It is highly unlikely that reserve center Enosch Wolf will return for his senior season.

[CTBasketball]

What exactly did you see in his game that would lead you to believe this? I saw an okay center, nothing really special with a little potential. I did not see a force to be reckoned with, so to speak.

Having a big 7-footer adds another dimension to your defense and rebounding. Say what you want but he has decent hands and grabbed some tough rebounds. He gave more effort in one game than Olander did all last season. We can't place all our trust in 2 lightweight freshman.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Did everyone forget last season so quickly.
We beat Syracuse, played Georgetown even, and rebounding was actually better after the Wolf suspension.
Nolan made a big leap when given the opportunity.
He is not the second coming of Bill Russell but Wolf was no Bill Walton.
All this with our starting center playing on a stress fracture.
Two new. raw but athletic big men have been added plus our senior center should be healthier. How can we not be better?
The only possible negative is if Wolf punishment is viewed by his teamates as abandonment by their coach. That's the only serious effect. Last years team was built on more than talent the intangible of the whole is better then the sum of its parts is a fragile thing
Then again the case could be made he abandoned his team on the eve of the biggest game of the year.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[hthusky74]

LOL at the people who think a junior that averaged 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game will be the difference between UConn making versus not making a Final Four.

I definitely think Wolf could have helped this team next season, and I will certainly be disappointed if he decides not to come back. But the bigger keys to success next season will be, in no particular order: Shabazz and Omar's health, DeAndre and Boatright's development/improved consistency, Nolan becoming a viable rotational player and Facey being a consistent contributor as a freshman. All of those things are head and shoulders more important than Wolf coming back.

Wolf has quickly become the most overrated player in UConn history on this board, and that's not even an exaggeration.

He and Olander were our only centers with experience. Both of them were foul prone. Take one away, and we have a donut as Al McGuire used to say. Donuts do not win national championships.

 

[Chief00]

I think Wolf will be missed. Other than a drinking problem; he was a good guy. He represented the program much better than Tyler. Somebody had to be made an example of by Herbst to show the program changed and Wolf was collateral damage or expendable.

 

[intlzncster]

I don't understand how people can feel confident going into a season with 2 frontcourt players who've seen decent time. Nolan cannot be depended on because of a 2-3 game stretch. So you're placing your trust on two freshman frontcourt players who weigh a combined 350 pounds?

Worked out alright in 2011. Course we don't have Kemba this year...

 

[CTBasketball]

I think Wolf will be missed. Other than a drinking problem; he was a good guy. He represented the program much better than Tyler. Somebody had to be made an example of by Herbst to show the program changed and Wolf was collateral damage or expendable.

Why are you so quick to assume he has a drinking problem? Shouldn't Olander be given this tag since he was drunk and passed out on some guy's yacht?

Worked out alright in 2011. Course we don't have Kemba this year...

There will never be another Kemba. And Oriakhi/Okwandu/Smith proved to be a formidable front line.

 

[Husky1964]

If you look at the last 25 NCAA champs there is a dearth of true 5s. We won 3 times with Jake a rebounder and screener, Emeka a true rebounder and defender and Alex an undersized 5. Even the NBA is operating these days with 4s playing the 5 spot. Of course that bespeaks the fact that the game is perimeter now and only a few teams have a Chamberlain, Thurmond, Bellamy, or Shaq. true 5s.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Did everyone forget last season so quickly.
We beat Syracuse, played Georgetown even, and rebounding was actually better after the Wolf suspension.
Bradley made a big leap when given the opportunity.
He is not the second coming of Bill Russell but Wolf was no Bill Walton.
All this with our starting center playing on a stress fracture.
Two new. raw but athletic big men have been added plus our senior center should be healthier. How can we not be better?
The only possible negative is if Wolf punishment is viewed by his teamates as abandonment by their coach. That's the only serious effect. Last years team was built on more than talent the intangible of the whole is better then the sum of its parts is a fragile thing
Then again the case could be made he abandoned his team on the eve of the biggest game of the year.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

wrong tall skinny center (I assume you meant phil nolan. Bradley transferred before last year). I like the upside of guys like nolan, brimah and facey so I'm not terribly worried by Wolf not coming back. While they all don't quite have the size of wolf they are all more athletic, and KO I'm sure will make sure they all focus on rebounding and boxing out just like last year.

