I am an absolute layman when it comes to the game of basketball, but knowing what I know about how the world works, and given our offensive performance over the last few years, I doubt Hurley is a great offensive coach.
Do you realize how bad that is that we're all focused on that one beautiful play because it was so surprising. We actually ran something out of a timeout to get a shooter a wide open look. At the end of the game there was another set play to get RJ a look, it took 16 seconds for the play to unfold and for RJ to get the shot off.
Tough to prepare for something that Providence never does. Cooley's favorite thing to do is to pull out these defensive game plans in one off situations to confuse people. The reason you play an aggressive, switching defense is to take teams out of what they want to run, and so much of what UConn does offensively comes through set plays, getting RJ off a DHO, getting Jordan off a staggered, getting to Tyler off a pindown. The switching takes those actions away and dares you to try and win a matchup one on one.
That's supposed to be the theory but is it in fact the case? Or is it loyalty as has been his previous practice? If so there is something wrong with that theory because it isn't working in games. Are Polley and Gaff having great practices and then freeze when the lights go on?
That's a great point. Once the ball is up in the air and clanging off the rim, players are reacting and not thinking. the great ones, Ray, Rip, Bouk can make something happen, on the run, off balance, they have a nose for the rim and a soft touch.
You seem really well-versed in your basketball acumen. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the Jalen Gaffney situation. Should Sool be seeing Gaffney's minutes until 1) Gaffney proves himself or 2) Diggins shows he can't hang just quite yet.
Calhoun's recruits weren't always blue chips, but he got the maximum out of them. That was his strength. Tough as nails players like Donny Marshall, and Caron Butler, and lunch pail guys like Sheffer, Henefeld etc. I don't care how many stars a guy has after his name on a recruiting site, but how much heart he has.
So you’re saying dribbling around for 25 seconds and then chucking up contested 3s, which is the thing we do worst, is a GOOD plan??
Hurley told me in October that the sign of progress with this program is that the freshmen would have to earn their minutes as opposed to stepping on campus and starting day one. You earn those minutes by doing what the staff asks in practice. Gaffney had a rough one Saturday. If Diggins isn’t playing over him on Tuesday then that tells me that he ain’t getting it done in practice.
Anybody who wants his head is foolish. Anybody who refuses to recognize he has some serious challenges with game management is equally so.
In my opinion the diggins over gaff thing is typical fan hopium imo for reasons I’ve already explained
Who is saying that they want his head? I think the drift of what messages are now and have been for years is highlighted above. They will continue most probably until he changes what is so obvious to many. He and the staff have done remarkably well in recruiting but most would agree that sooner or later he will coach himself out of a job if he doesn't take a look at the game management or lack therof. I don't think 95% of the posters want him to leave at all so we should not infer from criticism that that is what people are saying.
To my simple mind, your second sentence belies your first. If you know that this is what the opposing coach does, and you know it's a weakness in our team--which Hurley clearly knew and recognized--shouldn't you be prepared for that?
I appreciate your cheerleading and Scrappy-level optimism and the fact that you see this team as equal to the likes of 2011 and 2014; I don't share it, but I don't think the sky is falling either. But you keep repeating these scenarios where you suggest that we should be undefeated right now because of three close losses; by that same token shouldn't you recognize that, with two OT wins, we are just as close to having five losses?
There’s 100 things Cooley could have done, and with Adama I do believe this would have been a different result. Like I said, missing your best one on one scorer was a killer in this matchup.
“There’s like two or three possibilities.” Lol.
Every player you cite was a blue chip recruit.
Would have been great to see diggins get more minutes in the cupcake games when they became out of reach. Have had plenty of low risk opportunities to at least see what he can do.
A high weave is how Seth Rogen makes wicker baskets. Very relaxing.