I think the big takeaway for me is that Villanova seemingly got a layup or uncontested three for the entire 40 minutes. How they were able to do that was it seemed they had four guys that could get to the hoop and Ochefu could score when he got it down low, but for my purposes, I want to focus on the ability of four guys to create offense off the bounce.
I cannot overstate how important a pickup Gilbert is and how we will have two elite creators. This Will open up things for everyone and now DHam is the third handler instead of primary at times (esp early this year). We will have 3 creators and will get so many better looks for Purvis, DHam, Vance et al.
After 2 years of really just one guard creator, it will be a completely different look and I think the long scoring droughts will be far less frequent.
Really excited for next year as I think having those creators will make everyone better esp Purv and DHam!
Hope we can add another handler and a power 4 that can score down low and we will have all the pieces to make a deep run!
Quality looks are so important and we really struggled in this regard, esp DHam. I think his numbers can really jump, esp efficiency with more open looks created.
Well thought through post, 7774. It really shows how this year's team was not well constructed and very un-Husky like. Our success has been built on having two Combo-PGs, among other things.
Warning: Long post. I haven't done one of these in a while. So if you don't like long ones don't read it. Just began to get excited when thinking about next season's team.
I don't know how Nova will do against UNC and all their size and athleticism, but when they're clicking, they are really tough to guard. Anyone who's played hoops knows how hard it is to try to stop a skilled player one-on-one. You need some sort of help D where you're willing to give up something to stop certain players. Nova can put various line-ups on the floor where you have to guard all 5 players. You leave Ochefu or let him get the ball in the post, he'll kill you. You try to help and prevent, and Nova finds one of their open scorers who can beat you deep, midrange or at the rim via the drive, they'll shred you. When they're playing well, the only way to stop them is to have the right personnel, which UNC might actually have, long and athletic at just about all positions. Able to contest most of their shots, plus own the boards and not allow them 2nd chances.
Getting back to UConn, this year, only Adams was capable on somewhat of a consistent basis at beating his man or double team off the dribble and driving it into the paint. He isn't a reliable finisher yet, but he has the makings of being one. Add Gilbert next to him and teams won't be able to help out to stop him or vise versa. Add reliable shooters and other slashers (DHam, Purvis, Vance, Juwan, and Larrier) and that duo should make this team dangerous. Now we've won NCs w/out having Bigs who could reliably score in the post and dominate the offensive glass, but if one can emerge or KO can add one next year, this team can be very special.
What will be very interesting is how quickly the freshmen mature and Larrier is able to pick up where he left off at VCU. The trick to winning an NC is usually not only having the right pieces, but having those pieces maturing/peaking at around the same time during the same season. Now the 2011 team defied odds and won as a very young team. Kemba was a Jr, but was surrounded by a ton of freshmen who played significant roles late in that season. I was shocked looking back at that roster. Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel were just a sophs. Lamb, Scoe, Giffey, Bazz, and Olander were all Freshmen. The only senior who played any meaningful minutes was Okwandu. So if DHam, Brimmah and Purvis all return, and Gilbert comes in and plays with maturity anywhere close to the maturity that KEA displayed his freshman season, this team could turn out to be another dangerous team that hits their stride in March, like the 2011 and 1014 teams showed.
Where I'm concerned most is with our bigs. Can Brimmah, Enoch and Diarra w/ a little help at the 4 at times from DHam, Larrier, Vance and Juwan (he's listed as a 4, but he's not a banger and more a combo forward like Daniels and Dham, plus he's coming off his second ACL surgery keeping him off the floor for close to two years), who all have the size to play some 4 if needed, can this team develop into a team that is tough to defend, like what we are seeing with Nova? Can they Defend like they did this past season, though lock teams down during winning time, like we saw in 2011 and 2014?
