Andre Jackson

[superjohn]

I'm an Andre Jackson fan and I think he's so close which makes it so frustrating he hasn't made that next leap yet. He has been getting better about slowing down and getting rid of the turnovers but they reared their ugly head again today when he started running too fast up court without control after a rebound or making a really tough pass to catch when he beats his man getting into the lane...

I can live with the turnovers if he was bringing more on offense and I feel like he's so close but can't understand what's holding him back. He makes the open threes now and gets by his man into the lane but then he doesn't know what to do. There seemed to be like 4 times he went right around his man getting near the rim and then didn't know what to do. One of them should have been a tomahawk dunk he turned into a weird soft underhanded layup he missed badly.

Andre making that next leap is the most important thing for the team this year and I don't want want to wait until next season to see it. He's close.

 

[Huskybass]

His handle is half a step behind his athleticism. He does lots of things well, as does Martin. The flip side is lots of careless turnovers from our 2s/3s. The biggest reasons UConn lost today were because they had 19 turnovers and were very slow to react to Richmond. A very winnable game against a pretty good team. Opportunity lost.

 

[Rocktheworld]

So you’re telling me you can see it??

In seriousness, I’m seeing improvement too in his pacing, but he clearly still gets caught in too high a gear and in unfortunate moments of the game. Him trying to take it basket to basket and losing the ball in the back court; that windmill dunk attempt; and later with an errant no-look pass that ended in an OOB turnover all hurt

 

[Spaceman213J]

Still, he was a plus on the floor. He hit some big early 3's and got some rebounds over everyone. Offensively, I'd rather have him out there than Gaffney or Whaley. He's in his Sophomore year and his time has been impacted by Covid greatly.

His next steps should be to develop a respectable midrange jumper and he has to finish at the rim.

I like his progress so far.

 

[storrsroars]

Granted there's no real backup for Cole, but I feel with AJax bringing the ball up court, there's better pace, and he'll start a play a lot quicker than Gaff will, as well as make a better choice on who to pass to.

 

[8893]

Granted there's no real backup for Cole, but I feel with AJax bringing the ball up court, there's better pace, and he'll start a play a lot quicker than Gaff will, as well as make a better choice on who to pass to.

Having him bring the ball up might also be a way to help him calibrate his speed with the rest of the team.

Someone described him as “reactive“ a few months ago and I think that‘s accurate. His decisions too often seem to be based on his first reaction, without a plan and without reading the options. A lot of people like it because it looks like he’s trying to push the pace and read the openings, but too often he’s too far ahead of the play, frequently catching a teammate off guard with a pass he’s not fully ready for.

 

[Edward Sargent]

I'm an Andre Jackson fan and I think he's so close which makes it so frustrating he hasn't made that next leap yet. He has been getting better about slowing down and getting rid of the turnovers but they reared their ugly head again today when he started running too fast up court without control after a rebound or making a really tough pass to catch when he beats his man getting into the lane...

I can live with the turnovers if he was bringing more on offense and I feel like he's so close but can't understand what's holding him back. He makes the open threes now and gets by his man into the lane but then he doesn't know what to do. There seemed to be like 4 times he went right around his man getting near the rim and then didn't know what to do. One of them should have been a tomahawk dunk he turned into a weird soft underhanded layup he missed badly.

Andre making that next leap is the most important thing for the team this year and I don't want want to wait until next season to see it. He's close.

I remember some posts asking how many times AJ was going to "posterize" someone during the year. Unfortunately so far he hasn't but you are right he doesn't seem to know what to do when taking it tom the hoop. I do think he will get it eventually

 

[Edward Sargent]

Having him bring the ball up might also be a way to help him calibrate his speed with the rest of the team.

Someone described him as “reactive“ a few months ago and I think that‘s accurate. His decisions too often seem to be based on his first reaction, without a plan and without reading the options. A lot of people like it because it looks like he’s trying to push the pace and read the openings, but too often he’s too far ahead of the play, frequently catching a teammate off guard with a pass he’s not fully ready for.

I do like that he gets the ball up the court fast. I think it puts a lot of pressure on the other team

 

[HuskyFich]

There seemed to be like 4 times he went right around his man getting near the rim and then didn't know what to do. One of them should have been a tomahawk dunk he turned into a weird soft underhanded layup he missed badly.

