Hurley Presser

[jibsey]

But they have that every year and are not this good. He makes everyone around him level up. He clearly is a generational player and we are trying to accomplish something that is more like a once every other generation accomplishment. To me it just felt that should have been the closer and it was not.

Look at all the other teams look at Rutgers, Kansas, Arkansas even Kentucky with their googles of 5 stars but they are beatable. Dook and Auburn are the class of CBB and we all kind of knew Dook was going to ride this kid to places they have not gotten to recently. Hence the anger and frustration.

I really think Liam may be the 2nd or 3rd best freshman in the country but generational is generational and he makes everyone better much better. So kind of to your post Flagg is making higher skill set players all better. And I am over the 5 stars high school kids. Give me a real good junior portal player over most 5 stars.

Hurley has done it without loads of 5 stars granted but Duke has tipped the scale so much with them that even without Flagg they could be a top 20 team this year. We lose our one 5 star Liam and we are struggling.
Hurley also has us as one of the top offenses in the country but the defense has been the bugaboo. Don’t know if he can fix that. Calhoun was able to get that defense out of lesser players, they played with the intensity of junkyard dogs.

 

[WiseWillie]

Yea, using the portal is proving to not be as "can't miss" as people would think.

Every season has had some "sure fire hits" turn into absolute busts and wastes of NIL money.

Let's be honest, Hunter Dickinson has been a huge disappointment for Kansas x 2 seasons now (for what he should have brought to that team).

Timberlake was a big bust.

Coleman Hawkins has been one of the biggest wastes of NIL money in the history of NIL so far.

Oumar Ballo has put up some good stats but has brought apathy and poor attitude to Indiana.

It would be more than interesting for a deep dive on the results of the transfers from the portal at least for the top 25 teams as to productivity, etc. I bet the success rate is a lot less than people realize. Why? Well, there's several reasons but one main one is they just weren't good enough in the scheme of things at the Div I level to get the playing time they thought they should have. And why? Because they maybe just don't have the talent that they were recruited for? Of course, there's always exceptions, like Cam for one, but is he the rarity or the norm? I'd say the rarity. So the portal may not be the best place to look for answers.

 

[Foamdome]

Its just so not fair to say these defensive problems are will, hunger, and softness issues that other teams didn’t have when the other team had the best rim protector this decade.

Guys from last year’s team did not look like great defenders when Clingan was out. Cam Spencer especially got abused on drives (and it wasn’t a “want to thing” because the effort was there)

Watch Solo Ball for a few possessions on defense you'll totally see the difference in "want to" between him and Cam. The guy just accepts screens without even trying to fight over under or through. He just watches the ball in the air instead of boxing out or getting in better rebounding position. Those are the 'want to" plays Ball doesn't make and Cam always did. Ball is the guy Hurley was referring to as too nice and soft without a doubt.

 

[Get a Job]

It would be more than interesting for a deep dive on the results of the transfers from the portal at least for the top 25 teams as to productivity, etc. I bet the success rate is a lot less than people realize. Why? Well, there's several reasons but one main one is they just weren't good enough in the scheme of things at the Div I level to get the playing time they thought they should have. And why? Because they maybe just don't have the talent that they were recruited for? Of course, there's always exceptions, like Cam for one, but is he the rarity or the norm? I'd say the rarity. So the portal may not be the best place to look for answers.

The transfers that UConn basketball considers are not ones that are leaving their teams due to lack of playing time. The football team is a different story.

 

[Excalibur]

Flagg is unreal but what is forgotten is the talent level around him. Let’s count the 5 stars. Even without good coaching with that much talent they will be good.
How good? Picture adding 3 or 4 more Liam level players to our roster and what it would do.

You're overrating the rest of the roster. They're pretty good, and Flagg is a huge difference maker.

 

[husky429]

Ive been saying it all season. A pack line style defense would be perfect for this team.

Going to a packline entirely changes the way we play. Force middle vs force baseline. Complately different rotations. IMO it makes much more sense to add in a zone than it does to rebuild our man defense from the group up.

 

[JB75]

If McNeeley didn't get hurt we would be 15-3, we would be talking about how we haven't lost on the mainland, we would be talking about how great Hass has been, and we would be talking about going 18-3 before our huge top 10 matchup against Marquette.

^^^^^^This. Spot on.

 

[RuffRuff]

You're overrating the rest of the roster. They're pretty good, and Flagg is a huge difference maker.

2 transfers that were arguably best players on their teams last year too, along with a 6 man off an NC team. These guys are all men, not boys, which offsets the youth. Starting to think when Hurley goes portal he needs to find old guys that bring that senior toughness, not developmentals. Development is great and all, but reality is that they all don’t develop into what you want, so go get a couple iron clad older mercenaries you can plug in.

 

[superjohn]

2 transfers that were arguably best players on their teams last year too, along with a 6 man off an NC team. These guys are all men, not boys, which offsets the youth. Starting to think when Hurley goes portal he needs to find old guys that bring that senior toughness, not developmentals. Development is great and all, but reality is that they all don’t develop into what you want, so go get a couple iron clad older mercenaries you can plug in.

