Facey and talent

[RipCity]

When Facey is older and more confident, he's going to be hitting jumpers too and will be an absolute nightmare for teams. He's active on the offensive glass and scores a good deal considering the mack of entry passes he receives. I think his senior year could be very impressive.

 

[James]

Facey is incredible raw basketball wise. physically, he is talented. 6'9 and runs/jumps

 

[Mano]

sledteam not passing any eye ballstests yet; even blind dudes would concur
lubin listed at sixfooot8 on tv graphic today, yet when he runs near tsam the too look to similar in stature; whus up, looks likes yet again rickee lesss recrootin jobber
ball rarely whipped into bigs yet when most receive wit except of amoeba; it hot potato head games and they whip it anywhere pronto which screems i donts wants it, get that dang thang away from me cuse i will f up and i knows it; amoeba gets it and defense know it never leaving his mitts; always predictable which is way non hoopsters plays cuse they not good

what ups wit newrip upfake ala stix...dis not goods omen; as predicted newrip knots 3 balls man; hebe regreesin to mean rapidity

am i seein tenpin bowlin.. purv drilled a bunch of candle sticks today on way past hoop on tangent to mens room it appeared, hebe trying for a wicked won and tsam luv to drive it but noticed facial expression as he nurd tin like i be done at that point and closed eyes to protect them so he never make shoot cuse he cant see then

aLOT OF activity wit no purpose, team not wit it and look like disarray of pop popgun vs aray of weaponry; slow movin parts or stationary purviewers so many time O is really trois on cinq

canoe canoe look like just got off dee boat wit 3 ball chucks vs bigger defender where he elevate to ski, then slight fade wit look of liittle hope on visage; %'s confirm

junior should be in grad school pronto for many moons

prreecher man on sides wit bad body cues all dee time; he now know he shoppin kmats

omar look good and lookin for anybody help

nolan listed wit no nil natta zero stats on ukonhukies dot comm; what the heck?

ihop still bunny

You know it was quaint and funny when you first started your free form BS schtick, but now the 'ole Jar Jar Binks routine has grown old and tired. Especially since it seems that you're now putting in greater thought and effort into what you're writing. YOU ARE NOT DR. SUESS!!

 

[Fishy]

Facey is not "incredibly raw".

Incredibly raw is someone like Brimah who just doesn't even know which way to turn against better opposition whereas Facey belonged in the game against Duke. Facey has more rebounds in his 245 minutes than Brimah and Nolan have in their nearly 400 combined minutes. We have "raw" and "lack of talent" in our front court, but Facey is neither.

Facey's clearly quite talented, a rapidly increasing basketball IQ and he looks more than comfortable in his role - he's been a revelation this year.

And unlike guys like Cassell or Nolan or Lubin, he's not a kid who'd be out of place on some of our better rosters.

 

[Mano]

As for the topic of the thread, Facey has the wiry strength, hustle, and most importantly, instincts to be a 10-8 type guy the rest of the year (likely without many/any plays called specifically for him. All while being our likely best rebounder. With a diversification of his game over his remaining time at UConn and some more confidence I could see him being a focal point of the offense by his senior year and being a double/double threat who avg's 15+ pts. I'm trying to think who he reminds me most of and Shawn Marion keeps coming to mind (obviously he is a faaaaaaar cry from that at this point).

 

[Walker11]

Kentan looked extremely smooth on his face up, step back jumper. He has good hands and is crafty finishing around the hoop. He is already great at attacking rebounds, something only him, DHam, and Boat have showed so far.

What he really needs is confidence, and this should only increase as he gets more minutes.

 

[Waquoit]

Raw doesn't finish as well as Facey does.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

It seems like this board is constantly elevating guys who can barely walk and chew gum to lottery pick, pantheon level status, and yet we've now got a guy in Facey who looks like he's on the cusp of becoming a very, very dangerous player and people are still talking about how raw he is. I don't see it. I'd actually like to see Ollie give him a bit of rope to be more involved in the offense.

 

[8893]

I'd actually like to see Ollie give him a bit of rope to be more involved in the offense.

Please, Ern, don't bait Mau into having to explain to us once again why this is a bad idea.

