Purvis

[AstarIsBorn31]

If Brimah can develop consistency and avoid fouling even as his role expands, then he should get 25-30 minutes per game at center, and that would allow Phil to spend more time at PF, 10-15 at center and 15-20 at PF, 25-30 total minutes, Facey getting 20-25 at PF, that makes 70-80 minutes between the three of them, maybe 10 minutes per game with a 4 perimeter player lineup.

Yeah Brimah should be one of the best centers on the defensive end if he can stay in. I love how this kid will try to block everything and anything. This kid might end up getting dunked on every now and then but I love how he doesn't care he will go up with you no matter what. To think the amount of time he has played basketball is equal to someone playing high school JV is crazy. Just goes to show how hard he has worked in that little time and how good UCONN coaching staff is. I think he is going to have a big year on both ends, our guards will get him easy baskets and if he can continue that soft baseline hook with both hands he could be unstoppable.

 

[otp85]

Can I first say that I really hope we can continue the debate of "who the best Husky is" all year. What a nice argument to have, no wrong answers.

To the loss of scoring point, if anyone has seen Daniel Hamilton play before then you know that he will at the very least take enough shots; not exactly shy offensively. Between he and Purvis I'm actually concerned the ball may get stuck more often than last year. Which is where Boat comes in; his leadership and ability to keep the offense in flow is key. Not to mention that he can get whatever shot he wants, whenever he wants. If you don't think so then ask john calipari.

Alot to excited about this team; alot. I lean to Boat as the most important, maybe best, but definitely most important player. It's his team, like it was Shabazz's last year, he has a great supporting cast but they are following his lead.

 

[donyell34]

Again do not sleep on Sam jr. Could be wrong but I do believe he will be a big contributor. Wasn't his ranking somewhere in the 50'S coming out of HS. Maryland really want'ed him and were bummed when it did not work out.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Again do not sleep on Sam jr. Could be wrong but I do believe he will be a big contributor. Wasn't his ranking somewhere in the 50'S coming out of HS. Maryland really want'ed him and were bummed when it did not work out.

Rivals had him at 146.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I love how this kid will try to block everything and anything.

Actually, I'd prefer he develop a feel for the game, knowing when to go for the block vs. when to get in good rebounding position. There were a number of times last year where we gave up easy offensive boards and putbacks because Brimah was leaping for a block he had no chance to get.

 

[AstarIsBorn31]

Actually, I'd prefer he develop a feel for the game, knowing when to go for the block vs. when to get in good rebounding position. There were a number of times last year where we gave up easy offensive boards and putbacks because Brimah was leaping for a block he had no chance to get.

Yeah obviously there are some instances where he cheats over etc and goes for an unnecessary block but those are due to him being a freshman/raw. Coming into college he was used to being able to go for every block and still have time to turn and grab the board. Going on the NC run will have such a big effect on our bigs. But I was more refferring to how unlike 90% of basketball players who will give you the dunk in fear of being embarassed, he will go up with you. He's fearless but you saw times that he learned that he doesn't always need to jump up especially on smaller guards/fowards. He had moments of just going straight up with his arms and still getting the block or effecting the shot. I still think that corner 3 block in Nova is crazy impressive because I dont know many other centers that would attempt to get over to that spot and even fewer who would actually be able to block it.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Yeah obviously there are some instances where he cheats over etc and goes for an unnecessary block but those are due to him being a freshman/raw. Coming into college he was used to being able to go for every block and still have time to turn and grab the board. Going on the NC run will have such a big effect on our bigs. But I was more refferring to how unlike 90% of basketball players who will give you the dunk in fear of being embarassed, he will go up with you. He's fearless but you saw times that he learned that he doesn't always need to jump up especially on smaller guards/fowards. He had moments of just going straight up with his arms and still getting the block or effecting the shot. I still think that corner 3 block in Nova is crazy impressive because I dont know many other centers that would attempt to get over to that spot and even fewer who would actually be able to block it.

Yes, with that added nuance I agree with you. He never gives up, and plays with fearlessness and energy. Couple that with an improving BB IQ and he'll really be a complete player on the defensive end.

 

[joober jones]

Don't see Tsam as an outside shooter but with another year under his belt who knows. Maybe Hamilton or Cassell.

I think he meant Samuel getting the ball to an open Calhoun for the 3.

 

[James]

I think people are really underrating T-Sam. I know he's not your prototypical 3, but I wouldn't be shocked if he took a good chunk of minutes from Hamilton.

Lets hope ollie goes small at times, does that, moves hamilton to the 4. What's good about Samuel is he is pass first and 6'4, so he could play with anybody.

Hamilton is the real deal hopefully he can mimic a freshman lamb .

Roster looks impeccable other than the glaring hole at power forward . Either Nolan or facey needs to take a major leap offensively .

