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I have always felt that we have all the pieces and talent on this team to make a Final Four run. Before the season even started KO said that this is the most talented team he has coached here at UCONN and I am sure KO still believes that. Given all our talent Coach has emphasized two key points that players must do in order to accomplish the high expectations that the coach, the players, and the fans have for this years team. Those two points are: 1) Players must know their roles and 2) players must fill their minutes.
Going into conference play, in my opinion, 4 players in what will be our 8 man rotation have accomplished both key points, those four being: 1)Shonn Miller, 2) Purvis, 3) Facey, and 4) Calhoun. The other four, Hamilton, Gibbs, Brimah, and Adams, are still in the process; some players are closer to understanding their roles and filling their minutes more so than others. If the rest of the players figure it out before March then I don't care who we face, I like our chances verses any other team.
The 4 Locked in Pieces:
1) Shonn Miller:
a) His role: He understands he is a physically gifted (strength and athleticism wise) power forward, and has been playing that way for most of the season. When he gets the ball he is not settling for jump shots but he is using his strength and athleticism to get to the rim and he either finishes with authority, draws contact and gets to the line, or he finishes with a soft touch within 10 ft of the basket. Miller does have a good looking shot where he can take and make the mid range shot, and he can even step behind the arc. However, the fact that he has taken less than five 3 pointers 12 games into the season as compared to when he took over 100 last year shows you the attacking mindset he has this year. I would have to think that is exactly what KO wants from him. The occasional 3 is certainly a bonus. KO has said (when interviewed by Joe D) that Miller has been playing well but Miller can play better once SM realizes just how good he is. From KO's own words he thinks that there is no one in the college bball who can guard SM one on one. KO wants to make SM the focal point of the offense b/c SM can score at very efficient rate and can draw the double team which allows the guards more room to operate.
b) Filling his minutes: Miller has been scoring at a very good rate. He is averaging 13ppg while playing 25 mpg, and at a very efficient 64% field goal percentage. He is also 2nd on the team in blocks and has a respectable 5 reb per game. I think he can improve in the rebounding category (and I believe he will, especially with Brimah injured). Miller needs to be more conscious of not making silly and early fouls that leads to him sitting on the bench for large stretches of the game.
2) Rodney Purvis:
a) His role: Being aggressive on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Rodney's is at his best when he takes advantage of his strength and speed. When Purvis is driving to the rim generally good things happen. While he has been shooting it very well from behind the arc he is at his best when he is aggressively looking to drive to the hoop; when he gets the momentum going its like watching a bull in a china shop. Purvis is also the best defender amongst the guards on the team.
b) Filling his minutes: Purvis is our leading scorer and he is scoring at very healthy 51% FG%, while shooting above 40% from behind the arc. He is clearly getting better at finishing at the rim compared to the start of the season, and hopefully he continues to improve on that part of the game. Purvis has attempted more free throws than anyone else on the team (42) just one more than Miller (41) and those two guys will likely be the top 2 for the rest of the season because of their style of game (aggressively taking it to the basket). However, as everyone knows Purvis' FT % is his achilles heel. Shooting at 50% from the charity stripe is just not acceptable and he knows that (Miller is shooting at 73% for comparison sake). I think his free throw shooting has improved over the course of the season but there is still much more to be desired. He needs to improve because we can't have other teams employ hack a Purvis (like texas did in the final minute). Can't have him subbing in and out at a critical time of the game and he can't leave critical points off the board against teams like SMU and when we get to March. But overall he has been playing very well and is one of the team leaders.
3. Kentan Facey:
a) His role: Bringing the energy and doing the dirty work. I love what Facey brings to the team. He is our best rebounder (in terms of per min), especially on the offensive end. It seems if he is not getting an offensive rebound he is always getting at least his hands on the ball which helps by reducing any chance the opposing team has in breaking out on a fast break. Although he is rather skinny he seems to hold his weight when facing guys who have 50 pounds on him. He will also be the one who receives most of Dham's lobs while Brimah is out.
b) Filling his minutes: He fills his minutes better than anyone else on the team. His per 40 is 12ppg and 13rpg. He has 2 career double doubles (1 against central and the other last year). I would be shocked if he doesn't double that (pun intended) before Brimah comes back. He is filling his minutes really well and as a result he is getting more minutes.
