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Haven't seen this posted anywhere:
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-col...iew-connecticut-huskies?ex_cid=espnapi_public
Deep UConn team should be threat
Connecticut Huskies
2013-14: 32-8 (12-6 American)
In-conference offense: 1.07 points per possession (third)
In-conference defense: 0.96 points allowed per possession (fourth)
During UConn's quest for a repeat NCAA title, you're going to hear a lot about lineage. The narrative will go something like this: In 2011, UConn emerged as a surprise national champion as a senior point guard (Kemba Walker) carried the team while playing next to his future replacement (Shabazz Napier). Then last season, UConn again captured a surprising title behind another dominant senior point guard (Napier), who was paired with a younger model (Ryan Boatright).
Now, Boatright is the senior, so you can figure out the rest of the story arc. And while it's obviously unfair to expect Boatright to match the transformative tourney performances authored by his predecessors, he is poised for a big final season. As a junior, his numbers (12.1 PPG, 3.4 APG, 39.1 FG percentage) actually dipped a fair amount from what he produced as a sophomore (15.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, 42.9 FG percentage). But he was almost a different man in the NCAA tourney, as he finally seemed to embrace a supporting role next to Napier, one characterized by energy and efficiency. His stats jumped to 13.7 PPG, 46.3 percent shooting and 40 percent 3-point shooting. Boatright was even more impressive on defense, swarming opposing guards with intense pressure and forcing nearly two steals per game.
Projected starting lineup
Pos.NameYear
CAmida BrimahSoph.
FKentan FaceySoph.
G/FDaniel HamiltonFr.
GRodney PurvisSoph.
GRyan BoatrightSr.
"He really started to do the little things that [coach Kevin Ollie] had been preaching to him all year long," assistant coach Glen Miller said. "He really defended, distributed the ball, created for his teammates. It wasn't scoring that defined him. He earned lots of accolades for that, and it was an eye-opening experience for him."
It's one Boatright will carry with him as he assumes a greater role directing the offense because, believe it or not, he is surrounded by more offensive talent than last season's championship team featured, and it will be his job to feed all those scorers. Most of those weapons will live on the perimeter.
Start with sophomore combo guard Rodney Purvis, a former McDonald's All-American who transferred following a disastrous freshman season at NC State. Purvis sat out and could only watch last season's run from the sideline, no doubt adding to his hunger to prove that his lofty high school ranking was accurate. Fast and physical at 6-foot-4, Purvis loves to attack the basket and also hit 38.5 percent of his 3s at NC State. But he turned it over too often (18.2 percent), especially for someone with point guard skills, and often lacked focus. Miller expects him to fit in much better with the Huskies. "He's a talented kid and an explosive scorer," Miller says. "He's been able to learn our system, playing it every day in practice. Now there's a comfort level there."
Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesWith Shabazz Napier, right, gone, it's Ryan Boatright's time to shine.
UConn actually played slower than usual last season (64.6 possessions per game) but will look to push the ball more this season, especially since both Boatright and Purvis can start the break. The big difference, though, will be the number of talented wings that will run with them. Freshman Daniel Hamilton (No. 30 on the ESPN 100 recruiting list) is a fantastic athlete and a smooth scorer from deep, the midrange or on drives to the rim. He'll most likely start at small forward but will be pushed by 6-5 junior Omar Calhoun. After missing most of the spring and summer of 2013 following double hip surgery, Calhoun struggled as a sophomore and eventually fell out of the rotation. But he is a strong scorer who averaged 7.3 PPG as a freshman, and Miller says he has finally committed to playing the kind of defense that Ollie expects.
Calhoun will be one of two potential impact scorers off the bench, along with sophomore Sam Cassell Jr., a junior college transfer who can play both guard spots and posted 18.4 PPG and 3.7 APG at Chipola College last season. Sophomore Terrence Samuel, another wing, gained experience during last season's title run and should be an asset to Ollie.
Despite all the perimeter punch, the most intriguing player on the roster is undoubtedly centerAmida Brimah. Speaking of lineage, UConn has a tremendous track record of developing once-raw centers -- see Emeka Okafor and Hasheem Thabeet. Brimah is set to follow their path after contributing more than was expected as a freshman. His numbers were pedestrian (4.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG) but his job was to protect the rim for UConn. He did that in spades, rejecting 2.3 shots per game in just 16.2 MPG, which led to the country's fifth-best block rate (15.1 percent), according to Kenpom.com.
Brimah runs the floor well for a 7-footer and plays with great energy; now he is ready to showcase some skills as well. Miller says Brimah will shoot comfortably out to 15 feet this season (and even shows 3-point range in practice) and has improved his footwork around the hoop, adding a drop step, stepback jumper and fadeaway to the limited arsenal of hook shots he utilized last season. "This will be a defining year for him," Miller says.
The biggest question mark in UConn's lineup involves which player will appear next to Brimah at power forward. They will miss DeAndre Daniels' versatility and perimeter skills, an underrated key to last season's championship. Kentan Facey is the player most similar to Daniels on this season's squad, but he struggled as a freshman and appeared in just 23 games. If the 6-9 Facey doesn't progress as hoped, Ollie will have to play backup center Phillip Nolanalongside Brimah more than is desirable or employ four-guard lineups for longer stretches, which could tax Hamilton, who is not yet strong enough to guard most power forwards. On the other hand, if Facey can produce anywhere close to what his length, athleticism and face-up skills suggest he can, UConn will have a variety of ways to defeat its opponents.
Ultimately, though, it will come down to the Huskies' senior point guard making winning plays at key moments. Boatright has learned from the best; now it's his turn to leave his mark.
