Hawkins

[8893]

If I posted this after a loss you would all agree with me but considering I posted it after a win you all think it’s stupid.

No, it would have been stupid then, too. You're presumably a grown man, blaming a freshman basketball player and now a message board for the sadz because you raised your expectations and they haven't bet met immediately.

He's a heralded freshman whose start to the season was delayed by his ankle injury.

People gushed over his potential and longed for more minutes based on what we observed, culminating in the Auburn game. He has stumbled a bit since then, which was unfortunate timing because Tyrese's injury made him a starter and he didn't do enough to keep himself on the court.

We've said and seen it here dozens of times over the years: progress is not linear. If you have kids of your own you might have observed a similar phenomenon; or you may even remember being one yourself. Or maybe you still are, like me.

No one anointed him anything other than talented. I keep asking people where this false narrative started that he would possibly leave for the draft after this season; no one has answered yet, but it hasn't stopped people from repeating that canard in an effort to make him sound like a failure.

Surely there are more constructive ways to spend your time at 2:45 a.m.?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

No, it would have been stupid then, too. You're presumably a grown man, blaming a freshman basketball player and now a message board for the sadz because you raised your expectations and they haven't bet met immediately.

He's a heralded freshman whose start to the season was delayed by his ankle injury.

People gushed over his potential and longed for more minutes based on what we observed, culminating in the Auburn game. He has stumbled a bit since then, which was unfortunate timing because Tyrese's injury made him a starter and he didn't do enough to keep himself on the court.

We've said and seen it here dozens of times over the years: progress is not linear. If you have kids of your own you might have observed a similar phenomenon; or you may even remember being one yourself. Or maybe you still are, like me.

No one anointed him anything other than talented. I keep asking people where this false narrative started that he would possibly leave for the draft after this season; no one has answered yet, but it hasn't stopped people from repeating that canard in an effort to make him sound like a failure.

Surely there are more constructive ways to spend your time at 2:45 a.m.?

looks like you've come back from ur pc post game freakouts. don't be a dweeb, the posts putting jordan in the league next week were a thing, seemingly just yesterday. cf, polley, and others, ie 'where do they go in the draft'? musings. answer? to the comfiest chair in the room, to watch it like the rest of us who aren't getting drafted.
jordan is new, gets a pass for now, but so far, not much to show. he has stroke, hops, and energy. he also doesn't have, thus far, handle for a 2 or a bigs presence for a 3. here's to hoping.

 

[Mike1984]

No, it would have been stupid then, too. You're presumably a grown man, blaming a freshman basketball player and now a message board for the sadz because you raised your expectations and they haven't bet met immediately.

No one anointed him anything other than talented. I keep asking people where this false narrative started that he would possibly leave for the draft after this season; no one has answered yet, but it hasn't stopped people from repeating that canard in an effort to make him sound like a failure.

On your first topic. I have no expectations for the kid and I didn’t blame him for anything. He has skill and you can tell he’s talented just by watching him. I don’t get mad when he plays bad. He will gain confidence and eventually be that guy.
Second topic, if you read this board which I know you frequently do, there has been much talk comparing him to UConn greats. He hasn’t proved anything yet. There has also been much talk that Hurley can’t coach, Hawkins needs more minutes blah blah blah. My thread was more of a knock towards the people who think they know everything when it comes to UConn basketball. It was more satire than anything else.

Lastly, no at 2:45am I do not have anything better to do. I work nights that should explain that.

 

[cap10dingus]

3-22 in the last 4 games. Should he still be getting more minutes? I mean he’s very productive while on the floor! Do we leave him out there for longer? Maybe we can build a new arena with all the bricks he’s throwing up. Sorry guys I forgot, he’s the second coming of Ray Allen and deserves high praise for the way he glides down the floor.

Every minute this kid gets now will pay dividends in 2022-23. Kid will be special but he's not ready.

