Chief's Briefs

[Chief00]

In the context of the Tulsa game rather than going down a litany of things we needed to do better - I want to focus on one thing Turnovers.
We had 17 turnovers - I am from a school of thought that every possession is precious and this is such sloppiness and lack of accountability by the players.
Our multi year senior captain in fact after the game said that we needed to clean up a couple of mistakes. We actually had 17 turnover mistakes alone. Brimah had 4 turnovers himself. Half the turnovers were committed by seniors. This looseness of words is an indicator of looseness of responsibility with the ball. It's not treated like its precious. How does 17 mistakes become a couple? Is our Captain that clueless? Each one can lose a game.
On so many levels this is so completely unacceptable. Much of this is mental, culture and perhaps Travis not getting these guys into condition. KO complaining that Adams did not go back and get the ball. Was that because he was tired or did not understand the game situation enough?

 

[dogpause]

Add bad judgments to turnovers -- we have a player who in almost any game could be the MVP of either team.

 

[Hi-Low]

The turnovers were bad but I think 3 of them were offensive fouls (which count as turnovers). But agreed the turnovers are a major problem anytime over 10 in a game. As you said you need to treat each possession like gold especially in a tight game.

 

[donyell34]

Add bad judgments to turnovers -- we have a player who in almost any game could be the MVP of either team.

Funny but true.

 

[Waquoit]

Was that because he was tired or did not understand the game situation enough?

Yes

 

[Balker]

Enoch, Purvis, and Jackson combine for just about -10 in box score +\- over an average replacement. Enoch is the biggest offender

 

[microfich]

Time and good coaching heals this wound. Seniors T-ing it O is generally unacceptable. Frosh and sophs generally don't 'get it' re: gameplay decisions until sometime mid Jr year. Their gameplay mistakes inflate everybody's TO numbers. Without veteran guardsmanship, a team is doomed to TOs.

 

[Edward Sargent]

I watched a tape of the game yesterday and a two other things stand put along with TOs. First we shoot over 50% in the first half and only lead by 1 point against a team that shot in the 30s. The second thing was early in the second half we got stuck on a 39-32 lead and over the next 6 or so possessions had opportunities to extend that lead to double digits but could not. Eventually Tulsa had a little run and well we lost.

 

[Jaker]

Points off of turnovers was like +10 in favor of Tulsa.

 

[Onions]

In the context of the Tulsa game rather than going down a litany of things we needed to do better - I want to focus on one thing Turnovers.
We had 17 turnovers - I am from a school of thought that every possession is precious and this is such sloppiness and lack of accountability by the players.
Our multi year senior captain in fact after the game said that we needed to clean up a couple of mistakes. We actually had 17 turnover mistakes alone. Brimah had 4 turnovers himself. Half the turnovers were committed by seniors. This looseness of words is an indicator of looseness of responsibility with the ball. It's not treated like its precious. How does 17 mistakes become a couple? Is our Captain that clueless? Each one can lose a game.
On so many levels this is so completely unacceptable. Much of this is mental, culture and perhaps Travis not getting these guys into condition. KO complaining that Adams did not go back and get the ball. Was that because he was tired or did not understand the game situation enough?

Turnovers have cost us more games this year than our horrific shooting. What's interesting is the type of TOs were getting and who is committing them.

We get offensive illegal screening fouls on all of our bigs, although Enoch is the leader here. Plus Amida, and to a lesser degree Facey, have bad hands and get the ball ripped away a few times a game.

I think traveling calls are our single largest source of TOs and, surprisingly, it's not concentrated in our bigs. Adams, Vital and, at least twice a game , Purvis will get called for that. Purvis is also going to step out of bounds once a game, something I've never seen before past middle school.

Finally poor passing, which is what normally comes to mind when I think of turnovers, is mostly Adams getting frustrated late in a game and trying to force a fancy pass into the lane, or any of our other guards throwing ridiculously low bounce passes to our bigs down low. I will have to call out Vital for throwing the ball directly to a Tulsa player late in the game as probably the single worst pass I've seen all year, so bravo CV.

