CV Returning

[pj]

The situations aren't even remotely comparable. One person burned the program to the ground and now the other one has to start from scratch. I was joking with someone when I said that there are people here who can't even define the word "expectation" but people like you have proven it's more reality than fiction.

Hyperbole much?

Hurley is "starting from scratch" with a considerably better team than KO had last year. We replaced Larrier with Alterique and Sid Wilson -- a gain of a top 100 player and likely substantial improvement; we replaced David Onuorah and Antwoine Anderson with Kassoum Yakwe and Tarin Smith, both significant improvements; we have a full roster including depth at point guard, a major deficiency last year; the young big men will take the freshman to sophomore leap; Jalen and CV are likely to be improved.

I believe Hurley that we are going to have more toughness, defense, and rebounding, and more efficient/poised/intelligent play. Probably more chemistry as well.

I expect a big improvement on last year's 14 wins. 20 wins minimum, 24 more likely.

Too bad you don't believe in Hurley so much, or our players.

 

[JMick]

Hyperbole much?

Hurley is "starting from scratch" with a considerably better team than KO had last year. We replaced Larrier with Alterique and Sid Wilson -- a gain of a top 100 player and likely substantial improvement; we replaced David Onuorah and Antwoine Anderson with Kassoum Yakwe and Tarin Smith, both significant improvements; we have a full roster including depth at point guard, a major deficiency last year; the young big men will take the freshman to sophomore leap; Jalen and CV are likely to be improved.

I believe Hurley that we are going to have more toughness, defense, and rebounding, and more efficient/poised/intelligent play. Probably more chemistry as well.

I expect a big improvement on last year's 14 wins. 20 wins minimum, 24 more likely.

Too bad you don't believe in Hurley so much, or our players.

It's year one taking over for a dumpster fire. I think Hurley will do a better job with the team this year and with the program overall than Ollie did. I'm just not going to call 20 regular season wins and an NIT appearance a disaster like many have stated

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hyperbole much?

Hurley is "starting from scratch" with a considerably better team than KO had last year. We replaced Larrier with Alterique and Sid Wilson -- a gain of a top 100 player and likely substantial improvement; we replaced David Onuorah and Antwoine Anderson with Kassoum Yakwe and Tarin Smith, both significant improvements; we have a full roster including depth at point guard, a major deficiency last year; the young big men will take the freshman to sophomore leap; Jalen and CV are likely to be improved.

I believe Hurley that we are going to have more toughness, defense, and rebounding, and more efficient/poised/intelligent play. Probably more chemistry as well.

I expect a big improvement on last year's 14 wins. 20 wins minimum, 24 more likely.

Too bad you don't believe in Hurley so much, or our players.

I'm not taking JMick's side, but:

• Larrier, a highly touted recruit out of HS who was a Junior, is being replaced with Wilson, a 4 star freshman. That is not a "clear upgrade". We merely hope it is.
• Anderson and Smith are pretty comparable
• Yawke is an upgrade on David O
• Gilbert is an upgrade on no Gilbert
• Jalen, Carlton, Diarra, CV, Polley, and maybe Cobb should all be better. I don't expect much from Whaley or Williams, but who knows.

If the roster is better, it's primarily because Gilbert is healthy and the returning players improve. Not because of Wilson, Yawke or Smith. I really think people are putting way too high expectations on Wilson as a RS Freshman who was a good, but not immediate impact level recruit.

 

[ctchamps]

It's year one taking over for a dumpster fire. I think Hurley will do a better job with the team this year and with the program overall than Ollie did. I'm just not going to call 20 regular season wins and an NIT appearance a disaster like many have stated

Show me who stated that.

You really need to lighten up or think twice about dishing insults if you don't like receiving them. And for the record I wasn't slamming you for your opinion, just having fun taunting you for your incessant usage of that phrase.

 

[8893]

The amount of vitriol and figurative ink being spilled here over a difference in opinion about whether our ceiling next season is 20 wins versus 23 is more mind boggling than people going to war about preferring Sally's to Pepe's.

