UConn All-Time Defensive Squad

[Scottzer]

Well, we've got a good number if players to choose from. Who am I missing who should be in the conversation?

Emeka Okafor
Ricky Moore
Ryan Boatright
Nadav Henefeld
Scott Burrell
Hasheem Thabeet
Donyell Marshall
Lyman DePriest
Josh Boone

I think my 5 would be: Moore, Boatright, Burrell, Henefeld, and Emeka.

 

[tcf15]

Amida Brimah.

But seriously, I think he needs to be considered (not starting 5, but for the reserves) just based on blocks alone.

 

[nomar]

Well, we've got a good number if players to choose from. Who am I missing who should be in the conversation?

Emeka Okafor
Ricky Moore
Ryan Boatright
Nadav Henefeld
Scott Burrell
Hasheem Thabeet
Donyell Marshall
Lyman DePriest
Josh Boone

I think my 5 would be: Moore, Boatright, Burrell, Henefeld, and Emeka.

Good list. I have to say, there were games in Thabeet's junior year where other teams stopped trying to score in the paint. You really can't get more dominant than that. Tough to leave him out. Not sure who I'd cut, though. Maybe Boat.

 

[Kitaman]

Lyman, Emeka, Nadav and Ricky should be unanimous with just 1 open slot.

Does anyone know what UConn players made BE all defensive teams (if there was a list)?

Lyman Jr.:

 

[CallMeBruce]

Sheffer should be on there. One of the best players I've ever seen at playing passing lanes.

 

[Scottzer]

Good list. I have to say, there were games in Thabeet's junior year where other teams stopped trying to score in the paint. You really can't get more dominant than that. Tough to leave him out. Not sure who I'd cut, though. Maybe Boat.

Thabeet was a monster. I liked Emeka's mobility a little more, but that was a tough one to leave off my five.

 

[tcf15]

Lyman, Emeka, Nadav and Ricky should be unanimous with just 1 open slot.

Does anyone know what UConn players made BE all defensive teams (if there was a list)?

Lyman Jr.:

Not sure about BE all defensive teams, but Hilton Armstrong and Hasheem Thabeet both won BE Defensive POTY awards.

 

[Matrim55]

Lyman Jr.:

http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-manchester-craigslist-robbery-0226-20150225-story.html

 

[Giddyup5]

Giffey should also be considered. Won't see it in his stats but guarded 1-5 and provided excellent team defense on the way to a championship

 

[Kitaman]

http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-manchester-craigslist-robbery-0226-20150225-story.html

Wow ignorance was bliss. Sad to see this.

 

[methodology]

Caron Butler anyone

 

[MexicoHusky]

This is very tough to make the starting 5. For me it's tough to keep Okafor and Thabeet off the all-time defense team.

Ricky
Boat
Jerome Dyson
Okafor
Thabeet

 

[James]

i dont see much separation between napier and boat as defenders frankly. Napier usually drew the tougher (bigger) assignment when they shared the floor, and posted excellent defensive numbers in his last two years.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Dove
Burrell
DePriest
Ricky
Emeka

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Moore, Boat, Burrell, Sticks, Mek

 

[JimHurley]

Moore, Boatright, Burrell, Hilton, Emeka

 

[Scottzer]

Iverson on Moore: "He's the only guy in college basketball quick enough to guard me."

Wow, that was a compliment.

Some have pointed out that it's hard to not have both Emeka and Hasheem on the list. I agree, but it's also hard for me to take off Nadav. He had around 3.7 or 3.8 steals per game, in addition to decent boards and blocks (if I recall correctly).

I think Burrell also had a ton of steals in college and was a decent rebounder... And was the one tasked with trying to contain Jordam in the playoffs... That's got to be a pretty darn good defender...

 

[methodology]

Moore, Boat, Burrell, Sticks, Mek

Almost mentioned sticks also. His defense was often overlooked/underrated.

As an example when UConn played Kentucky at MSG no one on UConn could guard Wall. During the 2nd half Calhoun decided he had enough and put Sticks on Wall. He actually did a pretty good job on Wall if memory serves me well

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Almost mentioned sticks also. His defense was often overlooked/underrated.

As an example when UConn played Kentucky at MSG no one on UConn could guard Wall. During the 2nd half Calhoun decided he had enough and put Sticks on Wall. He actually did a pretty good job on Wall if memory serves me well

He was the best on-ball defender on that squad. He could legitimately guard four positions at a high level.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

This is very tough to make the starting 5. For me it's tough to keep Okafor and Thabeet off the all-time defense team.

Ricky
Boat
Jerome Dyson
Okafor
Thabeet

People forget how good Dyson was on Defense for most of his time here. I almost put him on my list, but I think Burrell was better.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Good list. I have to say, there were games in Thabeet's junior year where other teams stopped trying to score in the paint. You really can't get more dominant than that. Tough to leave him out. Not sure who I'd cut, though. Maybe Boat.

I am willing to bet Scottie Wilbekin still has night terrors about being guarded by Boat.

 

[businesslawyer]

Well, we've got a good number if players to choose from. Who am I missing who should be in the conversation?

Emeka Okafor
Ricky Moore
Ryan Boatright
Nadav Henefeld
Scott Burrell
Hasheem Thabeet
Donyell Marshall
Lyman DePriest
Josh Boone

I think my 5 would be: Moore, Boatright, Burrell, Henefeld, and Emeka.

