DeAndre Daniels???

[Gurleyman]

I don't disagree with you, but he passed up an open three from the top of the key in the second half - maybe more than one - and Ollie was in his ass at the media timeout to shoot.

Yeah - that was just a guess that maybe it was coaching instruction early on and maybe KO wanted him attacking their front line since they didn't really have any shot blocking. From a distance, it seemed like that would be a logical game plan, but it was probably DD's own decision. He must have felt like he didn't have his three-ball going and looked to draw defenders and drive instead, because he was wide open at the arc maybe 4 times (one of which turned into a dunk, but the others could have been times when that would have been the best shot on our possession).

Either way, I have little concerns about it. Not shooting on open looks isn't a bad problem to deal with right now - not getting open looks at all or forcing up bad shots would be a bigger issue.

 

[upstater]

That's some good research.

Hmmm, something is not right. Why is MD team not even ranked? That's a heck of a team on the paper, isn't that what preseason ranking poll is for?

But that's beside the point. We are discussing DD's progress.

As i remember, DD was the 10th ranked player overall or maybe higher. In my simple-minded logic, #10 should have had upper hand over #54, easily. Not only that, based on all the reports here that he's been working hard on his defense, he should've locked his opponent down.
But here is the stats comparison between them:

DeAndre Daniels, 32mins 4-9 (FGM-A) 0-3(3PM-A) 2 Rebs. 9 pts
Evan Smotrycz, 37mins 5-10(FGM-A) 3-5(3PM-A) 9 Rebs. 13 pts

You compared them to Monroe, Asheville, Davidson!!!!!
I'ma telling you. It's much easier to score on Chris Czerapowicz and Tyler Ongwae than it is to score on Smotrycz and Layman. Simple as that.

 

[Gurleyman]

That's some good research.

Hmmm, something is not right. Why is MD team not even ranked? That's a heck of a team on the paper, isn't that what preseason ranking poll is for?

But that's beside the point. We are discussing DD's progress.

As i remember, DD was the 10th ranked player overall or maybe higher. In my simple-minded logic, #10 should have had upper hand over #54, easily. Not only that, based on all the reports here that he's been working hard on his defense, he should've locked his opponent down.
But here is the stats comparison between them:

DeAndre Daniels, 32mins 4-9 (FGM-A) 0-3(3PM-A) 2 Rebs. 9 pts
Evan Smotrycz, 37mins 5-10(FGM-A) 3-5(3PM-A) 9 Rebs. 13 pts

Smotrycz was 3-3 early with DD on the bench. DD got a quick hook a minute in after a foul, Smotrycz hit two threes and a jumper with him on the bench. From the time DD came back in at the 11:00 mark of the 1H until we won, Smotrycz was 2-7.

 

[jleves]

You compared them to Monroe, Asheville, Davidson!!!!!
I'ma telling you. It's much easier to score on Chris Czerapowicz and Tyler Ongwae than it is to score on Smotrycz and Layman. Simple as that.

That's some good research.

Hmmm, something is not right. Why is MD team not even ranked? That's a heck of a team on the paper, isn't that what preseason ranking poll is for?

But that's beside the point. We are discussing DD's progress.

As i remember, DD was the 10th ranked player overall or maybe higher. In my simple-minded logic, #10 should have had upper hand over #54, easily. Not only that, based on all the reports here that he's been working hard on his defense, he should've locked his opponent down.
But here is the stats comparison between them:

DeAndre Daniels, 32mins 4-9 (FGM-A) 0-3(3PM-A) 2 Rebs. 9 pts
Evan Smotrycz, 37mins 5-10(FGM-A) 3-5(3PM-A) 9 Rebs. 13 pts

You're both right - comparing his game to other kids playing much lesser competition is worthless and he didn't play to the level that most of us expect.

It's one game - let's move on and see how it goes.

 

[HailUConn]

Yeah - that was just a guess that maybe it was coaching instruction early on and maybe KO wanted him attacking their front line since they didn't really have any shot blocking. From a distance, it seemed like that would be a logical game plan, but it was probably DD's own decision. He must have felt like he didn't have his three-ball going and looked to draw defenders and drive instead, because he was wide open at the arc maybe 4 times (one of which turned into a dunk, but the others could have been times when that would have been the best shot on our possession).
.

