Hurley on Ross

[Mr. French]

JStew sitting in the doghouse on the back end of his Soph year would be an eerie prelude going into the offseason. His minutes are down of late and he’s done little in that time.

Sulkers at this point in the year have to be brutal to manage, because they can fully check out with the portal there. And if they are, how in the world do you play them?

It’s easy enough to tell a guy to just shut up and work hard even if he’s not playing, but these are humans, barely out of childhood.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Rebounds, points...things that help win games.

The metrics say otherwise, we're better with Johnson on the floor. The reality, as I've said all year is that in some games we are better with Johnson and in others we are better with Reed. Hurley knows this and they each get "starter minutes" when it is appropriate.

 

[05Alum]

I agree that it seems this is geared towards Stewart. All the talk end of last year and beginning of offseason was he could be a lottery pick. That all subsided once practices began and Ross was the one garnering all the positive talk. Maybe Stewart felt early on he was going to be the focal point of the team this season. Didn't pan out, hence the inconsistent play, inconsistent minutes, shadow second half performances. Kinda all checks out.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Where did the whole freak athlete thing with Ross come from? That's right up there with the defensive stopper thing. I'm not calling you out, I've seen it repeated over and over.

I watched basically all his big event AAU games before he came here and he never came across as a freak athlete. He looked like a development player with a nice stroke on corner threes. I watched Abdou Toure after his freshman high school season coming off the bench as the 6th man for New England Expressions and I immediately noticed he was different than everyone else. Could tell right away that kid was a freak athlete. Same when I watched Andre Jackson in AAU and high school and I immediately saw it in games when he put on a UConn jersey.

Ross had a very nice quick first step baseline reverse layup against UNH and a jelly fam layup that would've been blocked into the 10th row by any legit team. That's about all we've seen from him other than a dunk on the break on someone against East Texas Agriculture and Mechanical Commerce.

I think it probably comes from him being slightly above average on a team where everyone else other than Johnson seems like guys from an over 40 rec league. What a bunch of plodders this season.

 

[AdamaNation]

Hurley needs to sing the song from the Frozen soundtrack.

Do you want to build a snowman? How does that fit?

 

[AdamaNation]

He doesn’t do one thing well on offense, he is erratic and nervous on defense, and he doesn’t rebound particularly well.

He does try to block every pump fake and foul.

 

[RuffRuff]

It’s easy enough to tell a guy to just shut up and work hard even if he’s not playing, but these are humans, barely out of childhood.

Very true, furthering the basis of just bypassing HS recruiting.18 year olds these days have zero patience and will be quick to think portal if their freshman year doesn't go as planned. Meanwhile, you go get a proven kid out of his sophomore year, you get a better guarantee on investment, ready to play and don't have to deal with as much of the BS.

I know some here dream of early development, but there is plenty of downside to that route, including retention management, which has to be one of the most annoying time sucks on the planet.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think it probably comes from him being slightly above average on a team where everyone else other than Johnson seems like guys from an over 40 rec league. What a bunch of plodders this season.

They really are - it stands out against athletic teams. Seton Hall was a more athletic team than this UConn team, in at least 3 positions at any given time. They simply can't throw a ball in the ocean.

As for Stew, easily the hardest kid to figure out on this team. Has the kind of plus flashes that make you want more, then drifts for minutes 10x his flashes. Makes you question his mental makeup and whether it's ever going to translate here.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Where are yall getting that he’s not a good passer or great dribbler from?

Watching the games. Do you HAVE to play Devil’s advocate, or is this just fun for you?

 

[RuffRuff]

Watching the games. Do you HAVE to play Devil’s advocate, or is this just fun for you?

Don't worry, I've reached out to the Purdue & Marquette Fan Club President's and they are reaching out to him with a one way tickets to Milwaukee or West Lafayette. He can kick back with those fans to their annual ceiling of the S16, and be part of that banner celebration.

 

[jostar1]

Do you want to build a snowman? How does that fit?

Hurley needs to let them go.

 

[Excalibur]

They really are - it stands out against athletic teams. Seton Hall was a more athletic team than this UConn team, in at least 3 positions at any given time. They simply can't throw a ball in the ocean.

As for Stew, easily the hardest kid to figure out on this team. Has the kind of plus flashes that make you want more, then drifts for minutes 10x his flashes. Makes you question his mental makeup and whether it's ever going to translate here.

I think Stewart is eventually going to be a player, be it here or elsewhere. There is obviously ability, and mental toughness and focus can improve with maturity.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Ajax, Sticks, Scotty B = Freak Athletes

Ross = Best Athlete on Fairly Unathletic Team

The freak athlete description gets thrown around as nonsensically (is that a word?) as “Fab 5” gets throw around.

I’m glad he’s still working hard almost like his full ride depends on it despite not playing, but if he can’t crack this lineup the way we’re playing sometimes, he’s not the guy.

 

[Mooch82]

Based on productivity, Reed should absolutely be starting. That's the biggest misuse of this roster, imo.

Agreed - but the quote is about Ross. Think you are getting them mixed up. Ross has had zero productivity in his minutes.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Watching the games. Do you HAVE to play Devil’s advocate, or is this just fun for you?

I just don’t like false narratives on our players. The guy was a former point guard before he hit his growth spurt. Yall are making stuff up to trash on the kid.

