AO

[BigEastCT]

2 rebounds....4 points.....AO needs to step it up

 

[UConn3432]

he had trouble keeping up with the smaller, more athletic 4 man. tough to stay on the floor if you can't play defense. i wouldn't mind seeing them switch AD onto the quicker big man and let AO battle it out with the 5 man. He proved he could do it last year.

 

[Adios]

His jump shot is way off.

 

[Wolferowski]

He has regressed. IMO, it's probably pretty frustrating to him watching how easy the game is for Drummond.

 

[ford82]

Last night was the first time I have seen Alex play in person this year. His body language is not good. Yes, he had trouble guarding smaller defenders, but after he missed a shot in the second half, he didn't get back on d and it resulted in an easy Ryan Olander dunk. Olander shouldn't beat him down the court. AO's game is just off. Even in the layup line he kind of sulks around while everyone else is energetic and enthusiastic. Good players find a way to contribute, even if you are on a loaded squad.

 

[BigEastCT]

bazz and boat had 7 rebs each i think and AO 2, that really bothers me. We need AO to own the boards like JA use to

 

[Donyell]

It's been frustrating as hell for us fans after watching him last year start to come into his own and have some absolutely great games and a great run in the Big East and Nat'l tournaments. Sure it's frustrating for him also. We keep waiting to see some of what we saw last year and now we are 13 games into the season and man it's a big ? mark. I'm sure coaches are working hard and trying to push the right buttons knowing down the road we are going to need the big guy. Alex we are with you and pulling hard for you.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Alex has always been a question mark. He has shown himself to be capable of great games (Maui 2010, @ Texas, vs. Butler), but he has also had his share of no-shows over the last few years.

This year, as Drummond eats into his minutes, those no-shows are easier to come by for a guy whose performance is dictated so strongly by what's going on between the ears.

 

[EricLA]

i'm perfectly comfortable with RS and TO playing the 4 and having AO come off the bench only to spell AD for a few minutes a game. having said that, it's not what i'd prefer of course, and i'm sure the coaches know way more than we do and are working with him to figure out what is going wrong at this point. i really hope he is able to be productive - it's strange to see a junior regress like that.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I just don't see it as a regression. It's what you get out of a guy who's only playing 15-20 minutes a game instead of 30-35. He's the same guy he's been since his first year: great athleticism, but a disappointing dearth of mental toughness and BB IQ.

That said, I agree completely with having Olander and Roscoe manning the 4 spot. Most college lineups don't feature two true "bigs", i.e. guys who can't really play outside the paint on either end. TO and RS have a better chance of matching up defensively against a college 4 -- who translate to prototypical 3's in the NBA.

 

[johnhuskies95]

It's laughable to suggest a 21 year old kid has "regressed". Look at his per 40 numbers.

Also, he was far better than Tyler last night in pretty much all phases. He's the best post defender on the team, IMO.

If you're going to mention him giving up the layup, at least mention him getting back and blocking that layup during the 2 on 1 for Fairfield, an absolute critical play during the game.

 

[businesslawyer]

AO is a 5, not a 4. In addition to less minutes to make an impact, he's spending far more time outside of the paint and doing things he's not as good at.

How far we go this year will depend, in large part, on whether AO can be effective playing alongside Drummond, which means a lot more touches up high than down in the blocks.. It may be that he can't, he plays less as the season goes on and reestablishes himself next year. If he can, we'll be a better team for it.

 

[Palatine]

He missed his first three shots. His hook is a disaster, not even close.

He should be thinking rebounds and put backs. But he is spending a lot of time looking for his shot.

 

[babysheep]

He still has no jump shot (disappointing after watching him hit them all in practice before the season started) and his hooks have been way off. His handle is still bad so he is at best unreliable for putbacks (something AD has shined in so far). But we all know at the deepest level it's his confidence (lack thereof) that is causing a lot of these problems down low.

 

[Kitaman]

AO is a 5, not a 4. In addition to less minutes to make an impact, he's spending far more time outside of the paint and doing things he's not as good at.

How far we go this year will depend, in large part, on whether AO can be effective playing alongside Drummond, which means a lot more touches up high than down in the blocks.. It may be that he can't, he plays less as the season goes on and reestablishes himself next year. If he can, we'll be a better team for it.

I keep wondering why they are having a hard time playing together. TO seems to play well with AD (at least not getting in the way) but Alex is having troubles. Who can solve this?

