Rob Dauster: UConn "Thoroughly Mediocre"

[AZHuskiePop]

It's tough to disagree. We were counting on nice improvements from Daniels, Boat and Calhoun this year to be a Sweet 16 team. Daniels has stayed the same, Boat's numbers have taken a small step backwards though he's playing much more under control and obviously OC has fallen off a cliff. When you're #2-4 most important players don't improve it's going to be tough to be anything besides mediocre.

Of course your evaluation leaves Kromah out. He has produced way beyond expectations. Giffey has shot better than predicted.
The 5 actually has been better than predicted.DD numbers vs this time last year are also better. RB is actually learning how to make others better and has made a quantum leap as a point from last year.
In Texas Nolan had the flu and Brimah was injured.
Brimahs shoulder actually troubles me more than DD ankle.

 

[Lefty2one]

I left out a lot of guys, I was focusing our core group of talent that is/was expected to lead us and have the biggest impact.

Kromah's a nice role player and a great glue guy. He's a 7/2.5 guy, he isn't going to elevate this team like crazy. Same thing with Giffey, it's a great that he's shooting the lights out this year but he's a role player.

BTW you're going way overboard saying Boat's made a "quantum leap" as a PG. He's more under control this year and his shot selection has improved but he's averaging the fewest assists of his three years in Storrs, while his scoring and FG% dropped from last year. IMO he isn't making guys that much better, he's almost too passive this year but he's still learning.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He didn't call the team as a whole mediocre. He called Napier a NPY candidate and the rest of the team is mediocre. he's not entirely wrong. It does not mean they can't improve. Past performance does not guarantee future results, after all.

He's right. They have been mediocre. DD has only shown brief flashes of what we expected. Boat has been ok, but no better. Omar has been, well, a noncontributor, when he should have been the 3rd leading scorer based on expectations. Kromah has saved our bacon in my mind, filling what Omar was supposed to do. Giffey is better and is a solid senior. Bigs are as expected really, and expectations were low. Had Omar improved from last year, and DD played as he did late last year consistently, this would not be a mediocre team.

The truth is that the team lacks the depth of the best teams, UConn's past or otherwise. Remember when we had guys like Rashad Anderson or Denham Brown on the bench? Next year I think we're much deeper, even though we lose Bazz.

 

[OkaForPrez]

DD has only shown brief flashes of what we expected.

Daniels is ranked in the top 100 this year by the numbers.

Here's some names he currently ranks ahead of:

Davonte Gardner
Yogi Ferrell
Shaq Goodwin
Jarnell Stokes
Glen Robinson III
Noah Vonley
Roscoe Smith
Justin Jackson
Kadeem Batts
Aaron Craft

etc.

He's shooting 48% from 3.

Daniels' year has been somewhat inconsistent, but anything but mediocre.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Daniels is ranked in the top 100 this year by the numbers.

Here's some names he currently ranks ahead of:

Davonte Gardner
Yogi Ferrell
Shaq Goodwin
Jarnell Stokes
Glen Robinson III
Noah Vonley
Roscoe Smith
Justin Jackson
Kadeem Batts
Aaron Craft

etc.

He's shooting 48% from 3.

Daniels' year has been somewhat inconsistent, but anything but mediocre.

Yeah, no matter the inane and delusional expectations that many of this board have for him, Daniels is not mediocre.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Daniels is ranked in the top 100 this year by the numbers.

Here's some names he currently ranks ahead of:

Davonte Gardner
Yogi Ferrell
Shaq Goodwin
Jarnell Stokes
Glen Robinson III
Noah Vonley
Roscoe Smith
Justin Jackson
Kadeem Batts
Aaron Craft

etc.

He's shooting 48% from 3.

Daniels' year has been somewhat inconsistent, but anything but mediocre.

Who said he was? The team is, and one reason the team has been mediocre is that Daniels hasn't really stepped up, except for a few recent games. Looking at his overall numbers is pointless, because he tends to do either very little or be fantastic. If he was more consistent, we'd be a much better team. But certainly he's not the main reason, Calhoun and the play of the bigs (getting much better now) is the main reason. If we can keep improving at this pace, this team won't be mediocre at all, even with Shabazz on the bench.

 

[upstater]

That one bad month was February (4-7 from 1/28-3/5). Not exactly the month a basketball team wants to tank. I remember the '10-'11 team doing it with smoke and mirrors during the first part of the season. They were 4-2 vs. ranked opponents and 3-1 vs. the top 10. Two of those wins were in Maui, which sort of indicates early mis-rankings before the season starts to play itself out. For example, Michigan State was the #2 team in the country to start the year. They ended up falling out of the top 25 and a 10 seed losing to #7 UCLA in the first round. While Kentucky made the Final 4, they did it as a 4 Seed and went from #11 in Maui to #20, entering the SEC Tournament.

