Open Practice Saturday 10/20

[Vancat]

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.

Ray were you behind the bench?

 

[SprtzJnkee]

What did you see from Vital?

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Ray were you behind the bench?

No, first row opposite the bench, left of Husky logo with Ray Sr.

 

[goskis2018]

Yeah kwintin can shoot that stood out to me when they played in the gym after the season ended

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Yeah kwintin can shoot that stood out to me when they played in the gym after the season ended

In all fairness, Alex Oriakhi used to hit threes at a pretty impressive clip when I used to see him shooting around in the gym, wouldn't have ever wanted him jacking them up in games.

 

[goskis2018]

In all fairness, Alex Oriakhi used to hit threes at a pretty impressive clip when I used to see him shooting around in the gym, wouldn't have ever wanted him jacking them up in games.

Yeah but in a team that wasn't blessed for shooters if you hadn't watched the season before hand you would've thought that the guy was the second or third best player on the team. Cobb I remember on the two or three times I saw him at the rec would take 3s withlut hesitation but would make none of them. I'm not saying play kwinten because obviously he's not that guy out there on the floor but I do wonder why it doesn't translate

 

[husky429]

My practice observations... Keep in mind that this is just one practice, so grain of salt all that.

Al Gilbert: Looked really good. Dove on the floor a few times. Didn't take very many shots, even when he was open. Got vocal leading the team a couple of times. Excellent handle as we know. Really bought into the defensive side of the ball.

Jalen: Made some 3 point nice shots and finishes as you'd expect. Still obviously our most talented scorer. Didn't look terrible on the defensive end, but nothing special. I wouldn't expect to see a change on defense. Stayed within the defensive scheme most of the time though. Coach got into him towards the end of practice for goofing off calling out to sid when Sid was shooting free throws.

Adams: I was very impressed by his game. Not that he'll be our best player, but surpassed what I expected. He hustled and worked really hard, defended Jalen almost the entire practice when going live. Had a few good deflections and steals. Kid is totally bought into Hurley and the assistants. Didn't seem to make many drives or dishes that I can recall, but his is a really good shooter in all of the drills. I wouldn't be surprised if he spends a good deal of time in a 3+D type role this year. Runs like his hips are pretty stiff.

CV: Played tough as you'd expect, and didn't take any bad shots. Obviously, he's a good shooter when he's taking the right kind of shots, but he didn't really take many yesterday that I can remember. Didn't stick out much to me.

Sid: Did not look very good at all to me. Missed rotations on defense, didn't look at passers, etc. From that practice, I don't think he's a starter. Hopefully, it's just an off day.

Polley: Fantastic shooter, but doesn't do much else of note.

Whaley: He has 0 offensive skill set, but seems to make the players around him elevate their game a little bit. Kind of a conundrum.

Jumpman: Doubt he plays much at all. No IQ. I would consider him a top-notch walk-on this year.

Cobb: Man he is slimmed down and strong. Didn't try to handle the ball like a guard, phew. He and Carlton had a nice battle going on. Seemed to outrebound Carlton--he's tougher. Look for him to step out for a corner 3 in a pinch, or out of timeouts.

Carlton: Definitely the most skilled big. But soft. Got outrebounded by Cobb and the guards a few times. I wouldn't expect anyone to be going 1 on 1 in the post with any frequency except for Carlton.

Overall:
- Hurley's offense looks very different than at URI. More NBA-looking. Lots of handoffs, ball screens, and slips.
- TONS of movement being trained in the offense. I doubt it looks like that come game day, but it's clear that Hurley is breaking a stand around and watch habit.
- I like that Hurley isn't just teaching sets, but also concepts. In a shell to live drill, he had the guys practice handoffs, then handoffs or staggers, then ball screens, etc. Most scoring in a game is going to come out of broken down plays, so it's smart of him to train players conceptually.
- They have two(?) different calls on defense I think Red vs White maybe? I'm not sure exactly how the defense changes structurally on that call. I didn't pay enough attention to notice.
- Expect a TON of ball pressure, but less gambling off the ball. Kind of like a man/packline hybrid? Hurley wants his guards to turn the ball handler 4x and make him pass. But he got on the guards for gambling for steals. And he definitely wants to force ballhandlers to the baseline. I would picture it kind of like a high ball-pressure on the line/slightly off the line style of defense.
- Practice was intense.
- Kenya seems to be the bigs coach (Whaley, Carlton, Cobb)
- Kimani seems to be the guards/wings coach.
- Moore split his time between the two I think. Hurley was just everywhere all the time, lol.
- Hurley swore a few times and covered his mouth after when he remembered fans were watching. Hysterical stuff, haha.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

