Enoch is transferring

[King Husky]

I disagree. Enoch had some nice moves on occasion, but they are being completely overblown.

Better in the post or better moves than Emeka and Adrien? No way.

"On occasion" means he has them. And that's all that matters. Everything else is just consistency and learning how to get in position to utilize them. He's a young sophomore and shouldn't be compared to Emeka and Adrien as seniors.

 

[AdamaNation]

This....is my nightmare.

I think it will happen.

Think Curtis Kelly

 

[Robertelamin]

"On occasion" means he has them. And that's all that matters. Everything else is just consistency and learning how to get in position to utilize them. He's a young sophomore and shouldn't be compared to Emeka and Adrien as seniors.

Emeka and Adrien were light years ahead of Enoch as sophomores.

 

[intlzncster]

Emeka and Adrien were light years ahead of Enoch as sophomores.

In every way.

 

[ctchamps]

KO wanted him to stay so he obviously saw Steve's potential. KO stresses defense. So did JC. Steve most likely got tired of hearing it. It's possible in a new environment he figures it out and becomes a complete player. He's very close to being special on offense and I won't be surprised if he puts up good numbers.

It won't look good for KO if that happens. People who want to dump on KO will have a field day. But it happens all the time in sports.

I wish Steve the best of luck wherever he lands and hope KO can have success with a five so that both he and Steve can demonstrate their abilities.

 

[RabidHusky]

Why not red shirt right here and in Aug 2018 he can decide and be eligible any where.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Why not red shirt right here and in Aug 2018 he can decide and be eligible any where.

He'd need to graduate in order to be eligible immediately elsewhere after redshirting here

 

[Fishy]

Think Curtis Kelly

And Roscoe Smith.

 

[upstater]

Am I wrong to say that Enoch may be the first UConn transfer who flourishes elsewhere? The track record shows that this rarely turns out well.

Wrenn, Marcus White, Oriakhi, Curtis Kelly, Roscoe, Terence Samuel. For UConn as well, the transfer scene hasn't worked out as planned, Ed Nelson, Purvis.

 

[JonnyRI]

Am I wrong to say that Enoch may be the first UConn transfer who flourishes elsewhere? The track record shows that this rarely turns out well.

Wrenn, Marcus White, Oriakhi, Curtis Kelly, Roscoe, Terence Samuel. For UConn as well, the transfer scene hasn't worked out as planned, Ed Nelson, Purvis.

Roscoe shouldn't be on the list. Did you see his senior year stats?

 

[Edward Sargent]

This....is my nightmare.

I think it will happen.

Maybe but it isn't worth a nightmare. I don't think Steve fit in to the system KO reportedly wants to install, which makes me ask why he was recruited in the first place. If he is successful somewhere else still doesn't mean he will be good in our system, coaching or no coaching.

 

[upstater]

Maybe but it isn't worth a nightmare. I don't think Steve fit in to the system KO reportedly wants to install, which makes me ask why he was recruited in the first place. If he is successful somewhere else still doesn't mean he will be good in our system, coaching or no coaching.

UConn always throws it into the big men. It is part of the system. Big men should thrive in this system. Are you referring to UConns defensive system? UConn certainly expects bigs to help and hedge more than others.

 

[dennismenace]

But if you want to keep it strictly NBA, Bill Russell's for easy more championships than all those guys.

And what was his calling card?

Defense (toughness......you will not score) that was so good it turned into offense ..............fast break. Reminiscent of the '87 Bears that were so intimidating (as in toughness) that their defense dictated like an offense. Literally turning the tables.

 

[mauconnfan]

It probably will happen. He'll get that redshirt year he originally needed, and if he's stashed behind a good big he can go up against in practice every day, he will be a really good player. He just needed to grow despite his defensive inefficiencies.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say his defense will always keep him close to the pine. Not a smart player on that end, it was only hope that he would suddenly get it not coaching. If he does it will be the light going off or him suddenly trying harder because he knows things don't come easy now. But I think he will always be a liability on that end, heck he became an additional pick a few times off his hedges he was so slow in reacting.

I wish him well for sure as I say good kid, but anyone thinking coaching will help him defensively is mistaken he doesn't get it for now. It's not a hard concept and it's been taught. Offensively, if he has a coach who doean'ty care about his liabilities on D then he can throw some numbers up no doubt.

