If you were a Point Guard why would you want to play in Hurley's offense? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

If you were a Point Guard why would you want to play in Hurley's offense?

pj said:
You get to lead a talented group of teammates against top-tier competition, and have a chance to be a top 10 team and compete for national championships. You trust the coaches to work out the offense.

The offensive struggles were more a product of poor roster construction than of lack of ability to coach offense. The roster was too limited, one-dimensional, and easy to defend. The addition of shooters (Hawkins, Floyd, Karaban; Castle and maybe Griffiths to follow) and a crafty point guard like yourself will work wonders.
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And whoever the point guard might be can score as many points as he wants, assuming he has the skill set to accomplish this. Nothing held back Shabazz or Khalid from scoring (granted, they didn't play for Hurley). UConn likes to run too. Great opportunity!
 
There is this myth out there that Hurleys offense sucks.

While it was true that our offense did not look good last year, it was actually a good offensive system that got us tons of open looks.

The problem was that we often missed a lot of those open shots the system gave us.

And no one besides Cole had the true ability to get their own shot.

It was a roster construction problem that prioritized bigs and athletes over shooters.

Hurley has clearly stated he’s changing that philosophy and is going to surround 1 big with 4 shooters. Meaning a PG with a clear path to 40 mpg should be able to come in and FEAST.

That’s why they’d want to play for him.
 
Logic tells me we'll bring in more talented players at the position than the ones who left.

But logic doesn't play out a lot of the time.

Yes, this is UConn, this is the BE, there's a ton of minutes, we have good incoming recruits, Sanogo, Hawkins, AJ and Akok.

And this is UConn and there's a ton of minutes.

So, logic says yes we'll bring in talented PGs.
 
imno1 said:
But it was surprising for some on this board that a MEAC player could be a productive starting pg in a power conference
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In general I agree with the premise, but he already had strong performances against power conference schools while at Howard. There was every reason to believe he could play well at UConn. He averaged 23.7 points and 6.2 assists as a freshman at Howard. Averaging 2/3 of that at UConn this season as a 5th year Senior really wasn't a surprise.
 
"And with the ELEVENTH pick in the 2021 draft, the Charlotte Hornets select... James Bouknight from the University of Connecticut."
 
This is the moment I say ... trust Luke Murray, Tom Moore, Kimani Young and a lifetime of relationships. They sure look good sitting on the bench during games; but, this is their primary value. They have an idea on who is possible and we are well on our way to 2-3 new players. YOUR Lists? FINE. But I largely think we have 3 of the best guys possible for our university and we will haul in a good mix.

As for RJ, I thought his senior year was surprisingly clutch contrasted to what I thought was a good junior year. The primary reason a kid come to this UCONN program? Kids develop. Polley. Whaley. Martin. Cole. All high % of potential. I think Gaffney got a little off track and I don't know why.
 
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I think that prospect of playing alongside a dynamic, unique athlete like Andre--including the give-and-go and alley oop potential--would be pretty attractive; as would having a KAJ Center of the Year award candidate to feed down low.

And having a player of Hawkins's potential on the wing.

As many minutes available as I can earn? Sign me up, please.

I realize that players of Remy Martin's caliber are more the exception than the rule with the portal, but can you imagine for a minute what he would be like in this system?

But @Fishy 's point about the discount aisle is a valid concern. There are a lot of misfit toys out there. We could never have taken a Teddy Allen, for example.
 
bblanco15 said:
If you were an elite Point Guard why would you want to come to play at UConn with the offense that Hurley currently runs?

I have my own opinions, but I would like to hear other peoples thoughts
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RJ Cole went from Howard to 1st team all-BE. End of sales pitch.
 
husky429 said:
We've always played a 4 out offense, we just didn't have the shooters to stretch the defense.
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Whaley did punish a few teams who left him alone.

And it was clear in Whaley adding a 3-point shot that Hurley knew he needed 4 guys who were threats from the perimeter.

Whaley just didn't add much else on offense, not a threat off the dribble, on the block, or reliable enough from deep.
 
8893 said:
I think that prospect of playing alongside a dynamic, unique athlete like Andre--including the give-and-go and alley oop potential--would be pretty attractive; as would having a KAJ Center of the Year award candidate to feed down low.

