How hard is it to teach a good Big to develop a post move?

[DogMania]

I'm torn between feeling a sense of sarcasm and sincerity is this question. As much as I'm a huge huge Husky fan, developing a big that has one, never mind two or more, effective post moves has been allusive for this program. This post is not to bash our own program, but to get folks thoughts on why our Huskies have never had a big that showed a high skill level in the post. Not talking serviceable, but really good.

I'm hard pressed to think of any Bigs since the JC and KO era that have had much of a post game. Emeka developed a simple side step to the outside banker that was surprisingly effective and hard to block. Something that worked in college but was not effective in the NBA. Shonn Miller came with a decent post game already, at least I'm assuming he had that game before he got here. Due to his size, he was not dominant but effective many games. Not sure his teammates fed him the ball or knew how to get him the ball when he established good post position this past season. After those two, I can't think of a single big that had anything more than a catch, maybe a fake, and shot/dunk. None to my knowledge knew how to execute a step through drop step. None that I can think of knew how to use an array of moves that kept defenders off balance not knowing when to contest the shot, such as: combination of a quick catch-and-shoot, one power dribble, drop step, power fake, etc.

So assuming I'm not completely wrong with the above, what is the reason we've seen this at UConn. Is it the case that we don't recruit bigs that have the aptitude to learn these things? Is it the coaching? Is it the work ethic of our bigs? Or is it simply very difficult for any player to develop a mature post game? I'm thinking it's a combination of all of these, with more weight on the last one. When you look at the college game, and even the NBA to that matter, it seems rare to find Bigs who have an effective post move, and even rarer that have an array of advanced post moves.

My guess is if you have a big man's coach who is good at teaching a post game will dramatically improve the odds of developing bigs with this sort of game. I know for years Boneyarders have been pleading for the program to add such a coach. IMO, it's somewhat of an excuse to not have at least one coach who can do whatever it takes to learn how to coach bigs. There's plenty of tape to watch, breakdown and then teach what player X did to successfully execute their moves.

But possibly equally as important is to recruit bigs who have the aptitude. UConn has always struggled to recruit bigs who already have a semblance of a post game. We tend to get project or raw bigs, albeit many who have above average defensive games. It definitely helps when you recruit a Big who is around or above 7 feet tall with long arms. I'm selling some of our Bigs short here...no pun intended...since the staff has been very good at recruiting bigs who seem to come in with good shot blocking instincts. Emeka wasn't big but had the best shot blocking instincts at the college level I've ever seen. Maybe it's hard to find a big who has both the defensive physical and instinctual attributes along with the offensive ones. I just think part of the problem as far as UConn not having many good post bigs is the ones that have that type of game coming in end up at the UKs, KUs, Dooks, etc. And these types of Bigs don't tend to stick around for more than a season or two. While UConn tends to attract the long raw shot blocking Bigs who see UConn as a program that can develop them into a defensive force and viable NBA 1st round pick.

My conclusion is it is a combination of the program not doing a good job on having at least one staff member who either came in with or could learn to teach Bigs at least one effective post move, and not recruiting the type of Bigs who have the aptitude, physical capabilites and/or work ethic to develop at least one effective post move. I'd love to see the program prove me wrong on one or both factors.

UConn rarely lands physically mature bigs. It definitely helps if the player is stronger than most of the post defenders to be able to not only overpower them but to aid the effectiveness of their learned post moves. Drumond could have changed this pattern if he had stayed for more than a year. Enoch seems like a big physical player, but not sure he has or will develop the BBIQ, but he certainly has the physical attributes for some coach to mold into an effective offensive post player.

Not that someone would suggest this, but citing our style of play a reason why we don't develop bigs with post moves, is an excuse. Anyone who follows this game, knows that you need to execute a balanced half-court attach to win in the post season. To not develop this in your bigs just makes the margin of error to win that much harder. I know we won 3 of our 4 NCs without having offensive skilled bigs. IMO, the Emeka team was the only one that had a semblance of such. Another excuse is the way the game has developed. Granted, the way the game is defended now has evolved and bigs, especially at the NBA level, don't seem to get the inside touches and one-on-one defenses that took place in the past, but, there are always bigs who are tough to stop once they get the ball deep in the post who have a combination of size, strength and skill.

