Who is back next year?

[Stainmaster]

Or, you know, just not be in a situation where I can statistically argue that Brimah hasn't improved at all between his freshman year and this year, or last year to this year...

And you could be proven wrong by some of the smartest statistical minds on the board yet still double down...because you're god's gift to basketball analysis...

 

[PcketknfNiels]

A lot of this Brimah discussion is silly. He's not going to average 20 points a game. But there is no doubt that our defense is night and day when he's on the court. Period. Our guards can get much more aggressive with him in. That was a big part of the first half nightmare tonight. He needs to learn to stay out of foul trouble, because we need him...

Brimah wasn't the factor. Kansas was actually scoring more from the perimeter when Brimah was sitting, and killing us inside later in the 2nd half when Brimah was playing. UConn's run came because Kansas was playing sluggish and tired, and not passing and cutting nearly as crisply as they had early in the game, or would again at the end of the game.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

And you could be proven wrong by some of the smartest statistical minds on the board yet still double down...because you're god's gift to basketball analysis...

"Smartest statistical mind", you mean the guy that tried to selectively reject certain stats, tried to literally ignore a game that had been played and stats derived, and then resorted to pure anecdotal evidence? Lol.

 

[KemBuckets21]

It's really time to just cut our losses with AB and reduce his role next year. He's a good rim protector but adds literally nothing else of value and one of the reasons we get crushed on the boards is because he never has any idea where the ball is.

Nobody rebounded particularly well tonight. Seems like you are hunting for blame to place on Brimah. He is a raw player, but he has been instrumental in some big wins this year. Can't take that from him. I think what we need from him is consistency.

 

[KemBuckets21]

Purvis restated he will be back next year. Good to hear.

was this on twitter?

 

[UConnDan97]

If

Brimah wasn't the factor. Kansas was actually scoring more from the perimeter when Brimah was sitting, and killing us inside later in the 2nd half when Brimah was playing. UConn's run came because Kansas was playing sluggish and tired, and not passing and cutting nearly as crisply as they had early in the game, or would again at the end of the game.

If you don't understand why having a 7 foot shot blocker allows you to stop perimeter shooting, then there's not much else to discuss with you about it, really...

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

Amida Brimah with 4 Fouls and 2 rebounds today, a day in which we needed him the most. Brimah has barely improved from his Freshman to Junior year hopefully he gets better over the summer but I doubt it. I love his defense/shot blocking, his rebounding and offensive game on the other hand...Nevertheless I expect him to start next year and play big minutes because I doubt Enoch or Diarra will be good enough to justify giving them minutes over him

 

[TitleTown]

Is DHam a lottery pick? If he is, why would he return?

Not a chance!

 

[uconnbill]

shows you what I know about the NBA ;-)

he might end up in the end of round one, but why chance it and end up as a second rounder. I do know the draft and the NBA and know that he is liked, but not nearly as much as you think he is. He is at best a borderline first round player right now.

 

[Towney007]

Jesus, this team looks like a bunch of micromachines next to full-blown matchboxes today and people are talking about reducing Brimah's role. Good grief.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Nobody rebounded particularly well tonight. Seems like you are hunting for blame to place on Brimah. He is a raw player, but he has been instrumental in some big wins this year. Can't take that from him. I think what we need from him is consistency.

Brimah seems like a nice kid, anything I'm saying about him is strictly as a player. It's time to end this fascination with him and reduce his role next year.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

If

If you don't understand why having a 7 foot shot blocker allows you to stop perimeter shooting, then there's not much else to discuss with you about it, really...

Except Kansas scorched us inside in the last 8-10 minutes of the game, and from 3 early in the game before Brimah sat...

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Jesus, this team looks like a bunch of micromachines next to full-blown matchboxes today and people are talking about reducing Brimah's role. Good grief.

What else is there to discuss? Gibbs and Miller aren't coming back. Purvis played well, and Hamilton forced some midrange stuff but shot the 3 well and was generally aggressive and playing hard.

 

[Marty Jackson]

"They made a difference he does not"

He played 3 minutes in the first half and we were down 20. He played 16 minutes in the second half, and we won it by 8. Correlation isn't causality, but they're pretty clearly related.

Also, rebound rate is far from ridiculous. It's a much more useful stat than raw rebounding numbers.

And finally: He doesn't have to be as good as Emeka or Hasheem, and if that's what you're hoping for you'll be disappointed. All he has to do is continue to make incremental improvement - as he clearly, undeniably has done.

We won a NC with Jake Voskuhl. Not exactly a big time scorer,
AB had foul issues in the first half which contributed to his lack of presence. Granted they were stupid fouls, it happens sometimes.
I also think there were a lot of debates on thabeets ability prior to his Final year.
AB will be fine next year. How can you root against his personality, passion, and genuine love for his team mates?

