Observations from Open Practice

[Son of Robert]

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.

 

[6in25]

Nice write up. That practice was a lot of fun! And I’ll still give you a like even though you spelled Tarris’ name wrong ‍

 

[JesusAllen11]

nice report. Any valid criticisms from what you saw ?

 

[SaltyDog]

Good report! It was a fun practice. The only comments to add:

1) I liked Abraham’s shooting. He surprised me today with his all around game. Not ready for big minutes but I think he can work into the rotation.

2) I didn’t think Steward played his best, but love his game.

3) Was hoping to see that Diarra’s outside shot improved, but didn’t see that. Still I think he’s going to have a nice year.

4) Ahmad impressed but wonder whose minutes he could take.

5) Ross had a good spell but wasn’t consistent. Hope he gets confidence because he has ability.

6) Looks like Karaban will be central to offense, expecting big year.

7) Liam looks solid, his game is a bit like Karaban’s but with possibly higher upside.

8) Johnson looked good, not going to carry the team but he’ll put up solid #s.

9) Singare looked better but I thought he looked good (albeit raw) in last year’s practice, too.

10) Aidan was good, he can shoot. Somewhat low release point but effective. Not sure about all around game yet, passing and shooting stood out. Toughness and defense TBD.

11) Ball looked good, Ahmad might challenge him for minutes.

12) I really wish Tarris could have participated. Wanted to see how he fits with other bigs on the floor.

 

[HooperScooper]

Nice write up. That practice was a lot of fun! And I’ll still give you a like even though you spelled Tarris’ name wrong ‍

And McNeeley. I'll give him 2 thumbs up though for spelling Mahaney's first and last name right.

Nice write up @Son of Robert. Thanks.

 

[HungryHu5ky]

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.

Much appreciated I hated missing this but you’ve def given us a great observation… was Braylon Mullins in attendance ?

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Pics?

 

[Son of Robert]

Much appreciated I hated missing this but you’ve def given us a great observation… was Braylon Mullins in attendance ?

I didn't see him, there really wasn't a bench, all the players always moving.

 

[huskymedic]

Pics?

Many… Storrs Central: - On-Court Autograph & Picture Session with UConn MBB - August 3rd following the Open Team Workout

 

[Son of Robert]

Nice write up. That practice was a lot of fun! And I’ll still give you a like even though you spelled Tarris’ name wrong ‍

And McNeeley. I'll give him 2 thumbs up though for spelling Mahaney's first and last name right.

Nice write up @Son of Robert. Thanks.

I looked up Mahaney to make sure I had it right, somehow McNeeley and Tarris got by me although I have spelled them correctly before. Very troubling for me, a couple times around the block I'll have it all sorted.

 

[Son of Robert]

nice report. Any valid criticisms from what you saw ?

Not really, nothing jumping out, everything very positive, the team looking very skilled, and tough.

 

[RuffRuff]

My views:

Highlights

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

Hassan - leader, looks and acts like a captain.

Alex - same. You can just feel his presence on the court, at all times. His coming back is huge in terms of on court leadership with new pieces.

Ross - looked really good. Put on some muscle, played within himself and hit a lot of shots.

Nowell - physical and a pest on defense, great energy, confident and has a really, really nice efficient stroke

Medium-lights

Solo - has some great moments but then also continues to have times where he looks out of sync, misses shots bad.

McNeeley - took some time to warm up, missed most of his early shots but then warmed up towards back end. Great looking shot even when not falling.

Stew - his body language lacks oomph. Missed a few early threes, then took a ball to the rim that looked great which sparked some late three makes. His jumper tends to lack rotation. He should go to rim more often than settle.

Samson - had the couple standard couple aloof moments, missed a pass high as wasn’t looking, stripped. Did have one nice take that wasn’t a dunk.

Low

Mahaney - he looked timid and out of place a lot. And he looks very small, both height and physicality. And his shot wasn’t dropping. You can sense this will be a big adjustment for him.

Disappointed we didn’t get to see Reed as his role is going to be massive.

 

[KingAG]

My views:

Highlights

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

Hassan - leader, looks and acts like a captain.

