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Chief’s Briefs

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gtcam said:
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.....
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Cooley was saying he might not play 2 or 3 seniors - then he played them almost the entire game. KO seemed unprepared for that.

Who was that white ref? - I gave him a hard time - he was in the tank for PC. He did have a good sense of humor -and gave it back in a funny way - and apparently he lives in the region since he said he had a short trip home compared to some venues.
 
From what I saw, which was limited, Polley looked better than Larrier. Whaley looked better than Diarra or Williams. Cobb and Carlton looked to have some promise, but a long way to go. If we had to win a game today, I'd consider this lineup:

Starters: Alterique, Jalen, Christian, Whaley, Cobb
First off the bench: Anderson, Polley, Carlton

But, this is a lineup that would be undersized and underphysical at every position. Hopefully Larrier was just feeling the knee and will get back to speed soon. Hopefully Diarra and Williams can advance their games and seize court time.
 
I give a ton of credit to Providence. I never thought I would think this, but I envy their program. They have a team. At UConn, we have a bunch of individuals.

I think a large part of our problem is that two of our main guys are looking towards the NBA instead of focusing on UConn. 8 assists to 10 turnovers for a supposedly guard oriented team is troubling and suggests people are looking only for themselves. The lack of defense especially help defense also shows that we play as individuals.

Terry Larrier has NEVER proven himself. He averaged 6 pts at VCU and and did okay against Wagner and Northeastern last year. He has proven nothing, and yet there is this expectation that he will help us this year significantly. He has no interest in rebounding, he likes to turn the ball over, and he doesn't pass the ball very much. Not a tough player, and if he is going to play the four, he needs to be tough.

We cannot shoot the ball. With the athleticism that we have, we should be attacking the rim. The problem is, teams will consistently sag or play zone against us because we dont have a single player that will shoot over 35% from three except for Christian.

We have no transition game at all, and never score easy buckets. So many times Providence would push the ball down the floor and score within the first five seconds of their shot clock. We wait around and dribble until ten seconds left.

I know it is early. I know we will grow. But some of these issues are becoming a common theme with Ollie's teams. Good coaches make adjustments given their clientele. Some issues on this team HAVE to change. We better step up to learning curve quick because no one has any sympathy for UConn and our new group. There are no excuses.
 
pj said:
From what I saw, which was limited, Polley looked better than Larrier. Whaley looked better than Diarra or Williams. Cobb and Carlton looked to have some promise, but a long way to go. If we had to win a game today, I'd consider this lineup:

Starters: Alterique, Jalen, Christian, Whaley, Cobb
First off the bench: Anderson, Polley, Carlton

But, this is a lineup that would be undersized and underphysical at every position. Hopefully Larrier was just feeling the knee and will get back to speed soon. Hopefully Diarra and Williams can advance their games and seize court time.
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So Larrier isn't in your starting lineup and he's presumably the fourth guy off the bench? I missed the game last night, was he actively trying to score in our own basket?
 
PAHusky said:
So Larrier isn't in your starting lineup and he's presumably the fourth guy off the bench? I missed the game last night, was he actively trying to score in our own basket?
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Yeah, that is an insane over-reaction. This was one exhibition game. He is coming off of serious knee surgery.

Is Larrier a proven star? No. But he is a good player and our best hope for this year. He has talent and is going to be a difficult player for other teams to match up with, once he settles into the season.
 
.-.
Chief00 said:
Cooley was saying he might not play 2 or 3 seniors - then he played them almost the entire game. KO seemed unprepared for that.

Who was that white ref? - I gave him a hard time - he was in the tank for PC. He did have a good sense of humor -and gave it back in a funny way - and apparently he lives in the region since he said he had a short trip home compared to some venues.
Expand ...
What on earth are you talking about PC played 2 seniors in the game and they played 20 and 23 minutes. Good grief Chief, PC has kids that play in every class. It took him years to get this team to this depth.
 
awfuldan said:
Yeah, that is an insane over-reaction. This was one exhibition game. He is coming off of serious knee surgery.

Is Larrier a proven star? No. But he is a good player and our best hope for this year. He has talent and is going to be a difficult player for other teams to match up with, once he settles into the season.
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Isn't he coming off not playing competitively for 2 full years? Man it will take more than 1 exhibition game to shake of rust. Rodney Bullock had similar thing, sat a year then blew out knee in practice before next year. It took until the BE schedule the following year before he looked comfortable and he was nowhere as highly rated as Larrier and he’s pretty good now.
 
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PAHusky said:
So Larrier isn't in your starting lineup and he's presumably the fourth guy off the bench? I missed the game last night, was he actively trying to score in our own basket?
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No, just didn't do much. Obviously we hope and expect that Larrier will be much better than Polley when the games count. If not, the season is going to be a struggle.
 
FriarJ said:
Is he coming off not playing competitively for 2 full years? Man it will take more than 1 exhibition game to shake of rust. Rodney Bullock had similar thing, sat a year then blew out knee in practice before next year. It took until the BE schedule the following year before he looked comfortable and he was nowhere as highly rated as Larrier and he’s pretty good now.
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Yep. He sat for a full year after transferring, then played 2 exhibition games and 3.25 regular season games last year before going down with a torn ACL 11 months ago. He actually looked like far and away our best player last year before he got hurt.

 
MSGSeven said:
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.
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This Jalen could be Kemba or Shabazz narrative needs to stop. Frankly, its absurd at this point.

Let him take over a few games against good teams and win them for us before we get this train going.
 
awfuldan said:
Yep. He sat for a full year after transferring, then played 2 exhibition games and 3.25 regular season games last year before going down with a torn ACL 11 months ago. He actually looked like far and away our best player last year before he got hurt.

