Vital last 13 games

[husky429]

We've been talking so much about how Vital stepped up his game the second hand of the season, but I'd never actually done the math to see what his stats were. Here's what I ended up with:

12 pts.
4.5 reb
2.2 ast
1.3 steals
1.2 TO
44 FG%
45 3PT% (on 4 attempts per game!)
68 FT%

That is a REALLY good second half of a basketball season. The reality is that, while he clearly doesn't have the same ceiling as Jalen, he actually had a better season than him as a freshman. I'm thinking we're going to have a very, very fun time watching this kid the next few years. He has the potential to be an extraordinary college player if he puts in the work.

If he works on his handle and finishing this summer, I could easily see him either a) keeping these stats on less minutes; or b) improving his points, rebounding and assists with good percentages still. I'd love to see him improve his 2PT% because he shied away from driving after some ugly finishes at the rim early in the year.

He is the PERFECT compliment to a player like Jalen, really. Jalen has great driving and finishing ability, but struggles to shoot; he's a little bit showy and turnover prone, and tends to get lazy on D (because of injuries this season sometimes). Vital has the nice 3 pt shot to give Jalen space, and is a competitor at all times and seems to have great composure on the court; he tries to make the smart, easy play; he's a capable ballhandler, but in no way ball dominant like our other guards are. Great, great player to have.

 

[Austin316]

Wow those are good stats. He's definitely an overlooked player. I love Vital!

 

[Durks07]

We've been talking so much about how Vital stepped up his game the second hand of the season, but I'd never actually done the math to see what his stats were. Here's what I ended up with:

12 pts.
4.5 reb
2.2 ast
1.3 steals
1.2 TO
44 FG%
45 3PT% (on 4 attempts per game!)
68 FT%

That is a REALLY good second half of a basketball season. The reality is that, while he clearly doesn't have the same ceiling as Jalen, he actually had a better season than him as a freshman. I'm thinking we're going to have a very, very fun time watching this kid the next few years. He has the potential to be an extraordinary college player if he puts in the work.

If he works on his handle and finishing this summer, I could easily see him either a) keeping these stats on less minutes; or b) improving his points, rebounding and assists with good percentages still. I'd love to see him improve his 2PT% because he shied away from driving after some ugly finishes at the rim early in the year.

He is the PERFECT compliment to a player like Jalen, really. Jalen has great driving and finishing ability, but struggles to shoot; he's a little bit showy and turnover prone, and tends to get lazy on D (because of injuries this season sometimes). Vital has the nice 3 pt shot to give Jalen space, and is a competitor at all times and seems to have great composure on the court; he tries to make the smart, easy play; he's a capable ballhandler, but in no way ball dominant like our other guards are. Great, great player to have.

He feels like the second coming of Craig Austrie looking at all of that.

 

[AntG168]

He feels like the second coming of Craig Austrie looking at all of that.

A lot better

 

[andy34]

A lot better

Pretty sure that was a joke?

 

[Kenny11]

Vital should be a very good 4 year player. He needs to work on his handle and being able to finish layups. The first half of the season he missed so many easy layups, but he got much better towards the end. He can average double digit points without plays ran for him by making a couple threes, a put back, a nice cut for a layup and some free throws to close the game out. He is the type of player that makes a good team into a very good team...now we need to actually become a good team so he can show his value.

 

[AntG168]

Pretty sure that was a joke?

Oh. My sense of humor has been really off lately lol

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We've been talking so much about how Vital stepped up his game the second hand of the season, but I'd never actually done the math to see what his stats were. Here's what I ended up with:

12 pts.
4.5 reb
2.2 ast
1.3 steals
1.2 TO
44 FG%
45 3PT% (on 4 attempts per game!)
68 FT%

That is a REALLY good second half of a basketball season. The reality is that, while he clearly doesn't have the same ceiling as Jalen, he actually had a better season than him as a freshman. I'm thinking we're going to have a very, very fun time watching this kid the next few years. He has the potential to be an extraordinary college player if he puts in the work.

If he works on his handle and finishing this summer, I could easily see him either a) keeping these stats on less minutes; or b) improving his points, rebounding and assists with good percentages still. I'd love to see him improve his 2PT% because he shied away from driving after some ugly finishes at the rim early in the year.

He is the PERFECT compliment to a player like Jalen, really. Jalen has great driving and finishing ability, but struggles to shoot; he's a little bit showy and turnover prone, and tends to get lazy on D (because of injuries this season sometimes). Vital has the nice 3 pt shot to give Jalen space, and is a competitor at all times and seems to have great composure on the court; he tries to make the smart, easy play; he's a capable ballhandler, but in no way ball dominant like our other guards are. Great, great player to have.

No Likes yet from anyone I'm ignoring. Is it the 68% free throw percentage?

