Historically Calhoun, Successful 3 Guard system

[BankShot]

And the positions have been quite similar

99 - KEA, Ricky, Ripper
04 - Gordon, Taliek, Rashad
10 - Kemba, Shabazz, Lamb

You have a solid D, tough, leader guard who makes big plays, and plays consistent, Ricky, Taliek, Bazz
You have a wing player who is silk from mid-long range who can light it up, Ripper, Rashad, Lamb
You have a dribble penetrate, big shot making, game changer, KEA, BG, Kemba

The 06-07 season we missed AJ Price to be that 3rd guard (Marcus, Rashad)
The 08-09 season we missed Dyson as a threat down the stretch (AJ, Austrie)
Which you could easily say was the demise of those two Championship level teams

This year, which is why Boat is HUGE to this team. BOAT's game can be the dribble penetrate, make a big shot, be a big game player. Speed and handle with great vision. His ability to split the D, get into the zone, will give plenty of dump down DUNKS to AD and AO

Shabazz has to come back down to the Earth. He'll get some rest now, but he can't be shooting 13 3's, that's not his game, he's got to be a floor general, make smarter plays, and most importantly, better possessions. That UCF game, that ugly stretch, had essentially 3 to 4 straight give up plays, which was all the difference.

I know it's a lot to ask considering how great those teams were, but TALENT wise, this team is better, this bigs are better, the wings are better, the bench is deeper, and if they can pull it together, have a chance to be that FOURTH team

 

[Prezidint]

The 06-07 season we missed AJ Price to be that 3rd guard (Marcus, Rashad)
The 08-09 season we missed Dyson as a threat down the stretch (AJ, Austrie)
Which you could easily say was the demise of those two Championship level teams

I don't agree.
AJ was critical to that team, and they tanked immediately upon his injury.
Dyson can be argued to be important or unimportant or a net negative, but, in the end, that team went to the FF, and I'd argue that nobody was beating Carolina that year, so AJ's injury probably cost us an EE run or better, whereas, at most, JD's injury cost us finishing FF versus runner up.
Just my opinion, but I have much too high of a regard for AJ to see the two somewhat equated.

 

[BankShot]

Sorry, I meant 05-06, not 06-07. The year our TALENT was best in the country. We needed that 3rd guard that year to work on that team

We needed Dyson in that game vs MSU, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of fans who believed that a healthy UCONN team would have a great matchup vs UNC that year. They were good, but not that good

 

[Robertelamin]

I think people are getting their seasons mixed up. Neither Marcus or Rashad were even on the 06-07 team and AJ started every game and did not get hurt.

 

[Giddyup5]

I don't agree.
AJ was critical to that team, and they tanked immediately upon his injury.
Dyson can be argued to be important or unimportant or a net negative, but, in the end, that team went to the FF, and I'd argue that nobody was beating Carolina that year, so AJ's injury probably cost us an EE run or better, whereas, at most, JD's injury cost us finishing FF versus runner up.
Just my opinion, but I have much too high of a regard for AJ to see the two somewhat equated.

I'd argue that more people were saying that no one could beat Duke in 99.

But I agree, I think AJ was a tremendous PG and he absolutely left his mark on this program and hopefully continues to progress and excel in the NBA.

 

[HuskyFan32]

Awesome post. Obviously Boatright is going to help us immensely. It will take a little time for Lamb to get comfortable playing the 3. There is no doubt that we woulve beat UCF with Boat playing to break that zone. With that said, Im a little concerned with what this means for our frontcourt. Drummond is going to play 30 min a game just for his precense on defense and his ability to keep offensive boards alive etc. That leaves Roscoe, AO, TO, and DD fighting for minutes. Olander played waaaay too much yesterday. He was downright dreadful the entire game. He has improved greatly an dI htink JC plays him for his passing in the high post, but we need to find a way to get Alex going and DD back on track. And obv Roscoe is great for what he brings to the team but hes more effective as a 4 so I have no idea where his minutes are going to come from.

 

[tzznandrew]

2005-06, the team that lost to George Mason, could have used AJ. If they beat George Mason, they would have won the whole thing--that team played to their competition.
2008-09, the team that lost to MSU, could have used Dyson. They were undeniably a better team with Dyson. If he played, they would have given UNC a game, and I think they could have won.

