The 2013-14 Connecticut Huskies - An Extensive Preview

[patrick]

Crap, I as hoping people were going to say it sucked so I didn't have to devote an hour to reading it. There goes an hour of work.

Either that or I was hoping someone would sum it up so I wouldn't have to read this book!

Well there goes my lunch hour

 

[caw]

Loved what I had time to read. Ten toes in!

 

[Dmike]

Thank you. This was the best, most in-depth analysis I have ever read in a post or article - print or electronic. You are an exceptional writer. Concise in your sentence structure and eloquent in your word choice. We will all be enlightened and enriched as fans if you continue to provide your analysis and insight into the x's and o's of UConn basketball. I will not watch games the same way after reading this post. You have made me a better fan. I just added you as a poster I intend to follow and can't wait to get your input as the season progresses. My only regret was that I couldn't push the like button as frequently as a rat getting cocaine from a lever in a cage.

 

[Joobie]

Champs...some great writing & excellent insights there. Thank you for posting.

In response I would just like to make a couple of comments...Boatright has too much swag, IMO. I am afraid that one of these days, he's gonna get outta bed & trip over that ego & be out for the season! Look for him to tone it down a bit & for Niels to take it up a notch. He had an awesome Summer & I have noticed a lot of self confidence as a result. Also, look for Leon to fine tune his shot. He will be working on it. I think Phil Nolan will be this team's x-factor. Can't wait to see what he will do this year! LOVE the newbies. Very talented bunch of recruits that KO brought in.

Keep posting! YOU ROCK!

 

[OkaForPrez]

Either that or I was hoping someone would sum it up so I wouldn't have to read this book!

Well there goes my lunch hour

Ollie’s strategic impact was greater than people realize last year.
Despite our rebounding woes and lack of size, we were the 57th rated defense in the country by pomeroy. Impressive given our personnel.
Tyler Olander does little things that don’t show up in the box score. He sets good screens, he hedges well, etc. Might lose some of that in going with Nolan and Brimah for other benefits.
Calhoun was the worst defender on the team last year and could be critical in deciding who gets more minutes at the 3 between him and Giff. Speculation his injury could have impacted far more than we were aware and commended him for his performance, but says Giffey was the best defender on the team and will be tough to keep him out of the lineup.
Boatright has great court vision. Often set up Napier to score and makes him a better player. Has the ball in his hands at the end of games to create and can score on the break even with mismatched numbers.
Boat’s D is shaky, prone to lapses and ball watching, but his A game can be disruptive as it was vs. MCW/cuse.
Boat/Olander were the most frequently targeted in the pick and roll on defense, but could be that Olander was guarding the 5 and Boat the point in most cases.
Bazz is the motha man. IQ off the charts. Creates for himself and others. Command of what the defense is giving him. Underrated defensively in his help defense in the post. Shielded from responsibilities somewhat last year to protect his offensive workload.
We’ve got a lot of swag in the backcourt.
Deandre is a matchup problem for other teams. Inconsistent. Can be methodical on O. Defense is good, hopefully rebounds like he did at the end of last season.
New guys can play D.
Luke warm on Nolan but has highest hopes for him.
Offensively we can space the floor with all our shooters/scorers and open up the penetration lanes.

Closing paragraph worth reading:


To finally put a bow on this mammoth of a post, I view this teams ceiling as a rich man’s version of the 2011-12 Missouri team that was stunned in the round of 64, which is to say they will be similarly efficient offensively and a fair bit better defensively. Do I think this team can win the national championship? Gun to my head, no. There are too many star-studded rosters this season, and I think even if Nolan and the rest of the frontcourt display marked improvements, we’re a little too small up front to trade blows with the Kentucky’s and Arizona’s of the world. That being said, I didn’t think the 2011 team could win the national championship, either, and all it took for them to cut down the nets was a few breaks and a weak field. Whatever the case, this is going to be a wildly entertaining season, we’re going to win a ton of games, and by the time it’s over, the image of UConn basketball will have been restored on the national level, Kevin Ollie will be a household name, and the players that were so intensely loyal to this program in the most dire of circumstances a year ago will be revered in the same regard as all the UConn greats before them. Go Huskies and if I’m still sober by the time Friday night rolls around, I’ll try to write a game recap if you aren’t sick of me by now.

 

[gorbowski06]

Great read well worth the time.

One thing that I beleive might almost be a good thing is that since we have 4 centers at almost equal production. (At first glance) we have 20 fouls we can use without a drop off at a position.

 

[Kembacity]

'Well, this certainly looks like a lot of words'

 

[DCUconnfan]

That. Was. Amazing.

