1st Game 1st Thoughts

[mauconnfan]

Too early to actually get worried about things that weren’t good. Stonehill was not very good at all yet our only go to was Sanogo. Bigger better teams will take that away if our guys can’t shoot it.

The good is Karaban is a basketball player, smart one. Under control, sees the floor and is solid on the perimeter as well as interior. Will be the starter eventually. Samson is lost on D still, all the tools but needs to understand the game better.

Newton can get to the line, can make some plays but his D is so so at best. He didn’t shoot it well but who did? Diarra more aggressive, excellent defender but even with 7 assists needs to tighten up the handling and passing. But what a nice addition. Alleyne is a nice overall player on both ends great bench piece. Joey C can shoot it, will need that on occasion. Donovan played well, even early his missed left handed spin then getting his own rebound was good to see. Blocked shots were nice especially when he moved his feet to guard a guy baseline when he stopped to shoot it DC was able to extend for the finger block, good stuff.

Overall lots more to see. Not thrilled with how little they actually ran any offense to set anyone up but Sanogo. Chemistry takes time let’s see how Friday looks.

 

[imno1]

Our team will look and play a lot different with Jackson and Hawkins playing big minutes. It’s really hard to get a feel for the team without AJ on the court. DC moves much better than I realized and seems to be a pretty smart player. He’ll have some growing pains but I can see him being dominant in a few years. I expect Alex to be one of the best freshmen in the league. He had nerves last night but he’s just oozing with skill. I’m really excited to see his progression.

 

[Vancat]

Diarra is a bulldog and a huge upgrade over Gaffney though.

this!

 

[Get a Job]

You've now posted the exact same thing in 3 different threads.

And it's been inaccurate every time. (ESPN says they shot 71% from the line.)

 

[Excalibur]

I'm far less concerned about the shooting than I am about the inability of our guards (other than Diarra) to break down defenders and get into the lane. Newton was not good.

Ultimately we looked like a group of guys who just started playing together. No chemistry at all.

 

[GetTheFacts]

Newton will be fine long-term. He was very good at getting to the line last year at ECU, and shot 88% from the stripe. We haven't had a guy that forces fouls like him in years.

The amount of depth we have is pretty incredible. The amount of turnover from last year didn't fully sink in until half-way through the first half when Sanogo was the only guy on the floor that's proven himself in a UConn uniform. Hurley is going to have his hands full in terms of configuring the lineup, but that's a good problem to have. I could see us getting off to a slow-ish start to the season because we have so many new players and Hurley wants to give everyone a fair chance to prove themselves.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

this!

 

[HooperScooper]

Samson is lost on D still, all the tools but needs to understand the game better.

One thing that infuriated me was how Johnson jumps around so much when playing defense. He looks like he has no clue how to play positional defense and that got him in early foul trouble. All he has to do is watch what Sanogo did yesterday. Stood tall, with his arms up, moved his feet well without leaving the ground. Johnson is tall and really long. He should be able to play defense like Sanogo did. He doesn't have to jump all the over the place like a Mexican jumping bean and get himself into fouling situations so often.

 

[MDeL04]

Samson Johnson shouldn't see the floor again. He's not skilled (which echos what Dauster has been hearing).

I'm glad you aren't the coach. Trying to say he isn't skilled is just stupid. You wanna say he lacks confidence, fine, but the talent is through the roof with that kid. Not everyone on the team needs to hit threes or be a jump shooter. Playing HIS role will be very valuable to us. What he brings you can't teach and he will impact games in multiple areas. He will be a beast on the offensive glass/in transition and will thrive on defense. How many players can guard at least three positions?? Leave the coaching to the professionals and sit down.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I'm glad you aren't the coach. Trying to say he isn't skilled is just stupid. You wanna say he lacks confidence, fine, but the talent is through the roof with that kid. Not everyone on the team needs to hit threes or be a jump shooter. Playing HIS role will be very valuable to us. What he brings you can't teach and he will impact games in multiple areas. He will be a beast on the offensive glass/in transition and will thrive on defense. How many players can guard at least three positions?? Leave the coaching to the professionals and sit down.

