This team is close to being very good

[scrappy2.0]

Much more so than who we can recruit for next year--if this team is kept intact and we improve--this can be a National Championship contender next year. We have the pieces here to be very very good--its just a year away. The key is keeping Boatright and Napier in school. I do not think either would be a 1st round pick --I do think with one years improvement in an all around and build--they both would have a chance to go in round 1 next year. I hope the moon aligns here--it very well could. This would be a beast of a team. By the way this team we have now is darn close to being a team that did not lose this year--shouldve beaten Marquette was up big double digits to NC state and imploded and we were up against new Mexico with less than 2 minutes to go. Our 1 bad game was Qu.

 

[bazzdog]

I gotta believe KO is in SN's and RB's ear about next year. Those two would get so much more out of a deep run in tourney next year. I agree we are a top 10 team next year w/ everyone back. Terrence slips into RJ's role and we add a rebounder in Facey. My fingers are crossed

 

[Peacefrog]

Much more so than who we can recruit for next year--if this team is kept intact and we improve--this can be a National Championship contender next year. We have the pieces here to be very very good--its just a year away. The key is keeping Boatright and Napier in school. I do not think either would be a 1st round pick --I do think with one years improvement in an all around and build--they both would have a chance to go in round 1 next year. I hope the moon aligns here--it very well could. This would be a beast of a team. By the way this team we have now is darn close to being a team that did not lose this year--shouldve beaten Marquette was up big double digits to NC state and imploded and we were up against new Mexico with less than 2 minutes to go. Our 1 bad game was Qu.

The DePaul game was a laugher which is good but it was a home tilt against possibly the worst team in the league with two starters suspended. Big men no less. The guys did what they should have done in that situation but I'm not going to read a whole lot more into it than that. I think to be real good next year everyone needs to stay and Facey has to be a monster on the boards. I mean a beast. We are a good big man away from being a solid team but I'm just not sure that we are going to quite fill that hole in the middle next year but here's to hoping..........

 

[ctchamps]

The DePaul game was a laugher which is good but it was a home tilt against possibly the worst team in the league with two starters suspended. Big men no less. The guys did what they should have done in that situation but I'm not going to read a whole lot more into it than that. I think to be real good next year everyone needs to stay and Facey has to be a monster on the boards. I mean a beast. We are a good big man away from being a solid team but I'm just not sure that we are going to quite fill that hole in the middle next year but here's to hoping..........

One solid big addition and further development of EW, OC and DD.

 

[CTBasketball]

This will only happen if Enosch and Olander improve. But I'm not gonna make a judgement until we play Louisville/Syracuse.

 

[dogpause]

We're improving, but we'll continue to be vulnerable to teams that can out muscle us inside. However, in a close game, I like our chances a lot.

 

[upstater]

Besides Daniels' emergence, the biggest factor is Boatright hitting so many of his shots.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This board needs to maintain more of an even keel. Nice win last night against a bad team missing two starters.

Unfortunately, I do not suspect there is a single player currently on the team that will be here when UConn makes another Final Four. 2 lost recruiting classes are going to put a whole in this team that we will feel when Napier leaves.

 

[ctchamps]

This board needs to maintain more of an even keel. Nice win last night against a bad team missing two starters.

Unfortunately, I do not suspect there is a single player currently on the team that will be here when UConn makes another Final Four. 2 lost recruiting classes are going to put a whole in this team that we will feel when Napier leaves.

Unintentional but you meant hole in this team. Stating whole in this team implies almost the opposite.

Even keel it is. The team still needs more development to really know what the potential will be.

I like what I see because the development, imm has been far greater than I would have suspected pre season. Pre season: I felt SN and RB were a given. And that's it. I felt the front court was probably as weak as any time in UConn's history. I felt inexperience at every position except the pg was the reality. I felt all this combined with a new coach and I was expecting some wtf losses against the cupcakes.

What I see is a freshman who is doing more than I expected. And two players who mostly rode the pine developing faster and greater than I would have guessed watching them at the beginning of the season. That development has a lot to do with the players. But imm the coaching staff also has a lot to do with this. And that's why I'm optimistic. KO is the real deal and he is doing it with the awful hand he was dealt with. I expect further bumps in the road. And yes next season has been impacted recruitment wise. But the future has some real potential imo.

 

[Gurleyman]

This board needs to maintain more of an even keel. Nice win last night against a bad team missing two starters.

Unfortunately, I do not suspect there is a single player currently on the team that will be here when UConn makes another Final Four. 2 lost recruiting classes are going to put a whole in this team that we will feel when Napier leaves.

I feel like we're one piece away from giving it a good run next year. Might be wishful thinking for it to be Facey, but who would've thought Jeremy Lamb would've been what he was at this equivalent point?

 

[Fishy]

I think you're right.

I'd love to see them get a brick-s*** house of a power forward - I just think we need more depth and more heft in the front court or the better clubs will keep murdering us on the boards.

