LJ Peak top 5...

[aceboon]

Why are we chasing these elite wings to sit on the bench? Unless omar leaves early, the 2/3 is locked for a long time. Maybe these wings will be fine being a glue guy, who knows though.

if Purvis is able to sucessfully transition to the 1 there's plenty of time available for another SG/SF, plus it would be nice to have depth again now that we have a full deck of scholarships to play with.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Looks ultra athletic and pretty polished for a high school kid. I would love getting this kid.

Wow this kid looks athletic, seems to have great body control. Looks like he could be a stud/lottery pick in a few years depending on weather or not he commits here

 

[superjohn]

Why are we chasing these elite wings to sit on the bench? Unless omar leaves early, the 2/3 is locked for a long time. Maybe these wings will be fine being a glue guy, who knows though.

Oh man, this is exactly what I was talking about.

 

[James]

Oh man, this is exactly what I was talking about.

you think top 35 kids like the idea of sitting on the bench during crunch time? there are 5 players on the court. 2 wings are filled. I do buy the idea of depth, but alot of elite recruits want to be featured(SEE RODNEY PURVIS).

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

you think top 35 kids like the idea of sitting on the bench during crunch time? there are 5 players on the court. 2 wings are filled. I do buy the idea of depth, but alot of elite recruits want to be featured(SEE RODNEY PURVIS).

There's no rule that upperclassmen start over freshmen. You think Andrew Wiggins is going to say "why would I go to school ____, they're already got a kid that plays my position"? If you're better, you play. Nothing is ever "locked for a long time." And you certainly don't stop recruiting because you've got a kid that plays that position.

 

[formerlurker]

Give me the kids who respect the history of UConn MBB, respect the caliber of NBA players we've produced and who are not afraid to compete for a job. No egos.

Different game but that's why Geno is the best recruiter the Women's game has ever seen. The young Women he brings in have bought into the history, the environment and the competitiveness of UCWBB. How many of his recruits have said they signed on because they wanted to compete every day against the best and prove to themselves they belonged?

I just Googled it and the answer is, a sh-itload.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

He's not in the same class as guys like Gordon and Allen, but he was the third best player on a final four team - that's nothing to sneeze at.

AJ Price was the best player on a final four team. Michigan State game plan was to take him out of the game and that team could not function without AJ running the show. He was one of the top few floor generals that UConn has had during the Calhoun era. He used to shred zone defenses and knew how to get the ball to his teammates where they could get easy baskets. This little bit of revisionist history (that he wasn't really that good) is by no means a consensus on the Boneyard. By the end of his UConn career, he had grown into a mature leader and the "go to" player on a Final Four team.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Are we calling AJ Price a UConn great these days?

Absolutely. Led us to a final four

 

[superjohn]

Top kids want to go to top schools and compete. Look at the other top schools they are always recruiting a bunch of burger boys every year and they always recruit at the same positions. Just because a guy started the season before at a certain position means nothing, it's all about competition at the top schools, your starting slot is never guaranteed.

 

[kcc1442]

you think top 35 kids like the idea of sitting on the bench during crunch time? there are 5 players on the court. 2 wings are filled. I do buy the idea of depth, but alot of elite recruits want to be featured(SEE RODNEY PURVIS).

If they are athletic enough and can play the 2-4 which isn't difficult in college ball. Then you can start 3 and have at least 3/4 off the bench that play at anywhere from 6-3 to 6-7 or 6-8....Even the subs will get their time....Athletic wings are the best as long as they can defend all 3 positions. It's not like the pro's where you need to be able to defend a 6-10 245 lb monster at the 4 with an array of post moves every night. Athletic wings rarely get exploited at the D1 level. I don't see anyone in Lexington complaining about signing up for playing time lately.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Why are we chasing these elite wings to sit on the bench? Unless omar leaves early, the 2/3 is locked for a long time. Maybe these wings will be fine being a glue guy, who knows though.

