Jon Knows Ball

[FightOnCT]

 

[DRBackup]

Especially if you studied it beforehand and committed it all to memory.

 

[pj]

or were using a teleprompter

 

[Excalibur]

It wasn't a Juan Dixon shot. It was Steve Blake.

 

[uconnever]

It wasn't a Juan Dixon shot. It was Steve Blake.

Possibly my favorite UConn game of all time, Caron put on a show and almost single handedly carried them to a final four. What a game. Also that Arizona game earlier that year when Ben and Emeka were freshman and balled out against a well known veteran ranked Arizona team in Arizona.

 

[Waquoit]

Possibly my favorite UConn game of all time, Caron put on a show and almost single handedly carried them to a final four. What a game.

Woulda won but for the "sit-with-two-fouls" rule.

 

[El Obrero]

Jon knows ball?? The other day on ESPN (less than a week before UConn/St. John's) he said, with a straight face, that the three greatest MCBB coaches of all time are Wooden, Coach K, and, uh, Rick Pitino! I think thirty percent of the crap he says is just for hype and/or attention, really.

 

[nomar]

Woulda won but for the "sit-with-two-fouls" rule.

But JC sitting Emeka in 2004 against Duke (while Shelden Williams picked up #3) balances that out.

 

[JB75]

Possibly my favorite UConn game of all time, Caron put on a show and almost single handedly carried them to a final four. What a game. Also that Arizona game earlier that year when Ben and Emeka were freshman and balled out against a well known veteran ranked Arizona team in Arizona.

Even though he lost, I remember that emphatic one-handed dunk by caron at the end of the game

 

[Excalibur]

But JC sitting Emeka in 2004 against Duke (while Shelden Williams picked up #3) balances that out.

He's wrong about 2002, anyway. We basically played them even after Butler went out until they hit a 3 at the end of the half, and the last 4 minutes of the first half was a massive foul fest. The chance of a third on Butler was high.

 

[Nameless]

"Some people have hobbies... I watch college basketball."

Best part of the clip lmao

 

[nomar]

He's wrong about 2002, anyway. We basically played them even after Butler went out until they hit a 3 at the end of the half, and the last 4 minutes of the first half was a massive foul fest. The chance of a third on Butler was high.

Yeah, it did feel like we lost momentum when he got benched, but the "we woulda won" theory rests on the (not insubstantial) assumption that Caron doesn't pick up #3. Like Williams did against us in '04.

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

But JC sitting Emeka in 2004 against Duke (while Shelden Williams picked up #3) balances that out.

Mek finished that game with 3 fouls and only played 22 minutes. Auto benching is never the answer.

 

[Jaydumo20]

These guys generally know their stuff. Especially if they are at the top of the food chain in their respective sports. There are thousands of college bball analysts/writers/podcasters etc but its hard to be one of "the guys". You get there because you're good.

I once had dinner (as a lucky hanger on) with Sandy Koufax, Don Newcombe, Joe Torre and Bob Costas and Costas was flooring even these hall of famers with his baseball knowledge. Guy was absolutely robotic.

 

[UCFan1513]

I do think his autistic superpower is CBB knowledge

 

[nomar]

Mek finished that game with 3 fouls and only played 22 minutes. Auto benching is never the answer.

You drew the wrong conclusion from that game. Emeka was able to play aggressively down the stretch against Randolph and then Horvath because he had fouls to give (and was rested). He dominated down the stretch. Instead of mixing it up in the first half with Williams and very likely picking up #3 given that his first 2 fouls were BS, he got to bully Duke's backups. Meanwhile, we had Josh Boone to hold it down.

(Also, FWIW, JC said he would've put Emeka back in if the game started to get away from us.)

Regardless of whether you agree with JC's rather inflexible approach in general, suggesting it was a bad decision to sit Emeka in that game is not purely speculative (it assumes he wouldn't have fouled out) but seemingly incorrect given that we won the game.

 

[Son of Robert]

"Some people have hobbies... I watch college basketball."

Best part of the clip lmao

I've seen that quote before a few years ago, maybe it was Jon.

 

[Tenspro2002]

You drew the wrong conclusion from that game. Emeka was able to play aggressively down the stretch against Randolph and then Horvath because he had fouls to give (and was rested). He dominated down the stretch. Instead of mixing it up in the first half with Williams and very likely picking up #3 given that his first 2 fouls were BS, he got to bully Duke's backups. Meanwhile, we had Josh Boone to hold it down.

(Also, FWIW, JC said he would've put Emeka back in if the game started to get away from us.)

Regardless of whether you agree with JC's rather inflexible approach in general, suggesting it was a bad decision to sit Emeka in that game is not purely speculative (it assumes he wouldn't have fouled out) but seemingly incorrect given that we won the game.

Ehhh, if Rashad Anderson misses that 3 with 2:40 to go, down 8, we're lamenting that for the second time in 3 years, JC's stubborn adherence to self-imposed rules cost an elite team a shot at a championship.

 

[pj]

You drew the wrong conclusion from that game. Emeka was able to play aggressively down the stretch against Randolph and then Horvath because he had fouls to give (and was rested). He dominated down the stretch. Instead of mixing it up in the first half with Williams and very likely picking up #3 given that his first 2 fouls were BS, he got to bully Duke's backups. Meanwhile, we had Josh Boone to hold it down.

(Also, FWIW, JC said he would've put Emeka back in if the game started to get away from us.)

Regardless of whether you agree with JC's rather inflexible approach in general, suggesting it was a bad decision to sit Emeka in that game is not purely speculative (it assumes he wouldn't have fouled out) but seemingly incorrect given that we won the game.

Yes, that's right.

JC's approach has another advantage: the refs often give a favorable whistle to the team that's trailing. They may even be directed by the NCAA to keep the game close for TV ratings. So it's good strategy to sit your players in foul trouble early, let your team get behind, and then play 8 on 5 down the stretch.

 

[Hoophound]

Ehhh, if Rashad Anderson misses that 3 with 2:40 to go, down 8, we're lamenting that for the second time in 3 years, JC's stubborn adherence to self-imposed rules cost an elite team a shot at a championship.

Which one? I don’t remember thinking that but if you think it, I probably thought it. I second guess everything.

 

[Jaydumo20]

You drew the wrong conclusion from that game. Emeka was able to play aggressively down the stretch against Randolph and then Horvath because he had fouls to give (and was rested). He dominated down the stretch. Instead of mixing it up in the first half with Williams and very likely picking up #3 given that his first 2 fouls were BS, he got to bully Duke's backups. Meanwhile, we had Josh Boone to hold it down.

(Also, FWIW, JC said he would've put Emeka back in if the game started to get away from us.)

Regardless of whether you agree with JC's rather inflexible approach in general, suggesting it was a bad decision to sit Emeka in that game is not purely speculative (it assumes he wouldn't have fouled out) but seemingly incorrect given that we won the game.

Your memory of the game is impressive. I know i watched the game in carriage house after drinking at Teds all day. I remember being impressed by Charlie and Josh. But I was hanging out with 2 guys named Charlie and Josh. So maybe that's it