Chief’s Briefs - DePaul Edition

[Colin G]

We talk a lot about "double bigs" on the yard, and it should be used more frequently, especially recently with Andre's struggles. I think we should go to it more, and use Andre distributing from the high post. When he lurks on the perimeter we're essentially playing 4 on 5 when the ball isn't in his hands. If defenses are going to completely leave him alone, make it more difficult by putting him in the high post more. Play Andre as a true point forward, the position he thrives in anyway. Rotate in Clingan for double bigs. It worked wonders even if Adama didn't pass to him once, makes it much harder to double either of them. Playing with clingan also masks some of sanogos struggles defensively as a 5. Just need to do everything possible to keep Clingan in the paint.

 

[Chief00]

Clingan needs to play 15+ minutes going forward. The only way to accomplish is to reduce Sanogos minutes or go double bigs. So, double bigs it is. Clingan affects the game in ways that don't show up on the scoreboard. Last night for instance, Adama had a real good game. He had 25 points in 26 minutes. He had 9 boards and 1 block. His plus minus was a plus 5. Clingan scored 5 points had 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in 19 minutes. He had a good game. His +/- was a plus 14! UConn plays better when he is on the court even if he is not scoring. Bottom line we need more Clingan on the court by any means possible.

Good analyzes, you are exactly right.

 

[mauconnfan]

The bigs looked decent together but it’s obvious they haven’t practiced much of this together. No way 1-3-1 ever with 2 bigs or even just Clingan it’s just not a good zone for this team. Actually I don’t think they’ve practiced much of any zone until of late, they don’t look really efficient at any time.

I do like that creativity is sneaking into our coaches thought process just a bit more.

Reality is DePaul was very careless with the ball last night, they didn’t play well. The fact we let them back in the game somewhat even is still scary. This one should’ve been 30, but we’ll take it. Let’s see what’s next.

 

[coachn]

On the double big Clingan got shut out on offense as Sonogo and others didn't look for him. Couldn't believe how open he was and didn't get the ball. Heartbreaking. Basketball is supposed to be an unselfish team game. Its about time they realized it's about the team winning. Coach H it's about time you put a stop to this.

 

[jdb50]

I hope we see the double big lineup against St Johns.

 

[Woodson]

On the double big Clingan got shut out on offense as Sonogo and others didn't look for him. Couldn't believe how open he was and didn't get the ball. Heartbreaking. Basketball is supposed to be an unselfish team game. Its about time they realized it's about the team winning. Coach H it's about time you put a stop to this.

I don’t know about heartbreaking. Saw a couple nice looks he couldn’t handle

 

[Spaceman213J]

Hawkins is becoming or has become the offensive alpha this team hasn't had since Bouknight. That can be extremely freeing for the other players because their roles can become more defined and makes preparing a bit easier.
Newton again shows he can be effective if refs let him move and make defenses move with him instead of grabbing him and Hawkins before they can get going. There was actually 'freedom of movement' in this game with out guards.
Like others have said, Clingan needs to be on the floor more. If he and Adama are not in foul trouble, I'd like to see him even getting closer to 20 minutes if Hurley continues to role with the double big at times.
Until he figures it out, Jackson can not be the post feeder right now. It's an easy quick double team because the defender isn't pressing him with his lack of shooting.
Hopefully Johnson can get some more minutes and be effective. Karaban needs to be on the floor. He does a little bit of everything. Must be fun to play with him and Jackson who both pass and are unselfish.
Finally, people want to talk about the dunk, but that block by Hawk. He hustled, and it wasn't a straight line. He had to manuever around players to get back and block that shot. Still a work in progress defensively, but he and Karaban are getting better by the game at the defensive end.

Hope refs continue to call the grabs on Newton and Hawk and let them drive the ball.

 

[Scottobot]

Watched the double big part of the game again. Hurley decided to sub Clingan for Andre Jackson after DePaul cut the lead to 6 with more than 10 minutes to go. While Clingan waiting to check in Newton made a 4 pt play to extend lead to 10. DePaul countered with a 3 after Clingan check in, but then over 5 minutes with the double big lineup in place UConn extended the lead to 14 with 4:30 left and the game was over.

Up until the double big stabilization this game looked very similar to the Seton Hall collapse. I hope Hurley notices this. With the wheels falling of the wagon, that group brought calm, sealed the deal, and. Got job done.

