Rank Our Players

[Tenspro2002]

Dude, there is virtually no way this happens, and I'll bet my house against it.
He scored 8 and then 11 ppg in his first two years.
He had 2.4 rebounds and 1.2/1.3 assists in his first two years.
There is zero chance he adds 7 pts per game, doubles his rebounding, and triples his assists. He is a scorer, pure and simple, and he hasn't, and won't, bring much more than that.
And that's OKAY. We need Purvis to spot score and to play at least good D, and not bone head TOs.
With Gibbs, Hamilton, and Adams, we have a much better scoring team, and, if anything, his offense will be less required, not more.
When you throw in that his FT shooting is awful, I see our crunch time lineup as Gibbs/Adams/DHam/Brimah/Miller.
Once again, however, I believe that too much is being expected of this young man. I'll be very happy to ee him get 12/2/2 with a reduction of 1 or 2 bone head plays a game.

Purvis averaged over 17ppg in March, and scored somewhere between 13-15 from 2/1 on (16 games).
I wouldn't put money on him averaging 18ppg, but I'm of the belief that something clicked for the kid, and that the injuries hurt him early.
I would put 14ppg as the floor, and say he'll be closer to 16-17ppg. He's our most explosive athlete, he shot well from range, and if he starts actually making his FTs he's going to get a ton of buckets.

As for your points about assists and rebounds...yeah, I'm with you on that.

You guys pretty much covered it. Purvis is not a well-rounded basketball player -- he may score, but he won't contribute much else. He might not average more than 4 rebounds and assists combined. That said, if he can be an efficient scorer at the 2/3 and avoid hurting us in other ways, that will be a big boost.

Hamilton rebounds and passes exceptionally well for a 3, which makes up for Purvis's deficiencies. Miller is also a versatile guy at the 4 who is both a rebounding machine and unafraid to shoot or drive to the hole.

I actually think one of Purvis or Brimah will be on the bench at crunch time, depending on whether we want to go big or small.

 

[UConn990411]

You guys pretty much covered it. Purvis is not a well-rounded basketball player -- he may score, but he won't contribute much else. He might not average more than 4 rebounds and assists combined. That said, if he can be an efficient scorer at the 2/3 and avoid hurting us in other ways, that will be a big boost.

Hamilton rebounds and passes exceptionally well for a 3, which makes up for Purvis's deficiencies. Miller is also a versatile guy at the 4 who is both a rebounding machine and unafraid to shoot or drive to the hole.

I actually think one of Purvis or Brimah will be on the bench at crunch time, depending on whether we want to go big or small.

Purvis is a good defender, and he can easily transition between SG and SF.

That versatility is extremely valuable these days as positions continue to mean less and less.

 

[ChrisSmith]

1 - Brimah
2 - DHam
3 - Gibbs
4 - Purvis
5 - Miller
6 - Adams
7 - Omar
8 - Facey
9 - Nolan
10 - Enoch
11 - Cassell

 

[johnhuskies95]

That could be, but I guess I assumed he'd be at least a viable midrange jump shooter given the following: 1) He shot a respectable 50% from two at Cornell last year. 2.) He was the #1 option, and so, I would imagine that with every easy shot he took, he took another contested one. 3.) He shot 83% from the line, which tends to be a good indicator of somebody who can hit intermediate shots with time and space (which he should have a lot more of).

If the synergy numbers prove me wrong I'll be willing to concede the point, I'd just be interested in taking a closer look at his shot type (i.e., how many were catch and shoot vs. off the dribble, how many were contested vs. uncontested, etc.) before I give up on him having an Adrien like impact.

Here's the article. Unfortunately it doesn't give exact numbers, so it's not entirely helpful, but it does say that he's more efficient in post up situations rather than face-up or catch and shoot jumpers of any kind.

The most impressive stat about Miller to me is that Cornell went 13-18 with him in 2013, 2-26 without him in 2014, and then 13-17 with him again in 2015. Cornell's defense was 250th in KenPom in 2014 and 80th last year. He's clearly a very useful defensive player at the very least.

 

[TasteofUConn]

Purvis is a good defender . . .

Based on what?

 

[gtcam]

If its any of the bottom 4 UConn is going to awfully good or .........................

 

[TasteofUConn]

If its any of the bottom 4 UConn is going to awfully good or .....

Fail.

 

[James]

 

[SouthBayHusky]

1. Gibbs
2. Purvis
3. Hamilton
4. Brimah
5. Miller
6. Adams
7. Enoch
8. Omar
9. Facey

Top six are all quality players and I could almost see any of them break out to the top of the pack.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

I didn't see Terry Larrier's name mentioned at all. Does this mean that he's at the top of the list & needs no introduction?

