Five storylines to follow as UConn men’s basketball begins practice | The Boneyard

Five storylines to follow as UConn men’s basketball begins practice

Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
14,300
Reaction Score
78,537

Picking up the pace

Hurley has said that he wants to play faster, especially on offense. He has the talent to do it and time to experiment, assuming COVID-19 doesn’t wreak havoc on the practices and the early-season schedule. UConn has four games against mid-majors — Central Connecticut, LIU, Coppin State and Binghamton — between Nov. 9-20, so the competition for roles is likely to extend that far into the season. There is enough time this year — where there wasn’t last season — to work out the kinks.

Will this actually happen?


Alternate free link: Replacing James Bouknight, settling on starters, here are five storylines to follow as UConn men’s basketball begins practice
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2021
Messages
19,493
Reaction Score
38,223

Picking up the pace

Hurley has said that he wants to play faster, especially on offense. He has the talent to do it and time to experiment, assuming COVID-19 doesn’t wreak havoc on the practices and the early-season schedule. UConn has four games against mid-majors — Central Connecticut, LIU, Coppin State and Binghamton — between Nov. 9-20, so the competition for roles is likely to extend that far into the season. There is enough time this year — where there wasn’t last season — to work out the kinks.

Will this actually happen?


Alternate free link: Replacing James Bouknight, settling on starters, here are five storylines to follow as UConn men’s basketball begins practice
Quite frankly, I didn’t even know those 4 schools rose to the level of “Mid Major”. We might as well just play the “Beltway Ballers”.
 
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
12,088
Reaction Score
63,206

Picking up the pace

Hurley has said that he wants to play faster, especially on offense. He has the talent to do it and time to experiment, assuming COVID-19 doesn’t wreak havoc on the practices and the early-season schedule. UConn has four games against mid-majors — Central Connecticut, LIU, Coppin State and Binghamton — between Nov. 9-20, so the competition for roles is likely to extend that far into the season. There is enough time this year — where there wasn’t last season — to work out the kinks.

Will this actually happen?
Unsure. We probably won't be as slow as we were last year, but we were incredibly slow last year so that's not a high bar.

Coaches saying they are going to play fast paced when they're hired or inbetween seasons is a meme at this point.


It's generally a pretty sticky stat for coaches year over year, but...Hurley has shown some flexibility in his pace over the years, He had seasons with top 100 paces at both RI and Wagner. They went from 89th to 328th and back down to average 2 years later.

I tend to trust Dan to not just give lip service and he means what he says, so it's possible.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
16,036
Reaction Score
23,102
Hurley on AJ: “no one spends more time in the gym”. That’s good, maybe AJ wants to make a lot of money in the future and figured this out.
 

nomar

#1 Casual Fan™
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
15,331
Reaction Score
39,522
Except they are the headliner this time

They’re one of our early-season cupcakes. How are they “the headliner”?

I agree re overuse of “mid-major.” Just because you’re not a high-major program doesn’t make you a mid-major.
 

August_West

Universal remote, put it down on docking station.
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Messages
51,047
Reaction Score
87,452
Quite frankly, I didn’t even know those 4 schools rose to the level of “Mid Major”. We might as well just play the “Beltway Ballers”.


Ah the good old Beltway Ballers, our indirect way of making a payout for the signing of Rudy Gay.

I miss the days of elegant rule bending :)
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2021
Messages
19,493
Reaction Score
38,223
They’re one of our early-season cupcakes. How are they “the headliner”?

I agree re overuse of “mid-major.” Just because you’re not a high-major program doesn’t make you a mid-major.
IDK - Binghamton, CCSU, LIU, Coppin - I understand cupcakes but a full OOC home schedule of them is totally unacceptable - whatever order you want to put them in. I am not going to argue the order because my point is we need an elite National OOC home opponent.
 

UconnU

Demolish the XL center.
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
7,582
Reaction Score
30,772
I really like playing fast on offense in today’s game. It’s akin to playing an uptempo offense in football. The defense can’t get set properly, become disorganized and foul a bunch. Hopefully watching team finals frantic pace offensively rubbed off a little. We played far too slow and methodical last year.
 

