Our bigs - a two headed monster

[superjohn]

Samson is shooting 83% from the field and Tarris is shooting 74% from the field.

They're obviously fouling way too much but they've been pretty damn good when they're on the court and it's once again a two headed monster for UConn at center. Samson can't rebound but he remains probably the best lob threat in the country. When he's screening and slipping towards the basket with guys finding him we become really difficult to stop and guys are finally starting to find him at the rim. When the pogo stick goes out teams have to deal with the bear. I really think Tarris is just scratching the surface. He isn't Adama yet but the things are there for him to become Adama. He isn't a total ballerina like Sanogo and hasn't shown the jumper Sanogo developed but he has a good amount of that footwork already and he's bigger and a better athlete than Sanogo. Once you add in his hands on the catch and his ability to gobble up rebounds you're looking at a future NBA player IMO and someone who can be a force here.

We also lead the nation in blocked shots again with these two and Karaban getting 2 blocks per game.

 

[TheHorde]

The scoring from the Reed/Samson combo is down slightly compared to the Clingan/Samson combo from last year. Surprisingly, the rebounding is up slightly. Farris actually averages more rebounds a game than Donovan did. If these guys could clean up the poor fouls on screens and reaching far from the basket, they could be very dangerous.

 

[REB1094]

The good for Samson - A very clear coaching adjustment that was made post-Maui was to have guys look for Samson in the offense. His offensive arsenal is super limited, but getting him the ball in spots where can catch/turn/shoot or dunk within 1 second is his sweet spot. Led to 7 points on 3-3 against UMES, 13 points on 4-4 against Baylor, and 12 points on 6-7 against Texas. 13 points is his 3rd highest scoring game in college, 12 is tied for 4th. The threat of him dunking on your entire team will open up the floor for the perimeter players which is where most of our talent is

The bad for Samson - fouls fouls fouls fouls fouls. It will take a coaching miracle to fix this part of his game in year 4. Luckily we have a coaching staff that has made miracles work. I’m okay with him not grabbing rebounds if AK/Liam are all taking care of it (Ball needs to step up here), but our starting C has had 3 or less rebounds in 6 out of our 10 games and has fouled out in 4. Samson is a major lever between a top 15 team and a team that loses to Colorado and Dayton

The good for Tarris - dude is a complete beast. There are spots in games where it’s obvious that nobody can handle him. I truly think he can contend for BE POY next season, BE 1st team at a minimum

The bad for Tarris - fouls fouls fouls fouls fouls. Against some of the stronger BE centers where Samson will struggle physically, we need Tarris to be on the floor and foul free

 

[Umami Zen]

When Reed gets the ball deep in the paint--Starting to show some similarities to Sanogo-type efficiency.. Excited to see how he continues to develop. Will be huge vs Gonzaga at MSG

 

[inWV]

The goal should be one less foul per game. They can both finish with four. Get Singare up to speed such that he isn't just a liability sparing a couple of minutes for the other two.

 

[NJHusky]

The good for Samson - A very clear coaching adjustment that was made post-Maui was to have guys look for Samson in the offense. His offensive arsenal is super limited, but getting him the ball in spots where can catch/turn/shoot or dunk within 1 second is his sweet spot. Led to 7 points on 3-3 against UMES, 13 points on 4-4 against Baylor, and 12 points on 6-7 against Texas. 13 points is his 3rd highest scoring game in college, 12 is tied for 4th. The threat of him dunking on your entire team will open up the floor for the perimeter players which is where most of our talent is

I think a big part of Samson Johnson offensive improvement is playing more with Hass. When Mahaney was starting he played more with Samson Johnson and isn’t a good passer on the roll.

 

[dogpause]

I'm really excited about the way our bigs have been improving from game to game. Yes, the fouling is a problem, but I think it's being addressed and I like that Singare has now been introduced to the mix. He's a project for sure, but it's good to invest a little in him.

We're almost certainly not going to be as strong in the post as we've been that past two years, but when you look at what we are replacing, I think we can be a great team in the paint if we don't regress too much. Karaban's ability to makeup the gap in rebounding and defense is probably as important as what we get from the bigs. Last night, Alex was great and showed an assertiveness that seemed to be lacking in earlier games.

 

[Hurleyman216]

Samson still makes me cringe when we throw it into him on offense, he’s a turnover and foul just waiting to happen. The caveat to that is when he gets the ball in open space or a lob over the top he is just spectacular. He needs to start using is lower body with a wider stance on defense and stop jumping and trying to block everything. We have so many good shooters that both of our centers are going to get easy buckets this year if they can stay out of foul trouble.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Tarris is gonna be a 16-10 guy next year. Just needs to stay on the floor.

 

[husky429]

Both flawed... both very good.

I still think Reed will be starting sooner rather than later. It would help protect Samson from the dumb early foul hunting from opponents. You saw it yesterday by Texas--they're posting him up 1v1 relentlessly to try to get him out of the game.

 

[Candyman]

Tarris could score or get a a good shot each time he has good post position. The issue is 1, we just havent been good finding him or throwing good post passes, in our last 2 losses to Colorado and Dayton. The 2nd, he sometimes struggles to get good position. The Colorado game he couldnt get position against their big heavy dude.

He needs more touches and i want to see him try and get Ike in foul trouble next game.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Texas game really showed Samson's upside, his quickness & leaping ability on pick-n-roll is elite and very hard to defend off multiple actions. Reminded me of how Purdue struggled defending him when Edey was expecting a 'breather' after dealing with Clingan.

