Chief’s Briefs - CCSU Edition

[navery12]

I might've missed it - did he take any jumpers last night?

Not last night from what I remember. There's been some videos posted from practice of him taking 3's/FT line extended jumpers though. I don't think it's a shot either should take consistently, but I think both can hit enough for the defense to have to respect the shot

 

[HuskyHawk]

And I think again you are under estimating his individual and team defensive value by stating his points and rebounds.

Specifically with how Hurley likes to play defense I think he is going to be very hard to take Whaley off the floor.

He and Sanogo both had 17 minutes so maybe not that hard.

 

[gtcam]

My observations:
1. I am hoping that Gaff didn't fall into the JC issue of putting on bulk and in turn altering his foot movement and overall speed. He was beaten on D so bad yesterday - something that didn't happen to him last season. He looked noticeably slower to me.
2. This team cries for a leader - CV and AG are gone and they were the leaders. Was hoping Bouk would start the transition over the summer but it doesn't appear to have evolved - maybe RJ can step in
3, RJ looked good with his shooting from the 3 but I expected more from him overall - the passing and D got better in the 2nd half but it was CCSU. I hope he can handle the NBE guards that are much bigger and more physical .
4. Sanogo is a true diamond in the rough. The kid is going to be a good one
5. I agreed with the announcer that said Adams doesn't get much love from the refs. He was the only Husky who came to play his game - where he shines and makes mental errors within the span of minutes. I like his spunk
6. I thought JC could have scored a lot vs CCSU - it was his type of game vs a smaller foe - I think his psyche
might be a bit low now that he is looking at being #3 option.
7. While he needs time to come back fully from his injury, Polley looked like he did earlier last season. He does look bigger and can be a real weapon if he plays physically - I want to see him be at his best.
8. Looking forward to seeing Martin
9. I'm not worried at all with AJ - man that kid has hops - he is the type that plays a bit reckless and he will learn that in top D1 hoops he needs to harness that energy into productive use - he will be fine

 

[mussels]

BREAKING NEWS: Team who missed 14 of their first 19 practices of a season struggled defensively in the first 20 minutes of their first game.

So, after being understandably rusty due to the layoff, after only 14 and a half minutes of basketball they suddenly remembered how to play, and went on a 15 to 3 run. Do I understand your position correctly ? (or would you concede it to be lack of intensity/ a slow start)

 

[nashusky109]

Does anyone know if they’ll keep this camera view the whole season for home games? I love seeing coaches and bench reactions and was bummed that we didn’t get to see that yesterday

 

[KembaStepback]

Does anyone know if they’ll keep this camera view the whole season for home games? I love seeing coaches and bench reactions and was bummed that we didn’t get to see that yesterday

I THINK it was due to them needed multiple rows for the bench due to COVID. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[KembaStepback]

Javonte is a big dude but hes gonna have to get his hands right. He couldn't catch an entry pass.

Cole to me hit some nice shots but quietly put up a bunch of points. Ill take it.

I like Gaffney. He did get beat on D a bit but a lot of guys did.

Jackson is gonna be fun to watch.

 

[Ts5034]

I THINK it was due to them needed multiple rows for the bench due to COVID. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, and having multiple rows for the bench on the side they usually are would interfere with the big sponsors covering the seats.

 

[Chief00]

My observations:
1. I am hoping that Gaff didn't fall into the JC issue of putting on bulk and in turn altering his foot movement and overall speed. He was beaten on D so bad yesterday - something that didn't happen to him last season. He looked noticeably slower to me.
2. This team cries for a leader - CV and AG are gone and they were the leaders. Was hoping Bouk would start the transition over the summer but it doesn't appear to have evolved - maybe RJ can step in
3, RJ looked good with his shooting from the 3 but I expected more from him overall - the passing and D got better in the 2nd half but it was CCSU. I hope he can handle the NBE guards that are much bigger and more physical .
4. Sanogo is a true diamond in the rough. The kid is going to be a good one
5. I agreed with the announcer that said Adams doesn't get much love from the refs. He was the only Husky who came to play his game - where he shines and makes mental errors within the span of minutes. I like his spunk
6. I thought JC could have scored a lot vs CCSU - it was his type of game vs a smaller foe - I think his psyche
might be a bit low now that he is looking at being #3 option.
7. While he needs time to come back fully from his injury, Polley looked like he did earlier last season. He does look bigger and can be a real weapon if he plays physically - I want to see him be at his best.
8. Looking forward to seeing Martin
9. I'm not worried at all with AJ - man that kid has hops - he is the type that plays a bit reckless and he will learn that in top D1 hoops he needs to harness that energy into productive use - he will be fine

Interesting points. I actually thought Gaffney looked fairly athletic on offense and I remember any number of others getting beat on defense. I will keep an eye open on Gaffney’s defense on Friday night. Sometimes Chief’s eye test misses something.
One thing I will say without giving it context, we don’t know who tested positive, since that would involve protected health information. Therefore, we don’t know what role that may have played in playing time. Nor do I want to know.

