Well there is no doubt

[whaler11]

I misread you earlier comment. I thought you said "take the 8 best intramural teams"...you actually said "8 best players".

Yes, I assume the 8 best players at Uconn intramurals are pretty good. Law of large numbers.

You still seem sorely bitter about something. Maybe you got cut from the varsity squad in high school.

Gee why would I seem annoyed when the person who was arguing with me completely misunderstood my argument because they can’t read.

I was never good at basketball. You can rest easy it doesn’t bother me.

 

[8893]

I was never good at basketball. You can rest easy it doesn’t bother me.

I wasn't either, but during my freshman year at UConn I was home during one of the breaks and my step-mother came out to throw something in the garbage while I was shooting hoops around the basket in our driveway. I made a couple shots in a row while she was out there and the following exchange transpired:

Her: "Hey, that's pretty good [8893], have you thought about trying out for the team at school?"

Me: "Uhhhh, no. They're like really good and it's not something you just try out for."

Her: "See, now that's just the kind of attitude that will keep you from reaching your potential. How will you know unless you try? What have you got to lose?"

Me: "Ummm, yeah. It's not like that. You don't understand...um, hey, what's for dinner?"

 

[dennismenace]

Denis Rodman was at a community college and then played D2 and got drafted in second round. Not D3 but still pretty unusual

Well, Dennis was a little unusual.

 

[The Funster]

I feel like many of you have never seen a D-3 game....

I went to the Little East Tourney 2-3 years ago when it was in Willi... 90% of the schools could put together an intramural team that can beat the school’s team.

It’s brutal to watch.

No offense. You are nuts.

I did radio play by play for a division III team for multiple years. I’ve had the misfortune of seeing hundreds of D3 games.

Yeah a handful of players with no options randomly show up now and again.



You don’t think the 8 best intramural players at UConn could compete in the LEC? Ha.

Wait. So you did radio play by play for a Div III team for multiple years but the first thing you post to support your claim is that you went to an LEC tourney 2-3 years ago? Why not lead with your Div III radio experience? I smell BS.

 

[whaler11]

Wait. So you did radio play by play for a Div III team for multiple years but the first thing you post to support your claim is that you went to an LEC tourney 2-3 years ago? Why not lead with your Div III radio experience? I smell BS.

All true. I did men’s and women’s.

Actually saw the women’s team from St Joe’s in one of their first games. They lost like 88-20.

 

[Hoophound]

Whaler isn’t too far off that the 9 best players in UConn intramurals could compete. UConn is a really big school and there are a lot of good players there. Quite a few are of D3 caliber. Just about every school with over 4000 students has 10 very good players on campus in my experience.

 

[imno1]

Guy if you don’t think you can roundup the nine best intramural players at UConn and compete in the LEC you are delusional.

I’m sorry that this reality impacts your self worth but that’s D-3 sports. Most people don’t want to trade their college experience for riding busses and getting out of bed at 5am for the potential glory of beating Rhode Island College.

There is a reason why D-3 sports are literally played in front of friends and families.

Anyone who can actually meet the challenge of sitting through a D-3 game would understand this by halftime.

How about rounding up one of the intramural players who can hit a 3 for our team.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Would make for a great pre-season charity game at Mohegan if we played them.

 

[UConnNick]

How about rounding up one of the intramural players who can hit a 3 for our team.

There is a precedent for that at UCONN. In 1974, Lee Otis Wilson, a/k/a "The Mad Bomber", made the leap from the intramural league to the varsity, and averaged almost 14 ppg as a sixth man for Dee Rowe. Sadly, Lee Otis was not an academic stalwart. He became academically ineligible the following season, when I believe he was a senior. He had been tearing it up averaging about 40 ppg in the intramural league. He easily would have averaged over 20 ppg if there had been a three point line in those days, perhaps even 25. Most of his shots came from Hartford.

 

[shizzle787]

No offense. You are nuts.

I did radio play by play for a division III team for multiple years. I’ve had the misfortune of seeing hundreds of D3 games.

Yeah a handful of players with no options randomly show up now and again.

By and large 90% of the D3 teams in the country are terrible.

You don’t think the 8 best intramural players at UConn could compete in the LEC? Ha.

As someone who played all the time at UConn's gym, they could absolutely compete in D-3.

