New Hampshire post game thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

New Hampshire post game thread

Speculation on my part on a very small sample size (two games) but, due to when each player first entered games, it appears Dan Hurley is planning on having nine players in the rotation, but will consider expanding to ten if Nowell proves worthy.
 
A few thoughts on a rewatch.

I didn't think Mahaney was that bad overall, he is doing what he needs to do but just missing a lot of open shots. His biggest problem is he is overthinking things a bit. I think he will acclimate eventually. Not the Spencer route and hopefully not the Ashworth route either, but somewhere in between. (He's no Timberlake at least).

The 2-4 are one of the best in college right now. Solo had an off shooting night and he still played very well.

Samson is Samson but he is boxing out better this year and his offense is still very good.

The (current) bench:

I liked the way Stewart played. Not a great boxscore game but he did a lot of little things that were good (setting screens, a few drive and kicks) and played solid defense. I still say he looks much more comfortable in the system than last year.

Ross is noticeably bigger (muscle). He put on some good weight. I see the comparisons to Jackson but Ross is much more of a scorer. A bit of a mix of Bouk and Jackson.

Diarra runs the show better than Mahaney because he isn't overthinking things. He knows the sets.

Reed is just a beast. When he makes simple plays he just is destroying the other team. He hasn't gone outside his lane much yet either. His Michigan games he often tried to do too much, whether bad coaching, bad teammates or something else. He's not doing that yet at UConn and his strength's are on display.

Having Diarra, Stewart, Reed and Ross off the bench is absurd.



In the few minutes they got I liked what I saw from Abraham and Nowell. I will say Nowell was a bit too hyped when he threw that ball out of Samson's flight zone.
 
Ignoring the box score, here are a few of my thoughts. McNeeley impressed. The kid is so active, it’s really hard to believe this is only his second college game. Taris is a presence on the block. Solo, Stewart, Jayden….::two things are clear, the ceiling for all three is extremely high, but there will be many inconsistent nights, especially vs better competition. Mahaney will be fine, give him a month. This is all about adjustments, new expectations/role, and culture. It’s why he came here but it will take time. Diarra is good enough to start and probably deserves to but his role off the bench is too valuable. He goes from a good starter to an exceptional first guard off the bench. It may be worth it to keep him in that role. Johnson really hasn’t shown much development from last year. Amazing athleticism and bounce, great in spurts, but not a dependable starter as a big. Finally Alex. I love this kid. I wasn’t sure if he would be comfortable as the alpha of this team. Somehow, he has exceeeded my expectations yet again. He still is Alex, plays within the game and is a second coach on the floor. That said, he is playing with a purpose, his leadership is off the charts, and if this continues, he will help his draft stock immensely.
 
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HooperScooper said:
It makes me laugh every time he says Sunoco. Not sure he knows how to pronounce Singare right either. Was it my imagination or did he say Sing-a-ray when Singare came into the game? Or was he pronouncing it right? I always thought it's Sing-are-ay.
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To be clear I love Raff and think he should be stored in Tupperware between games to preserve him.

I would love a definitive pronunciation for Singare since I've heard it a few ways. I thought sing-ARE-ay but also have heard it with equal emphasis on all three syllables.
 
It took Newton until late January to figure it out in his first year here. And he had games where he was BAD. Like really bad. Mahaney has 2 years of a very very solid track record. His role on this team is completely different than his role at Saint Mary’s. It may take him a couple months before it clicks but that’s probably why Hurley is starting him. He needs to accelerate the process and give him as much game time reps as possible. He won’t get more comfortable quite as fast if he’s sitting on the bench behind Diarra
 
aburks41 said:
It took Newton until late January to figure it out in his first year here. And he had games where he was BAD. Like really bad. Mahaney has 2 years of a very very solid track record. His role on this team is completely different than his role at Saint Mary’s. It may take him a couple months before it clicks but that’s probably why Hurley is starting him. He needs to accelerate the process and give him as much game time reps as possible. He won’t get more comfortable quite as fast if he’s sitting on the bench behind Diarra
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Newton is a good parallel.

