Connecticut 80, Yale 62
Monday, November 11, 2013 | 3:00 p.m. EST | XL Center (Hartford, CT)
Connecticut 2-0, Yale 1-1
Recap: Shabazz Napier posted the 10th triple-double in UConn history (and the second of his career) to pace the Huskies in a relatively-easy win. Yale matched up decently-well on paper, but the Bulldogs couldn’t establish a rhythm (they shot 31% as a team) at any point. Amida Brimah continued to impress, recording 7 blocks, while DeAndre Daniels had a poor performance. Both teams started off sluggish, as the game was tied at nine with 12 minutes left in the first half. And although his team won, Coach Kevin Ollie was not pleased after the game, particularly because UConn was out-rebounded 43-31.
NBA Prospects (ranked in order of performance/potential shown):
1) Shabazz Napier (SR, UConn): PG, 6-1, 170
2) Amida Brimah (FR, UConn): C, 7-0, 217
3) DeAndre Daniels (JR, UConn): SF, 6-8, 195
4) Ryan Boatright (JR, UConn): G, 6-0, 170
5) Omar Calhoun (SO, UConn): G, 6-5, 195
6) Justin Sears (SO, Yale), PF, 6-8, 205
Shabazz Napier
Senior | PG, 6-1, 170
Napier posted a 14 point, 11 rebound, 10 assist stat line, recording the second triple-double of his UConn career and the 10th in school history. Whenever UConn would go into a lull, Napier was right there to make something happen. He looked to pass first and shoot second, and it proved to be a successful formula. Napier assisted Niels Giffey on four of his five first-half three-pointers.
Napier easily handled the length of Yale’s guards, and once again controlled the game. Another solid showing to start his senior campaign.
Amida Brimah
Freshman | Center, 7-0, 217
Brimah outdid his impressive college debut with another dominating performance. Brimah recorded 7 points and 7 blocks in 24 minutes off the bench. Sure, his blocks were against a team that didn’t feature a player over 6-8, but it’s impressive nonetheless. His timing is impeccable, and he can contest shots way above the rim. He can also come over and block shots from the weakside. Brimah altered at least 5 more shots in addition to the 7 he officially blocked.
Brimah was extremely active, quickly ran the court, and injected unwavering energy into his team. He caught three alley-oops, one of which was an and-one. Assistant Karl Hobbs told me pre-game that Brimah will “probably enter the Draft after his sophomore season.” I think it’s valid to say Brimah is on the short list of “most under the radar prospects in America.”
DeAndre Daniels
Junior | SF, 6-8, 195
Daniels was held to 0 points, 0 assists, 0 steals and 1 rebound in 18 minutes of play. He had a terrible game from a contribution standpoint. Coach Ollie said he would have left Daniels in the game despite his shooting struggles, but Daniels did not convey any effort and desire “to do the little things.” Hopefully this is rock bottom for Daniels—I’m expecting him to turn the corner at some point soon.
Ryan Boatright
Junior | G, 6-0, 170
Boatright fed off Napier’s energy and facilitating, posting a 14 point/3 steal/2 assist game, including a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line and 2-2 from behind the arc. Boatright has one of the quickest crossovers in the country, and a terrific floater. He is very small at 5-11, but he can make plays at the rim and is a dynamic scorer for this UConn team. If he can continue to play within himself—and within the constraints of the UConn offense—Boatright should have a major impact all season and could breakthrough at some point.
Omar Calhoun
Sophomore | G, 6-5, 195
Calhoun led UConn with 18 points, on 5-8 field goals and 3-5 from behind the arc. Although it would have been nice to see him accumulate a few rebounds or assists, Calhoun was a major asset, scoring in both transition and the half court. As I discussed in the Maryland recap, Calhoun is an aggressive guard who feeds off his dribble-drive game. If he can develop a consistent shot to compliment his driving ability, Calhoun has a chance to become a 15-20 point per game scorer in the American Athletic Conference.
Justin Sears
Sophomore | PF, 6-8, 205
Sears is a tenacious rebounder and high-motor player who is slowly developing into a premier Ivy League player. He has a good chance to earn a spot on the all-Ivy League team this season.
The problem with Sears is he’s a power forward in a small forward’s body. At 6-8, he has horrible—and I don’t mean to be dramatic—form on his jump shot. He has a good feel for the game, an aggressive mindset and a developing back-to-the-basket game, but if Sears wants to be in consideration for the next level, he will have to reinvent his shot to contribute in the pick and pop/mid-range.
Here is a short snippet of Sears’ shooting form:
Notes:
— Yale shot 31 percent from the field, but I think it was due to its inept offense more so than UConn’s defense. Yale practically ran motion sets for the entirety of the game, where the only movement was pass-and-cut through. The guards had difficulty creating off the dribble, and there was virtually no sets for the bigs to get some movement. This led to a ton of off-balance desperation attempts late in the shot clock.
— UConn senior swingman/spot-up shooter Niels Giffey had another great shooting night. Giffey finished with 15 points, sinking five 3-pointers, including four consecutive threes in the first half.
— It’s tough to evaluate Yale’s players because of coach James Jones’ “hockey style” subbing patterns. As is often the case, 10 Yale players saw minutes in the first half.
— If Amida Brimah keeps up the stellar play, I could see Coach Ollie inserting him into the starting lineup at some point this season.
— UConn freshman forward Kentan Facey saw his first action of the season, scoring 2 points—and committing 3 fouls—in 6 minutes.
STATS
— Amida Brimah 7 PTS, 7 BLKS, 1 REB (24 min)
— Shabazz Napier 14 PTS, 11 REB, 10 AST (37 min)
— DeAndre Daniels 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST (18 min)
— Ryan Boatright 14 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL (28 min)
— Omar Calhoun 18 PTS, (3-5 from three, 24 min)
— Justin Sears 17 PTS, 10 REB (8 offensive) (32 min)
*Ages calculated at time of 2014 Draft