Game Theory Podcast, aka why UConn is the best

[ToolzieFan]

The first 14 minutes or so of this episode is Sam Vecenie and Adam Spinella pretty much just talking about how awesome every aspect of this UConn team is. I can’t get enough of this stuff.

 

[Huskybass]

Loved it. Guy said UConn might run the table in the Big East. That would be insane.

 

[gsmooth]

Loved it. Guy said UConn might run the table in the Big East. That would be insane.

They definitely won’t, but I will gladly eat crow if I am wrong. You know how those road conference games can get. UConn will get amped up raucous crowds on the road and the opposing teams and their fans will have UConn circled. Having said all of that some tough close games are necessary for the Huskies in the long run even though during the games we prefer blowouts. The GTown game was a good humbling victory.

 

[CL82]

Lol, this is UConn fan . Both of these guys LOVE us. Good stuff.

 

[Palatine]

At this point, opinions don't matter. Their only affect is off the court, PR.

 

[AzHusky]

GT last night tried to do what they suggested might work and was working until the second unit came in and changed the flow of the game.

 

[auror]

Nice thing to hear from somebody that crunches as much tape as Sam does: "Best coached team in the country."

 

[Huskyforlife]

Nice thing to hear from somebody that crunches as much tape as Sam does: "Best coached team in the country."

It’s hard to say that about your favorite team. But you could see signs last year too. Hurley is that dude from an effort/culture/defensive perspective. Luke definitely had a positive impact on the offense, and Tom has crushed it with the bigs. All of that without even talking about Kimanis leadership being Dans right hand man, recruiting, and calming influence during a game. It’s been brought up before, but we probably have a top 5 staff in the country.

 

[Slappy]

The first 14 minutes or so of this episode is Sam Vecenie and Adam Spinella pretty much just talking about how awesome every aspect of this UConn team is. I can’t get enough of this stuff.

Enjoy the nirvana right now. Not saying it’s ending, but we better be enjoying this moment after this long.

 

[auror]

It’s hard to say that about your favorite team. But you could see signs last year too. Hurley is that dude from an effort/culture/defensive perspective. Luke definitely had a positive impact on the offense, and Tom has crushed it with the bigs. All of that without even talking about Kimanis leadership being Dans right hand man, recruiting, and calming influence during a game. It’s been brought up before, but we probably have a top 5 staff in the country.

Hawkins is a weapon in a lot of different ways.

I bet it's more fun for the coaches to scheme him up looks ala Rip. It's old school xs and os, not just boring 100 straight PnRs. (It's also really "showy" coach stuff so easier for coaches to get recognized for accolades like this, but that's not the staff's motivation to do it). But it only works because Hawkins is a legit killer off screens with his speed, footwork, and balance. He shoots tough shots at volume at the quality that regular good shooters shoot open shots.

These sets put so much strain on the defense, it just opens everything up for everyone else. All the defenders are worried about the next action and oh Jackson/Newton/Diarra is by me 1v1 (or Adama/Clingan come sets massive screens) and is downhill going to the tin or dumping off/kicking out. Or the defense is switching and whoops they switched a 6'3" guy onto Adama.

Speaking of kicking out, the other key is Karaban. Hurley was basically salivating at playing 4 shooters on offense (and then got gifted a 5th with Adama's development) ever since he recruited Akok. This was always the plan. The offenses he ran at Rhody with athlete/shot blockers who could also shoot at the 4. Thank you for your service Whaley, we had some fun times and you were an absolute menace when hedging, but Karaban just unlocks a lot of things.

12/20/2022 - UConn Men's Basketball vs. Georgetown

No copyright infringement intended. This game has been uploaded strictly for entertainment purposes. If the copyright holder wishes that I take down the game...

youtu.be

Hawkins action freaks out the defense, they switch, Karaban angles his screen well, the guard has to fight to get around to prevent Newton from getting an open 3, which forces the big to shade into the middle as help on the opposite side of the screen, so when Karaban re-screens into a normal PnR set, the big is already "helping" by default, the guard is trying to stay connected because Newton is a pull up threat in spread PnR, and nobody is set to cover a popping big, because we've maneuvered them into exactly the spots and mindsets we want them to be in.

Check out this Jordan Sperber clip for much better production values (and knowledge) than me:

 

[Huskyforlife]

Hawkins is a weapon in a lot of different ways.

I bet it's more fun for the coaches to scheme him up looks ala Rip. It's old school xs and os, not just boring 100 straight PnRs. (It's also really "showy" coach stuff so easier for coaches to get recognized for accolades like this, but that's not the staff's motivation to do it). But it only works because Hawkins is a legit killer off screens with his speed, footwork, and balance. He shoots tough shots at volume at the quality that regular good shooters shoot open shots.

These sets put so much strain on the defense, it just opens everything up for everyone else. All the defenders are worried about the next action and oh Jackson/Newton/Diarra is by me 1v1 (or Adama/Clingan come sets massive screens) and is downhill going to the tin or dumping off/kicking out. Or the defense is switching and whoops they switched a 6'3" guy onto Adama.

Speaking of kicking out, the other key is Karaban. Hurley was basically salivating at playing 4 shooters on offense (and then got gifted a 5th with Adama's development) ever since he recruited Akok. This was always the plan. The offenses he ran at Rhody with athlete/shot blockers who could also shoot at the 4. Thank you for your service Whaley, we had some fun times and you were an absolute menace when hedging, but Karaban just unlocks a lot of things.

