Omar a No-Show

[Milo65]

Brimah showed up big time, Facey made some nice contributions, but Calhoun is still in a funk. I know he can do it, we need to get him going.

 

[EricLA]

Brimah showed up big time, Facey made some nice contributions, but Calhoun is still in a funk. I know he can do it, we need to get him going.

Do we? At this point, he's not starting, not contributing in any meaningful way, and starters of Bazz, Boat, Kromah, Daniels and Brimah you have Nolan, Facey and Giff off the bench - I'd almost say Samuel can contribute more than Calhoun at this point.

The game wasn't really out of reach until the last 5-6 minutes or so, bu they really need a wire to wire blowout so they can maybe leave Calhoun out there to try to work through whatever funk he's in... But I don't see that happening...

 

[donyell34]

I hope his problems can be attributed to his offseason surgery. It's probably more than that. We have seen it go the otherway where their is improvement. This seems like a total meltdown. Love the kid and pulling hard for him. He has been too good for this to happen.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Neither Kromah or Samual has the ability to put a good team away. OC does
Rewatch some games from last year especially Cuse.
He never had a D1 handle and actually might be little better this year.
His forte is shooting. That's a confidence thing which can change at any moment.

 

[ctchamps]

No way I'm giving up on this kid. He stuck with Uconn when guys bailed. He deserves our loyalty for that reason alone.

This kid has talent. He could be better than LK and NG if he can get out of his funk. I think the coaches are helping him work towards this goal without sacrificing the team.

And I saw in this game something about OC that makes me believe he's close to breaking out from his funk.

Bottom line is UConn needs his talents to go far this season. He's not as critical to get back to where he was last season as getting one of the fives or DD to be consistently good, but he is almost as critical imo.

 

[jleves]

Ollie needs to get a bat and take a couple of swings at Omar's hips. He seems to play better that way.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

He'll be fine, players go through slumps. We saw what he's capable of last year, talent like that doesn't that go away.

 

[Stinger92860]

If he is not hitting his threes, he brings little else. Neil's plays defense and rebounds. Unless its his hips , there needs to be the desire to play d and hit the boards.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I like Omar a lot, but the majority of this board is vastly overrating his value and importance to the team.

He's a shooter/scorer that doesn't shoot great percentages from 2 or 3 and doesn't do anything else on the court particularly well.

We're better with him playing well (duh), but to say we can't go deep without him is pure fiction.

 

[HuskyJJ]

Yeah, I'm sorry, but until he proves otherwise, he should be the 3rd option at the three, no higher.

 

[huskyharry]

Certainly, Coach Ollie should not give up on OC. He has the potential to be a very good contributor to the team. However, he is in much more than a simple slump for almost all of this season and it would be foolish to give him significant minutes against top notch opponents, as his +/- is consistently very negative and we cannot afford to give up that margin. Give him run when we are up 10-15 with 5 minutes to go or God forbid down 15 in the same stretch. Once he proves that he is ready to contribute again, then give him real minutes.

Right now, he is playing so far below NG and LK, it is not even debatable.

 

[caw]

If Giffey and Kromah continue to contribute at the level they have, it's going to be hard to give him a ton of time. That said, Calhoun has the most potential of the three and could be a huge asset if he puts it together.

 

[ctchamps]

Certainly, Coach Ollie should not give up on OC. He has the potential to be a very good contributor to the team. However, he is in much more than a simple slump for almost all of this season and it would be foolish to give him significant minutes against top notch opponents, as his +/- is consistently very negative and we cannot afford to give up that margin. Give him run when we are up 10-15 with 5 minutes to go or God forbid down 15 in the same stretch. Once he proves that he is ready to contribute again, then give him real minutes.

Right now, he is playing so far below NG and LK, it is not even debatable.

There is a big difference playing someone in blowouts and playing someone in crunch time. If UConn is up big then the other team gives up and vice versa. So I'm all for his play during crutch time. I feel KO is keeping him on a short leash and the minutes you propose to give LK and NG (both who struggled scoring in the UCF game and have had defensive lapses in games) won't change things significantly.

Three halves prior to today people were saying that DD should have limited playing time. And then he turns things around in the second half of the Harvard game and plays two good halves against UCF. That has quieted people down for a while. UConn loses against Harvard without DD's play and I hate to think how that would have impacted the UCF game.

Games are situational. Times in games are situational. KO recognizes this. He has shortened his tolerance for mistakes after the Texas losses, but he still has an eye on the big picture.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If Giffey and Kromah continue to contribute at the level they have, it's going to be hard to give him a ton of time. That said, Calhoun has the most potential of the three and could be a huge asset if he puts it together.

Most potential based on what?

Kromah is one of the better defensive players we've had in recent years and can take it to the rack.

Giffey plays tough D, shoots lights out and mixes it up for boards.

Like OC but aside from having two more seasons to play, I don't where all this " upside" is being predicted upon? The factthat he was a 5 star recruit and a volume scorer? I know it seems I'm coming off anti-Omar but I think it detracts from our other guys by not giving them credit.