He did have a triple double his third game -- similar to Mahaney playing well v URI -- but was extremely inconsistent really for the entire season but knew how to adapt his game better after the Seton Hall and SJU debacles, in the latter case he airballed a free throw.

What's weird is after those games he went on a tear for 5 games including a triple double v Marquette but then basically took a backseat to the Big 3 for the remainder of the season until the championship.

Mahaney will get it, he's too talented and the staff and system are too good but it's going to take time and there will be games like URI and games like Sacred Heart.

The goal is he chips in where needed and asked this year to support Solo, McNeeley, Ross, and Karaban and then next year he can elevate to that level of All Big East guard.

The wings lead the way this year and Aidan just needs to pick and choose his spots.
 
JustbrewitMan said:
So far, Mahaney & McNeeley on the court at the same time is poison for good defense.
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Don’t expect him to be as physical as Spencer, he doesn’t have that, Spence was a rebound monster.
His size and strength are a concern but he needs to be more assertive.
 
JustbrewitMan said:
He HAS to figure out defense. He was letting his man get by nearly every time. It puts too much pressure on our bigs and was part of the reason both Samson and Hoss got 2 fouls in the 1st half.
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Agree. If he doesn't figure it out he will be like Joey California coming off the bench for some instant offense.

One thing for sure. Jayden Ross is going to be eating a lot of minutes. He has a gigantic first step and is now a two way threat. His offense made me think of a budding Dr J type. Wow.
 
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Sibeerian said:
To be clear I love Raff and think he should be stored in Tupperware between games to preserve him.

I would love a definitive pronunciation for Singare since I've heard it a few ways. I thought sing-ARE-ay but also have heard it with equal emphasis on all three syllables.
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This will help everyone out with how to say Youssouf's last name correctly:

 
JustbrewitMan said:
Second bad game for Aiden. One more and it’s a real worry. He’s getting outclassed by mediocre mid major guards. Garbage time points aren’t gonna cut it. I’m rooting for him to figure it out.
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IMO, Aiden is going to be fine. The kid is a gamer, he's smart, a good passer, and very good shooter. He's going from A-Ball to the Big Leagues. Before long, we'll be calling him Aiden-California.
 
Back too late from the game to post last night. I pretty much never reach a general conclusion about the future off of a very early season game against an over-matched opponent. Keep in mind that we have a pretty young team overall with a few older new faces just forming an identity and I would not expect today to look like a month from now. I think in some ways New Hampshire was a good test. I think they were overall much quicker than our guys expected and hurried us a lot through a big chunk of the first half. I would not be shocked if they do ok in their league. But we have way more talent and scary depth.

Without going a lot of player by player, a few things. We have a lot of good shooters. And I think that includes young end of benchers Nowell and Abraham.
Diarra needs to be more consistent but after a pretty rough first half, he came off the bench in the second half and really impacted the game. Our soph class is really good. Ball is a confident, skilled young guy. Stewart has his moments. But damn, Hurley wasn’t blowing smoke about Ross. Confident and aggressive. Singare even looks like he could be ok beyond garbage time. He seems to do good things when he has the chance. McNeeley is a really strong and skilled kid. One and done I’m not so sure, and I hope not. I don’t salivate when young stars leave early. This team with Clingan would be scary. Which leads me to the last observation. I think Reed is good and Samson has his role. I think the kind of team we might, and I emphasize might, have trouble with are teams with very big and/or strong talented big men. And I don’t think there are many that we play. Obviously Kalkbrenner is tall, skilled and experienced but even if we have trouble with certain posts, overall I hope our team quickness skill and depth will be hard to beat.
 
Toward the end of the game, we started looking UConn-ish -- finding the open man, shots limited to dunks and open threes, and an assist on almost every basket. It's so much fun to watch this team learning to fit into the shoes.

Ross has quickness that I didn't know he posessed.