I mean, it's not as if someone is suggesting deep dish or Greek pizza here people.

 

[ctchamps]

I'm not taking JMick's side, but:

• Larrier, a highly touted recruit out of HS who was a Junior, is being replaced with Wilson, a 4 star freshman. That is not a "clear upgrade". We merely hope it is.
• Anderson and Smith are pretty comparable
• Yawke is an upgrade on David O
• Gilbert is an upgrade on no Gilbert
• Jalen, Carlton, Diarra, CV, Polley, and maybe Cobb should all be better. I don't expect much from Whaley or Williams, but who knows.

If the roster is better, it's primarily because Gilbert is healthy and the returning players improve. Not because of Wilson, Yawke or Smith. I really think people are putting way too high expectations on Wilson as a RS Freshman who was a good, but not immediate impact level recruit.

Another Apologista.

 

[superjohn]

Whether you compare the two or not the question of expectations for the season inevitably arises. If you assume—which I do—that the roster will be as good as or better than last season, and that the new guy is a better coach, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have the same expectations as last season, which, for me, was making the tourney (before Gilbert went down, and before I realized that Larrier had chronic lethargy).

We weren't making the tournament last year with Alterique.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Another Apologista.

On the contrary. I think they'll win. I think Hurley could have won with last year's team. I don't think the cupboard is bare, I think there's enough talent.

 

[superjohn]

And Trump wasn't winning the 2016 election.

Don't pull a storrsroars, let's try and keep Trump and Pence out of Uconn basketball discussions.

 

[Candyman]

A guard who can rebound is going to be huge this year as we will likely use a stretch 4 pretty often.

Hopefully our new offense will give Vital more open spot up 3 looks, as only 20.6% of his 3s came unassisted last year. He's much better when he doesn't have to dribble into his shot.

Another added bonus is Vital's ability to draw fouls and get to the line. His FTA/FGA was 43.3% last year, which was (sadly) more than Adams and Larrier combined.

I noticed Vital drove and was fouled alot but it seems like at times he was driving with his only intention was get fouled. Hard to argue with free shots though even though I'm yelling, "Where you going?!"

Adams doesnt go to the free throw line alot because of the way he drives to the basket. His game when he drives the lane is based on how much contact he can avoid and get creative with how he puts the ball in the basket. He is looking to go around or up and under guys to lay it in. I am all for it cause he makes it look so easy at times.

 

[8893]

Don't pull a storrsroars, let's try and keep Trump and Pence out of Uconn basketball discussions.

Just commenting on the historical accuracy of the statements you are wont to make with certainty.

There is no way to know what we could have done with a healthy Gilbert last season. Maybe Larrier and Jalen would have had more energy, and maybe KO would not have been as despondent and ineffective. There is simply no way to know.

The point is what was expected at the beginning of last season. I thought making the NCAAs was a reasonable expectation then. That didn’t last long, but that doesn’t mean it was unrealistic at the time. Things changed, as they often do.

 

[superjohn]

Just commenting on the historical accuracy of the statements you are wont to make with certainty.

There is no way to know what we could have done with a healthy Gilbert last season. Maybe Larrier and Jalen would have had more energy, and maybe KO would not have been as despondent and ineffective. There is simply no way to know.

The point is what was expected at the beginning of last season. I thought making the NCAAs was a reasonable expectation then. That didn’t last long, but that doesn’t mean it was unrealistic at the time. Things changed, as they often do.

Then why not bring up UConn basketball related historical accuracy like when I told you Ollie was gone 6 months ago and Hurley is our new coach? Keep it on topic.

 

[8893]

Then why not bring up UConn basketball related historical accuracy like when I told you Ollie was gone 6 months ago and Hurley is our new coach? Keep it on topic.

Hey man, I created a thread in your honor to give you props about that!