Alex - same. You can just feel his presence on the court, at all times. His coming back is huge in terms of on court leadership with new pieces.

Ross - looked really good. Put on some muscle, played within himself and hit a lot of shots.

Nowell - physical and a pest on defense, great energy, confident and has a really, really nice efficient stroke

Medium-lights

Solo - has some great moments but then also continues to have times where he looks out of sync, misses shots bad.

McNeeley - took some time to warm up, missed most of his early shots but then warmed up towards back end. Great looking shot even when not falling.

Stew - his body language lacks oomph. Missed a few early threes, then took a ball to the rim that looked great which sparked some late three makes. His jumper tends to lack rotation. He should go to rim more often than settle.

Samson - had the couple standard couple aloof moments, missed a pass high as wasn’t looking, stripped. Did have one nice take that wasn’t a dunk.

Low

Mahaney - he looked timid and out of place a lot. And he looks very small, both height and physicality. And his shot wasn’t dropping. You can sense this will be a big adjustment for him.

Disappointed we didn’t get to see Reed as his role is going to be massive.

I disagree on Mahaney. He had the best guard skills out of every guard on the court. BY FAR. His shot was falling early. It didn’t fall late because he’s in August shape. Kids gonna be a stud

 

[RuffRuff]

I disagree on Mahaney. He had the best guard skills out of every guard on the court. BY FAR. His shot was falling early. It didn’t fall late because he’s in August shape. Kids gonna be a stud

I’ll reserve judgment as only one practice and he’s still figuring it out, but I didn’t see that. He looked miniature and lacked presence, really didn’t do much. What “guard skills” do you speak of? Wasn’t a ton of play making or shot making. Yes he has a nice low handle, but not sure that’s enough to run with. I didn’t see much that suggested a guarantee starter or a Cam type player, today. Again it’s early, but easily the player who lacked impact at the guard position. His shot lacks rotation, kind of pushes it. I definitely did not walk away with your impression but eye of beholder.

 

[dogpause]

Is Reed injured?

 

[Son of Robert]

Is Reed injured?

Hurley explained his absence in his comments at the end. I believe he said, " death in the family, back in Missouri for a few days."

 

[uconn_jack]

I disagree on Mahaney. He had the best guard skills out of every guard on the court. BY FAR. His shot was falling early. It didn’t fall late because he’s in August shape. Kids gonna be a stud

I won't call is a "lowlight", but I agree with him in that he didn't really impress during this practice. He wasn't bad by any means, made a few shots and didn't seem to make any major mistakes, but he was rather forgettable, average size and without any real presence. It's just one practice though, I'm not concerned. He looked good at St Mary's and I don't think Hurley et al would have recruited him if he weren't talented and a good fit. I just think he (and Liam) need time to adjust to the system, speed, and physicality.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I disagree on Mahaney. He had the best guard skills out of every guard on the court. BY FAR. His shot was falling early. It didn’t fall late because he’s in August shape. Kids gonna be a stud

Agree with you that Mahaney looked winded and that definitely led to a lot of bad shots at the back end of the practice. Even had an ugly airball.

Don’t agree at all that he had the best guard skills. Diarra & Nowell looked tons better. Could even argue Solo was as good or better.

Mahaney was the one guy at practice today that I thought was overall a bit “meh” after they got beyond the early warmup drills. But it’s early and I trust he and the staff will get him going by the fall.

 

[RuffRuff]

Almost everyone on the floor had a “moment” with the exception of Mahaney. He seemed a bit of a wallflower. He did look good in the early dribbling drills, but once the scrimmages took place he was hard to find.

Hard to lean too much on picking things up when the freshmen looked so good. But yes it’s one practice. His lack of overall physicality surprised me as he’s listed at 6’3. He didn’t look much taller than Hassan or Nowell but looked much less sturdy. The speed and physicality of the rest of the team almost seemed to overwhelm him a little. I see a big adjustment curve for him ahead. And he needs to hit the gym.

 

[SaltyDog]

Pics?

