Sacred Heart Post Game Thread

[3rdbass]

I agree everything looked much better when Hassan was running things. But then again, it took Newton half a season to mesh with the team as the point guard.

I suspect they might like to start using Mahaney as an off guard at some point, until he better understands the offense.

This may be the trial by fire that he needs.

Don't forget Nowell. He looks like a dawg out there. Maybe he won't break through this year but he will be great soon.

 

[3rdbass]

Hot take prediction of the night based on way too small of a sample size: Nowell ends the season as the starting point guard. My god he looked confident running the offense.

I just saw this comment and had already posted but I mentioned that he looked the best out of the 3. Mahaney is having trouble covering PGs with his lack of lateral quickness which is dissapointing but not surprising. When his shot isn't falling he really adds nothing. What has happened to Diarra's outside shot?

 

[3rdbass]

A lot of firepower on offense. Think Maui will tell us a lot about just how good this team can be.

As far as things to lookout for/improve:

Solo is shooting how Hurley thought he could last year. But I would like to see more from his offensive game. Didn’t see a lot of drives outside of attacking close outs. This is against SHU too so I hope he can show that against better teams.

Foul trouble at the 5 spot against a team like this is worrisome. Have to fix that against better opponents. Reed played well. Think he’s going to continue to get better and better under Hurley as he really simplifies the game for bigs.

Liam is Liam. He’s perfect fit for this offense and he’s going to score effortlessly all year. Only thing I’m looking out for is his defense against higher level competition.

Karaban played like junior team leader today. 7 blocks is crazy. Wonder if his defense has improved enough to keep those athletic 4s at bay that he used to struggle with.

PG play has a lot of room for improvement.

We are an incredibly deep team. Wish we could’ve saw Ross today. My only question is if we can survive an off shooting night with the amount of 3s we take when it matters.

Thinks Boston Celtics with us. LOL!

 

[RedStickHusky]

Great game. I tend to think he’ll be starting by end of season, but I am always a little hesitant to judge the big guys too much against the cupcakes. The physical mismatches are just too big.

More important to me that it looks Hurley has another workable two-man split at the five. If they combine for 24 every night, we're golden. Both gonna have to learn not to give away silly fouls though.

 

[freshler40]

In a game where he had 0 points, I was impressed with Mahaney. He competed the entire night on the defensive end, which is a good indication that he has fully bought in. Also, I think he is smart enough to know that on this team that he doesn't need to hunt shots.

Still need SJ to not have the silly obvious fouls. He had two in the second half that were obvious to anyone but him. Still, I liked his aggressiveness at the offensive end.

Point of improvement is to have the guards dribble penetrate in the style of Newton. Mahaney needs to be a threat to score. This will create more inside possibilities. We took 30+ 3 pointers for a 42% closing rate. This is impressive and on an NBA style shot pattern. This rate of outside shooting perhaps reflex's the great outside shooting ability of our team but balance wins close games if it come to that. The penetrating guards were not present in this game.
The second half touch pass from Karaban to Reed was classic. The lights went on for Reed in the second half. He now has the Film down of the previous great centers we have had. Reed posted up well and called for the ball. Karaban was beyond description. WOW, you can see the physical improvement and confidence he now plays with. He was showing strong on court verbal leadership for the young puppies and transfers. Alex has taken a leadership position for the team.

I particularly like the warm smiles the bench showed for great X and O's execution in the second half. It was a clinic of basketball. This team grew in the second half. Nice to see Hurley use his entire bench for early season experience. The depth of this team was on fun to watch.

 

[mauconnfan]

Mahaney has an off game, doesn’t shoot much at all and the yard is down on him again lol. He was arguably our best player against URI but all is forgotten, crazy. Remember the “Cam can’t keep anyone in front of him” talks early last year. Geez

Anyway McNeeley is real good and already improving on D, much more physical than I expected we know he can shoot but that lefty take and his rebounding were real good,

SJ and Reed both solid, Tarris can absolutely rebound in traffic strong man. SJ with a reach and foul 30 ft from the basket please stop!

Hassan not bad, couple bad TOs and didn’t make any wide open looks but we know he’ll be better. D always solid. Still like him as 6th man happy to see that.

Alex is a leader impressed with his on the court coaching, and of course his play. Very aggressive and when he’s making shots like that we will be very good.

Solo may be the real deal he can shoot it. His defense has improved as well, wow this team has shooters.

The one I like despite short minutes, Nowell. Kids gonna be real good. Pest on D, strong going to the basket that finish’s at the rim the defender bounced off him. 3 rebounds in 8 minutes? Like his game there will be more minutes as this season goes along.

Good win lots to like!

 

[GlastonTim]

Tarris Reed

Jr

 

[JerseyAlum]

Great first game!

Love the 3 pt shooting display, AK going off, Liam being settled after the airball, Reed Jr, block party, Ball!

