He's gonna be a star - Amidiately.

[UConnSwag11]

when daniels passe to brimah in the first half for a dunk brimah went up strong, really strong and i hope that continues

 

[joober jones]

When Brimah was having his block parties in the exhibition games, I tried not to get overly excited and remind myself that we were playing against inferior teams. Maryland is certainly a legitimate opponent though and Brimah stayed true to form. I've never seen a more natural shot blocker as a freshman.

 

[maineuconnfan]

I still remember the game emeka had against Arizona near the beginning of the season blocking and rebounding. This guy is not quite the mind of emeka, but I truly believe his athleticism at his size is going to make him dominant on the defensive end.

 

[LIUCHusky]

When Brimah was having his block parties in the exhibition games, I tried not to get overly excited and remind myself that we were playing against inferior teams. Maryland is certainly a legitimate opponent though and Brimah stayed true to form. I've never seen a more natural shot blocker as a freshman.

Apparently you didn't get the chance to see Emeka play as a freshman.

 

[joober jones]

Apparently you didn't get the chance to see Emeka play as a freshman.

I did see EO as a freshman. I saw him as a jr and sophomore too. Maybe I'm looking at Brimah through rose colored glasses but I don't remember Emeka having quite that much of a killer instinct with shot blocking in his first game at UConn.

 

[jleves]

Apparently you didn't get the chance to see Emeka play as a freshman.

I kept trying to remember what I thought when I first watched Emeka or Thabeet and I'm just too friggin old. I know I quickly thought Emeka was going to be special and I remember thinking Thabeet was on his ass a lot and might develop, but he didn't have the 'it' that Emeka showed. Emeka not only loved playing, you could see his desire to get better, not get beat next time, block the next one and win. Thabeet always looked like he was shocked that he had some cool skills and wondered how he could use them.

Based on that - I see a lot of the Emeka attitude in Brimah. The kid worked hard, tried hard, stayed on his feet and hustled his ass off. As Gurlyman has pointed out on the one trailing stuff, he was the furthest back down court quickest to stop a counter dead. You could see the entire team pick up intensity when Brimah was in there. Oh and on that trailing dunk, a few bigs of not so old would have had that pass bounce off their face and would be blaming the passer. I few a little further back would have caught it, but wouldn't have been able to get up quickly enough to stuff it and would be trying for a circus layup as they flew out of bounds.

Kids got some major upside with his athleticism and anyone with gifts that good that are going to work and hustle that hard are going to be special players. I still say if he stays three years, he's a lottery pick (he may only stay two and still be a first rounder).

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I did see EO as a freshman. I saw him as a jr and sophomore too. Maybe I'm looking at Brimah through rose colored glasses but I don't remember Emeka having quite that much of a killer instinct with shot blocking in his first game at UConn.

I can't speak of EO's first game but I vividly remember a game at Arizona during his freshman year. If AB can give us one of those against that level of an opponent this year I will be thrilled.

 

[maineuconnfan]

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/s...ks-lead-uconn-upset-victory-over-arizona.html

 

[Huskies4ever]

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/s...ks-lead-uconn-upset-victory-over-arizona.html

One of my favorites. You knew, then, with Gordon and Okafor, that greatness lay ahead.

As for Brimah, I'm really excited like everyone else. I love the depth on this team. Bringing guys like Giffeye, Kromah, and Brimah off the bench is a luxury few coaches have.

BTW, no disrespect to PN, but how long before AB starts?

 

[TracerBullet]

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/s...ks-lead-uconn-upset-victory-over-arizona.html

I was at that game. So fun to watch. You could see something was brewing with Emeka and Ben. I have not yet seen Amida but with all the talk on the BY I can't wait. He sounds like a typical under the radar recruit that could turn into a first rounder.

 

[hthusky74]

Amida, Amida, Amida...

 

[Danzz]

Only saw a few highlights but wow this kid is long and can run the floor. He was exactly what this team needed.

 

[Waquoit]

FWIW, Brimah played much better than Okafor in the pre-season games. EO was awful in those games, I came away thinking "long-term project." Of course it turned out his learning curve was steep. Brimah looked like the best big in the pre-season.

 

[UChusky916]

I echo what everyone has been saying in this thread. Lots to be genuinely excited about in this kid, so many positives to take from his game even this early in the year.

Defensively, he has absolutely tremendous instincts. He is a little over-aggressive on going for blocks, often falling for pump fakes. Once he learns to use his length without jumping, he will be a FORCE.

