jfuchs91's Starting Lineup
Name (Height - UConn career season highs)
Ben Gordon (6’3” - 19.5 PPG, 4.7 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.4 SPG 43% 3PT)
Ray Allen (6’5” - 23.4 PPG, 3.3 APG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 47% 3PT)
Scott Burrell (6’7” - 16.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 3.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 40% 3PT)
Charlie Villanueva (6’11” - 13.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.3 APG 39% career 3PT)
Amida Brimah (7’ - 9.1 PPG, 3.5 BPG, 67.4% FG, highest single season and career FG% in UConn history)
As the game of basketball has evolved, two factors have become increasingly important to winning games: spacing the floor on offense and protecting the rim on defense. My team possesses some of the best shooters in UConn history (and Ray Allen, the best shooter in basketball history) and elite rim protection. This lineup is full of versatile athletes, and has NBA size (and all players played at least 8 NBA seasons - including three top-7 picks, showing they were truly elite basketball players - Brimah excluded, but the NBA is in his future as well).
OFFENSE
As UConn fans, we understand the importance of guard play in college ball, and no other team can match my tandem of guards. Gordon and Allen are two of the most explosive scorers to ever don a UConn jersey. While neither is a true "lead" guard, both Gordon and Allen can handle playmaking duties as combo guards. Gordon averaged over 4 APG in his UConn career, and Allen was so much more than a shooter in his younger days. Both guys were very good slashers and could make plays off the bounce. Additionally, both Gordon and Allen are end-of-shotclock guys, where they can bail you out by creating their own shot. My backcourt has two of the best scorers (and overall players) in UConn history, and they set the table for the rest of the team.
What sets my offense apart from others is the unbelievable shooters and spacing. I have four legitimate 3-point threats, including some of the best ever at UConn. Ray Allen is arguably the best shooter in basketball history, Ben Gordon shot 42% from three on 5.5 attempts per game in his career, Villanueva at the PF spot shot 39% in his career at UConn and is one of the most prolific big man shooters in the NBA right now, and Scotty Burrell shot 36% at UConn, 37% from 3 in 8 seasons in the NBA, and even participated in an NBA 3-Point contest. My team is loaded with lethal shooters at four positions. Look at what Golden State was able to do in the NBA with their plethora of knockdown shooters. My team mimics that spacing, and has some of the best shot-makers in UConn history (Gordon and Allen are my Husky Splash Bros). And while Brimah won’t be relied upon to create his own offense, his 66.2% FG% is the highest in UConn history. With all the spacing on the offensive end, Brimah can easily finish lobs and dunk dump-off passes. This team will be an efficient machine on the offensive end.
DEEFNSE
All UConn championship teams excel on the defensive end, and my team is a strong defensive unit. People ballyhoo about Brimah, but he’s an elite shot-blocker. We’ve been the top shot-blocking program over the years, and Brimah is a top 3 shotblocker of all the players we’ve had. He can’t rebound, but alters and blocks so many shots around the rim, and deters others from even driving into the lane. In that sense, he’s a true defensive anchor. Brimah’s rebounding deficiencies are made up for by the fact that I have three other players who averaged over 6 RPG in their UConn careers. Charlie V averaged 8.3 RPG, Burrell pulled down 7.5 RPG, and even Ray Ray grabbed 6.8 RPG in his sophomore campaign (he averaged 6 RPG over his 3 years). Brimah will be free to alter every shot, and the team won’t need to worry about rebounding. It's also worth noting that outside of Donyell, Charlie V is the best non-center shotblocker UConn has had (1.7 BPG career), and Burrell chipped in more than a block per game as well. My team defends the paint and rim as well as anyone.
My team is extremely athletic, further shown by all eligible players playing at least eight seasons in the NBA (all first round picks, including 3 of the 6 highest drafted Huskies of All-Time). Not only did my players dominate at UConn, their games all translated into long NBA careers. My team has height, length, mobility, and shot-blocking down low, combined with size and athleticism on the perimeter. Burrell is the best all-around athlete in UConn history and can use his physical tools to act as a true lockdown defender. He averaged as many as 3.6 SPG and 1.3 BPG in his career, and was a terror on the fast break. He could create turnovers and turn them into easy transition points. While Brimah anchors my defense at the rim, Burrell wreaks havoc on the wing. Allen and Gordon were also good perimeter defenders, combining their good size and athleticism with quick hands (as evidenced by their lofty steal totals).
SUMMARY
No team in this field is as versatile, athletic, or skilled offensively as the roster I put together. My team will be an offensive juggernaut with elite spacing and shooting, led by two of our most explosive scorers ever. My defense boasts excellent athleticism and length, and protects the rim at an elite level while also forcing a ton of turnovers. I can win in an up-tempo game, and also in the half court.
And, on top of all of that, if the game is close at the end, my team will come through in the clutch. Need a perfect last second inbounds pass? Scotty Burrell is your man. Need a guard to create his own shot in a clutch situation? Ray Ray and Madison Square Gordon have it covered. Or maybe you need someone to clean up a miss and get a clutch putback? Brimah gives you that and a sweet karate chop. My players are just simply winners; all have won a championship either at the NCAA or NBA level. An All-Time Husky Draft championship is next.
