Onuorah

[InKembaITrust]

The guy is clearly a physical specimen. I understand his career stats don't leave one with high expectations....but with his frame and experience I expect him to be the foundation of our big man defense and a starter right out of the gate. Curious what other's preseason thoughts and expectations are for him.

I say average 5 pts, 7 rbs, 2 blks

 

[mauconnfan]

3/3/1 but his minutes will be important based on the physicality.

 

[Jaybo]

Will need him for sure. But I'd say cobb starts.

 

[Stainmaster]

I have a hunch he will begin the season starting at the 5, based solely on the fact that he has spent far more time on the court during DI games than any other big on the roster.

 

[superjohn]

Most likely Cobb but it will be a platoon situation. I like Cobb's passing. If he can board, he will be good starting the break.

 

[nashusky109]

I think with all the athleticism on the team they'll just need a big guy to carve out space and rebound. Cobb is now 270lbs and big. I think he'all start but the 5 will be ever changing this season.

 

[sledog]

got any Cobb vids??

 

[JimHurley]

I can't see Onuorah getting any more than 7 or 8 minutes a game. Big physical presence but not a great rebounder or scoring threat. I see Cobb starting and getting about 20 minutes a night. Onuorah/Carlton both getting 7-8 minutes a piece with a few minutes of super small lineups, such as Mamadou or Kwintin at the 5.

 

[B1GEast]

I can't see Onuorah getting any more than 7 or 8 minutes a game. Big physical presence but not a great rebounder or scoring threat. I see Cobb starting and getting about 20 minutes a night. Onuorah/Carlton both getting 7-8 minutes a piece with a few minutes of super small lineups, such as Mamadou or Kwintin at the 5.

7 or 8 minutes a game? Really? With all of our big men departures, a four year transfer only getting 8 minutes?

You might want to rethink that. Onuorah will get plenty of playing time, he might not score much, but he'll definitely be on the floor early on. If the young guys can mature quickly, they might steal some minutes.

 

[tcf15]

got any Cobb vids??

 

[80shusky]

Heh, ask and he shall deliver. Thanks for the vid tcf15.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I see all our fives as situational players. If he can protect the rim for 4-5 min stretches it could allow us to either press or gamble for steals more. If he has any hands???? he will get more easy scoring chances than he ever saw in the Ivies.
Our guards are that good

 

[david]

In the Courant article KW said something to the effect of 'we have some guys who are better rebounders, some who are better shooters and some are 6'9" guards."

I wonder if Cobb is one of the 6'9" guards he was talking about?

 

[husky429]

We are going to greatly enjoy have some beef on this team. I LOVE his outlet pass. That could win us games. Allows us to use out athleticism 1-4.

What I see...

Clearly a huge, Earthbound player. I like that he knows his role (minus those few times he brought it up the court... we obviously won't see that). Rebound, putbacks, occasional post-up, and that sweet outlet. Hopefully trimmed down he will be able to play more minutes.

We don't have a shotblocker like amida, so it's going to be a different look on defense. I suspect we will be playing passing lanes more, and pressuring ballhandlers less. Maybe something packline-ish. This could be a really good thing for Vital--he seems to have great instincts in the passing lanes.

I think Cobb will need to work on a counter to his drop step if he wants to be a successful scorer at this level. He won't be able to bully with his size as much as in a JUCO.

 

[husky429]

In the Courant article KW said something to the effect of 'we have some guys who are better rebounders, some who are better shooters and some are 6'9" guards."

I wonder if Cobb is one of the 6'9" guards he was talking about?

No. He's talking about Larrier or Wilson, who are around 6'8 each. Cobb is not close to a guard. He will never, ever, ever handle the ball in the open court against a d1 team. He's going to be a hammer under the basket. From his interview he seems excited about that

 

[mauconnfan]

No. He's talking about Larrier or Wilson, who are around 6'8 each. Cobb is not close to a guard. He will never, ever, ever handle the ball in the open court against a d1 team. He's going to be a hammer under the basket. From his interview he seems excited about that

Agree but if need be it's nice he can throw a couple power dribbles to to clear and maybe even see someone getting a long pass down the court for a Sheffer-like dime. When's the last time we had a big capable of doing either of those things?

 

[Stainmaster]

Agreed, that comment was most likely re. Larrier-=Wilson. I do think Cobb's passing will be at a higher level than we are used to among our bigs in recent years.

 

[husky429]

Agree but if need be it's nice he can throw a couple power dribbles to to clear and maybe even see someone striking down the court for a Sheffer-like dime. When's the last time we had a big capable of doing either of those things?

That's definitely possible. I'm talking more about the full court run outs.

If he's capable of getting low and taking a dribble or two to create space and outlet ala Kevin Love, we will REALLY have a good season. Larrier, Jalen and Alterique can all feast on defenses when they get momentum. Jalen in particular could score 20+ points a game with that kind of momentum on his side. Seriously.

 

[JimHurley]

7 or 8 minutes a game? Really? With all of our big men departures, a four year transfer only getting 8 minutes?

You might want to rethink that. Onuorah will get plenty of playing time, he might not score much, but he'll definitely be on the floor early on. If the young guys can mature quickly, they might steal some minutes.

I think he will be a great teammate but having watched him in a few games at Cornell and at the Pro Am, I'm just not sure how many minutes he will get at this level.

 

[pj]

Polley could be in that 6'9" guard group as well. Doubt he's competitive with Kwintin or Mamadou at PF, but he has some perimeter skills. I've long thought Cobb was a starter-level talent, the question is his fitness level. Someone will need to emerge to share minutes with him.

 

[MadDogRevival]

I do think Cobb's passing will be at a higher level than we are used to among our bigs in recent years.

So, more than none?

 

[Stainmaster]

So, more than none?

Significantly more than none, Frank.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Cobb showed, albeit at the juco level, that he is a very good passer for a big. I'm not expecting Markus Kennedy type work, but I think, if he has the stamina to play enough, he could average a couple assists a game. Vision from the low post is extremely overlooked, it's a great skill for a player to have.

 

[david]

No. He's talking about Larrier or Wilson, who are around 6'8 each. Cobb is not close to a guard. He will never, ever, ever handle the ball in the open court against a d1 team. He's going to be a hammer under the basket. From his interview he seems excited about that

I was saying it tongue in cheek - It was probably hard to tell when reading it. I was just surprised that Cobb seems somewhat adept at handling the ball.

 

[UConnStats]

Onuorah will be nice to have because if we're getting beat up inside, he can come in and change the defensive tone with his physicality.

The flip side of this is that he has been foul prone throughout his career, and is a complete liability on offense. The people on this board that lose their $#!# when bigs miss bunnies are going to lose their patience with Onuorah very quickly.

That being said, he's the ideal 13th man. A defensive big who gives you another five fouls to burn. UConn missed that last year.