Still lovin' Taliek Brown

[mauconnfan]

When I scaled the fence and entered the Yard the very first post I ever read referred to Ricky as "Rickety". Was probably mau

FU Dove I loved Ricky that never came from me I promise.............know what you're talking about prior to ignorant finger pointing!! The SI issue on Taliek was enough.........

 

[mauconnfan]

I keep saying this, but there's one Georgia Tech guy off that team we played who made it in the NBA: Jarrett Jack. If the NCAA Tournament was prison, Taliek would have been trading him for a couple packs of smokes. He made him a total non-factor.

The whole UConn team took the loss earlier to GTech and gave it back to them in every which way, wasn't all on Jack!!!

 

[Gurleyman]

The whole UConn team took the loss earlier to GTech and gave it back to them in every which way, wasn't all on Jack!!!

Cut off the head of the dragon, as they say. With Jack rendered a puddle of useless, GT's offense imploded (until they went on a crazy three-point barrage with less than 2 minutes left to turn a 25-point loss turn to a prettier nine).

I understand Taliek was the role player, and others deservedly have larger slices of the credit pie. But in most cases, a senior four-year starter dominates an important match-up in the national championship game defensively, holding his guy to 1-8 shooting and five turnovers, and the rest of the team digs in behind him, most would say that's showing great leadership, setting a tone, won't be denied, etc. That narrative never really took hold - too many people had their blind spots and changed "they'll never win with him" to "they won in spite of him".

But whether he was easy on the eyes or not, his postseason numbers over his last three years were a 19-3 record, three banners, and no upset losses at all (two of them were down to the last minute as heavy underdogs). At a certain point, the coincidences stop. My way of thinking is that nobody can say his teams won in spite of him - they have to just say his teams won. Period.

 

[mauconnfan]

Great leadership in that game yesI would agree. Many TO's in other big games, I believe you would lose!!

Ben Gordon, Rashad Anderson, Charlie Villanueva and one Emeka Okafor were pretty good too.......the love fest I will not join, the fact he was a big part I will. But I will not back down on the fact there were plenty of PG's I believe they could have won that year with, from years prior!! But I did not give him enough credit I admitted it..........do

 

[Gurleyman]

Rashad and Charlie had chances to win without Taliek. Instead, they lost to a 10 seed and an 11 seed (with no Charlie) with a supposedly more talented point guard. They also won one BET game in 2005 and none in 2006. They had a chance, but McNamara was allowed to step right into the tying three. Taliek greets him at midcourt and makes that shot a helluva lot tougher.

In 2004, UConn pimp-smacked UTSA, DePaul, Vandy and Alabama on their way to the Final Four. In 2006, we were down 12 in the second half to Albany.

Truthfully, the best argument against Taliek is Ben - who was able to cover for some of Taliek's weaknesses (primarily late game/late shot clock creativity and FT shooting). I don't think Taliek would have been nearly as successful without Ben. But I also think they covered for each other - Ben played with zero emotion and didn't really like to dig in defensively or dive after loose balls. He wasn't an emotional leader, and didn't have to be. Ricky and Khalid covered for each other's weaknesses in the same way. And frankly, neither Ricky nor Khalid proved to be very successful without the other (compared to their success together).

I do imagine, for example, that KO could have filled exactly the same role in 2004 that Taliek did. We'll never know, though. Hypotheticals are nice with their undisprovability.

 

[mauconnfan]

Rashad and Charlie had chances to win without Taliek. Instead, they lost to a 10 seed and an 11 seed (with no Charlie) with a supposedly more talented point guard. They also won one BET game in 2005 and none in 2006. They had a chance, but McNamara was allowed to step right into the tying three. Taliek greets him at midcourt and makes that shot a helluva lot tougher.

In 2004, UConn pimp-smacked UTSA, DePaul, Vandy and Alabama on their way to the Final Four. In 2006, we were down 12 in the second half to Albany.

Truthfully, the best argument against Taliek is Ben - who was able to cover for some of Taliek's weaknesses (primarily late game/late shot clock creativity and FT shooting). I don't think Taliek would have been nearly as successful without Ben. But I also think they covered for each other - Ben played with zero emotion and didn't really like to dig in defensively or dive after loose balls. He wasn't an emotional leader, and didn't have to be. Ricky and Khalid covered for each other's weaknesses in the same way. And frankly, neither Ricky nor Khalid proved to be very successful without the other (compared to their success together).

I do imagine, for example, that KO could have filled exactly the same role in 2004 that Taliek did. We'll never know, though. Hypotheticals are nice with their undisprovability.