Larrier has to sit out this year as transfer. He can only participate in practice. I guess it could be said he might still be a very valuable player playing high-level in practice making the rest of our players better.

 

[selles]

Based on what?

Based on watching him last March. He's the guy you're going to want on Troy Caupain at winning time next year.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Here's the article. Unfortunately it doesn't give exact numbers, so it's not entirely helpful, but it does say that he's more efficient in post up situations rather than face-up or catch and shoot jumpers of any kind.

The most impressive stat about Miller to me is that Cornell went 13-18 with him in 2013, 2-26 without him in 2014, and then 13-17 with him again in 2015. Cornell's defense was 250th in KenPom in 2014 and 80th last year. He's clearly a very useful defensive player at the very least.

Good stuff man

 

[scrappy2.0]

For this season, which players do you think will be this team's most valuable or impactful.

Myself:
1) Hamilton
2) Gibbs
3) Brimah
4) Purvis
5) Adams
6) Miller
7) Facey
8) Cassell
9) Omar
10) Nolan

I'll make a composite list on Sunday of everyone's choices.

Great question by the way. Tough answer!!

My thoughts

1 Brimah
2 Gibbs
3 Hamilton
4 Purvis
5 Miller
6 Adams
7 Nolan
8 Calhoun
9 Facey
10 Cassell
11 Enosch

The top 5 are probably our starters and I just feel Amida's defense is going to be the most important asset to the team.

I like the 2nd unit. I like Adams having the ball with other good defensive players--2 of which can really finish well and the other 2 who can hit the 3 ball. Its a very balance team through 11.

 

[Matt1010]

Purvis is a good defender, and he can easily transition between SG and SF.

That versatility is extremely valuable these days as positions continue to mean less and less.

Gibbs and Purvis will likely be our best two scorers and I expect both to be on the floor in crunch time. Agree on the defensive versatility. RP greatly improved on D last season compared to NC State and continued to look better and better as the season went on. He will never be a strong rebound/assist guy but he even made major improvements in those areas. Pre-February RP averaged 2.1 rebounds and .9 assists which I think we can all agree is not going to cut it. Post-Feb RP averaged 3.1/1.4 which is enough to keep him on the floor. He's not the best passer but we really don't need him to be with Gibbs and DH both feeding the ball. Purvis is a true "shooting guard" but his athleticism alone gives him the ability to be a capable rebounder as well.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Hamilton
Purvis
Gibbs
Brimah
Adams
Miller
Calhoun
Facey
Cassell
Nolan
Enosch

 

[microfich]

Purvis is a true "shooting guard" but his athleticism alone gives him the ability to be a capable rebounder as well.

Someone's gotta be. Kemba and Bazz's big boundings were tactical but they had the ability to do it and had some pretty good results. It's a must for us while we're still growing our bigs.

 

[ctchamps]

I have a wish list and not an order of player ranking.
1). I want a player to be a rebounding force on the offensive end to keep defenses honest. Facey was this player early last year but his overall game was so weak, and as the season progressed, his confusion ended in eliminating even this contribution. Thus his minutes were significantly reduced. I'm hoping Miller can provide this ability and be good on defense as well. To me the absence of a skilled four was the biggest glaring weakness last season. It was partially remedied by moving DHam to the four, but I would much prefer him playing the 3 alongside a skilled 4 like I'm hoping will be the case with Miller. I'm also hoping Facey can figure out the other aspects of his game so that he can push Miller for minutes.

2). Cannot see how anyone can rate Brimah ahead of Purvis without knowing which Brimah is going to show up this season. As a few posters pointed out something clicked in Purvis at the end of last season. The opposite was true for Brimah. His game went off the rails. The coaches were working on his ability to avoid foul trouble and I felt he was somewhat successful as the season progressed. But it appeared they were also trying to have him work on positioning for defensive rebounds and not just rely on blocking. At the end of the season he was inefficient with both. I'm hoping he figures this out. If not we may be seeing lots of minutes with a small line up. On offense he's fantastic with an alley oop. He's shown some progress with a mid range game but not enough to know if he can be a force on the offensive end unless someone creates for him. At the very least I'm hoping he can develop enough strength to get some dang put backs.

3). I'm hoping for a second good ball handler that KO can put on the floor at the end of games. I've seen a lot of criticism of Purvis's turnovers but did not see people pointing out DHam's turnover problems which were significant imo. His handle is too high and his spin move somewhat predictable. I'll take him in a heartbeat as the third option to create for others but not as the second. I don't think there are many better third options in college. Thus I'm hoping Jalen can develop into playing the role to Gibbs that Bazz provided with Kemba. On defense I'm hoping DHam can stay with his player better. It was a significant weakness. On the other hand DHam was second only to Ryan in releasing from his player to get a defensive rebound. But he was a liability when he played the four and bigger players pushed him out of position for defensive rebounds.

