OkaForPrez
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As far as I'm concerned Kemba Walker marks the beginning of the Kevin Ollie era at UConn. This means one of two things. Ollie coincidentally joined the staff just as Kemba Walker and Bazz Napier were beginning the greatest back to back guard evolutions in a Uconn Jersey, or he is the direct architect of their success.
Its certainly possible that the former is true. Its a really small sample set. But there is a compelling reason to believe the latter. Ollie's been widely endorsed as a leader and motivator. Anyone who has followed him closely this past season has seen it directly. Instilling his leadership into the "floor general" and pushing them to greatness seems plausible. Throw in the experience of 13 years of NBA level drills and Ollie has the tools to mold greatness in the backcourt. So which is it?
Enter Ryan Boatright. Walker and Napier both exploded in their Junior seasons. As we approach Boatright's junior year, which side of the argument will he become evidence for? Can we see what's to come from his first two seasons? It's a long offseason, staring at bar charts beats the realignment board and CT's best laundry mat.
So have it. Below are some key metrics and the evolution of Kemba, Bazz and Boat. At first glance there is a lot to be excited about. Boat shows similar trends in scoring, eFG% and To%. In fact he's out pacing his predecessors in all three of these categories. What most will know without looking, and what remains the overwhelming question about just how good Ryan Boatright and subsequently UConn will be next year, is can he become a better distributor? Boat's Offensive Rating and A/TO Ratio both declined from his Freshman to Sophmore year. And that is directly a result of his ability to set others up to score. Also of concern is a decline in RPG on a woefully poor rebounding team. A lot to suggest he is ready to become the next in line, and enough to doubt it.
Vote on what you expect him to be above.
Its certainly possible that the former is true. Its a really small sample set. But there is a compelling reason to believe the latter. Ollie's been widely endorsed as a leader and motivator. Anyone who has followed him closely this past season has seen it directly. Instilling his leadership into the "floor general" and pushing them to greatness seems plausible. Throw in the experience of 13 years of NBA level drills and Ollie has the tools to mold greatness in the backcourt. So which is it?
Enter Ryan Boatright. Walker and Napier both exploded in their Junior seasons. As we approach Boatright's junior year, which side of the argument will he become evidence for? Can we see what's to come from his first two seasons? It's a long offseason, staring at bar charts beats the realignment board and CT's best laundry mat.
So have it. Below are some key metrics and the evolution of Kemba, Bazz and Boat. At first glance there is a lot to be excited about. Boat shows similar trends in scoring, eFG% and To%. In fact he's out pacing his predecessors in all three of these categories. What most will know without looking, and what remains the overwhelming question about just how good Ryan Boatright and subsequently UConn will be next year, is can he become a better distributor? Boat's Offensive Rating and A/TO Ratio both declined from his Freshman to Sophmore year. And that is directly a result of his ability to set others up to score. Also of concern is a decline in RPG on a woefully poor rebounding team. A lot to suggest he is ready to become the next in line, and enough to doubt it.
Vote on what you expect him to be above.