Cinci Post Game Thoughts

[UConnDan97]

This board is tiring at best. Purvis was by far our best player yesterday. Led the team in points, rebounds, steals, threes, and shooting percentage. And Brimah was our second best player. Cincy worked hard to neutralize Adams and to a large extent, they did. They also shot 50 percent from the field.

But this board, not understanding how to handle adversity, reaches for the same three scapegoats they always do; Purvis, Brimah, and Ollie. It couldn't have had anything to do with Cincy shooting lights out yesterday, especially with their bigs from distance. Nope. Had to be our scapegoats. So let's keep piling on. The shtick is tired...

 

[upstater]

Larrier was being projected for the lottery before he got hurt? One site had him at 21 after the Nike skills camp and I don't remember seeing him on any other draft boards. It stinks we lost Alterique and Larrier who I think would have been good for us but seems some are tending to look at them as saviors now (amazing players, lottery pick.)#alternativefacts

I did see him as a lottery projection. I don't think it was right, but it definitely was not an alternative fact

 

[Husky25]

The program is in serious trouble with Ollie at the helm.

If UConn gets above .500 and gets a bid to the NIT, Ollie deserves Coach of the Year consideration.

 

[upstater]

The biggest problem next year is going to be meshing all the newish players together.

With Brimah and Facey gone, Diarra and Carlton are going to play some with Enoch and Durham I'm assuming. Gotta mesh that front court together.

But Larrier, Jackson, Adams, Gilbert, Vital and MAL are 6 players who will see a chunk of playing time.

I have no concerns with any of these players. I like all of them a lot. I have deep faith in Ollie's coaching as well. The only question is about how the players mesh on the court.

The team is going to be 11 deep, and we can see them playing 9 or 10 per game well into the season.

 

[conn man]

I don't the OP actually watched the game.

 

[pj]

The biggest problem next year is going to be meshing all the newish players together.

With Brimah and Facey gone, Diarra and Carlton are going to play some with Enoch and Durham I'm assuming. Gotta mesh that front court together.

But Larrier, Jackson, Adams, Gilbert, Vital and MAL are 6 players who will see a chunk of playing time.

I have no concerns with any of these players. I like all of them a lot. I have deep faith in Ollie's coaching as well. The only question is about how the players mesh on the court.

The team is going to be 11 deep, and we can see them playing 9 or 10 per game well into the season.

Definitely going to be a coaching challenge for Ollie next year. The bigs will have to be coached up from almost high school level, and effectively 7 new players with only Adams, Jackson, and Vital having significant game experience.

Still, having 10 players to practice with is going to be a big relief.

 

[huskymagic]

Yes:
1. A torn labrum.
2. Two torn ACLs.
3. Two knees with tendinitis.

Other than that it's a good class.

Pj great you made my point very eloquently. A recruiting class with 3 of your top 5 incoming players being either chronically injured or consistently reinjuring themselves is a not a good recruiting class which is why I said its a flawed recruiting class. Add Larrier to that mix and it becomes 4 of 6 with severe injuries. With Larrier and Alterique we still lost to Wagner and Northeastern. With Larrier we still got blown out against a mediocre OK State team before he got injured that game.

What we are missing is toughness, pride, and will to win. This Cinci team didn't even play that great for most of the game, it's not like they are some dominant team, they are not its just the AAC stinks. Ollie keeps saying the team is not following the scouting report, well here is a novel idea do something about it. He should call a timeout immediately once he notices one missed assignment at the beginning of the game and lay into whoever made the mistake. He needs to hold players accountable whether its Amida, Jalen, Rod,etc.

P.S. Amida doesnt need help with a double team to guard his man in the post which always leads to an easy open 3 for the other team. Amida doesn't need a double team as he has height, length, and hops. Stop double teaming passively with Vance or Rod or Kentan,etc. Our perimeter guys need to either double team with a purpose or stop and stay attached to their man.

