This is NOT last season!!!

[Ts5034]

Im tired of people looking at the glass half full from the perspective of last year. Right now this team does not have a player like Kemba that can take over every single game and will the team to victory because hes the best player on the floor. Yes, last year Uconn did lose 9 BE games and looked bad at times BUT...they had Kemba. We knew early last year what this team might become after the week in Maui and it was no fluke. Last year at this time Uconn was on fire and won about 6 or 7 in a row which included the game at Texas.

At this point last year (18 gms) Uconn was 16-2 with many quality wins. They finished the year 5-7 but we knew that they can compete at a high level with anybody in the country. We still dont know what this team is yet and with 12 games left to play there are more questions then answers. They can be really good but it seems we have been waiting all season for them to put it together. Very frustrating and i think the first step in turning the corner is getting Boatright back. I hope it happens sooner rather then later.

 

[jfuchs91]

Not that people don't care about this season, but after last season's post season success, I think people are just less phased by regular season losses. Yes, this team isn't where most people expected us to be by now, but it's a long season. People forget just how young this team is. I have little doubt that we'll be playing our best ball down the stretch.

 

[alexd]

If it helps at all, NO OTHER TEAM had anyone like Kemba last year either.

 

[mauconnfan]

If it helps at all, NO OTHER TEAM had anyone like Kemba last year either.

Right and no other team "HAS" Kemba this year either. Also last years UConn team didn't have Andre Drummond who by March may be a better answer than Kemba, maybe being the key word!!

 

[wpq4elamin]

why are people getting crazy bc we lost to a good cincy team on a last second shot when we didn't have boat and bazz looked tired all night?

i don't get it....

if you're sick of people being hopeful and optimistic that this team will improve by March, why don't you just stop watching games since obviously we're going to lose every game the rest of the year?

 

[upstater]

Im tired of people looking at the glass half full from the perspective of last year.

Can't understand why you'd be tired of this.

In other words, you'd only be happy if people pissed and moaned?

 

[Kitaman]

The OP is right but saying it wrong. We need to move on and let this year's team identify itself and be itself. Let's admit last year's team was more fortune and timing than anything else. In fact last year's team was a 'Tournament' team and marginal else-wise. We may never see that in our lifetime again, it was remarkable. How can you compare anything to that?

I don't think fans are spoiled just maybe a little unrealistic since the NC is so fresh. I just say let these kids become what they will this year which will be somewhat dissimilar to last year's team. Maybe we will again be pleasantly surprised in the Spring but for now this team is a lot different, and hard if not impossible to compare.

 

[John Fryer]

The OP is right but saying it wrong. We need to move on and let this year's team identify itself and be itself. Let's admit last year's team was more fortune and timing than anything else. In fact last year's team was a 'Tournament' team and marginal else-wise. We may never see that in our lifetime again, it was remarkable. How can you compare anything to that?

I don't think fans are spoiled just maybe a little unrealistic since the NC is so fresh. I just say let these kids become what they will this year which will be somewhat dissimilar to last year's team. Maybe we will again be pleasantly surprised in the Spring but for now this team is a lot different, and hard if not impossible to compare.

Last season KW was the team leader on and off the court.

This season, to this point, SN has tried to be the on the floor leader.

That hasn't worked out too well. Has it?

But if not SN, then who?

The team needs a floor leader and an identity.

Peace,

John Fryer

 

[HuskyBballFan]

The reason why people bring up last year is because certain posters on this board were just as quick to predict doom and gloom for last year's team after every single loss. All of those people ended up being very, very wrong. By the way, how many Boneyarders were praising Kemba's leadership the day after a tough loss last year?

Everybody knows that last year's formula isn't repeatable. But we're not 9-9 yet. We're not on the bubble yet. The sky isn't falling yet. Our next four games are @ Tennessee, Notre Dame, @ Georgetown, and a fading Seton Hall. Would the doom and gloomers be that surprised to see us go 3-1 during that stretch? We'd be 17-5 and in fine shape heading into the Louisville/Syracuse games. What would be so bad about that exactly?

Winning solves everything. We win two games last week and everybody calms down. We lose a tough one last night and everyone flips out. Some people will rinse and repeat this on a game-by-game basis. Others take a bigger picture look.

 

[huskymagic]

John is right that his team needs a floor leader and an identity but where and who to look to is the question?The talent we have is undeniable but the chemistry, leadership, identity is not there and this team is similar to the 05/06 team after we had just won a national championship and we got Rudy as our biggest recruit ever at that point and we had Rudy, Hilton, Josh Boone, Rashad, Jeff Adrien but couldn't win a championship with that beastly team we had.

This team is similar to that group when it comes to lack of identity and leadership.

 

[freescooter]

I think this year's team is something of a mess in terms of rotation still, actually more than rotation. It is a mess in terms of personel. I know I'll get attacked for this, but I think we'd be a better team without Drummond. He is going to be a great player and he needs to play, but he isn't a great player now. He tries to do too many things and he is out of position lots of times. In my view he isn't as good as Oriahki was at his best last year. But his presence, aside from putting Oriahki into a major funk, has totally fouled up the front line rotation that worked so well last season, especially down the stretch. Roscoe, who was becoming a very solid 4 has now been forced ot share time with Oriahki who has moved over from the middle and Olander, and he seems to be in a bit of a funk, too, not playing anywhere nearly as well as he did last year. Obvioulsy no Boatright causes problems with the point forcing Lamb to play there from time to time. But the front court situation is a mess with no consistency, no flow. This team, with so many pieces back from a national championship, plus the additions it had looked to be really really good. It is ok, but not the monster I though tit would be. Instead it almost has the feel of one of those teams that Steinbrenner liked to assemble from time to time with the yankees that had an all star at every position and another as a backup but couldn't seem to quite get it together. I'm not blaming Drummond by any stretch. Don't misinterpret my comments. I just think this is a team with too many pieces but without the right ones.

