Rough night for Hurley

[UconnU]

The fact that this team struggles so much offensively makes no sense. This team has offensive talent. It has to be the coaching. We need an offensive identity, are we a transition team are we a half court team? Why aren’t we running sets to get TP and Bouk open shots? I know Hurley spends the majority of his practices on defense but what we really need is better offense, we need cleaner looks.

 

[superjohn]

I wanted to see some half court trap or full court press here too (assuming I understood your post correctly). Even just a little here and there to change things up and show them different looks. Our half court defense was really good I thought but changing the tempo would have been to our benefit.
Our guards were awful offensively but I felt some of that was because Indiana's half court defense was really good. They kept the guards bottled up and didn't allow them to create anything. I think Vital and Gilbert are better in open court situations defensively where they are good at creating steals and offensively where they are good in transition. They get bogged down in a slow half court game and end up settling for contested bad threes or forcing drives.
I also don't like the substitution patterns. UConn was killing them early and we pull almost the entire team when Indiana takes a time out? Why?
Get Bouk in earlier and do a better job mixing the starters and the bench. Also, why aren't we running some basic screens for Bouk? Or at least it doesn't look like we are.

Yes, that's exactly what I was trying to say.

 

[AdamaNation]

You have a player on the team Vital, who should be a backup guard on a high level division one team,believing that he is the man and not a supporting cast member. Unfortunately for us there has not been anyone else capable of playing that position for four years. As a result the coaches have not been able to glue him to the bench at times when he deserves it. He obviously is incapable of processing his consistent failures when trying to be the hero by himself instead of working to be a release valve for someone capable of making their own shot.

I believe Hurley made a huge mistake leaving him in the first half. He should have put Gaffney back in. Gaffney may not have been productive but most likely would not have made the turnovers. More important it would have acknowledged the incompetency of Vital running the point.

Yeah. Why wasn’t adams on pg?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I'd like to know -- what, in the realm of players making mistakes, is "not coaching" if shot selection is?

Is this something that really needs an explanation?

 

[Burnsbros23]

Our offense flow and spacing was terrible last night. Vital had a stretch were if you weren’t yelling get him out at ur TV u have no pulse. Gilbert needs to think distribute and run the show and score when it allows. This loss and st.joes loss are no doubt on Hurley. He appears to be a coach who creates a great culture, can recruit, can scout, gets guys to play hard, but X and O stuff I havent Seen. Also hate the sitting guys with two fouls rule.

bouknignt had a dear in the headlights look last night. That’s not on Hurley.

brendan Adams also completely no showed.

 

[UCLJ0211]

I couldn't agree more. Our guards are undersized, inconsistent long-range shooters, not great finishers, low basketball IQ and have a questionable handle.

-How many times have you seen an ill-advised shot?
-How many times have they gone to the hoop and get swallowed up by the trees?
-How many times have they had the inability to get past their defender with end game being a turnover?

Where Bazz, Boat and Kemba would cross up a defender, I often see our guards trying to go low between defenders trying to force a lane.

I LOVE the intensity that CV and AG bring. I respect the work that both have put in and by no means do I believe that they are terrible players but at times their lack of patience hurts us. Carlton was eating down low and we stopped going to him. Our best shooter Polley, gets limited touches on the perimeter.

Also, the bright lights of the big city star-struck our younger guards. Can't argue that, these pups will grow in time.

 

[UCLJ0211]

I couldn't agree more. Our guards are undersized, inconsistent long-range shooters, not great finishers, low basketball IQ and have a questionable handle.

-How many times have you seen an ill-advised shot?
-How many times have they gone to the hoop and get swallowed up by the trees?
-How many times have they had the inability to get past their defender with end game being a turnover?

Where Bazz, Boat and Kemba would cross up a defender, I often see our guards trying to go low between defenders trying to force a lane.

I LOVE the intensity that CV and AG bring. I respect the work that both have put in and by no means do I believe that they are terrible players but at times their lack of patience hurts us. Carlton was eating down low and we stopped going to him. Our best shooter Polley, gets limited touches on the perimeter.

