Hurley threads (merged)

[ConnHuskBask]

If asking for a BET finals appearance and Sweet 16 is too high of expectations, then why should we even care? This is UConn. The floor for satisfaction is not to simply make the NCAA tournament. Come on now

This was a team that started the season unranked, had a hot weekend on a neutral court and then has more or less played to reasonable expectations.

Sweet 16 and BET finals are my criteria for a successful season but I don't see how that can be baseline expectations. Particularly with this current team.

And again, go through the country and find programs that are in the sweet 16 every season I think you'd walk away and realize it's just not that easy.

 

[NJHusky]

Coaching has a lot to do with that, no doubt. I just think it's silly when people dismiss our computer rankings because it doesn't fit the narrative that we suck.

Computers like close losses on the road…fans don’t

 

[FfldCntyFan]

7-24 in Hurley's tenure in games decided by 5 points or less.

I could understand chalking it up as some random noise or or lucky/unlucky if the record was something like 15-16 or 14-17 in close games but it's obviously something much more when the numbers are that out of whack. When it seemed destined for yesterday's game to come down to the wire I didn't think there was any way we were winning it because we simply don't win those games.

I'd like to know the numbers if games that were within two scores with three minutes remaining were the only games counted as I suspect our winning percentage under Hurley would be even worse than 7-24.

My one gripe (as all things considered I see view Hurley as a quality hire) has always been our lack of ability to identify critical situations (I'll elaborate more on this later) and our inability to eliminate careless mistakes in these situations. This is most visible in the ending few minutes of tight games but there have been a number of cases over the past few seasons where we've thrown away opportunities to turn a big deficit into a tight game, turn a tight game into a comfortable lead, turn a comfortable lead into a blowout or maintain sufficient distance in a game we are leading to prevent a comeback from the opposition. For all of the positives we have seen we have also seen far too much carelessness and stupidity. Hopefully Hurley a9and the players)( can outgrow this.

 

[Conndog]

I would bring him off the bench, not necessarily cut his minutes, but stagger them so he’s playing more with the 2nd unit, and try to play faster and get out and run when he’s out there. And offensively he needs to be active, setting screens, cutting, etc. He can’t just be standing in the corner.

But since he isn’t a scorer, pairing him with too many other non-scorers is bad. Unless he tries playing more around the basket, the other team will continue to lay off him and clog up the middle. Maybe more important than developing long distance shooting, which he still needs to do with a shooting coach helping, is to work on his offensive game around the basket

 

[Cheddie]

The answer(s) should have been addressed during the offseason. His mechanics are, and have been, awful. Now if he didn't work on them - that's on him. If the coaching staff did not insist he work on them - that's on them.

Phi Slamma Jamma may work in high school when possessed with his overwhelming athleticism, but not at high level college basketball. The opposing players, and coaches, are vastly superior.

AJ seems like a great young man and teammate. He was unfortunately let down, as the answers should have been addressed in jr. high school. I could only dream of AJ's athleticism but even with two left feet, a coach worked on my shot's mechanics. Good form should be muscle memory. Pretty hard to re-do your shot after years of relying on it. But he's got a great example to study in JH.

 

[husky429]

Computers like close losses on the road…fans don’t

Exactly. All things considered? Creighton rarely loses at home. This isn't a bad loss at all, even if we're all frustrated. It's the TRENDS that are concerning here with road losses, not this loss in particular.

 

[husky429]

Maybe also of resources — is it possible for the team to get some high powered shooting consultant to work with him for the rest of the season? I have no idea what resources are like for additional support like that but the current coaches don’t seem to be getting him there fast enough.

It takes months, really years, to improve your shot. The best coach in the world isn't going to change Andre's shot for the better by the end of month.

 

[aburks41]

This was a team that started the season unranked, had a hot weekend on a neutral court and then has more or less played to reasonable expectations.

Sweet 16 and BET finals are my criteria for a successful season but I don't see how that can be baseline expectations. Particularly with this current team.

And again, go through the country and find programs that are in the sweet 16 every season I think you'd walk away and realize it's just not that easy.

