Hurley Postgame

[uconngb]

We changed a little over a month ago. Teams are always evolving and making adjustments. Not revamping the whole system. We smacked them a month ago. You think Shaka was showing up with the exact same gameplan. This must be like XMas morning to you.

Lolololol

 

[UConnSwag11]

Speaking of ill timed quotes.

I guess everyone was out celebrating Thursday night after the game, FS1 did a brief interview with Hurley that I thought would produce its own thread.

He actually, in praising Ed Cooley, told a national television audience he made Providence the best team in New England and " we are trying to get to where they are". He then finished by saying what a downtrodden program we were when he took over.

Now, why on earth would you even contemplate saying that to the cameras, even if you truly believed it. Are you greasing the skid for another post season nosedive? Auditioning to be Ed's bench coach if you flame out here?

Why?

Wow. Didn’t hear that one. Besides this one, the one that stands out to me is him saying we’re not made for the Big East

 

[UConnSwag11]

What’d he say about Hawkins? I am genuinely unaware

Same

 

[UCfor3]

It would have been a better move if we executed it like we did earlier in the year when we utilized it. It's a given for me that Donovan, Hawk and Andre can lose their composure if things aren't going right for them. But to see that in Triston, Joey, Adama and Alex was unusual. I can understand it because the stakes are high the pressure to win is greater. And it's compounded because these kids felt last season was a disappointment. They didn't want to repeat it. The only player that seemed not to be affected by the moment was Alleyne. Which is why I agree to some small extent in having him in for Jordan at the end of this game. But there's no way of knowing if that would have worked out better.

I wanted Alleyne in but over Joey instead of Hawk. Alleyne has been good at both ends of the floor for a while now. My wife and I were both surprised DH went Joey over Naheim. In my opinion, it's just not great practice to have Hawk, your best offensive player, on the bench at crunchtime regardless of his struggles. It shows a lack of confidence in him and the last thing you want is to mess with a kids confidence going into the tourney. Hawk also attracts a lot of attention and focus of the opponents D which could free other stuff up theoretically but what do I know. Takes a lot of guts to do it for sure. If it doesn't work out, it will be red meat at the presser. Coaches that have the guts to do that usually have serious resumes.

 

[DW1361]

I liken Hurley to a fine cheese that hasn’t aged enough. The narrative likely would have been different if a foul was called when Karaban was bumped under the basket causing him to lose the ball out of bounds. If the right call was made there Hurley would have never made such a dumb comment.

 

[alleyoops55]

No weirder than the man himself

Haha WELCOME BACK!!! Where ya been the last month ya Hurley hater?! Still giving us nothing of substance I see…

 

[CaptainRon]

That’s a mind boggling quote

Um, how much time did Marquette get to prepare? Weeks? Months?

 

[uchusky32]

AJ didn't play much. They ran what they wanted.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

These are pretty lame quotes and while acknowledging that it's probably also fair to concede Hurley isn't exactly masterful in dealing with the media and public speaking.

A sweet 16 run cures many ills. Going to be a long off-season if they come up short.

 

[ctchamps]

I wanted Alleyne in but over Joey instead of Hawk. Alleyne has been good at both ends of the floor for a while now. My wife and I were both surprised DH went Joey over Naheim. In my opinion, it's just not great practice to have Hawk, your best offensive player, on the bench at crunchtime regardless of his struggles. It shows a lack of confidence in him and the last thing you want is to mess with a kids confidence going into the tourney. Hawk also attracts a lot of attention and focus of the opponents D which could free other stuff up theoretically but what do I know. Takes a lot of guts to do it for sure. If it doesn't work out, it will be red meat at the presser. Coaches that have the guts to do that usually have serious resumes.

Good points. I thought about it as I was typing. Taking out the best 3 point option is not where I normally would go but Hawk has been in a slump for a while now and he gets down on himself too much for me to believe he can be clutch in that situation. In the Providence game at the end of the half where he fouled the player you could see how visibly upset he was. Then he lost his dribble resulting in that half court violation and he was inconsolable. Joey is streaky which arguably could be the result of a mental block but this kid seems to be able to dismiss self failure so I leaned towards him.

But the point you make about not having Hawk in the game for that last shot impacting a player with poor self confidence is spot on. The kid by all accounts is a great kid and the last thing you want to do is mess someone up for an unknown. Unfortunately Hawk was the one who took that last shot and the result probably will impact him more than if he was not in during that moment. And that's the dilemma for a coach who has to make the call in these situations.