I think that's exactly what and how it happened. It's just that attacking option did not work out either on that night. I saw he tried to do an ISO post up on the right side of court, but lost the ball when going up to the basketball. Later on he attempted another on the left, and got the ball swatted away.

It seems to me that if you have a good open shot, it may be your best chance to get it going.

Not making shots does not concern me. Not trying to attempt shots concerns me, a lot.

 

[Gurleyman]

I think that's exactly what and how it happened. It's just that attacking option did not work out either on that night. I saw he tried to do an ISO post up on the right side of court, but lost the ball when going up to the basketball. Later on he attempted another on the left, and got the ball swatted away.

It seems to me that if you have a good open shot, it may be your best chance to get it going.

Not making shots does not concern me. Not trying to attempt shots concerns me, a lot.

You're way too easily concerned. He took a three on our first possession. Got a foul and sat a while, came back in, made two mid-range Js and a lay-up, then missed another three.

Somewhere in there (at the half maybe), he just got it in his head to eschew the three on this particular night and try to take his game inside. It isn't a sign of psychological problems or whatever you're trying to make it out to be. It's a sign of a guy trying to adjust to what he felt he had going on a given night. Same way on some nights, a stud MLB pitcher won't throw his curve ball if he doesn't feel it's working.

 

[jleves]

I think that's exactly what and how it happened. It's just that attacking option did not work out either on that night. I saw he tried to do an ISO post up on the right side of court, but lost the ball when going up to the basketball. Later on he attempted another on the left, and got the ball swatted away.

It seems to me that if you have a good open shot, it may be your best chance to get it going.

Not making shots does not concern me. Not trying to attempt shots concerns me, a lot.

Not being concerned about not making shots is akin to not being concerned about not getting rebounds....

 

[HailUConn]

Not being concerned about not making shots is akin to not being concerned about not getting rebounds....

Sorry, let me rephrase: shots-not-falling does not concern me if they are good open shots

 

[jleves]

Sorry, let me rephrase: shots-not-falling does not concern me if they are good open shots

Wow - you just like to argue your point to the death - don't you? Is there really a difference between shots not falling and not making shots?

 

[huskyharry]

DD is in a bit of a shooting slump from three. He shot 31% last year (better during his good stretch at the end of the year). If am not mistaken, thru 2 exhibitions and the Md game, he has yet to see a three fall and it is in his head a bit.
Although his handle has improved, he is still not the type of player who can face his man at the 3 pt line and feel comfortable breaking him down. Apparently, the zebras have been told to reward anyone driving like that for fouls with any minimal contact, but that same protection doesn't apply to DD when he makes his spin move. So his defender was allowed to bump him and push him on the hip and reach in while he attempting the spin move. He is so slight that it doesn't take a lot to throw him off balance. Hopefully, the zebras will start to be more fair about this going forward.
His confidence was hurt enough that he missed a couple baseline ten footers that were open. He will adjust and get better at that.
His position defense was not consistent but he did have 3 blocks and a steal.
My favorite play was when he slipped inside the zone and hit a foul line jumper. He needs to do that a few times and see the ball go in, before he starts jacking threes early in the shot clock (of course, he needs to shoot with confidence at the end of the shot clock but he might consider stepping inside the line until he regains his touch).

 

[mauconnfan]

To me, and it's only me, it seemed like Deandre let the game come to him. He was patient and threw a couple nice passes especially when he drew Brimah's defender and laid it off for a slam. He'll be fine!

 

[HailUConn]

Wow - you just like to argue your point to the death - don't you? Is there really a difference between shots not falling and not making shots?

Now you are starting to put the words in my mouth. I clearly stated that there is a fundamental difference between shots not falling and not ATTEMPTING shots.

When Ray's 3 pts are not falling, he would not stop trying. If it's open shot, you don't hesitate to take it. if It does not go in, move on and focus on putting the best effort on the next one.

It's called mental toughness.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Now you are starting to put the words in my mouth. I clearly stated that there is a fundamental difference between shots not falling and not ATTEMPTING shots.

