Traci Carter (Committed to Marquette)

[CallMeBruce]

Player A - Four-year starting point guard. All-time assists leader w/ 722 assists at UConn. Had 172 assists as a soph.

Player B - Hmmm....is a good free throw shooter.

Terrence isn't even in the conversation. He's not even a point guard - he's a kid with a shooting guard's handle and the team manager's jumpshot. If he were 1/2 of Taliek Brown, we wouldn't be furiously beating the bushes hoping to bag a three-star point guard somewhere.

This place is a clown show sometimes.

You're not helping yourself by deliberately misinterpreting people's posts. Samuel is a pretty meh player right now. He has two more years to improve. Going from meh as a sophomore to decent as a senior is hardly a stretch. That picture you painted of Brown as a sophomore is nice, but that's the best he ever played at UConn. He shot 41.7% from the floor as a senior, made 1 three-pointer all season, and hit 55% of his free throws. I don't think it's impossible that Samuel, with two more years, ends up being an adequate starting point guard. Not a good one, but I don't think Taliek was particularly good, either.

 

[mauconnfan]

I watched Taliek a lot. He was a pretty miserable shooter. Scott Hazleton was also a McD's AA. That distinction doesn't make him a better player. Brown was a perfectly adequate starting point guard as a freshman, and remained exactly that for four years. I don't think it would be mind-blowing for Samuel to end up being an adequate starter.

My history with Taliek is well documented (SI) but I will say this. Terrence does have along way to go to be at his level, he's well short of that now. TB was a leader, while I agree he had some liability issues he was confident in leading the team and didn't waver from his toughness. He was a better passer and creator and a much better defender, something I thought was his biggest strength. So while I agree with some things it is unfair to Taliek to compare the 2 at this point.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Final third of the season, Taliek started making his free throws consistently and it made a big difference.

I don't know if I'd call 64% "consistent," but it was an improvement.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I don't know about the rest of you, but i would like to stop seeing us compare current and former players. We have TSam right now, and that's all that matters. He was key in our tourney run last year and he's gonna be a good four-year player. He needs at least one constant shooter around him to open up lanes. As we all know, he is a wrecking ball once he sees an open lane. Jeez guys, he's not Taliek, he's Terrance.

 

[mauconnfan]

I don't know about the rest of you, but i would like to stop seeing us compare current and former players. We have TSam right now, and that's all that matters. He was key in our tourney run last year and he's gonna be a good four-year player. He needs at least one constant shooter around him to open up lanes. As we all know, he is a wrecking ball once he sees an open lane. Jeez guys, he's not Taliek, he's Terrance.

Yep and he needs to be exactly that, a "good 4 year player" and not a starting PG or we're in trouble. That is the main point of this and it goes back to the title from the OP - we need Carter, or alike!

 

[Rico444]

Yep, agree on all points. I'm not at all rooting against TSam, hell prove me totally wrong I'm a fan anyway. I just see limitations based on his skill set. That's fine because he deserves to be a Husky and has proven that.

I think you're too tough on the kid, but glad to see this post. Easy to forget that we all root for the same team sometimes!

That being said, if T-Sam can get a little more consistent on the defensive end then I can see him being a lockdown defender. He's shown the ability to do that in spurts. And that can warrant more than 10 minutes a game. I also don't think he's done improving on the offensive end; he's shown some improvement lately on getting into the lane; got past his man and into the paint and kicked out to Purvis for a 3 just the other night. I know I'm higher on him than most, but I think by the time all is said and done he can have at the very least the kind of impact that Lasan Kromah had for us last year. NOT SAYING he's going to be the exact same player, just that he can have a similar impact on our team.

