RJ's got D?

[businesslawyer]

I don't believe it had anything to do with AGs decision. If RJ is as good as AG was overall his last 6-7 games we will be very good. The fact is why would AG fight what is obvious, Danny brought him in to run the team for 2 years so the minutes would be split at best. He didn't leave because he thought he wasn't as good or maybe better than RJ it was just time to hand it over and go somewhere he can be the 30 minute guy. Like it or not even if AG was playing really good RJ and Gaff would still get minutes, why stay? The plan was in place, good for everyone, I hope!

Wait -- is your theory that no matter how much better AG was playing than Cole and Gaffney Hurley wouldn't try to have him back for next year because 30 minutes a game didn't fit into Hurley's earlier plan? You realize how crazy that sounds? You don't think that Hurley's plan for next year didn't change materially because of the way Whaley finished last season?

We don't have any idea how good Cole is likely to be compared to Gilbert. You know three people who have a pretty good idea at this point -- Cole, Gilbert and Hurley. Draw from that what inference you will.

Finally, this comparison to Larrier, Purvis and Wilson is overblown. Wilson came here with zero minutes having been played in college and positive statements were based solely on potential and were probably said in part to keep Sid's confidence up given his mother's death. Larrier, we have no idea how his career would have played out if he hadn't blown his knee out right at the start. Purvis was somewhat of a disappointment, no question, but he had a solid career and had the physical talent to do more if he had played for a coach that developed players and figured out how to get the most out of their talents, but that stopped happening towards the end of KO's tenure.

 

[businesslawyer]

Isaiah McCleod had 19 vs UConn for Southern Connecticut. We should have had him transfer. Probably would have been an All American in practice. Best scorer scores in a blow out. Big deal. Georgetown won by 30. Bet they were playing tough d in the second half. He had a bunch of points late. Had I think 9 at the half vs Indiana. Put up a bunch in garbage time. He was the only scorer they had.

Are you being silly now for the sake of it? Was this guy -- whoever he was -- POTY in a division 1 conference?

 

[mauconnfan]

Wait -- is your theory that no matter how much better AG was playing than Cole and Gaffney Hurley wouldn't try to have him back for next year because 30 minutes a game didn't fit into Hurley's earlier plan? You realize how crazy that sounds? You don't think that Hurley's plan for next year didn't change materially because of the way Whaley finished last season?

We don't have any idea how good Cole is likely to be compared to Gilbert. You know three people who have a pretty good idea at this point -- Cole, Gilbert and Hurley. Draw from that what inference you will.

Finally, this comparison to Larrier, Purvis and Wilson is overblown. Wilson came here with zero minutes having been played in college and positive statements were based solely on potential and were probably said in part to keep Sid's confidence up given his mother's death. Larrier, we have no idea how his career would have played out if he hadn't blown his knee out right at the start. Purvis was somewhat of a disappointment, no question, but he had a solid career and had the physical talent to do more if he had played for a coach that developed players and figured out how to get the most out of their talents, but that stopped happening towards the end of KO's tenure.

Not crazy at all. That’s only my theory for you to think that’s not part of his plan then you’re crazy. Minutes would’ve been less than what AG wants no doubt.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not crazy at all. That’s only my theory for you to think that’s not part of his plan then you’re crazy. Minutes would’ve been less no doubt.

Hurley's plan is based on winning. His plans change as his view of his tools change. I repeat, do you not think Hurley's view for minutes next season had to be modified based on Whalley's play at the end of the last year? By the same token, if AG was dominating Gaffney and Cole in practice every day, and then playing like Chris Paul, why in the world wouldn't Hurley have changed his plans and told AG "you're my guy next year -- please come back?"

 

[mauconnfan]

Hurley's plan is based on winning. His plans change as his view of his tools change. I repeat, do you not think Hurley's view for minutes next season had to be modified based on Whalley's play at the end of the last year? By the same token, if AG was dominating Gaffney and Cole in practice every day, and then playing like Chris Paul, why in the world wouldn't Hurley have changed his plans and told AG "you're my guy next year -- please come back?"

He has 3 PGs and this is about AG wanting to play minutes not about who’s better because it’s an unknown. But he brought RJ in for a reason so let’s be honest here he’s giving him time he’s already seen practice AG wasn’t getting 30-35 minutes like he’s prefer at this point of his career. Pretty simple here not sure what you’re missing but I’m through. He didn’t want to share that’s all nothing else.

 

[ju6381]

There were rumblings after AG's departure that he was looking to apply for a redshirt so he could play two more years. Don't think 2 more years at UConn was realistic.

 

[Huskybass]

The team started really winning games when Gaffney became a starter. I don't know the breakdown, but my guess is that the winning % went way up once Gaffney replaced AG in the starting lineup. With a talent like Cole becoming eligible, AG wasn't likely to see many minutes in a crowded backcourt, that's the simple truth.

