Uconn--great great class coming in

[scrappy2.0]

How many schools will have 2 21 year old players coming in their backcourt like Purvis and Casell--answer--one--Uconn.

What did we miss last year what did we really need a 6-8 250 pound tough athletic front-court player who can really basketball----check

We did lose a string bean of a skilled good player who was 6-9 in Deandre Daniels--and we get back a string bean of a skilled player who has PG abilities in 6-7 Hamilton.

IMHO--all of these guys are atleast 2-3 year players(I believe S Casell and Purvis both have atleast 2 years left) so they should be able to grow together. D Ham will need atleast 2 years to grow into that body.

Of the four-- 3 have first round NBA potential talent in Lubin Purvis and Hamilton--and 2nd round talent in Cassell.

When you say we are adding Purvis and Cassell to Boatright and Samuel--that is ONE helluva mean backcourt--no injury will keep us down. All guys will get PT

Frontcourt--we add a 6-8 250 pd player who can PLAY to guys who will improve and have the moxy of winning a NC Brimah Nolan Facey. What an UPGRADE from Ty O!!!!!! and while losing Daniels as a mobile 4 hurts--lets face it--he was also inconsistent. I think the frontcourt now has more stability--we are not going to be btched by a Hazrell next year or any other team.

Hamilton and Calhoun round out the SF spot and we must expect that Calhoun will be on a mission to re-make his game and body this next 6 months. He will also be 22 I believe.

So in conclusion--while we *may* still get an additional player as we have the ships like we have the last two years--I don't know of a class in college basketball that COMPLIMENTS the existing one with talent maturity and diversity as much as we do.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I hope Lubin is half as good as people on this board think he is.

 

[Huskyforlife]

We are national champions, we don't/didn't "need" anything

 

[Pudge]

I hope Lubin is half as good as people on this board think he is.

Heck ... I don't think I have exceptional expectations for Lubin. But, in our history, his basic prototype can be extraordinarily useful. And beyond what we have gotten from Tyler Olander and more useful than our 6'11 and 7 foot projects. I think he will rebound. I think he can be taught positional defense and blocking out. And if he is hungry, that body will get you to a 5-7 rebounds mark with 20+ minutes. As we saw with Brimah & Nolan, finishing at the rim means you have strong hands & power; RL has that in abundance.

I think there is a higher chance of meeting our desired slot with this kind of kid than we've had with SGs and Taller Post.

 

[UCONNfan1]

I hope Lubin is half as good as people on this board think he is.

I agree. The guy looks incredibly strong, but I don't think any one (at least not recruiting "experts") really thought very highly of him...

 

[CallMeBruce]

Heck ... I don't think I have exceptional expectations for Lubin. But, in our history, his basic prototype can be extraordinarily useful. And beyond what we have gotten from Tyler Olander and more useful than our 6'11 and 7 foot projects. I think he will rebound. I think he can be taught positional defense and blocking out. And if he is hungry, that body will get you to a 5-7 rebounds mark with 20+ minutes. As we saw with Brimah & Nolan, finishing at the rim means you have strong hands & power; RL has that in abundance.

I think there is a higher chance of meeting our desired slot with this kind of kid than we've had with SGs and Taller Post.

If you're expecting close to starter's minutes out of Lubin, your expectations are too high.

 

[cohenzone]

Heck ... I don't think I have exceptional expectations for Lubin. But, in our history, his basic prototype can be extraordinarily useful. And beyond what we have gotten from Tyler Olander and more useful than our 6'11 and 7 foot projects. I think he will rebound. I think he can be taught positional defense and blocking out. And if he is hungry, that body will get you to a 5-7 rebounds mark with 20+ minutes. As we saw with Brimah & Nolan, finishing at the rim means you have strong hands & power; RL has that in abundance.

I think there is a higher chance of meeting our desired slot with this kind of kid than we've had with SGs and Taller Post.

