Most promising development this season ...

[pj]

Daniel Hamilton played well at power forward in the second half against ECU, and said post-game that he liked playing power forward.

With DHam at the 4 we've got 3 solid players (Brimah/Facey/DHam) for the big man rotation, and it frees up time for Purvis/Calhoun/TSam at the 2 wing spots. If those 3 can step up and demand minutes, we could have a good team. DHam, if he can defend and rebound, gives a challenging look at the 4. Liking it is the first step to being good at it.

 

[W Coast UCONN]

I think we can get away with this look inside the American, but DHam as a 4 against a decent ACC or BIG10 school would just get pushed around in my opinion.. As Mac would say "he needs to cultivate more mass"

 

[mauconnfan]

Not sure we couldn't get away with it if AB got a lot better and our 3's were able to board and defend a bit better. But I agree, he looked good there and is a mismatch. But as W Coast said run into the prototypical wide body PF and it won't be that pretty. Then again it wouldn't be with Kentan at this point of his career either.

 

[uchusky32]

Dham is a tough matchup wherever he is playing. He is going to be dynamic next year in my opinion. Range, length and quickness. And is handle and decision making is getting better.

 

[pj]

It took Deandre until his junior year to master the position. I could live with DHam taking until his sophomore year. But at least his willingness to play there gives the team a lineup that can, in time, win -- and gives them a chance to work on it, build chemistry, and figure out what skills they need to develop. It gives hope to us fans. Knowing the path forward is the essential precursor to rapid progress.

I still think they might be a much improved team in a month. Win the AAC tourney and who knows?

 

[Kitaman]

I know it was out of need but I hope to see DHam as a 3 and then a 2. To me he just has that small forward game.

 

[UConnfan8]

I know it was out of need but I hope to see DHam as a 3 and then a 2. To me he just has that small forward game.

gotta be able to dribble first

 

[djct1999]

Personally, I feel dham has way more upside than dd. we saw a glimpse of it in the second half of the last game. He was fluid and appeared to glide on both ends of the floor. Simply put, the kid is a basketball player!

 

[husky99]

A chair would play better D

 

[W Coast UCONN]

On a side development note, Lubin.... Whats the deal with this guy? I feel like he couldn't even touch the rim if he wanted he does not look or play like he is 6 8' from what I have seen. Yes I get he is heavier... but so was DeJuan Blair?

 

[superjohn]

On a side development note, Lubin.... Whats the deal with this guy? I feel like he couldn't even touch the rim if he wanted he does not look or play like he is 6 8' from what I have seen. Yes I get he is heavier... but so was DeJuan Blair?

He's 6'6, he doesn't have great hops but he dunked from a standing position in the Houston game.

 

[mauconnfan]

A chair would play better D

Than who 99, DHam? You must mean someone else because while not great he plays very hard on that end and is pretty damn good for a freshman I believe.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

He's 6'6, he doesn't have great hops but he dunked from a standing position in the Houston game.

I wonder how much his hops would improve if he improved his conditioning and nutrition to the point where he dropped about 15-20 pounds. His shooting touch is a little concerning after watching a few FTs nearly shatter the backboard.

 

[ctchamps]

]I think we can get away with this look inside the American, but DHam as a 4 against a decent ACC or BIG10 school would just get pushed around in my opinion.. As Mac would say "he needs to cultivate more mass"[/QUOTE]
He did great at the 4 against ECU but was totally manhandled against Cinci. He needs to bulk up considerably. His offense at the 3 and 4 is certainly ahead of his defense. Hopefully as he gains experience he'll be less prone to turnovers. Nothing is certain however.

 

[mauconnfan]

]I think we can get away with this look inside the American, but DHam as a 4 against a decent ACC or BIG10 school would just get pushed around in my opinion.. As Mac would say "he needs to cultivate more mass"

He did great at the 4 against ECU but was totally manhandled against Cinci. He needs to bulk up considerably. His offense at the 3 and 4 is certainly ahead of his defense. Hopefully as he gains experience he'll be less prone to turnovers. Nothing is certain however.[/QUOTE]

The thing is we don't want him to bulk up considerably, I hope he's just another option at the 4 for parts of games. Against Cincy everyone was manhandled so that's not really a big deal, some of it was actually what the refs allow. But I agree, he needs to get a bit stronger without affecting his wing game. Right now we're a better team with him at the 4 because Facey is struggling but hopefully he spends most of his time at the wing in the future.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Taking a bit of a nuanced route, the development is that UConn can play effectively with him at the four moreso than UConn can only play with him at the 4. Part of the problem with this team is the lack of combinations Ollie can put on the floor. Players we fans were hoping would develop their game, haven't done so as much as we had hoped.

The comparison of Hamilton being able to play the four against certain defensive schemes to Giffey being able to play the 5 is spot on. It doesn't mean it has to be that way for 30 minutes every night, but it is a valid lineup.