Its clear that AO is the new 'whipping boy' and I don't think he's happy about that. JC is going out of his way to confront Alex after any mistake, its humiliating. Some players can take it and some can't.

 

[RuffRuff]

Let's not sugarcoat - the kids been brutal this season thus far. Between the tweeting, the atrocious body language(and it's atrocious), poor stats, it's been brutal. And I'll give up the stats if he stepped up as a leader given he's a junior. But he seems to be pouting more than anything. For such a talented team, if you're one upperclassmen is playing like he's a victim of poor circumstance, it's going to resonate and could waste a very talented roster. Someone needs to figure the kid out if these team is going to come together.

 

[UCHuskies08]

Let's not sugarcoat - the kids been brutal this season thus far. Between the tweeting, the atrocious body language(and it's atrocious), poor stats, it's been brutal. And I'll give up the stats if he stepped up as a leader given he's a junior. But he seems to be pouting more than anything. For such a talented team, if you're one upperclassmen is playing like he's a victim of poor circumstance, it's going to resonate and could waste a very talented roster. Someone needs to figure the kid out if these team is going to come together.

Oh, the melodrama.

I can't figure out what's more brutal, Alex's play this season, or this board's reaction to it.

Leading toward the latter.

 

[johnhuskies95]

It's all about expectations. People have high expectations for Alex and low expectations for Tyler. Despite the fact that Alex has been better than Tyler this year, people rag on him more than TO.

Also, can we please stop saying that Tyler plays better with Andre than Alex does? There is absolutely no tangible evidence to support that. In fact, I remember posts on here recently stating quite the opposite.

 

[Wolferowski]

It's laughable to suggest a 21 year old kid has "regressed". Look at his per 40 numbers.

Also, he was far better than Tyler last night in pretty much all phases. He's the best post defenr on the team, IMO.
If you're going to mention him giving up the layup, at least mention him getting back and blocking that layup during the 2 on 1 for Fairfield, an absolute critical play during the game.

Is this his sister?

 

[mauconnfan]

It's laughable to suggest a 21 year old kid has "regressed". Look at his per 40 numbers.

Also, he was far better than Tyler last night in pretty much all phases. He's the best post defender on the team, IMO.

If you're going to mention him giving up the layup, at least mention him getting back and blocking that layup during the 2 on 1 for Fairfield, an absolute critical play during the game.

If he is indeed our best post defender hear's to hoping we play many a team with weak offensive post players!! Yikes!! They all have a lot to learn - TO needs to move his feet and slide more as does AO and AD. AD makes up for it with his length and can block shots, the others need to just rebound better!

 

[RuffRuff]

This isn't about expectations, the fact the kid is a McD AA. It's about him being a lone upperclassmen on a team coming off an NC and losing it's leader. Someone has to step up into that role. And whereas the role is his there for the taking, he is taking the reverse route - at least as how it appears on the floor/game action. I'm not sure how it translates into the locker room - the tweets certainly don't say much. I'm not asking the kid to put up 12/10/night - just asking that the kid show some leadership out there and not act like a spoiled freshman.

 

[UCDaveD]

He misses Jamal Coombs-McDaniel.

 

[Huskybass]

I have to admit that AO's lack of productivity surprises me. AO was a key contributor on a National Championship team and now struggles to contribute against mediocre teams. I never would have guessed that AO would be struggling like this. Lets hope he asserts himself during the Blaney era.

 

[johnhuskies95]

This isn't about expectations, the fact the kid is a McD AA. It's about him being a lone upperclassmen on a team coming off an NC and losing it's leader. Someone has to step up into that role. And whereas the role is his there for the taking, he is taking the reverse route - at least as how it appears on the floor/game action. I'm not sure how it translates into the locker room - the tweets certainly don't say much. I'm not asking the kid to put up 12/10/night - just asking that the kid show some leadership out there and not act like a spoiled freshman.

None of us are on the team or on the coaching staff. Who the hell are we to question his leadership? We're not there everyday with the team. We don't know what happens behind closed doors.

Also judging by his tweets, he works very hard.

I'm not trying to blindly defend the kid, he should be producing more. But some people are being ridiculous.

 

[jibsey]

AO can make a 17 foot jump shot now and then but let's face it, he's a bricklayer when in close. When he's only a couple feet from the basket he looks like he's using lobster claws rather than hands. That said, we are going to need his toughness to win it this year and his performance will likely improve. I'm sure he's a bit steamed watching what Drummond with his natural athletic ability can do, but what to do?