As others have said in this thread, it speaks volumes that Ollie had Amida in there on that final possession. Not only is Amida impressive defensively, but his rebounding has surprised me. He may not be strong enough to box out effectively yet, but he knows how to use his big frame and his positioning is pretty impressive already (probably already better than Olander, who is always out of position for rebounds). That game-saving rebound on the last possession vs MD was beautiful. He one-handed it with that long reach and forcibly gathered it into both hands to secure it. From what I've seen so far, his hands are pretty decent for a guy his size. He is not uncoordinated when he receives the ball, and I have yet to see him mishandle a pass or rebound. Very fluid and coordinated for a guy his size.

Not only does Amida run the floor like a gazelle, but he has a tremendous motor to pair with that as well, so he is constantly working to get up and down the floor on both the offensive and defensive end. When he was trailing the play on that fast break turnover from Boat, he was running full speed when he received that pass for the dunk. I was genuinely concerned that if he dunked he would not be able to control his momentum considering his large frame and the speed he was running at. But he dunked that ball both effortlessly and aggressively... that's a tough combination to have. I think he is underrated athletically, maybe because he is so thin and long, but I don't doubt his athleticism.

I love how he attacks the rim. On the possession where he traveled, he wanted to get to the rim as soon as he received it and dunk with authority. Great to see that decisiveness from a big guy. He knew he made a dumb mistake by not taking a quick dribble before exploding to the rim, and was beating himself up about it. I know he won't make that mistake again.

Small things like that travel show, in my opinion, that we need to get Amida as many minutes as possible NOW (fouls permitting). He needs to experience as much as possible so that come March, he is as seasoned as he can be. No other big on our roster has the upside that he has. Pair his upside with his tools and his motor, and you have something special. Now, he just needs the experience. Starting the game doesn't matter. In fact, I like Nolan starting and then bringing AB off the bench for an injection of his energy and defense. But AB needs to be on the floor as much as possible.

I can't remember being this pleasantly surprised and excited with a freshman as I have been with Amida. We knew how talented most of the recent incoming freshmen were (Daniels/Drummond), but Amida has been a pleasant surprise and he is EXACTLY what this team needs in the low-block.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Last week a guy posted some old footage of Bill Russell running the floor.

On the play where AB ran the floor tor the dunk, I immediately though of the Bill Russell clip.

 

[bmayuc]

One of my favorites. You knew, then, with Gordon and Okafor, that greatness lay ahead.

As for Brimah, I'm really excited like everyone else. I love the depth on this team. Bringing guys like Giffeye, Kromah, and Brimah off the bench is a luxury few coaches have.

BTW, no disrespect to PN, but how long before AB starts?

I disagree with this thought. I like the energy and dynamism that he brings off the bench, especially as long as he is going to be racking up fouls at an accelerated rate. Let him get his feet wet for a while off the bench, and once he proves he can play without fouling, worry about it then

 

[Kembacity]

I love how he attacks the rim. On the possession where he traveled, he wanted to get to the rim as soon as he received it and dunk with authority. Great to see that decisiveness from a big guy. He knew he made a dumb mistake by not taking a quick dribble before exploding to the rim, and was beating himself up about it. I know he won't make that mistake again.

See what I liked almost the most about him was his reaction to that play. Our bigs in the past have made plays like that as upperclassmen, and had more negative reactions to what happened. Amida didn't beat himself up over it, but as soon as the call was made and they cut to a closeup of him, he was smiling and excited but saying "my bad my bad" to himself. That is so much better than 'beating yourself up' over a bad play like that. He knows he made the error but that it was a good error to make, wanting to get up the dunk ASAP after he got the ball, rather than spending so long to get yourself ready to make the move that the defense can adjust and block the lane you thought you had.

There's so much positivity in the coaching staff, brotherhood of players and its so refreshing and amazing to see. Love having a team that I'm madly fanatic about but also respect so much for their demeanor during a game and when making mistakes.

 

[SixRings]

I am fairly certain that EO had a double double in his first college game but it was a cupcake opponent. Still, that's a tough nut for any frosh to get in their first game. And, if I remember correctly, he had like 4 or 5 blocks in that game too. Mek continued to do this every game. Brimah looked great against a decent MD team. Dude plays hard and fast. Can't wait to see him further develop and hopefully give Mek a challenge for best (or one of) frosh in the 5 spot. The way Brimah plays he is going to need bench breathers. He is full force on the floor.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Brim plays like a legit 7 footer. I was blown away by the two dunks he had because first he handle the passes and two he went straight up no bs`ing around or bringing the ball down or hesitating. He went up like a man and powered it in. This kid has a big future ahead of him. Imho he has the potential to be a top 5 pick in the draft some day. A couple of go to post moves and 25lbs of muscle and he will be scary.

