Hurley postgame presser

[UConnSwag11]

We are two time defending national champions. The thought that Hurley isn’t going to play to get them as far as humanly possible this year to better prepare for next year is absurd. We have a number of good wins this year. Hurley is going to do exactly what i said — fight as hard as he can each game this year until it ends. You can’t seriously expect him to do otherwise. It’s not is his NDA.

There needs to be a spark or change. Maybe I shouldn’t have said for next year, but they should be playing at least for several minutes a game each

 

[businesslawyer]

I think most if not all appreciate that dynamic but it arguably misses and obscures the point. The issues have little to do with talent discrepancy and more to do with recurring really bad execution in predictable and known situations (I.e., getting a ball in against pressure). The team is wound so tight they panic and watching AK’s implosion is surely symptomatic. I fear the psychological composition of this team has been mismanaged.

Couldn’t disagree more. The team’s biggest problem is that it’s not as talented as we want and need it to be.

 

[MrJoe]

Staff missed thinking Mahaney could make same transition as Newton which effected everything else . Team development hurt when Liam missed a month . We beat the two best teams we played on the road . We are a decent team who could make a sweet 16 run and then you never know or we could be beat in like the 7/10 or 8/9 . If this was the year following the teddy atlas game we would be positive/hopeful but this is the team following an all time great team .

 

[Stinger92860]

The Mahaney and Diarra experiment has ran its course for this year but Hurley will run it until it all goes to dust. Nowell and Abraham need to play more to see what we have for next year.

Game speed and game experience are important for growth. We don’t know if Abraham is better or worse than Ross and Stewart, and we don’t know if Nowell is better or worse than Diarra and Mahaney. We’re more than 3/4 through the season and they’ve barely played. Changes need to be made and they should’ve been made games ago.

Losing to one of the worst teams in college basketball killed the “but practice argument.”

If Nowell is worse than AM we may need 3 guards in the portal.

 

[Stinger92860]

I think much of this is a bit of ozymandias stuff.

I’m trying to figure out who you are referencing with this sentence. Fishy or Hurley?

 

[JB75]

What has gone better than expected this season?

Solos development. Reed. McNeeley being better than advertised. Maybe Diarras overall contributions.

Everything else has been less than we’d hoped. Alex. Mahaney. Stewart. Ross. Nowell. Team defense. Perimeter defense. Offensive execution. You can’t have so many things fail and still be a top tier team.

Agree with this except reed has not been better than expected. (Maybe before Xmas he was) and it’s not nowells fault he saw no run early in year and has been hurt. Other than those 2 things I agree with u

 

[Milo65]

Couldn’t disagree more. The team’s biggest problem is that it’s not as talented as we want and need it to be.

I agree with you both. Not as talented as they believe they are and what they need to be. Also, mentally weak.

 

[August_West]

What will the junior versions of Stew, Ross? More of the same, a little better or significantly better. Can Dan Hurley take the chance that it will be significantly better?

We will thankfully not have to find out on one of them.

 

[MrJama100]

I'm surprised by the takes here. This is not that hard. Things fell into place the past two years (and really just last year - no one expected 2023). This a solid team but with some glaring weaknesses. Small point guards, no perimeter defense, foul-prone centers, inconsistent shooters, turnovers. And yes - some lapses in coaching. I was amazed by some of the predictions on this board early this season - like Stewart and Ball were All Big East, Mahaney was a can't miss superstar, Ross was a hidden gem, Samson would fit right into Clingan's shoes, etc etc.

Give me a break guys. This team is fine for following two Nattys. More than fine. Replacing National Champions is not jard, it's nearly impossible. Hurley is an incredible coach, and he has an incredible staff. I feel like a Kansas City Chiefs fan whining about losing the superbowl, The fact that we are worried about NOT competing for an NC shows how great this program is. Come on now.

Yes, let's figure out how to inbound the ball. Let's fix the perimeter D. Let's get past the injuries, and get some consistency for our shooters and post-ups. But I tell you this, if this team gets healthy, fixes a few issues, gets some confidence, they can go on a run. So they aren't favored to make the FF or win the Big East. But no one would be surprised to see this team playing on Saturday in the Big East Tourney or scaring one of those top SEC teams as they try to get to the Final Four. Keep the faith.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I think much of this is a bit of ozymandias stuff.

He absolutely A+ the roster construction and coaching to his roster the last couple years - but this year they did a poor job of self-assessment of the roster and how he would commit to roles - and instead of adjusting early he has doubled down despite lack of production, unreliability, and inconsistency.

So you don't crush roster construction and don't have the right plan defensively... And this is what you have.

We can't complain after the last couple years, but it's surely a stick in the eye with Danny's "best coach in the game" bravado.

A few things can be true at the same time.
1. Dan Hurley is the reigning best coach in the game, two titles is a compelling argument
2. For 24-25 Hurley isn't winning coach of the year and as you & others point out the roster construction (and all that entails including talent eval), style of play and player development have all been well below prior year's A+.
a. This probably means Hurley isn't the greatest coach of all time maybe b/c he's not capable of developing a top-10 team with varying styles of team play + talent.
b. But heck neither was Calhoun (who always had a step back year after a national championship contending year) and the vast majority of coaches do best with certain styles of teams and players.
c, When NBA teams with the best coaches don't win its deemed to be because of talent b/c its viewed as a players league, just cuz the college game is more of a coach's sport, it doesn't mean the best coach is a ticket to annual 30 win seasons.
d. Yet UConn gets to be the defending national champions until someone beats us in the NCAAs and Hurley can be still be the best coach in the game or one of the best without being the best of the best every year.
e. It is possible that the Kevin Ollie experience has made UConn fans particularly vulnerable to worries about coaching slips after national championships, I don't think that's the case even one little bit here, but I can see that the fanbase may be more susceptible to panic about that.
3. Last year's team was insanely talented. Just watching Steph Castle last night reinforces what emerged in various games esp. towards the end of last year when other teams couldn't stop him on O as he shut down their best players on D - and yet he was our 5th leading scorer! And the team had Clingan, and Newton and Spencer - any of those 4 would easily average 20+PPG (Steph 30+) on this year's team and elevate the team to top-10. Hurley did a great job of developing the players and coaching them AND that was one of the most talented college basketball teams of all-time.

