AG criticizing

[jdb50]

How many good shooters miss free throws to the degree Gilbert has been doing? He is not a good shooter period. Elmore pointed that out in the first half vs Nova. Said they should let him take 3's all day. AG plays hard but that is not enough. I have no idea what goes on in practice but he needs to work on his flaws now! Especially if he is coming back.

 

[Caronimo]

I root for this kid every game. The thing that bothers me is how much both Ollie and Hurley hyped this kid and it’s evident that he’s undersized and can’t shoot very well not to mention his other flaws. He obviously plays hard and is probably a good kid, but the pressure of being the point guard on lousy UConn teams is not an easy task especially after being hyped so much. He actually looked very good last night aside from the last few minutes of the game and his free throw shooting. Must win Sunday. Our fan base and these players are sick of losing.

 

[buddy]

I've been hard on players, but remember he is still out there and still trying. I've seen several people ask why many still have hope for him, and there are many reasons.
He's been so set back by injuries and we have all seen the flashes of what he can do. I've been hopeful because he's been great at times especially for a run before the facial injury last year.
Remember, part of Carlton's run last year, was helped by AG. He was a key part in getting JC in positions to succeed on the offensive end. To his credit, JC was finishing strong during that run.
I don't think anyone is taking harder than him and he's out there trying. I know he has to be taking it incredibly hard right now.
Still he is a young man with feelings.

As many have said, part of this team's problem is there is no closer/finisher. We are were hoping JB could be that, and I think he can in the long run, but he has to be on the floor.

I would have loved to be on the court at crunch time. Whenever I played, I tried very hard. But bigger, better players beat me. I don't have the talent to play basketball. It was recognized by my coach and my teammates very early on. (I was really terrible at basketball). I was a young man with feelings also, but I recognized that I could not compete with bigger, stronger young men. I didn't play much, if at all. If someone keeps making the same mistakes over and over, can't make free throws, why should they be in the game? There have to be others ready and willing to take their place. No personal attack on the individual, but if you can't succeed in your position, then someone else will need to step into your place. Just like a business. If there is no one else available, then prepare for a long season of many losses. I don't believe it is a matter of personal attacks on the young man in discussion, but just a realization that he has not been able to achieve what everyone had hoped.

 

[joober jones]

The only Huskies I'd ever personally insult are Tate George and Eric Hayward and it would have nothing to do with basketball.

 

[Madmannsucks]

I have always supported AG and think there is a lot of talent he has yet to tap.

But the last part of the Houston game was absolutely brutal. There is no excuse for the performance from the foul line especially after he missed two in overtime versus WSU. He should have been living at the line after than. Instead he puts up the 1-7. Very bad.

Pretty sure it's called fatigue. When good FT shooters miss, it's usually the legs.

 

[UconnFanDC]

Let's leave the man alone because they all deserve to be criticized. He had the most promise at the position since Kemba but hasn't lived up to the billing. That really is the problem! All of the guys have been very disappointing at times.

 

[Calhoun's Court]

People shouldn't be tweeting at AG directly.
Discuss the game on BY and on Twitter and FB with other fans n general is fine IMO.
But railing at the kid directly especially after a bad loss should be off limits.

 

[UconnPT2007]

Directly tweeting at Gilbert, yelling at him at games, or trolling is abhorrent behavior and shouldn’t ever be tolerated.

That being said, criticism here on the BY is perfectly within bounds. Gilbert is one of the worst players who gets major minutes to come through UConn in quite some time. He’s shooting 33%fg, 30%3pt, and 64% free throws in 30 minutes a game. Gilbert’s PER of 11.96 puts him at 77th IN THE AAC (read that again). Yes, he’s had injuries and been through a lot, but I’m only criticizing his basketball playing ability and not him as a person.

He’s a senior and the reckless decision making (3 turnovers per game), brick laying, and constant drives to the hoop to only get rejected have driven many of us over the edge. He is absolutely brutal in crunch time and we might be sitting at 12-6 with an outside chance at the tourney if not for his deficiencies. Partial blame goes to Hurley for continuing to trot him out there 30mins a game when the young players should be getting those minutes. Polley’s injury has opened that up a little bit, but the trio of Bouknight, Gaffney, and Adams should be prioritized over Gilbert. The only high major D1 skill he appears to possess is ball handling. He’s a brutal shooter from everywhere, he turns the ball over way too much, especially in crunch time for a senior guard, and being so undersized has taken away his ability to finish at the rim which is where he dominated in HS and made him a McDonalds All-American.

Going forward, he shouldn’t be starting and have his minutes should be reduced to 20 per game so the younger guys can get as much conference play minutes as possible. We’re not a tournament team, and with year 3 of Hurley being the year we should absolutely expect to make the Tourney, we should not be wasting valuable playing time on a guy who is objectively below-average to terrible on the court and won’t be here next year.

I wish him well, and hope he can carve himself a professional career overseas if possible, but our focus is now a return to the Big East and being a perennial tourney team, and that should entail a reduction in his usage going forward.

 

[willie99]

I would love to see the crowd get behind AG at the next home game - from the intro. Obv he’s struggling and hurting the team at critical points, but he’s still a young man trying his best and is still our best option - and most of all he’s a husky that’s stood by the program when others bolted.

All this board critique is fair based on performance - but maybe he’ll flip a switch in response to positive fan feedback rather than negative.

