What bazz needs to learn

[selles]

Shabazz and Andre were the primary players responsible for the win against Fairfield. They were the primary players for getting the big lead.

The main reason we won was not the big lead (that went away), the main reason we won was that, in a 1 possession game with all the momentum against us, Boat drilled a 3 and then did an excellent job of controlling the ball at the other end and getting it to Lamb for the clinching dunk.

It is easy to put something aside when we are not the focus of the situation. When we're the ones in which anger is directed it is hard to put it aside even when we want to put it aside.

I agree, it is hard. And putting something aside despite the difficulty - or despite not wanting to - is a measure of maturity and mental toughness. Jim Calhoun's teams are renowned for their mental toughness. And that's because they're coached by Jim Calhoun, who sometimes, as part of the package he brings, pushes the boundaries. It can be a hard concept for a player to understand, but the players and teams who do reap the rewards.

 

[ctchamps]

Unfortunately JC is a poor example of someone who knows self control.

And Shabazz does take criticism very well. So he should reap the rewards.

This was the first time in which he didn't and I don't care who the person is, HOF coach or not, if that person doesn't deserve respect he shouldn't get it. And his outburst in the Drummond situation was not a moment he should be proud of. No one, no matter how famous or senior they are to another person has the right to be abusive or approach a situation that is not dignified. JC went past the point where he earned Shabazz's respect.

If there was one player who forced up ridiculous shots and was a me first player in this game it would be Ryan and not Shabazz. You point out the two key plays he made but Shabazz made many more including finally getting settled down and running the point to get Ryan open.

The Drummond charge occurred with 16:48 remaining in the game and from that point until the last two minutes Shabazz deferred to Ryan and Jeremy as the point guards. And we saw how that turned out.

Shabazz gets a pass in this game as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ctchamps]

Against Fairfield it should have been 15/3, at least. Oh, and the 6-7 bad/awkward/forced shots between Boat/Bazz are TO's in my book.

No argument about bad shot taking. Ryan took all but one of those and the one Shabazz took was with the time running out.

Everything changed in the second half. I have no clue what JC did or said in the locker room but if it was anything like he showed on the court he impacted the excitement of the team. And then with 16:48 in the second half, he took the wind out of Shabazz's sails. So Jeremy and Ryan were left to run the team. And the team could not generate any offense without Shabazz.

I don't think there were any assists in a 15 minute period with Jeremy and Ryan running the team. Two assists came when Shabazz finally got under control, one from a pass by him to Ryan for the three and one by an outlet pass by Ryan to Jeremey.

JC impacted the game more than anyone. If the margin wasn't as good as you want, or the assists, then JC shares a great portion of the responsibility.

I'm well aware of the ineffectiveness of the players. But UConn finished the first half with a twenty point lead and on a high and I think JC failed to capitalize on this. In fact I'm convinced he messed with the teams chemistry at halftime.

 

[selles]

I'm not saying Ryan played a great game or that he outplayed Shabazz, just that his plays (and not the big lead) were the reason we won.

As for the rest, fair enough.

I think most folks are just venting today. After all, it was just a Fairfield game in December. Getting a large lead against a mid-major and letting it slip away is a very frustrating type of game to watch, and we have an unfortunate propensity for it. But we couldn't live with prosperity last year either and that worked out fine.

 

[msgordon]

dudes a sophomore averaging 15.5/6.7/4.5. kemba took a lot of "bad shots" last year. bazz is shooting 49% from the field and 43% from 3. how many does he have to make before you stop calling them 'bad' shots

 

[Huskybass]

Overall, Bazz has played really well this season. How many Soph PG's are out there who are having a better season than him? To expect the kid to be flawless is unfair. The team is 10-1 and he has done a really nice job of leading it. And as for Boat, this was his 5th game in a UConn uniform. Both Bazz and Boat are key contributors on this team and deserve far more praise than criticism.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Overall, Bazz has played really well this season. How many Soph PG's are out there who are having a better season than him? To expect the kid to be flawless is unfair. The team is 10-1 and he has done a really nice job of leading it. And as for Boat, this was his 5th game in a UConn uniform. Both Bazz and Boat are key contributors on this team and deserve far more praise than criticism.

