Hurley Pre Game Press Providence

[microfich]

Oh the internet gives everyone a free microphone to the world. First to grab it are cowards . Don't let them spoil your day.

 

[BGesus4]

Until he offers me a personal apology for not winning every game I’m rooting for Rick Pitino instead

 

[dennismenace]

Hurley did not like that question about encouraging guys to be playmakers more (paraphrasing).

Disappointed none of the reporters asked him about Ross given his last pre game comments. Just to come back and do something similar with Aiden.

 

[RuffRuff]

Watching a bit of Purdue game and seeing Braden Smith put up 23 points, is 6 ft tall and not particularly athletic. Looking at Aiden, would seem he could be Braden Smith-esk, but has not been. Braden brings ball up court and takes a bit of time, not particularly fast. Difference looks like he is attack mode (so have to guard him) and looks to shoot and will shoot off picks (36% 3 point shooter). Also, Purdue looks like they cut harder and cleaner (give passing angles) better than UConn players. On defense, bigs for Purdue help challenge drives so individual Purdue guards (Smith in particular) don't get beat so cleanly on drives.

Maybe I'm underestimating how good Braden is but sure seems like Aiden should be closer to at least a Braden "lite" than the confused looking player he has been.

Need to get Aiden useful. Seems like he turns ball over all the time yet has better than 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and 32% 3 point shooting isn't good enough but within few points of Karaban and Liam, if Aiden makes his next 3 three pointers his shooting % will be better than both of them.

Like the idea of giving Hassan some rest, see trying Nowell as good idea, but need to get Aiden to contribute. Maybe play him through a few f/u's and tell him to hunt his shot and drive (actually like how he drives, not so much how he finishes).

Saw about 10 minutes of that one at the point UCLA unraveled down the stretch. Smith is a player, plays with confidence and really great court awareness, nice handle for his stature. Kid came out of no where for an offensive rebound loose ball, drives to rim and wings it out to an open 3 point shooter. He does so many of those little things you want for a smart headsy player with really good court awareness. You’re right in those are the kind of things Mahaney needed to exhibit because he wasn’t going to make a mark with his athleticism.

Smith plays with pace - there is energy streaming off that kid when the ball is in his hand and you feel him ready to do something. Mahaney plays with no pace or urgency, he’s methodical. It’s hard to tell if that was woven into him at StM or just a him thing.

 

[HuskyFich]

Feels like some on this board are infected with HDS.

 

[Dooch]

As always, Dan Hurley seems incapable of explaining his actions in anything resembling coherency. To the extent that any two consecutive sentences do make sense, they merely echo platitudes expressed on this forum. More often they make no sense, as when he was asked if he has considered starting Reed over Johnson. His response was pure babble.

I believe you mistook this forum for the Providence forums...

 

[305Husk]

As always, Dan Hurley seems incapable of explaining his actions in anything resembling coherency. To the extent that any two consecutive sentences do make sense, they merely echo platitudes expressed on this forum. More often they make no sense, as when he was asked if he has considered starting Reed over Johnson. His response was pure babble.

Guess it's time for a new coach

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

It’s so easy to win B2B titles without a single game within 12 points that no one’s done it in forever. Weird how that works!

I said what I said man. This was the year to show he could do it without a roster head and shoulders better than everyone else. Maybe we’ll bounce back next year.

 

[Gurleyman]

One could argue you have that backwards. Who literally says they are “the best coach in the country” and then throws this stink pot out there??? THIS is the year that should show his coaching prowess, not last year when he had a generational team w 4 NBA players on it. Why is that so hard for people to grasp and admit?

What made it a generational team? I mean, Newton and Spencer are the fringiest of fringe NBA players - a couple games so far between them on their two ways, and their future is probably in Europe. And the other 2 missed good chunks of the season last year. Clingan overachieved many people’s projections coming in by a mile … and Castle was a role player when he came back from injury. It definitely wasn’t some sort of a generational team based on raw talent. The Arkansas team we beat by 50 probably had more. Or look at our past teams. The 2005 team had five first round picks: Gay, Williams, Boone, Armstrong, and Villanueva (and Denham Brown (who was drafted in the second round). Lost in the second round. The 2012 flameout team had Napier, Lamb, Drummond and Oriakhi (who was drafted in the second round). The 2009 Final Four team had Price, Kemba, Thabeet, Adrien and Robinson (who was drafted in the second round) - and an injured Dyson. NBA players don’t make a team generational.