I completely agree. Lets also remember he was going up against 265 lbs guys in his first game. I love how he goes straight up with the ball instead of doing the typical 1-2 bounces a lot of big guys do. That's something that big guys all know but instinctively have a difficult time doing. Considering he's only played ball for 4 years, it's obvious his Bball IQ is through the roof. I also love that he dunks with authority. He's got a bright future and serious charisma...

 

[ctchamps]

FWIW, Brimah played much better than Okafor in the pre-season games. EO was awful in those games, I came away thinking "long-term project." Of course it turned out his learning curve was steep. Brimah looked like the best big in the pre-season.

The one thing EO was able to do was

See what I liked almost the most about him was his reaction to that play. Our bigs in the past have made plays like that as upperclassmen, and had more negative reactions to what happened. Amida didn't beat himself up over it, but as soon as the call was made and they cut to a closeup of him, he was smiling and excited but saying "my bad my bad" to himself. That is so much better than 'beating yourself up' over a bad play like that. He knows he made the error but that it was a good error to make, wanting to get up the dunk ASAP after he got the ball, rather than spending so long to get yourself ready to make the move that the defense can adjust and block the lane you thought you had.

There's so much positivity in the coaching staff, brotherhood of players and its so refreshing and amazing to see. Love having a team that I'm madly fanatic about but also respect so much for their demeanor during a game and when making mistakes.

You can contrast this action with an ex UConn guy who might still be arguing the call and moping his way back lackadaisically back to the defensive end as the other team gets ready to shoot. But that guys dad was a mumu. Bad upbringing.

Interestingly PN had that same happy expression last season when he played. The lights didn't go on for PN until late in the season. Brimah has shown an understanding with KO's system right from the beginning. The coaches have stated that they want a different PN this season - a guy who can assert himself and be "strong" on the court. PN definitely has a more serious demeanor this year.

 

[tzznandrew]

I am fairly certain that EO had a double double in his first college game but it was a cupcake opponent. Still, that's a tough nut for any frosh to get in their first game. And, if I remember correctly, he had like 4 or 5 blocks in that game too. Mek continued to do this every game. Brimah looked great against a decent MD team. Dude plays hard and fast. Can't wait to see him further develop and hopefully give Mek a challenge for best (or one of) frosh in the 5 spot. The way Brimah plays he is going to need bench breathers. He is full force on the floor.

11 and 12 against an NIT-bound Vandy...

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111901aaa.html

EO averaged 7.9 ppg, 9 rpg, and 4.1 bpg in 30 mpg as a freshman.

 

[AtlantaHusky]

Look, this kid is a great addition. I am excited that we have him on our team and is going to do big things for us, this year. I hope I am unabashedly wrong, but this "top 5 pick", "he reminds me of footage of Bill Russell" is over the top.

That said, he may be the best, center, ever.

 

[huskyharry]

I completely agree. Lets also remember he was going up against 265 lbs guys in his first game. I love how he goes straight up with the ball instead... Considering he's only played ball for 4 years, it's obvious his Bball IQ is through the roof. I also love that he dunks with authority...

Great point! Remember how much we pleaded for Hasheem to just dunk the ball during his first year and a half?

 

[SixRings]

11 and 12 against an NIT-bound Vandy...

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111901aaa.html

EO averaged 7.9 ppg, 9 rpg, and 4.1 bpg in 30 mpg as a freshman.

Great stuff. I was wrong - Vandy was no cupcake. Otherwise, EO had one hell of a impact in his first game. Let's hope AB can continually improve every game from here. If so, EO has some serious competition.
Feels funny to compare this kid to a UConn legend after one game and we should be careful not to try to hold him to these extremely high expectations. Probably not fair. But man, kids got a fire in him and I'm on board.

 

[Gurleyman]

Look, this kid is a great addition. I am excited that we have him on our team and is going to do big things for us, this year. I hope I am unabashedly wrong, but this "top 5 pick", "he reminds me of footage of Bill Russell" is over the top.

That said, he may be the best, center, ever.

Top five pick is over the top at the moment - have to see him defend the post straight up and develop his offense. Easy to come weak side with help, harder to defend a post scorer on the low block.

I think the Russell comparison someone made was just in the sense of his agility running the floor from end to end. Only seen a little of him so far, but Brimah seems to easily sprint by guards in transition which is pretty rare for a guy around 7 feet tall. I think in that context it is fair to say something specific reminds you of an all-time great - as long as that specific thing isn't used to project the same career path. MW had Jason Kidd's floor vision, for example.