Very excited about this team

[TheChamps990411]

A team that starts only one guy who started last year is going to take some time to really find chemistry so we are going to have some ups and downs early and this team will lose some games before january but its going to make them a better team in march.

There are some concerns about our shooting but im not worried as i believe boat,samjr and Dham will shoot well enough to keep the defense honest. I also think tsam and omar if healthy can knockdown the occasional 3 like tsam did tonight. With Facey being far better than i think many of us expected he solidifies the 4 spot and should only get better with more pt.

The starting 5 tonight should be what Ollie rolls with as it gives us the best combination of rebounding,shooting and passing. I look at this team and can only think you better beat Uconn early because when this team really starts to click on all cylinders they are going to be a threat to repeat.

 

[BoatShow]

Sammy was living in that corner all night...right in front of Papa. Love it.

 

[Athlete94]

Hamilton is going to be scary good, Go Huskies!!

 

[kelde1wd]

They are going to have a fair amount of growing pains this year, and as a result , we are probably going to lose a game or two that we are not supposed to. That will make this team stronger in the long run. There is a lot of upside for this team as they continue to learn to play together and get more comfortable with their new roles this year. I think the future is very bright and I can't wait to see it all come together!

 

[djct1999]

My excitement began when I read those quotes from an NBA scout a few weeks back who attended practice. The best thing he said was that Ollie finally got Boatright to buy into the program. There was nothing more evident last night. Boat has come a long way and the overall game he played last night was outstanding. His defense is legendary but what I loved most is how he played within the game last night. When we were down early, the Old Boat would sulk and start forcing things. Instead, he played an amazing complete game on both sides of the floor. Second, UConn has not had an impact freshmen like DHAM in quite some time. Once he settles down, he will be a force and quickly become one of the next best wings at UConn. Was equally impressed with both our reserve guards. I somehow never give TSAM his due, but the kid can play. Cassell, the oldest guy on the team, will be a huge asset in a very long season. Brimah seems more explosive offensively, but games like this don't tell us much. Overall, good game. Early game jitters followed by 10 mins of insane defense and maybe 1 fg by Bryant. Very exciting!!!

 

[Kembacity]

I am very optimistic for the season, I hope Boat can keep up what he did last night while everything else settles in.

I like that were all on board with the fact that we will have some losses and they might look bad, but in the end this team should gel enough to have the potential for a nice run. I guess its the championships won by teams that lost a bunch of ugly games, but its great that our fan base doesn't lose its collective every time we lose a game we're supposed to win. To me its a trademark of our team, we don't often put together those 2 loss seasons like some other programs do, because the regular season is about growing and finding the things that you use to string together tough wins in March/April

 

[Walker11]

I like that were all on board with the fact that we will have some losses and they might look bad, but in the end this team should gel enough to have the potential for a nice run. I guess its the championships won by teams that lost a bunch of ugly games, but its great that our fan base doesn't lose its collective every time we lose a game we're supposed to win.

You must have a massive "ignore" list.

 

[Rico444]

The potential is obvious. And we didn't even see a minute of Purvis.

 

[Palatine]

Only one game, but there was a lot of good to take away from it. The way they completely shut down Bryant was very nice to see. Like to see the scoring number get into the 70s but the D was interstellar.

Guys need to find their scoring spots. Sam I Am looked like he the owns the left corner. TSam looked more comfortable driving from the right than the left. DHam looks comfortable on the entire court.

As Ollie said coming off the court, they have the heart of a champion, and it showed.

 

[caw]

Lots of open shots missed, I think they are a better shooting team than they showed. Not stellar like last years team but better than last night.

Will be fun to watch when the full squad is in place. If Calhoun is healthy and playing well this team could go a solid 9 deep with #10 being Lubin (who could get some solid PT by mid season if he adjusts).

I think Ryan and TSam could be let loose even more defensively if there are solid players like Purvis and Calhoun available.

 

[Rocktheworld]

The potential is obvious. And we didn't even see a minute of Purvis.

Or Omar.

Our guards played a lot more minutes than they will as the season goes on (Only 6 players total played more than 7 minutes) and still wore Bryant down. Great to see. Also was great to see Brimah committing 2 fouls in 28 minutes

 

[warbler1055]

Yes there is potential. But what really scared me was when Bryant went to zone and hit 18-0 run and we missed lots of open shots. I was wondering where have all the shooters gone? The second half gave me hope, great hope but I am still shell shocked!!!

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Yes there is potential. But what really scared me was when Bryant went to zone and hit 18-0 run and we missed lots of open shots. I was wondering where have all the shooters gone? The second half gave me hope, great hope but I am still shell shocked!!!

I think Dan Hurley is going to become the zone killer we always wanted DD and giffey to be. His shot's not nearly as good as those two, but he has a much better handle and vision. He can set up at the foul line and really do some damage. If guys like omar and little balls can start burying 3s we're in business

 

[ctchamps]

Yes there is potential. But what really scared me was when Bryant went to zone and hit 18-0 run and we missed lots of open shots. I was wondering where have all the shooters gone? The second half gave me hope, great hope but I am still shell shocked!!!

Those two halves tell the tale imo. It's a factor of confidence. Once Ryan started taking over, the other players calmed down and played well. That 18-0 run was all about composure. The talent is there. It just has to gel.

My biggest concern is AB. That kid can be dominant on both ends. He has to figure out a way to channel his energy. If he puts it together, if Facey can improve his defense more than just rebounding, and if other players besides RB, TSam and AB gain enough confidence, this team can go very far.

