Eric Cobb commits to UConn

[UConnDan97]

Welcome to the Dog Pound, Eric!!!

 

[Matrim55]

That loss still hurts, it was the one game where both Ray and Doron didn't show up and not having Ricky Moore was a killer. Also a shame UConn and UMass didn't play each other. They were clearly two of the best three teams in the country and there was so much star power with Ray, Camby, Calhoun, and Calipari.

It is the one loss I will never get over. I know people get hung up on the 6 OT game, George Mason, Donyell's free throws or obviously Laettner, but nothing comes close to that MSU game. It's the most despondent I've ever been as a UConn fan and was convinced we'd never make the Final 4 afterward, simply because we hadn't to that point.

Imagine applying that type of a-logic in the modern day after all this program has been through! Who could possibly be so silly?

 

[gtcam]

Ok - I just noticed your dig at Calhoun - Chief advice to you - don't be a Stairmaster clone dumping on a HOF coach.

I didn't consider it a dig at JC at all
I've told you this before - JC is a big boy and has done so much he doesn't need you protecting him Chiefoo!!!

 

[gtcam]

You remember it differently than I do. He was a terror down low on defense. Stopping drives, swatting balls away. Offensively, yet he was a European type PF. But defensively he was a presence--reminiscent of Roscoe Smith.

The point is, he was night-and-day in terms of his development. He made a big leap.

The book on Ollie's development of bigs is unwritten because we only have 3 guys to go on, and the Enoch story is unwritten. We have to remember that Amida Brimah has been here for all of Ollie's 4 years. He has been the starting center. And just because he hasn't developed, we suddenly have this idea that Ollie can't develop. Facey has developed, albeit in his senior year, though in his key junior year, he was superseded by Shonn Miller.

I'd say this is way too small a sample--and as Mau has pointed out many times, the people Ollie has been in charged with developing are two soccer players who picked up a bball at the age of 15, and one kid--Enoch--who didn't make his Soph. HS team and was scouted by people here who aside he was so so so far behind kids his age in terms of playing basketball. He came to UConn at the age of 17.

Couldn't agree with you more - spot on

 

[Tenspro2002]

You remember it differently than I do. He was a terror down low on defense. Stopping drives, swatting balls away. Offensively, yet he was a European type PF. But defensively he was a presence--reminiscent of Roscoe Smith.

The point is, he was night-and-day in terms of his development. He made a big leap.

We do remember this differently. DD had a few nice blocks, mostly in help defense, but he wasn't a tough, physical presence on the defensive blocks the way Roscoe was.

Most of that season DD was described as a 3 playing out of position at the 4, in order to justify why he wasn't much of a stout defender or rebounder. He was a finesse player, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Roscoe was the opposite, a physical forward who JC tried to shoehorn in at the 3.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

I reject the premise that our bigs haven't developed, so I'm probably not the greatest person to have this conversation with.


IDK man maybe because people get better at their jobs when they have more experience, just like Ollie's gotten better at recruiting as he's gotten more experience? Or maybe because last summer we hired a coach – Killings – who has three years of experience working with NBA big men, including Emeka? Or maybe because the whole point is we have way more in terms of raw materials to work with on this roster than at any previous point under KO?

We lost to Mississippi State in the 1996 Sweet 16 despite having, at worst, the second-best team in the country that year. Why should we think Calhoun would ever get any better at winning tournament games in the future?

The question isnt whether it can happen. It's whether it will happen or not. Or course it's possible that the staff becomes better at developing our bigs. But based on the evidence at hand, I don't really see how you can come to any other conclusion than to be skeptical. I mean almost anyone who has been watching the last 5 years can tell you that our bigs have barely developed at all.

I'm not disagreeing with you that things can get better. I certainly hope they do. And I'll be the first one to give ko and staff credit for it.

But I'm simply basing my argument off of our actual past rather than trying to speculate on the future based on very limited evidence. It's almost blind faith on your part.

Again, it's very possible it happens. I sure hope it does. But it's not really much of an argument.

If anything you could say that we've gotten worse at these things as ko has gotten more experience.

