NBA Scout: UConn is better than you think

[HuskyHawk]

He gave us some awesome minutes in the tourney last year though..... Those players are EXTREMELY valuable off the bench.

I think the backup PG is an interesting competition between Samuel and Cassell Jr. If Cassell is better than T-Sam, then he's a very good player.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I think the backup PG is an interesting competition between Samuel and Cassell Jr. If Cassell is better than T-Sam, then he's a very good player.

I love Tsam, but all the pre-season buzz has been around Sam II Am. Seth Greenberg flagged him early and said KO has raved about him in off air conversations. Welsch had him in the starting lineup at first night and Cronin as recently as yesterday was predicting him to be a major factor for us. That's a lot of smoke.

 

[PAHusky]

I love Tsam, but all the pre-season buzz has been around Sam II Am. Seth Greenberg flagged him early and said KO has raved about him in off air conversations. Welsch had him in the starting lineup at first night and Cronin as recently as yesterday was predicting him to be a major factor for us. That's a lot of smoke.

Plenty of minutes for both. We're a guard heavy team, having a guy come off the bench who can create his own shot (Cassell) and a guy who can run the offense (TSam) is a great luxury to have. Imagine if we could meld the two of them into the same body? TSAMCASSELL? It would be phenomenal.

No flying cars yet, no way to combine two humans into one - science has really been letting us down lately.

 

[MASSconn]

Everyone in the country is sleeping on Purvis..........they won't be soon

 

[HuskyHawk]

I love Tsam, but all the pre-season buzz has been around Sam II Am. Seth Greenberg flagged him early and said KO has raved about him in off air conversations. Welsch had him in the starting lineup at first night and Cronin as recently as yesterday was predicting him to be a major factor for us. That's a lot of smoke.

Sounds like the next Ajou Deng! Hopefully not.

 

[CL82]

Sounds like the next Ajou Deng! Hopefully not.

Nah, we've actually seen that TSam can play.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Nah, we've actually seen that TSam can play.

I don't mean TSam, I mean Cassell Jr. Lots of hype, nothing to back it up. I have no problems with TSam as my backup PG. He's somewhere with Taliek and Ricky Moore in my mind in what he brings, and may have more offense than either.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Lots of hype, nothing to back it up.

Yeah, you know, other than JUCO AA and KO's constant praise

 

[Waquoit]

Nolan flashed some nice new post moves last year. I'm hoping he can follow that up by finishing more this year.

 

[7774]

Yeah, you know, other than JUCO AA and KO's constant praise

Right, so like he said, nothing.

 

[CL82]

I don't mean TSam, I mean Cassell Jr. Lots of hype, nothing to back it up. I have no problems with TSam as my backup PG. He's somewhere with Taliek and Ricky Moore in my mind in what he brings, and may have more offense than either.

Oh, got it.

 

[DOZE860]

To me Nolan's issue his freshman year, was he made too many moves before he went to the basket, i.e. that gif of him spinning around in a circle..
last year, it seemed like he abandon making any moves and just went straight up, most of the time getting his stuff swatted.. this year i think the game will slow down enough for him to be effective scoring post player, pump fake when he needs to, and go up strong and finish through contact..at least that what i am hoping...

 

[pj]

Plenty of minutes for both. We're a guard heavy team, having a guy come off the bench who can create his own shot (Cassell) and a guy who can run the offense (TSam) is a great luxury to have. Imagine if we could meld the two of them into the same body? TSAMCASSELL? It would be phenomenal.

No flying cars yet, no way to combine two humans into one - science has really been letting us down lately.

When has TSam shown he can run the offense? He was a slasher last year. Sam Cassell seems like a better prospect at point than TSam.

 

[Husky25]

When has TSam shown he can run the offense? He was a slasher last year. Sam Cassell seems like a better prospect at point than TSam.

Only in practice. Napier rarely came out of games and when he did, Ollie made sure Boatright was in there. They were never on the bench together.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Everyone in the country is sleeping on Purvis.....they won't be soon

Are they? It seems like most people are assuming that Purvis is going to be successful.