So yes, turnovers are a big problem, but they're coming from everywhere and everyone and I can only hope that they will decrease as the team learns to read each other a little bit better, but I'm not counting on it.

 

[Chief00]

Points off of turnovers was like +10 in favor of Tulsa.

That's the game.

 

[Chief00]

Yes

Yes to both?

 

[ctchamps]

That's the game.

Women had 21 turnover yesterday and won. TO's are a problem and can be a factor in losses but are not the only factor. Missing wide open shots including free throws, stupid fouls that put more pressure on a shortened bench, inability to turn and get rebounds, or react on the defensive end or set appropriate screens or...........It's a game and a lot of factors are important. Isolating factors are good for discussions but making one or two factors the entire reason for failure is just a lazy, non UConn way of doing things.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Turnovers have cost us more games this year than our horrific shooting. What's interesting is the type of TOs were getting and who is committing them.

We get offensive illegal screening fouls on all of our bigs, although Enoch is the leader here. Plus Amida, and to a lesser degree Facey, have bad hands and get the ball ripped away a few times a game.

I think traveling calls are our single largest source of TOs and, surprisingly, it's not concentrated in our bigs. Adams, Vital and, at least twice a game , Purvis will get called for that. Purvis is also going to step out of bounds once a game, something I've never seen before past middle school.

Finally poor passing, which is what normally comes to mind when I think of turnovers, is mostly Adams getting frustrated late in a game and trying to force a fancy pass into the lane, or any of our other guards throwing ridiculously low bounce passes to our bigs down low. I will have to call out Vital for throwing the ball directly to a Tulsa player late in the game as probably the single worst pass I've seen all year, so bravo CV.

So yes, turnovers are a big problem, but they're coming from everywhere and everyone and I can only hope that they will decrease as the team learns to read each other a little bit better, but I'm not counting on it.

Vital's pass was to where Rodney was supposed to be so I put half of that on Rodney

 

[ctchamps]

Vital's pass was to where Rodney was supposed to be so I put half of that on Rodney

Best a third. Adams missed his assignment and Rodney was directing him. So many things had to go wrong on that play and they did. Vital was still dribbling when Rodney turned to get Adams into position. Vital got in trouble just before Rodney turned and the last thing he saw was Rodney coming out to him.

This is that type of season. Kentan had been a decent free throw shooter prior to this game. This game was won if he managed to make his free throws at the end of the game. Amidah was a force on both ends of the court for about 8 minutes but bricked his FT shots. That was a momentum buster. The team made shots in the first half and couldn't in the second. The reverse was the case against Houston.

The problem with this team, besides the lack of depth, is that they are inconsistent, prone to regress to bad habits and lack the confidence to believe in themselves. The last is harder to prove, but it seems to me this team just finds ways to lose, and those ways are different game to game. There hasn't been one game in which three players have played outstanding. Yet there are games in which we've seen very good play from almost every player. They just are unable to put it all together.

 

[ucp990411]

Why in the world did Brimah change his form on shooting free throws? Can someone answer that question?

 

[mauconnfan]

Why in the world did Brimah change his form on shooting free throws? Can someone answer that question?

It really is amazing that a guy who works nard to become almost 70% and seemed to be going upward from there changed. I mean it's on him, it is now in his head and it seems to change ever time he shoots it now 2. No 2 shots seem the same, amazing.

The worst TO's during the Tulsa game to me (besides the obvious Vital ?) were both by Jalen. He took 2 of the possessions when Tulsa made their run to take the lead, went baseline with the rubble and tried to throw a couple no looks to the middle which was being collapsed on. Not only were they bad decisions but they were at the time we need our PG calming and slowing the team down and not making hasty decisions which tuen out to speed up the run by the opposition. He will learn, but they were big.

 

[gtcam]

If Enoch had anywhere near a decent game - UConn wins
His ability to pick up fouls by just walking on the court amazes me - he needs to understand how to play without fouling on every defensive stand
Free Throw shooting hurts so much in a game like this - leaving two consecutive 1 and 1s short (KF and AB) will kill you
Turnovers will continue to haunt this team - inexperience and sloppiness (AB, RP and JA). Hopefully the TOs will lessen as the season progresses
And finally, what was up with VJ? I hate to crap on a freshman but as some of my guests watching the game with us said, he looks like an average HS player. He needs to become the shooter that was touted.

