the Nantambu Willingham v Steve Enoch equivalency ...

[Pudge]

Let's see what we are dealing with here:

Is this just a generational thing. Are some of the posters - digging at current Bigs - just not old enough to watch Nantambu's years. (and I don't want to denigrate this alum ... he thrills me with his continuing inclusion in our best championship games etc) Did you really see Nantambu play?

Or ...

Are you just lacking in your evaluative skillset to not be able to see Steve Enoch's high level Big man capability? We can all look at the numbers of his performance ... and hold our collective nose. He really hasn't proven much. And he remains lost on defense - for most of 2016-2017. But, he does look like a very athletic 6'11. And he has very fast strong hands - which to my way of thinking has always been a leading indicator of development potential. Is it coaching? We might collectively think the Jim Calhoun/Howie Dickenman old school big man coaching was superior to today ... and I think it was. Nantambu?

You are worthy of derision if you continue this vein. I wish we had more Kyle Meier's - who I see as a Jake Voskuhl 6-10 type. More Kevin Freeman-Jeff Adrien types. Please don't try to Zoom us older guys that some of the earlier Calhoun guys had developed or were superior players than Enoch. Souleymane Wane was a solid prospect - but somewhat slightly upbeat development. Enoch CAN be far more. Like Wane; like Okwandu; like Facey and Brimah; some of these guys had very little basketball playing before age 15.

And development? It is like they say about Asperger's kids: If you see one Asperger's kid ... you have seen one Asperger's kid. ALL these guys have had vastly different stories. I still believe that we can see great improvement from the Norwalk kid.

 

[mauconnfan]

But, but but but...Pudge we need a 6'10" big mans coach like we used to have. LOL

Nantambu (as you say a wonderful Husky of this continued support of KO and the university), Justin Brown, Jonathan Mandeldove, Marc Suhr and few others - these guys were Amida with less athletic gifts - hard to coach more into them because of their less than natural gifts though. Nothing has changed, staff teaches the game and you get out of this what you can comprehend and bring to the court. Some just don't get it, ever!

Steve will get better, how much is still on him. As little as it may be to some I've seen some terrific things and believe he's close. I have faith in him at some point next year breaking out, but I get those who doubt it he has a ways to go.

 

[boog204]

Comparing Amida to those three is a pretty big insult to Amida. Those guys were all good guys, but were total stiffs. Even though Justin Brown might just be our starting center next year, according to JC. I still remember Justin doing a beautiful spin, drop step dunk against someone. Gampel went insane. Of course, he was called for traveling and then missed a defensive assignment and JC attacked him at midcourt, ha.

I'm not sure what the original reference was, re: the original post. But if anyone said that Enoch = Nantambu, then, well, wow. There is zero reason why Enoch cannot be a 12-6 guy minimum. Dude has talent, size, athleticism... It just hasn't all clicked yet.

 

[Matrim55]

I made the Enoch/Nantambu comp in another thread, something along the lines of "I hope Enoch's on the Hilton/Gavin/Kentan path, and not the Nantambu path."

The difference in paths isn't the relative skillset, but rather the improvement curve. Hilton/Gavin/Kentan all "got it" to one degree or another by their senior years, while Nantambu never, ever did. He was basically the same player as a senior that he was as a freshman.

Enoch is obviously very skilled and has both strength and good hands, and I think his ceiling is the NBA – which Nantambu could never have touched. But he's got to improve A LOT over the next two years (well, hopefully he manages it over the next 8 months) in order to get on that path.

Right now, however, he's a kid who still looks lost on one end of the court and is often far too rushed on the other end. Wish we'd been able to tell him to take a 5th year of prep school and redshirt him this season.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Enoch clearly took most of Durham's playing time late in the season. I think that happened because he is starting to get it. "It" being his job on the team. He can score. He can score the ball more effectively than any big we've had in some time really. Next year he's the man, and I fully expect that he will rise to the occasion and play (a) tougher (b) smarter and (c) with more confidence. Steve Enoch reminds me of one of those guys you see and you ask yourself why he isn't dominating the game, as he just sort of blends in. He needs a mean streak and some confidence in his game. I think we'll see it.

 

[mauconnfan]

Comparing Amida to those three is a pretty big insult to Amida. Those guys were all good guys, but were total stiffs. Even though Justin Brown might just be our starting center next year, according to JC. I still remember Justin doing a beautiful spin, drop step dunk against someone. Gampel went insane. Of course, he was called for traveling and then missed a defensive assignment and JC attacked him at midcourt, ha.

I'm not sure what the original reference was, re: the original post. But if anyone said that Enoch = Nantambu, then, well, wow. There is zero reason why Enoch cannot be a 12-6 guy minimum. Dude has talent, size, athleticism... It just hasn't all clicked yet.

Not talking about the results I was pointing to the fact they just weren't going to get a lot better. As I said he is much more gifted athletically than any of the previous mentioned, but the fact he never figured out the game itself hurt his growth. He still ended up being a much better player than any of them, at least impact wise, but still nowhere near where we would have expected after his initial campaign.

 

[UConnfan8]

this is lame. i won't believe it until i see it. dumb thread.

 

[Palatine]

Anyone who has watched the development of our bigs, knows we need a big man coach.

