- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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Losing always hurts. Especially when leading by 14 in the second half (against a former rival on national TV, no less). But a reminder: this team's path to making the NCAA Tournament is through the AAC Tournament in Hartford. With that in mind, improvement until the end of the season is the #1 priority. And we've seen a lot of progress over the last 3 games.
Thoughts:
There's still a long way to go, and there has to be a lot of development along the way, but we actually look like a real basketball team again - and given how much of the season has gone to date, I'll gladly take that.
Thoughts:
- Jalen Adams is blossoming into a star before our eyes. The last few games he's had a complete control of the offense, and seems to have mastered when to pass and when to shoot. He's manipulating the defense with his drives, and finding the open man. Our offense looked hopeless earlier this season - Jalen's ascent as a point guard has our offense showing some real promise.
- Vance Jackson continues to impress. With each passing game, Vance shows off more of his skills. His struggled with his shot earlier in the season, but he's been much more effective since he's gotten away from merely camping at the 3-point line. He's got a really nice floor game, and has shown off seriously impressive post moves, vision, and creativity off the bounce. There's a lot to like here.
- Brimah and Purvis may be the most frustrating seniors in UConn history. Their careers have been characterized by inconsistencies and a lack of BBIQ. I'm as big of a Brimah defender as you'll find, but his performance today was inexcusable. Purvis had a handful of maddening plays, per usual. With relative no-shows from those two, we had to rely on our "future" to carry us today, and for the most part, I think they did as well as could be expected for a young, undermanned squad.
- Facey has been fantastic. His emergence may have altered the trajectory of this season. He's money from mid-range, and is finally using his bounciness to be assertive on defense and on the glass. Kentan has turned into one of our 3 best players, and I hope he'll continue to break out down the stretch. It's really a shame we won't have him around next year.
- Enoch and Durham still have a lot of developing to do, but they've been giving us nice minutes. Durham may be limited physically this year, but Enoch needs more game experience, and hopefully the game will finally slow down for him. If he ever harnesses his physicality, look out.
There's still a long way to go, and there has to be a lot of development along the way, but we actually look like a real basketball team again - and given how much of the season has gone to date, I'll gladly take that.