Honestly, what happened?

[Umami Zen]

My two cents. Dan had to rebuild the culture and talent level initially. He is a student of successful people/self-improvement/a voracious reader. After the New Mexico St loss- I believe he knew things had to change re: how he managed his staff and Program. He became a CEO of the "organization"- He delegated to the strengths of his staff and let them self-actualize their talents for the good of the "organization". Gave the keys of the car to Luke for the Offense. Kimani the Defense. Tom the rebounding and GM responsibilities while all of them still being involved in recruiting and player development and scouting of future opponents.

The rosters of the last two years have been magnificently pieced together to optimize this new approach. Players with athletic talent and excellent BBIQ that can function and process the offense and its optionality has been epic. Our starting five this year were exceptional processors of this offensive scheme developed by Luke and Dan.

The system now is about finding the right players for the "organization" and its culture. Not always about who is the highest rated recruit with some skill set that can play hero ball.

 

[uconnfan68]

Unfortunately I was at this game in 1995. It was the first week every UConn got ranked #1 in the country and it was such a big deal. Then Kittles lit up Ray Allen and the Huskies for 37 while Ray only had 11. Nova beat UConn 96-73.

This, or the game in Kansas, were the worst. Still not over them.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The Boneyard needs to buy that guy a few drinks. Without that game we might not have back to back championships.

He's actually a pretty s____y guy from what I understand, which is part of what made losing to him so galling.

I'll pass.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The Boneyard needs to buy that guy a few drinks. Without that game we might not have back to back championships.

We have quite a few attorneys on the Boneyard. From what I know of Teddy Allen he would be far better served with legal representation than a few drinks.

 

[DogMania]

Maybe I'm misremembering, but it seems our offense this past season was much more intricate than the prior.

There seemed to be a lot more movement, multiple screening and back cuts than the 23 season.

I remember at one point late in the 23 season, maybe even the tournament time, Hurley made an adjustment where he started to run the offense through AJ. So not standing pat and looking to evolve on both ends of the floor seemed start, or at least click, near the end of the 23 season.

I agree with those who said that it's a combination of the coaches evolving the offense and recruiting players who have the skill and BBIQ to execute it.

 

[Chin Diesel]

No doubt but that team that lost to New Mexico State had Hawkins, Cole, Martin and Polley who were all above average or better shooters. We just didn’t utilize them properly (Martin was actually a very very good 3 point shooter his senior year - 43% on over 3 attempts per game - and we ran nothing to get him open looks).

Cole dies in this offense. Polley probably thrives. Martin intrigues me. Quick cuts and quick decisions with the ball make this offense go.

Telling Polley to run around for 20 seconds and he gets a clean look would motivate him. I do have doubts he'd be a willing screener away from the ball, but he'd score. I think Martin could do well with catch and shoot and I am definitely confident he'd knock some bodies around away from the ball and rebound.
Nothing about Cole moved at championship level D1 speed. He busted his ass for the program and I don't wish him any ill but he was limited in speed, length and quickness.

 

[brihman]

Imagine Nadav Henefeld in this offense?!?

​

 

[willie99]

I’m genuinely a bit curious/confused at what you think the similarities are.

Constant motion, cutting, and multiple picks, screens.... creating wide open looks and layups

I'm not sure how anyone can miss the similarities

 

[StllH8L8ner]

He finally visited the Boneyard. And he listened. Congrats all!

 

[uh-no]

Constant motion, cutting, and multiple picks, screens.... creating wide open looks and layups

I'm not sure how anyone can miss the similarities

is it the same offense? No. not close. Based on what he said to Katz the other day, have they seen tape of the offense and found some part of it they may utilize at times? Almost surely. He pretty much said the coaching staff will watch anything they can get their hands on for ideas they can play around with.

 

[Scoe]

I think I had something to do with it I started drinking Miller Lites consistently in March of 2023.

 

[Umami Zen]

is it the same offense? No. not close. Based on what he said to Katz the other day, have they seen tape of the offense and found some part of it they may utilize at times? Almost surely. He pretty much said the coaching staff will watch anything they can get their hands on for ideas they can play around with.

