PG next season...
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Gibbs, but Adams will start after 5-7 games giving UConn two ball handling guards. This is the offense that UConn likes and two ball handlers were keys to the championships in 1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014. KO is well aware of that tradition as he was on staff two of those years.
You don't think Purvis will start at all? I think he's going to be a lot better next year. Purvis and Gibbs start and Adams comes off the bench for 20-25 minutes a game spelling either guard and occasionally playing in a 3 guard set.
I said Purvis will start 5-7 games and then come off the bench. Purvis is better suited to be a 6th man than anyone on the roster. His ballhandling is a real problem. Ball movement will stagnate without two ballhandlers on the floor and we saw that at times last year. As I mentioned elsewhere Adams is a winner and winners don't stay on the bench. Winners win, and force their way into the starting lineup. That is why KEA was a starter from day 1 even though UConn already had a starting point guard in Rickey Moore. And one year later those two won a championship.
I like Purvis, but his ballhandling is detrimental and he will be more productive as a 6th man because he scores points in bursts and that is what is needed off the bench. Better ballhandling promotes better ball movement and better offense.
I like Purvis, but his ballhandling is detrimental and he will be more productive as a 6th man because he scores points in bursts and that is what is needed off the bench. Better ballhandling promotes better ball movement and better offense.
I see 3 guards, Hamilton at the 4 and Miller at the 5 a few times during the games....... Birmah is a foul waiting to happen and Nolan you would think cant get worse but I dont put it past him.
I can buy that. Purvis definitely needs to improve his ball handling and passing ability.
As I said in the other thread regarding minutes (below) all 3 will get plenty of PT...KO will decide who plays when and we can all speculate...Purvis started 24 out of 34 games
and you know he scares me with the ball in his hands especially with the clock running down ( TO's and out of control off balanced shots) so less of that will be
more for the team if he can clean that up. .I love the possibilities now that KO went out and got another guy ( Gibbs) who can play with the ball in his hands.......that he
can shoot it from 3 makes it that much better. Also I need to see Adams in those end of clock situations because earlier in his HS career he was considered a combo......so his
ASST to TO's learning curve will be important....I look at a combo like Ben Gordon and it took 2 and 1/2 years for him to clean up his game/TO's and the rest was history..........
Jalen seems to have the skill set but FR do take time to learn to run a team, as KSTW mentioned.
I'm just happy KO now has added another ball handler late ( and 3 point shooter)......plus a glue guy / front court help.... and is up one body to 11 this year which gives him
a little more depth insurance... especially help with the front court foul issues if needed. All things we talked about in this thread: Any additional recruits for 2015-2016
That KO found these guys as ready to drive " one and dones" in the post grad market and as solid students ( No APR risk) is a homerun.
Here's last years MPG for the guys returning:
Hamilton, Daniel... 31.4...
Purvis, Rodney..... 28.7....
Brimah, Amida...... 26.3....
Facey, Kentan....... 21.5....
Calhoun, Omar...... 17.3 ....
Nolan, Phillip...........15.2.....
Cassell Jr., Sam... 15.1.....
Then you have this time open:
Boat's............................35.8
and T- Sam's................20.4
Lubin.............................6.5
As far as PT you have 56 open minutes for Gibbs and Adams to grab plus I could see them grabbing another 5 to10 of Omar's or Sam Jr's 32 MPG. Who ever steps up between Omar and Sam can get some the of the rest or Miller can grab some time from that... along with PT from Facey, Nolan, Lubin or even Brimah if he can't cut out his fouls.
and you know he scares me with the ball in his hands especially with the clock running down ( TO's and out of control off balanced shots) so less of that will be
more for the team if he can clean that up. .I love the possibilities now that KO went out and got another guy ( Gibbs) who can play with the ball in his hands.......that he
can shoot it from 3 makes it that much better. Also I need to see Adams in those end of clock situations because earlier in his HS career he was considered a combo......so his
ASST to TO's learning curve will be important....I look at a combo like Ben Gordon and it took 2 and 1/2 years for him to clean up his game/TO's and the rest was history..........
