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Who is staying and who is going?

Dominicfrank

Dominicfrank

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Aug 28, 2004
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I see where people SAY Hamilton is a lottery pick but the mock's I see have him second round in the 2017 draft. We getting Hamilton back next year ? If we all come back we could be REALLY good.

We lose Miller, Gibbs, Nolan, Calhoun and pick up Larrier, Gilbert, Diarra, Jackson, Durham.......certainly some size but nothing BIG. We will be a long team that is for sure.

Brimah and Enoch at the 5 is not good. It is below average as we have seen Brimah is not a talented kid and will not advance past his freshman years abilities where he single handily advanced us past St. Joes which I will forever be grateful.
 
Hamilton isn't a lottery pick yet and isn't going anywhere, but he eventually could be.

I think Enoch could be really good but I agree that Brimah, with the exception of the home game this year against SMU, has been a very consistent no show against all big strong teams in his UConn career. He is weak and overmatched against a team like Kansas and it showed. Enoch will not be physically overmatched by anyone but he does need to learn how to play defense. His problems were mainly defensive positioning and he got better at it. His issues are fixable and offensively he looks like he has a lot of potential.

I don't know if Diarra can replace what UConn got from Miller. The 4-5 positions are the key to the success of the team. At least there is some experience coming back.
 
Dom, there aren't a lot of Kareem's, Waltons and Duncan's in college anymore. Heck, there aren't Andre Drummonds now. Brimah and Enoch is a pretty good offensive/defensive combo. I was watching games with Stephens cousin Friday afternoon and I told him, once he learns how to play post defense, he has an nba future. He can score over each shoulder with a baby hook, has tremendous power and explosiveness and he was known as a face up shooter at Norwalk High. He should take a major step in year two.

Brimah is what he is. He changes and blocks shots and finishes alley oops. But he already has a ring and why not sandwich his career with another?

Adams also needs to take a major step and I'm confident he will. He'll be a more effective outside shooter and more efficient player overall imo. Speaking of, so will Hamilton. He could leave if he gets bad advice, but he is someone that could end up a middle first rounder will a strong junior year because he has diverse skills.

Purvis would probably be the same type of player and that helps the team because he did improve a little this year and was better at the FT line late.

Then we have a top 40 recruit at forward with experience with Larrier. A 5* Two way PG that can shoot in Gilbert that should be an upgrade over Gibbs by years end. And an elite shooter on the wing in Jackson. Durham has great upside, but I think we may not see it until year two off the injury. And Diarra is the sleeper. He's undersized, but he could be a Jeff adrien type with more hops.

So if everyone comes back, the expectations will and should be much higher. Miller is the only real loss and Larrier could cancel him out even if he's a slightly different player.
 
Btw, we were out shot at the line by 104 by our opponents this year. How many tourney teams were - in this department? Not many I'd guess.

Duke, in comparison is +300 and counting.

We did a good job making our FTs but we have to get to the line more next year. I know, fouls have to actually be called first.
 
If you go back a few years ago to the 2011 team my recollection is they outshot opponents by around 300 FTs or so. Some of the reasons for the FT disparity are the very things that have been criticized: (1) too much passing around the perimeter, and (2) no inside scoring presence or offensive rebounding, making many dribble drives unsuccessful endeavors.In 2011 UConn had Kemba Walker finishing his drives even when fouled, and a modest inside scoring presence in Oriakhi. Roscoe Smith was an exceptional rebounder and could clean up missed shots. All of those things result in drawing fouls. This year's team had the ball in the hands of Sterling Gibbs most of the time, who was really a shooting guard and he couldn't turn the corner on anyone, drive effectively or finish. Gibbs had value as a 3 point shooter and a FT shooter when he did get fouled, but he wasn't an effective penetrator. An effective penetrator creates assists and shot opportunities for others who then get fouled. Hamilton was probably the only facilitator on the team for much of the season.

With Alterique coming aboard and maybe starting next season with Adams, there will be loads of speed and penetration, and more scoring opportunities will be created.
 