Hamilton's willingness to rebound on the defensive end makes it all possible. His skill set is starting to align to Caron's skillset. Different bodies but both had the ability to rebound, dribble out of trouble and push the ball. Caron was much physically stronger but Hamilton is getting there.

His willingness to accept and thrive in an expanded role is definitely good news all around for this year and next.

 

[Danzz]

On a side development note, Lubin.... Whats the deal with this guy? I feel like he couldn't even touch the rim if he wanted he does not look or play like he is 6 8' from what I have seen. Yes I get he is heavier... but so was DeJuan Blair?

Lubin is closer to 6'5"

 

[Rico444]

College basketball is all about matchups. I think we're a better team when D-Ham plays the 4 but it won't work against everyone. No point in trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

 

[ctchamps]

He did great at the 4 against ECU but was totally manhandled against Cinci. He needs to bulk up considerably. His offense at the 3 and 4 is certainly ahead of his defense. Hopefully as he gains experience he'll be less prone to turnovers. Nothing is certain however.

The thing is we don't want him to bulk up considerably, I hope he's just another option at the 4 for parts of games. Against Cincy everyone was manhandled so that's not really a big deal, some of it was actually what the refs allow. But I agree, he needs to get a bit stronger without affecting his wing game. Right now we're a better team with him at the 4 because Facey is struggling but hopefully he spends most of his time at the wing in the future.[/QUOTE]
I agree. I don't want him to bulk up at the expense of his flexibility. My response was to the point out to the poster that there are AAC teams in which Dham cannot play the 4.

 

[Chin Diesel]

College basketball is all about matchups. I think we're a better team when D-Ham plays the 4 but it won't work against everyone. No point in trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

Or at least make sure the hypotenuse of the square is less than the diameter of the circle.

 

[uchusky32]

He did great at the 4 against ECU but was totally manhandled against Cinci. He needs to bulk up considerably. His offense at the 3 and 4 is certainly ahead of his defense. Hopefully as he gains experience he'll be less prone to turnovers. Nothing is certain however.

The thing is we don't want him to bulk up considerably, I hope he's just another option at the 4 for parts of games. Against Cincy everyone was manhandled so that's not really a big deal, some of it was actually what the refs allow. But I agree, he needs to get a bit stronger without affecting his wing game. Right now we're a better team with him at the 4 because Facey is struggling but hopefully he spends most of his time at the wing in the future.[/QUOTE]

Exactly! Why do we want our only natural 3 to move to the 4. Limited times with certain matchups fine. But his handle is getting better and he already has better handle than both DD and Roscoe. With that said either Facey needs to improve or someone else gets minutes there.
It might be our best lineup now with him at the 4 but that's not a championship lineup.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Hamilton's handle is also more effective against 3/4 hybrids than 2/3 hybrids. So many times he was getting stripped with his spin move in the lane. When he starts his dribble facing the basket from the wing against bigger players, it's much more effective. They aren't as skilled as guards at stripping the ball.

 

[lange10]

Dham IMO has the second best handle on the team, and it will get better, so that doesn't worry me. He gets lost on D from time to time and gets beat back door, but that happens to all the others guarding the perimeter from time to time as well. Like everyone has said, it's all about matchups. He doesn't need bulk because we don't need him to be a 4 man all the time. With Enoch coming in and a more developed/bigger Facey next year, hopefully he won't need to spend much time at the 4 for us (unless its the right matchup)

 

[pj]

A lot of good comments in this thread, if I weren't lazy I would 'like' most of them. It's the versatility of players that makes a great team and DHam being able to play inside or outside or equally well will solve so many of KO's problems. He does need to get stronger to do it effectively but as DeAndre showed, that doesn't mean you need to become bulky or lose quickness. Wiry strength is enough. You need 3 solid players at the 4-5 for a full game rotation, even with no foul trouble, and with Phil Nolan's regression / failure to develop and Lubin being what he is, we only had two. DHam gives us the 3rd. That fills a crucial hole by itself, never mind the matchup problems DHam's skills create. It also lets Purvis/TSam/Omar get substantial minutes at the 2-3 spots and hopefully they develop some chemistry and confidence by March. Purvis and Omar are actually better suited to the 3 than 2 because they lack the handle and passing ability a 2-guard should have; they do best when other guards create for them. Playing TSam along Boat for significant minutes gives Boat a bit of a rest while keeping him on the court. Overall, because of all these factors, DHam being able to play minutes at the 4 is a major advantage for the team.

But, the fact that he likes it is also crucial. We need team chemistry, team enthusiasm, joy playing the game. It's one thing to ask a player to do it for the good of the team, it's another when he finds he likes it and embraces the role with enthusiasm.

 

[8893]

Most promising development of the season imo is the new sports bar area at the XL with Two Roads Lil' Heaven on tap.