Jalen seems to have the skill set but FR do take time to learn to run a team, as KSTW mentioned.
I'm just happy KO now has added another ball handler late ( and 3 point shooter)......plus a glue guy / front court help.... and is up one body to 11 this year which gives him
a little more depth insurance... especially help with the front court foul issues if needed. All things we talked about in this thread: Any additional recruits for 2015-2016
That KO found these guys as ready to drive " one and dones" in the post grad market and as solid students ( No APR risk) is a homerun.
Here's last years MPG for the guys returning:
Hamilton, Daniel... 31.4...
Purvis, Rodney..... 28.7....
Brimah, Amida...... 26.3....
Facey, Kentan....... 21.5....
Calhoun, Omar...... 17.3 ....
Nolan, Phillip...........15.2.....
Cassell Jr., Sam... 15.1.....
Then you have this time open:
Boat's............................35.8
and T- Sam's................20.4
Lubin.............................6.5
As far as PT you have 56 open minutes for Gibbs and Adams to grab plus I could see them grabbing another 5 to10 of Omar's or Sam Jr's 32 MPG. Who ever steps up between Omar and Sam can get some the of the rest or Miller can grab some time from that... along with PT from Facey, Nolan, Lubin or even Brimah if he can't cut out his fouls.
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Funny that you mentioned Ben Gordon but I went back and looked at his stats because I thought as a combo guard he might be a good comp for Adams as a freshman. Gordon averaged 12.6 points per game as a freshman playing about 24 minutes a game. The one thing that jumps off the stat sheet with Gordon was his 3 point shooting. He averaged .419, .419 and .432% in his 3 years at UConn which is remarkable. It's very rare to see a guy shoot 40% 3 straight years except for the guys who are 3 point specialists. Gordon was a remarkable 3 point shooter. The funny thing about his .432 3 point shooting in the 2004 national championship season is he had a 10 game stretch in the middle of that season where he could not make anything. But in the postseason he was absolutely lights out. Madison Square Gordon was his nickname in that day.
Especially early in his career Ben could shoot you in or out of a game or take you out with his TO's . He average over 100 TO's per year in his 3 years... even playing as an off guard with Taliek handling the ball the majority of the time. I remember that bad stretch you talked about his JR year and the low he had(1-9 FG's) at the Civic Center vs. Notre Dame until he finally got it going. He drove me nuts as a fan and I joined this board back when I was bitching about his peaks and valleys... Even in the NBA he drove his Bulls HC Scott Skiles crazy with TO's ......
Ben's TO's and the team's FT shooting(not Ben's) were always something that group had to overcome....but no one can complain about how his and Emeka's college career ended and the bump it gave them up in the draft to start their NBA careers.
Ben's TO's and the team's FT shooting(not Ben's) were always something that group had to overcome....but no one can complain about how his and Emeka's college career ended and the bump it gave them up in the draft to start their NBA careers.
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Of the three top guards, its Purvis that is the most inconsistent and should see his PT diminished. Still I think Purvis can be great at UCONN. Should be a fun year if the guard's ego's dont mess it up.
Gibbs more than likely will be 6th man. Gibbs did not come here to start or take the keys. That is what Jalen was given... Let's see tho as summer workouts and then practices are around the corner...
It's a great problem to have no doubt but I see Gibbs as a sixth man or a Giffey type knock down shooter who can also run the team and handle etc...
It's a great problem to have no doubt but I see Gibbs as a sixth man or a Giffey type knock down shooter who can also run the team and handle etc...
I have a hard time believing Gibbs committed to UConn for his last year of playing college ball thinking he was going to come off the bench. I'm sure he thinks he has a chance of playing in the NBA and wants to showcase his point guard skills. I'm sure he saw that Boatright just graduated and the point guard spot was up for grabs. I have no idea what Ollie and Gibbs discussed but if Gibbs really isn't worried about starting and having the keys then that's great.