I've been saying it for several weeks now, but Mau insists that we must keep a governor on Facey's development, especially on offense. I just figure I'm not smart enough to understand why.

 

[aceboon]

It seems like this board is constantly elevating guys who can barely walk and chew gum to lottery pick, pantheon level status, and yet we've now got a guy in Facey who looks like he's on the cusp of becoming a very, very dangerous player and people are still talking about how raw he is. I don't see it. I'd actually like to see Ollie give him a bit of rope to be more involved in the offense.

I think some of it is on Facey tho, he doesn't really look for his own offense too much. Against Columbia Brimah took and made a jumper that was about a step inside the 3 point line, if Ollie is giving Brimah the leeway to take that kind of shot I think he would be fine with Facey taking a few jumpers(that stepback yesterday was nice) or facing up in the post instead of looking to immediately hand the ball off to the guards.

 

[Palatine]

I think some of it is on Facey tho, he doesn't really look for his own offense too much. Against Columbia Brimah took and made a jumper that was about a step inside the 3 point line, if Ollie is giving Brimah the leeway to take that kind of shot I think he would be fine with Facey taking a few jumpers(that stepback yesterday was nice) or facing up in the post instead of looking to immediately hand the ball off to the guards.

I'm fine with that if he doesn't take it every time it is given. Because it will be given to him as an open shot quite often and that would disrupt our offense. He should take it late in the shot clock or if all other options are cut off.

 

[imno1]

I'm fine with that if he doesn't take it every time it is given. Because it will be given to him as an open shot quite often and that would disrupt our offense. He should take it late in the shot clock or if all other options are cut off.

If he's making that shot he will not disrupt the offense. He will make our offense harder to defend. I think he's needs to become a better more confident passer for Ollie to start feeding him more.

 

[James]

It seems like this board is constantly elevating guys who can barely walk and chew gum to lottery pick, pantheon level status, and yet we've now got a guy in Facey who looks like he's on the cusp of becoming a very, very dangerous player and people are still talking about how raw he is. I don't see it. I'd actually like to see Ollie give him a bit of rope to be more involved in the offense.

lawl, brimah can barely walk and chew gum now? the guy who is the second most productive player on the team and anchors the defense?

 

[James]

Brimah is a better jumpshooter and shot blocker than facey. Facey the better rebounder. both still raw.

 

[Palatine]

If he's making that shot he will not disrupt the offense. He will make our offense harder to defend. I think he's needs to become a better more confident passer for Ollie to start feeding him more.

Even if he makes a reasonable percentage, the majority of shots need to come from Boat, the Ferrari and DHam.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

lawl, brimah can barely walk and chew gum now? the guy who is the second most productive player on the team and anchors the defense?

You see the name Brimah anywhere in my post? Point it out. "Lawl."

Incidentally, I like Brimah a lot but Coppin State is Coppin State and Duke is Duke.

But I've just got to scratch my head and question your acumen if you legitimately think Facey is "incredibly raw." Especially when you're going on and on about Amida's jumpshot. I think he's made, what, four for the career?

 

[johnhuskies95]

You see the name Brimah anywhere in my post? Point it out. "Lawl."

Incidentally, I like Brimah a lot but Coppin State is Coppin State and Duke is Duke.

But I've just got to scratch my head and question your acumen if you legitimately think Facey is "incredibly raw." Especially when you're going on and on about Amida's jumpshot. I think he's made, what, four for the career?

You heavily implied that you were talking about Brimah, although you didn't outright say it, so you have an out I guess.

I would love to know who else you were referring to with "walk and chew gum" comment if it isn't Brimah.

 

[caw]

Gavin Edwards was from Gilbert AZ. I recall his high school coach had a hard time believing UConn has any interest in him as he felt he wasn't a legitimate D1 prospect. By his late junior and senior year he had developed into a decent player.
As a sophomore Facey is miles ahead of him.
The problem a lot of guys have with comparisons is their memory of each player is they tend to compare a raw player to another previous player at the apex of their development.
That is extremely unfair.

Agree with all of this but Facey wouldn't start over Senior Gavin which is the only year Gavin started.

 

[CTBasketball]

Brimah is a better jumpshooter and shot blocker than facey. Facey the better rebounder. both still raw.

