Our Secret Weapon-Adams

[coachn]

B A was the best player at open practice last year, had the most practice points this summer , told he was one of tlhe best in secret scrimmage,, had a strong showing in exhibition still gets no props. . A physical BEAST with a great attitude. Good at every phase of the game from what my 82 year old eyes can tell. Am I seeing something that no one else sees?
DH was no dummy when he recruited this kid.
Expect to see a strong season from this under the radar young man. No I'm not related to him in any way. Bet his brother is making a bundle oerseas or where ever he is.

 

[husky429]

B A was the best player at open practice last year, had the most practice points this summer , told he was one of tlhe best in secret scrimmage,, had a strong showing in exhibition still gets no props. . A physical BEAST with a great attitude. Good at every phase of the game from what my 82 year old eyes can tell. Am I seeing something that no one else sees?
DH was no dummy when he recruited this kid.
Expect to see a strong season from this under the radar young man. No I'm not related to him in any way. Bet his brother is making a bundle oerseas or where ever he is.

Preach coach. He's the only one of our guards with size. Powerful athletes like him bought into the system always earn a place on the court. If he can make easy buckets and hit the 3, along with his work on D, he could be a great complimentary piece. He's the kind of guard we were missing when we got wolluped by Houston last year.

 

[JMick]

We haven't heard much about him from Hurley so I'm hoping that's deliberate and that he's trying to keep him as a secret for as long as he can.

He had his ups and downs last week but looked much improved

 

[Son of Robert]

B A was the best player at open practice last year, had the most practice points this summer , told he was one of tlhe best in secret scrimmage,, had a strong showing in exhibition still gets no props. . A physical BEAST with a great attitude. Good at every phase of the game from what my 82 year old eyes can tell. Am I seeing something that no one else sees?
DH was no dummy when he recruited this kid.
Expect to see a strong season from this under the radar young man. No I'm not related to him in any way. Bet his brother is making a bundle oerseas or where ever he is.

Preach coach. He's the only one of our guards with size. Powerful athletes like him bought into the system always earn a place on the court. If he can make easy buckets and hit the 3, along with his work on D, he could be a great complimentary piece. He's the kind of guard we were missing when we got wolluped by Houston last year.

First player off the bench right now, see if that changes. Completely agree with husky429 on all you said, but he's going to do more than just make easy buckets and threes and tough D. He'll be driving and dishing, scoring at the rim, drawing fouls, and showing some midrange game too. He brings a lot of toughness, heart, and grit to this team with his size and strength at the guard position, and is integral to how Hurley wants to play. Solid and skilled, not flashy, he'll be a big part of what we do.

Brendan Adams is going to have a fine year, I have no doubt.

 

[ctchamps]

B A was the best player at open practice last year, had the most practice points this summer , told he was one of tlhe best in secret scrimmage,, had a strong showing in exhibition still gets no props. . A physical BEAST with a great attitude. Good at every phase of the game from what my 82 year old eyes can tell. Am I seeing something that no one else sees?
DH was no dummy when he recruited this kid.
Expect to see a strong season from this under the radar young man. No I'm not related to him in any way. Bet his brother is making a bundle oerseas or where ever he is.

Wrote this in the report card thread:

Adams would have received the highest marks from me over anyone on the team. He was the overall best passer this game, he created shots for himself and others and made a catch and shoot three. Except for one bonehead play where he left his player to defend AG’s player and didn’t communicate it his defense was on par with CV’s and AG’s. Huge upgrade from last season.

There was a thread in September where I questioned people's assessment that Adams was nothing more than a four year role player and that all programs need that type of player. I couldn't understand why, given our scholarship situation which Hurley was made aware prior to accepting UConn, he would bring Adams with him for that rational. The situation at UConn is too fragile and the needs too many for a good coach to make that type of decision.

I'm a youngster compared to you coach but have old eyes compared to many here. It will be interesting to watch things develop and find out if our assessment is correct.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Brendan Adams endears himself very easily. He's a good kid with a ton of energy and I think a lot of his mistakes/issues last year were from him channeling his energy in more manic, out-of-control, or careless ways.

