Opening Game Lineup

[Huskybass]

Here's my guess:

Phil
Deandre
Omar
Bazz
Boat

I see Facey, Giffey, Brimah and Samuels getting some minutes as well. TO will have to step it up to get 10 minutes a game.

 

[champs99and04]

The 1-4 is pretty obvious. The center position is completely up for grabs - Nolan could make big strides over the summer and pin down the position for 25 minutes a game, or it could be a center by committee situation where all four of our bigs share time. You have to believe that between Facey, Brimah, Olander, and Nolan, somebody is going to be the odd man out (i.e., a lot of DNP's). With Daniels playing 80% of the minutes at the four and Giffey likely scooping up the remainder of the minutes there, Brimah, Phil, Kentan, and Tyler are probably going to split those 40 minutes somehow. Facey may prove to be the biggest victim here, as he's currently a bit of a tweener (not strong enough to play the five, not skilled enough to play the four). I don't know what to expect from Brimah - it wouldn't shock me if he was a bit of a project, but it also wouldn't shock me if he ended up playing 15 minutes a game. It seems like the consensus here is that Nolan will continue to build on the momentum he generated from the injuries to Olander and Wolf at the end of last season and start at center opening day. I hope that's the case, as I think he has the most upside out of all our bigs. Ultimately, I fear Olander's going to get screwed over, which may prove to be a good thing for the team and a bad thing for him. Ideally, he'd play 10-15 minutes at the four a game, but due to the small ball identity we inadvertently discovered last season due to virtually all our big men leaving, he's either going to play center or not at all (and unfortunately for his sake, the latter seems more likely at this point). This would be my early projection as far as minute distribution is concerned:

PG - Napier 27 minutes, Boatright 13 minutes
SG - Boatright 20 minutes, Kromah 10 minutes, Napier 5 minutes, Samuel 5 minutes
SF - Calhoun 30 minutes, Giffey 12 minutes
PF - Daniels 32 minutes, Giffey 8 minutes
C - Nolan 20 minutes, Facey 15 minutes, Olander 5 minutes

Of course, that would be a ten man rotation, and by the time March rolls around, most coaches prefer playing no more than eight a game. In that case, Olander and Samuel would be most likely to be squeezed. In my mind, the addition of Kromah diminishes Samuel's importance on next years team, and the need to get Giffey at least 20 minutes a game makes minutes hard to come by for Olander. Keep in mind, I've yet to have seen Facey or Brimah play a college game, so this is completely an educated guess, if that.

 

[mauconnfan]

I definitely see Giffey getting more minutes as I expect him to improve and gain even more confidence. He rebounded the ball real well last year and if he could take his guy off the dribble more he could take more minutes away from Omar but more than likely not. Kromah will get minutes based on his ability to shoot it and defend, although it seems he can also rebound the basketball for his size so his minutes could go up playing 2-3 positions. Omar will get 30 minutes f he's shooting it well and rebounding it otherwise I expect him to be in the 22-25 range. I don't see Facey getting much PT at the center position as he is way too skinny from most reports and also while most are down on TO I believe he will get much more than 5 minutes a game, more like 10-15 in 2 positions. Also while we're sure Phil did improve we're not sure about whether he can stay out of foul trouble yet, a problem for all of our centers last year. In that case you may see Brimah with more minutes to protect the basket.

Too early to judge but always fun to think about. If the frosh play lots of minutes then that's a good thing because they're ready and I think will be needed!!

 

[CTBasketball]

Too far away to tell. Is Olander completely healed yet? And I know Omar just came off surgery...

 

[Peacefrog]

I agree, 1-4 are pretty much no-doubters. From now until the beginning of the season will find ourselves arguing about one starting spot. Is Facey or Brimah good enough to start right away? Did Nolan improve enough to start? Does Olander get the nod based on experience/seniority and since nobody else distnguishes themselves enough? It appears there are real good odds that we see a lot of rotation at that spot.

 

[ctchamps]

I agree, 1-4 are pretty much no-doubters. From now until the beginning of the season will find ourselves arguing about one starting spot. Is Facey or Brimah good enough to start right away? Did Nolan improve enough to start? Does Olander get the nod based on experience/seniority and since nobody else distnguishes themselves enough? It appears there are real good odds that we see a lot of rotation at that spot.

My take and one I wrote in another thread to RickyMoore21:

RickyMoore21 said: ↑

RickyMoore21 wrote: I honestly haven't seen Facey play at all other than brief highlights. Looking at him in person yesterday, he doesn't seem like a center at the D1 level (more like a C.J. Leslie body if that makes sense). So i dont know if he will play with DD or with another big like TO or Nolan. At this point, i would give TO and Nolan a push, with Facey as an unkown but also as someone who i expect to see minutes. Brimmah i dont see getting much time.​

​

With only 80 minutes available at the 4/5 positions, i wonder how Ollie will distribute time to DD, TO, Nolan, and Facey. Does DD play some at the 3?​

Barring injuries and Samuel not getting to UConn, I think the 1, 2 and 3 are far more solidified than the 4, 5.

SN, RB, OC, NG, Kromah and Samuel would get the minutes at the 1, 2 and 3.
The consensus starter at the 4 is DD. Unless something drastic happens, a DD injury or horrible slump or Facey develops quickly, DD will get most of the minutes at the 4 with NG, TO and KF playing backup minutes.

The 5 is the big question mark, one that has been repeated over and over in this forum and most likely considered by prognosticators regarding UConn's ranking.