This year the same things (injuries to key players) that we were able to overcome set us back. McNeeley’s injury hit at a bad time when we were starting to have it come together with him as the lead dog. Castle could ease his way in last year in a way McNeeley can’t and other than the one Creighton explosion, he has been off his game. And the combination of Diarra’s knees, Mahaney not working out, and Nowell’s injuries/lack of impact has left us with a big problem (especially next to a shooting guard without PG skills). Same problem that caused the 2005 and 2006 teams to underachieve (not enough guard play).

Some years it just doesn’t come together the way you hope and there’s no trading deadline to fix it - but we’ll see what happens this month.

 

[superjohn]

What made it a generational team? I mean, Newton and Spencer are the fringiest of fringe NBA players - a couple games so far between them on their two ways, and their future is probably in Europe. And the other 2 missed good chunks of the season last year. Clingan overachieved many people’s projections coming in by a mile … and Castle was a role player when he came back from injury. It definitely wasn’t some sort of a generational team based on raw talent. The Arkansas team we beat by 50 probably had more. Or look at our past teams. The 2005 team had five first round picks: Gay, Williams, Boone, Armstrong, and Villanueva (and Denham Brown (who was drafted in the second round). Lost in the second round. The 2012 flameout team had Napier, Lamb, Drummond and Oriakhi (who was drafted in the second round). The 2009 Final Four team had Price, Kemba, Thabeet, Adrien and Robinson (who was drafted in the second round) - and an injured Dyson. NBA players don’t make a team generational.

This year the same things (injuries to key players) that we were able to overcome set us back. McNeeley’s injury hit at a bad time when we were starting to have it come together with him as the lead dog. Castle could ease his way in last year in a way McNeeley can’t and other than the one Creighton explosion, he has been off his game. And the combination of Diarra’s knees, Mahaney not working out, and Nowell’s injuries/lack of impact has left us with a big problem (especially next to a shooting guard without PG skills). Same problem that caused the 2005 and 2006 teams to underachieve (not enough guard play).

Some years it just doesn’t come together the way you hope and there’s no trading deadline to fix it - but we’ll see what happens this month.

It's pretty wild that some posters aren't giving Hurley credit for the most dominant back to back championships of our lifetime. We had great players, every team that wins it has talent but he wasn't taking all-star teams and just rolling the ball out there and there were other teams with immense talent. That Arkansas team we curb stomped in the '23 tournament had 4 NBA guys on it. Kansas started Gradey D 1ck and Jalen Wilson on the wing. Duke had Lively, Filipowski, and Whitehead. UCLA had 4 NBA guys headlined by Jamie Jacquez. Kentucky had 5 fringy NBA players. Baylor was loaded. Houston had Marcus Sasser, Jamal Shead, Jarace Walker.

 

[Mr. French]

People say it was a generational team because it ended up being that, with Hurley coaching.

Somehow, now the last 2 teams were just so dang talented and above everyone else that Hurley just rolled the ball out. Now without all of his 5*s and lotto picks he can't coach and he's embarrassing us.

Makes sense to me!

 

[Gurleyman]

People say it was a generational team because it ended up being that, with Hurley coaching.

Somehow, now the last 2 teams were just so dang talented and above everyone else that Hurley just rolled the ball out. Now without all of his 5*s and lotto picks he can't coach and he's embarrassing us.

Makes sense to me!

lol. But going to have to correct you on your grammar. It’s 5* - ie singular. We only had one.

And when we got to the final four, the other team’s game plan was to not even bother guarding him. Not like he carried us to the title.

 

[Mr. French]

lol. But going to have to correct you on your grammar. It’s 5* - ie singular. We only had one.

And when we got to the final four, the other team’s game plan was to not even bother guarding him. Not like he carried us to the title.

Is this serious? My post was sarcasm. I know he only had 1 5 star and that talented 5 star didn't carry us. That's MY point.

 

[Scoe]

What can I say fire Hurley since he won’t 3 peat right @uconngb and @HuskyWarrior611.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

What can I say fire Hurley since he won’t 3 peat right @uconngb and @HuskyWarrior611.

Nope. There’s no coach I’d rather have. He just has flaws but they’re very fixable.

The basis for being a great coach is collecting great talent and there’s nobody in the country better at it than Hurley. Hes also the best culture builder and motivator.

 

[Banta55]

I mean, yeah this is pretty true.

