Chief’s Briefs

[Chief00]

First, I would like to thank my friends at Mohegan for putting on this game.

- PC players looked bigger and stronger. They also had guys 6-5 getting good looks shooting over our shorter guards.

- Our two best players are Adams and Vital. There’s a big drop off after that and generally the other guys got out played.

- Terry Larrier was the biggest disappointment. I don’t see strength, explosiveness or shooting touch. He got manhandled on the boards. NBA draft pick this year? Quite frankly I don’t see anything higher than a D league run.

- Gilbert is working off the rust is as positive as I can say it. But, let’s see how he plays in a couple games.

- Cobb I see some hope in. He is strong enough not to be push around. He is fairly good with the ball in a triple threat type of way. He has decent soft hands and vision. He needs to avoid fouls. He can contribute on the boards.

- Diarra also was hurt by fouls - he may be a decent rebounder but did not play enough until late.

- For a team that likes to play four small guards in the rotation, we had a lot more turnovers than assists. Not good.

- We tend to trade good looks on made threes by our opponent vs. rough drives down the lane or wild threes. Not a good recipe.

- Chief always keeps it real, we were slow to adjust to Diallo getting good looks on the weak side after a quick swing of the ball. The coaches got to do a much better job making quick and effective adjustments.

- Williams played only briefly and apparently the coaches don’t feel at age 23 he can compete in a structured setting.

- Prolly and the other FR string bean need to get much stronger before they will be a factor against decent teams.

- Anderson hustled but is another small dude - who doesn’t have a reliable shot at this level.

I don’t buy the young excuse, I think it’s more we got the low ranked guys the last few years before Blaze change things only a couple months ago. But, it will take time for the 2018 recruits to ramp up. We need shooters in the worse way.

 

[MexicoHusky]

First, I would like to thank my friends at Mohegan for putting on this game.

- PC players looked bigger and stronger. They also had guys 6-5 getting good looks shooting over our shorter guards.

- Our two best players are Adams and Vital. There’s a big drop off after that and generally the other guys got out played.

- Terry Larrier was the biggest disappointment. I don’t see strength, explosiveness or shooting touch. He got manhandled on the boards. NBA draft pick this year, quite frankly I don’t see anything higher than a D league run.

- Gilbert is working off the rust is as positive as I can say it. But, let’s see how he plays in a couple games.

- Cobb I see some hope in. He is strong enough not to be push around. He is fairly good with the ball in a triple threat type of way. He has decent soft hands and vision. He needs to avoid fouls. He can contribute on the boards.

- Diarra also was hurt by fouls - he may be a decent rebounder but did not play enough until late.

- For a team that likes to play four small guards in the rotation, we had a lot more turnovers than assists. Not good.

- We tend to trade good looks on made threes by our opponent vs. rough drives down the lane or wild threes. Not a good recipe.

- Chief always keeps it real, we were slow to adjust to Diallo getting good looks on the weak side after a quick swing of the ball. The coaches got to do a much better job making quick and effective adjustments.

- Williams played only briefly and apparently the coaches don’t feel at age 23 he can compete in a structured setting.

- Prolley and the other FR string bean need to get much stronger before they will be a factor against decent teams.

- Anderson hustled but is another small dude - who doesn’t have a reliable shot at this level.

I don’t buy the young excuse, I think it’s more we got the low ranked guys the last few years before Blaze change things only a couple months ago. But, it will take time for the 2018 recruits to ramp up. We need shooters in the worse way.

I've always thought the idea that larrier is gone after this year is odd. Maybe he will be, but he's played 1 year of college bball and i dont think he was ready to jump to the nba

 

[Huskyforlife]

Larrier is going to Europe if he can’t make the nba/G league. Going the Hamilton route.

 

[awfuldan]

Larrier is coming off a debilitating injury. He has a ways to go, but fortunately it is a long season, and we have two more exhibition games before it actually starts.

At the very least, he played with some confidence.

 

[UCDaveD]

I've always thought the idea that larrier is gone after this year is odd. Maybe he will be, but he's played 1 year of college bball and i dont think he was ready to jump to the nba

Forget the NBA, I don't think he's ready to play in Istanbul.

 

[Fishy]

It’s a stretch to project anyone on this team into the NBA next year.

Larrier has never been a good shooter and he’ll have to be to make a dent as a professional.

