Chief’s Briefs -Lafayette Edition

[bazz&boujee]

Chef’s photo gets the Kwintin treatment: he tried. And upon further inspection, it’s clear (pun not intended) that the picture was taken with a 2004 Motorola Razor flip phone. To Chief’s defense, Ticket Security employees at the XL Center are vastly underpayed. If he did his “homework”, he would know he could be making a $1.50 per hour extra serving concessions.

4.5

 

[Chin Diesel]

What was up with the 6:00 start time? Is that just because ESPN said you're getting a 6:00-8:00 time slot and that's that?

Mostly it's because the rims aren't as chilled as they are later in the night. Softer rims = Better shooting %.

 

[cowboysnation]

It’s amazing to me how Kwintin’s athletic ability never translates into superior play. Kid was trying hard and working his butt off today....but it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong with him. He missed badly twice, ball slipped out once, got beat on a fast break once, got lost on defense twice. Didn’t even attempt to get any offensive rebounds. Just started running down the court the min the ball went up. I just don’t get it

 

[Chief00]

- feel bad for Whaley. Just not a ton of room for him out there. He received too much PT last year so riding pine this year must be tough. He got less time than the walk on

While Yakwe is more physical, I like Whaley’s length and I am surprised he is not relatively thriving in Danny’s system, which sets a premium on defense. Yakwe does have the Queens recruiting network behind him.
However, there could be something going on behind the scenes.

 

[Chief00]

It's Chief's paying attention at this level of detail and attention while at the game that makes my BY subscription worth the price.

Moving both feet in concert makes for a well-balanced defender who not only keeps the person in front of him but makes silly reaching fouls less likely.

Thanks.

 

[Chief00]

It’s amazing to me how Kwintin’s athletic ability never translates into superior play. Kid was trying hard and working his butt off today....but it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong with him. He missed badly twice, ball slipped out once, got beat on a fast break once, got lost on defense twice. Didn’t even attempt to get any offensive rebounds. Just started running down the court the min the ball went up. I just don’t get it

First Night seems like decades ago. LOL People wonder why Chief never attends First Night, in part because it tells you very little. However, Chief is glad so many fans enjoy it.

 

[Chief00]

Long time Chief supporter, but man that photo is harrabull.

Thanks for the feedback, Chief is coachable too and will try to take a better photo next game.

 

[Hankster]

FSU will answer some questions - they have some studs up front.

Yes. Not going to be easy. Although I only watched them once, they look good, real good. Everyone in sync. Nice flow offensively. Would be a nice road win.

 

[Edward Sargent]

FSU will answer some questions - they have some studs up front.

They have some studs in the backcourt too!

 

[Ewekon]

FL State might not be pretty. Fingers crossed.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Just not a fun game to watch. Like watching a HS team against 7the graders. Showed me nothing. I know they won, but I did not learn much from the game.

Sorry.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Sorry.

I accept your apology.

 

[the Q]

Gilbert was a true point guard tonight, distributing to teammates and setting the tone. Chief thinks we kept the turnovers down to about 10. Plenty of assists.

True, competition was much weaker than Sunday, but Chief respects that we did not play down to it. Good job by coaching staff to keep the juice on and correct things such as sloppiness with the ball. After the tough loss, Chief told critics, Gilbert was coachable and he showed it today.

Polley was the other star today. His shot really looked crisp. Chief likes the release point on his shot and tonight the ball simply flowed into the basket. If you are swishing the ball, you don’t have to worry about the rims.

I won’t list Josh as a star not because he didn’t play well but because Chief wants to see him do it against good Bigs. On the other hand - can Cobb every play well in the games we are suppose to win? But, given the choice Chief likes the numbers he puts up against the Big Boys. Florida State’s Big front line is going to be a heck of a challenge.

Chief thought both Jalen and Brendan Adams played very well. Jalen is developing a very good pull up jumper. Brendan, had a box score stuffing game - given his minutes.

Chief is still concerned about Bigs switching on guards so far away from the basket - never a good thing. They seem to get lost in 3 point land. Would like to see the guards fight over screens more and Bigs stay between their man and the basket. Simple concept.

