Hurley Has To Pull A Rabbit Out Of A Hat

[UConnSwag11]

does it, though? georgetown had success where villanova did -- they doubled him off of pick-and-rolls and he turned it over. he had a couple of chances to go one-on-one in this game and passed them up. we were trying to push the bull in the first half and it was a disaster. hurley ran a few plays for him in the second half that worked well.

i don't know what's going on with bouknight, but i think the tendency of some on this board to blame the coach for everything is a little unfounded.

Bouk does do a lot to hurt his potential to dominate, but when we have 5 guys above the three point line who bring their 5 defenders above the three point line he has no where to go.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The Polley pass to Martin that got stolen and Martin promptly made a block on the fast break was one of the weakest passes I've ever seen.

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.

 

[Abe1]

Very happy with the win, but I certainly see the offensive issues that have plagued the team for the past two games. It's impossible not to notice.

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.

We won tonight. We have some control of our own destiny. Anything is possible.

It’s not a lack of motivation it’s frustration. He has to adjust to be guarded this way and this physically(without getting calls). I think Nova and Gtown had really good game plans for him and he still had double doubles in both games. Not to mention he’s playing at less than 100%. Give the kid a break. People killed him for getting surgery, killed him for taking 5 weeks to come back, then questioned whether or not he would come back at all, now killing him for his endurance.

 

[businesslawyer]

, Bouk looks sloppy and unmotivated.

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?”

 

[Sphinx]

Getting back to the theme of Hurley pulling a rabbit our of his hat, how's the following for a little magic?

UConn is 16-6 in its last 22 games dating back to last year, including 7 (SEVEN) conference road wins. This despite the total loss of Akok and major downtime for Bouk and Jackson. If Cole makes a foul shot and Bouk stays healthy, the team is probably 21-1 in that period.

Everything said above (and elsewhere) about Hurley's shortcomings is basically a lament that we did not beat Villanova last Saturday. That is the only failing of this team that cannot be excused by injury or the single bounce of a free throw on a rim. And the Villanova game was against a Top Ten team in their own gym.

Going forward, it's not so much whether Hurley can pull a rabbit out of the hat as whether there's anything left in the hat.

 

[elmcityboy]

Bouk does do a lot to hurt his potential to dominate, but when we have 5 guys above the three point line who bring their 5 defenders above the three point line he has no where to go.

i think that the point of those five-out offenses (high pick-and-roll, DHOs, etc.) is to create space and driving lanes to the hoop. cole was able to drive this game without turning it over because he has a stronger handle and is actually a threat to pass. bouknight was loose with it and coughed it up. i don't think that's necessarily the fault of the offensive system.

we are also talking about a guy here who is averaging 20 ppg on nearly 50% shooting as 180 lbs guard...

 

[ConnEd]

I cannot remember a season, ever, where I have yelled, “Bounce pass!!!” at the TV as much as I have this year. There were so many times where there was a defender between the passer and receiver and we tried to zip it through their arms to the target. Cole. Martin. Gaffney. Bouk. Just about everyone has done it. And bounce passes are a great pass for entry to the post since the ball is coming up to the big as they receive it. But I swear this crew is allergic.

Okay. That’s my mini rant. Not the prettiest win last night, but still a conference road win. And the key guys delivered in the 2nd half when they needed to step up. I’ll take it.

 

[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.