 

[Fishy]

You're not helping yourself by deliberately misinterpreting people's posts. Samuel is a pretty meh player right now. He has two more years to improve. Going from meh as a sophomore to decent as a senior is hardly a stretch. That picture you painted of Brown as a sophomore is nice, but that's the best he ever played at UConn. He shot 41.7% from the floor as a senior, made 1 three-pointer all season, and hit 55% of his free throws. I don't think it's impossible that Samuel, with two more years, ends up being an adequate starting point guard. Not a good one, but I don't think Taliek was particularly good, either.

Taliek Brown had over 300 assists at the same stage of his career - he was a legitimate four-year starting point guard on very good teams. Taliek, as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, would have started every single game for this current UConn team.

Samuel isn't 'meh' - he's plain deficient if you consider him a point guard. He doesn't have the handle, he's not as quick and he has trouble keeping people in front of him on defense. His jumpsuit makes Taliek look like Pistol Pete.

Your opinion aside, the two players are not even in the same orbit.

 

[methodology]

Can't believe people actually think Samuel can become taliek. Takiek ceiling was nba all star when he first arrived on campus (Kenny Smith put him on his nba 21 st century team as a projection when he was a sophomore since he coached him and knew his game). Obviously he never reached his lofty expectations but he became a terrific player for what uconn needed.

He was a general on the court and knewexactly what needed to happen. His handle, court vision, passing, ability to get to the correct spot on the floor to set up teammates, decision making and basketball iq are light years ahead of Samuel.

Taliek understood his limitations and excelled in being the PG general on the floor. His shot was better and he was a better driver/finisher and actually proved to be a prolific scorer in aau and high school unlike Samuel even though it never transferred over to college.

Samuel will be hard pressed to ever become taliek. He is a role player and every team needs a like him.

 

[tcf15]

Marquette was in to see him yesterday...

Gery Woelfel ‏@GeryWoelfel 21h21 hours ago
MU coach Steve Wojciechowski expected to visit today with NJ prep standout Traci Carter.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Taliek Brown had over 300 assists at the same stage of his career - he was a legitimate four-year starting point guard on very good teams. Taliek, as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, would have started every single game for this current UConn team.

Samuel isn't 'meh' - he's plain deficient if you consider him a point guard. He doesn't have the handle, he's not as quick and he has trouble keeping people in front of him on defense. His jumpsuit makes Taliek look like Pistol Pete.

Your opinion aside, the two players are not even in the same orbit.

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. Yes, sophomore Taliek was decidedly better than sophomore Samuel. But senior Taliek wasn't any better than sophomore Taliek. He was actually measurably worse in a lot of ways. If Samuel improves significantly, it is possible that, by his senior year, he is as good as Taliek was. You disagree? That's fine. I think we have pretty disparate opinions on how good Taliek was, and that's OK.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Takiek ceiling was nba all star when he first arrived on campus (Kenny Smith put him on his nba 21 st century team as a projection when he was a sophomore since he coached him and knew his game).

I'm not clear on the relevance here. Taliek was obviously incredibly overrated coming into college. He never even sniffed the NBA, so the perception that he had the ceiling of an all-star doesn't carry much weight. This is tells me a lot more about Kenny Smith than it does about Taliek Brown.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Marquette was in to see him yesterday...

Gery Woelfel ‏@GeryWoelfel 21h21 hours ago
MU coach Steve Wojciechowski expected to visit today with NJ prep standout Traci Carter.

I still really hate Wojo.

 

[Danzz]

I think you're too tough on the kid, but glad to see this post. Easy to forget that we all root for the same team sometimes!

That being said, if T-Sam can get a little more consistent on the defensive end then I can see him being a lockdown defender. He's shown the ability to do that in spurts. And that can warrant more than 10 minutes a game. I also don't think he's done improving on the offensive end; he's shown some improvement lately on getting into the lane; got past his man and into the paint and kicked out to Purvis for a 3 just the other night. I know I'm higher on him than most, but I think by the time all is said and done he can have at the very least the kind of impact that Lasan Kromah had for us last year. NOT SAYING he's going to be the exact same player, just that he can have a similar impact on our team.

