It was just about one year ago that Kevin Ollie had the “interim” removed from his title as the Connecticut head men’s basketball coach, a decision that had as much to do with a potentially critical 2015 recruiting class as it did his strong start on the sidelines.
Fast forward 12 months and Ollie has Connecticut exactly where it is accustomed to being, right in the thick of the national college basketball landscape. Going into tonight’s game against Stanford (9:00p.m. on ESPN2), UConn is 9-0 and a consensus top 10 team in the country.
The Huskies’ success has come in correlation to the production of senior guard
Shabazz Napier, who is arguably as important to UConn as any player in the country is to their team. He’s been at his best when it’s mattered the most, delivering his biggest performances against Indiana, Florida, Boston College, and Maryland, respectively.
Combine Napier with fellow seniors
Tyler Olander,
Niels Giffey and
Lasan Kromah, and next year’s UConn team will have to replace over 75 minutes per game and close to 60% of its total offensive production when you factor in both scoring and assists, not to mention the undeniable leadership and clutch playmaking that Napier provides.
Ollie and his staff will offset those losses with the addition of four new faces including North Carolina State transfer guard
Rodney Purvis, who will have three seasons remaining of eligibility, as will incoming junior college guard
Sam Cassell Jr.
Daniel Hamilton is the most celebrated prospect out of the high school ranks, currently ranked No. 26 in the ESPN 100, and best known for his versatile scoring game. At 6-foot-8, power forward
Rakim Lubin completes the current class, although there is potential to add another player in the frontcourt before all is said and done.
With Purvis, Cassell, and Hamilton joining a backcourt rotation that will likely return
Ryan Boatright,
Omar Calhoun, and
Terrence Samuel, Ollie should have a number of perimeter weapons at his disposal, many of whom are capable of scoring in bunches.
DeAndre Daniels should return for his senior season and if he does, he’ll continue to provide a long and athletic mismatch problem at the four, providing both a consistent double-figure scorer in the frontcourt as well as the potential to defend multiple positions. Freshman shot-blocking sensation
Amida Brimah should be ready to see more consistent minutes, as should fellow freshman and former ESPN 100 power forward
Kentan Facey.
While the Huskies will be young and inexperienced, this will be as much sheer talent as Ollie has had yet, especially in the backcourt, and certainly his longest and most athletic team. Combine that with a number of volume scorers and no pure point guard or natural distributor, and this is going to be a team that is best suited to push the tempo while looking to create offense from its defense, therefore increasing the amount of possessions in each game and limiting the time of each possession.