And as a freshman coming into UConn I'm sure Ollie didn't promise Adams anything except a good chance to earn playing time because the best guard on the team just graduated.
The bleacher report answers the starting guard(s) mystery ( 
) and adds:
" The only real question here is whether we should reignite the "Ollie to the NBA" rumors now or wait until after he leads this team to at least 28 wins."
LINK- Stock Watch for College Basketball's Blue Bloods in 2015 Offseason
They also added this: " Connecticut is going from "Boatright or Bust" to possibly the best seven-man rotation in the country."
) and adds:" The only real question here is whether we should reignite the "Ollie to the NBA" rumors now or wait until after he leads this team to at least 28 wins."
LINK- Stock Watch for College Basketball's Blue Bloods in 2015 Offseason
They also added this: " Connecticut is going from "Boatright or Bust" to possibly the best seven-man rotation in the country."
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I think Bleacher Report has correctly assessed the situation in that article. It's an excellent 7 man rotation but the team really goes 10 deep.
Gibbs will start. He will need to be a glue guy but don't forget that Giffey was a starter the entire 2014 postseason and Ollie later admitted he had ****ed up in not starting Giffey all year. Giffey shot almost 50% on 3s and played great D especially helping and hedging, but Ollie had fallen in love with Kromah after Kromah had a few good games and then overplayed him. Ollie would later man up and admit his mistake. I thought it was a mistake all year, but when you rectify a mistake and get rewarded for it, all is forgotten.
Gibbs will start. He will need to be a glue guy but don't forget that Giffey was a starter the entire 2014 postseason and Ollie later admitted he had ****ed up in not starting Giffey all year. Giffey shot almost 50% on 3s and played great D especially helping and hedging, but Ollie had fallen in love with Kromah after Kromah had a few good games and then overplayed him. Ollie would later man up and admit his mistake. I thought it was a mistake all year, but when you rectify a mistake and get rewarded for it, all is forgotten.
Great point regarding Giffey and his PT in the post season, I don't think it was as much Kromah being overplayed than it was benching Calhoun completely along with his TO's, bad D and poor shooting. KO found more minutes for Giffey as a starter and time for both of them ( Kromah was on the court at the end, played 20 minutes and hit the game clinching FT's vs. Kentucky ) by pulling Omar's 15 MPG he was getting in the regular season. ( OC played 4 minutes total in the NCAA's). That was KO's even bigger addition by subtraction, IMHO.
Giffey was not starting earlier in the season because Kromah had a few good games and Ollie began to start Kromah. I think starting in late November or December. It was then that Kromah got overplayed. Kromah was a good guy off the bench but he never should have been starting over Giffey and I said so at the time. I thought the Kromah starts were a reward for good play but Giffey was leading the nation in 3 point shooting for most of the season, at one point was shooting close to 60% on 3s and finished with 48% having made a bunch of big ones in the postseason, not to mention absolutely stellar defense. UConn played as good a defense as they have ever played and shot FTs as well as FTs can be shot in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
Your preaching to the choir...I thought Giffey should've been getting major PT early on and said it too... but again nothing to do with Kromah exclusively . Calhoun started games too at the 3 during that time( 11 of them)...So this wasn't a Kromah vs. Giffey PT thing it as much as it was Omar and his .305 FG%/ .241 3pt%, with terrible D, handle and bad rebounding vs the two of them..Giffey not only for his D and shooting, but also because he was a better rebounder at the 3 ( he measured out only an inch shorter than Daniels even though they listed him 2), which was a Uconn problem early in the season if you recall.
Kromah didn't have the shot (44% FG/ 34% 3pt) of NG but did shoot it much better than Calhoun. Plus Lasan also could board some for a 3 and D up and had a better handle than both of them. Once KO got the "force Omar into the rotation thing" out of his head the team improved immensely all the way to a NC... So it was really Omar who was overplayed, but I give KO credit for realizing it in time to make a difference.
