Rothstein on UConn | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Rothstein on UConn

superjohn said:
He is that but he's also one of the beat shotblockers coming into college and he works his butt off.
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Wasn't he the best shotblocker in his class? I remember seeing some crazy statistics making the rounds on the 'yard last summer.
 
the overly positive walking hype machine that rothstein is overtly saying we won’t make tournament has me very concerned
 
JustbrewitMan said:
Wait a sec...thought he was 96 lbs soaking wet and had trouble benching 20 lbs?
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Well yeah, but a physically imposing 96 pounds.
 
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dannyHAM said:
Just some quick thoughts on this.. CV will start over bouknight in the beginning, but by the new year I wouldn't be surprised to see Bouk as a starter. The comparison to Lamb is exactly what I see in Bouk.. obviously high praise, but from a game standpoint it fits perfectly. I've always liked TP, just thought he needed to get stronger (which it seems he has). From what i've heard and seen AKOK is a monster around the rim. Can the season start already?
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If anything, he'd take out Polley. I get that Vital is best suited to 6th man on a good team, but chemistry issues alone dictate that he'll probably start. Even if Bouk gets more minutes.
  • Vital's our most passionate player, on a team of guys not known for their motors. He'll set the tone.
  • He's an emotional dude. Being demoted from starting as a senior would have a negative impact imo. He'd take it poorly; that's just who he is. And it would filter down through the team.
I'm not sure you could replace Vital's defensive intensity with Bouk/Polley combo either.
 
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dannyHAM said:
CV will start over bouknight in the beginning, but by the new year I wouldn't be surprised to see Bouk as a starter.
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I agree with this assessment however would be worried about what that means for the state of the team at that point - does it mean Bouknight is showing he’s NEXT (and not in Boneyard terms) and/or Vital is in the doghouse? Unfortunately regardless of what others do, we need Vital to be very good and engaged.
 
the Q said:
If akok is on the floor as the 4 it does.

But I’m still team vital anyway.
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I just assume Akok is at the 4 no matter where everyone else plays. So it's Polley at the three or on the bench.

I just think Polley is a rebounding black hole no matter where he plays. You don't go from one of the worst rebounding kids in America to helping the team in that area. Maybe he'll prove adequate by the time he graduates.
 
goskis2018 said:
Wasn't he the best shotblocker in his class? I remember seeing some crazy statistics making the rounds on the 'yard last summer.
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I think so, he had circuit games with double digit blocks.
 
intlzncster said:
If anything, he'd take out Polley. I get that Vital is best suited to 6th man on a good team, but chemistry issues alone dictate that he'll start. Even if Bouk gets more minutes.
  • Vital's our most passionate player, on a team not known for their motors. He'll set the tone.
  • He's an emotional dude. Being demoted from starting as a senior would have a negative impact imo. He'd take it poorly; that's just who he is. And it would filter down through the team.
I'm not sure you could replace Vital's defensive intensity with Bouk/Polley combo either.
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Beat me to it...
 
intlzncster said:
These two things do not compute Q.
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It means we can have a better rebounder on the floor with him. And still take advantage of his shooting from the 3 spot. The risk of course would be ballhandling then
 
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husky429 said:
It means we can have a better rebounder on the floor with him. And still take advantage of his shooting from the 3 spot. The risk of course would be ballhandling then
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I'm operating on the assumption that there was never a debate on Polley over Akok. And no matter who you put in at the three, we become a worse rebounding team when Polley is on the court.

I just don't see Polley playing much 4 at all this year. Except in the most extreme cases. So it's either the 3 or the bench.

We've got enough scorers at other positions, that losing his 3pt shooting for a bit (by not putting him at the 4) wouldn't be huge detriment in those situations where Akok's on the bench. I'd rather stick a Whaley (gulp) in as a backup 4 for rebounding and some D.
 
intlzncster said:
I'm operating on the assumption that there was never a debate on Polley over Akok. And no matter who you put in at the three, we become a worse rebounding team when Polley is on the court.

I just don't see Polley playing much 4 at all this year. Except in the most extreme cases. So it's either the 3 or the bench.

We've got enough scorers at other positions, that losing his 3pt shooting for a bit (by not putting him at the 4) wouldn't be huge detriment in those situations where Akok's on the bench. I'd rather stick a Whaley (gulp) in as a backup 4 for rebounding and some D.
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Spacing is so vital though. Whaley at then4 makes us an exclusively shooting team.

Will be interesting to see what lineups hurley experiments with early. I imagine hell try all these out to see what's effective
 
superjohn said:
Rothstein makes you feel like you're going to win the championship every preseason but this is the lineup I'm hoping for.

Now wait until Rothstein starts dropping knowledge on the beat red sauce joints and where to get your linguine with clams.
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I mean who has bad news or who makes negative predictions this time of year?

It’s more annoying with rothstein because it’s the same empty crap every year, I get that
 
Watching mixtapes of Bouknight remind me of Jeremy Lamb and great to see a pro like Rothstein validate those comparisons.
 
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husky429 said:
Testy, eh? There's not any judgment in the post you quoted. That seems to pretty logical. Sid's role was as a 3. We needed that desperately. Polley was a better player than Sid at everything but 3-man skills, basically. Not rebounding, to be fair.

