Team Updates

[3uconn]

@NeillOstrout: UConn AD Warde Manuel says new basketball facility will be available for players to use when fall semester begins.

@AmoreCourant: Kevin Ollie raved about Amida Brimah's progress this summer.

@wspaxton: Kevin Ollie said Amida Brimah has become a leader in second year #UConn

@AmoreCourant: Warde Manuel says "likelihood is" #uconnmen and #uconnwomen will play one game each in Bridgeport in 2014-15. Not 2.

@AmoreCourant: Kevin Ollie had praise for Omar Calhoun "he never gave up, never stopped being a good teammate" #uconn

 

[CallMeBruce]

@AmoreCourant: Kevin Ollie raved about Amida Brimah's progress this summer.

@wspaxton: Kevin Ollie said Amida Brimah has become a leader in second year #UConn

These are the best things I could have read.

 

[selles]

These are the best things I could have read.

Agreed. Amida is such a huge x-factor this year. If he can progress into a consistent post presence, look out.

 

[Peacefrog]

How could Brimah have really progressed with one arm? Is he even cleared for basketball activities? Is Ollie just referring to his injury rehab?

 

[FASTEDDY]

How could Brimah have really progressed with one arm? Is he even cleared for basketball activities? Is Ollie just referring to his injury rehab?

Perhaps HCKO is following after HCJC and his pentient for hyperbole.

HCJC was always over the top in his talk of players progress over the summer. HCJC would say, the guys has gained "20 lbs of muscle" and that kind of stuff. Seem slike HCKO might be following in HCKO footsteps with exaggeration.

 

[tcf15]

By progress, KO could mean maturity, since there's a follow-up tweet about how much of a leader Brimah has become.

 

[aceboon]

wasn't Brimah working out with Enoch when he visited?

 

[tcf15]

wasn't Brimah working out with Enoch when he visited?

Yeah, I think he's been out of the sling for a while.

 

[Kembacity]

How could Brimah have really progressed with one arm? Is he even cleared for basketball activities? Is Ollie just referring to his injury rehab?

I think he was just very motivated by Tara Reid's character in Sharknado 2

 

[Palatine]

Justin Brown is playing like a starter.

 

[boog204]

i was always a fan of JC stating in the preseason that the vaunted press would be returning. we'd use it for 4 minutes versus marathon oil or someone and then we'd never see it until the next season against some other cupcake.

 

[aceboon]

Amida Brimah, the 7-foot center, will have a year's experience, and shoulder surgery, behind him, and coach Kevin Ollie is seeing growth.

"His development, and how he pushes himself, is something I've never seen," Ollie said before teeing off for his Charity Golf Classic on Monday at Glastonbury Hills CC

http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80994761/

 

[RichZ]

How could Brimah have really progressed with one arm? Is he even cl
eared for basketball activities? Is Ollie just referring to his injury rehab?

There is nothing that impresses KO more than effort and attitude.

He had surgery to correct a torn labrum in April and has a few more weeks of rehabbing to go.

But that hasn't stopped Brimah from working on building his lower body, improving his conditioning and footwork...
..."The kid is just working," Ollie said. "He recognized Ramadan last month and was on a fast, and you couldn't even tell. He was getting three workouts in a day. He was working out with [strength coach Travis Illian], doing the individuals, coming back and workout out on his own — not eating the whole day."

"He doesn't make any excuses and say 'I'm fasting' or 'my shoulder ..'" Ollie said. "No. It's, 'What can I do while I'm doing this that can make myself better?' That's the great attribute that the kid has, and it's going to make his learning curve that much shorter and its going to get him and get our program on another level."

 

[aceboon]

some good stuff here on other players

http://courantblogs.com/uconn-men/kevin-ollie-our-principles-are-not-going-to-change/

 

[James]

cassell - the elder statesman. also awesome to hear about brimah, he will look different next year just hearing about this already legendary work ethic. Quicker in the half court, quicker to boards i'm hoping. High character and 7 feet tall. The guy was a diamond in the rough recruit, terrific find. So pumped for this year, as KO said itll be different team.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I'm very excited for Amida's development. He has the potential to be the best big man to ever wear a husky uniform. It's so great to here about his work ethic and his leadership.

