Post Player Workouts (Emeka, Diarra, Mo Bamba) | Page 7 | The Boneyard

Post Player Workouts (Emeka, Diarra, Mo Bamba)

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I never understood why these young kids would say we were too guard oriented. We have always had a shot-blocking anchor 5 & relied on tough rebounding. Calhoun essentially describes defensive bigs as his bedrock strategy for developing the program in the 90s in one of his books...

Because our offense, aside from really one or two years with Emeka and Charlie V, has primarily featured the bigs as screeners, rebounders, and defenders. Offense, specifically post offense, has always been an afterthought. Honestly, if you were a big man with some offensive talent, would you want to come here and be a high screener all year?
 

pj

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There's a chicken and egg issue -- if your bigs aren't offensively skilled, you won't use them for more than screening. In fact we tried feeding Brimah repeatedly and he was a turnover machine, Enoch even more so.

I think the offense adapts to the talent you have, and KO is skilled enough to adapt. But defense is an absolute requirement.

If you want a defensively strong, rim-protecting center, then the ones with offensive skills are 5* players like Bamba who are in demand by Kentucky, Duke, and every other top program. JC couldn't recruit those guys until after the 1999 championship, and even then only occasionally.
 
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imo We've recruited well since KO took charge, this year was a bust - half of last years recruits left. Transfers are an epidemic going on with all schools. That being said to be a GREAT recruiter KO's staff needs to reel in a top ranked big. If we were able to reel in Diamond Stone or Zach Brown didn't mess up - we would be in a totally different place. I hope for next year that will be our goal. We have guards that are equipped with the tools for a natty. But we need the missing piece to the puzzle. KO and company, make UConn great again! We are in the running but we gotta reel in the big tuna.
 
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Because our offense, aside from really one or two years with Emeka and Charlie V, has primarily featured the bigs as screeners, rebounders, and defenders. Offense, specifically post offense, has always been an afterthought. Honestly, if you were a big man with some offensive talent, would you want to come here and be a high screener all year?

There is also something to be said in this discussion for the direction of the sport. Pick and roll offenses are simply more effective which means it is optimal to use centers for screening and floor spacing. There are plenty of offenses that still function through the post (see Gonzaga, UNC, etc.), but all things being equal you're putting the ball in the hands of your all-American point guard over your all-American center and once Bamba to UConn is finalized Jalen is still going to be the man.

So I don't buy your argument because it isn't like the situations at Duke and Kentucky are so different - if this was about maximizing his post touches, he'd go to Georgetown or something. This is about the next level and scouts care way more about his athletic profile than his refined skills. Most of the best centers in the NBA today - Jordan, Gobert, Drummond - receive nothing more than the courtesy post touch here or there and they are all worth nine figures. Meanwhile, Diamond Stone goes 40th overall.

And for what it's worth, there is nothing to suggest we are unwilling to feed the post. Brimah was being force fed touches until he gasped his final breath in a Husky uniform and Miller touched the ball plenty the season prior.

I do understand though that when these misconceptions exist within a message board of die-hard fans then they very likely exist in the minds of recruits, which is too bad. But that's what the coaches are paid to do and that's why Chill was brought in (not for this recruitment specifically, but to change the PR a bit).
 
C

Chief00

Because our offense, aside from really one or two years with Emeka and Charlie V, has primarily featured the bigs as screeners, rebounders, and defenders. Offense, specifically post offense, has always been an afterthought
Yeah those were the Clyde V couple of years - he taught positioning and creating a Big target for the post pass.
 

the Q

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Yeah those were the Clyde V couple of years - he taught positioning and creating a Big target for the post pass.

Most players have no idea what you're talking about.

Our guys should watch tape of recent college star (mid major) Jameel Warney.

That was a guy who knew how to use his body and get positioning to make himself a damn good offensive player.
 
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Yeah those were the Clyde V couple of years - he taught positioning and creating a Big target for the post pass.

Yeah and he had guys who were studs and knew how to play. Let's not even pretend he could've done anything with Brimah he's not David Blaine.

Listen I thought Clyde was really good, but it helps to have guys who get it, and he had those skilled guys.
 
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There is also something to be said in this discussion for the direction of the sport. Pick and roll offenses are simply more effective which means it is optimal to use centers for screening and floor spacing. There are plenty of offenses that still function through the post (see Gonzaga, UNC, etc.), but all things being equal you're putting the ball in the hands of your all-American point guard over your all-American center and once Bamba to UConn is finalized Jalen is still going to be the man.

