Everyone wants a Kemba/Shabazz/Napier Clone

[sdhusky]

Its funny going around message boards.

Everyone is asking either how do we get a guy like that or can "player x" become that.

What I find interesting is that UCONN won 3 different ways.

In the 90s, UCONN won with wings like Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler and we would try to run teams out of the gym.

In the early 2000's, UCONN won with dominant front line players like Okafor, Thabeet, Josh Boone blocking shots and pounding down low and crashing the boards.

In the 2011 & 2014 championship teams were built on small, quick and tough guards like Kemba and Napier & Napier and Boatright

 

[Kitaman]

I also saw that around a lot recently, I guess its time for us to move on to power forwards. Give them something else to aspire to.

 

[Leebo]

Don't forget the rising stock in "young ex-NBA players with little college coaching experience".

 

[sportsart]

Cloning UConn is impossible. Many will try...all will fail.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Dominant bigs just seem harder to come by recently. Even looking at the recruiting rankings on the different sites...you used to see lots of 6'10-7' in the top 50. Now it's just a couple, and a bunch of 6'8"-6'9" PF/C's.

Maybe i don't remember right, but the best player in the country has been a guard more often than not recently...iirc.

I think we will continue to do what we do with wings and PG's, and develop bigs over their time with the program, ala Nolan and Brimah, who i think will both be great by the time they leave.

 

[Strummer]

Everyone is asking either how do we get a guy like that or can "player x" become that.

Getting a Walker or Napier without getting a Calhoun or an Ollie to go with it is like getting a bright shiny new nail but lacking a hammer with which to drive it.

 

[TheChamps990411]

This easier said than done. What these people fail to realize is sure you can recruit a bunch of highly rated guards who can come in and be ballers but how many of those players will be gone after a year? 2? maybe 3? Uconn has had a talent for getting kids who arent highly rated who are 3 or 4 year players and they commit to not only getting better but doing it the uconn way. Bazz isnt bazz without kemba,kemba isnt kemba without AJ. This has been in the making for years. its a combination of so many things that it isnt something you can just decide to have. Now that bazz is gone its Boats turn with Tsam already waiting in the wings. imagine how good that kids going to be? im sold on tsam.

 

[RayRay19]

Woah didn't know we had a shabazz and a napier!

 

[patrick]

Woah didn't know we had a shabazz and a napier!

Well a lot of teams did think there were 2 of him on the court!

 

[Deadrody]

What I find interesting is that UCONN won 3 different ways.

Not really. They've won 4 times with the two point guard alignment.

1999: KEA and Ricky Moore
2004: Taliek and Ben Gordon
2011: Kemba and Shabazz
2014: Shabazz and Boatright

And really, if you think back on the best UConn teams, they all had something similar. Chris Smith and Tate George, Ollie / Sheffer, Sheffer / Moore, Tony Robertson and Taliek / Ben, AJ Price and Kemba. Then think about what teams fell short of expectations / the promised land - the 2006 team had only Marcus Williams and really not another ball handler to speak of.

Everything else may change a bit, but the essential ingredient is the two point guards. But you can't just toss 2 point guards out there. You have to have two points good enough to make you start them.

 

[Rico444]

Ben Gordon was a point guard?

 

[Adios]

Cloning UConn is impossible. Many will try...all will fail.

If the men do not make it to the championship game over the next two seasons, we might be looking at 15-0 in basketball championship games by 2016.

 

[Gurleyman]

Ben Gordon was a point guard?

That was how he identified himself back then, even though it wasn't entirely accurate (he may have called himself one thinking about his best position at the next level). He wasn't a true PG, but we did a lot of 1-4 sets with him at the top with the ball in his hands. He averaged 4.5 assists his last two years - pretty good for the supplemental distributor. In the NBA, he went full on instant offense scorer and no longer showed any PG traits.

Late in games when we were protecting leads, he had the ball all the time, since Taliek was a poor FT shooter.

 

[Danzz]

Ironic thing is we are bringing in bigger guards.

 

[Deadrody]

Ben Gordon was a point guard?

He certainly had point guard skills. And considering that he was never on a team that didn't have Taliek Brown, when was he going to officially be called a point guard ? He wouldn't.

So if you can't look at Ben Gordon and see point guard skills and understand the point I'm making, that's your problem I guess.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Ben Gordon was a point guard?

He could play the 1 spot pretty well. But even if he couldn't, I think I'd try to get on the court just the same.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

I have no interest in 5 Star recruits who have have press conferences to announce their decisions. Kemba, Shabazz, and now Terrence

 

[metsfan2323]

Don't forget the rising stock in "young ex-NBA players with little college coaching experience".

This will definitely become an increasing trend. Hoiberg (ex NBA) IMO was the best coach we faced in the tournament. Ollie will also inspire some ex players to turn to the coaching profession.

 

[metsfan2323]

Not really. They've won 4 times with the two point guard alignment.

1999: KEA and Ricky Moore
2004: Taliek and Ben Gordon
2011: Kemba and Shabazz
2014: Shabazz and Boatright

And really, if you think back on the best UConn teams, they all had something similar. Chris Smith and Tate George, Ollie / Sheffer, Sheffer / Moore, Tony Robertson and Taliek / Ben, AJ Price and Kemba. Then think about what teams fell short of expectations / the promised land - the 2006 team had only Marcus Williams and really not another ball handler to speak of.

Everything else may change a bit, but the essential ingredient is the two point guards. But you can't just toss 2 point guards out there. You have to have two points good enough to make you start them.

The secret sauce really isn't much of a secret. Two point guards in the back court and a 2 guard on the wing. Staying thin and agile on defense is also a common thread. To an extent the weightlifting is overrated, those muscle bound big guys lack agility and get gassed quicker. Our front court for this tournament averaged 205 lbs.

 

[Palatine]

Two points, that's the ticket.

 

[Rico444]

He certainly had point guard skills. And considering that he was never on a team that didn't have Taliek Brown, when was he going to officially be called a point guard ? He wouldn't.

So if you can't look at Ben Gordon and see point guard skills and understand the point I'm making, that's your problem I guess.

Hey agree to disagree. I never really saw Ben Gordon as a point. The way I see it, if you call him a point guard then you can make the case that a TON of teams have two points.

 

[noeynox]

What makes Kemba/Shabazz/and Boat special is their will. They are junk yard dogs man. Which brings me to the on ball defense of this team. These guards this year took on the personality of Ricky Moore. No coincidence IMO.

 

[sdhusky]

What makes Kemba/Shabazz/and Boat special is their will. They are junk yard dogs man. Which brings me to the on ball defense of this team. These guards this year took on the personality of Ricky Moore. No coincidence IMO.

Ricky Moore was the ultimate "Cut off the head of the dragon" defender.

 

[noeynox]

Boat and Bazz even snarled like him the Final Four games. It became clear to me then that Ricky had really sold these kids on "cutting off the the head of the dragon".