Exodus at Wichita State...

[pepband99]

I just imagine how the Yard would be if that happened here. Then I realize it did, to football. And pretty much much no one cared.

...except Wichita hasn't had a coaching change, but you keep beating that dead horse...

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Interesting note for all you college basketball nerds out there.

Michael (184th) is Elon's highest ranked commit of all-time, a spot previously held by fellow '20 commit Brandon Harris (224th overall).

Impressive work by Elon's 2nd year coach Mike Schrage. A strong '20 class will add on to a strong foundation where last year, three of the team's top-4 scorers were freshmen.

This year will be a key developmental year for Elon. If it goes well, they can be a team to beat in the CAA for the next 2-3 years.

 

[Waquoit]

...except Wichita hasn't had a coaching change, but you keep beating that dead horse...

UConn FB didn't have a coaching change either when two dozen players hit the transfer portal just a few months ago, numbnut.

 

[pepband99]

UConn FB didn't have a coaching change either when two dozen players hit the transfer portal just a few months ago, numbnut.

...if you don't think the Diaco --> Edsall switch was at the heart of the transfer onslaught (and also not to mention the landing spots)...

How much better do you think the Wichita transfer landing spots will look, compared to our football comparison? I'll hang up and listen...

 

[Waquoit]

...if you don't think the Diaco --> Edsall switch was at the heart of the transfer onslaught (and also not to mention the landing spots)...

The coaching change was three seasons ago! Three! The statute of limitations of using Diaco as cover for HCRE's failure has long since past.

And lose the ellipses. It makes you look stupid.

 

[pepband99]

The coaching change was three seasons ago! Three! The statute of limitations of using Diaco as cover for HCRE's failure has long since past.

And lose the ellipses. It makes you look stupid.

Strangely enough, football operates on a 5-year timeline, and a much more weighted for the latter ones, for most. Gee, guys on the wrong end of the Hurley/Ollie switch are leaving after 2, out of 4, for most. Do you really not think these are that similar?

Even after whatever statute you made up in your mind (because you hate Edsall, we get it), Marshall has been there for 13 years, and been largely successful - it's clearly very different.

 

[Waquoit]

Like for ellipse-free post.

 

[navery12]

 

[Watchdog]

He seemed to indicate a desire to stay closer to home with the virus situation so Elon fits. His 247 profile says he had an impressive list of offers: Louisville, Penn State, Cincinnati, Depaul, NC State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Texas A&M, and Virginia among others. Elon got lucky because he's from the next large town, Burlington, NC.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I like what Gregg Marshall and Tyson Etienne said about Alterique in The Athletic's preview for Wichita State:

When the Shockers landed [Alterique], sophomore guard Tyson Etienne was thrilled because Gilbert had been his assignment last season in a double-overtime win at Connecticut, and he knew how good he was.

“He’s a tough guard. For real,” Etienne says. “He’s savvy and quick. He knew the reads and you could tell he was experienced. He knew what to look for, the same stuff that I was taught on film, he was doing during the game, so you could tell he knew what he was doing.”

Gilbert scored 14 points against the Shockers in that game, and he had 18 points and four assists two years ago in a game at Wichita. “He’s a pure point guard with experience and talent,” Marshall says. “He’s ultra-quick and I just thought he was a really tough guy for us to play against and now I get to have him on my team. That’s pretty cool.”

I hope there's a season and if so, I wish AG nothing but the best!

 

[Waquoit]

When he was playing, I thought his on-ball defense was as good as anyone's in the country.

 

[Son of Robert]

The last two posts are just on point. With a fresh start, new coach, new system, I'm betting that AG puts it all together this year, and that Wichita State has a good season. Alterique has been learning what you can and can't do as a small guard at the D1 level since he came to UConn, and if he plays mistake free basketball i.e. over-penetrating and forcing shots, he will be very good.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

Alterique was really hard to guard last year (to an extent) except he just wasn’t making his open shots, and making bad some bad decisions at times to go up with the ball. I think he’s going to have a really good year now that he’s hopefully shaken off the rust / learned to adapt to a new game after injury.

 

[mauconnfan]

When he was playing, I thought his on-ball defense was as good as anyone's in the country.