This year, hopefully he's gotten the freshmen jitters out of the way and he can channel that energy into focused, glue guy type contributions. He has Ricky Moore-esque qualities about him. Like Whaley, very easy kid to root for.

 

[imno1]

While he may not score like CV he's going to be that type of player. Not highly rated but he's someone you want to go to war with. And if he has a bad game it won't be for of lack of effort.

 

[rip7774]

He played absolutely terrified last year. it was 4-on-5 with him in, no threat to drive.

with less fear he can absolutely be a role player here, love to see him become a 3-point sniper. Feel like there’s more in there for sure, gotta get over tentative nature. I think he will. think he was brought in more for work ethic than talent, but love to be surprised here.

With hard-working kids, odds of outperforming talent go up exponentially!

 

[intlzncster]

I'm always leery of assessing less accomplished players against what is effectively high rec-league comp. They are scrapping hard for playing time, and often outshine established starters in this type of contest.

Adams could be helpful against bigger/stronger guards. His speed and quickness is a concern for a guard. Speaking of this year, I don't see him being much of a drive and dish type of type of player.

Agree with @husky429 that he has potential to be a 3 and D guy, if he shows he can knock down the outside shot.

I'm not sure how effective he is down low, but he has chance to be able to post up up smaller guards in the future.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

adams looks like a 'glue guy.' winning teams always have a glue guy.

 

[Kenny11]

I like Adams and I know hurley must believe in him to even bring him in last year. I’m hopeful he can be a solid contributor this season and hit a good percentage of open shots. Last year he would come into the game and throw up air balls because he was extremely nervous.

On a different note, did anyone watch Adams at the exhibition come in and out of the game. He was jogging in a stiffer manner than almost any player I’ve seen since dirk last year. Is his flexibility that bad or was he coming off a heavy leg day?

 

[Son of Robert]

Just to be clear, I don't see him running the point. I see him as a guard that will shoot the three, but also beat his man, penetrate, make the pass or score. From what I've seen so far this year (one practice, one exhibition), Hurley has every perimeter player penetrating aggressively making the defense move, taking it to the rack or making the smart pass. Everyone has been driving. Tyler with a few, Sid, Brendan with 2 or three, AG as always, and CV. Bouknight certainly did in practice, but he was more about finishing then laying off a pass, and Gaffney I haven't seen enough of his play but I'm sure he will also. There is a more aggressive, team oriented mindset with this years offense and I am really happy to see it.

 

[gtcam]

Was very underwhelming last season
Yes he got bigger and stronger this off season
After seeing him in person at the game vs St Mikes - can say he is still uncomfortable with his shot and was having trouble staying with a guard that is a bit quicker and seems to overplay to the oppositions dribbling hand - burnt on a crossover a few times.
He is intimidating with his bulk - no doubt about it and especially when compared to the St Mikes guys
How he plays vs bigger and older/experienced guards vs the better programs is still to be seen
I do see a lot of upside in next 3 years based on his size and determination
I just dont share the exuberance that CoachN sees right now
He is better - by lots - over last year - based on one scrimmage vs DII guys

 

[HuskyHawk]

Was very underwhelming last season
Yes he got bigger and stronger this off season
After seeing him in person at the game vs St Mikes - can say he is still uncomfortable with his shot and was having trouble staying with a guard that is a bit quicker and seems to overplay to the oppositions dribbling hand - burnt on a crossover a few times.
He is intimidating with his bulk - no doubt about it and especially when compared to the St Mikes guys
How he plays vs bigger and older/experienced guards vs the better programs is still to be seen
I do see a lot of upside in next 3 years based on his size and determination
I just dont share the exuberance that CoachN sees right now
He is better - by lots - over last year - based on one scrimmage vs DII guys

Agree. I think he’s a situational player. He’s the kind of kid Hurley had at URI and relied upon as a Junior and Senior. I don’t know why anyone thinks he should be an impact player here as a Freshman or Sophomore. He’s not quick or very athletic. So he became stronger. Can he guard quick small guards? I doubt it. But I think he can guard big wings and small PFs. And I think he can post those small guards and create mismatches inside. He’s absolutely ideal to match against Rideau at USF who has abused our small guards.

