Unlike a UConn run up the middle on third-and-three, the mail can’t be stopped. Let’s get it.
Remember: If your question wasn’t answered or you’ve been living under a rock and are just hearing about this, you can submit your questions here or on Twitter (@ADimeBack).
Andrew asks: Name the best pure Scorer, Rebounder, Passer, Dunker, and Shot blocker in UConn history, respectively
Scorer: Ray Allen, by a nose, over Kemba Walker and Richard Hamilton. Honorable mention to Donyell Marshall.
Rebounder: It could be argued that senior year Travis Knight is the answer here, but no one really believes that, so I’m going with Emeka Okafor.
Passer: Much love to Doron Sheffer and his full-court breakout passes, but Marcus Williams wins this one, providing the alley for so many oops.
Dunker: Tie between Rudy Gay and Sticks. You can’t make me pick. I won’t.
Shotblocker: Hasheem Thabeet over Okafor. Thabeet blocked a higher percentage of opponent shots (about 8.5% to 7.8%), and anecdotally, seemed to be much better at keeping the ball in play when he did so, a la Bill Russell.
DHunt asks: why can’t this program find a QB?
Short answer: Because this program can’t recruit one.
Obviously, QB has been an impressively dysfunctional position at UConn. The attrition rate has been unbelievable; the last time UConn gave a scholarship to a high school senior quarterback and had that person complete at least four years as a rostered QB was in 2002 (Matt Bonislawski).
I don’t want to say it’s as simple as “recruit better football players” — because that’s also the answer to every single question about the UConn football program and athletic department as a whole — but here is the list of post-Orlovsky, Edsall-era UConn quarterback recruits rated 3 stars or better, per Rivals:
Tyler Lorenzen (3-star, JUCO transfer)
Zach Frazer (4-star, Notre Dame transfer)
Recruiting isn’t an exact science, but it’s not terribly surprising that (while neither was a perfect QB) these were the primary starting quarterbacks on UConn’s two conference-winning teams.
UConn is at least grabbing 3-star QBs more regularly since Edsall left, signing five among the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013. But it’s also telling that of those five, the two most successful careers belong to the two quarterbacks who transferred elsewhere (Michael Nebrich, an FCS star at Fordham, and Richard Lagow, last seen beating Michigan State as Indiana’s starter), while Chandler Whitmer and Tim Boyle were both below-average quarterbacks on bad teams. That speaks to the program’s ability to identify talent as well as develop it. And of course, Casey Cochran might have been the best of them, but injuries =😞.
I think Bryant Shirreffs is an adequate-enough quarterback to get this UConn team to a bowl, and Donovan Williams being an actual dual-threat gives me hope for two years from now, but the next time UConn beats out Purdue, Virginia, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern for a quarterback prospect, there’s a good chance that will be UConn’s next good quarterback .
Jalletto asks: Over/under 10 ppg for Alterique in his first season.
Under. Since 1994, only 13 UConn freshmen have averaged double-figure scoring, only three of them point guards (Ryan Boatright, Khalid El-Amin, Doron Sheffer), each playing about 30 minutes per game. Gilbert has the skill to join that club, but he likely won’t have enough opportunity. While Gilbert should see ample playing time as the third guard — and could conceivably play his way into the starting lineup — I’d be surprised to see him top 25 minutes per game. For reference, Jalen Adams played 23.3 last year and Rodney Purvis averaged 28.8.
But really Gilbert doesn’t need to score in double-figures consistently. It’s far more important that he play efficiently. That means limiting turnovers, avoiding bad shots and successfully piloting a UConn offense that was often without direction last year.
Penfield asks: As it pertains to UConn – What do you think the meaning of life is?
– Peter
