Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be examining some pressing issues facing the 2013-2014 UConn Huskies as the new season approaches. Today, we’ll focus on the men in the middle.
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Speaking to reporters following the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Tuesday morning, UConn head coach Kevin Ollie said of senior Tyler Olander, “he understands that it’s the last chance.”
Ollie was referring to Olander’s reinstatement to the team after the big man was arrested in September — the charges were eventually whittled to driving without a license. However, after Olander’s pedestrian junior season in Storrs, it is also his last chance to have an on-court impact for the Huskies.
Olander started 26 games at center last season. He saw his minutes jump from 17.6 per game his sophomore season to 21.6 per game as he was tasked with replacing departed big men Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi. Despite the uptick in minutes and utter lack of front court competition, Olander’s rebounding numbers decreased slightly. His scoring output remained virtually unchanged.
Three Huskies averaged more rebounds per game than Olander, including six foot tall point guard Shabazz Napier. Olander did not have a double-digit rebound game all season. He did not top 6 points during his last 14 games.
Although UConn experienced unexpected success last season, the ineffectiveness of its big men has cast a pall over expectations for their 2013-2014 campaign. If Olander can not improve — and quickly — Ollie will have little choice but to look for other options.
With would-be senior center Enosch Wolf not returning to the team this season, the top candidate may be sophomore Phil Nolan.
A rail-thin freshman, Nolan’s acclamation to Big East play was slow and sometimes painful (this author may have occasionally referred to him as “Foul Nolan” due to his penchant for hacking), but as last season wore on, and Ollie’s trust in him grew, Nolan started to make real contributions for the Huskies.
Nolan landed more minutes than Olander during UConn’s three penultimate games, and played a career-high 34 minutes in the finale (an overtime win vs. Providence) when Olander was sidelined by injury. Although the statistics are not significantly more impressive than Olander’s, Nolan’s emergence as a favorite of Ollie is notable heading into his sophomore year.
Nolan is said to have put on several pounds during the offseason — the Hilton Armstrong comparisons are inevitable — and already possesses a much higher athletic ceiling than Olander. The two should split minutes early in the season, with Olander presumably starting, but Nolan is in a prime position to get the bulk of the playing time should Olander stumble.
The wildcard in all of this is incoming freshman Kenton Facey. Eligibility issues have yet to be resolved, pending an NCAA investigation into the validity of his high school transcripts as they followed the youngster from his native Jamaica to his senior season in New York. A narrow 6’9″, Facey isn’t physically imposing in the post, but may already be a more polished product than Olander or Nolan. Husky fans, and coach Ollie, should hope for a quick and favorable resolution that will create the competition in the front court that may very well determine the overall success of this year’s UConn team.
The Dark Horse:
The other big man on the roster is freshman Amida Brimah. Standing 6’10”, Brimah is a true center, yet far from a finished product. Look for Brimah to play the role that Nolan occupied early last season; Plan C if the rest of the depth chart is getting badly outplayed, and five fouls handed out to an unlucky opponent.
Kinda Crazy Prediction:
Phil Nolan starts 15 games this season.
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