Borges: Sanogo could see "limited minutes"; AJax calf issue; Diggins unlikely to see the floor

[8893]

Sanogo participated almost fully in practice on Monday and could see “limited minutes” against Marquette.

Hurley added that sophomore forward Andre Jackson was limited in practice on Monday due to a calf issue, and Tyrese Martin took a fall on the left wrist that sidelined him for four games before his return on Saturday against Providence. Hurley said Martin will likely play with the same cast he wore on Saturday for most of, if not the entire season. The team hopes to make the cast more comfortable for him, “because it is a little bit cumbersome,” the coach noted.

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The struggles of Polley, a graduate player, and junior Jalen Gaffney, among others, has led a good portion of UConn fandom to call for more playing time for freshmen like Samson Johnson and Rahsool Diggins.

Don’t expect to see much of those players — at least Diggins — on Tuesday night.

“Listen, we need our older guys to play better,” Hurley said. “Freshmen aren’t ready to play and make so many mistakes that you won’t lose a one-possession game, you’ll lose by double figures. Yeah, the older guys are struggling with shooting and defending at the level we want, but these are our guys that we need to come through for us. Obviously, if you continue to struggle, then you’ll see new players. But, the substitutions and minutes are probably the easiest part of my job.”


“You win with older players,” Hurley continued. “We love the young guys, we think those guys are gonna be really, really good players. I think this is a game that Samson has a chance to play in, because it’s gonna be more athletic, more up-and-down. It’s not gonna be a halfcourt, physical rock fight like these last couple of teams.”

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I hope Hurley's prediction about the pace of the game is correct; it will be interesting to see if Shaka tries to slow it down instead after seeing how badly we struggle in half-court sets.

 

[Kathy]

Not what I hoped to read. If they are considering leaving the cast on all season then this may be an injury that will need further attention at the season's end, unless something happens in the meantime.
What is a 'calf issue'?

 

[XLCenterFan]

UConn at Marquette: Time, TV and what you need to know

Dan Hurley is expecting havoc on Tuesday night from Marquette, a team that likes to up...

www.nhregister.com

Adama Sanogo could return as UConn faces tough road test at Marquette

UConn is looking to avoid its first 0-2 Big East start since 1989-90 on Tuesday night and...

www.nhregister.com

I hope Hurley's prediction about the pace of the game is correct; it will be interesting to see if Shaka tries to slow it down instead after seeing how badly we struggle in half-court sets.

Same here. I just hammered the under - 142.5.

 

[navery12]

Love hearing every one of those comments from Hurley. Maybe it'll finally quiet some of the concerns from people on this board since they're getting their wish

 

[Huskybass]

The reluctance to play Diggins who can handle the ball well is concerning. A few minutes here and there to help him acclimate and keep him engaged would really help down the line. Very disappointed in Hurley's "offense" and roster management. Scoring 53 at home against Providence should be a wakeup call, but I doubt anything will change. Hurley is who he is, and I don't see him changing.

 

[Exodus]

I’d be amazed if Diggins made more mistakes than Gaffney. But looks like we’ll never know.

 

[CL82]

Smart that UConn doesn’t test asymptomatic players.

 

[8893]

Love hearing every one of those comments from Hurley. Maybe it'll finally quiet some of the concerns from people on this board since they're getting their wish

What wish?

 

[CL82]

I’d be amazed if Diggins made more mistakes than Gaffney. But looks like we’ll never know.

We do know that Gaffney burns something like 10 seconds off of every possession in non-productive dribbling in place. A lot of our shooting woes are due to people checking up the ball as the shot clock is winding down. He’s not in significant portion of that is due to Gaffney burning clock and letting the defense settle into position because he’s not swinging the ball.

 

[navery12]

What wish?

Playing at a faster pace, changes coming to the rotation if players continue to underperform, more minutes for Samson Johnson

 

[dogpause]

How can a freshman make any more mistakes, and give the ball away more than some of our more experienced players have been doing? And how can experienced players struggle on defense except from simply not being good enough?

 

[8893]

Playing at a faster pace, changes coming to the rotation if players continue to underperform, more minutes for Samson Johnson

The faster pace is Hurley’s wish, no?

I don’t read his other comments as suggesting that the rotation will be changing materially anytime soon, and certainly not tonight, except that Johnson may see some minutes if the pace allows.

 

[CL82]

The faster pace is Hurley’s wish, no?

I don’t read his other comments as suggesting that the rotation will be changing materially anytime soon, and certainly not tonight, except that Johnson may see some minutes if the pace allows.

He does hint that are upper classmen need to perform or they will be replaced. I’m not sure if that means they are actually on the clock, or if he is just play keeping the fan base.

 

[navery12]

The faster pace is Hurley’s wish, no?

I don’t read his other comments as suggesting that the rotation will be changing materially anytime soon, and certainly not tonight, except that Johnson may see some minutes if the pace allows.