So in year 5 of a rebuild your expectations weren’t even a S16? And you don’t see an issue with that? Rebuilds dont take 10 years. Look how fast Oats and Muss got Bama and Arkansas cooking.

 

[bendm]

I notice not many of the double big obsessors weigh in on this AJ convo. Can they admit double big has no chance of working with AJ in the lineup?

Giving 10mpg from AJ to Clingan might be the best solution.

We are still good. A 3 pt loss at Creighton is not a bad loss. Getting over the hump doesn’t require a complete tear down just an adjustment on the margins.

 

[Viet Vet]

It is such a simple answer but I’ll say it.…

Learn to set a good screen! Not a moving screen but a SCREEN.

We don’t run enough of them to break our shooters free - we give up as the game goes on and then we have all our good shooters locked up - today it especially hurt it because with Newton refusing to shoot, and AJ being AJ, it was 3 on 5.

Lousy screens, and never - NEVER - a double screen. Why? I know I preach this ad nauseum, but why aren't fundamentals taught before the season starts?

John Wooden, "It's the little things that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

 

[UofCT]

2021-22: Ended the regular season winning 6 of 7
2020-21: Ended the regular season winning 6 of 7
2019-20: Ended the regular season winning 6 of 7

 

[Frank06830]

Think the only thing he is capable of is the one thing he is afraid to do and that’s drive at the basket and try to draw fouls. I’m not sure he can do anything else. He can’t hit floaters or any jump shot so just use your athletic ability to force the defense to foul you or draw enough attention to dump it off to big…

His missed floaters drive me crazy. He usually does the hard part to get in position for pearl drop but then misses. Maddening

 

[Tenspro2002]

I think it can be boiled down further to:

We are far too frequently less than the sum our parts. And that is squarely on coaching.

Maybe the parts aren't as good -- or as mentally or physically capable of getting it done in winning time -- as you think.

Now, they're Hurley's recruits, so he bears blame in that regard, but that's different than it being a coaching problem.

 

[UCan3]

Lousy screens, and never - NEVER - a double screen. Why? I know I preach this ad nauseum, but why aren't fundamentals taught before the season starts?

John Wooden, "It's the little things that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

Thank you for your comments - was starting to think I was the only one seeing this.

Especially with AJ, if you aren‘t gong to shoot because of issues then become the “Dr. of good screens” and free up Hawkins, Karaban and Newton to do what they do,


What frustrates me the most is the lack of adjustments as the game goes on either.…. Okay no one has been open for a shot in the 2nd half except AJ….

The answer isn’t to have AJ heave up the ball but rather start running some screens/double screens.

If I could coach UConn Basketball for 1 practice session that is all I would do for 2 hrs.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Again, that would make sense if it was over a season, maybe a couple seasons where it was a bad mix of players. This is now 5 seasons of it with a bunch of different players who simply don't win close games.

The 1st season was a wash, picking up KO's trash. The 2nd season was cut short due to COVID and we were turning the corner.

So now let's talk about seasons 3-5. Jackson and Sanogo were there for all 3. Cole, Martin, Whaley, and Polley for 2. Hawkins for 2. Bouknight for the first one.

How many different "mixes" of players have we really been able to assess? It's uncomfortable to say, but maybe these guys just don't have the mental toughness to get it done. Hawkins and Jackson don't exactly scream "cool under pressure".

Let's see how the Castle class performs (imagine him in Jackson's place, goodness), with guys like Karaban and Clingan as lineup anchors.

 

[NJHusky]

It's the TRENDS that are concerning here with road losses, not this loss in particular.

This ^

And imo it’s the way we r loosing. My frustration comes from the fact this game was winnable with better substitutions/scheme/coaching.

Loosing to team that’s just better sucks but isn’t demoralizing, it’s reality. This game on the other hand….

 

[jake14mw]

There's really no way for any of us to know if he can ever become an effective 3 point shooter. There's all different kinds of development with shooting. Most of the good three point shooters are born to be shooters. Obviously for most it also takes a lot of work and development. For some, no matter how much you practice it, they just will never be good shooters.