Who? Are you talking about Sion James who averaged 14 ppg for a horrendous Tulane team who finished 14-17 and 5-13 in the AAC and who is now averaging 7.5 ppg for Duke? Are you taking about Maliq Brown who averaged 9.5 ppg for a weak Syracuse team and is now averaging 2.5 ppg for Duke?

 

[RuffRuff]

Who? Are you talking about Sion James who averaged 14 ppg for a horrendous Tulane team who finished 14-17 and 5-13 in the AAC and who is now averaging 7.5 ppg for Duke? Are you taking about Maliq Brown who averaged 9.5 ppg for a weak Syracuse team and is now averaging 2.5 ppg for Duke?

Brown is a GREAT versatile defender. He is one of the few guys I’ve seen play Broome really well, and can play 2-5 defensively. Problem is he’s been banged up but was a 20-25 minute guy. Not sure you’ve noticed but our defense is abysmal, and not sure if you recall how well having strong defensive guys like Jackson and Castle helps, despite their offensive challenges at times.

Sion is a 5th year guy built like a war tank and starting.

No one said you need to go find centerpieces in the portal buddy, you need roster and makeup balance and pieces to play matchups. I’ve come to realize you enjoy the devils advocacy with or without merit.

 

[superjohn]

Brown is a GREAT versatile defender. He is one of the few guys I’ve seen play Broome really well, and can play 2-5 defensively. Problem is he’s been banged up but was a 20-25 minute guy. Not sure you’ve noticed but our defense is abysmal, and not sure if you recall how well having strong defensive guys like Jackson and Castle helps, despite their offensive challenges at times.

Sion is a 5th year guy built like a war tank and starting.

No one said you need to go find centerpieces in the portal buddy, you need roster and makeup balance and pieces to play matchups. I’ve come to realize you enjoy the devils advocacy with or without merit.

I've come to realize your obsession with everything Duke leads you to hyperbolic bloviating when it comes to them...

Sion James and Maliq Brown who kill men by the hundreds and if they were here they would consume their opponents with fireballs from their eyes and bolts of lightning from their arses.

 

[Sphinx]

Besides Newton he's had a bit of blind spot filling the PG position. Hass doing better than I thought he would but he doesn't have a complete game and too much is on his shoulders.at

The blind spot in filling the PG position remains a problem for next year, because as things now stand, it's Mahaney and Nowell. If we cannot find a true, experienced PG in the portal, we are in trouble.

 

[RuffRuff]

I've come to realize your obsession with everything Duke leads you to hyperbolic bloviating when it comes to them...

Sion James and Maliq Brown who kill men by the hundreds and if they were here they would consume their opponents with fireballs from their eyes and bolts of lightning from their arses.

The irony is that I have no obsession with them - I have an awareness for them as a fan of the sport (tune into a podcast, I'm not alone), and a curiousity to how their unique roster makeup will work. This feels a lot more like your obsession with what you perceive as an obsession and some oddball anti-Duke thing you have going on. Go back to the fiddle.

 

[MrJoe]

UConn is a good team not a great team …. But good teams can make the elite 8 and then see what happens ( matchup and do they up their play ) . This is what normally happens with good teams most years . What isn’t said enough nationally is HOW MUCH Liam is missed. We all love Alex but Liam is our best player and his presence on the court makes every one else more effective . If he can come back we should win every home game and road games except for Marquette , Creighton and St. John’s . We can compete in those .

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Going to a packline entirely changes the way we play. Force middle vs force baseline. Complately different rotations. IMO it makes much more sense to add in a zone than it does to rebuild our man defense from the group up.

I guess I agree, but dont know what zone look he would even roll with. He has shown some Beilein style 1-3-1 past yrs, but hiding Hass on the bottom isnt ideal and it will exhaust him more, and our wings arent especially suited to cause problems in it (other than ross). I'd love to see a matchup 2-3 or 1-2-2 which would act as that pack line defense and stop the turnstile layups and ISOs, but i dont know if we have enough bball IQ to run it right. His DNA is attacking on defense, so that 1-3-1 he can at least pressure the ball in theory.

Tired of death by ISO

 

[husky429]

Need to change the offense. Go to throwing it into Reed and let him go to work. Surround him with shooters. Hurley has to change the offense to fit this team for this year due to lack of talent.

Hurley also needs to not have Diarra throwing acrobatic layups and three pointers. That’s not his game. Nowell should be in before Mahaney to relieve Diarra. Hurley also can’t have Karaban be option 1 or 2 on offense. When McNeeley is in he’s option 1 and Solo is option 2. After that it’s whoever’s open.

But the offense can still score as of now. Our defense needs to really get better bc I’m not sure if we’ll be able to go bucket for bucket with teams this hear. The defense is terrible and I think it’s a combo of three things - IQ, effort/toughness, and being flat-footed/standing straight up.

We have the #8 offense in the country. I'm sure we could tweak it, but I don't think that's the end we need to worry about at all.