So good, I'm sure my boss wouldn't mind the lack of productivity it caused.

 

[ctchamps]

Super read! Thanks for the effort!

 

[Walker11]

Great analysis Put some thoughts about Omar into a new perspective for me so thanks for that.

 

[Dove]

Great post (I'm 1/4 way through)..................not for mobile phones though.

A+ to all Yarders who read Champs book in one sitting.

I gave 10 minutes. Have to eat but will return.

 

[champs99and04]

Really appreciate the feed back. I wrote so much I had to take a 36 hour hiatus from this place, lol. Those who read the whole thing are better men than I - if somebody else had written something like this, I'm not sure I myself would have taken the time to read the whole thing. If you're still on the fence about reading it, OK4 provides a great spark notes version towards the bottom of the first page.

 

[huskyharry]

Outstanding analysis! What's stood out to me were a few of the key points:
Playing our top four at once (SN, RB, OC & DD) provides very dynamic capabilities particular on offense, but leaves defensive and rebounding vulnerabilities.

TO is slow of foot but is our best at setting screens and best big at passing...I would also add that he is likely the best prospective five at perimeter shooting.

The four newcomers bring a lot to the table, particularly on the defensive end. LK &TS are very good ball handlers who bring excellent size to the backcourt. AB brings a scintillating mix of raw enthusiasm, foot speed and athleticism.

We have a lot of great components, it will be exciting to see how Chef Ollie bakes the cake!

 

[Dmike]

Really appreciate the feed back. I wrote so much I had to take a 36 hour hiatus from this place, lol. Those who read the whole thing are better men than I - if somebody else had written something like this, I'm not sure I myself would have taken the time to read the whole thing. If you're still on the fence about reading it, OK4 provides a great spark notes version towards the bottom of the first page.

Your humility is misplaced. Anyone who reads the cliff notes does not deserve to waste their life on this board. Develop some swagger Champs and please remain single and otherwise free of attachments so that you can write more. FEED ME SEYMOUR!

 

[ColoradoUCFan]

Champs,

You are my hero.

 

[zymurg]

I have a feeling that the new rules will really alter the college game early in the season. Every team is going to be trying to find a comfort zone offensively and defensively. UConn has an advantage over most teams because the team has excellent experience and maturity. The rules may also force some experienced quality coaches out of their comfort zones. Ollie's experience in the NBA should be a help; the college game may become more of a matchup game than it has been in the past.

Defensively UConn is going to have to play team defense; there are a couple of players who are going to struggle with the new rules. Assuming that UConn will be at best a competent defensive rebounding team; it will be a requirement of success that the Huskies dominate the assist/turnover +/- count. This team should be able to score relatively easily; the perimeter options are very good and there are a lot of them. Still the ability to get more easy baskets is transition and to get to the line more often could easily be the difference between a good and a very good to excellent team.

I think by the end of the season; officials will temper their enforcement of the rules. The rules were ostensibly designed to give an advantage to the offense. Limiting the use of hands and the bumping of cutters may force more teams into zones. That could make the games have less offensive flash. I don't think that is what the mavens intended, so some adjustments may be made by conference tournament time and in the NCAA tournament. I always thought that UConn and other teams in the Big East had an advantage in the NCAA's because they had experienced a variety of offenses and defenses during the regular season.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I have a feeling that the new rules will really alter the college game early in the season. Every team is going to be trying to find a comfort zone offensively and defensively. UConn has an advantage over most teams because the team has excellent experience and maturity. The rules may also force some experienced quality coaches out of their comfort zones. Ollie's experience in the NBA should be a help; the college game may become more of a matchup game than it has been in the past.

Defensively UConn is going to have to play team defense; there are a couple of players who are going to struggle with the new rules. Assuming that UConn will be at best a competent defensive rebounding team; it will be a requirement of success that the Huskies dominate the assist/turnover +/- count. This team should be able to score relatively easily; the perimeter options are very good and there are a lot of them. Still the ability to get more easy baskets is transition and to get to the line more often could easily be the difference between a good and a very good to excellent team.

I think by the end of the season; officials will temper their enforcement of the rules. The rules were ostensibly designed to give an advantage to the offense. Limiting the use of hands and the bumping of cutters may force more teams into zones. That could make the games have less offensive flash. I don't think that is what the mavens intended, so some adjustments may be made by conference tournament time and in the NCAA tournament. I always thought that UConn and other teams in the Big East had an advantage in the NCAA's because they had experienced a variety of offenses and defenses during the regular season.