1 thing you will realize from reading this pseudo form of entertainment called the boneyard is the basketball acuity of a significant portion of the fan base is less than stellar.

BAZZ v. Stags-- 7-10 from the field, 2-3 from downtown, 8-9 from the line, 6 rebounds, 24 pts, 5 assts, 2 stls and 1 TO.

Napier has been aggressive offensively. He also is delivering. It is easy for fans to drink the Drummond Kool Aid right now but try and temper your expectations a bit. He will be inconsistent this year.

Good Karma Huskybass...

 

[hungry husky]

Overall, Bazz has played really well this season. How many Soph PG's are out there who are having a better season than him? To expect the kid to be flawless is unfair. The team is 10-1 and he has done a really nice job of leading it. And as for Boat, this was his 5th game in a UConn uniform. Both Bazz and Boat are key contributors on this team and deserve far more praise than criticism.

He is having a great season. When they lose a 20 point lead, the primary responsibility goes on the coach, and then it falls on the point guard/captain. His shots were becoming more and more forced as the lead kept dwindling, and it wasn't until Boat's 3 when the bleeding stopped. Of course it's unrealistic to expect him to be flawless for an entire 40 minutes, but at the same time he needs to have a cool head and make smart decisions when adversity rears its head.

 

[John Fryer]

That dumb pass to AD wasn't a result of him playing one on one like the OP stated. It was a 3 on 2 and Bazz had an easy pullup and instead he opted to pass and put AD in a bad situation. He was being too unselfish and made a bad decision, he should've shot it.

I agree with your first two sentences.

Unfortunately, however, there is a problem with your third and last sentence.

You said: "He was being unselfish".

To me, it looked liked he was show-boating.

And AD could have been seriously hurt as a result of the fact that SN "made a bad decision".

Peace,

John Fryer

 

[TheChamps990411]

From Luke Winn's power rankings....

Meanwhile, ​

a recent study of the top eight BCS-conference assist leaders​

(done by John Templon of NY Buckets) revealed that Shabazz Napier puts a higher percentage of his passes on a dunkable platter than any other top point guard. As of Dec. 16, an amazing 32.1 percent of Napier's assists had gone for dunks; the next-highest player in Templon's study was UNC's Kendall Marshall, at 16.7. ​

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/luke_winn/12/22/Syracuse.OSU/index.html#ixzz1hNi7tbe0​

absolutely pointless stat. yes bazz has a higher percentage be he also has about half as many assists as marshall.

marshall-131 asts 32 to

bazz-74 asts 36 to

bazz had 5 assists last night. we are at our best when he is distributing first shooting second thats my overall point.

 

[aceboon]

Lol @ waiting for a trailing AD and then dumping the pass off to him being showboating. I'm seriously taking a break from discussing Shabazz on this board because the criticisms aren't even based on reality. Forcing shots when he barely shot the ball in the 2nd half, now showboating, its just become ridiculous at this point.

 

[HuskyFan32]

when we are struggling to score and the other team is on a run against us bazz needs to slow it down run the offense and if nothings there drive and look to either dish it off to AD or kick out to JL. these should be his first two options but apparently he wants to go one on one like kemba used to do and he either puts up a bad shot or turns it over. if AD and JL are not options BAZZ should then look for the shot. jm2c.

Spot on man. Dont listen to the insults. Some posters just cant accept that sometimes our players do make mistakes and that we are allowed to point them out. Its crazy how you get your head ripped off if you make one point that is even the slightest bit critical. Its happened to me many times.