Our execution, game plans, in game adjustments, and player development all seemed to be a lot better in his first two years. So if anything the trend is going the other way.

I support ko. I don't want him fired. I think he's the best shot we have at returning to glory. But I'm just telling it how i see it.

 

[Walker11]

Do you honestly believe they gave out this offer forgetting it might stop them from taking a grad transfer? You don't think it's a little more likely that they evaluated what they could reasonably get in that market and made a decision that this was a good use of the schollie?

I had a relatively long post that made this same comment and then got busy and gave up on it. Completely agree. The staff was in on Shonn Miller the summer before his junior year. There were talks of Gibbs being a lock in what, January? I think KO assessed and realized the prospects of a grad transfer weren't great. And I bet he will still attempt to jump in the mix with a grad big, but he clearly doesn't feel especially optimistic about any prospects.

You remember it differently than I do. He was a terror down low on defense. Stopping drives, swatting balls away. Offensively, yet he was a European type PF. But defensively he was a presence--reminiscent of Roscoe Smith.

The point is, he was night-and-day in terms of his development. He made a big leap.

The book on Ollie's development of bigs is unwritten because we only have 3 guys to go on, and the Enoch story is unwritten. We have to remember that Amida Brimah has been here for all of Ollie's 4 years. He has been the starting center. And just because he hasn't developed, we suddenly have this idea that Ollie can't develop. Facey has developed, albeit in his senior year, though in his key junior year, he was superseded by Shonn Miller.

I'd say this is way too small a sample--and as Mau has pointed out many times, the people Ollie has been in charged with developing are two soccer players who picked up a bball at the age of 15, and one kid--Enoch--who didn't make his Soph. HS team and was scouted by people here who aside he was so so so far behind kids his age in terms of playing basketball. He came to UConn at the age of 17.

These are all good points. I may strongly disagree with @Matrim55 that KO has done a good job in developing bigs, but I wouldn't say he can't develop bigs. As you said, the sample size is small, the prospects were very raw, and even top 40ish bigs tend to take a while to develop. I am not confident but I'd say the jury is out. That said, add me to the mix of folks advocating for a new big man coach.

 

[superjohn]

I had a relatively long post that made this same comment and then got busy and gave up on it. Completely agree. The staff was in on Shonn Miller the summer before his junior year. There were talks of Gibbs being a lock in what, January? I think KO assessed and realized the prospects of a grad transfer weren't great. And I bet he will still attempt to jump in the mix with a grad big, but he clearly doesn't feel especially optimistic about any prospects.


These are all good points. I may strongly disagree with @Matrim55 that KO has done a good job in developing bigs, but I wouldn't say he can't develop bigs. As you said, the sample size is small, the prospects were very raw, and even top 40ish bigs tend to take a while to develop. I am not confident but I'd say the jury is out. That said, add me to the mix of folks advocating for a new big man coach.

As we all know losing Clyde Vaughan was a big blow for this program, we've never replaced what he brought to the table.

 

[Matrim55]

These are all good points. I may strongly disagree with @Matrim55 that KO has done a good job in developing bigs...

I didn't say he's done a good job developing bigs, I just don't think he's done a bad job of developing bigs. Amida and Kentan are about where they reasonably should/could be given their limitations.

Ollie's "bad job" was his inability to recruit more advanced players over them (Abu, Colson, Stone, Govan) in '14 and '15. We got lucky that Enoch fell into our laps and Miller chose us, and only in 2016 did we start landing big men who'd been playing basketball for more than 3 or 4 years. Of course, we have nothing close to a full sample with them since injuries have either slowed (Durham) or temporarily halted (Diarra) any kind of development.

I will grant you that I'm disappointed in Enoch's sophomore year. I hope he's on the Hilton/Gavin/Kentan path, but fear he's on the Nantambu path. Hopefully, though, Carlton will be better than expectations (some of our sharper posters think that'll be the case) and provide us some cushion.

 

[champs99and04]

Do you honestly believe they gave out this offer forgetting it might stop them from taking a grad transfer? You don't think it's a little more likely that they evaluated what they could reasonably get in that market and made a decision that this was a good use of the schollie?

