Hurley

[HuskyHawk]

I’m more frustrated by the stagnant offensive sets.

way too much weave for a team that can’t break people down off the dribble.

they need to move the ball a lot, but into actual scoring positions.

other than that I agree that this team is clearly getting better. But things just seem to always go wrong when these opportunities come up.

even the two big shots Mills hit we well contested and one was straight trash that went in.

Gilbert’s FT shooting and 3 turnovers in the last few minutes were far worse than anything Hurley did.

I too hate the weave, and hope he throws it in the trash. We cannot run offense based on individuals breaking down the defense. One we don't have the guys and two, it's a failed offense from the 90's that every defense is designed to stop.

Honestly, last night was one of Hurley's best games. Going zone was long, long overdue. If he had been willing to do that earlier we might have won a couple more games. I hope we keep switching. Ten minutes of zone again will neutralize some of how teams game plan us. Sid and Whaley got more burn. That's a start. Now it's Gaffney's turn. He has to be the first guy off the bench in place of Adams. He's much more efficient and plays smarter. Gilbert needs to either not be on the court or not have the ball late in close games. He's shown time and again he makes bad choices. Defenses know what he's going to do and he does it anyway. Somebody else needs to take those shots.

 

[uchusky32]

I too hate the weave, and hope he throws it in the trash. We cannot run offense based on individuals breaking down the defense. One we don't have the guys and two, it's a failed offense from the 90's that every defense is designed to stop.

Honestly, last night was one of Hurley's best games. Going zone was long, long overdue. If he had been willing to do that earlier we might have won a couple more games. I hope we keep switching. Ten minutes of zone again will neutralize some of how teams game plan us. Sid and Whaley got more burn. That's a start. Now it's Gaffney's turn. He has to be the first guy off the bench in place of Adams. He's much more efficient and plays smarter. Gilbert needs to either not be on the court or not have the ball late in close games. He's shown time and again he makes bad choices. Defenses know what he's going to do and he does it anyway. Somebody else needs to take those shots.

We don't know how to run it without getting way to many moving screen violations. Scrap it.

 

[kansashusky]

I missed the game last night. Did Hurley really snitch on a Houston player to the officials and that player ended up getting a Tech?

 

[Palatine]

Hurley needs to be Hurley.

 

[UCfor3]

He needs to be less Hurley and more an adult. The stupid T's are getting old.

The coaching mistakes are a problem. Some guys are just not cut out for the X's and O's, and Hurley might be one of those guys. He is recruiting pretty well, so maybe he should take a more Program CEO role and delegate the chess moves to Moore, or literally anyone else.

The T wasn't on him. What's getting old is people hammering Hurley after every single close loss to a ranked team while we are rebuilding. We are at least competitive and playing hard again and that's a step. You don't go from awful to great given our cirmustances. It's frustrating yes, but the person throwing a tantrum after every game telling our coach to grow up is pretty ironic.

 

[superjohn]

Hmmmm, should i listen to every coach in America who says what a good job Danny is doing in a difficult situation or should I listen to you who is still supporting a guy who now is in acupuncture? Maybe it’s time you stick you your strengths and critique shows on HBO and Showtime. Thoughts on the Ray Donovan finale? Or did Danny ruin that to?

Haha, awesome post!

 

[KingAG]

I still think we've got the right guy, but he needs more work than I expected when we hired him.

Is he still toting around the photo of the AAC championship trophy? I'm not a fan of the gimmicks.

He needs to be less Diaco and more Calhoun. I'm still not sure which one he'll end up more like.

He’s already more Calhoun then Diaco. This talking point is dumb. Diaco was a first time head coach and a certified moron. Even slightly comparing Hurley to Diaco is trying waaaaay too hard

 

[navery12]

The one thing last night taught me is there are a lot of people I thought knew basketball who are complete idiots

 

[Madmannsucks]

I still think we've got the right guy, but he needs more work than I expected when we hired him.

Is he still toting around the photo of the AAC championship trophy? I'm not a fan of the gimmicks.

He needs to be less Diaco and more Calhoun. I'm still not sure which one he'll end up more like.

From his first year at Wagner to yr 2 he improved 11 1/2 games. Rhody 4 1/2 games. That does not look likely at this point here. I hope I am wrong.

 

[8893]

He’s already more Calhoun then Diaco. This talking point is dumb. Diaco was a first time head coach and a certified moron. Even slightly comparing Hurley to Diaco is trying waaaaay too hard

AAC trophy photo = Civil ConnFLict trophy = trying waaaay too hard

 

[KingAG]

AAC trophy photo = Civil ConnFLict trophy = trying waaaay too hard

Do you know how many times have pictures of their goals in the locker room? Diaco creates a fake rivalry. They aren’t remotely the same. Again your trying waaaay too hard.

