Castle has entered Ricky Moore territory

[ctchamps]

Have we already forgotten Andre Jackson Jr?

Different type of defender. Same reason not to include Amidah’s weak side blocking that was an incredible defensive asset in that championship run or Dove’s ability to intercept passes in the dream season. We’re comparing face guarding guards and wings from being able to drive to the basket.

If we were talking about centers I guess a case could be made for Adama who was able to prevent most opposing centers from dribbling to the basket. His core strength is incredible.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Different type of defender. Same reason not to include Amidah’s weak side blocking that was an incredible defensive asset in that championship run or Dove’s ability to intercept passes in the dream season. We’re comparing face guarding.

Agree but it is funny that there has been little or no mention of Thabeet. I think he was the best shot blocker we ever had.

 

[ctchamps]

Castle has the ability to do something special Sunday shutting down kadary. He is bigger and stronger than all the great guard defenders the boneyard is fighting about. Just be glad we have him. His defense will be the difference against seton hall. Feel free to chastise me if i am wrong.

He was only four or five games from his surgery and layoff first time we played Seton Hall. I’m not sure he was the primary defender of Kadary back then. It will be a great test for him.

 

[ctchamps]

Agree but it is funny that there has been little or no mention of Thabeet. I think he was the best shot blocker we ever had.

Funnier in that I almost was going to include him but decided I already made my point.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

There’s pretty much 3 classes of defenders in this conversation it seems.

Guards:

• Ricky Moore
• Ryan Boatright

Wings:

• Stephon Castle
• I’ll let one of the old heads pick someone from the 90s to fit here

Bigs:

• Emeka Okafor
• Hasheem Thabeet

 

[EnochRoot]

Hassan is Napier/Boatwright level of guard good.

Stephon is a Ricky Moore/Lyman DePriest level of defender and given that he can guard so many positions effectively he might be the best defensive man to man player UConn has ever had.

[Nadav Henefeld has entered the chat]

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

He was only four or five games from his surgery and layoff first time we played Seton Hall. I’m not sure he was the primary defender of Kadary back then. It will be a great test for him.

Seton Hall was Castle's final game not in the starting line-up, and still on limited minutes (20). I wished for him to go up against and shut down Kadary, but that was not the game plan. I surmised that it was seen as asking too much too soon.

I'm thinking of Sunday as the, "We'll see..." game, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

 

[ctchamps]

Seton Hall was Castle's final game not in the starting line-up, and still on limited minutes (20). I wished for him to go up against and shut down Kadary, but that was not the game plan. I surmised that it was seen as asking too much too soon.

I'm thinking of Sunday as the, "We'll see..." game, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

Same here. And hopefully Donovan and Stephon stay out of foul so both are available the entire game.

 

[DGRU]

Agree but it is funny that there has been little or no mention of Thabeet. I think he was the best shot blocker we ever had.

Blocks

1.	Emeka Okafor, 2002-03	156
2.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2008-09	152
3.	Emeka Okafor, 2003-04	147
	Hasheem Thabeet, 2007-08	147
5.	Emeka Okafor, 2001-02	138
6.	Amida Brimah, 2014-15	121
7.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2006-07	118
8.	Donyell Marshall, 1993-94	111
9.	Hilton Armstrong, 2005-06	107
10.	Andre Drummond, 2011-12	92
	Amida Brimah, 2013-14	92

Complete 1985-86 to 2023-24

some pretty awesome stats here

 

[Hunt for 7]

Blocks

1.	Emeka Okafor, 2002-03	156
2.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2008-09	152
3.	Emeka Okafor, 2003-04	147
	Hasheem Thabeet, 2007-08	147
5.	Emeka Okafor, 2001-02	138
6.	Amida Brimah, 2014-15	121
7.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2006-07	118
8.	Donyell Marshall, 1993-94	111
9.	Hilton Armstrong, 2005-06	107
10.	Andre Drummond, 2011-12	92
	Amida Brimah, 2013-14	92

Complete 1985-86 to 2023-24

some pretty awesome stats here

It’s close between Thabeet and Mek. It would be nice to see what the average was per game. Nothing against Mek he was/is an all time great. And to do what he did being at least 6” shorter than Thabeet is amazing. I just remember that when Thabeet was in the game the other team just said uncle and stopped taking the ball to the basket. Either way they are both all time great defensive players while at UConn.