Waquoit

Mr. Positive
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
32,188
Reaction Score
82,240
I understand cupcakes but a full OOC home schedule of them is totally unacceptable...I am not going to argue the order because my point is we need an elite National OOC home opponent.
Objection noted. And noted. And noted, and... Look, the schedule is the schedule. We all would like to see more good OOC home games. Maybe next year. Enough already. Find something else to knock Hurley for. Meanwhile I'm hoping god grants you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change.
 
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
699
Reaction Score
1,793
I’d rather have this schedule than have 1 or 2 non conference great games and play in the boring AAC ….. Big East or bust baby !!!!
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2021
Messages
19,493
Reaction Score
38,223
Objection noted. And noted. And noted, and... Look, the schedule is the schedule. We all would like to see more good OOC home games. Maybe next year. Enough already. Find something else to knock Hurley for. Meanwhile I'm hoping god grants you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change.
Respectfully, our disagreements often come down to the chess vs. checkers thing. Of course, Chief fully understands this season’s OOC schedule is set and published. Chief criticism is building the case for next season and putting the pressure on for Dave and Danny to step up their game in the Home OOC schedule aspect. I have not heard Danny once talk about the schedule with that filter on. Perhaps, he views it as outside the coach’s scope to initiate those conversations with other schools as Jim would sometimes do with other elite coaches. I honestly believe he doesn’t even thinks about it. Dave should, especially since his coach doesn’t, since the Seat Donations pump some decent money into his department despite the overall deficit. Just another example of not listening to the customer on things that matter.
 

dennismenace

ONE MORE CAST
Joined
Apr 19, 2015
Messages
2,940
Reaction Score
7,975
Back before I was a casual fan, I wouldn't miss a minute of the radio broadcasts of those games.
Marty Glickman: "So and so races out of the backcourt................................!!!!"
 
Joined
Apr 15, 2018
Messages
2,466
Reaction Score
17,664
Hurley on AJ: “no one spends more time in the gym”. That’s good, maybe AJ wants to make a lot of money in the future and figured this out.
There’s a video Borges posted of Hawkins showing his shooting from practice. Ironically, AJ was in the background. Went 4-4 beyond the arc. Shot looked a little funky still but at least he was making them in an open gym from top the arc
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
2,858
Reaction Score
12,221
There’s a video Borges posted of Hawkins showing his shooting from practice. Ironically, AJ was in the background. Went 4-4 beyond the arc. Shot looked a little funky still but at least he was making them in an open gym from top the arc
Not to quibble, but to my memory Jackson went 3-5 in the clip. Wanted to double check, but couldn't find the video in the few seconds I devoted to searching.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2021
Messages
19,493
Reaction Score
38,223
So creative with your condescension.
As others observed, a very measured response, if you read my entire post. I start with “Respectfully” which is generally considered a better starting point for a constructive conversation than “your condescension”.
My checkers vs. chess line was an ask for a particular posters not to always jump to a criticizing position as a reflect, as one jumps their opponents checkers, before obtaining a better understanding of a posts content. Understand the strategy, as a good player does in chess. Of course, Chief realizes this year’s OOC schedule is set but these home and home series are sometimes committed to far in advance. So now is the time to make the point, if you want positive future change, starting next season.
This “knocking Hurley” is exactly what Chief didn’t do. It is an emotional response to nuisance that perhaps the poster can’t or doesn’t want to process. All Chief has said is that I don’t believe Danny filters OOC schedule by home, away or neutral games. Therefore, he is satisfied with it. A season ticket holder has a different filter - more emphasis on Home games, assuming they are looking for entertainment value per dollar.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards, Chief
 
Last edited:

Online statistics

Members online
107
Guests online
2,979
Total visitors
3,086

Forum statistics

Threads
155,799
Messages
4,032,030
Members
9,865
Latest member
Sad Tiger


Top Bottom