Hurley on next year's team

[polycom]

Looks like Chief needs to post less on the BY and watch more college hoops. Literally every team in the Final 4 aside from Michigan State started lineups that played 4 out, 1 in and even Mich St. played that style for at least 50% of the game. You might want to take a seat on this argument because having 4 guys capable of hitting a 3 is way more valuable than offensive rebounding and if you knew anything about analytics you would know this.

It's chief he just makes stuff up, everyone knows this. Enjoy chief for what he is don't take him too seriously.

 

[HuskyHawk]

"But imo the major reason was Nadov's ability to anticipate and intercept passes when we trapped opposing players."
So true. You could see it coming when we'd trap someone on the sideline just past mid-court and yet we haven't had players capable of that anticipation since Henefeld. Is it that the players just don't understand how limited the options are when an opposing player is trying to pass out of a double team?

It's certainly true that he had incredible court awareness and an instinct for those passes. But what made us great was that several other guys were doing it too. So much length with Nadav at 6'7", Burrell at 6'7", Tate at 6'5", Murray Williams at 6'6" and Lyman at 6'5" or so. Smith was also a great on ball defender, forcing those passes.
1989-90 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

That team looks a lot like what I think Hurley wants.

 

[ctchamps]

"But imo the major reason was Nadov's ability to anticipate and intercept passes when we trapped opposing players."
So true. You could see it coming when we'd trap someone on the sideline just past mid-court and yet we haven't had players capable of that anticipation since Henefeld. Is it that the players just don't understand how limited the options are when an opposing player is trying to pass out of a double team?

Sending two players to trap the ball leaves three players to guard 4 opposing players. Opposing teams space players to handle traps trying to make it difficult for those three players. Nadav was like an incredible free safety. He either studied film and knew players passing abilities or he was adept at observing them in the game. As soon as the ball handler moved his arms, and before the ball was released, Nadav would break towards the anticipated area the ball was intended to go.

Comprehension has limits. Nadav was wired (cerebral cortex, cerebellum) for this. He was in the top 1% with this ability. His mind would rapidly process the height and position of the players trapping the opposing player, the height of the opposing trapped player, the time remaining for a violation, the positions of the remaining opposing players, the positions of his non trapping team mates, the angle of the opposing players arm movements in relationship to the prior conditions and the opposing players ability to throw. At the most you have 3-4 seconds to assess this and usually only a split second. And since the situation is fluid, trappers shifting around the trapped player, opposing non ball handlers moving to different positions, non trapping team mates doing the same, the rate of computation required to correctly anticipate a play becomes overwhelmingly difficult.

 

[Chief00]

It's chief he just makes stuff up, everyone knows this. Enjoy chief for what he is don't take him too seriously.

You and Hurleyman216 are in a circular “Like” formation, only problem is it’s tough for two dudes to form a circle. LOL

 

[Hurleyman216]

You and Hurleyman216 are in a circular “Like” formation, only problem is it’s tough for two dudes to form a circle. LOL

You're wrong again (as usual). But what else is new?

 

[polycom]

You and Hurleyman216 are in a circular “Like” formation, only problem is it’s tough for two dudes to form a circle. LOL

New phone who dis?

 

[Scrutineer]

A 6'10" lanky high school basketball prospect doesn't just turn into Shaq after three months in a weight training program.

Sal's plan with Akok was to start off with small basic weight lifting, and work up gradually from there. You have to build muscles patiently and cautiously, especially with young basketball players. My understanding is you have to build a foundation for muscle growth before you can actually make noticeable gains.
I think Akok and Carlton will be adequately built come November.

I understand what you're saying and that makes sense for someone who is so slender.

A physical therapist once told several of us about the various body types and pointed out how I could never bulk up because my makeup was always going to be lean. So, that made me reflect on all the talk here about Sal working with guys and putting on lots of muscle. For some it won't happen because they're not genetically able to become an Adrien or Okafor. They'll be stronger for sure but not the type that bumps guys out of the paint. If they can finish through contact that may be all we need.

 

[superjohn]

I understand what you're saying and that makes sense for someone who is so slender.

A physical therapist once told several of us about the various body types and pointed out how I could never bulk up because my makeup was always going to be lean. So, that made me reflect on all the talk here about Sal working with guys and putting on lots of muscle. For some it won't happen because they're not genetically able to become an Adrien or Okafor. They'll be stronger for sure but not the type that bumps guys out of the paint. If they can finish through contact that may be all we need.

The physical therapist lied to you. While everyone is built differently and it's a lot harder for some, everyone can bulk up.

 

[husky429]

I understand what you're saying and that makes sense for someone who is so slender.

A physical therapist once told several of us about the various body types and pointed out how I could never bulk up because my makeup was always going to be lean. So, that made me reflect on all the talk here about Sal working with guys and putting on lots of muscle. For some it won't happen because they're not genetically able to become an Adrien or Okafor. They'll be stronger for sure but not the type that bumps guys out of the paint. If they can finish through contact that may be all we need.

