Three predictions after one game

[itgoeslike]

Two good - one bad

Brimah will be a lottery pick after three years.

Napier will have the highest 3pt shooting % for one season at the end of the year.

Boat will never play in the NBA.

caveat I really like Boat and he's a great 2nd guard in college. He just doesn't have the PG skills to be an NBA player.

We would have never won 20 games last year without Boatright. Having said that, he may need to adjust to having more playmakers and needs to convert when the ball is in his hands. That didn't happen as often as it could have last night. He did play hard on D and it is just the first game of the season. His play over the course of the season will dictate his NBA worthiness and let the cards fall where they may.

My read on the game: In the first half, UCONN looked like a team worthy of being in the mix for a NC. . .Brimah was excellent. . . Giffey looked solid. . .Napier delivered for the most part. . .Samuel had good moment. . .Olander came in late and delivered. . .Daniels looked tentative. . technical was total BS. . .second half exposed areas that need work. . .CKO will close those gaps over the next 10 games.

 

[CTBasketball]

My 3 predictions:

1. Daniels won't get drafted this year unless he asserts himself more.

2. Niels will get drafted in the 2nd round if he averages ~ 12 a game.

3. Cooley needs a hat.

 

[Onions]

Napier 'Senior' speaking didn't have his best game either. No need to be critical or single out Boat if you don't speak on the others, including DD, especially on a one (i.e. first) game performance.

18-7-7 in 32 minutes, yeah Shabazz stunk. Are you nuts. He was clearly the best player on the court. The only thing he did wrong was get in foul trouble. Oh yeah, the ball slipped out of his hand. Shoot him.

 

[mauconnfan]

My 3 predictions:

1) Boat and Deandre's draft status/view will change game-to-game and the BY will always have a thread on it after every game

2) Bazz will smile more on the court this year than ever before....he already did last night!

3) If UConn goes undefeated this year Palantine will say he feels like "we're 0-31"......(lol....I kid Palantine)

 

[Onions]

I thought Boat played terrible tonight. Really hope he gets it together and starts making better decisions. Watching him i couldnt help but think that he could problably beat any player on the court in a 1 v 1 pickup game but when hes put in a team concept he just doesnt seem to understand how to get people involved or take better shots. I cant imagine at this point seeing him in the nba.

Giffey might challenge Napier for best percentage.

Brimah could end up being better than Thabeet but not as good a Mek in a uconn uni but he could end up a better pro than both. This kid has some serious ability and hustles.

Boat missed some open shots, then missed the front end of a crucial 1 and 1. Other than that he played well last nite. 6 assists 2 steals and more rebounds than DD. The team got stagnant because MD went zone and that same statement could have been made in any of the last 4 years. Don't know why we suck in zone offense but it's not just Boat's fault.

 

[ctchamps]

18-7-7 in 32 minutes, yeah Shabazz stunk. Are you nuts. He was clearly the best player on the court. The only thing he did wrong was get in foul trouble. Oh yeah, the ball slipped out of his hand. Shoot him.

He never said that Bazz stunk. He said it wasn't one of his better games. Big difference. I felt Bazz struggled at times trying to dribble past the Maryland defense and I felt he lost his composure for several minutes after the technical foul. It was a bad call but it took Bazz out of the flow of his game in addition to the foul trouble. It wasn't one of his better shooting games. But I would take this game from 90% of college point guards and think it was a great game. It just was an average or below average game for a player that is imm the number 2 or 3 guard in the nation.

 

[mauconnfan]

It's certainly not his fault but people are correct in him running the tea,m when Bazz it out. There's a noticeable decline in good possessions/shots but hey it's not easy to be compared to Bazz!!

Not sure their zone was as effective as our own "prevent" offense - I thought they just got a little less aggressive and as usual it almost always bites you in the a**.....just keep attacking don't protect leads widen them!!

 

[Onions]

He never said that Bazz stunk. He said it wasn't one of his better games. Big difference. I felt Bazz struggled at times trying to dribble past the Maryland defense and I felt he lost his composure for several minutes after the technical foul. It was a bad call but it took Bazz out of the flow of his game in addition to the foul trouble. It wasn't one of his better shooting games. But I would take this game from 90% of college point guards and think it was a great game. It just was an average or below average game for a player that is imm the number 2 or 3 guard in the nation.

