Creighton Post Game Thread

[RuffRuff]

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This is what I mean when I say the Hurley/AK relationship should be studied. I love a good bromance and was a fan of Brokeback mountain, but this is also part of Hurley’s blind spot.

Too many choir boys. We need a little more edge/dawg. It sometimes feels like Hurley fashions himself as a coach during the Adolph Rupp era.

I’m finding rolling back a bunch of returners to being less and less a need after watching Dusty this year. Who did Lloyd roll back other than Bradley? You need a couple but you also have to be somewhat clinical about moving on to create a great roster. This one feels short again because he’s wed himself to players that don’t align with a NC contender. We rolled a bunch of guys back and they are regressing and we lack chemistry 27 games in. Go get the best talent, move off anyone that doesn’t make sense. We have roll backs now that look disgruntled they aren’t getting the time they thought they were getting because they’re not that good.

 

[RuffRuff]

I'm not going to go through all of Hurley's interviews but I've heard him say several times AK is one of the greatest players ever at UConn, one of the best players in college basketball, and he's responsible for UConn basketball becoming what it is right now. He credits everything changing with UConn basketball once Karaban started playing at UConn.

If he was that good he should have let him go into the 24 draft….

 

[KingAG]

If he was that good he should have let him go into the 24 draft….

He didn’t not “let him go”. LmaO

 

[superjohn]

But the coach is crediting the culture change to AK. Maybe he knows something you don’t? Maybe AKs teammates who also heap this praise on him know something you don’t? Clingan gets his just do as do the rest of those guys. Tristen is on the wall. Dan still talks about Adama. Clingan gets credited for both titles by outside observers. He called AJAx the greatest leader he’s ever coached. Why draw the line at AK?

Because the hype is over the top and doesn't come close to matching his performance on the court.

Karaban was a great role player on those teams but Clingan and Newton were a way bigger reason we won back to back than AK was.

 

[HW611]

So you don’t have the full quote.

I’m assuming you’re referring to his quote after Maui. In which he called him “the greatest winner in CBB, and one of the greatest Huskies ever”. Again in the context of winning.

Kind of quote is disrespectful to guys like Rip Hamilton, Emeka, Kemba, Shabazz.

Winners who legitimately had to be the best player in the country for their teams to win. Not the 6th or 5th best player on a team somehow getting put in a conversation with those guys.

 

[SwingDog]

FREE THROWS: Creighton 27-32 / UConn 11-18 😐

 

[RuffRuff]

He didn’t not “let him go”. LmaO

Well he pushed Clingan to go when Clingan wanted to come back. He pushed Jackson to go. Not sure why he convinced AK to come back.

So called painful introverts are not usually culture changers across a team of upperclassmen. I think Hurley just blows a crap load of hot air, often. I don’t buy half of it.

 

[KingAG]

Because the hype is over the top and doesn't come close to matching his performance on the court.

Karaban was a great role player on those teams but Clingan and Newton were a way bigger reason we won back to back than AK was.

Ok. Well Hurley doesn’t agree with you. His teammates don’t agree with you. But SuperJohn on the boneyard knows the cultural impact AK had on the program. 116-25 was on circumstantial. He was just Niels Giffey. Right?

 

[KingAG]

Kind of quote is disrespectful to guys like Rip Hamilton, Emeka, Kemba, Shabazz.

Winners who legitimately had to be the best player in the country for their teams to win. Not the 6th or 5th best player on a team somehow getting put in a conversation with those guys.

It’s not disrespectful in the slightest.

 

[KingAG]

Well he pushed Clingan to go when Clingan wanted to come back. He pushed Jackson to go. Not sure why he convinced AK to come back.

So called painful introverts are not usually culture changers across a team of upperclassmen. I think Hurley just blows a crap load of hot air, often. I don’t buy half of it.

Clingan was a lottery pick. Ajax could’ve came back if he wanted. The same why AK did.

 

[superjohn]

Ok. Well Hurley doesn’t agree with you. His teammates don’t agree with you. But SuperJohn on the boneyard knows the cultural impact AK had on the program. 116-25 was on circumstantial. He was just Niels Giffey. Right?

The cultural impact, lolz


Why did UConn go from being the most dominant back to back team in the 64 team era to just a good ordinary team who lost in the second round last season with AK as their cultural leader.

 

[RuffRuff]

Because the hype is over the top and doesn't come close to matching his performance on the court.

Karaban was a great role player on those teams but Clingan and Newton were a way bigger reason we won back to back than AK was.

