Hurley's biggest challenge next season

[nelsonmuntz]

College Basketball Film Breakdown | Deep Dive Into UConn's Motion Offense

Here's a college basketball film breakdown from Tanner McGrath on UConn's motion offense.

www.actionnetwork.com

He is going to have to figure out how to stop his own offense, because many teams are going to be running some version of this next year. The short quick passes and off ball screening are a challenge for most defenses. This is the ultimate utility offense, where a coach can tweak the actions for the players he has. You need two good 3 point shooters, which most teams have, and after that, you can make just about anything work. If you have a weak shooting penetrator, that player will be getting the ball relatively close to the basket with a defender that is trying to catch up. Centers and forwards will get the ball going to the basket for dunks and one dribble layups. It has fewer of the low percentage, everyone standing around watching, 30 foot dribble drives to the basket that are just begging to be stuffed or turned into charges.

 

[storrsroars]

College Basketball Film Breakdown | Deep Dive Into UConn's Motion Offense

Here's a college basketball film breakdown from Tanner McGrath on UConn's motion offense.

www.actionnetwork.com

He is going to have to figure out how to stop his own offense, because many teams are going to be running some version of this next year. The short quick passes and off ball screening are a challenge for most defenses. This is the ultimate utility offense, where a coach can tweak the actions for the players he has. You need two good 3 point shooters, which most teams have, and after that, you can make just about anything work. If you have a weak shooting penetrator, that player will be getting the ball relatively close to the basket with a defender that is trying to catch up. Centers and forwards will get the ball going to the basket for dunks and one dribble layups. It has fewer of the low percentage, everyone standing around watching, 30 foot dribble drives to the basket that are just begging to be stuffed or turned into charges.

Maybe. But I think it's more likely you'll get more Nate Oates analytics-driven offenses. It's easier to comprehend, teach and recruit for. And 'Bama is in the FF, so it works as far as the coaching community is concerned.

 

[Hoophound]

You can’t just copy this. It’s a concept that only works if the coaches are freaks and get the players to buy in. Our team is constantly in motion, rarely works in isolation and has tremendous passers. You need to build a team with the IQ and skills, then coach it to death.

It’s more likely Hurley can’t reproduce this than it is that other teams will be able to do it. We need to assemble a whole new squad with remarkable character, humility and basketball skill to keep doing this. It won’t be easy unless the Cooper Flagg’s of the world start signing up. I’m really curious who wants on this wagon next year.

We also may find out that Luke and/or Kimani are integral to this. The loss of one or both is something I dread.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The biggest challenge is going to be continuing to find guys who can actually execute it. The selflessness the dedication to staying with it, the smarts it takes to have five guys all on the same page and reading the defense correctly.

Sure, people will run more off ball screens if we win another one and maybe if we don’t. But it takes more than that. I think it was 4 years ago Brad Stevens was trying to do this with the Celtics. JT and JB would do it until the shots didn’t fall and revert to ISO ball. Hayward was out there on an island still running it as intended, which meant he never got any shots because the ball didn’t come back to him. That’s your challenge. Some kid trying to become a 1st round pick has to have the trust that the ball will come back to him. Bouknight probably wouldn‘t do that. It’s a miracle that Castle not only bought in but really embraced defense.

Identifying players is critical. I do think guys who want to play that way, who see it as the future of the game, will be drawn here. Spencer wouldn’t be half the player he is somewhere else. They would use him as a stationary spot up shooter.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

99% of teams don’t have the personnel to execute it to our degree.

 

[superjohn]

The biggest challenge is going to be continuing to find guys who can actually execute it. The selflessness the dedication to staying with it, the smarts it takes to have five guys all on the same page and reading the defense correctly.

Sure, people will run more off ball screens if we win another one and maybe if we don’t. But it takes more than that. I think it was 4 years ago Brad Stevens was trying to do this with the Celtics. JT and JB would do it until the shots didn’t fall and revert to ISO ball. Hayward was out there on an island still running it as intended, which meant he never got any shots because the ball didn’t come back to him. That’s your challenge. Some kid trying to become a 1st round pick has to have the trust that the ball will come back to him. Bouknight probably wouldn‘t do that. It’s a miracle that Castle not only bought in but really embraced defense.

