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

[Waquoit]

His fascination with older guys will be his demise.

Like how not running guys off was going to be his demise?

 

[DrZzzz]

Jackson has a calf issue? Calf = Achilles. Not good.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Coming into a player's freshman season, the 4-star recruit has to generally earn their PT while 5 -stars are expected to take right over. By earning their PT it is almost always by contributing on both sides of the ball (or at least by being so strong on one that their liabilities on the other can be tolerated). We have a bunch of 4-stars and while they aren't taking right over we'd expect them to do so by the end of their freshman seasons and in some cases not until they're sophomores. I trust the coaching staff, who sees these freshman everyday in practice, has a far better line of sight than everyone on this board. For anyone here to second guess the situation, you're simply armchair quarterbacking. I'll be patient and see what happens in the next few weeks/months.

 

[imno1]

Jackson has a calf issue? Calf = Achilles. Not good.

Most times no It doesn’t. Your username has DR In it. I’m sure you took anatomy

 

[UConnSean]

We have seen the worst versions of them offensively in a Husky uniform. However, both defensively have been OK to pretty good (Polley OK, Gaffney pretty good by Defensive rating). Hurley has stated defense determines how much play you get.

I am optimistic the shots will start falling for Polley and that Gaffney will regain some form offensively once Adama returns.

We aren't there in practice so I'm just going off of what Hurley tells the press.

We have no idea what is going on in practice! I think this DH quote from after the Xavier loss down in Charleston applies to all the 'coaches' on the BY ... "you don’t even know what you’re watching. You flip on a game, you watch 30 games a year and you watch the NBA, you don’t know shi* about what we do. You don’t know a thing about it. Not a thing.”

 

[BlueMAB]

Most times no It doesn’t. Your username has DR In it. I’m sure you took anatomy

Thigh issue equals knee issue. They’re connected right?

Next time someone gets a deep tissue bruise I hope the BY docs don’t diagnose a torn ACL.

 

[Vancat]

Is there anything in that article regarding the difficulty of adjusting to Shaka Smart with hair?!?!?

My reaction also

 

[bendm]

Bouk only got his time when Polley got hurt.

Even so that argument can now only be used to excuse Digg and Samson’s performance or lack thereof. However, Hurley’s statement that we’d have lost these 3 games by even more if they had played moots the point for me. They simply aren’t living up to expectations as top 50 and 75 recruits.

More significantly, gaff, aj, and Akok have gotten plenty of PT over their careers and have collectively been disappointing as well.

As a reclass redshirt ranked around the top 150 I give springs a pass but Floyd has the same pedigree which makes me worry about him too.

 

[dennismenace]

We have no idea what is going on in practice! I think this DH quote from after the Xavier loss down in Charleston applies to all the 'coaches' on the BY ... "you don’t even know what you’re watching. You flip on a game, you watch 30 games a year and you watch the NBA, you don’t know shi* about what we do. You don’t know a thing about it. Not a thing.”

Who did he address those remarks to?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Jackson has a calf issue? Calf = Achilles. Not good.

turn in ur license. active ballers learn to deal with the sometimes common, and phenotype dependent, little tears that can happen in the gastrocs.
if so, pro tip: stick a big foam wedge in the heel of the shoe for that leg. it shortens the drop. duh.
here, have a pic.

if that's the issue, which it often is. if he needs rest, rest him.
or, given the smarmy and dehydrating clime at the last game, he too could have suffered a hard calf cramp, which even after straightening out, could leave him sore for a few days.
those hurt like a mug. let's just hope for the best.

 

[pj]

I find it frustrating that bouk and adama are the only 2 of Hurley’s recruits that have outperformed their high school rankings. Hawk has the next best chance but No one else has even come close.

Andre Jackson is on track for it. #53 recruit would be expected to be undrafted (with international players that's about #80-90 to the NBA), he looks like an NBA draft pick.