 

[businesslawyer]

He has 3 PGs and this is about AG wanting to play minutes not about who’s better because it’s an unknown. But he brought RJ in for a reason so let’s be honest here he’s giving him time he’s already seen practice AG wasn’t getting 30-35 minutes like he’s prefer at this point of his career. Pretty simple here not sure what you’re missing but I’m through. He didn’t want to share that’s all nothing else.

My last try. If AG was Magic Johnson, he wouldn't have to share minutes. If RJ Cole was Magic Johnson, he wouldn't have to share minutes with AG. See what I'm getting at here?

 

[JimHurley]

Lots of delusional takes on RJ...clearly people haven't done their homework or watched him play. Think a Marcus Williams/Nic Moore (SMU) cross...

 

[mauconnfan]

My last try. If AG was Magic Johnson, he wouldn't have to share minutes. If RJ Cole was Magic Johnson, he wouldn't have to share minutes with AG. See what I'm getting at here?

Not at all because it’s not the point in this guard situation at all. I never said AG was magic did I? If I did point it out please show me. What is the point you’re trying to make? That AG left because others were a lot better?

 

[Huskybass]

My last try. If AG was Magic Johnson, he wouldn't have to share minutes. If RJ Cole was Magic Johnson, he wouldn't have to share minutes with AG. See what I'm getting at here?

AG has talent, Cole has more talent and is a far better distributor and decision maker. You are making perfect sense to anyone who makes any effort to be objective.

 

[pj]

Not sure what @mauconnfan and @businesslawyer are fighting over. Obviously Hurley thinks RJ Cole and Gaffney are better [for this team] than AG, we know the latter because he made Gaffney the starter and we know the former by word of mouth and by Hurley's and Cole's actions. How AG privately thinks he compares to Gaffney and Cole we don't know, but he knew he was 3rd on the depth chart at point guard here, and wanted to go someplace he'd be 1st. He did.

With the scholarship he opened up we got Sanogo. Everyone is better off. We should celebrate that!

 

[olehead]

Bazz and Boat were the best guard combo in the country. Makes a difference. Coles would not see the floor on that team. And no I don’t think AG was scared off by Coles. He left because he A. Needed a new place and had just been at UConn for to long. and B. He lost the starting job to Gaffney and didn’t want to go out as a backup. Gaffney was just better. He wasn’t getting it back.

Bimbo?

 

[mauconnfan]

Not sure what @mauconnfan and @businesslawyer are fighting over. Obviously Hurley thinks RJ Cole and Gaffney are better [for this team] than AG, we know the latter because he made Gaffney the starter and we know the former by word of mouth and by Hurley's and Cole's actions. How AG privately thinks he compares to Gaffney and Cole we don't know, but he knew he was 3rd on the depth chart at point guard here, and wanted to go someplace he'd be 1st. He did.

With the scholarship he opened up we got Sanogo. Everyone is better off. We should celebrate that!

He was much better than Gaffney the last few games and it wasn't close, both ends not sure what the heck you were even watching. That is a definite and I am sure DH saw that also and expressed that. And if you read it I am not saying it's bad that we lost him I was simply replying as to what helped him make his decision. While he knows he's better than Gaffney overall there was still going to be a big split of minutes with 4-5 guards, it's Hurleys way and it works I'm happy with where we are. But if you don't think there needs to be a big improvement from Gaffney then you need to spit out some KoolAid. He was a worst shooter than AG, can't beat a good defensive guard and can't guard a quick offensive guard. If that continues many will wish we still had AG I promise.

Hey I'm rooting for the kid. Good size, good kid and has some game. But the facts are the facts, improvement is necessary even for him to get the minutes he wants. Brendan Adams will take his minutes if Cole can man the point for big minutes, if he doesn't improve. Adams is a better shooter and defender, tougher.

 

[Umami Zen]

He was much better than Gaffney the last few games and it wasn't close, both ends not sure what the heck you were even watching. That is a definite and I am sure DH saw that also and expressed that. And if you read it I am not saying it's bad that we lost him I was simply replying as to what helped him make his decision. While he knows he's better than Gaffney overall there was still going to be a big split of minutes with 4-5 guards, it's Hurleys way and it works I'm happy with where we are. But if you don't think there needs to be a big improvement from Gaffney then you need to spit out some KoolAid. He was a worst shooter than AG, can't beat a good defensive guard and can't guard a quick offensive guard. If that continues many will wish we still had AG I promise.

Hey I'm rooting for the kid. Good size, good kid and has some game. But the facts are the facts, improvement is necessary even for him to get the minutes he wants. Brendan Adams will take his minutes if Cole can man the point for big minutes, if he doesn't improve. Adams is a better shooter and defender, tougher.

