Chief’s Briefs - Le Moyne Edition | The Boneyard

Chief’s Briefs - Le Moyne Edition

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Another 41 point type win, and I learned so much the last 3 minutes of the game thanks to the advice of our beloved Casual Fans.

Another slow start as well and one wonders if this trend will work against the better teams. Positionless Euro Ball without a true PG this season hasn’t worked. One also can’t underestimate the benefit of disrupting the opponents offense by defensively attacking the head of the snake - their point guard. Of course when I make those observations I am thinking of Hassan Diarra. He had 10 points and just decent statistics but everyone just seems to play better with him out there. His plus /minus was huge tonight. His intensity on defense and push the ball mentality gets everyone else going.

Mahaney will be an outstanding shooter here and why not see how he would do as a shooting guard with a true PG delivering the ball to him at the right time and spots. Hurley is concerned that would be a defensive liability without a big guard?

I thought both Johnson and Reed showed their potential tonight in spots. In particular Reed had a double / double. I was impressed with the form on his foul shot and he could be our most frequent fouled player this season. A good combination.

McNeeley is gradually finding consistency in the flow of the game, shot 50%, and chipped in for 15 points.

Ball shot 4-6 from three for 12 points. Ross ended with 8 points after a slow start.

Finally, how easy it is for Karaban to spoil us and to take everything he does for granted. He shot 7-11 and hit 3 threes. He was also our leading scoring with 17. On offense he’s running elite cuts etc but his less experience teammates are still working on moving up the learning curve on the half court sets to make magic happen with our only returning starter.
 
I’m not impressed with Mahaney thus far….and it’s against a weak opponent. What happens in Maui??

Dan Hurley wants Mahaney as pg. if he wanted a shooter he should have taken Brea
I agree overall I just don’t see the PG in Mahaney that we are used to at UConn. The on the ball defense, the push of the ball, etc.
having said tvst, I think he could be a valuable contributor as a guy who could come in and hit some shots.
 
Another 41 point type win, and I learned so much the last 3 minutes of the game thanks to the advice of our beloved Casual Fans.

Another slow start as well and one wonders if this trend will work against the better teams. Positionless Euro Ball without a true PG this season hasn’t worked. One also can’t underestimate the benefit of disrupting the opponents offense by defensively attacking the head of the snake - their point guard. Of course when I make those observations I am thinking of Hassan Diarra. He had 10 points and just decent statistics but everyone just seems to play better with him out there. His plus /minus was huge tonight. His intensity on defense and push the ball mentality gets everyone else going.

Mahaney will be an outstanding shooter here and why not see how he would do as a shooting guard with a true PG delivering the ball to him at the right time and spots. Hurley is concerned that would be a defensive liability without a big guard?

I thought both Johnson and Reed showed their potential tonight in spots. In particular Reed had a double / double. I was impressed with the form on his foul shot and he could be our most frequent fouled player this season. A good combination.

McNeeley is gradually finding consistency in the flow of the game, shot 50%, and chipped in for 15 points.

Ball shot 4-6 from three for 12 points. Ross ended with 8 points after a slow start.

Finally, how easy it is for Karaban to spoil us and to take everything he does for granted. He shot 7-11 and hit 3 threes. He was also our leading scoring with 17. On offense he’s running elite cuts etc but his less experience teammates are still working on moving up the learning curve on the half court sets to make magic happen with our only returning starter.
Yeah I like to see Mahaney play more off the ball. He isn't a great creator for others and is more of crafty player who can shoot. His defense on PGs is bad especially when comparing it to Diarra. I say play Diarra at PG with Mahaney the backup to Ball at SG. You can play Nowell at PG behind Diarra, I think it would allow Mahaney to concentrate on what he does best and that is shoot and score.
 
I’m not impressed with Mahaney thus far….and it’s against a weak opponent. What happens in Maui??

Dan Hurley wants Mahaney as pg. if he wanted a shooter he should have taken Brea
Mahaney can create more off the dribble than Brea. Brea is just a spot up shooter for the most part.
 
Diarra is a great defender and knows the offense well. The problem is he plays too fast in the half court sometimes. He sometimes drives and gets in trouble. Mahaney is bad on defense and it’s worrisome for sure. His offense I’m not worried about. He gets to the rim sometimes with ease just missed some easy layups that he will make. His three ball was off but rimmed in and out on one.