Now to your point. I completely agree. Ive been saying this about Bazz all season and shockingly I get shredded every time I post something about it. Bazz is clearly a very good player, but when he scores, we seem to stink. Its that simple. He shot a great percentage last night but when he looks to score our offense is awful and he also doesnt play any d. It seems like when he makes a good play on offense his man scores on him the very next play everytime. Is it a coincidence that we destroyed HC and our offense was humming and he only took like 3 shots and then against Fairfield hes looking to score (which he did very well), but whoever he was guarding lit him up and our offense was stagnant? Could be a coincidence but it seems that when hes looking to score his D is awful and our offense suffers. Now let the hate begin..

 

[TheChamps990411]

Spot on man. Dont listen to the insults. Some posters just cant accept that sometimes our players do make mistakes and that we are allowed to point them out. Its crazy how you get your head ripped off if you make one point that is even the slightest bit critical. Its happened to me many times.

Now to your point. I completely agree. Ive been saying this about Bazz all season and shockingly I get shredded every time I post something about it. Bazz is clearly a very good player, but when he scores, we seem to stink. Its that simple. He shot a great percentage last night but when he looks to score our offense is awful and he also doesnt play any d. It seems like when he makes a good play on offense his man scores on him the very next play everytime. Is it a coincidence that we destroyed HC and our offense was humming and he only took like 3 shots and then against Fairfield hes looking to score (which he did very well), but whoever he was guarding lit him up and our offense was stagnant? Could be a coincidence but it seems that when hes looking to score his D is awful and our offense suffers. Now let the hate begin..

im not worried about insults as im not here to compare penis size im just here to give my opinion on my favorite team. right or wrong i call it how i see it.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

This little tune is to those bashing BAZZ on this thread after the W. I'm not a huge BAZZ fan per se. As a matter of fact you probably can consider me somewhat neutral because if my boy Boatright wasn't logging the minutes he is I would be turning my attention elsewhere. So I am by no means as big a UConn fan as others here as of 9 days ago.

So objectively speaking BAZZ has exceeded my expectations and his game has improved tremendously from last year.

Now to those post Fairfield game BAZZ bashers. You remind me of the Wizard of Oz scarecrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg66kwRnOpw

 

[ctchamps]

Spot on man. Dont listen to the insults. Some posters just cant accept that sometimes our players do make mistakes and that we are allowed to point them out. Its crazy how you get your head ripped off if you make one point that is even the slightest bit critical. Its happened to me many times.

Now to your point. I completely agree. Ive been saying this about Bazz all season and shockingly I get shredded every time I post something about it. Bazz is clearly a very good player, but when he scores, we seem to stink. Its that simple. He shot a great percentage last night but when he looks to score our offense is awful and he also doesnt play any d. It seems like when he makes a good play on offense his man scores on him the very next play everytime. Is it a coincidence that we destroyed HC and our offense was humming and he only took like 3 shots and then against Fairfield hes looking to score (which he did very well), but whoever he was guarding lit him up and our offense was stagnant? Could be a coincidence but it seems that when hes looking to score his D is awful and our offense suffers. Now let the hate begin..

The only problem with this second paragraph is that it isn't accurate at least in last evenings game. Shabazz took three shots in the second half missing two jumpers and making a layup when the team was only up 6. He went to the free throw line three times making all six of his free throws. He had two assists, 2 offensive and 2 defensive rebounds, 2 steals and only one turnover. There doesn't seem to be a correlation with the loss of lead and Shabazz taking too many shots. If anything he deferred to much the second half.

 

[61cygni]

It's ridiculous how much Bazz needs to be defended after every g*ddamn game.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

The only problem with this second paragraph is that it isn't accurate at least in last evenings game. Shabazz took three shots in the second half missing two jumpers and making a layup when the team was only up 6. He went to the free throw line three times making all six of his free throws. He had two assists, 2 offensive and 2 defensive rebounds, 2 steals and only one turnover. There doesn't seem to be a correlation with the loss of lead and Shabazz taking too many shots. If anything he deferred to much the second half.

agree.