A Tim Coles type would do just fine.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I can definitely see Lubin being the Adrien type and coming in to be the warrior type for a few minutes like Adrien was his freshman year, I'm really excited for the depth and talent this team has coming in next year. Facey could have the best post up game we've seen in awhile IMO. I see a lot of Lamarcus Aldridge in his game. Brimah ,when he could catch and set himself, showed a good hook shot during the season. Hopefully they can get a high low tandem going on.

 

[muhmitchell]

I can definitely see Lubin being the Adrien type and coming in to be the warrior type for a few minutes like Adrien was his freshman year, I'm really excited for the depth and talent this team has coming in next year. Facey could have the best post up game we've seen in awhile IMO. I see a lot of Lamarcus Aldridge in his game. Brimah ,when he could catch and set himself, showed a good hook shot during the season. Hopefully they can get a high low tandem going on.

Not to mention that they both run the floor well and Facey has springs

 

[aceboon]

Ollie's defensive schemes asks alot of the bigs in regards to help and recovery defense, this is why Facey didn't play much, and why TO was pretty much phased out, TO understood the concepts, he just didn't have the quicks or athleticism to execute them most of the time. In order to play Lubin has to do more than just rebound and provide muscle in the paint. I'm hoping Facey gets up to speed in order to take over the PF role because besides what DD and Giffey brought on the offensive end, they were very good in help(except when Giffey overhelped, which he eventually stopped doing) and recovery D as well.

 

[Pudge]

These kids come to UConn as 18 year olds. I expect a development process. I've learned to disregard the recruiting "expert" industry. Both Terrance Samuels & DeAndre Daniels are instructive on the normal development cycle. It is not my expectation that any kid gets a major role at UConn early. Generally, we see them blossom in the first two years.

Lubin is needed. I thought we needed his type for awhile.

 

[pj]

Ollie's defensive schemes asks alot of the bigs in regards to help and recovery defense, this is why Facey didn't play much, and why TO was pretty much phased out, TO understood the concepts, he just didn't have the quicks or athleticism to execute them most of the time. In order to play Lubin has to do more than just rebound and provide muscle in the paint. I'm hoping Facey gets up to speed in order to take over the PF role because besides what DD and Giffey brought on the offensive end, they were very good in help(except when Giffey overhelped, which he eventually stopped doing) and recovery D as well.

This. I don't expect Lubin to play much at first. I think we'll see Nolan play alongside Brimah at times, and Facey will get a lot of minutes. Minutes are there for Lubin to take but Facey will be way ahead of him at first.

 

[boog204]

I can definitely see Lubin being the Adrien type and coming in to be the warrior type for a few minutes like Adrien was his freshman year, I'm really excited for the depth and talent this team has coming in next year. Facey could have the best post up game we've seen in awhile IMO. I see a lot of Lamarcus Aldridge in his game. Brimah ,when he could catch and set himself, showed a good hook shot during the season. Hopefully they can get a high low tandem going on.

Why do people continually diminish the fact that Adrien was a consensus top 50 player coming in? We see similar builds and just make the assumption that they are the same player based just on height and weight stats. Expecting Lubin to be Frosh Adrien is expecting too much.

http://articles.courant.com/2004-08-19/sports/0408190164_1_coach-calhoun-jeff-adrien-nike-camp

 

[mauconnfan]

Everyone will have a chance……..the freshman can see time if they come prepared and if Rock concentrates on rebounding and creating space in the paint he will be fine.

If we see the improvement in Facey which comes from hard work we could be pleasantly surprised I think…….gut feeling he has a monster summer in prep work…….

 

[Rocktheworld]

So how many minutes can we predict Facey can/will play at the 4 next year if Rock is, according to some of us here, not ready for more than say 10 mpg at this level?

 

[Mike Honcho]

Why do people continually diminish the fact that Adrien was a consensus top 50 player coming in? We see similar builds and just make the assumption that they are the same player based just on height and weight stats. Expecting Lubin to be Frosh Adrien is expecting too much.

http://articles.courant.com/2004-08-19/sports/0408190164_1_coach-calhoun-jeff-adrien-nike-camp

Thanks for the link. Didn't realize it was down to Pittsburgh and UConn. Glad he made the right decision.

