Hurley threads (merged)

[JonnyRI]

What about posting AJax up?

I don’t recall that being thrown out there? Of course effective if he can or is willing to shoot or try to go through contact and draw a foul. I really would like to see him post up 3 times a game. Back to the basket. No way could be worse than the status quo.

Also in low post could theoretically give him the opportunity for nice passes.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Talk about mental gymnastics

 

[superjohn]

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.

Jalen Adams, Alterique, Vital, Carlton, Whaley, Polley...

Bouknight, Gaffney, Akok added to those guys...

RJ, Tyrese, Sanogo, Jackson...

Hawkins added to those guys, other freshman were busts or haven't produced yet

Clingan, Karaban, RJ, Joey, Diarra added

We've had three different cores of players who were our best players and all of them have been awful in close games.

Every team in the country had to deal with Covid.

 

[Greathusky]

I am sure A.J is thinking down the road to the NBA. He needs a better outside shot to make it and may feel the pressure to prove it at the college level.

 

[Jay-Bone]

I think its a timing management thing with Andre. Like he needs to be leashed at certain critical times. The 2nd half of the 2nd half yesterday in a tight game. The 6th and 7th miss in the first few minutes of the Xavier game. All those times you find yourself screaming, "No, Andre, not again, not right now!" Are usually the times he shouldn't be experimenting with shooting or shot-putting.

Now when Adama was doubled and Andre snuck along the baseline for a pass and dunk. That was a thing of beauty. Thats the offense we need from him.

 

[CL82]

Well he tried that yesterday with his god awful floaters from 12 ft out. I hate that shot so much. It comes out of his hand extremely flat and he leaves it short 80% of the time.

I find myself thinking he Hass to be incredibly coordinated to actually sink those mechanically flawed shots.

 

[Blue Idiaco]

Andre will never be a shooter….his form is absolutely horrific. Even his free throws are a mess.

He just needs to find ways to make the defense pay for leaving him wide open. My idea….move towards the rim. If they are 12’ off of you, take those 12’ - make them do something.

he should learn how to post up smaller guards

 

[superjohn]

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?

Hurley was the one constantly talking about final fours and championships by season 4. He was the one letting everyone know they better get us now because it's coming...

What exactly is coming? Those teams are all still routinely beating us, we haven't won a Big East regular season. It's season 5 and we still haven't even made a Big East tournament final, haven't won a single NCAA tournament game, and are going to have our worst Big East regular season finish since Hurley has been here.

 

[imno1]

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.

I hated to like this but it’s true.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

The Andre dilemma has been discussed quite thoroughly, but aside from giving him fewer minutes there really has been no constructive solution offered.

Most posters are saying Hurley should give some combination of Allyene, Diarra or Clingan more minutes at the expense of Jackson.

This approach, of course, comes with pros and cons and many variables.

But even if his minutes were reduced, Jackson will play significant minutes going forward. Rebounding, defense, energy against his lack of offense is the dilemma.

My question is, what should be done when Ajax has the ball at the three point line and his defender is sagging way off and disrupting the offense?

Seriously, what can be done? Jackson can shoot, and probably needs to take the shot at least a few times a game, but that has most often not helped the team.

Instead, what sort of play or action can free sanogo or Hawkins? What is newton’s role in that situation? is there a way for Hurley to counter that defensive strategy? What are the Xs and Os here to result in a quality shot?

We haven’t seen a consistent answer yet in the games or on this board so I’m throwing it out there.

As soon as Andre gets the ball they sag off him. Either park under the basket or drive to it.

 

[Kathy]

I more so described his hair-on-fire energy and choking up in tight situations

My dad sure watched him play way more than any of us

I watched his whole career, didn't miss many BE games back then. Always anxious.

 

[Fishy]

he should learn how to post up smaller guards

This….is not a bad idea.

 

[aburks41]

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?

So you didn’t see an issue that in year 5, entering the season unranked and making the tournament was where we should be?

