Jeff Goodman in Storrs

[CL82]

Absolutely. HUGE concern.

I have to say, this schtick gets better as it ages.

 

[Huskyforlife]

The point guard is Newton. I’d be beyond shocked if he wasn’t the primary ball handler, and second leading scorer. Hawkins needs to be really good for us to be a great team, but he’s a role player+ if things break right for him.

 

[husky429]

Even more worrisome is Goodman's use of the word "needs" in his description of the 35 points Hawkins and Sanogo must score. As one who has purportedly watched a practice, apparently he's not too high on the rest of the team.

It's a tweet not a dissertation. I wouldn't read too much into it

 

[superjohn]

The point guard is Newton. I’d be beyond shocked if he wasn’t the primary ball handler, and second leading scorer. Hawkins needs to be really good for us to be a great team, but he’s a role player+ if things break right for him.

Role player+ if things break right for him.

What is Hawkins if things don't break right for him?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I think we all know point guard is the biggest concern.

Is that something we all know? I'd rank Hawkins' development and what we're going to get out of the 4 spot quite a bit higher on my list of "concerns" for this season. I think there's a pretty solid floor at the PG position that is not going to be a weakness for this team barring some significant injuries.

 

[Waquoit]

That tweet is not going over big with the yard if the "no point guard thread" is any indication. Kinda makes me wish I started it.

Don't they say "if you have three point guards, you have zero point guards"?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I dont think hes athletic enough but then again look at what a guy like Jokic has done. Not super athletic but highly skilled with a high IQ. At this point DC being so young anything is possible if he works hard, gets bigger and stronger.

Affirmative
for guys that big
The first and biggest question is athleticism
quickness , hands , Hops etc. plus
footwork .
The second is Physical Strength
The third is stamina
and Basketball IQ should be a given
If he has 1-4 an NBA team can develop 2-3

 

[superjohn]

Is that something we all know? I'd rank Hawkins' development and what we're going to get out of the 4 spot quite a bit higher on my list of "concerns" for this season. I think there's a pretty solid floor at the PG position that is not going to be a weakness for this team barring some significant injuries.

I would think so. It's the most important position on the court by far and we lost our 1st team all-Big East point guard with nobody from the system to replace him.

As we've learned over the years UConn teams go as their point guard goes and we always seem to play much better when we have an understudy to take over the reins.

There's a lot of talent, size, and veterans all over the court. Having someone who can manage all of that on the floor will dictate just how good we are this season.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

As we've learned over the years UConn teams go as their point guard goes and we always seem to play much better when we have an understudy to take over the reins.

If only we had a player on the current roster that played some point last year…

On a serious note, I don’t think this is nearly as obvious of “concern” as you believe it to be. I think there’s question in how good the position can be but I don’t really question that the position will be good.

 

[navery12]

If only we had a player on the current roster that played some point last year…

On a serious note, I don’t think this is nearly as obvious of “concern” as you believe it to be. I think there’s question in how good the position can be but I don’t really question that the position will be good.

I agree, we have 3 players who have all proven they can handle the PG position at the college level to varying degrees. Even if we're not sure who is going to rise above the others it seems like a position where it's safe to assume someone will

 

[Chin Diesel]

Don't they say "if you have three point guards, you have zero point guards"?

I agree, we have 3 players who have all proven they can handle the PG position at the college level to varying degrees. Even if we're not sure who is going to rise above the others it seems like a position where it's safe to assume someone will

@Waquoit. It's like they don't even listen to you.

 

[superjohn]

If only we had a player on the current roster that played some point last year…

On a serious note, I don’t think this is nearly as obvious of “concern” as you believe it to be. I think there’s question in how good the position can be but I don’t really question that the position will be good.

We'll have to wait and see. It's my biggest question/concern because of the importance of the position and how little we've seen from who will be manning it.

Even though I haven't seen Newton play much I think he must be a very good player/point guard but being ready to run the position here in his first UConn season at a high level is another thing...

