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Ryan Boatright

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Aren't Boat and Shabazz the only two guys to be top 10 in both points and assists in program history? I'd say that distinction can be really useful to see where Boat belongs among the Husky greats. His career ended a little sooner than i think it should have, but he had a pretty solid career and I will miss seeing him in a UConn uniform.
 
johnhuskies95 said:
I'm having a hard time believing having Shabazz Napier on a team isn't a top 25 team nationally, all things considered.
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Going into the postseason, we weren't a top 25 team with him in 2012, 2013, or 2014.
 
Matrim55 said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: If I live to be 1000, I'll never forget this bucket:

PointlessBogusImago.gif


That's when I knew we were going to win, that Bazz & Boat were both smart enough and quick enough and tough enough to punish every slow transition, every botched rotation from UK.

I'll remember the Syracuse comment, and the Cincinnati 3, and his overall toughness and wire-to-wire defense, of course. But that play is the first thing that will come to my mind when I read "Ryan Boatright" for the rest of my life.
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This!!!!!! ^^^^^^^ This is just a higher basketball IQ at work.
 
Gurleyman said:
Going into the postseason, we weren't a top 25 team with him in 2012, 2013, or 2014.
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They were easily a tourney team in 2013, and - when experience is factored in -I don't think that team was that much more talented than this past season.

Not sure why some people here view it as a slight to say Boatright wasn't on the same level as Shabazz.
 
johnhuskies95 said:
? They were 18th and 19th respectively in the polls going into the postseason last year.
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My bad - memory glitch. I think I went off of being a 7 seed but we were underseeded.
 
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UConn990411 said:
They were easily a tourney team in 2013, and - when experience is factored in -I don't think that team was that much more talented than this past season.

Not sure why some people here view it as a slight to say Boatright wasn't on the same level as Shabazz.
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I don't think Boat was on the same level as Shabazz. Other than Kemba, I don't think any UConn PG ever has been. What I take umbrage with is the idea that, because this year's team was flawed, it proves that Boatright couldn't play PG effectively, implying that playing him out of position was the reason this team struggled, and not the incredibly inconsistent contributions of all of the supporting players on the roster, like Hamilton, Purvis, and Brimah. I don't think it's reasonable to say that Boatright is responsible for Hamilton's or Purvis' inability to hit open shots, or Brimah's poor rebounding and tendency to be overpowered by credible big men on other teams.

Yes, it would have been better if Boatright could have played off the ball, but only because he was the only one who could consistently hit open shots. If this team had been able to play two Boatrights, they'd both look a lot better than the one we had last year did.
 
CallMeBruce said:
I don't think Boat was on the same level as Shabazz. Other than Kemba, I don't think any UConn PG ever has been. What I take umbrage with is the idea that, because this year's team was flawed, it proves that Boatright couldn't play PG effectively, implying that playing him out of position was the reason this team struggled, and not the incredibly inconsistent contributions of all of the supporting players on the roster, like Hamilton, Purvis, and Brimah. I don't think it's reasonable to say that Boatright is responsible for Hamilton's or Purvis' inability to hit open shots, or Brimah's poor rebounding and tendency to be overpowered by credible big men on other teams.

Yes, it would have been better if Boatright could have played off the ball, but only because he was the only one who could consistently hit open shots. If this team had been able to play two Boatrights, they'd both look a lot better than the one we had last year did.
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Agree on Bazz and well stated. You need to think about inserting the many great and very good PG's over the years into that spot that Bazz had and see who could have thrown a team on their backs like that. Only Kemba jumps out with guys like KEA, AJ Earl Kelley among a few who were not quite that kind of player. I mean these 2 were really special for the NC runs and the night in-night out consistency and big playmaking is really hard to copy. Certainly not a knock on all the others just reality.
 
UConn990411 said:
They were easily a tourney team in 2013, and - when experience is factored in -I don't think that team was that much more talented than this past season. Not sure why some people here view it as a slight to say Boatright wasn't on the same level as Shabazz.
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Boat is a level below Shabazz. I think that's 100 percent fair - and I imagine almost everyone would agree.

But statements like this one and the ones others make that we just "rode Bazz to the 2014 title" discount what Boat brought to the table. Boat was actually on that 2013 team and averaged 15 ppg, plus had as many assists as Bazz (albeit in two less games). He had a huge hand in that team being 20-10. We clearly don't win the title without Boat last year - he came up big against St. Joe's when Bazz was AWOL, he led the team's D against Nova with Bazz in foul trouble, he took MSU's guards and Wilbekin out of the game, he was big against Kentucky. Bazz was the lead dog, and his huge shots outweigh his couple of blips in the six-game run, but Boat's role was much, much more than going along for the ride. Some have knocked Boat for not making his teammates better, but one guy he helped make better was Bazz.

Just as a parallel, KEA didn't have a great year without Rip and Ricky (better than this one, but relatively speaking, a similar drop off - going from being ranked No. 1 or No. 2 all year to out of the top 25). Rarely does anyone consider that a flaw in KEA - just an acceptance that the team wasn't good enough and pieces didn't fit as well (Free at 3, eg). Same deal this year. Over time, KEA is thought of far, far more for 1999 than our junior year struggles, and rightfully so, and Boat should be thought of more for 2014 and being a huge, huge part of that two-year run back from the abyss, than trying to lead a team that wasn't good enough his final season.
 
The 2000 team was actually ranked #20 in the final AP poll, which is weird, because I had remembered them ending that season unranked as well.
 
CallMeBruce said:
The 2000 team was actually ranked #20 in the final AP poll, which is weird, because I had remembered them ending that season unranked as well.
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I am pretty sure they fell out and rallied back in after a good BET reaching the final. But I already misremembered polls once in this thread, so I'm certainly not putting money down that I got that one right either.
 