Great post and discussion. In the middle, it's Omeka. You want to argue Thabett, I can't stop you but Omeka did it with as good timing as I've ever seen, and that to me gives him the edge on Thabeet who did it just by being large.

The single best defensive year any UConn player ever had was Ricky Moore in the first championship season, and not only is it not close, but I think that is the single best defensive season I've ever seen anyone play. So he locks down one of the guard sports.

Then you go to Nadav, who was magic in the press (and whose magic in the press I still argue is the spark that turned UConn into UConn). Both Burrell and DePriest were more athletic, but Nadav was special.

Second guard now gets tough. Shabazz as a frosh had a huge role in championship #3 by playing great D, but the truth is that we became so dependent on his offense he often coasted defensively. That's not a knock -- Kemba did that at times, and BYU basically forbade Jimmer from playing D that same year, but I think it knocks him off the list. Sheffer played mentally perfect D all the time, and Chris Smith was a solid defender for 4 years, and Boatright wasn't great all the time in his career, to be certain, but the D he played in the run up to the fourth championship would have (no -- I'm sure it did) make Ricky Moore proud. But second only to Ricky Moore in terms of taking another teams point guard out of the game -- taking the head off the serpant -- was Taliek Brown. I still remember leaving MSG when we beat Syracuse in the Big East their CArmelo championship year, and listening to Orange fans admitting they would never beat us because Taliek was just to athletic and good defensively for them to get anything out of McNamara. So he rounds out the backcourt.

Josh Boone played solid D his whole career, as did Kevin Freeman, and Hilton played great D his last year, along with Depriest and Burrell mentioned earlier. His last year Donyell was a great shot blocking forward. I'm having a real hard time distinguishing among this group. Scotty's incredible block of Shaq in the NCAAs alone makes him a good choice, but I still go with DePriest, both because you could play him with the other 4 and not worry that he'd ever take a shot, and because his physicality also helped UConn turn the corner. Go back to the NIT game against BC at the Garden where he shut Barros down simply because no one would screen for him after he ran through the first one and flattened the screener.

So Henefield, ("I'm not the rabbi, I'm") DePriest, Okafor in the middle, Moore and Taliek Brown. Second unit of Donyell, Burrell, Thabeet in the middle, Chris Smith and Boatright.

But man, that's tough.

 

[Scottzer]

I

Great post and discussion. In the middle, it's Omeka. You want to argue Thabett, I can't stop you but Omeka did it with as good timing as I've ever seen, and that to me gives him the edge on Thabeet who did it just by being large.

The single best defensive year any UConn player ever had was Ricky Moore in the first championship season, and not only is it not close, but I think that is the single best defensive season I've ever seen anyone play. So he locks down one of the guard sports.

Then you go to Nadav, who was magic in the press (and whose magic in the press I still argue is the spark that turned UConn into UConn). Both Burrell and DePriest were more athletic, but Nadav was special.

Second guard now gets tough. Shabazz as a frosh had a huge role in championship #3 by playing great D, but the truth is that we became so dependent on his offense he often coasted defensively. That's not a knock -- Kemba did that at times, and BYU basically forbade Jimmer from playing D that same year, but I think it knocks him off the list. Sheffer played mentally perfect D all the time, and Chris Smith was a solid defender for 4 years, and Boatright wasn't great all the time in his career, to be certain, but the D he played in the run up to the fourth championship would have (no -- I'm sure it did) make Ricky Moore proud. But second only to Ricky Moore in terms of taking another teams point guard out of the game -- taking the head off the serpant -- was Taliek Brown. I still remember leaving MSG when we beat Syracuse in the Big East their CArmelo championship year, and listening to Orange fans admitting they would never beat us because Taliek was just to athletic and good defensively for them to get anything out of McNamara. So he rounds out the backcourt.

Josh Boone played solid D his whole career, as did Kevin Freeman, and Hilton played great D his last year, along with Depriest and Burrell mentioned earlier. His last year Donyell was a great shot blocking forward. I'm having a real hard time distinguishing among this group. Scotty's incredible block of Shaq in the NCAAs alone makes him a good choice, but I still go with DePriest, both because you could play him with the other 4 and not worry that he'd ever take a shot, and because his physicality also helped UConn turn the corner. Go back to the NIT game against BC at the Garden where he shut Barros down simply because no one would screen for him after he ran through the first one and flattened the screener.

So Henefield, ("I'm not the rabbi, I'm") DePriest, Okafor in the middle, Moore and Taliek Brown. Second unit of Donyell, Burrell, Thabeet in the middle, Chris Smith and Boatright.

But man, that's tough.[/QUOTE
I wish I'd been old enough to appreciate DePriest's minutes. I was ten, so I wasn't able to process good defense beyond steals, blocks, and rebounds.

 

[Waquoit]

Not sure about BE all defensive teams, but Hilton Armstrong and Hasheem Thabeet both won BE Defensive POTY awards.

So did Donyell. I remember Kevin McHale saying "The Big East Defenseive Player of the Year can't guard a chair."

 

[intlzncster]

Thabeet was a monster. I liked Emeka's mobility a little more, but that was a tough one to leave off my five.

You literally cannot have this team without Thabeet, Okafor, or Moore. Thabeet was the definition of dominance on the defensive end. He'd probably make a list of top 10 defensive college centers of all time.