I remember thinking if an opponent neutralizes Walker, UConn is in trouble, which is basically what happened during February, extended.

I knew UConn was going to have a much better March.

The BE refs cost UConn 10 points a game, and that 10 points would have been the difference in many games.

When Kemba was driving low, he was being hammered hard. No calls. It is absolutely no mystery that in the OOC and outside the BE regular season, the Huskies went 23-0.

To this day I remain convinced that the big difference between the BE regular season and the other games was the way refs called fouls on Kemba.

Although UConn was top 10 going into the tournament, many fans thought more highly of the team. Before the tournament, UConn was the 4th most popular pick to win it all on 30 million ESPN brackets.

 

[Inyatkin]

Daniels hasn't really stepped up, except for a few recent games. Looking at his overall numbers is pointless, because he tends to do either very little or be fantastic.

Where does this come from? He was off against Louisville. So was most everyone. Otherwise he's been very consistent with flashes of brilliance.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The truth is that the team lacks the depth of the best teams, UConn's past or otherwise. Remember when we had guys like Rashad Anderson or Denham Brown on the bench? Next year I think we're much deeper, even though we lose Bazz.

I disagree. I think our depth is fine, it's just a matter of the talent within those 8-9 guys isn't as high as it has been in years past.

I'm much more concerned about next year. In addition to losing Bazz, we're also down Kromah and Giffey. We "replace" Bazz with Sam Cassell Jr., Olander with Lubin. But losing both Kromah and Giffey at the 3, and replacing with only Hamilton, we're not as deep, though possibly more talented at that position.

 

[upstater]

I disagree. I think our depth is fine, it's just a matter of the talent within those 8-9 guys isn't as high as it has been in years past.

I'm much more concerned about next year. In addition to losing Bazz, we're also down Kromah and Giffey. We "replace" Bazz with Sam Cassell Jr., Olander with Lubin. But losing both Kromah and Giffey at the 3, and replacing with only Hamilton, we're not as deep, though possibly more talented at that position.

You're missing Purvis.

 

[Tenspro2002]

You're missing Purvis.

That was an embarrassing oversight on my part. OK, so we lose Bazz, Kromah, and Giff, but gain Cassell, Purvis, and Hamilton.

Looks like comparable depth, maybe a little more at the 1/2 and less at the 3.

 

[Husky25]

I knew UConn was going to have a much better March.

The BE refs cost UConn 10 points a game, and that 10 points would have been the difference in many games.

When Kemba was driving low, he was being hammered hard. No calls. It is absolutely no mystery that in the OOC and outside the BE regular season, the Huskies went 23-0.

To this day I remain convinced that the big difference between the BE regular season and the other games was the way refs called fouls on Kemba.

Although UConn was top 10 going into the tournament, many fans thought more highly of the team. Before the tournament, UConn was the 4th most popular pick to win it all on 30 million ESPN brackets.

Kemba would drive and embellish any contact by throwing back his head. I think the BE Refs caught on. Shabazz Napier does it now, but with the new rules, it's called almost every time.

I personally had no expectations of the 2010-11 team. I thought the certain individuals gave up at the end of the '09-'10 season. Whether they were playing through pain or playing out of position, Dyson and Robinson didn't seem like they enjoyed playing and it permeated through the rest of the team. Walker was inconsistent as a sophomore and had not built upon the promise he showed during his freshman year. I also thought Calhoun was affected by the recent turmoil and, at his age (Not to mention the age of his top assistant coach), the game was beginning to pass him by. (Disclaimer: I'll probably take heat for that, given in such high regard some fans here hold Robinson and Dyson, but those were my thoughts at the time. I've defended them here in the past, but I don't want to do it again. My mind will not change about a team five years ago.)

That, and the overrating of the teams UConn played in Maui, is the basis of my Smoke and Mirrors comment and my low expectations. But Walker all of a sudden found his jump shot and played liked he enjoyed it again, which carried the team in the OOC schedule. They went 9-9 in the Big East, but you could begin seeing a pattern (i.e. Napier would play point when he and Walker were on the court together) and the gradual improvement of Jeremy Lamb. Regardless of their ranking, I thought UConn was a six or seven seed before the Big East Tournament and had to make at least the BE Semis to have a reasonable shot at improving their placement. They ended up with the auto-birth and a 3 seed, which was I thought was too high. Overall, I didn't think they would have the legs after playing five games in five nights. Gladly, I was wrong.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That was an embarrassing oversight on my part. OK, so we lose Bazz, Kromah, and Giff, but gain Cassell, Purvis, and Hamilton.