 

[mauconnfan]

Pj great you made my point very eloquently. A recruiting class with 3 of your top 5 incoming players being either chronically injured or consistently reinjuring themselves is a not a good recruiting class which is why I said its a flawed recruiting class. Add Larrier to that mix and it becomes 4 of 6 with severe injuries. With Larrier and Alterique we still lost to Wagner and Northeastern. With Larrier we still got blown out against a mediocre OK State team before he got injured that game.

What we are missing is toughness, pride, and will to win. This Cinci team didn't even play that great for most of the game, it's not like they are some dominant team, they are not its just the AAC stinks. Ollie keeps saying the team is not following the scouting report, well here is a novel idea do something about it. He should call a timeout immediately once he notices one missed assignment at the beginning of the game and lay into whoever made the mistake. He needs to hold players accountable whether its Amida, Jalen, Rod,etc.

P.S. Amida doesnt need help with a double team to guard his man in the post which always leads to an easy open 3 for the other team. Amida doesn't need a double team as he has height, length, and hops. Stop double teaming passively with Vance or Rod or Kentan,etc. Our perimeter guys need to either double team with a purpose or stop and stay attached to their man.

PS - Thank God we have KO at the helm and not you, we wouldn't sniff a W.

 

[mauconnfan]

This board is tiring at best. Purvis was by far our best player yesterday. Led the team in points, rebounds, steals, threes, and shooting percentage. And Brimah was our second best player. Cincy worked hard to neutralize Adams and to a large extent, they did. They also shot 50 percent from the field.

But this board, not understanding how to handle adversity, reaches for the same three scapegoats they always do; Purvis, Brimah, and Ollie. It couldn't have had anything to do with Cincy shooting lights out yesterday, especially with their bigs from distance. Nope. Had to be our scapegoats. So let's keep piling on. The shtick is tired...

Purvis has been really solid as of late, not forcing too much and playing solid D. KO has been excellent though the adversity, kids are playing hard undermanned that's all we can ask for as fans. Brimah had a nice game, all we can ask for, not a scapegoat just not the guy he should be. He was lost on D all day yesterday, but so was mostly every other big.

But you're so right, they shot the lights out, besides getting out there more there's not a lot they can do. Tulsa got one Cincy we got the other. We will need at least somewhere in between those 2 games form them to have a chance in the next one (or 2?)

 

[ctchamps]

This board is tiring at best. Purvis was by far our best player yesterday. Led the team in points, rebounds, steals, threes, and shooting percentage. And Brimah was our second best player. Cincy worked hard to neutralize Adams and to a large extent, they did. They also shot 50 percent from the field.

But this board, not understanding how to handle adversity, reaches for the same three scapegoats they always do; Purvis, Brimah, and Ollie. It couldn't have had anything to do with Cincy shooting lights out yesterday, especially with their bigs from distance. Nope. Had to be our scapegoats. So let's keep piling on. The shtick is tired...

And we can see the problem in others better than we can see the problem in ourselves.

I know you know the underlying reasons why this behavior surfaces. It never ceases to amaze me that the flaws in human character are overlooked in trying to understand a big picture. I'm sure I'm sounding judgmental especially if someone is sensitive to an issue and doesn't want to be exposed, but it never ceases to fascinate me how people can create narratives in their heads and continue to defend those narratives with such ease when there is evidence that refutes that narrative.

We all do it. It's just some of us are more skilled at self deception than others.

 

[UConnDan97]

What we are missing is toughness, pride, and will to win.

What we are missing is warm bodies. That's what we are missing.

Ollie, like Calhoun before him, prefers to play 90+ percent of the time in man-to-man. We can't. We have 6 friggin players. There's only so much zone switching you can do to keep the other team off balance, and Ollie has tried it. He moves from the 2-3 to the 1-3-1 and so on. But when you absolutely cannot play man-to-man defense for the entire game and when you can't press full court and when the other team shoots lights out...well then, the game is over.