 

[CTBasketball]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say his defense will always keep him close to the pine. Not a smart player on that end, it was only hope that he would suddenly get it not coaching. If he does it will be the light going off or him suddenly trying harder because he knows things don't come easy now. But I think he will always be a liability on that end, heck he became an additional pick a few times off his hedges he was so slow in reacting.

I wish him well for sure as I say good kid, but anyone thinking coaching will help him defensively is mistaken he doesn't get it for now. It's not a hard concept and it's been taught. Offensively, if he has a coach who doean'ty care about his liabilities on D then he can throw some numbers up no doubt.

Has any big man improved on defense outside of blocking shots? I've seen Facey, Brimah, Durham, Nolan, Daniels, and Enoch get beat on defense every possession with our saving grace being a weak side or chase down block. It masks what's really going on.

If we were all good with feet position, hedging screeners, and staying in front of your man we'd be a much better rebounding team as well.

 

[Stinger92860]

I would say Jeff Adrien, Emeka Okafor, Charlie Villanueva, and Hilton Armstrong had all better post moves than the ones listed above.

Ok, so that's 4 guys in 16 years and no one in the last 7.

 

[aceboon]

Has any big man improved on defense outside of blocking shots? I've seen Facey, Brimah, Durham, Nolan, Daniels, and Enoch get beat on defense every possession with our saving grace being a weak side or chase down block. It masks what's really going on.

If we were all good with feet position, hedging screeners, and staying in front of your man we'd be a much better rebounding team as well.

If you think in 2013 & 2014 the defense from the bigs was all about weak side blocks then you didn't really have a good grasp of what was going on out there on the court. Especially in regards to Daniels, his defense was much, much more than that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Didn't really expect this, but I guess I can see why it is happening.

Best of luck to Steve. Hope everything works out for him.

Wow. I expected him to be the starting center.

 

[CTBasketball]

Ok, so that's 4 guys in 16 years and no one in the last 7.

The original post said "since Rod Sellers.

But since Ollie took over, I agree with you Shonn Miller has the best low post game. Which is sad because he didn't develop here.

 

[CTBasketball]

If you think in 2013 & 2014 the defense from the bigs was all about weak side blocks then you didn't really have a good grasp of what was going on out there on the court. Especially in regards to Daniels, his defense was much, much more than that.

Giffey was the best low post defender on that team. Daniels often got beat when he was defending pick and rolls and down low he didn't have the muscle to force his man off the block.

The backcourt created defensive problems with the on ball pressure. The frontcourt was there as a safety net. Bend don't break once the ball advanced down low. It works, and it did in 2014 clearly, but it hides how mediocre Daniels and Brimah were in one on one situations.

 

[aceboon]

Giffey was the best low post defender on that team. Daniels often got beat when he was defending pick and rolls and down low he didn't have the muscle to force his man off the block.

The backcourt created defensive problems with the on ball pressure. The frontcourt was there as a safety net. Bend don't break once the ball advanced down low. It works, and it did in 2014 clearly, but it hides how mediocre Daniels and Brimah were in one on one situations.

Daniels was not a mediocre defender or a liability on a defense, I know that's not your exact words but that's what you're implying. You can spin it however you like but it doesn't make it true, but hey you got an agenda to keep pushing so keep up the good fight.

 

[mauconnfan]

Has any big man improved on defense outside of blocking shots? I've seen Facey, Brimah, Durham, Nolan, Daniels, and Enoch get beat on defense every possession with our saving grace being a weak side or chase down block. It masks what's really going on.

If we were all good with feet position, hedging screeners, and staying in front of your man we'd be a much better rebounding team as well.

Recruit smarter and better players what can I tell you. You guys really think they aren't spending time in how to defend the pick and roll? Are you nuts or what. Funny thing is most of these guys, if they had any brains at all would get better just by practicing every day and playing in games while making the mistakes. Good, smart players don't make the same mistakes. I feel for them all if they had crappy coaching growing up but c'mon if you're any good you get better.