 

[8893]

On your first topic. I have no expectations for the kid and I didn’t blame him for anything. He has skill and you can tell he’s talented just by watching him. I don’t get mad when he plays bad. He will gain confidence and eventually be that guy.
Second topic, if you read this board which I know you frequently do, there has been much talk comparing him to UConn greats. He hasn’t proved anything yet. There has also been much talk that Hurley can’t coach, Hawkins needs more minutes blah blah blah. My thread was more of a knock towards the people who think they know everything when it comes to UConn basketball. It was more satire than anything else.

Lastly, no at 2:45am I do not have anything better to do. I work nights that should explain that.

Well I'm glad to see you haven't given up on him.

As to comparisons, what I recall is people saying the type of player he reminds them of, in terms of what he has the potential to become. Most saw shades of young Ray Allen with his shooting form and the way he seemed to glide down the court; I recall a few seeing some Caron Butler in his posture. I don't recall anyone suggesting that he was playing now like either one of them did when they earned their reputations as UConn greats.

Yes, there has been a lot of talk about Hurley's game preparation, substitutions and in-game coaching; and calls for Hawkins and others to play more, and for Gaffney and others to play less. It's kinda what we do here, when we're not discussing pizza or Arby's.

God bless you on the night shift. Merry Christmas, and I hope Santa brings Jordan some shots for all of our sake.

 

[husky429]

Hawkins will be 20 years old this spring. He's playing like a freshman, but he's also too old to be playing like a freshman. So in a sense, it's a good thing because there's little chance of him leaving next year.

Most freshman are his age. They basically all retake their freshman year of hs

 

[prankster]

No, it would have been stupid then, too. You're presumably a grown man, blaming a freshman basketball player and now a message board for the sadz because you raised your expectations and they haven't bet met immediately.

He's a heralded freshman whose start to the season was delayed by his ankle injury.

People gushed over his potential and longed for more minutes based on what we observed, culminating in the Auburn game. He has stumbled a bit since then, which was unfortunate timing because Tyrese's injury made him a starter and he didn't do enough to keep himself on the court.

We've said and seen it here dozens of times over the years: progress is not linear. If you have kids of your own you might have observed a similar phenomenon; or you may even remember being one yourself. Or maybe you still are, like me.

No one anointed him anything other than talented. I keep asking people where this false narrative started that he would possibly leave for the draft after this season; no one has answered yet, but it hasn't stopped people from repeating that canard in an effort to make him sound like a failure.

Surely there are more constructive ways to spend your time .

No, it would have been stupid then, too. You're presumably a grown man, blaming a freshman basketball player and now a message board for

 

[UConnJim]

I think Hawkins is a very important part of the team this year. He has played well in the wins and he has played poorly in the losses. Look at his scoring stats:

UConn 8 Wins:

15.8 minutes/game
7.5 points
45.5% 3 pointers
42.8% 2 pointers

UConn 3 Losses:

19.3 minutes/game
2.3 points
0.0% 3 pointers (0-8)
14.8% 2 pointers

I think he is playing with the typical freshman ups and downs right now and he will become more consistent as the season progresses. The last few games, he seems to be rushing his shot.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Hawkins will be 20 years old this spring. He's playing like a freshman, but he's also too old to be playing like a freshman. So in a sense, it's a good thing because there's little chance of him leaving next year.

This actually means the opposite. The fact that he's old for his year is bad and means that Hawkins will be feeling more pressure to leave and get drafted regardless of whether he actually accomplishes anything here.

 

[jibsey]

Can he get up to 10 points a game before this leaving talk continues?

 

[Chasm64]

Wasn't Albert Mouring the guy who would step of bounds all the time when take a 3?

Purvis

 

[Mike1984]

Well I'm glad to see you haven't given up on him.

As to comparisons, what I recall is people saying the type of player he reminds them of, in terms of what he has the potential to become. Most saw shades of young Ray Allen with his shooting form and the way he seemed to glide down the court; I recall a few seeing some Caron Butler in his posture. I don't recall anyone suggesting that he was playing now like either one of them did when they earned their reputations as UConn greats.

Yes, there has been a lot of talk about Hurley's game preparation, substitutions and in-game coaching; and calls for Hawkins and others to play more, and for Gaffney and others to play less. It's kinda what we do here, when we're not discussing pizza or Arby's.

