Isaiah Whitehead with some unkind words towards T Samuel

[bear]

If the kid dishes out 10 assists per game and averages 4 points, I'm alright with that.

As a UCONN fan, I've almost forgotten what it's like to have a pass-first point guard.

 

[Tenspro2002]

As a UCONN fan, I've almost forgotten what it's like to have a pass-first point guard.

The last 4 years we've gotten very little out of our wings and post players and we haven't compensated for it with any creativity in offensive sets. We've needed do-it-yourself point guards and, fortunately, we've had some pretty good ones in Kemba, Bazz, and Boat.

 

[CTBasketball]

As a UCONN fan, I've almost forgotten what it's like to have a pass-first point guard.

Marcus Williams kinda was. He averaged around 8 assists a game his junior year. Before that it was Taliek.

 

[upstater]

This kid sounds like a Donnell Beverly, with upside maybe as high as Craig Austrie.

Either way, he's a nice 4th guard, but if he's being counted on for major minutes at PG in 2014 (or, God-forbid, next year), then we're in big trouble and Ollie will have failed spectacularly as a recruiter.

Have you seen him play? The kid is a very good athlete. Much more than Beverly and Austrie. For heaven's sake, watch video! And "Ollie will have failed spectacularly" as a recruiter? Why? In case you didn't notice, Ollie got a contract a week ago. If, as you say, he needs to rely on Samuel next year because Bazz and/or Boatright leave, you're going to call that a spectacular failure?

 

[buckley503]

"we're in big trouble and Ollie will have failed spectacularly as a recruiter."

people starting early for the mushroom cap comment of the year comment, i see!!

 

[Tenspro2002]

"we're in big trouble and Ollie will have failed spectacularly as a recruiter."

people starting early for the mushroom cap comment of the year comment, i see!!

Thank you for relaying that quote entirely in context so its meaning could be fully appreciated.

My point is simply that if we're counting on Samuel to be the guy at the point guard position, after Bazz and Boat have moved on, we will have taken a major step backward.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

This kid sounds like a Donnell Beverly, with upside maybe as high as Craig Austrie.

Either way, he's a nice 4th guard, but if he's being counted on for major minutes at PG in 2014 (or, God-forbid, next year), then we're in big trouble and Ollie will have failed spectacularly as a recruiter.

This can't be a sincere comment. This is trolling.

 

[caw]

Have you seen him play? The kid is a very good athlete. Much more than Beverly and Austrie. For heaven's sake, watch video! And "Ollie will have failed spectacularly" as a recruiter? Why? In case you didn't notice, Ollie got a contract a week ago. If, as you say, he needs to rely on Samuel next year because Bazz and/or Boatright leave, you're going to call that a spectacular failure?

Yep, he is a much better athlete than Austrie and is smoother than Beverly (Beverly was an underrated athlete in some aspects). I don't know if he will produce better than either though. I've said before, he has a tendency not to play up to his potential by deferring too much from what I have seen. He can be downright Giffey-like in deferring.

I think that it shouldn't be expected that Samuel do anything more than Evans is doing this year (with a little more athletic ability and a little less senior leadership).

 

[CTBasketball]

Samuel is a player. He might not score 20 a game, but he can really run a game. Trust me.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Samuel is a player. He might not score 20 a game, but he can really run a game. Trust me.

I hope you're right. Unless we land a stud at PG or elsewhere in the 2014 class, we'll be counting on him to be the next great UConn point guard. That's a tall order. Here's what I mean:

- If we don't get a stud wing or big man, we'll continue to be a PG-oriented offense, where we're counting on our ballhandlers to do the vast majority of the scoring, a la Kemba, Bazz, Boat; Samuel can't be that guy

- If we do get some stud wings or big men, we can run a more balanced offense, with the PG as a distributor, a la Ricky or Taliek; Samuel might be able to fulfill this role

Who knows, maybe OC or DD can blossom into that scoring wing role in a few years and take pressure off the point guard to do everything. My point is simply that Samuel is inadequate for the scoring-point-guard role that our offense has adopted the last 3-4 years, and unless we score some major recruiting victories at other positions or bring in a stud PG to play alongside Samuel, we're going to have problems.