Well when Ricky left so did Rip who along with KEA was the heart and soul. Hard to be as good without Rip as well as Emeka leaving Rash and Charlie. There's a couple pretty good college players who were also pretty important pieces of the teams you mentioned who left the program to the remaining players. Tough to replace! Hey you make great points and I agree on the hypotheticals. He won a NC, he was the PG, he was 2nd or 3rd only to Ricky and maybe Lyman as far as defense, he drove you nuts on offense but he was a vital piece to a championship nonetheless!! I get it...........done!

 

[taliek]

Chech out Mcnamra (Syr) with Taliek and post Taliek- the guy killed us after Taliek left. Hhe would literally give up against Taliek.

 

[tykurez]

Chech out Mcnamra (Syr) with Taliek and post Taliek- the guy killed us after Taliek left. Hhe would literally give up against Taliek.

Taliek?

 

[bobbygt]

I keep saying this, but there's one Georgia Tech guy off that team we played who made it in the NBA: Jarrett Jack. If the NCAA Tournament was prison, Taliek would have been trading him for a couple packs of smokes. He made him a total non-factor.

You're forgetting about Will Bynum, who's not had too shabby an nba career. He hit the game winning shot at the buzzer in the other semi against Ok. State.

I still think Ok State could've caused Uconn some trouble.

 

[Gurleyman]

You're forgetting about Will Bynum, who's not had too shabby an nba career. He hit the game winning shot at the buzzer in the other semi against Ok. State.

I still think Ok State could've caused Uconn some trouble.

You're right - I went through the starting five and missed Bynum (I think Ish Muhammad had a cup of coffee and Schensher just went right overseas).

Bynum was really the one guy to have a good game for GT once he came in at the two. He gave Ben some trouble - although he had a couple of those "pretty up the corpse" late three-pointers that turned the final deficit from 20+ to nine.

 

[Gurleyman]

Well when Ricky left so did Rip who along with KEA was the heart and soul. Hard to be as good without Rip as well as Emeka leaving Rash and Charlie. There's a couple pretty good college players who were also pretty important pieces of the teams you mentioned who left the program to the remaining players. Tough to replace! Hey you make great points and I agree on the hypotheticals. He won a NC, he was the PG, he was 2nd or 3rd only to Ricky and maybe Lyman as far as defense, he drove you nuts on offense but he was a vital piece to a championship nonetheless!! I get it...........done!

I admit he would frustrate me at times, too - after a clunker his senior year, I remember yelling "dammit, Taliek. I stick up for you on the Boneyard, and this is how you thank me???"

Plus, I'm grateful we survived his shitshow against Duke - an L there would have damaged his legacy forever.

 

[Danzz]

"UConn will never win anything with that guy at PG!"

Aaaah, memories.

Some would say Uconn won in spite of Taliek.

 

[bobbygt]

I think back to two of the most important possessions of the Final Four game against Duke:

Down by 8 with about 2 minutes to go, a Duke player takes a long 3 (Deng I think)- Taliek perfectly boxes out his man to grab the rebound and cruises up the court to find Rashad in the corner for the 3. Bam- 5 point game.

Then at the very end when Uconn was down by 1 with under a minutes to go, Taliek burst by his man to find Emeka for a bunny, which he missed but Boone tipped it and Emeka picked it up and for the layup.

As GREAT as Kemba or AJ or MW or Ricky or Khalid were, I just think it was Taliek's bulldog nature on offense that made those plays. And they were huge.

 

[Gurleyman]

Some would say Uconn won in spite of Taliek.

Some would be idiots.

Again, he was 19-3 in the postseason over his last three years, with two very good losses (down to the wire with an experienced Maryland team, down to the wire in a road game at Texas). The only bad loss was the BET title game to Pitt, and Taliek kept us in that one for awhile (maybe 16 points in the first half).

At a certain point, these things are NOT coincidences or dumb luck. For Shamon Tooles, sure - he rode others' coattails to a ring (no crime in that - he was a great Husky). But a guy playing 38 minutes a night is bringing a lot to the winning table.

We also won a BET and a NC with Taliek not having a back-up, because the guy who was supposed to be backing him up is pretty much the only athlete we've ever had who managed to get himself academically ineligible in one semester. And that was only his second worst f-up in three years (plus the only things we ever won in his 3 years - BET, NC, Maui - we won with him eating Cheetos on a couch somewhere). Now there's a guy we won in spite of.

 

[mauconnfan]

I think back in the day the biggest controversy was whether the Huskies would've won a NC with Marcus Williams or not.........we will never know!!! But anyone who wants to tell me his "bulldog nature" was better than Kemba, KEA or AJ will have an argument at hand.....right back in Sports Illustrated for me there!!

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Some would say Uconn won in spite of Taliek.

In fairness, those people are morons.

 

[Gurleyman]

Blast from the past - not from the commemorative edition, but a little postgame reaction:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../04/05/titlegame.insider/index.html?mobile=no

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