God bless you on the night shift. Merry Christmas, and I hope Santa brings Jordan some shots for all of our sake.

I don’t give up on any of the players. A loss is a loss and a win is a win. They still all try hard regardless of the outcome. I’m still going to watch the next game no matter what happens.I root for all of them to do good. I want Hawkins to start making shots. Not only will it help him but it will also help the team. My one critique on him would be his body language. His mentality has to change before he can become that guy. He can’t get down on himself all the time. After he missed that contested runout layup last night and got subbed, they showed him going to the bench and you can tell he just lacks confidence. To me it was sad to see because he does have potential. His game will come and his mentality will change.
The whole Hurley doesn’t know how to coach stuff is getting old though. After every loss, it’s Hurley doesn’t know what he is doing and he should of did this or that. If you look at our losses and even some of our wins, for the most part the offense is creating an open shot and we just aren’t making them. The whole the freshman need more minutes thing is kind of mind boggling though. We can play them 20 minutes a game, but are we going to win? Probably not. Then it would be why did Hurley play them for so long. I get it, it’s a fan board but damn some people need to chill out. The world isn’t ending, maybe it is but it’s not because of UConn basketball. We have a winning record with no bad losses. The coach is doing his job. We should be happy that we aren’t in the abyss of the Ollie era and we are making strides to get better. Hurley and Hawkins are kind of the same, both working to get better and reach greatness and I think both will eventually succeed.
Sorry for the long winded response that went in a million different directions, my mind is like that due to lack of sleep lol.

 

[Husker Husky]

There are guys playing in the NBA that went to UConn and had their own freshman year adjustments to the CBB game as Hawkins is now.. He will be fine with reps and as he matures with on-court successes.

This is pretty much what I was thinking as I was going through this thread.

 

[Kitaman]

All freshman are exempted. Sure it would be ideal if he instantly adjusted to D1 play and players, but some develop quicker than others. He'll catch up, gain his confidence and start knocking down shots and much more. Could even happen this season, but if it doesn't its okay he's still 'in training'. Just don't stop playing him because its obvious he has a sweet stroke (potential) and needs to get his confidence built up. Hawkins is allowed to struggle, too bad our other freshman aren't given the opportunity to struggle.

Just saying, Carmelo Anthony freshman types are unicorns.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Wasn't Albert Mouring the guy who would step of bounds all the time when take a 3?

Rodney Purvis

 

[CV1]

We need a magic number of points from Hawkins and/or Polley to win most of our games. Hawkins was abused on one play in the 2nd half on defense so yes we want him to play through mistakes but we are also trying to win games too. Sometimes people need to chill on expecting too much from the shiny new toy. It’s easy for us fans to be critical of both of these guys but Hurley has the tough job of keeping their confidence sky high despite the struggles.

 

[Rumrunner]

This actually means the opposite. The fact that he's old for his year is bad and means that Hawkins will be feeling more pressure to leave and get drafted regardless of whether he actually accomplishes anything here.

The problem with that analysis is that the former is in Hawkins' control, the latter far out of it. Just because he will feel more pressure to leave, which he can control, the getting drafted part he has no control over, and is the rub. We saw this same analysis with Bouk his freshman year. And then accelerate his sophomore year. The difference is, Bouk was an NBA talent midway thru his freshman year. And then his sophomore year, given his age, which at the time was OLD for NBA first rounders, it was inevitable that he bolted.

Hawkins trajectory is far different. And perversely, while it is bad for him, it is better for UConn fans, cuz we get to enjoy him for four years. This isn't a knock on him. It's just a realization of how the NBA works now. Between the G League, internationals, and even this overtime elite stuff, if you're a 21 year old sophomore, you are statistically screwed. There were only 5 players older than 20 in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft.

Of the 5, Davion Mitchell of Baylor transferred. Chris Duarte of Oregon went the JC route. Trey Murphy was a transfer from Rice at Virginia. Quintin Grimes transferred from Kansas to Houston. Kispert is the only one who didn't JC or transfer.