 

[Silk31]

Lets hope ollie goes small at times, does that, moves hamilton to the 4. What's good about Samuel is he is pass first and 6'4, so he could play with anybody.

Hamilton is the real deal hopefully he can mimic a freshman lamb .

Roster looks impeccable other than the glaring hole at power forward . Either Nolan or facey needs to take a major leap offensively .

I think the excitement over our guards in this thread proves that we will be every bit as much a guard oriented attack than anticipated. Imagine the possibilities if Boat steps up as a leader and builds off his late season run, Purvis comes in and flashes his McDonald's All American skill set, T-Sam continues his bulldog ways, DHam is as good as advertised, Cassell provides us solid combo guard minutes and Omar returns to anywhere near his freshman year shooting form...

Why do we need Nolan and Facey to make a major leap offensively then?...these guys just need to play their roles in terms of rebounding, defending and providing hustle/energy. Anything we get offensively from our bigs, Amida included, should be considered a bonus

Our guards will do the heavy scoring lifting all season long

 

[James]

@Silk31 I mean like , Nolan needs to learn how to catch and finish better . He also needs to continue be a better screener and offensive rebounder , especially if we play him at the 4. JC always preached a balanced attack , Daniels brought that last year.

 

[Silk31]

@Silk31 I mean like , Nolan needs to learn how to catch and finish better . He also needs to continue be a better screener and offensive rebounder , especially if we play him at the 4. JC always preached a balanced attack , Daniels brought that last year.

Yea well I would shy away from playing Nolan at the 4 because that would mean Amida and Phil on the court together. That clogs the lane and hurts spacing on offense.

Phil can't get much worse than last year in terms of strength and finishing around the rim, he and Amida were both badly exposed vs UK's bigger frontline.

Ideally Facey runs away with the PF job and he can provide better spacing by being able to step out and hit some mid range jumpers. Do we honestly want our only two Center options playing together for extended periods?...I vote hell no.

I also think DHam sees some time at the 4 in smaller lineups. KO loves his 3 guard looks with Purvis, Cassell and TSam all capable of sliding to the 3 spot in a pinch so that could help us out in extending the PF minutes because who knows what Lubin will give us at this point

 

[James]

@Silk31 sure that seems ideal , but facey was a 20 year of freshman who got no minutes in the post season . I know nothing about how his game will translate. I think it's a serious stretch to see him filling Daniels role , just don't think that talent is there. He played center his whole career

Anticipate ollie to use more horns sets + hi lows ( like JC would in 2011 playing ao and chuck/to, and even popovich with splitter and Duncan ), and maybe less pick n pop when Nolan's at the 4.

Two glaring questions are the 4 spot and how well boat handles being a key distributer .

 

[pj]

@Silk31, Phil can hit mid range jumpers. His skill set is much better suited to PF than C. I think you're underselling him because he's had to play out of position at C.

That said Facey has a nice PF skill set too.

 

[Silk31]

@Silk31, Phil can hit mid range jumpers. His skill set is much better suited to PF than C. I think you're underselling him because he's had to play out of position at C.

That said Facey has a nice PF skill set too.

I don't think I'm under selling Philly, he just hasn't showed much of an offensive skill set other than the Olander drop step into a left hook on the block move. He has a good stroke on his FTs but nothing of his in game film to date has shown that he can step out and confidently knock down jumpers.

Phil is a glue guy for us, he can stand to improve on offense obviously but it's not absolutely necessary for him to continue being a key role player for us

 

[pj]

I don't think I'm under selling Philly, he just hasn't showed much of an offensive skill set other than the Olander drop step into a left hook on the block move. He has a good stroke on his FTs but nothing of his in game film to date has shown that he can step out and confidently knock down jumpers.

Phil is a glue guy for us, he can stand to improve on offense obviously but it's not absolutely necessary for him to continue being a key role player for us

Phil shot 77.5% on free throws last year. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61579/phillip-nolan That's better than all but 4 NCAA teams, http://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d1/current/team/150, one of which was UConn at 77.7%. The guy can shoot jumpers out to 15 feet with a high percentage. True, he needs to develop better post moves if he is going to be a scoring center, but in reality he's a PF trying to play C. Part of the reason his post moves haven't worked is that he is not that tall and he has been relatively weak/slight compared to his defenders. With a move to PF and another year of conditioning and skill development, he could become a decent interior scorer.

 

[Rocktheworld]

To the loss of scoring point, if anyone has seen Daniel Hamilton play before then you know that he will at the very least take enough shots; not exactly shy offensively. Between he and Purvis I'm actually concerned the ball may get stuck more often than last year. Which is where Boat comes in; his leadership and ability to keep the offense in flow is key. Not to mention that he can get whatever shot he wants, whenever he wants. If you don't think so then ask john calipari.