 

[MSGSeven]

First, I would like to thank my friends at Mohegan for putting on this game.

- PC players looked bigger and stronger. They also had guys 6-5 getting good looks shooting over our shorter guards.

- Our two best players are Adams and Vital. There’s a big drop off after that and generally the other guys got out played.

- Terry Larrier was the biggest disappointment. I don’t see strength, explosiveness or shooting touch. He got manhandled on the boards. NBA draft pick this year? Quite frankly I don’t see anything higher than a D league run.

- Gilbert is working off the rust is as positive as I can say it. But, let’s see how he plays in a couple games.

- Cobb I see some hope in. He is strong enough not to be push around. He is fairly good with the ball in a triple threat type of way. He has decent soft hands and vision. He needs to avoid fouls. He can contribute on the boards.

- Diarra also was hurt by fouls - he may be a decent rebounder but did not play enough until late.

- For a team that likes to play four small guards in the rotation, we had a lot more turnovers than assists. Not good.

- We tend to trade good looks on made threes by our opponent vs. rough drives down the lane or wild threes. Not a good recipe.

- Chief always keeps it real, we were slow to adjust to Diallo getting good looks on the weak side after a quick swing of the ball. The coaches got to do a much better job making quick and effective adjustments.

- Williams played only briefly and apparently the coaches don’t feel at age 23 he can compete in a structured setting.

- Prolly and the other FR string bean need to get much stronger before they will be a factor against decent teams.

- Anderson hustled but is another small dude - who doesn’t have a reliable shot at this level.

I don’t buy the young excuse, I think it’s more we got the low ranked guys the last few years before Blaze change things only a couple months ago. But, it will take time for the 2018 recruits to ramp up. We need shooters in the worse way.

If Vital was one of our two best players we would be in serious trouble. The good news is he's not he's probably more like our fourth or fifth best if that. Assuming they stay healthy Gilbert and Larrier will be fine. Larrier showed he was a player last year and could stroke it from all over the court. This game was a glorified pick up game with probably less significance. The 04 UConn team almost lost to Yale and had bad stretches throughout the season losing 6 games. The 11 team lost 4 of their last 5 to end the regular season. The 14 team lost to a very bad Houston team. This team will lose games and look ugly doing it but it has the talent to win enough games and make a run in March.

 

[Danzz]

First, I would like to thank my friends at Mohegan for putting on this game.

- PC players looked bigger and stronger. They also had guys 6-5 getting good looks shooting over our shorter guards.

- Our two best players are Adams and Vital. There’s a big drop off after that and generally the other guys got out played.

- Terry Larrier was the biggest disappointment. I don’t see strength, explosiveness or shooting touch. He got manhandled on the boards. NBA draft pick this year? Quite frankly I don’t see anything higher than a D league run.

- Gilbert is working off the rust is as positive as I can say it. But, let’s see how he plays in a couple games.

- Cobb I see some hope in. He is strong enough not to be push around. He is fairly good with the ball in a triple threat type of way. He has decent soft hands and vision. He needs to avoid fouls. He can contribute on the boards.

- Diarra also was hurt by fouls - he may be a decent rebounder but did not play enough until late.

- For a team that likes to play four small guards in the rotation, we had a lot more turnovers than assists. Not good.

- We tend to trade good looks on made threes by our opponent vs. rough drives down the lane or wild threes. Not a good recipe.

- Chief always keeps it real, we were slow to adjust to Diallo getting good looks on the weak side after a quick swing of the ball. The coaches got to do a much better job making quick and effective adjustments.

- Williams played only briefly and apparently the coaches don’t feel at age 23 he can compete in a structured setting.

- Prolly and the other FR string bean need to get much stronger before they will be a factor against decent teams.

- Anderson hustled but is another small dude - who doesn’t have a reliable shot at this level.

I don’t buy the young excuse, I think it’s more we got the low ranked guys the last few years before Blaze change things only a couple months ago. But, it will take time for the 2018 recruits to ramp up. We need shooters in the worse way.

We need shooters for sure but Providence put up 90 against us. The shooting will improve but if we can't figure out how to play competitive D this is going to be a very long season.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If Vital was one of our two best players we would be in serious trouble. The good news is he's not he's probably more like our fourth or fifth best if that. Assuming they stay healthy Gilbert and Larrier will be fine. Larrier showed he was a player last year and could stroke it from all over the court. This game was a glorified pick up game with probably less significance. The 04 UConn team almost lost to Yale and had bad stretches throughout the season losing 6 games. The 11 team lost 4 of their last 5 to end the regular season. The 14 team lost to a very bad Houston team. This team will lose games and look ugly doing it but it has the talent to win enough games and make a run in March.

