Chief’s Briefs - Marquette Edition

[Excalibur]

Teams win all the time today with a 7 footer and a 6-9 guy. Adama actually has good feet but expecting a guy to high hedge 23 feet out and protect the rim is impossible.

Show me a team that’s winning with a steady diet of two guys over 6’9” on the floor who can’t operate away from the basket.

 

[storrsroars]

Love Shaka's newest look with the long sleeve shirt under the polo shirt.

Absolutely screams Saturday morning rec ball coach for some 10 year olds.

Maybe for you. The game before ours, he was wearing an all white short sleeve over a long sleeve pullover, and he looked like a barber. All he needed was a front pocket with a comb.

 

[Icehawk]

As pointed out a problem with double bigs is foul trouble - a couple games back when Dan Hurley played them both I was like eesh one more foul on either of them and we're looking at potential trouble.

This was a great game, guys back on form for the most part. As pointed out not the best FT% on the night but thankfully didn't cost us. Aside from Clingan who is a 50% shooter so far the other guys usually hit more and I'll chalk it up to an off night. This year Clingan's 50% rate isn't an issue - he's not at the line enough for 1-2pts to matter - but next year... I hope he can get to 70%.

 

[Scottobot]

Show me a team that’s winning with a steady diet of two guys over 6’9” on the floor who can’t operate away from the basket.

Sanogo can operate away from the basket. Last time they played them together against DePaul, two times in 5 minutes he drove to the basket from the foul line and scored. He also can make the open 3P shot.

 

[Scottobot]

Show me a team that’s winning with a steady diet of two guys over 6’9” on the floor who can’t operate away from the basket.

Providence plays two bigs with Crosswell and Hopkins that do most of their scoring close the basket. Also, Sanogo is not really 6’9, more like 6’7

 

[Husky25]

Providence plays two bigs with Crosswell and Hopkins that do most of their scoring close the basket. Also, Sanogo is not really 6’9, more like 6’7

Providence also has Clifton Moore. UConn has a true backup for every position except the 4, where even the starter is undersized.

How long is the pro-two bigs crowd going to ignore that Hurley is not comfortable with the depth to put Sanogo and Clingan on the floor at the same time?

 

[Rico444]

Providence plays two bigs with Crosswell and Hopkins that do most of their scoring close the basket. Also, Sanogo is not really 6’9, more like 6’7

Hopkins is a wing, Sanogo is a center. Big difference.

 

[imno1]

Providence also has Clifton Moore. UConn has a true backup for every position except the 4, where even the starter is undersized.

How long is the pro-two bigs crowd going to ignore that Hurley is not comfortable with the depth to put Sanogo and Clingan on the floor at the same time?

We have at least until the end of the season

 

[Chief00]

Providence also has Clifton Moore. UConn has a true backup for every position except the 4, where even the starter is undersized.

How long is the pro-two bigs crowd going to ignore that Hurley is not comfortable with the depth to put Sanogo and Clingan on the floor at the same time?

I agree it’s part of Danny’s transition from mid major to D1 coach. Transitions, if successful, are not always comfortable. If the journey was comfortable, that generally means the transition wasn’t successfully made. In mid majors it is not an option you have, so it is a learning curve.

 

[pj]

Providence also has Clifton Moore. UConn has a true backup for every position except the 4, where even the starter is undersized.

How long is the pro-two bigs crowd going to ignore that Hurley is not comfortable with the depth to put Sanogo and Clingan on the floor at the same time?

If the depth problem is at the 4, playing the double big so Sanogo gets time at the 4 relieves the depth problem.

If the depth problem is at the 5, meaning you are afraid that Sanogo and Clingan may both foul out leaving the team without a center, then you are anticipating a much higher foul rate with the time at the 4. Currently Sanogo+Clingan as a pair are averaging fewer than 5 combined fouls per game in 40 minutes per game combined playing time. If the double big increases their playing time to 50 minutes, a 25% increase, you'd expect a combined 6.0 fouls per game, and very little chance of a dual foul out. If one fouls out, you just go back to the single big lineup we've been playing with.

So I don't understand why you think Hurley's concern is a depth concern. He just prefers Karaban to Sanogo at the 4, and prefers other guys to Karaban at the 3.

