Wiggi

[Dribbles]

Lightning game last nite was good hoops, full house, and Dougie can still light it up.
Kid hasn't lost a single step, still gets thru the traffic to the hole and scores.
He had his troubles - we all remember - but just always liked the kid. Life may not be smooth for him, but it sure will be interesting.

 

[CTPride]

I remember at times he was the 2nd best player on the floor, and easily the best on ball defender. He was just a smaller Jerome Dyson.

 

[Prezidint]

I always liked Wiggins much more than Dyson. When Wiggins came in, the team gelled and ball movement increased.

For whatever reason JC loved Dyson like no other, and Wiggins, not so much.


I was gunna play some ball, but then I got high.
I was gunna run with the dogs to the final four, but then I got high, then I got high, then I got high.

 

[tzznandrew]

I always liked Wiggins much more than Dyson. When Wiggins came in, the team gelled and ball movement increased.

For whatever reason JC loved Dyson like no other, and Wiggins, not so much.

I was gunna play some ball, but then I got high.
I was gunna run with the dogs to the final four, but then I got high, then I got high, then I got high.

Dyson was frequently the only player with agression on the floor. He was the leading scorer on the team as well.

 

[Ts5034]

Dyson was probably the best player on that 06-07 team. That team also had a lot of dead weight moving forward (Kelly, M Johnson, Eaves) and i think Wiggins was part of that too.

 

[Dann]

doug has always been great on the court, just not off the court. if he continues to mature he may turn into something special. wish him the best.

 

[frosh360]

Dyson was probably the best player on that 06-07 team. That team also had a lot of dead weight moving forward (Kelly, M Johnson, Eaves) and i think Wiggins was part of that too.

agreeed. Dyson gets a bad rep, idk why, he was solid, if he doesnt get hurt the final four year we could of won it all. cant say that about wiggins

 

[tzznandrew]

agreeed. Dyson gets a bad rep, idk why, he was solid, if he doesnt get hurt the final four year we could of won it all. cant say that about wiggins

Dyson has legit things against him. Everyone loved him after his freshmen year, but into his sophomore year, people started to turn on him. He didn't seem to improve much (people caught onto his one strategy on offense--run to the hoop), and he tried to do too much on a team that didn't need it as much. Then he had the suspension. That soured more.

People forget about the improvement he showed in the 2008-09 season. He was a solid #3 option who could slash (which we needed with injured AJ and regular Austrie), and he had fully figured out his role on that team, so he stopped forcing it. His injury hurt that team immensely.

Coming into his senior year, though, he wanted to be a leader; however, he couldn't figure out quite how to do that, and seemed to struggle, especially once Kemba emerged about 20-games in as the team's best player. He never quite understood his role on that team--it seems to me that he felt it should have been the team's leading scorer/best player. But this didn't work, and the team's chemistry fell apart.

I continue to think he was underrated. His problem was that he was built to be the #2 or 3 guy on a national championship contender, and as a freshmen was the #1 guy, and as a senior tried to be the #1 guy. It is perhaps no surprise that both years they missed the NCAAs. I don't think either of those are quite his fault, though.

And, unlike others on that team, he graduated.

 

[jleves]

Of all former players, the happiest that Dyson came to UConn has to be Selvie....

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Dyson has legit things against him. Everyone loved him after his freshmen year, but into his sophomore year, people started to turn on him. He didn't seem to improve much (people caught onto his one strategy on offense--run to the hoop), and he tried to do too much on a team that didn't need it as much. Then he had the suspension. That soured more.

People forget about the improvement he showed in the 2008-09 season. He was a solid #3 option who could slash (which we needed with injured AJ and regular Austrie), and he had fully figured out his role on that team, so he stopped forcing it. His injury hurt that team immensely.

Coming into his senior year, though, he wanted to be a leader; however, he couldn't figure out quite how to do that, and seemed to struggle, especially once Kemba emerged about 20-games in as the team's best player. He never quite understood his role on that team--it seems to me that he felt it should have been the team's leading scorer/best player. But this didn't work, and the team's chemistry fell apart.