 

[HuskyFan32]

I think people are getting their seasons mixed up. Neither Marcus or Rashad were even on the 06-07 team and AJ started every game and did not get hurt.

I think by 06-07 he means the 06 (George Mason) team. The 06-07 season was one wed all like to forget.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

And the positions have been quite similar

99 - KEA, Ricky, Ripper
04 - Gordon, Taliek, Rashad
10 - Kemba, Shabazz, Lamb

You have a solid D, tough, leader guard who makes big plays, and plays consistent, Ricky, Taliek, Bazz
You have a wing player who is silk from mid-long range who can light it up, Ripper, Rashad, Lamb
You have a dribble penetrate, big shot making, game changer, KEA, BG, Kemba

The 06-07 season we missed AJ Price to be that 3rd guard (Marcus, Rashad)
The 08-09 season we missed Dyson as a threat down the stretch (AJ, Austrie)
Which you could easily say was the demise of those two Championship level teams

This year, which is why Boat is HUGE to this team. BOAT's game can be the dribble penetrate, make a big shot, be a big game player. Speed and handle with great vision. His ability to split the D, get into the zone, will give plenty of dump down DUNKS to AD and AO

Shabazz has to come back down to the Earth. He'll get some rest now, but he can't be shooting 13 3's, that's not his game, he's got to be a floor general, make smarter plays, and most importantly, better possessions. That UCF game, that ugly stretch, had essentially 3 to 4 straight give up plays, which was all the difference.

I know it's a lot to ask considering how great those teams were, but TALENT wise, this team is better, this bigs are better, the wings are better, the bench is deeper, and if they can pull it together, have a chance to be that FOURTH team

"Shabazz has to come back down to the Earth. He'll get some rest now, but he can't be shooting 13 3's, that's not his game, he's got to be a floor general, make smarter plays, and most importantly, better possessions."

Let Bazz get his rest playing off the ball with Boat running the show. I'm perfectly happy with Bazz jacking up 13 open look 3 pointers every game. Bazz and Boat logging big minutes together in ATTACK mode going for the jugular. No need for much rest these guys want minutes.

Bazz does not have to be the primary floor general. Let him get his 18 ppg off the ball.

UConn and Florida now have the top back courts in the country. JMHO

 

[Gurleyman]

Another big example of this phenomenon is 1995-96. We would start a big line-up with Sheffer, Allen and Rudy Johnson at the 1-2-3, but invariably we would have heavy minutes with Ricky-Doron-Ray in a three-guard set. When Ricky went down, we couldn't force tempo and were more vulnerable to a tempo-controlling team with size (i.e. Mississippi State). In 2004, we got away with Marcus flunking off the team and using Rashad (a non-ball handler) as the third guard. We were fortunate that we never dealt with an injury or extended foul trouble in a big game to Taliek or Ben.

 

[caw]

Napier is shooting 43% from three with some questionable shots. I thinks he gets it above 45% going forward. Lamb is streaky as well from 3 but his midrange game is the best in the country.

I think Daniels and Boat give UConn more three point depth than last year. Really would like Alex to get back to being Alex. Honestly wouldn't mind if Alex only gets 5-6 ppg if he can grab 10+ rebounds.

 

[Gurleyman]

Actually, I'd rather have Shabazz on the ball and Boatright slashing into gaps from the wing, at least for now. When he's clicking, Shabazz has Marcus Williams passing potential (he's not there yet - but he shows some of the same traits, and MW had some of the same problems with going for the highlight pass and tallying a high turnover count sometimes as he developed). Boatright being off the ball means he can just play - he doesn't have to worry about running the offense or getting us into sets. If he gets the ball open, he can shoot. If he has a defender rushing out at him - he can blow by him and rely on his insticts on whether to drive, pull-up or pass. And what was awesome was that he showed a strong ability with all three against FSU (hit a pull-up jumper and a floater, got to the rim, and found people open with the pass), so he isn't a one-trick pony who is easy to scout. But, on a given day, if Shabazz has his shot going and Ryan is playing well on the ball, they can easily switch roles. Just want to keep Ryan's role simple for the time being, and I think 13 threes will prove to be an outlier for Shabazz (six were taken in the final two minutes or overtime).

