Observations from Open Practice

[Hunt for 7]

I wish I lived in state and could attend these events. I have read many of the posts and other media on the practice. General theme is we are deep and we knew that and Ross seemed to stand out.

But for two seasons some of us at least I know I have wondered what about Ross. Just from the little playing time he got you could see he was a plus athlete and appeared to be in tune at least offensively to what his teammates were doing when he had the ball. He seems to have the best handle of all the 6’7” talent we have (McNeeley, Stewart). I keep think he could find playing time because of that handle.

If we have to play without a center how about this line up, Karaban, Stewart, McNeeley, Ross and one of the three guards Diarra/Mahaney/Nowell. If it is Mahaney that group could be dangerous in transition and from behind the arc.

So for those who were there to see what I read Hurley was quoted as saying was an “authentic practice” was there anything from a critique standpoint of what Ross maybe did not do well.

Was it the hustle getting into new drills, was it body language if he was coached. Performance in defensive drills.

Looking for anything because I am fairly serious when I say what I have seen is a young man with pro talent. Seems pro scouts may feel the same way even last year. But he can’t stiff the rotation…..what is the missing information.

 

[Hunt for 7]

How many years does Mahaney have remaining, 2or 3? Mahaney is a talent, but not surprised to see him out of sorts in front of a huge crowd. Hurley, Luke, and company will fix it.

I made a comment about Mahaney not looking 6’3”. He seems smaller than Diarra and definitely smaller than Ball. From what I could see in the highlights he did not look much taller than Nowell who probably has 10-15 pounds on him.

Look I know he is a good player I remember what I saw when we played them. But let’s be honest once Dumas got hurt in that game it was over. It was going to get that way anyway but he was their best player from a matchup standpoint against us.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I wish I lived in state and could attend these events. I have read many of the posts and other media on the practice. General theme is we are deep and we knew that and Ross seemed to stand out.

But for two seasons some of us at least I know I have wondered what about Ross. Just from the little playing time he got you could see he was a plus athlete and appeared to be in tune at least offensively to what his teammates were doing when he had the ball. He seems to have the best handle of all the 6’7” talent we have (McNeeley, Stewart). I keep think he could find playing time because of that handle.

If we have to play without a center how about this line up, Karaban, Stewart, McNeeley, Ross and one of the three guards Diarra/Mahaney/Nowell. If it is Mahaney that group could be dangerous in transition and from behind the arc.

So for those who were there to see what I read Hurley was quoted as saying was an “authentic practice” was there anything from a critique standpoint of what Ross maybe did not do well.

Was it the hustle getting into new drills, was it body language if he was coached. Performance in defensive drills.

Looking for anything because I am fairly serious when I say what I have seen is a young man with pro talent. Seems pro scouts may feel the same way even last year. But he can’t stiff the rotation…..what is the missing information.

I think last year was just simply Ross was a green freshman on a generationally great team with a stacked roster.

He’s clearly putting in the work, looked great at practice yesterday. I can’t see how he doesn’t get meaningful minutes this year if he continues to look like he did yesterday.

 

[REB1094]

Remember Newton averaged 17 a game as a junior and it took him almost a full year to get completely adjusted

Mahaney’s curve should be quicker since the coaches have gotten even better since 22-23, but we need to give him some time

 

[mauconnfan]

Thank you all for the reports good stuff. Wish I was there but had an annual golf outing I needed to attend.

Good reads on many very excited to see the young guys think they’ll all earn some minutes. One thing I see here is the different reactions to Mahaney. I kind of like he was “meh” settling in not trying to be more than the teammate right now while he figures things out. That’s not a bad thing. The one thing that is a little alarming is Diarra with turnovers and trying to do too much. He’s not that guy he needs to be that “6th” man kinda guy even as a starter. I love him off the bench wish someone earned the starters spot to keep him where he’s really good. But that’s just me, I get he wants to start and has earned the chance he just needs to be a PG not a scorer.

Again, thanks some very interesting takes!

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Thank you all for the reports good stuff. Wish I was there but had an annual golf outing I needed to attend.