 

[imno1]

We have enough to win some of these games but right now we just don't do much of anything right. Our players can't make plays, our coaches can't coach us over the hump, the refs do us no favors. Why do I hold out hope we can put together a run in our conference tournament?

 

[pj]

We have enough to win some of these games but right now we just don't do much of anything right. Our players can't make plays, our coaches can't coach us over the hump, the refs do us no favors. Why do I hold out hope we can put together a run in our conference tournament?

With a thin team, one piece may be enough to put them over the hump. Hami could be the difference maker. Also, we have a young team, if Christian Vital develops some PG skills that would make a huge difference too.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's the game.

Or Vital's give away. Or Facey's two FTs missed in OT. Or Purvis missing a wide open 3 in OT. This team is maddening because they find a way to lose games that they should win by 12. They don't just make a key mistake, they make a dozen game losing screw-ups every game. That was three of them just in the OT alone.

 

[ctchamps]

If Enoch had anywhere near a decent game - UConn wins
His ability to pick up fouls by just walking on the court amazes me - he needs to understand how to play without fouling on every defensive stand
Free Throw shooting hurts so much in a game like this - leaving two consecutive 1 and 1s short (KF and AB) will kill you
Turnovers will continue to haunt this team - inexperience and sloppiness (AB, RP and JA). Hopefully the TOs will lessen as the season progresses
And finally, what was up with VJ? I hate to crap on a freshman but as some of my guests watching the game with us said, he looks like an average HS player. He needs to become the shooter that was touted.

Steve has replaced AO as the best poser evert to don a UConn uniform imo. Maybe it's the camera angle but it appears to me that he moves out to the player who is shooting about 2 seconds after that player shoots. I don't think anyone in college bb has a more beautiful statue of liberty pose than Steve.

And anyone who doesn't think the coaches develop the bigs has missed the development of Steve getting back from the offensive basket to the defensive basket. He had the giddy up hitch we all saw from Alex last year but that's gone now and he hustles really well back to defend. Alex never got rid of the giddy up. Now if they can only get his reflexes to move quicker on defensive plays, next year could be an upgrade.

 

[PAHusky]

With a thin team, one piece may be enough to put them over the hump. Hami could be the difference maker. Also, we have a young team, if Christian Vital develops some PG skills that would make a huge difference too.

What's the hump? Adding Hami means we may finish over .500 and have the longest of long shots to win the conference tournament, and that's about it. There just isn't enough other talent on the team as it currently stands. Adams is the only legitimate NBA prospect. Our frontcourt is two projects who haven't panned out yet (or at all) and a highly rated freshman with two bad knees who plays scared. Vital and Jackson aren't bad players, but Vital didn't crack the top 100 recruits for a reason and Jackson is a confidence player with zero confidence. Rodney is a great kid but a historic bust. In what way would Hami get us over the hump?

 

[PAHusky]

Steve has replaced AO as the best poser evert to don a UConn uniform imo. Maybe it's the camera angle but it appears to me that he moves out to the player who is shooting about 2 seconds after that player shoots. I don't think anyone in college bb has a more beautiful statue of liberty pose than Steve.

And anyone who doesn't think the coaches develop the bigs has missed the development of Steve getting back from the offensive basket to the defensive basket. He had the giddy up hitch we all saw from Alex last year but that's gone now and he hustles really well back to defend. Alex never got rid of the giddy up. Now if they can only get his reflexes to move quicker on defensive plays, next year could be an upgrade.

No offense, but I don't think citing Enoch being able to smoothly run between the two ends of a basketball court as signs of big man development. It's more about what he's doing once he gets near the basket that I'm worried about

 

[ctchamps]

No offense, but I don't think citing Enoch being able to smoothly run between the two ends of a basketball court as signs of big man development. It's more about what he's doing once he gets near the basket that I'm worried about

No offense taken. It was tongue and cheek with a chance to discuss the mumu.