First game though and a cupcake. SH played zone so we tossed up a lot of decent look 3s.

Overall a lot of nerves and settling in. 2nd half was better for sure but usually is.

Really fun to have the season start now and things should get better in terms of players letting the game come to them and being more disciplined in the system.

Plus they covered, again.

 

[Edward Sargent]

McNeeley debut stats
27 mins / shots 6-11 / 3pt 3-6 / FT 3-6 / Rebounds 10 / Assist 2 / steals 1 / points 18

Flagg debut stats
30 mins / shots 6-15 / 3pt 0-4 / FT 6-6 /
Rebounds 7 / Assist 5 / steals 3 / points 18

Very similar stats. I think McNeeley has a better supporting cast.

It's going to be very interesting if and when these two freshmen get an opportunity to face each other.

And better coaching

 

[10TOES]

I think we have to give Mahaney a little time. TNew struggled up through the middle of BE play and then became the rock we knew him to be. It must not be easy finding your roll in the system coming away from being THE guy being asked to put up 20 shots a game in your old program.

 

[Drame]

I agree everything looked much better when Hassan was running things. But then again, it took Newton half a season to mesh with the team as the point guard.

I suspect they might like to start using Mahaney as an off guard at some point, until he better understands the offense.

This may be the trial by fire that he needs.

Mahaney came in as an off guard and is being developed at the point because of his size and because you can play Ross at the 2 and get extra big on the perimeter.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I think we have to give Mahaney a little time. TNew struggled up through the middle of BE play and then became the rock we knew him to be. It must not be easy finding your roll in the system coming away from being THE guy being asked to put up 20 shots a game in your old program.

He’s definitely going to get much better. We’ve already seen what he is and that is a really good player. It looks like he’s still not totally in sync with the offensive system and the required decision making, but real game experience should get him there pretty quickly.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think we have to give Mahaney a little time. TNew struggled up through the middle of BE play and then became the rock we knew him to be. It must not be easy finding your roll in the system coming away from being THE guy being asked to put up 20 shots a game in your old program.

AMs role will need time. What was discouraging in this game was how little command he had out there, as you want to see some leadership out of your PG. He looked a beat slow, hesitant, and had a hard time on defense. It looked more like the open practice player than the URI player.

Hurley said Ross would have started today if healthy - wondered fro whom.

 

[husky429]

Hurley said Ross would have started today if healthy - wondered fro whom.

Would've had to be Solo or McNeeley, no? Even if he's pushing Stewart out of the rotation as 7th-man, this team is in for a heck of a season.

I like Ross. He always gave you 100% on the floor. It was bound to pay off eventually.

 

[Conndog]

Want to see Ross in there- Hurley has been really impressed with him pre-season. I know he’s dinged up, is he supposed to be out long?

 

[Hunt for 7]

AMs role will need time. What was discouraging in this game was how little command he had out there, as you want to see some leadership out of your PG. He looked a beat slow, hesitant, and had a hard time on defense. It looked more like the open practice player than the URI player.

Hurley said Ross would have started today if healthy - wondered fro whom.

The only starter that he could have started over and did not play well was PG. Other than that it would have been McNeeley or Ball. If he is playing better than them, well ok then get ready CBB because we will be there again. Train kept a rollin.

Samson started last night but clearly in a physical game Reed Jr is on the floor more if he can stay out of foul trouble. He could develop into something special. You can see why he was rated so highly coming out of high school. He is clearly bigger than Sanogo in every category that can be seen. He is huge wide, long and tall. Can’t see heart we know Adama was probably the nicest person off the court but he could impose his will on the court. If Reed Jr finds that, another well ok then……….

 

[microfich]

This night was as entertaining as it gets.

At the pre-20 minute warm-ups, we saw sports fashion at a championship level. The new warm-up duds were a brilliant and classy sight in off-white adorned with gold. It might be my blue/white glasses but the players did seem proud and it was fully deserved.

We advance to the banner ceremony intro. The massive new scoreboard was transfixing and transforming. It is in 3 sections and vids can be programmed to use each separately or spread across the 3 as one image. They showed highly professional mixes of championships past and recorded words of thanks and support from our 4 draftees of last year.

The roaring crowd was primed as we moved to the banner drop.

Cut to the court where the returnees stood separately with the coaches in the dark, bathed in blue light as Connor introduced them each and then implored the curtain to fall and white hot spotlight to reveal the 2024 championship banner.

Large noise.

Starting lineup intros followed in concert with 5 new colossal UCONN letters each spewing a gigantic and crowd-warming geyser of fire for each player.

The game itself showed a UConn team of talent and purpose. We have an ocean of depth. Threes are difference makers, and we will make many, but blocks and steals are what gets a crowd electrified. We played defense with extended arms, covered lanes, shifting feet and help from behind. Hurleyball. This is where we are further along than even last year November. Offensively there's a lot to come but of the limited sets and patterns they did throw out there we knew where each other was, or at least should be (Alex snickers.).

