Dan Hurley quote from 1962

[Colin G]

Cole-mid major transfer
Martin- mid major transfer
Whaley- Ollie recruit
Polly- Ollie

While Cole,Whaley and Martin are nice players they are all at the end of there college career. And are not guys who will get you past the first weekend. It is what it is they are pieces. They are not big time players. They are nice players on a team with a stud or two. Maybe to Hurley they are better than pretty much anyone he has had but we are not at URI in the A10.

Polley is a whole other deal. He is more streaky than a 90yo mans underpants. If he doesn’t have it screw him to the bench. And he only has it once every 5 or 6 games. If he isn’t drilling 3’s he bring nothing to the table.

These are good guys and fight like hell but they are limited in skills. Not one of them would start on 2014. Not one.

In hindsight they should have all been let go and solidified the future by bringing in young guys and letting them learn on the way. These 4 guys are band aides. They will win enough games to make it interesting but in the big picture retarding the program as temporary fixes. Hurley is running with this plan because he fears a young inexperienced team will loose a bunch of games and he is too competitive to deal with that. Also he is worried the fan base will freak and be calling for his head.

These are my thoughts and I am sure most will hammer me for my opinion but this season feels like we are treading water not progressing to the future.

Also one last thing these next five games could go really sideways for us if everything does not go right. If that happens will Hurley have the balls to burn it down and let the young guys get the experience they will need for next year????

Lets see in 5 games. I pray we go 4-1 not 1-4

Whaley 100% Starts in 2014. A massive upgrade over phil nolan, cmon now

 

[rip7774]

Cole-mid major transfer
Martin- mid major transfer
Whaley- Ollie recruit
Polly- Ollie

While Cole,Whaley and Martin are nice players they are all at the end of there college career. And are not guys who will get you past the first weekend. It is what it is they are pieces. They are not big time players. They are nice players on a team with a stud or two. Maybe to Hurley they are better than pretty much anyone he has had but we are not at URI in the A10.

Polley is a whole other deal. He is more streaky than a 90yo mans underpants. If he doesn’t have it screw him to the bench. And he only has it once every 5 or 6 games. If he isn’t drilling 3’s he bring nothing to the table.

These are good guys and fight like hell but they are limited in skills. Not one of them would start on 2014. Not one.

In hindsight they should have all been let go and solidified the future by bringing in young guys and letting them learn on the way. These 4 guys are band aides. They will win enough games to make it interesting but in the big picture retarding the program as temporary fixes. Hurley is running with this plan because he fears a young inexperienced team will loose a bunch of games and he is too competitive to deal with that. Also he is worried the fan base will freak and be calling for his head.

These are my thoughts and I am sure most will hammer me for my opinion but this season feels like we are treading water not progressing to the future.

Also one last thing these next five games could go really sideways for us if everything does not go right. If that happens will Hurley have the balls to burn it down and let the young guys get the experience they will need for next year????

Lets see in 5 games. I pray we go 4-1 not 1-4

Great post. I love Whaley and have changed my tune on Cole but they are complementary pieces. If Cole and Whaley are your top options, you're losing in the first weekend. Let Hawkins become one of the main scorers and play Johnson (Hurley has said he'll be on the wall someday) and Diggins is a natural point. JG could come back until he's 35 and he won't be a natural point. Our offense sucks we need to quit doing the same thing expecting a different result. Insanity.

Bravo to the original poster on the thread title. Total batsh#t crazy that freshman shouldn't play over some vets that couldn't be playing worse. We're UConn, we don't play for NCAA Berths but deep runs.

*Calhoun missed the tournament every couple years I didn't care, it was part of the long game. Feels like Hurley is big time playing the short game. * That's a recipe for mediocrity.

 

[navery12]

How many losses with this “older” group do ya need to change your opinion ?

A lot more than a 9-3 record with 3 close losses to borderline top 25 teams

 

[Captbluefin]

A lot more than a 9-3 record with 3 close losses to borderline top 25 teams

Ok how bout 10-6 ? Butler is the only one coming in the next 4 that could be a easy one.
1-4 conference start?