 

[huskyrob1]

I made the Enoch/Nantambu comp in another thread, something along the lines of "I hope Enoch's on the Hilton/Gavin/Kentan path, and not the Nantambu path."

The difference in paths isn't the relative skillset, but rather the improvement curve. Hilton/Gavin/Kentan all "got it" to one degree or another by their senior years, while Nantambu never, ever did. He was basically the same player as a senior that he was as a freshman.

Enoch is obviously very skilled and has both strength and good hands, and I think his ceiling is the NBA – which Nantambu could never have touched. But he's got to improve A LOT over the next two years (well, hopefully he manages it over the next 8 months) in order to get on that path.

Right now, however, he's a kid who still looks lost on one end of the court and is often far too rushed on the other end. Wish we'd been able to tell him to take a 5th year of prep school and redshirt him this season.

In the sense that Boo never got it by his senior year, no or very little improvement, etc... he sort of is a parallel to Brimah in that sense, IMO. As far as a comparison of Boo to Enoch, one thing that I do remember of Boo was his consistentcy at having happy feet with the ball, even when right under the basket. Enoch is pretty sound in his offensive footwork compared to Boo, even in his last year.

 

[jibsey]

I would have played Enoch every game until he fouled out to get him as many reps as possible looking forward to next year, living with his mistakes. It was apparent very early once the injuries occurred what was happening this season and KO did not want to believe it. His take no prisoners attitude was we're going to win with the group we've got. It's very admirable but extremely naive. Enoch is gifted offensively, way more than those players mentioned, and he needed to be out there for a lot of minutes to learn what he doesn't know on defense. All water under the bridge now.

 

[alexd]

Anyone who has watched the development of our bigs, knows we need a big man coach.

What's Jeff Adrien up to these days???

 

[joober jones]

Boo and Nolan's career numbers are very similar.

 

[joober jones]

What's Jeff Adrien up to these days???

He's playing in Israel. Thankfully he just ended up with community service and avoided jail time, and it seems he's been out of trouble since then - at least as far as I know.

 

[huskyrob1]

What's Jeff Adrien up to these days???

Even Clyde, so what if he spent $10 the wrong way, big deal.

 

[Danzz]

Enoch has offensive skills that put him head and shoulders above the Willinghams of the past.

 

[Horatio]

Enoch has offensive skills that put him head and shoulders above the Willinghams of the past.

I hope so.

 

[Waquoit]

The Enoch Equivalency. Wasn't that Ludlum?

 

[huskyrob1]

The Enoch Equivalency. Wasn't that Ludlum?

Yes you're correct. IIRC Glenn Miller was the shady CIA operative. Hathaway was a double agent.

 

[cohenzone]

Boo, great guy, never a D1,caliber big. Enoch is mobile, athletic, knows how to score. No comparison at all Do we have the coaches to help him with defensive technique and positioning? Do we have to wait and hope he has a Facey senior season? Next year would be useful. I think he and Durham can complement each other.

 

[intlzncster]

Let's see what we are dealing with here:

Is this just a generational thing. Are some of the posters - digging at current Bigs - just not old enough to watch Nantambu's years. (and I don't want to denigrate this alum ... he thrills me with his continuing inclusion in our best championship games etc) Did you really see Nantambu play?

Or ...

Are you just lacking in your evaluative skillset to not be able to see Steve Enoch's high level Big man capability? We can all look at the numbers of his performance ... and hold our collective nose. He really hasn't proven much. And he remains lost on defense - for most of 2016-2017. But, he does look like a very athletic 6'11. And he has very fast strong hands - which to my way of thinking has always been a leading indicator of development potential. Is it coaching? We might collectively think the Jim Calhoun/Howie Dickenman old school big man coaching was superior to today ... and I think it was. Nantambu?

You are worthy of derision if you continue this vein. I wish we had more Kyle Meier's - who I see as a Jake Voskuhl 6-10 type. More Kevin Freeman-Jeff Adrien types. Please don't try to Zoom us older guys that some of the earlier Calhoun guys had developed or were superior players than Enoch. Souleymane Wane was a solid prospect - but somewhat slightly upbeat development. Enoch CAN be far more. Like Wane; like Okwandu; like Facey and Brimah; some of these guys had very little basketball playing before age 15.

And development? It is like they say about Asperger's kids: If you see one Asperger's kid ... you have seen one Asperger's kid. ALL these guys have had vastly different stories. I still believe that we can see great improvement from the Norwalk kid.

If you grew up with UCONN in the 2000's, you are completely jaded in terms of what is the norm down low for the program.

 

[mauconnfan]

Boo, great guy, never a D1,caliber big. Enoch is mobile, athletic, knows how to score. No comparison at all Do we have the coaches to help him with defensive technique and positioning? Do we have to wait and hope he has a Facey senior season? Next year would be useful. I think he and Durham can complement each other.

And the Cobbster

 

[joober jones]

I don't remember Ol' Boo ever sinking any 18 footers.

 

[cohenzone]

I don't remember Ol' Boo ever sinking any 18 footers.

I don't remember old Boo sinking much of anything.

 

[cohenzone]

Nantambu Willingham College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

 

[joober jones]

That's just for his freshman year. Here are Boo's full UConn stats.