Good reads on many very excited to see the young guys think they’ll all earn some minutes. One thing I see here is the different reactions to Mahaney. I kind of like he was “meh” settling in not trying to be more than the teammate right now while he figures things out. That’s not a bad thing. The one thing that is a little alarming is Diarra with turnovers and trying to do too much. He’s not that guy he needs to be that “6th” man kinda guy even as a starter. I love him off the bench wish someone earned the starters spot to keep him where he’s really good. But that’s just me, I get he wants to start and has earned the chance he just needs to be a PG not a scorer.

Again, thanks some very interesting takes!

Similar to how people here shouldn’t overreact to the Mahaney takes, I think the same applies to the posts about Diarra turnovers.

Yes he did have a stretch late in the practice where he was trying to squeeze ambitious passes through tight windows in the lane that didn’t work and resulted in turnovers. I viewed them as the types of things you try in a practice to see if they can work and if your players can handle the passes. Unfortunately, they didn’t and he had a string of turnovers.

They probably work on those situations more and if they just don’t work, he knows he can’t do it in a game.

At this point, Diarra has proven himself to be reliable and a good in-game decision maker. I trust him.

Also, there was a post a while back in this thread questioning Diarra’s 3pt shooting ability…

The guy shot 36% overall and 42% in conference last year. Got better as the season went on.

His 3pt shot looked silky yesterday and he made more than he missed.

 

[MTBingNinja]

Practice rocks! I am two seats up, nearly center court. My neck and my mental processing ability are strained from trying to keep up with the non-stop drills and movement of 11 players (no Terris Reed), coaches yelling and schooling, support staff facilitating, all the players in constant motion, knowing where to be, what they're running, the pace nearly at game speed for the whole 75 minutes. Lots of real time scrimmaging.

SJ looks real good, dynamic, everything we know plus working on mid and short range push shots and also quick drives in the lane.

Singare had a nice highlight, behind the back to Stewart on a fast break which drew the first roar from the crowd. Looks better then last year, stronger, more skilled as a non-scoring big man both offensively and defensively. Gets out on the break.

Stewart looks smooth, confident, puts it on the deck more. Shooting 3's maybe not his strongest point, but we'll see come November what his percentage is, and where his points are coming from. Very athletic and strong, very skilled at the wing. Let's see how Hurley uses him.

McNeeley looks steady, shoots the ball well, drives well, fits right in with whatever 5 players are on the floor. Not seeing any weaknesses, looking forward to watching him play come November.

J Ross looks good, very good. Much stronger and confident, shooting the ball well, driving, his length, hops, and athleticism more advanced than last season. Every part of his game looks good, he would be starting most places. Today he stood out, his ball handling, his team play, his focus. We'll see if Hurley finds him minutes, he is worthy. Made like 3 spot-up 3's in a row on the break.

Karaban out there doing Karaban things. Looks stronger, shoots 3's at a high percentage, plenty of them, getting to the hoop more though too. Alex is solid, importantly, perhaps our best team player

Abraham does not stand out as a scorer, but he stands out as a basketball player. Very athletic, tough, team player, helps make both the offense and defense run better. Again, we'll see how Hurley uses him.

Aidan Mahaney looks good, has some polish to his game. Very court-aware, I was impressed by how low he dribbles during the early drills. Tight handle for sure. Great follow thru on his 3's, fingertips a thing of beauty. Passes very well, penetrates, doesn't get too deep. Smart player for sure.

Nowell will play plenty, he has the ball in his hands, and initiates a lot of offense. On defense he is keeping up with Hassan and his effort is enormous as he guards his opponents. Really solid with the ball, shoots very well, facilitates very well, what more can I say.

Hassan is better than last year, more of a focal point for the offense. Strong on his drives, got caught once or twice maybe trying to do too much (or was it just good defense), has the ball in his hands a lot, initiates, penetrates, passing a strength also. Tough on D, looks very confident out there.

Solo playing the 2 guard, not the point. Driving well, gets his 3's, looks very good out there. Crafty scorer sometimes with his athleticism, sometimes just physical going to the hoop.

After a defensive rebound, everyone looking for Diarra, Mahaney, or Nowell. They have the highest ball usage.

Hurley addressed the crowd for 5 minutes or so, said they're all working really hard for a three-peat. 3000 plus in attendance.

Excellent take. I loved this yesterday. Great to be there. Almost as good of an experience as watching a non-competitive blowout, probably better.

Got a kick at Hurley yelling at the ball boys too, they weren’t being quick enough apparently.

Everyone better be giving 100%, 100% of the time.