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He looks really good in this video
 
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superjohn said:
It's one of the sillier things that's routinely talked about on this board.
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Wishful UConn thinking. We all hoped he would take that next step and run the team and be the leader. Time will tell, but last night was not a great start
 
FriarJ said:
What on earth are you talking about PC played 2 seniors in the game and they played 20 and 23 minutes. Good grief Chief, PC has kids that play in every class. It took him years to get this team to this depth.
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pay-attention-to-me-19-photos-15.jpg
 
FriarJ said:
I wasn't going to say anything but your a jerk so I'm going to call you out. #1 is just a lie to soothe your ego, as condescending as you are no PC fan would spend a second talking to you unless you just talk tough behind your keyboard, which I presume is the case. PC has 12 players on ship. 2 starters and one of their 1st guys of the bench did not play last night. That leaves 9 players all of who played, of those 9 the 5 players who got the most run were 3 freshman and 2 sophomores one of which was a redshirt sophomore who missed last year to injury, meanwhile Jalen Adams played 36 minutes in an exhibition. Just need to point out how absolutely FOS you are
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Hate to admit that you are right but you are.Anybody who doesn't think that both teams/coaches were not trying to win that game is delusional.
 
Chief00 said:
Cooley was saying he might not play 2 or 3 seniors - then he played them almost the entire game. KO seemed unprepared for that.

Who was that white ref? - I gave him a hard time - he was in the tank for PC. He did have a good sense of humor -and gave it back in a funny way - and apparently he lives in the region since he said he had a short trip home compared to some venues.
Expand ...

I knew Cooley was going to do that, he could not resist the opportunity to beat UConn. He is slime.
 
.-.
awfuldan said:
Yeah, that is an insane over-reaction. This was one exhibition game. He is coming off of serious knee surgery.

Is Larrier a proven star? No. But he is a good player and our best hope for this year. He has talent and is going to be a difficult player for other teams to match up with, once he settles into the season.
Expand ...

A dude’s got to pass the Chief eye test - Maybe it will come but it clearly wasn’t there in terms of performance last night. I go by what I see and his production. I am not into “theoretical talent”or rankings.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
gtcam said:
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.....
Expand ...

Good post, the line that really resonants with me is boys against men.
 
kansashusky said:
I give a ton of credit to Providence. I never thought I would think this, but I envy their program. They have a team. At UConn, we have a bunch of individuals.

I think a large part of our problem is that two of our main guys are looking towards the NBA instead of focusing on UConn. 8 assists to 10 turnovers for a supposedly guard oriented team is troubling and suggests people are looking only for themselves. The lack of defense especially help defense also shows that we play as individuals.

Terry Larrier has NEVER proven himself. He averaged 6 pts at VCU and and did okay against Wagner and Northeastern last year. He has proven nothing, and yet there is this expectation that he will help us this year significantly. He has no interest in rebounding, he likes to turn the ball over, and he doesn't pass the ball very much. Not a tough player, and if he is going to play the four, he needs to be tough.

We cannot shoot the ball. With the athleticism that we have, we should be attacking the rim. The problem is, teams will consistently sag or play zone against us because we dont have a single player that will shoot over 35% from three except for Christian.

We have no transition game at all, and never score easy buckets. So many times Providence would push the ball down the floor and score within the first five seconds of their shot clock. We wait around and dribble until ten seconds left.

I know it is early. I know we will grow. But some of these issues are becoming a common theme with Ollie's teams. Good coaches make adjustments given their clientele. Some issues on this team HAVE to change. We better step up to learning curve quick because no one has any sympathy for UConn and our new group. There are no excuses.
Expand ...
Can anyone imagine what Jim Calhoun would do if he saw those crazy jacked up 3’s? The players would still be running now. The coaching staff has to grab control and explain what shots are taken where and by who. Can KO do that please?
 
Jerry1714 said:
This Jalen could be Kemba or Shabazz narrative needs to stop. Frankly, its absurd at this point.

Let him take over a few games against good teams and win them for us before we get this train going.
Expand ...

It's not absurd and it's our only chance at a big year so we better hope it happens.
 
.-.
MSGSeven said:
It's not absurd and it's our only chance at a big year so we better hope it happens.
Expand ...
Hope and reality are two different things in the real world, but they seem to be synonyms on the boneyard.
 
Chief00 said:
Who performed better?
Expand ...

Are you saying Vital is a top two player on the team or was one of the top two performers for UConn against Prov last night?
 
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Jerry1714 said:
Hope and reality are two different things in the real world, but they seem to be synonyms on the boneyard.
Expand ...

How quickly UConn fans forget. 2011 and 2014 was so long ago wasn't it? No one thought Kemba or Bazz would've led UConn to the NC. I thought there was a slight chance Bazz could do it because of what Kemba did in 11. Now we can have realistic hope that a lead guard talent like Jalen can do great things. Yes he has a lot to prove but the season hasn't even started yet.
 
MSGSeven said:
How quickly UConn fans forget. 2011 and 2014 was so long ago wasn't it? No one thought Kemba or Bazz would've led UConn to the NC. I thought there was a slight chance Bazz could do it because of what Kemba did in 11. Now we can have realistic hope that a lead guard talent like Jalen can do great things. Yes he has a lot to prove but the season hasn't even started yet.
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Kemba and Shabazz were both listed as pre season all Americans, Kemba more publications than Shabazz. Kemba was a projected lottery pick going into the summer before his junior. Not sure you can find Jalen in one mock right now. People have these ideas that these two came out of nowhere to be all Americans.

Also, maybe let Jalen show he has that in him before saying it just because you hope that’s what he can become.
 
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