Chief’s Briefs - St Joseph’s Edition

[Waquoit]

Nothing worse than guys who can't shoot but think they can.

 

[cohenzone]

Agree with all of Chief00 points.

It is on the coach to get the intensity level there to start the game. The desperation that helped them get the game down to one bucket needs to be there from the opening tap.

The team isn’t as talentless as a few suggest, but decision making from the guards is bad, shot selection by the guards is bad, and getting those kids to understand that a little ball movement gets the other players moving and available for open shots when you are drawing 3 defenders is good hoops. That’s on the coach to drill into their heads. When they got close, Gilbert and Vital went out of control when SJ was back on their heels.

 

[Chief00]

Agree with all of Chief00 points.

It is on the coach to get the intensity level there to start the game. The desperation that helped them get the game down to one bucket needs to be there from the opening tap.

The team isn’t as talentless as a few suggest, but decision making from the guards is bad, shot selection by the guards is bad, and getting those kids to understand that a little ball movement gets the other players moving and available for open shots when you are drawing 3 defenders is good hoops. That’s on the coach to drill into their heads. When they got close, Gilbert and Vital went out of control when SJ was back on their heels.

Yeah, that’s exactly what happened. As is the history with Chief’s Briefs - I just get the ball rolling - and others provide the insight.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Had all the makings of a trap game and the team fell right into. Falling down by 27 to a team somewhere in the 250s is just completely inexcusable. Hurley made the defensive changes too late and we don’t run an offense.
Daly is a burley 6’5 combo guard. Of course he was going to abuse Al and CV. Once Dan went to Polley on him he was neutralized. This is the type of team Carlton should have dominated but he played awful.
Only bright spot was Akok. That kid is gonna be an absolute force

 

[cap10dingus]

Last night was tough to watch. Defense was terrible and they shot the lights out in the first half. Our atmosphere was horrible (more than half the building EMPTY). But worst thing I saw, most worrisome, was the one pass and jack it on more than half our possessions. This team has the talent now to win just not the belief....YET? We play like this against Florida our commits from 1999 will be asking out of their LOI.

 

[pj]

Watching Gilbert last night, Chief couldn’t help but think of the comparison with Taliek. Neither is a good outside shooter, although Taliek learned his role and by his senior year used more judgement when to drive. Taliek came to view himself as a distributor, defender and the guy who pushed the ball on the break for someone else to finish. I believe he was a better foul shooter than AG.
Since Taliek is now officially part of the coaching staff, he needs to immediately transfer his change and senior year mindset. It should be a nice but mandatory direction.
Admittedly, Taliek had Anderson, Gentle Ben, CV and DBrown on the three line to pass to and Mek and Josh inside.
This year’s team doesn’t have those NBA guys but Tyler, CV2 and Adams could be the 3 guys and Josh and Akok inside options.

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe Kenya's absence is a blessing in disguise if Taliek can help Alterique change his mindset. It's a big change from always thinking of yourself as the best player who has to make the shots, to thinking of yourself as the weakest scorer who has to set up the better scorers.

 

[GoDAWGS]

I think our defense isnt right for this team, the help defense most certainly hurts more than it helps, and we create too many mistakes with the constant cycling

 

[Excalibur]

Watching Gilbert last night, Chief couldn’t help but think of the comparison with Taliek. Neither is a good outside shooter, although Taliek learned his role and by his senior year used more judgement when to drive. Taliek came to view himself as a distributor, defender and the guy who pushed the ball on the break for someone else to finish. I believe he was a better foul shooter than AG.
Since Taliek is now officially part of the coaching staff, he needs to immediately transfer his change and senior year mindset. It should be a nice but mandatory direction.
Admittedly, Taliek had Anderson, Gentle Ben, CV and DBrown on the three line to pass to and Mek and Josh inside.
This year’s team doesn’t have those NBA guys but Tyler, CV2 and Adams could be the 3 guys and Josh and Akok inside options.

Taliek cut-down on the over-penetrating that has continued to plague Gilbert. However Taliek could also create space with his strength, and I think he was actually quicker than Gilbert as well. What Taliek was not was a better foul shooter. He never shot above 65% and was 57% for his career.

 

[Chief00]

Taliek cut-down on the over-penetrating that has continued to plague Gilbert. However Taliek could also create space with his strength, and I think he was actually quicker than Gilbert as well. What Taliek was not was a better foul shooter. He never shot above 65% and was 57% for his career.

Thanks for the foul shot numbers. Gilbert is pretty quick though but granted slower guys somehow take him off the dribble too often.

 

[Waquoit]

Taliek cut-down on the over-penetrating that has continued to plague Gilbert.

Taliek improved his 3-PT shooting over 300% from his junior to his senior year, also by cutting down - shooting.

 

[Husky25]

Taliek cut-down on the over-penetrating that has continued to plague Gilbert. However Taliek could also create space with his strength, and I think he was actually quicker than Gilbert as well. What Taliek was not was a better foul shooter. He never shot above 65% and was 57% for his career.

If the key to Gilbert's success is to get to the foul line, he needs to learn how to draw a foul.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think our defense isnt right for this team, the help defense most certainly hurts more than it helps, and we create too many mistakes with the constant cycling

This is my biggest complaint. Too many guys getting switched into mismatches and they don't switch back. They don't hedge well, they overplay screeners, and get burned when they help and leave their man. This defensive system is not good and the guys are not good playing it.

For a reminder, this is what it should look like.