His defense (as well as CVs) was the main reason we were in those games which we ultimately blew during the mid season stretch. Yeah he made some horrific plays (as well as CV) during those games but they never were carried over to the other end. Most of those games we lost with a lead or tied in the stretch, were fairly low scoring thanks to the defense. The reason we won games down the stretch of the year were because he and CV made better decisions and made shots period. The defense was always there and much like Boat (not quite as good) he made the PG often start the offense at the hash mark rather than where the PG wanted to start the O.

I hope AG does a great job at WSU and enjoys his season because it was tough on him here.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

His defense (as well as CVs) was the main reason we were in those games which we ultimately blew during the mid season stretch. Yeah he made some horrific plays (as well as CV) during those games but they never were carried over to the other end. Most of those games we lost with a lead or tied in the stretch, were fairly low scoring thanks to the defense. The reason we won games down the stretch of the year were because he and CV made better decisions and made shots period. The defense was always there and much like Boat (not quite as good) he made the PG often start the offense at the hash mark rather than where the PG wanted to start the O.

I hope CV does a great job at WSU and enjoys his season because it was tough on him here.

He really left everything out there on defense and it was great to watch. Unfortunate that everything turned out the way it did and he just wasn’t able to put it all together at UConn but I hope he becomes the guy he was supposed to be at Wichita State.

 

[dennismenace]

Well, now that he's in the Pac-12, he doesn't need to worry about seeing many fans in league games.

Or better yet he can bring his clown act to the west coast. Thanks Hey Adrien! for that post. That truly is worthy of the term Clown boy.

 

[mauconnfan]

He really left everything out there on defense and it was great to watch. Unfortunate that everything turned out the way it did and he just wasn’t able to put it all together at UConn but I hope he becomes the guy he was supposed to be at Wichita State.

But he did put it together and was a major reason we ended on such a high note. His last 6-7 games were exactly what we expected more consistently from him all year. I will remember his finish here, he and CV were tremendous to get us 19 wins.

 

[superjohn]

But he did put it together and was a major reason we ended on such a high note. His last 6-7 games were exactly what we expected more consistently from him all year. I will remember his finish here, he and CV were tremendous to get us 19 wins.

That's nice to say and a nice way to remember him but it really isn't accurate. Over his last 7 games he averaged 6 points, 2.4 assists, and shot 39% fg.

 

[gtcam]

AG is a warrior - on the court and in life
He has gone through so much physically and mentally
The team will miss him for sure and I will miss him.
I was always in his and CV's court even when 75% of those here and in the chat were killing them both.
I agree with Mau - this team doesn't come close to 19 wins without AG and CV - not even close
I wish AG all the best with GM and WSU - it is a great fit for him and that team

 

[husky429]

That's nice to say and a nice way to remember him but it really isn't accurate. Over his last 7 games he averaged 6 points, 2.4 assists, and shot 39% fg.

People love revisionist history.

In February/March games...

Isaiah Whaley 10.3/8.1/0.8 w/ 2.5 blocks
James Bouknight: 17.7/5.3/1.8 w/ 36% from 3.
Christian Vital: 20.5/5.2/2.6 and w/ 90% from the FT line

You're looking at the reason we won games late in the season. Christian elevated his game to be all-conference level. Bouk realized he is an NBA talent. And all the pieces came together for Whaley finally.

Rique during that same span: 7.0/2.2/2.3 (39% from the field) -- and 0.9 STL despite this heralded defense.

Before Bouk improved we didn't have a go-to second scoring option which made everything so much harder for CV. We couldn't defend the post with Carlton playing the bulk of the minutes at the 5, and our post touches were leading to 3+ TOs a game.

He is a great guy, with a ton of heart who loves the game of basketball. But AG just wasn't good enough to compete on our level.

 

[CL82]

And all the pieces came together for Whaley finally.

... and he looked as if he was having a blast. There's something about playing with enthusiasm that elevates your game.

 

[Kemba Time]

People love revisionist history.

In February/March games...

Isaiah Whaley 10.3/8.1/0.8 w/ 2.5 blocks
James Bouknight: 17.7/5.3/1.8 w/ 36% from 3.
Christian Vital: 20.5/5.2/2.6 and w/ 90% from the FT line

You're looking at the reason we won games late in the season. Christian elevated his game to be all-conference level. Bouk realized he is an NBA talent. And all the pieces came together for Whaley finally.

Rique during that same span: 7.0/2.2/2.3 (39% from the field) -- and 0.9 STL despite this heralded defense.