I will, I always do at the game. I've never rode a college kid ( and if I did, they could actually hear me . We moan to ourselves and then I come here to drown my sorrows. I've started drinking again at the games too, don't think Sunday is going to be any different

But I have a plan for tomorrow. I'm going to walk out with four minutes left so I don't have to watch the finish. Some people will think I'm giving up on the team as I walk up the stairs, but it's really for my own mental health. I'm sorry

GO HUSKIES

 

[cohenzone]

People really take this stuff so seriously that they write tweets directly to an athlete who is trying his best? How old are they? How perfect are they? It’s one thing to observe performance flaws on a sports board, and I do, but I don’t know of any player who doesn’t try to do what they think is right. A person with Gilbert’s injury history wouldn’t be blamed for just giving it up. He tries as hard as any player we've ever had. And the guy with the ball in his hands a lot is going to have flaws magnified. We all just want him to figure out how to handle end game situations so it can frustrate fans. But really, it ain’t life or death.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I root for this kid every game. The thing that bothers me is how much both Ollie and Hurley hyped this kid and it’s evident that he’s undersized and can’t shoot very well not to mention his other flaws. He obviously plays hard and is probably a good kid, but the pressure of being the point guard on lousy UConn teams is not an easy task especially after being hyped so much. He actually looked very good last night aside from the last few minutes of the game and his free throw shooting. Must win Sunday. Our fan base and these players are sick of losing.

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the rest of the play?

 

[Caronimo]

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the rest of the play?

You’re so cool bud

 

[Sphinx]

It is one thing to criticize a player who is not giving his all, and another thing to criticize a player whose "all" is clearly and woefully inadequate. By now, we must conclude that AG has put in the time and effort to improve his shooting (and his handle) and that he simply has hit a wall with respect to both. Very likely it is due to his multiple surgeries, which makes it a harder thing to criticize. To some, It has gotten to be almost a moral question -- do we sacrifice the program's immediate future to do right by the kid? For me, the question only comes up if he elects to return next year. I don't believe that there's time left this year to develop an improved version of the team without him.

 

[gsmooth]

This x100, A message board is what it is. BUT if you are a UConn fan who is tweeting at AG directly or screaming at him in person while he is busting his ass for this program during games, you should follow it by immediately turning in your UConn gear because you don’t deserve to enjoy where this program is about to go.

With you 100%. Basketball performance criticism on a board is fair game. Tweeting at him with negative messages is stupid, IMO. A person who does the stupid tweeting and getting personal on it should turn in the UConn gear.

I was pissed about his 1-7FT and some careless turnovers in crunch time. But people that say send him to the bench for Adams and Gaffney to build for next year are so off the mark. That sends the wrong message to the team that Hurley is throwing in the towel.

 

[gsmooth]

Foul shooting aside, the problem that Gilbert is having is finishing games and it is really not his fault. Unfortunately, who is the alpha offensive player on this team that UConn can count on at the end of games? Nobody right now, maybe Bouknight in the future. Look at the lineup after Bouknight fouled out last night: Gilbert, Vital, Akok, Adams, and Whaley. Who in that group can create their own shot and make baskets when needed?

So, in close games, Gilbert tries to do too much and he is not making winning plays. Give him Jalen Adams next to him and Gilbert looks a lot better and UConn has more wins this year.

Hurley has the team playing with good energy and they are playing good defense. But, in a close game, you also need someone to score. Hopefully, Bouknight can develop into that guy.

this right here hits the mark. When the plays break down at the end, Gilbert has to do something and the cards are stacked against him with a nearly expired shot clock and no alpha offensive player at the moment.

Could he and should he play better? Of course. But Hurley needs to ditch the horns play a little more (not altogether) and Gilbert has to be more judicious about splitting defenders off the dribble as it looks like the opponents are ready for that based on film study.

If Gilbert and Adams stayed healthy last year, I know that's a big ask, I think last year's team makes the NIT for sure with more wins in the regular season, and they could've been a last 4 team in the NCAA tourney.

 

[tower1]

Agreed. Especially the clowns who choose to tweet at AG and directly talk trash. So unnecessary.

I don't blame A.G. I blame the coach for putting him in these positions. Get him to stop shooting so much and stop driving all the way to the basket and turning the ball over. He needs to drive and pass !

 

[UconnFanNVa]

I blame Hurley, he keeps allowing AG to do the same thing. Maybe he doesn't think anyone else is capable but from a fans perspective we know AG is not.

Now talking crap to the kids on Twitter is wrong, no question about. I bet that is the reason Hurley sticks with him so hard. To spite this people.

 

[Kemba Time]

Excellent quote from Hurley going into today’s game that sums up so much of what AG means to this team, the roster construction causes of his struggles and also coach stressing Gilbert must make better decisions:

“Listen, Al is really helping us build something here that you can’t really see," Hurley said. “Not in terms of wins and losses, but a guy who is helping us build a culture of toughness, or professionalism, the way he shows up every day. He’s the most energized guy, the best communicator, he’s setting a tone for the program. From a basketball standpoint, if you can draw two [defenders], you just did a good job. Now, you’ve got to find where that ball needs to go next. Just a dilemma for Al is, we don’t have a lot of playmakers on offense, guys who can create offense with the dribble or can play in ball screens, so he ends up with a lot of pressure to make a lot of the plays for us. He’s got to make better decisions.”

Alterique Gilbert, UConn men keeping heads up, ready to get after it again vs. Tulsa

The UConn men have been beaten three times in a row, but they are not beaten down. “That’s the only way we have to look at it,” Alterique Gilbert said after practice on Saturday. …

www.courant.com