 

[Chief00]

That's the right approach. But Jackson was down to 23 minutes against Marquette which I think is right for him. He's a great change of pace, the with-and-without playing styles are different. It's good to mix things up.

That leaves 17 minutes open for a double-big, which would satisfy Chief.

I think the reality is Jackson plays 25-33 minutes against any team with a big time shooting guard or swing man scorer.

 

[Scrutineer]

"Pair them with shooters and good things will happen".....exactly the point here. Playing those two with Sanogo means you have only two shooters tops on the floor at the same time. Two bigs with a wing who can't shoot is not a recipe for a good offense.

Gang rebounding has nothing to do with two bigs and more to do with making sure everyone on the team - especially guards - goes after it. Basic stuff.

Centers tend to have higher percentages not because they're shooting "better" shots, but because they're shooting from closer in. Not going to go through the whole 3 v 2 pointer thing and why a higher fg % isn't necessarily indicative of a more productive offensive player (though I do agree UConn has become too reliant sometimes on the three ball, it's fundamental basketball analytics here - and they looked good from downtown last night).

None of that really addresses what I was saying earlier though. Do you think DC is up for it conditioning wise playing that many minutes? What happens when they're in foul trouble? Who are you playing around them to create any sort of offensive spacing? Outside one or two nice passes (AS last night!), what from either big has shown you that they should be running a high/low post offense?

As to who comes in if AS and DC get into foul trouble, we have SJ and RS on the bench getting no time. Sort of like Deberry on the women's team.
Why have RS on the roster for four years if you don't play him? Every time I've seen him in the few minutes he's been allowed on the floor he looks like he knows how to play so it makes me wonder what he's doing on the team or what he's failing to do in practice.

 

[BigTenFan]

Who do you give the ball to late in the shot clock to either drive to the rim or drive and dish? Hawkins can shoot the lights out but he is not the guy. He almost saved the game yesterday with a clutch shot. It just doesn't seem like the team has a guy who wants to drive to hoop on a consistent basis

 

[pj]

Who do you give the ball to late in the shot clock to either drive to the rim or drive and dish? Hawkins can shoot the lights out but he is not the guy. He almost saved the game yesterday with a clutch shot. It just doesn't seem like the team has a guy who wants to drive to hoop on a consistent basis

It should be Newton, looking to feed Hawkins or Karaban on the perimeter, Sanogo or Clingan down low, or drive to get a foul if he has the right lane, or pull up for a midrange jumper if none of the other options work.

But it seems like Newton has been barred from the midrange jumper, he's lost confidence with driving to the basket due to not scoring and not getting foul calls, and with Jackson's man leaving him the passing lanes to perimeter shooters haven't been open. Maybe Hawkins and Karaban are not strong enough to get themselves free. Something has been wrong. The coach needs to figure this out.

 

[PAHusky]

As to who comes in if AS and DC get into foul trouble, we have SJ and RS on the bench getting no time. Sort of like Deberry on the women's team.
Why have RS on the roster for four years if you don't play him? Every time I've seen him in the few minutes he's been allowed on the floor he looks like he knows how to play so it makes me wonder what he's doing on the team or what he's failing to do in practice.

I agree with you, I wouldn’t mind seeing SJ or RS in there, but I don’t think Dan Hurley trusts them to see meaningful minutes for whatever reason.

 

[Chief00]

I agree with you, I wouldn’t mind seeing SJ or RS in there, but I don’t think Dan Hurley trusts them to see meaningful minutes for whatever reason.

At this point it is clear to me that the tweaking of the current schemes and rotations are not going to get it done. We need a paradigm shift. Ideally that should have happened by January but we are where we are.

It is interesting that pdf Insider CT the coaching staff has debated the Double Big, and I assume Tom Moore has been the loser in the debate, up to this point. He’s the Big’s position coach and has been on an elite D1 coaching staff where the Double Big was the norm.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

At this point it is clear to me that the tweaking of the current schemes and rotations are not going to get it done. We need a paradigm shift. Ideally that should have happened by January but we are where we are.

It is interesting that pdf Insider CT the coaching staff has debated the Double Big, and I assume Tom Moore has been the loser in the debate, up to this point. He’s the Big’s position coach and has been on an elite D1 coaching staff where the Double Big was the norm.

Murray is always the one working with the bigs pregame.