 

[DGRU]

It’s close between Thabeet and Mek. It would be nice to see what the average was per game. Nothing against Mek he was/is an all time great. And to do what he did being at least 6” shorter than Thabeet is amazing. I just remember that when Thabeet was in the game the other team just said uncle and stopped taking the ball to the basket. Either way they are both all time great defensive players while at UConn.

Blocks Per Game

1.	Emeka Okafor, 2002-03	4.7
2.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2007-08	4.5
3.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2008-09	4.2
4.	Emeka Okafor, 2003-04	4.1
5.	Emeka Okafor, 2001-02	4.1
6.	Hasheem Thabeet, 2006-07	3.8
7.	Amida Brimah, 2014-15	3.5
8.	Donyell Marshall, 1993-94	3.3
9.	Hilton Armstrong, 2005-06	3.1
10.	Josh Boone, 2004-05	2.9

 

[DGRU]

The Wrench!

Defensive Box Plus/Minus

1.	Isaiah Whaley, 2020-21	5.4
2.	Andre Jackson, 2022-23	5.1
3.	Amida Brimah, 2014-15	4.7
4.	Shabazz Napier, 2013-14	4.5
5.	Andre Jackson, 2021-22	4.4
6.	Christian Vital, 2019-20	4.4
7.	Isaiah Whaley, 2021-22	4.3
8.	Shonn Miller, 2015-16	4.2
9.	Shabazz Napier, 2010-11	4.2
10.	Daniel Hamilton, 2015-16	4.0

 

[KembaRunner]

Looks like a good time to remind folks of a fun fact. Lyman designed this logo 40 years ago and they still use it.
View attachment 96892

The most famous turkey trot in the country right there.

 

[KembaRunner]

I'm a big Castle fan, but more than anything, this thread discredits just what Ricky Moore did on defense while at UConn.

As a freshman, he locked down Iverson in the BET Tourney finals holding him to 13 pts but just 2 pts in the 2nd half of that game. He had shoulder issues and a suspension that held him back some as a sophomore.

As a junior and mostly as a senior? He was the definition of lockdown. It's tough to find old box scores, but he was essentially like an NFL cornerback like Darrelle Revis that would just eliminate someone on offense completely. Castle is really, really good with great potential. Ricky Moore was elite.

If you watch the last minute of the first title game vs Duke, when El Amin shoots that 2nd FT, you see Moore get in William Avery's shirt at the top of the arc, forcing them to inbound it to Langdon (not their best ball handler), then you can watch Moore glove up Avery until Langdon crossed half court where they converged on him and he travelled. I've always thought those little edges and details were what he brought every game that went unheralded and unnoticed regularly.

Fun fact: William Avery was Moores high school teammate back in Georgia.

 

[KembaRunner]

The Wrench!

Defensive Box Plus/Minus

1.	Isaiah Whaley, 2020-21	5.4
2.	Andre Jackson, 2022-23	5.1
3.	Amida Brimah, 2014-15	4.7
4.	Shabazz Napier, 2013-14	4.5
5.	Andre Jackson, 2021-22	4.4
6.	Christian Vital, 2019-20	4.4
7.	Isaiah Whaley, 2021-22	4.3
8.	Shonn Miller, 2015-16	4.2
9.	Shabazz Napier, 2010-11	4.2
10.	Daniel Hamilton, 2015-16	4.0

I heard Hurley yell that during the ESPN piece the other day, but what does “the wrench” mean?

 

[ctchamps]

I heard Hurley yell that during the ESPN piece the other day, but what does “the wrench” mean?

Whaley nickname.