SMU game reinforced that next year we will be loaded

[BUConn10]

I'm still reading the title of this thread and laughing at what @Jerry1714 said earlier. Seriously, how do you watch that slaughter and the first thing you think is "this team will be loaded".

What I think actually happened is OP watched the SMU game and really thought, "I know how to get a dozen likes or so".

 

[August_West]

Hate to break it to you but, Brimah could certainly be useful next year.

We need big men.

Brimah is useless this year because the kid is never on the court because of foul trouble.

And you believe that somehow he'd be able to stay in the court to be useful next year?

Why?

 

[AfgHusky15]

I'm still reading the title of this thread and laughing at what @Jerry1714 said earlier. Seriously, how do you watch that slaughter and the first thing you think is "this team will be loaded".

What I think actually happened is OP watched the SMU game and really thought, "I know how to get a dozen likes or so".

Oh boy. Please pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and try to use every bit of your reading comprehension skills to read the following:

1) My first reaction to the SMU was not "we are going to be loaded." It was frustration at pretty much the whole team except for Kentan, Vance, and Juwan.

2) As I mentioned in my OP, ever since the injuries I have been viewing the season through the prism of how this team will look next year. Again as I mentioned in my OP we saw how much of a difference 1 player makes (see games missed by Jalen), so I was already excited about next year with the trio of Jalen, Alterique, and Larrier (if they stay healthy).

3) What has me even more excited for next year is the emergence of Vance. The SMU game further reinforced that Vance's turnaround in shooting is the real deal. So that makes 4 talented players we can look forward to next year.

4) On top of that, during the SMU game Juwan once again showed flashes of the immense talent he possesses. That makes 5 talented players we will have on our team next year, and we still don't know what surprises the incoming freshman (including Mamdou) have in store for us, or major developments other players like Enoch have in them over the summer.

5) Most importantly, we all know that this team is not very good as is right now, but many of us have the ability to watch the team and think beyond just "good team" and "bad team." We can look at individual performances within the game and think how the team would look if those who are playing well are coupled with returning key players next year.

6) Do you want every thread to be about just how bad we are this year? We have plenty of those.

7) You could post something about your concerns for next year if you think the SMU 'slaughter' is indicative of what the team will look like next year, but that would actually take analytical skills beyond "good team/bad team," so maybe I am asking too much from you.

 

[upstater]

And you believe that somehow he'd be able to stay in the court to be useful next year?

Why?

22.4

That is his minutes per game.

 

[willie99]

Hate to break it to you but, Brimah could certainly be useful next year.

We need big men.

Brimah is useless this year because the kid is never on the court because of foul trouble.

we gave Brimah 4 years, he's not the solution my friend

 

[willie99]

We'll bounce back next year but I wish we had another year of Facey.

he's the one player we're going to miss

 

[August_West]

22.4

That is his minutes per game.

lol that is absolutely terrible for a someone who is a senior team leader playing on a team decimated by injuries . You think 22.4 is by design? that is Ollies intention?
We need him 35 minutes a game. If he wasn't a foul machine that's what he'd be playing.

Thanks for making my point for me. Love that.

 

[upstater]

we gave Brimah 4 years, he's not the solution my friend

Oh, someone said he is the solution?

 

[upstater]

lol that is absolutely terrible for a someone who is a senior team leader playing on a team decimated by injuries . You think 22.4 is by design? that is Ollies intention?
We need him 35 minutes a game. If he wasn't a foul machine that's what he'd be playing.

Thanks for making my point for me. Love that.

No one even knows what your point is.

My point, which should be simple to understand, is that his 22 minutes could be useful next year.

 

[willie99]

Oh, someone said he is the solution?

thought you said we're going to miss him?

he's part of the problem now, we don't need him another year

 

[Chief00]

With three players recovering from injuries it's difficult to conclude anything about next year. Then add in Durham who is still recovering from the ACL in my opinion.

 

[BUConn10]

Oh boy. Please pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and try to use every bit of your reading comprehension skills to read the following:

1) My first reaction to the SMU was not "we are going to be loaded." It was frustration at pretty much the whole team except for Kentan, Vance, and Juwan.

2) As I mentioned in my OP, ever since the injuries I have been viewing the season through the prism of how this team will look next year. Again as I mentioned in my OP we saw how much of a difference 1 player makes (see games missed by Jalen), so I was already excited about next year with the trio of Jalen, Alterique, and Larrier (if they stay healthy).

3) What has me even more excited for next year is the emergence of Vance. The SMU game further reinforced that Vance's turnaround in shooting is the real deal. So that makes 4 talented players we can look forward to next year.

