Traci Carter (Committed to Marquette)

[3rdbass]

7774 I do agree with you, Samuel is a key piece who will keep improving. And if Carter ends up at UCONN, I want Samuel playing ahead of him to start.

I think the starting lineup next year will be.
C Amida Brimah
PF Daniel Hamilton
SF Rodney Purvis
PG Terrence Samuel
SG Jalen Adams

Unless Kelis Fisher improves drastically and SE can step in as a Freshman I don't see a different starting line-up at the beginning of the year. I think Ollie will realize we are a small ball team. I do hope SE is better than Kelis Fisher so he could maybe develop into the starting lineup at the end of the year. Were things could change is if Traci is better than TS I can see him supplanting him the starting line-up.

It will be interesting to see who will play next year. I wonder if RL will get any time next year?

 

[uconngb]

If Enoch can beat out Nolan next year to be first off the bench when Brimah and Facey come out, that'd be a productive frosh year. Otherwise, may be best to red-shirt him.

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.

 

[mauconnfan]

7774 I do agree with you, Samuel is a key piece who will keep improving. And if Carter ends up at UCONN, I want Samuel playing ahead of him to start.

Okay while I hope that TSam improves enough to be sure if a guy like Traci comes here, he plays ahead of him then I agree. But if he's the same player in turn we need Traci Carter to then be the "surprise" guy who is not only playing better than some would expect, but also is the guy pushing all others to be better.

Of course we need to win a recruiting battle first

 

[Stainmaster]

I think the starting lineup next year will be.
C Amida Brimah
PF Daniel Hamilton
SF Rodney Purvis
PG Terrence Samuel
SG Jalen Adams

Unless Kelis Fisher improves drastically and SE can step in as a Freshman I don't see a different starting line-up a the beginning of the year. Were things could change is if Traci is better than TS I can see him supplanting him the starting line-up.

It will be interesting to see who will play next year. I wonder if RL will get any time next year?

I would really, really like to see Samuel work on his mid-range/long-range game over the summer. He is by no means a natural 2, but I want to see Adams running the offense as early as possible. I know there's a definite learning curve for freshmen coming in (even the uber-talented ones, as we've seen with Hamilton), but assuming Adams is going to fit the "UCONN lead guard" mold, he should get as much floor general experience as possible.

 

[3rdbass]

If Enoch can beat out Nolan next year to be first off the bench when Brimah and Facey come out, that'd be a productive frosh year. Otherwise, may be best to red-shirt him.

I think RS Rakim might be a better choice as he seems very raw also.

 

[Stainmaster]

Enoch's improvement in a tough NEPSAC league makes me optimistic that he will come in more ready than Lubin was, although that isn't saying much. I love the Rock and the swagger he plays with, but boy does he need seasoning.

 

[3rdbass]

I would really, really like to see Samuel work on his mid-range/long-range game over the summer. He is by no means a natural 2, but I want to see Adams running the offense as early as possible. I know there's a definite learning curve for freshmen coming in (even the uber-talented ones, as we've seen with Hamilton), but assuming Adams is going to fit the "UCONN lead guard" mold, he should get as much floor general experience as possible.

Well not sure he needs to be the lead guard necessarily as he can take turns with either TS/TC. His skills seem to match RB a lot who is better playing off the ball. I'm not saying JA's can't become a great PG but it sounds like he is a big time scorer first.

 

[Gringo]

The strengths of his game right now (driving and slashing) are much more difficult this year because we don't have the spacing created by a bunch of good shooters.

Agreed, and to build off your point I'd like to see Samuel get better at penetrating then dishing out to a big or a shooter. When he drives he is always looking to shoot instead of passing. He has a quick first step and if he wants to develop into a real option at point guard in the future he has to get better at distributing when he gets in the lane.

Enoch's improvement in a tough NEPSAC league makes me optimistic that he will come in more ready than Lubin was, although that isn't saying much. I love the Rock and the swagger he plays with, but boy does he need seasoning.

