Next year's team will be good. | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Next year's team will be good.

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Glastonhusky said:
We can be very good next season with a couple of key additions. Watching Tsam and Rodney in the back court in the NIT game convinced me we need another ball handler to compliment JA. He doesn't necessarily need to be a scorer, just someone who can break a press and get the ball to the scorers. A grad transfer might work here since we appear to be involved with several 2016 pg's A skilled big would also be nice, but they are few and far between. At this point I'd settle for a rebounding specialist with decent passing skills.
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That game convinced you. Really, did you watch them two of them dribble at all during the season. No returning player has a tight handle, the way that, Boat, Bazz, Kemba, AJ and even El Amin had. Every good year, we have had we've had a an experienced ball handler and a competent backup in the wings to be the future star. For those that said Khalid had nobody, there was a guy on the team named Ricky Moore, who I would take in a heatbeat compare to TSam as the second guard
 
JimOllie said:
I'm thinking our starting lineup next year will be Adams, Purvis, Hamilton, Nolan, and Brimah. Cassell, Samuel, Facey, Enoch, and Lubin will also contribute decent minutes. I actually think Cassell will turn out to be a good player for this program. He battled through injuries all last year so it's no fair to judge him based on just this year. He's a decent ball handler and can definitely shoot as we saw in the preseason games.

I see Purvis and Hamilton each averaging around 15-16 points a game. Adams I think will put up around 10. He will be decent throughout the year but will struggle at times as did Boat and Bazz early in their careers. Nolan and Brimah won't be huge scorers, maybe combining for 12 points per game but Nolan can play good defense and Brimah is one of the best shot blockers in the country so it'll be a pretty good front court as long as they improve their rebounding.

Adams, Purvis, and Hamilton will be the best backcourt in the conference. And let's face it, UConn basketball isn't based around big men. We let our guards to the damage. So all in all, I really think this team will be good next year. I would be willing to bet we'll make the NCAA tournament and have a legitimate shot at making the sweet 16.
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I said that last year about this year's team. I'm going to wait this time. Is it November yet?
 
A lot of the teams in the AAC like SMU and Cincy have the majority of their team back. Things are gonna have to change for things to be different next year. They better have an active spring.
 
We have to get another player for next year that can handle the ball under pressure, bring it up against the press and be a threat to score from outside 12 feet. Adams can't be the only one who has this responsibility being a freshman and what if he God forbid turns an ankle. We have an oversupply of guys that make dribbling the ball an adventure. If this player can play good D and get to loose balls it will be plus. We need someone who believes in themselves and acts like it.
 
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I'm still waiting with trepidation about the news that Zionn and Fishy hinted at. Heck I've had nightmares Jalen changed his mind. Once I know the team is securely in place and Zionn and Fishy were wrong I'll start thinking about next season. And if they are right, I'll still hate them.
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
I think Hamilton will be gone after next season, and rightfully so, because if he plays the way he should, he can be a top 5 pick
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I am a huge huge D Ham fan but what am I missing?? His handle needs some improvement, his outside shot is good but not great (yet), his driving to the basket needs a lot of improvement (like 0-100 on that 5 footer in front of the basket with all 100 coming up short!). And he is a good not great athlete like a Rip. I see him as a three year player.

6-7 wing guys that can play grow on trees to NBA scouts. That is a fact.

I think he's a first team all-America and we cut down nets in 2017 so not trying to be super negative here. But there is a lot to improve on and even mental toughness is something that a 3rd year could really do wonders. A zillion things can happen but I think he is not a lock lottery guy just yet. Think he will be an all-time great if we have 3 from him.
 
rip7774 said:
I am a huge huge D Ham fan but what am I missing?? His handle needs some improvement, his outside shot is good but not great (yet), his driving to the basket needs a lot of improvement (like 0-100 on that 5 footer in front of the basket with all 100 coming up short!). And he is a good not great athlete like a Rip. I see him as a three year player.

6-7 wing guys that can play grow on trees to NBA scouts. That is a fact.

I think he's a first team all-America and we cut down nets in 2017 so not trying to be super negative here. But there is a lot to improve on and even mental toughness is something that a 3rd year could really do wonders. A zillion things can happen but I think he is not a lock lottery guy just yet. Think he will be an all-time great if we have 3 from him.
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He's a 6'8 G/F with good handle and is a very good passer. He'll improve his shot with time, and despite what a lot of people say he has a rather muscular body. Not to mention he averaged nearly 8 boards a game. If Oubre can be a top-10 pick in this years very good draft class after not having the stats DHAM had, DHAM can go top 5 in a weaker draft next year, in my eyes
 
We need to work on our interior passing. Too many times our post touches (which are few to begin with) involved throwing the ball down to Brimah on the block. Seeing all these tournament games, most of these teams are running sets to put their bigs in much better position. Calhoun used to always run that flex play where a big would screen for the other big and come across the lane just as the ball was being swung over for feed into the post. Great play which i think we abandoned.

