KO gets an "A"

[Huskybass]

UConn lost two lottery picks in Lamb and Drummond plus other frontline players that went 6'8", 6'9" and 6'9". Thats an awful lot of length/beef and rebounding to lose. To be 10-2 at this point, playing real hard every night AND to be in great academic standing is fantastic, especially led by a coach that had no head coaching experience. No doubt in my mind that KO deserves an "A" for the first semester.

And I agree with the other posters who stated we have a D II frontcourt. DD has been playing out of position at the 4 because there is no better option. On a normal Husky team he would never see time at the PF position.

 

[Waquoit]

And how many times have you actually seen this happen in a game?

I've seen it in the Final Four.

 

[aceboon]

I've seen it in the Final Four.

....and that definitely did not happen in those games. Tyler made a couple baskets, but they were not jumpers.

 

[ctchamps]

This is the problem of evaluating any team let alone this team and KO's stamp on the team. Each and everyone of us starts off at a different baseline. There is no problem with that as long as we realize we are doing this and the base line is subjective and not objective.

 

[Waquoit]

....and that definitely did not happen in those games. Tyler made a couple baskets, but they were not jumpers.

How many D-2 teams have big men that have scored in the Final Four?

 

[hungry husky]

The definition of a good coach is someone that gets the best out of their best and the most out of the rest. Think about Daniels and Wolf...they barely saw the floor last year and now they are important player in the rotation. Boat and Bazz have been fairly consistent and Calhoun is slowly finding his groove. KO is maximizing what's he's got while meeting the stringent academic standards that Herbst and Warde have set. The program is in good hands.

 

[aceboon]

How many D-2 teams have big men that have scored in the Final Four?

A simple 'I was wrong' would have worked just fine instead of trying to move the goalposts.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

And how many times have you actually seen this happen in a game? TO's shooting prowess is nothing more than practice lore, he rarely knocks that shot down, he doesn't even consistently knock down 2 free throws when he gets to the line.

That's my question too. Those guys have "things they can do pretty well" only if you look at them in a vacuum, which is what you're railing against. Wolf's a good passer from the high post in the sense that he has two hands with opposable thumbs and, more often than not, has a vague idea as to who he should pass the ball too. And yes, that's a massive step up from what we've had at that position at other times, but it doesnt merit the "Wolf to the NBA" threads that popped up a couple weeks ago. And the myth of Olander the jump shooter needs to be put to bed. At a certain point they actually need to go in the bucket. His don't.

Irrespective of who turned pro or who transferred or whatever, those two guys would not sniff the court on elite college basketball teams, and they've been consistently outplayed by low major front courts. New Hampshire and Stoneybrook aren't Gonzaga and Creighton. If you're front and center every game and you can't see that, and you can't see how that might affect the two sub-6 foot guards who are being asked to do the lion's share of the everything ....

But yes, you are correct, Olander did convert a point blank layup against Butler, so I suppose that changes everything.

 

[Waquoit]

I don't see what running down your team's players ad nauseum gets you.

 

[mauconnfan]

Hey end of the day these big guys are on the team we all care about and come to this board for. Whether they are good, decent or not playing well we all want them to be the best they can be and give the Hsukies the best chance to win.

Tyler is playing awful, way too obvious but he can make a jump shot and we know that.....to say he can't is ridiculous, but for now until he regains some sort of confidence it's just not a good shot. Wolf, while agreed his play does not prove the NBA dream is right in front of him, has shown to be a decent big guy and carries with him some IQ and some skills which need to be used. Weaknesses? Hell yeah they all do but again they're ours and they were brought here to more than likely be a smaller part of the team puzzle but instead need to be put in place right away and often. Nolan also as I think he will be good and would've been a great red shirt/5 year guy as his skills look solid but needs some muscle. There's lots of that but somehow they are 10-2 despite the loss of their starting 2 big man and the 6th man/PF in RS.........can't be all bad!!!