 

[UofCT]

The cold hard fact is we now have 2 wins and 11 losses in games decided by 4 points or less over the last two seasons - including 6 losses in a row.

Whatever Hurley is doing at the end of games isn't working. Begging the question, how can we reverse this painful pattern?

What about over the last 6 seasons?

 

[JustbrewitMan]

The cold hard fact is we now have 2 wins and 11 losses in games decided by 4 points or less over the last two seasons - including 6 losses in a row.

Whatever Hurley is doing at the end of games isn't working. Begging the question, how can we reverse this painful pattern?

What’s your answer? I know you have one. Enlighten us…

 

[Frank06830]

He’s not the best at a lot of things.

Shaka is a better coach. Period.

 

[jdb50]

Listening to postgame interviews on the radio Luke Murray and Kimani Young are much better describing things and don't make arrogant statements like that no time for preparation line. I was floored when I heard that last night. Smart went right to the" MSG is our house" line after the game.

 

[Frank06830]

Great motivator. Great recruiter. Not a rocket scientist.

Yep, meanwhile Shaka was a Magnum Cum Laude from Kenyon after turning down Harvard

 

[UCfor3]

Good points. I thought about it as I was typing. Taking out the best 3 point option is not where I normally would go but Hawk has been in a slump for a while now and he gets down on himself too much for me to believe he can be clutch in that situation. In the Providence game at the end of the half where he fouled the player you could see how visibly upset he was. Then he lost his dribble resulting in that half court violation and he was inconsolable. Joey is streaky which arguably could be the result of a mental block but this kid seems to be able to dismiss self failure so I leaned towards him.

But the point you make about not having Hawk in the game for that last shot impacting a player with poor self confidence is spot on. The kid by all accounts is a great kid and the last thing you want to do is mess someone up for an unknown. Unfortunately Hawk was the one who took that last shot and the result probably will impact him more than if he was not in during that moment. And that's the dilemma for a coach who has to make the call in these situations.

Sure is. They have to deal with nitwits like us 2nd guessing him. Lol. I remember Hawk really being affected by his turnover in the Auburn game last year. Yeah, it was his first game or one of them, but he was really down after even though we won. He wants to play well so bad. You just hope that pressing doesn't become a thing. We all will be watching his first 3 in the tourney hoping he buries it(not off the glass). Would probably do wonders. Some people are like DBs or closers. Shake it off. Others it hits a little harder.

 

[FatElvis]

What’s your answer? I know you have one. Enlighten us…

You give me too much credit because I have no idea, JustbrewitMan. All I know is we look and play scared at the end of close games and have the record to prove it.

I will say not taking a timeout last night made no sense to me. Easy to say now but they've been doing much better with set plays lately so why not draw something up there?

 

[Frank06830]

Compare and contrast Hurley Post vs Smart’s Post Game to learn what happened. Another disappointing loss where a winnable game was lost to a better coach. Look at Shaka’s comment to learn and grow.



Some key points

• Putting Prosper on Hawkins was the key. We can not win if Hawkins hits 5 3’s
• Defensive stops. Emphasized defensive stops. His ability to get heightneed and prolonged defensive intensity is amazing IMHO.” All about the defense “
• coming into the game bothered by We own the Garden” quote as a #1 seed coming. Used it to get his players up and defiant. They did By shutting down the guards..Hawkins,Newton.

But irregardless of all this a 2 point win would not have happened , Joplin hadn’t had a career night, Ben Gordon incarnate. 17 points, 4-5 from the 3.
Joplin has not had a double digit scoring game since January 28TH!!!!

Look at Shaka’s post game. Revelations you did not get from Harley’s BS






.

 

[JMick]

What’d he say about Hawkins? I am genuinely unaware

It was a really weird quote from Monday. He was asked something about Hawkins and the step he's taken from last year and Hurley blurted out that he was only playing Hawkins early in the season last year so he wouldn't transfer.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Hard disagree.

There was never any point in bringing up the dumpster fire and there certainly isn't any reason to do it anymore, it's year 5. Most new coaches are taking over a mess, it's why the previous guy got fired...