I did see more of the defender keeping the offensive player between his knees by moving both feet in concert rather than one at a time. This may seem like a minor technical detail to a casual fan but it really does impact outcomes.

The size of the crowd was disappointing tonight. Seems like at least half the fan base views UConn MBB as entertainment - they simply won’t pay to see a cup cake game. While Chief loves an elite competitive game, attending the game today supported the team and program; furthermore it’s part of doing your homework in learning about the team and players -picking up on various nuances.

Perhaps some will say - well Chief will do that for me? True, but in a pure basketball World, it’s part of the process. It makes you legit.

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Your concern bout switching is why I’m surprised Whaley doesn’t get more burn.

I wonder how atrocious he must look in practice.

 

[Stinger92860]

Moving feet in concert requires jumping. Chef means coordinating feet movement and lateral sliding.

 

[storrsroars]

Good work on reporting the details and nuances you see.

You can skip the editorializing on "casual" fans and "legit" though. Patronizing and unnecessary. It's 2018, pretty much only retirees can clear schedules for every game. And in case you forgot, sports are not an obligation. They are entertainment. Life would go on without them.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I accept your apology.

Menschinness is good.

 

[evmore]

Gilbert was a true point guard tonight, distributing to teammates and setting the tone. Chief thinks we kept the turnovers down to about 10. Plenty of assists.

True, competition was much weaker than Sunday, but Chief respects that we did not play down to it. Good job by coaching staff to keep the juice on and correct things such as sloppiness with the ball. After the tough loss, Chief told critics, Gilbert was coachable and he showed it today.

Polley was the other star today. His shot really looked crisp. Chief likes the release point on his shot and tonight the ball simply flowed into the basket. If you are swishing the ball, you don’t have to worry about the rims.

I won’t list Josh as a star not because he didn’t play well but because Chief wants to see him do it against good Bigs. On the other hand - can Cobb every play well in the games we are suppose to win? But, given the choice Chief likes the numbers he puts up against the Big Boys. Florida State’s Big front line is going to be a heck of a challenge.

Chief thought both Jalen and Brendan Adams played very well. Jalen is developing a very good pull up jumper. Brendan, had a box score stuffing game - given his minutes.

Chief is still concerned about Bigs switching on guards so far away from the basket - never a good thing. They seem to get lost in 3 point land. Would like to see the guards fight over screens more and Bigs stay between their man and the basket. Simple concept.

I did see more of the defender keeping the offensive player between his knees by moving both feet in concert rather than one at a time. This may seem like a minor technical detail to a casual fan but it really does impact outcomes.

The size of the crowd was disappointing tonight. Seems like at least half the fan base views UConn MBB as entertainment - they simply won’t pay to see a cup cake game. While Chief loves an elite competitive game, attending the game today supported the team and program; furthermore it’s part of doing your homework in learning about the team and players -picking up on various nuances.

Perhaps some will say - well Chief will do that for me? True, but in a pure basketball World, it’s part of the process. It makes you legit.

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On Sunday, Arizona's athleticism on D forcing 19 TO's while going 19/22 from the line (to our 8/13) was an example of our problem when AG doesn't assert himself as the true PG. FSU will give us similar problems if he can't get into the paint and create..

 

[TRest]

It’s amazing to me how Kwintin’s athletic ability never translates into superior play. Kid was trying hard and working his butt off today....but it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong with him. He missed badly twice, ball slipped out once, got beat on a fast break once, got lost on defense twice. Didn’t even attempt to get any offensive rebounds. Just started running down the court the min the ball went up. I just don’t get it

What athletic ability? He can put up crazy dunks with a running start and no one else on the court. He is not coordinated enough to play actual basketball.

 

[Ricker]

I think choices were the key factor in limiting turnovers and increasing assists. When Gilbert drove the ball he dished it rather than trying to finish over much bigger players. Jalen took the 10 foot jumper several times, rather than forcing the ball all the way to the rim. Tarin took a couple at that range as well. These choices equaled better results today, and will be key to dealing with Florida State's 7'4 guy. Whether those shots and passes were coaches' adjustments and the kids listened, I don't know.

