Starting to feel like 2009

[maineuconnfan]

That team did not have a defined team leader at the point, just like in 2011-2012, this year we have a great point guard leader, I think that may be the difference in us being able to turn it around at some point. I agree however, the lack of shooting is very hard to overcome, especially in the college game.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I just want better for Boat. He could have rode off into the sunset with the last defensive rebound and leaping celebration in a national championship, and came back to what has been a difficult season - for himself personally with injuries and for the team. I'd like for him to feel like this last season was worth it - even if it means a rough year that ends with celebrating on the XL floor in March and getting back to the dance. A senior year that comes off the rails will probably damage his place in UConn lore too.

He wasn't riding off into the sunset to the NBA that's for sure, which is the sole reason he came back. By all accounts Boat has drastically improved his draft stock by coming back and his performance so far this year.

 

[Stainmaster]

I'm seeing Boat mentioned as an early to mid 2nd-rounder this year. That's a lot better than where he was last April.

 

[aceboon]

I agree that the 09-10 reminds me of this year team's shooting. Though I disagree about talent. Besides Boatright, D-ham and AB I don't see much on it. The 09-10 team had JD, KW and SR. They also had AO, CO AM, and GE. So maybe a little better inside then this team. Both teams couldn't shoot and thus have to gut out wins. I see a similar record for this year's team unfortunately. Maybe a little better since we are playing in the AAC.

AO wasn't providing much as the year went on and besides Majok diving on the floor every now and then neither him or Chuck provided much at all the whole year. The only dependable inside player on that team was Gavin and he was really a guy suited to be a 3rd big off the bench or if he was to start it would have to be a monster team around him(something like the 08-09) team. Let's not build that team into something it wasn't, they weren't that deep or talented. JC tried to make them a running team due to the deficiences in the halfcourt and by the end of games Kemba and Dyson would be gassed due to the minutes they had to play and the pace they tried to push off of rebounds.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Believe it or not, the cure for both our chemistry fragility and three point shooting may be Omar. I wouldn't say he played great on Wednesday, but nobody played harder, which lead to great things. He literally left blood on the floor for the team. If he can be a energy engine and knock down 1-2 3's a game, I think we go from narrow losses to narrow wins.

I figured it was worth stripping things down to the closing paragraph. Pretty much all of the comments reflect the "or not" point of view

 

[joober jones]

One can hope.

Daniel Hamilton believes he's destined to become the next Mandeldove.

 

[champs99and04]

I just want better for Boat. He could have rode off into the sunset with the last defensive rebound and leaping celebration in a national championship, and came back to what has been a difficult season - for himself personally with injuries and for the team. I'd like for him to feel like this last season was worth it - even if it means a rough year that ends with celebrating on the XL floor in March and getting back to the dance. A senior year that comes off the rails will probably damage his place in UConn lore too.

It would be a shame if that last part was true. People will remember him for dominating the 2014 tournament, obviously, but his legacy in my mind will be every bit as defined by his sticking around in 2013. The program was basically being held together by glue at that point in time and things could have gotten really ugly - to the point that the program may have never recovered - if he had left. We probably don't finish .500 that year without him.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I figured it was worth stripping things down to the closing paragraph. Pretty much all of the comments reflect the "or not" point of view

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I was gonna bump this during the game, so I'm glad you did. I'll even give Omar a partial assist for Rodney's three 3s after he collected himself on the bench.

 

[Inyatkin]

So if this really is 2010, let's try to not follow up our Texas/Florida season-saving win with a bomb against Providence/South Florida.
Without checking I'd guess that year's PC was better than this year's USF, and their place was a house of horrors us. But USF hasn't exactly been a garden spot lately, either.

 

[upstater]

One of things that bugs me about the whole Kemba to Shabazz to Boatright thing is that it completely leaves out AJ Price, who actually played with Kemba. AJ price was a 3 point scoring machine his senior year. He was unstoppable. And he was a major reason that team went to the Final 4 even without his wingman in Dyson.

Commentators have very short memories.