Xavier wasn't NCAA tournament eligible for the previous 4 seasons and now they're playing for the Big East championship and a NCAA 3 seed in year 1 under Sean Miller if he wins tonight. I haven't heard him make any excuses and he has a built in one with no Zach Freemantle. Shaka is in year 2 and won the Big East outright, playing for a Big East tournament championship tonight, locked up a 2 seed and they were picked to finish 9th in the Big East this season.

Also, UConn isn't a stepping stone program.

This is right on. There is no excuse in year 5 for mentioning the prior regime. Also, he‘s had some pretty good players even last year, with Whaley, Martin and Cole. Those new hire examples show what can be doing ne. Marquette’s roster isn’t littered with 5 stars. They’re just players. Kolek came from George Mason.

That said, it’s time to buckle up and ride. Focus on the present not the past. Keep guys in the moment. They have an opportunity to re-establish UConn in the spotlight.

Git ‘er done.

 

[freescooter]

Speaking of ill timed quotes.

I guess everyone was out celebrating Thursday night after the game, FS1 did a brief interview with Hurley that I thought would produce its own thread.

He actually, in praising Ed Cooley, told a national television audience he made Providence the best team in New England and " we are trying to get to where they are". He then finished by saying what a downtrodden program we were when he took over.

Now, why on earth would you even contemplate saying that to the cameras, even if you truly believed it. Are you greasing the skid for another post season nosedive? Auditioning to be Ed's bench coach if you flame out here?

Why?

Looking to get the PC job when Cooley goes to Georgetown I assume.

 

[QDOG5]

Did you not watch the game the last time we played them? AJax held him to like one shot.

Kolek had 17 and 4 when we beat them and 17 and 6 last night. imo, there are better ways to deploy AJax defensively.

 

[dennismenace]

He’s done a really excellent job rebuilding a dumpster fire and he is not a “bad coach”. He is just not an elite level coach this can get the extra something special out of his teams. He doesn’t perform well as the stakes go up and it’s a well established pattern. In year 5 you are getting what you’re going to get… talented teams that are very competitive but can’t take the next step. Perhaps in a year where we are super loaded, the talent overcomes the coach’s limitations. Hurley should really hire JC for a few months and go through the season, examine every decision and learn from a master.

The AD should sit down with all the coaches on this team together and review the decision and arrive at a list of recommendations from each coach. I'm pretty sure that if everyone is allowed to be honest for the overall benefit of the team and players individually there would be plenty of robust commentary. I think we have a pretty awesome bench of coaches. It would be fascinating to hear a round table discussion.

It always seems to come down to decisions and failing to learn from mistakes or what is not working.
Lack of flexibility due to "systematic approach." This failure to adjust is what the opponent coaches are feeding on. They see what we (team) do and find ways to overcome it with strategy. We are too slow in changing or refusing to recognize this and don't change at all. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting the outcome to be different.

Chance isn't painful; it's resistance to change that's painful. Every son has to become his own man at some point. The answer isn't JC or Senior Hurley. It's working with that brain trust of coaches and being open minded.

 

[Richmondhsky]

He’s done a really excellent job rebuilding a dumpster fire and he is not a “bad coach”. He is just not an elite level coach this can get the extra something special out of his teams. He doesn’t perform well as the stakes go up and it’s a well established pattern. In year 5 you are getting what you’re going to get… talented teams that are very competitive but can’t take the next step. Perhaps in a year where we are super loaded, the talent overcomes the coach’s limitations. Hurley should really hire JC for a few months and go through the season, examine every decision and learn from a master.

Delusional!

You all were the same people tearing JC up for not having a true offense etc. The difference was and is JC didn’t give a rats ass what you nor the media thought. Examine every decision? Did the CEO of your company act as introspective as you suggest and hang out with his or her predecessor?

 

[dennismenace]

Looking to get the PC job when Cooley goes to Georgetown I assume.

Speaking of ill timed quotes.

I guess everyone was out celebrating Thursday night after the game, FS1 did a brief interview with Hurley that I thought would produce its own thread.

He actually, in praising Ed Cooley, told a national television audience he made Providence the best team in New England and " we are trying to get to where they are". He then finished by saying what a downtrodden program we were when he took over.

Now, why on earth would you even contemplate saying that to the cameras, even if you truly believed it. Are you greasing the skid for another post season nosedive? Auditioning to be Ed's bench coach if you flame out here?

Why?

Thanks for your post; his comments speak volumes.