The slow start was not cause of Mahaney or the offensive sets. We ran good sets. Guys were open and missed open threes. If they go in we are up big and this slow start stuff is behind us. Hurley even said so in the press conference.
 
Mahaney can create more off the dribble than Brea. Brea is just a spot up shooter for the most part.
I am very happy with Mahaney and his upside. It's still mid-November; he's got time to figure it out. That said, out of curiosity I checked Brea's stats to start the season to see if it was going to be another Timberlake situation. 12/16 from 3 in three games is good for 75%. Very impressive.
 
I am very happy with Mahaney and his upside. It's still mid-November; he's got time to figure it out. That said, out of curiosity I checked Brea's stats to start the season to see if it was going to be another Timberlake situation. 12/16 from 3 in three games is good for 75%. Very impressive.
Yeah he is a great 3 pt shooter.
 
Interestingly from all the great players Tristen Newton might be the guy we miss the most from last year. I agree with most importantly we need defense at the PG. It isnt even good and we need elite on a championship team. Hurley and staff will figure it out.
 
There is a couple of odd story lines from the start of the season. Without Clingan the opposition is going to the basket more, and guess what? They are getting their shots blocked at an incredible rate, 10/11 game.
Mahaney is going to be fine, his shot's last night were good and will start falling.
AK going to the rim is a change we all like to see.
Reed has been a load and we seem to again have a solid 2 center tandem.
All good so far as I can see.
Oh, Ball has been ballin'.
 
There is a couple of odd story lines from the start of the season. Without Clingan the opposition is going to the basket more, and guess what? They are getting their shots blocked at an incredible rate, 10/11 game.
Mahaney is going to be fine, his shot's last night were good and will start falling.
AK going to the rim is a change we all like to see.
Reed has been a load and we seem to again have a solid 2 center tandem.
All good so far as I can see.
Oh, Ball has been ballin'.
Samson had 4 blocks In 23 minutes. Ross line was interesting, 19 minutes, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 assists.
We have a different path to getting our blocks and rebounds but we are getting them AND we had the most critical part of our offense continue, 25 assists. That has always been the key to expanding leads and easier baskets.
 
I’m not impressed with Mahaney thus far….and it’s against a weak opponent. What happens in Maui??

Dan Hurley wants Mahaney as pg. if he wanted a shooter he should have taken Brea
Plays up to good opponents, plays down to bad opponents. We saw this at Saint Mary's so I guess Dan Hurley wanted him for the big games - he played 15 min to Diarra's 21 and kept a clean sheet (no turnovers) but was not very effective.

I think we'll see a different Maheney in Maui and against our toughest opponents. At least I hope so.
 
The one thing that i got from last night was that Mahaney is more suited for a Joey California role, than Cam/Triston hybrid.. Hurley should bring him off the bench, and have him play off the ball, so he can hunt his shot, which is what he is good at.. And J-Stew had probably his best game so far.. he should be playing the Andre Jackson role on this team, as the dunker position if you will. He has a knack for being able to setup other players.. his handle seems decent enough, and maybe little bit more tighter than Ajax's was in traffic. He just needs to step up his rebounding and tenacity going for loose balls.
 
I like the fact that the team, like last year takes good shots. They don’t always fall (0-9 start for 3 point attempts) but that’s fine. Hurley has them sharing the ball well and they’ll get even better at finding each other. Stewart had some great assists. I agree that it’s a big positive that Reed can shoot foul shots as he’ll be at the line a lot. The point guard position will be interesting to watch to see if Hurley changes things or not.

As for “once we play better teams” we’ll find out in Hawaii. but so many teams expected to be in the top 25 at the end struggle out of the gate here or there. Gonzaga has been great but they’re one of the only ones. UConn is not winning squeakers and they have plenty of room for improvement.
 
Diarra is a great defender and knows the offense well. The problem is he plays too fast in the half court sometimes. He sometimes drives and gets in trouble. Mahaney is bad on defense and it’s worrisome for sure. His offense I’m not worried about. He gets to the rim sometimes with ease just missed some easy layups that he will make. His three ball was off but rimmed in and out on one.