 

[8893]

Do you know how many times have pictures of their goals in the locker room? Diaco creates a fake rivalry. They aren’t remotely the same. Again your trying waaaay too hard.

How about Hurley putting garlic or whatever it is in the corners of Gampel to ward off evil spirits?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I read this on Uconn Daily. May explain the no substitution.

UConn had already lost James Bouknight and Sidney Wilson to fouls and Hurley inserted walk-on Aiyegbusi into the game to foul. UConn forced a five-second violation and turned the ball over. Hurley tried to sub his walk-on out but because no time went off the clock, he had to be in the game, according to the officials.

This entire thread is a festival of bold face names and uncommon pairings.

@Dove rightly ponts out the "wow" of @nelsonmuntz & @calluke oddly allied in criticizing @Excalibur's OP.

@8893 & @AntG168 are at odds on (among other things) whether it is or isn't "waaay" or "waaaay."

@freescooter is a seemingly ignored standalone, as is an uncharacteristically consise & non-provocative @Palatine.

And I weigh in with genuine appreciation for @sky_ball having contributed this unadorned explanatory note on how it came to be that a walk-on played those final seconds, offered as though only to be of service to others.

This thread is an interesting near relative of the "politics makes for strange bedfellows" saying. Overall, I like it.

My own take is a repeat from elsewhere. We can consult our memories, re-watch the game, or pore over the box score and tell stories about horrific field shooting, crippling foul calls made & ignored, turnovers, etc. But have no doubt, Houston fans can do the same. The teams played an intense game that pushed both sides into uncommon moments, reactions, and responses, good & bad.

When a team's point guard misses his first 3 free throws, it creates a pretty uphill conjecture that he'll make all of his later free throws. Turnovers and other mental lapses issue forth from having to play nearly error-free ball. Both teams forced near-fatal/head-spinning errors from each other. Everything was done to force Houston to make its free throws, and Mills and Jarreau responded with a combined 20-23. UConn could not match that, and I'm sad that I cannot expect anything like that because I remember sering closeouts that combined, "You don't get to score again" defense with the necessary made free throws in 1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014.

Hurley has referred to this year's offense as "not good enough," and correctly noted that defense will be what creates wins. But without elevating the status of points that are obtained without defensive challenge, this team will lose every game that hasn't built a insurmountable margin much earlier.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

im neither frustrated nor despondent, cuz, you know, we are fun again. I eagerly await the next game. thank you, coach dan. #teamchemistrybuildingnicely

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

How about Hurley putting garlic or whatever it is in the corners of Gampel to ward off evil spirits?

He ignores that it's a round building with a domed top at his peril. He may have already adjusted by using smoky essences.

I have no more objection to this kind of stuff than to making Martelli's grandson cry.

 

[UofCT]

Hurley is the only reason we have been competitive. I can’t remember watching a team in college basketball without a point guard who can dribble, without a guard who can shoot, and without a big who can make a layup.

 

[the Q]

I too hate the weave, and hope he throws it in the trash. We cannot run offense based on individuals breaking down the defense. One we don't have the guys and two, it's a failed offense from the 90's that every defense is designed to stop.

Honestly, last night was one of Hurley's best games. Going zone was long, long overdue. If he had been willing to do that earlier we might have won a couple more games. I hope we keep switching. Ten minutes of zone again will neutralize some of how teams game plan us. Sid and Whaley got more burn. That's a start. Now it's Gaffney's turn. He has to be the first guy off the bench in place of Adams. He's much more efficient and plays smarter. Gilbert needs to either not be on the court or not have the ball late in close games. He's shown time and again he makes bad choices. Defenses know what he's going to do and he does it anyway. Somebody else needs to take those shots.

agreed, but you need Gilbert on the floor due to the complete lack of ball handling on this team. But he needs to not be looking for his own shot and needs to avoid the double teams cause he is an automatic turnover at that point.

I’d like to put vital in the strong side corner so he’s an outlet for an open 3 if they come from that side.

imagine if Carlton and Whaley ever had good games at the same time...

 

[superjohn]

Hurley is the only reason we have been competitive. I can’t remember watching a team in college basketball without a point guard who can dribble, without a guard who can shoot, and without a big who can make a layup.

Exactly. St. Joes, Cincy, and USF shouldn't have happened but we really shouldn't be in positions to win at the end against Wichita, Nova on road, Houston on road with a 9 man roster with no point, a 2 guard who can't dribble, and a big who can't dunk.

 

[Madmannsucks]

This entire thread is a festival of bold face names and uncommon pairings.

@Dove rightly ponts out the "wow" of @nelsonmuntz & @calluke oddly allied in criticizing @Excalibur's OP.