 

[OkaForPrez]

My optimism comes from the fact that like last year this team can put the clamps on you when they want to as evidenced by the 2nd half closure which was driven by our best 5-7 minutes of perimeter defense.

Like last year, when they figure out how to extend that effort to 40 min, they will be tough to beat.

Kemba didn't carry us to a NC. defense did. That's why Calhoun calls the butler game beautiful, and everyone outside our fan base calls it he worst NC in 20 years.

Btw, Bazz had some good and some bad yesterday as has been his signature, but he still had ice water in his veins scoring those last 10 pts. That is one hole that needs to be filled in Kembas wake, and if anything, we can feel better about filling that hole after last night.

 

[Husky68]

I think this year's team is something of a mess in terms of rotation still, actually more than rotation. It is a mess in terms of personel. I know I'll get attacked for this, but I think we'd be a better team without Drummond. He is going to be a great player and he needs to play, but he isn't a great player now. He tries to do too many things and he is out of position lots of times. In my view he isn't as good as Oriahki was at his best last year. But his presence, aside from putting Oriahki into a major funk, has totally fouled up the front line rotation that worked so well last season, especially down the stretch. Roscoe, who was becoming a very solid 4 has now been forced ot share time with Oriahki who has moved over from the middle and Olander, and he seems to be in a bit of a funk, too, not playing anywhere nearly as well as he did last year. Obvioulsy no Boatright causes problems with the point forcing Lamb to play there from time to time. But the front court situation is a mess with no consistency, no flow. This team, with so many pieces back from a national championship, plus the additions it had looked to be really really good. It is ok, but not the monster I though tit would be. Instead it almost has the feel of one of those teams that Steinbrenner liked to assemble from time to time with the yankees that had an all star at every position and another as a backup but couldn't seem to quite get it together. I'm not blaming Drummond by any stretch. Don't misinterpret my comments. I just think this is a team with too many pieces but without the right ones.

This is money. Watching Drummond when he isn't focal point of play on offense he sometimes is watching the play rather than positioning himself. Like an athletic and big 13 year old playing with his 16 year old brother and his friends where they all know how to play and can confuse him because the young kid hasn't played enough to get instinctive.

I would still rate Bazz dribbling too much and not being anywhere near his guy on defense (and cheating for steals) as the major issue to overcome. Too much on his plate. When he was over handling the ball thought the other guys would try and make plays when he passed to them, more often than not they just passed it back, need more guys thinking they are playmakers not just Bazz and 4 catch and finish guys out there.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think this year's team is something of a mess in terms of rotation still, actually more than rotation. It is a mess in terms of personel. I know I'll get attacked for this, but I think we'd be a better team without Drummond. He is going to be a great player and he needs to play, but he isn't a great player now. He tries to do too many things and he is out of position lots of times. In my view he isn't as good as Oriahki was at his best last year. But his presence, aside from putting Oriahki into a major funk, has totally fouled up the front line rotation that worked so well last season, especially down the stretch. Roscoe, who was becoming a very solid 4 has now been forced ot share time with Oriahki who has moved over from the middle and Olander, and he seems to be in a bit of a funk, too, not playing anywhere nearly as well as he did last year. Obvioulsy no Boatright causes problems with the point forcing Lamb to play there from time to time. But the front court situation is a mess with no consistency, no flow. This team, with so many pieces back from a national championship, plus the additions it had looked to be really really good. It is ok, but not the monster I though tit would be. Instead it almost has the feel of one of those teams that Steinbrenner liked to assemble from time to time with the yankees that had an all star at every position and another as a backup but couldn't seem to quite get it together. I'm not blaming Drummond by any stretch. Don't misinterpret my comments. I just think this is a team with too many pieces but without the right ones.

This is an outstanding post. Last year, we won because we had Kemba, but around him we really played good, fundamentally sound basketball. With Drummond on the court, we don't. I don't know that his unbelievable physical skills make up for just being in the wrong position, and making small mental mistakes (like dribbling and screwing up the angle before he feeds the low post), that in some games happen most every possession.

 

[UCweCONN]

I admit that with all the players we had coming back and the addition of Drummond and Daniels, I was expecting a dominant season. Especially since I heard that Drummond played a lot with players from the team before coming on board. I think most here are disappointed with the season so far especially with how well Syracuse is playing and the attention they're getting. I don't like any other BE team getting the attention that UCONN could have. I probably set unrealistic expectations before the season. I am going to go into each game the rest of the regular season expecting they will lose, that way I won't get too down when they lose and will be happy about every win. This was the approach I used during the 9-9 BE season last year. Also, with this approach I will enjoy any success they might achieve this season.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Last season KW was the team leader on and off the court.

This season, to this point, SN has tried to be the on the floor leader.

That hasn't worked out too well. Has it?

But if not SN, then who?

The team needs a floor leader and an identity.

Peace,

John Fryer

Hasn't worked out too well? Shabazz has played beyond my hopes or dreams this year. Can you name one point guard not named Khalid El Amin (and maybe Doron) who has played significantly better as a sophomore? His shooting is dramatically better than last year. He is playing 40 minutes a game with an injured foot and no backup. He's going to make some mistakes, but he has made a lot of big shots/plays. His judgment has been pretty good with the exception of a few wtf shots every now and then. He is better than Kemba was as a sophomore as a point guard, IMHO.

 

[willie99]

not sure how people can find so much negative in this team

must be young, or knows very little about UConn's tradition

stated differently, we hear this type of nonsense each and every year, without exception