Kevin, get a technical when it means something,

[UConnNick]

At this point, I'd play Justin Brown instead of Brimah, if he were still on the team. I'd even play the man whose name shant be mentioned instead of Amidah.

 

[chiller99.5]

He was doing it last night, and Ollie inexplicably benched him.

He was lost out there and had no physical presence, defense becomes even more porous with him in there.

 

[mauconnfan]

IMHO when fans state "give" Enoch playing time just firms up the point he hasnt been "earning" playing time in practice.We didnt seem to have anyone who could guard Grey in the second half and taking Brimah out of the post where he could swat was a big mistake.Enoch could have could have grabbed some rebounds and could have scored etc is but when in this magical new and improved Enoch going to do it consistently?

That's hilarious, swat what? He was never in the right position to swat anything he was dreadful. #15 drove the lane in the 2nd half and right into Brimah who at the time last his guy Meyer and at that point should have gone for the block but instead he retreated to get the rebound, which he lost to Meyer anyway and they scored. He also watch #25 walk by him twice without offering a hand never mind a block. Anyone who is supporting him in this game didn't watch it or doesn't know the game because he killed them last night!

 

[mauconnfan]

He was lost out there and had no physical presence, defense becomes even more porous with him in there.

Overrated. How many teams that will be playing in the big dance have these "great" shot blockers? How many even block many shots? It's overrated, not every shot that he blocks would've gone in and I'd prefer a guy who can actually defend the post like expected and then get a rebound of a miss. Not sure we have one I admit but I like our chances better than having that guy out there. After last night it is confirmed those who think we will miss him will be surprised.

 

[UConnNick]

Overrated. How many teams that will be playing in the big dance have these "great" shot blockers? How many even block many shots? It's overrated, not every shot that he blocks would've gone in and I'd prefer a guy who can actually defend the post like expected and then get a rebound of a miss. Not sure we have one I admit but I like our chances better than having that guy out there. After last night it is confirmed those who think we will miss him will be surprised.

I have a friend who sat and watched the game with us last night. Brimah is her favorite player on the team. She loves him because he's so awkward and clumsy. She also loves the look on his face every time he commits a foul. I tell her she feels sorry for him because he's so pathetic. I teased her throughout the game, calling for him to be permanently stapled to the bench. She wanted to beat me up outside after the game, but instead we went to the bar and drowned our many sorrows.

 

[freescooter]

like when maybe you can finally get a call, because when you get a T with the ball down 5 and only 50 seconds left, you guaranteed your team that has a chance is going to lose

and there's no time for calls yo help you anyhow

priceless

K

He does not use technicals strategically. He gets them when he loses it emotionally.

This is all part of learning to work the refs. Until the develops that skill, we are at a disadvantage.

he has been the head coach for 5 years. How long are you giving him to learn one of the basic things a friggin high school coach knows? This is something he should have learned in the MAAC not at UConn.

 

[chiller99.5]

Dude I said Brimah was out of the post guarding out of position Meyer,,,r.i.f....Okafor didnt block key shots, or Thabeet orDrummond now your just being silly.

 

[mauconnfan]

Dude I said Brimah was out of the post guarding out of position Meyer,,,r.i.f....Okafor didnt block key shots, or Thabeet orDrummond now your just being silly.

Please don't compare him to Okafor or Thabeet, this isn't close. The could defend, rebound, block shots and guard the post you can't even mistakenly throw his name in that hat it's ridiculous.

 

[ctchamps]

Overrated. How many teams that will be playing in the big dance have these "great" shot blockers? How many even block many shots? It's overrated, not every shot that he blocks would've gone in and I'd prefer a guy who can actually defend the post like expected and then get a rebound of a miss. Not sure we have one I admit but I like our chances better than having that guy out there. After last night it is confirmed those who think we will miss him will be surprised.

I take a stance somewhere between you and @chiller99.5. KO has been using AB as a defensive stopper during this recent run. He's been putting in AB at the end of games to eliminate some of the opposing teams ability to drive to the basket and score particularly because by the ends of games the guards are getting tired or are in foul trouble. It's a decent strategy in spite of AB's limitations because Steve is the polar opposite. He doesn't move his feet when players drive to the hoop resulting in either a foul or allowing the players to get around him and make an easy shot.

So I don't agree with people who want Steve in at the end of games based on this game. But in the Houston game it was obvious, as you pointed out, that Amida was completely unable to do any observable thing. It was his worst game and I, like you, felt KO was hoping beyond hope Amida would turn things around. That might have been bad coaching imo. But it is just an opinion. See the next paragraph. The technical was inexcusable.

