Facey's Presence in the Mix

[zymurg]

Obviously it is better to have him suit up than to be chained on the bench. You don't get named NY State player of the year, even in a down year, if you are a stiff. What is questionable is what type of a player will he be. Early on most 'yarders seemed to think he would be a low post force, at least defensively, blocking shots and rebounding. That early "expectation" seems to be somewhat in doubt.
Apparently he isn't as tall as reported; he is considerably less than an HU. Some observers are positing that he is a stretch 4 like Daniels.

If that is the case, either Nolan and/or Brimah need to produce big time. Defensive rebounding is the key weakness of this team. Coach Ollie has a plethora of offensive options, so even if Facey is more like Daniels than Hilton Armstrong; if he is a superior defender, he could still be a solid asset. While it is nice to have another big who can hit mid range jumpers; that is not something that is really a worry.

As far as playing time is concerned, Giffey may be the big loser. I am assuming that Giffey will see most of his time at either the 3 or 4. If Facey is taking away time at the 4; it will be harder for Nils to average 20 minutes a game. One could argue that if Facey is good enough to take time away from Giffey; the team will still benefit. Nils is a good soldier; so he won't pout, but I believe that Giffey needs minutes to affect the game. The little things that he does are cumulative, also I believe that he will be more willing to take his offensive opportunities if he is playing more.

The argument for Facey is that if Daniels leaves; Facey's game experience will be critical for the 14-15 squad and beyond.

Coach Ollie is going to face a different problem this season, barring the near catastrophic series of injuries of last season, he must try to find playing time for a number of talented players while looking to a future rotation. What to do with Samuels is another problem in this vein. Last year he was the Coach trying to stop the leaks in the dike with chewing gum.

 

[mauconnfan]

I agree on Giffey....this year more than ever his minutes will impact games on each end of the floor and I seriously doubt Facey will take many of those. KF is an elite athete I believe but does 4 years of basketball experience equate to playing big minutes right away at UConn? He will get chances because of foul trouble, injuries etc, but can he guard and rebound at this level right away? If he passes that test early he will eat into Nolan, Olander and Brimah minutes I believe but so much into Niels......we shall see though! Just glad he is eligible so he can get enough experience to be an even bigger impact next year! If he is a surprise this year they could be very good........

 

[RichZ]

Until we see all these guys and the various permutations of personnel combinations on the floor against real competition, we won't have any idea where we actually stand. But there's no question that we stand in a better place with Facey than without him.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Until we see all these guys and the various permutations of personnel combinations on the floor against real competition, we won't have any idea where we actually stand. But there's no question that we stand in a better place with Facey than without him.

Gotta agree. Chemistry within the various combinations will be key to getting minutes. As will be adaptability- being an asset in more than one role.

With that in mind I think Niels carves out 20 minutes a game as a wing. Whether he is technically a 2/3/4 while on the floor doesn't matter. He rebounds, defends and makes FT's.

He plays.

 

[mauconnfan]

Until we see all these guys and the various permutations of personnel combinations on the floor against real competition, we won't have any idea where we actually stand. But there's no question that we stand in a better place with Facey than without him.

Yep and it could be as easy as game-to-game and match ups that create certain minutes for certain newbies...........but with Niels improvement and the addition of Kromah they're going to need to be playing pretty good to get lots of minutes at an given time. Again though, if they do watch out!!

 

[PAHusky]

I love Facey's potential but I don't see him challenging NG for minutes at all this season. I think Facey is ultra talented and will be a huge asset down the road but even Daniels struggled a bit his freshman year and NG brings a lot to the table. Nothing against Kentan personally and I would love to see him get some minutes this year but the four (or stretch four really) may be the toughest position for a freshman to contribute at right away because it has so many dimensions and nuances to it (guarding other stretch fours and traditional PF's, playing inside/outside on offense, etc). Plus NG is the man and the beard will not be stopped

 

[upstater]

Facey is listed at 6-9 but I don't think it's a stretch to say he's 6-8. I see him playing low as a PF who blocks and rebounds. I do not see him subbing for Giffey. He'll be in there when UConn needs to go big. Lubin is his size as well, and I'm not sure I'd see Lubin either as a stretch 4.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Facey seems like kind of a 'tweener. He has the skills of a post player, but the size of someone like Daniels.

