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Whaley

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Whaley does so many things for us. Has some post game, finishes well, can face up and shoot, pass, block shots, play perimeter defense, rebound, shoot what doesn't he do? So proud and happy to have him on this team. After tonight he can go up against almost any big in America. Him and Akok can be a lethal defensive big duo later in the year.
 
It's funny I have always liked him since I first saw him. Couldn't understand why he couldn't get more pt. I think he has improved but I don't think he wasy as raw as we think at first, just wasn't getting the chance. Last year we had no choice and he shined.
 
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I know I’m getting ahead of myself but I hope he returns. Hurley should make rerecruiting him a priority in the offseason. He’s such a difference maker.
 
Chin Diesel said:
He completely annihilated the rim on that one hand put back dunk.
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#23 for USC smacked whaley on the forehead on that play going for a block, it should have been an and-1

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Whaley has come out of nowhere under the hoop. I cannot be more happy for him. Goes on the court with a mission. Always under the hoop. Was that him with the slam putback? Same as Polley last year.
 
2nd Most Important Player on our team! He's not replaceable, at least right now.
 
Great mentor to AS/RS/JB.. NBA scouts are coming to watch other players we play against.. And Bouk.. Pretty sure they're also taking notes on IW.. He plays bigger than his size.. Can't imagine many Bigs in the BE better than Mobley.. IW held his own..
 
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UCLJ0211 said:
Should go down as one of the most improved players from the beginning of his career to the end at UConn.
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In the post-game, Seth Greenberg said Whaley is the most improved college basketball player over the last two years.

Even though he's prone to hyperbole, I felt incredibly proud for Whaley and for our program when he said that.
 
Not the same style, but kind of the same importance to his teams as Jeff Adrien was to his.
 
I really think if he continues to play well through the BE season some NBA teams will take a look at him. Maybe not drafted but he could definitely play in the G league and possibly end of the bench in the NBA
 
UconnFanNVa said:
It's funny I have always liked him since I first saw him. Couldn't understand why he couldn't get more pt. I think he has improved but I don't think he wasy as raw as we think at first, just wasn't getting the chance. Last year we had no choice and he shined.
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There were little flashes of the high energy player right near the end of his freshman year. Some of us were excited and couldn't wait to see his continued development the next season. But something didn't work between he and Dan Hurley, and he found the seat directly next to the walk-ons on the bench for his sophomore season. Junior year started off the same way. It wasn't until injuries force Dan Hurley's hand the middle of last season that Whaley got enough court time without the threat of the quick hook hanging over him, that we saw those flashes again. And those momentary flashes turned out to be a preview of consistent effort and talent. Kudos to Zay for hanging in, and for being ready to grab the spotlight and own it when his time came.
 
Enormous Whaley fan.

From a purely basketball standpoint, he’s been through hell and back with this program.
Being poorly coached, not getting PT, transfer rumors, etc. I remember a comment from a scout his freshman year with something along the lines of “If Whaley is the type of prospect Ollie is getting, that program is in deeper trouble than I thought”.

He never complained or made himself a center of attention. He just worked and worked. And worked. And stuck with the university. And it’s all paying off now being the heart and high end player of a very good team.

Kudos to him. That sort of thing is kind of what college basketball is all about. He has a very bright future and deserves every bit of it.
 
Yep, a big fan...

There was a justifiably complaint-filled thread mid-season last year about the team's low BB IQ, and the inability to hang on and/or close out games. It focused on wondering who was the team's leader/smartest player, or something close to that. There weren't really any good nominees, and that was a scary and sobering collective recognition.

I lacked to courage to offer Whaley except for in-game txts to my sister and an hedged half-suggestion that focused on his engagement, encouragement of teammates, and lack of dumb mistakes. This was a few games before his performance slowly than dramatically improved, and closed the season 'reliably.'

I wondered before this season if it would 'stick.' So far, the answer seems to be a solid yes. I've never seen anything like it in many decades of watching Husky basketball.

As a freshman, he shot terribly. As a sophomore, he seemingly deserved to be buried on the bench, and I was surprised he returned for his Junior year. But more than anything else, I recall a quote from him in one of the very first articles posted after the announcement that he was coming to UConn. He was completely enthused about coming to play for "a program like UConn," and he used language that suggested that he was completely unaware that things had dropped off so far, as though he had no idea that if the UConn that had suffered mass defections and such were any good, he would never have been considered for recruitment.

And here we are: UConn is in clear movement toward again being the program his (then) delusional-sounding comment was describing AND he is a meaningful part of why this is so.

May he continue to play well and grow and inspire.
 
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love whalley on defense . He can hedge and recover as well as anyone I can remember . He is vital to our defense and creating turnovers
 
In the first 16 games of the 1920 season, Whaley averaged 12 lackluster minutes/gm

After Polley went down, the last 14 games of last season, which included 1 clunker, he averaged 9.8 pt /7.6 rb /2.2 blk in 26 minutes/gm

He became a starter for the last six games.

So far this year, 10.7 pt /7.3 rb /3.3 blk

Over the last two seasons, we are 8 and 1 with Zay in the starting lineup.

Looking at game logs for this info, I learned that Polley's breakout 19/11 game last year followed the worst 4 game stretch of the season for him, in which he averaged 4 points and less than 3 boards. Kinda lost sight of that in the excitement over his last game.
 
RichZ said:
In the first 16 games of the 1920 season, Whaley averaged 12 lackluster minutes/gm

After Polley went down, the last 14 games of last season, which included 1 clunker, he averaged 9.8 pt /7.6 rb /2.2 blk in 26 minutes/gm

He became a starter for the last six games.

So far this year, 10.7 pt /7.3 rb /3.3 blk

Over the last two seasons, we are 8 and 1 with Zay in the starting lineup.

Looking at game logs for this info, I learned that Polley's breakout 19/11 game last year followed the worst 4 game stretch of the season for him, in which he averaged 4 points and less than 3 boards. Kinda lost sight of that in the excitement over his last game.
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I really hope Whaley stays at UConn one more season, what's another year when he's already played here for 100 seasons...
 
Season is young, but Whaley is 12th in the country in Block% so far.
 
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No ____,. Wow.

Whaley stole the ball on the defensive end, ran the break by himself, and euro-stepped a defender against Central. I thought I was hallucinating. I love that kid.
 
Anyone know roughly how well he shoots the 3 in practice? If he can at 33% clip...
 
Whaley confidently pulled a transition 3 last night. If Whaley can ever shoot just 32% from 3 good lord, what a college player.
 
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