The Issue with Brimah

[Stainmaster]

I think I've finally cracked the code. The stats just don't match the visuals at all. If someone didn't watch today's game and only went off of the box score, 10 points 5 boards and 3 blocks in 19 minutes looks not too bad. But he failed the eye test in every way imaginable. Because of this, he's the most puzzling player on the team to evaluate and therefore the most polarizing to discuss.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Puzzling? I'm go say disappointing.

 

[BUConn10]

Agree. Brimah's stat line almost always looks better than the actual result. He's a non-basketball player pretending to be one. His physical gifts allow him to be effective regardless but he can look very out of control and uncoordinated doing routine things like going up for a rebound. Brimah's biggest weakness isn't physical but rather mental, for example he has awful instincts regarding the trajectory of a rebound off the rim either in deciding where the ball will go or when he should jump. I really hope he straps down and just masters the small role Ollie will be asking from him from here on out, don't try to do too much.

When Brimah tries to do his face up game it's essentially a turnover. Just rebound, go up straight on contests, and catch the ball under the rim when it's thrown your way. I don't even care about shot blocking anymore, it's an overrated aspect of team defense and with the new foul trends hurts us more than it helps.

 

[Bryan Lord]

How the heck did he score forty that one time?

 

[pnow15]

For some reason, Brimah does not seem capable of thinking his way through a possession. He is always in a hurry. I thought that he would eventually get it but he never quite does.

 

[Danzz]

Part of Brimah's problem is that he isn't very wide.

 

[TasteofUConn]

Screw all of you heaping on here.
Remember this, because it's the most important input I will ever make to this site:

If you're banging on any of our players for anything other than lack of effort, you're being an balloon knot. Period.
Anytime you turds want to bang on this kid, remember that we lose in round one in 2014 without him.

 

[Pudge]

This is all BS

Simply. This isn't the kind of game that Amida Brimah will thrive in. Who's he going to play defensively? Dejuan Coleman played less impactful than him; Brimah can't guard Roberson. We don't play Zone!!

What would you like him to do? He doesn't create offense. Lots of guys don't. He has a few tricks. And he will come in very handy in a good part of our schedule. That the story.

Let's state at the 4 game mark: 1. He is a better rebounder than previous years. Marginally ... but indisputable. 2. He has more than Hamilton who will pass to him. Effective. Gibbs, Adams, Miller. 3. His enthusiasm & attitude are at the core of this team. When they call him for marginal fouls, things devolve.

He will have very good says coming.

 

[Stainmaster]

Screw all of you heaping on here.
Remember this, because it's the most important input I will ever make to this site:

If you're banging on any of our players for anything other than lack of effort, you're being an balloon knot. Period.
Anytime you turds want to bang on this kid, remember that we lose in round one in 2014 without him.

Watch your mouth, bub. I've battled on Brimah's behalf countless times here, and I obnoxiously called out the posters who shat on Nolan and Purvis all season long last year. All I did was provide a commentary on the argument that comes up with Brimah, not knock him.

 

[Stainmaster]

Puzzling? I'm go say disappointing.

No, you are wrong. He was a raw 3-star prospect with 2-3 years of basketball experience and only one other Division I offer. Your expectations were way off base - he's already exceeded the ones any sane fan should have set upon his signing.

 

[TasteofUConn]

Watch your mouth, bub. I've battled on Brimah's behalf countless times here, and I obnoxiously called out the posters who shat on Nolan and Purvis all season long last year. All I did was provide a commentary on the argument that comes up with Brimah, not knock him.

I'll be at the game tomorrow. Come make me.
Seriously, though, were you piling on or not? I think you weren't, so I'm surprised you attacked me.

 

[Jaker]

He helped us win a title, he is what he is, a soccer player trying to learn the game of basketball.

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

I honestly know children with better hands then him. So many turnovers when someone passes it to him in the post and he misses it and it goes out

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

I promised never to complain about him again at this moment.

 

[Jaker]

hell, he is our best FT shooter. LOL

 

[JimHurley]

He has no hands whatsoever. He can't rebound and he can't score unless it's on a dunk. I think Facey has earned a starting spot. Gibbs, Purvis, Hamilton, Miller and Facey should be the starting 5. Gibbs and Purvis give us outside shooting and the combo of Hamilton+Miller+Facey is deadly rebounding.

 

[Palatine]

We lost because our defense sucked. They scored or we put them on the line.