So what do others thing about this. Again, this is not to bash our program, but to support or debunk my thoughts on this, and to propose what could be done to change this pattern.

 

[jibsey]

It seems the B1G has centers that have great footwork, take their time, ball fake and can do this year in and out, and yes I drool.

 

[BUConn10]

Emeka had moves for days, he was probably our best back to the basket player in the last 15-20 years. I think a reason for it is that our level of recruiting doesn't reach elite, offensive ready bigs who are usually high level commodities in cbb and thus are usually top 10 guys no matter what. As a result Cahoun focused on raw, "project" bigs who were defensive specialists and hoped they could develop an offensive game by year 3 or 4.

I will say though I think Calhoun had the right idea. At the college level, offensively polished big men are rare at any program, they are top commodities at the NBA level so they don't stick around. Calhoun knew that NBA level defense inside though was attainable and he made it a focus during his years. Us leading in blocks per game for 9 straight years during the 2000's is so telling of that, and our success during that span (one of our best eras) shows how successful it was.

 

[dennismenace]

More of a question than a response. Might we not be attracting bigs with post moves or who want to be developed because we have had a defense first/ guard and wing
fast break oriented offense instead of a half court first offense.

 

[Matrim55]

It seems the B1G has centers that have great footwork, take their time, ball fake and can do this year in and out, and yes I drool.

Both Miller and Enoch did this when given the opportunity last year. The problem wasn't a lack of post moves; it was an inability to throw early, accurate entry passes. Nobody on the team - including Hamilton, who's got legitimately great vision and timing - looked like they understood how to throw one without making a huge production of it.

I still think one of the best things KO could do this summer is get AJ in to run a "How to throw a post entry" clinic. He's the best we've ever had at it, and we really do need to get better.

 

[ctchamps]

With regards to UConn, the recent events (apr sanctions, coaching change) limited KO's ability to recruit. He was forced to go after projects. Let's hit this conversation in four years.

 

[dennismenace]

Both Miller and Enoch did this when given the opportunity last year. The problem wasn't a lack of post moves; it was an inability to throw early, accurate entry passes. Nobody on the team - including Hamilton, who's got legitimately great vision and timing - looked like they understood how to throw one without making a huge production of it.

I still think one of the best things KO could do this summer is get AJ in to run a "How to throw a post entry" clinic. He's the best we've ever had at it, and we really do need to get better.

Good insight. Forgot for a moment that we had trouble with the point last year and we had neither Enoch or Miller the year before. Like the solution too.

 

[ctchamps]

I'm torn between feeling a sense of sarcasm and sincerity is this question. As much as I'm a huge huge Husky fan, developing a big that has one, never mind two or more, effective post moves has been allusive for this program. This post is not to bash our own program, but to get folks thoughts on why our Huskies have never had a big that showed a high skill level in the post. Not talking serviceable, but really good.

I'm hard pressed to think of any Bigs since the JC and KO era that have had much of a post game. Emeka developed a simple side step to the outside banker that was surprisingly effective and hard to block. Something that worked in college but was not effective in the NBA. Shonn Miller came with a decent post game already, at least I'm assuming he had that game before he got here. Due to his size, he was not dominant but effective many games. Not sure his teammates fed him the ball or knew how to get him the ball when he established good post position this past season. After those two, I can't think of a single big that had anything more than a catch, maybe a fake, and shot/dunk. None to my knowledge knew how to execute a step through drop step. None that I can think of knew how to use an array of moves that kept defenders off balance not knowing when to contest the shot, such as: combination of a quick catch-and-shoot, one power dribble, drop step, power fake, etc.

So assuming I'm not completely wrong with the above, what is the reason we've seen this at UConn. Is it the case that we don't recruit bigs that have the aptitude to learn these things? Is it the coaching? Is it the work ethic of our bigs? Or is it simply very difficult for any player to develop a mature post game? I'm thinking it's a combination of all of these, with more weight on the last one. When you look at the college game, and even the NBA to that matter, it seems rare to find Bigs who have an effective post move, and even rarer that have an array of advanced post moves.

