Nowell Sighting

[ucp990411]

Pretty clear last night that we are better when we run. Something I noticed about Redd is that he is not the quickest with an outlet pass

 

[Stinger92860]

Unfortunately, AM has been a disaster all year. How some folks here were propping him up I will never understand. He is clearly overmatched here. If he goes elsewhere and lights it up, good for him. He received NIL to do a job and he didn’t come close to meeting the requirements.

 

[3rdbass]

Watching Nowell in his limited minutes. Stronger than Mahaney so that is good but he is so short that he got shot over on a play by a guard and I would imagine that he will get driven on at every opportunity.
So yes put him out there instead of Mahaney but it’s no long term solution to our guard problems.
Now if he was an ace 3 point shooter it would help.

Wasn't Mahaney supposed to be a good 3 Point shooter too? He is shooting 32.1% this year from 3. I know not a huge smaple but his shooting is down 8% from his Freshmen year.

 

[superjohn]

Unfortunately, AM has been a disaster all year. How some folks here were propping him up I will never understand. He is clearly overmatched here. If he goes elsewhere and lights it up, good for him. He received NIL to do a job and he didn’t come close to meeting the requirements.

You shouldnt be looking at fans who propped him up, our coach who won back to back in the most dominant fashion was pumping him up and he thought he would be our starting point guard. He has a pretty good track record.

 

[djct1999]

Maheney is way better of a player than he is showing. From middle school aau on, he wax Gary bennett’s golden child. I figured there would be a grace period but he has regressed rather than progressed. It’s a real shame because the kid can ball. Always had. That said, nowell has the reached boneyard lore. There is a reason he isn’t playing. Either he isn’t ready or he isn’t UConn good. My guess is both. There hasn’t been a single minute where he has been on the floor and felt this kid could contribute right now. The fixation on here is downright bizarre.

 

[Hoophound]

Nowell isn’t being overrated by anyone. We just really need another pg and time is running out.

He’s also a 4 star recruit and an ESPN top 30 player. Not chopped liver.

 

[husky429]

Nowell isn’t being overrated by anyone. We just really need another pg and time is running out.

He’s also a 4 star recruit and an ESPN top 30 player. Not chopped liver.

My thoughts are... we haven't seen enough of Nowell to know if he can be the backup. But we NEED a backup for Hass in March, and we don't have one. We might as well develop the only backup potential PG we've got.

 

[jibsey]

Nowell isn’t being overrated by anyone. We just really need another pg and time is running out.

He’s also a 4 star recruit and an ESPN top 30 player. Not chopped liver.

4 star at his size against high school players? Against taller guards in the BE different story. He’s certainly more secure with the ball than Mahaney but the jury is still out with him.
Is he too short to defend? They can shoot over him, just saw it.
Can he create easy assist baskets with speed?
Can he knock down 3’s?
There are plenty of ways for him to help but just haven’t seen it yet.

 

[djct1999]

My thoughts are... we haven't seen enough of Nowell to know if he can be the backup. But we NEED a backup for Hass in March, and we don't have one. We might as well develop the only backup potential PG we've got.

Except the few times he has played he seemed overwhelmed and the calander is turning to March. This should have been the plan in November but back then the staff still had hopes for Mahaney. It was a swing and a miss. It happens. For now, we are still better w Liam, Solo, or Jaylen bringing the ball up.

 

[Umami Zen]

FWIW-Nowell has had nagging injuries which have impeded his ability to get PT even if Dan would have played him. He has hardly broken a sweat in the games he's played in before being put back on the bench. And Dan has been determined to give AM chances to redeem himself multiple times ahead of playing Nowell (if available due to injuries).

So- He's put in a game down 8 so that Hass can get some much needed rest. The opposition has big athletic guards who are pressing him 3/4 court/full court. And he's bringing the ball up by himself-no safety valves as help outlets. His teammates are concentrating on getting into their sets with their backs to him-not available to receive a pass until he's over half-court if then. Refs letting the defense body him/bump him. And despite those challenges and lack of help-He still can initiate some form of the offense-his job.

He's not a finished product by any stretch but he and Mahaney are our only solutions to rest Hass unless you totally abandon any semblance of a PG initiated offense by having Liam play point forward .

Pitino has already stated that his strategy vs us was to press us to tire out our legs so that our offense and shooting would be effected later in the game. It was less about getting TOs and more about breaking us down. Hass is playing at 70-75% . What do you think is going to happen on Sunday? Gonna press.

For better or worse. Its a combo of AM/AN or Liam as Hass's backup. Not Nowell's fault.

 

[boog204]

Nowell isn’t being overrated by anyone. We just really need another pg and time is running out.

He’s also a 4 star recruit and an ESPN top 30 player. Not chopped liver.

I get what you are saying... but how can you dismiss the possibility that his ranking might be off? Partly due to injuries but certainly due to other factors, he has been unable to secure any minutes when we desperately need a guard to backup Hass.

Scott Hazleton was a top 30 player. Marcus Cox around 40, iirc. Sometimes the rankings are just flat wrong. Not saying that's the case with AM but it's crazy to me, given how broken our guard play is, that he was not able to work his way into the rotation. From the grapevine, two of our freshmen came in below expectations and one far above. Don't think it's difficult to figure out that breakdown.