 

[Rico444]

I wasn't either, but during my freshman year at UConn I was home during one of the breaks and my step-mother came out to throw something in the garbage while I was shooting hoops around the basket in our driveway. I made a couple shots in a row while she was out there and the following exchange transpired:

Her: "Hey, that's pretty good [8893], have you thought about trying out for the team at school?"

Me: "Uhhhh, no. They're like really good and it's not something you just try out for."

Her: "See, now that's just the kind of attitude that will keep you from reaching your potential. How will you know unless you try? What have you got to lose?"

Me: "Ummm, yeah. It's not like that. You don't understand...um, hey, what's for dinner?"

Her: "Quitters don't get dinner. You can rummage through that garbage can if you want."

 

[UCweCONN]

Her: "Quitters don't get dinner. You can rummage through that garbage can if you want."

And, "Give me that ball. You don't deserve it."

 

[husky429]

Whaler isn’t too far off that the 9 best players in UConn intramurals could compete. UConn is a really big school and there are a lot of good players there. Quite a few are of D3 caliber. Just about every school with over 4000 students has 10 very good players on campus in my experience.

This is true. But d3 basketball aint as bad as he says.

 

[Chief00]

Quite frankly, as someone who has observed Jim Calhoun for a few decades, he is going to surprise some of the “BY experts” and “casual fans” as he starts to reel guys in.

Calhoun has always done well connecting with young men by identifying their dream and then mapping out a plan for them to best achieve it. That’s how he will sell St Joe’s and it will work.

 

[whaler11]

Quite frankly, as someone who has observed Jim Calhoun for a few decades, he is going to surprise some of the “BY experts” and “casual fans” as he starts to reel guys in.

Calhoun has always done well connecting with young men by identifying their dream and then mapping out a plan for them to best achieve it. That’s how he will sell St Joe’s and it will work.

If Calhoun is out recruiting for St Joe’s why is our broke arse athletic department paying him?

 

[champs99and04]

There are people that think an intramural team can beat a D-3 roster? What an insult.

I don't think people understand the level of skill it requires to play collegiate basketball. Everyone thinks they can play D-3 at least, apparently.

I think you've been watching too many D-1 games on TV and it's affecting your reality.

Most every D-3 player I've ever known, even on lesser D-3 teams, would smoke your casual intramural / former HS superstars.

I'm not sure there is a huge difference between HS D1 superstars and your average D-3 player. But that's just from what I've observed.

No question people underestimate how hard it is to play college basketball. It's a simple numbers game. Everybody who has ever had a remote interest if sports has at least tried to play at some point. From my own experience playing AAU ten years ago or so, it's really amazing how quick things change. I remember watching Noah Vonleh play in sixth and seventh grade...wasn't even the best player on his own travel team. His teammate is probably the best youth basketball player I've ever seen. Ultimately he got to a point where he just couldn't play any more because he was really short and couldn't shoot. There are a ton of guys like him out there though who don't fit the prototype to play at a top level but would absolutely blow your mind in a different setting. I think what people don't realize is that basketball naturally selects athleticism and size before anything. The dudes on TV aren't necessarily more skilled than D3 players and in fact are often less skilled. From a skills standpoint D-1 basketball and AAU are probably the worst things you could watch because a lot of it is just one big experiment.

 

[Danzz]

There is a precedent for that at UCONN. In 1974, Lee Otis Wilson, a/k/a "The Mad Bomber", made the leap from the intramural league to the varsity, and averaged almost 14 ppg as a sixth man for Dee Rowe. Sadly, Lee Otis was not an academic stalwart. He became academically ineligible the following season, when I believe he was a senior. He had been tearing it up averaging about 40 ppg in the intramural league. He easily would have averaged over 20 ppg if there had been a three point line in those days, perhaps even 25. Most of his shots came from Hartford.

Lee Otis had incredible range plus we went to the same HS. KO would have to start him on this team. His shots were way beyond the 3 pt line but just don't ask him to play defense.

 

[joober jones]

Gilbert transferring to St. Joe's. Book it.

No. He's Idaho bound. If anyone wants to make it big as PG, you need to follow in the footsteps of Darius Smith.

 

[dennismenace]

I'm not sure there is a huge difference between HS D1 superstars and your average D-3 player. But that's just from what I've observed.