I'd love to see KO add a big who can play the 5 at a high level by tournament time. Something similar to what Nova gets from Ochefu. That's asking for a lot. We at least need a rotation of bigs who can rebound on both ends of the floor giving our perimeter players more opportunities and limiting second chances on the other end. It would be a huge plus, if we can control our glass and get the ball out in transition creating a lot more easier baskets than what we saw this past season. I've seen my share this past season of late in the clock highly contested 3s or high risk traffic drives to the hoop to last a lifetime. Although Gibbs had some good moments this past season, why KO would allow Gibbs to have the ball in his hands with the shot clock clicking down from 10 seconds is beyond me. His success rate in those situations had to be below 5%. Having the ball in Gilbert's or Adam's hands able to drive and kick to Vance, Purvis, DHam, Larrier, etc., should be a world of difference. Maybe having those two where teams can't throw two guys out on them will result in either of them getting into the paint and even dumping the ball down to our bigs who can at least get a dunk or easy lay-in. The more I think about it, we don't need some post scoring savant with all the potential fire power we have at the 1, 2 and 3. Just a few bigs who can catch and dunk and rebound.
I see a lot of posts that we need another 2G who can handle. If Purvis returns, even though he's a tad shaky with his handle and decision making, we're probably fine. If he leaves, it does seem we could use some depth at the guard position, and we have enough big wing type players who can rotate at the 4 similar to what we saw with Scoe in 2011 and Daniels and Giffey in 2014.
Imagine if KO were to add another 2G and 5 who are ready to contribute this season. It will be a huge challenge to figure out who finds the floor and what players you give PT to develop so that they'll be at their best come March. The current talent would seem to point to playing one Big with 4 perimeter players most of the time.
1 - Gilbert and Adams - In the mold of past PG-Combo duos: KEA/Ricky (Rip), Taliek/Ben (Shad & Denham), Kemba/Bazz (Lamb) and Bazz/Boat, etc. Note that we tend to forget that most these duos had that 3rd guard/wing that was key to their success.
2 - Purvis, ? (DHam can play the 1 or 2 with his handle and playmaking, but would struggle to defend quicker and smaller 1s or 2s) Maybe Vance can play some 2, but he's not particularly quick and is listed at 6-8. All our wings are realy big, (DHam 6-7, Larrier 6-8 and Durham 6-9), - So maybe adding a 2G or Combo is our greater need than another big.
3 - DHam, Larrier, Vance, Juwan (Crazy depth here)
4 - Enoch, Diarra, plus the above 4 (Crazy depth, but will any two give us what we need at the 4 on both ends of the floor?)
5 Brimmah, Enoch, Diarra (Not a lot of depth and foul trouble could be a problem here. Although we could rotate various combinations and have enough bodies, physical teams could get into the bonus early, getting a lot of easy points if can't defend the post during long stretches or late in games.
It seems that next season's team should present various match-up problems depending on what line-up KO rolls onto the floor. Gilbert & Adams should give some teams fits keeping them out of the paint and might also be a pesty defensive duo. He could also go big with DHam at the 2, or playing two combo wing-forwards (DHam, Larrier, Vance or Durhan) that have the combination of good size, shooting and putting the ball on the floor along with just one true big.
Imagine if we add a 2-G Combo and/or another big. Who plays and who sits? Would Purvis be okay as an instant offense guy like the Microwave (John Gwyne), MCM (not good at it, but he came in to make plays late in the 2011 season), or a role player like Rash Jones who was a starter be became a key role player in 99? What will KO do with all these wings (DHam, Larrier, Vance, Juwan)? DHam will obvious get lots of PT, but KO should be able to rest him more. Larrier should get plenty of PT, but will it be more as a stretch-4? Will Vance be that 3 Pt specialist who KO will use in that instant offense role? Once Juwan is ready, what will he do with him? Will he be too talented to red-shirt him? If he's as talented as he seems, it doesn't make sense to red-shirt him, since it's unlikely he'd be a 4 year player. I think he'll play next year unless he experiences a set back, but due to rust and position need, he'll likely get play at the 4 than at the 3 with so much depth there.
Unlike this past season, where I wasn't all that excited about the roster, I'm really excited about this team. I think I'm most excited about an upcoming season since the 2010-11 team that had what looked like a big and talented incoming freshman class. The 2014 NC was a big surprise. The 2011, although just about equally be surprise that they won it that year, seemed like an exciting young team that could be good 2 to 3 years down the road. Next season can't come soon enough!