We have at least 4 maybe 5 more scholarship openings for 2014. You don't think 1 out of 4/5 should be used on a stud wing?

 

[Burnsbros23]

Give me the kids who respect the history of UConn MBB, respect the caliber of NBA players we've produced and who are not afraid to compete for a job. No egos.

Different game but that's why Geno is the best recruiter the Women's game has ever seen. The young Women he brings in have bought into the history, the environment and the competitiveness of UCWBB. How many of his recruits have said they signed on because they wanted to compete every day against the best and prove to themselves they belonged?

I just Googled it and the answer is, a sh-itload.

Yah lets not compare the mens and womens game.

 

[david]

One thing I'd like to get people's opinion on is: Is it a coincidence that his drop in the rankings coincided with his move from a school in Chicago playing with kids like Jahlil Okafor to a school in South Carolina? If you look at his AAU stats with CP3 he is shooting over .500 from the floor and over .600 from 3 (with a decent amount of shots). I feel like the school you play for ends up being more important than how well you're actually playing for a lot of these rankings.

 

[aceboon]

One thing I'd like to get people's opinion on is: Is it a coincidence that his drop in the rankings coincided with his move from a school in Chicago playing with kids like Jahlil Okafor to a school in South Carolina? If you look at his AAU stats with CP3 he is shooting over .500 from the floor and over .600 from 3 (with a decent amount of shots). I feel like the school you play for ends up being more important than how well you're actually playing for a lot of these rankings.

Are you sure that the rankings have been re-done since the HS season ended? Either way you're right that playing for certain schools does influence your ranking and exposure, I believe that is part of the reason he moved to Chi but I'm not 100% on that.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Undisputed leader of a Final Four team, yes, AJ Price is a UConn great. He accomplished more than Donyell, Ray, Rudy, and a host of others. When Dyson got suspended in 2008, he secured the reins and never looked back.

 

[superjohn]

Here is a video of his team from 1 game this season, LJ is a serious athlete has like 6 great dunks.

 

[david]

Are you sure that the rankings have been re-done since the HS season ended? Either way you're right that playing for certain schools does influence your ranking and exposure, I believe that is part of the reason he moved to Chi but I'm not 100% on that.

He moved between his sophomore and junior year from Chicago to SC. From what I can tell that's when he was highest in the rankings. Now he's been moving down during his junior year while he played HS ball in South Carolina

 

[aceboon]

He moved between his sophomore and junior year from Chicago to SC. From what I can tell that's when he was highest in the rankings. Now he's been moving down during his junior year while he played HS ball in South Carolina

He moved from SC to Chi b/w his soph & junior year, he played last year with Whitney Young as a junior. He just moved back to SC and hasn't played yet with his old HS team.

 

[formerlurker]

I'm obviously in the minority here but I consider the UConn greats to be on par with the Huskies of Honor members. I just don't see how AJ's overall body of work qualifies him.

I'm a Yankee fan and I hate how the retired number has become more about warm fuzzy feelings than elite, once in a generation talent. Reggie Jackson did great things as a Yankee but his #44 should never be compared to 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 16, 32 & 42. (Thurman's my favorite Yankee of all-time and tragic death aside I don't think his 15 deserves to be retired)

The Yankee retired numbers I left off fall into the same category as AJ. Solid players who deserve high praise. Not immortality.

 

[david]

He moved from SC to Chi b/w his soph & junior year, he played last year with Whitney Young as a junior. He just moved back to SC and hasn't played yet with his old HS team.

Oh damn. I'm an idiot then

 

[champs99and04]

3rd best player? WTF?

It baffles me that you guys view this as some kind of insult. AJ was a really good player and enginerred one of the most balanced offensive attacks in UConn history. He was an extension of Calhoun on the court, a superb leader and role model, and one of the toughest kids to ever grace the program. But I'm sorry, since when is it ground-breaking to prefer a kid like Adrien? The dude averaged a double double, shot 50% from the floor, and served as the heart and sole of the team alongside AJ, ultimately proving just as valuable in overcoming the brief down-spell of 2006/7.

