Mahaney | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Mahaney

freshler40 said:
When Mcneeley runs the point for short periods, he pushes downcourt before the defense can be set. This has worked well, perhaps an option for other smaller guards. I also like the fact that our centers became more involved in breaking presses after a rebound or sideline inbounding. When we play to a 20 second clock or less we find many more offensive opportunities.
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McNeeley, like Newton, knows how to read the defense and dribble and moves away from the second defender and traps. It's a Captain Obvious obervation, but so many times Mahaney and Nowell dribble right in to the pressure. And neither Mahaney or Nowell is big enough to pass over the trap. It's the initial decision when they get the ball of which way to start moving by reading the defense and seeing where pressure is coming from.
Secondly, UConn needs to have some one run to the spot where pressure is coming from so the ball handler has a known target area to pass. Pretty rare for a defense to have two defenders in the same spot on the floor. Similar to an NFL team running or passing to the spot where the blitz is coming from.
 
I am cheering for continuous improvement in performance from the coaches & related staff; from every player on the roster; and from every sector of our large, loyal, powerful, and empowering fan base.

I invite and exhort others to join me, because it is the best and most valuable thing we can do.

Go Aidan!
Go Huskies!
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
I am cheering for continuous improvement in performance from the coaches & related staff; from every player on the roster; and from every sector of our large, loyal, powerful, and empowering fan base.

I invite and exhort others to join me, because it is the best and most valuable thing we can do.

Go Aidan!
Go Huskies!
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I cheer for your posts given they sound like a Charles Dicken's novel. When I sit back to read one, it prompts me to fetch my pipe & monocle, and to sit back in my lazy boy for a good smoke and scotch, and read. Go Hans!
 
Gutter King said:
His "good" game was mediocre. We've gotten enough sample size: doesn't have enough size, doesn't have enough strength, doesn't run the offense. SH cleared out and 1v1 when he was in.
I hope he makes some big shots somehow, but you can't play him if you want to defend or run the offense with anything close to the efficiency we have come to expect. It's just not there and that's ok!
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Play strength is his biggest issue, and this is vs Big East competition not Big 10.
 
RuffRuff said:
I cheer for your posts given they sound like a Charles Dicken's novel. When I sit back to read one, it prompts me to fetch my pipe & monocle, and to sit back in my lazy boy for a good smoke and scotch, and read. Go Hans!
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LOVE the apostrophe in "Dicken's!"

As Stanley Kowalski would bellow...


I've just finished off a Caesar salad and segued from a Firesign Theater Spotify playlist into some Captain Beefheart, with Todd Rundgren's "Onomatopoeia," providing the bridge, and following up with Ken Nordine asking "What Time Is It?"

And yes, I am swaddled in La-Z-Boy leather.
 
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6Nattys4Us said:
As a backup for Diarra, Mahaney has earned his 10 minutes more than Nowell has.

As a backup for Solo same.

Cavalry is a year late with Mullins as our 2 backup.
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I agree. I think Mahaney won the backup job guard position over Nowell. I wanted Nowell to get some playing time so he could be evaluated for next year, but I think that ship has sailed.
 
Scottobot said:
I agree. I think Mahaney won the backup job guard position over Nowell. I wanted Nowell to get some playing time so he could be evaluated for next year, but I think that ship has sailed.
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Yeah, especially if tournament experience is valued, Mahaney has it over Nowell for dayz!
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
You write as though you have drawn that conclusion, doubt it, and question others.
Bless your heart.
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You write as though thinking were a strange, alien activity to you, but being a complete arse comes naturally.
 
I just saw this man on CNBC’s Fast Money and noticed the UConn banner. Turns out, his name is Mark Mahaney. Yes, he’s Aidan’s dad.

IMG_3716.jpeg
 
NickDanger said:
You write as though thinking were a strange, alien activity to you, but being a complete arse comes naturally.
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When you’re engaging with my OG Hans, who was childhood friends with Mark Twain, you just have to close your eyes and imagine a Seinfeld episode. Then it all makes sense and is a good laugh.
 
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HuskyNan said:
I just saw this man on CNBC’s Fast Money and noticed the UConn banner. Turns out, his name is Mark Mahaney. Yes, he’s Aidan’s dad.

