KO breaks down the roster | Page 2 | The Boneyard

KO breaks down the roster

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Boat and Bazz were really good, but, that team overachieved - which is exactly what you want . There was no Kemba level talent on there - they just dug down and did it.

I know a lot of you are comparing Gilbert to those guys. I think he's actually a little more Kemba. Kid looks fast as hell. He's got Boat's hops, but his speed and work ethic are what I think will make him really special.

If Durham is healthy, he's an absolute monster. Who can guard a guy who's that big, mobile, has a handle and can shoot? When he was ranked 23-28 (pre- injury), he was underrated. Fingers crossed regarding health, but I think he might prove to be a top 10.
 
Given that we'll have 2 and possible 3 seniors in the starting lineup, it's somewhat surprising to hear KO describe the team as "young".

On the other hand, maybe that means he's eager to turn the page and hand the keys to the freshmen and sophs. That might be a good thing in the long run.
 
All he said about Brima and Facey is that they added some weight, that's not saying much, I would have liked to have heard both were making shots from the floor, but I guess it's still good news.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
Given that we'll have 2 and possible 3 seniors in the starting lineup, it's somewhat surprising to hear KO describe the team as "young".

On the other hand, maybe that means he's eager to turn the page and hand the keys to the freshmen and sophs. That might be a good thing in the long run.
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Eh, you're probably reading too much into it. Seems that the point of the address was mostly to tell us a little bit about the freshman. There's not much to say about Brimah and Purvis at this point.

We do have three seniors, but I don't think we have any juniors, do we? Given that Brimah and Facey are limited offensively, you'd have to think underclassmen are going to account for a large percentage of our scoring.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
Given that we'll have 2 and possible 3 seniors in the starting lineup, it's somewhat surprising to hear KO describe the team as "young".

On the other hand, maybe that means he's eager to turn the page and hand the keys to the freshmen and sophs. That might be a good thing in the long run.
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Almost half the regular scholarship players are freshman. 8 of the 11 are freshman or sophomores. Doesn't seem surprising he would say that at all.
 
August_West said:
you have selective memory.

If we blew a lead against Kentucky in the NC game in the last 7 minutes we would have been talking about Bazz shoving Boat every day for the rest of our lives.
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but it didn't happen so why play this game of what ifs
 
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B1GEast said:
All he said about Brima and Facey is that they added some weight, that's not saying much, I would have liked to have heard both were making shots from the floor, but I guess it's still good news.
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gaining weight i'm guessing insinuates they will have the ability to carve more space out, and maybe be a bigger factor on the offensive glass. Maybe it helps them lay out better screens? Brimah and Facey are both abysmal at setting screens and carving out space in the paint for rebounds, facey is an effective "ball chasing" offensive rebounder but thats it, brimah good at swiping his arms but not positioning himself.

I know for a fact diarra is very effective ball screener/roller, enoch is too he just has zero basketball awareness on the catch(see the number of times last year when he had no clue where the ball was when swung). I dont expect AB to turn into some great screen setter this year, and we are going to need him because the guy is an unbelievable defensive force . The only reason why that kansas game wasn't competitive was we didn't have 1 more dynamic guard and AB did not play to his full potential , when he did we made a serious run. watch out for serious diarra minutes at the 4.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
Given that we'll have 2 and possible 3 seniors in the starting lineup, it's somewhat surprising to hear KO describe the team as "young".

On the other hand, maybe that means he's eager to turn the page and hand the keys to the freshmen and sophs. That might be a good thing in the long run.
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its young because three of frosh will be major contributors, and possible starters. Gilbert will start, and so might Diarra/Durham at the 4. And jackson could be Ollies best reserve due to his floor spacing ability.
 
James said:
its young because three of frosh will be major contributors, and possible starters. Gilbert will start, and so might Diarra/Durham at the 4. And jackson could be Ollies best reserve due to his floor spacing ability.
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I don't believe there is much of a chance that Alterique starts--especially early. Ollie has a history of really bringing his guards in slow--think Kemba, Shabazz, Adams last year. I can see him averaging 20-25 minutes off the bench easy though. Purvis and Adams are locked in at the 1,2 and larrier is likely a lock at the 3. I, for one, don't believe that Larrier will play much, if any, 4. I don't think he can defend the position so well against better teams, and that's what Ollie really hangs his hat on. So, that only leaves room for him to be at the 3. Though is is listed at SG/SF on some draft websites, I don't see the 2 happening in college. His handle is solid for a 3, but not good enough to get 6'3 college 2 guards out of his jock.