Also, the bright lights of the big city star-struck our younger guards. Can't argue that, these pups will grow in time.

Once they are in the arena it should be like any other place they play. I read that the crowd inside was under 11,000 people, about the same as Gampel. Yes it was on national TV but they routinely play in front of larger crowds than that.

 

[Palatine]

We lost because we turned the ball over 22 times. This mostly happened tryng to force the ball into Carlton who did not get deep enough position, so even when he got the ball cleanly he had ball handle. Clean that up and the rotation and losing habits are not a problem.

 

[Stinger92860]

I believe Hurley made a huge mistake leaving him in the first half. He should have put Gaffney back in. Gaffney may not have been productive but most likely would not have made the turnovers. More important it would have acknowledged the incompetency of Vital running the point.

Someone mentioned that Gaffney did not/cannot face up at when he has the ball. I recall at least 2 times when after crossing half court, Hurley provided Jalen with instructions. This forced Jalen to face Dan Hurley and listen while his man bodied up. Dan Hurley never did that with CV.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Our offense flow and spacing was terrible last night. Vital had a stretch were if you weren’t yelling get him out at ur TV u have no pulse. Gilbert needs to think distribute and run the show and score when it allows. This loss and st.joes loss are no doubt on Hurley. He appears to be a coach who creates a great culture, can recruit, can scout, gets guys to play hard, but X and O stuff I havent Seen. Also hate the sitting guys with two fouls rule.

bouknignt had a dear in the headlights look last night. That’s not on Hurley.

brendan Adams also completely no showed.

I didn't see that. I saw frustration. He looked like Gordon Hayward looked for the Celtics last year. Like a guy who was supposed to get the ball and instead watched the PG fail to run the offense as it should be. What I want to see him do is demand the ball, but I don't think that's fair to put on him.

 

[Excalibur]

I didn't see that. I saw frustration. He looked like Gordon Hayward looked for the Celtics last year. Like a guy who was supposed to get the ball and instead watched the PG fail to run the offense as it should be. What I want to see him do is demand the ball, but I don't think that's fair to put on him.

No, he looked passive and overwhelmed to me. It's going to happen from time to time to any freshman.

 

[Kenny11]

I didn't see that. I saw frustration. He looked like Gordon Hayward looked for the Celtics last year. Like a guy who was supposed to get the ball and instead watched the PG fail to run the offense as it should be. What I want to see him do is demand the ball, but I don't think that's fair to put on him.

Same. He wasn't scared. He looked confident. We just had him standing in the corner way too often.
Also, his defense especially on the ball has not been bad at all.

 

[intlzncster]

Our offense flow and spacing was terrible last night. Vital had a stretch were if you weren’t yelling get him out at ur TV u have no pulse. Gilbert needs to think distribute and run the show and score when it allows.

What's weird is, when these guys decide to take over like veterans do, they do it in a completely wrong fashion -> ie they jack a quick or bad shot. Result is effectively a turnover. It's almost like they have no feel for it; obviously Vital doesn't, but Gilbert surprises me that way.

 

[superjohn]

What's weird is, when these guys decide to take over like veterans do, they do it in a completely wrong fashion -> ie they jack a quick or bad shot. Result is effectively a turnover. It's almost like they have no feel for it; obviously Vital doesn't, but Gilbert surprises me that way.

Vital has always been like that but I didn't expect it from Gilbert and legitimately thought he may have turned the corner before the last game. I certainly didn't expect the two of them to be our two biggest weaknesses.

 

[intlzncster]

Someone mentioned that Gaffney did not/cannot face up at when he has the ball. I recall at least 2 times when after crossing half court, Hurley provided Jalen with instructions. This forced Jalen to face Dan Hurley and listen while his man bodied up. Dan Hurley never did that with CV.

Honestly think Hurley has practically given up on CV. He's like that wild stallion that just won't break.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Honestly think Hurley has practically given up on CV. He's like that wild stallion that just won't break.

If he has he has a funny way of showing it by making him the PG for over 20 minutes.