This.

If he fixes this, he has officially become one of the most dangerous players on our team.

He’s already our number 2 PG, he has cut way down on the turnovers, and the one bad you mentioned, I had the same reaction, but he never did it again. So I’m very happy with his improvement. Shooting form looks better, looked comfortable minus last sec shot, and more aggressive in getting by his defender off the dribble with success.

Incredibly excited for his play come March.

 

[Rewster]

I noticed particularly today that he takes real bad angles to the hoop.

So often he is isolated on the elbow one on one with his defender shading him to pass back to the top of the key. In those situations I wish he would fake the pass and take it to the hoop but never does.

He has no confidence going to the hole whatsoever. This is why you see so many runners.His fist instinct when driving is to pass which results in tipped balls or turnovers because of the poor passing angles created.

There is a lot I like about him
He impact the game in so many ways but a guy with that set of physical skills has to to learn to finish at the rim.

 

[king conn]

He doesn't play to his size and leaping ability when he does attempt to finish his drives, he morphs into Cole trying to squeeze it through

I wonder if playing against all the shot blockers we have in practice is actually detrimental to a guy like him and makes him shy away instead of going up strong.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Really would like more of Dre penetrating and making decisions and Cole finding seams at 3 point line.

 

[microfich]

Having him bring the ball up might also be a way to help him calibrate his speed with the rest of the team.

Someone described him as “reactive“ a few months ago and I think that‘s accurate. His decisions too often seem to be based on his first reaction, without a plan and without reading the options. A lot of people like it because it looks like he’s trying to push the pace and read the openings, but too often he’s too far ahead of the play, frequently catching a teammate off guard with a pass he’s not fully ready for.

I don't know that I'd say "reactive". I think he does have a plan and reads the options, actually sees them before they happen like no one since Nadav and Marcus. His problem is, as you say. he is often too fast, too far ahead to either give himself more options or provide the right delivery. Some of it results in catching guys off guard but they had better start being more ready for his magic.

 

[Jkiller]

What would Andre Jackson average each night if he breaks out? Triple double per game?

 

[McLovin]

I think he is exactly what this team needs him to be right now.

I wouldn’t be upset if he improved his numbers, but I think he has definitely taken the leap he needed to this year.

7 PPG, 2.6 AST, 49% FG, 44% 3PFG. Can gets big offensive boards and can be an extra ball handler + passer.

I don’t think before the season anyone realistically thought he was going to do better than this offensively, did they? (There was a poll about it, don’t remember the results).

We knew he wasn’t going to be a go-to scorer or shot creator. That’s not what he was brought in to do. Next year he may be closer to double figures and take on more of a dominant iso role, but that’s just not his game.

I’m more ready for guys like Polley or Hawkins to make that next leap of giving us a consistent knock down shooter and needed scoring depth. Those are the guys who need to step up for this team. Jackson is contributing more than enough at this point with the way our roster is constructed.

 

[husky429]

Once he figures out the finishing he'll be fine. He improved so much this offseason... taking it all the way to the rim and using his body control is the next step.

The TOs will come. Experience-wise this kid is still young for the D1 game. It's frustrating but I'm not concerned. He wants to win.

I would've bet my salary this October I wouldn't be saying this... but I'd like a couple more 3s a game from him too.

 

[Conndog]

The biggest reasons UConn lost today were because they had 19 turnovers and were very slow to react to Richmond.

Another reason was difference in free throws and fouls. SH outscored UConn on the FT line by 9 (20-24 for SH, 11-12 for UConn). And obviously, RJ fouled out (UConn had 19 fouls, SH had 12).

 

[Ratso]

this is his real first season

 

[HuskyHawk]

He is certainly entertaining. He has some things to work on around the rim. Not sure if it is injury related, but he has shown extreme willingness to bang inside to get a rebound and almost no willingness to take contact to score. On some of his shots at the rim, he jumps away from the basket and tries to scoop shot it in. This is not the way.

 

[UConnSwag11]

What would Andre Jackson average each night if he breaks out? Triple double per game?