I think we all can expect Sanogo to be one of the best players in the country and the two returning wings will do their thing but if we don't get what we need from the point guard spot the results could be a bit disappointing. The learning curve can be steep.

Two of our best ever players/point guards Kemba and Shabazz weren't even ready for it in their second years. That 2009-2010 team (Kemba's second season and first season as starting point) had some really good talent and they lost early in the NIT. Part of that was on Calhoun missing time and part of that was on Kemba just not being ready. The 2011-2012 team (Bazz's second season and first as starting point) was arguably our most talented team ever, they were hugely disappointing and got blown out first round of the NCAA's. The team never jelled and Shabazz not being ready to lead them and manage games had a large part in that.

I hope Newton is the guy (I think he'll put up #'s) and is ready for it or that somehow Jackson is the guy (far more skeptical) here. The success of the season will largely depend on it IMO.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

To steal/modify a saying from over on the football board:

"If we have 3 PGs, we have no PGs"

I am #veryveryconcerned after seeing this tweet.


EDIT: just saw @Waquoit beat me to it

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I think we all can expect Sanogo to be one of the best players in the country and the two returning wings will do their thing

Maybe this is where we differ. I have no idea what Hawkins "doing his thing" looks like. You seem to be throwing it in as a given that he will play well. I hope he does and I think he will make a big leap, but let's be honest, if we get the Hawkins of last year, we are not in a good spot.

Compare that to the point guard spot, where the two players who will play the lion's share of minutes at the point are Newton, who has been a high-level starter in a decent conference for three years (albeit on bad teams), and Andre, who played the point pretty extensively last year (and quite often when RJ was on the court as well).

I get what you're saying about point guard being more important and I don't disagree with that, it's just really odd to me with two proven players (not counting Diarra as proven) that can handle that position to be more concerned about it than the 2 and the 4 where we have a combined zero proven players.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

We'll have to wait and see. It's my biggest question/concern because of the importance of the position and how little we've seen from who will be manning it.

Even though I haven't seen Newton play much I think he must be a very good player/point guard but being ready to run the position here in his first UConn season at a high level is another thing...

I think we all can expect Sanogo to be one of the best players in the country and the two returning wings will do their thing but if we don't get what we need from the point guard spot the results could be a bit disappointing. The learning curve can be steep.

Two of our best ever players/point guards Kemba and Shabazz weren't even ready for it in their second years. That 2009-2010 team (Kemba's second season and first season as starting point) had some really good talent and they lost early in the NIT. Part of that was on Calhoun missing time and part of that was on Kemba just not being ready. The 2011-2012 team (Bazz's second season and first as starting point) was arguably our most talented team ever, they were hugely disappointing and got blown out first round of the NCAA's. The team never jelled and Shabazz not being ready to lead them and manage games had a large part in that.

I hope Newton is the guy (I think he'll put up #'s) and is ready for it or that somehow Jackson is the guy (far more skeptical) here. The success of the season will largely depend on it IMO.

I think Newton will be good, and I think Diarra is going to be a very important piece for ballhandling.

The biggest thing i'm hoping for this season is a strong drive and kick game. We haven't had that for a while. We have a good variety of able-to-good shooters now. I think one thing that shouldbe an improvement over last year is our ability to get into the lane with Newton, AJax and Diarra specifically showing that ability. That wasn't Cole's best asset.

 

[superjohn]

Maybe this is where we differ. I have no idea what Hawkins "doing his thing" looks like. You seem to be throwing it in as a given that he will play well. I hope he does and I think he will make a big leap, but let's be honest, if we get the Hawkins of last year, we are not in a good spot.

Compare that to the point guard spot, where the two players who will play the lion's share of minutes at the point are Newton, who has been a high-level starter in a decent conference for three years (albeit on bad teams), and Andre, who played the point pretty extensively last year (and quite often when RJ was on the court as well).

