Le Moyne Dolphins Post Game Thread

[Icehawk]

One more easy one to go, then we should start to see what's really up - so far, it's looking like another killer season to come though.

McNeeley is the real deal, he doesn't look like a freshman at all.

 

[Husky Alien]

Interesting comments regarding in comming class.

 

[RuffRuff]

Overall thought on the game:

AK was efficient and reliable as always. Easy to take him for granted. He's not flashy, but by the end of the game you look up and you see that he dropped 17 pts and stuffed the rest of the box score with things that helped the team win.

McNeeley was solid, also filling the box after a slow start. After he knocked down that seriously deep three, I thought, maybe he needs to take all of them from that zip code.

Ball was MIA most of the game. Granted he struggled to stay on the floor and managed to foul out against low major program. He had one electric spurt in the second half, but we need more of what he did in the first game of the season. When he is dialed in, UConn will be be hard to beat.

SJ is dynamic and disruptive. Would like to see him hedge and get back to his man more quickly. He did find a way to stay out of foul trouble. It's amazing what happens when you don't reach in all the time. I'd also like to see him being in better position to pull down more defensive rebounds. He tries to block too many shots and finds himself out of rebounding position. Just a little improved decision making would go a long way. I want him to continue to be aggressive but just be smart about it. I fear teams will exploit his aggressive and get the ball quickly to their center before help comes over and crash the weak side that he vacates when over committing for the blocked shot.

Reed seems to be getting better each game and is a force out there.

Diarra was my choice for player of the game. He was under control and efficient. Had 6 dimes and got the team playing at the speed Hurley wants.

Stewart did a nice job of contributing tonight especially setting up his teammates. Would like to see him a little more assertive with his own shot, as long as he doesn't force it and scores within the flow of the offense. I think he's starting to find his way.

Ross again looks very dynamic on both ends of the floor. His three-point shooting was off tonight, but made a lot of very nice plays. He had one drive through the lane that was Dr J-ish where he covered an immense amount of floor in just two steps. It's going to be exciting to see him continue to improve as the season goes on. I think he's going to be very special, something that none of us saw coming.

Mahaney still seems to process things too slowly which bogs down the multi-action motion offense. I hope he steps up his learning and starts delivering the ball and getting to his spots more quickly. He looks best when he has the ball in his hands and is attacking the gaps getting to the basket. I just hope he gets the O soon and helps the team get out of the gate more quickly. He also seems a tad streaky from deep. Would like more consistency with that part of his game. I wonder if Hurley is starting to consider starting Diarra so that the team gets out of the gate more quickly.

Abraham and Nowell have to be two of the best end of the bench players in the country. The five that were out there at the end of the game were running the motion offense better than the starters looked at the beginning of the first half. Usually mop up time is helter skelter, but these guys are actually running the set and finding their open teammate. Makes me wonder that if they're ever called upon for some meaningful minutes, they'll be able to seamlessly execute their part of the offense. Not sure how they would be on defense, but nice to see that they could be counted upon if needed for any reason. They'll both play prominent roles on next year's team, that's for sure.

Singare looked great running to and from the scorers table, never finding his way on the floor. Not sure why DH always sends him in after putting in the other bench players. When he's out there he always seems to make plays. Maybe he's Hurley’s secret weapon, or DH reads the Yard and doesn't like that some of us would like to see him get a little run with the rotation players. Could he be afraid that if programs see how much he's improved, they'll try to pillage him next season? (Yeah, don't bother replying DH sees him in practice and knows he's not ready.) Singare must be fooling everyone, including his coach by looking like he belongs out there.

For whoever said Ross will be our best player, no, not at all. That remains Alex. Getting ahead of ourselves like we always do here. He’s made a nice leap, and plays really hard and very active but generally still raw.

Mahaney - walked away from the open practice in August wondering if I was missing something. Not sure I was - he’s limited and don’t know if his plus’ outweigh his liabilities. He’s a turnstile defensively and just indecisive offensively. When Hassan is on, I just don’t know how he doesn’t trump AM. He’s 10x quicker, creates and brings amazing energy to the floor.

Reed looking more controlled and composed, and taking advantage of that gladiator body. Whether he starts or not, he’s the 5 that gives us the better chance to win.