 

[BaZZnBOAT]

I love Vital. I was upset when Vance left, as well as Enoch and (kind of) Durham, but I was just glad that Vital decided to stay. He is an outstanding player who really impressed me as time went on. Did he have some growing pains? Absolutely. But as the year went on he showed more and more improvement, and along with Jalen, Alterique, Antwan (and potentially others) he will be fantastic this year.

 

[jibsey]

While Gilbert and Jalen can hit the 3, neither is known for them (I hope they are concentrating on that this offseason) so we need Vital to continue that especially with Vance gone. Larrier is not a high percentage 3 shooter either, so hopefully it's not a problem for us. What about Waters?

 

[husky429]

While Gilbert and Jalen can hit the 3, neither is known for them (I hope they are concentrating on that this offseason) so we need Vital to continue that especially with Vance gone. Larrier is not a high percentage 3 shooter either, so hopefully it's not a problem for us. What about Waters?

Waters is a nasty 3pt shooter. He's very ball dominant though; he almost exclusively shoots off the bounce. It's hard to tell what it will look like catch-and-shoot because he's never had to do that much at all in high school. He's always been "the man."

Part of the reason why I love Vital is because he isn't ball-dominant at all. With the elite guards we've been bringing in every year, we need someone who can put points on the board without having the ball in their hands 20 mins per game.

The reality is that Vital is the kind of player that wins you games. He won't be on ESPN any time, but he'll play great off-ball D (that's his strength in particular on defense), and get his 10-14 every night. Put that piece with an elite guard, a high-flying small forward, and at least one big who can bang underneath and score 10pts a game stretching the floor, and you've basically got the system Ollie has been trying (and generally failing, honestly) to implement these last few years. We got close with Rodney and Amida, and they were AWESOME kids, but they were never quite able to be good enough. Amidah needed to be a stronger rebounder and finish stronger, Rodney needed to have a little bit better handle to help lead in that elite guard's absence.

We're almost there! Let's hope this year is it.

 

[Danzz]

We've been talking so much about how Vital stepped up his game the second hand of the season, but I'd never actually done the math to see what his stats were. Here's what I ended up with:

12 pts.
4.5 reb
2.2 ast
1.3 steals
1.2 TO
44 FG%
45 3PT% (on 4 attempts per game!)
68 FT%

That is a REALLY good second half of a basketball season. The reality is that, while he clearly doesn't have the same ceiling as Jalen, he actually had a better season than him as a freshman. I'm thinking we're going to have a very, very fun time watching this kid the next few years. He has the potential to be an extraordinary college player if he puts in the work.

If he works on his handle and finishing this summer, I could easily see him either a) keeping these stats on less minutes; or b) improving his points, rebounding and assists with good percentages still. I'd love to see him improve his 2PT% because he shied away from driving after some ugly finishes at the rim early in the year.

He is the PERFECT compliment to a player like Jalen, really. Jalen has great driving and finishing ability, but struggles to shoot; he's a little bit showy and turnover prone, and tends to get lazy on D (because of injuries this season sometimes). Vital has the nice 3 pt shot to give Jalen space, and is a competitor at all times and seems to have great composure on the court; he tries to make the smart, easy play; he's a capable ballhandler, but in no way ball dominant like our other guards are. Great, great player to have.

Vital skill wise is middle of the road but his effort especially on D makes him much better than that. He may never be a star but he will be an outstanding complimentary piece.

 

[JMick]

Vital skill wise is middle of the road but his effort especially on D makes him much better than that. He may never be a star but he will be an outstanding complimentary piece.

If he keeps putting in work his ceiling is pretty high. He doesn't quite have NBA athleticism but he can be an extremely good #2 option his jr or Sr year

 

[Goat]

I presume that Jalen will be off the ball more this season, with Alterique the primary PG. CV and AA are 2 guards, but they will be options off the bench as the two 1s are a proven star and last year's AAC preseason rookie of the year. Over 4 years, KO will continue to grow and may hopefully become a workhorse pro like his head coach.

 

[Pudge]

He feels like the second coming of Craig Austrie looking at all of that.

I am not here to denigrate Alum Craig Austrie ... but some of you have serious revisionist mindset. Austrie played a GREAT role for us. But ... I think Vital is better over a 4 year career: better talent.

 

[Fishy]

I am not here to denigrate Alum Craig Austrie ... but some of you have serious revisionist mindset. Austrie played a GREAT role for us. But ... I think Vital is better over a 4 year career: better talent.

Yep.

He's an orbit better than Austrie.

He's very ball dominant though; he almost exclusively shoots off the bounce. It's hard to tell what it will look like catch-and-shoot because he's never had to do that much at all in high school.