So in short, if you are 20 years old, playing from the bench your freshman year, the chance that you become a first round draft choice is pretty bad. And this is on top of the pretty bad odds for any high major player. Which means we get Hawkins for his junior year, and statistically, most likely his senior year.

 

[Umami Zen]

The problem with that analysis is that the former is in Hawkins' control, the latter far out of it. Just because he will feel more pressure to leave, which he can control, the getting drafted part he has no control over, and is the rub. We saw this same analysis with Bouk his freshman year. And then accelerate his sophomore year. The difference is, Bouk was an NBA talent midway thru his freshman year. And then his sophomore year, given his age, which at the time was OLD for NBA first rounders, it was inevitable that he bolted.

Hawkins trajectory is far different. And perversely, while it is bad for him, it is better for UConn fans, cuz we get to enjoy him for four years. This isn't a knock on him. It's just a realization of how the NBA works now. Between the G League, internationals, and even this overtime elite stuff, if you're a 21 year old sophomore, you are statistically screwed. There were only 5 players older than 20 in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft.

Of the 5, Davion Mitchell of Baylor transferred. Chris Duarte of Oregon went the JC route. Trey Murphy was a transfer from Rice at Virginia. Quintin Grimes transferred from Kansas to Houston. Kispert is the only one who didn't JC or transfer.

So in short, if you are 20 years old, playing from the bench your freshman year, the chance that you become a first round draft choice is pretty bad. And this is on top of the pretty bad odds for any high major player. Which means we get Hawkins for his junior year, and statistically, most likely his senior year.

This is the deal...Hawk stated early on in his UConn career that he thought he was -at worst- two and done. So Dan Hurley has to re-align the player's expectations of their talents with their performance on the floor this year.

So far- Hawk has work to do to meet his self-imposed timeline. Still could happen -- We'll see

 

[husky429]

The problem with that analysis is that the former is in Hawkins' control, the latter far out of it. Just because he will feel more pressure to leave, which he can control, the getting drafted part he has no control over, and is the rub. We saw this same analysis with Bouk his freshman year. And then accelerate his sophomore year. The difference is, Bouk was an NBA talent midway thru his freshman year. And then his sophomore year, given his age, which at the time was OLD for NBA first rounders, it was inevitable that he bolted.

Hawkins trajectory is far different. And perversely, while it is bad for him, it is better for UConn fans, cuz we get to enjoy him for four years. This isn't a knock on him. It's just a realization of how the NBA works now. Between the G League, internationals, and even this overtime elite stuff, if you're a 21 year old sophomore, you are statistically screwed. There were only 5 players older than 20 in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft.

Of the 5, Davion Mitchell of Baylor transferred. Chris Duarte of Oregon went the JC route. Trey Murphy was a transfer from Rice at Virginia. Quintin Grimes transferred from Kansas to Houston. Kispert is the only one who didn't JC or transfer.

So in short, if you are 20 years old, playing from the bench your freshman year, the chance that you become a first round draft choice is pretty bad. And this is on top of the pretty bad odds for any high major player. Which means we get Hawkins for his junior year, and statistically, most likely his senior year.

Every time someone challenges you, you shift the goalpost. Yawn.

 

[Rumrunner]

Not sure when and where I've been challenged? I guess somewhere where I wrote that Hawkins is going to be 20 this spring, when you said he was 18? That someone thinks he will be drafted because he is more likely to leave, but I guess forgets the part that a team has to want to draft you before you get, well, drafted. That he will not be drafted because he is too old given his demonstrated skill set, and the data points that out. And that based on that, he will be at UConn for four years. But I guess for those who live and die by incessant arguments, your yawn is pretty well anticipated. The perpetually aggrieved and cranky have certainly found a home here.

 

[husky429]

Not sure when and where I've been challenged? I guess somewhere where I wrote that Hawkins is going to be 20 this spring, when you said he was 18? That someone thinks he will be drafted because he is more likely to leave, but I guess forgets the part that a team has to want to draft you before you get, well, drafted. That he will not be drafted because he is too old given his demonstrated skill set, and the data points that out. And that based on that, he will be at UConn for four years. But I guess for those who live and die by incessant arguments, your yawn is pretty well anticipated. The perpetually aggrieved and cranky have certainly found a home here.