And that Providence game was not nearly as close as score. They bricked free throws and were in control almost all game.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Rarely do recruits out of the top 20 make huge splashes their freshman year. And even more rare for it to happen at UConn where we don't turn freshman over every season and hence don't have plenty of playing time for them. Hawkins has gotten a fair amount of time since being off injury and still can't hit his shot consistently and makes freshman mistakes. He will come along this season, but this is normal trajectory. I have not seen much out of Diggins or Samson yet and rarely do 50-100 recruits get a lot of time. This idea that the freshmen should save us this season is ridiculous. It only happens at teams like Kentucky and Duke where they get a group of lottery picks who have all the time in the world to develop. Its no wonder those teams always get walloped early in the season then look like NBA teams by the end of the year. Stop drinking this ridiculous kool-aid. If we give Diggins and Samson all the time, we are playing for two years down the road.

 

[8893]

This idea that the freshman should save us is ridiculous.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that the freshmen would save us.

Hawkins is a different case because he has had more time than most and unfortunately has not shown particularly well since the Auburn game. Personally I would prefer to see a lot more of Polley's minutes go to him because I think it's a better investment, but neither one of them is setting the world on fire and I suspect that both will continue to get their chances to see if either one can regain a hot hand.

Johnson has gotten some play with Adama and Tyrese out, but we still have Whaley and Akok and now Tyrese is back and maybe some limited minutes from Adama, so there are simply not a lot of minutes there.

Diggins seems to be the biggest bone of contention because we have such a glaring lack of ball handlers and he was advertised as a pure point guard, which we desperately need, and Gaffney has not developed as anyone had hoped. I guess we have to conclude that Gaffney beats Diggins in practice and that Diggins's defense is seriously lacking.

 

[Jay-Bone]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that the freshmen would save us.

Hawkins is a different case because he has had more time than most and unfortunately has not shown particularly well since the Auburn game. Personally I would prefer to see a lot more of Polley's minutes go to him because I think it's a better investment, but neither one of them is setting the world on fire and I suspect that both will continue to get their chances to see if either one can regain a hot hand.

Johnson has gotten some play with Adama and Tyrese out, but we still have Whaley and Akok and now Tyrese is back and maybe some limited minutes from Adama, so there are simply not a lot of minutes there.

Diggins seems to be the biggest bone of contention because we have such a glaring lack of ball handlers and he was advertised as a pure point guard, which we desperately need, and Gaffney has not developed as anyone had hoped. I guess we have to conclude that Gaffney beats Diggins in practice and that Diggins's defense is seriously lacking.

I've read a number of posts that have said we should be much better because we have a top 10 class. Hawkins is the only one I see as potentially greatly impactful. We haven't been able to extend leads enough to allow time for non-5 star recruits to work out a lot of mistakes without potentially costing us the games. Hawkins almost cost us one game. Maybe the other two can add valuable time later in the season, but they're not going to make significant contributions without working through a lot of mistakes and practice, of which we have not been able to afford.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Even Hunter Sallis only averages 15 mins a game. He's no Jalen Suggs. We don't have a Jalen Suggs. So we have to develop what we have.

 

[SubbaBub]

I'm ready to let Hawk start at the 2 as I think he would settle into the game better than coming off the bench. Other than that., I'm with Hurley on this one. That said, he has to reign in guy when they are laying bricks at that rate, even if for just a couple minutes. The PC game was lost under 4 in the first half, there is really no downside to playing a freshman for 2 minutes just to shake things up.

If they aren't ready for that, then that is on Dan.

 

[8893]

I'm ready to let Hawk start at the 2 as I think he would settle into the game better than coming off the bench. Other than that., I'm with Hurley on this one. That said, he has to reign in guy when they are laying bricks at that rate, even if for just a couple minutes. The PC game was lost under 4 in the first half, there is really no downside to playing a freshman for 2 minutes just to shake things up.

If they aren't ready for that, then that is on Dan.

So you have AJAx coming off the bench then?

