2021 Recruiting: - Landers Nolley | Page 8 | The Boneyard

2021 Recruiting: Landers Nolley

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HuskyHawk said:
It really depends on who is on our roster, doesn't it? We don't know yet. Whaley is not a 5. I don't think Hurley views him as a 5. I think Hurley played him there out of desperation. And while the team played well that way for the most part, he was completely unable to defend guys like Vogt.
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Kind of depends how you define it. He has a 4s body, but a 5s skillset. And only played the 4 when we were desperate late last season. Not sure I agree with the assessment that Hurley views him as a 4. He cannot play the 4 well in our system because he can't shoot or be a triple threat on handoffs.
 
husky429 said:
Kind of depends how you define it. He has a 4s body, but a 5s skillset. And only played the 4 when we were desperate late last season. Not sure I agree with the assessment that Hurley views him as a 4. He cannot play the 4 well in our system because he can't shoot or be a triple threat on handoffs.
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Matchup dependant he's a 5...

He's undersized in height but that's where he played best. He's added the strength to be able to play there against most bigs. And his jumping ability makes up for 2-3 inches in height.

Sophomore year Carlton was our best center. Junior year Whaley was.

Let them fight it out in camp to see who starts. Who backs up will depend on how they compare to the effectiveness of the other bigs on the roster (Springs/Brown-Ferguson)

If Whaley is overmatched due to the size of the opposing teams center, then throw Carlton and Javonte Brown Ferguson at him.
 
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husky429 said:
Kind of depends how you define it. He has a 4s body, but a 5s skillset. And only played the 4 when we were desperate late last season. Not sure I agree with the assessment that Hurley views him as a 4. He cannot play the 4 well in our system because he can't shoot or be a triple threat on handoffs.
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Hurley was starting him at the 4 at the end of the year after Akok got hurt. Hurley brought in Springs to play the 4 and he can't shoot from outside. A four who can shoot and stretch the floor is a nice to have match-up based option, not a requirement. Since Whaley flashed a little short range jumper, I think he's perfectly well equipped to be a 4 for us and has a traditional PF game, not a 5's game.

Meanwhile, it sounds like Polley will be ready to go, so we can use him as our stretch 4 off the bench when needed. All assuming we don't land somebody else who is eligible.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Hurley was starting him at the 4 at the end of the year after Akok got hurt. Hurley brought in Springs to play the 4 and he can't shoot from outside. A four who can shoot and stretch the floor is a nice to have match-up based option, not a requirement. Since Whaley flashed a little short range jumper, I think he's perfectly well equipped to be a 4 for us and has a traditional PF game, not a 5's game.

Meanwhile, it sounds like Polley will be ready to go, so we can use him as our stretch 4 off the bench when needed. All assuming we don't land somebody else who is eligible.
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I think we're just not on the same page with what a "4" skillset is in 2020. I really think of the 4 as what a 3 would've been during Calhoun's heyday. I haven't seen Whaley demonstrate any perimeter skill other than passing the ball and pivoting comfortably. He can't dribble or shoot consistently. And Whaley is going to need to hit a heck of a lot moer mid-range Js to be a shooter. What'd he go--5/25 this year? It's a nice wrinkle he could add, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Whaley's strength are rebounding, blocking shots, hedging hard and recovering on screens, and dunking the bejeezus out of the ball. He's also pretty solid at switching onto perimeter guys in a pinch defensively to be fair. That screams "undersized mobile 5" to me.

There's a reason Whaley didn't sniff the 4 until Sid went off the map, and Akok/Polley were injured. He isn't playing to his strengths when he plays there. And STILL played mostly the 5 instead of Carlton at that point. He needs to be near the hoop getting putback dunks and drive and dish lay-ins.