 

[Husky25]

Everyone in the country is sleeping on Purvis.....they won't be soon

Which country? UConn country or some other foreign state?

 

[intlzncster]

Right, so like he said, nothing.

Eh, Juco AA is not remotely nothing. Also, pedigree and highly intelligent basketball mind (learning from his dad).

Ajou's problem was he didn't have the mental makeup to be a top shelf baller. Sam doesn't have that issue.

 

[intlzncster]

Are they? It seems like most people are assuming that Purvis is going to be successful.

He's been left off a few impact player lists, some impact transfer lists, and ranked what 83 (?) in the country I saw the other day.

This is a former high school AA in his 3rd year as a player. He's now under the tutelage of a fantastic stable of coaches, and has had nearly 2 years to work on his game.

If he plays near his potential, he's a top 20 player, maybe even scratching top 10. Of course, no one here knows if he will reach that potential.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Eh, Juco AA is not remotely nothing. Also, pedigree and highly intelligent basketball mind (learning from his dad).

Ajou's problem was he didn't have the mental makeup to be a top shelf baller. Sam doesn't have that issue.

The collegiate success rate for the eponymous sons of 90s NBA all-stars is pretty high. That's why I've wanted one for so long.

 

[intlzncster]

The collegiate success rate for the eponymous sons of 90s NBA all-stars is pretty high. That's why I've wanted one for so long.

I think Sam is a perfect compliment to the guys we have too. That basketball IQ thing is huge, given that we lost Shabazz and Niels.

 

[JesusAllen11]

I think this team is so underrated. Even by us. I am Obv bias. I think Brimah turns into lottery/1st round pick type of center this year. A lock DPOY this year. Boat will be top 5 PG this year. Purv will turn heads. Calhoun has bounce back season. Dham will be everything we imagined(i think he gone in two years) great backup guards in Tsam &Cassell. MY only worry is what facey and lubin give us. If facey has taken a leap ...we should be amazing.

 

[Deadrody]

Terrence Samuel will not be an NBA pro. He just won't be. He's a great guy to have come off the bench when you need a spark and could develop into a great college player, but the NBA is not in his future.

Thanks, nostradamus. I mean, WTF ? He was a freshman that didn't play a lot. That says NOTHING about his potential future. Sure, if he was a freshman and a star that would be an easy prediction. Plenty of guys have played a little as freshmen and ended up in the NBA.

In fact, the comparison with Ollie is right on.

 

[Deadrody]

Honestly, I don't care about the NBA comments, it will be what it will be. What excited me was...they're good. Really good. I think we expected/hoped that would be the case. But this outside corroboration is nice. National people seem to be discounting the Huskies as usual.

True, but...

I remember reading something in SI back in 1999 about the likely final four based on NBA caliber players on the roster. Think about it. You get 1 point for an NBA player, 1/2 pt for someone that could play over seas. Most teams can't get more than a couple. This team - according to this scout - already has 5 and counting. That bodes very well for the future (March that is)

 

[HuskyHawk]

Eh, Juco AA is not remotely nothing. Also, pedigree and highly intelligent basketball mind (learning from his dad).

Ajou's problem was he didn't have the mental makeup to be a top shelf baller. Sam doesn't have that issue.

I'm not saying he won't be good, I sure as hell hope he will. All I am saying is that he hasn't played a single game at this level, and he is not a Daniel Hamilton level stud recruit. Expecting him to come in and be a top shelf PG at this level out of the gate is a recipe for disappointment. I will be surprised if he is better than TSam this year.

 

[ctchamps]

I think this team is so underrated. Even by us. I am Obv bias. I think Brimah turns into lottery/1st round pick type of center this year. A lock DPOY this year. Boat will be top 5 PG this year. Purv will turn heads. Calhoun has bounce back season. Dham will be everything we imagined(i think he gone in two years) great backup guards in Tsam &Cassell. MY only worry is what facey and lubin give us. If facey has taken a leap ...we should be amazing.

There is a contest by a guy named Skinner who is giving away excellent tickets to the Duke-UConn game. You might want to find it and express your enthusiasm in that thread.