Chief’s Briefs - Iona Edition

[Chief00]

Polley goes after every board near him with one tentative arm. He needs to go up with both hands and be more aggressive.

Amazing shooting performance, though!

And his dad was an NFL linebacker. I agree it’s more a mentality and technique usage than a lack of physical capability.

 

[Chief00]

Spot on regarding Hurley getting his message across, Chief. The Huskies are playing team ball that we haven't seen in years. Take a look at the 18 assists on 30 baskets. And this team looks like they really like each other: the play when Carlton got knocked down near the baseline, Akok rushes to help him up only to slip on a wet spot and fall himself...Carlton reaches out and grabs him so he doesn't hit the floor hard, smiles, helps him up, and taps him on the head.

Hey, don't look now, but Polley is now 17 for 40 from the arc, 42.5%. I know he's a starter, but can you say Rashad Anderson?

Vital, I love and hate him at the same time. He hustles, is a great rebounder for a guard, good anticipation as he was 4th in the nation in steals entering this game...but he makes 3-4 plays a game which cause you to yell at the TV. The end of the first half was a prime example. I could just tell when he took the inbounds pass with 12 seconds to go that he wasn't going to give the ball up, and it ended in a horrible 24-ft shot. He's good, he could be better.

UConn had 19 offensive rebounds tonight. We haven't had that kind of work on the boards in a long, long time.

Offensive rebounding, assists and a 3 point assassin are a winning formula.

 

[Ukonnfan]

Well done Chief. ..Poorest officiating I’ve seen this year In the Uconn mens game. it’s a tough job I know, I hope they (officials) watch film and learn from this one.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I was glad to see Polly slash to the rim twice. I hope it's the beginning of expanding his game.
Alterique perfect except for 2 long jumpers he took early (he made both).
Another thing I was glad to see was the guards picking up at half court.
Iona had good quick guards and our guys were 2 feet off at mid court.
Looked like a return to the Bazz/Boat defense.
Carlton dominated, but against smaller lighter player. Hope it was a learning experience for him. Still finishes too low for 6'11" and 260. Seemed to like a reverse spin shot last night. I'd rather see him go strong and get fouled.

Not a fan of hockey line changes.
Going to stay on Bouk for fouls - 14 minutes 3 fouls.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Offensive rebounding, assists and a 3 point assassin are a winning formula.

Add in the traditional trio of defensive stops, limited turnovers, and made free throws, and we could be "special."

 

[Chief00]

Add in the traditional trio of defensive stops, limited turnovers, and made free throws, and we could be "special."

Indeed, AG is down to 1 turnover in each of the last two games and Chief expects that trend to continue. As a PG he needs to get his FT % into at least the low 80’s% range. Josh has work to do as well on the FT line. In theory, they will be the two guys that get fouled the most.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not a fan of hockey line changes.

This is getting more comments than it deserves. He did not pull his starters and put his five subs in at once to give the starters a break. He always works them in one or two at a time. He pulled the five guys on the court -- happened to be his second unit -- because they sucked and didn't seem like they particularly cared. I don't understand this theory that it was a "hockey line change" as if it was a planned tactic. He pulled everyone on the floor for sucking. Not the first coach to do that and not the last. And here, the five of them fully deserved it.

 

[nomar]

Yeah maybe UConn could have done a better job scheduling but come on, that game should have been sold out. This team is resurgent and fun to watch. It was pathetic that there were so many empty seats there.

 

[Caronimo]

Propelled by Vital, UConn got out to a strong start but the second team allowed 9 straight points. Chief has never been a fan of two platoon basketball, rather I am a fan of positional rotations, so you don’t lose continuity. Having said that, while Adams and Bouknight have gotten the good press this year, tonight the first team dominated.

Vital and Gilbert have really upgraded their recent play. Better shot selection, less turnovers and extending their defense. I thought this was their best combined game this season, until Vital did some hero ball plays late in the second half.

