Chiefs00 Briefs - Temple Edition

[Chin Diesel]

Loved his blocked dunk after the foul late second half as he was muttering that hat ain’t happening. Probably retaliation to getting dunked on earlier. But kudos to the temple kid for showing the cajoles you challenge aa.

Saw that and liked it too.

 

[husky429]

Chief loves Akok. As I have said, he’s a serious dude.

From what I've heard (and seen) he might be the hungriest of our huskies. He was NOT expected to be this good when he showed up last January. Hard work pays off.

 

[Chief00]

From what I've heard (and seen) he might be the hungriest of our huskies. He was NOT expected to be this good when he showed up last January. Hard work pays off.

It sure does when you have talent and brains too.

 

[Towney007]

The quotes from everyone after the game was... a thing.

Vital looked like he was enjoying basketball for the first time in forever. And seemed to be a bit better with the ball and the responsibility of having to babysit everyone. I liked the whole dynamic tonight.

 

[Chief00]

The quotes from everyone after the game was... a thing.

Vital looked like he was enjoying basketball for the first time in forever. And seemed to be a bit better with the ball and the responsibility of having to babysit everyone. I liked the whole dynamic tonight.

They are playing with guys they like, who will share the ball.

 

[formerlurker]

A legendary coach once told Chief the ball travels faster in the air than it can in the dribble - tonight was proof of that .

I call bullsh^t.

Either you're really old or that coach is the oldest man in the world. And he is in fact a legend.





Published 11/11/1958.

You obviously read the book too so I'll let you tell the rest of the BY what page that quote appears on and who said it.

 

[Jay-Bone]

They are playing with guys they like, who will share the ball.

Are you paid to run these narratives or something?

 

[Madmannsucks]

A

As usual, you get it. We have a lot of work to do but this game will be remembered as the pivot to a better future. Chief loves winning by playing the right way.

Just this. Nice to see the kids having fun and grabbing a "w" as payoff for their hard work. They may be scarce going forward, but they can enjoy this one for now.

 

[glastonbury50]

Gaff played well, but he needs to prove to me he can break down a good defender before I throw him starter minutes. His tendency to turn his back to the defender shows weakness/lack of confidence

Better to turn your back then turn it over.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

yup, we are fun again. swoopin' and hoopin'.

 

[Towney007]

Are you paid to run these narratives or something?

he’s right on this.

 

[Jay-Bone]

he’s right on this.

Please, the dude had 10 assists one game and you're going to try to tell me he doesn't assist? This is stupid. There's a lot to complain about with AG. His sharing the ball is not one of them. Chief is just trying to get out in front of this one.

My other favorite is those that say AG just pounded the ball into the court the whole shot clock. Sometimes I wonder if you guys even ever watch the games.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The quotes from everyone after the game was... a thing.

Vital looked like he was enjoying basketball for the first time in forever. And seemed to be a bit better with the ball and the responsibility of having to babysit everyone. I liked the whole dynamic tonight.

These two stand out to me.

Gaffney: "It’s really important to stay calm,” he said, “because the point guard runs the team, so if I go out of whack and on a run when I’m not in the right mind, that affects the whole team. So as long as I stay calm, the others are going to stay calm.”

and

Hurley: “I think we found our recipe to get a win,” Hurley said, “we just have to win by a lot. With everything swirling around, injuries, close losses, I think we showed the character, the identity, the toughness we’re trying to build."

 

[Chief00]

Are you paid to run these narratives or something?

I hope so, but the check hasn’t arrived in the mail. LOL. And I am actually blocked from the men’s basketball forum for some reason - only a back door cut gives me access to post.

 

[Chin Diesel]

and this one...

“Young freshman that want to be out there hooping,” Hurley said, “it’s kind of their time here to lead us into the next chapter of great success in this program. They were just jubilant [Tuesday] about getting the chance to start together. Three dudes in shoot-around.”

 

[jdb50]

Whaley needs to use the glass on his 5-7 foot jumpers. We started off the game really moving/passing the ball. That continued for most of the game. If we could hit a few more jumpers it would really open up the drive game. We offensive rebounded real well with Vital and Bouk showing outstanding ability to track the ball and get to it. Lots of front rim misses today. Whaley is a good defender on the perimeter and got a couple more steals today. Foul shooting was way better thankfully. There was one offensive possession where we made a series of mistakes resulting in a turnover. Hurley watched it all unfold and after the ball went OOB he just turned and walked back to the bench. The team was playing well overall and he decided to move on to the next play. I like this guy. He will be a good one for us.

 

[Jay-Bone]

I hope so, but the check hasn’t arrived in the mail. LOL. And I am actually blocked from the men’s basketball forum for some reason - only a back door cut gives me access to post.

Blocked? You kidding me? Free you and free Carl in the pool. So entertaining.

