ADVERTISEMENT

Ball handling and Speed

northdakotahusky

Well-Known Member
Nov 27, 2010
1,316
26
48
From now until the end of time I will be excited about the prospect of multiple ball handlers and lots of speed. I was excited about the prospect last year...it never really panned out. I'm hoping it works out better for us this year. Like last year, we have 5 guys who have some ball handling capabilities. We lost Boat and Samuel. We gained Adams and Gibbs. That could be a net positive. I'm also hoping Hamilton, Cassel and Purvis all improve in this dept. Really looking forward to seeing how things shape up.

Adams
Purvis
Hamilton
Gibbs
Cassel

By the way, I love the teams that KO is putting together. Connecticut is on the forefront of innovation in basketball.
 
Speaking of Adams and Gibbs via the run and gun of summer ball:

 
Others have already written about this, but I very much want to see a lineup of Gibbs, Adams, Purvis, Hamilton and whichever big seems to be the best. Assuming that will be Brimah. That lineup could be fun to watch. Speed, shooting, shot blocking, toughness and together...those last two characteristics are for KO.
 
I agree NDH, Let Shaun spell Hamilton minutes at the 4 and lets run the hell out or people.
 
Gibbs stats last year: 16.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.0 TO pg, 1.2 steals pg, 43% FGs and 43% 3 pt FG%; 70% FTs
Boat last year: 17.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.4 TO pg, 1.4 steals pg, 42% FGs, 41% 3PFG %, 85% FTs

Pretty close, Boat a bit more turnover prone but forced to do more because he had less help than Gibbs will have, Boat a much better FT%, Gibbs slightly better FG% and 3 Point shooter. Very close in the stats.

However, Boat had too much pressure as a primary ball handler and Adams is around to relieve Gibbs from the same kind of pressure. Ball protection has to be better than last year. Hamilton and Purvis TOs will go down due to experience, and Gibbs has Adams to help him out at times as a secondary ballhandler which is an upgrade from Samuel.
 
Gibbs stats last year: 16.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.0 TO pg, 1.2 steals pg, 43% FGs and 43% 3 pt FG%; 70% FTs
Boat last year: 17.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.4 TO pg, 1.4 steals pg, 42% FGs, 41% 3PFG %, 85% FTs

Pretty close, Boat a bit more turnover prone but forced to do more because he had less help than Gibbs will have, Boat a much better FT%, Gibbs slightly better FG% and 3 Point shooter. Very close in the stats.

However, Boat had too much pressure as a primary ball handler and Adams is around to relieve Gibbs from the same kind of pressure. Ball protection has to be better than last year. Hamilton and Purvis TOs will go down due to experience, and Gibbs has Adams to help him out at times as a secondary ballhandler which is an upgrade from Samuel.

+1, that is part of the hope for a better team this year. Especially Purvis's "WTF" TO's since he's not much of a passing guard anyway....Hamilton's just needs a little clean up on the TO's and shot selection. And I like that the Gibbs addition in return gives Adams a little more time to grow as a PG, like Kemba did for Bazz. Gibbs will never be a Boat type athlete, don't know about his D... but he seems to play a more controlled game and obviously he's a bigger guard.......Lots of possibilities as long as leadership/ followership is sorted out and guys are willing to make the extra pass looking for the best shot.

And KO's gotta squash any of this from popping up:
" Gibbs felt disenfranchised as friction grew between the upperclassmen and the freshmen over playing time and shot selection. The feeling, as expressed by those in the upperclassmen's camp, was that they were never empowered to lead. "
 
Last edited:
KO has done a decent job preaching team first. Last year should have been a real melt down year as far as team comaraderie is concerned. KO kept things together.
 
Didn't Gibbs and Adams play together in the pro-am? I suspect that's exactly what was going on...most likely team development orchestrated by KO.
 
I don't think we are getting the whole story about Gibbs at Seton Hall. First of all he was producing big time for that team and taking and making all kinds of late game big shots. They had some freshman who didn't want to wait their turn unlike Shabazz when he was a freshman and Kemba led the team. We'll see how it goes this year but I am not too concerned.
 
I don't think we are getting the whole story about Gibbs at Seton Hall.

Absolutely... there was more to the story than just Gibbs....Jaren Sina, who was a starter and played major minutes, left the team earlier in the year and it was reported
that Gibbs almost left with him....But he stuck it out... I have alot of faith in the Preacher KO and having more talent is never a bad thing to work out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ozzie3178
I don't think we are getting the whole story about Gibbs at Seton Hall. First of all he was producing big time for that team and taking and making all kinds of late game big shots. They had some freshman who didn't want to wait their turn unlike Shabazz when he was a freshman and Kemba led the team. We'll see how it goes this year but I am not too concerned.
Didn't help that the Willard decided against naming official captains at the start of the season and instead had game day captains that changed from game to game. Also, don't forget that Willard also hired two or three assistant coaches in order to land some recruits from that 2014 recruiting class (Whitehead & Delgado), so I can see that having an impact on the team's chemistry. Just a massive dumpster fire over there at Seton Hall.

I think the way Gibbs handled the Arcidiacono situation (with pure class) is a better indication of the type of person that will be playing at UConn than his reasons for transferring from Seton Hall.
 
  • Like
Reactions: the Blades
Yeah TCF... didn't want to mention a Willard to KO comparison...but with everything going on at SH and a losing record in 8 years of HC'ing .... I think Willard could be living on borrowed time if things don't change soon. Maybe he can do a 2nd gig and rejoin Pitino like his father did..... once he (Ralph Willard) retires from the Ville.
 
ADVERTISEMENT