All Day Roscoe

Ups and Downs: All Day Says Good Day

Well, that about does it for me for the year. It was a long, frustrating and disappointing season filled with “ups and downs” as Jeremy Lamb put it. The off season may turn out to be more eventful than the games itself.

There are still many question marks surrounding the Huskies. Will Calhoun retire? Who’s going to the NBA? Which players with transfer? Could UCONN actually win its appeal to the NCAA and be eligible for post-season play for the 2012-13 season?

If I had to guess, Calhoun will be the first domino to fall. Depending on what he decides to do, it will impact the entire program. Let’s say he stays, because he’s a very proud and stubborn man. He wants to finish what he started and not be remembered for the ridiculous recruiting violations and poor academic standards. If Jim stays, so do Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier. I think it’s a given that Lamb and Drummond declare for the NBA, regardless of what happens in Storrs. Maybe one or two guys transfer and Omar Calhoun comes in as a talented freshman. They’ll have a decent team next year with not as much hype and they’ll play harder because of it.

If Jim Calhoun retires, I think George Blaney does too. That leaves the team in the hands of Kevin Ollie, who all have assumed to be the heir apparent. Current players have no allegiances to Ollie so all bets are off, especially if their post season appeal is denied. We could see 4-5 transfers, a decommit, maybe even three guys (try) to go to the NBA. Who knows.

What I really don’t understand is the huge emphasis being put on the post-season ban. Yes, the rule sucks, but take the punishment and live with it. Several schools have survived this sort of thing in the past and have been fine. So UCONN doesn’t get to dance next year. Who says they’d even be good enough to make the field? The point is, that yea it sucks to not be at the party and it may cost the University a ton of money that they usually make, but for the players, I don’t think it matters. What greater ‘FU’ to the NCAA would it be to have an amazing season, have 20+ wins and be an obvious top five seed with everyone in the country knowing your one of the best, then just stop and make the out-of-touch NCAA look like the bad person.

National championships are great, but the ultimate goal for these players is to make it to the NBA. Andre Drummond will be the number two pick in the draft because of his potential, not because he led his team in the NCAA Tournament. Ask Mateen Cleeves how that worked out. Post season play is the icing on the cake. UCONN players can still have a great next season and develop their games to the point where they need to be without playing in the post season. Andre Drummond needs at least two more years in college. Instead he’ll probably take four years to develop on an NBA bench. At least he’ll be getting paid.

Alrighty. Like I said, I’ll be back next season and maybe a little sooner as news breaks over the summer. Now start working on your low post game!

Great Article on UCONN and Its Post Tourney Future

Nail in the Coffin, Bubble Burst

With the loss last night to Providence, UCONN effectively played themselves out of the NCAA Tournament. Don’t talk to me about RPI, strength of schedule, good/bad losses—they’re done (barring another miraculous run in the Big East Tourney).

[Even if the somehow make it in the tournament, they’re loosing in the first round, no doubt.]

The Providence game was a microcosm of their entire season—play well for most of the game, then fall apart. Try a frantic comeback, then fall flat on your face. Shabazz Napier said that they felt Providence was an easy “W” going into the game and they played like it. The Huskies coasted in the second half and when they got up by double digits, they took their foot off the gas, got lazy on defense, took horrible shots late in the shot clock and look baffled when Providence started draining threes on them.

But it wouldn’t be a UCONN game without drama in the final minutes and even after they self destructed, they still had a chance to win or force overtime on an intentionally missed free throw. Of course the execution on the shot was there (missing free-throws is a strength for this team), but no one boxed out and the clock ran out on an ugly scramble.

Andre Drummond had a solid first half but was non existent in the second because the guards would rather go one-on-one than feed the post. Jeremy Lamb felt listless and uninterested (yet again). I’m beating a dead horse here, but it constantly looks like this team just doesn’t care. There’s no chemistry and despite numerous calls for leadership, no one has stepped up. Jim Calhoun’s absence is clearly a factor. But, as a team, wouldn’t you want to play harder and fight longer for the Coach who has done so much for you?