 

[ctchamps]

If Giffey and Kromah continue to contribute at the level they have, it's going to be hard to give him a ton of time. That said, Calhoun has the most potential of the three and could be a huge asset if he puts it together.

This!!!!

His optimum play last season was better than anything LK and NG have shown this season and that is not a dig on those two guys.

We see the difference in games when DD plays like he played at his best last season vs. when he plays at his worst in both seasons.

If (a uncertainty of course) OC can get back to the level he was at his best last season, this team significantly improves. And that improvement is the difference between a two and done team and a team that can go the distance.

Of course if I'm prioritizing what is most in need, it's consistency with DD and consistent performance at the five like PN and AB gave in the UCF game.

But an OC back to his best games freshman year will be a major factor as well.

 

[ctchamps]

Most potential based on what?

Kromah is one of the better defensive players we've had in recent years and can take it to the rack.

Giffey plays tough D, shoots lights out and mixes it up for boards.

Like OC but aside from having two more seasons to play, I don't where all this " upside" is being predicted upon? The factthat he was a 5 star recruit and a volume scorer? I know it seems I'm coming off anti-Omar but I think it detracts from our other guys by not giving them credit.

He is definitely behind those two defensively. But he showed last season to be a better version of this season's LK and NG on offense.

I think his defense will improve as this season goes on. If not then I agree with you. Even if he improves to last season's offensive ability, the defense is more significant. In that case I would put him behind LK and NG.

I know the season is half over, but I think he turns things around. If I'm wrong I have no problem admitting it. I just think it's premature at this stage, particularly because the coaches are determined to play him. They have to be seeing things in practice that hasn't translated on the court.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

He is definitely behind those two defensively. But he showed last season to be a better version of this season's LK and NG on offense.

I think his defense will improve as this season goes on. If not then I agree with you. Even if he improves to last season's offensive ability, the defense is more significant. In that case I would put him behind LK and NG.

I know the season is half over, but I think he turns things around. If I'm wrong I have no problem admitting it. I just think it's premature at this stage, particularly because the coaches are determined to play him. They have to be seeing things in practice that hasn't translated on the court.

My hope/ belief is that OC regains some of his touch offensively that we saw last season and can be a spark plug off the bench in the mold of say a Jason Terry/Jamal Crawford/JR Smith when they played the effective role of a bench scorer.

If OC comes in, knocks down a couple shots or plays with a lot of intensity, keep him in - if not - he has to come out as ( up until now in his career) doesn't do enough to warrant minutes over Niels or Kromah.

I trust in Ollie and believe in OC based on big games last season..I think unless it's the injury nagging him, he'll return to form.

 

[ctchamps]

My hope/ belief is that OC regains some of his touch offensively that we saw last season and can be a spark plug off the bench in the mold of say a Jason Terry/Jamal Crawford/JR Smith when they played the effective role of a bench scorer.

If OC comes in, knocks down a couple shots or plays with a lot of intensity, keep him in - if not - he has to come out as ( up until now in his career) doesn't do enough to warrant minutes over Niels or Kromah.

I trust in Ollie and believe in OC based on big games last season..I think unless it's the injury nagging him, he'll return to form.

So we're saying the same thing.

OC probably came into this season over estimating what the surgery would do to enhance his performance and underestimating how the lack of offseason conditioning would put him behind relative to last season. And then as his play proved his anticipations wrong he started pressing. Most of us who play any sports know that the worst thing we could do to get out of a funk is to press, but we do it anyways.

I know it's hard at times to understand some of the coaching moves. I know this is speculative thinking amongst guys who have the opportunity to second guess without consequences, but I really like the way KO is handling the players.

 

[James]

The main problem I think is he hasn't fully recovered from that surgery. He is the worst defender on the team and is poor on offense statistically. He really should be rested for a few games. When you examine his offensive and defensive ratings, it's clear he's hurting us. I think Samuel can pick up some more minutes.

 

[James]