 

[Chief00]

I didn't see what you saw on D. Sanogo was super active in that 1-3-1 zone because DC could cover the rim. The "heavy lifting" was not the rim protection. Adama was all over the place expending a ton of energy. My takeaway was...wow, he probably can guard NBA 4s. He's quicker and more agile than we give him credit for. On offense, absolutely DC was a decoy. It makes sense, Sanogo normally gets doubled by a 5 and somebody else. DC kept the attention of the 5, and Sanogo just mauled the 4 for layups a couple of times in a row. It was a mismatch and we exploited it. It wasn't personal or a slight by Sanogo, it's just what made sense. I really hope we learned something from that. Sometimes the "two bigs clog the lane" notion is a myth. The reality is that two bigs occupy two bigs, so your bigs are going to be one on one, but yes, one needs to get out of the lane.

Side note on what @JustbrewitMan posted on +/-. Teams are adjusting to Clingan. He's still an imposing shot blocker, but instead of taking a smaller Big and trying to score from the paint against him, they are running quicker guys right at him, and all too often he fouls them. He's going to need to get better moving his feet instead of relying on his reach. It's an adjustment he will make to the way they are attacking him now. Freshman stuff indeed. Teams are playing Karaban differently now too, he's rarely getting those wide open looks, and teams are attacking him inside.

I agree, Adama has quick feet for a guy his size. Too often we have seen him with the unfair dual responsibility of high hedging a guard 23 feet from the basket and then running back to protect the rim since the next tallest guy is 6-5. That’s often where his fouls come from and how he’s inheritedly out of position because he’s caught in between.

With Clingan back protecting the rim, that eliminates the guaranteed to fail task. Adama then can focus on the missed shot rebound rather than the initial rim stop.

 

[yungdowork]

Watched the double big part of the game again. Hurley decided to sub Clingan for Andre Jackson after DePaul cut the lead to 6 with more than 10 minutes to go. While Clingan waiting to check in Newton made a 4 pt play to extend lead to 10. DePaul countered with a 3 after Clingan check in, but then over 5 minutes with the double big lineup in place UConn extended the lead to 14 with 4:30 left and the game was over.

Up until the double big stabilization this game looked very similar to the Seton Hall collapse. I hope Hurley notices this. With the wheels falling of the wagon, that group brought calm, sealed the deal, and. Got job done.

To me, this may be the most useful part of the double big. It will slow the game down. I think there will be many times and matchups when it is too congested on offense, and defensively I think teams will still be able to get good perimeter looks which has killed us recently. But I think it could be a good tool for us to use for a change of pace to buy us some time to get our feet back underneath us in those moments where the wheels are falling off.

 

[Chief00]

Watched the double big part of the game again. Hurley decided to sub Clingan for Andre Jackson after DePaul cut the lead to 6 with more than 10 minutes to go. While Clingan waiting to check in Newton made a 4 pt play to extend lead to 10. DePaul countered with a 3 after Clingan check in, but then over 5 minutes with the double big lineup in place UConn extended the lead to 14 with 4:30 left and the game was over.

Up until the double big stabilization this game looked very similar to the Seton Hall collapse. I hope Hurley notices this. With the wheels falling of the wagon, that group brought calm, sealed the deal, and. Got job done.

Thanks for breaking down the film. Very good insights and generally consistent with my initial eye test with added details and evidence.

 

[Chief00]

On the double big Clingan got shut out on offense as Sonogo and others didn't look for him. Couldn't believe how open he was and didn't get the ball. Heartbreaking. Basketball is supposed to be an unselfish team game. Its about time they realized it's about the team winning. Coach H it's about time you put a stop to this.

First, you got to get the right guys on the court - and this is some belated but baby steps in that direction. Now let’s practice that scheme. So many great possibilities for great shots and rim stopping penetration that has hurt us.
To surprise of many beloved Casual Fans, 3’s haven’t beaten us, but penetration has.

 

[Hurleyman216]

The double big lineup was +4 in that game, still not enough time to tell if it should be played more. The one thing it does clearly do is leave Sanogo in 1 on 1 situations which he took full advantage of. It also lets us keep Clingan on the floor who is our best defender. I don’t hate the double big lineup, but there are a lot of smaller/quicker teams in the BE that we just won’t be able to use it against.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The double big lineup was +4 in that game, still not enough time to tell if it should be played more. The one thing it does clearly do is leave Sanogo in 1 on 1 situations which he took full advantage of. It also lets us keep Clingan on the floor who is our best defender. I don’t hate the double big lineup, but there are a lot of smaller/quicker teams in the BE that we just won’t be able to use it against.

