Not getting the most out of them

[superjohn]

This was just a brutal performance and things are getting worse each game. I think it's more than just Bouk being out, the uncertainty of the situation is weighing on them and you can see the season slipping away.

We have a lot of complimentary pieces with no go to guys and our two best players are freshman but Hurley just isn't putting us in the best position to win. Providence plays a weak press and we never successfully score off of it the entire game, we slowly break it and then just dribble handoff in the halfcourt for 15 seconds...

He doesn't run a halfcourt offense and we're clearly best when running yet he says we can't get in an up and down game and he coaches to that. The team is flawed but he isn't using what we have correctly. Providence has looked like garbage lately and gave up a ton of points their last few games yet we do nothing against them. We should be running the whole game and feeding the post a lot better by now.

Bouknight better be back next game or this season is over, it would be nice to get some clarity for once.

 

[August_West]

you’ve got it right ( for once)..... . Lotsa pieces in this puzzle that Hurley has no idea on how to assemble.

 

[ucawn]

You’d expect some senior leadership but the seniors have just been unplayable. That’s the issue

 

[Fantana]

If this is the case we got the wrong guy. What the hell is he doing if we are so centered around one player and at this point I’m not sure things get magically better when he comes back. Then we will listen to excuses about how he has to get back in shape etc

 

[HuskyBoi]

The problem is that the coaches focused on developing Bouknight to the point where he is the most outstanding star player on the team while everyone else has either stagnated or settled into a role player. Was not good preparation for the case that Bouknight would be missing games

 

[Hankster]

you’ve got it right ( for once)..... . Lotsa pieces in this puzzle that Hurley has no idea on how to assemble.

It looked good for while, games of past but what the heck happened. He had the pieces right on the road games. Now? I can't figure it out.

 

[jdb50]

Polley has had opportunities to step up and be a player and he has failed since his big game right after Bouknight was injured. This is his last go round and he needs to turn it up. He is no Vital that is for sure.

 

[DayDayTFS]

We are missing our alpha, leader and best player. The guy who opens things up for EVERYONE.... and we play 1x a month (6-7 less games than every other team)

let’s pump the brakes here a little

 

[superjohn]

If this is the case we got the wrong guy. What the hell is he doing if we are so centered around one player and at this point I’m not sure things get magically better when he comes back. Then we will listen to excuses about how he has to get back in shape etc

He's the right guy because of recruiting and culture but he needs a ton of work on in game coaching, primarily offense and feel for the game. He's always been a really good/great defensive coach but that even seems to be falling apart lately.

 

[August_West]

It looked good for while, games of past but what the heck happened. He had the pieces right on the road games. Now? I can't figure it out.

Whelp some of that is Polley can’t make a shot. He’s getting the right shots at right times.

 

[JakeTheDog]

We have no leader on this team and we have been playing with no confidence. Yes it will be huge getting Bouk back, but I fear our lack of leadership will still hurt us in tight end of game situations.

 

[Hankster]

Whelp some of that is Polley can’t make a shot. He’s getting the right shots at right times.

Looks like he is shooting off balance a lot.

 

[djct1999]

He's the right guy because of recruiting and culture but he needs a ton of work on in game coaching, primarily offense and feel for the game. He's always been a really good/great defensive coach but that even seems to be falling apart lately.

its ok to hold the players accountable. i do and they have been brutal. almost all of them.

 

[Mooch82]

Looks like he is shooting off balance a lot.

Polley was brutal tonight. He’s worthless if he can’t make shots and he was 1-10 tonight. Once we cut it to three we ran a perfect play for him to get an open 3 and it missed...at that point I knew it was over.

 

[Bobol]

Not sure that Hurley is as good of a coach as we hoped he would be.

 

[superjohn]

its ok to hold the players accountable. i do and they have been brutal. almost all of them.

Unfortunately the coaching has as well, we have enough players to attack a weak arse press and not look like that

 

[Kitaman]

One constant in sports is that a lot of teams get better as the season progresses, due to figuring things out and most important team unity. What we are seeing is marginal teams who have improved (or learned to play together) playing against our team that's stuck in neutral.

Martin should be unleashed by now, Sonago should be fed until he's full, Polley should have set plays to free him up, guards should be driving and dumping the ball to our bigs, Jackson and Gaffney should have been able to capitalized off of our last game, etc..

We have not figured things out, and until a leader emerges we will stay in neutral. We just aren't improving as a team, and that's troubling. All Bouk will do is disguise this problem.

Just saying its February and this team still has no identity.

