Irony of Jalen Adams' Heroics for UConn

[iommi]

He was backcourt mates with one Kaleb Joseph for Brewster. Kevin Ollie was recruiting Adams (and also wanted Kaleb) and was marveling at how good Kaleb was. Guess UConn got the right Brewster guard.

I was very optimistic about Kaleb after watching his highlight videos and seeing a short documentary on him. So rough how his time at SU has turned out. Swinging and missing on him really killed us this year. I hope he finds a better situation and does well.

 

[CaptainJ]

He was backcourt mates with one Kaleb Joseph for Brewster. Kevin Ollie was recruiting Adams (and also wanted Kaleb) and was marveling at how good Kaleb was. Guess UConn got the right Brewster guard.

I was very optimistic about Kaleb after watching his highlight videos and seeing a short documentary on him. So rough how his time at SU has turned out. Swinging and missing on him really killed us this year. I hope he finds a better situation and does well.

Like others, I'm curious how what's his face fleeing the team and forcing him to start as a frosh effected his development. I'm not saying he'd be like MCW if he took a similar path of freshman playing time, but I can't help but be curious how his trajectory would have been different if he didn't have the trial by fire in the ACC. My point with this thread was that maybe it wasn't a swing and a miss solely on the recruiting, as much as it was with usage. And who knows how he would have played had he gone to UConn or how Adams would have played at SU?

 

[iommi]

Like others, I'm curious how what's his face fleeing the team and forcing him to start as a frosh effected his development. I'm not saying he'd be like MCW if he took a similar path of freshman playing time, but I can't help but be curious how his trajectory would have been different if he didn't have the trial by fire in the ACC.

Yep, he wasn't ready physically or mentally for that big a role. He was supposed to be learning from what's his face. Then he lost all his confidence and never got it back. It's really a shame; he's a very nice kid and life-long Orange fan.

 

[orangehomer]

Yep, he wasn't ready physically or mentally for that big a role. He was supposed to be learning from what's his face. Then he lost all his confidence and never got it back. It's really a shame; he's a very nice kid and life-long Orange fan.

this is so dumb. all this psycho-babble nonsense about KJ is driving me nuts. maybe he lost his confidence. maybe he never had it. maybe he was good or maybe he wasn't. maybe he still can be or maybe he transfers. maybe the staff 'ed it up, but I've never heard of a kid losing confidence from playing as a freshman. for the love of god just stop it.

 

[CaptainJ]

this is so dumb. all this psycho-babble nonsense about KJ is driving me nuts. maybe he lost his confidence. maybe he never had it. maybe he was good or maybe he wasn't. maybe he still can be or maybe he transfers. maybe the staff 'ed it up, but I've never heard of a kid losing confidence from playing as a freshman. for the love of god just stop it.

Even if you've never heard of it before, I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility on this team. I mean, how many opposition players never reached X amount of points(new career high) before they played the Cuse? This is a very enigmatic team.

Ive dont enjoy seeing others frustrated. I dont want to change my post though. Maybe I can suggest a cold beverage or whatever you prefer to change state?

 

[orangehomer]

Even if you've never heard of it before, I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility on this team. I mean, how many opposition players never reached X amount of points(new career high) before they played the Cuse? This is a very enigmatic team.

either guys can play or they can't. this idea of you need to shelter a player so they don't get their feelings hurt and you don't play them until they can win is...I don't have a word for how nonsensical it is. basketball is the most individually competitive team sport in the world. you don't get to be good if you aren't good. ultimately, especially for guards, if you want to be good you have to be intensely competitive because so very little separates these guys. if you play a kid that is a bit young, if he is competitive enough, if anything it should only stoke that mental process of "well he beat me last time, im going to beat him next time" and as a basketball player especially you never look at it as "oh he jumps higher or whatever" you look at it like on this day I can win. maybe the staff is ruling the kid out and maybe he should transfer. I'm not there yet. I see a kid that can be at least as good as scoop. maybe he doesn't have the scoop je-ne-sais-quois, but for me personally I'm just not done with KJ yet. but if he transfers I get it.

 

[CaptainJ]

either guys can play or they can't. this idea of you need to shelter a player so they don't get their feelings hurt and you don't play them until they can win is...I don't have a word for how nonsensical it is. basketball is the most individually competitive team sport in the world. you don't get to be good if you aren't good. ultimately, especially for guards, if you want to be good you have to be intensely competitive because so very little separates these guys. if you play a kid that is a bit young, if he is competitive enough, if anything it should only stoke that mental process of "well he beat me last time, im going to beat him next time" and as a basketball player especially you never look at it as "oh he jumps higher or whatever" you look at it like on this day I can win. maybe the staff is ruling the kid out and maybe he should transfer. I'm not there yet. I see a kid that can be at least as good as scoop. maybe he doesn't have the scoop je-ne-sais-quois, but for me personally I'm just not done with KJ yet. but if he transfers I get it.