FYI we played Florida State in Khalid's freshman year and he repeatedly drove the lane and ate the basketball time after time against a big FSU front line that year too. I think he coached himself from that experience and I don't recall him ever having a similar full game experience again.

 

[Sphinx]

I enjoyed watching it. Showed me we can dominate inferior opponents, which wasn’t guaranteed the past couple of years, that Gilbert can be a natural PG and impact the game without shooting and Polleys shooting confidence continues to grow. I’ll take that even against a middle school opponent.

I think Chief nailed the key points in his OP, and you neatly capsulize the most important three in yours.

A key goal for this season is to separate ourselves totally and convincingly from the mid-major level of basketball into which we descended the past two seasons. This we are accomplishing.

Gilbert, as I've been pointing out for two years, is not a natural PG. He was not his team's PG in high school. He has always been a "score first" guard. Jalen reminded us of that after last night's game. But what we saw last night was a player who has remade himself, who showed that he can play pure point. He spent the night drawing the defense to himself and then passing off or kicking out. No more driving into tall timber, no NBA threes (although, fear not, there will be a sequel to "The AG Story" called "AG Shoots Again.") Worth noting that last night';s style of play from AG is our ONLY chance against Florida State.

As for Tyler, he is showing new dimensions almost every game. He is certainly our best shooter, but he has also become a fearless driver (although there are times when he could use a runaway ramp). While comparisons to the senior DeAndre are premature, comparisons to the sophomore DeAndre seem entirely appropriate -- and probably come down in Tyler's favor. Oh, if he could rebound!

 

[August_West]

Long time Chief supporter, but man that photo is harrabull.

Chiefs photo blows. I want to be entertained

 

[QDOG5]

It’s amazing to me how Kwintin’s athletic ability never translates into superior play. Kid was trying hard and working his butt off today....but it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong with him. He missed badly twice, ball slipped out once, got beat on a fast break once, got lost on defense twice. Didn’t even attempt to get any offensive rebounds. Just started running down the court the min the ball went up. I just don’t get it

I think it comes down to the fact that Kwintin is not very good. That is why he plays with the walk ons.

 

[Chief00]

Good work on reporting the details and nuances you see.

You can skip the editorializing on "casual" fans and "legit" though. Patronizing and unnecessary. It's 2018, pretty much only retirees can clear schedules for every game. And in case you forgot, sports are not an obligation. They are entertainment. Life would go on without them.

Thanks for your feedback. Looks like Chief struck a nerve. Sorry.
If you are a true fan of a team you will attend some games when it’s perhaps not your top entertainment option at the moment. Games you know they will likely win, games you know they will likely lose, games when travel is bad, games that are nearly meaningless for tournament eligibility. Games where others back out,
Chief believes you do have a responsibility to support the team not to just be entertained. None of us are perfect but if you consider this patronizing or unnecessary (as if most things on this blog are “necessary”), so be it. Chief is NOT lowering the bar.

 

[Chief00]

I think choices were the key factor in limiting turnovers and increasing assists. When Gilbert drove the ball he dished it rather than trying to finish over much bigger players. Jalen took the 10 foot jumper several times, rather than forcing the ball all the way to the rim. Tarin took a couple at that range as well. These choices equaled better results today, and will be key to dealing with Florida State's 7'4 guy. Whether those shots and passes were coaches' adjustments and the kids listened, I don't know.

FYI we played Florida State in Khalid's freshman year and he repeatedly drove the lane and ate the basketball time after time against a big FSU front line that year too. I think he coached himself from that experience and I don't recall him ever having a similar full game experience again.

Once you make assists when you drive, then the defense has to play you more honest and that reduces the help, which Gilbert encounters when he drives. This will open up his shot space.

 

[Husky25]

It is no secret that @storrsroars lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Be that as it may (and my thoughts on this is also no secret), I have a hard time classifying anyone...well, very few in any case...posting on the Boneyard as "casual," whether or not they attend games.