UConn Huskies Basketball: June 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Meet Nate Miles

It feels like Nate Miles should be a sophomore already. He was slated to be on the team mid-season last year but his eligibility fell through. He has finally cleared the hurdles needed to get into UConn and should begin classes soon. There is no denying his on the court talent. He is a scorer and has length and athleticism to make it in college. There is something in the fact that both UConn and Miles stayed committed to this relationship. Now that he has his foot in the door, he needs to take this great opportunity and make the most out of it. He’ll be part of an established team that lacked one of his strengths, shooting. He needs to remain focused. There will be a lot of distractions around him from the college hoops hype machine to normal college life. He needs to concentrate on his weakness, grades, and the rest will fall into place.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Top Ten UConn NBA Players

1. Ray Allen. 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, .445 field goal. Its all about the championship, and Ray was a major piece in a team that had the best record in the NBA and won the whole damn thing. Congratulations on his magical year. There is no other UConn star that deserves it more then him. Not to mention that he set a new record with 22 threes in the Finals, shattering the previous record of 17.

2. Rip Hamilton. 17.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, .484 field goal. Rip was the most consistent player on Detroit during the playoff run. He became Detroit’s leading playoff scorer and had a stellar season. There seems no slowing him down and he is a pure shooter. He is a knock above Caron because he led his team further into the playoffs.

3. Caron Butler. 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, .466 field goal. Tough Juice earned a nickname this year. He flourished as the number one scoring threat. He has the versatility of a Paul Pierce and helped the Wizards get into the playoffs. They are going to be a sleeper team next year if Arenas comes back strong.

4. Rudy Gay. 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2 assists, .461 field goal. “I’m a big Gay guy.” He was a highlight reel all season but he played on a horrible team. The most surprising part of his game that flourished this year was his rebounding and shooting.

5. Emeka Okafor. 13.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, .535 field goal. Emeka is the only player to average a double-double. He is tenacious and plays big, though he is usually undersized. They are trying to move him into the power forward spot, where he will have an advantage.

6. Ben Gordon. 18.6 points, 3.10 rebounds, 3 assists, .434 field goal. Chicago is one of my major disappointments this year. Last year the young bulls looked prime for the next step, but the ship sunk, and the blame goes all around. Ben’s shot was off. For him to be effective, he needs to hit jumpers, and they weren’t falling.

7. Charlie Villanueva. 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1 assist, .435 field goal. Charlie is still trying to get comfortable with his game. He is athletic and big and rebounds but he only plays 20 so odd minutes a game.

8. Hilton Armstrong. 2.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, .5 blocks, .435 field goal. The minutes and production drop from here. I put Armstrong over Boone here because Hilton played on a playoff team. He needs to rebound better, but for his benefit, he only plays 11 minutes a game.

9. Josh Boone. 8.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, .9 blocks, .548 field goal. Boone found his role as a tenacious rebounder and offense through second chance points. He needs to be a better free throw shooter if he wants to play in the fourth quarter.

10. Marcus Williams. 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, .379 field goal. Getting traded to the Warriors might do Marcus some good, though he needs to show more. His field goal percentage is horrible for a point guard, and his assist to turnover isn’t great either. He needs to seize the opportunity now before his rookie contract runs out.