Hurley/Gilbert

[Excalibur]

How many more wins do you think UConn would have if it had played the entire month of January like it played last night?

One. USF. That's the one game that was really perplexing. Everyone just laid an enormous egg. Maybe add the Tulsa game as well.

 

[BGesus4]

Hard to believe anyone is criticizing Hurley here. We had one chance, one, to be an NCAA team. That's with Gilbert playing to the best of his abilities. Hurley understandably gave him every chance. Alterique, whether still impacted by injuries or not in the right place mentally, wasn't the player he could be. He's still got talent. Can't think of anybody who persevered through more crap in four years of college ball. If he needs a mental reset, he has earned it.

Would like this twice if I could

 

[UconnFanDC]

What does this have to do with anything?

Figure it out. We beat Temple shooting horribly. Let's have this conversation after Tulsa and a descending Memphis.

 

[Huskybass]

It's really not complicated. The team hasnt been performing well all season. Read the Mike Anthony article.

"Hurley came to Gilbert's defense, loudly, and I dont know that a UConn coach and player have hugged more than these two... But all the way, Hurley has also been in the difficult spot of wondering whether, or when, to move Gilbert down in the rotation and risk losing him altogether. Hurley stuck with him for so long, not quite ready to turn the key on a youth movement for a number of reasons."

And all some of us are saying is Hurley should have adjusted his minutes sooner and in a more gradual way. He waited until we were 10-9 and in last place in the league. And Al went from starter/leader and 30+ minutes a game, to the bench and having a freshman start over it. That's drastic.

Hurley gave Gilbert countless opportunities to succeed. Once Gaffney became fully healthy and a bit more seasoned it was apparent that in the long-term interests of the program he should be playing far more. There is nothing more nefarious than that, it is simply time to turn the page and look toward the future.

Who do you believe isn't being held accountable?

I'm not blaming Hurley for the situation, nor am I blind to Gilbert's struggles. If Hurley has a fault, it's the same fault Calhoun had, i.e., loyalty to fault. It's the same fault that brought us KO, and the same fault that made many of us stick by him longer than we probably should have. And it's the same fault that caused Hurley and some of us to stick by Gilbert longer than others would have. Rooting for someone to succeed is not inconsistent with holding them accountable.



Raising good young men can be complicated. Maybe it sounds hokey or old fashioned to many here, but I remember well when Calhoun used to go on and on about how he viewed raising good young men to be his most important job, and I remember KO echoing those comments and seeming to live by that example in his first couple seasons coaching here. I believe Hurley has that same view, and it's something I value. Watching his presser last night I could see that, although he was proud of--and relieved by--what the team was able to accomplish by compartmentalizing and playing with focus, he was still personally hurting for whatever is going on with AG. I think that drama is real and I am glad for Anthony's article today, which really puts it in the proper perspective imo.

It is basketball. There shouldn't be drama. You practice. You compete. If you are the Coach, you do your best to manage the roster to the best of your ability. In that role, a Coach sometimes has to make tough decisions like benching a player who makes the same or similar mistakes over and over. That is reality. Yet some here refuse to see that. That is the drama I am referring to.

Who do you believe isn't being held accountable?

I'm not blaming Hurley for the situation, nor am I blind to Gilbert's struggles. If Hurley has a fault, it's the same fault Calhoun had, i.e., loyalty to fault. It's the same fault that brought us KO, and the same fault that made many of us stick by him longer than we probably should have. And it's the same fault that caused Hurley and some of us to stick by Gilbert longer than others would have. Rooting for someone to succeed is not inconsistent with holding them accountable.



Raising good young men can be complicated. Maybe it sounds hokey or old fashioned to many here, but I remember well when Calhoun used to go on and on about how he viewed raising good young men to be his most important job, and I remember KO echoing those comments and seeming to live by that example in his first couple seasons coaching here. I believe Hurley has that same view, and it's something I value. Watching his presser last night I could see that, although he was proud of--and relieved by--what the team was able to accomplish by compartmentalizing and playing with focus, he was still personally hurting for whatever is going on with AG. I think that drama is real and I am glad for Anthony's article today, which really puts it in the proper perspective imo.

