I have to almost completely, but respectfully, disagree.
Respectfully is unusual here (I am as guilty as the next), so thank you. I was trying to be respectful responding to boog as well, because I think he brings thoughtful comments to the table. These comments are in the same spirit.
Denham had an all around game - he could shoot from anywhere on the court, he had a decent handle, and he could drive.
He could drive in one direction, he couldn't drive laterally around a defender very well.
He saw the court well. He could pass.
Somewhat, no one would confuse him with magic.
He looked very comfortable and natural handling the ball in the half court or on the run.
To me, Denham never looked particularly natural doing anything on the court other than his jumper. I will grant that his jumper was far prettier than Omar's.
He was athletic.
He was athletic in the same way Omar is - much more athletic than I am but not the kind of player you look at and think 'what an athlete!' Stiff for a high level athlete but - as with Omar - tough.
Really loved him as a player, and always thought that his numbers at UConn didn't reflect his talent only because he was on some LOADED teams. I mean stacked. When you have 4 NBA guys around you, you don't get the touches you might otherwise get. Could have easily been the star on any mid-major and could easily have been a very important player on any top 10 team.
I agree with all of this and it may end up true of Omar as well.
Rashad was a one trick pony, but I don't mean that in a bad way. He was flat out the best 3-point shooter in the clutch our school has ever had (with Bazz closing quickly). His shot was gorgeous and merciless, and he could get it off in a heartbeat with a guy draped all over him. Truly a one-of-a-kind player who was a vital component to the teams on which he played. But his handle was very weak, his passing was iffy, and his overall game was not commensurate with his wonderful shot. He was not particularly athletic, to boot.
Agreed in all respects.
So to whom does Omar compare more closely? Clearly Rashad.
I guess if I agreed in full with your characterization of Denham, this would follow, but I don't. As it is, I think you're dooming Omar to failure by comparing him to a cold blooded 3 point killer.
Omar has a relatively weak handle (but better than Rashad's). He is a three point specialist (although he has shown some ability to drive and shoot 10 footers). He looks uncomfortable dribbling and turns it over a lot. He appears to have very little concept of passing, and I have witnessed him with the ball on several 3 on 1s choose to bull to the rim rather than make the pass for the easier shot.
To my mind, all of these comments could have applied to Denham, especially as a sophomore.
Problem is, he has not been a particular effective 3 point shooter. Which is odd, given that, at times, last year, he seemed to have a dead eye. I suppose we remember the good times better than the bad (or how else would you explain why many of us are still married?
).
Please don't tell my wife I drunkenly post on the boneyard as much as I do.
I'd conclude that Omar is 80% like Rashad with his propensity and penchant for shooting the 3 ball, and 20% like Denham for his driving to the rim and/or pulling up, and his athleticism, but not as effective as either.
Propensity and penchant can change with surrounding teammates and coaching directives, as a type of player I'd say 80/20 the other way. Omar was not advertised as a three point stud coming in.
So what's up with him? Hard to say. Surgery could definitely have had an impact, but, as a poster above noted, his numbers really are not different from last year. I suppose we're all just hoping that Omar will take a step up from last year and improve his shot by 5% and boards by a couple a game, and so on. Has not happened, and we're a third into the year.
Bazz, Boat, DD, etc spent the summer playing against Chris Paul and the best collegians at their positions. Omar couldn't even play pickup against schlepps like me this summer. Surely "a third of the year" is pretty meaningless given the kid's only been able to play for about a month.
Regarding Ollie's quote, it's tough to interpret out of context, but he seems to be suggesting that Omar is unhappy with his minutes, and that that may result in Omar wanting to transfer next year.
You're saying it's tough to interpret what a quote seems to be suggesting when neither of us has heard the quote. No offense to Bluedog - I like Bluedog's stuff a lot - but he's the Otis Sistrunk of the board. And that's not an insult, because I loved Otis Sistrunk. And even if Ollie implied concerns about Omar's future, that's meaningless for this year.
Who would the starting 5 be next year?
Boatright/Purvis/Hamilton/Facey/Brimah?
If not Boat, then Terrence.
Not really relevant, but could be Cassell as well.
So Calhoun, absent a great showing in the final 2/3rds of the year, is looking squarely in the face of losing minutes going forward, potentially losing his starting spot this year, and probably not getting it back next year when the DHam stud train pulls in.
Or he could get it together, become a key contributor, and make himself a hard man to sit.
He stayed through the ban. He seems to play hard, and I'll support him as long as he does that.
He also was really fired up when Bazz beat Florida and seems from a distance to remain bought in. At the end of the day, all I'd really ask is that people support the kid unless and until he gives them a reason not to. It's completely legit to discuss his pros and cons as a player (as your post, and boog's, and BlueDog's do) but it's another thing entirely to pile on him as selfish or otherwise a problem.
That all written, based on Ollie's words, Omar may be goin' more than he's comin' right now.
We'll see.
I don't have the full transcript.