Josh dominated Agee in the post but Whaley got abused by Agee. Size matters. Chief loves the low post position Josh got tonight. He is such a more effective player when he starts 3-4 feet out vs. 6-10. It appears Hurley’s comment after the last game about finishing at the rim was heard by Josh.

The starting line-up opened both half’s strong, when they do that it really gives this team a great chance to win.

Coaching matters, Chief is seeing improvement. I liked Gilbert’s 10 assists/1 turnover tonight and Josh crashing the boards. Next is both improving their foul shooting. Chief also feels Danny addressed the offensive puzzle against the zone tonight. A few plays ended with Akok taking the baseline for a lob pass. Finally, good halftime adjustments on Crawford and Agee with an assist to Agee’s ankle. They did very little the second half.

Polley shot well the second half and the unselfish play and good ball movement was good to see. Guys are starting to see everyone does better individually when the team plays like that. Bouknight knows how to finish around the hoop. That dunk attempt was ill advised considering the defenders position but what an aggressive statement he made.
Update:
- Josh 3-6 and AG 1-3 need to work on their foul shooting.
- Starters AG, Tyler Phommachanh and CV were a combined 8 of 15 from 3.
- Attendance was only 5,909. Opponent, Gampel mid week game for season ticket holders and exams starting for students. From a business perspective, now that we are winning, we know the variables that drive home attendance. We need to do a MUCH BETTER job of scheduling using favorable teams, dates and locations. Unless a marque opponent, let’s not go up against the NFL. Same fan demographic. We are getting buried in too much debt not to be a lot smarter about this.
- Upgrade the WiFi and cellular capabilities at both locations. It’s an embarrassment and the students/millennials won’t go somewhere consistently where this stuff doesn’t work well. We need to get with the times.

Great takes Chief. Hopefully the BE move will help some of the scheduling issues. On to Indiana baby. Let’s show them who owns the garden.

 

[Chief00]

Great takes Chief. Hopefully the BE move will help some of the scheduling issues. On to Indiana baby. Let’s show them who owns the garden.

Thanks - UConn just has to be more analytical and data driven about what works and doesn’t work. We can argue if people should let these factors impact their attendance but the numbers say they do. You don’t win in business by saying the customer is wrong - even when they are. You need to find a win/win set of variables and circumstances.

 

[Chief00]

Great takes Chief. Hopefully the BE move will help some of the scheduling issues. On to Indiana baby. Let’s show them who owns the garden.

Chief is going to MSG. Looking forward to it.

 

[Chief00]

This is getting more comments than it deserves. He did not pull his starters and put his five subs in at once to give the starters a break. He always works them in one or two at a time. He pulled the five guys on the court -- happened to be his second unit -- because they sucked and didn't seem like they particularly cared. I don't understand this theory that it was a "hockey line change" as if it was a planned tactic. He pulled everyone on the floor for sucking. Not the first coach to do that and not the last. And here, the five of them fully deserved it.

I will defer to the hockey fans. In the neighborhood Chief grew up in, hockey was a foreign sport.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

I will defer to the hockey fans. In the neighborhood Chief grew up in, hockey was a foreign sport.

Well it’s more a metaphor than anything. In hockey a “line change” typically consists of three guys at a time. Defense and offense aren’t always on the same shift schedule.

 

[J187Money]

Feels a bit like the ghost of Rashad Anderson has come home.

I hope so - but those are legendary shoes to fill

 

[J187Money]

Yeah maybe UConn could have done a better job scheduling but come on, that game should have been sold out. This team is resurgent and fun to watch. It was pathetic that there were so many empty seats there.

Some of the empty seats are sold. Getting to Gampel midweek is difficult for many people - and for some reason it is still difficult to even give the tickets away if you can't go.

 

[UconnU]

Our main issue seems to be later in the 1st half. Hurley has enough pieces to fix this issue. IMO, We need to shorten the rotation a little bit. Gaffney probably needs to be removed from the rotation until he can defend and provide some sort of production offensively.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I will defer to the hockey fans. In the neighborhood Chief grew up in, hockey was a foreign sport.