So those 7 assists don't count. I haven't looked it up but I'm guessing he doesn't have many better assist games than that, and in only 32 minutes, and those perfect behind the back passes were spectacular. Marcus Smart would settle for that game in a second. If he has that game every nite he's first team all-american, we win a lot of games and he goes in the first round. It wasn't his best game, but it was an excellent game.

 

[PacificStorm]

Agree on Brimah and Boat. Brimah is miles ahead of where Hasheem was at the same point. Defensively he could be a monster although he was exposed in straight post up situations due to his lack of strength. He has to bulk up and avoid the ticky tac fouls.

Boat is a perplexing player. He is incredibly quick and athletic but he seems to get beat off the dribble quite a bit. He (and Bazz) constantly are gambling for steals. Offensively he can be a bit selfish and dominate the ball. We lost the lead in part b/c our offense became stagnant/sloppy and Bazz and Boat were content on taking contested jumpers. I don't think there is any way he becomes a pro.

Moving forward, Boat is as quick and athletic as, say, Jeremy Lin (6 ' 3"), but like his bigger-size comparison, he is not as quick moving laterally, thus resulting in him being beat off the dribble-penetrate. I think it's his 5'9" size that greatly affects his side-to-side defense.

 

[ctchamps]

So those 7 assists don't count. I haven't looked it up but I'm guessing he doesn't have many better assist games than that, and in only 32 minutes, and those perfect behind the back passes were spectacular. Marcus Smart would settle for that game in a second. If he has that game every nite he's first team all-american, we win a lot of games and he goes in the first round. It wasn't his best game, but it was an excellent game.

I just have higher standards than you regarding Bazz! My criticism isn't aimed at Bazz or this game. I feel his offense was struggling more than usual. I'm not arguing against the rebounding. He had 3 turn overs to go with the seven assists and one third of his scoring was at the foul line on three fouls. He deserved one more assist on that behind the back pass to a wide open RB who missed the three. But it still felt like Bazz was not his optimum self in spite of the excellent stats. He struggled to get past defenders more than usual. I only recall one game last season where that was the case. IMO he is able to create a lot more than he did in this game.

 

[Forty_four]

If Boat will not be drafted in the NBA, then he will be playing for UConn in his senior season, good for US!

 

[ConnHuskBask]

1. Boat cannot pick up his dribble in the back court against the press as often as he did.

2. Niels needs to be on the court more. Tough to quantify,while individually he may be the 3rd or 4th best player, but as a team member I sometimes feel he's only behind Napier on the court in terms of who contributes most to winning basketball.

3. Brimah looks good, but don't forget Hasheem, while awkward, still put up 7/7 and a ton of blocks and good defense as a freshman. I think people are being way too dismissive of that.

 

[azescobar]

Let's not worry about the 2014 draft just yet, although I agree that Boat will have a tough time making an NBA roster for a number of reasons, but mainly his size. Let's enjoy this team this year, and let's enjoy Boat too..he brings a lot to the table, and he will be a key cog for the team this year. This team needs to get out in transition and run..Boat will excel in an up tempo pace..Let's also not proclare Brimah as the next Thabeet just yet, even though again, I love what I'm seeing. My three predictions - (1) this can be a 25 win season or better; (2) we go legit 8-10 deep; (3) we will see more of the "good" UConn from last night, as opposed to the "sloppy" UConn as the season progresses..

 

[champs99and04]

I think it's reasonable to look at a veteran player after 1 game and see to what degree their skills or role have changed. And what I see from Daniels is incremental improvement over last year, but not the "blowing up" that might have been inferred on the basis of the last 4 games in 2012-13.

I just don't see the offense running through him or him completely taking over in the way that, say, Caron did in 2002 (this is a comparison that many around here made in the offseason). As it has for the last 5-6 years, our offense will continue to lean heavily on our point guard and best player, namely Bazz.