DHam and Purvis are prolific in their shot taking but until this coming season they created for themselves. DHam because it's high school ball so defense is lol and Purvis because he's a Ferrari.

Boat being the primary ball handler and distributor off the pick and/or drive will make a lot of those shots high percentage when his senior leadership and experience tells him to dish.

 

[AstarIsBorn31]

Phil shot 77.5% on free throws last year. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61579/phillip-nolan That's better than all but 4 NCAA teams, http://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d1/current/team/150, one of which was UConn at 77.7%. The guy can shoot jumpers out to 15 feet with a high percentage. True, he needs to develop better post moves if he is going to be a scoring center, but in reality he's a PF trying to play C. Part of the reason his post moves haven't worked is that he is not that tall and he has been relatively weak/slight compared to his defenders. With a move to PF and another year of conditioning and skill development, he could become a decent interior scorer.

Nolan's stroke does look nice, I guess it comes down to confidence. He needs to feel comfortable shooting. But I don't think that Ollie is really depending on that. Its clearly heavy guard play with our bigs stepping up even more then last year prottecting the rim and cleaning the glass. I hope facey can snag the 4 spot and be solid.

I agree I dont like the idea of Brimah and Nolan seeing many minutes together. I didnt like when we did that with Drummond and AO. But I dont want to talk about that season

 

[Hysteria]

We lost a truckload of outside scoring with Bazz and Daniels moving on. Somebody besides Boat has to step up and be an outside scoring threat and if it is Purvis, great. Otherwise teams will sag on us and jam things up in the paint. If Omar can return to form he will be the game changer that will open up the paint for players like Purvis to get to the rim. Outside shooting is a big question mark but fortunately KO has a lot of options that could be answers. We also lost our leading rebounder in Bazz.
I can't remember being so anxious to see a UConn team on the floor. We have a chance to be very good.

no....we have a chance to be better

 

[Greathusky]

Not to be a buzzkill but Purvis has not played a game for the Huskies. TSam has impressed me with his court sense and aggressiveness on both ends of the court. Brimah showed us a glimpse of what he can become given more time.

KO's comment about having a "Ferrari" in the garage reminded me of JC praising Ajou Ajou Deng before he played a game.

Let's see what Purvis brings to the table before anointing him the best player on the team. I do love his attitude!

 

[AstarIsBorn31]

Not to be a buzzkill but Purvis has not played a game for the Huskies. TSam has impressed me with his court sense and aggressiveness on both ends of the court. Brimah showed us a glimpse of what he can become given more time.

KO's comment about having a "Ferrari" in the garage reminded me of JC praising Ajou Ajou Deng before he played a game.

Let's see what Purvis brings to the table before anointing him the best player on the team. I do love his attitude!

I understand where your coming from but Im going to take Calhouns word when he said that Purvis sometimes took over practices at UCONN last year... Also I liked hearing that Purvis and Boat go at it one v one and sometimes the loser doesnt say a word to the other in their dorm. Im saying right now that this kid is legit and going to be a huge factor

 

[mauconnfan]

That's fair but I will stick by my prediction he will be the best on the team, but not by a lot. His freshman year at NC State he was solid in a system that did not fit his game for a coach who is mediocre at best. He didn't want to be there………he still got basically 9/4/1 in the ACC.

Then he gets a full year playing against the best team in college basketball while being coach by one of the best staffs in the country. His attitude as you say is tremendous, his work ethic seemingly 2nd to none, his athletic ability out of this world and his skill set ever growing. There's still some question marks no doubt but just seeing a talented kid finally really happy where he is, with his "family" and finally being let out of the garage, I think there's going to be some special stuff happening this year! Lots of good players surrounding him and plenty of fans rooting for him……..gonna be fun. Right or wrong on who's best, I'm glad he's our Ferrari!

 

[huskyharry]

I say VRROOOOM...listen to the throaty roar of 12 cylinders of Italian engineering, go RP!

 

[dogfan96]

Not to be a buzzkill but Purvis has not played a game for the Huskies. TSam has impressed me with his court sense and aggressiveness on both ends of the court. Brimah showed us a glimpse of what he can become given more time.

KO's comment about having a "Ferrari" in the garage reminded me of JC praising Ajou Ajou Deng before he played a game.

Let's see what Purvis brings to the table before anointing him the best player on the team. I do love his attitude!

Purvis hasn't played at UConn, but he HAS played at the D1 level.. so he's not like a guy coming from high school. And he has shown that he can play. And being two years older, he can only be better.

 

[Joobie]

I haven't seen Rodney on the court yet, but he reminds me of Kemba just coz of his attitude. Kid always has a smile on his face. I think he will be a GREAT player for us & then will go on to be a great ambassador for UCONN post graduation. Can't wait to see him play!