Enoch

[pj]

I remain an idiot then because I very much think the the dude can play. Additionally, my argument has never been solely that we did not use him right - although true that's a part of it. We basically did not have a functioning S&C program for Bigs and our Bigs coaching was nonexistent. We also changed defenses last season like a Chinese fire drill and more often than not different guys were playing different defenses at the same time. Hopefully, with the staff changes we will see improvements in those areas but it remains to be seen if Carlos is really our Bigs coach behind the scenes?
Quite frankly, Steve has good soft hands, strength and adequate speed/quickness. A big, strong body with soft hands is rare with a big and that's why so many experienced elite coaches made the assessment to go after him despite his underperformance at UConn. These guys are not idiots - they get paid millions to evaluate/recruit talent and win games.
He can seal a guy, catch the ball and put up a nice soft shot. No question the kid can be a rebounding machine and I think his defensive problems were more playing mentally slow than anything physical. Coach Miller's defenses were overly complex and all our Bigs often looked confused. I think Pitno will simplify things in comparison so Steve will be able to play at game speed.
I hope this helps. Good luck to your aunt next season.

We've got a lot of young bigs on the roster to coach up, so hopefully however the bigs coaching is handled, we've got quality coaches doing it. Since the bigs are more than half the roster, presumably there should be two bigs coaches -- maybe one for back-to-the-basket bigs and one for forwards?

 

[Chief00]

He won't start there, ever, and his attitude won't get any better. Like others have said, good luck to a CT, but good riddance to a locker room issue.

I will be candid with you, I always thought Steve was a good kid and coachable in my interactions with him. True, he got upset last season about not getting minutes but to blame Steve for the locker room and coach/player communication issues last season is laughable. He was much more a victim than a cause and I hate this victim stuff. It's just not true.

 

[mauconnfan]

Chief uses Coach Miller yet again with Enoch for an out. The only thing complex here is your evaluation Chief. You are correct he is big, agile and has soft hands. I believe also he is quick enough to be a decent defender but his brain wasn't he didn't comprehend and that's on him no coach can teach a player to understand the game. And rebounding is rebounding, either you can or you can't ...... so far even with his size and ability he can't because he wasn't reactive and he didn't jump to the ball enough. And on offense they did put him in position to score the ball and he did some really nice things to put himself in position to score, but rarely finished. Have you ever seen such a strong big man have the position on the smaller defenders and usually get his thrown back at him?

There's something there, but it will be up to him in a years work to figure it out and the good news is it will be without any pressure. Hope the kid gets it eventually but for now anyone who would blame the staff at all is whacked. Again, can't teach the unteachable.

Hopefully the new bigs are fundamentally sound and can learn I am sure it will be a breath of fresh air to the staff.

 

[Chief00]

Chief uses Coach Miller yet again with Enoch for an out. The only thing complex here is your evaluation Chief. You are correct he is big, agile and has soft hands. I believe also he is quick enough to be a decent defender but his brain wasn't he didn't comprehend and that's on him no coach can teach a player to understand the game. And rebounding is rebounding, either you can or you can't . so far even with his size and ability he can't because he wasn't reactive and he didn't jump to the ball enough. And on offense they did put him in position to score the ball and he did some really nice things to put himself in position to score, but rarely finished. Have you ever seen such a strong big man have the position on the smaller defenders and usually get his thrown back at him?

There's something there, but it will be up to him in a years work to figure it out and the good news is it will be without any pressure. Hope the kid gets it eventually but for now anyone who would blame the staff at all is whacked. Again, can't teach the unteachable.

Hopefully the new bigs are fundamentally sound and can learn I am sure it will be a breath of fresh air to the staff.

True, he needs to go quicker to the ball. In a good S&C program they do footwork but it wasn't part of Travis's approach. I won't dump on Coach Miller when he is down but Steve was the one that punch an elite P5 ticket after last season not Glen.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Hey Cheif, what are your thoughts on the team's strength and conditioning?

 

[CL82]

Perhaps then he should stay in Armenia. In a time of position less basketball, that leaves Steve without a position. Sure, he would have been a fine player 30 years ago, but he is way to slow and methodical to be effective in today's game. I know the boneyard is making him out to be the next Shaq, but most objective observers will tell you he is a far from it. If he gets on the floor at Louisville, I would expect similar lines to what we already saw.

The best U-20 big man in the history of Armenian basketball.

 

[Chief00]

Hey Cheif, what are your thoughts on the team's strength and conditioning?

I like Carlos - he makes them man up - no more sitting around in the faculty lounge type weight room atmosphere having Travis discussing the academic theories about S&C - while the dudes are thinking gee we are getting off easy - they are actually lifting weights and doing the grind!

 

[intlzncster]

True, he needs to go quicker to the ball. In a good S&C program they do footwork but it wasn't part of Travis's approach. I won't dump on Coach Miller when he is down but Steve was the one that punch an elite P5 ticket after last season not Glen.

As mau said, it was far more 'mental' than physical with Steve. It's amazing how much 'quicker' a guy gets when he becomes more instinctive and knows what to do.