I don't think he's our best defender, or even close to it. He has one particular skill in protecting the paint, but is not good if he has to guard outside. Where the double big can work is that we've frequently seen Karaban overpowered at the 4. This solves that, if the 5 isn't someone DC has to chase. I think we will mostly stay in zone whenever we run it to mitigate that. It would allow Sanogo to go out on Kalk or Nunge etc. while DC covers the paint. I'm sure Dan hates it, but honestly it's the best way to use Donovan against bigs that he can't otherwise guard.

 

[ucp990411]

First, you got to get the right guys on the court - and this is some belated but baby steps in that direction. Now let’s practice that scheme. So many great possibilities for great shots and rim stopping penetration that has hurt us.
To surprise of many beloved Casual Fans, 3’s haven’t beaten us, but penetration has.

I agree Chief. Dribble penetration and poor interior defense has killed us. Brings us to the 4 and 5 being manned mainly by AS, DC and SJ. Karaban’s natural position and future position at the next level is the 3. Let him split his time at the 4 and 3.

 

[mauconnfan]

I don't think he's our best defender, or even close to it. He has one particular skill in protecting the paint, but is not good if he has to guard outside. Where the double big can work is that we've frequently seen Karaban overpowered at the 4. This solves that, if the 5 isn't someone DC has to chase. I think we will mostly stay in zone whenever we run it to mitigate that. It would allow Sanogo to go out on Kalk or Nunge etc. while DC covers the paint. I'm sure Dan hates it, but honestly it's the best way to use Donovan against bigs that he can't otherwise guard.

He is not our best defender, actually not sure who is at this point. He still has so much to learn in moving his feet and not just standing there is no doubt there's a lot to improve on. But he is our most impactful defensive player and that is not deniable. When he's not blocking shots he's changing the shot often and they turn into misses. We have no one else that does that and hence the lay up lines when he isn't in the line up. He still misses and is slow on occasion to help but he overall does impact the aggressiveness of the other team getting to the hole often.

 

[August_West]

Yes! The Double Big, which was delayed due to the coaching Covid period but given time to practice in a week off got rolled out tonight. It helped us late tonight, but we need more. Tough to get second shots against this combo. Not enought but a step in the right direction.

Sanogo, Hawkins and Newton led our offense but otherwise we had a grand total of 1 three. These three shot nearly 60% and almost 90% from the line. Sanogo was dominant offensively. Scored with ease. Along with Hawkins our big two combined for 50 points.

Give Tristen Newton credit that 3 and 1 he made with 9:30 left was huge.

Despite a 20 point lead careless turnovers, allowing second shots and sloppy fouls, allowed DePaul back in the game. Give Johnson credit, he made shots tonight. Jackson played good defense and rebounded but 5 turnovers are unacceptable. He looks down court well and made some passes passes well in that context. But on other passes he tried for degree of difficulty rather than simple efficiency.

Suggest we start practicing regularly with an official. I recognize Danny may think that takes away from our aggressiveness in practice - / but we have lots of sloppy type fouls to clean up.

Double big is stupid. It’s a novelty and a look. I’m ok with seeing it at limited times, but watch the DePaul game double big deployment , on offensive end Sanogo is waving off Clingan to clear out, (he scored a hoop out of it but does anyone want Adama waving for clear outs from the key so he can go bounce? ) and this blew my mind : Hurley called defense to the 1-3-1 with the double big on a trip or two. Never! 2-3 ok . Man ? Let’s see what happens. It would be marginally better. We didn’t get stops we got misses.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He is not our best defender, actually not sure who is at this point. He still has so much to learn in moving his feet and not just standing there is no doubt there's a lot to improve on. But he is our most impactful defensive player and that is not deniable. When he's not blocking shots he's changing the shot often and they turn into misses. We have no one else that does that and hence the lay up lines when he isn't in the line up. He still misses and is slow on occasion to help but he overall does impact the aggressiveness of the other team getting to the hole often.

Sure, he's absolutely impactful. Part of that isn't him, it's the scheme they run when he's in and the situations where he plays. He's certainly an imposing force in the paint, but he's awful trying to guard anybody on the perimeter. So he is on the bench when that's what is called for. The parade to the rim isn't because Sanogo can't guard the rim, it's because he's often outside guarding on the perimeter in those situations, having to recover back to the rim. The hedge mitigated that, disrupting the ball carrier and buying time to get back.

