Who would win? Boat's team or Kemba's?

[pj]

This team has great potential but we have to see. The starters still need to develop (Amida stay on the court, DHam pick up the physical nature and defense while retaining shooting, Facey to get more solid defensively and offensively) and the depth (Phil, Rakim, Sam Jr, TSam, Omar) all have limitations as players so there is potentially a big drop off. In 2011 it was far from clear that Jeremy Lamb would develop into a good defender and shooter by March; fortunately for us he did. We'll need a similar development out of DHam.

 

[mlz01]

I agree because 99%+ teams can't do that, but this reply still misses the original point. I'm not sure many would have predicted that for Kemba's team back in November of 2010 when that season got underway.

This team will never be able to win 5 in 5. Nor go 14-0 in knock out play. 2011 by default.

 

[caw]

He would do work on the boards but remember he had more offensive fouls than any UConn big ever (maybe true). Nolan would have him in foul trouble in minutes.

Honestly, it's not as silly a question as some are making it out to be if Purvis and Hamilton continue their state of play.

Boat vs Kemba
Purvis vs Lamb
Hamilton vs Smith
Facey vs Olander
Brimah vs Oriakhi

Cassell vs Napier
Samuel vs Beverly
Nolan vs Okuandu
Calhoun vs Jamal Coombs-McDaniel/Giffey (can't remember both having good games at the same time)
Lubin vs Wolf/Bradley (Lubin may get more minutes than both.

It could be a fun game. Boat and Kemba would be fantastic. Purvis and Hamilton would have to outplay Lamb/Smith for this years team to have a chance.

 

[joober jones]

Boatright vs Walker - Advantage Walker (for now)
Facey vs Mumu - Advantage Mumu (again, for now)
Hamilton vs Roscoe Smith - Advantage Hamilton
Purvis vs Lamb - Advantage Lamb
Brimah vs Okwandu - Advantage Brimah
Samuel vs Beverly - Advantage Beverly - This is the hardest one to call, but Beverly's mental influence brings more to the table
Nolan vs Olander - Advantage Nolan
Cassell vs (freshman, remember) Napier - Advantage Cassell
Lubin vs Wolf - Advantage Wolf
Calhoun vs Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - Advantage Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - just too many guys for Omar and Cassell to grapple with
Lenehan vs Bailey - Advantage Lenehan
Amilo vs Stewart - Advantage Amilo
No Red Shirt Guy vs Bradley - Draw, as neither can play

Overall, it's pretty evenly split. Of course the walk-ons (or walk on equivalents since we had the scholarships to give) don't really factor in that much, but the starters and bench are pretty evenly matched. I'd give a slight edge to the 2011 team, but by the end of the year I think 2015 would beat them.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm a 25 year Husky fan (b/c I can't remember past 10), a UConn Alumn, a former employee of UConn Athletics and the guy who got to roll the '99 Championship trophy onto the floor at Gampel for the celebration. I've been reading posts on the boneyard for a while now and greatly appreciate the "insider" info on recruiting as well as the energy and enthusiasm about the Huskies. And I appreciate good threads that provoke good conversation about current and past Husky Teams and Players. The one thing I noticed that I really don't care for is how many Husky fans (we're a brotherhood....remember that) like to bag on other fans. If someone wants to post a thread and you don't like it, just stay out of it...no big deal.

I'm pretty sure everyone misunderstood DaButler's thread. He's simply saying that there's an argument (discussion) to be had on which team is more talented..... The Huskies RIGHT NOW or the Kemba's Huskies IN NOVEMBER OF 2010 (Not come tournament time). Evaluating TALENT alone of the two teams during this early part of the season. Pound for pound, player for player, this is actually a really good discussion. We must remember that Kemba, who has to go down as a top 3 Husky of all time, made everyone better. The talent around him in November 2010 was not (in my opinion) as talented as the team now. His talent alone may be the trump card that makes that team more talented NOW, but i'm not sure.

I'm excited about this team. I'm excited about the heart and the effort. I'm excited when I see a lineup on the floor of Boat, Purvis, Cassell, Hamilton, Brimah. That lineup come March could be scary good....especially under KO's leadership.