Once he learns to play defense with his feet, he’s gonna be good. I’m hoping for a better rebounding freshman Akok

 

[Hurleyman216]

I know Alleyne is supposed to be a good shooter, but I don't like that he doesn't properly square up when taking 3's. He rotates his body so that his shooting arm is turned toward the basket and his non-shooting arm is behind him. He needs to square up his feet and his shoulders and those shots will fall.

 

[husky429]

I'm glad you aren't the coach. Trying to say he isn't skilled is just stupid. You wanna say he lacks confidence, fine, but the talent is through the roof with that kid. Not everyone on the team needs to hit threes or be a jump shooter. Playing HIS role will be very valuable to us. What he brings you can't teach and he will impact games in multiple areas. He will be a beast on the offensive glass/in transition and will thrive on defense. How many players can guard at least three positions?? Leave the coaching to the professionals and sit down.

If his talent is what he showed yesterday, he won't be playing. He's obviously shown the staff something for him to start. I expect much more from him on Friday.

 

[husky429]

I know Alleyne is supposed to be a good shooter, but I don't like that he doesn't properly square up when taking 3's. He rotates his body so that his shooting arm is turned toward the basket and his non-shooting arm is behind him. He needs to square up his feet and his shoulders and those shots will fall.

0% chance he changes his form now. That's a multi-year off-season project.

The big limitation is that he's going to have issues shooting moving to his right and it's slower off the dribble.

 

[navery12]

 

[Scrutineer]

Ya never really learn much from games like these, but I think we certainly learned that Adama will be a monster, DC can play at this level and will get good minutes, and Diarra is going to be huge for us, specifically on the defensive end.

Initial observations:

The Good:

1. Adama, Diarra, DC, Karaban.
2. Karaban specifically is going to be important with his shooting. We will improve overall but the amount of open misses wasn’t ideal.
3. Thought Samson and Alleyne brought great energy, they are both gonna play their part.
4. Interior defense was great
5. Free throw shooting looks to be strong

The Not-As-Good

1. Joey C doesn’t fully look up to it, but could’ve just been an off game. He is tiny and very slight, and not sure he’ll be able to handle the physicality of the BE. Also, his defending was pretty poor. He can shoot though.
2. I’ve been saying for a few years I want to see more drives to compliment our post game, our half court offense may be pretty one dimensional.
3. Newton was pretty meh. This is a game you’d expect him to show out in, especially with how much he has the ball. Getting to the line a lot is great, but not making a field goal against a team like this is…ooph.
4. Obviously Hawkins. Really, really feel for the kid. Seeing him tearing up after that fall is gutting. He’s had multiple concussions, he needs to and will be sidelined for an extended amount of time. Just awful to see.

Overall it was fine, saw some really good things, and definitely some things that need work. I thought the coaching was fine as well, but as some others mentioned in the chat, I want to see some more designed plays and things that get the guards going, rather than just post ups.

Work in progress!

I didn't like Newton forgetting there were other guys on his team. Several were wide open or, in one case, standing by the basket waiting for the pass while Newton tried to make a play, missed the shot and got fouled. Hoping it's just first game stuff that will be corrected.

 

[PAHusky]

Honestly the first game just reinforced what I thought going into the season - this is a good team, but not really a great team. It should make the tournament, and should probably win a game, but anything beyond that is way up in the air.

It's a guard driven game and we don't have championship level guards right now. There's a lot riding on Castle's shoulders next year.

 

[superjohn]

Honestly the first game just reinforced what I thought going into the season - this is a good team, but not really a great team. It should make the tournament, and should probably win a game, but anything beyond that is way up in the air.

It's a guard driven game and we don't have championship level guards right now. There's a lot riding on Castle's shoulders next year.

Way too early to say that especially considering our 2nd and 3rd best players (guards) didn't play.

