Jackson?!

[Tampahusky]

game plan didn’t call for Jackson tonight. Hurley always had two bigs out there bc USC is a huge team and Martin was balling. Btw Evan Mobley is gonna be a stud

 

[UCPharma11]

Then why did Gaff see so many mins? Same situation.

Sophomore preference my guess.

 

[auror]

Actually it’s not a bad take. I’ve watched every second of every game. I’ve watched and played basketball my whole life. I’m also not crucifying the kid like people are making me out to be. Just saying he needs to mature and work on his game. Standard for a freshman.

Yes of course he needs to mature and work on his game. That's true and a reasonable take. But he has already shown he can do more than "all he can do is dunk." Which is a bad take because I've seen him playmake for others, get big guys the ball in good spots, make quick decisions against a zone, take guys off the dribble, defend in space, protect the rim incredibly well for his size, and general fluid athleticism.

Which of the 2 has been more impressive has nothing to do with the above bad take.

 

[UCPharma11]

We play Jackson with that 2-3 zone we lose that game. Martin was crucial tonight.

Exactly with offense at a PREMium Martin>Jackson. Hurley Masterfully subbed the entire game.

 

[smoothcriminal]

He is too raw to play the 3 this year. That’s where he needs to end up but he doesn’t have the permiter skill set yet. He will get there but this year he needs to play the 4. I got killed in other thread for saying it but I don’t see how he’s any better than sid Wilson until he fixes up his shooting .... just an elite athlete for now

 

[Deepster]

Actually it’s not a bad take. I’ve watched every second of every game. I’ve watched and played basketball my whole life. I’m also not crucifying the kid like people are making me out to be. Just saying he needs to mature and work on his game. Standard for a freshman. And which of the 2 have you been more impressed with thus far?

What does you watching every second of 3 games and playing pickup or small time organized basketball have to do with evaluating elite level prospects?

 

[AdamaNation]

Hard to play him against a zone when he can’t shoot.

Same reason no josh in the first 2 games. We have the depth to match up team by team.

 

[Incursio007]

I think during the early part of the season, his defense needs to be his primary focus when on the floor. Dude is imposing & intimidates with his length & athleticism when guarding 1’s & 2’s down the court. If he commits to the defense end & hustles, Hurley will have to play him & it’ll give his offensive game more time to develop. He was all smiles supporting the team on the bench - he’s a good team player who will eventually put it all together.

 

[zls44]

He is a Freshman. In his third game. During an unprecedented global pandemic. Who can't shoot. Facing a talented team that plays zone.

He'll be fine.

 

[Jluc]

Damn this board isn’t even fun to come to after wins anymore lol

 

[Edward Sargent]

Where was Jackson tonight? I get he's a frosh and that Martin has played solid, but he's too talented to not see the floor, especially when our offense got flat.

The most disappointing thing was seeing Hurley trot out the same lineup in the second half when our offense was inept vs their zone. Same guards with Bouk, Gaff, RJ, and Martin. None of them could create. Gaff is never a shooting threat or someone who will beat you off the dribble, unfortunately. Jackson would have been the perfect guy to put in the middle of that zone with his passing skills and bouncy athleticism.

Gotta question Hurley a bit with being stubborn and not changing things when our offense stalled. USC blew multiple opportunities. Against a better team, we lose. But I guess a win is a win.

Jackson's not yet the shooter we need in the middle of that zone

 

[ARIDE]

What does you watching every second of 3 games and playing pickup or small time organized basketball have to do with evaluating elite level prospects?

The guys right..layoff ..he has work to do on his game..playing the game soes matter it gives u an insight most that dont play dont have..

 

[GetTheFacts]

He looked like a deer in the headlights at certain points tonight. Maybe freshman jitters but I expect that it'll take some time before he's carving out a significant role off the bench. It doesn't help that he can't shoot...yet.

 

[aburks41]

I think this is why only having 4 OOC games is going to hurt us later. The young guys like Jackson need to see game minutes against inferior teams so they can slowly adjust to the college game before Big East play starts.

 

[August_West]

Jackson will be fine, more practice more game situation awareness. The kid has the tools. My favorite thing was the entry pass he made (and now I cant remember if it was CCSU or UHA) but it was the best post entry Ive seen from a UConn player in years (weve struggled with that for a while) . He's athetic as heck, and has some instinctual tools that are tantalizing.


Right now though? Jackson is "instant offense" as in instant offense for the other team when he's on the court. 3 games in a row we squander cushions with him on the floor. (yes even in his 6 assist debut) . Certainly not all his fault at all, Hurley is employing some hockey line changes recently to try stuff out (as he should so early on) and jackson gets interesting floor running mates (to put it gently) . Last night in his quick first half run he got torched for a base line jumper (overhelped) with a half hearted attempt on recovery close out with hands down. That is how you earn bench time. I was glad Hurley didnt give him any run in second half. Hopefully a teaching moment.

Kids got tremendous upside. We will see it in flashes as we progress and then hopefully consistently by end of year. Right now he simply hasnt earned the floor time.

