Open Practice Saturday 10/20

[husky429]

Brendan adams looks very good

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Some general observations from the first row-

- Intensity right from the start at 12:30. Everyone came out to the gym floor and immediately started running, diving for loose ball drills, footwork, etc. High intensity, high positivity from the start.
-Hurley cared more about defense than shot making for the entirety of practice it seemed- pointed out little things like shoulder position on D, footwork, ball screen defending, double team
-Hurley seemed to be on Josh more than anyone- not necessarily in a negative light, but because he realizes the importance of Josh being good
-Cobb looks much more explosive than last year-to be expected with weight loss/conditioning
-Most of the big men seemed to have a nice stroke- Whaley, Cobb, Carlton, Kwintin can stretch the floor a little bit with an elbow jumper. Granted, not even a chair was defending them on that drill.
-Rebounding drills seemed to be the biggest struggle. Not terrible, but clearly a lot of work to do.
-Brendan Adams is going to be an integral part of this program for the next few years. Doesn't look out of place, looks very smooth and like he will be a spark plug off the bench
-Jalen seemed to make some faces (as if, "what is he talking about") at some of the things Hurley was pointing out to the team. Could be nothing, just an observation.
-Polley has a very nice stroke from 3 and is taller than I thought. He and Sid are the X factors.
-Sid is very talented and athletic, but it's going to take a little time for him to develop some pieces of his game. But he has all the makings to be a high end player.
-Also, there were three refs at practice? I didn't realize that was something that happened at practice, but it makes sense. The refs called a lot of travels. Lol. Especially on a "rip" drill.
-Some players were unhappy with a couple of the foul calls, but Kimani was quick to shut up the complaining
-Tom Moore is an intense guy. Definitely an extension of Hurley.
-Hurley was clearly restrained during an open practice. At times it didn't seem like everyone was moving at full speed. But overall, the practice is pretty intense.

 

[firstnline]

Some general observations from the first row-

- Intensity right from the start at 12:30. Everyone came out to the gym floor and immediately started running, diving for loose ball drills, footwork, etc. High intensity, high positivity from the start.
-Hurley cared more about defense than shot making for the entirety of practice it seemed- pointed out little things like shoulder position on D, footwork, ball screen defending, double team
-Hurley seemed to be on Josh more than anyone- not necessarily in a negative light, but because he realizes the importance of Josh being good
-Cobb looks much more explosive than last year-to be expected with weight loss/conditioning
-Most of the big men seemed to have a nice stroke- Whaley, Cobb, Carlton, Kwintin can stretch the floor a little bit with an elbow jumper. Granted, not even a chair was defending them on that drill.
-Rebounding drills seemed to be the biggest struggle. Not terrible, but clearly a lot of work to do.
-Brendan Adams is going to be an integral part of this program for the next few years. Doesn't look out of place, looks very smooth and like he will be a spark plug off the bench
-Jalen seemed to make some faces (as if, "what is he talking about") at some of the things Hurley was pointing out to the team. Could be nothing, just an observation.
-Polley has a very nice stroke from 3 and is taller than I thought. He and Sid are the X factors.
-Sid is very talented and athletic, but it's going to take a little time for him to develop some pieces of his game. But he has all the makings to be a high end player.
-Also, there were three refs at practice? I didn't realize that was something that happened at practice, but it makes sense. The refs called a lot of travels. Lol. Especially on a "rip" drill.
-Some players were unhappy with a couple of the foul calls, but Kimani was quick to shut up the complaining
-Tom Moore is an intense guy. Definitely an extension of Hurley.
-Hurley was clearly restrained during an open practice. At times it didn't seem like everyone was moving at full speed. But overall, the practice is pretty intense.

One thing I would add is Hurley is constantly teaching out there. Not only would he tell his players what to do, he'd tell them how to do it. Hurley is Mr. intensity.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[JimHurley]

Few observations.
- Polley can SHOOT. What concerns me about him at the 4 is can he defend the 4?
- Gilbert is a player. Hustles every play, lockdown defender, crafty, can take it to the rim + shoot
- Carlton is a softie. He needs to get tougher or he’ll never be a high level player. Cobb roughed him up a lot down low
- Whaley does a lot of things well. Has a decent touch near the basket, defends well, positions himself well for rebounds. He still looks scared when he has the ball in his hands on the perimeter
- Wilson took a backseat. He’s obviously talented and shoots well but he needs time, which is expected
- We will be stacked at guard

After today’s practice, my starting 5 would be Gilbert, Vital, Adams, Polley, Cobb.