4. Omar Calhoun:
a) His role: Providing senior leadership, bringing energy off the bench, and being a offensive spark plug off the bench. Defense was never Omar's strong suit but this year he realizes that minutes are hard to come by with all the talent on the team and he seems to be giving a lot of energy on the defensive end. Calhoun has also matured over the past season as a basketball player. While he is shooting very well from behind the arc, he has been much more selective this year as to when to shoot the three, and he is looking to be more than just a 3 point shooter. I have been pleasantly surprised at how often Calhoun has looked to take it to the rim or shoot a mid range shot. He has the ability to get points in more ways than just from behind the arc. Most importantly while many of us know that Calhoun came in as a top 25 recruit and had a very promising freshman year things have not panned out has he and fans have hoped in terms of production and minutes, but through it all even now Omar has been nothing but smiles and positive energy. Many other players in his position would have jumped ship or be a cause for disfunction in the locker room, Omar has been the upset; loyal to the end and well liked by the coaches, teammates, and fans.
b) Filling his minutes: While Omar has been scoring in more ways than just the three, he is still looked at as three point threat that gives the team greater spacing, and Omar has been delivering from behind the arc shooting at a clip of 45% (his best season from behind the arc)! Omar is also shooting a team leading 87% from the free throw line. He came up big against Ohio State, while Omar does not need to average double figures and likely won't, I have no doubt that he will deliver that 10-15 point performance in other games going into the future.
The Likely next piece to fall in place:
At this point I am tired of writing, so I will just get straight to the question of why I don't consider Dham as a locked piece of the puzzle (I think most others can figure out Adams and Gibbs, and there are more than enough threads on Brimah). There is no doubt that Dham is a stud. He is clearly a special talent, and arguably our best player, and he is a triple double watch every time he steps on the court. His ppg, rpg, assists, FT%, FG%, steals and bpg are all up from last year. His Assist to turnover ratio has also significantly improved.
But here is whats missing:
a) His role: At this point Dham is lacking a bit of basketball maturity. On the defensive end he consistently leaves his man to double team the guy with the ball or to take a swipe at the ball from behind. On a number of occasions his on ball transition defense has been nothing more than lazy attempts to steal the ball only to have the guy go by him. On the offensive end he needs to be more aggressive in looking for his own shot and turn a few more of the lobs into floaters (which to be fair I think he has done a better job of that recently). The other aspect he needs to improve on is his body language. Too often after a turnover or a bad shot (or sometimes when he does nothing wrong) he has his head down. As one of the leaders on the team he needs to realize his teammates feed off of him and he can't let one bad shot affect his next shot. Dham is such a humble and great guy but he needs to realize that on the court he's got to be a fighter.
b) Filling his minutes: Dham fills his minutes probably better than any player in college basketball not named Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine. The only part of his game that he can improve upon is getting to the line more often. Dham only gets to the line on average 2 times per game. As the star of our team he should be shooting from the charity strip about twice as often as he does right now. Yes a big variable are the zebras but some of it has to do with the style of play. For comparisons sake Valentine attempts 4 free throws a game, and this is even more amazing bc more than half (yes 7.5 out 13.3!) of Valentine's shots come from behind the arc. Dunn also shoots more than 5 times on average from the free throw line per game while taking about the same amount of 3s as Dham. Dham needs to look to draw more contact by going into the defender's body as opposed to fading away from contact when he drives to the hoop. Anyone who watches basketball knows that stars get a more favorable treatment on calls, we saw it happen with Kemba and Bazz. Hamilton is a star and he just needs to start believing he is one.