All are expected back with Purv big the wild card but he himself had stated he want to comeback and win big so...

I think there is effort to get a another shonnnMiller type in the sense being 5th year 6-8 230-240 lb big for a year who will rebound and can score a little back to the basket. But let's see what opens up in that department.
 
Ozzie3178 said:
All are expected back with Purv big the wild card but he himself had stated he want to comeback and win big so...

I think there is effort to get a another shonnnMiller type in the sense being 5th year 6-8 230-240 lb big for a year who will rebound and can score a little back to the basket. But let's see what opens up in that department.
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Not sure if UConn has any connections to him, but Stefan Jankovic on Hawaii could be a nice Shonn Miller replacement.

He's a RS junior after transferring to Hawaii from Missouri. Hawaii is banned from the postseason next year, so one would think he would get the AO treatment and be able to transfer without sitting out.

He's 6'11" 235.

Stats from this year:
FG: 167
FGA: 300
FG%: .557

2P: 137
2PA: 222
2P%: .617

3P: 30
3PA: 78
3P%: .385

FT: 138
FTA: 178
FT%: .775

Per game averages: 15.7 pts, 6.6 reb in only 24.6 minutes a game (per 40: 25.5 pts, 10.7 reb)
 
Jankovic would be a nice get but can all Hawaii players be contacted once the season is over? I did read somewhere their players can transfer but maybe he doesn't want to-
 
Who's goin' ? Miller, Gibbs, Nolan and Calhoun...who' staying
Ozzie3178 said:
All are expected back with Purv big the wild card but he himself had stated he want to comeback and win big so...
I think there is effort to get a another shonnnMiller type in the sense being 5th year 6-8 230-240 lb big for a year who will rebound and can score a little back to the basket. But let's see what opens up in that department.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised Uconn isn't looking for another guard Oz. With Purvis a wild card, the roster could become paper thin next year in the back court. With Sam Jr's ineffectiveness and injury
problems he's become an unreliable option....it could mean Uconn is down to just 2 guards without RP. Adams and Rique would be it. Not quite to the point it was in 04-05 when Marcus Williams was the only ball handler on the team after AJ's brain injury, Antonio Kellegg ( a horrible PG option) was thrown off the team and Calhoun had to use the French walk-on Sami Ameziane in an NCAA game, but it could get close....What I do like is that KO won't be able to play to much small ball with this roster, especially if RP doesn't comeback. And I guess KO could always go big and use D-Ham or Vance in the backcourt.

2016
GUARDS
2...Jalen Adams..............6-3/187......G/PG......SO
#... Alterique Gilbert......5-11/175....PG..........FR
10..Sam Cassell Jr...........6-4/194......G...........SR
44....Rodney Purvis.......... 6-4/205.....G.............RS SR. ... ???

WINGS:
5.... Daniel Hamilton......6-7/195....SF.........JR
22...Terry Larrier............6-8/195....SF..........RS SO
#.....Vance Jackson........ 6-8/210....SF..........FR
.
FORWARDS
12.... Kentan Facey........ 6-10/217... F.............SR
#..... Mamadou Diarra...6-7/225......PF........... FR
#..... Juwan Durham......6-10/210....PF............FR ( possible redshirt)
24.....Christian Foxen.....6-8/223.... F.............JR... (walk-on)

CENTERS
35... Amida Brimah...... 7-0/232..... Center...SR
13....Steve Enoch......... 6-11/245... Center...SO
 
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I said the same thing earlier about guard depth. Even if Purvis comes back, at least one other guard is needed.

Regarding Sami Ameziane, he was an above average walk on player, but severely height challenged. He now works as a standup comedian.
 
KhalidShockedTheWorld said:
Regarding Sami Ameziane, he was an above average walk on player, but severely height challenged. He now works as a standup comedian.
Click to expand...