I don't think anyone is under the illusion that we're going to have a dominate frontcourt with or without wolf, but we'll be improved from last year especially now that we have the size to push DD to the 3 for stretches and have 2 additional bigs on the floor (albeit a bit on the skinny side).

 

[intlzncster]

There will never be another Kemba. And Oriakhi/Okwandu/Smith proved to be a formidable front line.

But Chuck sucked before that year. AO was still a mystery. And Smith's college skill level was a unknown.

 

[CTBasketball]

But Chuck sucked before that year. AO was still a mystery. And Smith's college skill level was a unknown.

AO averaged almost 7 rebounds a game as a freshman. We all knew he could bang down low, scoring was another thing. Wolf was better last year than Chuck was during his senior year.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Madness. You have to keep teams out of the paint. Wolf was effective at this.

http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/plus-minus-wolf-vs-olander.32531/#post-482225

I'm going to keep bringing this thread around. Wolf changed the way Rutgers was playing against us. We would have lost last year. To Rutgers. Without wolf.

 

[CL82]

Why are you so quick to assume he has a drinking problem? Shouldn't Olander be given this tag since he was drunk and passed out on some guy's yacht?

Where do you get that from? I haven't seen that anywhere.

 

[mauconnfan]

Anyone who wants to argue with you can't fruck off. Tell them so. They are all clowns here.

This would probably be funny if I knew what it meant.........

 

[APA]

I am not anti calhoun at all. What he did was very impressive with building a program from nothing and being a father figure to many young men. What he was for local and national charitys is extremely needed and very respected.

Wow. Drinking koolaid to excess? Father figure to many? LMAO x100

 

[Inyatkin]

Wow. Drinking koolaid to excess? Father figure to many? LMAO x100

Good point. All those ex-players who called him a father figure when he retired had me LMAO too.

 

[Brochacho]

Loss of Wolf will be a problem, but I think the 'yard is overestimating his impact on next season. I think we'll be fine.

 

[CTHUSKY74]

I was rooting for Wolf to come back after the legal issues were resolved and the suspension was lifted. I wasn't thrilled with how the school left his status. It seemed like they really didn't care whether he came back. But they are within their rights to approach things this way if this is how they intend to handle things in the future with other players. It will be interesting to see how things are handled if a high profile player gets in trouble in the future. Having said that- I don't think Wolf returning or not returning will make the difference in this team going far. Last year because we were so light in the post, and because he started to give us some good minutes, the impact of his absence was greater. This year with more resources to plug in for the post, with other players continuing to improve (e.g. Nolan), his opportunities to affect our outcomes would be diminished. I still want him to come back, but we will be better equipped this year to deal with his loss than we were last year along with the injuries we were working around. I think people are going to be surprised at how good this team will be. Whether or not we have a true 5 I predict we are going to have better rebounding, better shot blocking and defense overall and I feel we are going to have improved offense due to better opportunities on the break. If Wolf decides not to return because of better opportunities, I wish him well and thank him for the time he gave us. I think this year's additions will give us enough.

 

[intlzncster]

AO averaged almost 7 rebounds a game as a freshman. We all knew he could bang down low, scoring was another thing. Wolf was better last year than Chuck was during his senior year.

Going into that year, everybody wasn't sure if AO could bring it consistently or not. He didn't, but managed to pull together for the most part in our tournament games.

Exactly. My point was we had barely any front court going into 2011. Didn't los e a single tournament game. Again, we had Kemba...

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Nolan cannot be depended on because of a 2-3 game stretch.

The number of games last year where Wolf was a true difference maker was not that much more than that.

Seriously. 3 points and 3 rebounds per game. You need to stop with this Wolf nonsense. We were a terrible rebounding team last year even with Wolf on the floor. We beat Syracuse without Wolf. We had the Georgetown game won with Niels Giffey at center. It's not that big a deal.

 

[mauconnfan]

The number of games last year where Wolf was a true difference maker was not that much more than that.