Right now though, he's not somebody who should be shooting threes. He has no history that shows he can do it, his form doesn't suggest he can do it, and the statistic agree (27%) that he shouldn't be shooting it. Other teams WANT him shooting threes.

What to do with him is one of the biggest challenges for Hurley right now. It seems to me that he should be a screener. If his guy is not guarding him then if he sets a good screen, we should get an open shot. Hurley has to come up with ways that he doesn't hurt us offensively, or Andre needs to sit more. I feel terrible for the kid, he has to feel a ton of pressure right now. Maybe if he can just get some successes and see the ball go through the hoop, he can break out of where he's at right now. That would be best for him and the team.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I'm of the belief that there have to be ways of taking advantage of a defense completely ignoring an opposing player and people who make a living running a top level college basketball program should be able to find more methods than I can.

One thing I see as a pretty straightforward way to take advantage of this (we kind of did this against Marquette) would be to setup AJ alone on one side (ideally exactly opposite Hawkins, to make it more difficult to double Hawkins with AJ's man), with a big in the free throw circle, three shooters outside the three point line (opposite side of Jackson). This should allow AJ a free path to the hoop and the opportunity for the big to screen whoever would attempt to rotate to defend AJ. Any decent pass from one of the three 'shooters' should lead to Jackson alone under the basket with the ball.

 

[auror]

This ^

And imo it’s the way we r loosing. My frustration comes from the fact this game was winnable with better substitutions/scheme/coaching.

Loosing to team that’s just better sucks but isn’t demoralizing, it’s reality. This game on the other hand….

If Hawkins makes this open runner/layup we win the game:


Basically nothing else changes (we still play aggressive D down 1, we still probably foul them, they miss the FTs the same, we hit the shot to win it).

 

[Fishy]

If A.J. puts his mind to it, he can be a good shooter.....but he has to want it bad enough. Its not a question of can he do it....its a question of desire.

It’s not.

You can work your ass off and not become a decent shooter….Taliek, Ricky Moore, etc.

He’s a junior in college - it’s not going to happen.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Maybe the parts aren't as good

Of course they are. We wouldn’t have blown out the teams we have.

-- or as mentally or physically capable of getting it done in winning time -- as you think.

This is coaching

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

The 1st season was a wash, picking up KO's trash. The 2nd season was cut short due to COVID and we were turning the corner.

So now let's talk about seasons 3-5. Jackson and Sanogo were there for all 3. Cole, Martin, Whaley, and Polley for 2. Hawkins for 2. Bouknight for the first one.

How many different "mixes" of players have we really been able to assess? It's uncomfortable to say, but maybe these guys just don't have the mental toughness to get it done. Hawkins and Jackson don't exactly scream "cool under pressure".

Let's see how the Castle class performs (imagine him in Jackson's place, goodness), with guys like Karaban and Clingan as lineup anchors.

What guys have under Hurley? It’s unfair to say that about this group when all of his groups have been like this.

 

[Captbluefin]

How is it the coaches have coached both but Adama has learned to shoot the 3 but Jackson can’t?

 

[Scottobot]

I suggested a month ago that we should start Clingan in Andre’s spot and everyone laughed at me. I think it is still the right thing to do … Clingan +5 or 7 minutes per game, Andre -5 or 7 minutes a game.
That said it is not going to happen. Hurley is a loyal to a fault, and he will stand by AJ.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

So in year 5 of a rebuild your expectations weren’t even a S16? And you don’t see an issue with that? Rebuilds dont take 10 years. Look how fast Oats and Muss got Bama and Arkansas cooking.

No? Being unranked I figured the baseline was making the tournament.

Oates is one of your examples? He's made 1 sweet 16 (in which he got bounced by the 11 as a 2 seed) and then got bounced opening weekend last year. Not to mention we ran them out of the gym at PK85.

And great you can cite Musselman.

And again I'd ask you what programs success or trajectory is a fair comparison to ours?