Reminds Me of the Dream Season

[diggerfoot]

Two things about this team remind me of the dream season team. They both performed way beyond what I expected. Granted we had greater talent for the dream season, but I did not know that going in. Who knew what a stud Henefeld would be?

The other reminder is the foul shooting. I believe as a whole we were an average foul shooting team for the dream season, but when it came down to money time we made every foul shot. I'm usually a bit nervous over foul shots but towards the end of the dream season I expected any big one to go in, money in the bank. I have that same expectation with this team when they need to make foul shots.

This year is almost as fun as the dream season, at least so far.

 

[Kitaman]

Is that the team with 2 players on our coaching staff?

 

[Waquoit]

This year's team went into the season with on the bubble talent and have played they way into what would be an 8 or 9 seed. The Dream Season had a team with no prospects and came within a prayer of the Final Four. Let's not get carried away. This team is more comparable to the season after the dream season.

 

[diggerfoot]

Smith and Burrell were two of the most heralded athletes to come out of Connecticut at that point, heralded that is right from the start, as in "prospects." Smith was considered a key recruit for turning the corner in UConn's recruiting. Burrell was a major athlete in multiple sports, drafted by both the major leagues and 20th by the NBA. George was a 6'5" pg, or a half foot taller than our current guards, drafted 24th by the NBA. Henefeld was heralded, but he was from Israel so no real point of comparison with high school ratings. As for that, he was more heralded than any of our German "prospects." Turned out he was the real deal as he set the NCAA freshmen record with 138 steals as a power forward. No prospects? Talk about overstating a case. Furthermore, the dream season prospects were more spread out in their positions and abilities.

Even so, I take it we both agree that the dream season exceeded our expectations. We differ in that apparently you're not surprised by a team so lacking in "prospects" at the post that we can be outrebounded by a record amount for the Big East, yet still win the game. I guess you're just a brilliant man for expecting this, but I'm quite pleasantly surprised.

 

[Mots010]

Dream season might be a stretch, but anyone who expected us to be where we are now is nuts. We lost so much talent from last year, and we werent even that good. We're winning games we would have lost last year, with far less talent.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

This year's team went into the season with on the bubble talent and have played they way into what would be an 8 or 9 seed. The Dream Season had a team with no prospects and came within a prayer of the Final Four. Let's not get carried away. This team is more comparable to the season after the dream season.

This has been pointed out to freescooter in about 20 other threads, but there was nobody (other than, I guess, you and freescooter) who thought this was a bubble team coming into the season. We were coming off a disappointing season (we entered the Big East tournament on the bubble last year) who then lost 4 of our better players and our head coach in the offseason. The average outsider, and plenty of Uconn fans, thought this year was going to be an absolute train wreck.

 

[gibhunter]

I didn't think so. I always thought that Drummond screwed up our team chemistry last year. Neither AO or RS were happy we played two raw guys major minutes (AO and AD) where it would've been better to just play AO or AD and RS but you knew that both AO and AD wouldn't go for that. This was addition by substraction. AD left, the unhappy guys transferred, and we're a much more mobile and dangerous team this year with one capital flaw. If AO stayed, this would be a top ten team this year.

 

[CTHUSKY74]

This has been pointed out to freescooter in about 20 other threads, but there was nobody (other than, I guess, you and freescooter) who thought this was a bubble team coming into the season. We were coming off a disappointing season (we entered the Big East tournament on the bubble last year) who then lost 4 of our better players and our head coach in the offseason. The average outsider, and plenty of Uconn fans, thought this year was going to be an absolute train wreck.

Have to agree wholeheatedly! Even though I normally am optimistic about what our new players can generate for us, I just felt we had lost too much talent and experience and we just wouldn't have a post presence. The thing that continues to give me a great feeling with this team is that even when some aspects of our play look terrible (e.g. rebounding) we somehow find ways to win games. This team is emulating the grit of their head coach and they also seem "all in" for the team.

 

[OkaForPrez]

This year's team went into the season with on the bubble talent and have played they way into what would be an 8 or 9 seed. The Dream Season had a team with no prospects and came within a prayer of the Final Four. Let's not get carried away. This team is more comparable to the season after the dream season.

I'm not sure they would be an 8/9 seed right now. Their RPI is 22. I think they are closer to a 6/7 depending on whether or not they get a win over cuse/cinci at home.

 

[Waquoit]

This has been pointed out to freescooter in about 20 other threads, but there was nobody (other than, I guess, you and freescooter) who thought this was a bubble team coming into the season. We were coming off a disappointing season (we entered the Big East tournament on the bubble last year) who then lost 4 of our better players and our head coach in the offseason. The average outsider, and plenty of Uconn fans, thought this year was going to be an absolute train wreck.

That's because you and you "average outsiders" overrate all the other teams and are hypercritical of our teams flaws. They ain't all last year's UK team. What players we lost is not an evaluation factor, it's about the players that we still have. Anyone without a vested interest in downgrading the team (because to do so makes the coach look good) would have realized that a team with our backcourt would win plenty of games. Most team out there stink, SOS not withstanding. And whaddya know, our backcourt out played most teams and we've won a lot of games.

But I appreciate that you recognize that I was one of the few that said we would have at least a bubble-quality team. And I was one of the few (only) that went on record that JC would retire in September and I nailed that as well. Let's face it, I have my finger on the pulse.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Anyone without a vested interest in downgrading the team (because to do so makes the coach look good) would have realized that a team with our backcourt would win plenty of games.

Then why didn't we receive a single vote in any of the preseason polls?

Does the national media have a vested interest in downgrading the team to make Ollie look good? Because they all thought we were going to stink.