Can everyone calm down?

[HuskyHawk]

The frustration stems from out issues that have been consistent and show little improvement. Lack of an offensive plan other than the random back door alley oop to Bouk. The hedging by the bigs that certainly shouldn’t be. The pointless idea that Sanogo and Whaley getting the ball at the top of the key doesn’t cause issues. And of course the consistent foul trouble. These are things that are fixable but just haven’t been even close to fixed.

This. This is what I mean when I talk about being inflexible. The hard hedge isn't working. It hasn't worked for three years. Even with Whaley, who executes it very well, it leaves the paint open far too often and leads to mismatches on switches. The handoff up top accomplishes nothing. I recall it working once or twice last year when Akok ran it, because the guard tossed it back to him for an open 3. It is wasted motion and draws an interior offensive threat and O-rebounder away from the basket.

I am sure Hurley is coaching them to execute these things differently than they do. But a great coach will change his approach to maximize the skills of his players and minimize their weaknesses. It feels like we are doing the opposite. It's why we all sense that this team could be better with those adjustments.

 

[jibsey]

My problem is they continue to have such bad stretches. If they want to compete in the Big East tourney and NCAA tourney they have to play complete games.

If you listened to the announcers at the end you would hear how dangerous we will be in the tourney. Should we make it. They forgot to say though that we would also be susceptible to a thrashing by a middle school team if we play like we did in the first half.

 

[upstater]

Very hard to judge the team's evolution at this point in the season when it's been a really difficult year with games/covid etc.

But I have readjusted expectations after seeing some dysfunction the last 2 games. It has more to do with player attitudes, we're just not likeminded out there. There's a disconnect between coaching staff and players, and this sometimes happens. Unfortunately. Happened to the best of them, Coach Calhoun, in '12. And before.

I just hate to see it. Almost more enjoyable to watch a team scrap and fight to a .500 record.

Even if the players lose confidence in the process & the concepts they're employing, they have to know that the outside world is watching and any deviation from the plan is going to get noticed by many others. It's going to hurt them unfortunately in more ways than one.

 

[imno1]

The hard hedge is part of our defensive scheme. We have the best defense in the league. I think the staff is doing a good job coaching defense

 

[CL82]

I think we had bad stretches under Jim Calhoun as well...

True, but Calhoun was a master in game adjustments and a master of taking the talent he had and putting them in a position to succeed. He also was a master of the sat nothing and just glare at your players time out, which was always a favorite of mine.

 

[CL82]

This. This is what I mean when I talk about being inflexible. The hard hedge isn't working. It hasn't worked for three years. Even with Whaley, who executes it very well, it leaves the paint open far too often and leads to mismatches on switches. The handoff up top accomplishes nothing. I recall it working once or twice last year when Akok ran it, because the guard tossed it back to him for an open 3. It is wasted motion and draws an interior offensive threat and O-rebounder away from the basket.

I am sure Hurley is coaching them to execute these things differently than they do. But a great coach will change his approach to maximize the skills of his players and minimize their weaknesses. It feels like we are doing the opposite. It's why we all sense that this team could be better with those adjustments.

It is disruptive, but like all disruptive tactics once you see it enough you adjust. I wouldn’t mind seeing us use it at the start of games and then selectively like a half court trap.

 

[Mike1984]

The timeout thing is infuriating, he still never seems to know when to call them and never uses all of them.

Do you people on here really think calling a timeout is the key to making shots fall, because if you do you’re all delusional. He can use all his timeouts in the first half but if players aren’t making shots, it’s not going to help. The timeout isn’t the key to better shooting.

 

[Greathusky]

I am happy with the win but unhappy with the performance.

I won't restate all the concerns listed in this thread but geez if I continue to see our centers hedging on defense at the top of the key and keep picking up stupid fouls by sticking out their hip into the quicker guards, I am going to have a sit down with our coach and give him a piece of my mind.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It is disruptive, but like all disruptive tactics once you see it enough you adjust. I wouldn’t mind seeing us use it at the start of games and then selectively like a half court trap.

Sure. I don't want to eliminate it. But we run it 100% of the time, without fail. So every single opponent game plans to exploit it. St. Johns killed us with penetration at the rim because they knew we'd chase their 5 out. Creighton did the same but with interior passes.

Running the same D all the time, no matter what it is, makes it easier on the offense. I feel like Dan needs an hour long sitdown with Bill Belichick.

 

[Deepster]

Answer: No, the same insane posters will make the same insane points

Correction: They'll make the same insane points after a loss. They usually crawl back under their rock after a win.

 

[87Xfer]

the in-game chat was particularly brutal/ridiculous last night.

 

[dtrumpet]

The hard hedge is part of our defensive scheme. We have the best defense in the league. I think the staff is doing a good job coaching defense

thats true but its very uneven. Whaley does it well, Sanogo usually reacts too slowly to getting back and Carlton is just too slow. But having said that, we haven't been burned by that as much as I thought we would. Until villanova and last night, teams haven't gotten the ball much to the open big guy under the hoop.