 

[3rdbass]

AO wasn't providing much as the year went on and besides Majok diving on the floor every now and then neither him or Chuck provided much at all the whole year. The only dependable inside player on that team was Gavin and he was really a guy suited to be a 3rd big off the bench or if he was to start it would have to be a monster team around him(something like the 08-09) team. Let's not build that team into something it wasn't, they weren't that deep or talented. JC tried to make them a running team due to the deficiences in the halfcourt and by the end of games Kemba and Dyson would be gassed due to the minutes they had to play and the pace they tried to push off of rebounds.

I just think this year's team has the same amount of talent as '09-'10. They both have key young players KW in 09-10 and DHAM having their shining moments but both teams couldn't shoot the rock. This team has a better chance of making it since they are in the AAC but less not fool ourselves and think this team is super talented. I prefer the talent on last year's team to this year.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Looking back how did the team below not make the NCAAT? At the time there were certainly chemistry issues and shooting issues but man.

PG - Kemba
SG - Dyson
SF - Stanley
PF - Edwards
C - Oriakhi

Where the similarities to this year might end up being valid is that 2010 would have gone a whole lot differently if not for five heartbreaking losses (and no offsetting wins in the final seconds either):

1) Kentucky thanks to the John Wall 3 point play.
2) Cincy thanks to the bogus foul call that put Lance Stephenson to the line with no time left.
3) Georgetown, where we were up 19 early in the second half and then decided not to guard Austin Freeman for the rest of the game.
4) Marquette thanks to Jimmy Butler's last second shot (not to mention we fouled a 3 point shooter on the previous possession with a 3 point lead).
5) Louisville thanks to Edgar Sosa's last second shot.

Had two or three of those games ended differently, that team makes the tournament. That team seemed to decide that they had enough after that Louisville game. I tend to think they would have had a more spirited finish to the season if they were playing for NCAA seeding instead of NIT seeding.

On a related note, we spend so much time constructing narratives about team chemistry, leadership, etc. to explain why team A overachieved but team B underachieved. How about this one - some years (2011 and 2014) we make the shots on the final possession of close games...and some years (2010 and so far this year) the other guys make those shots.

 

[Mots010]

Was 2009/2010 the year of the banked 3? Where without fail, every team seemed to score a soul crushing bucket off of a banked 3, usually late in the shot clock or at the end of the half.

 

[mets1090]

Was 2009/2010 the year of the banked 3? Where without fail, every team seemed to score a soul crushing bucket off of a banked 3, usually late in the shot clock or at the end of the half.

Good lord that was unbelievable. I don't honestly know if statistically speaking it happened to us more than it would in a normal year but it sure seemed like it.

 

[Inyatkin]

Where the similarities to this year might end up being valid is that 2010 would have gone a whole lot differently if not for five heartbreaking losses (and no offsetting wins in the final seconds either):

1) Kentucky thanks to the John Wall 3 point play.
2) Cincy thanks to the bogus foul call that put Lance Stephenson to the line with no time left.
3) Georgetown, where we were up 19 early in the second half and then decided not to guard Austin Freeman for the rest of the game.
4) Marquette thanks to Jimmy Butler's last second shot (not to mention we fouled a 3 point shooter on the previous possession with a 3 point lead).
5) Louisville thanks to Edgar Sosa's last second shot.

Plus there was the game at Syracuse where we tied it with a minute or so left and Boeheim got some gift timeout. I don't even remember the exact circumstances, but it was terrible.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

One of things that bugs me about the whole Kemba to Shabazz to Boatright thing is that it completely leaves out AJ Price, who actually played with Kemba. AJ price was a 3 point scoring machine his senior year. He was unstoppable. And he was a major reason that team went to the Final 4 even without his wingman in Dyson.

Commentators have very short memories.

Great point.

AJ was a final four point guard and won most outstanding player in the west region that tournament.

Not to mention he's stuck around the NBA still.

Realistically, you could even argue it goes Marcus (Elite 8/ex NBA), AJ (Final 4/NBA), Kemba (Champion/NBA), Napier (2x Champion/NBA) and Boat (champion/NBA prospect).