I'd like to see them recruit someone out of a prison. We need a rebounder with an edge.

 

[ctchamps]

I think you're right.

I'd love to see them get a brick-s*** house of a power forward - I just think we need more depth and more heft in the front court or the better clubs will keep murdering us on the boards.

I'd like to see them recruit someone out of a prison. We need a rebounder with an edge.

You might want to contact the poster who wrote this in the "New Yorks 'College Team'" thread.

I teach in a prison and get a lot of students from NYC. We talk about sports a lot during downtime and overwhelmingly they follow UConn basketball. I've never had a NYC student tell me they were a fan of Syracuse, St. Johns, or Rutgers. I'm not suggesting they are die hard UConn fans, but seem to follow it much more than the other teams.

He signed in as Goofus!

 

[Dann]

i will give caron a call and see what prospects he may know of.

 

[Gurleyman]

I think you're right.

I'd love to see them get a brick-s*** house of a power forward - I just think we need more depth and more heft in the front court or the better clubs will keep murdering us on the boards.

I'd like to see them recruit someone out of a prison. We need a rebounder with an edge.

I'm not sure it would work, but if all else fails, I'd be up for sending Giffey to prison in the offseason. One of those tough German prisons where they don't mess around. Let him come back with a couple skull tattoos and knife scars and a scary look in his eye, and have him flip out once a game on the bench and randonly throw a chair against the wall, or punch a goat. Something you can't be suspended for, but which would scare opposing players into thinking he could flip out on them.

We'd need to find a goat without self-esteem issues that won't take the occasional beating personally, but we have time.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I'm not sure it would work, but if all else fails, I'd be up for sending Giffey to prison in the offseason. One of those tough German prisons where they don't mess around. Let him come back with a couple skull tattoos and knife scars and a scary look in his eye, and have him flip out once a game on the bench and randonly throw a chair against the wall, or punch a goat. Something you can't be suspended for, but which would scare opposing players into thinking he could flip out on them.

We'd need to find a goat without self-esteem issues that won't take the occasional beating personally, but we have time.

Nice work, I actually felt bad for a hypothetical abused farm animal. Strangely not Giffey though. I'm all for that part.

 

[Gurleyman]

I also took a few minutes to scour the NCAA rulebook for a clarification, and so long as there isn't a significant color contrast with your uniform (i.e. dark vs light to mimic the other team's jersey), there isn't anything in the NCAA rules that explicitly prohibits playing with a live snake around your neck.

 

[ctchamps]

I'm not sure it would work, but if all else fails, I'd be up for sending Giffey to prison in the offseason. One of those tough German prisons where they don't mess around. Let him come back with a couple skull tattoos and knife scars and a scary look in his eye, and have him flip out once a game on the bench and randonly throw a chair against the wall, or punch a goat. Something you can't be suspended for, but which would scare opposing players into thinking he could flip out on them.

We'd need to find a goat without self-esteem issues that won't take the occasional beating personally, but we have time.

They would really have to work NG over. Whenever the camera pans to him on the court and they show a close up of his face, I never get the feeling of intimidation. Now Wolf on the other hand has a look that says don't mezz witt me or u vill pay vith your life!

 

[ctchamps]

I also took a few minutes to scour the NCAA rulebook for a clarification, and so long as there isn't a significant color contrast with your uniform (i.e. dark vs light to mimic the other team's jersey), there isn't anything in the NCAA rules that explicitly prohibits playing with a live snake around your neck.

We're looking for thugs, not strippers.

 

[Gurleyman]

We're looking for thugs, not strippers.

What's the difference? Either way, nobody is going to want to box him out.

 

[ctchamps]

What's the difference? Either way, nobody is going to want to box him out.

Well if we get such a player and he has a snake around his neck and the team gets another NC we can call this guy Monty and say Monty Python led us to the Holy Grail.

 

[Gurleyman]

Well if we get such a player and he has a snake around his neck and the team gets another NC we can call this guy Monty and say Monty Python led us to the Holy Grail.

Now you're thinking! We'd just need to protect the team from moose bites.

 

[UConn5]

I love how these guys are playing and I think they can make a huge leap next year because no one is leaving for the draft or anything like that. Only thing is, they need to find a big or two and it doesn't look like we're going to be able to pick up an impact freshman center/pf so I'm not sure what the team can develop into other than a guard-centric team...but that can work in college basketball so let's hope it works out nicely.

 

[Gurleyman]

Would be nice if we could find the PF equivalent of RJ out there for a year, but odds are that we'll just have to hope for improvement from the Wolf-Olander-Nolan trio and some contributions from Facey.

What we'll lack in star power up front, we'll hopefully overcome just by having a very experienced nucleus (four seniors, two juniors and a soph in our top 7).

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Now you're thinking! We'd just need to protect the team from moose bites.

...and from rabbits with a mean streak.