And one of the most exciting things about Springs is his ability to play inside and out. His skillset is developing, but at 6'10 he has a pretty solid stroke and driving ability. See here:

www.cbssports.com

Richard Springs - MacDuffie School - 2019 NPS Highlights

Richard Springs - MacDuffie School - 2019 NPI Highlights
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

Edit:

Bunch of good highlights on Hoophustle as always too.

 
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husky429 said:
Kind of depends how you define it. He has a 4s body, but a 5s skillset. And only played the 4 when we were desperate late last season. Not sure I agree with the assessment that Hurley views him as a 4. He cannot play the 4 well in our system because he can't shoot or be a triple threat on handoffs.
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Hurley himself said in one of the pregame sounds that it’s a struggle having JC and IW on the floor at the same time because the staff sees them both as 5’s. Think he would start them together so we could try to feed Josh early before he got gassed (so you know, feed him on our first 2-3 possessions lol), with Whaley there to draw away some help D.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
Hurley was starting him at the 4 at the end of the year after Akok got hurt. Hurley brought in Springs to play the 4 and he can't shoot from outside. A four who can shoot and stretch the floor is a nice to have match-up based option, not a requirement. Since Whaley flashed a little short range jumper, I think he's perfectly well equipped to be a 4 for us and has a traditional PF game, not a 5's game.

Meanwhile, it sounds like Polley will be ready to go, so we can use him as our stretch 4 off the bench when needed. All assuming we don't land somebody else who is eligible.
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It's 2020, a traditional 4 isn't someone who can't shoot anymore. A 4 who can shoot is not a matchup based option, it's a necessity
 
I'm thinking the improvement in his jumper will bring even more to the table next year from the 10-15 foot area and he will be fine as a 4 on occasion. He's certainly athletic enough to guard 4's that are smaller. Not taking Josh out of the formula but if he IW and Springs turn out similar they will spend time out there with 3 "guards".

Lots of questions but I like the fact they will have answers or so it seems. With AG going I would love to see Eaddy and Nolley come in.
 
Happy most of us are on the same page...

husky429 said:
And one of the most exciting things about Springs is his ability to play inside and out. His skillset is developing, but at 6'10 he has a pretty solid stroke and driving ability. See here:

www.cbssports.com

Richard Springs - MacDuffie School - 2019 NPS Highlights

Richard Springs - MacDuffie School - 2019 NPI Highlights
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

Edit:

Bunch of good highlights on Hoophustle as always too.

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Where's the video of Bouknight and Springs going at it in s small gym 2 years ago. Springs can shoot and looks natural doing it.

Whaley's shot is mechanic cause he's trying to add the skill set but it doesn't come natural to him.

That's why no one knew what to do with Whaley. As a freshman he was already one of our best defenders he showed flagged of defensive and rebounding talent. But he didn't have the offensive skills or bbiq of the offense so he looked list at times. So he didn't look like an effective 4 and had no strength to play the 5.

He got no run sophomore year. No clue if that was fair or not. But junior year, he put it all together, added strength, understanding of his role in offensive sets and screening, and was locked in on his defensive role (hedge hard and recover, rebound) and he became our best 5.
 
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bfs3 said:
I like what I saw from Springs in this video. He looks like he's more of a 3/4 than a 4/5. I see he's quick, has handle and pull up well for a 4. If we pair that with Hurley's quotes on his rebounding ability then he can develop into a nice starter for us over the next couple years.
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This video was from August 2018. He probably envisioned he was a 3/4 but he grew into a 4/5.

By the time we see him pay he'll be over 2 years removed from this video with a full year of strength training and practice at Uconn.

He's quick for a big but Bouknight easily went around him when Springs was guarding him on the perimeter.
 