Let's all relax a bit on bagging on people's threads, whether it's about team comparison, best pizza in CT or best seafood (LOL). We are fortunate fans of an ELITE program in the small state of CT. Go Huskies!

Welcome to the board. While I agree with much of what you say there is also a place for some humor in these types of replies. You have to have thick skin to be on here anyway with some of these guys, thank God I'm not like that at all!! Start a thread at your own risk you might say.

Seriously while some are a little over the top, some are just looking for some laughs. Take it all with a grain of salt and enjoy the fact we are all passionate about the same team!

 

[caw]

Boatright vs Walker - Advantage Walker (for now)
Facey vs Mumu - Advantage Mumu (again, for now)
Hamilton vs Roscoe Smith - Advantage Hamilton
Purvis vs Lamb - Advantage Lamb
Brimah vs Okwandu - Advantage Brimah
Samuel vs Beverly - Advantage Beverly - This is the hardest one to call, but Beverly's mental influence brings more to the table
Nolan vs Olander - Advantage Nolan
Cassell vs (freshman, remember) Napier - Advantage Cassell
Lubin vs Wolf - Advantage Wolf
Calhoun vs Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - Advantage Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - just too many guys for Omar and Cassell to grapple with
Lenehan vs Bailey - Advantage Lenehan
Amilo vs Stewart - Advantage Amilo
No Red Shirt Guy vs Bradley - Draw, as neither can play

Overall, it's pretty evenly split. Of course the walk-ons (or walk on equivalents since we had the scholarships to give) don't really factor in that much, but the starters and bench are pretty evenly matched. I'd give a slight edge to the 2011 team, but by the end of the year I think 2015 would beat them.

Dariels was not on that team.

 

[joober jones]

Dariels was not on that team.

Right, my mistake there.

 

[OkaForPrez]

If you disagree with a point or a premise give a counterpoint. The "dumb thread" chorus is getting tiresome. Everyone's entitled to their opinions and no matter how much you disagree it's pretty easy to do so politely.

</lecture>

 

[champs99and04]

Boatright vs Walker - Advantage Walker (for now)
Facey vs Mumu - Advantage Mumu (again, for now)
Hamilton vs Roscoe Smith - Advantage Hamilton
Purvis vs Lamb - Advantage Lamb
Brimah vs Okwandu - Advantage Brimah
Samuel vs Beverly - Advantage Beverly - This is the hardest one to call, but Beverly's mental influence brings more to the table
Nolan vs Olander - Advantage Nolan
Cassell vs (freshman, remember) Napier - Advantage Cassell
Lubin vs Wolf - Advantage Wolf
Calhoun vs Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - Advantage Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - just too many guys for Omar and Cassell to grapple with
Lenehan vs Bailey - Advantage Lenehan
Amilo vs Stewart - Advantage Amilo
No Red Shirt Guy vs Bradley - Draw, as neither can play

Overall, it's pretty evenly split. Of course the walk-ons (or walk on equivalents since we had the scholarships to give) don't really factor in that much, but the starters and bench are pretty evenly matched. I'd give a slight edge to the 2011 team, but by the end of the year I think 2015 would beat them.

Good breakdown, but I think you're forgetting how good Napier was as a freshman. He tore Kalin Lucas and Brandon Knight to pieces in that Maui Invitational. Cassell, right now, is nowhere near the difference maker Bazz was that year.

 

[DogMania]

and winner of the Dumbest thread of the year goes to.....

It's certainly a premature topic just a few games into the season, but it's far from the dumbest thread. Maybe a better way to frame this topic is can this team come close or end up as good or better than the 2011 team. They have a lot of very interesting pieces that if they develop incrementally throughout the season and develop some solid chemistry, they could be a very tough out.

What makes these types of thread problematic is for a team to eclipse what a NC winner accomplished, they said team must match that and have as good if not better regular season and conference tourney. One thing to keep in mind both the 2011 and 2014 NC teams had up-and-down seasons, and weren't considered NC contenders. The talking heads look at this team similarly and there are some pretty deep talented teams this year, but that hasn't stopped past UConn teams from kicking all of them to the curb and bringing home the coveted hardware.

I'd love to see this team make this thread look not that dumb come March, or April whenever that confetti is released.

