Having two lead guards on the floor can assist teams on NCAA Tournament title runs

[HooperScooper]

It's been discussed on here many times and Calhoun perfected that kind of line up so I figured I'd post this article. It was probably the biggest thing this year's team lacked. We had one guy, Cole, who could create and score off the dribble. College basketball is a guard's game. I hope Hurley starts to recruit more guys in this mold.

One interesting thing in the article is Bill Self talks about the one issue with 2 lead guards is guarding the other team with 2 small guards. I like that Castle is a taller lead guard so maybe pairing him with Diggins will work well. Can they both shoot from outside? I hope so.

The article has a list of recent teams who won the national championship with 2 lead guards. 2014 with Shabazz and Boatright are in there.

The NCAA Tournament used to be dominated by the best big men in the sport. But while having an elite big man certainly helps, for better or worse, the postseason has more recently been driven by guard play.

Tempo slows over the course of the season, often dipping during conference play and even more during March. That puts a premium on teams that can make the most of fewer possessions with efficient ball-handling, getting their teams into the right positions and taking advantage of the fewer transition opportunities and shooting.

March Madness bracket 2022: Having two lead guards on the floor can assist teams on NCAA Tournament title runs

Several of the last national champions have suited up two lead guards together

www.cbssports.com

 

[AdamaNation]

It's been discussed on here many times and Calhoun perfected that kind of line up so I figured I'd post this article. It was probably the biggest thing this year's team lacked. We had one guy, Cole, who could create and score off the dribble. College basketball is a guard's game. I hope Hurley starts to recruit more guys in this mold.

One interesting thing in the article is Bill Self talks about the one issue with 2 lead guards is guarding the other team with 2 small guards. I like that Castle is a taller lead guard so maybe pairing him with Diggins will work well. Can they both shoot from outside? I hope so.

The article has a list of recent teams who won the national championship with 2 lead guards. 2014 with Shabazz and Boatright are in there.

The NCAA Tournament used to be dominated by the best big men in the sport. But while having an elite big man certainly helps, for better or worse, the postseason has more recently been driven by guard play.

Tempo slows over the course of the season, often dipping during conference play and even more during March. That puts a premium on teams that can make the most of fewer possessions with efficient ball-handling, getting their teams into the right positions and taking advantage of the fewer transition opportunities and shooting.

March Madness bracket 2022: Having two lead guards on the floor can assist teams on NCAA Tournament title runs

Several of the last national champions have suited up two lead guards together

www.cbssports.com

Castle is called out as a 2 on all the s outing sites. But is most likely to be a primary handler. If we still have an older and more polished Andre, that would be crazy with the size.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Past UConn teams may not have had 2 starting lead guards but we did have overall great guard play.

Bazz and Kemba was a great lineup on the floor together.

AJ and Kemba was outstanding. Etc.

 

[Umami Zen]

Past UConn teams may not have had 2 starting lead guards but we did have overall great guard play.

Bazz and Kemba was a great lineup on the floor together.

AJ and Kemba was outstanding. Etc.

Boat and Bazz wasn't too shabby either

 

[HooperScooper]

Castle is called out as a 2 on all the s outing sites. But is most likely to be a primary handler. If we still have an older and more polished Andre, that would be crazy with the size.

You're right, ESPN and Rivals do list him as a SG. 247Sports lists him as a combo guard with this write up.

Castle is a big guard that can make plays and run a team. He has a frame and skill-set that is very intriguing and translatable. Castle has broad shoulders and an upper body that is naturally strong. He plays downhill bully ball and his awareness on the offensive end is the most impressive part of his game. With outstanding size for his position, Castle is an excellent passer and does a good job of taking care of the ball and is a good decision maker. He moves the ball around well in the half court set and does a nice job of setting up teammates. Castle also is a solid athlete who can play above the rim. He thrives in transition where he has a knack for making the right play. He does more damage with his facilitating than he does with his scoring, however his overall versatility projects well as he is a powerful playmaker on the perimeter who is more than capable of guarding multiple positions with his size and athletic ability.



Also, when he committed there was definitely talk that he's a PG. Even if he's not the primary 1 he sounds like the perfect compliment to a primary 1.

From Dan McDonald at Rivals:
Castle currently comes in as the No. 25 overall prospect in the 2023 Rivals150. After watching him again recently, that might not be high enough. At 6-foot-6, he’s a legitimate point guard that can run a team and he’s now playing with the confidence that he can score with the best of them. Because of his size and athleticism, he’ll be able to defend multiple positions at the next level. Castle has a chance to be next in a long line of really good players for the Huskies that could also eventually play in the NBA.

 

[nomar]

This is my thing

UConn's great teams all had 2 "primary" ballhandlers on the floor at all times, meaning the SG was either a PG playing the 2 or a combo guard with good PG skills.

Tate & Smith
Ollie & Sheffer
KEA & Moore
Brown & Gordon
Kemba & Bazz
Bazz & Boat

See a pattern?

Meanwhile, if there's a UConn-related hill I will die on, it's that we lost in 2006 -- and never would have beat Florida had we made it past GMU -- because we did not have enough ballhandlers on the floor. If AJ Price played that season, we'd probably have another title. Instead, we had Austrie (only 16 mpg), Anderson or Brown playing with Williams (who was arguably the best pure PG we've ever had, but it wasn't enough).

Anyway, I don't even need to read the article. I was sold 20+ years ago.

 

[bendm]

a castle and diggins backcourt could be a problem (in a good way)

 

[UCfor3]

Read today that Miami has 7 total turnovers in the tournament so far. Small sample size I know but still pretty notable. I'm not advocating for full on small ball, but being more guard centric and having multiple good ball handlers can really help in avoiding turnovers as well.

 

[bendm]

Read today that Miami has 7 total turnovers in the tournament so far. Small sample size I know but still pretty notable. I'm not advocating for full on small ball, but being more guard centric and having multiple good ball handlers can really help in avoiding turnovers as well.

i'm all for throwing out a 4 guard lineup with Floyd at the 2, Hawk at the 3, AJ at the 4 and Sanogo at the 5. we just need a PG.

 

[Umami Zen]

Read today that Miami has 7 total turnovers in the tournament so far. Small sample size I know but still pretty notable. I'm not advocating for full on small ball, but being more guard centric and having multiple good ball handlers can really help in avoiding turnovers as well.

Not Charlie Moore's first rodeo if you know what I mean.

 

[Horatio]

This is my thing

UConn's great teams all had 2 "primary" ballhandlers on the floor at all times, meaning the SG was either a PG playing the 2 or a combo guard with good PG skills.

Tate & Smith
Ollie & Sheffer
KEA & Moore
Brown & Gordon
Kemba & Bazz
Bazz & Boat

See a pattern?

Meanwhile, if there's a UConn-related hill I will die on, it's that we lost in 2006 -- and never would have beat Florida had we made it past GMU -- because we did not have enough ballhandlers on the floor. If AJ Price played that season, we'd probably have another title. Instead, we had Austrie (only 16 mpg), Anderson or Brown playing with Williams (who was arguably the best pure PG we've ever had, but it wasn't enough).

Anyway, I don't even need to read the article. I was sold 20+ years ago.

Agree 1000%. I feel like we invented this way of playing and it doesn’t seem like UCONN basketball if we don’t have two primary ball handlers on the court.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Boat and Bazz wasn't too shabby either

Left them out because they were already mentioned in the article. I miss them both. Can’t believe the run of guards we had.