Having a guard heavy offense is ok when you have Kemba or Bazz. But I think we need to get much better shot...ie dunks and lay ups. Instead of our bigs always screening for our guards and wings, I'd like to see them screen for each other more often and be constantly moving to free up better shot opportunities. Its gonna be a struggle at first, but I'd rather work through those pains in November and December. Otherwise, we are gonna rely on being a jump shooting team which is not usually efficient.
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
He's a 6'8 G/F with good handle and is a very good passer. He'll improve his shot with time, and despite what a lot of people say he has a rather muscular body. Not to mention he averaged nearly 8 boards a game. If Oubre can be a top-10 pick in this years very good draft class after not having the stats DHAM had, DHAM can go top 5 in a weaker draft next year, in my eyes
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DHam is a better all around basketball player, but Oubre is a jump-out-of-the-gym athlete whose wingspan is 7-foot-2. DHam's is 6-foot-8.

And it's worth noting that DHam is still poor without the ball - he doesn't know how to come off a screen ready to shoot, and he always flashes to the ball instead of cutting to the rim. Oubre at least makes himself a target with his cuts to the hoop. I hate to make the Evan Turner comparison, but it's really apt if you compare what he and DHam look like when the ball's not in their heads.

Bear in mind, I'd much rather have DHam for 3 years than Oubre for 1. But he has a ton to work on and isn't the kind of "duck* it, let's draft him and just teach him how to play" athlete that NBA teams covet.
 
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fleudslipcon said:
I'm still waiting with trepidation about the news that Zionn and Fishy hinted at. Heck I've had nightmares Jalen changed his mind. Once I know the team is securely in place and Zionn and Fishy were wrong I'll start thinking about next season. And if they are right, I'll still hate them.
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Well atleast we don't have to worry about Amidah going anywhere:

*** There apparently has been some scuttlebutt about potential UConn transfers, seemingly based on Kevin Ollie's postgame quotes on Wednesday night. While the quotes did raise a few eyebrows, especially since they started off unsolicited, I don't think there's a whole lot to them. For the most part, the "exit interviews" next week are standard operating procedure.
I spoke with Amida Brimah's legal guardian, Nana Baafi, on Friday, and he scoffed at the idea that Brimah might want to transfer.
"Nobody’s thought about anything like that at all. That stuff is not … I don’t know how that stuff got out there," he said.
What about the NBA? A veteran Eastern Conference scout told me the other day that both Brimah and Daniel Hamilton would "both, for sure, be drafted -- maybe high second-round picks. To say they're first-round guys? I wouldn't say that right now."
But Baafi doesn't think that will happen, either.
"Shoot, honestly I don’t know. I don’t think so. He just took a couple of days off, we haven't had that discussion at all. It's not on our minds. We're not even close to that at all."
Then, asked about this past season, Baafi said: "Next year will be better, I know that much for sure."

http://borgesblognhr.blogspot.com/2015/03/steve-enoch-honored-amida-brimah-likely.html
 
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We need major improvements from Calhoun, Facey and Brimah (on the boards and offensively). We need year end Purvis which I think will happen if he stays healthy. We need more consistency from Hamilton which I also think will happen. We need Samuel to have an impact when he is in the game which I will also consider a given. We need Adams to be something he most likely will not be out if the gate. Huge step up to play major D1 from high school. I don't think it's fair to assume that he will have a Khalid impact and he won't be Boat. So, for that reason and because I hesitate to assume the first three will greatly improve (didn't see it during this past season) and given our schedule, I think we will be a bubbie team at best and if the AAC only gets two bids again next year I think we will be on the outside looking in but who knows? And that's the beauty of it.
 
sammydabiz said:
Well atleast we don't have to worry about Amidah going anywhere:

*** There apparently has been some scuttlebutt about potential UConn transfers, seemingly based on Kevin Ollie's postgame quotes on Wednesday night. While the quotes did raise a few eyebrows, especially since they started off unsolicited, I don't think there's a whole lot to them. For the most part, the "exit interviews" next week are standard operating procedure.
I spoke with Amida Brimah's legal guardian, Nana Baafi, on Friday, and he scoffed at the idea that Brimah might want to transfer.
"Nobody’s thought about anything like that at all. That stuff is not … I don’t know how that stuff got out there," he said.
What about the NBA? A veteran Eastern Conference scout told me the other day that both Brimah and Daniel Hamilton would "both, for sure, be drafted -- maybe high second-round picks. To say they're first-round guys? I wouldn't say that right now."
But Baafi doesn't think that will happen, either.
"Shoot, honestly I don’t know. I don’t think so. He just took a couple of days off, we haven't had that discussion at all. It's not on our minds. We're not even close to that at all."
Then, asked about this past season, Baafi said: "Next year will be better, I know that much for sure."

http://borgesblognhr.blogspot.com/2015/03/steve-enoch-honored-amida-brimah-likely.html
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lol chap in the comments?
 