Seriously. 3 points and 3 rebounds per game. You need to stop with this Wolf nonsense. We were a terrible rebounding team last year even with Wolf on the floor. We beat Syracuse without Wolf. We had the Georgetown game won with Niels Giffey at center. It's not that big a deal.

He hedged better, got his hands on shots, rebounds and could pass the ball......admittedly foul trouble hurt his minutes but he didn't get too many good whistles from the stripes for sure.......Nolan will be the key!!

 

[Brochacho]

Exactly. My point was we had barely any front court going into 2011. Didn't los e a single tournament game. Again, we had Kemba...

But we didn't know we had Kemba until we realized we had Kemba. Who knows, next year at this time we may be talking out Bazz, Boat, DD, etc this way.

 

[Chief00]

Wolf was our best low post defender last season and he played much tougher than Tyler.

 

[CL82]

Good point. All those ex-players who called him a father figure when he retired had me LMAO too.

Really. Why?

 

[aceboon]

Wolf was our best low post defender last season and he played much tougher than Tyler.

Niels played better post D than Tyler and actually rotated on weakside D and defended shots at the rim. same for Nolan during the stretch when the game slowed down for him. UConn basketball will somehow survive the loss of Enosch Wolf.

 

[intlzncster]

Really. Why?

Couldn't be cause they all still close to JC, hang out with him and go to him for advice. Hard to figure from this corner.

 

[Inyatkin]

Really. Why?

Sorry, forgot to hit the "sarcasm" button

 

[PRHusky]

The only reason Wolf even played at all last season was because there wasn't anyone else. He had his moments but his suspension had no impact on the team. By December nobody will even remember he still could have been a part of the team, much like Majok.

 

[BearJWS]

I personally will miss Wolf. He made himself into a productive role player last year. His importance to the team is under estimated. He would be a Senior on this team... which means he came in with Shabazz, Olander & Giffey. From what it seemed, they were all very good friends. If you don't think losing a friend is important to a team, then you don't know what it means to be a teammate. While only a role player, he did put in some solid games for UConn last year. He was a cog in the machine and fans were excited when he came into the game because he played hard & gave us a few exciting moments, much more productive than any of us were expecting. I feel his one misjudgment will define his career. He seemed to take the appropriate steps afterwards to show us his character. I'm not one to want to kick him to the curb.

While I like Phil Nolan & excited about his improvement... We need to remember, Nolan still played behind Olander & Wolf at Center... and even 6'6" Giffey played more minutes at Center last year. Phil averaged 1.4 ppg & 2.1 rpg at the end of the day. I expect Wolf kind of production this year.

 

[pj]

Wolf would have been an important piece, the physically imposing defender around the rim. Most games his absence won't matter. But in the tourney, when matchups are key, lacking that post defender could mean the difference between a Final Four trip and a loss in the Sweet Sixteen.

Maybe Facey/Brimah/Nolan will develop enough that we won't miss Wolf. But you often need two bigs and freshman bigs typically aren't ready for elite college ball. They improve a lot after a year's experience and a summer to build on it.

I think we'll be "OK" but I am really hoping for a Dream Season that will embarrass all the critics and naysayers. I'd prefer to have a 7-foot senior on the roster.

 

[scrappy2.0]

Strong words. Heard this from a few sources also..

http://www.theday.com/article/20130623/SPORT05/306239912/-1/SPORT#.UcbuPKMpDFo

End of the article. The old calhoun ways are over...

Anyone who says anything holier than tho regarding JC is an arse. JC is/was one of the best men in the state of CT history. He didn't just transform a basketball team--he transformed a state imho.

Regading Wolf--I pegged us as a top 8 program with Wolf with a very solid chance as anyone else to win it all. I kind of saw our 5 man position as a three headed monster--we would have a little tats of everything--we could bring the big guy 7-1 260 (Wolf) the energy guy(Nolan) and the kid shot blocker. To me Wolf was 1A losing 1 A and 7-1 260 pounds is a hit and knocks us back 10-15% as a team. He might not give us 20-10 but thats not his role. His role was to block the middle give us occasional 11-7 games and play as a guy who was a instrumental head of a 3 piece position important to the team. Losing him is not devastating--but it made this team not quite as good.