Sacred Heart Post Game Thread

[Palatine]

You can see the chemistry and anticipation is a work in progress.

Do you think that LM will shoot 50% from the foul line this year? What was that?

Karaban -7 and Diarra -6 had over half our 25 assists. Diarra will be our assist leader this year. IMHO he is our best PG by far.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

One more thing with Reed. I can see him developing an offensive game a notch below Sanogo’s and having defense a notch below Whaley with Hurley. He’s a nice mix between the two players.

 

[Hurleyman216]

It’s wild how good McNeeley is. I’m wondering if he was just a bit overshadowed by Flagg in high school because they played for the same team and played similar positions. Flagg is probably slightly more athletic than McNeeley, but my guess is Flagg was also “the guy” on that team and was the one who took more shots. I’ve seen them both play quite a bit and now that they’re in college I’m honestly not sure which one is the better player. They are certainly two of the best freshman I’ve seen in recent memory.

 

[RedStickHusky]

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

I went looking.... Nothing.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

It’s wild how good McNeeley is. I’m wondering if he was just a bit overshadowed by Flagg in high school because they played for the same team and played similar positions. Flagg is probably slightly more athletic than McNeeley, but my guess is Flagg was also “the guy” on that team and was the one who took more shots. I’ve seen them both play quite a bit and now that they’re in college I’m honestly not sure which one is the better player. They are certainly two of the best freshman I’ve seen in recent memory.

Let’s relax a bit. McNeeley is a highly skilled great offensive player who’s a perfect fit for this system.

Flagg is a generational prospect on both ends of the floor and a potential #1 pick.

He’s going to be fine regardless at Duke getting experience learning how to create his own shot, but he’d be a monster in this offense that’d give him so many easy looks.

 

[RuffRuff]

It’s wild how good McNeeley is. I’m wondering if he was just a bit overshadowed by Flagg in high school because they played for the same team and played similar positions. Flagg is probably slightly more athletic than McNeeley, but my guess is Flagg was also “the guy” on that team and was the one who took more shots. I’ve seen them both play quite a bit and now that they’re in college I’m honestly not sure which one is the better player. They are certainly two of the best freshman I’ve seen in recent memory.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Cooper has 2-3 inches, has a long wingspan and can jump through the gym. He’s been touted a generational talent for reason. It’s not because McNeeley was overshadowed. Ian is a better shooter, and that’s where it ends.

Not sure you’ve watched any of the other action out there but a number of freshman showing the goods. BYU kid, Texas kid, Maryland kid, Georgia kid, Harper. Titus had an interesting angle on it and that this is the first freshman class whose development wasn’t disrupted by Covid, thinks it could be the year of the freshman.

 

[RuffRuff]

I went looking.... Nothing.

Give em a day. Will most certainly cover the game as not much action elsewhere, although Kalks 49 sure to be a hot topic.

 

[Stew Crew]

Karaban was much more demonstrative on the court. After the lob to Johnson, he was running down the court laughing and gesturing to the crowd. You could also see him mentoring McNeeley on the court. After McNeeley gave up a shot in the lane and ended up throwing the ball away, you could see Karaban talking to him about taking the shot.

I'm guessing that Nowell's lack of playing time might be because he is a bit behind on picking up the offense. For the most part, he floated on the perimeter on offense. We saw similar things from Stewart early last season.

I am sure Mahaney will improve on defense. When I first saw Calcaterra, I didn't think there was any way he would see the court in big games. He learned quickly. Someone posted a video recently of Bobby Knight about how sitting on the bench is a great motivator.

I'm surprised about the negative comments about Diarra. It was one game last night. He has proved himself as a beast on both ends of the court over the past 2+ years.

It was great to see Reed diving for balls on the court at least twice last night. I'm sure it wasn't lost on Hurley.

 

[Stew Crew]

One more thing with Reed. I can see him developing an offensive game a notch below Sanogo’s and having defense a notch below Whaley with Hurley. He’s a nice mix between the two players.