TSam is a backup PG and if he is ever more than that we are in trouble. He can make a layout and most of his foul shots, something Taliek couldn't do but he is not the assist man Taliek was and to expect that isn't fair to the kid. Some think TSam is a great defender (not to be confused with Taliek or Ricky Moore) but I think he is only average. He can make plays on D but he also gets beat if he has to guard quicker PGs. He brings energy and he is a good player to have coming off the bench in short spurts but that is probably his ceiling.

 

[Fishy]

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. Yes, sophomore Taliek was decidedly better than sophomore Samuel. But senior Taliek wasn't any better than sophomore Taliek. He was actually measurably worse in a lot of ways. If Samuel improves significantly, it is possible that, by his senior year, he is as good as Taliek was. You disagree? That's fine. I think we have pretty disparate opinions on how good Taliek was, and that's OK.

You're just off the reservation here. Or you were born in 2005.

Yes, Taliek was better as a senior than he was as a sophomore. 'n kid had 250 assists as a senior even with Ben Gordon siphoning some off.

When has Terrence even shown that he was a point guard, let alone one that's capable of starting and running a team?

 

[methodology]

I'm not clear on the relevance here. Taliek was obviously incredibly overrated coming into college. He never even sniffed the NBA, so the perception that he had the ceiling of an all-star doesn't carry much weight. This is tells me a lot more about Kenny Smith than it does about Taliek Brown.

The same relevance of those comparing senior taliek to sophomore taliek and saying he didn't improve and was the same player.

Senior taliek knew he wasn't the hype when he came to uconn and he adjusted altered his game to not be a shooter/scorer and being the floor general.

His improvements aren't captured by statlines

 

[jibsey]

If Enoch can put one foot in front of the other without falling down, and can score from a foot away from the basket, he will pass Nolan immediately.

I think Lubin can do that now but KO is just being loyal to Phil who may play better defense at this point.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

 

[Tommyboy]

Still remember almost hitting my head on the ceiling jumping after that shot. I can't imagine the pain of someone hitting a shot like that against you. I am super pissed when someone banks in a 3 against us in a regular season game or when the 20% shooter goes 4-6 from 3. That plus the situation, BRUTAL. Oh yeah, F Pitt.

 

[CallMeBruce]

The same relevance of those comparing senior taliek to sophomore taliek and saying he didn't improve and was the same player.

Senior taliek knew he wasn't the hype when he came to uconn and he adjusted altered his game to not be a shooter/scorer and being the floor general.

His improvements aren't captured by statlines

So he missed more shots on purpose? Interesting theory.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. Yes, sophomore Taliek was decidedly better than sophomore Samuel. But senior Taliek wasn't any better than sophomore Taliek. He was actually measurably worse in a lot of ways. If Samuel improves significantly, it is possible that, by his senior year, he is as good as Taliek was. You disagree? That's fine. I think we have pretty disparate opinions on how good Taliek was, and that's OK.

Let's not overthink this. The 2004 team is the greatest collection of talent that ever walked around Storrs at the same time. Do you honestly think that Terrence Samuel (now, 2 years from now, or 10 years from now) would ever be the starting point guard on that team? Never in a million years.

Taliek couldn't shoot and could be wreckless with the ball. But he was also incredibly fast and was a creative passer and ball handler. He made stuff happen on offense all the time.

There is nothing remotely creative about Samuel's game. He is a straight line driver with no jump shot who occassionally can use his strength to get all the way to the rim. He's a nice backup option on a good team, but the fact that he is option #2 at point guard next year simply means that we need another point guard.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I don't know if I'd call 64% "consistent," but it was an improvement.

Sometimes it gives a nice warm feeling to misremember things. Imagine how happy I'll be if RP improves his free throw shooting to the mid-60's.

 

[PWS]

Let's not overthink this. The 2004 team is the greatest collection of talent that ever walked around Storrs at the same time. Do you honestly think that Terrence Samuel (now, 2 years from now, or 10 years from now) would ever be the starting point guard on that team? Never in a million years.

