Whaley

[andy34]

He had a horrendous first half yesterday (missed all 7 shots) but picked it up again in the second half (made all 4 shots). It really says something about the kind of player he has become that he bounced back from such a bad start .... and still finished with 10 pts, 10 rebs, and 5 blocks. Continues to be a revelation.

 

[inWV]

Whaley has no reason at all to look over his shoulder at the bench if a stretch of play goes south. It's either Carlton or him, or both. Sid plays a few minutes a game, but really isn't a factor in the overall playing time calculations.

 

[Kitaman]

I can't recall a quicker jumper than Whaley. He just is a human pogo stick, with exceptional timing. Every rebound close to the basket he seems to be involved in. Next season he should excel.

 

[Marat]

I can't recall a quicker jumper than Whaley. He just is a human pogo stick, with exceptional timing. Every rebound close to the basket he seems to be involved in. Next season he should excel.

The announcer from the Tulane game also mentioned that IW may be the quickest jumper he has seen this season. Not sure if he meant in AAC or college basketball.

 

[the Q]

He shot poorly, but he still played well. Sometimes your shot doesn’t fall...whaley does plenty of other stuff to still be valuable.

 

[mauconnfan]

The announcer from the Tulane game also mentioned that IW may be the quickest jumper he has seen this season. Not sure if he meant in AAC or college basketball.

Reid Gettys former Houston Cougar and nice player back in their golden years. He did a nice job had lots of respect for UConn actually.

 

[Lefty2one]

As much as Vital's torrid streak is responsible for our resurgence, Whaley's production has been just as key. Akok's injury was heartbreaking but he simply wasn't giving us much once AAC play started.

Akok's production from the start of AAC play:

5.5 / 5.4 / 2.3 on .368 / .192 / .611 splits.

Starting with the Memphis game where Akok went down, Whaley has given us...

12.6 & 8.4 with 3(!) blocks per game on .552 FG and a darn good .774 FT in 33 minutes a night.

It shouldn't be ignored that Whaley was in good enough shape to come in and play 33 MPG and be productive for just about all of it. That in its own right is nothing to sneeze at. Prior to Akok's injury, Whaley was going for 4 & 4 a night in just under 15 minutes.

Akok was really struggling. With Carlton's inconsistency, we couldn't afford to have such little production from the 4. We replaced him with a guy putting up a very efficient 13 & 9 who's a better passer, without losing any protection at the rim. Plus it opened up our smallball lineup with Whaley at the 5. The whole thing is truly remarkable. I can't recall a guy coming out of nowhere in the middle season like this in our program's history. Hilton came out of nowhere for his senior year but it wasn't in the middle of a season.

 

[Huskies4ever]

As much as Vital's torrid streak is responsible for our resurgence, Whaley's production has been just as key.

This. The two of them, with the emergence of Bouknight, have made this a very solid team.

 

[imno1]

I can't recall a quicker jumper than Whaley. He just is a human pogo stick, with exceptional timing. Every rebound close to the basket he seems to be involved in. Next season he should excel.

Also he has terrific hands. rarely loses a rebound he gets paws on.

 

[gtcam]

Whaley has been a blessing - without his performance the last 5 games there would be no possible NIT or higher aspirations. I don't think there are 3 people that are more pleased to have Whaley doing what he is doing now than CV, AG, and Dan Hurley. It makes one wonder, what would have happened to Pork Chop had Akok not gone down with the injury. Also in that case, would he be back next year?

 

[superjohn]

As much as Vital's torrid streak is responsible for our resurgence, Whaley's production has been just as key. Akok's injury was heartbreaking but he simply wasn't giving us much once AAC play started.

Akok's production from the start of AAC play:

5.5 / 5.4 / 2.3 on .368 / .192 / .611 splits.

Starting with the Memphis game where Akok went down, Whaley has given us...

12.6 & 8.4 with 3(!) blocks per game on .552 FG and a darn good .774 FT in 33 minutes a night.

It shouldn't be ignored that Whaley was in good enough shape to come in and play 33 MPG and be productive for just about all of it. That in its own right is nothing to sneeze at. Prior to Akok's injury, Whaley was going for 4 & 4 a night in just under 15 minutes.

Akok was really struggling. With Carlton's inconsistency, we couldn't afford to have such little production from the 4. We replaced him with a guy putting up a very efficient 13 & 9 who's a better passer, without losing any protection at the rim. Plus it opened up our smallball lineup with Whaley at the 5. The whole thing is truly remarkable. I can't recall a guy coming out of nowhere in the middle season like this in our program's history. Hilton came out of nowhere for his senior year but it wasn't in the middle of a season.

Vital has played the best basketball of his career and Bouknight came on really strong minus the last game but I agree Whaley has been the most important in us turning this season around. Akok and Carlton couldn't catch many passes and were just struggling at everything. Whaley catches all those passes, finishes, hedges great on defense, blocks shots, hits the offensive glass, passes well, and makes his ft's. He might give up a little more on D but he's transformed our offense.

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

What is with Whaley and the wrench?

 

[RichZ]

I can't recall a guy coming out of nowhere in the middle season like this in our program's history.

Marcus White. He came out when JC missed a few games and Blaney gave him minutes.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I always loved Whaley's energy when he came off the bench. We (my family) would often wonder why he didn't get more minutes at times, but he seems like he had a couple of nagging injuries over the last couple of years. I l loved the brief time seeing him and Akok on the floor together. Both were quick off the floor and were good at help defense.
I wonder sometimes with a guy like Whaley, who is told early on that he has 5 fouls to use, they get in their head that they have to foul instead of playing defense. He mainly considered a depth piece and much wasn't expected of him. Sometimes, when a guy doesn't think much is expected of him, they do what is expected of him.
Either way, I'm glad to see him play well... when the team and he needs it most.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Will he be MIP tomorrow? Back to back most improved player would be quite the testament to Hurley

 

[HooperScooper]

Will he be MIP tomorrow? Back to back most improved player would be quite the testament to Hurley

Not sure he played a big role in enough games to get that. If he did what he did the last month for most of the AAC season I would say heck yeah.

 

[Mister P]

A recent thread was thanking( deservedly ) Vital and Gilbert for sticking with the program and not leaving after the coaching change. IW should have also been mentioned. He could have just as easily left for more pt somewhere else but stuck it out and worked his tail off. With the injuries to Akok and Polley and Sids issues IW stepped up and performed above most peoples expectations. The team would not be where its at now if not for his contributions.

Thank you IW for staying.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Not sure he played a big role in enough games to get that. If he did what he did the last month for most of the AAC season I would say heck yeah.

Not that I know all AAC teams intimately, but he’s gotta be high up on the list. You could easily argue that even as good as Vital and Bouknight have been he has been our most important player, giving us defense inside and hedging on screens, and inside offense and rebounding that we struggled with before. Plus, compare this production to last year. Remarkable.