Now all of us can only state that leaving in Amida was a disaster. What none of us can know for certain is that putting in Steve would have resulted in a better outcome. It may have even been worse because players like Grey and Dotson might have done even more damage at the end of this game by driving to the hoop once Kentan and Rodney picked up four fouls. We can't be certain about how much Amida's presence in the paint eliminated some of this.

 

[chiller99.5]

Please don't compare him to Okafor or Thabeet, this isn't close. The could defend, rebound, block shots and guard the post you can't even mistakenly throw his name in that hat it's ridiculous.

Never said that lets stick to the point, mines is that shot blocking is a key to our defense and drives are funneled into the big man be it Thabeet,Brimah or Joe Blow how successful they might be its the position not the player.Not trying to be argumentative just understand my point is all I ask.

 

[mauconnfan]

Never said that lets stick to the point, mines is that shot blocking is a key to our defense and drives are funneled into the big man be it Thabeet,Brimah or Joe Blow how successful they might be its the position not the player.Not trying to be argumentative just understand my point is all I ask.

Ok I get your point but the only way shot blocking is a key to your defense is if the guy who can block shots can play defense. He is rarely in position to do what it takes to be a good defender, blocking 2.7 shots doesn't make him that he actually is less affective than a solid low and high post defending 5 who understands the game and rebounds the ball on misses.

 

[chiller99.5]

Understood, and this game no one stepped up defensively
“We did a [film] edit just on how many shots [Amida] Brimah blocked,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “And I think that scared the bejesus out of them from going out and shooting over him. Any time you collapse a defense, it comes down to making the right play, and the right play is usually not throwing it up over his outstretched arms. It’s usually making the extra pass, and that’s what we were good at today, moving the ball. Sometimes it took three passes and sometimes it took seven, but we were patient enough to move it and we usually wound up with a good shot. … I felt we played with a high basketball IQ today.”

 

[PAHusky]

A college kid with the nickname "chicken" did a more effective job advocating for calls for his team last night than KO did

 

[mauconnfan]

Understood, and this game no one stepped up defensively
“We did a [film] edit just on how many shots [Amida] Brimah blocked,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “And I think that scared the bejesus out of them from going out and shooting over him. Any time you collapse a defense, it comes down to making the right play, and the right play is usually not throwing it up over his outstretched arms. It’s usually making the extra pass, and that’s what we were good at today, moving the ball. Sometimes it took three passes and sometimes it took seven, but we were patient enough to move it and we usually wound up with a good shot. … I felt we played with a high basketball IQ today.”

He's so right, make him play defense use his guy to beat them because he always leaves him, has no idea when to stay home or leave to make a play made the wrong decisions all night. Hence being completely outplayed by a 6'8" whit guy who isn't all that good buy played a lot smarter and tougher.

 

[mauconnfan]

Never said that lets stick to the point, mines is that shot blocking is a key to our defense and drives are funneled into the big man be it Thabeet,Brimah or Joe Blow how successful they might be its the position not the player.Not trying to be argumentative just understand my point is all I ask.

In defense of this statement about funneling in, maybe even our own guards feel at times it's ok to play loose and slough off their guy since he's in the middle waiting. Problem is he's not that guy and last night really went above and beyond to prove that. Again not all on him because others weren't great but he was bad.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Understood, and this game no one stepped up defensively
“We did a [film] edit just on how many shots [Amida] Brimah blocked,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “And I think that scared the bejesus out of them from going out and shooting over him. Any time you collapse a defense, it comes down to making the right play, and the right play is usually not throwing it up over his outstretched arms. It’s usually making the extra pass, and that’s what we were good at today, moving the ball. Sometimes it took three passes and sometimes it took seven, but we were patient enough to move it and we usually wound up with a good shot. … I felt we played with a high basketball IQ today.”

i.e. "all it takes is a tiny amount of basketball IQ to outsmart Brimah, and he's completely neutralized"

 

[Travelman6]

Overrated. How many teams that will be playing in the big dance have these "great" shot blockers? How many even block many shots? It's overrated, not every shot that he blocks would've gone in and I'd prefer a guy who can actually defend the post like expected and then get a rebound of a miss. Not sure we have one I admit but I like our chances better than having that guy out there. After last night it is confirmed those who think we will miss him will be surprised.

Tell that to Oakfor. The shots that he blocked and altered in 2004 literally won the championship for Uconn. He took that team on his back defensively, in large part. Without him, Uconn goes out against Duke (if they are lucky) with a wimper and maybe a 10 to 15 point loss. A great shot blocker changes the game. I am not claiming Brimah is even close to Oakfor, he could not even hold a candle to 04 Oakafor. But to act like it does not make a difference is hyberbole.