I suppose he could play the 5 if Ollie were comfortable going smaller in the post, or the 4 if he were comfortable going to a more "traditional", 2-post look.

 

[Husky1]

Agree with most all of the above re original post. One argument that zymurg makes that will not come into play is KO worrying about giving minutes bases on next years rotation. While we are building for the future we are a NOW team with possibility of losing up to 4 starters (including Tyler hear). more importantly we have possibility of making deep run in tourney which is all that KO will be or should be worrying about

 

[OkaForPrez]

I've been thinking about facey in a freshman Scoe type role. Don't understate the importance of depth, I'm working on a blog right now about it. Last year was the lowest possessions per 40 for UConn in the last 13 years. We couldn't run because of our lack of depth and particularly in the front court after Wolf left. The tempo of the team will be dramatically different this year as a result of our increased and upgraded bench. Facey = Run.

 

[Gurleyman]

I haven't seen him, but from what I gather, his contributions will be far more in the rebounding/energy/shot blocking department than in any sort of stretching. He may be able to hit a 12-footer, but he won't be able to lure defenders away. I'm thinking a Marcus White role with a little more defensive presence (he had 10 blocks in a NY State semi against good comp). But we'll see.

 

[Goat]

I agree it is too early to know.
That said, I love Omar Calhoun, but my sense is that Calhoun and Giffey are competing hard for best 3 to start the season. Remember that Omar was nursing himself back from two surgeries this summer, While Niels was playing well vs. NBA players in Europe. It doesn't matter who starts, NG plays a lot. Ollie is going to help him launch a pro career, too.
The time for Facey probably comes from Kromah or Samuels. If NG doesn't get time at 4, but still gets his time, it reduces available time at 3 where Kromah is #3 on the depth chart. It also cuts Samuels time at 1, if Kromah gets some time at 2 with one of our super combo guards playing 1.

 

[superjohn]

Obviously it is better to have him suit up than to be chained on the bench. You don't get named NY State player of the year, even in a down year, if you are a stiff. What is questionable is what type of a player will he be. Early on most 'yarders seemed to think he would be a low post force, at least defensively, blocking shots and rebounding. That early "expectation" seems to be somewhat in doubt.
Apparently he isn't as tall as reported; he is considerably less than an HU. Some observers are positing that he is a stretch 4 like Daniels.

If that is the case, either Nolan and/or Brimah need to produce big time. Defensive rebounding is the key weakness of this team. Coach Ollie has a plethora of offensive options, so even if Facey is more like Daniels than Hilton Armstrong; if he is a superior defender, he could still be a solid asset. While it is nice to have another big who can hit mid range jumpers; that is not something that is really a worry.

As far as playing time is concerned, Giffey may be the big loser. I am assuming that Giffey will see most of his time at either the 3 or 4. If Facey is taking away time at the 4; it will be harder for Nils to average 20 minutes a game. One could argue that if Facey is good enough to take time away from Giffey; the team will still benefit. Nils is a good soldier; so he won't pout, but I believe that Giffey needs minutes to affect the game. The little things that he does are cumulative, also I believe that he will be more willing to take his offensive opportunities if he is playing more.

The argument for Facey is that if Daniels leaves; Facey's game experience will be critical for the 14-15 squad and beyond.

Coach Ollie is going to face a different problem this season, barring the near catastrophic series of injuries of last season, he must try to find playing time for a number of talented players while looking to a future rotation. What to do with Samuels is another problem in this vein. Last year he was the Coach trying to stop the leaks in the dike with chewing gum.

Looking to a future rotation, you don't mean next year do you? Ollie will be 100% coaching for this season, nothing he does with h lineups will be looking towards next season. Giffey is fine, he will get a ton of minutes.

 

[husky91]

Lubin is not even top 250, not remotely have any big expectations for him get.

Facey is listed at 6-9 but I don't think it's a stretch to say he's 6-8. I see him playing low as a PF who blocks and rebounds. I do not see him subbing for Giffey. He'll be in there when UConn needs to go big. Lubin is his size as well, and I'm not sure I'd see Lubin either as a stretch 4.