So I don't buy your argument because it isn't like the situations at Duke and Kentucky are so different - if this was about maximizing his post touches, he'd go to Georgetown or something. This is about the next level and scouts care way more about his athletic profile than his refined skills. Most of the best centers in the NBA today - Jordan, Gobert, Drummond - receive nothing more than the courtesy post touch here or there and they are all worth nine figures. Meanwhile, Diamond Stone goes 40th overall.

And for what it's worth, there is nothing to suggest we are unwilling to feed the post. Brimah was being force fed touches until he gasped his final breath in a Husky uniform and Miller touched the ball plenty the season prior.

I do understand though that when these misconceptions exist within a message board of die-hard fans then they very likely exist in the minds of recruits, which is too bad. But that's what the coaches are paid to do and that's why Chill was brought in (not for this recruitment specifically, but to change the PR a bit).

I agree with everything you've said. But the question was in regards to our bigs. It's very easy to recruit against us by showing film of screening machines masquerading as big men. You're absolutely right, though, the big men as a major offensive force is dead. But our pick and roll schemes are designed to create opportunities for our guards and wings, not for the big man and most incoming college big men think they can actually play. In regards to Amida in the post, unless I'm misremembering, he got maybe 4-5 courtesy posts a game. We weren't "force-feeding him." Miller we used a bit more, and we actually should have used him significantly more than we did.

Perhaps I'm being biased, but Duke and Kentucky's offenses seem to use the post or at least the big man as a threat more than us. Again, I might just be jaded b/c we have been a donut team for awhile.
 
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Because our offense, aside from really one or two years with Emeka and Charlie V, has primarily featured the bigs as screeners, rebounders, and defenders. Offense, specifically post offense, has always been an afterthought. Honestly, if you were a big man with some offensive talent, would you want to come here and be a high screener all year?
I do agree with this for the most part. I'm a huge Ollie critic but I will say in '15-16 he strayed from his half court offense more than usual to dump it down to Shonn Miller in the block and let him go to work. Unfortunately it took Ollie about mid way through the season to make this adjustment.
 

the Q

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I agree with everything you've said. But the question was in regards to our bigs. It's very easy to recruit against us by showing film of screening machines masquerading as big men. You're absolutely right, though, the big men as a major offensive force is dead. But our pick and roll schemes are designed to create opportunities for our guards and wings, not for the big man and most incoming college big men think they can actually play. In regards to Amida in the post, unless I'm misremembering, he got maybe 4-5 courtesy posts a game. We weren't "force-feeding him." Miller we used a bit more, and we actually should have used him significantly more than we did.

Perhaps I'm being biased, but Duke and Kentucky's offenses seem to use the post or at least the big man as a threat more than us. Again, I might just be jaded b/c we have been a donut team for awhile.

To be fair, it's easier to dump it in to a Jalil Okafor than a Brima. So a guy lik that is naturally going to get more touches.

We should show how we did feed Facey the ball quite a bit as the year went on.
 

Mr. French

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But all things being equal you're putting the ball in the hands of your all-American point guard over your all-American center and once Bamba to UConn is finalized Jalen is still going to be the man.

Nicely done.
 
C

Chief00

Yeah and he had guys who were studs and knew how to play. Let's not even pretend he could've done anything with Brimah he's not David Blaine.

Listen I thought Clyde was really good, but it helps to have guys who get it, and he had those skilled guys.

Who do you think went out and got these dudes? Not even mentioning Andrew Bynum - who skipped directly into The League. Guys wanted to come here cuz they knew they would win and be developed.
 
C

Chief00

Clyde was on the bench for 2 seasons in the entire history of the program.
And that was when we had our best Bigs. We even had NBA Bigs sitting on the bench when Emeka, Josh, Charlie, and Hilton were in the rotation.
 
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And that was when we had our best Bigs. We even had NBA Bigs sitting on the bench when Emeka, Josh, Charlie, and Hilton were in the rotation.

Remember those days when we used to be good and could actually get the players we heavily recruited?
 

Mr. French

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Let's hope he sees something in (and hears good stuff from) them Huskies ...
 
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There was some bamba buzz early on last year, before and after KO was his assistant coach in Chile. Honestly don't see what separates uconn and a team like Texas, who already have some bigs promised minutes... in all honesty jarrett Allen could have had better numbers in storrs than Austin imo. Bamba could go to east bumble duck* state and be a top 2 pick next year.
 

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