Taliek couldn't shoot and could be wreckless with the ball. But he was also incredibly fast and was a creative passer and ball handler. He made stuff happen on offense all the time.

There is nothing remotely creative about Samuel's game. He is a straight line driver with no jump shot who occassionally can use his strength to get all the way to the rim. He's a nice backup option on a good team, but the fact that he is option #2 at point guard next year simply means that we need another point guard.

To pile on the Taliek bandwagon - He was a great on-ball defender. Very strong and quick - most nights the other team was running their offense 35 feet from the basket. Samuel is a willing defender, but his lack of lateral foot speed gets him constantly beat off the dribble. He couldn't hold Taliek's jock on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[superjohn]

I wonder what Taliek's legacy would be around here if they never won the Championship in 2004. Thank god it turned out the way it did but Taliek almost singlehandedly lost the final 4 game against Duke. I love Taliek but he was by far the worst player on the floor that game, thankfully it all worked out and our fanbase now remembers Taliek as underrated and we can tell stories about Kenny Smith having him on his all-century team.

 

[Gurleyman]

Taliek's teams were 19-3 in the postseason his final three years and none of the losses were bad losses (Maryland, Texas, Pitt). The only one of the 22 games where we didn't play terribly well was Pitt, and Taliek actually kept us in that one for a while. At some point, these things stop being coincidences.

He fell short of expectations, especially following KEA, and I'm not going to pretend I was never frustrated with him during his career. But the kid played hard - all the time - and his team fell in line behind him. His mistakes that frustrated me and others were often over aggressive ones (pushing breaks that weren't there) that were largely by design. Our Coaching staff wanted him pushing the ball all the time and forcing the issue, at least in 2004, when I had a conversation with one of the assistants about it at an AAU event after the title. They wanted opposing 3s to be worried about rotating back on defense to stop the break so Emeka and Boone could handle the defensive glass 2 on 2 - which meant they wanted Taliek pushing and Rashad and Ben jacking up threes on kickouts on the break regularly, so that was a point of emphasis on the scouting report. It was an interesting convo - listening to some of the big picture strategy they had as opposed to the micro X's and O's.

I know I'm in the minority, but MW made me appreciate Taliek even more. MW oozed talent, but was so frickin lazy, aloof and unreliable on and off the court, and the team fell in line behind him too. I don't find it a coincidence that his teams laid three-egg omelets in the postseason.

 

[PWS]

Taliek's teams were 19-3 in the postseason his final three years and none of the losses were bad losses (Maryland, Texas, Pitt). The only one of the 22 games where we didn't play terribly well was Pitt, and Taliek actually kept us in that one for a while. At some point, these things stop being coincidences.

He fell short of expectations, especially following KEA, and I'm not going to pretend I was never frustrated with him during his career. But the kid played hard - all the time - and his team fell in line behind him. His mistakes that frustrated me and others were often over aggressive ones (pushing breaks that weren't there) that were largely by design. Our Coaching staff wanted him pushing the ball all the time and forcing the issue, at least in 2004, when I had a conversation with one of the assistants about it at an AAU event after the title. They wanted opposing 3s to be worried about rotating back on defense to stop the break so Emeka and Boone could handle the defensive glass 2 on 2 - which meant they wanted Taliek pushing and Rashad and Ben jacking up threes on kickouts on the break regularly, so that was a point of emphasis on the scouting report. It was an interesting convo - listening to some of the big picture strategy they had as opposed to the micro X's and O's.

I know I'm in the minority, but MW made me appreciate Taliek even more. MW oozed talent, but was so frickin lazy, aloof and unreliable on and off the court, and the team fell in line behind him too. I don't find it a coincidence that his teams laid three-egg omelets in the postseason.

Staying on Defense, MW made TSAM look like Gary Payton. He couldn't/wouldn't play a lick of defense.