Enoch is a top 100 and in some recruiting services a top 40 recruit. It's reasonable to expect more from him his freshman year than Rock. I'm guessing it will take some time to develop him, just like any other player, but he could be a solid rotation guy his fresman year.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Okay while I hope that TSam improves enough to be sure if a guy like Traci comes here, he plays ahead of him then I agree. But if he's the same player in turn we need Traci Carter to then be the "surprise" guy who is not only playing better than some would expect, but also is the guy pushing all others to be better.

Of course we need to win a recruiting battle first

If TSam can improve his shooting (and it has improved somewhat from last year), I see his value being at SG the next 2 years. He's not a natural PG, which is fine. He has a role on this team and it's as a disrupter, not as a facilitator. When he plays PG, the offense which is already limited, stagnates. Let him be who he is, instead of trying to turn him into something he is not.

 

[mauconnfan]

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.

If TSam can improve his shooting (and it has improved somewhat from last year), I see his value being at SG the next 2 years. He's not a natural PG, which is fine. He has a role on this team and it's as a disrupter, not as a facilitator. When he plays PG, the offense which is already limited, stagnates. Let him be who he is, instead of trying to turn him into something he is not.

If he is ever our SG we will be on our way to the cellar of the AAC with no P5 in sight. Sorry while I agree he's not a great facilitator you can't have a non-shooter at SG unless he can get to the basket whenever he wants. This is really easy, he's fine as a back up, solid PG who needs to just take care of the ball and play solid defense. So while you say "let him be who he is ....and not who he is not", let's eliminate any SG time because he is most definitely NOT that.

 

[boog204]

If he is ever our SG we will be on our way to the cellar of the AAC with no P5 in sight. Sorry while I agree he's not a great facilitator you can't have a non-shooter at SG unless he can get to the basket whenever he wants. This is really easy, he's fine as a back up, solid PG who needs to just take care of the ball and play solid defense. So while you say "let him be who he is ....and not who he is not", let's eliminate any SG time because he is most definitely NOT that.

I agree with you except the thought of Ricky Moore keeps on entering my mind. If you can have a scoring point and a scoring wing (KEA/Rip, Jalen/DHam?) you can get away with a defense first combo playing off the ball. Ricky, however, was superior to TSam in almost all skill sets though.

 

[mauconnfan]

I agree with you except the thought of Ricky Moore keeps on entering my mind. If you can have a scoring point and a scoring wing (KEA/Rip, Jalen/DHam?) you can get away with a defense first combo playing off the ball. Ricky, however, was superior to TSam in almost all skill sets though.

Yes agree, but his skills as you pointed out are not Ricky on either end. KEA was actually the 2 in a PG's body and he also had Sheffer who could shoot it and facilitate.

 

[boog204]

Yes agree, but his skills as you pointed out are not Ricky on either end. KEA was actually the 2 in a PG's body and he also had Sheffer who could shoot it and facilitate.

Doron wasn't on those teams... Sheffer was w/ KO. Still my point is that you can have relative non-shooter at the two if you can make up that offense in other places or in UConn style, you have a scoring PG who sometimes you want to run stuff for. Austrie served this role too in a way to AJ. TSam could maybe fill that role if Jalen can fill it up and would benefit playing off the ball for a possession here or there a la KEA, AJ, and Boat.

 

[mauconnfan]

Doron wasn't on those teams... Sheffer was w/ KO. Still my point is that you can have relative non-shooter at the two if you can make up that offense in other places or in UConn style, you have a scoring PG who sometimes you want to run stuff for. Austrie served this role too in a way to AJ. TSam could maybe fill that role if Jalen can fill it up and would benefit playing off the ball for a possession here or there a la KEA, AJ, and Boat.

Ricky got hurt as a freshman in the Colgate game which killed us because Doron had a bad hammy vs Miss ST I believe?