But keep banging on the drum, I guess...

 

[UConnSwag11]

Yes injuring yourself or re-injuring yourself as soon as you step foot on campus is a flaw in and of itself. I like Vance as a player but he is slow and not very athletic, he needs to lose 10-15 pounds and become more mobile. CV is ok. We should be better next year with Makai coming in to help Jalen and with CV and Alterique. The big question is who starts with Jalen next year: Makai, Alterique, or CV because Terry and Vance will be starting and how does Ollie manage that guard situation. Ollie needs to be more of a dictator with his team and less of a players coach to reign in bad tendencies and keep guys accountable.

We need to start recruiting guys who can contribute from Day 1 not year 3 year from the time they step foot on campus. Cumberland from Cinci is playing well for a freshman. Jacob Evans last year for Cinci was great as a freshman. Other than exciting plays for Amida and Jalen's heave last year we are playing like a rundown Pitt team.

What are you talking about? Vance has lost weight and has gotten much better throughout the season, great outside shot as well as the best mid range game on the team. Hustles on both ends rebounds well and has a good handle for his size. Vital has been playing surprising well given the circumstances. And it won't be a hard decision, Gilbert will start.

 

[mauconnfan]

And we can see the problem in others better than we can see the problem in ourselves.

I know you know the underlying reasons why this behavior surfaces. It never ceases to amaze me that the flaws in human character are overlooked in trying to understand a big picture. I'm sure I'm sounding judgmental especially if someone is sensitive to an issue and doesn't want to be exposed, but it never ceases to fascinate me how people can create narratives in their heads and continue to defend those narratives with such ease when there is evidence that refutes that narrative.

We all do it. It's just some of us are more skilled at self deception than others.

Dr Fleud

"Sign Z Papars....."

 

[Mr. Hand]

The outcome of this game was never in doubt and it pretty much turned out as we all expected. We have a severe lack of athleticism, toughness, and scoring ability with most of our team. Gary Clarke was punking us once again on offense and defense and Washington and Cumberland were lighting us up from 3. This 2016 recruiting class has way too many flaws. We have many problems on the coaching and recruiting front for us to be optimistic for next year.

PRO: Amida was the only effective player today who Cinci had to play and respect who had 16 and 5.

CON: This is a tie between Adams no show and Ollies coaching. Jalen has to play better than this, he is looking way too slow and lethargic out there, and has trouble beating his guy off the dribble.

Ollie needs to stop playing hot potato with substituting his best player out of the game and allowing other teams to go on huge runs. And stop switching to a horrendous so called zone defense that always gets abused by any decent team. The program is in serious trouble with Ollie at the helm.

Don't take this personally, but of all the people who post here, the threads you start are the worst.

 

[huskymagic]

Don't take this personally, but of all the people who post here, the threads you start are the worst.

LOL thanks Mr. Wonderful, and no worries I don't take it personally. I provide an alternative perspective that is needed, and I disagree with the assessment. My posts provide the most healthy debate and drama about our problems. Calling the 2016 recruiting class as great is a stretch as I outlined in this thread. Half hearted double teams to help Amida in the post are incredibly stupid and unnecessary. Ollie saying the team is not listening to him and his scouting report is not concerning to some of you. Our point guard not showing up to play is ok. Playing hot potato with substitutions like its the NBA with your best player is ok with some of you. We didn't really play hard yesterday either we looked like a team that had its spirit broken.

 

[mauconnfan]

LOL thanks Mr. Wonderful, and no worries I don't take it personally. I provide an alternative perspective that is needed, and I disagree with the assessment. My posts provide the most healthy debate and drama about our problems. Calling the 2016 recruiting class as great is a stretch as I outlined in this thread. Half hearted double teams to help Amida in the post are incredibly stupid and unnecessary. Ollie saying the team is not listening to him and his scouting report is not concerning to some of you. Our point guard not showing up to play is ok. Playing hot potato with substitutions like its the NBA with your best player is ok with some of you. We didn't really play hard yesterday either we looked like a team that had its spirit broken.

