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My initial point was that having multiple guys able to assume the PG role is not an issue that people make it out to be, we certainly could've used that last year.
Middlesex Chamber Hurley Breakfast - Oct 7th
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We'll be lucky if either one is half of Shabazz or Boat. But the idea that having 2 PGs earn minutes is a bad thing is a strange thing for a basketball fan to say in 2022, but especially strange for a UConn fan to say
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I'm not saying that it's necessarily a bad thing in the abstract; I am saying that Andre will be running the point most of the time, with the two PGs to whom you are referring splitting time playing alongside him, which is different than what I and at least a few others expected.
I understand that Hurley has alluded to this in the past so perhaps I should have expected it, but it is very different imo than Khalid/Ricky, Kemba/Shabazz and Shabazz/Boat.
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Yeah I know you're not saying it's bad explicitly but there are multiple posters this week who have done exactly that.
Maybe I'm dumb but I'm just not understanding the issue people are having. Tristen Newton's skillset is best utilized playing off thr ball for stretches. Andre Jackson's skillset is best utilized with the ball in his hands. Having all these lineup options seems like a good thing, not some sign of a downfall
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That's the way I see it too. Whether you call Jackson a Point Guard or a Point Forward the offense will likely be flowing through him, Jackson will be the primary playmaker. He's our QB.
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Fishy
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We don’t actually have a pure point guard on the team; if Newton is not capable, we’re in a boatload of trouble because Diarra and Jackson cannot run a team. Jackson, like Caron, is a terrific passer in transition, but running point for extended periods of time..oof.
And Adams shooting threes….please stop. I would discard it as just coach speak, but Hurley had a similar horror of an idea last year with Whaley and we spent the season watching our toughest interior player float around 25’ from the basket.
And Adams shooting threes….please stop. I would discard it as just coach speak, but Hurley had a similar horror of an idea last year with Whaley and we spent the season watching our toughest interior player float around 25’ from the basket.
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Sounds like we don’t have a point guard.
I sure hope Hurley’s love affair with Jackson doesn’t bite him. I just don’t see Jackson being the primary “ point “ be it point guard or point forward.
Jackson would be a great Robin to a Batman. He is not a lead guy.
If Jackson is not the guy Hurley is betting on the season is going to be a long one especially that early season tournament.
I sure hope Hurley’s love affair with Jackson doesn’t bite him. I just don’t see Jackson being the primary “ point “ be it point guard or point forward.
Jackson would be a great Robin to a Batman. He is not a lead guy.
If Jackson is not the guy Hurley is betting on the season is going to be a long one especially that early season tournament.
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This is interesting. This is my third preseason on the Boneyard, and for the first two seasons, the prevailing preseason feeling on the 'Yard was one of what, in retrospect, turned out to be irrational optimism. In other words, the season played out less successfully than the preseason consensus prediction. This year's preseason consensus is shaping up to be, in a word, doom.
Now the question is, will the trend of the team underperforming the Boneyard's expectations continue? If so, boy will that stink. Or will the trend of the Boneyard being wrong continue, with the team overperforming this time?
Now the question is, will the trend of the team underperforming the Boneyard's expectations continue? If so, boy will that stink. Or will the trend of the Boneyard being wrong continue, with the team overperforming this time?
Huskyforlife
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I find it interesting everyone seems to believe the newton/Diarra stuff, but not the Jackson quotes. If Hurley were to be 100% right about everything, this is a big deal.
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Or there is a pretty large sample size of one of them being a pretty poor offensive player at the college level. I liked taking him as a transfer and thought he would be good in a small role off the bench, but if he is really in contention with Newton for a starting spot I don't see how that can be a good thing.
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Most of us have nothing else to go on with respect to Newton and Diarra. With Andre, we have all seen enough of him to make our own judgments, and it has not been a secret that Hurley loves him.
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Just like Karaban told me in August.
Huskyforlife
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He’s seen Jackson even more than us, and would know how ridiculous the claims are if he’s still playing like sophomore Jackson.
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I keep shaking my head about the concerns with Newton playing PG. He hasn't played a game yet. Relax. It reminds me of all the people who were concerned about Cole going from a lower level to UConn and all the concerns about his play the first year at UConn. He only was First Team All BE his 2nd year here. And all that despite some people saying, even to his last game, that he wasn't good enough to play here. I'm sure it won't be a seamless transition for Newton but the kid averaged 17/5/5 in a pretty high level (the AAC is not a low major) so he has talent. He'll get there if he's not on day one.
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Here you go. Borges article from the breakfast.
"There's a level of patience we've got to have with Tristen and Hassan," Hurley noted. "I would say collectively at that position, it's the most we've had. R.J. left some big shoes to fill, but I think the combination of the two right now is really, really competitive."
Who will be UConn men's basketball team's starting point guard this season? Dan Hurley still deciding
Three of the UConn men's basketball team's starting spots are shoo-ins, but coach Dan...
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Who will be UConn men's basketball team's starting point guard this season? Dan Hurley still deciding
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Cole had one full season practicing with the team and one full season playing a Big East schedule before he turned into the first team All-Big East point guard we saw last season.