 

[PAHusky]

I love the enthusiasm of OP even if I don't agree with everything he says. I think that Hamilton and Purvis definitely have first round potential. I think Rock and Cassell will, at the very least, end up as important contributors in a UConn uniform. I don't think DHam needs two years to grow into his body - I think he's pretty cut and I doubt he bulks up too much at all. He's an NBA 2 who's playing at the 3 for us. If he can score consistently, which is the one attribute every scout compliments him for, he could very well be one and done. Same with Purvis, depending on his progres - I think Calhoun himself said he could be gone after one. I agree that our backcourt is loaded.

I think you're a bit overconfident regarding our front court. I think Nolan will be slightly improved, but we pretty much know what we're getting with him. I think Brimah will make strides but the surgery and lack of real offseason doesn't bode well for him. I know this board loves Lubin, and I like his size as much as the next guy, but I think we need to collectively lower our expectations. He might get decent minutes based solely on lack of options at the 4, but I think the transition to college might be tougher for him than we think. For big men who rely on being physically dominant like rock in high school it can be difficult to adjust to the fact that everyone is big and strong at the next level. I think we saw this play out when his squad played the team with the Tennessee (?) commit - his numbers weren't quite as strong. Again, this isn't meant to knock Rock, just trying to temper expectations. Facey last year was the NY player of the year coming in, super athletic with a skill set (namely rebounding) our team could have used and he didn't play too much. I'd be as happy as anyone if Lubin is huge next year as I think the 4 is really our weak spot, but to say that he has first round talent is a bit ridiculous as it stands.

 

[pj]

So how many minutes can we predict Facey can/will play at the 4 next year if Rock is, according to some of us here, not ready for more than say 10 mpg at this level?

I think a reasonable expectation for the PF spot early in the season is Facey to get 20 minutes, Nolan and Rock 15 between them, and a 4-guard lineup for 5, mostly at the tail end of games.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I think a reasonable expectation for the PF spot early in the season is Facey to get 20 minutes, Nolan and Rock 15 between them, and a 4-guard lineup for 5, mostly at the tail end of games.

Yeah that's about what I was thinking, it's just I feel we've seen so little of Facey that it's odd thinking of him going from 5 to 20 and thinking of what we can expect when he's out there.

 

[DogMania]

Did SCJr spend one or two years in JC? If it's one, he might have 3 years of eligibility. As for Purvis, I believe he spent his freshman year at NCSU. My brain cells must be dying, but I thought if he's stays on track academically, he can earn a 3rd playing year at UConn, though if he's as talented as he his ranking would dictate, he likely wouldn't last that long any ways.

Yes, it's a very nice class especially when you take into account the physical and otherwise maturity of these two guards. Hopefully Lubin will be better than his ranking and be able to contribute right away eating up space in the paint on both ends of the floor and providing at least some modest post scoring.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Hamilton who looks like he can be a very productive offensive player. Hopefully he'll be more consistent than most freshman, but the team has enough talent that if it takes a while and he matures late in the season, we'll be just fine.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Did SCJr spend one or two years in JC? If it's one, he might have 3 years of eligibility. As for Purvis, I believe he spent his freshman year at NCSU. My brain cells must be dying, but I thought if he's stays on track academically, he can earn a 3rd playing year at UConn, though if he's as talented as he his ranking would dictate, he likely wouldn't last that long any ways.

Yes, it's a very nice class especially when you take into account the physical and otherwise maturity of these two guards. Hopefully Lubin will be better than his ranking and be able to contribute right away eating up space in the paint on both ends of the floor and providing at least some modest post scoring.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Hamilton who looks like he can be a very productive offensive player. Hopefully he'll be more consistent than most freshman, but the team has enough talent that if it takes a while and he matures late in the season, we'll be just fine.

Both Cassell and Purvis have 3 years of eligibility left.

 

[Rocktheworld]

From what I've heard, Jr did a year of prep, took a red shit year in JC, then played this year. He has three years of eligibility left.