This clip has some of his Uconn hoops stuff at around 3:50 to 5:50 ( nice pass to Hilton for the slam at around 5:00)

 
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Dominicfrank said:
I see where people SAY Hamilton is a lottery pick but the mock's I see have him second round in the 2017 draft. We getting Hamilton back next year ? If we all come back we could be REALLY good.

We lose Miller, Gibbs, Nolan, Calhoun and pick up Larrier, Gilbert, Diarra, Jackson, Durham.......certainly some size but nothing BIG. We will be a long team that is for sure.

Brimah and Enoch at the 5 is not good. It is below average as we have seen Brimah is not a talented kid and will not advance past his freshman years abilities where he single handily advanced us past St. Joes which I will forever be grateful.
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I am not sure I agree with you on that Dominica,I believe that Brimah was defensive player of the year last year in the conference.I do agree he needs to develop some post moves and improve his rebounding .
 
Brimah didn't have a good season. He was hurt and missed some time, but he was a no show and in foul trouble in most of the big games. He doesn't play smart. He played young at times and not like a veteran. The main problem was dumb fouls. He seemed incapable of staying out of foul trouble.
 
Uconn is always better when Brimah's on the floor, foul issues aside.... plays elite D, can hit his FT's, runs the floor which is exactly all Uconn needs from bigs in their guard/wing dominated dribble drive offense that KO uses....but as you mentioned KSTW..... that fouling thing has got to stop
 
Yea blades with Purv most likely moving on.... Will then Need a guard as well to be a solid contributor. Let's see how this cane broom thing plays out.
 
Ozzie3178 said:
Yea blades with Purv most likely moving on.... Will then Need a guard as well to be a solid contributor. Let's see how this cane broom thing plays out.
Click to expand...

Small G from East Hartford Avg. 23 a game for Sacred Heart ? Didn't hear of that one....interesting....But doesn't look like much of an asst guy... negative asst/TO ratio... but as a D-1 transfer, he'd have to sit a year correct ?

@Broomecane_1: Thank you SHU for two amazing years. I have received my release & will be transferring at the end of the year.
 
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That article suggests Purvis is coming back. I think UConn could add another shooting guard, and if Durham is redshirted due to injury rehab, another big man who can play 4 and 5. Depth is needed behind the foul prone bigs we have right now or you could even see Hamilton pressed into action as a 5.
 
KhalidShockedTheWorld said:
That article suggests Purvis is coming back. I think UConn could add another shooting guard, and if Durham is redshirted due to injury rehab, another big man who can play 4 and 5. Depth is needed behind the foul prone bigs we have right now or you could even see Hamilton pressed into action as a 5.
Click to expand...

Hamilton at the 5 is trouble
 
Dr.01,

UConn loses Nolan, and if Durham is red-shirted, there are 3 able bodies to play the 5 in Brimah, Enoch, and Facey, but all are foul prone, and Facey is somewhat undersized at the 5 weight-wise and was abused in a few games, picking up fouls very quickly. He is obviously a more effective player at the 4 although he doesn't give UConn much scoring there. I assume he will start next year at the 4, unless Diarra is ready for prime time which it doesn't sound like he is. Larrier may be another option at the 4 when the team needs to go smaller.

So we have some experienced bigs, but none of them have shown an ability to stay on the floor against big, physical opposition.
 
I think we will go small at times with Hamilton at the 4. Adams at point, purvis and either Larrier or Gilbert.

Is Larrier capable of playing some 4? I'd love it if he had some Roscoe Smith in him and helped Daniel on the glass.

I can't believe Facey has only one more year. He has ability and hopefully he breaks out in his senior year like Hilton did. He won't be the post scorer that Miller was, but he's a better rebounder.
 
Facey is a very good rebounder and shot blocker, and he looks like he can stick a 12 foot jumper, but for some reason layups, bunnies and putbacks are major issues for him. He throws up an inordinate number of bricks from 5 feet and in. He actually looks better shooting 12 foot jumpers.