Oh I'm sure they have considered every possible option, I just don't agree with the decision. There are sure to be tons of options out there in the grad market and those guys are bound to be better than whatever we get from Cobb in year one.

It's possible that I am completely off and KO has found a diamond in the rough, but based on recent history there is little reason for me to have confidence that's the case.

 

[Walker11]

I didn't say he's done a good job developing bigs, I just don't think he's done a bad job of developing bigs. Amida and Kentan are about where they reasonably should/could be given their limitations.

Ollie's "bad job" was his inability to recruit more advanced players over them (Abu, Colson, Stone, Govan) in '14 and '15. We got lucky that Enoch fell into our laps and Miller chose us, and only in 2016 did we start landing big men who'd been playing basketball for more than 3 or 4 years. Of course, we have nothing close to a full sample with them since injuries have either slowed (Durham) or temporarily halted (Diarra) any kind of development.

I will grant you that I'm disappointed in Enoch's sophomore year. I hope he's on the Hilton/Gavin/Kentan path, but fear he's on the Nantambu path. Hopefully, though, Carlton will be better than expectations (some of our sharper posters think that'll be the case) and provide us some cushion.

OK, so apparently we are on the same page. I won't go full Ollie on Enoch but I believe he will be a very good offensive player by the time he is a senior. He has skills that players who are infinitely more productive don't have. Something is just missing. I'm not sure if anyone has watched a lot of Carlton film but there are reasons to be encouraged. You may have been the one to point this out, but GTown fans were pissed he got away and thought he was quite underrated.

 

[Matrim55]

Something is just missing.

Reps. He doesn't understand the geometry of the court as the game is in motion – it's all mechanical. I wish we'd been in a position to tell him to take an extra year of grad school last season.

I'm not sure if anyone has watched a lot of Carlton film but there are reasons to be encouraged. You may have been the one to point this out, but GTown fans were pissed he got away and thought he was quite underrated.

You can see on the highlights that TOS recently posted, and hear from a few folks around the DC hoops scene that he's put it together a little bit more from a physical standpoint. He's springier and quicker and more engaged, which goes with what's – by our standards – an advanced understanding of the game for his age.

He's a better basketball player than he is a prospect, which is just fine.

 

[jleves]

This is quintessential Boneyard derailment of a thread. We really need an "I'm Calling You Stupid" board for some of you to go play in.

Welcome to the UConn family Eric and please ignore the children.

 

[CL82]

Yes he has pretty good footwork. Struggles to finish tho

Big man who can't finish? Well at least he'll be good fit.

 

[CL82]

We really need an "I'm Calling You Stupid" board for some of you to go play in.

Cesspool.

 

[huskymagic]

I don't like wasting multi-year scholarships on JUCO bigs who are slow, unathletic, and more defensively lost then anyone we have on the team which is Cobb. We don't need more warm bodies, we need more effective bodies who can play. Ollie is doing this for 2 reasons: a.) insurance for Mamadou and Durham b.) this is the best big that he thinks he can get recruiting wise. We need a defensive stopper on the perimeter 6'5 or 6'6 guy. We should of been looking at internationally for a big who can shoot, pass, and defend.

PS: We already had Sam I Am from Chippola. What is Ollie doing opening up a Chippola pipeline to Storrs. This is not good recruiting.

 

[jleves]

I don't like wasting multi-year scholarships on JUCO bigs who are slow, unathletic, and more defensively lost then anyone we have on the team which is Cobb. We don't need more warm bodies, we need more effective bodies who can play. Ollie is doing this for 2 reasons: a.) insurance for Mamadou and Durham b.) this is the best big that he thinks he can get recruiting wise. We need a defensive stopper on the perimeter 6'5 or 6'6 guy. We should of been looking at internationally for a big who can shoot, pass, and defend.

PS: We already had Sam I Am from Chippola. What is Ollie doing opening up a Chippola pipeline to Storrs. This is not good recruiting.

So just who would have you taken from the plethora of players that meet your criteria who are lined up waiting for a UConn offer?