 

[tzznandrew]

They are saying his attitude of never playing freshmen is an attitude from the 60s, when they had specific, separate freshman teams.

Of course, that ignores Hawkins playing decent minutes from the jump this year.

And Bouk, and pre-injury Akok, and Sanogo...

 

[navery12]

I'm ready to let Hawk start at the 2 as I think he would settle into the game better than coming off the bench. Other than that., I'm with Hurley on this one. That said, he has to reign in guy when they are laying bricks at that rate, even if for just a couple minutes. The PC game was lost under 4 in the first half, there is really no downside to playing a freshman for 2 minutes just to shake things up.

If they aren't ready for that, then that is on Dan.

I actually like Hawkins coming off the bench, he hasn't really done it consistently yet but he can come in and hunt his shots. I think he can really thrive in that role for now, not that starting him wouldn't also work. Of course Hurley will have to keep him in the game once he gets hot too, which is a whole different issue

 

[McLovin]

If Tyler Olander can start as a freshman in a National Championship game and Neils Giffey get 24 min off the bench, Samson Johnson and Rashool Diggins can play some minutes as freshmen in a December game.

Just saying… It’s time. Give the kids some run.

 

[auror]

If Tyler Olander can start as a freshman in a National Championship game and Neils Giffey get 24 min off the bench, Samson Johnson and Rashool Diggins can play some minutes as freshmen in a December game.

Just saying… It’s time. Give the kids some run.

I mean he played 7 minutes in that game. I agree Diggins could get 7 minutes.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Gaffney would struggle for minutes on an elite high school team.

He literally was the second best player on Cam Reddishs high school team.

 

[uconnfan68]

Rarely do recruits out of the top 20 make huge splashes their freshman year. And even more rare for it to happen at UConn where we don't turn freshman over every season and hence don't have plenty of playing time for them. Hawkins has gotten a fair amount of time since being off injury and still can't hit his shot consistently and makes freshman mistakes. He will come along this season, but this is normal trajectory. I have not seen much out of Diggins or Samson yet and rarely do 50-100 recruits get a lot of time. This idea that the freshmen should save us this season is ridiculous. It only happens at teams like Kentucky and Duke where they get a group of lottery picks who have all the time in the world to develop. Its no wonder those teams always get walloped early in the season then look like NBA teams by the end of the year. Stop drinking this ridiculous kool-aid. If we give Diggins and Samson all the time, we are playing for two years down the road.

Marquette started 4 freshmen. They did ok.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Marquette started 4 freshmen. They did ok.

I remember when everyone was screaming for Gaffney to start over AG as if he was the next leader of the team. How's that working out? Shaka is in day one of a complete rebuild. Are we playing for a sweet 16 run this year or in 2 years?

 

[navery12]

Marquette started 4 freshmen. They did ok.

Except they didn't. Kuath is a grad transfer from Oklahoma, Kolek is a transfer from George Mason, Prosper is a transfer from Clemson, Justin Lewis is a sophomore. So they started 1 freshman

 

[BlueMAB]

How many losses with this “older” group do ya need to change your opinion ?

How many beers do you need to think Hurley is naïve about the talent required to compete in the Big East?

 

[BlueMAB]

If Tyler Olander can start as a freshman in a National Championship game and Neils Giffey get 24 min off the bench, Samson Johnson and Rashool Diggins can play some minutes as freshmen in a December game.

Just saying… It’s time. Give the kids some run.

Look at the roster from that team.

I'm okay with Rahsool and Samson playing more minutes than they are. Using that team to make the point is really stupid.

 

[BlueMAB]

If UConn was undefeated they would be #1 or #2 in the country, they're nowhere near being undefeated or #1/#2.

I'm not sure how you could misinterpret my post any more than you have here.

When our starting 5 that began the season is healthy, we haven't lost a game. This isn't difficult.

 

[giddyup]

Dan Hurley ought to be begging JC for some personal coaching to help him develop the finer skills of in-game discernment. I feel like Hurley’s processor works one game batch at at time, where JC was processing data in real time.

 

[McLovin]

Look at the roster from that team.