Johnson is much better defensively this year, but he's going through the same learning curve as Sanogo and Donovan with respect to fouls. He's got great reach, he just needs to work his magic from a distance to avoid fouls.

Hurley and staff's reputation for developing talent is going to be legendary. Play for UConn and your next stop is the NBA. He makes most other coaches seem as if they're only working part-time.
 
Beyond the stuff already mentioned, I noticed how few easy points the team is getting. I'm not sure if teams are keying on back cuts or have adapted to UConn offensive schemes...or this new team don't have the cuts mastered yet, or both. Just not seeing anything easy. Last year's team demoralized opponents with the precision.

It could also be the Hurley does not want to break out those plays against these overmatched teams.

Ross looks like he may become amazing. McNeeley is Karaban 2.0. Tarris is strong and getting better. No worries about Aiden. Solo is good but still not optimized. I have a feeling that Nowell might have really gotten into NH's strong point guard. He would give up some height, but he is strong on his feet.
 
Palatine said:
No. He has proved it. Hurley loves him playing with urgency but he has to stop "mauling" people. The team look different when he plays at a high level. His athleticism and talent are NC level.
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Unfortunately it’s not just “mauling people” that leads to the fouls. A lot of it is positioning, which just puts him in an impossible situation, where he can’t help but foul.

There is no doubt about it that SJ is more dangerous in the pick and roll because the defense has to respect the lob threat, but he for sure hasn’t earned a starting role with his play so far. Reed has been better and more consistent when on the floor and has actually been able to stay on the floor. Something has to click for SJ with the fouling and soon, or he is going to play the same role as last year. That’s not the worst thing in the world, he brings a lot of value out of that role, but I feel like there is a contingent on this board that is just pretending the fouls aren’t a big issue for him.
 
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jibsey said:
Just got home, ugly first half. The center competition is over. Reed is a mountain in person. Ross has size and skill, got comfortable in the second half. Maheney looks small and not strong but he has great talent and has shown it at this level so no worries on him. McNeeley had an off shooting night but is big and tough getting boards.
Love Solo and he is very tough driving and sacrificing himself.
End of game Abraham had a beautiful move, he can play. Nowell could start on many teams I think.
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Yup. He's, what like 10th in the rotation ? That move was sick. Getting there was impressive, but most guys at the end of the bench throw up a wild WTF shot in that situation. Ridiculous
 
alphasigko said:
One observation: there is not one player in constant motion inside and out like Cam in this offense...he seemed to be everywhere....without that, the offense seems to be pretty stagnant when compared to last year.
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Noticed it seemed different, but didn’t put a finger on it. I figured it was new guys figuring out the schemes.
 
Huskyforlife said:
It won't matter, he can't stay on the court. He'll end up in the energizer backup role like Diarra before long. He doesn't have many more cupcake games to prove he deserves it over Reed. We all see where this is going.
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When he left his feet last night to pick up that 3rd foul that was a cringeworthy moment. He still plays at time like he wants to be a back-up center 10-12 minutes a game.

Starters don’t make these kind of silly mistakes to pick up 3rd foul in the first half.

Not saying it never happens but they way he picked it up, looked like a foul you might see in a pickup game from someone that plays the game a few days a year, where no one is calling fouls :(
 
dogpause said:
IMO, Aiden is going to be fine. The kid is a gamer, he's smart, a good passer, and very good shooter. He's going from A-Ball to the Big Leagues. Before long, we'll be calling him Aiden-California.
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I remember people on here last year after the first game saying they expected more from Cam (while Hurley was praising him in the post game) so I am not concerned after two games. And I’m not expecting him to be Cam or Tristen either. He doesn’t have to be. I don’t think he did anything particularly bad yesterday. What did he end up with 9 points and 3 assists? That’s not too bad for someone splitting reps at PG.
 