Identifying players is critical. I do think guys who want to play that way, who see it as the future of the game, will be drawn here. Spencer wouldn’t be half the player he is somewhere else. They would use him as a stationary spot up shooter.

Spencer was half the player at Rutgers, he's been an excellent player since he stepped foot in college. Everyone in the country missed on him coming out of high school, Loyola got him because of his brother.

 

[RuffRuff]

You need a high level of bb iq to run what he does. Finding the balance of athleticism, skill and iq isn’t easy. Bringing back AK and Newt was a massive iq core for this squad, and then finding a portal kid like Spencer who was basically plug and play. What he is doing is not easy to replicate. AK coming back will be a massive key to any promise next year, along with Diarra. Then it will be about how much development & learning this system Ball and Stewart made and will further make into next season. Ball has honestly looked as though he’s regressed, as when he comes in he sits on the 3 pt line, and jacks a 3 as soon as he gets air. Granted it is during garage time mainly and much of the structure gets thrown out the window. AK at the 4, Stew at the 3-4, Diarra and Ball would be a key core. Then go find a good enough, smart 5 to compliment Johnson.

My fear if we win it all, is that what does AK really have to come back for, with many calling this the worst draft in years? His returning could sway next years potential dramatically, as a leader and carryover of system/culture.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

99% of teams don’t have the personnel to execute it to our degree.

You don't need superstars to execute this offense. Traditional offenses, and even a lot of the "analytics" offenses require much higher levels of athleticism than this one does. It does require high BBIQ, but teams are getting older and finding 22 year olds that are willing to sacrifice their own stats for wins is a lot easier than it was to find 18 and 19 year old 4 and 5 stars willing to do the same. A smart, veteran team with some skills could do real damage with an offense like this one.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

You don't need superstars to execute this offense. Traditional offenses, and even a lot of the "analytics" offenses require much higher levels of athleticism than this one does. It does require high BBIQ, but teams are getting older and finding 22 year olds that are willing to sacrifice their own stats for wins is a lot easier than it was to find 18 and 19 year old 4 and 5 stars willing to do the same. A smart, veteran team with some skills could do real damage with an offense like this one.

You need 5 unselfish, bought in players, ones that play their role specifically to a high level. Our guys have a lot more than “some skills”.

 

[caw]

You don't need superstars to execute this offense. Traditional offenses, and even a lot of the "analytics" offenses require much higher levels of athleticism than this one does. It does require high BBIQ, but teams are getting older and finding 22 year olds that are willing to sacrifice their own stats for wins is a lot easier than it was to find 18 and 19 year old 4 and 5 stars willing to do the same. A smart, veteran team with some skills could do real damage with an offense like this one.

Almost all of the fifth year COVID kids are going to be gone after next year, so the age of players after next year should start to go back down a bit in 2026.

There are already teams that are running stuff similar to UConn offensively. The thing UConn has is also the athleticism to play truly phenomenal defense. A lot of the teams that run similar offense don't run close to as good a defense, and simply aren't athletic enough to play that defense.

It also helps UConn has had either the best movement three point shooter in years last year, or one of the best three point shooters in the country this year.

 

[dennismenace]

You can’t just copy this. It’s a concept that only works if the coaches are freaks and get the players to buy in. Our team is constantly in motion, rarely works in isolation and has tremendous passers. You need to build a team with the IQ and skills, then coach it to death.

It’s more likely Hurley can’t reproduce this than it is that other teams will be able to do it. We need to assemble a whole new squad with remarkable character, humility and basketball skill to keep doing this. It won’t be easy unless the Cooper Flagg’s of the world start signing up. I’m really curious who wants on this wagon next year.

We also may find out that Luke and/or Kimani are integral to this. The loss of one or both is something I dread.