Sanogo worked really hard on his footwork on offense in order to make that big improvement. I expect we will see something similar with Reed, Jr.

 

[JerseyAlum]

Below is current and won't look like this soon. Funny as UConn not "Connecticut" we are near the bottom b/c tie breaker is alphabetical. Good parity for one game in for all in the Big East...except Nova...but hey Columbia is my grad alma mater so let's go!

 

[boog204]

It’s wild how good McNeeley is. I’m wondering if he was just a bit overshadowed by Flagg in high school because they played for the same team and played similar positions. Flagg is probably slightly more athletic than McNeeley, but my guess is Flagg was also “the guy” on that team and was the one who took more shots. I’ve seen them both play quite a bit and now that they’re in college I’m honestly not sure which one is the better player. They are certainly two of the best freshman I’ve seen in recent memory.

I think Liam is the perfect complimentary star. He's does all of the little things super well and those get overshadowed. I remember watching him whatever All-Star game he was in and he scored big and hit shots but he was the only guy setting screens, moving the ball, creating angles/space. It's stuff that might go unnoticed or even "unneeded" in more ISO based offenses. With the stuff that we run, its essential and it's makes everything better.

 

[bendm]

We had 13 blocks tonight.

And Alex had half of them after averaging under 1 bpg last year. Thinking 7 blocks was a fluke but can’t tell if you genuinely don’t think rim protection is a weakness or if you’re just arguing for the sake of it.

 

[Deepster]

I will not overreact from Game 1 and the opponent, but all night I kept thinking Diarra > Mahaney. Maybe I'm just sentimental right now, but I feel more comfortable about Diarra in the "Hurley mold" and worry Mahaney is just too new in too big a position controlling the offense to warrant playing over Hass.

 

[Deepster]

And Alex had almost half of them after averaging under 1 bpg last year. I can’t tell if you genuinely don’t think rim protection is a weakness or if you’re just arguing for the sake of it.

I think 3, maybe 4 of his blocks came on drives where he came from behind for the block. I don't call that true "rim protection" like you got with Donovan and Sanogo.

 

[husky429]

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

Tough rebounds too. He's huge and willing to sacrifice his body to get the ball.

 

[Iluvsuebird]

My takeaways from the first game:
1. Forget about his numbers, Alex just looked different. More assertive. More vocal. More fired up. Blocking shots; looking dangerous of the dribble, beautiful passing, deadly shooting. Alex Karaban 3.0 may be dangerous for opponents.
2. As president of the Solo Ball fan club, this game was nothing short of thrilling. This kid is going to be an All-America type player this year. He is definitely going pro after this year.
3. Liam is going to be awesome, no question about it. He looks big for a wing. He also has a dog about him, to go with a beautiful offensive game. We are lucky to have him.
4. Aidan looked nervous and tentative. I think he will be fine, but you can tell that the lights were a bit bright for him yesterday.
5. Hassan better watch out. I am one of those folks who believe that Nowell may overtake him this year. I am well aware that Dan will give Hassan plenty of rope, but I think Nowell is just better. The cream always rises to the top with Dan. Nowell is going to be factor this year.
6. Samson Johnson: fouled out with 7 minutes to go against Sacred Heart. Can we please stop pretending that he is something that he is not? The problem here is that TR committed two very quick fouls too. This is worth keeping an eye on.
7. Reed: I hate to give those two podcasters from the Big X credit, but they have mentioned that Reed would disappear from games and then show up for 3-5 minute spurts. Well, Reed had a terrible first half, and a solid second half. This is not going to be good enough when the games count. And allowing SH's 6' 7" center to get him in foul trouble is not going to be good enough either. I would have loved to see Singare play a little more, because I am convinced that we are going to need him. I see other comments that say Reed was a monster. Can we see him play against a guy his size before we call him a monster? The center position may be our only weakness. Maybe.
8. Defensively we were solid and we played without our best guard/wing defender. I cannot wait to see what Ross brings to the rotation. Remember, looking way ahead, Duke has Kon Knueppel, a deadly shooter at 6'7". I think Ross will be the guy who stops those types of players because of his length and leaping ability. Looking forward to seeing him develop this year.
9. We are so freakishly deep that Abraham is unlikely to see the floor, and this kid is nice. Like Liam, his body just looks different. He had a play last night when he slipped to the right to get his shot off. It wasn't a highlight play, just a play that you typically see a guard do, not a forward. If we stay healthy, this guy will stay on the bench, and that is crazy.
10. And lastly, you can tell Dan loves this team. His body language screams positivity. Looks very confident. And that makes me feel very confident.