Also I don't believe Mamadou will be much of a factor at first. I hope I'm wrong, but I think he's just too far behind in his development. If he can be a terror on the boards, you may yet prove me wrong. Personally, I'd put my money on Facey at the 4 for the majority of minutes, Larrier when we go small-ball, and Durham supplanting Facey by mid-season as a starter if he is able to stay healthy, and get over the mental handicap that tearing ACLs can create.

All IMHO of course. And if you disagree I'm ignoring you geezers club members.
 
Durham being compared to Marshall? Those are some mighty BIG words. DM put up like 11/6/3 as a Frosh if im not mistaken improved as a soph and just exploded as Jr. Hope KO is right or heck even half right.
 
Basically, the talent maybe there for a good run this year. The question is will the team jell and will the players be able to learn what their roles are. The Maui Tournament will force them to learn fast. Hopefully the lessons learned in Hawaii will empower them to do well in the American as we have seen that if a team is not in the top 2 or 3 of the America they are not going Dancing.

I hope the catch the team a few times this winter. Looking at the either Auburn or Houston in Hartford over the Holidays and the away games against G-Town in DC (assuming the election of Trump/Clinton does not burn the city down) and Temple. Bummed that I am going to be in Manila for work for the Syracuse game at MSG.
 
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Onions said:
Well I was at that game, if that's what your asking. Were you?
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No, I was actually asking if you knew we were NOT the 8 seed as you opined, and also you made that flawed 8 seeded Kentucky team sound like '99 Duke, so yeah, my question was appropriate.
Onions said:
8th seed and losing to a team that everyone thought we would loose to we
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You were at the game. Good on 'ya mate. I myself was not. Wish I was. Cherish the memory. I have a few myself.
 
champs99and04 said:
I'm basically expecting him to be what Boat was as a freshman, which won't be an easy task by any means (Boat, by freshman standards, was extraordinary that year, averaging 10 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds on 42/38/69 shooting splits). You could argue Boat had a better freshman year than Bazz and Kemba, even, though the team obviously wasn't as successful.

I don't know that Gilbert puts up the numbers Boat did, but they strike me as virtually the same player (I concluded that from the two minutes of tape I've seen on him) - bouncy as hell, off-the-charts quickness/handle, fearless to the point of being reckless at times, and a hit-or-miss jumper.
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I could see him averaging similar numbers. He may not start, but he should be getting at least 15mpg. I can see him hitting a 3, making two baskets, and making a couple free throws while dishing to guys on the perimeter for assists.
 
Rocktheworld said:
I could see him averaging similar numbers. He may not start, but he should be getting at least 15mpg. I can see him hitting a 3, making two baskets, and making a couple free throws while dishing to guys on the perimeter for assists.
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i feel like he has to get more than 15 MPG, KO just said he plans to 'give him keys'. Maybe because i'm just very high on AG as a player even if young but hes the perfect player to add to a good program/organization. He possesses a stoic demeanor that kind of hides his high level competitiveness, and when you swirl that all into a refined skill set + athleticism you get a major major contributor. I think back to this great youtube video with popovich breaking down basketball fundamentals and the spurs philosophy, specifically the first five minutes.

 
August_West said:
so your premise is because we luckily didnt blow that lead, that the shove couldnt have been problematic and gone different?

thank the lord JC
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It could have been. But it wasn't, because we didn't.

Your premise is that Bazz pushing Boat was a bad thing even though nothing bad came from it.

Well, if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. Or Kaitlyn Jenner. But I'm not a Kardashian, and UConn won the game.
 
August_West said:
No, I was actually asking if you knew we were NOT the 8 seed as you opined, and also you made that flawed 8 seeded Kentucky team sound like '99 Duke, so yeah, my question was appropriate.
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No, your question was not appropriate. The teams were seeded 7/8, not 1/8, so I wouldn't think my reversing their positions calls my knowledge of hoops into question.