4) On top of that, during the SMU game Juwan once again showed flashes of the immense talent he possesses. That makes 5 talented players we will have on our team next year, and we still don't know what surprises the incoming freshman (including Mamdou) have in store for us, or major developments other players like Enoch have in them over the summer.

5) Most importantly, we all know that this team is not very good as is right now, but many of us have the ability to watch the team and think beyond just "good team" and "bad team." We can look at individual performances within the game and think how the team would look if those who are playing well are coupled with returning key players next year.

6) Do you want every thread to be about just how bad we are this year? We have plenty of those.

7) You could post something about your concerns for next year if you think the SMU 'slaughter' is indicative of what the team will look like next year, but that would actually take analytical skills beyond "good team/bad team," so maybe I am asking too much from you.

Reading comprehension skills? Ok why don't you comprehend this one, very important line for me?

"SMU game reinforced that next year we will be loaded"

Yea you're right, that line leaves a lot of open ended interpretation, poetic license I assume.

It's a shame you had to spend time to write all that other stuff. If you think my analytical skills of the game are the reason why I don't agree with you well let me tell you this, if you expect immediate improvement next season, and something greater than a team ranked 20-30 nationally by seasons end then you will be disappointed heavily. I predict next season resembles 2015-16 in terms of number of losses, seeding, as post season results. Of course we all hope for the best, it endless pep rally posts, and saying ridiculous things like the bolded title of the thread is almost patronizing at this point in the season.

 

[upstater]

thought you said we're going to miss him?

he's part of the problem now, we don't need him another year

What I am saying is that they could certainly use him next year.

His problem is NOT being on the court. That is where Amida is failing.

I mean, I already wrote this once above.

 

[shizzle787]

I do believe this team will be good next year. A starting line-up of AG, Adams, Jackson, Larrier, and Enoch will be really good if AG and Larrier return properly from injury. Vital, Durham, and MAL coming off the bench will be good.

 

[intlzncster]

And you believe that somehow he'd be able to stay in the court to be useful next year?

But Enoch will?

With these guys, you need both. Too bad we couldn't sub them out offense/defense for every possession.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Sure! Change on the fly!
Old time hockey!
Dit Clapper!
Eddie Shore!

 

[champs99and04]

What I am saying is that they could certainly use him next year.

His problem is NOT being on the court. That is where Amida is failing.

I mean, I already wrote this once above.

Hard to believe people aren't getting this. Have they watched us without Brimah on the court this year? The solution to a guy killing you by only giving you 22 minutes per game is not to bring his minutes down to 0. Brimah would be better served playing for a team that could use him for what he is - a 20-30 minute guy who is going to excel in some match-ups and not others. He's not a foundational piece, but he's still a useful player.

 

[King Husky]

Enoch will be developed enough, especially on the offensive end. Ollie should be telling Adams to throw the ball to him all the time. Enoch can back just about anyone down and he has a nice hook shot to go with it. He can do that on most possessions as almost no one is bigger than him.

I couldn't agree more! What he needs to keep developing is his defense and ability to not foul.

 

[whaler11]

So @upstater is right. UConn could use Brimah next year...

That is scarier than The Ring.

 

[CTBasketball]

This is a good post. A lot of it is banking on player development - a big IF here.

I think Enoch will make big strides now that he'll be the starting center. Fouling is an issue, but to be honest he's been a lot better than Brimah this year.

Durham is a wildcard. We can only hope Jackson keeps it up. So is Vital and to be honest Larrier/Gilbert will be too. Those are difficult injuries to come back from.

Jalen has to be the guy next year. We'll go as far as he takes us I'm thinking. But we'll be playing with a far superior supporting cast.

 

[NielsisGood]

Hate to break it to you but, Brimah could certainly be useful next year.

We need big men.

Brimah is useless this year because the kid is never on the court because of foul trouble.

He's had 4 years, what makes you think his foul issues would suddenly change next year? The team will unquestionably be better without him. His lack of any skill outside of swatting a couple balls into the 3rd row has been detrimental to the team for as long as he's gotten major minutes. People like you overvalue Brimah because of the success this program has had with other raw project shot blocking bigs, while failing to see that Brimah is not at all comparable to Emeka or Thabeet, and that Brimah legit STINKS at every facet of the game outside of shot blocking.

 

[NielsisGood]

Interesting. He is kind of a specialty player. Block shots, rip down those rebounds. If he was surrounded by some scorers, some offensive leaders, he could focus on those aspects. Uconn does not have the luxury right now.

There is not a single aspect to Brimah other than his height that leads me to think he'd ever be a good rebounder.

 

[David 76]

Hey Upstater,
Would you please stop saying Brimsh is a well rounded player, as good as Emeka and would be ready to avoid all fouls next year, and that he was the shortest person at the inauguration?

