Gibbs To UConn (not true yet; why don't y'all just give it 20 minutes)

[DOZE860]

i wonder if there is an issue getting into a grad program, which is holding up the official announcement?

 

[Confident Carl]

Gibbs vs. Boat stat comparison for those interested:

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=sterling-gibbs&i=1&p1=ryan-boatright

Boat better rebounder but maybe SH had better bigs.

 

[champs99and04]

It's premature because Gibbs to UConn isn't official. But I strongly believe that UConn will have a heck of a team next season if he indeed does arrive. It will be the 2014 team all over again for KO with multiple good line up options. Last season there were no options available for even one good line up. And even with that UConn was four or five winnable games away from having a successful albeit unpleasant season.

The Cinci vs. UConn debate ignored something that I feel is important. The "dreaded" AAC should be a lot stronger next season. I believe SMU and maybe Temple take a step back. But Cinci, Tulsa, UConn and Memphis and the dregs other than USF should be significantly improved over this season. I'm still ten toes in for the B!G. I have been from the get go. But before I get my mansion on the ocean I'm going to see the beauty of my current neighborhood.

Agree with your post but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for SMU to take a step back. They'll return their two best players and the AAC POY.

 

[champs99and04]

Gibbs vs. Boat stat comparison for those interested:

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=sterling-gibbs&i=1&p1=ryan-boatright

IMO, Gibbs and Boat is about a wash offensively. I don't have any doubt that Gibbs can replicate Boat's value on that end.

Defensively is where Boat is much better than Gibbs, but, although they play different positions, Miller should fill the void that Boat leaves on the other end.

 

[JimHurley]

i wonder if there is an issue getting into a grad program, which is holding up the official announcement?

I don't think he's a grad student. Just a senior.

 

[Zionn]

If that was case he would need to sit a year. Coming as grad student.

 

[Leebo]

I don't think he's a grad student. Just a senior.

C'mon man, that's the whole frigging point!

 

[David 76]

No, we are not replacing Boat, but we are lowering the drop-off at pg and greatly increasing the ability of our first guard off the bench. I feel confident Purvis & DHam will improve (Purvis just needs to play like he did at the end of the year). Our power forward position will see a big improvement as will our first big(s) off the bench. Amida will continue to learn basics and be a freak as a rim protector.

Looks good! Our 2016 graduating seniors won't be a big problem to replace, but we will need to replace our grad student(s) plus whoever jumps. We will leave strong replacements for each grad student (Adams, Enoch, Facey) SF and , I believe center, may need replacements after next year. Leave or stay, SF & C seem our next recruiting needs.

 

[Matrim55]

I had checked them out yesterday and was impressed with how similar the two players stats appeared. Of course the composition of the two teams was different as well as the conferences so not apples to apples. For instance Sterling did not have as many rebounds per games as Ryan. Is this an indicator that Ryan is a better rebounder? Hard to know. Seton Hall was 76th in the nation in rebounds per vs. UConn at 192. So it is possible Sterling isn't as good or he wasn't needed for rebounding because his team was composed of better rebounders than UConn.

Rebounds per is so dependent upon pace. It's often a misleading stat.

There are two other mitigating factors. First is that our main center (Brimah) sells out to block almost everything, and that's shown in our block % (which was once again among the country's best). Teams that play like - that put a premium on rim protection - need their guards to rebound.

The other is that Seton Hall's starting center (Delgado) was a rebounding machine, like a bigger version of Adrien.

 

[Matrim55]

Agree with your post but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for SMU to take a step back. They'll return their two best players and the AAC POY.

Yeah, but they lost ALL of their interior defense. Teams are going to feast on them in the paint.

1) Cincinnati
2) UConn
3) Memphis
4) Tulsa
5) SMU

 

[ctchamps]

Rebounds per is so dependent upon pace. It's often a misleading stat.

There are two other mitigating factors. First is that our main center (Brimah) sells out to block almost everything, and that's shown in our block % (which was once again among the country's best). Teams that play like - that put a premium on rim protection - need their guards to rebound.

The other is that Seton Hall's starting center (Delgado) was a rebounding machine, like a bigger version of Adrien.

Your post fleshes out my suspicion.

 

[ctchamps]

Yeah, but they lost ALL of their interior defense. Teams are going to feast on them in the paint.

1) Cincinnati
2) UConn
3) Memphis
4) Tulsa
5) SMU

That was my opinion for the slight step back. They get Shake Milton and can make our opinions less of an issue if they get Thon Maker. Of course they have some NCAA investigation problems so who know how this impacts them.

My list would put Cinci at 3 with UConn and Memphis jumping ahead. But it should be close among the first four.

 

[Matrim55]

That was my opinion for the slight step back. They get Shake Milton and can make our opinions less of an issue if they get Thon Maker. Of course they have some NCAA investigation problems so who know how this impacts them.

My list would put Cinci at 3 with UConn and Memphis jumping ahead. But it should be close among the first four.

Yup - all of that is fair. I do like the fact that the AAC will be a bloodbath next year - hopefully everybody can do work in the OOC schedule.

 

[ctchamps]

Yup - all of that is fair. I do like the fact that the AAC will be a bloodbath next year - hopefully everybody can do work in the OOC schedule.