 

[upstater]

I don't like wasting multi-year scholarships on JUCO bigs who are slow, unathletic, and more defensively lost then anyone we have on the team which is Cobb. We don't need more warm bodies, we need more effective bodies who can play. Ollie is doing this for 2 reasons: a.) insurance for Mamadou and Durham b.) this is the best big that he thinks he can get recruiting wise. We need a defensive stopper on the perimeter 6'5 or 6'6 guy. We should of been looking at internationally for a big who can shoot, pass, and defend.

PS: We already had Sam I Am from Chippola. What is Ollie doing opening up a Chippola pipeline to Storrs. This is not good recruiting.

I'm hoping you're not one of the guys bashing Ollie for not using all hi scholarships.

 

[huskymagic]

So just who would have you taken from the plethora of players that meet your criteria who are lined up waiting for a UConn offer?

I'll give you two names that would have fit both needs and are both 2017 guys: a good athletic wing and a good all around big man. This is how you recruit with a purpose and a vision not what Ollie does.

1.) Zhaire Smith-- 6'5 athletic freak from Texas

2.) Jacob Epperson-- 6'11 Australian with good offensive and defensive all around good game.

 

[Stainmaster]

I don't like wasting multi-year scholarships on JUCO bigs who are slow, unathletic, and more defensively lost then anyone we have on the team which is Cobb. We don't need more warm bodies, we need more effective bodies who can play. Ollie is doing this for 2 reasons: a.) insurance for Mamadou and Durham b.) this is the best big that he thinks he can get recruiting wise. We need a defensive stopper on the perimeter 6'5 or 6'6 guy. We should of been looking at internationally for a big who can shoot, pass, and defend.

PS: We already had Sam I Am from Chippola. What is Ollie doing opening up a Chippola pipeline to Storrs. This is not good recruiting.

After you spent last year trying to run Sterling Gibbs off the team, I'd be shocked if anyone thought your credibility in assessing talent was greater than zero. I mean seriously - we had one player from one junior college not pan out, so we should never recruit anyone from there again? The gaps in your logic are too many to count. You just don't know much of anything, and I feel bad for you.

 

[tcf15]

Can't be that big if he fits in Kentan Facey's jersey:

 

[upstater]

I'll give you two names that would have fit both needs and are both 2017 guys: a good athletic wing and a good all around big man. This is how you recruit with a purpose and a vision not what Ollie does.

1.) Zhaire Smith-- 6'5 athletic freak from Texas

2.) Jacob Epperson-- 6'11 Australian with good offensive and defensive all around good game.

They needed a beefy big man. Not a 6'5" wing. Holy cow.

This is the 12th scholarship. You go for need.

Ollie now has no vision when recruiting.

Absolutely ridiculous.

You would give all the scholarships away for next year, 13, with no seniors!!!!

 

[Fishy]

I don't like wasting multi-year scholarships on JUCO bigs who are slow, unathletic, and more defensively lost then anyone we have on the team which is Cobb. We don't need more warm bodies, we need more effective bodies who can play. Ollie is doing this for 2 reasons: a.) insurance for Mamadou and Durham b.) this is the best big that he thinks he can get recruiting wise. We need a defensive stopper on the perimeter 6'5 or 6'6 guy. We should of been looking at internationally for a big who can shoot, pass, and defend.

PS: We already had Sam I Am from Chippola. What is Ollie doing opening up a Chippola pipeline to Storrs. This is not good recruiting.

This is a dumb post.

If only Kevin Ollie had you on the staff to tell him to look for tall guys who can shoot, pass and defend. I cannot believe he didn't think of it.

If only he hadn't accepted a kid who has had major offers for a few years now instead of waiting until you presented your pair of scrubs who didn't get any high-major sniffs until desperation time came around.

You don't know what you're talking about.

 

[selles]

Can't be that big if he fits in Kentan Facey's jersey:

He's got the Scoe ears. Give him a shiner and we're good to go.

 

[metsfan2323]

Does Cobb have three years to play two? If so maybe a redshirt candidate. Obviously a project but the kid has the raw athletic ability to be a player. We just need him to get in shape, learn to box out and play defense.