Hurley did a good job

[nelsonmuntz]

I have been critical of Hurley on this board, but I thought he coached a good game against Cincinnati.

Defensive rotations were much better today than in the first game. The big part was the second rotation in the help defense. In the first game, Cincinnati had a lot of layups off dump off passes after the help defense had stopped penetration. UConn defended those dump off passes much better today. Cincinnati made some tough shots, but it did not get as many easy ones as it got in the first game.

Hurley's best work was on offense. UConn took a lot more open catch-and-shoot 3's as opposed to contested pull-ups. There was good ball movement and finding open space against Cincinnati's defense.

The best chess move of the game was with around the 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Cincinnati had a 10 point lead and switched to a 1-3-1. Adams went to the corner on the next two possessions, and UConn pulled the defense to the top and then passed to Adams, who was wide open for 2 straight 3's. A 1-3-1 is a funky defense but some coaches will switch to it for a few possessions to mix things up. Hurley identified and exploited it immediately.

I thought keeping Carlton in the game at the end was ballsy, and the right move. Whaley is more of a shot blocker, but Hurley needed a position defender and space eater like Carlton.

Finally, Hurley kept up the pressure and attacked in transition. Bouknight does not know the offense yet, but he is very good in the open court. Maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. Good coaching.

 

[BlueDogs]

agreed. My only 2 complaints were keeping Carlton on the floor to open the half when they had some momentum and then watching Carlton make a series of really bad plays at critical times over 8 minutes that really hurt the team. The other was the last shot by CV. I can’t believe Hurley drew it up so CV could launch that junk. I really hope not. But, he has to get control of this knucklehead one way or another.

 

[MSGSeven]

I have been critical of Hurley on this board, but I thought he coached a good game against Cincinnati.

Defensive rotations were much better today than in the first game. The big part was the second rotation in the help defense. In the first game, Cincinnati had a lot of layups off dump off passes after the help defense had stopped penetration. UConn defended those dump off passes much better today. Cincinnati made some tough shots, but it did not get as many easy ones as it got in the first game.

Hurley's best work was on offense. UConn took a lot more open catch-and-shoot 3's as opposed to contested pull-ups. There was good ball movement and finding open space against Cincinnati's defense.

The best chess move of the game was with around the 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Cincinnati had a 10 point lead and switched to a 1-3-1. Adams went to the corner on the next two possessions, and UConn pulled the defense to the top and then passed to Adams, who was wide open for 2 straight 3's. A 1-3-1 is a funky defense but some coaches will switch to it for a few possessions to mix things up. Hurley identified and exploited it immediately.

I thought keeping Carlton in the game at the end was ballsy, and the right move. Whaley is more of a shot blocker, but Hurley needed a position defender and space eater like Carlton.

Finally, Hurley kept up the pressure and attacked in transition. Bouknight does not know the offense yet, but he is very good in the open court. Maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. Good coaching.

Adams second three during that stretch was in transition. Hurley had no choice but to go with Carlton as Vogt was destroying Whaley. And the offense was the usual hand off weave bring the bigs to the three point line pass them the ball then run some crappy pick and roll. The only difference in this game was we hit some threes and Bouknight hit some tough shots after dribbling around the perimeter until the shot clock expired.

 

[husky429]

agreed. My only 2 complaints were keeping Carlton on the floor to open the half when they had some momentum and then watching Carlton make a series of really bad plays at critical times over 8 minutes that really hurt the team. The other was the last shot by CV. I can’t believe Hurley drew it up so CV could launch that junk. I really hope not. But, he has to get control of this knucklehead one way or another.

The CV chuck wasn't the play call. It was a Bouk switch/iso at the top. Cincy played it well, but the call was right.

 

[UconnU]

No more wild subs since the Sid injury and the AG incident. There’s a reason most good teams only go 7-8 deep and have kids transfer. Hurley’s deficiencies as a coach come from being too nice, he’s much more of a player’s coach than his father and JC were. He should have shortened the rotation earlier in the year.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Adams second three during that stretch was in transition. Hurley had no choice but to go with Carlton as Vogt was destroying Whaley. And the offense was the usual hand off weave bring the bigs to the three point line pass them the ball then run some crappy pick and roll. The only difference in this game was we hit some threes and Bouknight hit some tough shots after dribbling around the perimeter until the shot clock expired.