 

[Burnsbros23]

One thing I'd like to get people's opinion on is: Is it a coincidence that his drop in the rankings coincided with his move from a school in Chicago playing with kids like Jahlil Okafor to a school in South Carolina? If you look at his AAU stats with CP3 he is shooting over .500 from the floor and over .600 from 3 (with a decent amount of shots). I feel like the school you play for ends up being more important than how well you're actually playing for a lot of these rankings.

he is shooting 25 percent from 3 in the eybl. He is a better shooter than that but dk where you got 60 percent from.

 

[champs99and04]

AJ Price was the best player on a final four team. Michigan State game plan was to take him out of the game and that team could not function without AJ running the show. He was one of the top few floor generals that UConn has had during the Calhoun era. He used to shred zone defenses and knew how to get the ball to his teammates where they could get easy baskets. This little bit of revisionist history (that he wasn't really that good) is by no means a consensus on the Boneyard. By the end of his UConn career, he had grown into a mature leader and the "go to" player on a Final Four team.

I think the real revisionist history is the one remembering MSU's gameplan, and not a 5 for 20 shooting performance from our apparent best player, as the reason for our downfall in that game. Thabeet and Adrien, the two we're all apparently so quick to discount, combined for 30 points and 20 rebounds. I'm a bit confused as to why this is supposed to illustrate how good AJ was, but ok. If you're argument is that AJ was the most irreplaceable player on that team, then I would agree, but that doesn't necessarily make him the best.

What made the 09 team so good, in my opinion, was the formidable frontcourt play. Adrien was the rarest of commodities in this day and age of college basketball - a hulking power forward with a 7'2 wingspan who could protect the rim, hit the occasional twelve footer, and outright intimidate the opposition. I don't think we should discount how crucial Adrien was to those teams.

As for Thabeet, I wasn't aware that people were still arguing he wasn't the undisputed best player on that team, given he was the most dominant player in college basketball and primarily responsible for our dominance. I mean, do we really need to re-visit the unquanitfiable value of having a 7'3 mammoth of a human being patrolling the paint who can block four shots a game and alter ten more? And it isn't as if he was a slouch offensively - he averaged 14 a game on 64% shooting and converted from the line at a respectable rate for a center. Oh yeah, and he also grabbed eleven rebounds a game - there's a reason he was consensus all-American.

Look - AJ Price was one of my favorite players to ever wear the UConn jersey, and I'm not trying to diminish his accomplishments in the least bit. But what made the 09 team so good was the outrageous length and athleticism we could throw at you at the three, four, and five positions. If you think Price was better than Thabeet or Adrien, fine - but it's a slap in the face to Adrien and Thabeet to act like my statement is so absurd.

 

[James]

We have at least 4 maybe 5 more scholarship openings for 2014. You don't think 1 out of 4/5 should be used on a stud wing?

I recant what I said previously to a certain extent. These elite level tweeners will see the writing on the wall, maybe an under the radar wing falls to us. what makes sense is nabbing a feature player on the block or in the paint, and a playmaking 1(this is a position that can come in and start pronto. OC is proven Samuels isn't.) then coupling that with role players who need time to grow but have high ceilings(lower * prospects).

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I think the real revisionist history is the one remembering MSU's gameplan, and not a 5 for 20 shooting performance from our apparent best player, as the reason for our downfall in that game. Thabeet and Adrien, the two we're all apparently so quick to discount, combined for 30 points and 20 rebounds. I'm a bit confused as to why this is supposed to illustrate how good AJ was, but ok. If you're argument is that AJ was the most irreplaceable player on that team, then I would agree, but that doesn't necessarily make him the best.

