Zags: Boatright Helped His NBA Stock Against Duke

[Kitaman]

if he were 2 inches taller he'd probably be playing for Indiana right now or something

Too bad the Globetrotters don't pay well, as he would be a fan attraction for sure. I'm not disrespecting him its just he is so exciting to watch. Guys we are about to lose another legend, enjoy him while we can.

 

[BUConn10]

Honestly, I wish the signing period was in December so we could re-recruit some of the guys we missed out on - I know the wings we recruited still would have had Hamilton in front of them, but the guys who can shoot (Briscoe, Mack) might have looked at our situation in a different light now that our weaknesses are blatant. Although Briscoe had UK stars in his eyes, so that might have been out regardless, so maybe it's just Mack.

I'm also wondering about the early effort we put into more non-shooters/athletes (Ali, Clarke, Jones) and then the late push on Mack - we maybe needed to find Mack (or someone else like him) earlier on and not keep looking for folks with redundant skillsets. Shooting is going to be an Achilles heel for a couple of years now, unless we find someone in the spring (the odds of finding a lights out shooter who will be able to get after it defensively is minimal - would probably have to be a specialist we'd would hide on D). The fantasy would be Stone, then Newman follows, but the Newman part seems highly, highly doubtful even if you think Stone will come. I'm not sure Dorsey is that type of shooter, either, and I don't think he'd come to a place he didn't visit (although DD did).

As for Boat, I wish we had a guy willing to spot up yesterday (I.e. Cassell against Texas), because he perhaps didn't convince some of those scouts that he could pass or run an offense (Cassell missed all those shots against Texas, but Boat was looking for him constantly). He was so quick to some loose balls, though, that hopefully some of them could see his value as a second unit hustle guy.

Those guys you mentioned didnt pass on UConn due to competition or lack of PT, book that. Briscoe going to UK completely disproves that alone

 

[7774]

Those guys you mentioned didnt pass on UConn due to competition or lack of PT, book that. Briscoe going to UK completely disproves that alone

You spoke to all of them, huh?

 

[BUConn10]

You spoke to all of them, huh?

Did you?

 

[7774]

Did you?

Obviously not. Of course, I'm not the one pretending I know why a kid passed on coming to UCONN. I'm not dumb enough to think I understand the thought processes of a bunch of people I've never met.

 

[upstater]

Some of us were called loons for saying this team needs more guards. It's not an accident that Ollie was going after guards and only one big.

 

[8893]

Some of us were called loons for saying this team needs more guards. It's not an accident that Ollie was going after guards and only one big.

I didn't call anyone a loon for wanting more guards, but I definitely thought we had a lot more depth there than we do.

 

[intlzncster]

If Ryan was two inches taller, we'd never stop reading about his draft status.
The "he's playing with no one" line is something that's scaring me about next season.

Better hope Jalen Adams is 'the second coming' then. From day 1.

 

[Gurleyman]

Those guys you mentioned didnt pass on UConn due to competition or lack of PT, book that. Briscoe going to UK completely disproves that alone

Briscoe was a little different (and he actually didn't sign, so he can wait and see what the Harrisons and Booker do). The wings we were looking at had Hamilton at their position (and Calhoun for a year, for what that's worth), and when it came to decision time, Hamilton was looking like a stud in preseason (and still does). If you don't think it was a factor for Mack/Jones/Clarke that we had a top 25 freshman at their position, well, their own quotes back me up (Mack was quoted that he researched the rosters extensively to the point of doing spreadsheets). It wasn't necessarily the only factor (maybe geography, maybe jumping in late for Mack, maybe AAC, if rumors are to be believed, maybe a so-so visit for Clarke and maybe questionable grades for Jones), but it was a factor.

Its a meaningless guess on my part, but I think we would have a better sales pitch for Mack now (we need your shooting badly - you'll play lots of minutes if you work hard) than we did a month ago. But that's life in the big city - everyone works on the same calendar and you have to make your pitch convincing before the season starts.

 

[eos91]

Briscoe was a little different (and he actually didn't sign, so he can wait and see what the Harrisons and Booker do). The wings we were looking at had Hamilton at their position (and Calhoun for a year, for what that's worth), and when it came to decision time, Hamilton was looking like a stud in preseason (and still does). If you don't think it was a factor for Mack/Jones/Clarke that we had a top 25 freshman at their position, well, their own quotes back me up (Mack was quoted that he researched the rosters extensively to the point of doing spreadsheets). It wasn't necessarily the only factor (maybe geography, maybe jumping in late for Mack, maybe AAC, if rumors are to be believed, maybe a so-so visit for Clarke and maybe questionable grades for Jones), but it was a factor.

Its a meaningless guess on my part, but I think we would have a better sales pitch for Mack now (we need your shooting badly - you'll play lots of minutes if you work hard) than we did a month ago. But that's life in the big city - everyone works on the same calendar and you have to make your pitch convincing before the season starts.

Pretty sure he signed after all.

 

[Gurleyman]

Some of us were called loons for saying this team needs more guards. It's not an accident that Ollie was going after guards and only one big.