 

[caw]

I hope you're right. Unless we land a stud at PG or elsewhere in the 2014 class, we'll be counting on him to be the next great UConn point guard. That's a tall order. Here's what I mean:

- If we don't get a stud wing or big man, we'll continue to be a PG-oriented offense, where we're counting on our ballhandlers to do the vast majority of the scoring, a la Kemba, Bazz, Boat; Samuel can't be that guy

- If we do get some stud wings or big men, we can run a more balanced offense, with the PG as a distributor, a la Ricky or Taliek; Samuel might be able to fulfill this role

Who knows, maybe OC or DD can blossom into that scoring wing role in a few years and take pressure off the point guard to do everything. My point is simply that Samuel is inadequate for the scoring-point-guard role that our offense has adopted the last 3-4 years, and unless we score some major recruiting victories at other positions or bring in a stud PG to play alongside Samuel, we're going to have problems.

I'd say DD is progressing nicely.

 

[msgordon]

Marcus Williams kinda was.

i assume this is tongue-in-cheek, but can never be sure on the internet

 

[dante]

now that's the definition of a " player hater"

 

[UConn990411]

This kid sounds like a Donnell Beverly, with upside maybe as high as Craig Austrie.

Not making any predictions about how good he'll be, but he's a significantly better athlete than both the guys you mentioned. And his playing style is almost the polar opposite of Austrie.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

i assume this is tongue-in-cheek, but can never be sure on the internet

I actually don't think it was.

 

[TheChamps990411]

hes a kid. nothing to see here folks

 

[Danzz]

How many assists did Samuel have?

He didn't play much, foul trouble.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

This kid sounds like a Donnell Beverly, with upside maybe as high as Craig Austrie.

Either way, he's a nice 4th guard, but if he's being counted on for major minutes at PG in 2014 (or, God-forbid, next year), then we're in big trouble and Ollie will have failed spectacularly as a recruiter.

Not the most well thought out comment. Having a bad day?

 

[DogMania]

I've heard from someone who has an eye for talent who has seen Samuel play more than once describe him as a reach for UConn. With that said you have to be careful not to draw a conclusion one way or the other after watching a recruit play one or two games.

There may be a valid reason why he was just a 3-star recruit before he committed to UConn. I hope he has a lot of upside and untapped talent, but scoring just one point in a rivalry game where his team needed him to score is not a good sign.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Not the most well thought out comment. Having a bad day?

Eh, not one of my finer. But I don't think the idea behind it was terribly out of touch with the other Samuel skeptics in this thread.

 

[Gurleyman]

I've heard from someone who has an eye for talent who has seen Samuel play more than once describe him as a reach for UConn. With that said you have to be careful not to draw a conclusion one way or the other after watching a recruit play one or two games.

There may be a valid reason he was just a 3-star recruit he committed to UConn. I hope he has a lot of upside and untapped talent, but scoring just one point in a rivalry game where his team needed him to score is not a good sign.

I wouldn't worry. It's an old rule of recruiting: never make your decision on anyone based just on their best or worst night. Calhoun (or maybe an assistant - I forget the exact details of the story) went to see Rod Sellers on a night he scored zero. Still signed him.

Samuels may just turn out to be a role player, but hey - we just got three scholarships back from the Miles and APR issues and we're not big on backcourt depth at the moment. If he can take some of the ballhandling duties off Bazz and Boat for a few minutes a game next year and facilitate, he'll fill a needed role without even scoring, and if it helps KO with the NYC coaching fraternity to take in one of their guys and treat him right, all the better.

 

[mcs333]

Samuels and Facey are rated two of the top players in NYC. Whitehead rated the top junior player. NYC players have been very kind to UCONN.

 

[Dann]

right now samuel is a bit of a reach, this is true. but hes the typical uconn reach. a kid with potential and he has the things like lenght and agressiveness that u can't teach. uconn has made many of these types of players nba players longrun. he will come to uconn grow and learn and become another great story. the local/nyc angle of it is just gravy. i love me the nyc/ne kids all dam day!!!

relasitically he wont need to handle the point full time for uconn until his soph or jr year depending on boat and bazz careers. plenty of time for ko to make him into a great pg. i like him in this class a lot.

 

[selles]

Eh, not one of my finer. But I don't think the idea behind it was terribly out of touch with the other Samuel skeptics in this thread.

Which what, covers you with glory? You know what? The staff wanted him, the kid said yes, he stayed true after JC left, from his twitter he's excited as can be to be a Husky, you've never seen him play, kindly STFU. I swear, sometimes I think I've ventured onto the Providence board when I come on here.

 

[UC990411]

TS stats up until the end of the 3rd

FG: 0-0
FT: 1-2
1 pt
1 rb
2 assissts
2 steal
1 TO

Put simply, that is horrible