It is an interesting comparison. In the end will it look like this?

PG: Kemba > Boat
2G-Combos: Lamb & Bazz > Purvis & SCJr
Wings: DHam > Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (2011 team went more 3G-Set Kemba-Bazz-Lamb, moving Scoe to the 4 when they put it all together in the end. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel came on strong at the end of the season, but got hurt and played very little if at all during the NCAAs)
PF: Scoe > Facey
Center: Brimah > Oriakhi

Bench players:

TSam > Bervery
Omar > ?
Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel > ?
Okwandu/Wolf > Nolan (Note sure what's going on with Nolan. I had high hopes but he looks lost so far)
Olander = Lubin

I'm not so sure if the combination of Boatright/Purvis/SCJr can be as good as Kemba/Lamb/Bazz were during their incredible post season streak. DHam has a good chance to be better than any wing we had that year.

The front courts were/are both a work in progress.

Kemba & Bazz were so clutch during their NC runs. It's yet to be seen if Boatright can match those two, but who knows?!?!

 

[DogMania]

Boatright vs Walker - Advantage Walker (for now)
Facey vs Mumu - Advantage Mumu (again, for now)
Hamilton vs Roscoe Smith - Advantage Hamilton
Purvis vs Lamb - Advantage Lamb
Brimah vs Okwandu - Advantage Brimah
Samuel vs Beverly - Advantage Beverly - This is the hardest one to call, but Beverly's mental influence brings more to the table
Nolan vs Olander - Advantage Nolan
Cassell vs (freshman, remember) Napier - Advantage Cassell
Lubin vs Wolf - Advantage Wolf
Calhoun vs Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - Advantage Daniels/Giffey/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel - just too many guys for Omar and Cassell to grapple with
Lenehan vs Bailey - Advantage Lenehan
Amilo vs Stewart - Advantage Amilo
No Red Shirt Guy vs Bradley - Draw, as neither can play

Overall, it's pretty evenly split. Of course the walk-ons (or walk on equivalents since we had the scholarships to give) don't really factor in that much, but the starters and bench are pretty evenly matched. I'd give a slight edge to the 2011 team, but by the end of the year I think 2015 would beat them.

I agree with most of this, except Daniels didn't hit the scene till the following season.

 

[Rico444]

Everyone's entitled to their opinions and no matter how much you disagree it's pretty easy to do so politely.

</lecture>

I'll let Jim Calhoun know you have a problem with his argumentative style.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Oriakhi was definitely better than Brimah is.

 

[pj]

Nobody would rate the 2011 team highly as a collection of individual players. In fact there were half a dozen 2011 teams that would have been considered to have better players, going position by position. Same in 2014. But the 2011 and 2014 teams were gritty defenders and a cohesive team at all moments of the game. Team > collection of players.

This is why we can see that the 2015 team has comparable talent to the 2011 and 2014 teams, inferior talent to Duke and Kentucky, but have no idea if the 2015 team can come together to be a superior team. We shall see.

 

[David 76]

Welcome.
A year ago I was new and it does take some getting used to. Most of the guys are only half as obnoxious as they seem. Me? I'm always a breath of fresh air.

Anyway, if Kemba's team played this team in November, Kemba's team would destroy this team. I think that will probably be true at the end of the season too. But your post did get me thinking about the comparative talent on the 2 teams. It is closer than I would have first thought. Hamilton, Purvis & Brimah have enough potential to rival the 2011 team. Time will tell.

 

[David 76]

pj, Yet the 2011 team had three NBA players on it. And 2 or 3 that fell a little short. It was just that no one knew it yet.

 

[Inyatkin]

I think a good question is how does our 2017 Tremont Waters-led team compare with Kevin Ollie's '95 Huskies.
Considering we're three games into this season, that comparison makes about as much sense.

 

[RayRay19]

Kemba was a poy candidate and transcendent for us...kemba himself made the 2011 team better because it didn't matter who they played, everyone knew kemba was by far the best player on the court.

 

[CTBasketball]

Let's just all thank Jamal Coomb-McDaniels for grabbing the rebound.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Oriakhi was definitely better than Brimah is.

At his peaks I think Brimahs defense makes him more valuable but oriakhi wins on his ability to actually stay on the court.

