Next year depth

[superjohn]

Is anyone worried about a lack of depth next season? The good thing is there are no scrubs on this team every player seems like a legit contributor, the bad is we only have 10 scholarship players. I think it's enough and we have the positions covered but an injury or two and we are seriously thin.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Is anyone worried about a lack of depth next season? The good thing is there are no scrubs on this team every player seems like a legit contributor, the bad is we only have 10 scholarship players. I think it's enough and we have the positions covered but an injury or two and we are seriously thin.

I'm really worried about depth at PF and C. We have the absolute minimum number of players, no one who is a proven impact player, all three returnees are extremely foul-prone, and the incoming freshman looks like a role player at this level.

For guards and wings, I'm not worried. Between Boatright, Samuel, Purvis, Cassell, Hamilton, and Calhoun, we can take a hit or two without much of a problem.

 

[rip7774]

If Lubin is half as good as you guys make him out, we'll be ok! But I agree, it is a little thin. I'm shocked we didn't add a 5th-year guy. I'm sure it wasn't from a lack of looking.

 

[aceboon]

really only worried about the 4 spot because of the lack of experience with Facey & Lubin, 1-3 we're loaded, and I can't imagine Nolan and Brimah being as foul prone as they were last year with a year's experience and now a summer in the weight room to strengthen up. 2 Cs who played a ton should be enough, an injury would be cause for concern though.

 

[Horatio]

I like our depth but we only have one true forward on the roster and that's Hamilton (a freshman small forward ) . It's hasn't been proven that Facey can be a "forward" whether its a stretch four or just a power forward. So although we have a deep team I only see guards, a freshman three and a rotation of post players . Theres a great deal of developmental pressure on Facey and if he cant cut it we might be back to the double big days of Josh and Emeka . I can see Phil and Brimah playing that role .With that being said, we can still have a very good season.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I surprised we didn't add a 3-4.
Facey can swing over and play the 5 in a pinch.
But should only be in an emergency.
Is it too late to pickup a post-grad stretch 4?
I'm not counting on Lubin this year.

 

[Burnsbros23]

I would Imagine Nolan starts at the four. Not sure how well that works.

 

[James]

I would Imagine Nolan starts at the four. Not sure how well that works.

That's concerns me as far as floor spacing. Also Nolan rarely to never played the 4 this year, I think facey is working to make that jump to start this year. Doesn't make sense since he rarely played as a frosh , but it would allow KO a nice rotation at the 5. Nolan being a tough smart back up is a great asset.

As far as being '1 injury away from disaster' most teams are in this boat. Although I'm concerned about Lubin, having heard reports of him being up to 290? He needs to cut weight so he isn't like that sideshow on UCF.

 

[aceboon]

That's concerns me as far as floor spacing. Also Nolan rarely to never played the 4 this year, I think facey is working to make that jump to start this year. Doesn't make sense since he rarely played as a frosh , but it would allow KO a nice rotation at the 5. Nolan being a tough smart back up is a great asset.

As far as being '1 injury away from disaster' most teams are in this boat. Although I'm concerned about Lubin, having heard reports of him being up to 290? He needs to cut weight so he isn't like that sideshow on UCF.

270lbs, and there were pics of him from his AS game in March, dude was all muscle. I think the concern from KO was over him getting too big as far as mucle being put on, not fat like the UCF dude. I remember how jacked up Emeka got during his 2nd year in the NBA and he ended up hurting his ankle and then came back the next season having cut alot of that muscle he had put on, he got too top heavy. Same thing with Oden, dude spent that year he was out his with microfracture getting way too top heavy with muscle, then he ruptured his patella. Not saying that was the cause but I remember there were media reports that the Blazers weren't too happy with how much muscle he had put on.

 

[CallMeBruce]

As far as being '1 injury away from disaster' most teams are in this boat. Although I'm concerned about Lubin, having heard reports of him being up to 290? He needs to cut weight so he isn't like that sideshow on UCF.

Most teams are 1 injury to a key player away from disaster. At this point, if we lose any of Brimah/Nolan/Facey/Lubin, we're going to be throwing some weird lineups on the court.

Lubin is nothing like McBride. Lubin reminds me a lot of Eric Hayward, actually. He's bulky, but it's almost all muscle, and he still moves pretty well.

 

[Husky68]

I surprised we didn't add a 3-4.
Facey can swing over and play the 5 in a pinch.
But should only be in an emergency.
Is it too late to pickup a post-grad stretch 4?
I'm not counting on Lubin this year.

A freshman Jeff Adrien did some good spot minutes, and if remember correctly was most effective big against George Mason. Just need some good energy minutes where effort translates into some points and possessions, can be enough to win a few extra games. Jeff was a 16 minute kid his 1st year with 6 pts and 5 rebounds; this kid would be big help if got to that.

 

[James]

270lbs, and there were pics of him from his AS game in March, dude was all muscle. I think the concern from KO was over him getting too big as far as mucle being put on, not fat like the UCF dude. I remember how jacked up Emeka got during his 2nd year in the NBA and he ended up hurting his ankle and then came back the next season having cut alot of that muscle he had put on, he got too top heavy. Same thing with Oden, dude spent that year he was out his with microfracture getting way too top heavy with muscle, then he ruptured his patella. Not saying that was the cause but I remember there were media reports that the Blazers weren't too happy with how much muscle he had put on.