Seemed like JG was a matador defender last yr vs quick guards..Don't know if it was the ankle injury or not..

 

[Huskybass]

He was much better than Gaffney the last few games and it wasn't close, both ends not sure what the heck you were even watching. That is a definite and I am sure DH saw that also and expressed that. And if you read it I am not saying it's bad that we lost him I was simply replying as to what helped him make his decision. While he knows he's better than Gaffney overall there was still going to be a big split of minutes with 4-5 guards, it's Hurleys way and it works I'm happy with where we are. But if you don't think there needs to be a big improvement from Gaffney then you need to spit out some KoolAid. He was a worst shooter than AG, can't beat a good defensive guard and can't guard a quick offensive guard. If that continues many will wish we still had AG I promise.

Hey I'm rooting for the kid. Good size, good kid and has some game. But the facts are the facts, improvement is necessary even for him to get the minutes he wants. Brendan Adams will take his minutes if Cole can man the point for big minutes, if he doesn't improve. Adams is a better shooter and defender, tougher.

The role of the starting point guard is primarily to lead the team and win games. Gaffney took over as starting point guard for a reason; the team played better and won with him starting. Once Gaffney became a starter the team won 9 of 12 games for a .750 winning percentage. With Gilbert as the starter they won 9 of 18 games for a .500 winning percentage. When Hurley made the switch to Gaffney as the starter the team had lost four in a row and six out of seven. Gilbert had fallen to third on the depth chart behind Cole and Gaffney for the upcoming season. That made his decision to be a grad transfer a very easy one.

 

[mauconnfan]

Seemed like JG was a matador defender last yr vs quick guards..Don't know if it was the ankle injury or not..

Many people think the ankle held him back I’m hoping for that to be true also. He’s a good player no matter as a depth piece but needs to be better then be a starter. He can get there I’m sure we will see.

 

[Son of Robert]

AG was having a tough time and it reflected in his playing. Gaffney became the starter, we started winning, not all because of Jalen Gaffney, but because the team was growing and coming together. AG came back and contributed terrifically, free now of all the pressure he felt.

This year it would have been crowded at the point. @businesslawyer made a really good point a ways back which was that Danny Hurley gave up 3 years of a roster spot for RJ Cole to play two. I think Hurley Sr. really sold RJ to Danny at first, but I'm sure RJ is walking the walk. AG, Gaffney, RJ, they're all good players, no telling what might happen during the course of a season. I think Alterique really left to get a fresh start, a reboot, with a new coach, in a new environment, with more minutes available. Really no telling what may have gone on behind the scenes here, but Marshall is an excellent coach, he's made Wichita State into the very winning program that it is, and AG landed in a great spot. (Don't know what happened over there with the transfers, but it was an aberration)

 

[freescooter]

People seem to have forgotten too that Gilbert wasn’t happy here. When was the last time a starting point guard took a “leave of absence” in the middle of a season? There was no way he was returning even if they anointed him King of Storrs and Emperor of Tolland. Then make him the backup after 4 years as the starter, even when he was injured he was the injured starter, you could have added Duke if Wilimantic and he still wasn’t staying. He needed a change I’d scenery and he got one.

 

[HooperScooper]

People seem to have forgotten too that Gilbert wasn’t happy here. When was the last time a starting point guard took a “leave of absence” in the middle of a season?

I guess you didn't read the article about his mental health issues. It wasn't UConn that was making him unhappy. He's had a lot of issues.

I will agree that it was probably best for him to have a change of scenery and start fresh somewhere else.

Sometimes I wonder if you intentionally ignore the good stuff around the program and just focus on the negative. Even turning things into negatives that aren't. Smh.

Mike Anthony: Alterique Gilbert’s battle with mental health shows the strength of a player we should consider a UConn great

Alterique Gilbert wakes up at 5:15 a.m. every day and begins to carefully navigate his life with the guidance of Post-it Notes. Green, yellow, blue, they are all over his bathroom, reminders to bru…

www.courant.com

 

[Umami Zen]

I guess you didn't read the article about his mental health issues. It wasn't UConn that was making him unhappy. He's had a lot of issues.

I will agree that it was probably best for him to have a change of scenery and start fresh somewhere else.

Sometimes I wonder if you intentionally ignore the good stuff around the program and just focus on the negative. Even turning things into negatives that aren't. Smh.

Mike Anthony: Alterique Gilbert’s battle with mental health shows the strength of a player we should consider a UConn great

Alterique Gilbert wakes up at 5:15 a.m. every day and begins to carefully navigate his life with the guidance of Post-it Notes. Green, yellow, blue, they are all over his bathroom, reminders to bru…

www.courant.com

Coming out of HS..AG's future looked bright.. The unfortunate injuries..The KO debacle.. A new coach.. PGs coming in recruited by DH.. The up and down season.. Going from being a McD AA out of HS (the man) to being a rotation player in college.. Temporary leave of absence..That has to do a number on your confidence as described/discussed in the above article..My hope is that AG is now happy.. Crushes it this year.. And realizes the potential he has shown over the years.. His on ball defense towards the end of the season was bordering on being "Boatshow-like".. Best of luck to him..

