Hurley Needs to Find Lineups w/ Sanogo & Clingan

[Waquoit]

I think his average is going to be creeping upwards.

That assumes that we’re not going to continue to win by an average of 26 points a game.

Objection! Assuming facts not in evidence, your honor.

 

[August_West]

It's this.

Clingan still doesn't have the conditioning to go 30 mpg. Sanogo wore down at the end of last year under heavy usage.

The solution is obvious and it's exactly what you suggest. Let Clingan dominate in spurts, ride him here and there. Keep Sanogo fresh.

It also mitigates concern about foul trouble.

Playing them together might also make both worse.

The biggest coaching mistake of Calhouns career ( he didn’t make many) was trying to play Oriakhi and Drummond together. That caused one of the most disappointing seasons ( in regards to expectations) that we ever had.

Hurley is playing this perfect right now. DC came here knowing he was waiting for his turn. Donovan is wildly exceeding everyone’s expectations early on and his play warrants minutes. Enjoy it. It’s a luxury no team in the country has. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Unbelievable.

 

[superjohn]

I think his average is going to be creeping upwards.

That assumes that we’re not going to continue to win by an average of 26 points a game.

I think it stays the same or Clingan's minutes creep up a bit.

 

[August_West]

I think his average is going to be creeping upwards.

That assumes that we’re not going to continue to win by an average of 26 points a game.

Totally agree. Creeping the operative word, because it will be slow because Donovan earned minutes. But again, Donovan came here knowing that he might get 5 minutes a game. Hurley smart enough to know Donovan can help us now and won’t hesitate to use him. But the 5 spot is Adamas this year, Donovan is the heir apparent. Playing them together for any extended period would be coaching malpractice considering the makeup of this team and system.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The biggest coaching mistake of Calhouns career ( he didn’t make many) was trying to play Oriakhi and Drummond together. That caused one of the most disappointing seasons ( in regards to expectations) that we ever had.

Yes, JC thought he could have the same success with Roscoe Smith/Oriakhi/Drummond that he had earlier with Rudy Gay/Villanueva (or Armstrong)/Boone, despite the fact that:

• the former trio were much less skilled
• the game was changing and coaches had a much easier time defending multi-big lineups, and JC was stubborn in thinking he could defy the trend (kind of ironic, too, given that the 2011 team had tremendous success with smaller lineups)

 

[CONN78SEJ]

End of story. I’ve seen enough.

DC is a gd monster.

Clingan, Sanogo, Joey C, Hawkins or Jackson, and Newton.

 

[PNolanFan]

I would love to see Sanogo play 30 minutes a game and Clingan get like 15 minutes a game to keep the overlap at like 5 minutes a game and if we do well in that overlap time then we could creep it up to 10 minutes a game

 

[jibsey]

Totally agree. Creeping the operative word, because it will be slow because Donovan earned minutes. But again, Donovan came here knowing that he might get 5 minutes a game. Hurley smart enough to know Donovan can help us now and won’t hesitate to use him. But the 5 spot is Adamas this year, Donovan is the heir apparent. Playing them together for any extended period would be coaching malpractice considering the makeup of this team and system.

I don’t think Clingan ever thought 5 minutes or he wouldn’t have come. Keeping him fresh at 18 minutes is fine, though I’d like to see 25.

 

[UConnSwag11]

The biggest coaching mistake of Calhouns career ( he didn’t make many) was trying to play Oriakhi and Drummond together. That caused one of the most disappointing seasons ( in regards to expectations) that we ever had.

Hurley is playing this perfect right now. DC came here knowing he was waiting for his turn. Donovan is wildly exceeding everyone’s expectations early on and his play warrants minutes. Enjoy it. It’s a luxury no team in the country has. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Unbelievable.

Agree with all this. I brought up the Drummond and AO debacle with my friend the other day. There is no reason to play Sanogo and Clingan together for the hell of it. Maybe if the situation calls for it, for a brief bit. We have a great flow and chemistry with the current lineup. No need to change it.

 

[husky429]

We’re 8-0 with 8 blowout wins including 2 top 25 teams. I think whatever Hurley is doing with lineups is just fine lol

Having both on the same floor has been used in some situational lineups like Oregon when we needed size

The fact that we’re trying to get our freshman backup C more minutes while our starting C is the BE preseason POY and on the KAJ watch list means we have something special!

I am really confused why anyone would be advocating for a significant shake-up in our lineups when we're undefeated and #8 in the country. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[CL82]

Agree with all this. I brought up the Drummond and AO debacle with my friend the other day. There is no reason to play Sanogo and Clingan together for the hell of it. Maybe if the situation calls for it, for a brief bit. We have a great flow and chemistry with the current lineup. No need to change it.

This kind of touches upon one of the quiet secrets of success for this year‘s team. Somehow Dan Hurley and his staff have been successful in creating buy in so that guys are willing to take fewer minutes and more limited roles. That often is a telltale sign of very good teams. I think it speaks both to the character of the young men we have playing for us, and the quality of the coaching.

 

[August_West]

I don’t think Clingan ever thought 5 minutes or he wouldn’t have come. Keeping him fresh at 18 minutes is fine, though I’d like to see 25.

Sure he did. He knew he was coming in to back up one of the top 5 Centers in the country who is a junior and preseason BigEast player of the year and is auditioning for the NBA. Adama is going to get his minutes. It's part of coaching these days be honest with recruits and current players about playing time. It wouldn't be a good look for future recruits to see Adama riding pine this year. Donovans rapid rise is an unexpected bonus to this season. He will get his minutes, but the lions share is as Sanogo's back up. Some games that may look like 8-10 minutes. Some games that may look 18-20 minutes and everything in between. But it will all be dictated on Sanogo's foul trouble and our matchups that game. Donovan is a good, smart kid. He's there for the team and will be here for us.