Kromah didn't have the shot (44% FG/ 34% 3pt) of NG but did shoot it much better than Calhoun. Plus Lasan also could board some for a 3 and D up and had a better handle than both of them. Once KO got the "force Omar into the rotation thing" out of his head the team improved immensely all the way to a NC... So it was really Omar who was overplayed, but I give KO credit for realizing it in time to make a difference.
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FWIW Jeff Goodman thinks Adams will start and Purvis comes off the bench. Although it is Goodman who is no more an expert, and probably less so, than any of us.
My preseason Top 25 ballot (plus 25 more)
20. UConn Huskies
Projected starting lineup: G Sterling Gibbs, PG Jalen Adams, SF Daniel Hamilton, PF Shonn Miller, C Amida Brimah
There are a bunch of scenarios for the starting lineup, but what is clear is that the Huskies have some depth. Rodney Purvis could start, and so could Kentan Facey. Miller and Gibbs are fifth-year transfers who will help immediately.
My preseason Top 25 ballot (plus 25 more)
20. UConn Huskies
Projected starting lineup: G Sterling Gibbs, PG Jalen Adams, SF Daniel Hamilton, PF Shonn Miller, C Amida Brimah
There are a bunch of scenarios for the starting lineup, but what is clear is that the Huskies have some depth. Rodney Purvis could start, and so could Kentan Facey. Miller and Gibbs are fifth-year transfers who will help immediately.
Thanks Hooper for the insider look...pretty much what the Bleacher Report ( above) thought too, but time will tell:
Players Lost: Ryan Boatright, Terrence Samuel, Rakim Lubin
Players Gained: Sterling Gibbs, Shonn Miller, Jalen Adams, Steve Enoch
Projected Starters: Adams (PG), Gibbs (SG), Daniel Hamilton (SF), Miller (PF), Amida Brimah (C)
Top Four Bench Players: Rodney Purvis, Kentan Facey, Phillip Nolan, Omar Calhoun
"Throw in Rodney Purvis and Kentan Facey as bench guys who would probably be starters on 97 percent of rosters "
Stock watch: Bouncing Back Nicely
Players Lost: Ryan Boatright, Terrence Samuel, Rakim Lubin
Players Gained: Sterling Gibbs, Shonn Miller, Jalen Adams, Steve Enoch
Projected Starters: Adams (PG), Gibbs (SG), Daniel Hamilton (SF), Miller (PF), Amida Brimah (C)
Top Four Bench Players: Rodney Purvis, Kentan Facey, Phillip Nolan, Omar Calhoun
"Throw in Rodney Purvis and Kentan Facey as bench guys who would probably be starters on 97 percent of rosters "
Stock watch: Bouncing Back Nicely
Correct, except that Cassell and Enoch may not be #10 and #11 as this implies.
Purvis will be the 6th man. He has the game to be a good, or maybe even great, 6th man. He certainly can be as good or better than Rashamael Jones, who similarly transitioned to 6th man status after being mostly a starter his 1st two seasons at UConn.
true... Enoch could surprise.... and we never got to see a healthy Cassell for much of the year after he put up 35 points in the 2 exhibition games..
I was at the exhibition games and there was no question Sam Cassell Jr. was UConn's best player in those two games. I was firmly convinced he was going to be the 3 point shooter on this team, although I noticed he had a tendency to fall away on his 3 point shot. In retrospect his body language in some games should have suggested he was playing hurt. If I recall correctly, Cassell was the one who got beat against Yale at the end of the game and I saw what looked like a disgusted hobble out of bounds. We did not see the real Sam Cassell Jr. last year. You can't play basketball without healthy wheels. It was sad to see this ruin the career of Bill Walton. Walton was one of the most talented centers in NBA history, a total team player, who could run the floor, pass and score and rebound, but once his feet started fracturing he was a shell of his former self. Sam is still young and just hope he can play healthy all year.
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