Name your all-time UConn Defensive Team | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Name your all-time UConn Defensive Team

Chin Diesel said:
He is solidly #3 behind Okafor and Clingan. Yes, Thabeet had more individual honors, but end of the day, the other two had more effect on overall team accomplishments.

All three completely shut down the lane and forced teams to alter any game plan of getting to the rim.

Clingan is more in the Ricky Moore category of you don't see the numbers- blocks for Clingan or steals for Moore. They're numbers are good, but there are others at UConn with better numbers at their position. But you look at opponent FG%, and you see the effect.
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I never thought I would see a better defender at UConn than Okafor but along came Clingan. Clingan has a chance at multiple NBA defensive player of the year in his future if he stays healthy, IMO.

Thabeet was a supreme shot blocker and anchored an intimidating frontcourt with Adrien and Stanley but he's our third best defensive big man which is still awesome considering the two guys ahead of him. I think third best defensive big also likely makes him our third best individual defender overall.

He never won a ring and DeJuan Blair made him his step stool on our homecourt.
 
dogpause said:
I think Steph, Andre, Donovan, Thabeet and Nadav are locks. Ironic that in a Hurley era focused on offense, we get at least three of our all-time best defenders. I don't think recency bias is even a factor with those three.

Steph is already being viewed as a "lockdown cornerback" in the NBA, and Andre was simply a game changer who had to be on the floor simply because he was a defensive savant.

As for Donovan, he became a tremendous shot blocker who made penetration nearly impossible. How many times did we laugh at teams that kept trying to take the ball to rim?

Thabeet was an incredible shot blocker, and Nadav was like Andre in that he had a unique defensive skill set. No pass was safe when he was on the floor. Although we had other good defenders, Nadav was really our first defensive star.
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Okafor has to make it above Andre, IMO (unless you're trying to stick to team positions). He was a 2x Big East DPOY. Jackson was merely a very good defender.
 
auror said:
Okafor has to make it above Andre, IMO (unless you're trying to stick to team positions). He was a 2x Big East DPOY. Jackson was merely a very good defender.
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I love Andre Jackson but he seems to be the most overrated defender we've had with all these people putting him top 5 all-time. He wasn't the perimeter defender Castle and Moore were, he got beat off the dribble a lot.

Donyell Marshall most underrated defender based on the responses.
 
Ricker said:
Depreist (shut down pg [Scoonie Penn?}
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Ricker said:
(Ricky by reputation but I can't think of specific top scorer shut downs
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Lyman shut down Barros

FF 1999 Moore wouldn’t let Scoonie get the ball and when he did he wasn’t in a position to do anything without working. He cut the head off the snake.

Anyway my quick first thoughts for the best five in no particular order but with position in mind was:
Clingan
Nadav
Moore
Chris Smith
Castle
 
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How about Dom Perno?

He stole the ball from Bill Bradley to send the Huskies to the Elite Eight.
 
As a team that could play together I think
Boatright
Burrell
Castle
Okafor
Clingan

They wouldn't shoot well but they would make life a living hell for the other team. Toughest omission was Thabeet but I think Clingan is more well rounded
 
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Defensive team

1- Ricky Moore

2-3-4. A.Jackson , Burrell , and Henefeld

5 . Okafor

2nd team

1-2 Napier , Boatright

3 Castle

4 Donyell Marshall

5 Thabeet



Honorable Mention

Depriest

Clingan

C Smith

Akok

Whaley

Brimah

Dyson

Vital

George

C. Robinson

Gilbert
 
Palatine said:
How about Dom Perno?

He stole the ball from Bill Bradley to send the Huskies to the Elite Eight.
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"Perno stole the ball! Perno stole the ball! Perno stole the ball!"
 
auror said:
Modern era 1985+

1st Team:
Ricky Moore
Nadav Henefeld
Emeka Okafor
Donovan Clingan
Hasheem Thabeet

2nd Team:
Steph Castle
Scott Burrell
Andre Jackson
Jake Voskuhl
Amida Brimah

Honorable Mentions: Travis Knight, Donyell Marshall, Jeff Adrien, Josh Boone, Christian Vital, Isaiah Whaley, Hilton Armstrong, Ryan Boatright, Jeff Adrien
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Would to see Mek, Don and Thabeet on the court at the same time
 
AZHuskiePop said:
Defensive team

1- Ricky Moore

2-3-4. A.Jackson , Burrell , and Henefeld

5 . Okafor

2nd team

1-2 Napier , Boatright

3 Castle

4 Donyell Marshall

5 Thabeet



Honorable Mention

Depriest

Clingan

C Smith

Akok

Whaley

Brimah

Dyson

Vital

George

C. Robinson

Gilbert
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Vital and Gilbert before Diarra? Why I wouldn't call either of those as great defenders especially when comparing to Hassan Diarra. Hassan is just getting really disrespected even with defense which is what has made him so popular with the fans. I'm confused by his ommissions of not even being mentioned on any of the lists.
 