I think Hurley realizes it now. If you're going to send Sanogo out on bigs who can shoot, he has to hedge to cut off the ball handler, and someone else has to guard the P&R with Sanogo's man. It's what we've run for several years. Clingan isn't asked to go out there, so somebody else has to guard his man while he's inside. The team has really, really struggled to adjust to these two different defensive approaches, and I think Hurley's answer has been the 1-3-1 more often when Clingan is in. Can probably stick with man tomorrow, since Wahab isn't a threat to shoot.

Diarra is probably our best man defender, but there's no Ricky Moore or Lyman DePriest on this team. I hoped Jackson would be, but it hasn't happened.

 

[mauconnfan]

Sure, he's absolutely impactful. Part of that isn't him, it's the scheme they run when he's in and the situations where he plays. He's certainly an imposing force in the paint, but he's awful trying to guard anybody on the perimeter. So he is on the bench when that's what is called for. The parade to the rim isn't because Sanogo can't guard the rim, it's because he's often outside guarding on the perimeter in those situations, having to recover back to the rim. The hedge mitigated that, disrupting the ball carrier and buying time to get back.

I think Hurley realizes it now. If you're going to send Sanogo out on bigs who can shoot, he has to hedge to cut off the ball handler, and someone else has to guard the P&R with Sanogo's man. It's what we've run for several years. Clingan isn't asked to go out there, so somebody else has to guard his man while he's inside. The team has really, really struggled to adjust to these two different defensive approaches, and I think Hurley's answer has been the 1-3-1 more often when Clingan is in. Can probably stick with man tomorrow, since Wahab isn't a threat to shoot.

Diarra is probably our best man defender, but there's no Ricky Moore or Lyman DePriest on this team. I hoped Jackson would be, but it hasn't happened.

Well truth be told if Clingan is around 3 years later like Sanogo he will be better than Sanogo even at 7'2" because AS hasn't improved at all guarding anyone either. He kills us just as much as DC would guarding people with absolutely no hope of a recovering block. His ability to help, well it's gone backwards. Not sure if they told him to quit heloing due to foul trouble but it's been that of a blind matador. Honestly none of our bigs can guard on the perimeter an that does hurt, but then again none of our guards keep people out of the lane either. I though Hawk had a nice defensive game the other night worked extremely hard to keep his guy in front of him. Would love for him to get consistent!!

We have sucked in the man after looking like we could stop anyone early on, strange!

 

[REB1094]

On the double big Clingan got shut out on offense as Sonogo and others didn't look for him. Couldn't believe how open he was and didn't get the ball. Heartbreaking. Basketball is supposed to be an unselfish team game. Its about time they realized it's about the team winning. Coach H it's about time you put a stop to this.

I can't complain about Sanogo's 2 great moves out of the mid post when they had the double big. First he told Clingan to get out of the way and then hit a mean spin layup. Second time he pump faked and drove to the hoop for a lefty baby hook. Being in the mid post helps open the floor for him and avoid doubles since he's facing up instead of backing down

That said, there were a few times where Sanogo got the ball in the mid post and Clingan had a great seal on his guy who was fronting him. With a 6'9 passer and a 7'2 catcher, that play can be a free dunk every time if Clingan gets the right position and Sanogo makes the pass

I don't know about heartbreaking, but definitely an opportunity to review in film and encourage Sanogo to pass for the dunk instead of making his own move. But again, if Sanogo is scoring out of that set then no harm done

UConn has 398 assists this year on 634 FGM, so 62.7% baskets are assisted. In our 6 losses, it's 93-150 (62.0%). I don't know what a "good" benchmark for that ratio is, but other good BE teams:

• Xavier: 478 assists on 713 FGM (67.0%)
• Marquette: 42 assists on 705 FGM (59.6%)
• Providence: 337 assists on 637 FGM (52.9%)
• Creighton: 353 assists on 623 FGM (56.7%)

The issue isn't selfishness, it has been really poor defense and a very predictable offense. I think the key to the offense isn't double big, it's Hawkins and Newton playing like they've been playing. The ability to take the ball and just get a bucket or get to the line opens things up for everyone. Double big is valuable and adds another dimension to the team that other coaches don't have a scout for and don't have the personnel for. I think we can use it more, but the guard play is what takes this offense to the next level