Have you and this entire board (including me) not been saying all season UConn needs to play at a faster pace because our best offense is in transition?

And he specifically says that if the upperclassmen don't start performing changes are coming. Maybe he's lying, but it's at least in the back of his mind

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Same here. I just hammered the under - 142.5.

Since I can't bet on UConn, put some more in the under for me. I'm good for it.

 

[8893]

Have you and this entire board (including me) not been saying all season UConn needs to play at a faster pace because our best offense is in transition?

And he specifically says that if the upperclassmen don't start performing changes are coming. Maybe he's lying, but it's at least in the back of his mind

Yes as to the transition, because that’s supposed to be the strength of this team. Your comments made it sound fan-driven though, and seemed to ignore that Hurley is the one who put together this team with that premise. That’s what the fan expectations are based on.

I don’t think he’s lying about the upperclassmen needing to perform, but I also didn’t get the sense that any big changes are coming tonight.

 

[navery12]

Yes as to the transition, because that’s supposed to be the strength of this team. Your comments made it sound fan-driven though, and seemed to ignore that Hurley is the one who put together this team with that premise. That’s what the fan expectations are based on.

I don’t think he’s lying about the upperclassmen needing to perform, but I also didn’t get the sense that any big changes are coming tonight.

Don't know what I said that made it seem fan driven, all I said was fans have been wishing for us to play faster and Hurley said he expects us to play faster tonight. So they're getting their wish, obviously I know Hurley is deciding the pace we play at and not the fans

 

[Waquoit]

Maybe he's lying, but it's at least in the back of his mind

Now Hurley's a liar?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yes as to the transition, because that’s supposed to be the strength of this team. Your comments made it sound fan-driven though, and seemed to ignore that Hurley is the one who put together this team with that premise. That’s what the fan expectations are based on.

I don’t think he’s lying about the upperclassmen needing to perform, but I also didn’t get the sense that any big changes are coming tonight.

If he wants to run, then he has to focus on defensive rebounding. That means very little Polley at the 3 and none at the 4. Gaff is actually better in transition, he’s relatively fast and can score at the rim. It’s half court where he bogs down and dribbles left and right.

Let’s see what they do. Sanogo will help but isn’t a cure. The team has to want it. For all the talk of Diggins, it’s Johnson who I think should have played more. He’s a big target and rim protector.

 

[navery12]

Now Hurley's a liar?

I don't think so, but about half of the board seems to think everything he says is a lie and he'll never actually put a freshman in the rotation

 

[ucp990411]

I’d be amazed if Diggins made more mistakes than Gaffney. But looks like we’ll never know.

Would that be possible?

 

[auror]

Would that be possible?

Yes.

 

[Rico444]

Have you and this entire board (including me) not been saying all season UConn needs to play at a faster pace because our best offense is in transition?

And he specifically says that if the upperclassmen don't start performing changes are coming. Maybe he's lying, but it's at least in the back of his mind

At the same time, he trashed his freshman, saying we'll lose by double digits if they play more. He could have gotten his point across a little more tactfully.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Anyone else read the last sentence of that first paragraph; "But, the substitutions and minutes are probably the easiest part of my job.” to indicate that the reason substitutions are the easiest part of his job b/c they are predetermined, he doesn't do significant adjustments on the fly or in-game changes which is easy versus taking a more challenging & productive harder route.
Not saying there are no changes whatsoever, but seems like he closely follows a pre-game map - possibly to avoid over-reactions and we are left with decidedly under-reactions.

 

[Captbluefin]

His fascination with older guys will be his demise.

 

[pj]

Playing at a faster pace, changes coming to the rotation if players continue to underperform, more minutes for Samson Johnson

That's the optimistic read. The pessimistic read is: Hurley is letting opponents dictate pace (Providence slow, Marquette fast); changes are not coming to the rotation yet; no more minutes for Diggins.

 

[UCONNRPh]

I’d be amazed if Diggins made more mistakes than Gaffney. But looks like we’ll never know.

I just have fear that he will leave for PT

 

[CL82]

I don’t think he’s lying about the upperclassmen needing to perform

I agree.

 

[Huskybass]

I just have fear that he will leave for PT

Who could blame him? He has played a total of 38 minutes against the Cupcakes, each of whom UConn beat by at least 24 points, and in some cases by over 50 points. If you can't find at least 10 mpg for Diggins in those blowouts, you aren't using your opportunities to develop your younger guys. Anyone who is being remotely objective has to see that.

 

[tykurez]

I don’t think he’s lying about the upperclassmen needing to perform, but I also didn’t get the sense that any big changes are coming tonight.

It really begs the question of when - how many duds are we allowing these guys to play through?

I think the most frustrating thing with the younger guys was the reluctance to even play them during the cupcake schedule. That was a prime opportunity to get them some in-game experience and it’s lost now.