Half hearted double teams are the only way you can guard with someone who can't play one on one defense very well but hey what would you know. He and Clark did get 28 and 20 respectively so maybe he played better D than we think LOL

Hot potato subs never worked for Calhoun did it. He was trigger happy in comparison to KO and KO has a lot less to work with this year. And you know what they are kids, when Cincy made every 3 they looked at they may have had their spirit broken, a natural reaction for kids sometimes. They finished playing hard after that and have played hard all year. Nothing you say is meaningful, you could never sell Mr Wonderful on anything you'd be thrown to the Sharks!

 

[Chin Diesel]

Purvis and Brimah are a crap shoot. The team has won with them playing well and the team has lost with them playing well. Team has won with them playing poorly and has lost with them playing poorly.

Adams and Facey have been the key, especially Adams (obvious, I know).

W's and L's line up with their performance.

 

[QDOG5]

8 games left. Best case scenario 5-3, worst case scenario 2-6. I don't think best case gets us into NIT. Maybe we get an invite to one of the lower tourneys. I'm not sure if KO would accept. Personally, I'll continue to watch the games but I'm getting off the analysis roller coaster. I hope the individuals and the team continue to improve and I would love to see us take 2 out of 3 at home against Memphis, SMU, and Cincy. The reality is the team isn't very good overall and the individuals are inconsistent from game to game. I don't expect that to change for the rest of the season. I've got my fingers crossed that our injured players recover completely and we come out next season kicking some . Meanwhile, Kemba's Yogurt and I will be practicing our dribbling in the off season in case KO needs some help in the backcourt .

 

[ctchamps]

Purvis and Brimah are a crap shoot. The team has won with them playing well and the team has lost with them playing well. Team has won with them playing poorly and has lost with them playing poorly.

Adams and Facey have been the key, especially Adams (obvious, I know).

W's and L's line up with their performance.

I think you need three to play very well and two others to play decently to win a majority of competitive games. We've not seen that very often this season.

 

[whaler11]

Cincinnati is good.

UConn missing half their impact players to injury isn't.

There isn't any way to coach around UConn's roster issues.

It wasn't really a head scratcher... it just got out of hand for a while because Cinci shot really well.

 

[chiller99.5]

Seemed like there was too much size and muscle for Kelis Fisher to hit the boards and get in a rhythm. Looked like an old skool Big East game with a lot of the play through contact. Adams hit the deck hard on a few drives as well

 

[freescooter]

Our goal should be to get to Cincinatti's level. We are not there at this point and it doesn't look like we will be there any time soon. They are a tourney team every year. That's what we need to be.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Look, Cincinnati is 21-2 for a reason. Tall order to beat that team, on the road, with six players (and a few spare minutes from two others), and with the Bearcats having an unusually good game from 3. Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, even if we were a more typical UConn team this year.

Facey had a lot of good looks that just rolled off the rim, just didn't fall. I would have liked him to be more aggressive on the rebounding, but there weren't a ton of defensive rebounds available with the solid shooting by Cincy. Adams was the target of the Bearcat defense, and they did a good job on him. Now he knows what to expect. If he's half the player I think he is, he'll figure out how to handle it for next game.

 

[August_West]

This board is tiring at best. Purvis was by far our best player yesterday. Led the team in points, rebounds, steals, threes, and shooting percentage. And Brimah was our second best player. Cincy worked hard to neutralize Adams and to a large extent, they did. They also shot 50 percent from the field.

But this board, not understanding how to handle adversity, reaches for the same three scapegoats they always do; Purvis, Brimah, and Ollie. It couldn't have had anything to do with Cincy shooting lights out yesterday, especially with their bigs from distance. Nope. Had to be our scapegoats. So let's keep piling on. The shtick is tired...