I get what you're saying about point guard being more important and I don't disagree with that, it's just really odd to me with two proven players (not counting Diarra as proven) that can handle that position to be more concerned about it than the 2 and the 4 where we have a combined zero proven players.

Because I think it's a given Hawkins will play well, he's too talented not to. Uber talented scorers tend to make a leap in their second season.

I don't agree that Jackson played the point pretty extensively last season. I watched every game and didn't see that.

Nahiem is a proven 2 starter in the ACC on a team that made the NCAA's the last two seasons and Hurley and NBA people think Hawkins could be a first round draft pick after this upcoming season.

As for your last paragraph. We agree it's the most important position, we disagree on there being two proven point guards (Newton is proven for 1 season at East Carolina.) They certainly aren't proven in terms of giving us what UConn needs from a UConn point guard. Again, I didn't see Jackson manning the point extensively last season and it's Newton's first year here. It's rare we've ever seen a UConn point guard be ready in their first year handling the position. I think he'll end up being pretty good but after following the team religiously the past 30-35 years I need to see it to believe it from a first year UConn point guard.

 

[SeattleHoop]

No way Sanogo and Hawkins average 35, right?

I disagree that they need to average 35. We have a lot of players that can put the ball in the hoop this season. They CAN but they don’t NEED to imo

 

[shizzle787]

I think we all know point guard is the biggest concern. Newton had really good numbers last year for a really bad team, he might be a very good point guard for UConn but it's his first year in a new system at a higher level. Andre Jackson has great vision and can feed the post and lead the break but I'm not at all ready to believe he can run the team and manage the entire game. Diarra is a nice gritty back up point. There's pieces all over the court but they'll need someone to stir the drink. Despite his lack of size and athleticism RJ was a really good floor general for us.

Definitely do not want Jackson at the point. We need to figure out if Newton is our PG by PK85.

Piping hot takes: Karaban and Sanogo over-perform this year and Hawkins and Jackson underperform. Newton is our leading scorer. One of Alleyne or Diarra falls out of the rotation.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

I absolutely want Andre initiating the offense. Whether I want him finishing off possessions with the shot clock expiring is a different matter. It completely depends on him adding a mid range jumper off the bounce or a consistent floater.

 

[jibsey]

Like Bouknight Hawkins can put up points in a hurry. Want him to attack the rim on the dribble as he is good from the line. He will turn it over but he should still do that. Jackson is bringing the ball up at times and distributing, so I guess that makes him part point guard.

 

[shizzle787]

Like Bouknight Hawkins can put up points in a hurry. Want him to attack the rim on the dribble as he is good from the line. He will turn it over but he should still do that. Jackson is bringing the ball up at times and distributing, so I guess that makes him part point guard.

We do best when our PG is a scorer: Jackson doesn’t meet that criteria. He should be playing the 3.

 

[Mr. French]

Definitely over 30 but most likely less than 35.

This is where I see it - I think 12-14 for Hawkins and 18-20 for Sanogo, you end up getting close to it.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Role player+ if things break right for him.

What is Hawkins if things don't break right for him?

I’d say about what he was last year, but obviously better in some capacities.

His role on the team if things break right for him will be as a volume shooter coming off screens and in transition, but I think people are kidding themselves if they think he’ll suddenly handle the ball like Bouknight. Jackson/Newton/Diarra will do much more ball handling than Hawkins.

 

[huskyfan224]

Even more worrisome is Goodman's use of the word "needs" in his description of the 35 points Hawkins and Sanogo must score. As one who has purportedly watched a practice, apparently he's not too high on the rest of the team.

It’s also Jeff Goodman…lol

 

[Waquoit]

Affirmative
for guys that big
The first and biggest question is athleticism
quickness , hands , Hops etc. plus
footwork .
The second is Physical Strength
The third is stamina
and Basketball IQ should be a given
If he has 1-4 an NBA team can develop 2-3

Good list I would expand by one:

5. Use the glass