 

[prankster]

I think the return of Samson opens up that possibility but for now id say no. It puts too much pressure on other teams. Sanogo is a load to deal with then he sits and now you have to deal with a 7 footer whos a another load to deal with.

As I have watched the games this year is that we are very good and very deep. No let up all game, and our opponents are ready to tap out some time in the final 5 minutes of the game.

Iowa State had the air going out of their tires at the end of that game. You could see it.

Sanogo is a load to deal with. At least 2 of the defenders are on heightened alert to switch, defend collapse and double (triple?) on him every minute he is in.

Then he sits and DC comes in. And the game continues but now at a higher altitude.

Exhausting to have to play that way. And as the game winds down, and the defenders are starting to really suck air, Sanogo comes back in, refreshed and ready to speed things back up.

And the defensive game plan is in pieces.

There may be some opportunities to present that dominant double post look, but we have a tremendous endurance advantage platooning them as we are doing now.

And until we start to have issues with this approach, we're I Coach Hurley, it would take some triggering event, a game where this current approach demonstrably failed, to get me to change.

Imagine if we had 2 exceptional PGs, and they were being effectively platooned, would we be craving the opportunity to see both on the court at the same time?

After all, you can only score once on each possession, no matter who is on the floor together.

 

[UConnSwag11]

This kind of touches upon one of the quiet secrets of success for this year‘s team. Somehow Dan Hurley and his staff have been successful in creating buy in so that guys are willing to take fewer minutes and more limited roles. That often is a telltale sign of very good teams. I think it speaks both to the character of the young men we have playing for us, and the quality of the coaching.

Also, it looks like Hurley is doing less micromanaging from the sidelines. Over the past 4 years, the team would look to Hurley for want to do next. This year it seems the team is just playing and we're playing faster.

 

[alphasigko]

IMO playing Clingan at the 5 and Sanogo at the 4 will be necessary against teams with a skilled BIG man like Eddy of Purdue and Kalkbrenner of Creighton, simply because Adama showed this weekend that he is unable to score and is overwhelmed when he is double teamed, while Clingan does not appear to suffer that problem when he is in the middle.

 

[alphasigko]

Drummond just underperformed during the one year that he was here and did not live up to our high expectations.

 

[Hoops91]

There will be times were Danny plays both, I would not change a thing. If it ain't broke to try to fix it. As long is there is no internal drama with players and their playing time - again don't change a thing. It's working right now

 

[CL82]

Imagine if we had 2 exceptional PGs, and they were being effectively platooned, would we be craving the opportunity to see both on the court at the same time?

I know, right? Playing to exceptional point guards at the same time? That would never work.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

In the first 30 minutes of game time play Sanogo 20 minutes with Clingan coming in for 10.

The last 10 minutes of game time play both, along with Andre and whichever two players have been hottest from 3pt land.

Hammer the opponent.

 

[UconnU]

Playing them each an average of 20 minutes works better. The reason we are so much better offensively is our spacing. Don’t want to toy with that.

 

[wheelerdog]

The Boneyard never fails to deliver

 

[giddyup]

Seems like an embarrassment of riches problem. Do I drive the Porsche or Bentley today. Life is hard.

 

[mauconnfan]

Let's see your largest kid is one of your best passers right? You're other big has shown a little bit of a struggle versus longer defenders so on occasion why not play them together to take the larger defender off our best scorer, and have our big who can pass the ball throw it over the top to him? I do realize this makes us play zone but not to try this on occasion baffles me based on the skillsets of the 2. Certainly not saying for long stretches but hammer it down some throats and change the dynamic to keep them honest. With this attempt you will need 3 shooters as well but again, I'm all for seeing if it works against certain teams.

 

[TheChamps990411]

As I have watched the games this year is that we are very good and very deep. No let up all game, and our opponents are ready to tap out some time in the final 5 minutes of the game.

Iowa State had the air going out of their tires at the end of that game. You could see it.

Sanogo is a load to deal with. At least 2 of the defenders are on heightened alert to switch, defend collapse and double (triple?) on him every minute he is in.

Then he sits and DC comes in. And the game continues but now at a higher altitude.

Exhausting to have to play that way. And as the game winds down, and the defenders are starting to really suck air, Sanogo comes back in, refreshed and ready to speed things back up.

And the defensive game plan is in pieces.

There may be some opportunities to present that dominant double post look, but we have a tremendous endurance advantage platooning them as we are doing now.

And until we start to have issues with this approach, we're I Coach Hurley, it would take some triggering event, a game where this current approach demonstrably failed, to get me to change.

Imagine if we had 2 exceptional PGs, and they were being effectively platooned, would we be craving the opportunity to see both on the court at the same time?

After all, you can only score once on each possession, no matter who is on the floor together.

Exactly my point. Also you can put Ajax on opposing teams PGs and cause a major disruption for them offensively. I can think of two examples where Uconn benefited greatly from great defense against opposing PGs like Ricky Moore in 99 and Bazz and Boat as a combo as we all saw what they did to the Harrison twins and the Florida kids in the semifinal in `14.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I know, right? Playing to exceptional point guards at the same time? That would never work.

View attachment 81271

Lol! I just mentioned them in my previous comment. Remember the absolute destruction of the Harrison twins? I almost felt sorry for them.