Looks like comparable depth, maybe a little more at the 1/2 and less at the 3.

In my mind, we add two guys in DHam and Purvis who are more talented (not "better players") than anybody on the current roster. Depth includes ability to contribute meaningful minutes. We also get another year of improvement from Nolan, Brimah and Facey up front, and add Lubin, while losing only Olander. The number of guys who can really impact the game will go up significantly, and none of them is likely to be as critical as Bazz is now. If Omar can turn his game around, the difference will be greater still. I also exepct Samuel to be a more ready to play.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Where does this come from? He was off against Louisville. So was most everyone. Otherwise he's been very consistent with flashes of brilliance.

In the same way Jeremy Lamb took a huge step up in 2011, and then carried it over, I expected DD to be our co-best player along with Bazz. He was MIA against Indiana and had other games where his impact was not significant. I'm not down on him, and think he can do more, as he has shown in some games. He's averaging about 13 1/2 and 5 1/2. I think he can bring those up to more like 15 and 7.

 

[upstater]

Kemba would drive and embellish any contact by throwing back his head. I think the BE Refs caught on. Shabazz Napier does it now, but with the new rules, it's called almost every time.

I personally had no expectations of the 2010-11 team. I thought the certain individuals gave up at the end of the '09-'10 season. Whether they were playing through pain or playing out of position, Dyson and Robinson didn't seem like they enjoyed playing and it permeated through the rest of the team. Walker was inconsistent as a sophomore and had not built upon the promise he showed during his freshman year. I also thought Calhoun was affected by the recent turmoil and, at his age (Not to mention the age of his top assistant coach), the game was beginning to pass him by. (Disclaimer: I'll probably take heat for that, given in such high regard some fans here hold Robinson and Dyson, but those were my thoughts at the time. I've defended them here in the past, but I don't want to do it again. My mind will not change about a team five years ago.)

That, and the overrating of the teams UConn played in Maui, is the basis of my Smoke and Mirrors comment and my low expectations. But Walker all of a sudden found his jump shot and played liked he enjoyed it again, which carried the team in the OOC schedule. They went 9-9 in the Big East, but you could begin seeing a pattern (i.e. Napier would play point when he and Walker were on the court together) and the gradual improvement of Jeremy Lamb. Regardless of their ranking, I thought UConn was a six or seven seed before the Big East Tournament and had to make at least the BE Semis to have a reasonable shot at improving their placement. They ended up with the auto-birth and a 3 seed, which was I thought was too high. Overall, I didn't think they would have the legs after playing five games in five nights. Gladly, I was wrong.

We totally disagree. 23-0 with non-BE refs doesn't lie. I watched and rewatched games and saw Kemba absolutely hammered. Just killed. When you go undefeated outside your conference regular season, that means something. In fact, I challenge you to find teams that have done that in the last half of a century.

 

[Palatine]

If Boatright stays, we will be a very, very good team.

 

[Husky25]

We totally disagree...

And that's okay. For the most part, Big East refs would allow a more physical game. It was what it was.

 

[upstater]

That was an embarrassing oversight on my part. OK, so we lose Bazz, Kromah, and Giff, but gain Cassell, Purvis, and Hamilton.

Looks like comparable depth, maybe a little more at the 1/2 and less at the 3.

And much like this year, we'll be relying on better play from Boatright, Daniels and Brimah.

 

[Waquoit]

That, and the overrating of the teams UConn played in Maui, is the basis of my Smoke and Mirrors comment and my low expectations.

Huh? One the teams UConn played went to the Final Four.

 

[upstater]

Thinking back on that 2011 championship team, we might be seeing Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker all start and play well in the NBA in two or three years. If/when that happens, no one is going to question the talent of the 2011 team.

 

[Husky25]

Huh? One the teams UConn played went to the Final Four.

Go back a read the post where I acknowledged that.

 

[upstater]

So, far, the only teams that won all their games outside the conference regular season are Kansas 2008 (though they only played 1 good team in the early OOC), 2011 UConn, 1999 UConn, 1995 UCLA, 94 Arkansas, 92 Duke, 82 North Carolina.

I only went up until 1980. So we're talking out of 34 teams, only 7 managed to do that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Thinking back on that 2011 championship team, we might be seeing Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker all start and play well in the NBA in two or three years. If/when that happens, no one is going to question the talent of the 2011 team.

And Niels will have a long career in Europe as well. Roscoe will be playing professionally somewhere.

 

[David 76]

Yeah but, Bazz, Giffey, Roscoe and , for most of the year, Lamb were not that talented in 2011. If your saying they were loaded with potential, I agree. But they were kids with potential led by Kemba