UConnSwag11 said:
lol chap in the comments?
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Yup, noticed that as well, lol.... Maybe that's how he actually talks? I'd feel really bad if there really was something "mentally" wrong with him... Who intentionally writes like that?
 
rip7774 said:
I am a huge huge D Ham fan but what am I missing?? His handle needs some improvement, his outside shot is good but not great (yet), his driving to the basket needs a lot of improvement (like 0-100 on that 5 footer in front of the basket with all 100 coming up short!). And he is a good not great athlete like a Rip. I see him as a three year player.

6-7 wing guys that can play grow on trees to NBA scouts. That is a fact.

I think he's a first team all-America and we cut down nets in 2017 so not trying to be super negative here. But there is a lot to improve on and even mental toughness is something that a 3rd year could really do wonders. A zillion things can happen but I think he is not a lock lottery guy just yet. Think he will be an all-time great if we have 3 from him.
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He missed A LOT of 4'-8' jumpers down the stretch. If those fell, we might still be watching. If those start falling next year, he will be impressive.
 
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NEforceUConn said:
I missed it, can you link the thread or summarize?
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Zionn said the Yard is going to meltdown very soon, presumably referring to transfers.

Fishy said the transfer number is over/under 2 and Ollie already knows who's staying or going.

Here's the thing: I think those two are reliable sources but I really don't see anyone leaving.
 
I guess i could see 1 or 2 reserves transferring, not saying anyone will but i can see it happening, but for our big players, i couldn't see it. It wouldn't be worth taking a year off their development
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
I guess i could see 1 or 2 reserves transferring, not saying anyone will but i can see it happening, but for our big players, i couldn't see it. It wouldn't be worth taking a year off their development
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Hope it's not Rock (if even true) I see his ceiling being a DeJuan Blair (Pitt) type. We need to keep the little muscle we have.
 
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sammydabiz said:
Well atleast we don't have to worry about Amidah going anywhere:

*** There apparently has been some scuttlebutt about potential UConn transfers, seemingly based on Kevin Ollie's postgame quotes on Wednesday night. While the quotes did raise a few eyebrows, especially since they started off unsolicited, I don't think there's a whole lot to them. For the most part, the "exit interviews" next week are standard operating procedure.
I spoke with Amida Brimah's legal guardian, Nana Baafi, on Friday, and he scoffed at the idea that Brimah might want to transfer.
"Nobody’s thought about anything like that at all. That stuff is not … I don’t know how that stuff got out there," he said.
What about the NBA? A veteran Eastern Conference scout told me the other day that both Brimah and Daniel Hamilton would "both, for sure, be drafted -- maybe high second-round picks. To say they're first-round guys? I wouldn't say that right now."
But Baafi doesn't think that will happen, either.
"Shoot, honestly I don’t know. I don’t think so. He just took a couple of days off, we haven't had that discussion at all. It's not on our minds. We're not even close to that at all."
Then, asked about this past season, Baafi said: "Next year will be better, I know that much for sure."

http://borgesblognhr.blogspot.com/2015/03/steve-enoch-honored-amida-brimah-likely.html
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Doesn't sound too convincing as the guardian doesn't think so but isn't sure. Either way knowing we are going to be a better team next year right now is stupid. Let's wait at least another week to find out if any of the transfer/early nba entry rumors are true before talking about next year. I know it sucks to be in limbo for another couple weeks but this season has left a bad taste in many mouths(players and coaches). I hope everyone stays but I'm going to wait until news of the players decisions are final before talking about next year. It will be interesting if recruiting picks up in the next week if some of these rumors are true.
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
We should've or should go after Thomas Bryant
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Go in late on a 5-star recruit that a bunch of blue bloods have been after for years?

Yeah... I think we should save the airfare. I'd rather KO take a couple extra trips to Mississippi to try to get an early signature from Kegler.
 
Matrim55 said:
Go in late on a 5-star recruit that a bunch of blue bloods have been after for years?

Yeah... I think we should save the airfare. I'd rather KO take a couple extra trips to Mississippi to try to get an early signature from Kegler.
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New York isn't really airfare....
 
I predict another 20+ win season and a better finish in the AAC.

In regard to transfers, I hate the speculation and giving the impression that we want to get rid of kids. The team is like a family.

I am very proud and pleased that we have Coach Ollie, who will consistently make the ethically and morally correct decisions.
That being said, this year's team clearly had too many guard types who were uncomfortable handling the ball and made poor passing decisions both with and without defensive pressure and too many forwards who were weak with the ball. Watching the NCAA tournament teams like Georgia State and Buffalo were much more confident with the ball than we were. Some if this can be corrected and improved, but it may also require a roster adjustment.
 
jibsey said:
Nolan is going to be a senior and Facey regressed. Brimah and Rodney will be better. TSam isn't becoming Kemba. No, with normal allowances for everyone improving it's still not enough to say we will be good next year. Depends on recruiting. If no one else is added, middle of the pack AAC. JMO.
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On what planet did Facey regress?
 
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