Why Dan Hurley loves the 'edge' freshman Liam McNeeley brings

[gtcam]

Spencer was epic. More than McNeeley, I'm hoping Solo learned from him. What Cam had is what Solo needs.

Two different players - Cam was/is old school baller like Larry Bird - hardnosed, lippy and can back it up
Solo is more of a playground baller where he, it seems, is always looking for his shot first. I'm sure the staff is working on that, but I think we all saw that in him late last season. He is a great athlete but does need some refinement.

 

[DogMania]

Won’t be as savvy, but has 4 inches and a better athlete. And a killer stroke. Kid seems mature for his age as well. Expecting big things and an ascending pattern of development throughout the season.

He's going to learn as the season goes on. The talent is there. By the second half of BE play, I think he's going to be a force. By tournament time, as we saw from Castle, he's going to show everyone how special he is and a reason why a 3-Peat is possible.

The only thing that might impact what I noted above is if he struggles to defend and adjust to Hurley's team D. If he gets it on both ends of the floor, the sky's the limit!

 

[Doctor Hoop]

There's no way that a kid with those skills and fire isn't starting. Great video.

 

[superjohn]

He's going to learn as the season goes on. The talent is there. By the second half of BE play, I think he's going to be a force. By tournament time, as we saw from Castle, he's going to show everyone how special he is and a reason why a 3-Peat is possible.

The only thing that might impact what I noted above is if he struggles to defend and adjust to Hurley's team D. If he gets it on both ends of the floor, the sky's the limit!

I don't see how him picking up our defense will be a problem. He was a plus defender the past couple seasons on a high school team that's run like a college team. It was also arguably the best high school team ever, or at least one of them.

 

[JerseyAlum]

If Daniel Hamilton had played for Dan Hurley and co., he'd be a starter in the league right now. Give the kid the coaching to shoot better? That's an NBA starter. No question. He was SO talented. KO sucked the life out of his career.

I was not judging them by "whys" only their UConn total product.

McNeeley is going to get much better than his current ranking. His BK IQ is supposedly high but then he gets tutored by Karaban and will be a very heads-up player in our offensive flow. He also is our best 3pt shooter % coming in so in those two ways very Spencer like but taller. There's a lot to Cam's game that did not hit the box score though so I'm only comparing on the attributes we can compare: 3pt shooting, BK IQ., height.

 

[RuffRuff]

I was not judging them by "whys" only their UConn total product.

McNeeley is going to get much better than his current ranking. His BK IQ is supposedly high but then he gets tutored by Karaban and will be a very heads-up player in our offensive flow. He also is our best 3pt shooter % coming in so in those two ways very Spencer like but taller. There's a lot to Cam's game that did not hit the box score though so I'm only comparing on the attributes we can compare: 3pt shooting, BK IQ., height.

Feel pretty good that Liam will be our third most reliable player out of the gates, after Hassan and Alex. He’s too well rounded and talented a kid not to be.

 

[Umami Zen]

is a 6"7"Cam S

 

[Deleted at users request]

Two different players - Cam was/is old school baller like Larry Bird - hardnosed, lippy and can back it up
Solo is more of a playground baller where he, it seems, is always looking for his shot first. I'm sure the staff is working on that, but I think we all saw that in him late last season. He is a great athlete but does need some refinement.

I respect a lot of your takes gt, but I wouldn’t hold end of game plays against Solo in that department.

Most kids who get in at the end of the game really are just looking to score rather than make the right play because the game doesn’t matter at that point. I’m sure he’ll play differently once he’s in a real role again.

 

[Chasm64]

It looked to me like at the end of the year when Solo’s minutes had severely dropped that Hurley told him to just get up as many shots as he could. He’s too good and too smart to be taking the kind of shots he was without being told to do so.

 

[Captbluefin]

is a 6"7"Cam S

A 6’7” true freshman Cam who is 19

Cam was a grad with 4years experience

He will be a great player but let’s be a bit realistic

 

[Umami Zen]

A 6’7” true freshman Cam who is 19

Cam was a grad with 4years experience

He will be a great player but let’s be a bit realistic

My point was playing style and attitude. Eye of the tiger. I understand he's a freshman. Has a strong will to succeed and win as did Cam. OAD potential shared by many CBB experts is a good start.