That said, I still kinda think Reed should start or play more minutes. Way better rebounder, more solid defender and has a back to the basket game. Samson seems to max out at 20 effective minutes. As he rounds into form, Reed could play 25+ and get rebounds, help more effectively in the middle on defense and be a get a bucket yourself option when offense bogs down. Reed can be a double-double most games by season's mid-point.

 

[superjohn]

I'm calling Reed the Polar Bear, that's what his build looks like to me. Not nearly as corny as the hamster or whatever people called Whaley.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I'm calling Reed the Polar Bear, that's what his build looks like to me. Not nearly as corny as the hamster or whatever people called Whaley.

C’mon, The Wrench is sick

 

[Tommyboy]

Samson had some plays last night where I didn't think he had any chance to get to the ball let alone dunk it. He is really amazing sometimes.

 

[Umami Zen]

With Reed and Samson on the bench for a decent part of the first half. Our forwards-Liam/AK had to provide strength on the Boards (20 between them for the game). We will need more than a combined six rebounds between Reed/Samson on a regular basis to accomplish our goals.

Will take the W and move on. Have this week to clean some things up before Saturday's game.

 

[AllHusky]

Both flawed... both very good.

I still think Reed will be starting sooner rather than later. It would help protect Samson from the dumb early foul hunting from opponents. You saw it yesterday by Texas--they're posting him up 1v1 relentlessly to try to get him out of the game.

Sign of respect for Samson Johnson

 

[uh-no]

I'm calling Reed the Polar Bear, that's what his build looks like to me. Not nearly as corny as the hamster or whatever people called Whaley.

Pete Alonso is the polar bear in the northeast. that nickname is taken.

 

[Jaydumo20]

C’mon, The Wrench is sick

Don't forget...it was pork chop before the wrench. Pork chop....

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Hurley needs to sit these two down and just tell them to never try to strip the ball on the hedge or as a primary post defender. Don’t care if they’re 90% confident they can strip the ball, just don’t do it. Can probably count on one hand the amount of times it has led to a positive outcome, but has contributed to the foul issues almost every game. Even attempting that is such a net negative for us.

That said, the offense is finding ways, especially for Samson Johnson, to get him involved in the ways he needs to recently. And Tarris is just a load for pretty much anyone we’re going to face.

 

[Mike Honcho]

Don't forget...it was pork chop before the wrench. Pork chop....

real ones know

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Hurley needs to sit these two down and just tell them to never try to strip the ball on the hedge or as a primary post defender. Don’t care if they’re 90% confident they can strip the ball, just don’t do it. Can probably count on one hand the amount of times it has led to a positive outcome, but has contributed to the foul issues almost every game. Even attempting that is such a net negative for us.

That said, the offense is finding ways, especially for Samson Johnson, to get him involved in the ways he needs to recently. And Tarris is just a load for pretty much anyone we’re going to face.

They’re never going to stop, because our staff has the metrics to show what good defense entails. A big part of it is taking risks for steals when situations present.

The majority of Samson’s & Tarris’ fouls have been for things like bad positioning body fouls, contesting shots, and over the backs.

 

[Get a Job]

I'm calling Reed the Polar Bear, that's what his build looks like to me. Not nearly as corny as the hamster or whatever people called Whaley.

To be fair, I think it was only I and my friends that called him Squirrel. The rest of the Boneyard seemed near-unanimous that the name was terrible.

That said, go back and watch any games from early in his freshman year and tell me his movements aren't totally squirrel-like.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The good for Samson - A very clear coaching adjustment that was made post-Maui was to have guys look for Samson in the offense. His offensive arsenal is super limited, but getting him the ball in spots where can catch/turn/shoot or dunk within 1 second is his sweet spot. Led to 7 points on 3-3 against UMES, 13 points on 4-4 against Baylor, and 12 points on 6-7 against Texas. 13 points is his 3rd highest scoring game in college, 12 is tied for 4th. The threat of him dunking on your entire team will open up the floor for the perimeter players which is where most of our talent is

The bad for Samson - fouls fouls fouls fouls fouls. It will take a coaching miracle to fix this part of his game in year 4. Luckily we have a coaching staff that has made miracles work. I’m okay with him not grabbing rebounds if AK/Liam are all taking care of it (Ball needs to step up here), but our starting C has had 3 or less rebounds in 6 out of our 10 games and has fouled out in 4. Samson is a major lever between a top 15 team and a team that loses to Colorado and Dayton

The good for Tarris - dude is a complete beast. There are spots in games where it’s obvious that nobody can handle him. I truly think he can contend for BE POY next season, BE 1st team at a minimum

The bad for Tarris - fouls fouls fouls fouls fouls. Against some of the stronger BE centers where Samson will struggle physically, we need Tarris to be on the floor and foul free

Johnson and Reed have the opposite problems on defense.

Johnson is simply not strong enough. He's way too skinny, which affects both his weight (easy to displace, high center of gravity) and opponents' ability to get around him.

For Reed it's mental, just bad defensive instincts that will not easily be coached out of him.

But on offense, I agree the coaches have figured out how to use both pretty effectively.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I'm calling Reed the Polar Bear, that's what his build looks like to me. Not nearly as corny as the hamster or whatever people called Whaley.

Squirrel