Purvis Article On UConn Blog

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Appeared several days ago:

http://www.theuconnblog.com/2015/6/...ball-analysis-the-ferrari-needs-to-drive-more

 

[northdakotahusky]

"Unfortunately, he struggled out of the gate and for most of the season. Because the offense didn't have a true ballhandler"

I can't imagine Boat would appreciate this statment

 

[northdakotahusky]

I really don't know who Jalen Adams is as a player, but it seems like everyone is assuming he will be a better point guard than Boat. Including this article. I'm not 100% sure about that. Hopefully he is...maybe someone on this board has some insight into JAs PG ability.

 

[the Blades]

I really don't know who Jalen Adams is as a player, but it seems like everyone is assuming he will be a better point guard than Boat. Including this article. I'm not 100% sure about that. Hopefully he is...maybe someone on this board has some insight into JAs PG ability.

Me either... even if there's high hopes we need to see him play vs. high major college comp...will he take care of the BB... how well will he see the floor at the next level ? As they say in Missouri, a UCONN FB opponent this year......SHOW ME !......Also the article talks about Purvis getting to the FT line.....why? If he shoots 54.8% again its a net negative. Not to mention he can create sloppy out of control TO's, like Dyson, when he drives...I want to see a big step up in both those areas.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

"Unfortunately, he struggled out of the gate and for most of the season. Because the offense didn't have a true ballhandler"

I can't imagine Boat would appreciate this statment

It doesn't matter who would appreciate it. The statement is 100% true. Look at the turnover and assist stats from the guards on last year's roster and report back as to what you read.

Regarding Adams, it's true he is untested, but while Boatright was a 5'10" shooting guard trying to play point guard (mostly unsuccessfully) last year, I think Adams is more of a true combo guard than Boat was. Boat was built to score, and defend, not to handle and distribute. I see Adams as more of a Chris Smith kind of guy. A true combo guard at the college level.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

...Also the article talks about Purvis getting to the FT line.....why? If he shoots 54.8% again its a net negative. Not to mention he can create sloppy out of control TO's, like Dyson, when he drives...I want to see a big step up in both those areas.

I thought the same thing reading the article. I think there is an unspoken assumption in that statement that Purvis cannot possibly be as horrible as the 54 FT% shooter he was last year. Unfortunately, he can be. He shot 51% at NC State his freshman year and is a career 52% FT shooter in 2 years of college basketball. This is a terrible shooting percentage for a guard who wants to get to the line.

However, his 3 point FG% has been much better - he has shot an above average 37% in his 2 year college career. This suggests that the FT% could be an aberration. But in 2 years he has been consistently bad, and his assist totals have been consistently low.

Regarding the Dyson comparison, I actually think Purvis is a better athlete than Dyson from what I have seen, but his poor ballhandling holds him back from using it to full advantage.

Purvis needs to make substantial improvements in his ballhandling, court vision and his FT shooting. I think he will be better, but we will see how much better. I still think he will end up being a 6th man who mostly shoots threes and occasionally bursts to the hole for an explosive jam, probably more in transition than halfcourt.

 

[aman kidwai]

I think Gibbs is a bigger factor in terms of allowing for improvement from the ballhandler group... Boatright was no true pg. Adams isn't either, but he has more of a shot I think..

 

[Dominicfrank]

Boat not being a successful PG last year is funny. I think Adams would be lucky to be as good as Boat. Boat is an all time great that brought us a title. Adams would be lucky to be mentioned as such,

I do think he adds a different dimension in that he is a bit taller and a little more "happy". Sounds stupid but he seems like a bright happy kid and Boat was always in hate mode which I think held the team back but helped his play.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Boatright was not a good point guard last year, period and end of story. Last year as starting POINT GUARD he averaged 3.8 assists (a lower total than his freshman and sophomore years - when he was NOT running the team) and 2.4 turnovers. 3.8-2.4 assist/TO sucks donkey balls by any objective criteria - end of story. Boat was a warrior and was a huge help winning the championship as a 5'10" shooting guard who played tenacious D, but he was a bust as a point guard in 2014-15. He didn't make others better and didn't do what point guards do to help their teams win.

The entire team last year was plagued by a bad A/T ratio and Boatright as primary ballhandler was the main culprit.

 

[the Blades]

I think Gibbs is a bigger factor in terms of allowing for improvement from the ballhandler group... Boatright was no true pg. Adams isn't either, but he has more of a shot I think..

+1, on Boat, he was a good little scorer and a nice Robin to Nappier being Batman.. but he didn't have the capacity to lead and make anyone better but himself. At his size it was tough to see the floor even though he worked on it and improved from his first 2 and a half years. Plus he cost the team a couple of wins on missed FT's ( Yale, Tex) that put them at a struggle all year with their record to make the NCAA's. Him finally "buying into team play and his D "with Napier and Co will be his greatest moment, but overall as KSTW mentioned before he's a 5-10 shooting guard. That's why he's not getting to much traction or listed in either round of most NBA mock drafts.. In Uconn terms he's more an Earl Kelley, another great scorer who didn't translate to wins when they handed him the keys..than a Shabazz or Kemba. But looking back I wonder if Huggins still wants Jabarie Hinds instead of Boat, LOL !

Regarding Gibbs he has decent assist to TO numbers (2 to 1), besides good 3 pt numbers and like Adams I haven't seen him run an offense, but that he can play with the ball in his hands was a huge get with only JA and Hamilton as players on the roster that can. The thought of Omar or Purvis having to become a secondary QB/playmaker for the offense besides the often injured "Sam I am" was kind of scary.

 

[the Blades]

Boatright was not a good point guard last year, period and end of story. Last year as starting POINT GUARD he averaged 3.8 assists (a lower total than his freshman and sophomore years - when he was NOT running the team) and 2.4 turnovers. 3.8-2.4 assist/TO sucks donkey balls by any objective criteria - end of story. Boat was a warrior and was a huge help winning the championship as a 5'10" shooting guard who played tenacious D, but he was a bust as a point guard in 2014-15. He didn't make others better and didn't do what point guards do to help their teams win.

The entire team last year was plagued by a bad A/T ratio and Boatright as primary ballhandler was the main culprit.

Pretty funny ! I finished typing as you posted this but you echoed most of my thoughts.

 

[the Blades]

Speaking of Boat... he got better moving the ball to teammates ... but this is a classic of him not seeing the floor and his coach doesn't like it:

Classic Jim Calhoun: "Hit him you motherf***er!"