Countdown to the NCAA Season: JNixon-Iggy9’s Top 35 Teams (#6)

6: UConn Huskies

Frontcourt- The only loss is 7’ Charles Okwandu, a defensive presence due to his height. The headliner of the group appears to be Jr. C/PF Alex Oriakhi for the 2nd straight year. The 6’9 245 Oriakhi is a bulldog for a post player, a guy who brings his hard hat to work every game. His physical play, strength, and wide lower body allows him to carve out space for rebounds and catch and finish opportunities offensively. Oriakhi was the best low post defender on the team last year, and one of the better guys in the country at it too. Oriakhi isn’t more than a garbage man on the offensive end, with little ability outside of 5 ft., and a mechanical low post game. He struggles to create and make his own shots. He is a valued role player, due to his strong and toughness though. The PF spot figures to see 6’9 230 Soph. Tyler Olander as the starter, although he will play back-end rotation minutes. Olander is a limited player on both ends who isn’t very good at anything, and he was a non-factor last year. He probably works hard in practice though. Oriakhi might be able to play a lot of time at PF, if Coach Calhoun gets either rFr. Michael Bradley or Soph. Enosch Wolf to steal some limited minutes at the C spot. Both of them have the height (Bradley is 6’10 235, Wolf 7’1 260) but no real experience. Bradley spent last season redshirting, and he needed strength and physicality. He’s a face-up type who struggles with physical play. Wolf played extremely sparingly last year appearing in only 7 games, but he wouldn’t be asked to play much time at all next year even if he started games. Wolf is touted as a tall Euro-style big who likes to face the rim and use his touch when at the rim. He’s a stiff athlete though. The SF is Soph. Roscoe Smith, who played well down the stretch last year. Smith is a long, athletic wing who can play in transition, defend, and rebound well. He’s thin, but he’s tough and a bet to be even better as a Soph. Smith needs to work on his ball-handling and needs more consistent shooting skills, but he’s likely to emerge next season. Smith is a glue guy, who doesn’t need the ball to be effective and his Big East experience as a Fr. starter is valuable. Smith can play PF too due to his length. Touted Fr. DeAndre Daniels will also compete for time on the wing as a swingman. A long 6’8 200 wing, Daniels is a tall scoring wing that has a nice natural jumper and some ability to do some things off the dribble. He needs strength, to polish his skills, and to play more under control. He will play extended time on the wing, but he’s a little raw and he will have to adjust. A lot of length on the wing, and Oriakhi will be the top frontline option. The C spot will need to be addressed, but Oriakhi can adequately play there.

Backcourt- Kemba Walker. There’s no way you can replace those types of intangibles, that type of charisma, and type of production. Walker had a lot of highlight plays and performances last year and was the MVP of college basketball last year. Walker moves on to the NBA, as the 9th pick to the Charlotte Bobcats. The headliner now will be Soph. SG Jeremy Lamb, a guy who was a starter all last season and whose play stepped up big-time in the Big East and NCAA tourney. Lamb also was a top option for the U19 team this summer, and will look to lead the squad offensively.The 6’5 185 Lamb is a developing player with promising skills on both ends. Offensively, Lamb is a pretty good jump shooter with smoothness off the bounce that makes him a pretty tough cover. His mid-range game is fine, and he is outstanding in transition. Lamb handles the ball well, and has a rangy 1st step. He’s also an unselfish passer and is able to play PG in spurts. Defensively, Lamb has the quickness and freakish length (reportedly has a 7’1 wingspan) to defend any perimeter spot, and he did just that as a Fr. His anticipation skills and reflexes are strong, and he was able to get his hands on a lot of passes that led to transition chances. Lamb has a good IQ for the game to contribute as much all-around as he did as a Fr. Lamb’s weaknesses come from his lack of strength. Lamb is a very thin player who does struggle at times with a lack of strength and physicality. He doesn’t seem to like contact, and struggled badly getting to the line last year (1.4 ftpg), instead opting to take jump shots. He rarely looked to get all the way to the rim against halfcourt D, especially off the dribble. His free throw rate should rise since he’ll handle the ball more though. Lamb also struggles getting through screens, and that problem will only get worse against NBA competition if he doesn’t add girth and strength. Lamb has lot of talent and upside, and is a likely lotto pick in 2012. The PG will be 6’ 175 Soph. Shabazz Napier, who also stepped up down the stretch of the season and who attended the LBJ camp this summer. Napier is a cat-quick pure lead guard, who is a steadier decision-maker and plays at a more efficient pace than most Fr., especially as a young PG with quickness. He has a strong crossover. Napier is a great on-ball defender as well, with quick hands (1.6 spg). Napier needs to work on all levels of his jump shot, as he’s not very good with it, and he struggles to finish at the rim amongst the trees due to his lack of size. Napier is a promising PG though, who will be in for a good season. Providing depth at both guard spots is 6’1 165 Fr. Ryan Boatwright, Daniels (see forwards). Boatwright is a jet with the ball, and he excels at slashing the lane. His handle is great, and he has a good command of floaters and runners too. Boatwright has a promising pull-up jumper, and a good drive and kick game too. He needs to play more under control and work on his pure PG skills, as he’s more of a scorer than a PG. Very good backcourt, and some talented Fr. to provide a solid 2 man rotation at both guard spots.

Overview- Coach Calhoun did as good a job coaching the team last year as he’s ever done. He’s always very good at gameplanning, and obviously is a legendary coach. Kemba Walker had a monster year, but the current Soph.’s are a huge reason they went from a low level tourney team to a Nat’l title squad. Jeremy Lamb will be an All-Big East guard, and they have a lot of up-and-coming players. I think this is a Sweet 16 team.