 

[superjohn]

Calhoun's rebounding drills were legendary, I always heard Hurley's dad used them along with a ton of other coaches.

 

[ctchamps]

Some general observations from the first row-

- Intensity right from the start at 12:30. Everyone came out to the gym floor and immediately started running, diving for loose ball drills, footwork, etc. High intensity, high positivity from the start.
-Hurley cared more about defense than shot making for the entirety of practice it seemed- pointed out little things like shoulder position on D, footwork, ball screen defending, double team
-Hurley seemed to be on Josh more than anyone- not necessarily in a negative light, but because he realizes the importance of Josh being good
-Cobb looks much more explosive than last year-to be expected with weight loss/conditioning
-Most of the big men seemed to have a nice stroke- Whaley, Cobb, Carlton, Kwintin can stretch the floor a little bit with an elbow jumper. Granted, not even a chair was defending them on that drill.
-Rebounding drills seemed to be the biggest struggle. Not terrible, but clearly a lot of work to do.
-Brendan Adams is going to be an integral part of this program for the next few years. Doesn't look out of place, looks very smooth and like he will be a spark plug off the bench
-Jalen seemed to make some faces (as if, "what is he talking about") at some of the things Hurley was pointing out to the team. Could be nothing, just an observation.
-Polley has a very nice stroke from 3 and is taller than I thought. He and Sid are the X factors.
-Sid is very talented and athletic, but it's going to take a little time for him to develop some pieces of his game. But he has all the makings to be a high end player.
-Also, there were three refs at practice? I didn't realize that was something that happened at practice, but it makes sense. The refs called a lot of travels. Lol. Especially on a "rip" drill.
-Some players were unhappy with a couple of the foul calls, but Kimani was quick to shut up the complaining
-Tom Moore is an intense guy. Definitely an extension of Hurley.
-Hurley was clearly restrained during an open practice. At times it didn't seem like everyone was moving at full speed. But overall, the practice is pretty intense.

How was Cobb on defense?

 

[GemParty]

Energized practice. My 6 yr old son got one of the few Hurley autographs after the practice. Genuine leader & thoughtful guy. They were switching over for 3:00 volleyball & he ran 15 mins over. Team couldn’t nail a FT drill as a group after 3 attempts. He said that would continue next door.

They must have stretched at the Champions Center prior to 12:30 because they weren’t 15 steps on the court, and started an aggressive dive to the floor drill. I almost lost consciousness looking to see if Alterique was participating.

 

[Vuce]

Calhoun's rebounding drills were legendary, I always heard Hurley's dad used them along with a ton of other coaches.

I used to go to the Field House to watch JCs practices the year before Gampel opened. The rebounding drills were painful to see. Guys like Rod Sellers or Dan Cyrulik used to get beat on. If they couldn’t grab a rebound JC would have two offensive players versus the one defender. The defender would stay on the court until he could get one. Best way I can describe it was the defensive player would sometimes look like a boxer in the tenth round. Totally worn out with JC totally laying into them. When they finally did get a rebound they would just collapse on the sideline. It was soooo intense. I love that Hurley is bringing it back

 

[donyell34]

Brendan Adams is a player. Really liked what I saw from him. Cobb has really worked on his body and conditioning and hope he brings it in games. New era is here.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Brendan adams looks very good

 

[huskymedic]

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

How was Cobb on defense?

He had a nice block on Jalen, I believe, at one point. His extra mobility in the paint from shedded weight is evident, but it will take time to get rid of some bad habits and to improve rebounding instincts.

 

[HCCForever]

I too was impressed with Brendan Adams. He looks to play hard on D. Gilbert looks so quick to me. Quintin seems to be a better shooter than I remember. I was not always impressed by their hustle in the three line drill. We worked harder in our lightening drills in an old man hockey league.

 

[Vancat]

Impressed with B. Adams. Josh looked a little soft. Got a kick out of seeing Taliek again with his big-ass smile. Hurley's shirt was sweat-soaked. Cobb looks like he could be intimidating. Alterique looks great. Enjoyed it, glad I went.