 

[HuskyBoi]

I think he needs to try to play faster whenever we can. IU is deep, so maybe he wanted to avoid it yesterday. But we are a bad half court team. I'm not sure I recall a UConn team since about 2006 that was a good half court offensive team.

The other thing is to take some risks. He came off a game where CV and AG had their best games, Carlton was a beast and Polley was very good. The bench did nothing. Fine, roll with that until it doesn't work. Yesterday, it was clear within moments of AG going out and CV playing PG, that that was not going work. And he left it that way, with no time outs or subs, until our lead was erased and had built a lead. Unacceptable. Play Gaffney. Play Adams. You cannot leave CV in at the point in that situation. I don't care if you don't trust young guards, you have to. You have no choice. On a similar note, Bouk needs to play with the better guys, not the subs all the time.

2009 uconn was a great halfcourt team on offense.
but anyway, what i've noticed is that when we move the ball very quickly, the offense tends to be way way better. it gives the defense little time to man up on every little inch. because we were so slow most of the time we couldn't get a good shot.

 

[intlzncster]

If he has he has a funny way of showing it by making him the PG for over 20 minutes.

Giving up on trying to coach him. Throwing Gaffney to the wolves I'm not sure would have worked.

 

[Huskeeeeees]

I think a program in our position is lucky to have Dan Hurley but the guy isn't infallible and there are some great points being brought up on this thread. Nobody is saying they're not happy he's here or that he should be on the hot seat. I say give the guy as long of a leash as he needs.

I think Hurley is an elite recruiter (which is a huge part of the job). I also think he's a good motivator. Guys see how much he cares and it seems like that makes them care more too. I also think he's likable. I enjoy his personality for the most part and like him as the face of the program.

Dan Hurley is not a great in-game coach. He's just not. For all the reasons pointed out here as well as others. I'm not saying he's bad, I'm just saying that he's...fine, okay, average for a high major, whatever. There's enough evidence here and at past jobs to back that up. There will be games he gets out-coached or his game prep is off. There's also not much evidence yet that he can develop talent at this level. He might! Not saying he won't (i THINK he can) but wait for evidence that he can get guys to develop new skill sets or improve on areas they're weak. Did you watch his good Rhode Island teams? I did. He had success because he got good players (for that league) and then got those good players to play harder than everyone else. He'll do the same here. He'll bring in good recruiting classes and get them to play hard and that is what will turn us around. That's how he turned the smaller programs around and it will be no different here. This journey will be better if we accept Hurley for what he is and not be angry about what he is not.

This next part is harder because it's critical of his character and personality which I generally admire:

YES he needs to stop using the words, "Losing habits" We all see what he's doing and it's just ego. That makes him look like a whiner who is throwing guys under the bus. He did it after the St Joe's loss much worse. Let the media say that you have some guys you wouldn't have recruited. He can't even insinuate it. He just can't. Not in year two. He's their coach. He could have told them to transfer or he could sit them. He values them enough to play them over freshman he's recruited so he doesn't get to pick and chose when they're his players. Coaches have inherited teams with much worse players and gotten much better results. We like you, Danny. We see what happened with Ollie and what you're dealing with. You don't need to lay down bread cumbs for the fans and media. We understand the situation. Just have your teams back.

 

[NJHusky]

Could Dan Hurley benefit from his George Blaney?? A senior level former HC to help him in game

 

[NJHoops]

Hurley is still learning how to manage big time games. I was underwhelmed watching Rhody in the NCAAs when he put together a solid team.

When they upset Creighton and beat Oklahoma and barely lost to eventual Final Four team Oregon? The only bad game was Duke, which was the worst possible match-up for an undersized team.

 

[BlueDogs]

When they upset Creighton and beat Oklahoma and barely lost to eventual Final Four team Oregon? The only bad game was Duke, which was the worst possible match-up for an undersized team.

That’s one perspective. He didn’t make it out of week one. Got pounded by Duke. I thought the Oregon game got away from him. Be that as it may, not suggesting he’s a bad coach. Suggesting he has some cycles to go through. Took Calhoun many years to reach the pinnacle.