 

[homunculus]

Karaban also said he thinks McNeeley is the best freshman in the country...

Alex speaks like a coach. Head Coach Karaban someday?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

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

He got like 4 offensive rebounds that one possession lol. Looked really strong out there, albeit against a super small front line.

 

[superjohn]

And Alex had half of them after averaging under 1 bpg last year. Thinking 7 blocks was a fluke but can’t tell if you genuinely don’t think rim protection is a weakness or if you’re just arguing for the sake of it.

You're the one who posted we're without any rim protection. Don't post something stupid and not expect to get called out on it. It's UConn basketball, we always have rim protection. Our two centers have a 7'5 wingspan and a 7'4 wingspan. We have length at the wing/guard and they'll get some help side blocks at the rim.

We'll be one of the best rim protection/shot blocking teams in the country like we always are.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I think 3, maybe 4 of his blocks came on drives where he came from behind for the block. I don't call that true "rim protection" like you got with Donovan and Sanogo.

AK had 2 blocks in both the semifinal and final last year as well, on a good run. I think he could average 1.5 or so this year, he has good timing and seems to have a good wingspan too (I could be wrong, idk)

 

[jibsey]

Our coaching staff has really teed this season up, and it was a great opening game. Relax for those who are worried about FT’s or even fouls. What I took from this game was the defensive effort and intensity and how we just ground down a team that was hitting a lot of shots and somewhat hung around in the first half. Our last 2 seasons we have been known for assists and great ball movement and that is still there. Does anyone remember the old days when our offense was win shield wipers for the shot clock?
We just have a ton of fresh talent on that bench that many teams do not have.
Will BE games be wars and difficult? Yeah, and we will probably lose some games as Hurley drives toward his finished product in March, but ride ahead.

 

[ctbro1999]

seems to have a good wingspan too (I could be wrong, idk)

He was measured with a 6'11" wingspan at the combine this summer (6'6.5" height). So definitely good wingspan. I think he blocked a shot or 2 against Alabama last year because the 'bama guys didn't expect him to have such good reach.

 

[3rdbass]

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!

More down on his D and a little bit that he didn't look to create for other more on offense. He doesn't compare to Cam on D as he doesn't have the size Cam had to play physical or the instincts. He also doesn't have great lateral quickness as shown in both this game and the RI game. He will score for sure as that is what he is known for and he can do better moving the ball and being aggressive going to the basket. I think he let his bad D get into his head and impact his offense in the game and just deferred to others to create. I like to see him play more aggressive on offense and maybe a little less aggressive on his man due to his lack of quickness. I do a think Mahaney will impact games on offense he just needs to work on his defense and trying to keep faster guards out of the pain as we don't have Clingan back there this year to clean that up. I do agree about you comment on Nowell. He is going to be a Dawg and it will be interesting if he will steal minutes from both Diarra and Nowell.

 

[Waquoit]

I'm guessing that Nowell's lack of playing time might be because he is a bit behind on picking up the offense.

Maybe it's because the squad is packed with good players. I'm not a fan of squinting to look for nits to pick.

 

[bendm]

We'll be one of the best rim protection/shot blocking teams in the country like we always are.

it was the consensus biggest weakness identified by this board so youre in the minority when it comes to that opinion and calling most posters stupid. karaban averaged under 1bpg last year. samson cant even stay on the floor for 20mpg and i bet you reed averages just over 1bpg this season. alex caruso averages almost 2bpg do you consider him a "rim protector"? ive never encountered such an armchair tough guy before.