@8893 & @AntG168 are at odds on (among other things) whether it is or isn't "waaay" or "waaaay."

@freescooter is a seemingly ignored standalone, as is an uncharacteristically consise & non-provocative @Palatine.

And I weigh in with genuine appreciation for @sky_ball having contributed this unadorned explanatory note on how it came to be that a walk-on played those final seconds, offered as though only to be of service to others.

This thread is an interesting near relative of the "politics makes for strange bedfellows" saying. Overall, I like it.

My own take is a repeat from elsewhere. We can consult our memories, re-watch the game, or pore over the box score and tell stories about horrific field shooting, crippling foul calls made & ignored, turnovers, etc. But have no doubt, Houston fans can do the same. The teams played an intense game that pushed both sides into uncommon moments, reactions, and responses, good & bad.

When a team's point guard misses his first 3 free throws, it creates a pretty uphill conjecture that he'll make all of his later free throws. Turnovers and other mental lapses issue forth from having to play nearly error-free ball. Both teams forced near-fatal/head-spinning errors from each other. Everything was done to force Houston to make its free throws, and Mills and Jarreau responded with a combined 20-23. UConn could not match that, and I'm sad that I cannot expect anything like that because I remember sering closeouts that combined, "You don't get to score again" defense with the necessary made free throws in 1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014.

Hurley has referred to this year's offense as "not good enough," and correctly noted that defense will be what creates wins. But without elevating the status of points that are obtained without defensive challenge, this team will lose every game that hasn't built a insurmountable margin much earlier.

In the interest of brevity and clarity, you DO know you could have said. " I liked the beat and gave it an 85".

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

In the interest of brevity and clarity, you DO know you could have said. " I liked the beat and gave it an 85".

Ya mean like "@Madmannsucks sucks" ?

 

[8893]

He ignores that it's a round building with a domed top at his peril. He may have already adjusted by using smoky essences.

I have no more objection to this kind of stuff than to making Martelli's grandson cry.

I don’t remember exactly what it was, but Seth Greenberg or another announcer mentioned it during a game broadcast this season, something to the effect that Hurley is a really superstitious guy and that he showed him where he puts things in the corners of one of the facilities to ward off bad spirits or something like that.

I only noted it in passing at the time, but it seemed a bit hokey. And it made me wonder if he’s a little more kooky than I realized. I don’t mind that stuff per se, but there is a line between kooky and motivational and the difference is usually whether the players buy in and are winning. We know how that turned out with Diaco, but I will admit that I believed in the guy when he was hired and it took a while to realize that he was just nuts.

I don’t think we’re remotely close to there with Hurley and I agree that he has greater constraints than I realized in terms of personnel on this team.

Above all, I still believe in him. I just cringe a bit at some of the stuff and realize he has a ways to go yet, too. And I get a kick out of seeing all the HurleyBros giving their Hurley knee pads a workout anytime anyone suggests that he might need to improve.

 

[superjohn]

I don’t remember exactly what it was, but Seth Greenberg or another announcer mentioned it during a game broadcast this season, something to the effect that Hurley is a really superstitious guy and that he showed him where he puts things in the corners of one of the facilities to ward off bad spirits or something like that.

I only noted it in passing at the time, but it seemed a bit hokey. And it made me wonder if he’s a little more kooky than I realized. I don’t mind that stuff per se, but there is a line between kooky and motivational and the difference is usually whether the players buy in and are winning. We know how that turned out with Diaco, but I will admit that I believed in the guy when he was hired and it took a while to realize that he was just nuts.

I don’t think we’re remotely close to there with Hurley and I agree that he has greater constraints than I realized in terms of personnel on this team.

Above all, I still believe in him. I just cringe a bit at some of the stuff and realize he has a ways to go yet, too. And I get a kick out of seeing all the HurleyBros giving their Hurley knee pads a workout anytime anyone suggests that he might need to improve.

Who are all the HurleyBros with scabs on their knees? I've been one of the biggest Hurley supporters from well before he came here and I've criticized him plenty, I think the other major Hurley supporters have as well. All I'm really seeing these days is Nelson, Pal, and freescooter starting threads dumping all over him while hyping Ollie and the AAC over Hurley and the Big East.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don’t remember exactly what it was, but Seth Greenberg or another announcer mentioned it during a game broadcast this season, something to the effect that Hurley is a really superstitious guy and that he showed him where he puts things in the corners of one of the facilities to ward off bad spirits or something like that.

I only noted it in passing at the time, but it seemed a bit hokey. And it made me wonder if he’s a little more kooky than I realized. I don’t mind that stuff per se, but there is a line between kooky and motivational and the difference is usually whether the players buy in and are winning. We know how that turned out with Diaco, but I will admit that I believed in the guy when he was hired and it took a while to realize that he was just nuts.