As for the "flawed 8 seeded Kentucky team" - go back and listen to the broadcast of the Wisconsin game and then the finals - nobody at the time considered Kentucky either flawed or a legitimate 8 seed. It took Bazz and Boat and a whole lot of hindsight to do that.
 
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James said:
its young because three of frosh will be major contributors, and possible starters. Gilbert will start, and so might Diarra/Durham at the 4. And jackson could be Ollies best reserve due to his floor spacing ability.
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While it could certainly happen, at this point I don't expect Gilbert to start. I envision him coming off the bench as a spark as a freshman. Starters most likely will be Adams/Purvis/Larrier/Facey/Brimah.
 
[QUOTE=" I don't expect Gilbert to start. I envision him coming off the bench as a spark as a freshman. Starters most likely will be Adams/Purvis/Larrier/Facey/Brimah.[/QUOTE]

With a team this deep, it's not about who starts, it's about minutes
 
Mooch82 said:
While it could certainly happen, at this point I don't expect Gilbert to start. I envision him coming off the bench as a spark as a freshman. Starters most likely will be Adams/Purvis/Larrier/Facey/Brimah.
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Agree, this is the team most likely to be starters at the beginning of the year. The 4 is the only place that we'll probably see changes. The question of how the non-starter minutes are distributed will be interesting. Of course, who will be on the floor at the end of games will tell the tale. If Alterique can rein himself in just a little, he could be such a jolt of energy and speed to the team.
 
Mooch82 said:
While it could certainly happen, at this point I don't expect Gilbert to start. I envision him coming off the bench as a spark as a freshman. Starters most likely will be Adams/Purvis/Larrier/Facey/Brimah.
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when a coach says they are going to hand the keys to you, that does not equate to being a 'spark off the bench' in coachspeak.
 
James said:
when a coach says they are going to hand the keys to you, that does not equate to being a 'spark off the bench' in coachspeak.
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If Gilbert starts, then Purvis is at the three, Larrier the four, and Brimah the 5. That's a fast and athletic lineup. Who comes in for Gilbert and/or Adams in that scenario?
 
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James said:
when a coach says they are going to hand the keys to you, that does not equate to being a 'spark off the bench' in coachspeak.
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It's pretty safe to say Gilbert will either start or see starters minutes. I expect Adams and Alterique to be on thr floor together as much as possible.
 
WingU-Conn said:
If Gilbert starts, then Purvis is at the three, Larrier the four, and Brimah the 5. That's a fast and athletic lineup. Who comes in for Gilbert and/or Adams in that scenario?
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It would be an early sub for either AG or Adams for facey so the line up would turn big*, sliding larrier up to the wing. then you could go back to maybe a short sting for vital at the 2 and gilbert while adams gets rest; either way KO will rely heavily on the AG/adams combo in the backcourt, especially closing games. Purvis will thrive playing with those two guards, and whether larrier can really bang as a stretch 4 remains to be seen... big questions for the 4.
 
James said:
when a coach says they are going to hand the keys to you, that does not equate to being a 'spark off the bench' in coachspeak.
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It can sort of be both, no? Bazz sort of got the keys in '11, even though he didn't start and everybody knew it was Kemba's team. But he was the one usually running the point in high leverage spots w/ Kemba and Lamb working off screens.
 
James said:
It would be an early sub for either AG or Adams for facey so the line up would turn big*, sliding larrier up to the wing. then you could go back to maybe a short sting for vital at the 2 and gilbert while adams gets rest; either way KO will rely heavily on the AG/adams combo in the backcourt, especially closing games. Purvis will thrive playing with those two guards, and whether larrier can really bang as a stretch 4 remains to be seen... big questions for the 4.
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Agree, having 2 top notch ballahandlers who can get in the lane is key for the team and especially key for Rodney getting open looks. Facey and Brimah have never shown enough offense for both of them to be on the floor at the same time except for a few spot minutes.
 
If Larrier can rebound, I'm all for Gilbert starting. But if he can't then I think Facey has to start.
 
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