 

[husky429]

I guess I agree, but dont know what zone look he would even roll with. He has shown some Beilein style 1-3-1 past yrs, but hiding Hass on the bottom isnt ideal and it will exhaust him more, and our wings arent especially suited to cause problems in it (other than ross). I'd love to see a matchup 2-3 or 1-2-2 which would act as that pack line defense and stop the turnstile layups and ISOs, but i dont know if we have enough bball IQ to run it right. His DNA is attacking on defense, so that 1-3-1 he can at least pressure the ball in theory.

Tired of death by ISO

Yeah if we're running a zone the 2-3 or 1-2-2 wouldn't be the worst. The problem, of course, is that both (especially 2-3) are vulnerable to shooters. And Hurley is neurotic about limiting 3s.

If we were to use that token 1-3-1 again, I'm put Ross on the baseline. Let him run like the little hamster he is.

 

[RuffRuff]

Yeah if we're running a zone the 2-3 or 1-2-2 wouldn't be the worst. The problem, of course, is that both (especially 2-3) are vulnerable to shooters. And Hurley is neurotic about limiting 3s.

If we were to use that token 1-3-1 again, I'm put Ross on the baseline. Let him run like the little hamster he is.

I am waiting for him to pull something. Our defensive KenPom keeps tanking, and alarmingly fast (8 spots to 132 after yesterday). We're in late Jan, he knows it's not working. This team isn't going to have a hallelujah on defense and Liam is not the missing link to give us a makeover on that end.

 

[Connecticut13]

I've come to realize your obsession with everything Duke leads you to hyperbolic bloviating when it comes to them...

Sion James and Maliq Brown who kill men by the hundreds and if they were here they would consume their opponents with fireballs from their eyes and bolts of lightning from their arses.

I hate Duke as much as anybody -- but Sion James would've fit really well on our team. That's a great example of somebody we should've targeted in the portal.

 

[Husky68]

Going to a packline entirely changes the way we play. Force middle vs force baseline. Complately different rotations. IMO it makes much more sense to add in a zone than it does to rebuild our man defense from the group up.

At this level wouldn't it be good to be able to change focus/scheme of defense at various times in game? Purdue chased off 3 point line. High hedge some times, other times not. Good coaches and players, should be able to teach and execute various defenses. Ross/Stewart in vs. Mahaney/Nowell and Samson Johnson/Reed could allow few minutes of different focus on defense.

 

[Matias]

This season was always going to be a grind with good wins and head scratching losses.

Seems like instead we are getting good losses and head scratching wins.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The irony is that I have no obsession with them - I have an awareness for them as a fan of the sport (tune into a podcast, I'm not alone), and a curiousity to how their unique roster makeup will work. This feels a lot more like your obsession with what you perceive as an obsession and some oddball anti-Duke thing you have going on. Go back to the fiddle.

What is unique about Duke’s roster makeup besides having arguably the best freshman prospect in 20 years? They have a roster of uber talented young players balanced out by veteran tough guys. It’s a good approach. Every coach in America would feel a lot better about their squad with a Cooper Flagg on it. Scheyer didn’t crack some secret code here.

 

[cp176]

Going to a packline entirely changes the way we play. Force middle vs force baseline. Complately different rotations. IMO it makes much more sense to add in a zone than it does to rebuild our man defense from the group up.

Any well run man to man has to have a philosophy. I’m sure that we have one but quite honestly it is hard for me to figure out. It is about denying floor space for any offense to operate. I like fanning to the sideline but never giving up two things - baseline and allowing a penetrator to get back to the basket line. I hate to see the drop step that allows a ball handler to go wherever they want to gbviously you aren’t going to be able to get it done all the time and when you get beat your have to rotate and cover down effectively. I’ll say again too that when Mahaney is on the floor guarding someone who takes him right to the block, expecting him to defend bigger stronger people is unrealistic.

 

[RuffRuff]

I hate Duke as much as anybody -- but Sion James would've fit really well on our team. That's a great example of somebody we should've targeted in the portal.

You really think we could have used a tough 6'6", 220lb guy in his fifth year, who averaged 14pg, 5 rebounds and 3 assists at Tulane (sarcasm)? He may or may not be able to take out Persians with a ball of fire, but a better fit than a 6'1.5" 185 lb wet convertible PG. All hindsight & moot, point is would be nice to balance the roster with some physicality & toughness next round, and not entirely players that feel like skilled ballet dancers. James is just one example of many this past cycle. We are going to be really young and dainty next year.

What is unique about Duke’s roster makeup besides having arguably the best freshman prospect in 20 years? They have a roster of uber talented young players balanced out by veteran tough guys. It’s a good approach. Every coach in America would feel a lot better about their squad with a Cooper Flagg on it. Scheyer didn’t crack some secret code here.

Can you tell me of a team that flipped its roster almost entirely in one year and packaged 4 five stars along with 3 portal guys as the core to their team? This is new, and they went out and acquired the majority of the roster in one offseason. I haven't seen a roster overhaul like it in the portal era. Yes one of those freshman is unique. Most programs don't have the luxury of this strategy, and if anything would prefer Duke not setting a successful blueprint that only they can manufacture.