My guess is if you have a big man's coach who is good at teaching a post game will dramatically improve the odds of developing bigs with this sort of game. I know for years Boneyarders have been pleading for the program to add such a coach. IMO, it's somewhat of an excuse to not have at least one coach who can do whatever it takes to learn how to coach bigs. There's plenty of tape to watch, breakdown and then teach what player X did to successfully execute their moves.

But possibly equally as important is to recruit bigs who have the aptitude. UConn has always struggled to recruit bigs who already have a semblance of a post game. We tend to get project or raw bigs, albeit many who have above average defensive games. It definitely helps when you recruit a Big who is around or above 7 feet tall with long arms. I'm selling some of our Bigs short here...no pun intended...since the staff has been very good at recruiting bigs who seem to come in with good shot blocking instincts. Emeka wasn't big but had the best shot blocking instincts at the college level I've ever seen. Maybe it's hard to find a big who has both the defensive physical and instinctual attributes along with the offensive ones. I just think part of the problem as far as UConn not having many good post bigs is the ones that have that type of game coming in end up at the UKs, KUs, Dooks, etc. And these types of Bigs don't tend to stick around for more than a season or two. While UConn tends to attract the long raw shot blocking Bigs who see UConn as a program that can develop them into a defensive force and viable NBA 1st round pick.

My conclusion is it is a combination of the program not doing a good job on having at least one staff member who either came in with or could learn to teach Bigs at least one effective post move, and not recruiting the type of Bigs who have the aptitude, physical capabilites and/or work ethic to develop at least one effective post move. I'd love to see the program prove me wrong on one or both factors.

UConn rarely lands physically mature bigs. It definitely helps if the player is stronger than most of the post defenders to be able to not only overpower them but to aid the effectiveness of their learned post moves. Drumond could have changed this pattern if he had stayed for more than a year. Enoch seems like a big physical player, but not sure he has or will develop the BBIQ, but he certainly has the physical attributes for some coach to mold into an effective offensive post player.

Not that someone would suggest this, but citing our style of play a reason why we don't develop bigs with post moves, is an excuse. Anyone who follows this game, knows that you need to execute a balanced half-court attach to win in the post season. To not develop this in your bigs just makes the margin of error to win that much harder. I know we won 3 of our 4 NCs without having offensive skilled bigs. IMO, the Emeka team was the only one that had a semblance of such. Another excuse is the way the game has developed. Granted, the way the game is defended now has evolved and bigs, especially at the NBA level, don't seem to get the inside touches and one-on-one defenses that took place in the past, but, there are always bigs who are tough to stop once they get the ball deep in the post who have a combination of size, strength and skill.

So what do others thing about this. Again, this is not to bash our program, but to support or debunk my thoughts on this, and to propose what could be done to change this pattern.

Missed you dog! Welcome back.

 

[lange10]

Both Miller and Enoch did this when given the opportunity last year. The problem wasn't a lack of post moves; it was an inability to throw early, accurate entry passes. Nobody on the team - including Hamilton, who's got legitimately great vision and timing - looked like they understood how to throw one without making a huge production of it.

I still think one of the best things KO could do this summer is get AJ in to run a "How to throw a post entry" clinic. He's the best we've ever had at it, and we really do need to get better.

It's because our guards are so deliberate with the entry pass. I don't mean to sound like a know it all but you can't just stare down the big from the wing waiting and waiting. Reverse the ball, fake high go low or vice versa. Stagnant offense makes entry passes seem nearly impossible.

 

[Hoophound]

Every player wants to score points. They should be developing post moves on their own. Coaches take too much heat on this.

 

[intlzncster]

Comes down to lack of raw materials imo. Leaving aside Emeka, a one off really, which bigs coming in had true offensive potential? I can't think of many in the last fifteen years. Jeff improved, as did Hilton. Charlie came in with some, but played perimeter where the effect was muted. He then also left early. Gavin developed some. But most others had no shot(pun) no matter where they would have played college ball.

