Vital

[Marty Jackson]

How many points did he leave on the table yesterday?

Not the half court chucks he can't seem to say no to, but the great defensive plays, fast breaks etc that were never converted.

I can recall 3-4 and I didn't watch the entire game.

 

[Fishy]

He’s not terribly athletic or quick so he has trouble finishing in traffic or in transition.

As Calhoun says, he’s in love with his jump shot a long more than he should be, so the bad shots will likely be with us as long as he is.

In a perfect world, he’d be coming in as the seventh man for defense or if you just need a change of pace - something he is excellent at. But you’re just not going to be very good if you have to rely on him as much as we do.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Not enough to single him out with a thread like this. He was very far from the reason we lost yesterday.

 

[Chief00]

He leads the AAC in 3 point attempts. Not good. But, he did get 9 rebounds yesterday and was one of the two guys who accounted for 70% of our points.
Regardless, if it’s 6 or 7th man, on a good team I could see him coached into a good role.

 

[husky429]

He needs coaching. He has potential as a solid player

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

He does have a knack for turning our fast break into a fast break for the other team

 

[gtcam]

Based on the contributions from the Bigs and TL, I am in no position to blast Vital - I just wished we played all the games at Gampel - he seems to love the place
I am not sure is worthy of only a 7th player role but at times, he is his biggest enemy - needs to turn down the antics and that might translate into a more balanced play. But I've also seen when this has been done it sometimes turn the athlete's on button off.
To me, he is not the issue - it's lack of at least one serviceable big and KO's decision to keep TL in there when it is obvious that UConn is playing 4 v 5 defensively and when he touches the ball on offense, if it requires TL to move at all, it's a TO in waiting - I just don't get where this kid's head is at. However when watching him play at VCU this was a common issue and kept him on the bench.

 

[my2cents]

On a team that has so little offense, to pick on Vital is ridiculous. Sure he takes some bad shots at times, there is a shot clock that needs to be beat.
Overall, I think that he is our hardest worker, lots of effort in games. He makes steals, leads us in rebounds a lot of games. Name one other player that has played better.

 

[Huskyfan4evr]

He might do some things that might leave you scratching your head but if the rest of the team played with half the energy and heart vital does it would be a huge help. He doesn't quit. I'd rather have him on my team then not.

 

[Jaker]

At this point, he is exceeding expectations.

 

[AdamaNation]

He might do some things that might leave you scratching your head but if the rest of the team played with half the energy and heart vital does it would be a huge help. He doesn't quit. I'd rather have him on my team then not.

You might say he’s VITAL to our effort as a team eh?

 

[JimHurley]

He’s not terribly athletic or quick so he has trouble finishing in traffic or in transition.

As Calhoun says, he’s in love with his jump shot a long more than he should be, so the bad shots will likely be with us as long as he is.

In a perfect world, he’d be coming in as the seventh man for defense or if you just need a change of pace - something he is excellent at. But you’re just not going to be very good if you have to rely on him as much as we do.

Agree. In a perfect world, we have an alpha dog at PG with Adams as our second guard with Vital first guard off the bench. A great example would be Marcus Williams. Hand him the keys, have JA as our second option with Vital off the bench and that’s an ideal guard situation.

 

[rgw]

How many points did he leave on the table yesterday?

Not the half court chucks he can't seem to say no to, but the great defensive plays, fast breaks etc that were never converted.

I can recall 3-4 and I didn't watch the entire game.

When he shoots 3's you can tell from form if it is going in. If it straight up or moving towards basket it's got a good chance of going in. UNFORTUNATELY most are fade aways with no chance of going in. I can not believe Ollie does not correct this habit and yank him from the game every time he shoots a fade away 3.

 

[Onions]

How many points did he leave on the table yesterday?

Not the half court chucks he can't seem to say no to, but the great defensive plays, fast breaks etc that were never converted.

I can recall 3-4 and I didn't watch the entire game.

Vital has more WTF moments than anyone on the team, BUT ... he's only a sophomore, as inconsistent as he still is finishing at the rim he has improved greatly at that over last year, he was never expected to be much more than a role player when he was recruited and has wildly exceeded expectations, he gives great effort on both sides of the ball and on a team of marshmallows, he is tough as nails.

And I need to remember all that when he has his next WTF moment out there.

 

[polycom]

On which UConn team that was good would Vital play major minutes? I think we have some serious recency bias. He's a streaky shooter, who is "high energy"...

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I think we have some serious recency bias.

Either that or we are accepting that we live in the present, and appreciate what is rather than bemoan what isn't.

 

[Chief00]

When he shoots 3's you can tell from form if it is going in. If it straight up or moving towards basket it's got a good chance of going in. UNFORTUNATELY most are fade aways with no chance of going in. I can not believe Ollie does not correct this habit and yank him from the game every time he shoots a fade away 3.

Congratulations “New Member” Chief “Liked” your post.

 

[polycom]

Either that or we are accepting that we live in the present, and appreciate what is rather than bemoan what isn't.

Becoming apathetic = ensuring this program stays like this.

 

[August_West]

Congratulations “New Member” Chief “Liked” your post.

There is no higher praise for the new member casual fan. We need them.

 

[Chief00]

There is no higher praise for the new member casual fan. We need them.

Encouragement!

 

[August_West]

Encouragement!

 

[PAHusky]

For awhile I was bearish on Vital because he jacks up bad shots and the chippiness and constant hand clapping and taunting was getting old, but I've come around on him. He's a decent shooter who shouldn't be asked to do anything more than fill in a Giffey like role (as a guard) - spot up shooting and good defense. Ever play a pickup game when you look around and realize you're not that great at basketball but who else on your team is going to score? That's how Vital must feel every game and that's why he's chucking. The attitude is obnoxious too but again, this is a team that comes out flat constantly and rarely shows a pulse, so I'll give him a pass on that as at least he seems to be doing something to try to fire everyone up.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Becoming apathetic = ensuring this program stays like this.

Staying grounded in present reality isn't becoming apathetic. Misclaiming it as such is pathetic. Neither has much to do with ensuring that the widely acknowledged state of the program continues.

 

[husky429]

When he shoots 3's you can tell from form if it is going in. If it straight up or moving towards basket it's got a good chance of going in. UNFORTUNATELY most are fade aways with no chance of going in. I can not believe Ollie does not correct this habit and yank him from the game every time he shoots a fade away 3.

That's why I belive a real coach could turn Vital into a great player. I don't see any NBA potential, but he has a real chance to be a 2nd or 3rd guard on a top 25 team. But that's only if he's forced to grasp shot selection and develops at least a slightly better handle.

 

[polycom]

Staying grounded in present reality isn't becoming apathetic. Misclaiming it as such is pathetic. Neither has much to do with ensuring that the widely acknowledged state of the program continues.

So we should bring in more players like Vital? I don't understand what your point here is.