We fans were lurching forward in our Lamborghini all night with all cylinders firing and just a few sputters that others will detail.

We are big.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

(sarcasm off)

My engine was revving and I was ready to attack, then saw that tiny little note. Well played!

 

[AntG168]

I can’t wait for those d heads on Sleepers Media to issue Tarris Reed and apology at some point this season. 15 and 11 is nothing to sneeze at. And he got 9 rebounds in 12 minutes in the second half lmao

 

[AllHusky]

Biggest problem was my Football watching eyes had trouble keeping up with the game.

 

[superjohn]

The only starter that he could have started over and did not play well was PG. Other than that it would have been McNeeley or Ball. If he is playing better than them, well ok then get ready CBB because we will be there again. Train kept a rollin.

Samson started last night but clearly in a physical game Reed Jr is on the floor more if he can stay out of foul trouble. He could develop into something special. You can see why he was rated so highly coming out of high school. He is clearly bigger than Sanogo in every category that can be seen. He is huge wide, long and tall. Can’t see heart we know Adama was probably the nicest person off the court but he could impose his will on the court. If Reed Jr finds that, another well ok then……….

I'm excited about Ross but let's wait and see. We've all seen what Solo can do and Hurley says McNeeley is the best freshman he's ever had and he might be the best freshman in the country. Considering Hurley had Steph Castle as a freshman just last season and Cooper Flagg is a current freshman in college basketball that is monumental praise for McNeeley's game. Karaban also said he thinks McNeeley is the best freshman in the country...

 

[HuskyHawk]

Mahaney has an off game, doesn’t shoot much at all and the yard is down on him again lol. He was arguably our best player against URI but all is forgotten, crazy. Remember the “Cam can’t keep anyone in front of him” talks early last year. Geez

Anyway McNeeley is real good and already improving on D, much more physical than I expected we know he can shoot but that lefty take and his rebounding were real good,

SJ and Reed both solid, Tarris can absolutely rebound in traffic strong man. SJ with a reach and foul 30 ft from the basket please stop!

Hassan not bad, couple bad TOs and didn’t make any wide open looks but we know he’ll be better. D always solid. Still like him as 6th man happy to see that.

Alex is a leader impressed with his on the court coaching, and of course his play. Very aggressive and when he’s making shots like that we will be very good.

Solo may be the real deal he can shoot it. His defense has improved as well, wow this team has shooters.

The one I like despite short minutes, Nowell. Kids gonna be real good. Pest on D, strong going to the basket that finish’s at the rim the defender bounced off him. 3 rebounds in 8 minutes? Like his game there will be more minutes as this season goes along.

Good win lots to like!

This is an impressive collection of players. I think there is really ongoing open competition at every spot but Alex's. Hurley is going to play the guys that play best. Mahaney needs to compete with Diarra and Nowell at the 1 and Ball and Ross at the 2. I think my main concern with Mahaney is that he plays at a slightly slower pace. He has to make decisions more quickly, move the ball more quickly to fit with the rest of the group. I think that will come with more time and game reps.

Team was really sloppy to start. Looked like guys who hadn't really played together, which is the case. As they each get more comfortable with each other I think we will see more crispness. They cleaned a lot up at halftime so I don't think it will take them long.

 

[James]

Didn't anticipate Karaban taking possible a NPOY level leap this year, but I'll take it! Really enjoy hearing McNeeley gush about how much of a mentor and leader he is too

 

[boog204]

First game so some observations are far too small sample size... But.

Reed needs to start instead of Samson. Not because Samson did anything wrong per say, but because Reed makes the offense flow better, is a better rebounder, and will be the better overall defender. I think we'll see this change sooner rather than later.

Mahaney didn't do much but he should be the starter. He'll give us a better offensive weapon and Diarra off the bench gives you juice and a spark.

Liam is an absolute stud. Anyone who questioned him (and there were some) after the URI just doesn't get it. Sorry. Dude was hitting 3's, rebounded, defended, connected, and probably hit more off hand shots in a game then I can remember any of our players, kinda, ever. If he hits his free throws he goes 20-10 in his college debut?

Solo is a star in the making. He'll be a low teens scorer this year and if he sticks for a third year, could become a Ben/Beal/Donovan Mitchell type smaller 2G scorer who could push the lottery.

AK... Nothing needs to be said.

Abraham will be a player in time. He's got a certain something that I really like. I don't think he'll see many minutes this year but he's got a nice future as that intangible guy to support the stars.

Okay, so now the thing that I'm "worried" about. We have great depth in terms of numbers and talent. But we need a wing to be a dependable scorer/shooter off the bench. Stewart is not a guy you can depend on to hit shots and he looked careless with the ball. I'm curious if Ross was available if he would have been the first wing off the bench.