 

[MTBingNinja]

nice report. Any valid criticisms from what you saw ?

I thought Mahaney missed a lot of shots but probably has to get used to the new game speed. He’ll come around

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Excellent take. I loved this yesterday. Great to be there. Almost as good of an experience as watching a non-competitive blowout, probably better.

Got a kick at Hurley yelling at the ball boys too, they weren’t being quick enough apparently.

Everyone better be giving 100%, 100% of the time.

At one point after a badly-executed set, he knelt down and put his head on the floor in apparent agony and disgust. Was hilarious!

 

[Ricker]

I made a comment about Mahaney not looking 6’3”. He seems smaller than Diarra and definitely smaller than Ball. From what I could see in the highlights he did not look much taller than Nowell who probably has 10-15 pounds on him.

Look I know he is a good player I remember what I saw when we played them. But let’s be honest once Dumas got hurt in that game it was over. It was going to get that way anyway but he was their best player from a matchup standpoint against us.

From the Aqua Turf dinner I stood talking with Mahaney & Nowell at the same time and got the same impression that Mahaney is not as tall as advertised, and, is much much slighter. He was sort of leaning a bit against a high table and Nowell was standing straight, so when it comes to an inch or two difference it is hard to tell between them. As calm as he plays, at that dinner he seemed like a guy who just had a caffeine jolt, vs the reserved relaxed posture of the other guys. My expectations for him as a husky are not as high as some of the podcasters and posters who project him as outstanding. I see him as reliable, and in other threads have compared him to Ashcroft at Creighton as far as my personal expectations. I thought Ashcroft played well but only on a couple occasions was the primary factor winning games. I haven't seen Nowell play yet in person, and really wish I had. Love the reports from everybody's viewpoints. Looking forward to Mahaney exceeding my expectations.

 

[Gburyhusky]

I have been to several of these. Yesterday I paid particular attention to observing Hurley because of all that has transpired since the second championship. His energy, enthusiasm and passion (as well as the other coaches) was as high as ever. His style is not for the NBA and he should never leave college coaching. Can you imagine Dan telling Lebron and Bronny to run the stairs at a Laker's practice?

 

[RuffRuff]

Diarra and Nowell listed as having 15-20 lbs on Mahaney, meanwhile Mahaney listed as having a couple inches. He’s a slight kid, doesn’t appear to have touched many weights at StM.

If he’s going to be a productive piece he’s going to really have to anchor down on the offensive scheme and know it

From the Aqua Turf dinner I stood talking with Mahaney & Nowell at the same time and got the same impression that Mahaney is not as tall as advertised, and, is much much slighter. He was sort of leaning a bit against a high table and Nowell was standing straight, so when it comes to an inch or two difference it is hard to tell between them. As calm as he plays, at that dinner he seemed like a guy who just had a caffeine jolt, vs the reserved relaxed posture of the other guys. My expectations for him as a husky are not as high as some of the podcasters and posters who project him as outstanding. I see him as reliable, and in other threads have compared him to Ashcroft at Creighton as far as my personal expectations. I thought Ashcroft played well but only on a couple occasions was the primary factor winning games. I haven't seen Nowell play yet in person, and really wish I had. Love the reports from everybody's viewpoints. Looking forward to Mahaney exceeding my expectations.

I second this. It’s only a small sample, but enough to see some things that will pause my expectations. Much of us have been pencilling him in as a plug and play starter. I don’t think that’s a guarantee when you have guys like Solo and Ahmad battling him for time.

Wish we got a look at Reed. Continue to think his success at the 5 will be a really key variable in the success of this years team.

 

[imno1]

Just a comment on Hurley doing a masterful job with marketing UConn men's bb. To have this much excitement and interest in the team in the middle of the summer is amazing. He's constantly keeping us in the news and showcasing why UConn is the best place for recruits and transfers to develop.

 

[david]

Diarra and Nowell listed as having 15-20 lbs on Mahaney, meanwhile Mahaney listed as having a couple inches. He’s a slight kid, doesn’t appear to have touched many weights at StM.

Its not a big deal, but you call him ‘Mahaney’ when you refer to him and his last name is Mahaney FYI.

 

[RuffRuff]

Diarra and Nowell listed as having 15-20 lbs on Mahaney, meanwhile Mahaney listed as having a couple inches. He’s a slight kid, doesn’t appear to have touched many weights at StM.