What made the 09 team so good, in my opinion, was the formidable frontcourt play. Adrien was the rarest of commodities in this day and age of college basketball - a hulking power forward with a 7'2 wingspan who could protect the rim, hit the occasional twelve footer, and outright intimidate the opposition. I don't think we should discount how crucial Adrien was to those teams.

As for Thabeet, I wasn't aware that people were still arguing he wasn't the undisputed best player on that team, given he was the most dominant player in college basketball and primarily responsible for our dominance. I mean, do we really need to re-visit the unquanitfiable value of having a 7'3 mammoth of a human being patrolling the paint who can block four shots a game and alter ten more? And it isn't as if he was a slouch offensively - he averaged 14 a game on 64% shooting and converted from the line at a respectable rate for a center. Oh yeah, and he also grabbed eleven rebounds a game - there's a reason he was consensus all-American.

Look - AJ Price was one of my favorite players to ever wear the UConn jersey, and I'm not trying to diminish his accomplishments in the least bit. But what made the 09 team so good was the outrageous length and athleticism we could throw at you at the three, four, and five positions. If you think Price was better than Thabeet or Adrien, fine - but it's a slap in the face to Adrien and Thabeet to act like my statement is so absurd.

My point was not to suggest that other opinions were absurd, but to question the assumption that people agreed that AJ was not really that good and maybe the third best player. Every great UConn team has had one or two players who had great all around games and who made things happen in crunchtime. The "Go To" guy who had the magic to be their best in the big spots. Khalid/Rip, Emeka/Ben, Kemba/Lamb (mostly Kemba/Kemba). In my opinion, the '99 team had players who had great strengths, but lacked the all around game. I too am a fan of Adrien and Thabeet, but each of their games had significant limitations that luckily complimented each other well. The same with Stanley, Austrie, and Kemba as a freshman. AJ was the guy who held everything together for that team, was the "Go To" guy, and was a really smart player. He did not quite have the elite level athleticism, especially after his ACL tear, that limited his ceiling somewhat.

If I was responding to anyone, it was to formerlurker's posts that seemed to unduly underrate how good AJ was his last 2 seasons. He is entitled to his opinion

 

[upstater]

It baffles me that you guys view this as some kind of insult. AJ was a really good player and enginerred one of the most balanced offensive attacks in UConn history. He was an extension of Calhoun on the court, a superb leader and role model, and one of the toughest kids to ever grace the program. But I'm sorry, since when is it ground-breaking to prefer a kid like Adrien? The dude averaged a double double, shot 50% from the floor, and served as the heart and sole of the team alongside AJ, ultimately proving just as valuable in overcoming the brief down-spell of 2006/7.

AJ lead that team. There is no doubt he was the star of the team. Kid was unstoppable for a good part of the year, and he was largely the reason they even got to the F4. He had a lot of help defensively. But it was definitely AJ that was the big factor.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'm going to tie the two parts of this thread together.

LJ- Come to Uconn. Why? Because the history and standards at Uconn are so high that if you are good enough to become a first team AA and national player of the year candidate one season and come back the next season to be the leading scorer on a FF team and regional MOP, your career will be debated as to how good your career really stacks up compared to a dozen other players. In other words being and AA and leading a team to a FF is the entry fee for greatness discussions at Uconn.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I would rank the importance of the 2009 players as 1) Thabeet, 2) Price, 3) Adrien, but I don't think there's a huge gap between any of those three guys. Price was really, really good but I imagine every opposing coach in the country built their gameplan around how to deal with Hasheem.

 

[HuskyNationJE]

Starting lineup could be great with Purvis, LJ Peak and Hamilton at the 1, 2 and 3. 6'4, 6'5 and 6'6. Assuming Omar isn't there anymore, if not, Peak off the bench, then Hill, Looney or Obure at the 4 and Chukwu at the 5.

 

[Burnsbros23]

Hill is a 6'3 2 guard..... Don't think he will play the 4.