 

[August_West]

Polley was brutal tonight. He’s worthless if he can’t make shots and he was 1-10 tonight. Once we cut it to three we ran a perfect play for him to get an open 3 and it missed...at that point I knew it was over.

That was THE shot. That has to go down

 

[Hankster]

Unfortunately the coaching has as well, we have enough players to attack a weak arse press and not look like that

Gaff was a on a tear attacking the basket last game and before. So, did coach tell him not to or did Gaff jsut not want to play. Hard to figure these guys out now.

 

[Milo65]

Up until now, we competed, probably should have wins against St John’s and Creighton. But today, this team was beaten by a terrible team. Out coached, out hustled, out played. Since the tip, this team was more concerned about getting to TED’s. No outside presence, yet reduces to dump the ball down low to the bigs. Let’s run the weave at the top of the key and run down the clock.

 

[Deepster]

He's the right guy because of recruiting and culture but he needs a ton of work on in game coaching, primarily offense and feel for the game. He's always been a really good/great defensive coach but that even seems to be falling apart lately.

I think this is spot on. He just isn’t the best X and O guy. It’s hard to be great at all aspects of coaching.

 

[jdb50]

Hurley has nothing to be proud of right now with how things have turned into a turd circling the Bowl. He is lost.

 

[bendm]

i'm critical of his lineups and rotations more than anything. who we have on the floor will dictate how we play.

hurley never expected to be coaching a team without both his all american and 5* recruit. losing to PC without bouk and akok should surprise no one.

without bouk and akok we dont have much. martin is our best player right now. sanogo and jackson have a lot of potential. whaley and gaff are hit or miss. cole, polley, carlton, and adams are awful.

 

[djct1999]

i'm critical of his lineups and rotations more than anything. who we have on the floor will dictate how we play.

hurley never expected to be coaching a team without both his all american and 5* recruit. losing to PC without bouk and akok should surprise no one.

without bouk and akok we dont have much. martin is our best player right now. sanogo and jackson have a lot of potential. whaley and gaff are hit or miss. cole, polley, carlton, and adams are awful.

i agree, this team without bouk is completely lost. we don't have a guy who really can create his own shot. sanogo has shown a ton of promise and you have to like what you have seen from jackson these last two games. outside of that, there is very little. i agree that martin has been our best player. then we fall off a cliff. cole is undersized and because of that is more a mid major pg. whaley offers nothing offensively, polley overachieved for a game and half, and gaffney for one. personally, i don't feel those three have huge upside and certainly you can't really expect to compete in the big east or nationally if thats our core. the bouk injury sacked this season, its as simple as that. without him, this team won't make the tourney.

 

[UConnDad]

Gaff was a on a tear attacking the basket last game and before. So, did coach tell him not to or did Gaff jsut not want to play. Hard to figure these guys out now.

The press scares Gaff.

 

[Candyman]

If I hear Raff say 3 to shoot one more time. I was going to break my TV. How could Hurley be okay with that. Even if we scored it was with no time left. Hurley did nothing to speed up this game.

 

[HuskyFich]

Can’t believe the Hurley family just completely forgot how to coach! They’ve been doing it for generations and now they just forget!? Wth!

 

[UConnJim]

One constant in sports is that a lot of teams get better as the season progresses, due to figuring things out and most important team unity. What we are seeing is marginal teams who have improved (or learned to play together) playing against our team that's stuck in neutral.

Martin should be unleashed by now, Sonago should be fed until he's full, Polley should have set plays to free him up, guards should be driving and dumping the ball to our bigs, Jackson and Gaffney should have been able to capitalized off of our last game, etc..

We have not figured things out, and until a leader emerges we will stay in neutral. We just aren't improving as a team, and that's troubling. All Bouk will do is disguise this problem.

Just saying its February and this team still has no identity.

COVID (limited practice time and missed games) + injuries to 3 of your best players = what you are seeing right now. Unfortunately, that sums up the season.

 

[andy34]

The press scares Gaff.

Not sure "scared" is the right word, but you're totally right in that PC's kind of "soft press" isn't necessarily meant to generate tons of quick turnovers, but its meant to eat up clock and make it hard for the opposing PGs to initiate offensive plays. And since we already have a bewilderingly difficult time running quality sets, the press compounded it. I have to tip my cap to Ed Cooley, it worked really well in that regard.

 

[NJHusky]

Gaff was a on a tear attacking the basket last game and before. So, did coach tell him not to or did Gaff jsut not want to play. Hard to figure these guys out now.

Would be nice if our Cracker Jack reporters asked a salient question like that of the coach. But they won’t. R they afraid Hurley will shut them out if they actually ask him relevant difficult questions ?