 

[Report Card]

First Coo-coo take of the season. Couldn't disagree with you more. To start, what speed last year are you referring to? The kid was scrawny and SLOW due to a lingering ankle injury.
Gaffney's transformation has him looking and playing like he belonged out there. And I thought his defense was better than the rest of his teammates'. He made a block yesterday that last year, was only a dream for the kid. To compare him to JC's transformation?! Bonkers
I thought he played a great/complete game and will be a very key piece to this team; in my humble expert opinion.

My observations:
1. I am hoping that Gaff didn't fall into the JC issue of putting on bulk and in turn altering his foot movement and overall speed. He was beaten on D so bad yesterday - something that didn't happen to him last season. He looked noticeably slower to me.

 

[Chief00]

Javonte is a big dude but hes gonna have to get his hands right. He couldn't catch an entry pass.

Cole to me hit some nice shots but quietly put up a bunch of points. Ill take it.

I like Gaffney. He did get beat on D a bit but a lot of guys did.

Jackson is gonna be fun to watch.

I mostly agree. The strong but soft hands of Sanago stood in contrast to Brown struggling with receiving the ball. When a guy posts he has a responsibility of establishing a target. Sanogo did that well Brown less so. Then the actual catch itself. Sanogo just vacuums up the ball into his hands, while Brown fumbled and bobbled the ball. Brown is very young and he has grown very tall. It’s entirely fair to give his body some time to catch up to all that growth.

 

[UconnU]

We’ve seen Bouk do that 4 point play attempt in transition a number of times now. It’s a genius move, to step back into the trail defender to get him to foul you on a three in transition.

 

[Ewekon]

Generally agree with your observations. Gaffney is well thought of by the staff and displays improved athleticism recovered from his injury, which gave some well meaning casual fans the wrong impression. With AJ it’s all about improving his shot, he has the rest of the package and as I have said, he is an old school student of the game despite being a high flyer. With James, the only thing in the next dozen years that will keep him off the court is what he does off the court. No real on court concerns and I do like him as a person.

2nd time you have alluded to James' off court "behavior"

What's up Chief?

 

[The Funster]

Sanogo may not play 3 years with us. Good feet, soft hands and has a pro body already.

Cole is going to be fun to watch.

We've got great depth.

I expect to see better D tonite.

chief nails it for game 1

 

[Chief00]

One thing Chief should add is 19 of our 43 rebounds were offensive. That’s a very impressive mindset to attack the glass. I know the competition was relatively weak, but still it’s an indicator of being much better in that area.
I do agree with a couple of posters, that against a better team a leader needs to emerge? Perhaps, the coaches can influence somewhat, but that’s really up to the players.

 

[Umami Zen]

One thing Chief should add is 19 of our 43 rebounds were offensive. That’s a very impressive mindset to attack the glass. I know the competition was relatively weak, but still it’s an indicator of being much better in that area.
I do agree with a couple of posters, that against a better team a leader needs to emerge? Perhaps, the coaches can influence somewhat, but that’s really up to the players.

Agree with you.. As an example of a team we're familiar with.. Nova and their shooters really put teams away with second chance opportunities off of offensive rebounds..

 

[businesslawyer]

Took a while for Chief’s new Briefs to get filled up, but it was worth the wait. They were great to see — and I can imagine it felt wonderful for Chief to unload in them.

Were you holding that in all offseason?

 

[David 76]

Chief recognizes I was downplaying Sanogo’s upside in the widely popular Briefs

But the question is, will you leave office peacefully?

 

[Husky25]

Mmm, 14 day layoff might have had a bit to do that. What was the final score?

Team D was nowhere near it needs to be. A Hurley coached team with this talent shouldn't allow CCSU to score in 70s and shoot 50%, even considering a 14 day lay off.

 

[Umami Zen]

Team D was nowhere near it needs to be. A Hurley coached team with this talent shouldn't allow CCSU to score in 70s and shoot 50%, even considering a 14 day lay off.

Matador D the first half.. More intensity in second half.. Maybe something was said at halftime..LOL

 

[Chief00]

Thank you for participating in the popular Chief’s Briefs discussion. As I always say, the OP is just the starting point and it takes off successfully from there due to your valuable input. With the next game inside of 4 hours, Chief figures I would close up this Edition and look forward to the next one.