Enoch has the most offensive talent of the big men, and he did show some slight improvement in the limited minutes he got in the second half of the season. I expected a lot more out of him than what UConn got. Of course Ollie didn't play him much and didn't appear to trust him at all on defense. In the first half of the year he was a disaster defensively, but I thought he improved his positioning and not allowing easy baskets on pick and roll plays. But he still was picking up fouls at an alarming rate and not staying on the floor when he was given some minutes. All of this being said, this kid is a physical beast and if he isn't at least a 15 minute a game player next year, something isn't right. He looks like a stud to me who just needs to be coached up and get some solid experience.

Brimah is a great defensive presence but the problem is when he picks up the 2 quick fouls, his presence is lost and then the team has to compensate. He has to play smarter basketball. He is going to be a 4 year player and even Chuck Okwandu, who was equally foul prone, made himself a very effective player albeit a reserve his senior year. Maybe Okwandu can work with Brimah in the offseason, if not maybe Jake Voskuhl or Emeka Okafor who were both a hell of a lot smarter as players with their fundamentals.

I think Larrier may slide to the 4 a lot because Facey probably isn't a starter although he will get the job and Diarra isn't ready. If Larrier can board and shoot some 3s, perhaps he can be a stretch 4 a la Daniels.
 
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Khalid, maybe Facey will relax on the offensive end more next year with extended minutes. When you aren't sure if you're going to get in the game again, it's natural to press. He she should watch some Gavin Edwards film. One of my all time favs.

Totally agree on Enoch. He's not the freak that Drummond was, but he's more skilled. If he can improve defensively, I can see him playing enough minutes to average 10 and 5.
 
Enoch could very easily be the most improved player on the team. I would expect him and Brimah to improve next year. Both had disappointing seasons based on my expectations. I said in the beginning of the year that Purvis was the most improved player on the team, and I feel that he was the most improved player from last year. It would be nice if he returned, because of his experience, excellent attitude, hustle, very good defense and stellar 3 point shooting with range. I also note his FT shooting improved significantly. He finished the season shooting 66% on FTs after only shooting 53% his first two college seasons. He is slowly working himself above Taliek Brown territory. Still would like to see him get over 70% at least, but the improvement in his game is noticeable.
 
the Blades said:
Small G from East Hartford Avg. 23 a game for Sacred Heart ? Didn't hear of that one....interesting....But doesn't look like much of an asst guy... negative asst/TO ratio... but as a D-1 transfer, he'd have to sit a year correct ?

@Broomecane_1: Thank you SHU for two amazing years. I have received my release & will be transferring at the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Yea all correct. Me and his pops had a great conversation. Like we both said and agreed upon the timing at UCONN may not work this time around. He is a major UCONN fan and loves KO. He is family but I think a program like Creighton or providence would be ideal for him... Cane.
 
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Yea big is priority number like a junkyard dog not worried about starting a la Sheldon Jeter from Pitt or I like this kid Hall from Kent State but main thing is are they out and when will they get their release once deciding to move on....

Then option 1a is a guard. Regardless if Rodney comes back or not next year. Similar to the big in terms of to come off the bench and shoot.

Would love Rodney back because he has been in the program and will bring experience playing and chemistry.
 
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I think Hamilton and Purvis will return because of the uncertainty at the next level playing in the NBA. Hamilton would probably be the only one drafted late in the second round but even then he would not get any playing time. He needs another year under his belt to gain more experience and become the leader of this UConn squad. Purvis has the eligibility to graduate but signs are pointing to him returning considering the fact he sat out a year. We will have more depth next year because the bench production this year was not good at all. I agree with everyone above that we need a 4/5 that can post up and control the paint. Brimah is very limited offensively and has committed dumb fouls that lead to him not being on the floor at all. Hope this team can bounce back and be a force next year.
 
KhalidShockedTheWorld said:
So Ozzie you are suggesting these holes will be plugged with grad transfer types, a la Gibbs and Miller? Sheldon Jeter looks like a good fit- 8 points and 5 boards a game playing 18 minutes a game in the ACC and also shoots 83% on FTs and a high FG%:

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/sheldon-jeter-1.html
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Yes I am saying that because we do need some experienced been through it guys to teach our young pups and push them in practice. To rely too heavily on young freshmen even if they are the caliber KY gets is not a good recipe... And they get the elite of the elite youngins!!
 