So I see him as a role player who will get better as he gains experience and be a key guy by senior year. But he gives us a weapon in our ability to match up with big, physical guards. His effort level is high and his D is generally good.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

This thread has a similar pre-season enthusiasm to those about Lasan Kromah. The hype is lesser, but more people are involved.

 

[jibsey]

I hope he can defend because last year he shot about 25% from 3 and you can’t have that with a guard Unless he’s a minor role player. You could assert that he corrected his shooting over the summer. When did this ever happen?

 

[MSGSeven]

As a fan I truly hope BA becomes a solid contributor to this team. But he has shown absolutely nothing to support this hype other than a few good exhibition games against dwarfs. I was at the open practice and contrary to other peoples' opinion here it was evident he was the least talented of our guards. He has size yes but he lacks quickness and explosiveness. His niche here will have to be as a back up PG that plays smart, under control, solid D and can knock down a three with some consistency. Hopefully he can fill that role.

 

[mauconnfan]

As a fan I truly hope BA becomes a solid contributor to this team. But he has shown absolutely nothing to support this hype other than a few good exhibition games against dwarfs. I was at the open practice and contrary to other peoples' opinion here it was evident he was the least talented of our guards. He has size yes but he lacks quickness and explosiveness. His niche here will have to be as a back up PG that plays smart, under control, solid D and can knock down a three with some consistency. Hopefully he can fill that role.

Well I haven't seen the new and improved (according to some) Brendan but the one thing I believe I can guarantee is he won't ever be a back up PG, at least not against a defensive guard on the other team. His handle wasn't good in traffic last year to the point I don't see it being good enough. It would seem to me his contribution will need to be come in, play hard and smart relieving some minutes for tired or foul troubled guys. Maybe if he finds his stroke he can be a little more than that and I really hope he can, he's really easy to root for.

 

[MSGSeven]

Well I haven't seen the new and improved (according to some) Brendan but the one thing I believe I can guarantee is he won't ever be a back up PG, at least not against a defensive guard on the other team. His handle wasn't good in traffic last year to the point I don't see it being good enough. It would seem to me his contribution will need to be come in, play hard and smart relieving some minutes for tired or foul troubled guys. Maybe if he finds his stroke he can be a little more than that and I really hope he can, he's really easy to root for.

He's going to be a back up guard and at times yes he's going to be called upon to play the point. If he can't do that which he very well might not be able to against good competition then he won't play.

 

[UConnDad]

I like Adams and I know hurley must believe in him to even bring him in last year. I’m hopeful he can be a solid contributor this season and hit a good percentage of open shots. Last year he would come into the game and throw up air balls because he was extremely nervous.

On a different note, did anyone watch Adams at the exhibition come in and out of the game. He was jogging in a stiffer manner than almost any player I’ve seen since dirk last year. Is his flexibility that bad or was he coming off a heavy leg day?

He was running very awkwardly. Definitely looked stiff. Was wondering about that myself.

 

[selles]

He was running very awkwardly. Definitely looked stiff. Was wondering about that myself.

Based on last year, that's just who he is as an athlete. In recruiting parlance he has "stiff hips". That may cap his ultimate upside, but I still think he will be a very valuable player.

He needs to relax a little more when shooting threes, which should come with time, and play a little more of an old man game on D (i.e. when your guy is off the ball be physical with him, and when your guy has the ball don't get right up on him and try to move with every dribble, but instead give a couple steps and try to react quickly to the ultimate drive or shot).

He clearly wants it badly and works his arse off. Those guys tend to overachieve.

 

[jibsey]

We can discuss this forever but in two or three games where we next get to see the kid we'll know whether he's really improved that much or not especially against decent competition.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I don’t remember anything about him from last year other than the fact he handled the ball like he had oven mitts on.

 

[Tenspro2002]

He's a great guy to have in practice, a coach's dream, especially when looking to completely overhaul the culture. That's why he was brought in.

Expecting any significant contribution from him on the court is asking a bit much.

 

[BNich]

He's a great guy to have in practice, a coach's dream, especially when looking to completely overhaul the culture. That's why he was brought in.

Expecting any significant contribution from him on the court is asking a bit much.

Every good team has one of those guys.