Kemba's numbers during the first game of his junior year:

18 points, 6 of 17 from the field, 3 assists.

The season turned out alright for him.

 

[Kitaman]

It wasn't his best game,

Onions earlier response to similar statement:
"18-7-7 in 32 minutes, yeah Shabazz stunk. Are you nuts. He was clearly the best player on the court. The only thing he did wrong was get in foul trouble. Oh yeah, the ball slipped out of his hand. Shoot him."

This will be an interesting message board this season.

 

[CL82]

Don't count Boat out. The NBA is a different league and many more teams are running. He didn't have a great night, but damn is he quick. Bazz's tech really hurt and changed the game from a double digit win to a one point hold your breath win. I hate the impede rule. I think the ref's did a good job calling it, but it slows the game down. It will expose poor interior defense and foul shooters . Brimah is going to be a lottery pick down the road. I hope he stays, but he may be a 2fer. Thanks to T.O.'s clutch 3 we are 1-0 and he hustled his butt off too.

I remember people saying Kemba was a great college player but didn't have the size to play in the pros. It seems to working out for him.

 

[ctchamps]

So those 7 assists don't count. I haven't looked it up but I'm guessing he doesn't have many better assist games than that, and in only 32 minutes, and those perfect behind the back passes were spectacular. Marcus Smart would settle for that game in a second. If he has that game every nite he's first team all-american, we win a lot of games and he goes in the first round. It wasn't his best game, but it was an excellent game.

I watched the game again. It was a great game by Bazz.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I watched the game again. It was a great game by Bazz.

You and Champs breaking down the tape like 2 savy hoops gurus.

Keep up the great work guys. Some great dialogue by everyone. IMO

Tomorrow should be fun @ XL. Looking forward to it. They need to make the popcorn less salty though.

 

[OklahomaUconn]

Emek

Whoa whoa there. Remember, Emeka was a National Player of the Year. Don't get me wrong I would love it if Brimah turned into the best player in the country in a couple years but that is a little much after watching one game.

That being said......Uconn has a LOT to work with in Brimah. Great motor, runs like a deer, timing to block shots, etc. Also, Facey was our highest rated recruit this year and he didn't even play. Lots to look forward to. I am really going to enjoy this season.

emeka was defensive player of the year..from the 3 games ive seen with his speed and size both in height and length he might come close or may e better defensively than mek. I think in terms of overall player he might become better.. Nice few jams and hooks ..not rushed ..not awkward ..put ut this way brimah looks better after a few games than any center we ever had..including drummond...does he continually grow in development, who know...so i guess ur right too early to tell but i like what i see so far

 

[OklahomaUconn]

How many college players get 20 on every night? Not a whole lot.
I don't get why anyone wants to draw conclusions from one game. Hey, remember the first game of 03-04 when we trailed at the half against Yale? That year was a total bust.

Great reference with the yale game in 03-04... Good signs...stars are aligning..99-04-11-14

 

[Husky68]

UConn doesn't play as well with the lead. Pressure and taking opportunity shots (major strengths) seem to go away as we try and drag out the possessions. Against pressure the guards size and strength is a problem as refs seem to give other team pressing defense a lot of leeway late in games. Refs call less "strip" fouls on team behind and Boat/Bazz/Daniels can turn it over (all for different reasons; re getting too cute trying to draw fouls or drag out possession, too much dribbling and dribbling into trouble, weak handle). Also seemed like in the last 10 minutes the players were thinking too much and/or tired and did not get to some balls that were getting to in the 1st 30 minutes.
UConn will just have to keep playing to their strengths for 40 minutes, doesn't seem like the personality of Bazz/Boat though as they seem to change their persona's as players when ahead and slow stuff down.
I thought refs calls final 10 minutes was more than normal "let the losing team have a chance to play" and not covering 3's the whole game were also important.
And with this we won. Not expecting an Indian 1976 undefeated team like Kentucky is talking, I see a team that could be better than the Kemba team with Bazz as Kemba light and the rest as better supporting crew; that plus a few needed shots/fouls/calls going our way gets us to the FF. That's what I saw in one game.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Giffey is not an NBA player, but he is a very good college player.