No decent physical therapist told you that.

Physical therapists are not all strength coaches or even close to it. I live with a physical therapist/strength coach who works with athletes recovering from injuries mostly. Her classmates? Work in school with special needs kids, someone else does relearning motor function after brain injury. Another works at a senior home. They are lucky to get to yoga with retired women 2x a week.

Like asking a math teacher about Shakespeare. Just because you're in the profession, doesn't mean you have a clue more info than your average Joe. I expect that is the case with the person who gave you this info.

 

[olehead]

Good luck losing then

35% 3 point shooter. = pretty good
53% 2 point shooter = close to excellent

Worth the same amount of points come game time. Much easier to win with shooters on the perimeter.

Our 3 point shooting has been suspect dating back to 2014 with Vital, as the only true 3 knockdown shooter we've had in that time frame. So, until we begin to get shooters at a 35%/3 or better clip with sufficient volume, I'll take high volume and high proficiency 2 point scorers. Nova's top 6 last year were all reliable 3 shooters, which is not surprising given a program culture of good and at times great three point shooting. Im hoping we can build in a similar fashion while maintaining a commitment to getting longer more athletic players who finish at or near the rim at a high rate.

 

[husky429]

Our 3 point shooting has been suspect dating back to 2014 with Vital, as the only true 3 knockdown shooter we've had in that time frame. So, until we begin to get shooters at a 35%/3 or better clip with sufficient volume, I'll take high volume and high proficiency 2 point scorers. Nova's top 6 last year were all reliable 3 shooters, which is not surprising given a program culture of good and at times great three point shooting. Im hoping we can build in a similar fashion while maintaining a commitment to getting longer more athletic players who finish at or near the rim at a high rate.

I was just messing with it. All good.

Hurley is clearly recruiting shooters to get to that model when possible. All 4 guys he has brought in so far were solid shooters in hs. Obviously Badams hasn't panned out just yet

 

[UconnU]

Our 3 point shooting has been suspect dating back to 2014 with Vital, as the only true 3 knockdown shooter we've had in that time frame. So, until we begin to get shooters at a 35%/3 or better clip with sufficient volume, I'll take high volume and high proficiency 2 point scorers. Nova's top 6 last year were all reliable 3 shooters, which is not surprising given a program culture of good and at times great three point shooting. Im hoping we can build in a similar fashion while maintaining a commitment to getting longer more athletic players who finish at or near the rim at a high rate.

With AG, CV, Bouk, Polley, Gaffney, Akok our shooting is the least of my concerns for next year, we’ll have the best shooting team we’ve had in a while. More concerned with Rebounding, physicality, toughness, staying healthy.

 

[olehead]

With AG, CV, Bouk, Polley, Gaffney, Akok our shooting is the least of my concerns for next year, we’ll have the best shooting team we’ve had in a while. More concerned with Rebounding, physicality, toughness, staying healthy.

UConn love wants to be as optimistic about our three point prowess as you. Of the players you mentioned, only one thus far has a significant 3 pt body of work at the d1 level and that's Vital.

 

[Scrutineer]

The physical therapist lied to you. While everyone is built differently and it's a lot harder for some, everyone can bulk up.

No decent physical therapist told you that.

I always did manual labor in high school and college and had a great deal of strength but, at 6'1", I didn't get to 170 pounds until my 30's. So maybe I'm just an anomaly or she saw I wouldn't be motivated to spend the time and energy needed to become the Scott Lutrus of my day.

 

[Crank]

The physical therapist lied to you. While everyone is built differently and it's a lot harder for some, everyone can bulk up.

Totally agree.
Certainly, there is a range of "how rapidly" can a dude add muscle.
But it's complete nonsense to argue that some guys "just can't add muscle." Load of silliness.
Every normally hormoned dude can add muscle, given enough time and effort. You might not look like Arnold when you're done, but putting on 5-10 pounds of muscle a year for 3 years is completely doable for virtually every 18 year old male who has the inclination.
I spent a lot of time in the weight room when I was in my 20s, and the guys who "couldn't" gain were almost to a person the guys who quit a set well before they were breaking down sarcomeres.

Just sayin. If you have the will, you can build.

Never ever saw a motivated dude not have gains. Never.

 

[JMick]

Totally agree.
Certainly, there is a range of "how rapidly" can a dude add muscle.
But it's complete nonsense to argue that some guys "just can't add muscle." Load of silliness.
Every normally hormoned dude can add muscle, given enough time and effort. You might not look like Arnold when you're done, but putting on 5-10 pounds of muscle a year for 3 years is completely doable for virtually every 18 year old male who has the inclination.
I spent a lot of time in the weight room when I was in my 20s, and the guys who "couldn't" gain were almost to a person the guys who quit a set well before they were breaking down sarcomeres.

Just sayin. If you have the will, you can build.

Never ever saw a motivated dude not have gains. Never.

That, or they just don't eat enough.