4). Don't know much about Gibbs other than what people who I respect have posted. I'm hoping that his defense is better than they indicate. Ryan was a very good defensive player and UConn won number four with outstanding defense from Bazz and Boat.

5). I liked Rodney's development over the season. He has me salivating for more. The early season injury and his deference to a senior Ryan were his limitations imo. People have pointed out his contribution over the last eight games and it can't be emphasized enough that some of that was without Ryan. Rodney maintained a level of scoring that took place with opposing teams keying on him. With DHam, Gibbs and Jalen, Rodney does not need to be a major assist guy. However, as the season progressed I felt he showed more promise even in this category and although he will never be a top assist guy I think this years team is more balanced than last and that will help Rodney. I felt Rodney was a decent defender and got better as the season progressed. The number of times he lost a player through screens or back door cuts or fast breaks was significantly reduced as the season progressed. What he can do is learn when he can "unglue" himself from a player and help with rebounding.

 

[TasteofUConn]

Cannot see how anyone can rate Brimah ahead of Purvis

Because Brimah is going to be one of the top shot blockers in the nation, will likely improve his rebounding somewhat, will likely improve his scoring somewhat, and will be able to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Purvis is a scorer, and not much else. There is a rumor going around that he is a very good defender. 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2 D-boards per game don't amount to that, from my view. Compare those numbers to 2nd year Dyson, who was, in fact, a very good defender (1.8, 0.7, and 3.0).
Also, pre-March we were 16/11. March and thereafter we were 4/4. In other words, Rodney's "click" did not translate to more wins. Which, of course, is the danger in being enamored with scoring - it's a false prophet.

 

[Matt1010]

Because Brimah is going to be one of the top shot blockers in the nation, will likely improve his rebounding somewhat, will likely improve his scoring somewhat, and will be able to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Purvis is a scorer, and not much else. There is a rumor going around that he is a very good defender. 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2 D-boards per game don't amount to that, from my view. Compare those numbers to 2nd year Dyson, who was, in fact, a very good defender (1.8, 0.7, and 3.0).
Also, pre-March we were 16/11. March and thereafter we were 4/4. In other words, Rodney's "click" did not translate to more wins. Which, of course, is the danger in being enamored with scoring - it's a false prophet.

Is James Harden a good defender because he averaged 2 steals and 6 rebounds as a SG? Just one example but other stats are much more useful in measuring defensive effectiveness. Freshman year Rodney had a .4 defensive win share and 108.7 defensive rating. This past year with us he improved to 1.3/101.4. As a comparison senior year Dyson was only slightly better at 1.6/100.5. RP is certainly no Boat when it comes to D but he has made major improvements and is a very solid defender.

Yes the team went 4/4 but it was against a tougher schedule and with Boat missing during one L. Nevermind the fact that Brimah averaged 4/3/4 in March.

 

[James]

Cannot see how anyone can rate Brimah ahead of Purvis

youre joking right? Purvis is a high volume shooter and thats it. Sure he has potential to be a disruptive defender, but thats it. and he is even less consistent than brimah. Ideally I wouldn't even start purvis.

 

[Matt1010]

youre joking right? Purvis is a high volume shooter and thats it. Sure he has potential to be a disruptive defender, but thats it. and he is even less consistent than brimah. Ideally I wouldn't even start purvis.

Adams hasn't played a minute of college basketball and you would start him over the guy that averaged 17/3 in March on about 50% shooting?

 

[TasteofUConn]

Nevermind the fact that Brimah averaged 4/3/4 in March.

Actually, this is my point exactly. Brimah is much more important than Purvis. If Brimah goes out, our W/L will suffer much more than if Purvis goes out.
We can disagree on this. Just opinions, after all.
And of course, if Purvis picks up where he left off and can shoot at close to 50% from 2 and 35% from 3 then there is no doubt that I (and others) have undervalued him, and I'll acknowledge that.
I fully admit that his early jeckyll/hyde play was difficult to watch, and may still cloud my judgment of his potential.

 

[Matt1010]

Actually, this is my point exactly. Brimah is much more important than Purvis. If Brimah goes out, our W/L will suffer much more than if Purvis goes out.
We can disagree on this. Just opinions, after all.

Agree completely, if Brimah doesn't play well we won't go far in March. I actually have Brimah above RP in my rankings, but based on how they ended the year RP was clearly playing much better ball.

 

[James]

Adams hasn't played a minute of college basketball and you would start him over the guy that averaged 17/3 in March on about 50% shooting?

What about the rest of the season? it surprises you that a bluechip freshman might be better than a redshirt junior who has yet to display any modicum of consistency in his career?

 

[breezy]

Who's better and who's more important are two completely different arguments. If Amida is our best player we're gonna have a heck of a team.