View attachment 107645
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yup. He probably helped Aidan crunch the numbers as far as NIL and playing time opportunity goes and all that. He is well known for crunching the numbers on the tech sector from what I read.
 
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Connecticut13 said:
There’s a big difference between Spencer and Joey C. In any event, he’s been neither - but I still think he can provide valuable minutes. Hopefully, the last couple of games have boosted his confidence. I still maintain that he’s talented enough to give us Joey C like minutes in the post season.
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Joey C had a simple role and he played it well. He was a gunslinger. He played one speed - he ran around hard off of screens trying to get a sliver of daylight to let it fly. He didn’t need any time to process anything (“I can see the rim? You’ve made a big mistake”).

And he also developed a little bit of a two-man game connection with Clingan so he had his plan B as well. You’ve rushed out on me to take away the three? Now I’ll get by you and shoot a runner or throw a lob to DC if his man helps.

Mahaney has all the tools. He can shoot, he can attack the rim, he can create his own shot, he can pass. But he over-processes everything and has turned into sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. He doesn’t come off screens ready to shoot. Or even wanting to shoot. And then if the ball sticks to his hands, he’s not attacking the defense with much of a plan. After all this time of watching him - I really don’t know what his Plan A is. What’s his “thing” that the other team is trying to take away?

The unicorn-ness of Spencer was he could really do both things equally well - he was as good of a gunslinger as Joey C, but then he could take the ball and patiently carve you up with his Plan C or Plan D. You’ve shut all my options down? Oh well. Time to just do an unblockable fadeaway and you’ll have to hope I miss. Just about every possession when he had the ball played out on his terms.

I hope Mahaney can treat this as a new season and just play. Feel like a gunslinger a bit more and hunt a few shots and just not try to over-think things. He’s not managing a game for 40 minutes - he can take some risks.
 
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HooperScooper said:
I'd love to get his honest take on why Mahaney hasn't worked out as well as planned.
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I think he didn’t have experience with ball handling against tough physical ball pressure, which lead to a bunch of mistakes (turnovers) and a loss of confidence. Everyone on this board and social meeting blasted him repeatedly after every mistake and bad game which further eroded confidence.
On the defensive side, UConn’s team defense and help and rotations were just a complete disaster which made everyone on UConn look bad.
Self doubt can really impact a player’s performance.
Hopefully now he has gotten more comfortable and hopefully the team as a whole is better as a team on defense which puts less pressure on each individual.
Alleyne a couple of years ago went through a similar thing, but finally broke out of the funk towards the end of the season. Calcaterra also has a horrible extended slump in the middle of the season.
Also Mahaney comes from Moraga, CA where it is 70 degrees and sunny 3/4 of the year and never colder than 40. He goes to Storrs where it is freezing and everyone has the flu off and on all winter.
 
NickDanger said:
So you think there is some sort of magical transmission from our posts to how the team plays?
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Hang him! Get the noose! Skip the trial. It's straight to the gallows with this one.
 
Gurleyman said:
Mahaney...... He doesn’t come off screens ready to shoot. Or even wanting to shoot. And then if the ball sticks to his hands, he’s not attacking the defense with much of a plan. After all this time of watching him - I really don’t know what his Plan A is. What’s his “thing” that the other team is trying to take away?

I hope Mahaney can treat this as a new season and just play. Feel like a gunslinger a bit more and hunt a few shots and just not try to over-think things. He’s not managing a game for 40 minutes - he can take some risks.
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agree about Mahaney going through the motions on the court rather than moving with a purpose. That characteristic is what surprises me the most.
For a shooter or a scorer, he doesn't have that immediate threat to the defense when he touches the ball. He gives the defense time to adjust to him and reset away from the ball. It kills momentum for offensive flow.

I'd rather him catch and shoot and clang the shot than catch and stagnate.
 
Chin Diesel said:
agree about Mahaney going through the motions on the court rather than moving with a purpose. That characteristic is what surprises me the most.
For a shooter or a scorer, he doesn't have that immediate threat to the defense when he touches the ball. He gives the defense time to adjust to him and reset away from the ball. It kills momentum for offensive flow.