UConn fans have a tendency, to compare our past teams and past players and project them on to our current squad.

There is no Emeka, Ben, Kemba or Napier on this team.

Why not pull up some of the bad losses from the 2006-2007 season? Probably a more apt comparison, no?

 

[uchusky32]

What's most concerning is the selfish play and the possibility that there will be no accountability for it. If this was a real game TL should have been on the pine early in the 1st half. Yes he sat some in 2nd half.

The backcourt didn't compete early. No understanding of needing a good shot as the deficit increased.

Not competing for rebounds and loose balls. Really concerning because we have no rim protector.

Too much ball pounding on offense.

Seems like the Blaze strategy needs to include coaching these kids and holding them accountable to give the effort this uniform deserves.

 

[MSGSeven]

UConn fans have a tendency, to compare our past teams and past players and project them on to our current squad.

There is no Emeka, Ben, Kemba or Napier on this team.

Why not pull up some of the bad losses from the 2006-2007 season? Probably a more apt comparison, no?

There is a Jalen though and he has the chance to have the same impact.

The point of my post was not to compare this team to any past team but to stay positive through bad losses and stretches which will certainly come.

 

[polycom]

The players are good the coaching is bad. They’ll figure it out midway through the season. /thread

 

[djct1999]

Quite frankly, its very easy for a fanbase to get overly optimistic in the off season. Just ask any fan of the New York football Giants. Once reality sets in, this team will be very much like our last team. That is, not very good.

 

[AdamaNation]

If Vital was one of our two best players we would be in serious trouble. The good news is he's not he's probably more like our fourth or fifth best if that. Assuming they stay healthy Gilbert and Larrier will be fine. Larrier showed he was a player last year and could stroke it from all over the court. This game was a glorified pick up game with probably less significance. The 04 UConn team almost lost to Yale and had bad stretches throughout the season losing 6 games. The 11 team lost 4 of their last 5 to end the regular season. The 14 team lost to a very bad Houston team. This team will lose games and look ugly doing it but it has the talent to win enough games and make a run in March.

Not to start anything but please don’t compare this team to 2004.

 

[AdamaNation]

What's most concerning is the selfish play and the possibility that there will be no accountability for it. If this was a real game TL should have been on the pine early in the 1st half. Yes he sat some in 2nd half.

The backcourt didn't compete early. No understanding of needing a good shot as the deficit increased.

Not competing for rebounds and loose balls. Really concerning because we have no rim protector.

Too much ball pounding on offense.

Seems like the Blaze strategy needs to include coaching these kids and holding them accountable to give the effort this uniform deserves.

A thrown together exhibition game after a year wrought with injuries, and against a team that has something to prove regionally is NOT the game I want guys diving for loose balls, fighting for boards, or even playing too hard. I think PC saw this as a real game and came to play like a conference game. I actually thought this was going to be a New England All Star game with lots of dunks and nice dishes and very passive defense. I like to think one team did start out with this mindset and should have.

 

[60'sfan]

We need shooters for sure but Providence put up 90 against us. The shooting will improve but if we can't figure out how to play competitive D this is going to be a very long season.

I was at the game and I totally agree. We were playing defense with our hands and arms and were chasing the Providence players all over the court. We need to be much better at moving our feet. I thought Anderson looked good on defense. At least he seemed to care.

 

[MSGSeven]

Not to start anything but please don’t compare this team to 2004.

I didn't read my second post.

 

[Goat]

It was not surprising that Adams and Vital were most ready, they were playing D1 as last year ended. This was a very early game for a team consisting mostly of inexperienced or rusty players. Adrenaline poisoning was evident early. It is way too soon to judge coaching, but the challenge our coaching faces is apparent.

PC is moving pieces into a mostly assembled team. They are ahead at this time as they should be expected to be. This was a trap game if you were worried about the win, but it did give the new and returning players that much more needed experience and a sense of what a good team will feel like.

Personally, I will quietly remain a Husky while reading all the Chicken Littles on the boneyard.