I know my take on Dham maybe a bit harsh but thats only because he has the ability to be an even better player. He is well on his way and I believe he will be the next solved piece of the puzzle.
As for Gibbs, Adams, and Brimah they are not there yet, and thats all I will write because I have written way too much at this point.
Going into conference play, in my opinion, 4 players in what will be our 8 man rotation have accomplished both key points, those four being: 1)Shonn Miller, 2) Purvis, 3) Facey, and 4) Calhoun. The other four, Hamilton, Gibbs, Brimah, and Adams, are still in the process; some players are closer to understanding their roles and filling their minutes more so than others. If the rest of the players figure it out before March then I don't care who we face, I like our chances verses any other team.
The 4 Locked in Pieces:
1) Shonn Miller:
a) His role: He understands he is a physically gifted (strength and athleticism wise) power forward, and has been playing that way for most of the season. When he gets the ball he is not settling for jump shots but he is using his strength and athleticism to get to the rim and he either finishes with authority, draws contact and gets to the line, or he finishes with a soft touch within 10 ft of the basket. Miller does have a good looking shot where he can take and make the mid range shot, and he can even step behind the arc. However, the fact that he has taken less than five 3 pointers 12 games into the season as compared to when he took over 100 last year shows you the attacking mindset he has this year. I would have to think that is exactly what KO wants from him. The occasional 3 is certainly a bonus. KO has said (when interviewed by Joe D) that Miller has been playing well but Miller can play better once SM realizes just how good he is. From KO's own words he thinks that there is no one in the college bball who can guard SM one on one. KO wants to make SM the focal point of the offense b/c SM can score at very efficient rate and can draw the double team which allows the guards more room to operate.
b) Filling his minutes: Miller has been scoring at a very good rate. He is averaging 13ppg while playing 25 mpg, and at a very efficient 64% field goal percentage. He is also 2nd on the team in blocks and has a respectable 5 reb per game. I think he can improve in the rebounding category (and I believe he will, especially with Brimah injured). Miller needs to be more conscious of not making silly and early fouls that leads to him sitting on the bench for large stretches of the game.
2) Rodney Purvis:
a) His role: Being aggressive on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Rodney's is at his best when he takes advantage of his strength and speed. When Purvis is driving to the rim generally good things happen. While he has been shooting it very well from behind the arc he is at his best when he is aggressively looking to drive to the hoop; when he gets the momentum going its like watching a bull in a china shop. Purvis is also the best defender amongst the guards on the team.
b) Filling his minutes: Purvis is our leading scorer and he is scoring at very healthy 51% FG%, while shooting above 40% from behind the arc. He is clearly getting better at finishing at the rim compared to the start of the season, and hopefully he continues to improve on that part of the game. Purvis has attempted more free throws than anyone else on the team (42) just one more than Miller (41) and those two guys will likely be the top 2 for the rest of the season because of their style of game (aggressively taking it to the basket). However, as everyone knows Purvis' FT % is his achilles heel. Shooting at 50% from the charity stripe is just not acceptable and he knows that (Miller is shooting at 73% for comparison sake). I think his free throw shooting has improved over the course of the season but there is still much more to be desired. He needs to improve because we can't have other teams employ hack a Purvis (like texas did in the final minute). Can't have him subbing in and out at a critical time of the game and he can't leave critical points off the board against teams like SMU and when we get to March. But overall he has been playing very well and is one of the team leaders.
3. Kentan Facey:
a) His role: Bringing the energy and doing the dirty work. I love what Facey brings to the team. He is our best rebounder (in terms of per min), especially on the offensive end. It seems if he is not getting an offensive rebound he is always getting at least his hands on the ball which helps by reducing any chance the opposing team has in breaking out on a fast break. Although he is rather skinny he seems to hold his weight when facing guys who have 50 pounds on him. He will also be the one who receives most of Dham's lobs while Brimah is out.
b) Filling his minutes: He fills his minutes better than anyone else on the team. His per 40 is 12ppg and 13rpg. He has 2 career double doubles (1 against central and the other last year). I would be shocked if he doesn't double that (pun intended) before Brimah comes back. He is filling his minutes really well and as a result he is getting more minutes.
