Memphis Post Game Thread

[thekollieman]

Wasn't Clingan coming off the foot injury?

I believe so. My point stands without the Clingan comparison, though. I just prefer to ride it out in support of our dogs and have a little faith along the way.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Tough loss. Team fought hard. Lotsa players made big shots for both teams. We lost but there was a lot of good that came from this game. We’ll be just fine. We showed championship heart, fight, and talent.

 

[RuffRuff]

It’s November… I remember people doubting Clingan’s potential this time last year too. Maybe it doesn’t pan out for all three of them, but it’s way too early in the season for that level of declaration.

Then probably a bit early for DH to be declaring them first round talent. DC was rumored to be a first round pick after his frosh year based on playing time we saw with our own eyes. These guys played sparing minutes their freshman year. All I’m saying is that there seems to be some artificial hyping by Dan.

As for Ahmad, has a much higher ceiling than AM, just doesn’t have the reps. He feels exactly the profile we need, just young.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

In the games where we beat the junior colleges and someone compared him to El Amin?

Mahaney also played against those guys lol.

 

[Scrutineer]

McNeeley came through late in the 2nd half but I don't get the lack of Stewart minutes in the 2nd half after how he played in the first half

DH was quoted in a writeup I saw after the game saying something along the lines of "Stewart was 'jumpy' in the second half" so he decided it was best to sit him out.
There was no follow-up question asking what he meant.

 

[superjohn]

McNeeley came through late in the 2nd half but I don't get the lack of Stewart minutes in the 2nd half after how he played in the first half

Wow, didn't realize Jaylin only played 17 minutes. That was a loud 17 minutes. 16 points on 7/9 shooting and 5 rebounds.

Liam and Jaylin shouldn't be an either or, they're two of our best players and NBA athletes. Meanwhile Diarra played 29 minutes and Mahaney played 24. They were both bad until Diarra stepped it up in OT.

 

[uconngb]

DH was quoted in a writeup I saw after the game saying something along the lines of "Stewart was 'jumpy' in the second half" so he decided it was best to sit him out.
There was no follow-up question asking what he meant.

Jumpy??? WTF??

 

[G0UCONN]

Great game in many ways. Would have been unforgettable win. A few thoughts.

1. Reed is playing like one of the best centers in the country. Similar game to Sanogo on offense. Him and Johnson as a combo will be terrific (once Samson settles in).

2. Mahaney will be fine on O as we go. Bigger worry is the D. Memphis took it at him and he couldn't handle their athleticism. Still like Diarra more off the bench.

3. We showed great guts coming back down 13 with 4 minutes to go. As did Memphis in OVT down 4 and without their best player.

4. The Ts were a killer and can't have them. That said, not over the back by McNeeley. A great offensive rebound.

5. Memphis overall deserved the win as outplayed us most of the game but this falls under the "good loss" category.

In Hurley I trust. Next game....

 

[uconngb]

Great game in many ways. Would have been unforgettable win. A few thoughts.

1. Reed is playing like one of the best centers in the country. Him and Johnson as a combo will be terrific (once Samson settles in).

2. Mahaney will be fine on O as we go. Bigger worry is the D. Memphis took it at him and he couldn't handle their athleticism. Still like Diarra more off the bench.

3. We showed great guts coming back down 13 with 4 minutes to go. As did Memphis in OVT down 4 and without their best player.

4. The Ts were a killer and can't have them. That said, not over the back by McNeeley. A great offensive rebound.

5. Memphis overall deserved the win as outplayed us most of the game but this falls under the "good loss" category.

In Hurley I trust. Next game....

Holy optimism…are you lost??

 

[G0UCONN]

Holy optimism…are you lost??

Never panic in mid November. Especially with this staff, what this staff has proven, and the obvious talent and depth....

 

[DogMania]

I’m starting to wonder if the staff over indexed on elite “processing” with Mahaney at the sake of physical tools. You can’t teach size, speed and physicality, all of which he’s showing a severe shortage in competing with better athletes. People keep talking about TNewt needing a year to figure it out, yet fail to recognize he had plus physical traits for his position. The only way Mahaney becomes a net positive and not a liability is if he demonstrates intangibles that overcome the physical shortages. I honestly don’t know how they make it work.

