NBA Scout: UConn is better than you think

[pj]

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.

Nolan and Facey will both step up and will have PF covered. Lubin has the training wheels on and won't see a lot of time, but can be a change of pace (load substituting for length). I feel more confident about Nolan and Facey at PF than I do about Omar bouncing back.

 

[JesusAllen11]

Nolan and Facey will both step up and will have PF covered. Lubin has the training wheels on and won't see a lot of time, but can be a change of pace (load substituting for length). I feel more confident about Nolan and Facey at PF than I do about Omar bouncing back.

I Just dont see Nolan getting much minutes at the 4 , we need him as our back up 5 for Brimah. Especially with the foul trouble we saw from both them last year. Things will get ugly if both brimah and Nolan are in foul trouble. depth in front court worries me , especially if injuries come into play. I feel we are a body short down there.

 

[MASSconn]

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

Define "successful"

He has not been included in any pre-reason teams. If you follow the guy he is loving that nobody believes his HS recruiting hype.

 

[MASSconn]

Which country? UConn country or some other foreign state?

Do less

 

[mauconnfan]

I Just dont see Nolan getting much minutes at the 4 , we need him as our back up 5 for Brimah. Especially with the foul trouble we saw from both them last year. Things will get ugly if both brimah and Nolan are in foul trouble. depth in front court worries me , especially if injuries come into play. I feel we are a body short down there.

While I see your point I doubt KO and the staff sit their best 4 (if indeed it is Phil) if that's the best lineup, just because of foul trouble. We'll see but if he's playing well and needs to defend a big bodied PF then he and brimah will be in together.

 

[Palatine]

We're absolutely under rated.

Brimah is a top 5 defensive center right now. He could become an overall top 10/5 center if he ups his offense just a little.

Boatrights is a top 10 PG.

That's without Purvis and Hamilton were top national recruits.

Cassel, TSam and Calhoun give us depth and probably a lot more a guard

Inside Nolan is a proven starter from a national champion. Facey is athletic 6-9 depth. Rock gives us fouls and minutes inside.

To me this has the look of a top ten team.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I Just dont see Nolan getting much minutes at the 4 , we need him as our back up 5 for Brimah. Especially with the foul trouble we saw from both them last year. Things will get ugly if both brimah and Nolan are in foul trouble. depth in front court worries me , especially if injuries come into play. I feel we are a body short down there.

I think this is very dependent on the progress he and Brimah have made. Fouls were a huge problem last year but based on reports of his progress, that is up in the air this year.

 

[Doggie Style]

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 agree. Deciding between the two is a good problem to have.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Lots of hype, nothing to back it up.

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

Right, so like he said, nothing.

Oops

 

[7774]

Oops

Oops, what?

 

[Rocktheworld]

Oops, what?

Oh I dunno... don't you feel just a little silly just waving off JUCO AA and KO's constant praise?

 

[7774]

Oh I dunno... don't you feel just a little silly just waving off JUCO AA and KO's constant praise?

Well, I'm not a moron, so no. Making definitive assumptions about what a player will be at UCONN based upon JUCO awards or KO's comments is moronic.

KO called Purvis a Ferrari about 500 times and hyped him 10x Cassell Jr., and it didn't translate to great play on the court. The Ferrari, whom many people said would be one year and gone, won't even be a starter on his own team if he doesn't shake off the rust quickly because Cassell Jr. looked so good. Which is the point. Hype doesn't matter. Only what happens on the court in a UCONN jersey matters.

This was one game, by the way. Against a DII team. That doesn't even count. Hopefully Sam keeps it up because we will be tough if he does.

 

[Hoophound]

Well, I'm not a moron, so no. Making definitive assumptions about what a player will be at UCONN based upon JUCO awards or KO's comments is moronic. KO called Purvis a Ferrari about 500 times and hyped him 10x Cassell Jr., and it didn't translate to great play on the court. The Ferrari, whom many people said would be one year and gone, won't even be a starter on his own team if he doesn't shake off the rust quickly because Cassell Jr. looked so good. Which is the point. Hype doesn't matter. Only what happens on the court in a UCONN jersey matters.

It is fearlessness and confidence. Cassell has it in his genetics. TSam seems to as well. You can never count guys like that out. Their presence on the floor brings everyone up because their moxie is contagious. I see a lot of minute distribution based on match ups and who has the hot hand with this group. That applies to both the front and back courts. We have a lot of tools to work with and KO has proven very good at using his weapons extremely effectively. It may be his greatest strength in his coaching after master motivator.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Well, I'm not a moron, so no. Making definitive assumptions about what a player will be at UCONN based upon JUCO awards or KO's comments is moronic.

KO called Purvis a Ferrari about 500 times and hyped him 10x Cassell Jr., and it didn't translate to great play on the court. The Ferrari, whom many people said would be one year and gone, won't even be a starter on his own team if he doesn't shake off the rust quickly because Cassell Jr. looked so good. Which is the point. Hype doesn't matter. Only what happens on the court in a UCONN jersey matters.

This was one game, by the way. Against a DII team. That doesn't even count. Hopefully Sam keeps it up because we will be tough if he does.

The most "definitive" statement made by anyone was HuskyHawk comparing him to Ajou Deng. Cassell seems an odd guy to target with this, since his "hype" is based on actual on-court performance. Yes, it's at the JuCo level, but guys who were elite at that level tend to be quality players at this one.