Before Bouk improved we didn't have a go-to second scoring option which made everything so much harder for CV. We couldn't defend the post with Carlton playing the bulk of the minutes at the 5, and our post touches were leading to 3+ TOs a game.

He is a great guy, with a ton of heart who loves the game of basketball. But AG just wasn't good enough to compete on our level.

What a completely backasswards reply.

Literally every coach who saw UConn play -- Gregg Marshall, Kelvin Sampson, Mike White, Shaheen Holloway, Dan Hurley, Bob Hurley, you name it -- saw Alterique as one of the best on-ball defenders they've seen. His pressure defense absolutely undressed Houston in our biggest win of the season and Florida in our other biggest win of the year. James Bouknight just called AG the best defender he's ever faced. Advanced metrics grade AG out as one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. It's very easy to find video like this one you should watch right now and this one you should watch even more closely showing visually how good he is on the ball as a defender. But, oh, you looked up his SPG numbers for a few games in his game log so I guess that settles it.

And all of those players emerging late in the season? That's when Alterique was able to stop doing things like trying to play 45 minutes of elite on-ball defense on one side and with the ball in his hands as our only capable ball handler in a 2OT game. We got a glimpse late in the season of AG in a system with pieces around him and another PG to spread minutes around with and it was absolutely without a doubt a player who was 'good enough to compete on our level.' Saying otherwise is simply false, which is why he transferred to a program that is competing at our level year after year right now.

 

[businesslawyer]

Could we stop this stupid all or nothing BS.

1. We finished the year with what, 7 players not counting Sid? All 7 had to contribute. All 7 had to be key pieces, but AG was far from THE key piece. As was said, Whalley, Bouk and Christian's improvements led the way.

2. AG was an outstanding defender throughout his career, and point guard defense may be the most underrated key to winning.

3. AG beyond struggled through the first 60% of the season, in part because for most of the year UConn didn't have anyone who could create their own shot, and that made it harder for everyone else. AG took it upon himself as the shot clock would down (as did CV to a lesser extent) and looked the worse off for doing it, but that is not exculpating his play either. Once Bouk emerged, everyone's life was easier. That allowed both CV and AG to play within themselves and stop having to force everything. Once that happened, CV started playing like the best player in the American, and AG upped his shooting percentage and reduced his turnovers. But, obviously, was not one of the players driving the bus.

4. As Marshall runs more of a structured offense, and less of waiting for an athletic player to make a play and get the defense moving, hopefully AG will not have to force things himself and will have a good year. But do I think we're going to miss him? Look, Hurley and staff would have taken him back from what I heard, but they also didn't believe he was going to be running the show this year. If we have a this year.

O.K?

 

[mauconnfan]

People love revisionist history.

In February/March games...

Isaiah Whaley 10.3/8.1/0.8 w/ 2.5 blocks
James Bouknight: 17.7/5.3/1.8 w/ 36% from 3.
Christian Vital: 20.5/5.2/2.6 and w/ 90% from the FT line

You're looking at the reason we won games late in the season. Christian elevated his game to be all-conference level. Bouk realized he is an NBA talent. And all the pieces came together for Whaley finally.

Rique during that same span: 7.0/2.2/2.3 (39% from the field) -- and 0.9 STL despite this heralded defense.

Before Bouk improved we didn't have a go-to second scoring option which made everything so much harder for CV. We couldn't defend the post with Carlton playing the bulk of the minutes at the 5, and our post touches were leading to 3+ TOs a game.

He is a great guy, with a ton of heart who loves the game of basketball. But AG just wasn't good enough to compete on our level.

Bouk made both CV and AG improve no doubt. But I'm not sure what you were watching down the stretch can't agree at all with you here although I do agree quite often. And he was easily our best defender every game we played even when we gave games away. We were in them because of him, and CV at times. Whaley certainly helped too impressively no doubt. You made it sound like not having a go to made everything else harder on CV that's ridiculous. Imagine being the PG with your best shooter (CV) throwing up 28% from 3 with TO's and bad decisions on his shots? That was CV just like AG. Christian elevated his game to all conference because of Bouk, AG and Whaley period. I will check you numbers because they look off on the %'s too. Nonetheless he was as big a part as any of them as they all made each other better. And CV really made shots as he was more open than ever with Bouk wearing the target on O. Bad memory!