I continue to think he was underrated. His problem was that he was built to be the #2 or 3 guy on a national championship contender, and as a freshmen was the #1 guy, and as a senior tried to be the #1 guy. It is perhaps no surprise that both years they missed the NCAAs. I don't think either of those are quite his fault, though.

And, unlike others on that team, he graduated.

+1, tremendous post.

Not sure how Dyson became one of the most polarizing players in the Jim Calhoun era but it sure has taken a life of it's own.

 

[willie99]

Wiggi wanted to play PG

JC had AJ & Kemba

it wasn't about Dyson

 

[ctchamps]

Dyson has legit things against him. Everyone loved him after his freshmen year, but into his sophomore year, people started to turn on him. He didn't seem to improve much (people caught onto his one strategy on offense--run to the hoop), and he tried to do too much on a team that didn't need it as much. Then he had the suspension. That soured more.

People forget about the improvement he showed in the 2008-09 season. He was a solid #3 option who could slash (which we needed with injured AJ and regular Austrie), and he had fully figured out his role on that team, so he stopped forcing it. His injury hurt that team immensely.

Coming into his senior year, though, he wanted to be a leader; however, he couldn't figure out quite how to do that, and seemed to struggle, especially once Kemba emerged about 20-games in as the team's best player. He never quite understood his role on that team--it seems to me that he felt it should have been the team's leading scorer/best player. But this didn't work, and the team's chemistry fell apart.

I continue to think he was underrated. His problem was that he was built to be the #2 or 3 guy on a national championship contender, and as a freshmen was the #1 guy, and as a senior tried to be the #1 guy. It is perhaps no surprise that both years they missed the NCAAs. I don't think either of those are quite his fault, though.

And, unlike others on that team, he graduated.

Great post. I remember his senior year slightly differently. KW was the starting pg at the beginning of the season. Jerome played the 2g. JD was having a fabulous season and was considered one of the top candidates for the Wooden award after the first third of the season. KW was struggling running the point. Just check out the thread with UConn highlights and watch the video of the Texas game. KW had eight turnovers that game. And although UConn won that game they struggled afterwards.

JC made the decision to put JD at the point. This was a disaster because Jerome was a combo guard at best and could not run the point. JD was every bit as ineffective as KW and furthermore his numbers deteriorated. When things got desperate towards the end of the BE season and it was looking worse that UConn wouldn't make the tournament, JC tried to make the switch back to Kemba. But JC, not JD, did not make a definitive attempt to change things until he benched JD and SR. By that time it was too little, too late.

I always felt this was JC's worst coaching as a UConn coach. The only other time he misplayed a player was KFree's senior year.

 

[UconnDon]

Where is Wiggins playing/working now??

 

[Prezidint]

Coming into his senior year, though, he wanted to be a leader . . . He never quite understood his role on that team--it seems to me that he felt it should have been the team's leading scorer/best player. But this didn't work, and the team's chemistry fell apart.

It's funny - I'm pretty sure why he's so polarizing. It's like Michael Jackson.

Some of us see a creepy, drug addicted child molester who use his fame and money to gain trust and access to young boys. Others see a wrongly persecuted man. I often wonder how people would feel about him if he couldn't sing and he made his money selling urinal cakes. I figure he'd have a lot fewer defenders.

Same with Dyson. I feel that most of the people who support him so vehemently see the Husky blue, remember the tooth, remember the swagger, remember the freshman year heroics on a team, and yearn for what-might-have-been in that FF year.

The ones on the other side see the guy who was the worst 3 point shooter in UConn history, was a turnover machine, made constant bone head plays to kill rallies, was a proverbial ball hog, and with whom, it seems, none of his teammates enjoyed playing alongside.

I guess what I'm saying is that the support on the BY for Dyson is based more on a love and support for all things Husky rather than a fair assessment of what he actually brought to the team.

And I suppose, in the big picture of life, biased loyalties are not the worst of our problems.

 

[frosh360]

you can knock him all you want (some of it he deserves) but i was at the AIC game, a simple exhibition game and Jerome was there in his team USA gear just a row in front of us paying attention and cheering on the huskies. i think that shows alot that he comes back for games to support his school. thats what i love about our alumni players and it showed me alot about jerome that he cared. Also i asked him for his autograph and he easily said yes and everything without a snicker, shook my hand and everything. seems like a good guy.