My favorite quote: “Josh sniffed the softness out of em” can’t remember who was guarding Carlton that he got mad at but I was laughing

 

[Sphinx]

My practice observations... Keep in mind that this is just one practice, so grain of salt all that.

Love your observations. Really insightful.

 

[Sphinx]

Does seem, from various eyewitness assessments, that rebounding will be an ongoing concern. The word "soft" seems to apply to Carlton and Polley, and Whaley simply hasn't the frame to match a willing spirit. The return of a healthy Mamadou is going to be important, and I suspect, come January, that the 3 and 4 guard rotations will have been sacrificed to establishing some strength upfront.

 

[Son of Robert]

My practice observations... Keep in mind that this is just one practice, so grain of salt all that.

Al Gilbert: Looked really good. Dove on the floor a few times. Didn't take very many shots, even when he was open. Got vocal leading the team a couple of times. Excellent handle as we know. Really bought into the defensive side of the ball.

Jalen: Made some 3 point nice shots and finishes as you'd expect. Still obviously our most talented scorer. Didn't look terrible on the defensive end, but nothing special. I wouldn't expect to see a change on defense. Stayed within the defensive scheme most of the time though. Coach got into him towards the end of practice for goofing off calling out to sid when Sid was shooting free throws.

Adams: I was very impressed by his game. Not that he'll be our best player, but surpassed what I expected. He hustled and worked really hard, defended Jalen almost the entire practice when going live. Had a few good deflections and steals. Kid is totally bought into Hurley and the assistants. Didn't seem to make many drives or dishes that I can recall, but his is a really good shooter in all of the drills. I wouldn't be surprised if he spends a good deal of time in a 3+D type role this year. Runs like his hips are pretty stiff.

CV: Played tough as you'd expect, and didn't take any bad shots. Obviously, he's a good shooter when he's taking the right kind of shots, but he didn't really take many yesterday that I can remember. Didn't stick out much to me.

Sid: Did not look very good at all to me. Missed rotations on defense, didn't look at passers, etc. From that practice, I don't think he's a starter. Hopefully, it's just an off day.

Polley: Fantastic shooter, but doesn't do much else of note.

Whaley: He has 0 offensive skill set, but seems to make the players around him elevate their game a little bit. Kind of a conundrum.

Jumpman: Doubt he plays much at all. No IQ. I would consider him a top-notch walk-on this year.

Cobb: Man he is slimmed down and strong. Didn't try to handle the ball like a guard, phew. He and Carlton had a nice battle going on. Seemed to outrebound Carlton--he's tougher. Look for him to step out for a corner 3 in a pinch, or out of timeouts.

Carlton: Definitely the most skilled big. But soft. Got outrebounded by Cobb and the guards a few times. I wouldn't expect anyone to be going 1 on 1 in the post with any frequency except for Carlton.

Overall:
- Hurley's offense looks very different than at URI. More NBA-looking. Lots of handoffs, ball screens, and slips.
- TONS of movement being trained in the offense. I doubt it looks like that come game day, but it's clear that Hurley is breaking a stand around and watch habit.
- I like that Hurley isn't just teaching sets, but also concepts. In a shell to live drill, he had the guys practice handoffs, then handoffs or staggers, then ball screens, etc. Most scoring in a game is going to come out of broken down plays, so it's smart of him to train players conceptually.
- They have two(?) different calls on defense I think Red vs White maybe? I'm not sure exactly how the defense changes structurally on that call. I didn't pay enough attention to notice.
- Expect a TON of ball pressure, but less gambling off the ball. Kind of like a man/packline hybrid? Hurley wants his guards to turn the ball handler 4x and make him pass. But he got on the guards for gambling for steals. And he definitely wants to force ballhandlers to the baseline. I would picture it kind of like a high ball-pressure on the line/slightly off the line style of defense.
- Practice was intense.
- Kenya seems to be the bigs coach (Whaley, Carlton, Cobb)
- Kimani seems to be the guards/wings coach.
- Moore split his time between the two I think. Hurley was just everywhere all the time, lol.
- Hurley swore a few times and covered his mouth after when he remembered fans were watching. Hysterical stuff, haha.