No question people underestimate how hard it is to play college basketball. It's a simple numbers game. Everybody who has ever had a remote interest if sports has at least tried to play at some point. From my own experience playing AAU ten years ago or so, it's really amazing how quick things change. I remember watching Noah Vonleh play in sixth and seventh grade...wasn't even the best player on his own travel team. His teammate is probably the best youth basketball player I've ever seen. Ultimately he got to a point where he just couldn't play any more because he was really short and couldn't shoot. There are a ton of guys like him out there though who don't fit the prototype to play at a top level but would absolutely blow your mind in a different setting. I think what people don't realize is that basketball naturally selects athleticism and size before anything. The dudes on TV aren't necessarily more skilled than D3 players and in fact are often less skilled. From a skills standpoint D-1 basketball and AAU are probably the worst things you could watch because a lot of it is just one big experiment.

Agree. Some great points made. It seems to be a percentages thing with regard to athleticism in that the bell curve shows that there is a sharp drop off in success to those who don't have the percentages on their side. I think Tom Osborne was one of the father gurus on this, especially at the higher D1 schools who are trying to attract would be pro level athletes. Occasionally people break the curve but it is pretty rare I'm told. I have a relative who is a D1 coach (S & C) for football, lacrosse and field hockey and no matter "how great a football player he is" in HS; the chance of him getting a look without those numbers is not good at all. It is also interesting that when HS kids are tested (boys and girls) some are shocked to find they have the athleticism numbers. Experience and drive are very important as well but it is a numbers game as you pointed out. There are grants sometime given for schools to have their kids tested in order to inform kids that they may not have those metrics and they had better focus on their studies and something other than the NBA or NFL as their "dream." In this respect it is a moment of enlightenment and brings kids back to earth.

 

[Scrutineer]

Quite frankly, as someone who has observed Jim Calhoun for a few decades, he is going to surprise some of the “BY experts” and “casual fans” as he starts to reel guys in.

Calhoun has always done well connecting with young men by identifying their dream and then mapping out a plan for them to best achieve it. That’s how he will sell St Joe’s and it will work.

Quite frankly, I wonder how many heads that opening statement went over?

 

[huskyrob1]

Nobody is going to the NBA out of D3 chief lol

Really??? It's happened before, #2 in the overall draft. The guy turned into a big time NBA star. Rik Smits from Marist.

 

[Chief00]

It’s interesting, even after all that he has accomplished, there are Calhoun doubters.

 

[Robertelamin]

Marist made the NCAA tournament in 1986 & 1987. Smits was drafted in 1988 so not a D3 player.

 

[mauconnfan]

Really??? It's happened before, #2 in the overall draft. The guy turned into a big time NBA star. Rik Smits from Marist.

The Marist Athletic Department including the men's basketball program transitioned up to the Division I level before the 1981-1982 season. In response to the competitive landscape the program encountered in division I for basketball recruits Marist became one of the first college programs to recruit players from overseas. This strategy worked and Marist was able to attract very talented international players to Poughkeepsie. This led to unprecedented on the court success and national recognition for the school. The most successful Marist men's basketball teams played in the mid-1980s and were composed mostly of players from Europe and Canada. They were led by future 1st round selection and NBA All-Star Rik Smits who was originally from the Netherlands, also on those teams was Rudy Bourgarel and Alain Forestier from France, Peter Krasovec from Hungary, Curtis Celestine from Canada and Serbian player Miroslav Pecarski.[2] At the time, Pecarski was considered by some to be Europe's top 17-year-old player, but he was injured in the preseason, creating an opportunity for Smits.[3]

 

[huskyrob1]

The Marist Athletic Department including the men's basketball program transitioned up to the Division I level before the 1981-1982 season. In response to the competitive landscape the program encountered in division I for basketball recruits Marist became one of the first college programs to recruit players from overseas. This strategy worked and Marist was able to attract very talented international players to Poughkeepsie. This led to unprecedented on the court success and national recognition for the school. The most successful Marist men's basketball teams played in the mid-1980s and were composed mostly of players from Europe and Canada. They were led by future 1st round selection and NBA All-Star Rik Smits who was originally from the Netherlands, also on those teams was Rudy Bourgarel and Alain Forestier from France, Peter Krasovec from Hungary, Curtis Celestine from Canada and Serbian player Miroslav Pecarski.[2] At the time, Pecarski was considered by some to be Europe's top 17-year-old player, but he was injured in the preseason, creating an opportunity for Smits.[3]

Didn't know that, interesting that they transitioned up when the Big East was in it's infancy.