Btw, the voters were completely incorrect in leaving us out of the preseason poll. Anyone who actually follows college basketball could tell you that this team was going to be a top 25 teams very easily. And Oats currently has Bama playing like the best team in the country, and he has a S16 already. If we had got to the S16 last year, the Hurley critics would be quiet right now. But so far we have 0 tournament wins…I’m just saying, if we don’t make a S16 this year, his seat will be warm and the last thing we need is a majority of the fanbase turning on him.

 

[uconn13]

Talk about mental gymnastics

I have fond memories of Okafors 3 point attempts during that season

 

[NJHusky]

I watched his whole career, didn't miss many BE games back then. Always anxious.

I just checked his seton hall stats. Sub 30% 3 PT shooter….discuss

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Ajax is the heart of the team - not to mention he usually erases the other team's best scorer. This team, especially AJ, plays best in the open, so speed up the game. Press, a lot...we have nine guys that can play - wear down the opponents.

 

[kemba]

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

Because different players have different abilities

 

[UConnSwag11]

Hurley has destroyed Jackson’s confidence by putting him in situations where he cannot perform. Instead of realizing this, he puts so much pressure on Jackson to do things that he can’t.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Clingan has to play more. It’s criminal that he hasn’t all year. We keep rehashing the same topics. Isn’t it obvious there’s an issue with the staff?

 

[RichZ]

RE: Andre and the 3 ball.

In our losses, he is 6 of 27 from 3, for 22%. But if you discount the outlier game when he was 4 of 12 against xavier on NY Eve, he is shooting 13% in our losses.

In our wins, he is 11 of 34, for 32%.

He has shot 25% from deep in games where he took more than three, 3 point attempts.

He played in 16 of our wins, and averaged a hair over 2 attempts from deep in those games.
He played in all 7 of our losses, and averaged almost 4 attempts from deep in those games.

 

[uconnfan68]

I am sure A.J is thinking down the road to the NBA. He needs a better outside shot to make it and may feel the pressure to prove it at the college level.

He's an NFL All-Pro wide receiver,if he wants to make his mark.

 

[storrsroars]

I don't know how to explain this. I'm as big an AJax fan as anyone, but he's gone from being really good inside (albeit not a ton of shots), to passable outside, to awful at every zone. If he were shooting 3s at the same rate as last year, opponents likely wouldn't play off him. And no idea what's really changed with his inside game since 2020. I can't call up rotations, and don't recall if he was often on court with both Sanogo and Whaley, but he was very effective in his limited time.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I don't know how to explain this. I'm as big an AJax fan as anyone, but he's gone from being really good inside (albeit not a ton of shots), to passable outside, to awful at every zone. If he were shooting 3s at the same rate as last year, opponents likely wouldn't play off him. And no idea what's really changed with his inside game since 2020. I can't call up rotations, and don't recall if he was often on court with both Sanogo and Whaley, but he was very effective in his limited time.

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My theory, he never used to shoot it unless it was a dunk basically. Especially his freshman year the only attempt he would take was a dunk or wide open layup.

Over time he’s attempting more contested layups. Especially this year. I wonder what the attempt numbers are to go with these FG%s.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

free tris, and the ajax issues disappear.
play donno more, and the ajax issues disappear.
forget everyone after the top six, and the ajax issues disappear. they're all highly talented, and with a bit of time, they'll all figger out where to be on the floor.

ya, it's that easy. sumone tell danny.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Can't really count the Holloway stat against him when he was out with COVID.

I imagine that some would not accept it if I framed it that way, so I attributed responsibility to the Head Coach. Perhaps it would be those who suspected DH was texting Kimani and Luke during the game, or, paradoxically, those who credit the Villanova win over Jay Wright to Kimani Young.

While I have your attention...I enjoy your interviews with Alex, and I'm reminded that I did watch the one from after the Marquette game.

Of all the many suggestions that posters have made regarding AJax and DC, the ones that make go Hmm have Alex & AJax swapping court locations, and Clingan coming in to give Alex some rest in a two bigs line-up with Adama.

I'm more interested in how I and other fans can improve in supporting each other, the coaches, and the players, than in posting publicly how I think the coaches and players should do things differently, but AK's thoughts on fan support, his on-court deployment, and lineups that provide a different look while he refreshes might make for decent questions in future episodes. You have a welcoming, good faith, curious, and open-ended non-gotcha interviewing style.