It’s pretty easy to coach when you have the best roster in the country to start the year 2 years in a row.

This was a time where kids needed to develop throughout the year to get to where we needed. And it hasn’t gone very well.

He’s been coaching like we had a roster that was ready to win it at the start of the year instead of a roster that needed to grow to win it.

Are you serious, or have you been drinking?

 

[RuffRuff]

Are you serious, or have you been drinking?

Dude has a serious indulgence in long term development, which doesn’t pair up well with the winning marketplace in today’s college landscape. It’s as though you should stay committed to your underdeveloped C- HS project recruit when there are ready to go available player upgrades in the portal, that of which every other top coach will be grabbing to do the same. I get the pride in developing your own and winning with it, but when it’s obvious after 2 years a player doesn’t have it, upgrade or get left behind.

The beauty of the portal is that you can fix mistakes.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Dude has a serious indulgence in long term development, which doesn’t pair up well with the winning marketplace in today’s college landscape. It’s as though you should stay committed to your underdeveloped C- HS project recruit when there are ready to go available player upgrades in the portal, that of which every other top coach will be grabbing to do the same. I get the pride in developing your own and winning with it, but when it’s obvious after 2 years a player doesn’t have it, upgrade or get left behind.

The beauty of the portal is that you can fix mistakes.

You should go root for Kansas thinking like that.

They get the best portal players every year and pay big bags to do it. You’ll be happy to have your pick of the litter

 

[Scoe]

Dude has a serious indulgence in long term development, which doesn’t pair up well with the winning marketplace in today’s college landscape. It’s as though you should stay committed to your underdeveloped C- HS project recruit when there are ready to go available player upgrades in the portal, that of which every other top coach will be grabbing to do the same. I get the pride in developing your own and winning with it, but when it’s obvious after 2 years a player doesn’t have it, upgrade or get left behind.

The beauty of the portal is that you can fix mistakes.

So Tarris Reed was a bad transfer? Sorry he’s not Clingan.

 

[RuffRuff]

So Tarris Reed wasn’t an upgrade, sorry he’s not Clingan.

Clingan left for the draft and was a lottery pick. Not an upgrade situation, was a get best player available to fill the hole.

An upgrade was a TNewt at PG, moving off a home grown that wasn’t working.

 

[RuffRuff]

You should go root for Kansas thinking like that.

They get the best portal players every year and pay big bags to do it. You’ll be happy to have your pick of the litter

Or Bama, Auburn, Florida, Tenn, StJ, list goes on. For every Kansas there are 10 teams doing it to win.

Self will also figure out it’s not worth getting another high D1s broken goods and stick to up coming mid majors. He just hasn’t yet.

Like I said you can always jump on with Shaka and Painter to watch their undermanned teams flame out early in the dance. The reality is they’ll catch on at some point too, or get left behind.

 

[Scoe]

Nope. There’s no coach I’d rather have. He just has flaws but they’re very fixable.

The basis for being a great coach is collecting great talent and there’s nobody in the country better at it than Hurley. Hes also the best culture builder and motivator.

Ok thats fair, the Mahaney move was a huge miss. I just watched the 2023 tournament game VCU vs St Mary’s and Mahaney was over matched in that game, even picked up a 10 second violation had trouble bringing the ball up the court, in fact he was benched the rest of the game after he picked up his 4th foul.

 

[superjohn]

You should go root for Kansas thinking like that.

They get the best portal players every year and pay big bags to do it. You’ll be happy to have your pick of the litter

Or he could root for Auburn, Duke, Florida, Houston, Tennessee, Alabama, St. John's, Iowa State, Texas Tech etc.

 

[Scoe]

Clingan left for the draft and was a lottery pick. Not an upgrade situation, was a get best player available to fill the hole.

An upgrade was a TNewt at PG, moving off a home grown that wasn’t working.

I had the wrong wording there, fixed it.

 

[RuffRuff]

Ok thats fair, the Mahaney move was a huge miss. I just watched the 2023 tournament game VCU vs St Mary’s and Mahaney was over matched in that game, even picked up a 10 second violation had trouble bringing the ball up the court, in fact he was benched the rest of the game after he picked up his 4th foul.

Yeah similar to Grand Canyon the following who was really athletic. He was turnstiled all game. A really really bad miss and really the first this staff has made this bad. They’ll learn. Would love it if we got more color around their thought process there at some point because wildly perplexing.