Transferring is the best thing that he could do imo, and not necessarily to get different coaching (although that may help), but to get that year off to develop he desperately needs. I think that will be the greatest factor in Steve's development. And there's nothing UCONN could have done at this point to make that happen, there's no way they'd red shirt a rising Jr, especially with such holes and uncertainties in the middle.

Steve needed to red shirt his freshman year, but the coaches didn't do it, for whatever reason. They let him down there.

 

[joober jones]

As mau said, it was far more 'mental' than physical with Steve. It's amazing how much 'quicker' a guy gets when he becomes more instinctive and knows what to do.

Transferring is the best thing that he could do imo, and not necessarily to get different coaching (although that may help), but to get that year off to develop he desperately needs. I think that will be the greatest factor in Steve's development. And there's nothing UCONN could have done at this point to make that happen, there's no way they'd red shirt a rising Jr, especially with such holes and uncertainties in the middle.

Steve needed to red shirt his freshman year, but the coaches didn't do it, for whatever reason. They let him down there.

Enoch was only 17 when he started playing at UConn, so at least the redshirt transfer season won't hurt his stock age-wise.

 

[NEforceUConn]

You ever have a lady in the sack who's cute but nothing to write home about and moves the hips but nothing to write in your diary? That aptly describes mediocre sex that should ostensibly be better and Enoch. Good from far, far from good. As long as our season turns out more exciting - not even better, just less predictably awful - than last year and I'm golden ponyboy

Man, I need a life.

But dude....."diary"

 

[intlzncster]

You ever have a lady in the sack who's cute but nothing to write home about and moves the hips but nothing to write in your diary? That aptly describes mediocre sex that should ostensibly be better and Enoch. Good from far, far from good. As long as our season turns out more exciting - not even better, just less predictably awful - than last year and I'm golden ponyboy

Kind of a half baked analogy, but points for The Outsiders reference.

 

[Chief00]

I use to tell dudes who were bad mouthing Dre after his FR year, that he would be an NBA all star and they laugh.
Big men develop slower - the Business-lawyer type posters take a snapshot for evidence and extrapolate it over time. What you said about making the mental part instinctive so you don't have to spend game time thinking is what good coaching can accomplish with a willing player / Pitino will demand it - as much as I dislike that sleezeball - he will do that.

 

[intlzncster]

I use to tell dudes who were bad mouthing Dre after his FR year, that he would be an NBA all star and they laugh.
Big men develop slower - the Business-lawyer type posters take a snapshot for evidence and extrapolate it over time. What you said about making the mental part instinctive so you don't have to spend game time thinking is what good coaching can accomplish with a willing player / Pitino will demand it - as much as I dislike that sleezeball - he will do that.

Yah, but that doesn't mean he's going to develop. It's not like all big men do, even with the best coaches. Happened under JC often enough.

 

[David 76]

I remain an idiot

Takes a big man to own up to it.

 

[Chief00]

Takes a big man to own up to it.

Prototypical BY - you left out the context to distort the meaning - you can get a job in the media!

 

[auror]

Prototypical BY - you left out the context to distort the meaning - you can get a job in the media!

 

[Chief00]

Chief called you on that and now it's all a joke.

 

[Kitaman]

Quite frankly, Steve has good soft hands, strength and adequate speed/quickness. A big, strong body with soft hands is rare with a big and that's why so many experienced elite coaches made the assessment to go after him despite his underperformance at UConn.

No doubt Steve had something to work with, but Coaches can't make the player 'work'. Lebron James is super talented and has a work ethic 2nd to none. Kevin Ollie's NBA work ethic and dedication is legendary but even he can't transmit that to his college players. Furthermore HS does not prepare kids for D1, and many All Staters come to schools expecting to produce based on 'yesterday' only to find out they are true freshman.

If Enoch, Vital (or insert any name with talent) puts in the work results will follow. What's mind boggling to me is that any 7 footer with basketball skills has an opportunity to become a millionaire, its a matter of how much they invest in their craft. Yet they don't improve or even positively make adjustments (now coaching does affect this).

What I will say is that HOF Calhoun made you work or you weren't going to play (hence ruining your NBA dreams). I'd be curious to know how many transfers out of Calhoun's system made it to the NBA.

Not saying Ollie is soft, he had no options/leverage with a depleted roster and the Senior Boatright team was a tragic situation. However this season I expect Ollie to be a mean SOB with increased demands. Each position has a backup, so no tolerance for lack of effort/work. Looking forward to a change in direction for our basketball program.

 

[Chief00]

No doubt Steve had something to work with, but Coaches can't make the player 'work'. Lebron James is super talented and has a work ethic 2nd to none. Kevin Ollie's NBA work ethic and dedication is legendary but even he can't transmit that to his college players. Furthermore HS does not prepare kids for D1, and many All Staters come to schools expecting to produce based on 'yesterday' only to find out they are true freshman.