My predictions:

1) Ollie will earn his paycheck this year. The tools are there for a great year, but other than Napier, all the players have significant weaknesses. This means Ollie will have to really work his substitutions carefully.

2) Boatright and/or Napier will play too many minutes and end up with nagging injuries. Ollie MUST keep their minutes in the low 30's for them to be fresh at year end, and that means he has to do it against the good teams as well as the bad. 30 minutes of court time against a Maryland is a lot more work and tiring than it will be against a Maine.

 

[Goat]

Ollie has a system and the team has bought in, for now. Last year the stars came out or didn't, but there were few others to fill the space. Now, Ollie has a bench to mix and match and last year's team has improved and been improved by newcomers.

So, now the coach's art is at a different kind of premium. Ollie is feeling out how to mix the pieces to match different opposition. Jim Calhoun was great at having a near checkmate set at the end of the game. Friday, Ollie trusted, Boatright, Samuel, Giffey, Olander and Brimah. I believe the strategy was to defend the lead. He believes that those 5 are gifted enough and that he has coached up Brimah and Samuel for that competitive crucible.

I think we will see lots of the SN, RB, OC, DD, and probably Brimah and Nolan working Yale over. It will be back to bread and butter. Those players at 1-4 have already sat so others would develop sooner. They now need to get in sync. When they do, if we have the complementary bench we saw Friday, we are going to have some fun.

We learned that with competent big guards, our starters either rule with their speed or they don't. Bazz is amazing, but neither he or Boatright is very big and since he is Boat's partner in the back court they magnify each other's size weakness. If the opponents are big and handle the pressure, Calhoun, Kromah and Giffey will get increased minutes and Boatright will get less.

Boat is a great player. For the NBA he needs to dominate with speed, speed changes, fade-aways, shooting, drives to the basket - like Kemba. Next year, worse case, he will have a chance to be the litttle point with Purvis and Calhoun on the wings. He may star or he may fail to be drafted where he wants. However, we will have 3 point guards again.

There are some immutable facets to this team. One is that Boatright is an effective starter, but his ego will not permit him to be used like Giffey. I hope he doesn't read the BY because he can be drafted with coaching and hard work. If he starts to worry about negative fan assessments and press stories he can mess this up. That is probably why the BY loves Giffey and withholds it's love for Boat. He really thinks he is on Bazz's level, but he isn't yet. Napier's year will prove that.

Brimah is rolling. Please nobody tell him that playing the 5 like a star for a program like UConn as a freshman is unusual and hard. If he doesn't start thinking, Brimah will make his coaches look very skilled, this year.

 

[CAHUSKY]

2) Boatright and/or Napier will play too many minutes and end up with nagging injuries. Ollie MUST keep their minutes in the low 30's for them to be fresh at year end, and that means he has to do it against the good teams as well as the bad. 30 minutes of court time against a Maryland is a lot more work and tiring than it will be against a Maine.

Since when do 75 minutes a week wear down healthy, 21 year old guards? You said this in another thread and I couldn't disagree more. Maybe during the conference tourney but no way it's an issue during the regular season.

 

[HailUConn]

Two good - one bad

Brimah will be a lottery pick after three years.

Napier will have the highest 3pt shooting % for one season at the end of the year.

Boat will never play in the NBA.

caveat I really like Boat and he's a great 2nd guard in college. He just doesn't have the PG skills to be an NBA player.

I approve your predictions wholeheartedly, LOL.

My 3 predictions:


1. Brimah will be a lottery pick after 2 years (A center with his height and motor was a rare commodity, and remember NBA draft is more about potential than what you've shown). Since next year NBA draft is not so talented in the first round as this year, I see him come out next year with a top 3 pick.

2. Boat will not only never play in the NBA, but he will be replaced in the starting line up after the midpoint of the season, as soon as Kromah or Samuel are improving steadily in KO's eyes. This could be sooner depending who we are playing.

3. Looking at the Yale lineup, DeAndre Daniels and Boat will continue to have a tough game tonight against Yale.