 

[MuchoDogYears]

If he is ever our SG we will be on our way to the cellar of the AAC with no P5 in sight. Sorry while I agree he's not a great facilitator you can't have a non-shooter at SG unless he can get to the basket whenever he wants. This is really easy, he's fine as a back up, solid PG who needs to just take care of the ball and play solid defense. So while you say "let him be who he is ....and not who he is not", let's eliminate any SG time because he is most definitely NOT that.

I get what you're saying. It's an interesting question...does TSam have more potential at developing his passing abilities or his scoring abilities? As you say, he's been fine as a backup PG. But you say that he's NOT a SG....well, he's a better scorer than a passer, which says he's a better SG than PG. Yes, he can't shoot, but he CAN score...and I'd rather have a SG who can find a way to score than a PG who can't run an offense.

Either way, and I think we both concur on this, he's limited at either position and therefore shouldn't be a starter at either.

 

[7774]

If he is ever our SG we will be on our way to the cellar of the AAC with no P5 in sight. Sorry while I agree he's not a great facilitator you can't have a non-shooter at SG unless he can get to the basket whenever he wants. This is really easy, he's fine as a back up, solid PG who needs to just take care of the ball and play solid defense. So while you say "let him be who he is ....and not who he is not", let's eliminate any SG time because he is most definitely NOT that.

Unless, of course, he improves. Sometimes I think 90% of this board takes a mental snapshot of all our former players at their very best, and then just pretend that's what the player always was.

Every key player on last years championship team got ripped apart on this board in their younger years. During Bazz's sophomore year we were never going to accomplish anything if we were relying on him as a leader going forward. Daniels was a complete bust when he was chucking up 3's at a 28% clip and looking totally lost as a freshman. We were never going to accomplish anything if Giffey was playing more than 10 minutes a game. Boat was too selfish to fit in on a winning team.

It's the same cycle over and over.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I get what you're saying. It's an interesting question...does TSam have more potential at developing his passing abilities or his scoring abilities? As you say, he's been fine as a backup PG. But you say that he's NOT a SG....well, he's a better scorer than a passer, which says he's a better SG than PG. Yes, he can't shoot, but he CAN score...and I'd rather have a SG who can find a way to score than a PG who can't run an offense.

Either way, and I think we both concur on this, he's limited at either position and therefore shouldn't be a starter at either.

Other than Boat, Tsam is the only player on the team capable of handling the ball at PG - that's his biggest asset. It doesn't make any sense to move him off the ball.

 

[upstater]

Ricky could also shoot a little from the outside, but his main attribute was being the biggest ball pest in UConn history.

 

[PradaMane]

Personally, Im not that impressed with Traci Carter. I may be in the minority but I don't see him stepping in and being better than anyone of our guards this year aftter the productive summer they should have after being exposed.

This maybe unpopular but I really like what we have from a guard standpoint from next year. The kids know what they need to work on, I know Ollie lets them know religously and some will come back improved some won't but will come with a higher basketball IQ. If tracey does commit no chance he plays over T Sam in my eyes and if he does I would have a ton of questions for our player development department.

I am on board with getting a athletic wing with some kind of stroke.. Somewhere between 6'4-6'7, who can get lets say 10-15 minutes at the 2-3 guard. I see hamilton being a starting 3 and select 4 with the correct matchup and Facey being starting 4 and play some 5 if brimah is in foul trouble.

In no way is Mr. Carter a 'must get' in my eyes.

 

[Glastonhusky]

Personally, Im not that impressed with Traci Carter. I may be in the minority but I don't see him stepping in and being better than anyone of our guards this year aftter the productive summer they should have after being exposed.

This maybe unpopular but I really like what we have from a guard standpoint from next year. The kids know what they need to work on, I know Ollie lets them know religously and some will come back improved some won't but will come with a higher basketball IQ. If tracey does commit no chance he plays over T Sam in my eyes and if he does I would have a ton of questions for our player development department.

