The Backcourt: will live up to the hype and expectations with the combo of boatright, bazz, omar, and a very solid RJ.
Boatright: overall had an ok game (have high expectations for him), but he showed in the first 5 min of the second half that he can be a prolific scorer and take over the game when needed. Don't know why he stopped shooting after getting hot, but played good D throughout. Looks bigger (put on some muscle), should have a great season
Bazz: Can't tell too much. Had a solid game but don't how much he is still recovering from his injury, looked a bit slow but that's expected. Chemistry with Boat and others already looks better.
Omar: Cold blooded. Love his confidence and plays smart basketball. Clearly has the physical tools to be an impact player as a freshman. Love the fact that he runs without the ball. Shot the three ball well, has a good looking mid range game, and had some nice drives to the hoop. Can't take too much from a preseason game, but hard not to get excited about him for the upcoming season and what he can bring.
RJ: Love what he brings to the team. Ollie puts it best, RJ is a player that ollie knows what hes gonna get from whenever he puts him in. He plays smart, not extremely athletic but his a big and strong guard. His size will come in handy during Big East play.
Frontcourt: Not very good. A small DII team was able score inside way too easily.
TO: Was solid. Liked his confidence, has a good stroke on his shot. Just don't know how he'll hold up in the paint on defense against bigger DI big men especially in the Big East. Love his passing ability, he had a nice connection going with Omar, I expect that to continue throughout the season. TO is a good passing big man and Omar is constantly moving in the half court.
DD: How well he plays will determine just how good this uconn team can be. If he can turn into the 4th reliable scorer along with boat, omar, bazz, this team should be better then expected. He played ok at best against AIC, I did like the fact he looked more confident and at ease on the court. Brought up the ball a couple of times, which can be a good thing to have 4 ball handlers on the court at one time, but still needs to work on his handle. Helped with the boards but then again its AIC, will see how he fares on the boards when the season starts.
NG: Played like NG. Very solid. Love what he brings with effort. I hope he shoots more. Guy has talent along with his hustle, has potential to be a real factor in games. Worked hard on the boards, don't expect that to change.
Phil Nolan: Wiry and athletic. Work in progress. Played like a freshman. Missed a couple of layups (in a row) but I think it had to do more with jitters. Looks too skinny to go up against the big boys. Needs time to develop both physically and game IQ wise. Had 5 fouls in 9 min of play.
Leon: Played very little. I was hoping to see more min from him. Can't really say too much, but liked the effort and the block that I saw.
Team Notes;
Team will probably have a bumpy start to the season, but that's expected. The team is very young overall. The backcourt, all 4 guys, will have to bring there A game to be able to compete with good teams, the team will go as far as they carry them. Rebounding will have to be a whole team effort, guards are gonna have to come down low and help out with the boards. Back court can really benefit from TO's passing game if they all move like Omar in the half court.
Key Number: 70
If Boat, omar, Bazz and Daniels can combine for 70 points, they'll put themselves in a good position to win. Anything less I don't like our chances. We are going to be giving up a lot of points in the paint and so we will have to heavily rely on our scoring to keep us in games. I know 70 amongst the 4 is a lot, but I also think its doable amongst this group.
* Take everything with a grain of salt, because it's only been one preseason game.