When Ray's 3 pts are not falling, he would not stop trying. If it's open shot, you don't hesitate to take it. if It does not go in, move on and focus on putting the best effort on the next one.

It's called mental toughness.

Oh spare me. They played Maryland. Not Morgan State. And won.

One freaking game and the idiots come out of the woodwork.

 

[ctchamps]

Now you are starting to put the words in my mouth. I clearly stated that there is a fundamental difference between shots not falling and not ATTEMPTING shots.

When Ray's 3 pts are not falling, he would not stop trying. If it's open shot, you don't hesitate to take it. if It does not go in, move on and focus on putting the best effort on the next one.

It's called mental toughness.

Ray and Rip were scoring options number 1 for JC on their respective teams. This team has a lot of scoring options with the only weakness being at the 5 for now.

KO and the team will make adjustments game to game and even within games on who will be the primary scorers. It will be based on match ups and who is the hot shooter. That is the advantage this team has. There are multiple scorers.

Funny how you are down on DD for not taking more shots and down on RB for taking too many shots.

 

[HailUConn]

Oh spare me. They played Maryland. Not Morgan State. And won.

One freaking game and the idiots come out of the woodwork.

Gee! I think those calling others' names are idiots themselves. It's pretty obvious, isn't it? You cannot carry on a discussion.

 

[HailUConn]

Ray and Rip were scoring options number 1 for JC on their respective teams. This team has a lot of scoring options with the only weakness being at the 5 for now.

KO and the team will make adjustments game to game and even within games on who will be the primary scorers. It will be based on match ups and who is the hot shooter. That is the advantage this team has. There are multiple scorers.

Funny how you are down on DD for not taking more shots and down on RB for taking too many shots.

Fair enough. I have my reasons, primarily because in my books, DD is way better than RB as a player.

 

[jleves]

Now you are starting to put the words in my mouth. I clearly stated that there is a fundamental difference between shots not falling and not ATTEMPTING shots.

When Ray's 3 pts are not falling, he would not stop trying. If it's open shot, you don't hesitate to take it. if It does not go in, move on and focus on putting the best effort on the next one.

It's called mental toughness.

You just compared Daniels to Ray regarding three point shooting. There is obviously no reason to continue the discussion.

 

[ctchamps]

Fair enough. I have my reasons, primarily because in my books, DD is way better than RB as a player.

And you are entitled to your opinion. The problem we all have as fans is that we confuse our excitement and the way we process data through our senses as being sacrosanct. I like your exuberance. State your preferences and do it with grace and humility. Your ideas contribute to this forum. On the other hand your need to be right and acknowledged undermine an otherwise decent discussion. Remember that each and every one of us can only observe a limited amount of data. Actually we observe far more than our conscious mind choses to process with the exception of a few extraordinary individuals, some of whom post in this forum. Take the discussion and the different points of view presented and let them sink in instead of insisting you win an argument. It will increase your knowledge, will make you less combative and therefore reduce your need to defend against counter attacks, in the end making your experiences in this forum better.

I'm not saying you have to compromise your feelings or opinions. I'm saying there is no need for you to insist others agree with you. If you are confident in what you believe you don't need validation. But it is also healthy to have an open mind on any issue even as you stick with your point of view. Flexibility is valuable at times.

 

[Gurleyman]

If Daniels just held the ball or passively rotated it around the perimeter, you could get on him for being mentally weak. What he did was fake the three ball, draw his defender, and put it on the deck (once getting a dunk out of it). He was aggressive - just a different type of aggressive than firing away at the first open look.

Daniels made 21 three-pointers all of last year (0.7 per game). It is not the primary part of his weaponry. If he decided that he didn't have his shot going and went to other parts of his game - that's not being mentally weak, that's making adjustments. You can argue whether it is the correct adjustment (if KO got on him to shoot, then he didn't think so), but that's a much different issue than mental weakness.

If you watched Ray when he was here, he'd do the same thing sometimes. There was a game against Villanova when I think he had something like 25 points without making a three. There was also the Georgetown loss when he tried to post up and earned scorn from Dick Vitale. And Ray was a prolific three-point shooter and the focal point of our offense - Daniels is neither.