Ball has such a smooth stroke, not sure there is a prettier ball on the team when it rips net. He had some active stretches in this one but would just love that kid to become a force out there on both ends. Need more stats out of him that just filling out the 3 pt makes. Steals, rebounds, assists.

Stew had some nice passes but still looks so awkward at times out there, like he’s thinking too much.

Nice win, impressed with the defensive intensity tonight - that will translate.

 

[caw]

Samson remains my biggest concern. Maybe he will get better and turn a corner, but he doesn’t look like he’s improved at all from last year to my eyes. Not trying to bash the guy, he’s good at times, but Reed has been much much better early on. We really need Reed to stay healthy and stay out of foul trouble because if Samson plays like he has been, Hurley is gonna have to limit him to 12-15 mins/game.

Samson played really well this game. He brings something different from Reed both offensively and defensively. Johnson's foul trouble has been an issue but he is putting up pretty nice defensive stats with 9 blocks and 4 steals in three games. He also has 7 assists. Those are nice numbers for a center. His problem is rebounding and fouls.

Compared to Reed, who has 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals in 11 more minutes. Of course Reed is much better on the boards and is scoring at a higher rate also.

Point being, I think they actually compliment each other quite well as long as Samson can keep the fouls down.

 

[Jimdish255]

His issue is hes not athletic enough to just go out there beat his man and do his thing. He needs to play in system to flourish. Until he gets there hes going to look mid. As he gets comfortable and understands Hurleys system he will no longer be thinking and just reacting and then we will see him start to take off.

If he's good enough and just going through a transition and a dry spell then he knows he has to stay focused, work hard on D and get some extra shots in. Sometimes you pick up one part of your game and the other feeds off. Keep fighting for it. Let's see how the next 2 games go for him.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Man we have a pride of very good players.

Btw Who is Le Moyne? Really, SMH.

 

[EnochRoot]

Man we have a pride of very good players.

Btw Who is Le Moyne? Really, SMH.

Why shake your head? Look at the remainder of their pre-conference schedule. They're going to get tested. Often.

 

[Supes]

Obviously it's not an apples-to-apples comparison given their roles and when they played, but Nowell looked so much more comfortable running the offense than Mahaney in their times on the court. I think he's just processing things better/faster. Would love to see him get some run during the competitive portion of the next game, see how he does.

Otherwise basically good performances across the board (as it should be in a 41-point win against an overmatched team). Ross and Ball obviously stand out as taking significant jumps from last year.

McNeeley might be the most offensively gifted freshman I've seen on a UConn team, at least from a scoring perspective. He's just so polished.

 

[uconnever]

Since no one else is saying it, Reed is an absolute MONSTER. If he figures it out, who’s gonna stop him? I can’t believe we get him for another year.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Ross again looks very dynamic on both ends of the floor. His three-point shooting was off tonight, but made a lot of very nice plays. He had one drive through the lane that was Dr J-ish where he covered an immense amount of floor in just two steps. It's going to be exciting to see him continue to improve as the season goes on. I think he's going to be very special, something that none of us saw coming.

I’m never going to get my respect on this board lol

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Aidan needs to be in more of a Joey California role. Still extremely valuable.

This take looks familiar.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Yeah Reed should probably be a starter soon and so should Diarra or Ross if Mahaney is going to play like this. He may be much better suited in a bench role where he worries less about facilitating a complex offense and more about finding his and scoring.

It’s asking a lot of him to try and run this offense AND find his spots appropriately to get in rhythm.

 

[3rdbass]

Since no one else is saying it, Reed is an absolute MONSTER. If he figures it out, who’s gonna stop him? I can’t believe we get him for another year.

I love when he gets his hands on the ball when going for a rebound. Nobody is getting it from him. That is a very comfortable feeling when our other center is the complete opposite. LOL!

 

[auror]

I don't see the working hard. He has to know to play off a guy who is quicker than him and only drives. His defense has a been a sore spot and a big reason why he is riding the bench a lot. His shooting will come around but he can't play defense the way he has as everyone is getting by him easily.

