Corey Floyd, please tell me he has a solid handle

[Tenspro2002]

Hilton Armstrong and perhaps Phil nolan

Hilton Armstrong started as a freshman.

 

[kobebeanbryant]

You would think the staff would bring in another ball handler through the portal for next season. It doesn’t have to be a star point guard. Somebody with experience and a good handle would more than suffice. A Craig Austrie level player would be great.

if cole doesn’t come back, i think we will need more than that.

out of this group, who would you be comfortable with as our starting point guard for next year:

• gaffney
• diggins
• jackson
• floyd

major question marks all around. surprisingly, i would probably be most comfortable with jackson (given his playmaking ability, handle, and work ethic/track record of improvement).

regardless, i think we will need to bring someone in from the outside.

 

[slepers]

Hilton Armstrong started as a freshman.

You are correct about two thirds start 11 minutes a game and almost 3 points per game. Soph and junior years 1 start combined. With around 3 point average. Big improvement senior year and a first round draft choice. Mea culpa.

 

[Ts5034]

if cole doesn’t come back, i think we will need more than that.

out of this group, who would you be comfortable with as our starting point guard for next year:

• gaffney
• diggins
• jackson
• floyd

major question marks all around. surprisingly, i would probably be most comfortable with jackson (given his playmaking ability, handle, and work ethic/track record of improvement).

regardless, i think we will need to bring someone in from the outside.

I Agree. With all due respect, as of right now, none of the above has shown they can take over the starting PG role at this point in time. If Cole leaves, those are big shoes to fill.

 

[Edward Sargent]

For those who know how Corey has been practicing with the team, please tell me that he's going to be a solid contributor handling the ball. The writeups indicate he's a both hands to the basket scorer, but how is his handle? And this is an odd question, but from a physical stand point, why was he redshirted but Diggins wasn't? Was it based on his relatively late decision to reclassify and enroll early?

He's a 4 star Aminu Mohammed for all you who count stars

 

[UCfor3]

The only mark in Diggins's favor is that this is an unusual year with a lot of super-seniors that have limited opportunities for freshmen on good teams across the board.

Every other indicator points badly. There have almost never been freshmen to contribute as little as Diggins (and Johnson) are this year becoming meaningful contributors down the line.

Whaley and Gavin Edwards come to mind. It also worked in reverse for Rashamel Jones. Major contributor as a freshman in a rebuilding year. Bench role player as a senior for 99 championship team when we had better and deeper talent. Accepted and excelled at his reduced role. Big men develop slower and we are deep in the frontcourt. Zero worries about Johnson who was a little raw coming in. Diggins is slightly more concerning, but players develop at different rates. It's a big step up both in terms of talent, speed of the game, and most of all mentally which is a big part of being a point guard. Like others have pointed out, Nova has players ranked higher than Diggins that don't get a sniff of playing time. We have an actual top level program again. We don't need to throw guys into the fire anymore regardless of their readiness. If it's more of the same next year then yeah, maybe start being concerned. Too early to push the panic button now though. Big ask for a guy to look good thrust into a pressing situation after warming the bench for a month. The experience he gathers against the early part of the schedule next year will be huge for him. I will say he has done a great job in the weight room because physically he looks so much stronger than he did in November. That shows me he is a hard worker and wants to get better which is a great sign for his future.

 

[millertime7774]

 

[UconnU]

Haven't read the thread. Have watched him play quite a bit, up to his AAU season last summer.

Don't expect Floyd to be a lead guard. He's a complimentary ballhandler.

He’s not even really a combo he’s a true off guard. He operated with a lot of space on RC and Final. Im not confident in his ball handling at this level right now. With that said he is the perfect system fit because he likes to run off screens and uses jump stops and does winning things. Good high energy defender as well. He’ll be good for us.

 

[Rumrunner]

if cole doesn’t come back, i think we will need more than that.

out of this group, who would you be comfortable with as our starting point guard for next year:

• gaffney
• diggins
• jackson
• floyd

major question marks all around. surprisingly, i would probably be most comfortable with jackson (given his playmaking ability, handle, and work ethic/track record of improvement).

regardless, i think we will need to bring someone in from the outside.

If Cole doesn't come back and there are no portal additions, the only viable option will be Jackson.

 

[CL82]

This exactly. It's like people don't watch other programs sometimes.

Yes, players do things at Duke, Kentucky, etc. But that's (largely) not how we've been built. Plenty of kids don't see minutes for a few years and then are killers.

I have faith in Diggins.

I don’t know whether he’ll be able to develop into the player we need. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. But I do know he’s an incredibly charismatic kid and that I will be rooting for him.

 

[Umami Zen]

Corey was never recruited to be a primary ball handler. He's a tough two way player that can be a secondary ball handler when/if needed. His handle is good enough for that role. His game will be more TM than JH . Junkyard dog that's a great teammate. Mature.

He's still a young dude that's growing and he might add an inch or two before he steps on the floor next season. Looking forward to his contributions after his redshirt year and throughout his career in Storrs.

 

[UofCT]

I would like to see Diggins start next season.

 

[temery]

Another reminder: do not speculate on a player leaving. If a player is eligible to play next year, assume it'll be at UConn until proof of a transfer.