 

[Gurleyman]

When Shabazz was aggressive offensively, we built a 22-point lead, so there's a bit of a non-sequitur there. It isn't like there's some magic formula that works every night. Last year, we were humming against Bucknell as Kemba had 13 assists (one of which was a drop-off pass to AO on a fast break for a dunk which nobody called showboating). The next game, we needed 34 from him against Cincy because their defense was better and we frankly came out flat, and Kemba stepped up. Against Holy Cross, Shabazz was able to play distributor because they weren't defending us well and there were holes all over their match-up zone. But just because it worked well against HC doesn't mean we can just throw the ball to Drummond now every night and expect an easy 25. Some teams will defend the post harder - or there will be days when Lamb and Boatright are off and Napier will have to provide points.

Kemba made plenty of bad decisions, El-Amin did, Gordon did, AJ did, MW did - it comes with the territory of being a playmaker and having to create things. Kendall Marshall has a different cast around him, and is a lesser offensive player, so he can afford to be a pass first, shoot as a last resort point guard. Shabazz can't do that every night. Can he improve and get better and improve his decision making? Of course. But he's not supposed to have it all figured out yet. I'm pretty happy with where he is now compared to last year and I'd rather have him continue to make plays/decisions and get better at it because our best chance of success is with him making the plays/decisions in the final minutes. And if we're pissed at him for shooting 7-10 with a 5:1 ratio, we're going to spend a lot of time being pissed (and yes, he could have played better in the second half, but there will be days he'll play worse).

 

[John Fryer]

Last year, we were humming against Bucknell as Kemba had 13 assists (one of which was a drop-off pass to AO on a fast break for a dunk which nobody called showboating).

Was the game situation in last years game even remotely similar to the Fairfield game?

I don't think so.

There was absolutely no possibility that AO would get hurt on that play.

My issue with SN was/is that AD could have been hurt by his decision. (Why do you ignore the possibility that play could have seriously hurt AD and our prospects of having a great season for sometime to come?)

Peace,

John Fryer

 

[ctchamps]

Was the game situation in last years game even remotely similar to the Fairfield game?

I don't think so.

There was absolutely no possibility that AO would get hurt on that play.

My issue with SN was/is that AD could have been hurt by his decision. (Why do you ignore the possibility that play could have seriously hurt AD and our prospects of having a great season for sometime to come?)

Peace,

John Fryer

The problem is you're making the assumption Shabazz saw the Fairfield kid slide over to take the charge. Not even Andre anticipated the kid in that postition and he had a better view of the play because he was always going forward whereas Shabazz had turned to see and get the ball to Andre who probably was calling Shabazz's name.

I think the show boating application is totally unfair. SN was only trying to keep Andre in high gear to extend his play from the first half. It only turned out sour because the execution failed. But to insist that SN wasn't thinking and his carelessness could have hurt a player is assuming SN could anticipate the Fairfield player movements. That's backseat driving considering plays have only a millisecond to make decisions.

 

[Gurleyman]

Was the game situation in last years game even remotely similar to the Fairfield game?

I don't think so.

There was absolutely no possibility that AO would get hurt on that play.

John Fryer

How do you figure? It was a fast break, AO was running full speed, took a pass just inside the foul line, and went straight at the rim. The fact that no Bucknell player slid in underneath him didnt mean that there was no chance that AO would get hurt. When Kemba released the ball, he had no way of knowing what would be in AO's way. And that was an NCAA game with round 2 coming up in 48 hours where an injury to AO could have been the end of our run.

Point guards drop off passes to big men on the break all the time when they think they can get them dunks. Maybe Shabazz didn't do a good enough job at getting the defender to commit to ensure that the lane would be open for Andre. The most fundamental play might have been to fake the pass to Drummond and shoot the ball himself. But, of course, then people would call him selfish.