Christian Vital

[Matrim55]

What I think he can be in 2-3 years is about 85% of Ben Gordon, and that's a good thing.

That's too optimistic. I think he can be a very wealthy man's Austrie, which is just fine for our long-term needs.

 

[RipCity]

That's too optimistic. I think he can be a very wealthy man's Austrie, which is just fine for our long-term needs.

There's a ton of gray area there. He's already close to as good as Austrie ever was and it's January of his first year. Seems like a cautious comparison, but I think he's going to be more of a factor than that, with all due respect to Austrie who I loved.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's too optimistic. I think he can be a very wealthy man's Austrie, which is just fine for our long-term needs.

Really? I don't agree with @RipCity that he's as good as Austrie was as an uperclassman. But he's better than the underclassman Austrie. He seems to lack Ben's athletic ability, so I don't think Vital is an NBA candidate, or can be what Ben was. But I get the same sense that he can really be a combo guard in that mold, probably somewhere between Austrie and Ben. We've played guys as combo guards who weren't, like Boatright. Vital really is a tweener with some PG and SG skills. My guess is that he won't start anytime soon, but will continue to be very useful off the bench.

 

[scotty0330]

The fact that he got some confidence after last night could be huge. I swear VJ is shooting like a different player now that he has had some hot games. He looks so much more loose and comfortable on his jump shots than he did earlier in season. Here is hoping the Vital can respond same way.

 

[Matrim55]

Really? I don't agree with @RipCity that he's as good as Austrie was as an uperclassman. But he's better than the underclassman Austrie. He seems to lack Ben's athletic ability, so I don't think Vital is an NBA candidate, or can be what Ben was. But I get the same sense that he can really be a combo guard in that mold, probably somewhere between Austrie and Ben.

Ben's whole thing was that, from Day 1, he could score at all 3 levels. It was his defining characteristic as a basketball player.

Vital can really only score on open lay-ups, free throws or 3s, and never off the dribble. Perhaps that's something he'll add to his game in the coming years, but it would be a drastic departure from what we've seen thus far.

Note that I'm not bashing the kid at all here. I love his defense, his savvy, his cojones. He's a tough SOB from the City and that's going to be incredibly valuable to us. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a knockdown shooter (hopefully), lockdown defender (soon) & secondary ball-hander (work in progress). It's a great role and I'm happy he's here to play it for the next four years.

 

[ctchamps]

Ben's whole thing was that, from Day 1, he could score at all 3 levels. It was his defining characteristic as a basketball player.

Vital can really only score on open lay-ups, free throws or 3s, and never off the dribble. Perhaps that's something he'll add to his game in the coming years, but it would be a drastic departure from what we've seen thus far.

Note that I'm not bashing the kid at all here. I love his defense, his savvy, his cojones. He's a tough SOB from the City and that's going to be incredibly valuable to us. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a knockdown shooter (hopefully), lockdown defender (soon) & secondary ball-hander (work in progress). It's a great role and I'm happy he's here to play it for the next four years.

I'm thinking yesterdays up and under layup is going to become more and more frequent in the future.

Have no idea where the kid ends up in comparison to other UConn players. Doubt it's as good on offense as Ben. Not many players are that good. Hoping Vitals defense becomes better than Ben's.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ben's whole thing was that, from Day 1, he could score at all 3 levels. It was his defining characteristic as a basketball player.

Vital can really only score on open lay-ups, free throws or 3s, and never off the dribble. Perhaps that's something he'll add to his game in the coming years, but it would be a drastic departure from what we've seen thus far.

Note that I'm not bashing the kid at all here. I love his defense, his savvy, his cojones. He's a tough SOB from the City and that's going to be incredibly valuable to us. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a knockdown shooter (hopefully), lockdown defender (soon) & secondary ball-hander (work in progress). It's a great role and I'm happy he's here to play it for the next four years.

I'm not arguing that. I said that eventually he could be 85%, maybe 75% is more accurate, of what Ben was. Without the athleticism, and that first step explosiveness, I don't think he'll ever bring the same ability to attack and break down a defense. But his size is similar, he can shoot (and will improve), can handle a bit and pass a bit, rebound a bit, shows an ability to defend and if he improves in all areas, be a well rounded combo guard.

 

[Matrim55]

I'm not arguing that. I said that eventually he could be 85%, maybe 75% is more accurate, of what Ben was. Without the athleticism, and that first step explosiveness, I don't think he'll ever bring the same ability to attack and break down a defense. But his size is similar, he can shoot (and will improve), can handle a bit and pass a bit, rebound a bit, shows an ability to defend and if he improves in all areas, be a well rounded combo guard.

Fair enough. I just think that their defining traits as players are so vastly different that I can't get behind the comparison (even Vital ends up giving us 85% of what Ben did in the long run).

To put a point on it from my POV: Austrie was a guy who made open jumpers, played hustling, smart defense and didn't screw up when he had the ball in his hands. I think Vital will be able to do all of those, except better, and four years from now, that's what we'll remember him for.