Fortunately, there is accountability in Hurley's world. He gave Gilbert plenty of chances to succeed, but eventually HAD to make a change.
It is eerily similar to the coaching situation we saw a couple of years ago. Something HAD to be done in each case.

Let's hope the change was made early enough that the remainder of the season can still serve as a stepping stone for next season.

My comment on accountability was related to a handful of posters who seem to believe that you should value loyalty above all else and that the status quo is ok as long as nobody's feelings are hurt. Sorry, but major D1 sports are a bit more competitive and intense than that.

This season has been disappointing, but I was proud to see our 7 guys compete like they did last night. Especially Whaley. He has transformed himself and become much more impactful. I will be thrilled to have him back as a senior, it would be nice to see him taste some success after all the hard work he put in.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

coach dan is a nice guy. maybe too nice. lately, it seems like he's channeling ol' jc - 'sit down, you knucklehead!' carrots and whips. someone once said here that I should be appointed 'secretary of not throwing things out.' so too here with ag. the season is far from over, j2s obvious leadership and skill talents are becoming more obvious to the gang here, yet no reason to dump anyone on the team yet. heck, I once made a pretty righteous motorbike out of a bicycle and a mower engine. and for those easily offended, young james' dunks are prettier than Stanley's. let's see more of 'em.

 

[bendm]

1) Was Hurley encouraging AG to play the way he did? And if so, why?
or
2) Was AG playing this way against Hurley's wishes? And if so, why did Hurley let this go on so long?

How many more wins do you think UConn would have if it had played the entire month of January like it played last night?

i have some serious questions- once college athletes are getting paid, will you start criticizing them as blindly and unfairly as you do hurley? will you dole out criticism in proportion to the paycheck? is one's level of culpability directly tied to their income? are you a communist?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

One. USF. That's the one game that was really perplexing. Everyone just laid an enormous egg. Maybe add the Tulsa game as well.

The answer is 4 or 5. The team that played last night would have beaten Cincinnati and USF, and won 2 or 3 from WSU, Tulsa, Villanova and Houston.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

i have some serious questions- once college athletes are getting paid, will you start criticizing them as blindly and unfairly as you do hurley? will you dole out criticism in proportion to the paycheck? is one's level of culpability directly tied to their income? are you a communist?

I would criticize whoever is responsible for game plan and in game adjustments. Typically that is the coach. Is Hurley the coach, or is someone else coaching the team?

 

[tower1]

hello everyone. coming into the season, i had thought that our guard play was going to be uconn's greatest strength, especially considering the lack of depth up front. an improving gilbert and vitale - even tho he can be a bit of a loose cannon now and again - a second year from adams - who showed signs - plus two highly regarded freshman, made this a pretty safe assumption. and it is obvious how important guard play, especially the point guard, is in collegiate hoops, and we seemed to have plenty.

yet, somehow, gilbert has regressed as the season went on, for probably a variety of reasons, while everyone else at least maintained their ability levels, while the freshmen got their feet wet. i must admit that i was surprised, after several end of game mishaps, just how long hurley allowed him to finish games. altho i agree that this was probably a show of support for a personal favorite and an upperclassman, it can also be construed as the definition of crazy - doing - or watching - the same thing and expecting a different outcome.

what started out as a strength has become a liability, so clearly, for the good of the team, something had to be done and now we are seeing the repercussions of that decision. i am sure that this is not easy for anyone involved, but this is big time college sports and the team has to come first. and so far, so good.

Yes and that's why the coach makes the big bucks to make these decisions. The only problem is he waited too long and put the whole season in jeopardy. At this level of play a coach should not do that. The team should come first!

 

[coachn]

I get the frustration that Gilbert made the same mistakes over and over again. But Hurley clearly felt Gaffney wasn't ready to take over or take big minutes for a good chunk of the season. Especially coming off the injury in the pre-season. Hurley was in a tough spot with that.

Dam it let Gafney play. He shows he's ready

 

[Excalibur]

Figure it out. We beat Temple shooting horribly. Let's have this conversation after Tulsa and a descending Memphis.

What conversation? The one about Hurley and Gilbert?