 

[SaltyDog]

✔️

 

[husky429]

I'm going to go ahead and say folks are reading too much into Mahaney's performance today I couldn't make it, but the kid didn't average 14/3/3 on a top-25 team by accident.

 

[uconn_jack]

I'm going to go ahead and say folks are reading too much into Mahaney's performance today I couldn't make it, but the kid didn't average 14/3/3 on a top-25 team by accident.

I don't think anyone is writing him off at all, he simply did not impress in this particular practice and appears to need some time to adjust.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I’m hoping Mahaney picks it up and gets going later on. But personally, like to hear that our higher ceiling homegrown talent is doing well and wouldn’t mind investing into them more this season. Especially if they are performing better which I have no idea if that’s the case on a practice to practice basis.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I don't think anyone is writing him off at all, he simply did not impress in this particular practice and appears to need some time to adjust.

Exactly. We are blessed with a ridiculously talented & athletic roster & when benchmarked to them on this one day in early August, Mahaney was just “OK” imho. I’m not worried

 

[REB1094]

Can’t find the video but I saw something earlier of Karaban hitting a pull-up three going to his right

I’m definitely looking too much into it, and definitely overreacting based on a practice video. But if AK can hit threes running right, he’s going to be much better than we think

Super basketball nerd time but he has a weird release and shoots super far to his left side. Is most efficient shooting that way, I don’t have the stats with me but I’d bet he shoots much better straight away or on the left wing where he can line up his shot on the left side

If he can hit shots off the dribble going right, he becomes MUCH harder to guard. I’d LOVE to see that next year

 

[huskymedic]

Can’t find the video but I saw something earlier of Karaban hitting a pull-up three going to his right

I’m definitely looking too much into it, and definitely overreacting based on a practice video. But if AK can hit threes running right, he’s going to be much better than we think

Super basketball nerd time but he has a weird release and shoots super far to his left side. Is most efficient shooting that way, I don’t have the stats with me but I’d bet he shoots much better straight away or on the left wing where he can line up his shot on the left side

If he can hit shots off the dribble going right, he becomes MUCH harder to guard. I’d LOVE to see that next year

 

[KingAG]

Agree with you that Mahaney looked winded and that definitely led to a lot of bad shots at the back end of the practice. Even had an ugly airball.

Don’t agree at all that he had the best guard skills. Diarra & Nowell looked tons better. Could even argue Solo was as good or better.

Mahaney was the one guy at practice today that I thought was overall a bit “meh” after they got beyond the early warmup drills. But it’s early and I trust he and the staff will get him going by the fall.

I’ll agree to disagree. Diarra had like 4 turnovers back to back to back to back haha. Mahaney showed better ball control and handle than all of them. His shot just wasn’t falling late. He also seemed like he was more focused on running the sets and getting other guys shots in their spots. He seems like he’s finding his way in this system/program. But he looked fine otherwise imo. Stewart’s shot was off too.

 

[RuffRuff]

Can’t find the video but I saw something earlier of Karaban hitting a pull-up three going to his right

I’m definitely looking too much into it, and definitely overreacting based on a practice video. But if AK can hit threes running right, he’s going to be much better than we think

Super basketball nerd time but he has a weird release and shoots super far to his left side. Is most efficient shooting that way, I don’t have the stats with me but I’d bet he shoots much better straight away or on the left wing where he can line up his shot on the left side

If he can hit shots off the dribble going right, he becomes MUCH harder to guard. I’d LOVE to see that next year

If you watch Alex shoot from a view straight on, which I did when he took a couple corner threes, he has a really twisted set up. Feet are not square, diagonal. He’s just figured it out.

 

[RuffRuff]

I’ll agree to disagree. Diarra had like 4 turnovers back to back to back to back haha. Mahaney showed better ball control and handle than all of them. His shot just wasn’t falling late. He also seemed like he was more focused on running the sets and getting other guys shots in their spots. He seems like he’s finding his way in this system/program. But he looked fine otherwise imo. Stewart’s shot was off too.

Diarra did have a couple TOs but that’s because he’s out there making plays, being assertive. He made a ton of great plays too.