 

[Prezidint]

Great post. I remember his senior year slightly differently. KW was the starting pg at the beginning of the season. Jerome played the 2g. JD was having a fabulous season and was considered one of the top candidates for the Wooden award after the first third of the season. . . .

JC made the decision to put JD at the point. This was a disaster because Jerome was a combo guard at best and could not run the point.

. . .

I always felt this was JC's worst coaching as a UConn coach. The only other time he misplayed a player was KFree's senior year.

This thread will help clear up the whole Dyson/polarizing thing.
Your recollection of Dyson's last year is horribly flawed, and it's that sort of revisionism that allows a Cool-Hand-Luke level of forgetfulness of the man's failings.
The chart below shows:
1. That there was no change in his performance after the first 3rd of the year.
2. He was as inconsistent and undependable as always.
and
3. He mailed it in at the end of the season.

JC's real mistake with Dyson was having such a strong man-love for the guy because he played balls-to-the-wall all the time. JC is a sucker for that, and with Dyson, it probably lead to JC never restraining the kid as much as he should have.

"The life of its own thing," mostly derives from the revisionist history that goes on with Dyson, where some folks conveniently forget the 12 point games on 3 of 15 shooting that Jerome would skunk up the place with every fourth game or so.

And here are the Assists and TOs:

 

[ctchamps]

This thread will help clear up the whole Dyson/polarizing thing.
Your recollection of Dyson's last year is horribly flawed, and it's that sort of revisionism that allows a Cool-Hand-Luke level of forgetfulness of the man's failings.
The chart below shows:
1. That there was no change in his performance after the first 3rd of the year.
2. He was as inconsistent and undependable as always.
and
3. He mailed it in at the end of the season.

JC's real mistake with Dyson was having such a strong man-love for the guy because he played balls-to-the-wall all the time. JC is a sucker for that, and with Dyson, it probably lead to JC never restraining the kid as much as he should have.

"The life of its own thing," mostly derives from the revisionist history that goes on with Dyson, where some folks conveniently forget the 12 point games on 3 of 15 shooting that Jerome would skunk up the place with every fourth game or so.

View attachment 299

And here are the Assists and TOs:
View attachment 300

Thanks for posting the chart. Normally you and I agree on most issues. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

I'm observing the chart and I come away with the conclusion the chart supports my contention. The assists and rebounding dropped significantly for JD once he took over the point guard responsibilities. He hovered around twenty points per game in the first third of the season, but only had four games of twenty or more points after the first third of the season.

 

[joober jones]

It's funny - I'm pretty sure why he's so polarizing. It's like Michael Jackson.

Some of us see a creepy, drug addicted child molester who use his fame and money to gain trust and access to young boys. Others see a wrongly persecuted man. I often wonder how people would feel about him if he couldn't sing and he made his money selling urinal cakes. I figure he'd have a lot fewer defenders.

Same with Dyson. I feel that most of the people who support him so vehemently see the Husky blue, remember the tooth, remember the swagger, remember the freshman year heroics on a team, and yearn for what-might-have-been in that FF year.

The ones on the other side see the guy who was the worst 3 point shooter in UConn history, was a turnover machine, made constant bone head plays to kill rallies, was a proverbial ball hog, and with whom, it seems, none of his teammates enjoyed playing alongside.

I guess what I'm saying is that the support on the BY for Dyson is based more on a love and support for all things Husky rather than a fair assessment of what he actually brought to the team.

And I suppose, in the big picture of life, biased loyalties are not the worst of our problems.

I can just picture MJ moonwalking across the men's room, tossing a urinal cake into each urinal with an "Ow!" or "Shamon!"

 

[UConn3432]

wiggins was deadly from the corners. fun player to watch, but some guys just never learn.

dyson one of the best alley oop passers i've ever seen at the college level. i guess it helped having sticks. hard to hate someone for trying too hard than not trying enough. dyson always thought he could make the play and i respect that. most of his scoring output and the outcome of games was determined by whether he hit his heat check long 3's in the beginning of the game. that whole team mailed it in at the end of the season. it was pathetic, but tough to put it all on his shoulders.