A long winded (sorry rainy cold Sunday in NE) way of saying I'd obviously take Hurley over anyone else from the date UConn hired him. We can be critical of the decisions made this season without it being a referendum on Hurley overall and definitely not causing anyone to re-think what he's accomplished thus far at UConn or capable of doing with future teams.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Hans you have Sprung, in this case a leak in your cerebral cortex. All executive functioning has come to a screeching halt.

I'll consider the source.

 

[RuffRuff]

I'll consider the source.

We have a mutual level of appreciation. I do appreciate your jibberish. I envision it heavily jowled in person.

 

[jibsey]

Brea is not a point guard in any sense of the word. Have you watched him play? All he does is shoot 3s. His averages 1 AST and 0.4 TO a game.

Let me say it again: You would know this if you paid 11$ a month to Storrs Central. Solo was leaving if we took Brea. This isn't up for debate in the real world any more.

Let’s see the quote from Solo on Storrs Central. Brea was coming in as a backup guard and Solo had the starting job.

 

[husky429]

Let’s see the quote from Solo on Storrs Central. Brea was coming in as a backup guard and Solo had the starting job.

Alright buddy. You're just being purposefully obtuse at this point. You win. I give up

 

[CTBasketball]

Alright buddy. You're just being purposefully obtuse at this point. You win. I give up

Flip a coin on either of the two. What would’ve helped this team more is a defensive minded ballhawk who can guard 1-4.

 

[freescooter]

Couldn’t disagree more. The team’s biggest problem is that it’s not as talented as we want and need it to be.

But we are more talented than Seton Hall. And Dayton. And Colorado. And Villanova. And by a lot In most cases. Something is wrong and it has been obvious for some time. Seton Hall just showed it most clearly. I think it is coaching from misjudging talent to roster construction, to trying to run a system with players who can’t play it.

 

[superjohn]

But we are more talented than Seton Hall. And Dayton. And Colorado. And Villanova. And by a lot In most cases. Something is wrong and it has been obvious for some time. Seton Hall just showed it most clearly. I think it is coaching from misjudging talent to roster construction, to trying to run a system with players who can’t play it.

I think you're right.

 

[freescooter]

I think you're right.

John & I agree. Who knows what else is possible.

 

[Dogdeacon]

But we are more talented than Seton Hall. And Dayton. And Colorado. And Villanova. And by a lot In most cases. Something is wrong and it has been obvious for some time. Seton Hall just showed it most clearly. I think it is coaching from misjudging talent to roster construction, to trying to run a system with players who can’t play it.

And the most talented team doesn’t win every time. UConn has also beat teams that are more talented and by your flawed team supposition somehow UConn (coaching!?) defeated teams that aren’t suffering from the terribly flawed roster & system.

The roster and system are not perfect, but the team is still a likely ncaa tourney team.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

But we are more talented than Seton Hall. And Dayton. And Colorado. And Villanova. And by a lot In most cases. Something is wrong and it has been obvious for some time. Seton Hall just showed it most clearly. I think it is coaching from misjudging talent to roster construction, to trying to run a system with players who can’t play it.

 

[freescooter]

And the most talented team doesn’t win every time. UConn has also beat teams that are more talented and by your flawed team supposition somehow UConn (coaching!?) defeated teams that aren’t suffering from the terribly flawed roster & system.

The roster and system are not perfect, but the team is still a likely ncaa tourney team.

Oh stop. We have seen the same problems game after game. It wasn’t like last night was the first time we had trouble getting the ball in or getting stuck in the shot clock, or making the same Errors on defense. And who recruited the players?

 

[djct1999]

Anyone here who is blaming this staff should be ashamed. There isn’t a program in the country that wouldn’t pay everything for this groups of coaches. Just ask the Lakers and Kentucky. Come on. Sure, they missed on quite a few kids. It happens. They will reload.

 

[djct1999]

If Nowell is worse than AM we may need 3 guards in the portal.

Clearly he is right now.
Come next October, things can change.

 

[jibsey]

Anyone here who is blaming this staff should be ashamed. There isn’t a program in the country that wouldn’t pay everything for this groups of coaches. Just ask the Lakers and Kentucky. Come on. Sure, they missed on quite a few kids. It happens. They will reload.

With 2 nattys our coach and staff are bulletproof. Does anyone realize how difficult it is to do that? Just keep them together please.
Great classes being recruited and good transfers will come keeping UConn at or near the top of college hoops.

 

[Connecticut13]

Anyone here who is blaming this staff should be ashamed. There isn’t a program in the country that wouldn’t pay everything for this groups of coaches. Just ask the Lakers and Kentucky. Come on. Sure, they missed on quite a few kids. It happens. They will reload.

We can blame the staff, while still recognizing their value and supporting them. I want Hurley and staff to remain at UConn for the next decade plus. But I also think they’ve had a rough season - with the seton hall game being the icing on the cake. We can acknowledge the obvious, which is that game was poorly coached. And the roster construction and player development this year has been head scratching.

I have no doubt Hurley and co. will figure it out. My only concern is that it might not be figured out until next season at this point.