 

[Kolumbo]

 

[UConnDad]

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.

Plus dribbling with his back to the basket. Can’t even see an open teammate. It’s such an invitation to jump his weak side but I guess why bother

 

[Fatroony5]

We have no idea what is going on in practice! I think this DH quote from after the Xavier loss down in Charleston applies to all the 'coaches' on the BY ... "you don’t even know what you’re watching. You flip on a game, you watch 30 games a year and you watch the NBA, you don’t know shi* about what we do. You don’t know a thing about it. Not a thing.”

I remember these remarks, it was after Gilbert had an awful game and people were asking him to play AG less minutes. We may not be watching practice but you can know what’s going on in the games. Plenty of people on this board have or currently coach and understand the sets and defensive philosophy that he instills.

You can be a huge supporter of Hurley while also criticizing some of the moves he’s made. They aren’t mutually exclusive. I’m very much in the camp of: very happy to have Hurley, he’s done a great job of elevating the program, but he isn’t perfect. I mean people question Bill freakin Belichick. It’s okay to question some of the things Hurley does while fully supporting him and being happy he’s the coach.

 

[auror]

@Hungryhusky99 addressed what forced DH's hand regarding Bouknight, and if I recall Sanogo only after he expressed serious discontent with his role (plus the wailing from fans).

Bouk missed the first 3 games for suspension and then played 25 minutes right away in his 2nd game ever. He averaged more minutes after the injury to Polley, but he was seeing rotational minutes right away from day 1 and his minutes were already increasing before the Polley injury gave him the start (he had earned 20+ minutes in 5 straight games before the injury). He got 33 minutes in Polley's first missed game, then back down to the 20-30 minutes he'd been averaging again for 3 more games, before getting pretty consistently 30+ minutes to close out the season. It was more a progression than a dramatic shift due solely to the Polley injury.

Sanogo was in the starting lineup by game #3. He wasn't in condition to play many more minutes than what he was playing, and was in a 3-man center rotiation with 2 other seniors (Carlton, Whaley). It's unreasonable to expect much more. He had a very slight uptick in minutes after the St Johns game, but it wasn't a dramatic shift at all (from 10-20 minutes to 15-25 minutes).

 

[bendm]

Andre Jackson is on track for it….he looks like an NBA draft pick.

As a wing that can’t shoot? I’m skeptical he could even hit the backboard from nba 3 pt range

 

[Chief00]

It’s becoming increasingly apparent on both ends, if Bouknight’s draft timing was better managed, everyone would be better off.
Unfortunately for James he doesn’t get a re-do and if the staff was more proactive about giving him sound advice rather than worrying how that might be perceived - Would it have made a difference?
At any rate, Cole would have been the third offensive option, Polley wouldn’t be going 1-7 from 3pt and we would have been a very special team.

 

[husky429]

They simply aren’t living up to expectations as top 50 and 75 recruits.

I think in general we need to temper expectations for players in that 40-70 range that we recruited in this class. There are always going to be some guys that exceed expectations like Bouk or Sanogo, but the reality is most of the recruits in that range that go to top-25 teams aren't getting big minutes. Having 1 in 3 freshman players getting substantial minutes seems about right.

I'm not gonna do it for every position... but these are the minutes for the 25-50 ranked centers in 2021 I compiled a month ago when someone claimed Clingan will get minutes. Team rankings from Torvik.

#29 Enoch Boakye - 12 MPG (#122 ranked team)
#32 Efton Reid - 21 MPG (#10 ranked team)
#33 Charles Bediako - 18 MPG (#11 ranked team)
#47 Jonas Aidoo - 2 MPG (#18 ranked team) (5 games played)
#52 Kaden Perry - 6 MPG (#1 ranked team) (7 games played)

That being said, I do think we should have played the freshman more vs cupcakes. There's no data from practice that outdoes gameday IMO. I want to see them get minutes... but there are a bunch of things more concerning about our team to me than freshman minute allocation.