 

[Marty Jackson]

Yeah, he got a preview of playing in Europe as that is were he is destined to play. Love AB's attitude but he just isn't strong enough player to go against the big boys. He gets pushed around like a rag doll.

I'd love him to be in the NBA. But right now he's got one more season at uconn.
Like it or not, he's the best option until someone proves differently.

KO should get Clyde Vaughn on the horn though. Maybe do it under the radar.
One season with that guy would be a game changer for our bigs.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Can we all agree we need someone to coach these big men? A staff full of guards isn't gonna cut it when it comes to developing the front court players of this team. Ollie needs to pick up that phone Purvis kept dialing in the AAC tourney and call somebody like Donyell, Caron, Okafor, or any big man really.

I'll say it again... Clyde Vaughn needs a break.

 

[JSM1970]

Good post. Taking the St Joe's play aside at what point can we say Brimah is awful without that being the counter argument?

Cool, he had 7 against Colorado. He also looked completely lost today and never had any idea where the ball was whenever he was under the basket. He's also a 7-foot 3rd year player averaging 4 rebounds for an AAC team.

We're both fans of this program, difference is that I'm actually objective, you're just drinking the kool-aid.

A lot of teams don't have 7-footers at the 5. I would be in favor of going smaller and starting Facey if need be


Brimah had 2.5 win shares as a freshman, he has 2.5 this year.

Brimah had a 15.1 block % as a freshman, he has 14.2% this year.

Brimah had a 23.8 PER last year, he has 22.0 this year.

Do you really want to keep playing this game?

 

[jibsey]

Today showed that if you want to beat one of the big boys, Brimah is going to have to have his best off season to date or we need to add another big guy.

Where's the meat down low? Do you see how lean our big guys bodies are compared to some of these top teams? Dunham/Diarra seem to be lean too. It's one of the reasons the foul calls go against us IMO. We need strength. A Jeff Adrien type.

Can you print this post out and slip it under KO's office door? Seriously.

 

[Pudge]

Might want to temper those expectations a bit. Last time we had a raw big that ever really developed was Hasheem. Brimah isn't much different today than he was on day 1, any improvement Facey has made has been very incremental. Okwandu never developed into anything under Calhoun either. You should be hoping for a leap out of Enoch, not expecting one.

UConn is no different.

Kansas doesn't magically have better bigs. They develop. Lucas was a 5ppg guy with meager rebounds not long ago. Mikkelson got lots of minutes; didn't play yesterday. Carlton Bragg came with a big reputation & showed some talent. But didn't get a lot if minutes. Diallo isn't playing.

Big guys take time. Enoch can be special - imho. Facey has gotten much better; I can see him starting a bit next year. Brimah? Sheesh. Not a good year. Maybe he got thrown off by the injury. He can be very valuable. Need much more.

UConn hasn't had 100% big man development lately.

And for those bitching about Phil Nolan early in the season? We found we needed him.

 

[rip7774]

I don't want facey starting, some games he gives us great energy and minutes and other games he looks scared and soft, not sure why so much difference w him.

I think a 5th year big that has some beef and post moves would be great.

Although u could make a case for 3rd ball handler in case Jalen or rique gets in foul trouble, esp one that can hit 3s.

 

[pnow15]

Frankly, I can see a future of 5rbs total by Facey, Brimah and Enoch happening next year. None of these guys seem to have BB IQ that I woud want to start another season with. 5th or JUCO.

 

[pnow15]

We won a NC with Jake Voskuhl. Not exactly a big time scorer,
AB had foul issues in the first half which contributed to his lack of presence. Granted they were stupid fouls, it happens sometimes.
I also think there were a lot of debates on thabeets ability prior to his Final year.
AB will be fine next year. How can you root against his personality, passion, and genuine love for his team mates?

Voskuhl hung out in the NBA for a decade.

 

[popcorn]

Hopefully next year's starting five:
PG Adams
SG Purvis
SF Hamilton
PF Enoch
C Brown (Hopefully)

 

[UConnDan97]

Except Kansas scorched us inside in the last 8-10 minutes of the game, and from 3 early in the game before Brimah sat...

Except you forgot in your "early game analysis" that Brimah didn't even start the game and that Kansas had already hit two 3-pointers prior to Brimah even seeing the court. Keep banging the drum, though...

 

[lange10]

You do not know one iota about basketball if you truly believe that Amida is the same player now as he was 2 years ago. He couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time his freshman year.

Is he an amazing presence on the low block? Not really. But he's a hell of a defender and he's a big who hits 82% of his FT.

One thing that concerns me is his lack of a knowledge as to what a reset is. When he catches the ball in the low block, he ain't giving it up. Often times leads to an off-balanced shot. If he doesn't have position, or isn't able to get a solid shot, he's got to kick it back out and trust his guards to get it back to him when he's in a better position to score.