I am on board with getting a athletic wing with some kind of stroke.. Somewhere between 6'4-6'7, who can get lets say 10-15 minutes at the 2-3 guard. I see hamilton being a starting 3 and select 4 with the correct matchup and Facey being starting 4 and play some 5 if brimah is in foul trouble.

In no way is Mr. Carter a 'must get' in my eyes.

Don't we have 2 spots left? how about Carter and a wing shooter? I'm intrigued by the German kid mentioned in another post, 6' 9" and can shoot it from the outside. Of course if Mr. Stone wanted one of the slots, I wouldn't mind that either.

 

[RipCity]

Personally, Im not that impressed with Traci Carter. I may be in the minority but I don't see him stepping in and being better than anyone of our guards this year aftter the productive summer they should have after being exposed.

This maybe unpopular but I really like what we have from a guard standpoint from next year. The kids know what they need to work on, I know Ollie lets them know religously and some will come back improved some won't but will come with a higher basketball IQ. If tracey does commit no chance he plays over T Sam in my eyes and if he does I would have a ton of questions for our player development department.

I am on board with getting a athletic wing with some kind of stroke.. Somewhere between 6'4-6'7, who can get lets say 10-15 minutes at the 2-3 guard. I see hamilton being a starting 3 and select 4 with the correct matchup and Facey being starting 4 and play some 5 if brimah is in foul trouble.

In no way is Mr. Carter a 'must get' in my eyes.

He's a better ball handler than TSam, Cassell, ect.
He's not going to come here and start, but if he can just give us around 10 minutes, he'll let Adams play off of the ball more and put less pressure on TSam to be the point guard. Depth at the 1 is HUGE in college basketball.

 

[UConnStats]

He's a better ball handler than TSam, Cassell, ect.
He's not going to come here and start, but if he can just give us around 10 minutes, he'll let Adams play off of the ball more and put less pressure on TSam to be the point guard. Depth at the 1 is HUGE in college basketball.

This is true. In the last few games, Boatright has been given a lot more time playing off the ball, and it's helped his 3P FG% increase significantly.

 

[boog204]

Ricky got hurt as a freshman in the Colgate game which killed us because Doron had a bad hammy vs Miss ST I believe?

Yes, you are correct... Sorry, misread your pronoun and thought you meant KEA had Doron.

 

[boog204]

Unless, of course, he improves. Sometimes I think 90% of this board takes a mental snapshot of all our former players at their very best, and then just pretend that's what the player always was.

Every key player on last years championship team got ripped apart on this board in their younger years. During Bazz's sophomore year we were never going to accomplish anything if we were relying on him as a leader going forward. Daniels was a complete bust when he was chucking up 3's at a 28% clip and looking totally lost as a freshman. We were never going to accomplish anything if Giffey was playing more than 10 minutes a game. Boat was too selfish to fit in on a winning team.

It's the same cycle over and over.

One of my fave threads was the (paraphrasing) "Shabazz Napier is the worst starting point guard in the Calhoun era" thread Bazz's soph year. That was a good one.

 

[Hoophound]

It shocks me how ignorant some people are when it comes to recruiting. We make our living on kids like Carter. I swear, I was pimping Bazz as our solution here long before we had any clue our staff even knew who he was. He was option #7 on our draft board so to speak and he was the best player in the country last year when all was said and done. He certainly wasn't a savior in the eyes of this board when we picked him up.

I just want to get back to bringing in diverse classes with one blue chip each year. Right now, I am far more concerned with giving Jalen Adams some competent teammates than I am with adding another Jalen Adams level talent to the class. We are trying build a team.

We need to treat these kids with some respect. I don't want recruits coming to the board and thinking our fan base is a bunch of dicks. We want every commitment we are seeking. That builds momentum. I'd be pissed to see a bunch of fat ass, middle age guys picking on me when they've never even seen me play.