So is the real Omar finally back?

[CL82]

Omar is playing some good basketball, both in terms of his stroke returning and his decision making. Having him playing at this level helps us tremendously. I feel really happy for him and hope he keeps it going.

 

[Kitaman]

I'll take whatever he gives us. Good and not so good. The good thing is he has shown what he is capable of. That's all I've been waiting to see, even if it only comes back ever so often here on out.

So happy for him and for his leadership.

 

[Chin Diesel]

This is the most athletic he has looked in his four years at UConn.

 

[nomar]

 

[Rocktheworld]

In-deeeed.

 

[intlzncster]

.

Indeed.

 

[Huskybass]

I was at the game and was pretty close to the court. Omar was "wide right" on a 3 point attempt by about 3' in the first half. Then he drained one from the corner in the second half.

Omar is like a box of chocolates...

 

[August_West]

 

[jibsey]

Omar's first 3 point attempt missed the gym. Then he was pure on the next one, so I think I have this figured out. Omar is a robot and his shooting gyro switch hadn't been switched on yet. The waterboy usually does it but today he left early for Christmas vacation. Now that they are aware of the situation it won't happen again.

 

[James]

I hit corner threes, man gotta have a code

 

[Danzz]

This is the most athletic he has looked in his four years at UConn.

It may be the first time he has been healthy. He looks a lot quicker.

 

[jdb50]

Many times the narrative is driven by discussions about players not getting it done. It would be nice if Omar can continue to fulfill his potential and give us a different story line to follow as the team finds a way to win without Amida.

 

[BoatShow]

It may be the first time he has been healthy. He looks a lot quicker.

2 blocks today too

 

[OkaForPrez]

I'll never get tired of the wire references. Never.

 

[InKembaITrust]

People forget Omar was ranked 32 in the ESPN top 100 players in 2012. He was a stud coming out of High School. It's a shame his injuries stripped away his early potential. We make it far into the tournament he can be that out-of-nowhere Rashad Anderson-esque spark off the bench.

 

[Eskapeesto]

So is the real Omar finally back?

 

[Rocktheworld]

Omar don't scare

 

[warbler1055]

"If you come at the King, you best not miss!!!"

 

[jojipoji]

After his frosh year, I couldn't stand him on the court as I knew a turnover and a few bricks were coming. I will gladly eat crow, as I feel this team really needs more outside shooting and free throw shooting to win and he def/has done that.

On a side note is anyone else shocked on how many open threes Hamilton gives up and instead pump fakes and drives. I would like to see him take more threes esp if he's open.

 

[jleves]

Aside from him scoring better and hitting some threes, his defense has been a breath of fresh air on this team. He might be as good an on ball defender as Purvis. He's also jumped out of the gym for some great rebounds. Finally he's found an ability to drive and dish to wide open bigs (sometimes they catch and score). This is what we all expected 2 years ago before he got hurt and rehurt. If we can get 7, 3 and 2 from him in 15 minutes, we'll all be happy. Nice luxury to have off the bench.

 

[Matrim55]

On a side note is anyone else shocked on how many open threes Hamilton gives up and instead pump fakes and drives. I would like to see him take more threes esp if he's open.

This has been a problem for him, Rodney, Gibbs and Omar. All four of them will pump-fake themselves out of a good shot and into a contested runner or a turnover.

Ollie runs a lot of sets that demand the perimeter guys to catch-and-shoot with confidence. When they do so, we play some very pretty offense. When we don't, we get games like Syracuse or Maryland.

 

[intlzncster]

Aside from him scoring better and hitting some threes, his defense has been a breath of fresh air on this team. He might be as good an on ball defender as Purvis. He's also jumped out of the gym for some great rebounds.

And it's even more pronounced, given our distinct lack of whatever defensively on the perimeter.

Often wonder what Omar could have been minus those significant surgeries. I remember the team saying he'd be just fine afterwards, but I always thought, "the kid had both hips operated on, how do they figure that?"

If we can get 7, 3 and 2 from him in 15 minutes, we'll all be happy. Nice luxury to have off the bench.

I'd argue it's a necessity rather than a luxury, given what he brings defensively. The team has too many holes defensively right now, and Brimah (when he returns) already is a liability on offense.

 

[intlzncster]

This has been a problem for him, Rodney, Gibbs and Omar. All four of them will pump-fake themselves out of a good shot and into a contested runner or a turnover.

Definitely not a one guy issue for sure, but for whatever reason, I notice it with Hamilton the most. I think it's because the offense runs through him, and so he has the ball in his hands every possession. Also, he seems to do that half arsed pump fake as a reflex, not a tool. It's automatic.

That said, the guy we need to shoot quickly and often is Gibbs. Right now, I don't care if he's taking contested threes or 'bad shots'; I just want him to get in the habit of 'shoot first, ask questions later'. If you are going to err, do it on the side of confidence, not hesitation. Despite a number of posters' poopooing, Gibbs is going to be critical later in the season. Get the yips out now.

I'm alright with Omar doing whatever he's doing right now, because it's working! hahahah

 

[James]

This has been a problem for him, Rodney, Gibbs and Omar. All four of them will pump-fake themselves out of a good shot and into a contested runner or a turnover.

Ollie runs a lot of sets that demand the perimeter guys to catch-and-shoot with confidence. When they do so, we play some very pretty offense. When we don't, we get games like Syracuse or Maryland.

I'd say hamilton is the worst offender of the bunch, and omar is our best catch n shoot unconscious kind of shooter. Hamilton, i have no clue why he pump fakes the way he does some times, he isn't even shifting the defender. What i've surmised is he is one of those players who likes an increased level of difficulty, just to get into a rhythm. Somebody like pierce is similar, or to a less impressive extent nick young. What i would like for hamilton is to search for these catch n shoot opportunities and let it rain over shorter defenders. Dont worry about your % if its a good shot ( multiple passes off penetration, he often pump fakes in these scenarios).

I enjoy how omar hunts corner threes and darts to corners, and how he gets them up. Great floor spacer

 

[Rico444]

This has been a problem for him, Rodney, Gibbs and Omar. All four of them will pump-fake themselves out of a good shot and into a contested runner or a turnover.

Ollie runs a lot of sets that demand the perimeter guys to catch-and-shoot with confidence. When they do so, we play some very pretty offense. When we don't, we get games like Syracuse or Maryland.

D-Ham is the only one who I've seen who has issues pulling the trigger from deep. Purvis just has a very slow release, so he needs more room to shoot than most. Gibbs and Omar shoot pretty much every chance they get; in fact, the last few games have been the first in awhile where Omar has actually held the ball when catching it from deep and he's become much more well-rounded as a player. He still doesn't have trouble pulling the trigger when it's a good time to take a three though.