As time has gone on, let's just say I think that was more of a leak than a prediction, but as I said on the other thread, I don't want to go there.

And it's not comparable to an after-the-fact statement about something that can never be proven or disproved in any event.

 

[champs99and04]

You can't make this stuff up. The consensus heading into last season - with two of our three best players recovering from serious injuries and four other expected contributors transferring or decommitting - was that Ollie needed to make the tournament to save his job. And that was before our second best player went down for the season after five games, a stretch that left us 4-1 and very much in the mix for a tournament spot.

But now, with that player back, and everyone else of note a year older and better (Larrier was a net negative player last season FYI), and two potential impact transfers plus a top 100 redshirt wing in the fold, it's going to take "something of a miracle to make the tournament."

That's rich. Setting the bar at the field of 68 is a conservative expectation. Unless, of course, we don't think the coach is an upgrade. Then we should expect them to continue to fall short of the expectations we set for the former head coach, in which case maybe we could have saved some money.

 

[superjohn]

You can't make this stuff up. The consensus heading into last season - with two of our three best players recovering from serious injuries and four other expected contributors transferring or decommitting - was that Ollie needed to make the tournament to save his job. And that was before our second best player went down for the season after five games, a stretch that left us 4-1 and very much in the mix for a tournament spot.

But now, with that player back, and everyone else of note a year older and better (Larrier was a net negative player last season FYI), and two potential impact transfers plus a top 100 redshirt wing in the fold, it's going to take "something of a miracle to make the tournament."

That's rich. Setting the bar at the field of 68 is a conservative expectation. Unless, of course, we don't think the coach is an upgrade. Then we should expect them to continue to fall short of the expectations we set for the former head coach, in which case maybe we could have saved some money.

It's rich how you just make Larrier a net negative when many had him as our second best player going into last season and some even had him as our best.

 

[superjohn]

Hey man, I created a thread in your honor to give you props about that!

As time has gone on, let's just say I think that was more of a leak than a prediction, but as I said on the other thread, I don't want to go there.

And it's not comparable to an after-the-fact statement about something that can never be proven or disproved in any event.

I forgot, you did make that thread.

 

[MadDogRevival]

1. Make CV a captain.
2. How hard will it be on K.O. if Hurley takes what is essentially a team that returns most of K.O.'s players and does substantially better with them? Answer - very hard, with the only possible bail out being if AG plays stellar.
3. Welcome back Mr. Vital.

 

[UConnStats]

I noticed Vital drove and was fouled alot but it seems like at times he was driving with his only intention was get fouled. Hard to argue with free shots though even though I'm yelling, "Where you going?!"

Adams doesnt go to the free throw line alot because of the way he drives to the basket. His game when he drives the lane is based on how much contact he can avoid and get creative with how he puts the ball in the basket. He is looking to go around or up and under guys to lay it in. I am all for it cause he makes it look so easy at times.

Adams still has to read the situation better. He’s giving up easy FTs for tough contested looks. He’s talented enough to make some of those shots, but numbers don’t lie. Players get more points embracing contact or trying to play through it than they do attempting to avoid it. It also has the added benefit of getting players/teams in foul trouble.

 

[JMick]

You can't make this stuff up. The consensus heading into last season - with two of our three best players recovering from serious injuries and four other expected contributors transferring or decommitting - was that Ollie needed to make the tournament to save his job. And that was before our second best player went down for the season after five games, a stretch that left us 4-1 and very much in the mix for a tournament spot.

But now, with that player back, and everyone else of note a year older and better (Larrier was a net negative player last season FYI), and two potential impact transfers plus a top 100 redshirt wing in the fold, it's going to take "something of a miracle to make the tournament."

That's rich. Setting the bar at the field of 68 is a conservative expectation. Unless, of course, we don't think the coach is an upgrade. Then we should expect them to continue to fall short of the expectations we set for the former head coach, in which case maybe we could have saved some money.

Exhibit A.

 

[8893]

Exhibit A.

7 minutes? You're slipping.