And having a player of Hawkins's potential on the wing.

As many minutes available as I can earn? Sign me up, please.

I realize that players of Remy Martin's caliber are more the exception than the rule with the portal, but can you imagine for a minute what he would be like in this system?

But @Fishy 's point about the discount aisle is a valid concern. There are a lot of misfit toys out there. We could never have taken a Teddy Allen, for example.
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Fishy’s point is stupid, actually.

Villanova, Duke, UNC and Kansas are all playing transfers this weekend.

Baylor (the defending national champion) and programs like Houston and Texas Tech, amongst others, have built their highly successful programs upon transfers.
 
husky429 said:
We've always played a 4 out offense, we just didn't have the shooters to stretch the defense.
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Hurley seemed to make that distinction in his recent media event as if it was a change in philosophy.. But you're right- I guess I was focused on the lack of spacing and/or the two or three defenders around Adama most of the time. With shooters comes spacing
 
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Guapo said:
Fishy’s point is stupid, actually.

Villanova, UNC and Kansas are all playing transfers this weekend.

Baylor (the defending national champion) and programs like Houston and Texas Tech, amongst others, have built their highly successful programs upon transfers.
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I'm talking numbers. Didn't 1,700 players enter the portal last season? There is a lot of chaff, and a lot of fool's gold. And also some truth to the "one man's junk is another man's treasure" adage, a la Josh Carlton.

I know Hurley claimed to forgo the portal last season in favor of preserving team culture; I think that was more a reflection of what he thought was available as compared to what we knew we already had in Tyler and Isiah, as well as his miscalculation about Jalen.

All of which is to say we don't read stories about the 1,500+ transfers that didn't do much to improve their new teams, but from a numbers perspective it has to be the case there are a lot more of them that turn out that way.
 
8893 said:
I'm talking numbers. Didn't 1,700 players enter the portal last season? There is a lot of chaff, and a lot of fool's gold. And also some truth to the "one man's junk is another man's treasure" adage, a la Josh Carlton.

I know Hurley claimed to forgo the portal last season in favor of preserving team culture; I think that was more a reflection of what he thought was available as compared to what we knew we already had in Tyler and Isiah, as well as his miscalculation about Jalen.

All of which is to say we don't read stories about the 1,500+ transfers that didn't do much to improve their new teams, but from a numbers perspective it has to be the case there are a lot more of them that turn out that way.
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Would be a great research project with comparative statistics about those 1500+. Actually, a few representative cases would show the point.

Hurley's job is to avoid the fool's gold and sift out the chaff. This will show his acumen or lack thereof. Should be a very interesting venture.

Whether Gaffney and Diggins are somebody else's treasure, remains to be seen.
 
bblanco15 said:
If you were an elite Point Guard why would you want to come to play at UConn with the offense that Hurley currently runs?

I have my own opinions, but I would like to hear other peoples thoughts
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1 - Hurley was a point guard.
2 - Hurley focuses on building the PG into the team leader (not just a player).
3 - Look at Cole's minutes and numbers.
4 - It's UConn.
 
8893 said:
I'm talking numbers. Didn't 1,700 players enter the portal last season? There is a lot of chaff, and a lot of fool's gold. And also some truth to the "one man's junk is another man's treasure" adage, a la Josh Carlton.

I know Hurley claimed to forgo the portal last season in favor of preserving team culture; I think that was more a reflection of what he thought was available as compared to what we knew we already had in Tyler and Isiah, as well as his miscalculation about Jalen.

All of which is to say we don't read stories about the 1,500+ transfers that didn't do much to improve their new teams, but from a numbers perspective it has to be the case there are a lot more of them that turn out that way.
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That’s fair, but I trust Hurley and staff to find cultural fits a la Cole
 
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Get a Job said:
There are 40 minutes available at the position and UConn is a name brand in a good basketball conference. Not sure how much Hurley's system has to do with it, given that we're talking about the point guard position, which will have the ball every possession regardless. Admittedly, though, I don't know anything about the finer points of basketball Xs and Os.
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Best response
 
JohnFSilver said:
This is odd. The offense design is good. They move the ball, they set screens, they have a low post option and 3 point shooters.

