Hard questions

[Kitaman]

Just because they're good players doesn't necessarily mean they're good coaches. Do you think Allen Iverson or Charles Barkley would be good coaches? Didn't mean to come off as a , but there is a difference and I think UConn was blinded by history with some hires.

Yeah I am hoping this is not the case but if TSam and Purvis do not improve by their senior then it would seem time to re-evaluate the Moore hiring. Hobbs I don't see as being a bad coach as he is seasoned, experienced and like Ollie schooled under HOF Calhoun.

 

[mauconnfan]

Wait a minute guys something is wrong here. Coaches can't "teach good ball handling", they can assist in attempting to make them better. Does anyone really think that if you suck as a guard at ball handling coming into UConn you can still become a great ball handler because your coaches could handle the ball? Because if you do you never played the game. You learn to be a good ball handler well before you get to UConn. I will say the evaluation would be from the recruiting side but not from the teaching side. Did you guys see the video's of Rodney working in his handle with both hands and a trainer while in HS? If he isn't any good at it by now you think Ricky, Hobbsy or KO are going to help him figure it out come game time now? It's an art and one I believe is a lot like shooting, either you have the ability to be real good at it or you don't. You can improve but to be special you have to have a natural gift too, doesn't mean coaches can make it happen for you.

So while you can say "just because they're good players doesn't necessarily man they can coach" you can most certainly also say "just because a kid can't handle the ball doesn't mean these guys can't coach"!!

 

[mauconnfan]

Don't really see the Terrence Samuel - Craig Austrie comparison. Austrie shot the ball pretty well his entire career - always shot over 30% from three at least, which is okay. As we know, Terrence's stroke outside 15 feet needs an entire makeover.

I think Terrence Samuel is much more closer to a poor man's Taliek Brown. If we surround Terrence with 35-45% 3pt shooters and dependable posts that can shoot mid-range it'll eliminate his need to shoot. If he can create and distribute to these guys like Taliek did, he'll be a good player. More useful than Austrie at least.

Austrie led us to a pretty nice start without our leading PG at one time in his career, not with great play but with steady. For now this guy could not have dome that. If he can learn to be steady he can be as good as Austria and maybe a bit better, but as good would be fine considering all we need out of him is just that kind of player.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Don't really see the Terrence Samuel - Craig Austrie comparison. Austrie shot the ball pretty well his entire career - always shot over 30% from three at least, which is okay. As we know, Terrence's stroke outside 15 feet needs an entire makeover.

I think Terrence Samuel is much more closer to a poor man's Taliek Brown. If we surround Terrence with 35-45% 3pt shooters and dependable posts that can shoot mid-range it'll eliminate his need to shoot. If he can create and distribute to these guys like Taliek did, he'll be a good player. More useful than Austrie at least.

My gym instruction in HS had formerly been a pretty sucessful head BB coach.with at least one State title.
Because I, played sports I was exempt from participation , but the old coach taught me a lot about basketball. He even trusted me to Ref Freshman games.
One of the first things he taught me was the PG 's job was to be a facilitator rather than a shooter. With one big caveat , it's imperative to establish the fact that you are a capable shooter or the defense ends up playing five on your four.
Even a PG has to make some shoots or your real shooters will suffer the consequences.

 

[businesslawyer]

No matter how many times people post about the role players, the struggles this year are not about the role players. The struggle this year is that we came into the season with four players who were looked at as eventual draft picks, and one is playing like it, two may get there one day but are a long way from playing at a college star player level and one just looks overrated.

 

[mauconnfan]

No matter how many times people post about the role players, the struggles this year are not about the role players. The struggle this year is that we came into the season with four players who were looked at as eventual draft picks, and one is playing like it, two may get there one day but are a long way from playing at a college star player level and one just looks overrated.

That's not the problem either because you can be a "star" or a good player in college and still not be a pro. The problem is we have role players playing 20 plus minutes because right now on this team they are more than role players, and that sucks.

Oh yeah and the one that looks overrated bailed your butt out last night.

 

[Towney007]

This team has some real problems - but I feel like people are entirely understanding how the addition of a PG really changes the whole dynamic of this team. That's why trying to nab a guy like Traci Carter could mean so much. I've never watched a UConn team in my life where it seems like absolutely no one is in charge on the floor. It's a quirky roster where they've got a crop of 2's who are really good ball handlers - good enough to step in certain times up the court; but not one of them have the kinds of core skills a dedicated PG has. They're guys who should be getting fed, not cooking dinner for everyone else..

I know this team's got some other issues, but I just feel like everyone's really overthinking a lot of things. I think a Point Guard - a real point guard - makes this team better by a ton. People have played up the role players by a lot - but it's impossible to be that role player when you're being asked to step outside that role so much...

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Your problem is Comparing Austrie as a senior to TSam as a Soph.
Austrie is the lower end of TSam potential, that wouldn't be awful, but I think he has greater upside than that. Ricky Moore maybe.

I hope you are right, but I see Austrie as being in a higher talent category than tsam. He played with poise from game 1 and did a lot of things pretty well. Austrie would play more minutes on this team than tsam by a long ways, IMHO.