Hamilton finished the season on a very strong note and gave clear signs that he could evolve into a main man type player as soon as next year for UConn, if he works hard on his game. His negatives for the NBA are his average outside shooting (which becomes a problem at the next level when he is guarded by the physical, stronger defenders who push him out and invite him to shoot step back jumpers), and his shot selection and affinity for taking off balance, contested jumpers, which he would be forced to take more of as defenders push him out off his spots. He needs to get stronger for the professional level to overcome these issues. His affinity for taking tough shots, though he makes some of them, needs to be cleaned up a little.

That being said, Hamilton was unveiling some filthy change of speed/direction moves at the end of the season, when driving to the hole. When you factor in his scoring ability with his rebounding (leading the team by well over 3 rebounds a game over the next best player- sick) and his team leading assist totals, he is a versatile player the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time at UConn. If he can take his strength up a few notches and work on his jumper (which I really believe should be better based on his stroke and FT shooting), he is 1st Team All American talent.

I would be surprised if Hamilton slipped late into the 2nd round, but at the present time he is not ready for NBA play.

The more experience UConn has on the roster next year the better. Decisions are going to have to be made on whether to redshirt Durham and then recruit a grad transfer, and on possible 1 or even 2 more guards, depending on whether Purvis returns. I feel like Purvis also finished the season strongly but he needs to work on his handle some more. I felt like Purvis made great strides with his decision-making and FT shooting, two severe weaknesses last year that were improved this year.
 
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Brimah will not improve next year and while he might be the defensive POY the year it was in the American so that is really a back handed award. Now POY all in works but he isnt close for that.

I know there aren't a lot of HOF'ers anywhere on anyone's roster but damn if Cinci doesn't have 5 athletic brawlers every year yet we get string beans like Brimah and facey. We need beef and we don't have any outside of Enoch who I have high hopes for.

Rodney better come back because he surely isn't playing in the NBA yet.
 
Dominicfrank said:
I know there aren't a lot of HOF'ers anywhere on anyone's roster but damn if Cinci doesn't have 5 athletic brawlers every year yet we get string beans like Brimah and facey. We need beef and we don't have any outside of Enoch who I have high hopes for.

Rodney better come back because he surely isn't playing in the NBA yet.
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KO is starting to recruit his type of big men who have more muscle than lank. Enoch, Diarra and Zach Brown should tell you a lot about his big men preference. Also remember that Brimah and Facey came to us at a time when we couldn't recruit at the heights we were accustomed to thanks to those APR sanctions.

In regards to Purvis, no one is thinking he is leaving to play in the NBA. He would leave to play professionally overseas and get a paycheck rather than play another year at UConn.

I didn't think he would be back until he made two separate statements to the media that he plans on returning next season - I trust that he's not just blowing smoke here
 
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I am with Silk in his thinking on Purvis coming back. Everything I have seen of Purvis this season has shown he is a total team guy and I now believe he deserves to be, and will be named captain of next year's UConn team. It was evident from early in the year when Purvis was essentially named team spokesman (e.g., being named narrator of the video tour of the new practice facility) that KO thought he was all in on UConn. His play and hustle and his grace in accepting a benching at one point during the season showed he is in fact a team guy. I think Purvis could possibly get some offers to play in Europe and as I said previously I don't think being a pro hoopster in Europe is all that bad a gig as you guys do (Italy would be awesome), but I think Rodney can, and will, wait on that.
 
Ozzie3178 said:
Yea all correct. Me and his pops had a great conversation. Like we both said and agreed upon the timing at UCONN may not work this time around. He is a major UCONN fan and loves KO. He is family but I think a program like Creighton or Providence would be ideal for him... Cane.
Click to expand...

 
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Yea blades that is correct. Coach Dre is recruiting him to Providence hard. They like Creighton a lot.
 
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