It’s not debateable. AK was the door handle on a car, those guys were the engine and transmission.

Love that Hurley pumps up his boy, and I’m sure much of that is to reward AK for his loyalty and how great a kid he is. It’s a load of hot air contextually. I’m sure some of it is simply because he represents the two greatest years in Hurley’s coaching career.

 

[KingAG]

The cultural impact, lolz


Why did UConn go from being the most dominant back to back team in the 64 team era to just a good ordinary team who lost in the second round last season with AK as their cultural leader.

Because they didn’t have a pg.

Struggling to find the relevance

 

[HW611]

He was just Niels Giffey. Right?

Senior year Giffey is actually not a bad comparison. Giffey might’ve been a better defender and shooter on the 2014 championship team than Karaban was on the back to back teams tbh.

 

[RuffRuff]

The cultural impact, lolz


Why did UConn go from being the most dominant back to back team in the 64 team era to just a good ordinary team who lost in the second round last season with AK as their cultural leader.

Yes the so called painful introvert single handedly changed UConn culture. Clearly our guy King is buying everything Hurley is putting down. If we believed all Hurley said Jayden Ross would be defending SGA in the NBA finals this year. Sorry to tell you our guy Dan lathers on the hyperbole to the point of being FOS at times

 

[superjohn]

Because they didn’t have a pg.

Struggling to find the relevance

Oh that's why?

It didn't have to do with no Clingan, Newton, Cam, Castle, Sanogo, Jackson, Hawkins?

 

[KingAG]

Never thought we’d have an Alex Karaban hate thread on the boneyard.

The basketball Gods don’t like ugly haha

 

[KingAG]

Oh that's why?

It didn't have to do with no Clingan, Newton, Cam, Castle, Sanogo, Jackson, Hawkins?

Nope. They aren’t here this year. 24-3.

What changed?

We have a pg.

And if you’re arguing it takes more than one good player to make a dominant team. Then …..duh.

 

[RuffRuff]

Senior year Giffey is actually not a bad comparison. Giffey might’ve been a better defender and shooter on the 2014 championship team than Karaban was on the back to back teams tbh.

The 23 and 24 teams would have pounded that 2014 team. Giffey was actually a fairly important player on a generally thin roster.

 

[HW611]

Never thought we’d have an Alex Karaban hate thread on the boneyard.

The basketball Gods don’t like ugly haha

I don’t think people hate Karaban. Just the people that overhype him by saying he’s the best anything in our very legendary and decorated program history.

It’s absolutely not his fault. More his coaches fault than anything.

 

[KingAG]

I don’t think people hate Karaban. Just the people that overhype him by saying he’s the best anything in our very legendary and decorated program history.

It’s absolutely not his fault. More his coaches fault than anything.

One of the best isn’t “the best”. It’s a subjective statement anyway. And if your criteria or context is winning then it makes a ton of sense.

And it’s absolutely on the borderline of hating. Some blasphemous stuff being uttered here.

 

[KingAG]

The 23 and 24 teams would have pounded that 2014 team. Giffey was actually a fairly important player on a generally thin roster.

Karaban is better than Giffey. Can we just stop.

 

[HW611]

The 23 and 24 teams would have pounded that 2014 team. Giffey was actually a fairly important player on a generally thin roster.

Not arguing the teams. I’m just saying Giffey had to do things on that roster in a way I don’t think Karaban had to in 23 and 24.

The guy was shooting almost 50% from 3 (remember the Karaban notorious slumps?) while also playing small ball 5 at times. Tough on the boards, being a legitimate good defender and not just someone the team had to get by with.

People thinking it’s disrespectful to compare Karaban to senior year Giffey is exactly the problem. And try to put him in a conversation with our absolute legends who were the best players in the country.

 

[RuffRuff]

Never thought we’d have an Alex Karaban hate thread on the boneyard.

The basketball Gods don’t like ugly haha

It’s not a hate thread - it’s properly applying AKs relevance to UConn history.

If AK could somehow lead this team as the “glue guy”, “culture leader” I might throw him some roses. Issue is as the on court coach this team is currently a regressing mess. He’s got 5-7 game minimum.

 

[KingAG]

It’s not a hate thread - it’s properly applying AKs relevance to UConn history.

If AK could somehow lead this team as the “glue guy”, “culture leader” I might throw him some roses. Issue is as the on court coach this team is currently a regressing mess. He’s got 5-7 game minimum.

No he doesn’t. His legacy here is cemented. He helped bring you ungrateful degenerates 2 championships.