Crazy creative stuff for him and Luke to apply what an offensive coordinator who became a Head Coach in the NFL(Shanahan) is doing to confuse the defense with offensive sets to his approach to CBB. Throw a little Euro and NBA styles- You got UConn CBB. Everyone else is playing catch up

 

[auror]

I may be off on this (like entirely) - but it is my casual understanding that in broad terms Geno runs his own version of the Princeton offense and it has evolved even more over the years. Meanwhile, Europeans also evolved their own version of the Princeton offense and the men's side runs their version of the European-based evolved "Princeton offense" complete with analytics.

So they would look similar as they have the same root.

The whole Chin series we run is adapted from the Princeton offense. It's kind of old school in a way. But the actual product really doesn't look like Princeton any more.

Yeah I was trying to learn more about this a couple weeks back when looking into our offense and was watching some videos and there are several videos of Geno Auriemma chin series plays. And many of them are recent with Paige. So there's certainly a small subset of our playbook that is similar to theirs, but who is to say where the origin of that was. More likely than getting it from Geno we implemented it because it's well known and is easy to get into DHO/Zoom from.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Recruiting better shooters and more offensive talent.

Hiring Murray is a huge reason. And Murray, Hurley, Kimani are all improving every year. Hurley is a student of the game and constantly trying to improve.

After winning in 23 we never got the full media attention from winning a chip. And at Uconn, we usually don't get the excessive hype. But after B2B it's a totally new level of respect.

We still didnt get the attention deserved of the accomplishment. BSPN was too busy hyping Catlin Clark and how great the womens game was and people totally bought into it. If the topic was cbb she got at least double the coverage in losing than we did in winning.

 

[Scottobot]

Definitely agree with combo of Murray, Hurley evolving and recruiting shooters to go with the athletes, mentioned in previous posts. However I also think a big part is having skilled big men at 4 and 5 spots who can catch, pass, score, set screens really helps the offense. A lot of teams have a clunky big men who bobble the ball every time they catch it , turn it over when double teamed and can’t pass, so they end up playing 4 on 5 on or 3 on 5 on offense
Bill Walton as an announcer during Nike tournament at start of 22-23 made an insightful observation where he said, “UConn has something I haven’t seen in the front court in years with the combo of Karaban, Clingan and Sanogo. A trio of big man as central cogs in a passing offense.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

With all due respect, not at all.

Would you at least agree that if all players on the Women's team were healthy, they could have beaten the Pistons?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We are very lucky.

We fans are quite fortunate in benefitting from such a good coaching staff.
It is not luck

Some of our fans are embarrassing.

Who are they embarrassing?

Are you embarrassed by them? Who else can you reliably speak for?

Why not refrain from criticizing others unless you can write properly? At least put some effort into writing with clarity.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Keep throwing those laugh-crying emojis on every mention of Geno, that'll show 'em

The emojis are better because they project powerfully self-certain criticism upon no identified or communicated basis, while masking his poor writing skills.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

What's embarrassing is that you think a Hall of Fame coach has nothing to offer.

Don't copycat his inept use of "embarrassing." Let his writing fail on its own.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Constant motion, cutting, and multiple picks, screens.... creating wide open looks and layups

I'm not sure how anyone can miss the similarities

I'm surprised that some posters can sometime seem so disinclined to consider ways in which certain characteristics are similar and dissimilar, and then offer where the distinctions are meaningful. Such observations could offer great benefit for a larger population of readers by educating those with less sophisticated understanding.

Those who simply laugh at others are arguably harmful to healthy discuss, rather than simply unhelpful.

Later comments that have specifically referenced Princeton offense sources have elevated the conversation, even with candid expression that not all similarities hold up to a closer look. I appreciate the respectful discussion.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The whole Chin series we run is adapted from the Princeton offense. It's kind of old school in a way. But the actual product really doesn't look like Princeton any more.

I appreciate the call out but honestly the credit goes to Hurley, Murray and the staff.

 

[AllHusky]

It's amazing that Luke Murray didn't even play D1 basketball, correct? He was just a high school player, I believe.