By the way Nolan and Daniels were good defenders they were instictively smarter it was evident. Giffey was a very very god defender and smart, do they get credit for that or was it that he had good coaching prior? LOL Durham needs time, Enoch was still questionable after 2 years. Both AB and Facey never really got it and that's because they just don't know the game. Not sure what people don't get about that - can NOT teach someone who doesn't understand the small details of the game,, just can't.

By no means am I saying the staff has to own up and get better. But to throw Facey, Brimah and maybe Steve at them is not fair. Guys just were lost and anyone who played the game know you get taught something a couple times you figure it out eventually. And none of us play basketball as much as them so in this case shame on the players.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Not playing games at all. Just showcasing the facts as they present themselves in the natural world.

Of course both components is critical. Having a gaping hole at one end of the floor is general as losing proposition. No one would argue otherwise. So yes, the question is then, which is more important.

Very simply Looking throughout history at sports, it's hard to come up with primarily offensive teams that have won it all. It's pretty easy to find primarily defense oriented teams.

Again, using the article somebody posted above about the Top 5 defenses ever:

1985 Bears
2000 Ravens
2015 Broncos
2013 Seahawks
1986 Giants

Every single one of them won the Superbowl.

And in my opinion 4 of the top 5 (or so) best offenses ever:

2013 Broncos
2016 Atlanta
2007 Patriots
2001 Rams

None of them won the Superbowl.

The best defense usually cancels out the best offense, year in, year out.

And in basketball news, to tie it in, we just watched Oregon ride great defense to take out Kansas, the most offensively gifted team in the tournament. South Carolina rode it's defense to final four, taking out several offensive minded teams, while having little offense of their own. UConn won a title in 2011 almost entirely on defense and one great offensive player.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Recruit smarter and better players what can I tell you. You guys really think they aren't spending time in how to defend the pick and roll? Are you nuts or what. Funny thing is most of these guys, if they had any brains at all would get better just by practicing every day and playing in games while making the mistakes. Good, smart players don't make the same mistakes. I feel for them all if they had crappy coaching growing up but c'mon if you're any good you get better.

By the way Nolan and Daniels were good defenders they were instictively smarter it was evident. Giffey was a very very god defender and smart, do they get credit for that or was it that he had good coaching prior? LOL Durham needs time, Enoch was still questionable after 2 years. Both AB and Facey never really got it and that's because they just don't know the game. Not sure what people don't get about that - can NOT teach someone who doesn't understand the small details of the game,, just can't.

By no means am I saying the staff has to own up and get better. But to throw Facey, Brimah and maybe Steve at them is not fair. Guys just were lost and anyone who played the game know you get taught something a couple times you figure it out eventually. And none of us play basketball as much as them so in this case shame on the players.

I said it in other threads. They need guys who know how to play, not just projects. Guys like Jake Layman. Did we recruit him? He's from the town next to me, Wrentham MA. Went to Maryland. Why weren't we all over him?

 

[CTBasketball]

Daniels was not a mediocre defender or a liability on a defense, I know that's not your exact words but that's what you're implying. You can spin it however you like but it doesn't make it true, but hey you got an agenda to keep pushing so keep up the good fight.

Recruit smarter and better players what can I tell you. You guys really think they aren't spending time in how to defend the pick and roll? Are you nuts or what. Funny thing is most of these guys, if they had any brains at all would get better just by practicing every day and playing in games while making the mistakes. Good, smart players don't make the same mistakes. I feel for them all if they had crappy coaching growing up but c'mon if you're any good you get better.

By the way Nolan and Daniels were good defenders they were instictively smarter it was evident. Giffey was a very very god defender and smart, do they get credit for that or was it that he had good coaching prior? LOL Durham needs time, Enoch was still questionable after 2 years. Both AB and Facey never really got it and that's because they just don't know the game. Not sure what people don't get about that - can NOT teach someone who doesn't understand the small details of the game,, just can't.

By no means am I saying the staff has to own up and get better. But to throw Facey, Brimah and maybe Steve at them is not fair. Guys just were lost and anyone who played the game know you get taught something a couple times you figure it out eventually. And none of us play basketball as much as them so in this case shame on the players.

Not an agenda just my honest opinion.

Saying it's not fair that the staff got these guys isn't an excuse in my opinion. They went out and recruited these guys. They knew Brimah and Facey only played < 5 years of organized basketball. If they didn't live up to UConn expectations it's a mix of player and coaching blame.