Part of the reason why I love Vital is because he isn't ball-dominant at all.

Kinda comes with the territory - Waters is a point guard whereas Vital is a shooting guard.

 

[husky429]

I presume that Jalen will be off the ball more this season, with Alterique the primary PG. CV and AA are 2 guards, but they will be options off the bench as the two 1s are a proven star and last year's AAC preseason rookie of the year. Over 4 years, KO will continue to grow and may hopefully become a workhorse pro like his head coach.

I'm guessing we go back to that 2 PG set we used with Shabazz and Boat.

I might be in the minority here, but I wouldn't be surprised if Jalen is playing the PG, with the ball in his hands, 20 minutes a game and off ball 12-15, with AG (or TW... hopefully) playing the other minutes. Jalen is a VERY gifted passer, the ultimate gift of a great point guard. He was 13th in the nation in assists, guys!

I think Jalen will do better with another ballhandler because when he's not the only good ballhandler, he won't have to expend so much energy, leading to some of those stupid turnover. He definitely needs to get in better shape, too.

My vision is AG/JA making quick transition passes to Larrier and Vital in transition, or slicing through the D themselves in fast paced games. When we need to get into the half court, I picture Jalen working in the pick and roll (with our surprisingly skilled big man, Carlton... fingers crossed!) Or finding Larrier and AG to slash in the lane when zones shift. If the defense is good, I expect Jalen/AG to move the ball in the last 10 seconds, and find gaps to make plays. Having that extra 1 on 1 offensive player will be HUGE next year.

Our only question mark is the bigs.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Craig Austrie has become the go-to comparison for a steady guard with high BBIQ who plays solid D and can be a PG or SG. I'm pretty sure Austrie never put up numbers in his whole career like Vital did as a freshman. Granted, Austrie did have to split time with 3 NBA guards in Price, Walker, and Williams in his career but Vital is more likely a guy who will be putting up 15 as a senior and have fans of other teams wondering how he's still here.

 

[80shusky]

Vital has all the tools to be a great college basketball player and fan favorite. I had a feeling early on that we were going to love him as a Husky. Between the toughness, the defense, the scrappiness, steals, rebounds and the fact that he can give you 10-15 points he has the "it" that good teams need.

 

[Thirty Three]

Vital has all the tools to be a great college basketball player and fan favorite. I had a feeling early on that we were going to love him as a Husky. Between the toughness, the defense, the scrappiness, steals, rebounds and the fact that he can give you 10-15 points he has the "it" that good teams need.

He really does seem to have the "it" factor. He brings some things to the table that this team really needed more of, namely; good BBIQ, a well balanced game, a great work ethic, and a kid who is better than his ranking coming out of high school.

Vital was a steal for a three star recruit ranked around #167. Identifying, recruiting and landing these undervalued three star recruits is something JC was great at, and KO definitely needs to improve on to be really successful at UConn, in my opinion.

 

[husky429]

He really does seem to have the "it" factor. He brings some things to the table that this team really needed more of, namely; good BBIQ, a well balanced game, a great work ethic, and a kid who is better than his ranking coming out of high school.

Vital was a steal for a three star recruit ranked around #167. Identifying, recruiting and landing these undervalued three star recruits is something JC was great at, and KO definitely needs to improve on to be really successful at UConn, in my opinion.

We've got two great recruiter on staff. Killings in particular did a great job with this at temple. Let's hope some of these late offers will surprise us

 

[Durks07]

A lot better

Pretty sure that was a joke?

I am not here to denigrate Alum Craig Austrie ... but some of you have serious revisionist mindset. Austrie played a GREAT role for us. But ... I think Vital is better over a 4 year career: better talent.

I should have been more clear about it, because I wasn't (intentionally) referring to the numbers in the OP. Yes, Vital is better and should be better overall than Austrie.

What I was really trying to drive at, is that I see similarities in the two: under-recruited kids from the state who come to Uconn and end up becoming capable role players.

 

[dennismenace]

Craig Austrie has become the go-to comparison for a steady guard with high BBIQ who plays solid D and can be a PG or SG. I'm pretty sure Austrie never put up numbers in his whole career like Vital did as a freshman. Granted, Austrie did have to split time with 3 NBA guards in Price, Walker, and Williams in his career but Vital is more likely a guy who will be putting up 15 as a senior and have fans of other teams wondering how he's still here.

Yes! The Krauser syndrome.

 

[intlzncster]

Oh. My sense of humor has been really off lately lol

The offseason we've had will do it to ya.

 

[intlzncster]

No Likes yet from anyone I'm ignoring. Is it the 68% free throw percentage?

You can see 'likes' from people you ignore? Sucks to be reminded of them all the time. 'Ignoring' isn't quite the blissful ignorance they make it out to be.