 

[husky91]

They could be close, but college basketball had one of its worst years in 2011 and this year there are 3-5 really loaded teams. Even if this team excels and is playing its best bball in March teams like UK, Puke, KU, Zona and Wisky will be very tough teams to beat. And the next tier of LVille, UNC, MSU, WSU, UF is also loaded.

So pencil them in for a NC and Super Bowl win?

That's the only way you can be better than 2011.

 

[Doheny]

[QUOTE: "We must remember that Kemba, who has to go down as a top 3 Husky of all time, made everyone better."

The secret of basketball. Let us see if boat gets it.

 

[ctchamps]

If you disagree with a point or a premise give a counterpoint. The "dumb thread" chorus is getting tiresome. Everyone's entitled to their opinions and no matter how much you disagree it's pretty easy to do so politely.

</lecture>

Your post is just plain stupid. Not because it isn't reasonable or sound. But because some of us have been doing it for years with no change. So it's a waste of time and effort. And that makes it dumb and you dumber. And me dumbest for wasting my time telling you that you are wasting your time.

Hopefully you'll recognize this much quicker than I did. But don't let me stop you cause there has to be voices of reason to balance the unreasonable and I'm out to pasture and studding.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Your post is just plain stupid. Not because it isn't reasonable or sound. But because some of us have been doing it for years with no change. So it's a waste of time and effort. And that makes it dumb and you dumber. And me dumbest for wasting my time telling you that you are wasting your time.

Hopefully you'll recognize this much quicker than I did. But don't let me stop you cause there has to be voices of reason to balance the unreasonable and I'm out to pasture and studding.

Lol agreed, its a losing battle, but it does feel like there's been an uptick in piling on unpopular opinions in a counterproductive way this early season. Its probably kept some interesting insights from being posted by new comers or old timers who don't want the onslaught. Also I posted that after a night at the bar, apparently I'm a 5 pint message board vigilante, who knew?

 

[ctchamps]

I'm a 25 year Husky fan (b/c I can't remember past 10), a UConn Alumn, a former employee of UConn Athletics and the guy who got to roll the '99 Championship trophy onto the floor at Gampel for the celebration. I've been reading posts on the boneyard for a while now and greatly appreciate the "insider" info on recruiting as well as the energy and enthusiasm about the Huskies. And I appreciate good threads that provoke good conversation about current and past Husky Teams and Players. The one thing I noticed that I really don't care for is how many Husky fans (we're a brotherhood....remember that) like to bag on other fans. If someone wants to post a thread and you don't like it, just stay out of it...no big deal.

I'm pretty sure everyone misunderstood DaButler's thread. He's simply saying that there's an argument (discussion) to be had on which team is more talented..... The Huskies RIGHT NOW or the Kemba's Huskies IN NOVEMBER OF 2010 (Not come tournament time). Evaluating TALENT alone of the two teams during this early part of the season. Pound for pound, player for player, this is actually a really good discussion. We must remember that Kemba, who has to go down as a top 3 Husky of all time, made everyone better. The talent around him in November 2010 was not (in my opinion) as talented as the team now. His talent alone may be the trump card that makes that team more talented NOW, but i'm not sure.

I'm excited about this team. I'm excited about the heart and the effort. I'm excited when I see a lineup on the floor of Boat, Purvis, Cassell, Hamilton, Brimah. That lineup come March could be scary good....especially under KO's leadership.

Let's all relax a bit on bagging on people's threads, whether it's about team comparison, best pizza in CT or best seafood (LOL). We are fortunate fans of an ELITE program in the small state of CT. Go Huskies!

Welcome to the Boneyard. Really great post. Nice history you have with men's bb. I'm envious.

This place is not for the weak and timid. You hone up your skills getting thick skinned here pretty quickly or you succumb to the rancor and head to the women's forum.

You have to find your own way in dealing with these "bozos". I've tried several. Started with a rational approach, tried marginalizing albeit in a gentle manner and then decide just to ignore those I felt were over the top. Currently I'm just taking it all in and enjoying this fraternity of widely variable misfits I am part of. We are family after all and most families have a wide range of characters. You might want to go through all the incarnations I took or short cut it to this last choice.