 

[coachn]

AG was not productive enough to keep dominating the ball. He could not improve his shooting, his free throw shooting or stop driving inside and getting stuffed or missing layups. He never adjusted his play which is on him.

He would be a good spot up shooter keeping CV JG JB together on the floor with him. Fits in to the scrambling ball hawking defense we are playing.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He would be a good spot up shooter keeping CV JG JB together on the floor with him. Fits in to the scrambling ball hawking defense we are playing.

If you go back and watch the last several games, that was already happening. Gilbert would bring it up, handle any pressure D (which he's great at) and pass to Bouknight or Vital above the circle and split wide as a shooter. It was generally effective. Unfortunately, at the end of each game we abandoned that, and Al dominated the ball, which produced the results we all know about. That wasn't all on him either, as the other guys tended to stand around or not get free in a place where he could get them the ball.

One thing you will notice if you look at yesterday and the Tulsa game is that Bouknight was doing about a 75% Richard Hamilton impression in terms of running through the lane and curling up the wing on the other side. That's new. He was not doing that before.

 

[outlaw]

any word if Gilbert is travelling to TN? apologies if I missed it

 

[cap10dingus]

It's really not complicated. The team hasnt been performing well all season. Read the Mike Anthony article.

"Hurley came to Gilbert's defense, loudly, and I dont know that a UConn coach and player have hugged more than these two... But all the way, Hurley has also been in the difficult spot of wondering whether, or when, to move Gilbert down in the rotation and risk losing him altogether. Hurley stuck with him for so long, not quite ready to turn the key on a youth movement for a number of reasons."

And all some of us are saying is Hurley should have adjusted his minutes sooner and in a more gradual way. He waited until we were 10-9 and in last place in the league. And Al went from starter/leader and 30+ minutes a game, to the bench and having a freshman start over it. That's drastic.

The victim culture is getting INSANE. He should be grateful for the many opportunities that he was given despite not deserving them and look in the mirror and understand this is his fault not anyone else's. Hes been a staple guy at uconn and we all (most of us) appreciate him for the man he is. Hurley supported him and will continue to do so, honestly almost to a fault. We felt the same way about craig austrie, no not the hype but why does that matter at this point, who was a very good bench player for us once he understood his role.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The victim culture is getting INSANE. He should be grateful for the many opportunities that he was given despite not deserving them and look in the mirror and understand this is his fault not anyone else's. Hes been a staple guy at uconn and we all (most of us) appreciate him for the man he is. Hurley supported him and will continue to do so, honestly almost to a fault. We felt the same way about craig austrie, no not the hype but why does that matter at this point, who was a very good bench player for us once he understood his role.

Nothing in this situation has anything to do with victim culture, whatever nonsense that is. Some of you should stop trying so hard.

 

[Kathy]

'He should be grateful for the many opportunities that he was given despite not deserving them'

 

[cap10dingus]

Nothing in this situation has anything to do with victim culture, whatever nonsense that is. Some of you should stop trying so hard.

I'll stop pointing it out when we stop asking a D1 basketball coach to not pull the band aid off so hard. LMAO Gilbert is struggling on the court, Hurley should have pulled the band aid off just as hard a month ago. Other issues aside you can bench a player and run a program while still supporting him.

 

[Watchdog]

How many more wins do you think UConn would have if it had played the entire month of January like it played last night?

If they shot 93% on free throws during the month they'd probably have 3 or 4 more wins. The other stats might mitigate for or against that though.

 

[ctchamps]

Let’s not go crazy here, it was Temple, a bad Temple team. We will see if things are actually better after the next few games.

Was today’s game bc Temple couldn’t turn UConn over because Temple is bad, or because UConn has fixed that part of the game.

Was Whaleys play something that can be counted on? Adams?

I will say UConn did seem to attack the rim more and got calls bc they didn’t try and avoid contact.

I personally believe Gilbert isn’t necessarily the problem but rather Vital and Gilbert are just a very bad combination. I think having either one off the bench would have been an upgrade. Their skill sets just don’t mesh well, and was particularly bad at the end of games. A team can handle playing one player that takes bad shots on the court at a time, not two who do at the volume they do.