 

[NJHusky]

If Polley and Gilbert continue to struggle, he will make moves. But he's going to stick with who he thinks are his best and most experienced players until they demonstrate conclusively to him that they're worse than a raw freshman. He's not as reactive as the Boneyard (which makes sense, he sees a bigger sample of their play), but he does make changes.

What frustrates me, and maybe others, is that he doesn't even try something, even briefly...If a player is having a bad game...shooting 1/8, whats the harm in putting in someone else for a few minutes and see if it sparks something. Or try a diff D or diff offensive approach for a few possessions. If it doesn't work go back to the original plan.

Someone said it earlier....being stubborn can be a good or bad thing depending on how it's managed.

 

[NJHusky]

I think in general we need to temper expectations for players in that 40-70 range that we recruited in this class. There are always going to be some guys that exceed expectations like Bouk or Sanogo, but the reality is most of the recruits in that range that go to top-25 teams aren't getting big minutes. Having 1 in 3 freshman players getting substantial minutes seems about right.

I'm not gonna do it for every position... but these are the minutes for the 25-50 ranked centers in 2021 I compiled a month ago when someone claimed Clingan will get minutes. Team rankings from Torvik.

#29 Enoch Boakye - 12 MPG (#122 ranked team)
#32 Efton Reid - 21 MPG (#10 ranked team)
#33 Charles Bediako - 18 MPG (#11 ranked team)
#47 Jonas Aidoo - 2 MPG (#18 ranked team) (5 games played)
#52 Kaden Perry - 6 MPG (#1 ranked team) (7 games played)

That being said, I do think we should have played the freshman more vs cupcakes. There's no data from practice that outdoes gameday IMO. I want to see them get minutes... but there are a bunch of things more concerning about our team to me than freshman minute allocation.

Thx...interesting data....could you imagine if Hurley coached Iverson...he'd never play

 

[Storrs South]

I think folks here also have this inflated sense for how impactful freshmen typically are for a team. Outside 5 stars, top 25 territory, the general expectation is minimal impact as a freshman. You will find exceptions, but they are exceptions, not the rule.

Hawkins has been averaging 17 minutes as the #51 recruit in the country according to 247. Let's take a look at the 10 recruits ranked in front of him:

#40 Jonas Aidoo: 2.6 minutes per game, 5 games
#41 Langston Love: 2 minutes per game, 1 game
#42 Kowacie Reeves: 8.8 minutes per game, 6 games
#43 Jalen Warley: 18 minutes per game
#44 Trey Kaufman: Redshirt / ACL tear
#45 Josh Minott: 9 minutes per game, 10 games
#46 Kobe Bufkin: 10 minutes per game, 8 games
#47 Frankie Collins: 13 minutes per game, 9 games
#48 Daron Holmes: 25 minutes per game
#49 Arthur Kaluma: 24 minutes per game
#50 Zach Clemence: 3 minutes per game

So Hawkins minutes are towards the top of the grouping of recruits of similar pedigree so he is getting more exposure than most here. Now let's look at Diggins and Samson getting mostly DNPs appearing in 5 and 7 games and about 8 minutes in games they do appear in game. Both were ranked in in the late 50s (56 and 59 nationally) so let's keep going:

#52 Daeshun Ruffin: played in only 3 games this season due to injury
#53 Jaden Akins: played in every game (11)
#54 Jordan Logino: played in only 6 games, 8 minutes per game
#55 Justice Williams: reclassed to 2022, 0 games played
#57 Kaden Perry: appeared in 7 games, 7 minutes per game
#58 Will McClendon: redshirt, ACL tear
#60 Julian Reese: played in every game, 17 minutes per game

I have bolded those getting the same run as Diggins and Samson. So to summarize the above. Hawkins is ahead of his peers, Johnson is getting about the average burn for a recruit in this area, and Diggins less than average. Sounds about right. As @husky429 said, I think folks here are expecting too much from recruits in the 40-70 range. These players are typically not instant impact, they can be but that isn't the expectation.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Most times no It doesn’t. Your username has DR In it. I’m sure you took anatomy

From their username, likely slept through class.