Same as Tom Moore, a pair of dues paying basketball junkies. No silver spoons in those BLUE BLOODS

There is a theme there

 

[NJHusky]

Being a UConn is great. It cleanses my palette of being a NY Giants fan and watching their front office ineptitude since the 2nd SB win over the Patriots (really it started before that SB.

Once John Mara started making decisions the downfall began

 

[NJHusky]

In addition to all the offensive changes, I also think Dan Hurley evolved as an in game coach. In the early days I would be screaming at the Tv for him to take a TO or to make a change on the floor.…to no avail

Now, our in game adjustments and coaching are superb. I think @Palatine said not coaching at this level before was a learning curve for Dan Hurley.

 

[freescooter]

We forget that at the beginning of his tenure, Hurley had to devote basically his entire coaching to effort and toughness. Forget BBIQ, forget sophisticated plays, he had his hands full getting guys to give max effort all game.

That is just not true. Whaley gave 100%. So did Cole. So did others. The problem was a talent gap, not an attitude gap. Replace Cole with Newton and Whaley with Clinton and those teams are completely different. You can have the most complex offense in the country. If you don’t have the guys who can run it, and you don’t use them correctly, it ain’t getting you anything.

I actually like the Villanova example. That I do think influenced Hurley’s thinking. They won with a big and 4 guys out. But I also think figuring out how to use guys in any system is important. Jackson is Exhibit A. Teams didn’t even bother covering him at the 3-point line. It took a while before Hurley figured out he could be effective inside rebounding and scoring rather than trying to play as a 3rd guard. He became sort of Samson Johnson type scorer rather than a Deep threat.

 

[CL82]

Yeah I was trying to learn more about this a couple weeks back when looking into our offense and was watching some videos and there are several videos of Geno Auriemma chin series plays. And many of them are recent with Paige. So there's certainly a small subset of our playbook that is similar to theirs, but who is to say where the origin of that was. More likely than getting it from Geno we implemented it because it's well known and is easy to get into DHO/Zoom from.

I love how this board reduces everything to the absurd. Either Hurley isn't even aware that Geno Auriemma exists, or he has copied his entire playbook. It wouldn't surprise me in the least, among the myriad of things that Hurley consumes in order to improve his coaching, he has looked at and talked to GA. Coaches routinely steal from each other and no one is particularly shy about admitting that. It's part of the process. But, absolutely, they're working off of common principles.

In any event, Hurley has said that he has talked to Geno and that Auriemma is one of his resources. Now, how much of that is actual and how much is just him paying a Hall of Fame coach or courtesy subject to debate.

The sets that Hurley is running are definitely "next level" stuff well ahead of what anyone else is running. Hurley and staff are innovators right now and the rest of college basketball is struggling to catch up. It is beautiful basketball to watch.

 

[El Obrero]

I think the most fascinating thing about the upcoming season will be finding out what other coaches have come up with defensively in order to slow the Husky Train down. And then, of course, how we adjust to their adjustments.

 

[CL82]

I think the most fascinating thing about the upcoming season will be finding out what other coaches have come up with defensively in order to slow the Husky Train down. And then, of course, how we adjust to their adjustments.

Our turnover in personnel makes that a little more difficult. Sure, we will be using the same principles, but, we will have new pieces and be using existing pieces in different different ways.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Hurley

I’m not an X and O guy like many of you, but I remember in the early Hurley days, a lot of complaints about our offense and how we just ran a weave and high hedge endlessly. Now, anlmost overnight, we run the best offense in CBB.

Is it the players, is Hurley evolving, is Murray a mad offensive scientist, is it the cultural buy-in? Am I answering my own question by saying it’s all of the above?

Hurley stated he used to focus on only defense, but the back2back early exits from the tourney forced him to change his philosophy, to focus more on offense.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

I think the most fascinating thing about the upcoming season will be finding out what other coaches have come up with defensively in order to slow the Husky Train down. And then, of course, how we adjust to their adjustments.

I don’t know how they would adjust. UConn forces teams to make decisions when playing defense, and when they make the wrong decision, we get alley oops or wide open 3’s.
I think a zone is the only way to slow us down but the zone would have to guard the 3 point line to be effective. I’m surprised Alabama or Purdue didn’t at least try to play zone. Alabama did a little while not guarding Castle but that was a bad strategy.