Phil Nolan/Back Up 5 Position

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Here is an interesting article that appeared a few days ago on Phil Nolan, who reportedly worked on strength and conditioning in Milwaukee over the summer and has improved his finishing ability. The article suggests that the backup 5 position could be a battle for minutes among Nolan, Enoch (depending on how rapidly he develops), and Miller, whose supreme defensive abilities enable him at 6'7" to possibly see minutes at this position in smaller lineups and/or when foul trouble strikes:

http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20150906/uconns-phil-nolan-ready-to-charge-into-his-senior-season

How do you guys think the backup 5 will play out behind Brimah? It seems likely that Nolan will get the first look early and then things will go from there.

 

[Dominicfrank]

Ollie just likes Nolan more than any of us do so I see Nolan getting a lot of minutes at the 5 and some at the 4 as well.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I think there should be no such thing as "teacher's pets" in basketball, but Ollie does seem to like Nolan, and rewards guys who are team-first. In the 2013-2014 season, Ollie overplayed Kromah after a few good games, at the expense of Niels Giffey, who was leading the nation in 3 point shooting. It was the insertion of Giffey into the starting lineup in the AAC tournament that turned that team around in the 2014 postseason, from a good team into a championship calibre team. Giffey was the ultimate glue player and the reason why the team defense was so good in the NCAA tournament. Ollie later admitted it was a mistake not to have not started Giffey sooner.

Nolan is a solid system player on defense, and he did start to play better at the end of last season. But overall he has been a huge disappointment. It would be nice if he finishes as a solid contributor his senior season. It's probably asking way too much for him to play more than 15 minutes a game on this team. I would hope that Facey would be the primary backup at the 4, or Enoch. Facey is a much better rebounder than Nolan. The rebounding and finishing around the basket are Nolan's two biggest problem areas.

 

[Dominicfrank]

Agree KSTW but Nolan moves better than Facey especially on defense. Facey is just not taking off, hoping the kid blossoms this year, he can fly if he wants to but always see's stuck in second gear and has a sloppy handle.