 

[caw]

Another big example of this phenomenon is 1995-96. We would start a big line-up with Sheffer, Allen and Rudy Johnson at the 1-2-3, but invariably we would have heavy minutes with Ricky-Doron-Ray in a three-guard set. When Ricky went down, we couldn't force tempo and were more vulnerable to a tempo-controlling team with size (i.e. Mississippi State). In 2004, we got away with Marcus flunking off the team and using Rashad (a non-ball handler) as the third guard. We were fortunate that we never dealt with an injury or extended foul trouble in a big game to Taliek or Ben.

Denham Brown was a solid 3rd ball handler with Taliek and Gordon being primary, when we needed it in 2004.

 

[aceboon]

Jeremy played the 3 a ton last year when they went Bazz/Kemba in the backcourt, he should be used to playing it.

Awesome post. Obviously Boatright is going to help us immensely. It will take a little time for Lamb to get comfortable playing the 3. There is no doubt that we woulve beat UCF with Boat playing to break that zone. With that said, Im a little concerned with what this means for our frontcourt. Drummond is going to play 30 min a game just for his precense on defense and his ability to keep offensive boards alive etc. That leaves Roscoe, AO, TO, and DD fighting for minutes. Olander played waaaay too much yesterday. He was downright dreadful the entire game. He has improved greatly an dI htink JC plays him for his passing in the high post, but we need to find a way to get Alex going and DD back on track. And obv Roscoe is great for what he brings to the team but hes more effective as a 4 so I have no idea where his minutes are going to come from.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Actually, I'd rather have Shabazz on the ball and Boatright slashing into gaps from the wing, at least for now. When he's clicking, Shabazz has Marcus Williams passing potential (he's not there yet - but he shows some of the same traits, and MW had some of the same problems with going for the highlight pass and tallying a high turnover count sometimes as he developed). Boatright being off the ball means he can just play - he doesn't have to worry about running the offense or getting us into sets. If he gets the ball open, he can shoot. If he has a defender rushing out at him - he can blow by him and rely on his insticts on whether to drive, pull-up or pass. And what was awesome was that he showed a strong ability with all three against FSU (hit a pull-up jumper and a floater, got to the rim, and found people open with the pass), so he isn't a one-trick pony who is easy to scout. But, on a given day, if Shabazz has his shot going and Ryan is playing well on the ball, they can easily switch roles. Just want to keep Ryan's role simple for the time being, and I think 13 threes will prove to be an outlier for Shabazz (six were taken in the final two minutes or overtime).

The "BazzBoatshow" are interchangeable parts. That's the beauty of it. As for AO this team would be at its best with him playing with AD at the top of his game. As a captain if he doesn't get his head screwed on soon the message I would give to him is "Don't let the door hit you in the on the way out." Last year AO 6.6 rbs and Roscoe 5.0 rbs per game. We can go smaller and quicker. If we give Roscoe AO's mins yesterday RS gets 22 mins. Drummond is our anchor and enforcer.

JMHO

 

[HuskyFan32]

Jeremy played the 3 a ton last year when they went Bazz/Kemba in the backcourt, he should be used to playing it.

yeah def. what was i thinking. brain fart on me.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Actually, I'd rather have Shabazz on the ball and Boatright slashing into gaps from the wing, at least for now. When he's clicking, Shabazz has Marcus Williams passing potential (he's not there yet - but he shows some of the same traits, and MW had some of the same problems with going for the highlight pass and tallying a high turnover count sometimes as he developed). Boatright being off the ball means he can just play - he doesn't have to worry about running the offense or getting us into sets. If he gets the ball open, he can shoot. If he has a defender rushing out at him - he can blow by him and rely on his insticts on whether to drive, pull-up or pass. And what was awesome was that he showed a strong ability with all three against FSU (hit a pull-up jumper and a floater, got to the rim, and found people open with the pass), so he isn't a one-trick pony who is easy to scout. But, on a given day, if Shabazz has his shot going and Ryan is playing well on the ball, they can easily switch roles. Just want to keep Ryan's role simple for the time being, and I think 13 threes will prove to be an outlier for Shabazz (six were taken in the final two minutes or overtime).