 

[gtcam]

No Midrange game - going to miss Whaley - I heard that AS worked on that all summer and this game would have been ideal to show that new skill set
Guard play was meh except for Diarra - love the ticker and his court vision - just needs to settle down a bit.
Clingan was very good for his 1st game as a frosh - it will get tougher for him but you can't discount 7'2" and that blocking ability. His ability to quickly pass out to the guards is great and something that AS should be watching.
Caraban is going to be a good one - he wants it bad and that shot is smooth
AS is AS - he can dominate and his athleticism looks even better than last year - looking forward to a huge year again - but please show us that midrange game
Dan Hurley knew what he was getting from Joey C - someone to get 1 or 2 shots from per game
I agree with Clif - Springs should see much more time on the floor - why keep him on a scholly if you are going to tack him to the bench and keep Dan Hurley's son company - another one of a number of head scratchers from Dan Hurley but at least he still is sniffing the sage incense.
I am hoping Alleyne just had the jitters because I saw very little upside to his game - I want to see more out of him or see his minutes diminish.
Newton will drive without fear but his decision making is erratic. Playing for a doormat in the AAC is not the same as playing in the NBE - again, as with Alleyne, his 1st game - time will tell
Johnson is a huge ?

It's the 1st game and this team should and will get better with age, barring injuries. Lots of interesting pieces but still a challenging puzzle. They need to be ready for that important Oregon trip.

I think BU will offer a bit better comp and let's see what adjustments are made.

Praying for my man Hawk.................................

 

[Shamon30]

richy played one minute, grabbed 2 boards. cf 'alleyne'
i just don't understand anything aboot this whole springs thing with danny.
none of it. every time he gets on the floor, he shows real desire.
can he be useful? i don't know becuz he never plays. 3 years in.
i don't get it, and its getting weird.

It reminds me of how he refused to play Whaley until he couldn't.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Honestly the first game just reinforced what I thought going into the season - this is a good team, but not really a great team. It should make the tournament, and should probably win a game, but anything beyond that is way up in the air.

It's a guard driven game and we don't have championship level guards right now. There's a lot riding on Castle's shoulders next year.

You have to realize how ridiculous this sounds. Half the lineup - more than that, probably - is brand new. They were playing without 2 of their best players. And they played sloppy as hell and beat a bad team by 30 points. Imagine what Florida State fans are saying.

 

[Viet Vet]

Cupcake city. Draw no conclusions.

 

[PAHusky]

You have to realize how ridiculous this sounds. Half the lineup - more than that, probably - is brand new. They were playing without 2 of their best players. And they played sloppy as hell and beat a bad team by 30 points. Imagine what Florida State fans are saying.

Ok, come back to me at the end of the season once they’ve won a tournament game or two. Just don’t see it this year. Think it’s another good not great Dan Hurley team that hovers around the top 25 but isn’t a March contender. Hope I’m wrong

 

[navery12]

Ok, come back to me at the end of the season once they’ve won a tournament game or two. Just don’t see it this year. Think it’s another good not great Dan Hurley team that hovers around the top 25 but isn’t a March contender. Hope I’m wrong

You might be right, you might be wrong. I think you're wrong. The point is using the 1st game of the season against a brand new D1 team without 2 of our 3 best players as any sort of barometer is stupid. In fact using the 1st game of the season regardless of circumstance as anything is stupid

 

[PAHusky]

You might be right, you might be wrong. I think you're wrong. The point is using the 1st game of the season against a brand new D1 team without 2 of our 3 best players as any sort of barometer is stupid. In fact using the 1st game of the season regardless of circumstance as anything is stupid

Thanks. All I said in my post is that the first game did nothing to change my mind from what I thought this team’s ceiling was this off-season. Glad you disagree, check back at the end of the year please

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Ok, come back to me at the end of the season once they’ve won a tournament game or two. Just don’t see it this year. Think it’s another good not great Dan Hurley team that hovers around the top 25 but isn’t a March contender. Hope I’m wrong

Honestly I doubt I’ll check back in with you but appreciate the offer.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Too early to actually get worried about things that weren’t good. Stonehill was not very good at all yet our only go to was Sanogo. Bigger better teams will take that away if our guys can’t shoot it.

The good is Karaban is a basketball player, smart one. Under control, sees the floor and is solid on the perimeter as well as interior. Will be the starter eventually. Samson is lost on D still, all the tools but needs to understand the game better.

Newton can get to the line, can make some plays but his D is so so at best. He didn’t shoot it well but who did? Diarra more aggressive, excellent defender but even with 7 assists needs to tighten up the handling and passing. But what a nice addition. Alleyne is a nice overall player on both ends great bench piece. Joey C can shoot it, will need that on occasion. Donovan played well, even early his missed left handed spin then getting his own rebound was good to see. Blocked shots were nice especially when he moved his feet to guard a guy baseline when he stopped to shoot it DC was able to extend for the finger block, good stuff.