Adams was running to a spot. Zones are vulnerable in transition because no one has to match up. The corner of the 1-3-1 is going to be open in transition, just like the wing of a 2-3 will be open in transition.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

agreed. My only 2 complaints were keeping Carlton on the floor to open the half when they had some momentum and then watching Carlton make a series of really bad plays at critical times over 8 minutes that really hurt the team. The other was the last shot by CV. I can’t believe Hurley drew it up so CV could launch that junk. I really hope not. But, he has to get control of this knucklehead one way or another.

Hurley is old school in that he lets the players play, rather than an analytics-style coach where every shot is dictated from the sidelines. We took some bad shots yesterday, and Vital's three attempt with 14 seconds left was not the only one.

This is a coaching decision, and it worked. For example, Bouk makes some bonehead plays, but shoehorning him into a "system" right now with his talent would be a mistake. Keep him running as much as possible and his athleticism will carry the day more often than it doesn't.

 

[BlueDogs]

The CV chuck wasn't the play call. It was a Bouk switch/iso at the top. Cincy played it well, but the call was right.

Yes, agreed. Not sure the 2nd option is CV from 35 feet. Im more interested in how he can get through to CV down the stretch as a coach. The kid is an awesome fighter but shuts off his brain when it’s win time. He’s a scrapping scorer not a lights out shooter. He seems to think otherwise at the expense of the squad.

 

[BNich]

No more wild subs since the Sid injury and the AG incident. There’s a reason most good teams only go 7-8 deep and have kids transfer. Hurley’s deficiencies as a coach come from being too nice, he’s much more of a player’s coach than his father and JC were. He should have shortened the rotation earlier in the year.

He only started with 10 to begin with. The loss of Polley puts them at 9 and the game without AG put them at 8. They have 8 healthy scholarship athletes, not counting Sid. Not like he's had much more to work with than what he has had most recently.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

No more wild subs since the Sid injury and the AG incident. There’s a reason most good teams only go 7-8 deep and have kids transfer. Hurley’s deficiencies as a coach come from being too nice, he’s much more of a player’s coach than his father and JC were. He should have shortened the rotation earlier in the year.

Better coaches measure player minutes today like pitch counts in baseball. Load management is important even in college. Concentrating minutes is a good idea for a game or two, but it will bite you in the butt if you are playing 5 players 35 minutes plus. Injury risk goes up, and the bench players will not be as sharp as they should be when you need them. I would like to see 8 players in a range of 20-32 minutes each.

 

[husky429]

Hurley is old school in that he lets the players play, rather than an analytics-style coach where every shot is dictated from the sidelines. We took some bad shots yesterday, and Vital's three attempt with 14 seconds left was not the only one.

This is a coaching decision, and it worked. For example, Bouk makes some bonehead plays, but shoehorning him into a "system" right now with his talent would be a mistake. Keep him running as much as possible and his athleticism will carry the day more often than it doesn't.

You have it completely backwards. Old school coaches overcoach the offense. Theyre always in offensive sets.. no freedom.

New guys.. jay wright being the best.. let the players move the ball, react, and play. If course as long as theyre looking for 3s and layups

 

[tower1]

I have been critical of Hurley on this board, but I thought he coached a good game against Cincinnati.

Defensive rotations were much better today than in the first game. The big part was the second rotation in the help defense. In the first game, Cincinnati had a lot of layups off dump off passes after the help defense had stopped penetration. UConn defended those dump off passes much better today. Cincinnati made some tough shots, but it did not get as many easy ones as it got in the first game.

Hurley's best work was on offense. UConn took a lot more open catch-and-shoot 3's as opposed to contested pull-ups. There was good ball movement and finding open space against Cincinnati's defense.

The best chess move of the game was with around the 6 minutes left in the first quarter. Cincinnati had a 10 point lead and switched to a 1-3-1. Adams went to the corner on the next two possessions, and UConn pulled the defense to the top and then passed to Adams, who was wide open for 2 straight 3's. A 1-3-1 is a funky defense but some coaches will switch to it for a few possessions to mix things up. Hurley identified and exploited it immediately.