The consternation is coming from things Hurley has said to the media, has said to people who cover the team, and from people who observed practices.
I think it's a combination of people wishing they heard more positive things about Newton playing the point guard in the extremely early going, not believing Jackson can run the point/manage the game until we see it, and not believing Diarra is a starter at this level.
I'm not overly concerned but I think there will be growing pains at the position and we're going to miss RJ. I don't think everyone appreciates how good and important RJ was for us. He was one of the most important players in the entire country for his team last season.
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But he was basically saying the same things about Jackson last season.
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I know being negative about all things UConn is your thing but there's also a large sample of Newton being a really good offensive player at the college level. So while you assume Newton has regressed to the level of Diarra, it's just as possible Diarra progressed to the level of Newton. That's how it can be a good thing
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I agree. Hurley just said it today that there will be growing pains. I expect that with anyone playing their first year at UConn.
"There's a level of patience we've got to have with Tristen and Hassan," Hurley noted. "I would say collectively at that position, it's the most we've had. R.J. left some big shoes to fill, but I think the combination of the two right now is really, really competitive."
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The expectations are high at this level. Being a PG in the Big East is a big step up whether it's coming from ECU or UTEP, regardless of prior success.
I think Newton will be good, fill PG duties but it's going to be a committee. I see 3 legitimately viable guys who can:
1. Handle the ball well
2. Break down a defender
that is better than the only 1 guy that could do it last year.
The staff prioritized ball skills and shooting this offseason and while it may take a couple games do think this is a well constructed roster.
I think Newton will be good, fill PG duties but it's going to be a committee. I see 3 legitimately viable guys who can:
1. Handle the ball well
2. Break down a defender
that is better than the only 1 guy that could do it last year.
The staff prioritized ball skills and shooting this offseason and while it may take a couple games do think this is a well constructed roster.
Something you can do without a true point guard is run, run and then run some more. It’s when you get bogged down in hall court sets you need a true point guard. I think in a 4 out offense you can get by without a true point guard as well. Constant motion.
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If that is true, awesome, but it much more likely that Newton regresses some than Diarra becoming a good offensive player in a bigger role.
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All this talk about point guards is kinda mind numbing... it seems like half of the posters here want a traditional PG thinking that we're going to play old school 1-5 station basketball. But that isn't how this roster is set up nor is it the brand of ball that will cut down the nets in this era.
If we play 4-out style basketball a lot of/most of the time, then we won't need a traditional point guard for large chunks of time. We'll set the floor, get motion going, find mismatches (we should have them often due to most of our guard/wings being in the 6'5"+ range: Newton/Hawkins/Jackson/Karaban/Johnson), and then either shoot over those mismatches from distance, find a cutter to the basket for layups and dunks, or isolate Adama for his excellent pivot moves and crash the boards for put-backs.
If we play 4-out style basketball a lot of/most of the time, then we won't need a traditional point guard for large chunks of time. We'll set the floor, get motion going, find mismatches (we should have them often due to most of our guard/wings being in the 6'5"+ range: Newton/Hawkins/Jackson/Karaban/Johnson), and then either shoot over those mismatches from distance, find a cutter to the basket for layups and dunks, or isolate Adama for his excellent pivot moves and crash the boards for put-backs.
RJ Cole had an excellent year as a BE First Team PG last season.. When he needed a few minutes rest/was in foul trouble/ minor injuries--Our lack of team depth in ball handling was exposed. If the opposing team tried to take the ball out of his hands through defensive pressure-- Thereby forcing us to rely on others for ball handling-- we were exposed. AJax was frequently an opportunistic ball handler after collecting a defensive rebound and heading up court (with his coach's encouragement). RJ was exhausted at the end of games last year because of how he was used ..Did he complain? No.. Kid was a warrior.
This year we will have multiple ball handlers who will be on the floor and we will be less reliant on one player to navigate the offense and will have more balance. The four new guard additions to our roster have previous CBB experience. IMO.. We have much more flexibility in our guard/wing rotation than in previous years. The cupboard is not bare.
This year we will have multiple ball handlers who will be on the floor and we will be less reliant on one player to navigate the offense and will have more balance. The four new guard additions to our roster have previous CBB experience. IMO.. We have much more flexibility in our guard/wing rotation than in previous years. The cupboard is not bare.
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Nobody thinks the cupboard is bare and 3 ball handlers is way better than one but we're going from that one ballhandler being 1st team BE to not even knowing who the point guard is going to be this year.
We will learn a lot more after they get first night out of the way and the serious practices start but we won't really know what the situation is until they play some games.
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I am not really worried about the pg situation. I think Newton will be good.
I guess the two worries I have are 1. that our defense may not be as good as last season. and 2. the "good problem" of having a lot of guys expecting minutes in a short rotation. The solution to number 2 is to blow more teams out.
I guess the two worries I have are 1. that our defense may not be as good as last season. and 2. the "good problem" of having a lot of guys expecting minutes in a short rotation. The solution to number 2 is to blow more teams out.
Agree, have Adama own the paint.
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Totally agree on your first point - we don't have a lock down defender over 6'6".
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