This was supposed to be Amida Brimah’s year. Following a revelation of a freshman season, where his unexpected contributions helped UConn to a national championship, Brimah ended up sidelined for the entirety of the offseason while recovering from labrum surgery.
Despite the missed opportunities in the summer, Brimah showed marked improvement last year. He doubled his scoring (up to 9.1 points per game), proved a better rebounder, and managed to stay on the court. He bumped up to 26.3 minutes a game by halving the number of fouls he committed.
Brimah’s obvious growth, combined with the prospect of a healthy offseason featuring a robust workout regimen, had everyone excited for what his junior season would look like. This was supposed to be Amida Brimah’s year.
It started well. In UConn’s first game of the year versus a hapless Maine squad, Brimah scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked nine shots. It was the type of performance typically reserved for the program’s best big men: Emeka Okafor, Donyell Marshall, Hasheem Thabeet.
While that success did not carry forward (Brimah wouldn’t score in double-figures again for two weeks), Brimah had seemingly settling into the role he played the year before. He was staying on the court, playing his trademark intimidator defense, and contributing on offense when given the chance.
In the team’s first nine games, Brimah shot 72.5 percent from the floor, averaged 7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. He hadn’t morphed into Okafor, but he was proving to be very productive and an able sidekick to Shonn Miller in the front court.
Then he broke his finger, requiring surgery.
As Brimah sat the next six weeks, the team struggled to adjust. Daniel Hamilton looked like a shell of his former self without his primary alley-oop target in the paint. The front court was forced into bad matchups and was hampered by foul trouble. And Brimah was losing more valuable development time – again.
When Brimah returned on January 31, he was rusty. In his first five games, he topped five points only once. He fouled out against Memphis for the first (and only) time this season. He wasn’t able to play for long stretches at a time, and his rebounding and block numbers suffered as well.
It was somewhat heroic for Brimah to come back to the court despite not appearing to be fully healthy. The team was stagnated and Brimah’s return offered a jolt.
Against SMU on February 18, Brimah returned to form. He played arguably his best game in a UConn uniform, registering 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in 33 minutes.
Over the team’s final 11 games, Brimah averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks, shooting 63.8 percent in 23.8 minutes. If you’re willing to discount the poor games immediately following his return, Brimah’s per-40 numbers this season are similar to the year before, though with a nice uptick in rebounding.
It’s impossible to know how Brimah’s season might have played out if he hadn’t been sidelined for those crucial six weeks. What is clear is that the team struggled without him, and Brimah struggled to make the big step forward we were hoping for.
Word broke last week that Brimah will declare for the 2016 NBA Draft, but not hire an agent. This allows him to workout with NBA teams, receive feedback, and possibly participate in the NBA Combine. After a disappointing season, Brimah is not projected to be selected should he remain in the field, but the process should prove a worthwhile learning experience. As he readies to complete his UConn career next season, Brimah should take every opportunity to get the most of his ability, and improve his game as much as possible.
Maybe 2017 will be Amida Brimah’s year.