 

[Chief00]

Hurley loves AG but lost confidence he could ever run a winning team. Too many turnovers and bad stretches at key times. AG just did not have the right instincts to involve the right teammates in the right spots at the right time. He never was a true PG in HS. I like Gaffney but what we can’t underestimate is just taking AG’s mistakes out of the mix made a huge difference towards winning. I think Hurley trusts Gaffney and he’s a better shooter than what he showed last season and will get stronger.. RJ will provide some of the offense we lose in CV. Don’t underestimate the need and value of replacing CV’s ability to knock down foul shots.
On Whaley, I think he genuinely surprised Hurley, and he gave us someone who could switch on defense unlike Josh. He also was a live body on the boards, unlike Josh. I think he was a big help towards the end of last season. He will be a senior with that experience but that will be offset by a much deeper front court about the future - Brown-Ferguson and Sanogo. These guys are more talented than Whaley and will get minutes. Time will tell if last season will translate for Whaley. I think it will somewhat but maybe not a lot.

 

[mauconnfan]

Hurley loves AG but lost confidence he could ever run a winning team. Too many turnovers and bad stretches at key times. AG just did not have the right instincts to involve the right teammates in the right spots at the right time. He never was a true PG in HS. I like Gaffney but what we can’t underestimate is just taking AG’s mistakes out of the mix made a huge difference towards winning. I think Hurley trusts Gaffney and he’s a better shooter than what he showed last season and will get stronger.. RJ will provide some of the offense we lose in CV. Don’t underestimate the need and value of replacing CV’s ability to knock down foul shots.
On Whaley, I think he genuinely surprised Hurley, and he gave us someone who could switch on defense unlike Josh. He also was a live body on the boards, unlike Josh. I think he was a big help towards the end of last season. He will be a senior with that experience but that will be offset by a much deeper front court about the future - Brown-Ferguson and Sanogo. These guys are more talented than Whaley and will get minutes. Time will tell if last season will translate for Whaley. I think it will somewhat but maybe not a lot.

Here’s the deal I agree AG wasn’t a true PG and certainly wasn’t good in that middle stretch where we lost like 6 of 7 games in which we were in them all down the stretch but one. He and CV weren’t very good, made bad decisions and took bad shots. Bouk hadn’t found his confidence at that point either so there was no go to when they were needed. But the one thing for sure is we were in those games because on the other end both of them were really good, defensively kept us in games. I know Gaff brought a calmness to the other end and delivered passes where needed. I believe that but only to a point as it was also simply people started making shots. He was good in those games but not great. Shooting was the same if not worst from the point position and the defense wasn’t as good. But guys were now scoring. Then Whaley appeared and helped tremendously while Bouk found himself. It’s also when AG was coming off the bench a whole new guy, the guy we would’ve liked to have had in those games mentioned earlier. We would’ve won 3-4 more if he played like that and Vital was shooting like he was. So they both had their share of impact and woes, AG and JG that is. Because I’m not sure what JG we will get I would’ve loved a 20-25 minute AG no doubt especially the one in the last 6-8 games. But I also understand the whole guard situation so it’s fine we move on hope RJ is the real deal and Gaff improves on both ends. Also how can I argue with the fact we wouldn’t have been able to nab Sanogo, that’s a simple win there.

Hope AG does great things for Marshall and I hope we compete to win the Big East. Bottom line.

 

[Umami Zen]

Hurley loves AG but lost confidence he could ever run a winning team. Too many turnovers and bad stretches at key times. AG just did not have the right instincts to involve the right teammates in the right spots at the right time. He never was a true PG in HS. I like Gaffney but what we can’t underestimate is just taking AG’s mistakes out of the mix made a huge difference towards winning. I think Hurley trusts Gaffney and he’s a better shooter than what he showed last season and will get stronger.. RJ will provide some of the offense we lose in CV. Don’t underestimate the need and value of replacing CV’s ability to knock down foul shots.
On Whaley, I think he genuinely surprised Hurley, and he gave us someone who could switch on defense unlike Josh. He also was a live body on the boards, unlike Josh. I think he was a big help towards the end of last season. He will be a senior with that experience but that will be offset by a much deeper front court about the future - Brown-Ferguson and Sanogo. These guys are more talented than Whaley and will get minutes. Time will tell if last season will translate for Whaley. I think it will somewhat but maybe not a lot.

Chief..Hope you're not sleeping on Springs..

 

[mauconnfan]

Chief..Hope you're not sleeping on Springs..

You thinking Chief has a water bed?