I want to consider this for a while before naming teams, but I will note one thing: the fact that Thabeet, if you do this by position, won’t even be second team (because he’s behind Okafor and DC) is utterly crazy.
 
businesslawyer said:
I want to consider this for a while before naming teams, but I will note one thing: the fact that Thabeet, if you do this by position, won’t even be second team (because he’s behind Okafor and DC) is utterly crazy.
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Crazy because there isn't anyway you put those two ahead of him?

Or,

Crazy because UConn has had so many good defensive C's that a C of Thabeet's accomplishments really does slot in at #3.

This almost has the feel of having to put Mickey Mantle as the third best Yankee all-time because there's a couple of guys named Ruth and Gehrig.
 
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Chin Diesel said:
Crazy because there isn't anyway you put those two ahead of him?

Or,

Crazy because UConn has had so many good defensive C's that a C of Thabeet's accomplishments really does slot in at #3.

This almost has the feel of having to put Mickey Mantle as the third best Yankee all-time because there's a couple of guys named Ruth and Gehrig.
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The latter. That there were two better.

And FWIW, there’s not a world in which Mantle is the third best Yankee of all time. See, e.g., DiMaggio, Joe.
 
If you're going by position, choosing between Clingan and Okafor is probably the most difficult one. I still think I go with Okafor just based on his quickness off the floor, lateral movement and advanced positional defending. The game has changed such that blocked shots are less frequent, but Okafor's numbers were just silly. But if there's a difference it's minimal.

1st team:
Ricky Moore
Stephon Castle
Nadav Henefeld
Lyman DePriest
Okafor

2nd team:
Boatright
Diarra
Scott Burrell
Donyell (even though he was merely a shot blocker and not great overall defender)
Clingan

Honorable mention:
Napier, Taliek Brown, Thabeet, Voskuhl, Feeman, Josh Boone, Tate George, Brimah
 
Oak could have better shut down Edey on his own. Clingan did a decent job, but he's not Oak.

Honestly, this is like having a contest on who had the best handshake. Defense has been the price of admission to UConn since JC walked through the door. If you weren't an elite defender, you were a HoF scorer or you were on the bench.
 
We have run out of things to debate/argue about. The season is one week away. We have the chance to three peat. We know we have a very talented team. Anything that makes it feel like the calendar is moving faster for the next seven days is ok with me.

Thabeet #3 defensive center is probably right although impossible to think it should be.

I am not even going to try to name the best five just writing Thabeet down as #3 was enough for me.
 
Emeka
KFree
Donyell
Ricky Moore
Vital

Hasheem
Josh Boone
Toby Kimball
Lyman DePriest
Bazz
 
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The locks are:

Ricky Moore
Stephon Castle
Lyman DePriest
Emeka Okafor
Hasheem Thabeet

The bench then includes:
Clingan
Henefeld
Andre Jackson
Burrell

Then just for pure fear-inducing terror I am adding Toraino Walker
 
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3rdbass said:
Vital and Gilbert before Diarra? Why I wouldn't call either of those as great defenders especially when comparing to Hassan Diarra. Hassan is just getting really disrespected even with defense which is what has made him so popular with the fans. I'm confused by his ommissions of not even being mentioned on any of the lists.
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Hard to put a bench player on an All-Time defense team. Maybe after this year.
 
There might be three pick pockets from Boatright in the first 5 mins of this highlight alone. Think he’s being slept on based on these lists lol

 
auror said:
Modern era 1985+

1st Team:
Ricky Moore
Nadav Henefeld
Emeka Okafor
Donovan Clingan
Hasheem Thabeet

2nd Team:
Steph Castle
Scott Burrell
Andre Jackson
Jake Voskuhl
Amida Brimah

Honorable Mentions: Travis Knight, Donyell Marshall, Jeff Adrien, Josh Boone, Christian Vital, Isaiah Whaley, Hilton Armstrong, Ryan Boatright, Jeff Adrien
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Lyman de priest is not in your list. You lost me.
 
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Lot of great choices. One real old timer, a year a head of Wes B., Dan “Spider” Hesford. Gangly 6-2 called “Spider” because it seemed like he could move on D in 3 directions at the same time.
 
auror said:
Modern era 1985+

1st Team:
Ricky Moore
Nadav Henefeld
Emeka Okafor
Donovan Clingan
Hasheem Thabeet

2nd Team:
Steph Castle
Scott Burrell
Andre Jackson
Jake Voskuhl
Amida Brimah

Honorable Mentions: Travis Knight, Donyell Marshall, Jeff Adrien, Josh Boone, Christian Vital, Isaiah Whaley, Hilton Armstrong, Ryan Boatright, Jeff Adrien
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Solid list but you gotta have Depriest on here if you’re talking about after 1985.
 
Depriest didn't play enough to make the top 10 All-time list, for me. He could be on HM.
 
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