IMO Nolan should start at the 5. I loved his attitude and athleticism right from the beginning. His integration into KO's structure was his major drawback. When SN or RB have to point a player to the place he should be on the floor you know the kid is lost. And Nolan was lost most of the early part of the season. By the end of the season that wasn't the case. The light bulb clicked on for him. If he retains what he figured out at the end of last season and carries it forward this season, UConn fans are going to be very happy.

Regarding his backup, it will depend on how fast Kentan can develop under KO. At the beginning of the season it will most certainly be TO. But I expect Kentan to ultimately get more time than TO as the back up. It won't be linear most likely. But I have a hunch he and Nolan have similar athletic attributes.

 

[Huskyforlife]

PG- Shabazz Napier
SG- Ryan Boatright
SF- Omar Calhoun
PF- Deandre Daniels
C- Tyler Olander

Same as last year.

PG- Shabazz Napier
SG- Ryan Boatright
SF- Omar Calhoun
PF- Deandre Daniels
C- Phil Nolan

Nolan will take the starting C job by the end of the season. then Olander can play the role he was meant to play, back up PF/C

 

[Dogbreath2U]

PG- Shabazz Napier
SG- Ryan Boatright
SF- Omar Calhoun
PF- Deandre Daniels
C- Tyler Olander

Same as last year.

PG- Shabazz Napier
SG- Ryan Boatright
SF- Omar Calhoun
PF- Deandre Daniels
C- Phil Nolan

Nolan will take the starting C job by the end of the season. then Olander can play the role he was meant to play, back up PF/C

I could see this happening easily, but also expect it will depend on how they play in practice. I don't think it likely, but if Tyler's foot was causing him trouble during the season, then perhaps he will come out moving much better and being less of a defensive liability and getting off his feet better. For Nolan, I think it will depend on whether he can play with confidence and really compete for rebounds and play solid defense. He did not seem to be a natural shot blocker. There were times late last season where he went up strong for rebounds and looked very good.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The 1-4 is pretty obvious. The center position is completely up for grabs - Nolan could make big strides over the summer and pin down the position for 25 minutes a game, or it could be a center by committee situation where all four of our bigs share time. You have to believe that between Facey, Brimah, Olander, and Nolan, somebody is going to be the odd man out (i.e., a lot of DNP's). With Daniels playing 80% of the minutes at the four and Giffey likely scooping up the remainder of the minutes there, Brimah, Phil, Kentan, and Tyler are probably going to split those 40 minutes somehow. Facey may prove to be the biggest victim here, as he's currently a bit of a tweener (not strong enough to play the five, not skilled enough to play the four). I don't know what to expect from Brimah - it wouldn't shock me if he was a bit of a project, but it also wouldn't shock me if he ended up playing 15 minutes a game. It seems like the consensus here is that Nolan will continue to build on the momentum he generated from the injuries to Olander and Wolf at the end of last season and start at center opening day. I hope that's the case, as I think he has the most upside out of all our bigs. Ultimately, I fear Olander's going to get screwed over, which may prove to be a good thing for the team and a bad thing for him. Ideally, he'd play 10-15 minutes at the four a game, but due to the small ball identity we inadvertently discovered last season due to virtually all our big men leaving, he's either going to play center or not at all (and unfortunately for his sake, the latter seems more likely at this point). This would be my early projection as far as minute distribution is concerned:

PG - Napier 27 minutes, Boatright 13 minutes
SG - Boatright 20 minutes, Kromah 10 minutes, Napier 5 minutes, Samuel 5 minutes
SF - Calhoun 30 minutes, Giffey 12 minutes
PF - Daniels 32 minutes, Giffey 8 minutes
C - Nolan 20 minutes, Facey 15 minutes, Olander 5 minutes

Of course, that would be a ten man rotation, and by the time March rolls around, most coaches prefer playing no more than eight a game. In that case, Olander and Samuel would be most likely to be squeezed. In my mind, the addition of Kromah diminishes Samuel's importance on next years team, and the need to get Giffey at least 20 minutes a game makes minutes hard to come by for Olander. Keep in mind, I've yet to have seen Facey or Brimah play a college game, so this is completely an educated guess, if that.

Big mistake if Samuel doesn't get minutes at the point next year.
Purvis has not proven he can play there.
2014 will be a disaster without and experienced PG
I'm assumming Boatwright leaves. next year.


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[Kitaman]

Olander starts in the preseason (i.e. opening day), how long is the question.

I say because; Champion, experience and Senior. Unfortunately not much else to go on but enough to get the nod in early November. With that said, Ollie will have Nolan to push him, even out of the starting position if Tyler does not deliver. But its Tyler's to lose.

As for Giffey he will get the most minutes as 6th man. I really hope they make him a Captain.

 

[champs99and04]

Big mistake if Samuel doesn't get minutes at the point next year.
Purvis has not proven he can play there.
2014 will be a disaster without and experienced PG
I'm assumming Boatwright leaves. next year.

Samuel is going to experience growing pains in 2014 whether he plays occasional minutes at point next year or not. As much as we would like to get him time there, we have two all-American caliber point guards on the roster next year, and those two are going to split the time there. Plus, I am not sold Ollie views Samuel as a pure point and not a combo guard. There is a reason we're heavily involved with Mcglaughlin, Joseph, and Perkins.


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[Waquoit]

C- Phil Nolan
Nolan will take the starting C job by the end of the season. then Olander can play the role he was meant to play, back up PF/C

I still don't see this. Nolan would have to make a big leap forward to be the starting center. As poorly as some think TO played, he was still far ahead of Nolan.