Defense is effort

[8893]

Period. That is the Gospel according to Saint James Calhoun.

This team and its coaching staff need to go back to church.

 

[Jumpman62114]

Period. That is the Gospel according to Saint James Calhoun.

This team and its coaching staff need to go back to church.

This defense is a sieve right now. Can't keep anyone in front of them without fouling.

 

[Offhegoes]

We've given up 12 threes in back to back games (still counting vs chaminade), and we continuously go under screens over and over and over. Are the coaches watching? or teaching? or yelling? same mistake over and over and over. just brutal.

 

[UConnfan8]

Coaching staff doesn't want to teach defense anymore. Cool with us playing lazy, not getting around screens etc.

 

[HooperScooper]

I saw a lack of execution on the defensive end. Half the time they're just running around with no structure or plan. I don't think it's all lack of effort. I'm curious what they teach the kids in practice. I'm hoping it's not what I've seen in the games.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

So many half assed shot contests on the perimeter. Casually putting a hand up 5 feet from the shooter doesn't cut it.

 

[HooperScooper]

It's interesting looking at the box score.

Connecticut vs. Chaminade - Box Score - November 22, 2016 - ESPN

UConn shot 61.3% from the field overall and 40% (on 20 shots) from three. Only 9-16 from the line (56.3%) but not a huge deal since only 3 more makes would have given them 75%, so they didn't leave that many points on the line. They out rebounded Chaminade by 13, 39-26. Only turned the ball over 9 times. Put all that together and that should be a 25 point win. But it wasn't because Chaminade shot 46% from the field overall and 43.8% from three (14-32). And that's against a D2 team.

This is not typical UConn defense. Even last year's team was not this bad on D. So what's the issue? Inexperience? Hopefully they can tighten up the D in the next couple weeks. They have to.

 

[Paesano]

Anyone that still has hope for this team is a saint.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Lots of freshman playing. They always suck at D.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Small gym, casual crowd, off hour start time, lazy defense, shots from all over.
Kinda reminded me of Greater Hartford Pro-am games.

 

[intlzncster]

This is not typical UConn defense. Even last year's team was not this bad on D. So what's the issue? Inexperience? Hopefully they can tighten up the D in the next couple weeks. They have to.

Last year's team actually graded out pretty well on D iirc./

 

[champs99and04]

I'm not worried about the defense yet. It was bad at this time last year, actually took us until the Ohio State game to start playing well on that end.

Defense is definitely about effort to a large degree, but in fairness to them, they're a short-handed team that was playing on 16 hours rest.

 

[selles]

Last year's team actually graded out pretty well on D iirc./

Yup, they sure did. If there's one area where KO should get the benefit of the doubt, it's coaching defense.

The real concern should be whether we can sustain the kind of offensive attack we've shown over the past game and a half - if we can, we'll be in good shape.

 

[NielsisGood]

Yup, they sure did. If there's one area where KO should get the benefit of the doubt, it's coaching defense.

The real concern should be whether we can sustain the kind of offensive attack we've shown over the past game and a half - if we can, we'll be in good shape.

This is the pace I've been waiting to see UConn play at for the last 3 years.

 

[willie99]

it's how we started out last year

I remember being in Nassau and thinking these guys can't guard their own shadows, we let them shoot uncontested threes, we suck

their defense did improve significantly as the season progressed

and face it, we are playing a lot of new faces, AGAIN (3rd year in a row), which doesn't bode well for performance in early season games (next year we break that trend)

so from the guy who's screaming at the TV, especially about our rebounding, I'm here to suggest we all R-E-L-A-X

 

[mauconnfan]

Coaching staff doesn't want to teach defense anymore. Cool with us playing lazy, not getting around screens etc.

Glad you figured it out because I was killing myself wondering why they were so ineffective on that end. I knew there was an easy answer but I'm really upset to know the truth now. The coaching staff is not teaching defense, that's not fair to the kids especially the freshmen huh? You would think they would try to teach defense, rebounding and all of that so you wonder why the hell they are even getting paid?

 

[Stinger92860]

I'm not worried about the defense yet. It was bad at this time last year, actually took us until the Ohio State game to start playing well on that end.

Defense is definitely about effort to a large degree, but in fairness to them, they're a short-handed team that was playing on 16 hours rest.

I believe Chaminade has less time then us.