Please don’t blame Diarra

[Scottobot]

I see a lot of criticism of Diarra taking bad shots at the end of the shot clock. I don’t think it’s fair. The alpha dogs, Karaban and Ball need to find Diarra when there is 7 seconds left on shot clock and demand the ball. What is happening is UConn runs their sets and they usually work, but when they don’t Hassan is left holding the bag and he does the best he can. While Diarra is awesome at so many parts of the game, creating his own shot at end of shot clock is a weakness. Everyone on their team knows this. They need to come to him and bail him out of that situation. He is constantly left high and dry, and he does make some shots, but he can’t conver that situation at an efficient enough percentage. I think when Liam is healthy he will help a lot with that, because he did often go demand the ball in that situation and take the tough shot. I think when Liam was healthy Hurley wanted Ball just running and looking for threes, but now with Liam out we need a second player who will find Diarra in that situation, take the ball and get a decent percentage shot. I think Ball and Karaban have to be those guys.

 

[uchusky32]

I agree with this. But he's the point guard and he is supposed to have the ball in his hands to create. So should Ball at the 2 spot. Our SFs should as well. LM can create more often than not. The others more not than often.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I think Ball and Karaban have to be those guys.

I don't think Ball has shown much of an ability to create his own shot and Karaban is definitely not that guy. In the post-game presser Hurley lamented this team's lack of shot-creators when he was explaining why Hassan has the ball so often at the end of the shot clock. He's certainly craftier off the dribble than both of those guys.

I assume the ball is in Liam's hands at the end of the shot clock when (knock on wood) he's back.

 

[jibsey]

I see a lot of criticism of Diarra taking bad shots at the end of the shot clock. I don’t think it’s fair. The alpha dogs, Karaban and Ball need to find Diarra when there is 7 seconds left on shot clock and demand the ball. What is happening is UConn runs their sets and they usually work, but when they don’t Hassan is left holding the bag and he does the best he can. While Diarra is awesome at so many parts of the game, creating his own shot at end of shot clock is a weakness. Everyone on their team knows this. They need to come to him and bail him out of that situation. He is constantly left high and dry, and he does make some shots, but he can’t conver that situation at an efficient enough percentage. I think when Liam is healthy he will help a lot with that, because he did often go demand the ball in that situation and take the tough shot. I think when Liam was healthy Hurley wanted Ball just running and looking for threes, but now with Liam out we need a second player who will find Diarra in that situation, take the ball and get a decent percentage shot. I think Ball and Karaban have to be those guys.

Correct. What they diagram in the huddle I have no idea but we need 3 options for the clearest shot.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Correct. What they diagram in the huddle I have no idea but we need 3 options for the clearest shot.

Exactly. Just tell Hurley to draw something up that gets 3 guys wide open shots. Ideally our best three shooters.

 

[RayRay19]

Need a playmaker. Looks like Liam is the only true one on the team.

 

[Fishy]

Diarra tends to end up with the ball by default.

He’s effectively the one person who can move with it, so it tends to find him and everyone else watches - but he does tend to shut down on looking for options too early.

 

[RuffRuff]

Exactly. Just tell Hurley to draw something up that gets 3 guys wide open shots. Ideally our best three shooters.

Why not draw something up that gets all five guys open while he’s at it? Was thinking about a play called the grendade where they all come to the ball and hide it, then quickly dart from the pile while the defense doesn’t know where the ball is. Pretty sure the Globetrotters ran it. Not sure why Hurley doesn’t use it.

 

[Palatine]

Diarra has been an excellent point guard. Good handle, good vision, very good distributor.

He has not reached his ceiling as a scorer or as three point shooter. It seems he has taken a small step backwards this season in those areas. Also because of the high edge, on occasion, he finds himself in a bad mismatch under the basket.

A little improvement in those areas and he would be on one of the all BE teams.

 

[REB1094]

Hassan Diarra started the year as the 6th Man and now he's expected to be the only guy in the starting 5 who can take the ball and make something happen. Even worse at the end of clocks he's expected to be an isolation scorer

It's not fair to him but he's taken it in stride and done it as well as he can. Even when he plays poorly it's really hard to blame him for being forced into a role 2-3 levels above what it should be

 

[uconnfan68]

I see a lot of criticism of Diarra taking bad shots at the end of the shot clock. I don’t think it’s fair. The alpha dogs, Karaban and Ball need to find Diarra when there is 7 seconds left on shot clock and demand the ball. What is happening is UConn runs their sets and they usually work, but when they don’t Hassan is left holding the bag and he does the best he can. While Diarra is awesome at so many parts of the game, creating his own shot at end of shot clock is a weakness. Everyone on their team knows this. They need to come to him and bail him out of that situation. He is constantly left high and dry, and he does make some shots, but he can’t conver that situation at an efficient enough percentage. I think when Liam is healthy he will help a lot with that, because he did often go demand the ball in that situation and take the tough shot. I think when Liam was healthy Hurley wanted Ball just running and looking for threes, but now with Liam out we need a second player who will find Diarra in that situation, take the ball and get a decent percentage shot. I think Ball and Karaban have to be those guys.

Some of that is our version of milking the clock. Definitely needs some work.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I think the staff banking an entire season of primary shot creation on Mahaney was a questionable choice. That’s not Diarras fault, but the ball does stick sometimes.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I don't think Ball has shown much of an ability to create his own shot and Karaban is definitely not that guy. In the post-game presser Hurley lamented this team's lack of shot-creators when he was explaining why Hassan has the ball so often at the end of the shot clock. He's certainly craftier off the dribble than both of those guys.

I assume the ball is in Liam's hands at the end of the shot clock when (knock on wood) he's back.

That’s why the roster construction this season was/is so confusing. The miss (so far) on Mahaney is big, they obviously thought he could be a creator, but we have a ton of wings who aren’t much off the bounce and Diarra as a PG who has never been a guy who gets his own really. A guy like Sion James on Duke would have been perfect for us.