 

[OklahomaUconn]

Every year there are talented players who r young and play 1-5 minutes per game. Everyone seems to think that brimah nolan olander and facey will each get 10+ minutes. I think only olander and brimah play with facey getting < 5 mpg ...he will be like tolksdorf

 

[zymurg]

I understand that in one sense, now is everything, but most 'yarders are worried about both Boatright and Daniels leaving at the end of this season. If that is a reasonable possibility, then it matters that Facey and Samuels get a fair amount of game experience this season.
If they both suck, then the problem is solved. But if they show promise and are helpful in particular types of situations, Coach Ollie will want to give them game experience. Players who don't get playing time often transfer.

The balancing job that Ollie has to do this season; I hope, is to manage a talented roster with multiple looks. Most D1 teams work with about an eight player rotation. UConn has, I believe, more than 8 talented players. I think you would like to avoid situations where a couple of players play 35+ minutes most nights. If you offer time to players like Kromah early; you can be more confident using them late in the season when serious chips are on the table. There is an opportunity cost in using a truncated rotation. Calhoun was reluctant to go deep on the bench, from what I have seen, Ollie is inclined to use more players and give them a little more time to show something.

Now this is pure speculation with a number of variables yet to be weighed concretely, but one of the things which interests me is trying to discover what I can find out about how Ollie makes decisions. Does he have a specific type of player for each position? Does he have a basic plan for the offense? Does he play a specific defense? How flexible will he be in situations: opponents, time, attacking weaknesses, hiding UConn's weaknesses.

 

[stick]

Zy, It's great having you posting again with your analysis. Keep posting. However, I think Facey might take more time away from Olander and Ollie will play more small ball than see Facey play a stretch 4.

 

[Huskyforlife]

napier samuel
boatright kromah
calhoun giffy tolksdorf
daniels facey
nolan olander brima

thats most likely the depth chart

 

[James]

Ollie will have his hands full with minute distribution, if we stay completely healthy. Facey will find some minutes, he'll be able to mix it up with his motor and speed.

 

[OkaForPrez]

. UConn has, I believe, more than 8 talented players. I think you would like to avoid situations where a couple of players play 35+ minutes most nights.

You are hitting on exactly what I've been writing up Zy. Since 07, we've been steadily relying heavier on our top 3 players in terms of MPG which broke the 35 min threshold last year. If you look at starting in 06, 07 as that has trended up, Possessions per 40 has trended down. While this figure is partially reflective of our rebounding woes, we've had to pull off our pace to preserve these guys and limit foul trouble. This trend is going to break this year especially now with Facey in the fold.

 

[zymurg]

From your computer to the basketball God's ears.

 

[Kitaman]

Giffey is a senior with bounds of experience. I think e will be on the court late in close/important games where experience matters more than talent.

The question really is who is the 5 on the court against Louisville/Florida in a 5 point game with 5 minutes left?

I say Giffey, Bazz, Boat, DD and 5? Unfortunately I see Omar getting left out here in favor of experience.

Finally I have no issue with (and want) Giff being on the court at that time.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Giffey is a senior with bounds of experience. I think e will be on the court late in close/important games where experience matters more than talent.

The question really is who is the 5 on the court against Louisville/Florida in a 5 point game with 5 minutes left?

I say Giffey, Bazz, Boat, DD and 5? Unfortunately I see Omar getting left out here in favor of experience.

Finally I have no issue with (and want) Giff being on the court at that time.

Experience is important and Giff might be my favorite player on the team, but Omar has stones. Omar hit his three against Gtown, Giff missed his! Granted one was feet set and the other was coming off a ridiculous steal and heave. Man I wish that shot went down.

I don't think we can go wrong with either. Great luxury to have one of those guys coming off the bench.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

It's early, obviously, but after watching practice today and seeing who got minutes in practice scrimmages and who did not start on either the blue or white team (Facey), Kentan has a lot of ground to make up to get into the rotation as it stands now. We have the top 3: Bazz, Boat, and Deandre. Next bunch is Niels, Omar, both of whom will get a lot of minutes whomever starts. Today it was Amida and Phil getting the majority of minutes at the 5, with Lasan and Tyler very likely to be seeing playing time. That's 9 right there. Then there is Terrence Samuel and Kentan. How often have we had a rotation of 11 players? Never?