 

[Silk31]

Brimah is a great help defender in terms of blocking shots but he has no IQ or awareness otherwise and it certainly showed in the 2nd half last night. He was never in proper position and the lane was wide open for drives and the amount of second chance points was alarming.

Not sure why Enoch didn't get more burn in the 2nd half after showing very well in the 1st. After watching their guards/wings beat our perimeter defenders time after time off the bounce and with our team battling foul trouble I thought KO really missed the boat to go more zone at a critical juncture in the 2nd half. This would have also ensured Brimah would be patrolling the paint rather than floating around doing lord knows what out there.

 

[Travelman6]

I think that is twice this year that Ollie has severely handicapped this team in close game situations at the end of the 2nd half. I am not saying Uconn would have won either of those games, but HE took that chance away before the players could decide for themselves on the court. These kind of random outbursts at the end of the game are very concerning to me. I sincerely hope he learns to work the refs throughout each game rather than ¨blow up¨ once things boil over at random junctures of the season. This is not okay.

 

[huskymagic]

i.e. "all it takes is a tiny amount of basketball IQ to outsmart Brimah, and he's completely neutralized"

Tenspro your a smart guy you know better. When Kelvin Sampson says their gameplan focused on neutralizing Brimah why would he do that if he didn't think highly of him. Sampson didnt say he was worried about Ollies offensive or defensive schemes or Jalen Adams beating them, but he was worried about Brimah's effect on the game. That tells you all you need to know about who Houston and Sampson respect on this UCONN team. A team doesn't need everyone to have the same skillset, ad I have no doubt that Sampson would love to have Brimah instead of say Myers or Chicken on his roster. That Houston team would probably have been the next SMU with Brimah.

Remember what Sampson said after he drubbed us a month ago without Adams, he said "Good coaching thats what UCONN HAD" not what they have now, but what they had in the past. Sampson is a smart guy and his messages are crystal clear regarding UCONN.

 

[LoveMeSomeUC]

At this point, I'd play Justin Brown instead of Brimah, if he were still on the team. I'd even play the man whose name shant be mentioned instead of Amidah.

Justin Brown, love The Blunder from Downunder

 

[mauconnfan]

Tenspro your a smart guy you know better. When Kelvin Sampson says their gameplan focused on neutralizing Brimah why would he do that if he didn't think highly of him. Sampson didnt say he was worried about Ollies offensive or defensive schemes or Jalen Adams beating them, but he was worried about Brimah's effect on the game. That tells you all you need to know about who Houston and Sampson respect on this UCONN team. A team doesn't need everyone to have the same skillset, ad I have no doubt that Sampson would love to have Brimah instead of say Myers or Chicken on his roster. That Houston team would probably have been the next SMU with Brimah.

Remember what Sampson said after he drubbed us a month ago without Adams, he said "Good coaching thats what UCONN HAD" not what they have now, but what they had in the past. Sampson is a smart guy and his messages are crystal clear regarding UCONN.

LOL just being a moron isn't good enough of you so you take it to the next level of a persistent moron.

 

[mauconnfan]

Tell that to Oakfor. The shots that he blocked and altered in 2004 literally won the championship for Uconn. He took that team on his back defensively, in large part. Without him, Uconn goes out against Duke (if they are lucky) with a wimper and maybe a 10 to 15 point loss. A great shot blocker changes the game. I am not claiming Brimah is even close to Oakfor, he could not even hold a candle to 04 Oakafor. But to act like it does not make a difference is hyberbole.

Okafor and Brimah in the same sentence, kidding me right? The guy played defense and blocked shots. If you gave me Okafor now and didn't even let him block a shot all year he would be twice the impact on defense of Brimah. That is my point, 2.7 blocks and a couple alters do not make up for the missed rebounds by his nose, the little guys who do score in his chest which seems togo untold by so many as well as the awful defensive positioning when not blocking those 2.7 shots. Okafor was strong, played physical on the block and how many times did you see him guard a guy straight up, hand in face and turn and get a rebound in a crowd - a lot. This guy NEVER. Sorry not at all worth your time putting these 2 in the same light of day.

 

[UConnNick]

Okafor and Brimah in the same sentence, kidding me right? The guy played defense and blocked shots. If you gave me Okafor now and didn't even let him block a shot all year he would be twice the impact on defense of Brimah. That is my point, 2.7 blocks and a couple alters do not make up for the missed rebounds by his nose, the little guys who do score in his chest which seems togo untold by so many as well as the awful defensive positioning when not blocking those 2.7 shots. Okafor was strong, played physical on the block and how many times did you see him guard a guy straight up, hand in face and turn and get a rebound in a crowd - a lot. This guy NEVER. Sorry not at all worth your time putting these 2 in the same light of day.