I'm hoping SMU, Temple and two of this years dregs make a great middle. That's as important as the top being good. I actually liked ECU at the end of last season. I feel Houston is another year away. So hopefully one of Tulane and Central Florida can gain traction over last season.

Tough to write this as opposed to we need Georgetown, Nova, Cuse, Ville, WV, ND, Pitt............

 

[champs99and04]

Yeah, but they lost ALL of their interior defense. Teams are going to feast on them in the paint.

1) Cincinnati
2) UConn
3) Memphis
4) Tulsa
5) SMU

If you gave Larry Brown the Memphis roster and Pastner the SMU roster, I would agree with you. But although Morreira and Cunningham are big losses that could bite them against teams like, say, UNC or Gonzaga, I have enough faith in Larry Brown as a coach to navigate an AAC schedule with smart positioning defense, and even if they go small up front with Kennedy and Moore, there is still a decent amount of rim protection there.

On the other end, they should be a title wave - that offense that they run is so much more motion-based than 99% of the college offenses out there that another year of reps with the same core should vault them into the top 20 in offensive efficiency, IMO.

I would go:

1) UConn (this assuming Gibbs commits)
2) Cincinnati
3) SMU
4) Memphis
5) Tulsa

 

[Matrim55]

If you gave Larry Brown the Memphis roster and Pastner the SMU roster, I would agree with you. But although Morreira and Cunningham are big losses that could bite them against teams like, say, UNC or Gonzaga, I have enough faith in Larry Brown as a coach to navigate an AAC schedule with smart positioning defense, and even if they go small up front with Kennedy and Moore, there is still a decent amount of rim protection there.

On the other end, they should be a title wave - that offense that they run is so much more motion-based than 99% of the college offenses out there that another year of reps with the same core should vault them into the top 20 in offensive efficiency, IMO.

I would go:

1) UConn (this assuming Gibbs commits)
2) Cincinnati
3) SMU
4) Memphis
5) Tulsa

If you gave Brown the Memphis roster they'd be preseason No. 1.

But yeah, you make a good point about SMU winning games with offense. Frazier is supposed to be back next year, right? Him, Moore & Kennedy on the floor together could/should be terrifying.

 

[RipCity]

If you gave Larry Brown the Memphis roster and Pastner the SMU roster, I would agree with you. But although Morreira and Cunningham are big losses that could bite them against teams like, say, UNC or Gonzaga, I have enough faith in Larry Brown as a coach to navigate an AAC schedule with smart positioning defense, and even if they go small up front with Kennedy and Moore, there is still a decent amount of rim protection there.

On the other end, they should be a title wave - that offense that they run is so much more motion-based than 99% of the college offenses out there that another year of reps with the same core should vault them into the top 20 in offensive efficiency, IMO.

I would go:

1) UConn (this assuming Gibbs commits)
2) Cincinnati
3) SMU
4) Memphis
5) Tulsa

I think you meant "tidal wave" here.

The "title wave" is the phrase used to describe the last 20 years of UConn basketball.

 

[huskyharry]

Gibbs vs. Boat stat comparison for those interested:

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=sterling-gibbs&i=1&p1=ryan-boatright

Eerily similar actually. Points per game over 40 minutes and the assists per game (within 1/1000th!) were dead on. Boat is a better FT shooter and rebounder (possibly because his teammates were not great at rebounding) but the rest of the stats are very close.

 

[upstater]

I'm hoping SMU, Temple and two of this years dregs make a great middle. That's as important as the top being good. I actually liked ECU at the end of last season. I feel Houston is another year away. So hopefully one of Tulane and Central Florida can gain traction over last season.

Tough to write this as opposed to we need Georgetown, Nova, Cuse, Ville, WV, ND, Pitt..

SMU brings a lot of players back. Middle?

 

[Matrim55]

SMU brings a lot of players back. Middle?

SMU lost their two rim protectors and best perimeter defender. Kennedy's the biggest guy on their team and he scares no one in the lane.

 

[Brochacho]

SMU lost their two rim protectors and best perimeter defender. Kennedy's the biggest guy on their team and he scares no one in the lane.

Kennedy vs UConn last season: 24 MPG, 15.3 PPG 7.6 RPG 1 BPG. Scares me.

 

[Matrim55]

Kennedy vs UConn last season: 24 MPG, 15.3 PPG 7.6 RPG 1 BPG. Scares me.

Offensively. Defensively he's a sieve - there's a reason Brown didn't start him and was hesitant to play him in crunch time.

 

[444JR]

Nichols along with the two highly touted Lawson brothers will be quite the stacked frontcourt.. will Goodwin be back as well? and memphis always has serviceable guard play. The top four of the AAC; UConn, Memphis, Cinci, SMU should all be very good. Hopefully Tusla can do what they did in conference play during their OOC schedule. If everyone takes care of their OOC schedules I could easily see the AAC getting 4 automatic bids. Will be great to see

 

[OkaForPrez]

That's a big if @WideRight!

 

[ctchamps]

SMU brings a lot of players back. Middle?

I'm picking them fifth this season. That puts them in the middle.