I think that Shabazz needs to be the primary point guard when in, at least for a while until they can show that they can play interchangeably. Shabazz is the leader of the team at this point and that is not easy for a sophomore on a team like UConn. He needs to keep earning his time, but we don't want a "quarterback controversy" at this point in time. I'd like to see JC give Bazz significantly more rest and let Boat play the 1 when Bazz is out. As they get used to playing together, they will find a balance that will work for both. I think that RB may be better suited to playing the 2, but it's hard to say. They both bring a whole lot to the table.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I think that Shabazz needs to be the primary point guard when in, at least for a while until they can show that they can play interchangeably. Shabazz is the leader of the team at this point and that is not easy for a sophomore on a team like UConn. He needs to keep earning his time, but we don't want a "quarterback controversy" at this point in time. I'd like to see JC give Bazz significantly more rest and let Boat play the 1 when Bazz is out. As they get used to playing together, they will find a balance that will work for both. I think that RB may be better suited to playing the 2, but it's hard to say. They both bring a whole lot to the table.

Boatright 7 shots/14 points, 0 turnovers, 3 assists against arguably the second best defense in the country. When you are playing Napier and Boatright interchangeably there is no quarterback controversy. They found the balance yesterday that's why JC went with the lineup he did at crunch time. The consensus after the game was all 3 players relished the opportunity to log minutes together. They scored 59 of the teams 78 points and they defeated a Top 25 team on a neutral court.

 

[Huskybass]

I LOVE the fact that Boatright got off to a great start, he is a tremendous athlete and seems to be fearless. What concerns me is getting 75% of the teams points from the three guards. I'd much rather see it at 40 to 50% with AO and RS in the mix as well. There will be games where we really need those two to step up, and they have both done it on the brightest stage. I for one am really hoping that those guys start to click. The team is so much more balanced and better with them contributing.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Boatright 7 shots/14 points, 0 turnovers, 3 assists against arguably the second best defense in the country. When you are playing Napier and Boatright interchangeably there is no quarterback controversy. They found the balance yesterday that's why JC went with the lineup he did at crunch time. The consensus after the game was all 3 players relished the opportunity to log minutes together. They scored 59 of the teams 78 points and they defeated a Top 25 team on a neutral court.

It was clear in the FSU game that Bazz was the primary PG when they were both in. Boat played great, no doubt. I guess we will watch and see how their roles develop over the course of the year. I expect that Bazz will continue to be the primary PG for some time if not the whole year. I don't deny that Boatright might prove to be the more talented of the two in the long run, but right now they both look very good and Shabazz has NC experience. Should be fun to watch. JC has a few options this year.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

It was clear in the FSU game that Bazz was the primary PG when they were both in. Boat played great, no doubt. I guess we will watch and see how their roles develop over the course of the year. I expect that Bazz will continue to be the primary PG for some time if not the whole year. I don't deny that Boatright might prove to be the more talented of the two in the long run, but right now they both look very good and Shabazz has NC experience. Should be fun to watch. JC has a few options this year.

To me its irrelevant who runs the point. That's what makes them interchangeable. Bazz can go off the ball to rest when he needs to. At this point I am less concerned about who is more talented. Both these guys feed off each other. I liked everything about Bazz and his comments after the game. Both of these guys will emerge as team leaders this year with Bazz holding the ring. No one can take that ring from Bazz. He is a champion for life. Have a good 1.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

There is no doubt that UConn just got dramatically better with the arrival of Ryan Boatright.

 

[champs99and04]

Boatright had to have had one of the better debuts in UConn history, no? That was as close to a flawless game as you are going to get, at least on the offensive side of the floor. Defensively I didn't watch him much, so I'm not really sure how he played. But the kid appears to be something special with the ball in his hands. Some of the moves he made were Kemba-esque. I was most impressed with the way he found the open man when the defense collapsed on him. When you have so many weapons around you, penetrating to pass is just as important, if not more so, than driving to score.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

There is no doubt that UConn just got dramatically better with the arrival of Ryan Boatright.

and the "Bazzboatshow" is going to be fun to watch...