If he’s going to be a productive piece he’s going to really have to anchor down on the offensive scheme and know it

From the Aqua Turf dinner I stood talking with Mahaney & Nowell at the same time and got the same impression that Mahaney is not as tall as advertised, and, is much much slighter. He was sort of leaning a bit against a high table and Nowell was standing straight, so when it comes to an inch or two difference it is hard to tell between them. As calm as he plays, at that dinner he seemed like a guy who just had a caffeine jolt, vs the reserved relaxed posture of the other guys. My expectations for him as a husky are not as high as some of the podcasters and posters who project him as outstanding. I see him as reliable, and in other threads have compared him to Ashcroft at Creighton as far as my personal expectations. I thought Ashcroft played well but only on a couple occasions was the primary factor winning games. I haven't seen Nowell play yet in person, and really wish I had. Love the reports from everybody's viewpoints. Looking forward to Mahaney exceeding my expectations.

I second this. It’s only a small sample, but enough to see some things that will pause my expectations. Much of us have been pencilling him in as a plug and play starter. I don’t think that’s a guarantee at this point, especially when battling a talented set of guards.

 

[ucp990411]

Agree. Went to the practice and first thing my wife said was who is #4? Reminds me of Edmund Saunders.

Your wife went? I am impressed

 

[Kolumbo]

He provides some posts and images

 

[DRBackup]

How many years does Mahaney have remaining, 2or 3? Mahaney is a talent, but not surprised to see him out of sorts in front of a huge crowd. Hurley, Luke, and company will fix it.

LOL!! Announced attendance was 3000, St. Mary's plays in a place that holds 3500. Maybe pump the brakes on the hot takes.

 

[RuffRuff]

LOL!! Announced attendance was 3000, St. Mary's plays in a place that holds 3500. Maybe pump the brakes on the hot takes.

Kid knew what he was signing up for so it can’t be because he’s afraid of the lime light. StM wasn’t exactly a big athlete factory. It’s just a bunch of efficient plodders who drove up their KPI by slowing the game down. And the conference was weak. The annual two games against Gonzaga isn’t much of a barometer. Now he’s amongst a deep sea of physical athletes and he just looks like he’s trying to figure it out. One thing is for sure, he’s not going to separate based on stature, it’s going to have to by ways of decision making, toughness, skill and savvy (like Cam).

 

[HooperScooper]

I made a comment about Mahaney not looking 6’3”. He seems smaller than Diarra and definitely smaller than Ball. From what I could see in the highlights he did not look much taller than Nowell who probably has 10-15 pounds on him.

Look I know he is a good player I remember what I saw when we played them. But let’s be honest once Dumas got hurt in that game it was over. It was going to get that way anyway but he was their best player from a matchup standpoint against us.

He was also a freshman that year. He'll be a junior this year so he's better now. He also has better players, and more of them, around him now.

You seem to always have short term reactions to things you see. Like saying the U.S. Olympic basketball team wasn't good from seeing the exhibitions. Need to broaden your outlook some.

 

[ConnEd]

Your wife went? I am impressed

The impressive part is the Edmund Saunders comp. Kudos, Mrs. GHSW!

 

[HooperScooper]

Abraham is a find. Physical, long, athletic, composed and has a great release and good rotation. He’s going to be a great Husky.

“(Abraham) is gonna be an awesome player here,” Hurley said. “Sometimes the players are as good as you thought, a little worse or a little better. He’s come in better. He’s just our type of guy. He’s a UConn guy, an ascending player.”

UConn men’s basketball fans pack Gampel Pavilion, get ‘authentic summer practice’ experience at open workout

The depth of the 2024-25 UConn men’s basketball team was on display before a sizeable crowd as the Huskies hosted an open practice at Gampel Pavilion Saturday.

www.courant.com

Alternate access:
UConn men’s basketball fans pack Gampel Pavilion, get ‘authentic summer practice’ experience at open workout

 

[Palatine]

Mahaney was at his best in their biggest games. He will be great for us.

 

[AntG168]

Mahaney was at his best in their biggest games. He will be great for us.

Proven commodity

 

[Marat]

Mahaney was at his best in their biggest games. He will be great for us.

Maybe he will have some of Newton's presence and clutch ability, and will be big in our important games too, I'll take that.