The slow start was not cause of Mahaney or the offensive sets. We ran good sets. Guys were open and missed open threes. If they go in we are up big and this slow start stuff is behind us. Hurley even said so in the press conference.
The starts are a trend.
 
Samson had 4 blocks In 23 minutes. Ross line was interesting, 19 minutes, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 assists.
We have a different path to getting our blocks and rebounds but we are getting them AND we had the most critical part of our offense continue, 25 assists. That has always been the key to expanding leads and easier baskets.
One thing that’s hard to replace is Newton and Castle’s ball handling and rebounding. They also both scored well when fouled.
 
Another 41 point type win, and I learned so much the last 3 minutes of the game thanks to the advice of our beloved Casual Fans.
Look on the bright side, it could’ve been in the last 8 minutes like last week at Gampel. The casual fan base is improving!
 
Not sure why Samson is starting if Reed, Jr. is clocking a double double with no fouls like he did last night. That and he started for 2 years @ Michigan and he thrives when he is the 3rd or 4th option.

I'm not giving up on Samson, but if Diarra can come off the bench and eat Maheney's lunch, so can Samson try for that too.

At least Ross was fire for his minutes!
 
Another 41 point type win, and I learned so much the last 3 minutes of the game thanks to the advice of our beloved Casual Fans.

Another slow start as well and one wonders if this trend will work against the better teams. Positionless Euro Ball without a true PG this season hasn’t worked. One also can’t underestimate the benefit of disrupting the opponents offense by defensively attacking the head of the snake - their point guard. Of course when I make those observations I am thinking of Hassan Diarra. He had 10 points and just decent statistics but everyone just seems to play better with him out there. His plus /minus was huge tonight. His intensity on defense and push the ball mentality gets everyone else going.

Mahaney will be an outstanding shooter here and why not see how he would do as a shooting guard with a true PG delivering the ball to him at the right time and spots. Hurley is concerned that would be a defensive liability without a big guard?

I thought both Johnson and Reed showed their potential tonight in spots. In particular Reed had a double / double. I was impressed with the form on his foul shot and he could be our most frequent fouled player this season. A good combination.

McNeeley is gradually finding consistency in the flow of the game, shot 50%, and chipped in for 15 points.

Ball shot 4-6 from three for 12 points. Ross ended with 8 points after a slow start.

Finally, how easy it is for Karaban to spoil us and to take everything he does for granted. He shot 7-11 and hit 3 threes. He was also our leading scoring with 17. On offense he’s running elite cuts etc but his less experience teammates are still working on moving up the learning curve on the half court sets to make magic happen with our only returning starter.
Agree 100% on Diarra. I think he is underrated and under appreciated. I think the team plays it’s best when he is playing. However I do think Mahaney will improve and be a solid option as well. Once he has a solid game with good shooting I think he will relax and be fine.
 
Not sure why Samson is starting if Reed, Jr. is clocking a double double with no fouls like he did last night. That and he started for 2 years @ Michigan and he thrives when he is the 3rd or 4th option.

I'm not giving up on Samson, but if Diarra can come off the bench and eat Maheney's lunch, so can Samson try for that too.

At least Ross was fire for his minutes!
Who starts doesn’t matter as much as who plays the most minutes. Game to game foul situations will dictate but Reed is a rebound machine. Who is taking the ball from him? Samson a better blocker and flyer.
If Samson in there keeps the team even early In games then Reed comes in to put the hammer down. I think we have to see which lineup is most productive and I’m quite sure the coaches have that info to use. Maybe some here even have it?
 
Who starts doesn’t matter as much as who plays the most minutes
normally i'd agree but our first 10 mins of every game have been dreadful so far. we will be down double digits early to auburn/isu/unc if these slow starts continue in maui.
 
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Plays up to good opponents, plays down to bad opponents. We saw this at Saint Mary's so I guess Dan Hurley wanted him for the big games - he played 15 min to Diarra's 21 and kept a clean sheet (no turnovers) but was not very effective.

I think we'll see a different Maheney in Maui and against our toughest opponents. At least I hope so.
well, that take is consistent with his performance with Rhode Island.
 

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