Hurley Has To Pull A Rabbit Out Of A Hat

[Palatine]

Remember brimah?

Remember Bullwinkle?

 

[Kembacity]

There are so many undisciplined passes every game. Passes that are thrown at a teammates ankle, passes from impossible angles, both PG's trying one handed passes out to wings, terrible passes up the court during fast breaks and transitions. It's mind numbingly bad for this level of basketball.

In the Xavier game they were passing like it was a passing clinic video, super hard crisp passes and we looked like a different team. Since that game? Weak passes that can easily be stolen...

 

[Waquoit]

I also see it as an opportunity. The offensive needs work, Bouk looks sloppy and unmotivated. Hurley has an opportunity to turn it all around and get the team playing right in the next few games. Prove who he is as a coach.

Mr. Hand was right. Everyone is on dope.

 

[Icehawk]

I think Bouk DOES play hard but if you look at his facial expressions and even his body language a lot of time it doesn't show - and I think, especially with no fan energy, you gotta show it.

He's clearly still not 100%, there was a play where he was passed the ball around half court into his left hand and he got stripped easily - he's still weak left side. Which shows how beast he can be in case we are in doubt, playing "poorly" and still being a huge part of the W.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think Bouk DOES play hard but if you look at his facial expressions and even his body language a lot of time it doesn't show - and I think, especially with no fan energy, you gotta show it.

He's clearly still not 100%, there was a play where he was passed the ball around half court into his left hand and he got stripped easily - he's still weak left side. Which shows how beast he can be in case we are in doubt, playing "poorly" and still being a huge part of the W.

Good God. Leaping over bodies isn’t enough to show that he’s playing hard? He has to worry about his facial expressions in an empty gym?

 

[the Q]

We have one player who can create his own shot. That’s a problem that isn’t getting resolved this season.

This.

That’s the post

 

[the Q]

Also, it seems when the passes are dumped low, they are ankle high our bigs seem never to be ready. Bobble the ball or it gets stolen.

If they even see the open player In the post at all

 

[8893]

 

[Rico444]

The effort is there for Bouk, I think it's clear he's not quite 100% and his conditioning isn't all the way back yet. Against Providence he clearly looked tired in the 2nd half, and against Nova he came out like a ball of fire but then didn't look quite the same. Last night after he got a blow midway through the 2nd half he looked refreshed when he subbed back in and immediately beat his defender off the dribble, drove into the paint, and found Sanogo for an easy layup. Anyone questioning his motivation coming off of this surgery is completely misguided IMO.

That being said, we just have to hope that he gets his legs back 100% by the BET, but that the alternative (not having him play the last few weeks of the regular season) would have been much worse for this team.

 

[McLovin]

That really seems like somebody thats unmotivated. View attachment 64943

I can say I want to lose 30 pounds. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna actually put in the effort to do it. What someone says and what someone does are 2 different things.

You can’t say Bouk didn’t look a little lost and uninspired at times last night.

Don’t think I’ve ever seen that from him. I don’t doubt they have the motivation and I’m not really concerned going forward because they know the deal if they want to play late in March. Last night game was a bit sloppy for both teams so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.

But if he’s going to say this, I expect his body language every minute he’s on the floor to back it up.

edit: he is also coming off an injury and needs to get his conditioning in shape. Probably a lot of his poor body language could be blamed on fatigue (due to effort) rather than a lack of effort.

tldr: Bouk will be alright, but he’s got to go out there and back this up. And when he does it going to be special.

 

[QDOG5]

I was impressed with Gaffs travelling violation before he attempted a 28 foot 3 pointer. Not sure if that or his one handed jump pass attempt/turnover at half court was worse. On the serious side, both of those plays seemed pre-determined like he has a script before he has entered the game. Just let it flow Gaff, let it flow.

 

[Zarkotics]

Am I the only one that keeps begging the question, why is Polley getting so many minutes? He's a one trick pony that lately hasn't been performing at his one trick. Not to mention his defensive liability. I've never watched a Uconn game more where I know one of our guys is about to get taken off the dribble at the top of the key before it even happens.

 

[HCCForever]

That one definitely caught my eye.