He was going after wings, mostly, other than Briscoe, who it never felt like we were really close to (even though we were in his final three). Clarke and Jones are wings who can't shoot and aren't playmakers (and even Ali is iffy). Clarke = junkyard dog, Jones = human pogo stick, Ali = athletic slasher. None of them would have solved our biggest needs, but I'd take any of them right now just for an upgrade in talent off the bench. Mack would have clearly helped with shooting - but not sure if he could have been another ball handler in the halfcourt.

I think now that we've seen a few games from Purvis and Cassell, our guard situation is a little bit more concerning. We knew Samuel was limited and has a Taliek look about him (high on energy/tenacity, low on shooting), but unless Adams can play like Gordon from day one (too much pressure on him), we don't have enough going forward. It's early, but I'm not sure Purvis will be ever be much more than a Tony or Denham third option (10 ppg) when I think the hope was he'd be a first or second based on his potential coming out of HS and what we hoped was his misuse at NC State. Those guys were good players and a key part of our success, but in more limited roles. Hamilton-Adams-Purvis-Facey-Brimah as a Caron-Ben-Tony-Selvie-Okafor nucleus could work, if you take the optimist's view of Hamilton's progression and Adams' instant impact.

 

[Chief00]

Boatright was barely able to crack dbl figure scoring games against legit teams for most of the season, it was a struggle shooting and scoring for him for the majority of the season before the light went on for him. As for Giffey, those wide open looks dried up for him after about a month once teams realized he was now a shooter. I understand the high percentages, but "best" 3 point shooter is kind overstating things, maybe best when wide open, but when you don't shoot with any kind of resistance, you can't be in the conversation. The team last year had plenty of games against real teams where the offense stalled outside of Bazz because Boat and DD weren't stepping up on their end.

I would love a guy who could hit the open 3 - this season has been filled with just that opportunity. Quite frankly, what perhaps you may not fully understand - is that even if a guy doesn't take them when covered - it opens up the drives for others. Remember TSams drives last year - now he runs into a redwood forest. I hope this helps in your understanding. No problem, glad to help. Chief00

 

[Gurleyman]

Pretty sure he signed after all.

Looks like he may indeed have signed. Never saw that report - but didn't pay much attention since we were out of it by the time he announced.

Alas, we are in an era when kids are going to have stars in their eyes about going to Kentucky (and usually fully expecting the ones before them to be gone to the pros - this year changed that formula a bit). Can't apply the same recruiting logic to someone deciding on there vs. anywhere else.

 

[upstater]

He was going after wings, mostly, other than Briscoe, who it never felt like we were really close to (even though we were in his final three). Clarke and Jones are wings who can't shoot and aren't playmakers (and even Ali is iffy). Clarke = junkyard dog, Jones = human pogo stick, Ali = athletic slasher. None of them would have solved our biggest needs, but I'd take any of them right now just for an upgrade in talent off the bench. Mack would have clearly helped with shooting - but not sure if he could have been another ball handler in the halfcourt.

We went after a lot more guards early.

Alonzo Trier, Will Jackson, Prince Ali, Isaiah Briscoe, Tyler Dorsey, Jalen Brunson, Malik Newman, Malachi Richardson, Malik Beasley, etc. This was back in the spring.

I think Ollie always planned to add 2 guards.

Granted, other than Dorsey, Briscoe and Brunson, these are mainly shooting or combo guards.

 

[Gurleyman]

We went after a lot more guards early. Alonzo Trier, Will Jackson, Prince Ali, Isaiah Briscoe, Tyler Dorsey, Jalen Brunson, Malik Newman, Malachi Richardson, Malik Beasley, etc. This was back in the spring. I think Ollie always planned to add 2 guards. Granted, other than Dorsey, Briscoe and Brunson, these are mainly shooting or combo guards.

I guess that's true - and the Ali/Jackson commitments probably changed our efforts early on, and things may have looked different if they never verballed. Of course, we also knew we had to find someone to take over for Boat so it stands to reason that the top priority was a backcourt scorer and we looked at a bunch. But I imagine they'd have liked to have more than just Adams in this class.

 

[champs99and04]

I would love a guy who could hit the open 3 - this season has been filled with just that opportunity. Quite frankly, what perhaps you may not fully understand - is that even if a guy doesn't take them when covered - it opens up the drives for others. Remember TSams drives last year - now he runs into a redwood forest. I hope this helps in your understanding. No problem, glad to help. Chief00

You're becoming a self-parody at this point.

 

[aceboon]

I would love a guy who could hit the open 3 - this season has been filled with just that opportunity. Quite frankly, what perhaps you may not fully understand - is that even if a guy doesn't take them when covered - it opens up the drives for others. Remember TSams drives last year - now he runs into a redwood forest. I hope this helps in your understanding. No problem, glad to help. Chief00

You need to be hospitalized

 

[Chief00]

You need to be hospitalized

Hopefully, the game will slow down for you and you will see court spacing and the things that create it. Everyone learns the game at a different pace - so no need to be defensive about it. It will eventually come to you.