Chief’s Briefs - UF

[Blaneylover]

Great win. I was happy to be there and the atmosphere was unbelievable. I am looking forward to JB's debut and what that will do for the offense.

I agree with the criticism of Gilbert. He has to shoot better. I was proud of his guts...taking and hitting the late jumper.

We need to get Josh going earlier.

Something to build on!

 

[Chief00]

Great win. I was happy to be there and the atmosphere was unbelievable. I am looking forward to JB's debut and what that will do for the offense.

I agree with the criticism of Gilbert. He has to shoot better. I was proud of his guts...taking and hitting the late jumper.

We need to get Josh going earlier.

Something to build on!

As I noted in my Briefs, Hurley made an adjustment with Josh where he got the ball closer to the rim where he could seal his man better and not be so turnover prone by having too much ground to cover.

 

[Chief00]

I thought he finally looked comfortable and confident on offense. Flashed some really nice ball handling in traffic, for those who keep saying he isn’t a PG. His defense on the perimeter needs to be better, but he made a great defensive play against Blackshear or another big holding perfect position and forcing a short miss.

He was a good HS shooter, that will come. I’m hopeful that his issues guarding on the perimeter may be related to that ankle.

I saw him a few times last season and still wonder if his ankle is 100%? Then it’s catching up for all the practices he missed - the fact that he doesn’t hurt you is actually a good starting point - given the circumstances.

 

[Chief00]

Need new starting lineup. Something to shock system.

16-12 min best defense and flow all season.

Stop forcing Josh in to being a primary option. It's like they want to be the Bulls in early 90's giving Cartwright a couple of early looks.

Whaley is very springy. Quick twitch jumping. Weight hasn't been bad for him.

Polley sequence of rebound, sprint to 3 pt line, catch, dribble and dish cross court is what everyone hopes of him.

First extended amount of time of Gaffney, Vital and Gilbert. Has potential- until teams realize Gaffney can't score. At least not yet.

Liked the press after Vital FT coming out of TO.

Also, non-breaking news. Gilbert can't shoot.

3 shot clock violations in first half against Top-15 team.

Those Polley run outs and transition 3's are why his rebounding numbers are lower than some expect. Hurley wants him sprinting ahead of D before it gets set.
I'm still shocked any times a jumper by Sid or Adams goes in.

I agree, we need to do something about our starts. I think it was over 6 minutes without a point but we were only down 6-0. We did try to get it into Josh to start things off but he did not get wide enough or start within a few feet of the rim. You can’t give him the ball 10-15 feet out.

 

[HHusky]

Gaffney was manhandled by their guards on defense. They picked on him. (He'll rise to the task later in the season).

 

[Chief00]

Gaffney was manhandled by their guards on defense. They picked on him. (He'll rise to the task later in the season).

I did not see that but I was not focusing on him.

 

[intlzncster]

I thought he finally looked comfortable and confident on offense. Flashed some really nice ball handling in traffic, for those who keep saying he isn’t a PG. His defense on the perimeter needs to be better, but he made a great defensive play against Blackshear or another big holding perfect position and forcing a short miss.

He was a good HS shooter, that will come. I’m hopeful that his issues guarding on the perimeter may be related to that ankle.

He needs Nike to get him some new shoes cause he's slipping all over the place. Get him some Air Zions

 

[Chief00]

Also, Whaley’s improvement is evident. Happy he decided to work hard and stick with the program. He will be a great role player this year.

Whaley can move his feet quicker than Josh and mixes it up inside. He definitely competes and is a decent shot blocker.

 

[Chief00]

One thing Chief notice was FL tried to post AG a couple times and were successful and then Hurley did go to a zone just for a few plays to mix things up. Expect to see more of both this season.

 

[HHusky]

Just saying...Florida has 6 freshmen and 3 grad transfers at present. I think we caught them early on before they could help as a team.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I am starting to really like the make up of this team. Bringing in Whaley, Adams, and Sid as our super athletic defensive minded B-Squad is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

 

[HHusky]

could "gel" as a team

 

[Chief00]

You definitely have an inside track into what goes on during practices. Sure.

You need to get out more and be around successful and positive people - maybe some of that would rub off and make you happier?

 

[Bonk]

Great win, but I'm not ready to put much stock into it due to last years Cuse win and 2 years ago Oregon win not amounting to much. But what a hell of a way to bounce back after the awful loss

 

[Jaydumo20]

It was a great win. Still bothered that the same team looked so bad last week against a doo doo opponent. Has anyone seen Bouknight enough to believe he will push this team into tourney potential? Serious question

 

[Chief00]

I am starting to really like the make up of this team. Bringing in Whaley, Adams, and Sid as our super athletic defensive minded B-Squad is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

I did like Sid’s approach at the foul line too. He had both confidence, concentration and did not rush things as I have seen him do in the past.

 

[FatHank]

1.) Free throw shooting. Wasn’t good today. Thats where you have an opportunity to put an opponent away.

I noticed this too today. The less cracks we give a team the better. While we were not atrocius at the line, we can do better. It'll serve us well throughout the season and help us win games.

 

[Chief00]

Just saying...Florida has 6 freshmen and 3 grad transfers at present. I think we caught them early on before they could help as a team.

I think they have some of the same shooting issues we have. They do have some good size and athletes. There were a couple things they did that worked that they went away from for no reason. Posting Gilbert and going to Big inside before fouling out.

 

[firstnline]

Was it me or did Hurley push the athleticism button yesterday. We looked more athletic than Florida and when we pressed briefly, Florida looked confused and timid. With Bouk returning I expect we will see more pressing def as we will be using our depth to tire the opposition out.

 

[alphasigko]

Carlton has ZERO "touch" on his close-in layups. How many did he miss in the last 2+ minutes? He has to get up and dunk those shots! As a result he will make the 2 and probably get fouled in the process.

 

[imno1]

It was a great win. Still bothered that the same team looked so bad last week against a doo doo opponent. Has anyone seen Bouknight enough to believe he will push this team into tourney potential? Serious question

Bouknight once he settles in will be our best scoring option. Our team just got a lot better now that he’s back.

 

[CL82]

What about grown men with college-aged children begging for affirmation on online message boards? Is that a clinical adult issue?

This message board for UConn fans to share their opinion about their team. Some here lack the confidence in their takes on the team so much that they resent others who have insightful interesting posts. Don’t be one of those guys. If you find yourself complaining about other posters rather than posting about the team, especially the day after a big win, you’re doing it wrong.

 

[browndog319]

Very good write up Chief. I thought Akok looked great once again today, but still raw. What’s up with Gaffney? Has he scored yet?

Akok reminds me of Okafor as a freshman, with less natural offense. A lot of raw athleticism, however. Natural maturity, intensity, and quick ability to adapt to the game. I think the scoring will come, however.
Please let him be Okafor 2.0, just better on FTs.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Gaffney was manhandled by their guards on defense. They picked on him. (He'll rise to the task later in the season).

No he wasn't. He was fine on the defensive end

 

[huskyrob1]

Akok reminds me of Okafor as a freshman, with less natural offense. A lot of raw athleticism, however. Natural maturity, intensity, and quick ability to adapt to the game. I think the scoring will come, however.
Please let him be Okafor 2.0, just better on FTs.

Akok is a much better perimeter shooter than Okafor was as a freshman, is much more athletic in transition, and has a much quicker first step.