 

[NJHoops]

Carlton sounds very much like a Hurley type player here. As players learn, coaches don’t get on guys that can’t get better...

——————
“Once I met Coach Hurley, I didn’t want to leave, I wanted to stay and play for him,” Carlton said. “He emphasized that he wanted me to be here and he thought I could be a big part going forward, and telling me his philosophy and how he wanted to play. You get a lot of mental toughness playing for him, once you understand he’s never going to say anything to hurt you as a player. He’s not going to say anything that’s going to make you worse. So as long as you’re taking what he says the right way, it’s OK.”

Dan Hurley Pushing UConn's Big Men To Start Their Engines

 

[Huskybass]

Thank you for all who went and posted above. It's nice to get a little bit of the flavor of the team.

 

[intlzncster]

Some general observations from the first row-

- Intensity right from the start at 12:30. Everyone came out to the gym floor and immediately started running, diving for loose ball drills, footwork, etc. High intensity, high positivity from the start.
-Hurley cared more about defense than shot making for the entirety of practice it seemed- pointed out little things like shoulder position on D, footwork, ball screen defending, double team
-Hurley seemed to be on Josh more than anyone- not necessarily in a negative light, but because he realizes the importance of Josh being good
-Cobb looks much more explosive than last year-to be expected with weight loss/conditioning
-Most of the big men seemed to have a nice stroke- Whaley, Cobb, Carlton, Kwintin can stretch the floor a little bit with an elbow jumper. Granted, not even a chair was defending them on that drill.
-Rebounding drills seemed to be the biggest struggle. Not terrible, but clearly a lot of work to do.
-Brendan Adams is going to be an integral part of this program for the next few years. Doesn't look out of place, looks very smooth and like he will be a spark plug off the bench
-Jalen seemed to make some faces (as if, "what is he talking about") at some of the things Hurley was pointing out to the team. Could be nothing, just an observation.
-Polley has a very nice stroke from 3 and is taller than I thought. He and Sid are the X factors.
-Sid is very talented and athletic, but it's going to take a little time for him to develop some pieces of his game. But he has all the makings to be a high end player.
-Also, there were three refs at practice? I didn't realize that was something that happened at practice, but it makes sense. The refs called a lot of travels. Lol. Especially on a "rip" drill.
-Some players were unhappy with a couple of the foul calls, but Kimani was quick to shut up the complaining
-Tom Moore is an intense guy. Definitely an extension of Hurley.
-Hurley was clearly restrained during an open practice. At times it didn't seem like everyone was moving at full speed. But overall, the practice is pretty intense.

You're the GOAT Ray. Thanks

 

[intlzncster]

they weren’t 15 steps on the court, and started an aggressive dive to the floor drill. I almost lost consciousness looking to see if Alterique was participating.

Was he?

 

[intlzncster]

Brendan adams looks very good

At the time we got him, most thought BA was just a throwaway filler, a la a KO late April hail-mary recruit.

I'm hearing this kid is a player, not just in this thread, but over and over from all sorts of sources. Starting to get psyched on him, especially given he can shoot from day 1.

Might have been a steal. Pair him with Gaffney and Bou and even Polley, and we've FINALLY got a stroking perimeter game once again.

 

[intlzncster]

At the time we got him, most thought BA was just a throwaway filler, a la a KO late April hail-mary recruit.

I'm hearing this kid is a player, not just in this thread, but over and over from all sorts of sources. Starting to get psyched on him, especially given he can shoot from day 1.

Might have been a steal. Pair him with Gaffney and Bou and even Polley, and we've FINALLY got a stroking perimeter game once again.

I'm just gonna repeat myself here, but I can't WAIT to be able to shoot the ball again. Watching shots fall is great.

 

[gwhuskyfan]

Anything on Kwintin?

 

[husky429]

Anything on Kwintin?

Looked invisible. I wouldnt expect big minutes. Had a 3 in a 4 on 5 drill, couple defensive deflections

 

[GemParty]

Was he?

He stayed on his feet.

 

[StepbackCity]

Anything on Kwintin?

Surprisingly showed his ability to stretch the floor, hit a few threes. Defensively looked lost. He missed a line on a sprint and made everyone do it again