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Plus there was the game at Syracuse where we tied it with a minute or so left and Boeheim got some gift timeout. I don't even remember the exact circumstances, but it was terrible.

Forgot about that one. I just looked at the final scores to jog my memory on the one-possession losses, but that was another heartbreaker from that season. Nothing went right for that team.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Great point.

AJ was a final four point guard and won most outstanding player in the west region that tournament.

Not to mention he's stuck around the NBA still.

Realistically, you could even argue it goes Marcus (Elite 8/ex NBA), AJ (Final 4/NBA), Kemba (Champion/NBA), Napier (2x Champion/NBA) and Boat (champion/NBA prospect).

Screw it, add Ben

 

[Inyatkin]

Forgot about that one. I just looked at the final scores to jog my memory on the one-possession losses, but that was another heartbreaker from that season. Nothing went right for that team.

It was so clearly a tournament-caliber team based on who they beat and who they played close, and yet they were also prone to going through stretches looking utterly inept. On the short list for most frustrating UConn team ever.

 

[Tenspro2002]

One of things that bugs me about the whole Kemba to Shabazz to Boatright thing is that it completely leaves out AJ Price, who actually played with Kemba. AJ price was a 3 point scoring machine his senior year. He was unstoppable. And he was a major reason that team went to the Final 4 even without his wingman in Dyson.

Commentators have very short memories.

I loved AJ Price in 2008 and 2009. He and that entire 2009 team are far and away the most underrated of our leaders/squads of the last 25 years.

I think one of the reasons he's left out of the Kemba-->Bazz-->Boat discussion is, to the program's credit then and to its discredit now, AJ's teams were a hell of a lot more than just AJ -- he didn't have to do everything, as the other three have largely had to do over the last 5 years.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I loved AJ Price in 2008 and 2009. He and that entire 2009 team are far and away the most underrated of our leaders/squads of the last 25 years.

I think one of the reasons he's left out of the Kemba-->Bazz-->Boat discussion is, to the program's credit then and to its discredit now, AJ's teams were a hell of a lot more than just AJ -- he didn't have to do everything, as the other three have largely had to do over the last 5 years.

But isn't the one man show for Kemba and Bazz a bit overblown Tens? Lamb was special by the time we went on the run in 2011 and a future pro, Bazz was raw Bazz, Oriakhi was a double double guy (when we were on) and Roscoe would go on to lead CBB in rebounding at UNLV.

Boat, Deandre and Giff we're pretty damn good pieces around Bazz last year.

 

[Inyatkin]

Price belongs as the start of that list, because he mentored Kemba, who mentored Bazz, etc.
Price, like Taliek before him, was one of our few point guards thrown from the start into leading the team on his own (for a variety of reasons, obviously.)
Which contributes to my worries for next season, but that's another thread.

 

[Connecticut34]

Oriakhi was an inconsistent freshman and there was zero bench. It was usually just Kemba, Dyson, Stanley and Edwards scoring points.

but Majok really posterized that chair

 

[upstater]

I loved AJ Price in 2008 and 2009. He and that entire 2009 team are far and away the most underrated of our leaders/squads of the last 25 years.

I think one of the reasons he's left out of the Kemba-->Bazz-->Boat discussion is, to the program's credit then and to its discredit now, AJ's teams were a hell of a lot more than just AJ -- he didn't have to do everything, as the other three have largely had to do over the last 5 years.

I can't agree. Without Dyson, that team had a severe scoring deficiency. If you want to say that Thabeet was a major reason for their success, I'd agree. He consistently did what Brimah did for 5 minutes on Saturday. Which is take away the lane. And he had a huge rebounder next to him in Adrien. That would be ideal, if Facey channels Adrien behind the human eraser in Brimah over the next 2 years.

But as for scoring, I remember Price's games toward the end of that year (i.e. after Dyson got hurt). He had to score more, and he did. He scored in the mid 30s against Marquette and Syracuse at end of year. In the tourney (I just checked) his totals were 20, 27, 15, 18, and 15 against Michigan St.