I too am starting to wonder if they mis-evaluated Mahaney's skill (and lack of) set. He doesn't process things quick enough, is not strong enough or quick enough on offense to be an effective lead guard. He's a terrible defender, clear liability on that end of the floor. He can't get the minutes he's getting if that's what he's going to bring to the table most games. But what is the alternative?

Hass is best suited as an off the bench change of pace, though when he plays his best, he's an important contributor. And of course he can't play 40 minutes.

I think Mahaney is best suited in the Joey Cal role, but Hurley and the staff seemed to have brought him in for a role he's not suited for. I don't remember what other lead/combo guards were in the portal, but they would have been better off with a more physical one that could defend, handle, pass and drive the paint.

Some might wonder if they should have taken Koby Brea, but he's not a lead guard, albeit a prolific scorer. He would not have provided what UConn needs.

So what can they do? Either continue to put Aidan out there and try to develop him, or see what Nowell can do once he's healthy, and use Mahaney more in that Joey Cal role till he proves himself. Maybe mix Ross in as a big lead guard since he can handle it well. He certainly wouldn't defend a guard any worse than Aidan.

I really don't know what the answer is when we face teams with athletic guards. It's clear so far that Mahaney is a liability that must get better. It probably won't help him this season, but he needs to hit the weight room hard and get stronger, and needs a lot of work on his balance and foot work to improve his quickness and lateral movement. I watched him closely, and he's extremely bad at reversing direction once he's moving the other way. He is what he is, but can get better, but doubt he will improve enough in those areas for this season.

It's likely their best option is try to coach him up as best they can and provide better help (hedge defense was not good today) for him on D. Just no real answer when teams isolate a more athletic guard on him that drive right by him.

Don't we have an open 2024/25 scholarship? Any available mid-season ready to play Euro lead guards out there? . I'm kidding...well sort of.

 

[temery]

This long-held argument that constantly challenging the refs pays dividends in the long run is possibly the dumbest thing that keeps getting repeated here.

 

[uconnbill]

Love the way they fought back but they need to finish. Yes the call stunk butt thats happens at times.

 

[auror]

Final question to DH was why didn't Stewart play more in 2nd half

at 8:15 He said he looked "out of rhythm" and "skittish" (twice) in 2nd half

I didn't see that

Also, I dont think anyone mentioned him playing 2-3 in OT. I'm assuming it was to protect Samson and foul trouble in general. It was interesting though

He was in the game when Memphis went on their run to get the lead to double digits. He missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

 

[Robrio89]

Anyone who watched the first 4 games of our season, wasn’t surprised by this game. Every weakness we demonstrated through those games, was present here. And for all those who suggested the weakness of our scheduling leading up to this game was problematic, I agree. I felt zero confidence going into this tournament. Late comeback and OT was entertaining, but we never at any point held a competitive edge in this game. Yeah the foul calls did suck, but never did I think it was ultimately the refs. We fouled a lot during those 4 exhibition games, when we shouldn’t have. Didn’t Solo foul out of one of those game? And Samson Johnson?

The game, if anything, gave us better perspective as to where our team really is. Mahaney played poorly against low level competition, and here in this game, he was what Ajax was offensively during Big East play, but on defense. They exploited that weakness and it killed us all game. Samson Johnson? The guy with countless unnecessary offensive fouls from moving screens last year? 18 seconds in, foul. 3rd foul I believe it was, he shoved the guy to the ground under the hoop (not talking Dainja T). It took us forever to get into our offense. Our defense lacked most of the game. The positives? Reed is a monster. We needed him gravely. Stewart? Still a big game player. Sure he plays slightly above average otherwise, but if it is a tourney, Big East or otherwise, he shows up.

Hopefully the concession games prove us to be something better than this game. And hopefully Hurley goes back to blaming the players for fouls, regardless of how some of those calls were. They definitely didn’t make 29 bad calls