The difference is once Okafor got his hands on the BB, that sucker was his and nobody else's, end of story. Remember when he ripped the ball out of a Duke player's hands who had just grabbed a rebound after a missed UConn shot, and drilled it for two late in the 2004 national semi game? Have we ever seen Brimah rip a ball out of anybody's hands?

I like Brimah, he's a great kid, but he hasn't been the answer at his position during his four year career.

 

[Onions]

At least Enoch could've grabbed some rebounds there in the second half. Defense was not our problem. We just had zero inside play on offense for the whole second half. This allowed their perimeter defense to be WAY over-aggressive beyond the 3-point line, and we had no way to counter it.

Enoch had 1 rebound in 16 minutes last nite. Brimah had 8 in 24. AB had a terrible game, and Enoch had the best half of his career in the first half. But in the 2nd half Enoch was totally lost and as bad as AB was, it would have killed us to replace him with Enoch. As bad as we were, we were only down 5, with the ball, with a minute to go. And then came the T, and that was it.

 

[King Husky]

Enoch had 1 rebound in 16 minutes last nite. Brimah had 8 in 24. AB had a terrible game, and Enoch had the best half of his career in the first half. But in the 2nd half Enoch was totally lost and as bad as AB was, it would have killed us to replace him with Enoch. As bad as we were, we were only down 5, with the ball, with a minute to go. And then came the T, and that was it.

Towards the end of the 2nd half, AB was exhausted out there and couldn't grab a single rebound in the most important sequences of the game... the 2-3 minute stretch where Houston got about 6 offensive rebounds (A couple times they got 2 ORs on the same possession). That right there is what iced the game. Either Ollie didn't notice how tired he was and how he wasn't going after any boards/loose balls, or he noticed and chose to keep playing a tired AB over a rested Enoch.

 

[Chief00]

In defense of this statement about funneling in, maybe even our own guards feel at times it's ok to play loose and slough off their guy since he's in the middle waiting. Problem is he's not that guy and last night really went above and beyond to prove that. Again not all on him because others weren't great but he was bad.

Warning: The below is not for the casual fan

One reason Brimah has regressed in shot blocking and intimidation is we don't funnel when we play Miller's variety of gimmick zones. These zones also leave us totally out of position for rebounds. But, Glen is tone deaf on these issues since he is a Bigs Coach in name only.

I am not excusing Brimah's very poor play - it's on him. However, these make a bad situation worse.

 

[Travelman6]

Okafor and Brimah in the same sentence, kidding me right? The guy played defense and blocked shots. If you gave me Okafor now and didn't even let him block a shot all year he would be twice the impact on defense of Brimah. That is my point, 2.7 blocks and a couple alters do not make up for the missed rebounds by his nose, the little guys who do score in his chest which seems togo untold by so many as well as the awful defensive positioning when not blocking those 2.7 shots. Okafor was strong, played physical on the block and how many times did you see him guard a guy straight up, hand in face and turn and get a rebound in a crowd - a lot. This guy NEVER. Sorry not at all worth your time putting these 2 in the same light of day.

Um, did you read what I said carefully? I said Brimah COULD NOT hold a candle to Okafor. You know what that idiom means, no? I just said that Okafor changed the complexion of the game and Okafor proved that shot blocking COULD alter games. I said in my last sentence ¨But to act like it does not make a difference is hyberbole¨and by IT I mean shot blocking, using Okafor as an example of THAT shot blocking. I actually said very little about Brimah and I did not compare the two other than to say Okafor is better (so yes, omg, in the same sentence!), actually and I am not defending him either. Reading comprehension is good!

 

[mauconnfan]

Um, did you read what I said carefully? I said Brimah COULD NOT hold a candle to Okafor. You know what that idiom means, no? I just said that Okafor changed the complexion of the game and Okafor proved that shot blocking COULD alter games. I said in my last sentence ¨But to act like it does not make a difference is hyberbole¨and by IT I mean shot blocking, using Okafor as an example of THAT shot blocking. I actually said very little about Brimah and I did not compare the two other than to say Okafor is better (so yes, omg, in the same sentence!), actually and I am not defending him either. Reading comprehension is good!

And what I said is sure it does make a difference and I never said it didn't so you were wrong also. Tell me where I said it doesn't? My only point is you can win also without a shot blocker, yet many on this board believe our defense will fall apart when this guy leaves. Were we better with shot blockers ?- hell yeah we had some great ones though who could play both ends.

Sorry I did miss the piece on the non-comparison so my bad, should not have talked about you on that point I was wrong there and your point is well taken. Please accept my apology here!

 

[6thBoroBro]

All of this debate begs the question, when is Glen Miller going to get fired? If he were to get fired who would be the new associate head coach and would Donyell move up the road to coach our big men?