This is not how Hurley instructs his guys to play. You play up and then help comes on the drive if it happens you get beat. Obviously you don't want to get beat, you try not to get beat, you get in trouble if you get beat, but you're not playing off most guards in Hurley's scheme.

 

[Scottobot]

Every time I see Abraham in the limited minutes he gets he always look good to me. Is it because it's not enough minutes to go around that he doesn't play more or is it something else?

He certainly makes the most of the few minutes he gets and looks great, but UConn is currently loaded at the wing slot with McNeeley, Ross, Stewart and Ball. For Abraham to get PT this year it would have to come by taking the minutes of one of those players.

 

[3rdbass]

This is not how Hurley instructs his guys to play. You play up and then help comes on the drive if it happens you get beat. Obviously you don't want to get beat, you try not to get beat, you get in trouble if you get beat, but you're not playing off most guards in Hurley's scheme.

Well Cam Spencer did. If you don't have the foot speed it is hard to play tough man to man defense. I do agree we like to pressure the opposing PG to make it harder to get into the offense but Mahaney with his lack of strength and quickness isn't the man to do that.

 

[dennismenace]

Every time I see Abraham in the limited minutes he gets he always look good to me. Is it because it's not enough minutes to go around that he doesn't play more or is it something else?

He and Nowell are going to be very very good imho. Our program is in some ways like Villanova under Jay Wright. Younger players are competing for limited minutes and learning on the fly. That second half showed some glimpses of teams past where all that talent and depth just kept coming in waves and was very formidable. Wear the opponent down and then run them out the door. I just love it. "They better get us now".

 

[REB1094]

Another slow start, but our returning leaders Karaban and Diarra flipped the switch at the end of the 1st half to end the game early. Hanging 50 in the second was just icing on the cake

My favorite parts:

• If it wasn’t confirmed yet, we are taking a 2023 approach instead of 2024 approach. Wear you down, wear you down, wear you down..run you out of the gym. Their starters: 39. Our bench: 38
• Sad that McNeeley lost his double double streak but solid game. He’s not a lockdown defender by any means but he gives so much effort that he doesn’t look that bad on defense. Will see if this keeps up against better opponents
• Speaking of double doubles, Tarris Reed is a beast. Quickly becoming one of my favorite players on this team
• Very well rounded game from Ross. Missed all of his threes but made all of his twos. Stuffed the stat sheet
• I think I’ve said it every game this year. I REALLY like Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham.

1 more tune up next week. Let’s go Huskies!

 

[dennismenace]

Man we have a pride of very good players.

Btw Who is Le Moyne? Really, SMH.

Another small Jesuit school right near Syracuse. Doing pretty well for year 2 as a D1 team.
I was impressed by that forward that had Pitino as his coach a few years back.

 

[Siv]

Nice that Dee Rowe’s former players were brought out on the court. I just wish that they were acknowledged individually. Recognized some but certainly not all.

 

[husky429]

Well Cam Spencer did. If you don't have the foot speed it is hard to play tough man to man defense. I do agree we like to pressure the opposing PG to make it harder to get into the offense but Mahaney with his lack of strength and quickness isn't the man to do that.

No, Cam didn't.

 

[freshler40]

This is not how Hurley instructs his guys to play. You play up and then help comes on the drive if it happens you get beat. Obviously you don't want to get beat, you try not to get beat, you get in trouble if you get beat, but you're not playing off most guards in Hurley's scheme.

Good incite. With our talented centers, the erasers have been in good position.

 

[AreBee1969]

Based on hurleys hilarious reaction when Samson picked up a reaching foul out by the 3 pt line with 3 mins left in the first half, he’s been having trouble getting through to him. Only 2 fouls tonight tho thats progress.

Right, only 2 fouls but both were aggravating. The one you mention and one on an illegal screen. If he got four fouls protecting the rim, I would sleep better.

 

[NJHusky]

This is not how Hurley instructs his guys to play. You play up and then help comes on the drive if it happens you get beat. Obviously you don't want to get beat, you try not to get beat, you get in trouble if you get beat, but you're not playing off most guards in Hurley's scheme.

Prob is he gets beat….a lot

 

[Tyler2Rings]

I'm really enjoying the Tarris Reed experience.

Oriakhi-esque