UCONN is guard/wing U. That's who is featured.

Enoch looks like he has some ability there, so we'll see how that plans out.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Both Miller and Enoch did this when given the opportunity last year. The problem wasn't a lack of post moves; it was an inability to throw early, accurate entry passes. Nobody on the team - including Hamilton, who's got legitimately great vision and timing - looked like they understood how to throw one without making a huge production of it.

I still think one of the best things KO could do this summer is get AJ in to run a "How to throw a post entry" clinic. He's the best we've ever had at it, and we really do need to get better.

Totally agree about the entry pass and AJ's skill at it. Bazz got to be good at it as best I recall, but no one else comes to mind post AJ, as yet. Jalen and Alterique will be able to break down the defense off the dribble and open things up like Kemba to some extent. Last year no one seemed to have the confidence to get the ball in there. I guess that our guys were a little too easy to defend on the perimeter, making getting off a timing pass much harder. AJ seemed to time his movements to get the defender where he wanted him at the right time to hit the interior player.

 

[Tenspro2002]

It's a chicken and egg problem. Are we unable to recruit polished offensive bigs because our offense doesn't feature them? Or does our offense not feature bigs because we don't have the polished players to run it with?

Also, I disagree somewhat that we never were able to recruit or develop bigs with post moves.

Okafor, Villanueva, Armstrong to an extent, Thabeet by his junior year, were all legitimate offensive weapons. In contrast, the development of Nolan, Facey, and Brimah has simply not been up to par.

Some of it is the "clay" our coaching staff had to work with is not as high quality (which is abating as recruiting improves), but some of it has to fall on the coaching staff. I think many of us thought Brimah came in with more offensive potential than Thabeet, and yet after 3 years he's less developed than Thabeet was after 2.

 

[intlzncster]

Some of it is the "clay" our coaching staff had to work with is not as high quality (which is abating as recruiting improves), but some of it has to fall on the coaching staff. I think many of us thought Brimah came in with more offensive potential than Thabeet, and yet after 3 years he's less developed than Thabeet was after 2.

You're not wrong, but that says more about our collective estimation of kids' potential than it does about the coaching. The Yard's prognosticative ability has been shown to be decidedly lacking again, and again, and again, and again.

I think time has shown that Amida has very little 'feel' for the game, at full speed, aside shot blocking anticipation. Thabeet developed some, Amida did not. I don't think it's due to a lack of coaching that Amida is where he is right now.

 

[Matrim55]

I think time has shown that Amida has very little 'feel' for the game, at full speed, aside shot blocking anticipation. Thabeet developed some, Amida did not. I don't think it's due to a lack of coaching that Amida is where he is right now.

Amida's one of the best rim-runners in the nation, and an 80% foul shooter. I think you're being a little bit unfair.

Also: Rim-running is a much more viable/valuable NBA skill than it is in college, simply because the spacing and passing is better.

Amida also started setting really good picks by about the middle of last year. He had no idea how to screen when he first got to Storrs.

 

[CTBasketball]

This is a good thread, thank you.

I would say Emeka, by far, had the best low-post game. Shonn was good, but not great. His game depended on getting the defender in the air and making an awkward, but open shot.

Charlie Vills had a good back to the basket game. He used it sparingly his freshman year, but his sophomore year he had some good moves. I don't think he would have stayed in the NBA this long without a solid low-post game.

Gavin Edwards, in my opinion, had a few good post moves. He could score down low with them. Hilton Armstrong was the same way.

Fast forward to 2010 - present, Oriakhi kind of used his size and an awkward set of moves to score down low. I would say for every nice move he utilized, he threw up an absolute out of control brick. He was solid though. Drummond's were not seen extensively (didn't really have them).

Other than that you could say DeAndre's 10-15 foot game was very good, Brimah's game has been atrocious, and Enoch is developing but looks exciting. At least he looks natural when he grabs the ball down low. Brimah you sort of cringe and hope he kicks it out.