Here's the thing. Basics of passing. Passer and receiver. Martin needed to recognize the weak pass and come towards the ball to receive it. Instead he just stood there and let the defender shoot the gap. No way should a defender have a better feel of the pace and direction of the pass than the receiving player.

The other pass which caught my eye (and I forget who threw it) was in the first half when someone drove from the right wing in to the paint and then decided to pass it to Sanogo who was facing the basket from 15' away. At what point, while running the offense, does it ever include passing it Sanogo facing up the hoop from 15'. The play either ended with a stripped ball or a bad shot. I forget. But it was just a god awful decision to pass it to Sanogo in that position. Also puzzling what Sanogo was doing standing there.

One that I vaguely remember and may be your "other pass" is when someone dumped it to Sanogo who promptly was triple teamed and he turned the ball over. I don't recall anyone going to the ball to help him out.

Another thing I disliked was the play at the end of the first half. Nice alley oop to Bouknight but it left too much time on the clock for Georgetown and they ended up hitting a three.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

This stuff about Bouknight's body language is stupid. I have some news: you don't want to win more than he does, no matter how much you think you do.

 

[Waquoit]

This stuff about Bouknight's body language is stupid.

It's amazing in this day and age that so many folks don't know how to read.

 

[cohenzone]

We have one player who can create his own shot. That’s a problem that isn’t getting resolved this season.

I assume you mean Bouknight. Cole also can create his own shot. But I agree with your view.

 

[husky429]

IDGARA about Bouk's body language if he puts the ball in the basket and plays defense.

 

[HuskyHoosier]

Complaining about body language is like complaining about the tan suit. There will be days where we wish body language was one of our biggest worries.

 

[KingAG]

Good God. I must have been asleep the day at law school when they explained that “sloppy and unmotivated” is just a synonym for “rusty and banged up.”

Un-friggin-motivated? Two weeks ago we had lunatics explaining that we’d never see this guy in a UConn uniform again because he was worried about protecting his draft status. Now we see a guy who is still banged up flying all over people trying to get to loose balls and make defensive blocks and someone sees “unmotivated?”

Bouk was pouting a lot last night. You can tell the night he's having by just looking at his body language. As the leader of the team he needs to work on that. I don't doubt his commitment, but best believe when he looks defeated his teammates follow him

 

[cohenzone]

This stuff about Bouknight's body language is stupid. I have some news: you don't want to win more than he does, no matter how much you think you do.

Note to Bouknight. Froth at the mouth and stamp your foot so people think you are motivated.

There was a kid a year ahead of me in my hs who was the best athlete his age in the state. While not as tall, think Scott Burrell. First team all state in hoops as a guard, football as a QB and baseball as a pitcher/outfielder. Played AAA baseball and minor league football. He was sitting next to me watching the JV hoops before his game and as one player kept acting out and woofing, he remarked to me that he tries to be even keel because it only messed him up to let his emotions take over. The point is, some players are demonstrative and some aren’t. It often has zero to do with their actual motivation.

 

[KingAG]

I thought one of the things we loved most about guys like Kemba and Brimah was how their body language and their joy playing the game inspired their teammates. You all are also the ones who complained night and day about Ollie's body language on the sidelines for years. Believe it or not his body language is a direct reflection of his confidence in the moment. When your best player is visibly lacking confidence it does effect the team

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Believe it or not his body language is a direct reflection of his confidence in the moment. When your best player is visibly lacking confidence it does effect the team

These "I'm going to tell you what's going on with the internal dynamic of a team I'm not a part of" posts drive me duck___ nuts. Bouknight was not a demonstrative player before his injury. He just wasn't. Saying he was "pouting" last night is just dumb.

Let's bitch about how he's selfish because his "camp" is holding him out to protect his bank account, and then when it turns out we were talking out of our asses and he comes back let's bitch about how you don't see the "joy" that you saw with Amidah Brimah.

That's enough Boneyard for the day, I think.

 

[Waquoit]

Complaining about body language is like complaining about the tan suit.

It's not even that. They are complaining about tan when it's clearly Navy blue.

 

[KingAG]

These "I'm going to tell you what's going on with the internal dynamic of a team I'm not a part of" posts drive me duck___ nuts. Bouknight was not a demonstrative player before his injury. He just wasn't. Saying he was "pouting" last night is just dumb.