At this stage it's too early to know if these things will happen, but that second half made me feel the ingredients are there.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I think Dan Hurley is going to become the zone killer we always wanted DD and giffey to be. His shot's not nearly as good as those two, but he has a much better handle and vision. He can set up at the foul line and really do some damage. If guys like omar and little balls can start burying 3s we're in business

DD and NG weren't zone busters?

 

[ctchamps]

DD and NG weren't zone busters?

They had spread the zone making it easier for Bazz and Ryan to attack the zone. But I agree with @huskiesNhoos that neither were any where near as good as we believe DHam will be in flashing to the foul line and consistently hitting those mid range shots or creating from that position. If DHam becomes consistent with his 3 point shot, game over.

 

[UCweCONN]

I didn't see any of the pre-season games, so this was my first look at the team. My take aways are: when we commit to defending we're scary, Boatright is super confident,
ready to lead and a freak athlete (I already knew the athlete part), Hamilton is a great passer (something we haven't had at his position in some time), and lastly, Cassell Jr. was VERY impressive. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. I also think Bryant is going to be very tough in their conference.

 

[Waquoit]

DD and NG weren't zone busters?

They sure weren't their first game.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

They had spread the zone making it easier for Bazz and Ryan to attack the zone. But I agree with @huskiesNhoos that neither were any where near as good as we believe DHam will be in flashing to the foul line and consistently hitting those mid range shots or creating from that position. If DHam becomes consistent with his 3 point shot, game over.

Exactly what I meant. Thanks for clarifying

 

[Jay-Bone]

Those two halves tell the tale imo. It's a factor of confidence. Once Ryan started taking over, the other players calmed down and played well. That 18-0 run was all about composure. The talent is there. It just has to gel.

My biggest concern is AB. That kid can be dominant on both ends. He has to figure out a way to channel his energy. If he puts it together, if Facey can improve his defense more than just rebounding, and if other players besides RB, TSam and AB gain enough confidence, this team can go very far.

At this stage it's too early to know if these things will happen, but that second half made me feel the ingredients are there.

Whats really important, is that such a young team (who lost a lot of leadership) in their first game of the season endured an 18-0 run and didn't implode. They stayed composed and fought back without 2 integral players. Credit to Boat's leadership. Bigtime. The season has begun.

 

[ctchamps]

Whats really important, is that such a young team (who lost a lot of leadership) in their first game of the season endured an 18-0 run and didn't implode. They stayed composed and fought back without 2 integral players. Credit to Boat's leadership. Bigtime. The season has begun.

Valid point about that 18-0 run. Take UConn's "blow out" loss to Ville last season. That team dealt with situations in which they had to come back all season, whether within games themselves or after losses. Granted that loss was extreme, but that team demonstrated they were battle tested. Take Coach K's comments in "Born to Lead" about UConn's first NC and how his team never really played in difficult games and how that hurt them in the NC. There is a value in getting hit in the gut with an opponents best blow and overcoming it.

The senior leadership of Ryan can't be overstated. And it hasn't. It's the one legitimate reason for UConn's top twenty ranking. There is very little doubt imm that RP, SCJ and DHam have the type of personalities to lead. If all of them assert themselves then problems begin. If they allow Ryan to take charge, and if he can lead by example and bring the other players with him, this team will do well. It was palpable the way the team responded to Ryan's intensity in the second half. It was a perfect example of the light switch being turned on. In this case the switch was Ryan.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Valid point about that 18-0 run. Take UConn's "blow out" loss to Ville last season. That team dealt with situations in which they had to come back all season, whether within games themselves or after losses. Granted that loss was extreme, but that team demonstrated they were battle tested. Take Coach K's comments in "Born to Lead" about UConn's first NC and how his team never really played in difficult games and how that hurt them in the NC. There is a value in getting hit in the gut with an opponents best blow and overcoming it.

The senior leadership of Ryan can't be overstated. And it hasn't. It's the one legitimate reason for UConn's top twenty ranking. There is very little doubt imm that RP, SCJ and DHam have the type of personalities to lead. If all of them assert themselves then problems begin. If they allow Ryan to take charge, and if he can lead by example and bring the other players with him, this team will do well. It was palpable the way the team responded to Ryan's intensity in the second half. It was a perfect example of the light switch being turned on. In this case the switch was Ryan.

One thing we've certainly learned in our last 2 ship runs, is that Uconn can get beat down, but still win in the end. They lost a lot of battles both years, but still won the wars.

We got to see the light switch turn on in the first game. That is impressive. He has become the next "One". (ok, that was a little cheesy, but something to feel good about)

 

[Waquoit]

We've seen scoreless stretches like that for years. They only bother me when we lose.

 

[Matrim55]

I like that were all on board with the fact that we will have some losses and they might look bad, but in the end this team should gel enough to have the potential for a nice run. I guess its the championships won by teams that lost a bunch of ugly games, but its great that our fan base doesn't lose its collective every time we lose a game we're supposed to win. To me its a trademark of our team, we don't often put together those 2 loss seasons like some other programs do, because the regular season is about growing and finding the things that you use to string together tough wins in March/April

I'm already preparing to lose my mind if we go anything less than, like, 38-3 in 2015/16.

I'll settle for something more reasonable like 29-9 this season.

 

[hoophuskee]

I missed most of the 1st half and saw most of the 2nd - so I didn't see the ugly. I'm thrilled with Boatright and Hamilton. Hamilton is a terrific passer. I'm also thrlled I think he is going to stay a 2nd year.