With that being said, is it safe to say Enosch Wolf had the best true low-post moves since 2010?

 

[DogMania]

Missed you dog! Welcome back.

I've been around replying on some posts, but rarely starting new ones. Went through a divorce and the past few month getting my house ready for sale. Finishing up the last few project this weekend and hope to get it on the market this coming week.

I figured I'd drop a post like this since it is something I've wondered about for some time. Funny how you see lots of wing and guards come and go and show a lot of skill, some that translate to the NBA. But when it comes to Bigs, few come in with a post game and few leave with such.

I've come to the conclusion it's probably the toughest set of skills to learn in all of basketball. And with the NBA becoming more and more a perimeter skills league (meaning 3 pt shooting, driving to the basket and finishing at the rim or midrange) and less and less a big man's game, other than getting rim protectors who can step out and shoot the 3 or at least knock down Js with regularity, the post up game is becoming a thing of the past.

What I find interesting is UConn tends to still want our bigs close to the basket, but it's usually to offensive rebound, catch the ally-oop, and wishfully catch and score close to the basket. You just don't see too many of our bigs, other than some converted stretch-4s like Scoe and Daniels, stepping out and taking 3s. Shonn Miller actually had a pretty good jumpshoot and even hit a few 3s, but our offense had him predominantly close to the basket.

I believe a big who has a some moves and can execute them quickly can still dominate in the college game. You just don't see it that often. I guess one thing I'd like to see at UConn is KO recruiting more physically strong bigs, like Enoch. We played teams that had some success overpowering our bigs inside. If they let them catch it deep, our bigs struggled to stop them w/out fouling. I'd like to see us do that to our opponents. It will be interesting to see if KO can recruit some physical bigs that know how to finish, post moves or not.

 

[DogMania]

Comes down to lack of raw materials imo. Leaving aside Emeka, a one off really, which bigs coming in had true offensive potential? I can't think of many in the last fifteen years. Jeff improved, as did Hilton. Charlie came in with some, but played perimeter where the effect was muted. He then also left early. Gavin developed some. But most others had no shot(pun) no matter where they would have played college ball.

UCONN is guard/wing U. That's who is featured.

Enoch looks like he has some ability there, so we'll see how that plans out.

I pretty much forgot about Gavin. He was one that did have a move or two, and because of it, he was able to score even though he was not a big physical player. But as for Jeff, Hilton and Charlie, I don't recall them have any creative post moves. Jeff was strong and athletic and overpowered or out-quicked defenders. Hilton was very athletic and developed a nice little up-and-under move. Hum...for years the term up-and-under has bothered me. Because it's really under-and-up. Anyhow, he made some really nice athletic moves where he dribbled under the basket and laid it up on the other side, but other than that, I wouldn't say he had much of a post game. And Charlie didn't seem to like to mix it up down low. He wanted to stay out in the perimeter most of the time. It wasn't until he went to the NBA that he developed a more diverse game.

Now maybe, I'm mis-remembering. Do others think those players had much of a post game. What I consider a post game is the ability to score most of the time when receiving the ball in the post with their back to the basket. Catching the ball and using a combination of moves that differ over the course of the game, such as a drop step, power dribble, spin left or right, up-fake, or catch and explode right away. Some players are really good at mixing it up and being effective. Others, well, you just pray that they get the shot somewhere near the rim.

 

[DogMania]

This is a good thread, thank you.

I would say Emeka, by far, had the best low-post game. Shonn was good, but not great. His game depended on getting the defender in the air and making an awkward, but open shot.

Charlie Vills had a good back to the basket game. He used it sparingly his freshman year, but his sophomore year he had some good moves. I don't think he would have stayed in the NBA this long without a solid low-post game.

Gavin Edwards, in my opinion, had a few good post moves. He could score down low with them. Hilton Armstrong was the same way.

Fast forward to 2010 - present, Oriakhi kind of used his size and an awkward set of moves to score down low. I would say for every nice move he utilized, he threw up an absolute out of control brick. He was solid though. Drummond's were not seen extensively (didn't really have them).