And people bitch about Brimah. Good grief.

 

[Pudge]

Look at that kid in that St. Joes video.

You can see physically lots of development. Brimah is a success story. However, there are basketball games where he is less useful. And ... He can't catch Sterling Gibbs nor Tim Boyle's bullets.

 

[Pudge]

He has no hands whatsoever. He can't rebound and he can't score unless it's on a dunk. I think Facey has earned a starting spot. Gibbs, Purvis, Hamilton, Miller and Facey should be the starting 5. Gibbs and Purvis give us outside shooting and the combo of Hamilton+Miller+Facey is deadly rebounding.

You're wrong.

 

[Jaker]

We have to take the good and the bad with AB.

 

[aceboon]

I still don't quite understand why a recruit that had a 240 rsci ranking gets held to the standard of players that were much more highly regarded than him. Everyone wants him to be Okafor and Thabeet, newsflash, those 2 dudes were much more coveted coming out of HS. Hell, Phil Nolan was more coveted, I don't see every game serving as a referendum on him as a player like Brimah. Why can't we let the dude just develop and give him the same kind of leash that Hilton got? Unlike Hilton, Brimah doesn't have a Okafor, Boone, and CV to go against day in and day out, and also play behind to mask his flaws before being fully ready to play heavy minutes until his senior year. You had a dude in this game who is 4 years removed from HS as a top 20 recruit, McDonalds All American who missed free throw after free throw and committed mistake after mistake, but he had a good 5 minutes so all is forgiven, so let's lay it all at the feet of the guy ranked 240.

 

[uconnfan68]

We lost because our defense sucked. They scored or we put them on the line.

And people bitch about Brimah. Good grief.

To be fair, the refs called a terrible game. They called him for a foul when all he did was go straight up to block a shot. Some real BS calls on him.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

I still don't quite understand why a recruit that had a 240 rsci ranking gets held to the standard of players that were much more highly regarded than him. Everyone wants him to be Okafor and Thabeet, newsflash, those 2 dudes were much more coveted coming out of HS. Hell, Phil Nolan was more coveted, I don't see every game serving as a referendum on him as a player like Brimah. Why can't we let the dude just develop and give him the same kind of leash that Hilton got? Unlike Hilton, Brimah doesn't have a Okafor, Boone, and CV to go against day in and day out, and also play behind to mask his flaws before being fully ready to play heavy minutes until his senior year. You had a dude in this game who is 4 years removed from HS as a top 20 recruit, McDonalds All American who missed free throw after free throw and committed mistake after mistake, but he had a good 5 minutes so all is forgiven, so let's lay it all at the feet of the guy ranked 240.

Nobody is asking Brimah to be the franchise. He's a number 5 worry to an opposing defense any time he is out on the court? All he needs to do is CATCH the flippin ball and dunk it 5 or 6 times a game, alter a few shots on defense and generally play well against players not in a Maine or Elon uniform.

 

[mauconnfan]

He makes his BS calls. It's all good he did help us win the St Joes game but besides being a better rebounder marginally, he's the same guy on defense people and the domino affect of his D hurts this team more than anyone else out there. And he's not ready to catch the ball and any ball which needs to be fought for he loses 99% of those which is an awful trait for your big. With his athleticism for his size and quickness he should be able to D up either Roberson or Lydon and he's not smart enough to do so and his reactions aren't good enough.

I'm not shatting on the kid as most would like to think I'm just giving in to the fact he is what he is and it will not change no matter how long he is here. He will have his shining moments I am sure but consistency wins more often and that he is not.

 

[80shusky]

I think the OP was trying to point why he is sort of an enigma and prone to create debate. I don't disagree with that. I'd take 10 pts, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in 19 minutes every single game actually. Would like to see more minutes so he could block or alter more shots or at least make the paint more inhospitable. He wasn't the issue in today's game and isn't the issue in most of our bad games. Turnovers 13 is an issue. Out rebounded 41-33 is an issue but not just his. Allowing them to shoot 48% on FG and 45% from three is a big issue. Where was our tenacious man to man D? If he gets more than 19 minutes maybe they don't drive the lane the whole game and score whenever they want. Clutch missed free throws is an issue. I think some coaching decisions were an issue based on what I heard in the second half on the radio and saw here. Did the coaches do anything to change the tenor of the game on offense or defense? As I said in another post I didn't see the game. But it doesn't sound like that happened.