 

[Chief00]

If Vital was one of our two best players we would be in serious trouble. The good news is he's not he's probably more like our fourth or fifth best if that. Assuming they stay healthy Gilbert and Larrier will be fine. Larrier showed he was a player last year and could stroke it from all over the court. This game was a glorified pick up game with probably less significance. The 04 UConn team almost lost to Yale and had bad stretches throughout the season losing 6 games. The 11 team lost 4 of their last 5 to end the regular season. The 14 team lost to a very bad Houston team. This team will lose games and look ugly doing it but it has the talent to win enough games and make a run in March.

I go by what I see on the court. He’s top two.

 

[gtcam]

I was at the game and a few of my observations
1. KO came into it to see how guys would play and react - he played nearly everyone and did so from the start. PeeCee used the same 7 players 90% of the game. The PeeCee fans I was talking to was surprised that Cooley didn't play more of the reserves.
2. PeeCee is a much more experienced team. Period
3. The officials did more talking among themselves and the decision making was more than strange - the PeeCee fans around us were joking that they even brought in their homer refs. - It's an exhibition so it didn't bother me as much as if it were for real but the three were amateur clowns.
4. Larrier - I understand he is coming off injuries but he is the most tentative player I have seen in a very long time. I am not writing him off as others have already, however, unless he can turn things around immediately, I see him as somewhat detrimental on both the offensive and defensive ends. C'mon Terry, show me a little hustle and willingness to fight/dive for a ball or two.
5. JA - he needs the ball in his hand at least 65% of the time. I felt AG showed some hints of brilliance but his game was sporadic. Time will tell and if he can avoid injury, maybe AG can be the PG - I still feel JA gets lost when not handling the offense. He was getting beat up bad - hip checked as he drove, slapping and getting bumped. Unless the refs do a little more protecting him, JA will never last the season healthy.
6. You aren't going to win many games when the opponent shoots 60% or better from the floor and even better from the 3. When they take double the free throws - that doesn't help either. Yeah UConn needs to work on D but PeeCee was just plain shooting the ball well. Missing 8 open layups/bunnies is ridiculous. UCONN NEEDS A 3 PT THREAT - the zones that PeeCee threw at UConn throughout the game exposed this continual missing link.
7. Boys vs Men - that's what it looked like - AGAIN
8. Polley, Carlton and Cobb - I see potential here. Polley made a move midway through the second half by going between his legs, half spin to shed and strong to the hoop that was eye opening. Cobb is a lot more athletic than I would imagine and Carlton is not afraid to mix it up. All need work and PT x 2 (playing time and training). Also the team needs to feed them the ball down low with more confidence - they can catch
9. Vital - will be hard keeping him on the bench - the guy is pure gamer. Someone commented that if he's our 2nd best player we are in trouble - That puzzles me - he came into the season the second most in minutes played and had some really good statistical game last season. At this point, yes he is UConn's 2nd best player.
10. Anderson - small but pesky and will drive many opponent PGs crazy. He handles the ball well. Not sure if I'm with Chief on the shooting aspect - I think he will be fine
11. The Offense - still lacking continuity, set plays and schemes which continues to concern me

In the end, I am glad UConn played this game. It's better than just starting with some lesser competition.

Lots of work to be done and I am confident there will be, barring that damn injury bug, improvement as the season grows. However, Thanksgiving time and the Oregon Tournament is around the corner - the clock is ticking.....

 

[jibsey]