I'm okay with Rahsool and Samson playing more minutes than they are. Using that team to make the point is really stupid.

Why not?

The top 5 on that team were set but Calhoun found 10 minutes per game in EVERY GAME for Olander and Neils, despite having more experienced guys like Beverly (9MPG), Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (16MPG) and Chuck (15MPG) in the rotation.

Compare that to 21 MPG for Polley and 19 MPG for Gaffney. Gaffney and Polley are not playing at a significantly better level per minute than Beverly/Jamal Coombs-McDaniel/Chuck right now, and by all accounts Samson and Diggins are way more talented freshmen than Olander and Neils.

Hurley can find them minutes. He just refuses.

 

[gtcam]

Look at the roster from that team.

I'm okay with Rahsool and Samson playing more minutes than they are. Using that team to make the point is really stupid.

If Dan Hurley was coaching that team Tyler and Giffs would have never seen the floor
It isn't stupid at all to make the comparative - JC giving Tyler and Giffs the opportunity helped them and helped the program win another NC a few years later
Not playing highly rated incoming kids is head scratching and dangerous for recruiting. Danny knows his last name can open doors but kids want to play - sure they have to earn/fight for minutes but not to play at all is not a good look.

 

[Greedo]

Look at the roster from that team.

I'm okay with Rahsool and Samson playing more minutes than they are. Using that team to make the point is really stupid.

Using the roster from that team for comparison shows that teams can still win big while allocating playing time to developing freshmen. Yes, Calhoun's hand was forced because of the make up of that team, but that doesn't invalidate the point.

 

[gtcam]

I'm not sure how you could misinterpret my post any more than you have here.

When our starting 5 that began the season is healthy, we haven't lost a game. This isn't difficult.

yeah those games vs CCSU, LIU, Coppin St and Binghamton required that starting 5 to overcome those powerhouses - C'mon
Let's see how those 5 do against the NBE and then we can all sing their praise. I hope they run the table but Cole is going to get tired, Sanogo has back issues and there may be more injuries - Dan Hurley brags about depth but what good is unproven depth?

 

[BlueMAB]

Using the roster from that team for comparison shows that teams can still win big while allocating playing time to developing freshmen. Yes, Calhoun's hand was forced because of the make up of that team, but that doesn't invalidate the point.

Kemba had nothing to do with it though.

 

[BlueMAB]

yeah those games vs CCSU, LIU, Coppin St and Binghamton required that starting 5 to overcome those powerhouses - C'mon
Let's see how those 5 do against the NBE and then we can all sing their praise. I hope they run the table but Cole is going to get tired, Sanogo has back issues and there may be more injuries - Dan Hurley brags about depth but what good is unproven depth?

We had a couple games in the Bahamas and another last night. Watch more.

 

[BlueMAB]

If Dan Hurley was coaching that team Tyler and Giffs would have never seen the floor
It isn't stupid at all to make the comparative - JC giving Tyler and Giffs the opportunity helped them and helped the program win another NC a few years later
Not playing highly rated incoming kids is head scratching and dangerous for recruiting. Danny knows his last name can open doors but kids want to play - sure they have to earn/fight for minutes but not to play at all is not a good look.

You literally have no idea what you're talking about.

He has and does play freshman.

He simply isn't playing the freshmen you want him to.

He's also killing it on the recruiting trail.

Be wrong more.

 

[Jay-Bone]

This team is in a weird spot where its not good enough to allow all the freshman to get a lot of reps without costing games. Yet its not bad enough to say, screw it, turn it over to the freshman. Giving the freshmen a lot of time is risky in that you sacrifice the more experienced players for something that might not pan out.

That being said, Hawkeye who appears to be the best of the bunch is getting decent minutes, but I do wish Samson and Diglilah could get more time. But I am also aware that giving them the keys most likely won't solve our problems.

Also keep in mind, with the transfers, its not like our upperclassmen have been playing together for years. They still need that extra time vs UMES and Grambling St to play together and really gel. I remember people saying after those games they wanted the roster trimmed, not extended.