They also want to , allegedly, push the tempo. They run nba sets and everything .

Unless you count Adama Sanogo and post play as a negative factor, I do t know where this is coming from .

Hurley runs very good offense. The designs are good.
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There are people who think Hurley sucks because he’s unable to figure out how 13 players who want pro careers can’t all lead the team in minutes and scoring and have the style of play designed to their individual talents. What are you going to do?
 
Palatine said:
1 - Hurley was a point guard.
2 - Hurley focuses on building the PG into the team leader (not just a player).
3 - Look at Cole's minutes and numbers.
4 - It's UConn.
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Ironically though, the PG position has been the biggest positional weakness from a high school recruiting basis. I also think RJ was a fairly finished product when he came here. We’ve gotten essentially zero production from the PG position other than Cole. Fortunately though, a transfer will see Cole’s success here and be sold that this a good place to play PG. Have to imagine something has been in the works and we’ll have one or two guards soon. I can’t see the staff jettisoning out the only two PGs with no assurance that anyone is coming in.
 
We had 4 players who were not great at shooting off the dribble or driving to the hoop from the perimeter, Whaley, Polley, Jackson and Hawk. As the year went on Hawk was improving till his concussion and Polley made some attempts but overall we struggled with this and Akok also fits into this category. Watching Houston go 1-20 from 3 against UNC shows the problem with over reliance on the 3. Cole was our main guy to attack the basket from the perimeter. We had limitations on offense but we played the 4 out with what we had it seemed to me. The returning team is a great opportunity for a point to come in and have a big impact.
 
bblanco15 said:
If you were an elite Point Guard why would you want to come to play at UConn with the offense that Hurley currently runs?

I have my own opinions, but I would like to hear other peoples thoughts
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Come on really??? PG is wide open for playing time. Our last PG was 1st team all BE and our leading scorer. To play in one of the best conference in the nation. Great talent around him....the list goes on and on
 
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UofCT said:
Except according to Rivals we have the #23 rated player in the class coming in 2023. Is that good?
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And we had a top 75 guy who couldn’t even get onto the court and transferred after one year. Does that speak highly for our PG development? My point wasn’t to say we haven’t recruited highly ranked PGs, it was to point out we’ve gotten zero or even less than average play from any high school PGs recruited by Hurley. Unless he’s a true troll, I took OP’s post as just a valid question to discuss, not get all defensive about.
 
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JohnFSilver said:
This is odd. The offense design is good. They move the ball, they set screens, they have a low post option and 3 point shooters.

They also want to , allegedly, push the tempo. They run nba sets and everything .

Unless you count Adama Sanogo and post play as a negative factor, I do t know where this is coming from .

Hurley runs very good offense. The designs are good.
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I don't think @bblanco15 was asking a rhetorical question. He was just surveying the yard. He even qualified "I have my opinions" which usually means that he is withholding them.
 
tentoes4rings said:
And we had a top 75 guy who couldn’t even get onto the court and transferred after one year. Does that speak highly for our PG development?
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Speaks highly about RJ Cole's development who came from a mid major and Hurley turned him into an all big east 1st team point guard. Is that good development or no?
 
8893 said:
I think that prospect of playing alongside a dynamic, unique athlete like Andre--including the give-and-go and alley oop potential--would be pretty attractive; as would having a KAJ Center of the Year award candidate to feed down low.

And having a player of Hawkins's potential on the wing.

As many minutes available as I can earn? Sign me up, please.

I realize that players of Remy Martin's caliber are more the exception than the rule with the portal, but can you imagine for a minute what he would be like in this system?

But @Fishy 's point about the discount aisle is a valid concern. There are a lot of misfit toys out there. We could never have taken a Teddy Allen, for example.
Expand ...

It's borderline criminal we didn't run more back door alley oops for Jackson. For two years we were able to do them for Bouknight and all of sudden we stopped trying.
 
UofCT said:
Speaks highly about RJ Cole's development who came from a mid major and Hurley turned him into an all big east 1st team point guard. Is that good development or no?
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So despite being a stud at a mid major, it’s a given that he still had to be developed significantly to be a bigtime BE guard? There’s no way to measure that whatsoever. He was 21, strong and polished when he started here.
 
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