 

[Blaneylover]

It’s amazing what happens when the ball doesn’t stick. All the starting lineup scored between 5-8 points the first half.
Chief has been talking up Gaffney, even though he was injured most of pre season. Today you see why. He plays with poise and guys know they will get the ball if they work hard to get open in scoring position.
We played with 6 guys today and we had plenty of depth. Because every guy was into the game. Geno ball?
Last Sunday, Chief posted the broom was out, some understood what Chief meant, others didn’t. Now you all do.
Chief loves this team and the legend and history, which is UConn basketball. I have put my money where my mouth is the last 30 years. Now it’s time for everyone to put their butts in the seats. No exceptions! Cheer on the guys as Chief heads to NYC and Jersey February 7th to make next year great.
My one criticism tonight is that when you are up by 20+, with 7 minutes left you have to work the shot clock. But, hey that’s a nice problem to have.

Its nice shooting 90% from the foul line with over 20 foul shoots and having a point guard having a 5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. These are winning statistics. We can shoot better from the field - more to come in building this team for 2021.
A legendary coach once told Chief the ball travels faster in the air than it can in the dribble - tonight was proof of that .

Coach Hurley's post-game press conference told us a lot. He commented how the ball movement was better and there was more passing and less dribbling. He also indicated the three freshmen were excited about the opportunity to start together tonight. Coach Hurley talked about how the time has come for that group to lead the team going forward. I think that he has turned the page.

 

[formerlurker]

I call bullsh^t.

Either you're really old or that coach is the oldest man in the world. And he is in fact a legend.





Published 11/11/1958.

You obviously read the book too so I'll let you tell the rest of the BY what page that quote appears on and who said it.

I’m going to bed, Jefe.

I hope to check in tomorrow morning and see that you’ve adjusted your briefs and have given Pop the credit that he and his quote deserve.

Pop Gates - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dannyHAM]

From what I've heard (and seen) he might be the hungriest of our huskies. He was NOT expected to be this good when he showed up last January. Hard work pays off.

Exactly what I’m hearing. He’s a good kid who loves UConn basketball and just wants to keep getting better. I’d say he’s the most locked in and focused of any of the younger guys.

 

[bazz&boujee]

From what I've heard (and seen) he might be the hungriest of our huskies. He was NOT expected to be this good when he showed up last January. Hard work pays off.

eh he was a 5 star. he’s living up to expectations.

 

[husky429]

eh he was a 5 star. he’s living up to expectations.

Only 247 had him as a 5* recruit. Everyone else had him as 60+. And he was falling out of the top 100 last spring of 2018. the 5* rating was based on one weekend's performances. His junior AAU season he looked pretty terrible most of the time.

I know for a fact the coaching staff did not expect this type of performance out of him.

 

[Towney007]

Please, the dude had 10 assists one game and you're going to try to tell me he doesn't assist? This is stupid. There's a lot to complain about with AG. His sharing the ball is not one of them. Chief is just trying to get out in front of this one.

My other favorite is those that say AG just pounded the ball into the court the whole shot clock. Sometimes I wonder if you guys even ever watch the games.

That’s not what he’s talking about, dummy. Go take some pills and a few breaths.

 

[Towney007]

These two stand out to me.

Gaffney: "It’s really important to stay calm,” he said, “because the point guard runs the team, so if I go out of whack and on a run when I’m not in the right mind, that affects the whole team. So as long as I stay calm, the others are going to stay calm.”

and

Hurley: “I think we found our recipe to get a win,” Hurley said, “we just have to win by a lot. With everything swirling around, injuries, close losses, I think we showed the character, the identity, the toughness we’re trying to build."

It’s all there.

 

[Okafour rings]

Got home from a meeting tonight about 6:15, had a spontaneous urge to go watch the Huskies, and after getting an OK from the wife, rushed up to Storrs to take in the game. Arriving at 7:05, I was able to get a seat 6 rows behind the UConn bench for $15 (normally $44) from a scalper. This was only the 3rd game I've seen this season, but since I posted some observations after the other two games, figured I'd do the same for tonight's win:

- I first noticed only 2 players on the bench without their sweats on...looked like Hurley was going to use a short bench tonight. No one near me knew what was going on with Gilbert. The team played SMART in the first half, with only 1 player having more than 1 foul.

- A lot of us here on the Boneyard, me included, are often critical of Vital's decision making on the offensive end. But having such good seats tonight gave me a new appreciation for his hustle, anticipation, and effort on the defensive end. He's fighting against guys that are half a foot taller than he is, winning the rebounding battle (10 boards tonight!) and with 4 steals tonight, his average of 2.45 is tied for 12th in the country! His 89.8% free throw pct is also 12th in the country.

- Gaffney's going to be a real nice player for us, but he has got to pay attention to the shot clock. Twice in the second half, the Huskies had an inbounds play with 7 seconds left on the clock, yet he and the other players on the court were oblivious to it. SOMEONE has to be yelling from the bench to watch the shot clock.

- We haven't had many players who could dunk these past few years, and I had forgotten what an impact it makes in the building. Even though we were up by about 20 when Bouknight had his highlight reel slam, it electrified the crowd. Akok's dunk was also a beauty.

- Carlton had a nice game; I was a bit surprised that he sat the last 10 minutes or so.

- The free throw shooting was amazing, 28 for 30 for 93.3%. With everyone playing more minutes than normal, I would've expected tired legs causing poorer shooting. That helped overcome the struggles from the field tonight.

I will echo Chief's sentiment that we should all try to get to as many games as possible. It was a great atmosphere tonight. You might get as lucky as I did tonight: