John Rothstein on UConn

[whaler11]

Interesting. Who the hell is Jon Rothstein?

He fixed the 1919 World Series.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Possibly DeAndre Daniels father???

Perhaps, Jim Calhoun?

 

[selles]

He's seeing pretty much the same things I've been seeing.

There's really a huge problem with the bigs this year (no pun intended). We all knew that, but seeing it is discouraging. I've grown used to offensive players struggling to finish near the hoop against UConn; this season UConn is going to be giving up low post offense in waves. That's why Wolf is getting starting pub, he's the only player on the team who can be a threat to stop an opposing low post game. If we play Olander at center, he'll be in continual foul trouble. Let's hope Nolan develops quickly.

Wait, have you been watching practices? If so, give us whatever you can. We're thirsting for any info at all right now.

I'm higher on Wolf than most, I think he's decently athletic for his size and could be ok with regular playing time.

But there will be overall post issues no matter what, and I think our counter will be an attempt at the first significant return to running and pressing in a long time. Come at them in waves and hope for the best.

 

[Husky68]

If the bigs can catch the ball, pass and look to get position on rebounds they will be as effective as last years bigs.

 

[champs99and04]

Maybe Jon Rothstein isn't the most credible college basketball analyst out there, but man, it's nice to hear from positive feedback for once instead of the usual douchery from the *ks at CBS.

You obviously don't want to draw any broad conclusions from vague, indecisive tweets like these, but if Deandre Daniels is in fact the best pro prospect on this team, there is no better year for him to prove just that. I recall a lot of people glowing about Daniels last year (some went as far to call him the best offensive small forward in the class), but he looked like a deer in the headlights most of the time he was on the court. Some guys have all the tools, but for whatever reason, it does not translate to games. I fear Daniels could be one of those guys, but if he does live up to expectations, that bodes extremely well for this years team, because that would mean we've got four guys (Daniels/Napier/Boatright/Calhoun) capable of putting up 15 a night.

There's no dancing around the fact that this is going to be one of the worst front courts in the Big East, but I think Olander is going to be a solid player. He'll be one of those Gavin Edwards type players UConn always has who provides a moderate offensive threat and doesn't kill you when he's out there. Basically, he'll be what he was last season, except a little bit more polished and a little stronger. Olander's the only big man I'm comfortable in at this point.

On the negative side, if Wolf is in fact going to play 20-25 minutes a night, I don't think you can chalk that up to anything other than bad news assuming he's not 250% better than he was last year. I like Wolf, but I just haven't seen anything that would make me believe he can contribute on a competitive Big East team. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Regarding Nolan, he might be the perfect fit for the run and gun style Ollie hopes to implement. Of course you worry about him getting bullied in the paint, but from all indications, he can run, jump, and defend a little bit.

I haven't been this unclear about a UConn team heading into the season in quite some time. It wouldn't shock me if this team hovered around the top 25 all season, and it wouldn't shock me if they were one of the four worst teams in the Big East. It all depends on whether we can have a competent front court and a well above average back court.

 

[mauconnfan]

Funny with all the stuff on Wolfie and the negative thoughts........if he gets 20-25 minutes a game I promise his numbers will be better than a guy who played C/PF for us last year with similar time on the court....PROMISE......by mistake hey will be better, his defense will be better only because he's bigger although he will play harder. And he can make a foul line jumper and pass the ball..........hate to tell all of you naysayers but he's an improvement on the departed one already!!

 

[Waquoit]

Wolf has some ability. I still remember that under control up and under bucket he made two years ago while on the move. Some other big guys would have hit the bottom of the rim. And I don't know if he got a fair shake. I thought JC showed him up unnecessarily last year at the XL Center during a rough stretch. The guy was hustling, why humiliate him for the cheap laugh? I'm hoping he can take advantage of the fresh start and surprise a few folks.

 

[RayRay19]

Best Part...Terrance Samuel keeping track and tweeting back...i like seeing stuff like that...

But i do believe DD is very underrated going into this year...He has worked his butt off this summer. He just needs to get more mentally tough. Watch out for him.

Boat is a great passer also which will help out the bigs. I remember last year some of the passes boat would zip to AO who would never be able to catch them. Boats assists will go way up this year. I can't wait to see the suffocating Defense. It's great watching the other team worry about trying to even get the ball up to half court.

 

[RayRay19]

Here is a summary of his observations...

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/10/16/rothstein-files-five-observations-from-uconn/

 

[gibhunter]

Olander is better than Edwards. He is very underrated. I felt that UConn was better last year with him on the floor instead of Oriakhi. He's only going to get better this year when he's the man up front.

 

[ctchamps]

Olander is better than Edwards. He is very underrated. I felt that UConn was better last year with him on the floor instead of Oriakhi. He's only going to get better this year when he's the man up front.

There were two Tylers last season. The person who started the season and showed his potential, and the player he became after his brother schooled him. Somehow all the sibling rivalry growing up did not do much for his confidence when he was outplayed by the guy he most wanted to outplay and prove his offer by UConn was valid. I don't believe he ever recovered from the Fairfield game last season.

I'm hoping this season, with a new coach and approach to the game, he regains the confidence he showed at the beginning of last season.

 

[mauconnfan]

Olander is better than Edwards. He is very underrated. I felt that UConn was better last year with him on the floor instead of Oriakhi. He's only going to get better this year when he's the man up front.

I hope Tyler is but he's not as good as Gavin was his Sr year now.......wish he was and I know he can be.........very similar players but Gavin's footwork was a lot better and he blocked more shots.........Tyler may be a better shooter and is a very good passer from the post...........want and need him to have a good year!!!

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Gavin seemed to be quicker and got up and down the floor better, but Tyler is a better shooter and could be a better all-around offensive player if he can stay confident. He was playing very well until getting the short end in the match against his brother, after which he seemed to never quite recover.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Wait, have you been watching practices? If so, give us whatever you can. We're thirsting for any info at all right now.

I'm higher on Wolf than most, I think he's decently athletic for his size and could be ok with regular playing time.

But there will be overall post issues no matter what, and I think our counter will be an attempt at the first significant return to running and pressing in a long time. Come at them in waves and hope for the best.

I watched several workouts over the summer and a couple in September (I own a house within walking distance of campus). I'd love to give you detailed breakdowns, but I only saw enough to draw only the most general of conclusions.

The guards dominated the forwards and bigs from what I saw, and not just on the perimeter. Only Olander and Daniels looked like they instilled any fear on the mites at all. Omar Calhoun and Ryan Boatright are the two best players on the team. Granted, I didn't see Napier or Tolksdorf at all, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He's seeing pretty much the same things I've been seeing.

There's really a huge problem with the bigs this year (no pun intended). We all knew that, but seeing it is discouraging. I've grown used to offensive players struggling to finish near the hoop against UConn; this season UConn is going to be giving up low post offense in waves. That's why Wolf is getting starting pub, he's the only player on the team who can be a threat to stop an opposing low post game. If we play Olander at center, he'll be in continual foul trouble. Let's hope Nolan develops quickly.

Yes, start or not, Wolf will need to play. On DD, I think his offense will be there, but can he buy into an intense defense first system? Not sure. I hope so. I agree DD has easily the highest upside (I don't even see how it is really debatable). Giffey will be key. We need him hitting from outside and playing with confidence. Tyler is a good passer, so I really hope we can exploit that a bit more. Rebounding and defense in the paint are my main concerns. We will need to run to overcome them.