 

[superjohn]

Do you people on here really think calling a timeout is the key to making shots fall, because if you do you’re all delusional. He can use all his timeouts in the first half but if players aren’t making shots, it’s not going to help. The timeout isn’t the key to better shooting.

Who said anything about shooting?

Do you people really think momentum doesn't matter? Do you people think time and score doesn't matter? Do you people think set plays to stem the tide and to get your offense back on track don't matter? Do you people think coaches are given timeouts to bring home with them every game?

 

[ucp990411]

Sure buddy. I guarantee I’ve played and watched more basketball than you. But you go on thinking what you saw tonight was a clinic.

Ever coach?

 

[Jbirdp5]

Excruciating watching that first half last night. Don’t know how much of that is on hurley or how much is on his two best players not getting anything done.
was shocked by how passive bouk looked for 90% of the game. Doesn’t seem like he has confidence to break someone down off the dribble right now.

 

[KingAG]

the in-game chat was particularly brutal/ridiculous last night.

The first half was poorly coached and Bouk looked completely out of it. It was warranted

 

[coachn]

First half was hard to watch. Missed too many OPEN shots.
Looks like we are a work in progress.
Still say DEFENSE is the key. It takes work to play defense.
Think OF OUR NATY teams are how they changed the game with it.

 

[Kemba15]

The first half was poorly coached and Bouk looked completely out of it. It was warranted

It wasn't. Teams have bad stretches and we were down 1 at half on the road vs. a conference opponent. There's two halves in a game.

 

[KingAG]

It wasn't. Teams have bad stretches and we were down 1 at half on the road vs. a conference opponent. There's two halves in a game.

We'll just agree to disagree. We started off blistering hot, Hurley unnecessarily makes multiple changes to the lineup and we go on a drought. We ran no semblance of an offense and consistently turned the ball over with no timeout. Bouk was hard to watch in the first half, the whole team was. That's coaching. In the 2nd half outside of the first 5 minutes they were phenomenal. Both things can be and are true

 

[CTBballfan243]

The first half was poorly coached and Bouk looked completely out of it. It was warranted

The first half was poorly played!!!!! That's on the players.

 

[CL82]

The first half was poorly played!!!!! That's on the players.

Agree!! Frankly, I’m not sure why we have coaches anyway. The players are the ones who make the baskets.

 

[Improviser]

Agree!! Frankly, I’m not sure why we have coaches anyway. The players are the ones who make the baskets.

We have coaches to call timeouts when the players are not making the baskets.

That is the basic reason for coaches.

 

[CL82]

We have coaches to call timeouts when the players are not making the baskets.

That is the basic reason for coaches.

Really? Because I felt like it was more than that. The other hand, I’ve learned in this thread they have very little to do during a game. I’m surprise more don’t use the time for a mani pedi.

 

[Improviser]

Really? Because I felt like it was more than that. The other hand, I’ve learned in this thread they have very little to do during a game. I’m surprise more don’t use the time for a mani pedi.

Lighten up.

 

[CL82]

Lighten up.

Fix your sarcasm meter.

 

[kemba]

I don't know why anyone is complaining about not using all his timeouts when we won by 13. You hope to save timeouts to use in a close game in the last minutes if you need them. If the game doesn't end up being close you don't need to end up using them.

If it turned out that he used more of his timeouts early and then we didn't have them to call in a close game in the last minute all these same people would be saying he wasted them and should have relied on media timeouts more.

 

[Improviser]

Fix your sarcasm meter.

Of course, there is more to coaching. Sorry you did not see it as humor, but saw it as my minimizing the role of a coach. As a taxpayer in this state, I would hope we would get more from a coach, and we are getting a lot more.

If I have such a meter, this is pretty low on the meter for me, but I will be careful going forward.

However, thank you for using the term mani pedi in your comment, which seriously I had not really known much about so I looked it up on YouTube and this widely used procedure seems fraught with peril absent safety precautions.

Hopefully, female members of anyone's family need to be careful.

 

[uconngb]

Who said anything about shooting?

Do you people really think momentum doesn't matter? Do you people think time and score doesn't matter? Do you people think set plays to stem the tide and to get your offense back on track don't matter? Do you people think coaches are given timeouts to bring home with them every game?

Yes. They think the coach is not responsible for anything. It’s all about the players on the floor and what they do or don’t do. “The coach doesn’t miss shots”. “The coach doesn’t drop the ball”.

these are some of the most idiotic posts in the history of the Boneyard.

 

[Ratso]

 

[RayRay]

I gotta say, after watching Seton Hall drop two in a row @ Gtown and @ butler, and then seeing Xavier struggle on the road @ providence, and seeing Marquette annihilate UNC on the road, it makes me feel a whole lot better about our team, particularly with how we’ve played on the road. All this Hurley bashing and bashing our guys needs to stop. We have a lot to be proud of this season, especially going 8 games without Bouk and picking up wins against these tough big east teams, on the road too! UConn is 100% a tournament team, and can make a run, especially once these guys all gel going into the BET. Watch out for UConn in March!