Providence fought last night. They were down but they were still aggressive. Bryce Cotton was the man and put the Friars on his back. I always find myself asking, ‘why don’t we recruit guys like Cotton, or Dejaun Blair or Tim Abromitis or Jae Crowder?’ Sure, guys like Shabazz Napier and Andre Drummond have a ton of hype and potential, but are they the best guys for the program?

UCONN recruits NBA players. There’s a pedigree. But in recent years, they’ve stacked too many prospects and ignored the glue guys. The role players. The Ricky Moore’s. The Jake Voskul’s. The guys that do everything that the stars don’t. Like dive for loose balls, take charges, hustle back on defense, and most importantly—play HARD.

Two Games Left

First off, good luck to Coach Calhoun as he goes under the knife and recovers from spine surgery.

Looking back, the Syracuse loss hurts, but not the end of the season. There are two games left against inferior teams (Providence, Pittsburgh) and by all accounts the Huskies are in the Dance as long as they handle their business. For the second game in a row UCONN showed resiliency and fought back after terrible first half performances. They had a chance to win and didn’t. Roscoe Smith was fouled on the last play and it wasn’t called. Even if the whistle blows, I doubt he makes both free throws. I think the game tells us more about Syracuse than UCONN. The Huskies are what they are. Syracuse is flawed and will be exposed in the tournament.

I’ve said it all year long and it’s still the team’s biggest problem—defense. I can’t even count how many lay-ups and put backs Syracuse had. You take one or two charges or rotate even once and maybe the end result is different.

If UCONN can win their final two games convincingly, then win at least two games in the Big East Tournament, they’ll be in a good place and an interesting mid-seed come tournament time.

UCONN/Villanova: Bazz’s Buzzer Beater

First off, Villanova is a mediocre team, riddled with injuries. There’s no way UCONN should have struggled against them, let alone fallen behind 22-8 in the first half. A win is a win, but their failing the eye test on all levels.

Sure, they fought back and showed some resiliency with defensive intensity, but if Jeremy Lamb doesn’t have a career night with 32 points, the Huskies get blown out again. 

It was good to see Lamb break out and it proves that when he’s assertive, he’s the best player on the floor. It’s even more frustrating knowing he’s capable of such a performance when he rarely delivers on this scale.

Andre Drummond continues to be an enigma. Yea, sure he’s big and can dunk and block shots. So what? Hasheem Thabeet could do that too when he was a freshman. I can’t count how many times Drummond just stood around under the basket watching the action. He’s not aggressive, doesn’t box out, and is too soft in the paint. At this point, it might be better for him to just enter the draft so that Alex Oriakhi can get his mojo back.

As for Shabazz Napier, kudos to him for a gutty game on an injured foot. He really wasn’t even going to play last night. Overall, I thought he played well as a point guard, distributing first and looking for his shot second. However, his final shot was a terrible decision. I know, it went in. It was exciting and a great moment. But he went for the hero shot when there was plenty of time to drive to the basket or pass to another open teammate. When he got the inbound pass, he knew he was taking the shot. Nine out of ten times he doesn’t make it. It was selfish and I worry that him draining it will only inflate his ego and negatively impact the team.

The Huskies are still alive. It took what appeared to be their very best effort against an inferior opponent. The game of the year is Saturday at Gampel against Syracuse. The ESPN Gameday crew will be in the building. Oriahki will need to bring a gallon of holy water and Lamb needs to go for 40 if they want to have a chance against the Orange.

We know they have the talent to compete against the best in the Big East. The question is will the bring the passion and execute?

And my bet is that Calhoun is on the sideline for the game.

It’s not that you lose, it’s how you lose

Wow. Last night was pathetic. 44 points? 2 for 20 from beyond the arch? It’s a shame too, after a smart line-up change that had the Huskies rolling in the first five minutes. Then Ryan Boatright picks up two fouls and the momentum was killed.

“We come back to six, and somebody went for a steal, next thing you know we took a bad shot and we’re down 10. You can keep running up the hill for only so long,” said Calhoun.