 

[freescooter]

Like UConn, your first few statements were a bit rusty. Like UConn, once you settled in, you finished strong. Seriously though, there was a lot to like about last night. For one, it seems that every returning player put in the work over this long period and got better. Bouknight is the real deal. Everything about his game and the way he moves on the court screams next level. I really liked what I saw from Gaffney as well. Thought he looked much improved. Cole looked every bit the seasoned vet that I expected and is in a perfect role that fits both his skill and our needs. Polley's shot looked smooth. Whaley looked energized. Still think we will need more of Carlton as year goes on. B Adams' game looked really fluid and should help off the bench. Overall, just a really strong night where most guys needed time to shake off the rust. The two freshmen stood out and both seem to have very high ceilings. Loved what I saw from Sanogo on both ends. He has really soft hands, a strong motor on both ends, and disruptive on the boards. I am enamored by AJ and his game. His upside may be as high as Bouknights. I think it will take a few weeks for him to adjust to this level, but once he does watch out. My guess, is by Feb and March, we may be talking about AJ as 1b to Bouk's 1a. This kid will be a stud. Overall, it was a solid night. Nothing spectacular but a lot of positives to take from it. I am also sure there was enough on the tape for Coach to ride them hard today at practice.

Can we calm down about the great talent. Central Connecticut plays in the NEC a league that alternates with the MEAC as the weakest in D1. And are projected to finish 10 in an 11 team league. We played a team that can just barely be considered D1. Probably would have trouble with a top D2 opponent And they shot 50% from the floor and hung with us for 20 minutes.

I think wewill be a tourney team this year assuming nothing strange like we miss 5/6 games due to COVID 19. But I’m not willing to schedule a parade based on a victory over a pretty awful Central Connecticut team. We play this way against Villanova and we’re the ones getting beaten by 25. For whatever reason Hurley’s teams don’t seem to understand that the college game is 40 minutes and the first 20 count. That has been a huge disappointment with his tenure so far. I thought they had started to overcome it late last year but it happened again last night. If it continues it will be a higher problem.

 

[freescooter]

BREAKING NEWS: Team who missed 14 of their first 19 practices of a season struggled defensively in the first 20 minutes of their first game.

It was against one of the worst teams in D1, not 2004 UConn. They played a team that would have a tough time with a top 25 D2 program.

 

[DMIL]

I mostly agree. The strong but soft hands of Sanago stood in contrast to Brown struggling with receiving the ball. When a guy posts he has a responsibility of establishing a target. Sanogo did that well Brown less so. Then the actual catch itself. Sanogo just vacuums up the ball into his hands, while Brown fumbled and bobbled the ball. Brown is very young and he has grown very tall. It’s entirely fair to give his body some time to catch up to all that growth.

Agree with your assessment here. Sanago's talent jump off of the screen and it is really enjoyable to see. We've gotten to a place where talent was taken for granted. That is no more the case. When you see it and have it appreciate it while we can. It's been a long time coming to see a UCONN Men's team that is deep and full of potential. You can see the head room for this team. The hope is that they will be able to pull it all together and based on the personnel along with their shared experiences I don't see why they will not. There was just too much unfinished business from last season with the injuries. The defense will come along and the crazy thing is that they weren't even at full strength. It also feels very nice not to see the division on this board from the past few years and nice we can come back together and dissect a talented UCONN team brewing with all kind of possibilities. They have the look of a real squad, the eye test. It's something we haven't seen since 2015 or so. Solid balance of talent on this team with more on the way for 2021. Hurley has the machine humming right now.

 

[ctkaiser]

Chief, from what I saw you should give Sanogo more credit than just being a big body. We have not had a big guy since Oriakhi who could:
- get off the floor that fast and then go right back up again
- grab every rebound near him
- consistently hit the baby jump hook
- play the low post with the awareness he did once he got comfortable

This young man is already better than Carlton. That to me was obvious. I think we saw glimpses of the best low post big man we have had in a decade, something we have sorely, sorely missed.

That in and of itself is very, VERY exciting!

8 points, 7 boards, 1 block (he actually deserves credit for at least 1 more) AND only 2 fouls in 17 minutes? Now that is the type of low post production we have longed for.

Just keep Carlton away from him.

 

[ctkaiser]

That was CCSU. They look fairly decent for their level, but Big East they ain’t. What strikes me most about UConn is the quality of depth, versatility, speed and strength. When a three year mostly starter sees few minutes and a supposedly key player is unavailable, it’s pretty easy to be optimistic. We need a few games against better teams to get a clear picture. But getting the game back and just in time for a less than ideal Thanksgiving is totally welcomed.

It was only two years ago uconn was struggling to beat Maine and Umass Lowell so I'll take this win as one to grow on.