Other than that you could say DeAndre's 10-15 foot game was very good, Brimah's game has been atrocious, and Enoch is developing but looks exciting. At least he looks natural when he grabs the ball down low. Brimah you sort of cringe and hope he kicks it out.

With that being said, is it safe to say Enosch Wolf had the best true low-post moves since 2010?

I don't mean to be a wiseguy, but are you being serious about Enosch Wolf? As for the others, like I replied to another similar post, I wouldn't consider any of those players have a back-to-the-basket mature post up game. Though Gavin surprised me and had a clever move or two that helped him score inside even though he was not much of an overpowering presence.

I'd like to provide some examples of college players that did, but I'm hard pressed to name any. Jared Sullinger is one that had some advanced post skills in college. It helped that his Dad was a HS coach. As for a pro I always point to Kevin McKale who would fake players out of their jocks on a regular basis. I could rattle off a string of NBA bigs over the past 20 years, but those bigs seem to become more rare each year. Seems all the bigs want to be stretch 4s and 5s. Granted the game is evolving, but IMO, having a big who can catch the ball in the post with his back to the basket and score when called upon will help you win more games than you might without such a player. Not all games, your perimeter guys are on, and it's nice to get some high percentage hoops, but just as important the threat of scoring inside helps get the other teams bigs in foul trouble, especially the rim-projectors you want to get out of the game.

 

[Doheny]

Through the years, outstanding post players have been exceptional athletes who happened to be very tall. The question of this thread seems to be how hard is it to take a guy who is very tall and teach him to be an exceptional athlete. The "big man coach" we need is one who can do that.

 

[BUConn10]

This is a good thread, thank you.

I would say Emeka, by far, had the best low-post game. Shonn was good, but not great. His game depended on getting the defender in the air and making an awkward, but open shot.

Charlie Vills had a good back to the basket game. He used it sparingly his freshman year, but his sophomore year he had some good moves. I don't think he would have stayed in the NBA this long without a solid low-post game.

Gavin Edwards, in my opinion, had a few good post moves. He could score down low with them. Hilton Armstrong was the same way.

Fast forward to 2010 - present, Oriakhi kind of used his size and an awkward set of moves to score down low. I would say for every nice move he utilized, he threw up an absolute out of control brick. He was solid though. Drummond's were not seen extensively (didn't really have them).

Other than that you could say DeAndre's 10-15 foot game was very good, Brimah's game has been atrocious, and Enoch is developing but looks exciting. At least he looks natural when he grabs the ball down low. Brimah you sort of cringe and hope he kicks it out.

With that being said, is it safe to say Enosch Wolf had the best true low-post moves since 2010?

Deandre Daniels during the 2014 NCAA tournament was an absolute shock. It was like he flipped a switch on and proceeded to put on some of the most advanced post fade always I have ever seen at the college level. Against ISU and MSU the kid looked like Dirk with that fadeaway.

 

[mauconnfan]

Once again no big mans coach required, just better players in the middle who come equipped with the ability to learn and the understanding of the game. It's really pretty simple.

 

[Thirty Three]

Now maybe, I'm mis-remembering. Do others think those players had much of a post game. What I consider a post game is the ability to score most of the time when receiving the ball in the post with their back to the basket. Catching the ball and using a combination of moves that differ over the course of the game, such as a drop step, power dribble, spin left or right, up-fake, or catch and explode right away. Some players are really good at mixing it up and being effective. Others, well, you just pray that they get the shot somewhere near the rim.

It surprises me a bit that people seem to forget how good CV was in the paint his sophomore year. He had a jump hook, drop step, up and under, etc. I was covering the team then (as you know) and JC was really pushing Charlie to use his height and ability to score in the paint. Charlie wasn't too inthusiastic about it at first. I wrote an article about his low post game evolving and he wasn't real excited about it! In his mind he was a small forward (although he seemed to warm up to post play as he realized how effective he could be).