I thought keeping Carlton in the game at the end was ballsy, and the right move. Whaley is more of a shot blocker, but Hurley needed a position defender and space eater like Carlton.

Finally, Hurley kept up the pressure and attacked in transition. Bouknight does not know the offense yet, but he is very good in the open court. Maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. Good coaching.

Yes he did a great job managing the team against a tough opponent. Good job coach.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You have it completely backwards. Old school coaches overcoach the offense. Theyre always in offensive sets.. no freedom.

New guys.. jay wright being the best.. let the players move the ball, react, and play. If course as long as theyre looking for 3s and layups

Look at modern shot charts and tell me who is overcoaching.

Every Villanova shot is a 3 or a dunk/layup.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

An example of a true old school coach is Jim Boeheim, who basically plays pickup offense.

There were a lot of rigid coaches that are older like Rick Barnes who runs a lot of structured sets. I would put Tony Bennett in this category too even though he is not that old.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Look at modern shot charts and tell me who is overcoaching.

Every Villanova shot is a 3 or a dunk/layup.

I'm not sure really what the point of the NBA/college moving the 3 point line back will ultimately do, sure maybe percentages go down slightly (there is only so far back they can move them with the way the court dimensions currently are) but its not like taking a long two becomes anymore desirable, its still a long 2 point shot and becomes more dumb to take than either a layup/dunk/in the paint shot and 3 pointer

 

[ConnEd]

It was a good game for Hurley.

Did anyone else notice (sorry if it has been discussed elsewhere) that neither of our "traditional" PGs - Gaffney or AG - was on the court for the last 5-6 mins of regulation and most of OT?

Hurley went with his hot hands at guard - Bouk, CV, & BA. Cincy wasn't putting a ton of pressure on the ball, so we were able to get away with it. There were a couple of sets late where CV tried hero ball, but those guys were able to create their own shots at least. I'd expect other teams to get up and press the ball handlers if he tries to go to that lineup again forcing AG or JG back into the game.

 

[husky429]

Look at modern shot charts and tell me who is overcoaching.

Every Villanova shot is a 3 or a dunk/layup.

Yes, but it's not running structures sets. It's just a motion. Kids just do what they want in a pass and screen away/slot swap type motion most of the time. As long as they're not taking mid-range Js--the worst shot in bball--Wright doesn't care much.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I'm not sure really what the point of the NBA/college moving the 3 point line back will ultimately do, sure maybe percentages go down slightly (there is only so far back they can move them with the way the court dimensions currently are) but its not like taking a long two becomes anymore desirable, its still a long 2 point shot and becomes more dumb to take than either a layup/dunk/in the paint shot and 3 pointer

It's not to generate more mid-range shots, it's to increase spacing and open up driving lanes, more free-flowing basketball.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

It's not to generate more mid-range shots, it's to increase spacing and open up driving lanes, more free-flowing basketball.

gotcha, makes sense.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's not to generate more mid-range shots, it's to increase spacing and open up driving lanes, more free-flowing basketball.

I saw some of that from us, but we went to the weave too often and used too much high ball screen still. I hate using Josh in that role.

I feel like our best looks came fairly early in the shot clock, whether in transition or just moving the ball quickly and the first open look we take. Our offense goes to crap once that shot clock winds down and we take horrible contested shots after we passed up better ones. People criticized Gaffney for a wide open 3 early in the clock, I disagreed. Gotta take that when they leave you completely alone. You aren’t going to get a better shot. Take it. We need to play fast, fluid basketball.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I saw some of that from us, but we went to the weave too often and used too much high ball screen still. I hate using Josh in that role.

I feel like our best looks came fairly early in the shot clock, whether in transition or just moving the ball quickly and the first open look we take. Our offense goes to crap once that shot clock winds down and we take horrible contested shots after we passed up better ones. People criticized Gaffney for a wide open 3 early in the clock, I disagreed. Gotta take that when they leave you completely alone. You aren’t going to get a better shot. Take it. We need to play fast, fluid basketball.