 

[dennismenace]

Pitino once again revealed that teams don't practice for pressure and don't like it but most teams don't prepare for it. We will be getting a steady diet by teams that can bring it. Moral: Be prepared. The whole offense must prepare. As stated above it is not just on Nowell.

 

[RuffRuff]

I get what you are saying... but how can you dismiss the possibility that his ranking might be off? Partly due to injuries but certainly due to other factors, he has been unable to secure any minutes when we desperately need a guard to backup Hass.

Scott Hazleton was a top 30 player. Marcus Cox around 40, iirc. Sometimes the rankings are just flat wrong. Not saying that's the case with AM but it's crazy to me, given how broken our guard play is, that he was not able to work his way into the rotation. From the grapevine, two of our freshmen came in below expectations and one far above. Don't think it's difficult to figure out that breakdown.

Oh there's plenty of misses every year in these rankings. Look at a kid like DJ Wagner, who was considered top 6 (that was an epically bad class). The only reason he's starting for Cal is because Cal can't help himself. Elmarko Jackson another - he looked awful last year and was widely considered top 20.

These ranking are an imperfect science, but the higher you go up the ladder the better you are at avoiding busts, but also the more prone you are to only having a kid for one year. I like what Hurley did this year in grabbing a couple top 30 types, then one top 15 kid and another high potential development kid. Now he's got to fill that in with plug and plays in the portal. I will say losing on Acadien Lewis stings a little bit more now in our situation.

A Garwey Dual couldn't hack it at Providence and was top 40. Poor Kim. BTW, he was tech'ed again last night and looks like he's a couple more games from being institutionalized. He's been doing a decent job on the recruiting trail, but if he can't get his top 40 kids to work, the less chance he'll be getting them in the future.

And btw, perhaps the creme' de la creme', Bronny James, booohhahahaha.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I get what you are saying... but how can you dismiss the possibility that his ranking might be off? Partly due to injuries but certainly due to other factors, he has been unable to secure any minutes when we desperately need a guard to backup Hass.

Scott Hazleton was a top 30 player. Marcus Cox around 40, iirc. Sometimes the rankings are just flat wrong. Not saying that's the case with AM but it's crazy to me, given how broken our guard play is, that he was not able to work his way into the rotation. From the grapevine, two of our freshmen came in below expectations and one far above. Don't think it's difficult to figure out that breakdown.

I didn’t go to the open practices, but for those who did how did Nowell and Abraham look? Did they look not as advertised?

I remember hearing good things about Abraham.

 

[boog204]

I didn’t go to the open practices, but for those who did how did Nowell and Abraham look? Did they look not as advertised?

I remember hearing good things about Abraham.

I do, too. But Purvis was a Ferrari, Ajou Deng the next great player here, and for four years, Justin Brown would be our starting center. Samson, Ross, and Jaylin were potential lottery picks, too.

I just know someone posted the other day what their source said about the staff's view of the freshmen. I mean truth be told, I've liked what I've seen of Abraham in his few minutes. But who knows how it all boils down in practice?

 

[RuffRuff]

I didn’t go to the open practices, but for those who did how did Nowell and Abraham look? Did they look not as advertised?

I remember hearing good things about Abraham.

Abraham looked great - he's built like stud. Strong base, muscular and smooth. A really, really good looking athlete with a beautiful efficient stroke. He stood out, and I walked away thinking this is what an NBA profile looks like. He's a much more natural looking basketball player than Ross. It forced me to go back into his scouting report to understand where his holes are, most of the knocks were about keeping balance going to the rim.

Nowell looked good too - another kid who's physicality stood out, barrel chested PG. The up and down style of that practice may have made him look better than he really is, but nothing but positives coming out of that open practice on my end. He was aggressive. While a touch shorter than Mahaney, he looked far more confident and physical.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I do, too. But Purvis was a Ferrari, Ajou Deng the next great player here, and for four years, Justin Brown would be our starting center. Samson, Ross, and Jaylin were potential lottery picks, too.

I just know someone posted the other day what their source said about the staff's view of the freshmen. I mean truth be told, I've liked what I've seen of Abraham in his few minutes. But who knows how it all boils down in practice?

Those were all staff reports which may have one motivation or another for putting out there. But those open practices allowed boneyarders to see for themselves what’s what.

Abraham looked great - he's built like stud. Strong base, muscular and smooth. A really, really good looking athlete with a beautiful efficient stroke. He stood out, and I walked away thinking this is what an NBA profile looks like. He's a much more natural looking basketball player than Ross. It forced me to go back into his scouting report to understand where his holes are, most of the knocks were about keeping balance going to the rim.

Nowell looked good too - another kid who's physicality stood out, barrel chested PG. The up and down style of that practice may have made him look better than he really is, but nothing but positives coming out of that open practice on my end. He was aggressive. While a touch shorter than Mahaney, he looked far more confident and physical.

This is what I was thinking of too. Thanks for sharing. I’m not sure how they look like this over the summer but then behind closed doors another thing is being said.