One of the reasons Emeka and Charlie were so good in the post, and one of the reasons Hilton improved so much, was how much work they put in after practice. The coaches can only work with the team so many hours a week. It's up to the players to want to improve and put in the extra work on their own.

They also had a bit of a secret weapon helping them. One person helped CV, Emeka, Charlie, Josh, and Hilton really improve their post game outside of practice and they all gave him a ton of credit. That person was graduate assistant Justin Evanovich. I was pretty close to the situation and wrote an article about it back then. Calhoun, Blaney, Dee Rowe, etc. all sang Justin's praises for his ability to work with the bigs and help them develop. Take what I'm saying with a bit of a grain of salt, I don't think he was some savior, or unbelievable coach, but he was good at helping the bigs offensively, they all liked him and enjoyed working with him, and they improved their post games quite a bit (particularly CV and Emeka).

Charle in the paint...

 

[Dogbreath2U]

It surprises me a bit that people seem to forget how good CV was in the paint his sophomore year. He had a jump hook, drop step, up and under, etc. I was covering the team then (as you know) and JC was really pushing Charlie to use his height and ability to score in the paint. Charlie wasn't too inthusiastic about it at first. I wrote an article about his low post game evolving and he wasn't real excited about it! In his mind he was a small forward (although he seemed to warm up to post play as he realized how effective he could be).

One of the reasons Emeka and Charlie were so good in the post, and one of the reasons Hilton improved so much, was how much work they put in after practice. The coaches can only work with the team so many hours a week. It's up to the players to want to improve and put in the extra work on their own.

They also had a bit of a secret weapon helping them. One person helped CV, Emeka, Charlie, Josh, and Hilton really improve their post game outside of practice and they all gave him a ton of credit. That person was graduate assistant Justin Evanovich. I was pretty close to the situation and wrote an article about it back then. Calhoun, Blaney, Dee Rowe, etc. all sang Justin's praises for his ability to work with the bigs and help them develop. Take what I'm saying with a bit of a grain of salt, I don't think he was some savior, or unbelievable coach, but he was good at helping the bigs offensively, they all liked him and enjoyed working with him, and they improved their post games quite a bit (particularly CV and Emeka).

Charle in the paint...

I would say that Donyell and Charlie were the most offensively skilled bigs we have had in the Calhoun/Ollie era. CV was a great passer as well. He was really, really good in the second semester of his sophomore year and that was when he seemed to finally buy in more to being more of an inside-out player. His passing was contagious with the bigs on that team. I still don't really think of Donyell as an inside-type big, but he did mix it up inside, but not really a back to the basket game. Charlie could make the little jumphooks with either hand.

 

[DogMania]

It surprises me a bit that people seem to forget how good CV was in the paint his sophomore year. He had a jump hook, drop step, up and under, etc. I was covering the team then (as you know) and JC was really pushing Charlie to use his height and ability to score in the paint. Charlie wasn't too inthusiastic about it at first. I wrote an article about his low post game evolving and he wasn't real excited about it! In his mind he was a small forward (although he seemed to warm up to post play as he realized how effective he could be).

One of the reasons Emeka and Charlie were so good in the post, and one of the reasons Hilton improved so much, was how much work they put in after practice. The coaches can only work with the team so many hours a week. It's up to the players to want to improve and put in the extra work on their own.

They also had a bit of a secret weapon helping them. One person helped CV, Emeka, Charlie, Josh, and Hilton really improve their post game outside of practice and they all gave him a ton of credit. That person was graduate assistant Justin Evanovich. I was pretty close to the situation and wrote an article about it back then. Calhoun, Blaney, Dee Rowe, etc. all sang Justin's praises for his ability to work with the bigs and help them develop. Take what I'm saying with a bit of a grain of salt, I don't think he was some savior, or unbelievable coach, but he was good at helping the bigs offensively, they all liked him and enjoyed working with him, and they improved their post games quite a bit (particularly CV and Emeka).

Charle in the paint...

Great mix, 33. I apparently forgot how good CV was back in the day when he was at UConn. It was too bad that he only stayed two years. It reminded me how good a passer he was out of the post. Was hands down the best passing big we've ever had.