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husky429 said:
I think we're just not on the same page with what a "4" skillset is in 2020. I really think of the 4 as what a 3 would've been during Calhoun's heyday. I haven't seen Whaley demonstrate any perimeter skill other than passing the ball and pivoting comfortably. He can't dribble or shoot consistently. And Whaley is going to need to hit a heck of a lot moer mid-range Js to be a shooter. What'd he go--5/25 this year? It's a nice wrinkle he could add, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Whaley's strength are rebounding, blocking shots, hedging hard and recovering on screens, and dunking the bejeezus out of the ball. He's also pretty solid at switching onto perimeter guys in a pinch defensively to be fair. That screams "undersized mobile 5" to me.

There's a reason Whaley didn't sniff the 4 until Sid went off the map, and Akok/Polley were injured. He isn't playing to his strengths when he plays there. And STILL played mostly the 5 instead of Carlton at that point. He needs to be near the hoop getting putback dunks and drive and dish lay-ins.

And one of the most exciting things about Springs is his ability to play inside and out. His skillset is developing, but at 6'10 he has a pretty solid stroke and driving ability. See here:

www.cbssports.com

Richard Springs - MacDuffie School - 2019 NPS Highlights

Richard Springs - MacDuffie School - 2019 NPI Highlights
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

Edit:

Bunch of good highlights on Hoophustle as always too.

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Glad to hear that about Springs.

I don’t agree that a modern 4 is just a small forward from the past. Richard Hamilton is not a 4 in any era. I view a modern 4 as a guy who can stretch the floor outside while also bringing rebounding, interior defense and a power post game. Al Horford for example. Giannis. Or eventually Akok we hope.

And while it is great to have all those tools, you can be a great college 4 without the three point shot. Igbanu at Tulsa dominated us in two games as an old school 4. Yes he can shoot a little bit, taking a three every other game. But he’s not a real threat out there. It’s only a requirement if you play four out offense at all times, which I don’t think we will do. There is still a place for traditional PF. And guys who lack those physical interior skills, like Polley, make lousy 4s even when they are tall enough.

Anyway, it will be exciting to see what Hurley does. He finally has a lot of roster options and flexibility. I expect we will see lots of guys playing all over the place. If Springs can play outside offensively as you suggest, I can definitely see him as the 4 on that side of the ball and a 5 on D when paired with Whaley. On the defensive end, Whaley is far better as a 4.
 
bigknight3 said:
This video was from August 2018. He probably envisioned he was a 3/4 but he grew into a 4/5.

By the time we see him pay he'll be over 2 years removed from this video with a full year of strength training and practice at Uconn.

He's quick for a big but Bouknight easily went around him when Springs was guarding him on the perimeter.
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To be fair Bouknight wiped the floor with everyone in the gym
 
Leebo said:
No reason to hurry either... Not like he can immediately come and practice.
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He shouldn't hurry, but you gotta think he knows his options by now. Not much left to consider.
 
husky429 said:
To be fair Bouknight wiped the floor with everyone in the gym
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/\ this.

And he still never broke his "I have no emotions" lack of facial expressions. I love this kid. He's an enigma so far (for me as a fan, in a great way). Just keep his Uber account topped off.
 
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UConnStats said:
How much longer until everybody realizes he’s not even a top 2 coach in Tennessee?
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If we go by the UConn previous coach scale, sometime next season (assuming a 1 year extra leash because of the championship)
 
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navery12 said:
If we go by the UConn previous coach scale, sometime next season (assuming a 1 year extra leash because of the championship)
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We obviously realize this. But the young kids love to play for big names. Also I know I’m in the minority but I don’t think he’s a bad coach. He’s not great. But he’s not bad.
 
Ajs120102 said:
We obviously realize this. But the young kids love to play for big names. Also I know I’m in the minority but I don’t think he’s a bad coach. He’s not great. But he’s not bad.
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He got some top Memphis recruits he used to coach to commit in 2019 and currently has 0 commits for 2020. Call me unimpressed
 
My thinking is if a kid has talked to Penney and Dan Hurley, has seen how the last year played out for each program (what they started with vs where they landed) and understands where Hurley comes from...if said kid chooses Penney, that's 101% good for UConn.
 
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