I like to hear this

[superjohn]

 

[McLovin]

Something a lot of coaches say after a terrible performance. But Hurley is a man of his words so this carries some weight. Hoping for a beat down of grambling on Saturday.

 

[uconngb]

Something a lot of coaches say after a terrible performance. But Hurley is a man of his words so this carries some weight. Hoping for a beat down of grambling on Saturday.

It's only meaningful if he follows through. Otherwise it's just a bunch of coach speak

 

[Huskybass]

There were some positives from last night. AJ is looking more comfortable out there, Gaffney played pretty well and Polley is grabbing some rebounds and getting a few easy buckets to go along with his 3s.

With Martin out, Jackson really hit the boards on the defensive end, made some nice passes and finished on the break a couple times. He is starting to do those things with more regularity. While it's clearly Cole's team, Jackson's contributions make UConn a tough team to beat, even on an off night.

Still hoping that Diggins gets some run to help out with ball handling and ball movement. Against better teams we are going to need more good looks for Hawkins and Polley.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

There were some positives from last night. AJ is looking more comfortable out there, Gaffney played pretty well and Polley is grabbing some rebounds and getting a few easy buckets to go along with his 3s.

With Martin out, Jackson really hit the boards on the defensive end, made some nice passes and finished on the break a couple times. He is starting to do those things with more regularity. While it's clearly Cole's team, Jackson's contributions make UConn a tough team to beat, even on an off night.

Still hoping that Diggins gets some run to help out with ball handling and ball movement. Against better teams we are going to need more good looks for Hawkins and Polley.

Nothing AJ did out there screamed “positive” to me

 

[Vancat]

He has a tendency to get it downcourt & then promptly lose the ball

 

[8893]

Nothing AJ did out there screamed “positive” to me

I've been critical of him and don't think he had a good game, but 7 rebounds and 4 assists was a positive.

 

[kansashusky]

At some point we are going to have to play the freshmen.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I've been critical of him and don't think he had a good game, but 7 rebounds and 4 assists was a positive.

I'm with cardiac on this one. The 7 rebounds is a positive and I would think is a result of Martin being out, but the 4 assists came with 3 turnovers. He looked to pass every time and showed no real assertiveness on the offensive end. 4 points in 22 minutes.
There are a few players on this team that need to work on their handle.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

At some point we are going to have to play the freshmen.

At least Diggins. I wish this team had a true point guard that played. Breakdown a defender and kick it out for an open look. Cole is a shoot first guard. Cole could be more effective if someone else was on point.

 

[navery12]

I'm with cardiac on this one. The 7 rebounds is a positive and I would think is a result of Martin being out, but the 4 assists came with 3 turnovers. He looked to pass every time and showed no real assertiveness on the offensive end. 4 points in 22 minutes.
There are a few players on this team that need to work on their handle.

Don't disagree with the rest but he was averaging 7 rebounds a game even before Martin was out, that's always been a strength

 

[8893]

I'm with cardiac on this one. The 7 rebounds is a positive and I would think is a result of Martin being out, but the 4 assists came with 3 turnovers. He looked to pass every time and showed no real assertiveness on the offensive end. 4 points in 22 minutes.
There are a few players on this team that need to work on their handle.

No argument from me on the criticisms. He giveth and he taketh away, which is one of my biggest issues with him.

But I don't think his rebounds are a result of Martin being out, as he was routinely pulling down that many or more before Martin went out.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Don't disagree with the rest but he was averaging 7 rebounds a game even before Martin was out, that's always been a strength

Didn't realize that. Would have guessed 5 or so.

 

[8893]

Didn't realize that. Would have guessed 5 or so.

14 vs. VCU really helped the average.

 

[navery12]

I'd like to see Diggins and Johnson on the court on Saturday. But preferably not because Hurley has to pull the starters after a terrible performance

 

[AntG168]

I'd like to see Diggins and Johnson on the court on Saturday. But preferably not because Hurley has to pull the starters after a terrible performance

I think we should just give up on this. Their freshman years are being wasted. They might as well red shirt

 

[RichCTBB]

With the exception of Cole and Whaley, I don’t think you can say anyone showed any progress. Just because Gaffney put up decent numbers against UMED doesn’t mean anything.

 

[navery12]

I think we should just give up on this. Their freshman years are being wasted. They might as well red shirt

They've already played, they can't redshirt. Let's not get carried away and say they're being wasted though

 

[superjohn]

They've already played, they can't redshirt. Let's not get carried away and say they're being wasted though

He's joking, at least I'm pretty sure he's joking.

 

[Huskybass]

Nothing AJ did out there screamed “positive” to me

Watch the highlights. Andre had a few fast break buckets, some nice passes and owned the defensive glass for the most part. At some point you've got to realize how much he positively impacts the game. That said, the sloppy ball handling and lazy passes do partially offset his contributions.

My take on Jackson (right now) is a lot like my take on Martin. They both bring lots of good to the table, however, along with it comes some sloppiness and bonehead plays. But as Andre becomes more comfortable, I expect it to really click for him. Meaning a game with a stat line of 17 or 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 or 7 assists is likely to happen at some point. And who wouldn't sign up for that?

More than anything, I'm hoping that Cole gets some real help in terms of ball handling and running the team. Perhaps some combination of Jackson, Gaffney and Diggins can accomplish that.

 

[UKemba15]

I think we should just give up on this. Their freshman years are being wasted. They might as well red shirt

That’s a little overly dramatic.

Hurley did say in his presser yesterday that the freshman didn’t have normal summers or last years of prep ball, so they’re taking more time getting up to speed (along with many other freshman around the country in that recruiting range). He said they need to get them up to speed fast though because Cole needs help. Development doesn’t stop at week 4, so I’d hardly say their season is wasted lol.

 

[CL82]

They've already played, they can't redshirt. Let's not get carried away and say they're being wasted though

Oh, there’s always a way…

 

[AntG168]

He's joking, at least I'm pretty sure he's joking.

Definitely was a joke. My point was they've barely gotten any meaningful in game minutes. Now next season we'll have to live with freshman mistakes from Sophmores. Especially Diggins. We are going to need him to be steady next season. So some gametime this season was super important. I just don't see him getting it in Big East play

 

[Austin316]

When you’re 7-1 and the country thinks you’re a good team, ranked 17, and yet the fan base collapses over a 9 point victory…

Step back and appreciate the big picture.

 

[AntG168]

That’s a little overly dramatic.

Hurley did say in his presser yesterday that the freshman didn’t have normal summers or last years of prep ball, so they’re taking more time getting up to speed (along with many other freshman around the country in that recruiting range). He said they need to get them up to speed fast though because Cole needs help. Development doesn’t stop at week 4, so I’d hardly say their season is wasted lol.

If Hurley isn't playing them against sub 300 teams. He isn't playing them in Big East play. Most freshman get the bulk of their run in the early part of the schedule. Add in our schedule was reletivley soft, and the first four games were massive blowouts. Diggins could've gotten more than 7 minutes in a few of those games