Let's bitch about how he's selfish because his "camp" is holding him out to protect his bank account, and then when it turns out we were talking out of our asses and he comes back let's bitch about how you don't see the "joy" that you saw with Amidah Brimah.

That's enough Boneyard for the day, I think.

My comment is true for any team. Ask any coach and they'll tell you that they address body language with their team leaders. It matters in all forms of leadership. His body language isn't always bad. But last night in the 1st half he looked visibly frustrated and not confident. Whether it be in his body or his game. I even pondered whether he was under the whether. He's not demonstrative, but the first half last night was a little different from my vantage point. It's not a BIG issue or even one at all. But its something i think he can improve upon if we're going to make a serious run.

 

[tzznandrew]

My comment is true for any team. Ask any coach and they'll tell you that they address body language with their team leaders. It matters in all forms of leadership. His body language isn't always bad. But last night in the 1st half he looked visibly frustrated and not confident. Whether it be in his body or his game. I even pondered whether he was under the whether. He's not demonstrative, but the first half last night was a little different from my vantage point. It's not a BIG issue or even one at all. But its something i think he can improve upon if we're going to make a serious run.

A coach might address body language because a coach knows the player well enough to accurately assess that body language and how that body language is actually affecting the rest of the team.

You're just speculating from the other end of a TV set. I think there's a big different there.

 

[KingAG]

A coach might address body language because a coach knows the player well enough to accurately assess that body language and how that body language is actually affecting the rest of the team.

You're just speculating from the other end of a TV set. I think there's a big different there.

We're all speculating on everything based upon our observation. It's a sports message board. If you don't want to see speculation or other peoples opinions this isn't the place for you. If you thought his body language was good in the first half or a non issue cool. I just disagree

 

[tzznandrew]

We're all speculating on everything based upon our observation. It's a sports message board. If you don't want to see speculation or other peoples opinions this isn't the place for you. If you thought his body language was good in the first half or a non issue cool. I just disagree

You do realize there's a difference between observation and speculation, right? Or about talking about any number of things based on our observations and prior knowledge on the one hand and speculating about things we cannot know, right?

I don't know, I've been a part of this message forever—before it was even here—and plenty people here have been able to have interesting and engaging conversations without baselessly speculating about things we cannot possibly actually know about. There's certainly a difference when you have real reports and things, or when Bazz and Boat are literally pushing each other. But "moody kid looked moody" isn't necessarily an indicator of anything else.

I guess I'd quote you right back at you: It's a sports message board. If you don't want to criticizing your baseless opinions this isn't the place for you. See how easy and meaningless that statement is?

 

[MexicoHusky]

My usage of the word unmotivated seems controversial. Probably a poor choice of words on my part. I'm completely fine with rusty or some other word.

I also think many are missing what I thought was the larger point. Which was Hurley has an opportunity to really show why he's the guy for the job. Get things right in a short amount of time.

I'll concede unmotivated was the wrong word. I'm not married to it

 

[businesslawyer]

Bouk was pouting a lot last night. You can tell the night he's having by just looking at his body language. As the leader of the team he needs to work on that. I don't doubt his commitment, but best believe when he looks defeated his teammates follow him

I fully agree with that. But that has nothing to do with being motivated.

What he lacks is a certain sense of maturity. Knowing that the vibes he sends out effects his teammate, and knowing that his offensive skills are sorely needed that he doesn't need to keep risking his body on low percentage aerial acts to block a shot or grab every rebound. Kemba knew that you couldn't ask your body to do everything it could do on literally every play if you wanted to be effective for 37 minutes a game.

Hopefully Bouk will learn this as he matures. But none of this has to do with him being, as he was accused of, unmotivated.

 

[freshler40]

We have one player who can create his own shot. That’s a problem that isn’t getting resolved this season.

Well, it sure seemed that Cole also created his own shot a lot in the second half under great pressure. He had great body control and was willing to force the defense with penetration. For all his ball handling, this was his very best game as a Husky. He also quickly passed downcourt when the double team approached and ran the offense much faster, perhaps a pace that we look much better at. Martin also can create his shot, and is a fine offensive rebounder. The second half was much better with good ball movement and timely shooting. If this can be our model going forward we can be a factor in the next month.