BC Post Game Thread | Page 10 | The Boneyard

BC Post Game Thread

My first immediate thoughts was how aggressive and locked-in the defense looked and related to that, I thought Mullins looked more than ready to be an all-around stud this year. Huge fan of his defensive grit and all-around motor. Epitomizes “Blue Collar Blue Blood”.

Also, really liked Malachi Smith’s play. Shocked we got a guy that good to be our backup guard. Freakin’ bulldog.
 
The Ross/Stewart separation will be an interesting dynamic to watch. I agree with you here. In this lineup, Ross brings something to the team that Stew doesn't, perimeter defense. Not sure what Stew compliments this roster with other than just being depth.
Stu can light it up, has and shows great promise, needs consistency. Keep his head in the game.
 
Demary 15 / Smith 25
Ball 25 / Demary 15
Mullins 25 / Ball 5 / Stew 5 / Ross 5
Karaban 30 / Stew 10
Reed 30 / Reibe 10

30: Demary / Ball / Karaban / Reed
25: Smith / Mullins
15: Stew
10: Reibe
5: Ross

Whoever gets more PT between Ross and Stew could come down to game by game situations. Don’t think one necessarily will carve out a bigger role as the season progresses.
Ross might be used to shut down a hot opposing player; he did that against BC very well and relishes that roll. His offense needs to finish but I love his hops. He plays long and might produce 10 points a game if he can finish better.
 
What, you mean like a game against Florida where we generally out played them in every facet of the game but went 8-29 from 3 and lost?

Teams that jack a ton of threes for a living end up being soft. There is no imposition of will.
I agree 100% if this continues it would be a bad sign. As many people have pointed out-including myself, having our main ball distributor as well as our force in the paint out of the game changed how it went down.
I expect to see a much more well rounded team when at full strength.
 
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I also have to believe that Malachi can attack the rim better than he showed last night. He had a couple of blow-by's that made his defender look silly. Given scrimmage=glorified practice,, I have to think he was holding back to have the offense work on sets.
I’m finally watched the replay. Smith was the player I was most impressed by. The team was too quick to jack up threes, which removed a lot of opportunities for smith to drive. On a cold shooting night I wish they would atleast run 10 seconds of sets and consider driving the ball and drawing fouls before continuing to jack up threes.

I was also impressed with Reibe. He has good hands and has no problems catching the ball and passing. A lot of young big players struggle with those things and turn ball over. He also looks like a much better defensive rebounder than Samson. Last year team struggled to clear defensive rebounds.
 
I’m finally watched the replay. Smith was the player I was most impressed by. The team was too quick to jack up threes, which removed a lot of opportunities for smith to drive. On a cold shooting night I wish they would atleast run 10 seconds of sets and consider driving the ball and drawing fouls before continuing to jack up threes.

I was also impressed with Reibe. He has good hands and has no problems catching the ball and passing. A lot of young big players struggle with those things and turn ball over. He also looks like a much better defensive rebounder than Samson. Last year team struggled to clear defensive rebounds.
Same here - Smith really stood out as a piece that is going to be a major difference maker. Someone said it, but looks like a stronger/better Hassan. Once he gets a feel for the system, he's going to rocket ship.

I also felt good about Reibe - liked what he brought out there and think 12-15 minutes will be a perfect way for him to get up to speed. Work in progress, but a lot of solid fundamentals and he's inevitably going to get stronger.
 
I was wondering the same thing, but also can’t think of any arena or place in Springfield for an event like this. Not sure if one exists (or if there is one at MGM). HuskyHawk’s link seems to give the best explanation- a partnership

The Mass Mutal Center, previously known as Springfield Civic Center, has a seating capacity 8,318 for concerts, 7,331 for Basketball and 6,793 for Ice hockey.
 
The Mass Mutal Center, previously known as Springfield Civic Center, has a seating capacity 8,318 for concerts, 7,331 for Basketball and 6,793 for Ice hockey.
I was going to ask about that venue. I haven't been to Springfield in forever so I was wondering if it was still there. Do they have any professional sports tenants?
 
I was going to ask about that venue. I haven't been to Springfield in forever so I was wondering if it was still there. Do they have any professional sports tenants?

The Springfield Thunderbirds are an AHL franchise that plays in the same division as the Hartford Wolfpack.


As a side note. One of my summer jobs when I attended UConn was as a security guard. For a few weeks, I was assigned graveyard shift at the under construction Springfield Civic Center parking garage. I did an exception job as there were never any security problems at the under construction parking garage.
 
“Whatever the situation is when Silas is back, Malachi can play with Silas in the backcourt,” Hurley said. “Malachi, whether he is a starter or whether he comes off the bench, based on what direction we go, I think he is going to be a major factor. He is going to be playing starter-like minutes. The guy plays with a lot of energy."


The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:
UConn has three new point guards on its roster. Here's what Dan Hurley expects from the position.
 
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Very thorough breakdown of Mullins and Reibe here. One thing to remember, Mullins only played 16 minutes so for limited time he showed a lot...


Threw this somewhere else, but if you want an appreciative breakdown of the little things he does really well, you'll get it in this pod.
 
Threw this somewhere else, but if you want an appreciative breakdown of the little things he does really well, you'll get it in this pod.
Yeah you posted it last night in this thread. See post #271. I kept cringing every time he said Reebie. But I know I care too much about this stuff.
 
I think Hand got an and one against him. Tough shot, bumped Ross twice and got the foul. But yes, Ross was otherwise excellent at slowing him down.
Rewatched the game. The play you’re referring to was a foul on Stewart.
 
Greg has been pumping Malachi as a starter all pre-season. I can't say I disagree with some of this. I'm expecting to see a lot more Demary/Smith in the backcourt this season.

 
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Greg has been pumping Malachi as a starter all pre-season. I can't say I disagree with some of this. I'm expecting to see a lot more Demary/Smith in the backcourt this season.


Malachi isn't going to start when we're healthy. Greg is pretty clueless.
 
Greg has been pumping Malachi as a starter all pre-season. I can't say I disagree with some of this. I'm expecting to see a lot more Demary/Smith in the backcourt this season.


Makes a compelling thought - starting Malachi

But Hurley making comments like that is also a challenge for Silas to show out and for Braylon and Solo to show out because so far Malachi as a potential starter is the only real comment we've had about the backcourt starters.
 
Makes a compelling thought - starting Malachi

But Hurley making comments like that is also a challenge for Silas to show out and for Braylon and Solo to show out because so far Malachi as a potential starter is the only real comment we've had about the backcourt starters.
This is Hurley challenging players on this roster to play defense.

I don't work in absolutes, think Hurley isn't going to deal with a bad defensive team, and will do what it takes to win this year.
 
Agreed.

  • Solo - needs to be more than one-dimensional. Defensive improvement would be huge for him personally and the team.
  • Braylon - I give him a Mulligan for freshman jitters, first game and all, but I like what I saw - his shooting stroke is like water over pebbles - smooth and calming. And his defense is already thought to be B+ so improvement there, less hand checking fouls, and that's all he has to do to improve.
  • Silas - Here I think it's psychological now - calling Malachi a potential starter - but show us the D, the playmaking, and the scoring, no doubt he starts.
 

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