either guys can play or they can't. this idea of you need to shelter a player so they don't get their feelings hurt and you don't play them until they can win is...I don't have a word for how nonsensical it is. basketball is the most individually competitive team sport in the world. you don't get to be good if you aren't good. ultimately, especially for guards, if you want to be good you have to be intensely competitive because so very little separates these guys. if you play a kid that is a bit young, if he is competitive enough, if anything it should only stoke that mental process of "well he beat me last time, im going to beat him next time" and as a basketball player especially you never look at it as "oh he jumps higher or whatever" you look at it like on this day I can win. maybe the staff is ruling the kid out and maybe he should transfer. I'm not there yet. I see a kid that can be at least as good as scoop. maybe he doesn't have the scoop je-ne-sais-quois, but for me personally I'm just not done with KJ yet. but if he transfers I get it.

I'm glad you're not done with him. I agree with you there. To your earlier points, players and human beings in general develop in different ways. Peoples' minds and bodies have more different factors than can probably be counted anytime soon. I'm guessing folks would find it easier to understand a rookie NFL QB having a good start, and then getting injured on a hit and never being the same mentally again(some of us have seen it). Not everyone needs to be sacked to have something happen on the inside. I don't expect you to change your mind, but just posting this for you to consider anyhow. I'm not saying anything certainly DID happen or even putting the probability of such, just saying it would seem to be an apparent possibility.

But in like manner things can turn the other way though, and I'm rooting like heck for KJ to turn it back around, preferably for the Orange.

Go KJ, go OH, go Orange!

 

[doc05]

Man, I really was rooting for KJ this year. I remember coming out of HS how excited he was to be an Orangeman and he appeared to be a real baller. I do remember initially being disappointed we didn't land Whitehead, but once I saw KJ's backstory I was rooting for the kid 100%. I distinctly remember him looking ok in the exhibition games and even the first few games his freshman year -- it seemed like things started turning badly for him at that St Johns game at the dome -- something I think happened with him and JB in that game, and besides some flashes here and there he really regressed and hasn't got back on track. One thing I noticed last year, especially when I was sitting at the Cal game at the Garden -- was that he really looked small and not physically ready.

I have no doubt he has the talent, it just has to mesh -- if it's not here I hope it's somewhere else.

 

[orangecuse]

Like others, I'm curious how what's his face fleeing the team and forcing him to start as a frosh effected his development. I'm not saying he'd be like MCW if he took a similar path of freshman playing time, but I can't help but be curious how his trajectory would have been different if he didn't have the trial by fire in the ACC. My point with this thread was that maybe it wasn't a swing and a miss solely on the recruiting, as much as it was with usage. And who knows how he would have played had he gone to UConn or how Adams would have played at SU?

As with cream, same with talent...

http://orig15.deviantart.net/a340//2012/233/0/1/the_cream_rising_to_the_top_by_dorathebrit-d5bves1.jpg

 

[CaptainJ]

As with cream, same with talent...

http://orig15.deviantart.net/a340//2012/233/0/1/the_cream_rising_to_the_top_by_dorathebrit-d5bves1.jpg

True, all true. Then again, some turds float as well.

 

[wallacecuse]

The '14 class was Wright Bros. 2.0. Literally received zero on-court return. As if we never recruited anyone.

 

[orangecuse]

True, all true. Then again, some turds float as well.

Well, same as the Corvette compared to the Skylark, cream could never get mistaken for a turd.

 

[pfister1]

this is so dumb. all this psycho-babble nonsense about KJ is driving me nuts. maybe he lost his confidence. maybe he never had it. maybe he was good or maybe he wasn't. maybe he still can be or maybe he transfers. maybe the staff 'ed it up, but I've never heard of a kid losing confidence from playing as a freshman. for the love of god just stop it.

I agree. I think if anything being handed the reigns to soon as a frosh would mean that he might fall flat on his face playing as a frosh and look like crap. I don't see how it translates into having a fair to mediocre year as a frosh and then with all that trial by fire experience as a frosh coming back as a sophomore and falling off the face of the earth, without a stud coming in and supplanting you.

To me it looks more like raising a teenager that has gotten involved with drugs. All of a sudden grades drop, loses interest in things that he has normally been interested or passionate about.

 

[tbonezone]

i posted this last november14 :

i found this quote in an article by david borges new haven register regarding uconn's talented guard jalen adams...

"And next fall, Adams will move on again, this time to UConn. It’s the place he’s wanted to be for several years now, according to Vin Pastore, who coached Adams on the Mass Rivals AAU team that past three summe

“When you ask kids, ‘Where do you see yourself?’ — I asked Kaleb Joseph, and he said, ‘Syracuse,’” Pastore said, referring to the Mass Rivals product who’s now a freshman with the Orange. “When I asked Jalen where he saw himself playing, he said, ‘UConn.’ And that was before he was good enough to play at those type of places.” "