 

[strivefor5]

i can only imagine what their practice will be like today

 

[GoDAWGS]

This is my biggest complaint. Too many guys getting switched into mismatches and they don't switch back. They don't hedge well, they overplay screeners, and get burned when they help and leave their man. This defensive system is not good and the guys are not good playing it.

For a reminder, this is what it should look like.

Yea, seriously, the amount of times I see alterique in the key just kills me, the over commitments to the help leave the 3 point line open to often, saint Joe's showed what happens when you exploit it.

 

[Madmannsucks]

I watched most of the game. After the Sacred Heart game I thought the defense should have been better-team not playing d. It has to start there.

 

[CL82]

i can only imagine what their practice will be like today

[ Insert obligatory “we need the Calhoun rebounding drill“ here. ]

 

[Husky25]

[ Insert obligatory “we need the Calhoun rebounding drill“ here. ]

Steve Nash Free Throw Drill as well.

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

Let's look at the positives and see that we are not mentioned on ESPN.com headlines after a loss like this. Most of America doesn't even know we lost last night.

 

[intlzncster]

Having a team shoots lights out three against our guys is not new. Happened more than a few times last year. I agree defense should be better but still, they have to make them. And they did.

It's been happening for 6 years. We haven't been able to guard a three that entire spell.

 

[Husky25]

Let's look at the positives and see that we are not mentioned on ESPN.com headlines after a loss like this. Most of America doesn't even know we lost last night.

After a three year NCAA Tourney drought and a single winning football season in the teens (that happened 9 years ago), most of America probably thinks UConn dissolved the Athletic Dept.

 

[J187Money]

This is on AD Dave. Today's UConn fan that actually buys tickets has no use for mid-week games Gampel. They don't go even when they already bought the tickets. The first game had a good crowd, because it was on the weekend. So of course, the sched is loaded with weekend games at the XL. The exact opposite of what the market wants.

So true.

 

[amidagoat]

This is my view too. Akok starts for us. He is so raw he would likely be a 5 minute situational guy at a top program. Vital off the bench to score. Gilbert back up point who plays 5 minutes a game to give the real point guard a breather.

I also have to wonder what Hurley is doing. Gilbert seems to have regressed. Akok has been there half a season and looks like a raw recruit. Polley is no more effective. Despite the hype there has been no discernible improvement in any backups play.

As for attendance it is about wins and losses not who we play. If Hurley doesn’t make pretty serious progress over the next year or so that will be painfully obvious and costly.

I thought Akok looked good

 

[HuskyHawk]

[ Insert obligatory “we need the Calhoun rebounding drill“ here. ]

Give them the old Bobby Knight rebounding drill. Objective on the defensive side is to have the ball land untouched inside a virtual fortress of players blocking out. It starts with putting a body on your man.

 

[Chief00]

This is my biggest complaint. Too many guys getting switched into mismatches and they don't switch back. They don't hedge well, they overplay screeners, and get burned when they help and leave their man. This defensive system is not good and the guys are not good playing it.

For a reminder, this is what it should look like.

The concerning thing is, they practice this more than any other thing.

 

[len0322]

Not sure who I would want to have the ball if the team was trailing late in the game and needed a bucket.
Our guards proactively dribble into double teams and our forwards either can't shoot or create their own shot.

a 500 record could be a pipe dream this year. We should be 15-30 points better than that team every night

 

[Chief00]

On game day Chief goes by the eye test, the following day Chief breaks down the data:
- Our starting front-court shot 81% on 16 shots
- Our starting backcourt shot 25% on 40 shots
Very simple to see what we did wrong offensively.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The concerning thing is, they practice this more than any other thing.

My coaching career ended with 6th grade girls, but I did learn this: you can't implement a system that is more complicated than what your players can execute. I think Hurley needs to simplify it a bit. St. Joes clearly watched the tape of Sacred Heart and exploited our D by bringing all five guys outside, knowing we'd leave the basket open. We didn't adjust to that tactic and they killed us.

Hurley talks about how his half court pressure D relies on a good rim protector, and it's obvious why, if you guard everybody tight they will go by you to the rim. Yet he allows the rim to be unprotected. His system needs an adjustment. If Josh is chasing on one side, Akok needs to slide in behind him and defend the rim (and vice versa). If they can't make that work then go zone anytime somebody throws a "five guys out" offense at us.

 

[KodiacKemba]

Where was the double team ??? I mean I get tired of a teams best/impact player kill us night in n night out .. Daly dropped an easy 25,6,7 by halftime .. we have to do better at stopping well slowing their best players

 

[Bonk]

My coaching career ended with 6th grade girls, but I did learn this: you can't implement a system that is more complicated than what your players can execute. I think Hurley needs to simplify it a bit. St. Joes clearly watched the tape of Sacred Heart and exploited our D by bringing all five guys outside, knowing we'd leave the basket open. We didn't adjust to that tactic and they killed us.

Hurley talks about how his half court pressure D relies on a good rim protector, and it's obvious why, if you guard everybody tight they will go by you to the rim. Yet he allows the rim to be unprotected. His system needs an adjustment. If Josh is chasing on one side, Akok needs to slide in behind him and defend the rim (and vice versa). If they can't make that work then go zone anytime somebody throws a "five guys out" offense at us.

I'm also not sold that the pressure man-to-man has to be the defensive scheme each game, each year. The greats like Izzo, Self, Few, Bennett, etc aren't cemented to one defensive style each year, they feel it out with what kind of team they have.
I'm all for playing hard nosed man to man, but if it's not working you gotta adjust, you can't just keep trying to rev up the intensity

 

[Husky25]

Wow. Oz went off on Twitter.