I wouldn't have wanted TO or AB or AO trying to finish. RS would have been fine, but that is another thread. This discussion about players and their development should be about two things. Where they are now and where we project them at the end of this season.

I am no different than any fan in that I would love to have a polished team now that I can enjoy over the entire season. But most college teams are constructed with a range of under and upper classmen. DD and OC are officially beginning their second season. PN is still in his first third of his first season. RB has been playing two seasons. LK is new to the team. Only SN, NG and TO have had the playing time and years at UConn. This team is a work in progress. I'll get nervous if this team is still playing this way tournament time. Not before.

 

[CTBasketball]

Needs to bulk up and learn some post moves.

 

[BoatShow]

The thing with Boat, and even Bazz sometimes, too much mustard and not enough "just score" in their drives. Sometimes uses the rim when he doesn't need to to make it look prettier than it needs to be and Bazz has been in double pump mode as of late with lots of spin. How about we just make wide open lay ups and get back on D......love these guys but can count the times this has happened.

So so so many times Boat goes up and under for no reason. He hits it about 25% its 1 ooww and 3 ughhhs

 

[SeattleHoop]

he does nothing well right now. besides dunking i'd love to hear how he is good in any way.

There is no way you could have possibly read all the previous posts by me, mau and other members who have specifically pointed out areas where Nolan contributes and still have come to such an ignorant conclusion.

My mind is officially blown. I didn't know people possessed such an extreme lack of critical examination of their own opinions before stating them.

In the future, before you make such statements, really, truly think about what you are saying and what it means to be saying it.

 

[champs99and04]

Needs to bulk up and learn some post moves.

His post moves have been fine. He just needs to finish.

 

[SeattleHoop]

its a wonder how people here defend nolan, not saying he won't get better but he does nothing well right now. besides dunking i'd love to hear how he is good in any way. although sadly he is probably our best option at C

Athleticism= good
footwork/pivoting=very good (best for 5 position)
dunking=very good
soft touch=good
mid-range capability=above average
shot block presence=good
Defense=good
post moves=above average
finishing with contact= needs improvement
rebounding=needs improvement

8 things off the top of the dome that he is pretty good at...your telling me you haven't observed ONE, not ONE of these things AT ALL??

You must be looking for a very specific set of skills that he has yet to bring to the table. Which is fine. But it does not qualify your statement.

Thus if you don't want to be called out. Make a statement that makes more sense. It's that simple.

 

[Rico444]

There is no way you could have possibly read all the previous posts by me, mau and other members who have specifically pointed out areas where Nolan contributes and still have come to such an ignorant conclusion.

My mind is officially blown. I didn't know people possessed such an extreme lack of critical examination of their own opinions before stating them.

In the future, before you make such statements, really, truly think about what you are saying and what it means to be saying it.

Next time, just post this.