Problem Hurley has/had is that both are seniors who play hard and are pretty good defenders. Not to mention their backups were freshmen (one who was suspended to start the year and one who was recovering from a leg injury).

Overall, this season is still going in the right direction. I would hate to think what some recent teams would have done this year. The defense has been solid all year and it appears the system is being put in place. Regardless of record this is a good step for year two of a program rebuild.

Jake Forrester’s foul trouble was a major factor as well.

 

[BlueDogs]

Kid deserves full respect. Not every talented kid ends up fulfilling his potential. He has good character as far as we know and that makes him a winner in life.

 

[alphasigko]

Most of us who have played sports and have not gone on to "bigger and better things/places" come to a place in the road of whatever sport(s) we played when we realize that we have reached a limit in our "potential" and have to come to terms with that limit. For some it is is during tryouts to make the HS team, for others the college teams, and for the few who make it as far as pro tryouts, they cannot make the leap due to some deficient aspect to their game. Look at deAndre Daniels who could not make it in the NBA and is lost playing in Australia or Europe, and Daniel Hamilton who cannot get beyond the D-League, and many others with similar fates. Also, for every successful pro golfer there are a thousand scratch golfers who just cannot make it to the tour for whatever reason.

All that being said, perhaps AG has reached that limit in his game and is having trouble coming to terms with meeting the expectations of his dreams. Having been there long ago when I realized that the farthest I would go would be dusty league ball, I respect that, and wish him success in facing whatever the future holds for him.

 

[UconnU]

 

[gtcam]

If you go back and watch the last several games, that was already happening. Gilbert would bring it up, handle any pressure D (which he's great at) and pass to Bouknight or Vital above the circle and split wide as a shooter. It was generally effective. Unfortunately, at the end of each game we abandoned that, and Al dominated the ball, which produced the results we all know about. That wasn't all on him either, as the other guys tended to stand around or not get free in a place where he could get them the ball.

One thing you will notice if you look at yesterday and the Tulsa game is that Bouknight was doing about a 75% Richard Hamilton impression in terms of running through the lane and curling up the wing on the other side. That's new. He was not doing that before.

Thanks - Ive been saying this since the first few games of the season
My heart breaks for AG
Ive coached for 30 years and Ive seen this type of sport related depression and it is hard to relate
I just pray AG hasn't been reading the Boneyard - no kid deserves some of the absolute crap about him posted here - frustration with him or not - a 22 yo doesn't need to be slammed like he has been here

 

[Rico444]

 

[dannyHAM]

any word if Gilbert is travelling to TN? apologies if I missed it

He is in TN.

 

[Son of Robert]

Wow, look at this. I love seeing AG sticking with it. Kid has so much heart.

 

[gtcam]

n

The victim culture is getting INSANE. He should be grateful for the many opportunities that he was given despite not deserving them and look in the mirror and understand this is his fault not anyone else's. Hes been a staple guy at uconn and we all (most of us) appreciate him for the man he is. Hurley supported him and will continue to do so, honestly almost to a fault. We felt the same way about craig austrie, no not the hype but why does that matter at this point, who was a very good bench player for us once he understood his role.

This is one of the most insensitive and to use your words INSANE thing I've ever read in this site
You obviously have never played at a high level or coached at the same
He should be grateful for the many opportunities that he has been given despite not deserving them
That statement itself is pure BS
The kid was a MDAA and has had nothing but one bad break after another since coming to Storrs. He has had brutal injuries that would cause many to walk away from the sport
He is obviously doing a lot of second guessing as a result of looking in the mirror and beating himself up for it - if anyone can relate its Dan Hurley - he went through the same thing at Seton Hall and walked away from the game for more than a season
Equating him to CA is a huge joke
It seems all you care about is UConn Ws - its a freaking game and this is a human being going through a huge bump in the road
I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and hoping you are saying this out of frustration - if not you are in need of some sensitivity lessons
I really hope you don't have kids who go through what AG has faced in life above and beyond the hardwood

 

[upstater]

This is why I don't like people talking about getting out the brooms, or never putting on a uniform again, etc. Let the coach decide what is best for the team. & even then, even if he might be wrong, he knows best.

 

[mussels]

If Gilbert got a haircut Memphis doesn't have a chance.