And also for the national championship that he helps us win in his senior year.

 

[Papadukes]

I love CV and Vance and the experience they're getting is going to make them so much tougher for the next few years. I wish JD and SE were healthy too but I'll take what I can get from the the first two guys. Go Huskies

 

[Rico444]

That's too optimistic. I think he can be a very wealthy man's Austrie, which is just fine for our long-term needs.

I know a bunch of us compared Vital to Austrie because of his rating, but it looks to me like he has more talent than that. He's not the same steady presence that Austrie was, though. I'm sure that will come as he gets older. Still, I'm very excited that by his junior or senior year he will be a very good third guard for us.

 

[eireman]

Ben's whole thing was that, from Day 1, he could score at all 3 levels. It was his defining characteristic as a basketball player.

Vital can really only score on open lay-ups, free throws or 3s, and never off the dribble. Perhaps that's something he'll add to his game in the coming years, but it would be a drastic departure from what we've seen thus far.

Note that I'm not bashing the kid at all here. I love his defense, his savvy, his cojones. He's a tough SOB from the City and that's going to be incredibly valuable to us. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a knockdown shooter (hopefully), lockdown defender (soon) & secondary ball-hander (work in progress). It's a great role and I'm happy he's here to play it for the next four years.

There's a lot to like of him.....he can take people off the dribble and yes he can get hot from the arc....and no he doesn't have elite athleticism but i've seen most of of his games for the last three seasons and can tell you his motor is great ....he's really tough and i expect he'll lead in rebounds a few games(much better than big steve)...but the key thing is he's a great kid and much more mature than some other members of the team

 

[ctchamps]

I know a bunch of us compared Vital to Austrie because of his rating, but it looks to me like he has more talent than that. He's not the same steady presence that Austrie was, though. I'm sure that will come as he gets older. Still, I'm very excited that by his junior or senior year he will be a very good third guard for us.

He's quicker. Austrie was more deliberate in his play. Two completely different styles.

 

[PAHusky]

He reminds me a little of a guard version of Giffey on an accelerated learning curve. Vital has hustle, he's got a decent stroke from outside, he's a little lost positionally on defense but plays his man decently well, and he seems to learn game to game. I think he'll be as useful all around as a glue guy by his junior season as Giffey was his senior year. Vital has the benefit of being thrown in the fire - it's natural for his confidence to grow and he's forced into maxing his potential out without the consequences of having a loss mean anything.

 

[Doheny]

The first game at Gambel this year, Vital had the ball at the top left of the key. The player to his left moved the wrong way and the play was a bust. As they came down the court, Vital explained the play to him. Two play later they ran the play again, the player made his cut and got the basket. Right then I decided that CV would become a valuable member of the team.

 

[dennismenace]

Really? I don't agree with @RipCity that he's as good as Austrie was as an uperclassman. But he's better than the underclassman Austrie. He seems to lack Ben's athletic ability, so I don't think Vital is an NBA candidate, or can be what Ben was. But I get the same sense that he can really be a combo guard in that mold, probably somewhere between Austrie and Ben. We've played guys as combo guards who weren't, like Boatright. Vital really is a tweener with some PG and SG skills. My guess is that he won't start anytime soon, but will continue to be very useful off the bench.

I really like what I see in Vital and rarely see in a freshman which is a great attitude. He has a toughness and tenacity and is usually on the ball. As far as pro material that is quite a way off. He does not possess blazing speed but neither did John Stockton for that matter. At 6-2 or 6-3 he has decent height. If he can continue to develop offensively based on what he has been flashing he could be very exciting in a year or two. He has a nose for making plays defensively already. Just needs more practice and experience. I wouldn't sell this kid short. Just 19 years old. Turns 20 in March.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Our only chance in the AAC tournament is our young guys developing. To me that means Vance and Vital become 3 point weapons. Vance seems to be doing it consistently now. Hopefully Vital is soon to follow. If by some miracle Enoch gets back and becomes more useful we'll have a solid chance.

 

[pj]

Really? I don't agree with @RipCity that he's as good as Austrie was as an uperclassman. But he's better than the underclassman Austrie. He seems to lack Ben's athletic ability, so I don't think Vital is an NBA candidate, or can be what Ben was. But I get the same sense that he can really be a combo guard in that mold, probably somewhere between Austrie and Ben. We've played guys as combo guards who weren't, like Boatright. Vital really is a tweener with some PG and SG skills. My guess is that he won't start anytime soon, but will continue to be very useful off the bench.

Senior Austrie was a better PG but worse shooting guard than freshman Vital. I don't know what Vital's ceiling is but it's higher than Austrie's.

 

[chiller99.5]

I like his flashes of big time defense with quick instincts .To be the hound on defense with a nose for the ball like Boat was against Kentucky.

 

[joober jones]

My only real knock on him is his decision making (especially on fast breaks), but what he is vs. what anyone would have expected him to be at this point is a pretty big bonus.