If this link has already been posted I accept all water balloons aimed at my head.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...son-10-teams-that-will-benefit-from-new-rules

 

[patrick]

Ollie’s strategic impact was greater than people realize last year.
Despite our rebounding woes and lack of size, we were the 57th rated defense in the country by pomeroy. Impressive given our personnel.
Tyler Olander does little things that don’t show up in the box score. He sets good screens, he hedges well, etc. Might lose some of that in going with Nolan and Brimah for other benefits.
Calhoun was the worst defender on the team last year and could be critical in deciding who gets more minutes at the 3 between him and Giff. Speculation his injury could have impacted far more than we were aware and commended him for his performance, but says Giffey was the best defender on the team and will be tough to keep him out of the lineup.
Boatright has great court vision. Often set up Napier to score and makes him a better player. Has the ball in his hands at the end of games to create and can score on the break even with mismatched numbers.
Boat’s D is shaky, prone to lapses and ball watching, but his A game can be disruptive as it was vs. MCW/cuse.
Boat/Olander were the most frequently targeted in the pick and roll on defense, but could be that Olander was guarding the 5 and Boat the point in most cases.
Bazz is the motha man. IQ off the charts. Creates for himself and others. Command of what the defense is giving him. Underrated defensively in his help defense in the post. Shielded from responsibilities somewhat last year to protect his offensive workload.
We’ve got a lot of swag in the backcourt.
Deandre is a matchup problem for other teams. Inconsistent. Can be methodical on O. Defense is good, hopefully rebounds like he did at the end of last season.
New guys can play D.
Luke warm on Nolan but has highest hopes for him.
Offensively we can space the floor with all our shooters/scorers and open up the penetration lanes.

Closing paragraph worth reading:


To finally put a bow on this mammoth of a post, I view this teams ceiling as a rich man’s version of the 2011-12 Missouri team that was stunned in the round of 64, which is to say they will be similarly efficient offensively and a fair bit better defensively. Do I think this team can win the national championship? Gun to my head, no. There are too many star-studded rosters this season, and I think even if Nolan and the rest of the frontcourt display marked improvements, we’re a little too small up front to trade blows with the Kentucky’s and Arizona’s of the world. That being said, I didn’t think the 2011 team could win the national championship, either, and all it took for them to cut down the nets was a few breaks and a weak field. Whatever the case, this is going to be a wildly entertaining season, we’re going to win a ton of games, and by the time it’s over, the image of UConn basketball will have been restored on the national level, Kevin Ollie will be a household name, and the players that were so intensely loyal to this program in the most dire of circumstances a year ago will be revered in the same regard as all the UConn greats before them. Go Huskies and if I’m still sober by the time Friday night rolls around, I’ll try to write a game recap if you aren’t sick of me by now.

Thanks for the recap but that last part was so damn good it made me cry! Now I have to read the whole thing! Damn it ;-)

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sagarin/2014/conference/

 

[huskyharry]

I have a feeling that the new rules will really alter the college game early in the season. Every team is going to be trying to find a comfort zone offensively and defensively. UConn has an advantage over most teams because the team has excellent experience and maturity. The rules may also force some experienced quality coaches out of their comfort zones. Ollie's experience in the NBA should be a help; the college game may become more of a matchup game than it has been in the past.

Defensively UConn is going to have to play team defense; there are a couple of players who are going to struggle with the new rules. Assuming that UConn will be at best a competent defensive rebounding team; it will be a requirement of success that the Huskies dominate the assist/turnover +/- count. This team should be able to score relatively easily; the perimeter options are very good and there are a lot of them. Still the ability to get more easy baskets is transition and to get to the line more often could easily be the difference between a good and a very good to excellent team.

I think by the end of the season; officials will temper their enforcement of the rules. The rules were ostensibly designed to give an advantage to the offense. Limiting the use of hands and the bumping of cutters may force more teams into zones. That could make the games have less offensive flash. I don't think that is what the mavens intended, so some adjustments may be made by conference tournament time and in the NCAA tournament. I always thought that UConn and other teams in the Big East had an advantage in the NCAA's because they had experienced a variety of offenses and defenses during the regular season.

Historically, UConn teams have not had to rely on the hand-checking & grabbing, bump-the-cutters-very-hard-all-game-long-because-the-refs-can-only-call-so-much that was regularly used by many of our Big East opponents or the blatant "snow-plow" type of moving screens (DeJuan Blair ring a bell?). I am hopeful that the new rules will clean up this garbage and bring back the style of basketball that we saw in the 70s to early 80s (pre-Detroit Bad Boys and NY Knicks clutch and grab defenses)...the game was much more fluid back then.