Whaley

[Candyman]

Whaley put up big numbers against Putnam Science and Brewster or Vermont Academy. Not sure which but that shows he can put up numbers.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Literally all Brimah could do was dunk. (Excepting against St. Joe's)

He could dunk fine. Catching the ball was the problem.

 

[Son of Robert]

Whaley is the one who has been labeled "a 6'10" ball handler" right? I know in the early talks someone was described like that. If he can really handle the ball, maybe they do run him at the 3. Since our overall team height is pretty short in the frontcourt, it might be really helpful on D to have a big long man guarding the 3 as long as he can stay with his man on D

I think that was Tyler Polley.

 

[Huskybass]

I tend to agree. He has talent - the question is will his body stand up to getting banged around by stronger dudes.

Rip Hamilton and Kerry Kittles were both very thin and starred at the college level. If Whaley has the skills to play the 3, he could be a very pleasant surprise in time.

 

[3rdbass]

Rip Hamilton and Kerry Kittles were both very thin and starred at the college level. If Whaley has the skills to play the 3, he could be a very pleasant surprise in time.

Why do you think he was playing the 3? Because he was matched up with TL? That could still mean he was playing the 4 as larrier can play both. Whaley doesn't have the handle to play the 3. He will play the 4 if he does. Glad he is rebounding and Dunking. Sounds like a perfect 4.

 

[mauconnfan]

In his videos one thing that stood out was how active he was around the boards, on a couple tip ins he tipped and got back up to tip again quickly. Kind of reminded me a bit of Josh Boone and would gladly accept a freshman season comparable to JB's from Mr Whaley.

 

[Danzz]

Rip Hamilton and Kerry Kittles were both very thin and starred at the college level. If Whaley has the skills to play the 3, he could be a very pleasant surprise in time.

Ray was/is very thin.

 

[upstater]

In his videos one thing that stood out was how active he was around the boards, on a couple tip ins he tipped and got back up to tip again quickly. Kind of reminded me a bit of Josh Boone and would gladly accept a freshman season comparable to JB's from Mr Whaley.

You could argue Boone's freshman season was his best season!

 

[boog204]

You could argue Boone's freshman season was his best season!

Very fair argument. Josh was great to start his Soph year and then underachieved, in my opinion. I just looked up the game logs and he was at 17.5 11.3 and 3.7 through the first 10. Granted, there cupcakes in there, but some good teams as well. He was also hitting free throws. Then we played Oklahoma who had a bunch of big men and Boone played 8 minutes total due to fouls. Then Pitt came up (Krauser and Troutman were in their 7th year at this point) and dropped a hammer on us and then Josh got soft. Unfortunately, that inconsistency plagued him the rest of his UConn career. After his freshmen year, I thought for sure he would end up being a lottery pick.

 

[husky429]

His PG year was at mt zion. Averaged 22/11/5 blocks. There schedule is one of the toughest in the country. I think this kid is severely underrated

 

[UConnStats]

His PG year was at mt zion. Averaged 22/11/5 blocks. There schedule is one of the toughest in the country. I think this kid is severely underrated

TMac’s prep school, as well as Georgia Tech legend Jarrett Jack.

 

[Hurleyman216]

Why do you think he was playing the 3? Because he was matched up with TL? That could still mean he was playing the 4 as larrier can play both. Whaley doesn't have the handle to play the 3. He will play the 4 if he does. Glad he is rebounding and Dunking. Sounds like a perfect 4.

We play positionless basketball so I don't really care what number you want to throw on him. If he's talented and can contribute he will get playing time

 

[pj]

At this level you can't judge players by the school they go to - even Brewster kids are not a lock to add value to UConn. The key thing for me though was that Whaley was a go to guy on his team, as judged by his scoring stats. It's so easy for the guards to dominate the ball and deprive a big man of touches. If a big man becomes the center of his team's offense, it means he has a lot of tools -- positioning, catching, athleticism, scoring, and very likely passing as well.

 

[3rdbass]

We play positionless basketball so I don't really care what number you want to throw on him. If he's talented and can contribute he will get playing time

We play positionless basketball? This must have been another uconn team I was watching last year. We have had pretty defined roles the last few years. Yes, we have guys like Terry larrier and jalen Adams who can play multiple positions but we are far from a positionless basketball team.

My point was that we most likely will see him at the PF or center position based on his current skill set. Unless he has a great handle for a big man which I haven't seen or been noted in any articles I can't see him playing SF, unless we are in horrible foul trouble like last year and had Durham playing there.

 

[Jimdish255]

Having enough players to compete with each other and run productive practices is going to help develop a lot of our guys. Without the numbers excuse it's time to get it done.

 

[ctchamps]

Having enough players to compete with each other and run productive practices is going to help develop a lot of our guys. Without the numbers excuse it's time to get it done.

Many years ago I realized that all it takes is wishful thinking to be a billionaire.

 

[aceboon]

TMac’s prep school, as well as Georgia Tech legend Jarrett Jack.

different schools, that one was located in NC, Whaley's in MD

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Rip Hamilton and Kerry Kittles were both very thin and starred at the college level. If Whaley has the skills to play the 3, he could be a very pleasant surprise in time.

He
A three in college needs to be a good shooter first, putting it on the floor is secondary especially against the zone. The more you can stretch out the zone the easier it is to find lanes.
The BY thought the 2015 team except for RB couldn’ Put it on the floor. The reality was they were a poor shooting team that allowed teams to compress the zone making driving almost impossible.
If our threes and fours can knock down shots . Gilbert and Adams will find lanes.

 

[intlzncster]

Rip Hamilton and Kerry Kittles were both very thin and starred at the college level. If Whaley has the skills to play the 3, he could be a very pleasant surprise in time.

Same with Tayshaun Prince. And plenty of other dudes.

 

[boog204]

Rip Hamilton and Kerry Kittles were both very thin and starred at the college level. If Whaley has the skills to play the 3, he could be a very pleasant surprise in time.

Maybe I missed something, but is the whole "Whaley could be a 3 narrative" based entirely on him guarding Larrier? Has there actually been anything that leads anyone to believe that Whaley has any typical "3" man skills?

 

[selles]

Maybe I missed something, but is the whole "Whaley could be a 3 narrative" based entirely on him guarding Larrier? Has there actually been anything that leads anyone to believe that Whaley has any typical "3" man skills?

The short answer is probably "no", but I think the articles about him when he committed did say that he played more of a stretch game when he was in public school, then converted to a pure post in prep school. His quotes at the time also indicated that he wants to be a post, hence his reference to Carlos Daniel as a big reason for his commitment.

 

[Huskybass]

Maybe I missed something, but is the whole "Whaley could be a 3 narrative" based entirely on him guarding Larrier? Has there actually been anything that leads anyone to believe that Whaley has any typical "3" man skills?

No. More wishful thinking on my part given his slight build.

 

[Kitaman]

Be funny reading this Board's reaction if Larrier said that about all his teammates. (Which by the way applies pretty much to the whole team.)

Just saying everyone will be a 'huge key for us', particularly in the frontcourt.