I was at the game and a few of my observations
1. KO came into it to see how guys would play and react - he played nearly everyone and did so from the start. PeeCee used the same 7 players 90% of the game. The PeeCee fans I was talking to was surprised that Cooley didn't play more of the reserves.
2. PeeCee is a much more experienced team. Period
3. The officials did more talking among themselves and the decision making was more than strange - the PeeCee fans around us were joking that they even brought in their homer refs. - It's an exhibition so it didn't bother me as much as if it were for real but the three were amateur clowns.
4. Larrier - I understand he is coming off injuries but he is the most tentative player I have seen in a very long time. I am not writing him off as others have already, however, unless he can turn things around immediately, I see him as somewhat detrimental on both the offensive and defensive ends. C'mon Terry, show me a little hustle and willingness to fight/dive for a ball or two.
5. JA - he needs the ball in his hand at least 65% of the time. I felt AG showed some hints of brilliance but his game was sporadic. Time will tell and if he can avoid injury, maybe AG can be the PG - I still feel JA gets lost when not handling the offense. He was getting beat up bad - hip checked as he drove, slapping and getting bumped. Unless the refs do a little more protecting him, JA will never last the season healthy.
6. You aren't going to win many games when the opponent shoots 60% or better from the floor and even better from the 3. When they take double the free throws - that doesn't help either. Yeah UConn needs to work on D but PeeCee was just plain shooting the ball well. Missing 8 open layups/bunnies is ridiculous. UCONN NEEDS A 3 PT THREAT - the zones that PeeCee threw at UConn throughout the game exposed this continual missing link.
7. Boys vs Men - that's what it looked like - AGAIN
8. Polley, Carlton and Cobb - I see potential here. Polley made a move midway through the second half by going between his legs, half spin to shed and strong to the hoop that was eye opening. Cobb is a lot more athletic than I would imagine and Carlton is not afraid to mix it up. All need work and PT x 2 (playing time and training). Also the team needs to feed them the ball down low with more confidence - they can catch
9. Vital - will be hard keeping him on the bench - the guy is pure gamer. Someone commented that if he's our 2nd best player we are in trouble - That puzzles me - he came into the season the second most in minutes played and had some really good statistical game last season. At this point, yes he is UConn's 2nd best player.
10. Anderson - small but pesky and will drive many opponent PGs crazy. He handles the ball well. Not sure if I'm with Chief on the shooting aspect - I think he will be fine
11. The Offense - still lacking continuity, set plays and schemes which continues to concern me

In the end, I am glad UConn played this game. It's better than just starting with some lesser competition.

Lots of work to be done and I am confident there will be, barring that damn injury bug, improvement as the season grows. However, Thanksgiving time and the Oregon Tournament is around the corner - the clock is ticking.....

JA is the team. I would take out an insurance policy and put a bodyguard out there with him. You touch JA and you get your head handed to you. The attitude wouldn’t hurt either.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

If this was a real game TL should have been on the pine early in the 1st half. Yes he sat some in 2nd half./QUOTE]
It wasn't a real game.
Expect more of the same in the next 2 exhibition games and hope it shows up better, but don't draw conclusions from a sample of one, even if you turn out to be right

 

[Husky25]

Why does Gilbert get the benefit of the doubt to work off the rust, but Larrier doesn't? A torn ACL is no joke.

My biggest fear is that Larrier becomes an Omar Calhoun of sorts. Calhoun was a promising shooter as a freshman. He had surgery on his hips and could barely hit the broad side of the barn for the next three years.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

First, I would like to thank my friends at Mohegan for putting on this game.

- PC players looked bigger and stronger. They also had guys 6-5 getting good looks shooting over our shorter guards.

- Our two best players are Adams and Vital. There’s a big drop off after that and generally the other guys got out played.

- Terry Larrier was the biggest disappointment. I don’t see strength, explosiveness or shooting touch. He got manhandled on the boards. NBA draft pick this year? Quite frankly I don’t see anything higher than a D league run.

- Gilbert is working off the rust is as positive as I can say it. But, let’s see how he plays in a couple games.

- Cobb I see some hope in. He is strong enough not to be push around. He is fairly good with the ball in a triple threat type of way. He has decent soft hands and vision. He needs to avoid fouls. He can contribute on the boards.

- Diarra also was hurt by fouls - he may be a decent rebounder but did not play enough until late.

- For a team that likes to play four small guards in the rotation, we had a lot more turnovers than assists. Not good.

- We tend to trade good looks on made threes by our opponent vs. rough drives down the lane or wild threes. Not a good recipe.

- Chief always keeps it real, we were slow to adjust to Diallo getting good looks on the weak side after a quick swing of the ball. The coaches got to do a much better job making quick and effective adjustments.

- Williams played only briefly and apparently the coaches don’t feel at age 23 he can compete in a structured setting.

- Prolly and the other FR string bean need to get much stronger before they will be a factor against decent teams.

- Anderson hustled but is another small dude - who doesn’t have a reliable shot at this level.

I don’t buy the young excuse, I think it’s more we got the low ranked guys the last few years before Blaze change things only a couple months ago. But, it will take time for the 2018 recruits to ramp up. We need shooters in the worse way.

A not brief but fair assessment. I particularly like "Prolly" instead of "Polley." Autocorrect?