Purvis was pretty great yesterday. Brimah was pretty bad. The fact that it might make him our second best yesterday ( and it actually might) is very sad, because he was not good. Washington abused him like a used rag. Ollie called him out as bad. Thats how bad he was.

 

[UConnDan97]

Purvis was pretty great yesterday. Brimah was pretty bad. The fact that it might make him our second best yesterday ( and it actually might) is very sad, because he was not good. Washington abused him like a used rag. Ollie called him out as bad. Thats how bad he was.

Brimah had 14 points, 5 boards, 2 blocks, a couple of forced misses, and shot 50% from the field. He wasn't pretty bad. He had a decent night. The problem is that he has never had to cover a big at the perimeter. He was lost in that regard, but most centers are. Once again, I'd love for us to be able to play uber-aggressive man-to-man defense and funneling them into the center where Brimah cleans up, which I think would have prevented a lot of what happened yesterday from occurring. But with 6 men, you just can't do it...

 

[huskymagic]

Half hearted double teams are the only way you can guard with someone who can't play one on one defense very well but hey what would you know. He and Clark did get 28 and 20 respectively so maybe he played better D than we think LOL

If you think Amida needs help in the post than your sadly mistaken. The rest of the team including Kentan weren't defending either. Amida is the least of our problems on defense although yesterday was a bad defensive day for him but again that's coaching, will to win, leadership, pride. Amida is not suited for a zone defense nor is UCONN. Ollies strategies are the reason we look so bad and don't use the we only have 7 bodies to work with. All you need is 5 to win. Think how bad this team is and plays without Amida, it's night and day.

 

[UConnDan97]

Ollies strategies are the reason we look so bad and don't use the we only have 7 bodies to work with. All you need is 5 to win.

^^ That is a top-tier dumb comment right there...

 

[ctchamps]

^^ That is a top-tier dumb comment right there...

You mean he has lower tiers of dumb. Who'd of thunk that.

 

[hardcorehusky]

If KO wanted 6-8 players for a team, he would not have picked 4 Bigs, 1 wing and 3 guards. Can't play a pressure man most of the game, can't really push tempo and run. Other than Adams and Vital, everyone is a role player and not interchangeable. Can't blame him for this year. The reality is we are limited. AB doesn't have the offensive game to be a focal point and Kelis Fisher had a bad game yesterday but has been good this year.

I am pleased with VJ, Vital and Jalen's progress. VJ isn't a supreme athlete, but he has a good basketball IQ and will get better each year. If we could get a 5th yr big for next year, that would help as Enoch has the semblance of some good offensive moves, but is woefully behind defensively and rebounding wise. Durham will be good- but needs a year of strength and just playing. If Diarra is the rebounder we heard he was, that will be huge to ignite the fast break. Gilbert is special and Larrier is the missing athlete we don't have right now. I still think this team can get into the TOP 5 of the league this year but next year we have a chance to be good rolling into March.

 

[Danzz]

Yes injuring yourself or re-injuring yourself as soon as you step foot on campus is a flaw in and of itself. I like Vance as a player but he is slow and not very athletic, he needs to lose 10-15 pounds and become more mobile. CV is ok. We should be better next year with Makai coming in to help Jalen and with CV and Alterique. The big question is who starts with Jalen next year: Makai, Alterique, or CV because Terry and Vance will be starting and how does Ollie manage that guard situation. Ollie needs to be more of a dictator with his team and less of a players coach to reign in bad tendencies and keep guys accountable.

We need to start recruiting guys who can contribute from Day 1 not year 3 year from the time they step foot on campus. Cumberland from Cinci is playing well for a freshman. Jacob Evans last year for Cinci was great as a freshman. Other than exciting plays for Amida and Jalen's heave last year we are playing like a rundown Pitt team.

Give it a rest.