Speaking of Hurleys mixing and matching Hockey lineups. Up 13 with a chance to really drive the nail in the coffin we saw a lineup of Gaffney, Adams, Martin, Polley, Sanogo.

Predictably in the blink of an eye we gave that cushion away and made it be a semi nail biter down the stretch. Im glad we got the W so no harm and no foul on that. Just win. So in the end learning on a win is the best of all worlds. However, in my mind it has been established that both Bouk and Cole cannot sit at same time, nor can Whaley and Carlton. One of each pair must be on the floor at all times all other things being equal.

 

[Watchdog]

Hard to play him against a zone when he can’t shoot.

Wait a minute, what about all those 3's he made in the highlight videos?

 

[Watchdog]

gotta disagree. gaff is probably the 3rd best 3 point shooter on the team. right now i'd put him ahead of polley who isnt the same guy as last year. gaff is also a better passer than AJ.

bouk, gaff, rj, martin and a center is our best shooting lineup and therefore the best lineup to play against a zone

My take is AJ is "more adventurous" than JG and I don't see JG as being a better passer. Look back at the pass AJ made inside in his first collegiate game for an appetizer.

Many here say JG is "solid and steady" and controls the offense well but I think you can also say he's not yet comfortable, maybe even unimaginative, as a lead guard on a high D1 team by virtue of his total of 5 assists in 81 minutes, an average of 2.5 per 40 minutes.
Does he make a higher percentage on his 3's than 2's because he's being careful and not driving the lane? He sure didn't get into the zone much, if at all, last night and appeared to shy away from it several times when KEA would have gone in for floaters.

AJ, meanwhile, has 6 assists in 28 total minutes played, with all of them coming in the 19 minutes he played in the first game. No matter what you might say about the level of competition, that gives him an average of over 8.5 per 40 even when you add in the 9 minutes he played in the last two games.

 

[Watchdog]

What is happening in this thread

Boneyardin'

 

[Palatine]

In three games Gaff has 4 assists and Cole has 11.

 

[RichZ]

Where was Jackson tonight? I get he's a frosh and that Martin has played solid, but he's too talented to not see the floor, especially when our offense got flat.

The most disappointing thing was seeing Hurley trot out the same lineup in the second half when our offense was inept vs their zone. Same guards with Bouk, Gaff, RJ, and Martin. None of them could create. Gaff is never a shooting threat or someone who will beat you off the dribble, unfortunately. Jackson would have been the perfect guy to put in the middle of that zone with his passing skills and bouncy athleticism.

You must have been dozing for the 4 minutes Jackson was on the court last night. He had nothing. Stood on the perimeter, and when the ball was passed to him, he immediately passed it to the next spot on the perimeter. Not a probing pass, and certainly not an attacking pass. More like a hot potato pass.
I don't think he has figured out yet how to contribute when he's not the best player on the floor and the focal point of the offense.

 

[87Xfer]

I like how you lumped in 300+ recruit 3* Drew Peterson in with the 5* Mobleys lol.

Forgive me, I didn't realize number of recruiting stars from 3 years ago trumps on-floor performance. Peterson's pretty solid imho as the team's 2nd leading scorer, averaging 13 pts and 5 rebounds this year.

 

[glastonbury50]

gotta disagree. gaff is probably the 3rd best 3 point shooter on the team. right now i'd put him ahead of polley who isnt the same guy as last year. gaff is also a better passer than AJ.

bouk, gaff, rj, martin and a center is our best shooting lineup and therefore the best lineup to play against a zone

If your really mean best shooting lineup would have to include Polley over martin.

 

[glastonbury50]

I think this is why only having 4 OOC games is going to hurt us later. The young guys like Jackson need to see game minutes against inferior teams so they can slowly adjust to the college game before Big East play starts.

Your forgetting we play providence twice @FriarJ

 

[businesslawyer]

Where was Jackson tonight? I get he's a frosh and that Martin has played solid, but he's too talented to not see the floor, especially when our offense got flat.

The most disappointing thing was seeing Hurley trot out the same lineup in the second half when our offense was inept vs their zone. Same guards with Bouk, Gaff, RJ, and Martin. None of them could create. Gaff is never a shooting threat or someone who will beat you off the dribble, unfortunately. Jackson would have been the perfect guy to put in the middle of that zone with his passing skills and bouncy athleticism.

Gotta question Hurley a bit with being stubborn and not changing things when our offense stalled. USC blew multiple opportunities. Against a better team, we lose. But I guess a win is a win.

Flat out wrong. The player who catches it around the foul line has to be able to turn and hit the jumper or nothing else opens up. What has Jackson done to date that makes you think the other team would be concerned about him taking foul line jumpers?

Hurley changed what he was doing to get a win against a very unique team. He got the win. Post better.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You still haven't said anything. And nothing I've said is incorrect. Talk about dumb.

It's a ridiculous - ridiculous - overreaction. It's game three of his college career. But this is the Boneyard so this is what gets done.