Overall lots more to see. Not thrilled with how little they actually ran any offense to set anyone up but Sanogo. Chemistry takes time let’s see how Friday looks.

It looks a lot like this to me. I think the offense didn't create very much except for post ups for Sanogo and Clingan. Against Stonehill I wanted to see more fluid passing, creativity and open shots. And that's where Newton disappointed in my book. Sure, he got to the line, but also didn't create for others much, and was beat off the dribble by ... Stonehill guards? Karaban belongs. Period. Don't be too hard on Joey C. We'll need his shooting ability, if the shooting from deep this game is any indication.

We generated a lot of points off defense in this game, Stonehill's first in Div. 1. That won't be the case against better and more experienced teams. And yes, I understand Jackson didn't play and Hawkins didn't play much. Still, you'd expect better, more creative offense from this talent.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm glad you aren't the coach. Trying to say he isn't skilled is just stupid. You wanna say he lacks confidence, fine, but the talent is through the roof with that kid. Not everyone on the team needs to hit threes or be a jump shooter. Playing HIS role will be very valuable to us. What he brings you can't teach and he will impact games in multiple areas. He will be a beast on the offensive glass/in transition and will thrive on defense. How many players can guard at least three positions?? Leave the coaching to the professionals and sit down.

Well he definitely was wrong by saying he shouldn’t see the fooor again that’s ridiculous. He has a ceiling that is incredible. While his athleticism should allow him to guard multiple positions for now he can’t guard any one of them. He was lost mostly in man the other night both on his own and in Help. I expect he was excited about his start and will wait to see what he has to offer beginning Friday. For now, only one game, he looked like the same kid as last year. Let’s hope he settles in.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I personally think Newton will be fine. He seemed in control of the game for the most part. It’s always encouraging when someone can get to the line when they’re having a bad shooting night. I don’t think those shooting woes continue especially when we’re fully healthy.

On rewatch he had a pretty good block in man defense and 3 NICE dimes including a perfectly executed fast break oop to Sanogo (so happy to see those again). Really can’t wait to see how he does next to Hawkins and Jackson. Having 3 guys that athletic with great passing ability will be fun to watch.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Well he definitely was wrong by saying he shouldn’t see the fooor again that’s ridiculous. He has a ceiling that is incredible. While his athleticism should allow him to guard multiple positions for now he can’t guard any one of them. He was lost mostly in man the other night both on his own and in Help. I expect he was excited about his start and will wait to see what he has to offer beginning Friday. For now, only one game, he looked like the same kid as last year. Let’s hope he settles in.

I don't even know what some of you are watching. His defense was excellent except falling for the fake. Several times he was tempted to leave his man and help because somebody else got beat, and you could see the coaching kicking in, because he didn't do that. Last year he would have. But he pretty effectively smothered whoever he was guarding. The 2-3 with SJ, Clingan and AK was almost comical, poor Stonehill had no idea what to do against it.

Team is quite different without Jackson. If Hawk is out, Allenye probably takes the 2, and AK might be at the 3 with SJ at the 4. Probably means SJ will play less at the 5 so more time for Clingan too.

 

[mauconnfan]

I don't even know what some of you are watching. His defense was excellent except falling for the fake. Several times he was tempted to leave his man and help because somebody else got beat, and you could see the coaching kicking in, because he didn't do that. Last year he would have. But he pretty effectively smothered whoever he was guarding. The 2-3 with SJ, Clingan and AK was almost comical, poor Stonehill had no idea what to do against it.

Team is quite different without Jackson. If Hawk is out, Allenye probably takes the 2, and AK might be at the 3 with SJ at the 4. Probably means SJ will play less at the 5 so more time for Clingan too.

I know what I saw. He was following his guy all too often losing him. Also when he should've helped on the interior once he was glued to his guy back to the play rather than helping on penetration. I know you like the kid HH and I hope you're right about him, but he wasn't good defensively. Some I am sure were jitters, but he wasn't as good as AK was at guarding his guy. I see he can guard he has great feet and quickness but needs to get better in understanding is all.