All three paragraphs are on the money and great observations. It is very much a system and culture and needs complete cooperation of all. It is very obvious when there is a breakdown so it is an annihilation of hero ball and requires mental discipline to know the plays and options. When you have the know how and will to implement this with total buy in its a thing of beauty. Another poster in the recent past mentioned how ironic it was that the women are gritting out wins and scratching their way to the final floor like some of the men teams have in the past. Instead the men look like the women used to by putting on a clinic of passing and playing completely unselfish basketball.

Danny and staff are good salesmen as well as tacticians and results are speaking for themselves. I trust in them to put in the dedication to this going forward in every aspect. They lead by example. The future looks bright to me because of the unity of the leadership.

Good insights!

 

[bendm]

The program is a machine just need to find the right players to keep it running at full throttle

 

[aburks41]

You can’t just copy this. It’s a concept that only works if the coaches are freaks and get the players to buy in. Our team is constantly in motion, rarely works in isolation and has tremendous passers. You need to build a team with the IQ and skills, then coach it to death.

It’s more likely Hurley can’t reproduce this than it is that other teams will be able to do it. We need to assemble a whole new squad with remarkable character, humility and basketball skill to keep doing this. It won’t be easy unless the Cooper Flagg’s of the world start signing up. I’m really curious who wants on this wagon next year.

We also may find out that Luke and/or Kimani are integral to this. The loss of one or both is something I dread.

My understanding is that Luke has been the architect of the offense. Good news is that Hurley is also basketball genius and he won't just abandon the offense once Luke leaves.

Also a big benefit of playing this late into the season twice in a row is that Luke and Kimani aren't available for interviews so hopefully most positions get filled. Every season we have with those two is a blessing. Truly the best coaching staff in the country (shoutout Tom Moore too)

 

[RichCTBB]

One thing that will help is roster continuity. If he can still fill the roster out with the right players, having guys like AK and Hassan will help Hurley and co build upon what they’ve already established while everyone else is still trying to wrap their heads around our concepts. If Luke is the savant behind it, would he be able to do it on his own?

 

[Waquoit]

You don't need superstars to execute this offense. Traditional offenses, and even a lot of the "analytics" offenses require much higher levels of athleticism than this one does. It does require high BBIQ, but teams are getting older and finding 22 year olds that are willing to sacrifice their own stats for wins is a lot easier than it was to find 18 and 19 year old 4 and 5 stars willing to do the same. A smart, veteran team with some skills could do real damage with an offense like this one.

I like the idea of older guys being more honest with themselves buying in.

 

[nomar]

College Basketball Film Breakdown | Deep Dive Into UConn's Motion Offense

Here's a college basketball film breakdown from Tanner McGrath on UConn's motion offense.

www.actionnetwork.com

He is going to have to figure out how to stop his own offense, because many teams are going to be running some version of this next year. The short quick passes and off ball screening are a challenge for most defenses. This is the ultimate utility offense, where a coach can tweak the actions for the players he has. You need two good 3 point shooters, which most teams have, and after that, you can make just about anything work. If you have a weak shooting penetrator, that player will be getting the ball relatively close to the basket with a defender that is trying to catch up. Centers and forwards will get the ball going to the basket for dunks and one dribble layups. It has fewer of the low percentage, everyone standing around watching, 30 foot dribble drives to the basket that are just begging to be stuffed or turned into charges.

Other staffs will try to copy but that doesn't really scare me. Hurley didn't invent this offense. The staff just coached these guys to execute it flawlessly.

Everybody can try to duplicate it, but if your guys aren't willing to run every play like the game is on the line, you won't have the "UConn offense." That goes for UConn too!

BTW, I think Hurley's biggest challenge will be replacing Clingan, Newton, Spencer and Castle!!!!!!!

 

[nomar]

You can’t just copy this. It’s a concept that only works if the coaches are freaks and get the players to buy in. Our team is constantly in motion, rarely works in isolation and has tremendous passers. You need to build a team with the IQ and skills, then coach it to death.

It’s more likely Hurley can’t reproduce this than it is that other teams will be able to do it. We need to assemble a whole new squad with remarkable character, humility and basketball skill to keep doing this. It won’t be easy unless the Cooper Flagg’s of the world start signing up. I’m really curious who wants on this wagon next year.