 

[Fishy]

Adding Alterique and himself would not have gotten last year’s team into the NCAA tournament.

 

[JMick]

7 minutes? You're slipping.

Slow work day

 

[QDOG5]

Every single one of our players is singing that tune. If they fully invest in what Hurley is teaching them and Alterique is healthy and back to being Alterique you can pretty much pencil us in to the field.

"pretty much" "pencil" You're going out on a Chiefian limb there @superjohn

 

[Tenspro2002]

I'm not taking JMick's side, but:

• Larrier, a highly touted recruit out of HS who was a Junior, is being replaced with Wilson, a 4 star freshman. That is not a "clear upgrade". We merely hope it is.
• Anderson and Smith are pretty comparable
• Yawke is an upgrade on David O
• Gilbert is an upgrade on no Gilbert
• Jalen, Carlton, Diarra, CV, Polley, and maybe Cobb should all be better. I don't expect much from Whaley or Williams, but who knows.

If the roster is better, it's primarily because Gilbert is healthy and the returning players improve. Not because of Wilson, Yawke or Smith. I really think people are putting way too high expectations on Wilson as a RS Freshman who was a good, but not immediate impact level recruit.

I don't necessarily have high expectations for Wilson, but Larrier could be a case of addition-by-subtraction. Frankly, he just didn't fit well with the kind of style we want to play -- he was a ball-stopping, low-effort Carmelo Anthony wannabe.

Given all the talk about stepping up in heart and toughness, Wilson over Larrier could be a big upgrade in that department.

 

[8893]

I don't necessarily have high expectations for Wilson, but Larrier could be a case of addition-by-subtraction. Frankly, he just didn't fit well with the kind of style we want to play -- he was a ball-stopping, low-effort Carmelo Anthony wannabe.

Given all the talk about stepping up in heart and toughness, Wilson over Larrier could be a big upgrade in that department.

This is my favorite comment about Larrier; so much so that this is now how I picture him whenever I think of him:

Larrier may as well have worn a sandwich board that said ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Here’ during games.

 

[Candyman]

Adams still has to read the situation better. He’s giving up easy FTs for tough contested looks. He’s talented enough to make some of those shots, but numbers don’t lie. Players get more points embracing contact or trying to play through it than they do attempting to avoid it. It also has the added benefit of getting players/teams in foul trouble.

I agree with everything your saying but it's just not in his game looking for contact as much as we all wish it was.

 

[Danzz]

Just commenting on the historical accuracy of the statements you are wont to make with certainty.

There is no way to know what we could have done with a healthy Gilbert last season. Maybe Larrier and Jalen would have had more energy, and maybe KO would not have been as despondent and ineffective. There is simply no way to know.

The point is what was expected at the beginning of last season. I thought making the NCAAs was a reasonable expectation then. That didn’t last long, but that doesn’t mean it was unrealistic at the time. Things changed, as they often do.

We haven't seen enough of Gilbert to know how good he is. He could be a star, a bum or somewhere in between. We'll find out this season.

 

[Bezzz]

We haven't seen enough of Gilbert to know how good he is. He could be a star, a bum or somewhere in between. We'll find out this season.

At least we know the kid can jump.

.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is my favorite comment about Larrier; so much so that this is now how I picture him whenever I think of him:

Adding @Tenspro2002

Yeah, sort of. Certainly for much of the year. But he carried us in a few games, and was a completely different player pre-injury. Ollie played him out of position all year long, and that didn't help. He is not now, nor will be ever be, a stretch 4.

He's a good catch and shoot jump shooter, with a very nice looking stroke and good vertical elevation on his shot. So we played him at power forward or asked him to handle the ball. Crisp ball movement or kick-outs to him on the corners would have made him a useful piece. Plus, Anderson would have been in much less, and Diarra much more. It's criminal what Ollie did with the pieces he had.

 

[8893]

It's criminal what Ollie did with the pieces he had.

Lock him up!