Close to it

 

[BuffaloHusky]

On a break without the ball I notice AJ sprints to corners which has to be practiced. I’d much rather have him continuing to the rim even if the spacing isn’t perfect.

I also mentioned in the past that I think Dan Hurley would benefit from watching Calhoun sets with Stanley Robinson particularly on the baseline. They may be different lengths but whatever Calhoun did allowed Stanley to get in the air. AJ is far too earthbound considering his athleticism.

 

[mussels]

Granted there's no real backup for Cole, but I feel with AJax bringing the ball up court, there's better pace, and he'll start a play a lot quicker than Gaff will, as well as make a better choice on who to pass to.

I like him pushing the ball upcourt after defensive boards, but if being considered as a sub for Gaffney would point out that today Ajax had 2 assists and 4 turnovers against 4 assists and 1 turnover for Gaff.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

all this time later, and yet sooo many still don't understand his 'shooting' issue, which we covered long ago. tsk, tsk. that breakdown had pix and everything. reminder - he needs two hands on the ball to control it.
exactly when have you ever seen ajax, after receiving the ball but before a move, wave around in the air a palmed ball? u won't. figger it out.

other than that, ajax is top notch, and fun too.

 

[Conndog]

And he had much better hair today

 

[storrsroars]

I like him pushing the ball upcourt after defensive boards, but if being considered as a sub for Gaffney would point out that today Ajax had 2 assists and 4 turnovers against 4 assists and 1 turnover for Gaff.

There are minutes for both. My comment has more to do with bringing it upcourt when Cole is out.

 

[Austin316]

Andre has the ability to be the BEST passer on the team when his teammates CATCH his passes. He’s got tremendous vision and a lot of his turnovers aren’t careless. If he has players around him always ready for a no look pass and have good hands from a hard pass he can be a triple-double player.

 

[tennmike]

I'll get eviscerated for these observations, but repeatedly losing games that are winnable causes angst and reflection. Andre is among the least of the team problems.

1. Freshman Akok was all over the court. Post-injury junior Akok camps out at the 3-point line and runs through the paint like he's on hot coals (perhaps by design to give Adama room). Not sure if it is in his head or physical limitations. His game is starting to look like Polley's.
2. Whaley has lost muscle mass during the off season. He looks weak and his play has been consistent with that (fainting, maybe long COVID). Can't understand the constant refrain that Sampson needs to get stronger to get on the court. He is bigger than most.
3. Gaffney is nearly unplayable and it's alarming Diggins cannot beat him out. The redshirt decision on Floyd is appearing like Hurley was protecting Gaffney's minutes. Floyd looks strong, tough, and competitive. We sort of need that.
4. Right now, Hawkins is not looking like the "next one." Not saying he will not get there, but it's not imminent.
5. Polley is what he has been. Don't dislike him; it is what is is.
6. It's been said that we are winning 30% of our 50/50 games. I think that is being overly generous. Hurley's record against ranked teams and 50/50 games is awful.
7. Auburn was a good win, but pointing to our OT victory over VCU as testament to being able to win close games? It's VCU!
8. And then all the issues with in-game adjustments, substitutions, end of game plays,...

Despite the limitations, Hurley and crew have coached this team to be competitively good, but unfortunately, it's not a team that equipped to survive long in the pressure-packed tourney. There's still time, but tons of stuff to address.

 

[zls44]

1. Auburn was a good win, but pointing to our OT victory over VCU as testament to being able to win close games? It's VCU!

VCU is undefeated since UConn beat them.

 

[businesslawyer]

The turnovers trying to make something out of nothing I could live with. What drives me nuts is you have a 6’7” kid with the handle of a 2 guard who takes his man off the dribble and has a path to the rim and refuses again and again to go to the rim hard and take contact.

 

[8893]

I don't know that I'd say "reactive". I think he does have a plan and reads the options, actually sees them before they happen like no one since Nadav and Marcus. His problem is, as you say. he is often too fast, too far ahead to either give himself more options or provide the right delivery. Some of it results in catching guys off guard but they had better start being more ready for his magic.

I don't see it that way. I think Andre has extraordinarily quick reactions, but I don't think he sees the whole floor well or the play developing. He just reacts faster than most. Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up.