 

[Kenny11]

His fascination with older guys will be his demise.

Yeah. High school rankings are pretty damn accurate at least when it comes to talent level. For example, Diggins is a more talented player than Gaffney. He should have already been given a chance. Now it may be too late

 

[Sonova]

I think folks here also have this inflated sense for how impactful freshmen typically are for a team. Outside 5 stars, top 25 territory, the general expectation is minimal impact as a freshman. You will find exceptions, but they are exceptions, not the rule.

Hawkins has been averaging 17 minutes as the #51 recruit in the country according to 247. Let's take a look at the 10 recruits ranked in front of him:

#40 Jonas Aidoo: 2.6 minutes per game, 5 games
#41 Langston Love: 2 minutes per game, 1 game
#42 Kowacie Reeves: 8.8 minutes per game, 6 games
#43 Jalen Warley: 18 minutes per game
#44 Trey Kaufman: Redshirt / ACL tear
#45 Josh Minott: 9 minutes per game, 10 games
#46 Kobe Bufkin: 10 minutes per game, 8 games
#47 Frankie Collins: 13 minutes per game, 9 games
#48 Daron Holmes: 25 minutes per game
#49 Arthur Kaluma: 24 minutes per game
#50 Zach Clemence: 3 minutes per game

So Hawkins minutes are towards the top of the grouping of recruits of similar pedigree so he is getting more exposure than most here. Now let's look at Diggins and Samson getting mostly DNPs appearing in 5 and 7 games and about 8 minutes in games they do appear in game. Both were ranked in in the late 50s (56 and 59 nationally) so let's keep going:

#52 Daeshun Ruffin: played in only 3 games this season due to injury
#53 Jaden Akins: played in every game (11)
#54 Jordan Logino: played in only 6 games, 8 minutes per game
#55 Justice Williams: reclassed to 2022, 0 games played
#57 Kaden Perry: appeared in 7 games, 7 minutes per game
#58 Will McClendon: redshirt, ACL tear
#60 Julian Reese: played in every game, 17 minutes per game

I have bolded those getting the same run as Diggins and Samson. So to summarize the above. Hawkins is ahead of his peers, Johnson is getting about the average burn for a recruit in this area, and Diggins less than average. Sounds about right. As @husky429 said, I think folks here are expecting too much from recruits in the 40-70 range. These players are typically not instant impact, they can be but that isn't the expectation.

I’ll accept your point re: freshman but then why didn’t we bring in a transfer or a juco or anyone who could give us depth at point guard? We had a PG problem last year. And we were going to have a point guard problem this year if Diggins’ PT was likely to be limited. That’s the issue that falls on DH. You can’t have it both ways - limiting freshmen and not solving for that limitation.

 

[BGesus4]

I mean we all saw Johnson in that WV game right? He’s got a ton of potential but it was pretty obvious that playing more minutes over any of the bigs in our rotation is not going to help us win games right now. Hawkins does things that both help us and hurt us. Diggins we don’t have as much insight on but for a team that has been plagued by not being able to hit enough shots, it’s hard to see how he fixes that.

Obviously the more we can give them a chance to develop the better, but if you’re looking for something that could’ve been done to win the games we lost, playing the freshman more is not on the list. If you want to argue playing them more now will help us in March, that could very well be true but realize it’ll be at the expense of performance in the near term.

If you think “it can’t be worse than Gaffney” or “it can’t be worse than Akok” you need to get a grip. It can be a whole lot worse—in terms of bad turnovers, missed assignments, bad fouls, bad box outs, etc. Rewatch the WV game and you’ll see what a very talented freshman who’s not ready to help a team win looks like.