 

[ColoradoUCFan]

Lubin is one and done. Lottery pick next year for sure. I had to hype the kid a little because it just seems people are setting such low expectations for him here on the boneyard.

 

[rip7774]

I agree the hype on Lubin is pretty ridiculous, comes from Bama, one year in Georgia, looks 6-5/6-6, it will b a different game at the next level when he isn't the biggest guy. That said, I just think development will happen just not b impactful from day one, and the 1st rd anointing for him is insane. I am expecting a strong career from him at UConn, but I expect him to b raw. Cassell has 3 left he took a rs year at juco and took a prep year so he is Pitt circa 2005 old! Will really b a nice player off the bench, very very skilled from the times I've seen him in person. An exciting class, I know next to nothing about purvis but McD's AA speaks to talent and KOs comments as well. Would love for u glass half fillers to b right about Lubin, KO has a short but great track record on two lower rated guys in T-Sam & Brimah!

 

[Rocktheworld]

I only think one of us made the (totally random and unfounded) prediction that Rock will be a first-rounder. Most of us aren't expecting him to be the piece that completes a NC puzzle, but someone who gives us a good physical presence on both sides and some credibility on the glass. If he isn't scoring, at least we can expect him to be giving our scorers more chances with his rebounding.

 

[Go_Huskies]

I am confident in Lubin. I think he will be a productive starter eventually because the way the staff recruited him. If I recall correctly they saw him play once and offered on the spot. Usually there is some time before they see a guy play and offer. This tells me that guy is going to be good despite the fact he is not highly ranked.

 

[Jluc]

As much as I hope Lubin has "first round potential" I just wouldnt get too excited. Nobody has even seen more than a few plays from this kid on this board.

 

[Gurleyman]

Lubin is going to be an integral part of our success next year. He's talented enough to play some point guard - and is going to cause defenses all sorts of problems in the pick and roll, especially when he screens for himself. He'll also provide floor spacing in the self pick and roll with his ability to spot up from the outside.

Defensively, his ability to guard every position from 1-5, simultaneously, will allow our other players to get ample rest and/or snacks.

 

[dogpause]

Gurleyman pretty much summed it up, but what most people don't know is the Lubin was also brought in for his culinary skills. Under the new food rules, schools can gain a recruiting edge by having a top chef on the staff and UConn is ahead of the curve in this area. If Lubin can also rebound and score, than that's just icing on the cake, IMO.

 

[Palatine]

How many schools will have 2 21 year old players coming in their backcourt like Purvis and Casell--answer--one--Uconn.

What did we miss last year what did we really need a 6-8 250 pound tough athletic front-court player who can really basketball----check

We did lose a string bean of a skilled good player who was 6-9 in Deandre Daniels--and we get back a string bean of a skilled player who has PG abilities in 6-7 Hamilton.

IMHO--all of these guys are atleast 2-3 year players(I believe S Casell and Purvis both have atleast 2 years left) so they should be able to grow together. D Ham will need atleast 2 years to grow into that body.

Of the four-- 3 have first round NBA potential talent in Lubin Purvis and Hamilton--and 2nd round talent in Cassell.

When you say we are adding Purvis and Cassell to Boatright and Samuel--that is ONE helluva mean backcourt--no injury will keep us down. All guys will get PT

Frontcourt--we add a 6-8 250 pd player who can PLAY to guys who will improve and have the moxy of winning a NC Brimah Nolan Facey. What an UPGRADE from Ty O!!!!!! and while losing Daniels as a mobile 4 hurts--lets face it--he was also inconsistent. I think the frontcourt now has more stability--we are not going to be btched by a Hazrell next year or any other team.

Hamilton and Calhoun round out the SF spot and we must expect that Calhoun will be on a mission to re-make his game and body this next 6 months. He will also be 22 I believe.

So in conclusion--while we *may* still get an additional player as we have the ships like we have the last two years--I don't know of a class in college basketball that COMPLIMENTS the existing one with talent maturity and diversity as much as we do.

Everyone looks good on paper. Kentucky looked 40-0 on paper.

The game is played on the court. And the most important games are played in March. What a team does then matter most of all.