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aburks41 said:
It took Newton until late January to figure it out in his first year here. And he had games where he was BAD. Like really bad. Mahaney has 2 years of a very very solid track record. His role on this team is completely different than his role at Saint Mary’s. It may take him a couple months before it clicks but that’s probably why Hurley is starting him. He needs to accelerate the process and give him as much game time reps as possible. He won’t get more comfortable quite as fast if he’s sitting on the bench behind Diarra
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This was my thought last night exactly. He just needs to be more aggressive offensively, similar to Newton.
 
BGesus4 said:
Am I the only one who thinks that Samson looks like he could round into a force? The fouling is a big problem but he also helps our team defense in a way Reed doesn’t with the rim protection.
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Funny, if the kid could get his head out of his @ss with the dumb fouls, I kind of like what I see. He needs to kill the reach ins, specifically. A 5 should not have reach in fouls at all, and especially away from the rim.

His offensive game has improved, showed some nice moves down low game one and a beautiful pass last night. He’s a rocket ship off the floor and he appears stronger.

The problem right now is he can’t stay on the floor long enough to get any rhythm or play free because of the foul issues, which is one of the crazier I’ve ever seen.
 
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tennmike said:
Beyond the stuff already mentioned, I noticed how few easy points the team is getting. I'm not sure if teams are keying on back cuts or have adapted to UConn offensive schemes...or this new team don't have the cuts mastered yet, or both. Just not seeing anything easy. Last year's team demoralized opponents with the precision.

It could also be the Hurley does not want to break out those plays against these overmatched teams.

Ross looks like he may become amazing. McNeeley is Karaban 2.0. Tarris is strong and getting better. No worries about Aiden. Solo is good but still not optimized. I have a feeling that Nowell might have really gotten into NH's strong point guard. He would give up some height, but he is strong on his feet.
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I agree on Nowell his body gives him an edge and I would imagine his wingspan is more like a 6’3” player. A few times at the end he stopped penetration in a way that Mahaney or even Diarra could not. But that was clean up time so tough to tell.

I am very high on Nowell, small guards can play but they have to be special and a must is a big body without sacrificing too much quickness. I think of the Kyle Lowry comp and even Brunson both played for Jay when Villanova was dominant. He is built like them. Also reminds me a bit of Taliek Brown but more offense and have not seen enough to know how good a passer he is but he has had a few penetrate and kick out passes that looked legit.

I have such loyalty to Diarra and his contributions so it’s tough. But as far as the ability to break down a defender on the dribble and become a passer or take it to the rim he is our best guard. Diarra can penetrate but he tends to finish more than dish when he gets going downhill.

Ross may be our second best at breaking a defender down on the dribble and becoming a double threat pass or shoot on our team.

It is funny but I kind of agree on the AK/McNeeley comp. Actually to me McNeeley might be the same size as Karaban. Ok it’s two games against low mid majors so some of these takes can obviously be discredited by lack of sample size on the new players, but I also think as a freshman McNeeley is a much better rebounder than AK was.

I was worried about rebounding but not so much anymore. Our front court of Reed, AK and Liam will be just fine.

I also wonder if we will see some post ups for McNeeley when we play teams with three guards or a smaller wing. Because McNeeley has a nba ready body and I don’t see a lot of 6’4”-6’5” college players who would be able to cover him close to the basket.
 
husky429 said:
Nowell is going to be nasty. We brought in a small guard to a system that is normally positionless. Shows you how highly the staff thought of him
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That last game take here saying Nowell doesn't know the offense is already stale.
 
aburks41 said:
It took Newton until late January to figure it out in his first year here. And he had games where he was BAD. Like really bad. Mahaney has 2 years of a very very solid track record. His role on this team is completely different than his role at Saint Mary’s. It may take him a couple months before it clicks but that’s probably why Hurley is starting him. He needs to accelerate the process and give him as much game time reps as possible. He won’t get more comfortable quite as fast if he’s sitting on the bench behind Diarra
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Agreed, he'll be fine, he's still learning what shots he needs to take in the offense. The biggest takeaway for me is that he has 6 assists and 1 turnover in his first 2 games as starting PG (and Ball at 7:1). If that sticks then it becomes easier to get our best players on the floor all at once with the wing depth
 
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