Everybody misses shots. Everyone has off games. But when the baskets aren’t falling, good teams find a way to trudge on and make something happen. This team didn’t even look like it tried last night. They were content with long jump shots and sloppy defense. No one took a charge. No one drove the ball to draw a foul. No one dove after loose balls.

Georgetown didn’t play much better, but they did enough to win. Their guys stepped up. I can only imagine how frustrated Calhoun must be. He can only coach his players so much. He can tell them how to break a zone or box out, but it’s up to the players to execute. There’s clearly a disconnect. I don’t see the same fire or passion this year as last. Sure, Kemba Walker was amazing, but he was just one man.

I still think the Huskies can turn it around with the remaining games on the schedule and get hot, but they need to win the next three out of four (Seton Hall, at Louisville, at Syracuse, DePaul).

Anything less that that, or another miracle in the Garden and it’s NIT time.

Thoughts on Georgetown Tonight

Word out of D.C. is that Shabazz Napier and Alex Oriakhi will come off the bench against Georgetown. The starters will be Ryan Boatright, Nils Giffey, Roscoe Smith, Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb.

Love the line-up. It shakes up a stagnant offense, puts more speed on the floor and shows Bazz and Alex that they need to earn their minutes. Now, we all know it’s not who starts, but who finishes. This could be a horrible experiment. Two minutes in and Drummond’s got two fouls, Roscoe’s got three turnovers and no one can hit a shot. These five guys can make it work if Calhoun just let’s the play.

I think Boatright and Smith with be amped up and either try to do too much or play not to screw up. Lamb has to be aggressive from the jump. Drummond just has to rebound and clean up the misses. UCONN has to loosen up and have fun again. Run. Dunk. Be excited.

Georgetown is a good team that runs a unique offense. I guarantee someone’s going to get burnt on a back door tonight. The Huskies have to play defense to win. Traditionally they play better as the underdog with a chip on their shoulders, and that’s exactly where they are now, unranked. We’ll see tonight. These next four games are their season. They can either wilt or rise to the occasion.

Half-Way There, Going Somewhere

UCONN’s season is a little more than half over and the results have been mixed. After watching the last few games, this team is starting to remind me of the Jerome Dyson/Stanley Robinson teams of a few years ago—tons of talent and potential, but no execution.

Jim Calhoun is an excellent coach. But he scares his players. They’re scared to shoot or make a turnover so they play safe and boring. I get that Calhoun wants perfection, but it is rarely achieved. UCONN has talent, but it feels like they’re underachieving because of Calhoun’s short leash.

Whether the team wants to admit it or not, the second Ryan Boatright situation was a major distraction, more so off the court than on. Having him yanked from the team from the biggest bullshit in NCAA history, was a blow to the team’s confidence and psyche. Boatright probably would have made a difference in the Cincy and Tennessee losses, but the rest of the team didn’t exactly step up in his absence.

At 14-5, the season still hangs in the balance. The Big East is still wide open. Upcoming games against Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse (twice), and Pittsburgh will define the season. It’s make or break time. If they handle their business with Notre Dame and show some toughness, they can still make a deep run.

Some more thoughts:

• Alex Oriahki needs to step up and play bigger. He’s been a total disappointment this season, but can atone himself in Big East play.
• For all the hype, Andre Drummond is nothing more than a big target for an alley-oop. He’s rawer than steak tartar and hasn’t developed any posts moves. The best freshman in college basketball this year has been Kentucky’s Anthony Davis.
• DeAndre Daniels, Tyler Olander and Roscoe Smith need to be bigger factors off the bench. Seems like they all have there moments, but there’s no consistency.
• Shabazz Napier is no Kemba Walker, not yet at least. Run the team as a point guard, then score when needed.
• The Tennessee and Cincinnati games were mirror images. Winable games where the other team just played harder. UCONN made feverish rallies, but it was too little too late. Maybe if they played with the same sense of urgency throughout the whole game, they’d be riding a four-game winning streak.