 

[HailUConn]

If Daniels just held the ball or passively rotated it around the perimeter, you could get on him for being mentally weak. What he did was fake the three ball, draw his defender, and put it on the deck (once getting a dunk out of it). He was aggressive - just a different type of aggressive than firing away at the first open look.

Daniels made 21 three-pointers all of last year (0.7 per game). It is not the primary part of his weaponry. If he decided that he didn't have his shot going and went to other parts of his game - that's not being mentally weak, that's making adjustments. You can argue whether it is the correct adjustment (if KO got on him to shoot, then he didn't think so), but that's a much different issue than mental weakness.

If you watched Ray when he was here, he'd do the same thing sometimes. There was a game against Villanova when I think he had something like 25 points without making a three. There was also the Georgetown loss when he tried to post up and earned scorn from Vitale. And Ray was a prolific three-point shooter and the focal point of our offense - Daniels is neither.

All valid points. It's time to move on as many pointed out that t's one game after all, and it's a W.

I think i will chalk up this one game performance of his as anomaly. I hope he will figure out how to dominate no matter who he is faced with, in the early part of season, not toward the end.

 

[HailUConn]

DD is in a bit of a shooting slump from three. He shot 31% last year (better during his good stretch at the end of the year). If am not mistaken, thru 2 exhibitions and the Md game, he has yet to see a three fall and it is in his head a bit.
Although his handle has improved, he is still not the type of player who can face his man at the 3 pt line and feel comfortable breaking him down. Apparently, the zebras have been told to reward anyone driving like that for fouls with any minimal contact, but that same protection doesn't apply to DD when he makes his spin move. So his defender was allowed to bump him and push him on the hip and reach in while he attempting the spin move. He is so slight that it doesn't take a lot to throw him off balance. Hopefully, the zebras will start to be more fair about this going forward.
His confidence was hurt enough that he missed a couple baseline ten footers that were open. He will adjust and get better at that.
His position defense was not consistent but he did have 3 blocks and a steal.
My favorite play was when he slipped inside the zone and hit a foul line jumper. He needs to do that a few times and see the ball go in, before he starts jacking threes early in the shot clock (of course, he needs to shoot with confidence at the end of the shot clock but he might consider stepping inside the line until he regains his touch).

Right on. Two of my observations from the first game:

His ball handling is not there.
he did not gain enough muscle in summer to bang down low yet. (he is playing PF).


I definitely think he should hone on his mid-range shots. If he can shoot from 12 feet out at a higher clip, it opens up for him to attack.

 

[breezy]

Dude, stop these one sentenced rhetoric questions already. And not even good one!

Maryland is good, but not that good, especially on the position playing against DD. And tell me who is the Terp player playing against DD? His name is Smotrycz or whatever (a transfer from Michigan?). . If DD cannot play against the match-up from Maryland team, then I think most of the yarders overestimate him or you have your blinders on.

Listen, I, like most of guys here, expect him to become the DeAndre that we hope. Do you honestly tell me that inconsistency and lack of confidence has not a nagging issue with him since he is Husky? Sure it's one game, then it's every other game, then we stopped counting?

Maryland is a great team- and Smotrycz is probably their second best player. They were (a very young) bubble squad last year who only lost one relevant player in Alex Len. Ya Dre could have played better but this is one of the better matchups he's gonna see. All week long everybody talked about how our advantage was in our guards and it was. When we go up against Russ Smith and co (still not up to par with Boat and Bazz) Dre will pick up the competitive advantage at his spot and we'll be fine.

Also- that was an incredibly hostile arena for our guys on their first game of the season. Every Uconn fan should remember that we aren't gonna be playing out of season cupcakes anymore and should tamper their expectations for forthcoming Novembers.

 

[joober jones]

We're getting off to a much worse season so far than UConn is.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Gee! I think those calling others' names are idiots themselves. It's pretty obvious, isn't it? You cannot carry on a discussion.

You gotta have something worthwhile to say. You don't.

Same script every year. It's just bizarre that we're already questioning a kid's mental toughness after a WIN over an ACC school.

 

[HailUConn]

You gotta have something worthwhile to say. You don't.

Same script every year. It's just bizarre that we're already questioning a kid's mental toughness after a WIN over an ACC school.

All i can say is WTF.