Yawn

 

[87Xfer]

Not sure when and where I've been challenged? I guess somewhere where I wrote that Hawkins is going to be 20 this spring, when you said he was 18? That someone thinks he will be drafted because he is more likely to leave, but I guess forgets the part that a team has to want to draft you before you get, well, drafted. That he will not be drafted because he is too old given his demonstrated skill set, and the data points that out. And that based on that, he will be at UConn for four years. But I guess for those who live and die by incessant arguments, your yawn is pretty well anticipated. The perpetually aggrieved and cranky have certainly found a home here.

was there any point that you were trying to make in that mess? hole eee schitt

 

[ClifSpliffy]

The problem with that analysis is that the former is in Hawkins' control, the latter far out of it. Just because he will feel more pressure to leave, which he can control, the getting drafted part he has no control over, and is the rub. We saw this same analysis with Bouk his freshman year. And then accelerate his sophomore year. The difference is, Bouk was an NBA talent midway thru his freshman year. And then his sophomore year, given his age, which at the time was OLD for NBA first rounders, it was inevitable that he bolted.

Hawkins trajectory is far different. And perversely, while it is bad for him, it is better for UConn fans, cuz we get to enjoy him for four years. This isn't a knock on him. It's just a realization of how the NBA works now. Between the G League, internationals, and even this overtime elite stuff, if you're a 21 year old sophomore, you are statistically screwed. There were only 5 players older than 20 in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft.

Of the 5, Davion Mitchell of Baylor transferred. Chris Duarte of Oregon went the JC route. Trey Murphy was a transfer from Rice at Virginia. Quintin Grimes transferred from Kansas to Houston. Kispert is the only one who didn't JC or transfer.

So in short, if you are 20 years old, playing from the bench your freshman year, the chance that you become a first round draft choice is pretty bad. And this is on top of the pretty bad odds for any high major player. Which means we get Hawkins for his junior year, and statistically, most likely his senior year.

well now, hard to argue with this. too much common sense in it, and all that. puts everrthing in a whole new perspective. yes indeedy, a whole new perspective. now i know.
learning is fun!

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I don’t give up on any of the players. A loss is a loss and a win is a win. They still all try hard regardless of the outcome. I’m still going to watch the next game no matter what happens.I root for all of them to do good. I want Hawkins to start making shots. Not only will it help him but it will also help the team. My one critique on him would be his body language. His mentality has to change before he can become that guy. He can’t get down on himself all the time. After he missed that contested runout layup last night and got subbed, they showed him going to the bench and you can tell he just lacks confidence. To me it was sad to see because he does have potential. His game will come and his mentality will change.
The whole Hurley doesn’t know how to coach stuff is getting old though. After every loss, it’s Hurley doesn’t know what he is doing and he should of did this or that. If you look at our losses and even some of our wins, for the most part the offense is creating an open shot and we just aren’t making them. The whole the freshman need more minutes thing is kind of mind boggling though. We can play them 20 minutes a game, but are we going to win? Probably not. Then it would be why did Hurley play them for so long. I get it, it’s a fan board but damn some people need to chill out. The world isn’t ending, maybe it is but it’s not because of UConn basketball. We have a winning record with no bad losses. The coach is doing his job. We should be happy that we aren’t in the abyss of the Ollie era and we are making strides to get better. Hurley and Hawkins are kind of the same, both working to get better and reach greatness and I think both will eventually succeed.
Sorry for the long winded response that went in a million different directions, my mind is like that due to lack of sleep lol.

' a million different directions..'
nope,. actually it went straight down the pike, taking us from that,
to this!,
'We should be happy...'
im certainly happy that our two starters are back. there really are no other major problems. the band is back together, so roll the balls out, and let's watch 'em.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I partly believe Hurly kind of messed up his confidence early on... He was playing great and hungry at the beginning of the year and Hurley would pull him for any little mistake. Now he plays timid it seems.