One of the reasons Tim Duncan has found the fountain of youth is he cut alot of weight, he is clearly in the best shape of his life. Thats a big reason why Pau Gasol has struggled, he hasn't adjusted in his battle with father time. I just don't want lubin being too big we need him 100% all year, good its muscle and not fat though. Really insane also

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I'd imagine the 4 spot will be a whole lot of Facey, a little bit of Nolan, a little bit of Lubin, and maybe even a little bit of Hamilton depending on the situation.

There's nothing wrong with having 10 guys...as long as you actually have 10 guys. If Facey, Nolan, or Brimah get hurt, Ollie will have to get extremely creative.

 

[Burnsbros23]

Nolan at the four concerns me with spacing as well. But does Facey concern you any less. Think Nolan has a better shot than him.

 

[pnete]

Ollie sees these guys practicing every game. Have faith that he think he has a player for every position.

 

[UCONNfan1]

Ollie sees these guys practicing every game. Have faith that he think he has a player for every position.

And reserves to cover it.

I'm not worried and here's why. We are just coming off a NC and lost our 2 best players to the NBA. My expectations for this team are that we win at least 20, make the NCAA's, and hopefully get past the 2nd round. Maybe I'm still on the high from the NC, but I seriously will be fine with almost whatever happens this year (within reason).

As has been pointed out, we are fine with the 1-3 spots. IF Hamilton can slide over and play the 4 if needed, even better. But having Brimah, Nolan, Facey and Lubin to cover the 4-5 spots seems more than enough. Just a guess, but let's say Brimah and Facey start (along with Boat, Purvis and Hamilton). That leaves Nolan and Lubin to come in for those guys if needed (and Samuel, Calhoun and Cassell).

We basically have a team of 10 and are 2 deep at every position. Can bad stuff (injury, transfer) happen? Sure. But as a fan I'm pretty ok with that team...

 

[LIUCHusky]

I'm really worried about depth at PF and C. We have the absolute minimum number of players, no one who is a proven impact player, all three returnees are extremely foul-prone, and the incoming freshman looks like a role player at this level.

For guards and wings, I'm not worried. Between Boatright, Samuel, Purvis, Cassell, Hamilton, and Calhoun, we can take a hit or two without much of a problem.

If A. Brimah isn't an impact player I guess I have never seen one. Does the guy have to be Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain before being declared an impact player?

 

[CallMeBruce]

A freshman Jeff Adrien did some good spot minutes, and if remember correctly was most effective big against George Mason. Just need some good energy minutes where effort translates into some points and possessions, can be enough to win a few extra games. Jeff was a 16 minute kid his 1st year with 6 pts and 5 rebounds; this kid would be big help if got to that.

If Lubin is as good as a freshman as Adrien was, he should be the starting power forward. Adrien was terrific that year. Lubin isn't Adrien, despite the similarities of musculature.

I wish that Horford had come here instead of Florida so we could start Nolan at the 4. The book on Phil coming in was that he could play any frontcourt position. He seems to have the mobility for that, and I've seen him drive to the basket with a couple of dribbles before.

 

[aceboon]

If A. Brimah isn't an impact player I guess I have never seen one. Does the guy have to be Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain before being declared an impact player?

Yea I mean the fouls were definitely an issue, but in the majority of games there was a very noticeable difference in the level of rim protection when he was in the game compared to when he was out. If anyone has any doubt about Brimah being an impact player, then they need to rewatch the Cincy game in the AACT.

 

[rip7774]

I think Nolan is not a 4. Can't believe people are suggesting this. Facey should be solid. Stretch 4 that KO loves.

 

[CallMeBruce]

If A. Brimah isn't an impact player I guess I have never seen one. Does the guy have to be Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain before being declared an impact player?

No, but he needs to be able to play at least half of the game. Brimah's shotblocking is impressive, but his utility is limited by the fact that he commits a foul roughly every 5.5 minutes. Beyond that, his rebounding and scoring rates were pretty pedestrian. 10 points and 7.4 rebounds per 40 minutes is solid, but if that's my best returning big man, I'm not thrilled. Maybe he makes a big jump this year. He certainly has the athleticism to improve quickly, though the injury is going to confound things. At the end of the day, I want Brimah to be a big-time player as much as anyone here. I'm just not sold that it's a sure thing, and I'm not sure why anyone would be.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I think Nolan is not a 4. Can't believe people are suggesting this. Facey should be solid. Stretch 4 that KO loves.

He was a 4 coming in. This was the scouting report on him: "Phillip is a very skilled combo post player. He can actually play all 3 front court positions. He is left handed and is probably best as a power forward where he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket and shoot the 15 footer. Nolan can score some on the low post but he prefers to hover outside the free throw line. He is a solid face up shooter with range to 15 feet and continues to improve that aspect of his game." He just hasn't had the opportunity to play there because of Daniels and the black hole at center.

 

[UconnU]

Facey absolutely has to make a huge leap.. KO has to be very confident that Facey is the guy not bringing in another 3-4 type player...

 

[Burnsbros23]

Facey is a worse shooter than Nolan. If you think Facey is a stretch four u don't know what a stretch four is. We do not have a stretch four on our roster.

 

[intlzncster]

He was a 4 coming in. This was the scouting report on him: "Phillip is a very skilled combo post player. He can actually play all 3 front court positions. He is left handed and is probably best as a power forward where he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket and shoot the 15 footer. Nolan can score some on the low post but he prefers to hover outside the free throw line. He is a solid face up shooter with range to 15 feet and continues to improve that aspect of his game." He just hasn't had the opportunity to play there because of Daniels and the black hole at center.

That scouting report sounds nothing like the Phil Nolan I know.