He did a great job of both against Marquette. He’s simply struggling to score.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Here is an idea, why don’t you try and watch the replay of games. If you want to single out a player, rewind any sequence and watch it again in slow motion. For most of the guys you covet, the tape is not good.
Let’s start with the basics. A high major player is a special type of player, blessed with a combo of elite athleticism, size, lateral speed, and/or high basketball iq. Use the simple eye test, of the guys outside our top 6, who passes that test. Who looks comfortable enough on the floor that atleast, despite some limitations, feels like high major basketball is the right level for him. I will start. Stewie is the one guy that is a high major player.

Lol I can literally tell you everything that happened possession by possession in his runs.

Which is why I’m confused by these comments. Especially ones that still say he bites on every pump fake, something he’s had fixed for awhile now.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think Stewart is eventually going to be a player, be it here or elsewhere. There is obviously ability, and mental toughness and focus can improve with maturity.

Part of that is having a consistent role. He doesn't. So many of the mistakes Ross makes are clearly from trying to hard to make an impact in the 2 minutes he's in the game. I see some of the same from Stewart. He's not a guard so somebody has to get him the ball. If they don't it's easy for him to drift. Some games Stewart gets real minutes sometimes almost none. That's not ideal for development.

 

[Excalibur]

Do you want to build a snowman? How does that fit?

I figured some of you were thinking of "fixer upper". Whether that refers to Hurley or the players depends on the poster . . .

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I just don’t like false narratives on our players. The guy was a former point guard before he hit his growth spurt. Yall are making stuff up to trash on the kid.

He did a great job of both against Marquette. He’s simply struggling to score.

It’s not a false narrative, stop this holier-than-thou act. In the 14 games that followed the UMES game, he averaged 15 mpg and exactly 2ppg, scoring 2 or less in 10/14 games. Assist stats are even worse, so I won’t mention.

You think Solo is a PG, now you think Ross has PG ability. Just enough my guy.

 

[JB75]

Ross has gotten double digit minutes around 20 times this season and has really done nothing. He had opportunity after opportunity, so I’m not sure I would compare his situation with Nowell’s.

Right. It’s not even close. Ross has had many chances to do his thing. Nowell has had very minimal

 

[RuffRuff]

It’s not a false narrative, stop this holier-than-thou act. In the 14 games that followed the UMES game, he averaged 15 mpg and exactly 2ppg, scoring 2 or less in 10/14 games. Assist stats are even worse, so I won’t mention.

You think Solo is a PG, now you think Ross has PG ability. Just enough my guy.

611 does a LOT of over-indexing on the deep past, versus where things are going and what you see in the present.

The Tatum thing, the used to be a PG, blah blah. What good is all that if it doesn't show in front of your face today in relevant samples? Hurley was force playing the kid earlier in the year, because he likes him and he practices hard. He's been given every chance. What did he do with it?

The most impirical evidence you have to evaluate a situation is real time data, and his stats are abysmal. Everyone here has been scratching and clawing for some kind of break out with this kid, and it hasn't happened. In fact, he's losing time.

WTF hold onto the notion that he's going to be awesome when it's clear as day his ceiling is really limited? Sure, maybe we can keep developing him into a solid role player. If we had horses all around for him to piggyback off of, that might be ok. It's nearing the end of year 2 and he's graded out as a really appropriate F, so it's really hard to put a lot of faith into upcoming leaps & development.

Many of us have held onto Stew because we've seen flashes. With Ross, we haven't even seen those.

 

[HailUConn]

As many have alluded, I believe this is Danny way of saying "I effed up" with Mahaney's square peg in the round hole experiment, and Ross should be ahead of him since the get-go.

 

[Hunt for 7]

If a head coach is saying that about a player who has not played well in the minutes he has gotten coupled with the fact that nba scouts were asking about him during his freshman year, maybe they are right and all of the experts on this board are wrong.

There has to be something there that we are not seeing. Or maybe Ross is being shopped and he is trying to get him to stay.

But if other teams are intrigued depending on the level of those teams it all creates a significant mystery.

I admit I have been a Ross backer. It has been tough because he has played some awful minutes. But in my mind we do not have a better all around defensive player than Ross. I don’t think it’s close in regards to potential. Now I agree he has not put that potential to use on floor but it may now be a moot point.

But perhaps we should give the this coach credit for something, he has revived a program that went from great to irrelevant. We have a meh season but that does not mean it he won’t get us there again. And maybe he is just thinking about the future and what Ross can bring if he finally figures out how to bring that practice game onto the floor in a “real” game.

 

[Get a Job]

I figured some of you were thinking of "fixer upper". Whether that refers to Hurley or the players depends on the poster . . .

I thought the suggestion was that Hurley should replace the players with reindeer.

 

[jibsey]

They really are - it stands out against athletic teams. Seton Hall was a more athletic team than this UConn team, in at least 3 positions at any given time. They simply can't throw a ball in the ocean.

As for Stew, easily the hardest kid to figure out on this team. Has the kind of plus flashes that make you want more, then drifts for minutes 10x his flashes. Makes you question his mental makeup and whether it's ever going to translate here.

He is not quick enough to cover guards during switches. I mean he’s not a guard, but he can pass, shoot and rebound but he gets scored on.