We also may find out that Luke and/or Kimani are integral to this. The loss of one or both is something I dread.

This.

You said it a lot better than I did.

All indications are that Murray is integral to it. He added a bunch of wrinkles based on what he saw in Euro play.

 

[ec33]

It also helps UConn has had either the best movement three point shooter in years last year, or one of the best three point shooters in the country this year.

And two how quality centers that give the team very distinct looks offensively and defensively.

And what "this" is (the UConn system) has yet to become fully apparent (if it isn't just a confluence of fortunate circumstances two years in a row). Although I do think Hurley recognizes some of the key elements.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Spencer was half the player at Rutgers, he's been an excellent player since he stepped foot in college. Everyone in the country missed on him coming out of high school, Loyola got him because of his brother.

Poor phrasing with "wouldn't be". Point is, he's much better in this offense than he would be elsewhere. I suspect there may be other players for whom the same is true and they may recognize it and want to play at UConn (the NIL bag notwithstanding).

 

[dogpause]

Replacing Kimani and Luke.

 

[storrsroars]

Hate to say it, but I'll go with, "staying as interested". Love my Huskies and will watch every game next season, but based on who we have coming back plus Nowell & Abraham, I don't see a team that will challenge for an NC.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You can’t just copy this. It’s a concept that only works if the coaches are freaks and get the players to buy in. Our team is constantly in motion, rarely works in isolation and has tremendous passers. You need to build a team with the IQ and skills, then coach it to death.

It’s more likely Hurley can’t reproduce this than it is that other teams will be able to do it. We need to assemble a whole new squad with remarkable character, humility and basketball skill to keep doing this. It won’t be easy unless the Cooper Flagg’s of the world start signing up. I’m really curious who wants on this wagon next year.

We also may find out that Luke and/or Kimani are integral to this. The loss of one or both is something I dread.

At least 20% of high school teams are going to be trying some form of this offense if UConn wins the title. The quick cuts and passes and the off-ball screens are tough on any defense, and unlike so called "analytics" offenses, you only need a 2 or 3 shooters.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Almost all of the fifth year COVID kids are going to be gone after next year, so the age of players after next year should start to go back down a bit in 2026.

There are already teams that are running stuff similar to UConn offensively. The thing UConn has is also the athleticism to play truly phenomenal defense. A lot of the teams that run similar offense don't run close to as good a defense, and simply aren't athletic enough to play that defense.

It also helps UConn has had either the best movement three point shooter in years last year, or one of the best three point shooters in the country this year.

A lot of teams do one of two things:

1) They have a "system", but the stars improvise all the time and it eventually becomes every player for themselves. See any team Boeheim ever coached.

2) They run "analytics" type offenses, which means all the shots come from spots, so a contested 3 is better than an open 2, when in reality, it isn't.

The genius of this Hurley offense, which feels at least inspired by Popovich's San Antonio offense from 12 years ago, is that it gets players the shots they are good at hitting, rather than parking mediocre shooters in the corner to jack up contested 3's they will probably miss.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I also love the offensive rebounding in this offense, something “analytics” offenses don’t care much about.

 

[AdamaNation]

All three paragraphs are on the money and great observations. It is very much a system and culture and needs complete cooperation of all. It is very obvious when there is a breakdown so it is an annihilation of hero ball and requires mental discipline to know the plays and options. When you have the know how and will to implement this with total buy in its a thing of beauty. Another poster in the recent past mentioned how ironic it was that the women are gritting out wins and scratching their way to the final floor like some of the men teams have in the past. Instead the men look like the women used to by putting on a clinic of passing and playing completely unselfish basketball.

Danny and staff are good salesmen as well as tacticians and results are speaking for themselves. I trust in them to put in the dedication to this going forward in every aspect. They lead by example. The future looks bright to me because of the unity of the leadership.

Good insights!

This is why I’ve said many times Danny is a lot more a student of Geno than Jim.