So we know you're not Canadian.
Another clue.

 

[Waquoit]

He pulled everyone on the floor for sucking. Not the first coach to do that and not the last. And here, the five of them fully deserved it.

What about the fact that the replacements sucked worse? The starters come in and get outscored 9-1 over the next 4 minutes. The offense was more Ollieball than team ball, missing 6 in a row after the switch. These leaders had a real chance to lead here and they took a pass.

 

[Chief00]

So we know you're not Canadian.
Another clue.

That narrows it down.

 

[Chief00]

What about the fact that the replacements sucked worse? The starters come in and get outscored 9-1 over the next 4 minutes. The offense was more Ollieball than team ball, missing 6 in a row after the switch. These leaders had a real chance to lead here and they took a pass.

It’s funny what short memories kids have about stuff like this. It may be part a blessing and a curse.

 

[HuskylnSC]

This is getting more comments than it deserves. He did not pull his starters and put his five subs in at once to give the starters a break. He always works them in one or two at a time. He pulled the five guys on the court -- happened to be his second unit -- because they sucked and didn't seem like they particularly cared. I don't understand this theory that it was a "hockey line change" as if it was a planned tactic. He pulled everyone on the floor for sucking. Not the first coach to do that and not the last. And here, the five of them fully deserved it.

Chill it’s a descriptive phrase not a technical term. See your still trying to twist the letter and avoid the spirit. I used a term you knew what I meant. It’s a basketball forum not a legal brief

 

[Mano]

Thread A: 12/46 = 26%, 3K+ views

Thread B: 2/64 = 3%, 4K+ views

Fair to say there is a new standard on the BY.

 

[Chief00]

Thread A: 12/46 = 26%, 3K+ views

Thread B: 2/64 = 3%, 4K+ views

Fair to say there is a new standard on the BY.

LOL - You and your posse need to go back and waste another day giving the other thread more views and likes by hitting the thread button all day long from your parent’s basement. You should have tons of practice from hitting the Dislike button hundreds of times a day. At any rate, Chief’s Brief is at 4K too after hitting 10k against Miami without that artificial juicing. It’s sad that apparently your life offers so little real meaning, you waste your time on such meaningless tedious tasks.
Just to be clear though, Chief’s Briefs is not for the Casual First Night and highlight video fans, we love them and they are welcome but are not Chief’s target audience. We seek a more serious discussion of hoops.

 

[Robertelamin]

LOL - You and your posse need to go back and waste another day giving the other thread more views and likes by hitting the thread button all day long from your parent’s basement. You should have tons of practice from hitting the Dislike button hundreds of times a day. At any rate, Chief’s Brief is at 4K too after hitting 10k against Miami without that artificial juicing. It’s sad that apparently your life offers so little real meaning, you waste your time on such meaningless tedious tasks.
Just to be clear though, Chief’s Briefs is not for the Casual First Night and highlight video fans, we love them and they are welcome but are not Chief’s target audience. We seek a more serious discussion of hoops.

This is serious business @Mano

 

[Mano]

LOL - You and your posse need to go back and waste another day giving the other thread more views and likes by hitting the thread button all day long from your parent’s basement. You should have tons of practice from hitting the Dislike button hundreds of times a day. At any rate, Chief’s Brief is at 4K too after hitting 10k against Miami without that artificial juicing. It’s sad that apparently your life offers so little real meaning, you waste your time on such meaningless tedious tasks.
Just to be clear though, Chief’s Briefs is not for the Casual First Night and highlight video fans, we love them and they are welcome but are not Chief’s target audience. We seek a more serious discussion of hoops.

Lol, yea ooooookay there Chief00L. So serious a discussion you had to account for nearly a 1/4 of all posts in your own thread to keep the discussion going with who? Yourself?

No one had to artificially bump Matrim’s vastly superior and supremely insightful thread. The readers did it themselves.