 

[Danzz]

You could never believe anything JC said about players preseason. JC used his public comments to motivate and manipulate. We'll have to see about KO. If Brimah and Nolan can cut down the early pfs we'll be in good shape.

 

[Hugo]

You could never believe anything JC said about players preseason. JC used his public comments to motivate and manipulate. We'll have to see about KO. If Brimah and Nolan can cut down the early pfs we'll be in good shape.

Cutting down on PF's definitely, but also need to see some measureable improvement in rebounding this year from both of them.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I'm very excited for Amida's development. He has the potential to be the best big man to ever wear a husky uniform. It's so great to here about his work ethic and his leadership.

So I ran the numbers on this, and Brimah was actually a slightly better scorer and shotblocker than Okafor was as a freshman, on a rate basis, but Okafor turned the ball over less and fouled far, far less often. Okafor was also an outstanding rebounder as a freshman, while Brimah was pretty mediocre. I think that, since most of Brimah's failings are the result of inexperience, it's possible that he could end up being a better offensive player and shotblocker than Okafor overall, but I'd be very surprised if he was ever a comparable rebounder.

 

[Gurleyman]

So I ran the numbers on this, and Brimah was actually a slightly better scorer and shotblocker than Okafor was as a freshman, on a rate basis, but Okafor turned the ball over less and fouled far, far less often. Okafor was also an outstanding rebounder as a freshman, while Brimah was pretty mediocre. I think that, since most of Brimah's failings are the result of inexperience, it's possible that he could end up being a better offensive player and shotblocker than Okafor overall, but I'd be very surprised if he was ever a comparable rebounder.

Okafor was just so damn good in college defensively, even with things beyond the numbers - he'd guard people straight up on the perimeter, didn't bite on up fakes, and he'd know when to go for the block and when to stay on his feet and keep position for the rebound instead. Part of being able to average 4+ blocks a game is being able to stay on the court. Extrapolating stats per minute played is a bit tough, as you hinted at.

Early in his career some wide-bodied types gave Emeka trouble - a guy from Southern Illinois (Rolan Roberts, I think) in the Sweet 16 put up 24 or so, and Lonny Baxter had a big day and put him in foul trouble. And the first Pitt bruiser in the DeJuan Blair mold (forget his name ). But he shored that up later in his career and pretty much nobody scored on him his last year, other than Gomes hitting tough perimeter jumpers over him when Okafor was assigned to take him in the second half.

I hope one day that Brimah can be mentioned in the same breath as Oak, but that's a really really tough standard. The combination of athletic gifts and smarts/savvy is so rare.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Okafor was just so damn good in college defensively, even with things beyond the numbers - he'd guard people straight up on the perimeter, didn't bite on up fakes, and he'd know when to go for the block and when to stay on his feet and keep position for the rebound instead. Part of being able to average 4+ blocks a game is being able to stay on the court. Extrapolating stats per minute played is a bit tough, as you hinted at.

Early in his career some wide-bodied types gave Emeka trouble - a guy from Southern Illinois (Rolan Roberts, I think) in the Sweet 16 put up 24 or so, and Lonny Baxter had a big day and put him in foul trouble. And the first Pitt bruiser in the DeJuan Blair mold (forget his name ). But he shored that up later in his career and pretty much nobody scored on him his last year, other than Gomes hitting tough perimeter jumpers over him when Okafor was assigned to take him in the second half.

I hope one day that Brimah can be mentioned in the same breath as Oak, but that's a really really tough standard. The combination of athletic gifts and smarts/savvy is so rare.

I think with Brimah's size and effort he should make great leaps in the rebounding department as he grows stronger and gets more experience. On the defensive end I think he will be an even better shot blocker than Oak as he gets more experienced because of his physical gifts. If Hasheem had Brimah's desire maybe he would've actually deserved to be the #2 pick.