I'd rather have Facey take a 10 footer than Brimah. But yet again maybe Ollie makes Brimah takes these because he knows Facey will get the rebound whereas Brimah will not.

 

[caw]

Brimah is a better jumpshooter and shot blocker than facey. Facey the better rebounder. both still raw.

Brimah certainly looks better shooting the jumper this year, but only because Facey has only attempted less than a handful. Facey looked pretty solid in minimal attempts, in practice and in high school/AAU. I wouldn't necessarily hand that to Brimah yet.

That said, Brimah has improved immensely on the offensive end. He no longer looks completely lost on post-ups and can hit a jumper. Another summer and he might be able to make moves over both shoulders and maybe even a counter move.

Facey is all about getting PT and increasing his in-game awareness/IQ. He has a heck of a skill set.

 

[AstarIsBorn31]

Just because there is one video of him making shots in an empty gym doesn't mean he's a year from pulling up for three. That video gave ppl the total wrong idea of kentan Facey.

Pulling up for jumpers: doesnt mean 3s booboo... He has shown his midrange game off the catch a few times this year even with a hand in his face.. Next year he will naturally be more confident and I think with the technique he already has and with the uconn staff (who has improved multipllllee players shots) he will start to create his own shot off the dribble and shoot more.... One great example of improvement and confidence would be Niels who would rarely pull the trigger and then he built up confidence over the years and he was one of the best in the nation...


And that video is still impressive for a previous cricket player

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You heavily implied that you were talking about Brimah, although you didn't outright say it, so you have an out I guess.

I would love to know who else you were referring to with "walk and chew gum" comment if it isn't Brimah.

I didn't "heavily imply" anything, and frankly Brimah wasn't on my mind although, if we're being honest, sure, there are a bunch of people on here who overrate the kid to an insane degree. You're probably one of them. And, while we're at it, he's scoring the vast majority of his points off of lobs, turned into a defenders chest yesterday and only scored because he was 8 inches taller, and still doesn't rebound. But I digress, and won't mention the thread yesterday touting him as the #1 pick in next year's draft.

What I was actually saying, officer, is that this board tends to wildly inflate the prospects of anyone who shows even the slightest bit of potential (e.g. those people using the name "Terrence Samuel" and "NBA" in the same sentence) so it's a bit strange that a kid who has shown the productivity and promise that Facey has is continually referred to as "raw" by the cognoscenti, when he's made as rapid an improvement of anyone I can remember.

You might disagree. Feel free to edit my post to better capture what you think I was saying.

 

[nyhusky89]

Please, Ern, don't bait Mau into having to explain to us once again why this is a bad idea.

I've been saying it for several weeks now, but Mau insists that we must keep a governor on Facey's development, especially on offense. I just figure I'm not smart enough to understand why.

I don't think Mau is that crazy right now. This team is still clearly a work in progress at this point on both ends. Offensively they're still trying to get everyone comfortable and get their roles defined. Once Ollie sees that Boat/Purvis/Hamitlon/Brimah are clicking, then I think you'll see Facey given more opportunities in the halfcourt offense. This is still a team working in an entirely new starting 5, who have only been together 6 games this entire season while also figuring out how to max out of the talents of Samuel, Nolan, Cassell and Calhoun. He obviously is never going to be one of the top 4 options, but I think we will see more run for him sometime in february.

Also, in terms of "raw", he has only been playing basketball since he was 15. He is 20 right now. He may look more fluid/competent that most projects, but he lacks the "basketball moves" you would expect from a complete player.

 

[BearJWS]

I'm not sure why folks are comparing Brimah's & Facey's progress this season, they are similar but different. Both have obviously made a big jump this year offensively. Are they inconsistent? Well, yeah, maybe... Their development on offense has been very apparent & seems to be building. I like what I see out of both of them. Developing confidence is key for both of them & it's evident. They came to UConn as defensive guys, but their offense has been coming along. They both have a shot better than advertised. The more confident they feel, the better the team does. I'm very impressed with their improvement as a whole (offense & defense). Brimah has tripled his offensive numbers & staying on the floor longer. Facey has doubled his offensive numbers & rebounds. Boat & DHam have been impressive. If Purvis develops as he has been these past couple of games, things are looking up! Brimah & Facey are holding the keys to the season & they are improving.