Spot on. The best shot is an open shot, and if it happens ten seconds into the clock, so be it. Game situation may alter that calculus as the game goes on, but I’d still like them moving the ball and taking the open shot early rather than trying to find a shot with single digits on the clock. They can do that in the NBA, but this isn’t the NBA.

 

[Tuna]

No more wild subs since the Sid injury and the AG incident. There’s a reason most good teams only go 7-8 deep and have kids transfer. Hurley’s deficiencies as a coach come from being too nice, he’s much more of a player’s coach than his father and JC were. He should have shortened the rotation earlier in the year.

He should have shortened the rotation from what to what? He played 9 guys Sunday.

 

[Tuna]

It was a good game for Hurley.

Did anyone else notice (sorry if it has been discussed elsewhere) that neither of our "traditional" PGs - Gaffney or AG - was on the court for the last 5-6 mins of regulation and most of OT?

Hurley went with his hot hands at guard - Bouk, CV, & BA. Cincy wasn't putting a ton of pressure on the ball, so we were able to get away with it. There were a couple of sets late where CV tried hero ball, but those guys were able to create their own shots at least. I'd expect other teams to get up and press the ball handlers if he tries to go to that lineup again forcing AG or JG back into the game.

From an offensive perspective not sure how well that worked even with the lack of pressure. They had 1 fg in the last 4 minutes of regulation and first 3 min of OT combined. The only fg in OT was Vital off a rebound of a pretty awful missed shot. But a win is a win...

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Yes, but it's not running structures sets. It's just a motion. Kids just do what they want in a pass and screen away/slot swap type motion most of the time. As long as they're not taking mid-range Js--the worst shot in bball--Wright doesn't care much.

How a shot occurs matters a lot more than distance (withing 21 feet) in terms of whether it is a good shot or not. Catch and shoot are much higher percentage shots than pull ups.

 

[ucp990411]

It was a good game for Hurley.

Did anyone else notice (sorry if it has been discussed elsewhere) that neither of our "traditional" PGs - Gaffney or AG - was on the court for the last 5-6 mins of regulation and most of OT?

Hurley went with his hot hands at guard - Bouk, CV, & BA. Cincy wasn't putting a ton of pressure on the ball, so we were able to get away with it. There were a couple of sets late where CV tried hero ball, but those guys were able to create their own shots at least. I'd expect other teams to get up and press the ball handlers if he tries to go to that lineup again forcing AG or JG back into the game.

Why did Cinn not full court press us when we had no point guard on the court is beyond me

 

[Psolo12]

Hurley doesn't need your approval. He's a great coach who has worked insanely hard to bring this program back and I respect the hell out of him for it. Good times coming.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Why did Cinn not full court press us when we had no point guard on the court is beyond me

My guess is because we were still playing 3 guards and they need a slow pace. Anything that speeds the pace hurts them generally. They did trap him once and forced a turnover because everybody else went up court without reading the defense.

When we tried Vital at PG previously it was a disaster, but I think Hurley has learned that if he's going to do that, we need two other guards. In this case, having Adams over Polley makes a big difference.

 

[intlzncster]

The CV chuck wasn't the play call. It was a Bouk switch/iso at the top. Cincy played it well, but the call was right.

This is one thing that really annoys me on this board. Hurley gets blamed for a number of things when really it's guys who don't/can't execute.

Not being a Hurley apologist, just stating what is. I often get annoyed at his rotations, etc

 

[Lynyrd]

Hurley doesn't need your approval. He's a great coach who has worked insanely hard to bring this program back and I respect the hell out of him for it. Good times coming.

I beg to differ, I spoke to Coach Hurley and upon receiving the BY stamp of approval he is able to finally sleep through the night.

 

[August_West]

Its a good post OP .

I thought it was Hurleys best coached game.

I thought his use of Bouk at the virtual point with Vital and Adams as the other guards (meaning our 2 "true "points Gaffney and Gilbert on the bench!) was a fantastic game adjustment especially defensively. Switching Adams (who is big and strong enough) and Vital ( who can get in your jock) on Cumberland was a huge difference maker.