12/20/2022 - UConn Men's Basketball vs. Georgetown

No copyright infringement intended. This game has been uploaded strictly for entertainment purposes. If the copyright holder wishes that I take down the game...

youtu.be

Hawkins action freaks out the defense, they switch, Karaban angles his screen well, the guard has to fight to get around to prevent Newton from getting an open 3, which forces the big to shade into the middle as help on the opposite side of the screen, so when Karaban re-screens into a normal PnR set, the big is already "helping" by default, the guard is trying to stay connected because Newton is a pull up threat in spread PnR, and nobody is set to cover a popping big, because we've maneuvered them into exactly the spots and mindsets we want them to be in.

Check out this Jordan Sperber clip for much better production values (and knowledge) than me:

Yeah we run that action multiple times during games from what I remember, I always notice once sanogo sets the second screen for the ball handler. I’m hoping his speed off ball will make for at least a couple nice backdoor cut and dunk highlights by seasons end. It’s one of the reasons Hawkins should be projectable at the next level, along with the solid defense, even if his self creation limitations keep him from being a star. I’m sure there’s movement shooters in the league today he can be compared to.

 

[Rico444]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! I look forward to listening on the ride home.

One random gripe I have that's semi-OT: I subscribe to the Athletic, and I've found that I will find their podcasts shared on all the major platforms before the Athletic app, by a full day or two. Part of why I subscribe is for ad-free content; now I have to download this podcast on another site and will get ads.

 

[huskyinfl]

I love Hawkins but Rip Hamilton was so nasty in college thru the NBA. Richard Hamilton is one of a kind.

 

[auror]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! I look forward to listening on the ride home.

One random gripe I have that's semi- I subscribe to the Athletic, and I've found that I will find their podcasts shared on all the major platforms before the Athletic app, by a full day or two. Part of why I subscribe is for ad-free content; now I have to download this podcast on another site and will get ads.

Yeah he had this podcast before the athletic, so I'm not even sure if it's an official athletic podcast.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Hawkins is a weapon in a lot of different ways.

I bet it's more fun for the coaches to scheme him up looks ala Rip. It's old school xs and os, not just boring 100 straight PnRs. (It's also really "showy" coach stuff so easier for coaches to get recognized for accolades like this, but that's not the staff's motivation to do it). But it only works because Hawkins is a legit killer off screens with his speed, footwork, and balance. He shoots tough shots at volume at the quality that regular good shooters shoot open shots.

These sets put so much strain on the defense, it just opens everything up for everyone else. All the defenders are worried about the next action and oh Jackson/Newton/Diarra is by me 1v1 (or Adama/Clingan come sets massive screens) and is downhill going to the tin or dumping off/kicking out. Or the defense is switching and whoops they switched a 6'3" guy onto Adama.

Speaking of kicking out, the other key is Karaban. Hurley was basically salivating at playing 4 shooters on offense (and then got gifted a 5th with Adama's development) ever since he recruited Akok. This was always the plan. The offenses he ran at Rhody with athlete/shot blockers who could also shoot at the 4. Thank you for your service Whaley, we had some fun times and you were an absolute menace when hedging, but Karaban just unlocks a lot of things.

12/20/2022 - UConn Men's Basketball vs. Georgetown

No copyright infringement intended. This game has been uploaded strictly for entertainment purposes. If the copyright holder wishes that I take down the game...

youtu.be

Hawkins action freaks out the defense, they switch, Karaban angles his screen well, the guard has to fight to get around to prevent Newton from getting an open 3, which forces the big to shade into the middle as help on the opposite side of the screen, so when Karaban re-screens into a normal PnR set, the big is already "helping" by default, the guard is trying to stay connected because Newton is a pull up threat in spread PnR, and nobody is set to cover a popping big, because we've maneuvered them into exactly the spots and mindsets we want them to be in.

Check out this Jordan Sperber clip for much better production values (and knowledge) than me:

I dont think Hawkins has even played all that great tbh. Hes been good and at times we`ve seen spurts of very good but we havent seen great. Lets see if he starts becoming great and then we`ll see this team become truly terifying.

 

[auror]

I dont think Hawkins has even played all that great tbh. Hes been good and at times we`ve seen spurts of very good but we havent seen great. Lets see if he starts becoming great and then we`ll see this team become truly terifying.

He has not been that versatile (mostly just off screen/transition 3s and downhill attacking the rim with occasional pull ups), but shooting the % he's shooting on the difficulty of the shots he's taking on the volume he's taking them is actually great. There are 11 guys in the country taking at least 17 3s per 100 possessions, and he's 3rd in 3pt% among that group. With very good defense (when he's not getting cheap hand check fouls).

 

[bigknight3]

I dont think Hawkins has even played all that great tbh. Hes been good and at times we`ve seen spurts of very good but we havent seen great. Lets see if he starts becoming great and then we`ll see this team become truly terifying.

26pts on 5-9 3pt shooting against Oklahoma State isn't great?

 

[caw]

The amount of action this team has, has to frustrate defenses. It will be interesting to see how Nova defends. I imagine they switch a lot.