If Enoch, Vital (or insert any name with talent) puts in the work results will follow. What's mind boggling to me is that any 7 footer with basketball skills has an opportunity to become a millionaire, its a matter of how much they invest in their craft. Yet they don't improve or even positively make adjustments (now coaching does affect this).

What I will say is that HOF Calhoun made you work or you weren't going to play (hence ruining your NBA dreams). I'd be curious to know how many transfers out of Calhoun's system made it to the NBA.

Not saying Ollie is soft, he had no options/leverage with a depleted roster and the Senior Boatright team was a tragic situation. However this season I expect Ollie to be a mean SOB with increased demands. Each position has a backup, so no tolerance for lack of effort/work. Looking forward to a change in direction for our basketball program.

From what I understand many guys thought he was a mean SOB last season and at least for him it did not work well. Granted, another standard seemed to apply to Purvis and Brimah and that also had consequences.

 

[pj]

From what I understand many guys thought he was a mean SOB last season and at least for him it did not work well. Granted, another standard seemed to apply to Purvis and Brimah and that also had consequences.

You have to be a mean SOB who loves his players -- which means, among other things, and showing them their path to the NBA and helping them achieve it, i.e. player development. Having a full roster is going to help. I hope we don't get another raft of transfers next spring from the big men who don't win the minutes battle. A sense that the coach cares for them and is helping them develop will make a huge difference.

 

[Tenspro2002]

From what I understand many guys thought he was a mean SOB last season and at least for him it did not work well. Granted, another standard seemed to apply to Purvis and Brimah and that also had consequences.

Care to elaborate? Did the younger players think that Purvis and Brimah got to play through mistakes, while they were benched instead?

If that's the case, not a smart calculation on KO's part.

 

[David 76]

Chief called you on that and now it's all a joke.

Prototypical BY - you left out the context to distort the meaning - you can get a job in the media!

Oh, so Chiefoo is POTUS!

 

[HooperScooper]

"We worked Steven out and right away anytime you say a kid was a top-40 player in high school, didn't play at UConn and he's a great person, something just didn't make sense," Pitino said. "We were blown away by his aggressiveness and shooting ability.

"We came away with the conclusion that UConn just went with almost like if we had Mangok (Mathiang) and Anas (Mahmoud) and we went with Anas even though we knew Mangok was a good player. So they went with a defensive guy and not the offensive guy."

UConn transfer Steven Enoch turns into a major addition for Louisville basketball team

I don't believe anything coming out of Pitino's mouth but I do get the feeling we're going to hear a lot about Enoch when he's eligible to play.

 

[Waquoit]

"We worked Steven out and right away anytime you say a kid was a top-40 player in high school, didn't play at UConn and he's a great person, something just didn't make sense," Pitino said. "We were blown away by his aggressiveness and shooting ability.

I don't believe anything coming out of Pitino's mouth but I do get the feeling we're going to hear a lot about Enoch when he's eligible to play.

Yeah, but something didn't make sense.

 

[BlueMAB]

I'm sure the kid looked great in workouts. You could see the talent.

But when he got in the game, he was lost on defense, and couldn't finish on offense. He's nearly 7' tall and shot around 40% from the field. That's remarkably bad.

With Pitino's defensive style, I'll be shocked if he does much better there. I want to root for the kid to do well, but can't stand Ville. hopefully he ends up being a bright spot on an absolutely terrible team.

 

[Guapo]

Enoch always looks great...

In practice.

 

[Balker]

"We worked Steven out and right away anytime you say a kid was a top-40 player in high school, didn't play at UConn and he's a great person, something just didn't make sense," Pitino said. "We were blown away by his aggressiveness and shooting ability.

"We came away with the conclusion that UConn just went with almost like if we had Mangok (Mathiang) and Anas (Mahmoud) and we went with Anas even though we knew Mangok was a good player. So they went with a defensive guy and not the offensive guy."

UConn transfer Steven Enoch turns into a major addition for Louisville basketball team

I don't believe anything coming out of Pitino's mouth but I do get the feeling we're going to hear a lot about Enoch when he's eligible to play.

We probably would have heard a lot about him if he stayed, too... if he asked Ollie to let him red shirt a year, worked his butt off at UConn for the next 12 months, and then spent two years playing as our starting center I'm sure he would have ended up a fantastic college player like Adrien. Pitino implicating another coach as the reason Enoch didn't succeed, even if doing so subtly, isn't the best form.

The dude was given 10 MPG last year, and was a massive liability for all of them. His stats were terrible, and that's even discounting his inability to play the defensive end of the floor competently. Hard to play that type of guy over a former conference defensive player of the year who was constantly thinking about his team winning rather than his own stats...

 

[Huskybass]

I think Stephen will do well at Lville, especially if he works hard in this year off. Kid is a physical specimen.

 

[David 76]

I wish him well regardless of the grief it will cause on the Boneyard.

 

[gtcam]

Care to elaborate? Did the younger players think that Purvis and Brimah got to play through mistakes, while they were benched instead?

If that's the case, not a smart calculation on KO's part.

ALL the younger players got more minutes than any of them dreamed of last October