Good stuff 429, thanks for taking the time.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

I was very impressed with Brendan Adams...plays hard, plays defense, and can shoot it.

 

[HawkHusky]

I told all y'all how good B. Adams was when we signed him. No one believed me.

 

[husky429]

I told all y'all how good B. Adams was when we signed him. No one believed me.

You've got me there. He's got good pedigree from his brother--should've known better.

 

[zepfan]

I told all y'all how good B. Adams was when we signed him. No one believed me.

I believe you.

 

[Vancat]

I forget. Did going to this make us casual fans?

 

[polycom]

Yeah but in a team that wasn't blessed for shooters if you hadn't watched the season before hand you would've thought that the guy was the second or third best player on the team. Cobb I remember on the two or three times I saw him at the rec would take 3s withlut hesitation but would make none of them. I'm not saying play kwinten because obviously he's not that guy out there on the floor but I do wonder why it doesn't translate

Being able to shoot in a pickup game or in a open practice is nothing like shooting with pressure in a game situation. Watch an NBA player warm up before a game...doesn't matter who it is they basically will only miss a handful of shots, but in a game or over season they'll shoot sub 40%.... a game is so much different than practice.

 

[mauconnfan]

Being able to shoot in a pickup game or in a open practice is nothing like shooting with pressure in a game situation. Watch an NBA player warm up before a game...doesn't matter who it is they basically will only miss a handful of shots, but in a game or over season they'll shoot sub 40%.... a game is so much different than practice.

Agree but you can tell who can shoot and who can't watching a practice. Even if an off day, nothing going in you can walk away saying that kid has a nice stroke they'll go in. This team will shoot better than the last 2 years because they have a few who can throw it in the hole, probably not a lot of 40% plus shooters but a few 35's from 3.

 

[polycom]

Reading between the lines on these posts it looks like Sid is not very good right now and is shaping up to be another high level recruiting miss? What am I missing here.

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Reading between the lines on these posts it looks like Sid is not very good right now and is shaping up to be another high level recruiting miss? What am I missing here.

He hasn't played a game in college yet.

 

[Fishy]

Reading between the lines on these posts it looks like Sid is not very good right now and is shaping up to be another high level recruiting miss? What am I missing here.

Seriously?

What are you missing? The common sense needed to post on a public message board, for starters.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Reading between the lines on these posts it looks like Sid is not very good right now and is shaping up to be another high level recruiting miss? What am I missing here.

Just a heads up, polycom: someone is posting moronic stuff under your name.

 

[selles]

Reading between the lines on these posts it looks like Sid is not very good right now and is shaping up to be another high level recruiting miss? What am I missing here.

From the Amore article last week on Hurley's Middlesex CoC talk:

“I love to work with talents like Sid. He’s got a lot of layers to him, an interesting personality. One day he’s the best player, the next day you wonder if he’s hiding behind Dan [Brocke], the walk-on. Sid, right now, is the type of guy who is going to need a lot of coaching, tough love and standards because he has NBA talent. He’s 6-8, plays way above the rim, can put it on the floor, shoot 3’s, can guard any position. He just oozes talent, but sometimes when you have that type of talent you kind of coast, and with my coaching style that’s not a great fit. … He has as high a ceiling as Jalen."

Meet The UConn Men: Dan Hurley Breaks Down Huskies Roster

 

[Dove]

Thanks @husky429 !!

 

[Dove]

Being able to shoot in a pickup game or in a open practice is nothing like shooting with pressure in a game situation. Watch an NBA player warm up before a game...doesn't matter who it is they basically will only miss a handful of shots, but in a game or over season they'll shoot sub 40%.... a game is so much different than practice.

Oh.