I don’t think we’re remotely close to there with Hurley and I agree that he has greater constraints than I realized in terms of personnel on this team.

Above all, I still believe in him. I just cringe a bit at some of the stuff and realize he has a ways to go yet, too. And I get a kick out of seeing all the HurleyBros giving their Hurley knee pads a workout anytime anyone suggests that he might need to improve.

I believe in Hurley but feel I've been fairly tough on him. I think he's a coach who is still adapting the realities and expectations of basketball at this level. Sure he coached URI, but their path to wins was much easier and the pressure, less.

I've also seen him start to make the adjustments I thought were needed. Since the beginning of the year: he's calling TOs a little more quickly; he's giving the young guys some rope and the older guys less rope (previously the opposite); he has run zone D twice to neutralize the plays that were killing us inside; he started using Akok and Polley as screeners in place of the center.

I think he's got this. His seat isn't even warm from UConn's perspective, but I think it is to his own standards. I expect certain trends from here. Gaffney will play more. AG a bit less. Bouknight will have more stuff run for him. Sid will get more time on the court. Adams will get less time. Whaley and Carlton will continue to split based on matchups and effectiveness. And in the spring, some of these guys won't be back.

 

[Palatine]

How about Hurley putting garlic or whatever it is in the corners of Gampel to ward off evil spirits?

Phil Jackson did the same thing and won 200 NBA Championships.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I don’t remember exactly what it was, but Seth Greenberg or another announcer mentioned it during a game broadcast this season, something to the effect that Hurley is a really superstitious guy and that he showed him where he puts things in the corners of one of the facilities to ward off bad spirits or something like that.

I only noted it in passing at the time, but it seemed a bit hokey. And it made me wonder if he’s a little more kooky than I realized. I don’t mind that stuff per se, but there is a line between kooky and motivational and the difference is usually whether the players buy in and are winning. We know how that turned out with Diaco, but I will admit that I believed in the guy when he was hired and it took a while to realize that he was just nuts.

I don’t think we’re remotely close to there with Hurley and I agree that he has greater constraints than I realized in terms of personnel on this team.

Above all, I still believe in him. I just cringe a bit at some of the stuff and realize he has a ways to go yet, too. And I get a kick out of seeing all the HurleyBros giving their Hurley knee pads a workout anytime anyone suggests that he might need to improve.

Good take; I'll give it a Davey Pageviews 8.4

Does this mean you stayed up to watch the full game?

I'm willing to buy the 'Rebuild Year 2 Game [X]' narrative, and I keep hearing him properly say, "I have so much more I have to do to get there." He's got 2 successes at admittedly lower D-1 schools under his belt. We all need to improve.

These losses are "excruciating," but I am again watching something that resembles basketball. We could have been down 15 at the half last night, or blown out in the second half. We made it a game, even though it ended pretty much how I expected after the earliest missed free throws. I hate that. I really want it to be different. It is what it is.

To be sure, Hurley wears a beaded bracelet, meditates, drinks tea, and did a sage-burning to cleanse Gampel (or something similar). You and I write haiku.

Have you made it to the yoga mat yet? You know you want to.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Phil Jackson did the same thing and won 200 NBA Championships.

Have I really missed that much NBA?

 

[Apollo]

Hurley got himself into a situation where a walk on took the game tying attempt with seconds left in the game, and @Excalibur is blowing Hurley kisses.

Last night's loss must have been Ollie's fault.

 

[Dove]

I wonder what Fishy thinks.

 

[freescooter]

Good take; I'll give it a Davey Pageviews 8.4

Does this mean you stayed up to watch the full game?

I'm willing to buy the 'Rebuild Year 2 Game [X]' narrative, and I keep hearing him properly say, "I have so much more I have to do to get there." He's got 2 successes at admittedly lower D-1 schools under his belt. We all need to improve.

These losses are "excruciating," but I am again watching something that resembles basketball. We could have been down 15 at the half last night, or blown out in the second half. We made it a game, even though it ended pretty much how I expected after the earliest missed free throws. I hate that. I really want it to be different. It is what it is.

To be sure, Hurley wears a beaded bracelet, meditates, drinks tea, and did a sage-burning to cleanse Gampel (or something similar). You and I write haiku.

Have you made it to the yoga mat yet? You know you want to.

As they say if you win you are eccentric. Lose and you are a nut job.

 

[freescooter]

I have started exactly 1 Hurley thread asking how long Hurley has to make progress. Other wise I wanted him but have been pretty disappointed to date. After all we are 1-4 in the league and have not just bad but awful losses and what’s more we see the same bad plays game after game. Oh and I honestly subscribe to the Bill Parcells theory that you are what your record says you are.