Nowell may just be really good in transition but with how complex our offense is it’s hard to pick up. Don’t think that’s a knock on how good he is, just an adjustment.

That’s where a coach can either decide to adjust to his players some to help play to their strengths or the latter. I wouldn’t mind seeing this team play more up and down with some of the athletes we have and it’d probably be helpful to some of the guys struggling.

 

[Hoophound]

I get what you are saying... but how can you dismiss the possibility that his ranking might be off? Partly due to injuries but certainly due to other factors, he has been unable to secure any minutes when we desperately need a guard to backup Hass.

Scott Hazleton was a top 30 player. Marcus Cox around 40, iirc. Sometimes the rankings are just flat wrong. Not saying that's the case with AM but it's crazy to me, given how broken our guard play is, that he was not able to work his way into the rotation. From the grapevine, two of our freshmen came in below expectations and one far above. Don't think it's difficult to figure out that breakdown.

I’m not saying Nowell is definitely a good player. I’m saying he deserves a chance at some point and we desperately need a point guard to spell Diarra. He was a very good high school and AAU player. A few minutes here and there would be a Godsend.

Yes, he’s shortish but he’s also strong as hell. It was pointed out that he came in and got burned by Poplar the other night, nobody on our team could guard Poplar. We saw some speed and hops from Nowell in contesting his jumper. Poplar was just on fire for a while.

We can’t rule out short pg’s entirely. Bazz and Boat were great defenders. Nowell has the strength to defend bigger players. Just needs to stay in front of them. Again, this is more about needing another body that can handle the ball. We don’t have enough guys to stay fresh down the stretch and Diarra is already banged up. There isn’t really any alternative but to give him some minutes or watch Hassan run out of gas.

 

[boog204]

I’m not saying Nowell is definitely a good player. I’m saying he deserves a chance at some point and we desperately need a point guard to spell Diarra. He was a very good high school and AAU player. A few minutes here and there would be a Godsend.

Yes, he’s shortish but he’s also strong as hell. It was pointed out that he came in and got burned by Poplar the other night, nobody on our team could guard Poplar and you saw some speed and hops from Nowell in contesting his jumper. Poplar was just on fire for a while.

We can’t rule out short pg’s entirely. Bazz and Boat were great defenders. Nowell has the strength to defend bigger players. Just needs to stay in front of them. Again, this is more about needing another body that can handle the ball. We don’t have enough guys to stay fresh down the stretch and Diarra is already banged up. There isn’t really any alternative but to give him some minutes or watch Hassan run out of gas.

Oh, trust me. I want Nowell to play. Seems pointless to hold him in purgatory of sorts unless he's still really hurting or just is not any good. We literally have no creative guards at this point and despite Hass having some nice moments the last few games, he's still clearly limited.

 

[UCfor3]

Unfortunately, AM has been a disaster all year. How some folks here were propping him up I will never understand. He is clearly overmatched here. If he goes elsewhere and lights it up, good for him. He received NIL to do a job and he didn’t come close to meeting the requirements.

You will never understand why he was propped up by people on here? Hurley was propping him up. If our coaches can get it wrong then I think it's pretty understandable that some of the fans on here would also. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[husky429]

You will never understand why he was propped up by people on here? Hurley was propping him up. If our coaches can get it wrong then I think it's pretty understandable that some of the fans on here would also. Hindsight is 20/20.

Agree 100%. Our staff has a SOLID hit rate on transfers. Newton, RJ, Rese, Reed, Cam, even Joey C for the role we asked him to play.

Now if we go another two season with completely and utterly botched x'fer recruiting, we can start to talk about bad recruiting.

 

[UofCT]

I get what you are saying... but how can you dismiss the possibility that his ranking might be off? Partly due to injuries but certainly due to other factors, he has been unable to secure any minutes when we desperately need a guard to backup Hass.

Scott Hazleton was a top 30 player. Marcus Cox around 40, iirc. Sometimes the rankings are just flat wrong. Not saying that's the case with AM but it's crazy to me, given how broken our guard play is, that he was not able to work his way into the rotation. From the grapevine, two of our freshmen came in below expectations and one far above. Don't think it's difficult to figure out that breakdown.

He’s been hurt

 

[jibsey]

You wonder what strategy Hurley plans for this Pitino press on Sunday so we don’t have 20 turnovers.

 

[homunculus]

You will never understand why he was propped up by people on here? Hurley was propping him up. If our coaches can get it wrong then I think it's pretty understandable that some of the fans on here would also. Hindsight is 20/20.

I mean, it’s kind of a wild question. I’d ask - why wouldn’t people prop him up, at least for a while? That’s more to the point. He was a highly sought after transfer, and Dan Hurley thought he would be big for us. He was his team’s leading scorer against us (the best team in the nation). He played a big part in turning around our game vs Baylor that was looking like another sleepwalk for us. As others have said here, he is clearly a skilled player but apparently just not right for this current situation.

For my part, I thought he would adapt and come to life, based on those flashes I saw. I thought people were throwing him under the bus way too soon, as though this is some Fantasy Football team where you produce or get dropped.