 

[johnhuskies95]

I didn't "heavily imply" anything, and frankly Brimah wasn't on my mind although, if we're being honest, sure, there are a bunch of people on here who overrate the kid to an insane degree. You're probably one of them. And, while we're at it, he's scoring the vast majority of his points off of lobs, turned into a defenders chest yesterday and only scored because he was 8 inches taller, and still doesn't rebound. But I digress, and won't mention the thread yesterday touting him as the #1 pick in next year's draft.

What I was actually saying, officer, is that this board tends to wildly inflate the prospects of anyone who shows even the slightest bit of potential (e.g. those people using the name "Terrence Samuel" and "NBA" in the same sentence) so it's a bit strange that a kid who has shown the productivity and promise that Facey has is continually referred to as "raw" by the cognoscenti, when he's made as rapid an improvement of anyone I can remember.

You might disagree. Feel free to edit my post to better capture what you think I was saying.

I don't think I've ever said anything about Brimah in terms of his long term prospects at the NBA level, but thanks for telling me what I've said about him. He's the only guy on here who's consistently bandied about as a potential lottery pick, so yeah, when you say "t seems like this board is constantly elevating guys who can barely walk and chew gum to lottery pick, pantheon level status", it makes sense that Brimah is who you were talking about.

If you want to antagonize me for reading it that way, then whatever.

 

[David 76]

People are comparing our past PFs to Facey. Fine, but realize you are comparing someone who has played a handful of games as a Sophomore to Jr.s and Seniors. We don't know how good Kelis Fisher will be as a senior.
While he is not raw, he is still relatively new to the game and has a lot more potential.

 

[8893]

I don't think Mau is that crazy right now. This team is still clearly a work in progress at this point on both ends. Offensively they're still trying to get everyone comfortable and get their roles defined. Once Ollie sees that Boat/Purvis/Hamitlon/Brimah are clicking, then I think you'll see Facey given more opportunities in the halfcourt offense. This is still a team working in an entirely new starting 5, who have only been together 6 games this entire season while also figuring out how to max out of the talents of Samuel, Nolan, Cassell and Calhoun. He obviously is never going to be one of the top 4 options, but I think we will see more run for him sometime in february.

Also, in terms of "raw", he has only been playing basketball since he was 15. He is 20 right now. He may look more fluid/competent that most projects, but he lacks the "basketball moves" you would expect from a complete player.

My point has never been to run the offense through him; it has only been to get him more touches. As for his innate fluidity and nose for the ball, I think that only bodes well for his ability to help move the ball through the middle on occasion. I saw this happen several times during the CCSU game and I liked the way it looked.

 

[nyhusky89]

No, I get you weren't talking about running the O through him, but I really think that with how poor the offense was, KO has been focused on getting the other players involved, knowing that Facey will work to get rebounds/keep possessions alive. I agree wholeheartedly in regards to putting him at the foul line when teams go zone. He did look good doing it against CCSU and did similar things last year against USF and UCF in the two blowouts. He is not a great passer, but he can make that shot which can kill a zone. Again, I think that is something we will see more games 18-30 once the offense is starting to hum.

I actually have a lot of confidence in Facey and think his production is really only going to go up from here with year-end averages of around 8 pts, 9 rbs. The best thing about Facey's rebounding, which someone else mentioned the other day, is that Brimah is often out of position bc he's going for the block, which means we rebound with 5, which kills the break. If Ollie can trust Facey and Hamilton to clean the glass, he can let one of the guards leak out and we can add a few desperately need fast break buckets.

 

[noeynox]

Facey looking like the only guy on the team with any legit post game. The only guy who knows where his feet should go when making a move with his back to the basket. Wonder if KO would let him take a wide open three once or twice a game?

Doesn't seem like he has the frame to carry much weight, but could be effective as 215-225lb college four.

 

[Palatine]

Facey has been deadly from the foul line. 10-12. That would support those who believe he is capable of developing a mid-range shot.

Additionally, if he could learn to draw fouls and get to the line for "and one" he would have a very nice all around inside game.