 

[Bulldog]

That’s one perspective. He didn’t make it out of week one. Got pounded by Duke. I thought the Oregon game got away from him. Be that as it may, not suggesting he’s a bad coach. Suggesting he has some cycles to go through. Took Calhoun many years to reach the pinnacle.

Yeah everybody just take a breath. Calhoun, in my opinion a top 5 coach of all time, won the NIT in 89, and then took a decade to get to a final four. CV is what he is, a hustle player, scrappy, rebounds, usually makes free throws. He is not a point guard. AG was a McDonald AA point guard. He has never been able to play at that in college. Not all his fault. I thought Gaffney would be a little more serviceable than he’s shown. So that’s where we’re at. We don’t have a proven reliable point guard who can be trusted at crunch time. Unfortunately that’s the most important position in college hoops.
So let’s give Dan Hurley this season to deal with this shortcoming because it’s not going away.
I’m concerned about next year. I think Coles can handle the point but then what. Gaffney needs to up his game. Bouknight and Jackson can each handle the 2 along with BA. So that’s more than covered. I think a high quality PG should be a priority. Recruit or transfer, whatever is available.

 

[David 76]

Could Dan Hurley benefit from his George Blaney?? A senior level former HC to help him in game

Not a bad idea. But I would hate to lose either of our assistants.

 

[imno1]

Could Dan Hurley benefit from his George Blaney?? A senior level former HC to help him in game

he's already got one in an unpaid advisor Hurley Sr.

 

[tentoes4rings]

he's already got one in an unpaid advisor Hurley Sr.

And despite not being that old, Tom Moore would qualify I think. Based on the 40 or so games he’s coached at UConn Dan Hurley has been an average game coach at best. Has 2-3 really good wins but too many games like Xavier and Indiana that we should have never lost. The recruiting is there, program development as well. Let’s just hope his in game coaching catches up.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Could Dan Hurley benefit from his George Blaney?? A senior level former HC to help him in game

No. He’s a great, experienced coach. He will figure it out. Plus as others noted, Moore is very solid.

My uninformed.02 is that he coached at Wagner and URI where the only way he could win was by relying on veterans. He is reluctant to put freshmen or sophomore guards in key situations and trust them. Akok plays a lot as a freshman but he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Aside from KEA and Chris Smith I don’t recall JC being fond of that either. Dan Hurley waits too long to start subbing the starters. If he feels Vital should start, fine, get him out by the 3-4 minute mark. Get Polley out by the five minute mark. By the time AG comes out he can play Gaffney with a rested Vital and Adams as a cushion.

Hurley is adapting to high major basketball. The opponents are better. The freshmen are better. The guys who play four years aren’t your most talented guys in most cases. For this team to be ready for league play he has to get Bouk and Gaffney to the point that he can trust them in key moments of games. Adams too. Vital is what he is and he’s too talent limited to be the lead dog for the offense, even with his improved decision making prior to IU. Bouknight is a much bigger threat when he plays with AG, Akok, Carlton and Polley. They can’t double team him.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Is this something that really needs an explanation?

He asked.
Would it hurt you to answer?
I'd also be interested in your answer.

 

[Huskybass]

And despite not being that old, Tom Moore would qualify I think. Based on the 40 or so games he’s coached at UConn Dan Hurley has been an average game coach at best. Has 2-3 really good wins but too many games like Xavier and Indiana that we should have never lost. The recruiting is there, program development as well. Let’s just hope his in game coaching catches up.

It's hard to be a great in game coach when your veteran guards play low basketball IQ basketball. I am certain he will look like a much better game coach next season. It is shocking to watch veteran guards who still don't get it after years of playing D1 ball. It's like they both channel their inner John Starks at times. Puzzling to say the least.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

And despite not being that old, Tom Moore would qualify I think. Based on the 40 or so games he’s coached at UConn Dan Hurley has been an average game coach at best. Has 2-3 really good wins but too many games like Xavier and Indiana that we should have never lost. The recruiting is there, program development as well. Let’s just hope his in game coaching catches up.

With the book still out, srikes me as pretty good for year 2.