 

[UConnDad]

I had ACL replacement surgery. Recovery can be relatively quick. I was back to playing hoop in less than a year. Was back to 5k running in 6 months. And I was 47 at the time. These young guys heal faster and should have better care and monitoring than I had. A question for me would be what was used for the new ligament as this determines whether the surgery is entirely arthroscopic and thus less invasive. Anyone have any knowledge of their surgeries?

 

[mauconnfan]

Hard to believe people aren't getting this. Have they watched us without Brimah on the court this year? The solution to a guy killing you by only giving you 22 minutes per game is not to bring his minutes down to 0. Brimah would be better served playing for a team that could use him for what he is - a 20-30 minute guy who is going to excel in some match-ups and not others. He's not a foundational piece, but he's still a useful player.

Yes I watched us play a really solid 1st half of basketball vs Georgetown in the first half most recently when he played a minute. Your point is? This is not a good argument because it could easily be said "did you watch us with Brimah on the court this year?" Let's start with the first game when the 6'7 dude from Wagner had a career game vs him. He's not the whole problem at all but he's not the answer at all either for the future, he's exactly the reason we aren't that good, inconsistent play and not very intelligent play. Had fun watching the 13 points last night, good stuff. Loved the box out on the free throw too (typical and just plain putrid) and the 3 rebounds in 30 plus minutes? I mean please, it's time to understand those 3 blocks only negated the mistakes on the same end. This guy looks like a difference maker but the real basketball people watch and see the other things which leave you befuddled 4 years later that anyone could be that dumb.

Move on people, love the kid all you want we all do for his enthusiasm for the game and the program, but drop the "we will miss him" crap. Yeah we will miss him if we suck again, and we might, but we need to get better as team and if it means playing 3 6'7 guys who understand the game then so be it. But consistency and intelligence is required moving forward, let's hope this does get better.

 

[jibsey]

Whether you agree or disagree that we will be loaded next year it's almost a moot point when you think about how we have been performing against OOC heavyweights out of the gate. Last 2 years we have not beaten those teams and immediately found ourselves behind the 8 ball. This is all happening as KO is spreading minutes, giving new players a chance and trying to find a rotation while trying to make everyone on the roster happy. Some of this is because the players he counted on were not getting it done but if we are truly loaded which I don't buy we will know pretty quick. We will have a massive hole in the middle the way i see it and still will have a bad perimeter shooting team if recruiting doesn't address that.

 

[mauconnfan]

Whether you agree or disagree that we will be loaded next year it's almost a moot point when you think about how we have been performing against OOC heavyweights out of the gate. Last 2 years we have not beaten those teams and immediately found ourselves behind the 8 ball. This is all happening as KO is spreading minutes, giving new players a chance and trying to find a rotation while trying to make everyone on the roster happy. Some of this is because the players he counted on were not getting it done but if we are truly loaded which I don't buy we will know pretty quick. We will have a massive hole in the middle the way i see it and still will have a bad perimeter shooting team if recruiting doesn't address that.

The "massive hole" can be covered fairly easy since we've actually had one anyway. SMU didn't have a legit 5 at all yet they played some pretty decent basketball against us.

What we really need is to put 5 really good basketball players on the court who know how to play the game and not worry too much about what position they play. Many teams have been successful doing so, I know we do eventually need a real 5 and would love one, but they can be a good team mixing and matching too with all in and all healthy.

 

[FartMan69]

Op is like bait.

 

[jibsey]

The "massive hole" can be covered fairly easy since we've actually had one anyway. SMU didn't have a legit 5 at all yet they played some pretty decent basketball against us.

What we really need is to put 5 really good basketball players on the court who know how to play the game and not worry too much about what position they play. Many teams have been successful doing so, I know we do eventually need a real 5 and would love one, but they can be a good team mixing and matching too with all in and all healthy.

I see this, but what about another shooter? Other than Vance none of these guys come in as 3 point shooters. Of course, Jalen, Alterique, Vital, and Larrier will make 3's to some degree but if they are low percentage we are back to square one. By that I mean 30%. But I agree that good players can negate the need for a big if we have enough of them.

 

[mauconnfan]

I see this, but what about another shooter? Other than Vance none of these guys come in as 3 point shooters. Of course, Jalen, Alterique, Vital, and Larrier will make 3's to some degree but if they are low percentage we are back to square one. By that I mean 30%. But I agree that good players can negate the need for a big if we have enough of them.

Oh yes sorry agree fully on another shooter. I think it will be key to have mor shooters on the court such as Larrier and Alterique even though they may be low to mid 30's, still helps. But to get max impact on the perimeter it would be a huge get if the staff suddenly picked up a 40-50%er. I'm on that page with you for sure.