<PRE>                                                                                                                        
Rk            Player  G  MP   PER  TS% eFG% ORB% DRB% TRB% AST% STL% BLK% TOV% USG% PProd  ORtg  DRtg  OWS DWS   WS WS/40
1     Shabazz Napier 16 533  25.1 .587 .509  4.6 14.9 10.2 33.0  3.6  1.3 16.5 24.0   286 122.0  95.3  1.9 1.2  3.0  .227
2     Ryan Boatright 16 464  19.3 .549 .493  1.8 11.1  6.8 23.4  3.5  0.4 15.1 23.1   209 112.3  98.0  1.0 0.9  1.9  .163
3    DeAndre Daniels 16 453  18.6 .577 .538  5.2 13.2  9.5  3.9  1.4  5.4 11.5 21.6   180 113.8  99.3  0.9 0.8  1.7  .153
4       Niels Giffey 16 309  20.7 .800 .809  5.3 12.2  9.0  4.8  2.0  3.1 16.4 15.4   108 137.1  99.2  0.9 0.6  1.5  .194
5       Lasan Kromah 16 318  14.1 .525 .516  3.7  9.7  6.9 10.4  2.6  1.5 13.0 17.7   100 105.9 100.2  0.4 0.5  0.9  .112
6       Amida Brimah 16 202  20.6 .686 .697 12.2  8.9 10.4  0.9  0.3 22.1 17.8 12.3    57 126.6  95.8  0.4 0.4  0.8  .167
7      Phillip Nolan 16 183  15.9 .615 .553 10.2 13.0 11.8  5.8  0.6  4.8 12.7 14.7    61 127.6 100.8  0.5 0.3  0.8  .166
8      Tyler Olander 16 151  12.3 .527 .444  8.5  7.2  7.8  2.2  2.2  1.9  0.0 11.4    39 134.0 101.8  0.3 0.2  0.6  .149
9       Omar Calhoun 16 269   9.4 .476 .429  2.2 10.3  6.6  4.1  0.8  1.4 14.5 23.9    94  92.4 103.9  0.0 0.4  0.4  .056
10      Kentan Facey 11  47  11.9 .390 .385 22.4 27.5 25.2  3.7  0.0  2.1  6.1 17.1    16 107.9  94.8  0.1 0.1  0.2  .143
11   Terrence Samuel 10  46  11.0 .540 .545  0.0 15.1  8.2 27.9  1.2  0.0 30.8 24.2    18  88.5 101.0  0.0 0.1  0.1  .048
12    Leon Tolksdorf  5  15  18.7 .409 .409 15.6 19.9 17.9 32.5  3.7  0.0  8.3 39.2    10  97.7  91.5  0.0 0.0  0.1  .140
13         Tor Watts  4   4  18.2 .333 .333  0.0 24.8 13.4  0.0 14.0  0.0  0.0 36.7     2  74.8  66.2  0.0 0.0  0.0  .098
14       Pat Lenehan  4   6 -23.8 .000 .000  0.0  0.0  0.0 24.6  0.0  0.0 25.0 32.6     1  17.2 112.5 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 -.407
</PRE>

 

[HuskyJJ]

Most potential based on what?

Kromah is one of the better defensive players we've had in recent years and can take it to the rack.

Giffey plays tough D, shoots lights out and mixes it up for boards.

Like OC but aside from having two more seasons to play, I don't where all this " upside" is being predicted upon? The factthat he was a 5 star recruit and a volume scorer? I know it seems I'm coming off anti-Omar but I think it detracts from our other guys by not giving them credit.

Thank you. The whole "potential" argument is total B.S. What metric says OC has more potential than Neils or Kromah? If Neils played more aggressively he would be better than an OC that actually shoots well. So if we're just making arbitrary statements about potential, I'm going to go ahead and argue that Neils has more potential. Add that to the fact that Neils actually IS better, any arguments that pull upon "potential" just seem stupid. I don't mean to come off anti OC, because he is a UConn guy and therefore has my support. But people who constantly defend his position and claim he is just in a rut need to come to a more realistic view of where he is at.

 

[huskyharry]

OC absolutely has more potential than LK and NG for the upcoming seasons, as both of them will be out of eligibility. DD has had an up and down season and has broken out of slumps a couple of times, whereas OC has shown no sign that he is going to snap out of it in 3 months of play. He had a few games where he made a few shots (primarily against E. Washington and other lower mid-major opponents) but he has consistently struggled mightily to handle the ball, make accurate passes, play an acceptable level of defense or rebound. It was painful to watch him be unable to grab the ball off a free throw rebound and watch it go off his fingertips to a UCF player in position to make a layup, directly leading to a layup and a foul on AB. In hindsight, if the coaching staff had known his performance would be so awful, a redshirt year would have been in order.
Whenever he came in against UCF, our lead quickly evaporating. We simply cannot afford that against Memphis, L'ville and Cincy.
Next year, he will be a vital cog on the bench, so Ollie clearly needs to keep him in the mix, but please don't throw away wins this year...we will need every one!

 

[hyperthink]

Neither Kromah or Samual has the ability to put a good team away. OC does
Rewatch some games from last year especially Cuse.
He never had a D1 handle and actually might be little better this year.
His forte is shooting. That's a confidence thing which can change at any moment.

uskiePop, post: 814145, member: 1609"]Neither Kromah or Samual has the ability to put a good team away. OC does
Rewatch some games from last year especially Cuse.
He never had a D1 handle and actually might be little better this year.
His forte is shooting. That's a confidence thing which can change at any moment.[/quote]
Wth r u talking about. Who put away Washington.

 

[aboogieee]

We're going to be 30 games into the season, OC will be in the same rut but boneyarders will say "Just give it time"

I believe Ollie used the term "ball tough" last year. LAST YEAR. Still doesn't handle well, shoot it well or defends well. I was watching the game wishing he'd just cut to the basket one time instead of hanging around the 3 point line

 

[UCweCONN]

When I first read the title of this thread, I thought it meant he skipped practice and maybe was quitting the team. I'm glad it wasn't. Be honest, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought that.