Projected 2014-15 conference finish: second
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-col...iew-connecticut-huskies?ex_cid=espnapi_public
Deep UConn team should be threat
Connecticut Huskies
2013-14: 32-8 (12-6 American)
In-conference offense: 1.07 points per possession (third)
In-conference defense: 0.96 points allowed per possession (fourth)
During UConn's quest for a repeat NCAA title, you're going to hear a lot about lineage. The narrative will go something like this: In 2011, UConn emerged as a surprise national champion as a senior point guard (Kemba Walker) carried the team while playing next to his future replacement (Shabazz Napier). Then last season, UConn again captured a surprising title behind another dominant senior point guard (Napier), who was paired with a younger model (Ryan Boatright).
Now, Boatright is the senior, so you can figure out the rest of the story arc. And while it's obviously unfair to expect Boatright to match the transformative tourney performances authored by his predecessors, he is poised for a big final season. As a junior, his numbers (12.1 PPG, 3.4 APG, 39.1 FG percentage) actually dipped a fair amount from what he produced as a sophomore (15.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, 42.9 FG percentage). But he was almost a different man in the NCAA tourney, as he finally seemed to embrace a supporting role next to Napier, one characterized by energy and efficiency. His stats jumped to 13.7 PPG, 46.3 percent shooting and 40 percent 3-point shooting. Boatright was even more impressive on defense, swarming opposing guards with intense pressure and forcing nearly two steals per game.
Projected starting lineup
Pos.NameYear
CAmida BrimahSoph.
FKentan FaceySoph.
G/FDaniel HamiltonFr.
GRodney PurvisSoph.
GRyan BoatrightSr.
"He really started to do the little things that [coach Kevin Ollie] had been preaching to him all year long," assistant coach Glen Miller said. "He really defended, distributed the ball, created for his teammates. It wasn't scoring that defined him. He earned lots of accolades for that, and it was an eye-opening experience for him."
It's one Boatright will carry with him as he assumes a greater role directing the offense because, believe it or not, he is surrounded by more offensive talent than last season's championship team featured, and it will be his job to feed all those scorers. Most of those weapons will live on the perimeter.
Start with sophomore combo guard Rodney Purvis, a former McDonald's All-American who transferred following a disastrous freshman season at NC State. Purvis sat out and could only watch last season's run from the sideline, no doubt adding to his hunger to prove that his lofty high school ranking was accurate. Fast and physical at 6-foot-4, Purvis loves to attack the basket and also hit 38.5 percent of his 3s at NC State. But he turned it over too often (18.2 percent), especially for someone with point guard skills, and often lacked focus. Miller expects him to fit in much better with the Huskies. "He's a talented kid and an explosive scorer," Miller says. "He's been able to learn our system, playing it every day in practice. Now there's a comfort level there."
Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesWith Shabazz Napier, right, gone, it's Ryan Boatright's time to shine.
UConn actually played slower than usual last season (64.6 possessions per game) but will look to push the ball more this season, especially since both Boatright and Purvis can start the break. The big difference, though, will be the number of talented wings that will run with them. Freshman Daniel Hamilton (No. 30 on the ESPN 100 recruiting list) is a fantastic athlete and a smooth scorer from deep, the midrange or on drives to the rim. He'll most likely start at small forward but will be pushed by 6-5 junior Omar Calhoun. After missing most of the spring and summer of 2013 following double hip surgery, Calhoun struggled as a sophomore and eventually fell out of the rotation. But he is a strong scorer who averaged 7.3 PPG as a freshman, and Miller says he has finally committed to playing the kind of defense that Ollie expects.
Calhoun will be one of two potential impact scorers off the bench, along with sophomore Sam Cassell Jr., a junior college transfer who can play both guard spots and posted 18.4 PPG and 3.7 APG at Chipola College last season. Sophomore Terrence Samuel, another wing, gained experience during last season's title run and should be an asset to Ollie.
Despite all the perimeter punch, the most intriguing player on the roster is undoubtedly centerAmida Brimah. Speaking of lineage, UConn has a tremendous track record of developing once-raw centers -- see Emeka Okafor and Hasheem Thabeet. Brimah is set to follow their path after contributing more than was expected as a freshman. His numbers were pedestrian (4.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG) but his job was to protect the rim for UConn. He did that in spades, rejecting 2.3 shots per game in just 16.2 MPG, which led to the country's fifth-best block rate (15.1 percent), according to Kenpom.com.
Brimah runs the floor well for a 7-footer and plays with great energy; now he is ready to showcase some skills as well. Miller says Brimah will shoot comfortably out to 15 feet this season (and even shows 3-point range in practice) and has improved his footwork around the hoop, adding a drop step, stepback jumper and fadeaway to the limited arsenal of hook shots he utilized last season. "This will be a defining year for him," Miller says.
The biggest question mark in UConn's lineup involves which player will appear next to Brimah at power forward. They will miss DeAndre Daniels' versatility and perimeter skills, an underrated key to last season's championship. Kentan Facey is the player most similar to Daniels on this season's squad, but he struggled as a freshman and appeared in just 23 games. If the 6-9 Facey doesn't progress as hoped, Ollie will have to play backup center Phillip Nolanalongside Brimah more than is desirable or employ four-guard lineups for longer stretches, which could tax Hamilton, who is not yet strong enough to guard most power forwards. On the other hand, if Facey can produce anywhere close to what his length, athleticism and face-up skills suggest he can, UConn will have a variety of ways to defeat its opponents.
Ultimately, though, it will come down to the Huskies' senior point guard making winning plays at key moments. Boatright has learned from the best; now it's his turn to leave his mark.
Projected 2014-15 conference finish: second