And even if Polley sticks as a 4.. hurley seems to like guards.. bouk isba pretty talented sf too. Seems like adams and Sid might be competing for mop up SF minutes

A 6'6 180lb kid needs to be able to shoot and dribble the ball more than 2 times. He has the chance to learn those things, for sure.

Sid has had a pretty traumatic life. He has a lot against him. No decent fan WANTS him to fail. It's just been apparent other guys have developed new skills and Sid hasn't
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Apologize if i came off argumentative or testy. I was just pointing out I dont think syd gets fair takes on the BY my impression is that allot of people think he doesn't work hard and he messes up allot. Agree he definitely needs a shot, and he definately needs refinement in certain skills, he also absolutely looked lost last year at certain moments, theres allot of places to improve. Polley is a better player than syd i agree, I just do think syd adds more value to the huskies than he takes away and I would really like to see him play, I think hes a phenomenal athlete with the potential to become an incredible slasher, I also think he has the ability to become an amazing defender, some of the blocks he had last year were absolutely incredible. I see him as a kerwin roach type playe.
 
Unless CV is injured, kidnapped, ruled ineligible or quits the team he is starting and will do so until he completely craps out.
He is the heart and soul of the returning team and that is so vital (no pun intended) to this still young team.
 
dannyHAM said:
Just some quick thoughts on this.. CV will start over bouknight in the beginning, but by the new year I wouldn't be surprised to see Bouk as a starter. The comparison to Lamb is exactly what I see in Bouk.. obviously high praise, but from a game standpoint it fits perfectly. I've always liked TP, just thought he needed to get stronger (which it seems he has). From what i've heard and seen AKOK is a monster around the rim. Can the season start already?
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I actually think it's more likely we see CV and Bouknight both starting (or at least getting the lion's share of minutes) at the 2 and 3.

I don't buy Polley getting significant time at the 3. I expect minutes to be distributed as follows:

1: Gilbert (30), Gaffney (10)
2: Vital (25), Bouknight (15)
3: Bouknight (15), Wilson (20), Adams (5)
4: Akok (20), Polley (20)
5: Carlton (30), Whaley (5), Akok (5)

Total minutes:
Gilbert - 30
Bouknight - 30
Carlton - 30
Vital - 25
Akok - 25
Wilson - 20
Polley - 20
Gaffney - 10
Whaley - 5
Adams - 5

It will probably be less equitable than that in big games or by the end of the season, but it will be somewhere in that ballpark barring big surprises.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
1: Gilbert (30), Gaffney (10)
2: Vital (25), Bouknight (15)
3: Bouknight (15), Wilson (20), Adams (5)
4: Akok (20), Polley (20)
5: Carlton (30), Whaley (5), Akok (5)
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no PT for springs?
 
HuskyHawk said:
In before the "Vital is our best player" crew has a collective seizure over this one.
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There’s like, what, 30 games? I’ll be shocked if Vital doesn’t start any. He is a very good player. If Hurley is going to build he won’t give him as many minutes. My gut tells me the guy wants to win and I’m sure Vital is “ten toes in” on that regard. The best players will play.
 
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I know his tweets are a lot of hype BUT I am still pumped, don't care. Not gonna hide it, November can't come soon enough. I think at worst this is a fringe tourney team that just misses out. I think they could even get a win come March Madness.
 
Austin316 said:
There’s like, what, 30 games? I’ll be shocked if Vital doesn’t start any. He is a very good player. If Hurley is going to build he won’t give him as many minutes. My gut tells me the guy wants to win and I’m sure Vital is “ten toes in” on that regard. The best players will play.
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He will start some, maybe most. I am actually a big believer in the value of experience in college basketball. Let's hope CV plays like a senior, and not like a guy who had two full years of being allowed to play terrible team basketball. My personal test for him = assists. If he's not sharing the ball on this team, it's time to take a seat.

Everyone is throwing out lineups, and I don't think Hurley will have a fixed lineup until late in the year. If Akok isn't getting it done in some way, Polley will be in. If Sid is hitting shots and blocking them on the other end, he's playing. Hell, even Adams if he's doing positive things. We have young guys with more talent than most of the older guys. It's going to be an interesting mix.

What I'm most excited about, and why I think we will surprise people, is that Hurley can do something no UConn coach could do over the last 3 years, put good players on the bench when they aren't playing with the effort and intelligence required. Aside from Carlton and Gilbert, I think minutes will drop. Polley and Vital will play less.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
I actually think it's more likely we see CV and Bouknight both starting (or at least getting the lion's share of minutes) at the 2 and 3.

I don't buy Polley getting significant time at the 3. I expect minutes to be distributed as follows:

1: Gilbert (30), Gaffney (10)
2: Vital (25), Bouknight (15)
3: Bouknight (15), Wilson (20), Adams (5)
4: Akok (20), Polley (20)
5: Carlton (30), Whaley (5), Akok (5)

Total minutes:
Gilbert - 30
Bouknight - 30
Carlton - 30
Vital - 25
Akok - 25
Wilson - 20
Polley - 20
Gaffney - 10
Whaley - 5
Adams - 5

It will probably be less equitable than that in big games or by the end of the season, but it will be somewhere in that ballpark barring big surprises.
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I see it shaking out the same way, got to find 5 or so minutes for Springs just for rebounding alone.
 
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