 

[Gringo]

The most "definitive" statement made by anyone was HuskyHawk comparing him to Ajou Deng. Cassell seems an odd guy to target with this, since his "hype" is based on actual on-court performance. Yes, it's at the JuCo level, but guys who were elite at that level tend to be quality players at this one.

Agree with this. Up until a month ago Cassell was the least talked about player on the boneyard. Purvis was a Ferrarri, Hamilton was baby Hamilton and Rock was a cross between Barkley, Malone and Blair.

In the last month or so every media member who has watched the team play has talked about how impressive Cassell has looked. He also played really well last night. The season has yet to start, but every indication is that the guy will be a good player for us.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The most "definitive" statement made by anyone was HuskyHawk comparing him to Ajou Deng. Cassell seems an odd guy to target with this, since his "hype" is based on actual on-court performance. Yes, it's at the JuCo level, but guys who were elite at that level tend to be quality players at this one.

As I said, I hope he's fantastic and I don't expect an Ajou Deng, merely comparing the hype. He's never played a game at a D1 level, and still hasn't. I'll reserve judgment before declaring him a star. Didn't see the game last night so I've still never seen him play.

 

[pj]

Juco all-americans are excellent ballplayers, their issues tend to be character and intelligence. Those don't seem to be issues with Sam Jr. I think we got a good one.

 

[Husky25]

Juco all-americans are excellent ballplayers, their issues tend to be character and intelligence. Those don't seem to be issues with Sam Jr. I think we got a good one.

There is a huge difference between intelligence and grades. Cassell's issue was grades, not intelligence.

It’s unclear if the academic roadblock relates to coursework from Notre Dame or from his previous schools in his native Baltimore – Towson Catholic and St. Frances Academy – but Cassell is unlikely to play for Maryland during the upcoming season and possibly beyond, multiple prep coaches with knowledge of the situation told InsideMDSports.

 

[tcf15]

Juco all-americans are excellent ballplayers, their issues tend to be character and intelligence. Those don't seem to be issues with Sam Jr. I think we got a good one.

There is a huge difference between intelligence and grades. Cassell's issue was grades, not intelligence.

It wasn't even grades. Cassell, Jr. should have been playing Division I level basketball for the past two years. Happy that he ended up at UConn, but it was just a sh_tty situation all around.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...gibility-to-myles-davis-and-sam-cassells-kid-

Here's the situation: Davis and Cassell both had classes they took in the 2011-12 school year invalidated by the NCAA largely because the NCAA put the Fitchburg, Mass., school on the "Watch List." By the time Davis was notified by the NCAA that the school was under review, which Davis' father told CBSSports.com was last winter, it was too late to take any other classes to replace the ones invalidated by the NCAA because Davis was already in his fifth year.
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The NCAA has certainly stepped up its efforts to police some of the questionable prep schools throughout the country. That's why Rodney Purvis remains in limbo right now and why Notre Dame Prep is among many schools under an NCAA microscope.

However, there needs to be consistency. McMillan started 23 games last season at Fordham, Mayo was a key reserve for Marquette a year ago and Radovic averaged 18 minutes per game at South Carolina State.

Davis and Cassell both sat in the same room, took identical classes and neither will be allowed to play -- or even practice -- this season.

 

[intlzncster]

KO called Purvis a Ferrari about 500 times and hyped him 10x Cassell Jr., and it didn't translate to great play on the court. The Ferrari, whom many people said would be one year and gone, won't even be a starter on his own team if he doesn't shake off the rust quickly because Cassell Jr. looked so good. Which is the point. Hype doesn't matter. Only what happens on the court in a UCONN jersey matters.

Only way Purvis leaves the starting lineup is if he breaks his leg.

 

[intlzncster]

It wasn't even grades. Cassell, Jr. should have been playing Division I level basketball for the past two years. Happy that he ended up at UConn, but it was just a sh_tty situation all around.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...gibility-to-myles-davis-and-sam-cassells-kid-

Here's the situation: Davis and Cassell both had classes they took in the 2011-12 school year invalidated by the NCAA largely because the NCAA put the Fitchburg, Mass., school on the "Watch List." By the time Davis was notified by the NCAA that the school was under review, which Davis' father told CBSSports.com was last winter, it was too late to take any other classes to replace the ones invalidated by the NCAA because Davis was already in his fifth year.
-------
The NCAA has certainly stepped up its efforts to police some of the questionable prep schools throughout the country. That's why Rodney Purvis remains in limbo right now and why Notre Dame Prep is among many schools under an NCAA microscope.

However, there needs to be consistency. McMillan started 23 games last season at Fordham, Mayo was a key reserve for Marquette a year ago and Radovic averaged 18 minutes per game at South Carolina State.

Davis and Cassell both sat in the same room, took identical classes and neither will be allowed to play -- or even practice -- this season.

So your saying the NCAA sucks? I accept that.

 

[7774]

Only way Purvis leaves the starting lineup is if he breaks his leg.

Yes, I guess if you don't count any of the other ways.

 

[intlzncster]

Yes, I guess if you don't count any of the other ways.

Look if you want Ollie to put an inferior player into his spot, then that's your predilection. But just recognize, that by doing so, UCONN becomes less potent (ie worse).

 

[7774]

Look if you want Ollie to put an inferior player into his spot, then that's your predilection. But just recognize, that by doing so, UCONN becomes less potent (ie worse).

Browsing the 'P' section of the dictionary today, huh?