 

[Ricker]

Everybody seems to agree we need to bring in more talent. Everybody seems to agree we are in dire need of a significant front court player with Carlton. There also seems to be agreement that we will rue not having another ball handling guard in case of injury. With only 1 scholarship there is debate over how to bring on 2 or more players if we have non-contributors on the bench eating up scholarships.

Count me as 1 person who is particularly pissed off that we are in this situation based on taking away our own scholarship for this upcoming year with no real benefit. Our 'astute' program management could have postponed penalizing ourselves until the program had been righted talentwise, and, our brand restored in the eyes of our fans, with 'on court' success. We could have put off any NCAA penalty for years and timed any penalty to have an affect commensurate with the nominal violations. Instead, we further injure the ability to restore our financially valuable brand at a critical turnaround time because of nominal violations that most programs would properly shrug off as nothing. Hell, for this trivial stuff we could have self imposed a post season ban for last year, like Syracuse did when they weren't going to post season play anyhow. I don't know specifically who all the decision makers were in this, and if it included Hurley, but it pisses me off.

So there. Take that.

 

[dennismenace]

Spot on except for Carlton because he is already solid and should only be better next year. He needs someone to share the position for foul trouble and that player is not on the roster at this point. The guys we currently have do not fit the bill of what we need. Polley is the best chance to give us offense but what is he on rebounding and defense? Need 2 recruits center and power 4.

Polley: Needs an inside game. He should study Roscoe Smith tapes and follow a demanding strength training
and nutrition program. Roscoe wanted to be a wing but never acquired the long range shot. But man could he defend and bang the boards. When he went to UNLV he was called "the rebounding machine". My favorite image of him is with the black eye in the tournament going up above everyone and fearlessly grabbing boards. Polley may never be a wing. As stated above somewhere the "experiment" has reached the showtime stage.

 

[Kitaman]

For the tenth time; what does a stretch 4 player mean?
A 4 who can play 3, 4 who can play 5, both or something else?

 

[CTBasketball]

That, or they just don't eat enough.

Yeah you have to stuff your face like a farm animal and keep hitting the weights. You will grow.

It’s more about diet than actual training. So unless Akok is eating like a bodybuilder he won’t be hanging any mass. Especially with all the cardio basketball players do.

 

[Ricker]

For the tenth time; what does a stretch 4 player mean?
A 4 who can play 3, 4 who can play 5, both or something else?

To me it's a 4 that can shoot a good % from deep so that the other team's bigs have to come out of the lane to defend the perimeter. The lane is then more available for guard penetration or the possibility of your stretch four beating his own defender off the dribble to the rim. ie the 4 has stretched the defense to the perimeter.

 

[NJHoops]

I don't know specifically who all the decision makers were in this, and if it included Hurley, but it pisses me off.

That’s a legal team’s recommendation, not a coach’s.

 

[BlueDogs]

It's chief he just makes stuff up, everyone knows this. Enjoy chief for what he is don't take him too seriously.

2 post players with one that can go inside or out arguably creates more floor space and keeps the D off the arc. Every O rebound is another O possession, and every D rebound is a denial of another O possession. What is true in a one dimensional analysis is if you shoot over 33% from 3 it’s better than shooting 50% from 2. But, you really need to look at shot differential and scoring rate....Point being rebounding does matter.

 

[UConnStats]

Self enforcing rather than waiting for the NCAA to handle it was smart. It has worked out for every program that has gone that route rather than waiting to get slammed. IMO, If we lose a bench player because of it this season, so be it.

 

[Ricker]

Self enforcing rather than waiting for the NCAA to handle it was smart. It has worked out for every program that has gone that route rather than waiting to get slammed. IMO, If we lose a bench player because of it this season, so be it.

I'd agree if we were losing a bench player, BUT, we're not losing a bench player. We already have spots 11 & 12 & 13 on the team. We are losing the ability to recruit a rotation player or impact player at at least 1 position of need. Not having that additional player could impact whether we make post season play next year, or how far we could go in post season play if we do make it. Post season play equals money for us and the conference. Post season play also influences our perception as a recruiting destination, and winning puts fannies in the seats. We potentially self imposed a big additional financial penalty by picking this year to hurt ourselves, rather than deferring to when spot #13 was really the scholarship being lost.

Why couldn't the adverse financial ramifications of meeting the situation head on, firing Ollie as the perpetrator, bearing legal expenses, reputational injury, etc, be argued in the future as a sufficient self imposed penalty of millions? Far more damage in money than the nominal infraction. Plus, there supposedly is the increased contractual emphasis in Hurley's deal to stress compliance, which addresses future remediation. I see those actions as easily argued as both proactive and sufficient, rather than as 'waiting to get slammed'.

As far as working out for every team; As 1 example; Didn't Syracuse get their penalties increased far beyond what they self imposed?

I'm not arguing that there is a right or wrong in this. I'm just stating my view that the athletic dept has hurt the program's ability to win next year, in a manner that wasn't necessary.