I'd rather him catch and shoot and clang the shot than catch and stagnate.
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In defense of Mahaney he started out trying to be starting PG and now his best role is backup PG, he can't or shouldn't have a shoot first mentality in the PG role especially with UConn's offense. So we are asking him to bring the ball up, initiate offense (hard if physical defenders) AND if/when he gets the ball back THEN transform his mentality to a shooter or driver. It has been harder than expected to be a PG in the BE. He struggles dealing with pressure and isn't quick enough to get by most defenders off the dribble. Those difficulties have also hamstrung his ability to morph into a SG creating offense off the catch. He should be more effective given his shooting prowess/threat yet I think its understandable that its hard to play both roles and toggle between being a 'game manager' run the offense PG and a scorer.

The Joey C role is the one Mahaney appears best suited for, but there aren't minutes for that role unless McNeeley is playing PG while Diarra rests. Competent don't make any mistakes backup PG to keep Diarra fresh is what UConn needs out of him in the postseason - I'd rather he just focus on that as trying to be both has paralyzed his play.
 
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Dogdeacon said:
In defense of Mahaney he started out trying to be starting PG and now his best role is backup PG, he can't or shouldn't have a shoot first mentality in the PG role especially with UConn's offense. So we are asking him to bring the ball up, initiate offense (hard if physical defenders) AND if/when he gets the ball back THEN transform his mentality to a shooter or driver. It has been harder than expected to be a PG in the BE. He struggles dealing with pressure and isn't quick enough to get by most defenders off the dribble. Those difficulties have also hamstrung his ability to morph into a SG creating offense off the catch. He should be more effective given his shooting prowess/threat yet I think its understandable that its hard to play both roles and toggle between being a 'game manager' run the offense PG and a scorer.

The Joey C role is the one Mahaney appears best suited for, but there aren't minutes for that role unless McNeeley is playing PG while Diarra rests. Competent don't make any mistakes backup PG to keep Diarra fresh is what UConn needs out of him in the postseason - I'd rather he just focus on that as trying to be both has paralyzed his play.
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There’s some truth to that - although in our offense, the point guard can become an off the ball cutter pretty often too. Newton would give it up and be one of the cogs in motion and shoot coming off screens as much as anyone. But on last years team, all five starters were really good passers for their positions - whereas this year Solo and Samson/Tarris are probably below average in that regard (although they’ve improved as the year has gone on).

I kinda don’t want Mahaney to think about what his role is - just want him to use his minutes and just play. If openings come to take good shots, take them. He could change a game if he knocks a few down and becomes a player the other team has to adjust to - the entire scouting report on him right now is just one line: “get up in his shirt and rattle him”
 
Deepster said:
I mean, let's be honest. We've reduced the expectations on Mahaney from "the next Joey C/Spencer" to can he give us 10 minutes to rest Diarra without screwing things up. I would hope that, at this point, he can at least give us that.
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This times 100. Just give us 10 mins of serviceable play and no turnovers.
 
Understanding that we now know Mahaney's role is off the bench with spot minutes- And he has his strengths and weaknesses backing up Hass. I look around the BE and the guard play. Who does Aidan closely resemble size-wise and play style wise? Different teams/roster construction/roles. I keep coming back to Ashworth-Creighton.About the same size and smaller than most of the defenders they go up against. How can Ashworth consistently break the press (frequently on his own) and Aidan appears to be challenged? Is it handle-foot speed- change of pace dribbling rhythm-using screens better to get into the front court? Ashworth clearly a classic PG?

Still expect him to be productive in the minutes he gets this post season. Just a head scratcher for me re: his floor game. Maybe its just as simple as he's a combo guard who has been asked to play out of position-Square peg-round hole.
 
Agree with lots written above. It seems to me he hasn’t adjusted to pace of play. He’s getting better but still waaay too methodical. Seems like he can’t shed the St Mary’s style.

At least he hasn’t gotten a 10 sec violation recently
 
Mahaney has the potential to score double digits off the bench. He has done that multiple time. We don’t need that every night. We just need him to be solid ball handler and backup PG on the other nights and he is exactly what we need.

Jaylen Stewart is very similar. Has the potential to explode for some points off bench, and on the other nights we just need solid play, some rebounds and no turnovers and again we have what we need.
 
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