Gurleyman said:
I am pretty sure they fell out and rallied back in after a good BET reaching the final. But I already misremembered polls once in this thread, so I'm certainly not putting money down that I got that one right either.
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According to sports-reference, they dropped down to 24 before the BET. That's only the AP, though. I don't know what happened with the coaches poll. Not that it really matters, in this context.
 
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Gurleyman said:
Boat is a level below Shabazz. I think that's 100 percent fair - and I imagine almost everyone would agree.

But statements like this one and the ones others make that we just "rode Bazz to the 2014 title" discount what Boat brought to the table. Boat was actually on that 2013 team and averaged 15 ppg, plus had as many assists as Bazz (albeit in two less games). He had a huge hand in that team being 20-10. We clearly don't win the title without Boat last year - he came up big against St. Joe's when Bazz was AWOL, he led the team's D against Nova with Bazz in foul trouble, he took MSU's guards and Wilbekin out of the game, he was big against Kentucky. Bazz was the lead dog, and his huge shots outweigh his couple of blips in the six-game run, but Boat's role was much, much more than going along for the ride. Some have knocked Boat for not making his teammates better, but one guy he helped make better was Bazz.

Just as a parallel, KEA didn't have a great year without Rip and Ricky (better than this one, but relatively speaking, a similar drop off - going from being ranked No. 1 or No. 2 all year to out of the top 25). Rarely does anyone consider that a flaw in KEA - just an acceptance that the team wasn't good enough and pieces didn't fit as well (Free at 3, eg). Same deal this year. Over time, KEA is thought of far, far more for 1999 than our junior year struggles, and rightfully so, and Boat should be thought of more for 2014 and being a huge, huge part of that two-year run back from the abyss, than trying to lead a team that wasn't good enough his final season.
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Such a great post. Wish I could like it 10 more times.

I truly hope Boat gets his number retired. He's a Husky of Honor as far as I'm concerned.
 
Find it hard to believe he didn't land in Chad Fords Top 100. I know it means nothing but WTF!?
 
willie99 said:
he and Bazz taking the ISU, MSU, FL & UK guards totally out of their game plane

2014 was about defending the guards
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No "experts" thought they would beat any of those teams. Boat is on the Mount Olympus of U ONN guards.
 
Ever since Boat was just a recruit i loved his game!! I think the weight on his back this past year was just too much to overcome, but had he done it he'd be held in a lot higher regard outside of the Uconn world. I'll say this. If he gets picked up by an NBA team in the second round and they give him a little burn here or there, I think he can be a really good spark plug off the bench in the mold on Nate Robinson. Scrappy defense, and can light up any team. Plus in the NBA nobody is even going to try to defend this second round pick under 6 foot dude. If he gets in the right situation, I think he can really make a name for himself at the next level.
 
champs99and04 said:
Maybe, I think you start getting into semantics when you distinguish between "all time great" and "pretty good" as it relates to the guards who have come through this program in the last quarter century. There are certainly more than a few guards who are regarded as merely very good at this program who would be considered all-time greats at other like programs.

I don't think Boat is quite on the level of Shabazz or Kemba, but I think he's closer to KEA than many think. He's probably on that second tier.

The thing people forget about Boat's career is that he really wasn't all that good as a junior until the tournament. But he dominated the tournament, and he carried that momentum over into his senior year. Not to mention, he was pretty damn good as a sophomore when he and Shabazz carried a decimated front court to 20 wins and within shouting distance of a BE title.

He strung three really good individual seasons together for this program and won a title in the process. He definitely had flaws and maybe was never perfectly qualified to be a full-time lead guard, but I'll still choose to view him as another in a long line of brilliant guards to come through this program.
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Seconded.
 
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We're forever indebted to Boat. Simple as that. Without his pressure defense we have 3 titles. The argument if he was a good lead PG isn't really fair for two reasons:
1. He is naturally a spark plug that on a deep team is the guy you go to for quick points and scrappy D not necessarily to distribute the ball. See Isaiah Thomas
2. He is often compared to two greats who were naturally lead PG's who lead more talented and experienced teams that Boat didn't have for most of this season.

He is an all time great PLAYER who cares if he was a "great lead point" because that's not who he was or what made him invaluable.
 
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Marat said:
He may be small but he's got big hops and a big heart.

Actually I thought he would measure slightly shorter by an inch or so.
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I saw unofficially on another article he was 5'10" without shoes. Meaning he only gained 1" in shoes, while some other guys were getting 1.25-1.75" in shoes. Boat wore the wrong shoes. ;)

Here's the other article. SB Nation was mocking how bad some other measurements were... Ryan's measurements just happened to be on that list.
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/5/13/8...rements-vince-hunter-clown-shoes-stilts-fraud
 
BearJWS said:
I saw unofficially on another article he was 5'10" without shoes. Meaning he only gained 1" in shoes, while some other guys were getting 1.25-1.75" in shoes. Boat wore the wrong shoes. ;)

Here's the other article. SB Nation was mocking how bad some other measurements were... Ryan's measurements just happened to be on that list.
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/5/13/8601777/2015-nba-draft-combine-measurements-vince-hunter-clown-shoes-stilts-fraud
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I never understood the stupid with and without shoes measurements. Can't they just measure without shoes and call it day?
 
not really a fan of his game, but boatright is gonna go ham in those new implemented 5v5s. especially if all he needs to do is lock up and finish at the rim/hit long range. i wonder if itll be televised with the likes of rick kamla on the mic on nbatv.
 
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