Going into last year there was a lot of feeling that Boatright would surpass Napier. Shabazz's jump from sophomore to junior year was huge.It's easy to compare Roscoe to Shabazz, Olander and Giffey and say, "well they stayed". Of course they stayed, Shabazz was the clear and only option as starting pg
People don't want to hear it, but the only difference between Roscoe and Oriakhi was their talk.
Nah, Roscoe left because he felt his future was as a 3 and he knew that would not happen here. As it turned out, it wasn't happening anywhere else either. Still, as I said previously, I have no ill feeling for the kid.I agree. I am just making it clear, the loss of Roscoe Smith is not entirely or even mostly on Roscoe. JC could have and should have done better to use him and nurture him. It's easy to compare Roscoe to Shabazz, Olander and Giffey and say, "well they stayed". Of course they stayed, Shabazz was the clear and only option as starting pg, Olander was starting PF at a blue blood school despite limited skills and Giffey probably wouldn't want to transfer and adapt to another school after settling in to UConn as an international student. Roscoe left because JC up. Sometimes coaches make a mistake, this was one of them. Given where we were as a program that year, JC should have pleaded with Roscoe to stay, but JC isn't that type of guy.
Well and his dad wrote some pretty hateful stuff while Oriakhi was here. While I appreciate Oriakhi's efforts here, and without him we likely don't win in 11, he spent his good will. I will follow and wish good things for Roscoe, Alex is dead to me.Going into last year there was a lot of feeling that Boatright would surpass Napier. Shabazz's jump from sophomore to junior year was huge.
People don't want to hear it, but the only difference between Roscoe and Oriakhi was their talk. They both left under defensible circumstances, Oriakhi even more so because he was going to lose his last shot at the postseason. But he had to go and badmouth Calhoun on the way out, which was not smart. Roscoe said nothing.
I can only speak for myself, but I do think that most people realize and understand this. And this is why we respect Roscoe.
Nothing wrong about Roscoe's decision he decided to transfer it happens all the time, its his life. He at least left in a classy way unlike someone else.
I would guess that as a group we are pretty evenly divided on the issue of Roscoe's transfer. I just think we lost a good rebounder and defender from a team that can't rebound and can't defend bigger guys and tall wings----and we lost him because Olander took his minutes. It was a screw up no matter what a few old box scores say, he was only a sophomore. His ceiling was much higher than Olander's.
Coaches aren't infallible and JC has a history of misjudging players like Roscoe, including Cleveland Melvin and Marcus White. It was a boondoggle and I'm not so sure just writing it off as Roscoe being misguided is fair. JC is a stubborn guy and when you are in his dog house I don't think it seems like there is a way out. There is a way out, but it's probably hard to see it and if you don't handle it perfectly, you find yourself right back in it. I like both JC and Roscoe, I just wish they worked it out, we'd be a much better team. I blame both of them.
Too bad for Roscoe, having said that he ditched UConn so who cares?
And for those who said he would have helped tremendously yeah in the world of hypotheticals I guess, but who wouldn't be here on this roster if he stayed?
It all worked out for the best………...
You are grossly underplaying the role Roscoe had on that team. His defense was versatile and second to none.Roscoe was a nice bench player.
Roscoe was a defensive menace during our title run. I'd argue he was the anchor of the whole defense during March.
Correct, when someone makes a decision because it is easier than sticking through with something that might be more difficult, to not have that decision pan out as they had thought, I laugh. Its an incredibly horrible personality trait to leave when the going gets tough, rather than sticking it out.So, in short, you don't find it inappropriate to laugh at good faith decisions of young men that end up not working. What a jerk