4. Omar Calhoun:
a) His role: Providing senior leadership, bringing energy off the bench, and being a offensive spark plug off the bench. Defense was never Omar's strong suit but this year he realizes that minutes are hard to come by with all the talent on the team and he seems to be giving a lot of energy on the defensive end. Calhoun has also matured over the past season as a basketball player. While he is shooting very well from behind the arc, he has been much more selective this year as to when to shoot the three, and he is looking to be more than just a 3 point shooter. I have been pleasantly surprised at how often Calhoun has looked to take it to the rim or shoot a mid range shot. He has the ability to get points in more ways than just from behind the arc. Most importantly while many of us know that Calhoun came in as a top 25 recruit and had a very promising freshman year things have not panned out has he and fans have hoped in terms of production and minutes, but through it all even now Omar has been nothing but smiles and positive energy. Many other players in his position would have jumped ship or be a cause for disfunction in the locker room, Omar has been the upset; loyal to the end and well liked by the coaches, teammates, and fans.
b) Filling his minutes: While Omar has been scoring in more ways than just the three, he is still looked at as three point threat that gives the team greater spacing, and Omar has been delivering from behind the arc shooting at a clip of 45% (his best season from behind the arc)! Omar is also shooting a team leading 87% from the free throw line. He came up big against Ohio State, while Omar does not need to average double figures and likely won't, I have no doubt that he will deliver that 10-15 point performance in other games going into the future.
The Likely next piece to fall in place:
At this point I am tired of writing, so I will just get straight to the question of why I don't consider Dham as a locked piece of the puzzle (I think most others can figure out Adams and Gibbs, and there are more than enough threads on Brimah). There is no doubt that Dham is a stud. He is clearly a special talent, and arguably our best player, and he is a triple double watch every time he steps on the court. His ppg, rpg, assists, FT%, FG%, steals and bpg are all up from last year. His Assist to turnover ratio has also significantly improved.
But here is whats missing:
a) His role: At this point Dham is lacking a bit of basketball maturity. On the defensive end he consistently leaves his man to double team the guy with the ball or to take a swipe at the ball from behind. On a number of occasions his on ball transition defense has been nothing more than lazy attempts to steal the ball only to have the guy go by him. On the offensive end he needs to be more aggressive in looking for his own shot and turn a few more of the lobs into floaters (which to be fair I think he has done a better job of that recently). The other aspect he needs to improve on is his body language. Too often after a turnover or a bad shot (or sometimes when he does nothing wrong) he has his head down. As one of the leaders on the team he needs to realize his teammates feed off of him and he can't let one bad shot affect his next shot. Dham is such a humble and great guy but he needs to realize that on the court he's got to be a fighter.
b) Filling his minutes: Dham fills his minutes probably better than any player in college basketball not named Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine. The only part of his game that he can improve upon is getting to the line more often. Dham only gets to the line on average 2 times per game. As the star of our team he should be shooting from the charity strip about twice as often as he does right now. Yes a big variable are the zebras but some of it has to do with the style of play. For comparisons sake Valentine attempts 4 free throws a game, and this is even more amazing bc more than half (yes 7.5 out 13.3!) of Valentine's shots come from behind the arc. Dunn also shoots more than 5 times on average from the free throw line per game while taking about the same amount of 3s as Dham. Dham needs to look to draw more contact by going into the defender's body as opposed to fading away from contact when he drives to the hoop. Anyone who watches basketball knows that stars get a more favorable treatment on calls, we saw it happen with Kemba and Bazz. Hamilton is a star and he just needs to start believing he is one.
I know my take on Dham maybe a bit harsh but thats only because he has the ability to be an even better player. He is well on his way and I believe he will be the next solved piece of the puzzle.
As for Gibbs, Adams, and Brimah they are not there yet, and thats all I will write because I have written way too much at this point.
