Sacred Heart Post Game Thread

[boog204]

I didn't want to start it, so thanks for saying the quiet part out loud.

Every comment you hear about Ross means you aren't hearing it about Stewart. We all saw how good McNeeley looked last night. PT is a zero sum game.
We know Stewart isn't going to be taking minutes away from Karaban at the 4 spot. Karaban is good for 32 mpg this season. Stewart can back up those minutes.
At the three spot, it's tough. If McNeeley keeps playing well, he's good for over 20 mpg.
If Ross is really that good, he's going to get some minutes at the 2 and the 3.
Yes, you can play both Stewart and Ross together. This roster is crazy whacked with the combos you can play but eventually there are going to be minutes for Diarra, Mahaney and Ball. And Nowell doesn't appear to be a shrinking violet willing to sit on the bench.

So, yes, if Hurley is taken at his word and Ross has really improved, it comes mostly at the expense of Stewart.

This... Liam is going to get 25-32mpg easy. I mean he logged 27 in the opener when the bench is usually wide open. He is that good. My only real concern with this team is what we can get from the bench. The centers will be both be good for 6-10 regardless who starts and if Diarra comes off the bench, as I believe he will, he's 6 or so. But we need a wing to give us points. I do not know if Stewart is that guy. His shooting is very poor and he can be careless with the ball. I think his minutes are going to dwindle with the emergence of Ross who seemingly will give us all of the things that Stew is not.

 

[navery12]

I think it is both Sacred Heart and Rhode Island people are basing their judgements on. Yeah Hot takes are definitely that but there are things you can definitely spot like lack of quickness or bad rebounding from a couple games. Shooting takes more of a sample size but players like Diarra and Stewart need to be more consistent. The game has definitely turned into a shooters game. That is why people think Mahaney will stick and be a star even with sub par defense.

We out rebounded Sacred Heart 47-25 so I have no idea where that concern would be coming from. Most of the concerns raised in this thread are overly reactionary and half the time disproven if they were actually looking back to the URI game

 

[GoConn]

I know its just one game, but I think AK coming back will really cement him as a 1st rounder. He looked great.

 

[JerseyAlum]

Let's contrast with Game 1 from last year:

We played N. Arizona last year as our Game 1 and won 95-52, similar to last night's 92, we had 47/48 scored H1/H2 and better D in H2 to limit N Arizona to 30/22 H1/H2 as last night we limited SH to 31/25 H1/H2.

Vs. N. Arizona:

AK: 27 min, 8-12, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Block, 22 pts - improved in Blocks and Assists but otherwise similar game 1
DC: 15 min, 4-8, 8 Reb, 0 Ast, 2 Block, 12 pts - Johnson outperformed Clingan last year; we can say the same on Reed?
SC: 19 min, 3-5, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 0 Block, 12 pts - would we say after 1 game we feel better about Liam than we did Stephon?
TN: 30 min, 4-7, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 0 Block, 15 pts - big minuted, good game - we really miss Tristan at the 1.
CS: 27 min, 2-3, 1 Reb, 5 Ast, 0 Block, 8 pts. - SuperCam was so-so in Game 1 and got better soon after - Ball looks better than Cam at the 2, but that is a 1 game comparison of first games.

And the Bench:

Ross: 9 min, 0-1, 2 Reb, 0 pt - did not play last night
Stewart: 9 min, 2-3, 3 Reb, 5 pts - played 16 min last night with +1 Reb, but 1-4 FGs
Johnson: 19 min, 5-6, 5 Reb, 3 Block, 11 Pts - played worse as a starter last night but hey, 1 game != a season.
Ball: 15 min, 1-5, 2 Reb, 2 Pts - way better this year in G1, 29 min, 16 pts, 4-7 3, 5-9 overall.
Diarra: 22 min, 2-5, 2 Ast, 2 Reb, 6 pts - last night 21 min, 1-6 shooting, missed all 4 3s, had 5 pts.

Big difference this game 1 is last night we had 25 assists (last year 15) on 32 made baskets (last year 32 as well). We also got 33 defensive rebounds (35 last year) on 37 misses by SH (last year N. Arizona missed 39) - the math does not include Free Throw misses rebounded.

So overall based on Game 1s in successive seasons...
1. Liam > Stephon after 1 Game
2. We miss Tristen in a big way - Ahmad Nowell in 9 min had 4 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist - he may be our PG before too long.
3. Mahaney looked like he has not played 2 seasons - I really am rooting for him plus jealous of his hair line
4. Reed was a monster in the 2nd half - Probably will be the starter if the Johnson/Reed Jr stats stay the same.

Only changes to starting lineup I would make are:

1. H. Diarra starts over Maheney
2. S. Ball
3. L. McNeeley
4. Alex
5. Reed Jr starts over Johnson

Let's please all see what happens in G2 vs UNH on Saturday night.

 

[Stew Crew]

It's LIAM, for God's sake. you're going to give me a cardiac incident

According to Joe Zone from WFSB, we had a player named Cam Stewart on the team last year. It came on a pre-recorded segment on the news last night. Apparently, no one checks videos at channel 3 before posting them to the website.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

This... Liam is going to get 25-32mpg easy. I mean he logged 27 in the opener when the bench is usually wide open. He is that good. My only real concern with this team is what we can get from the bench. The centers will be both be good for 6-10 regardless who starts and if Diarra comes off the bench, as I believe he will, he's 6 or so. But we need a wing to give us points. I do not know if Stewart is that guy. His shooting is very poor and he can be careless with the ball. I think his minutes are going to dwindle with the emergence of Ross who seemingly will give us all of the things that Stew is not.

I have a strong suspicion that if we had a fully healthy roster Liam would have only played ~22 minutes. Yes, I could well be wrong but I'm not sure his minutes will go up when another player is added to the rotation.

But, this is a problem of abundance, I'll take that over problems of scarcity any day.

 

[Scottobot]

Let's contrast with Game 1 from last year:

We played N. Arizona last year as our Game 1 and won 95-52, similar to last night's 92, we had 47/48 scored H1/H2 and better D in H2 to limit N Arizona to 30/22 H1/H2 as last night we limited SH to 31/25 H1/H2.

Vs. N. Arizona:

AK: 27 min, 8-12, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Block, 22 pts - improved in Blocks and Assists but otherwise similar game 1
DC: 15 min, 4-8, 8 Reb, 0 Ast, 2 Block, 12 pts - Johnson outperformed Clingan last year; we can say the same on Reed?
SC: 19 min, 3-5, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 0 Block, 12 pts - would we say after 1 game we feel better about Liam than we did Stephon?
TN: 30 min, 4-7, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 0 Block, 15 pts - big minuted, good game - we really miss Tristan at the 1.
CS: 27 min, 2-3, 1 Reb, 5 Ast, 0 Block, 8 pts. - SuperCam was so-so in Game 1 and got better soon after - Ball looks better than Cam at the 2, but that is a 1 game comparison of first games.

And the Bench:

Ross: 9 min, 0-1, 2 Reb, 0 pt - did not play last night
Stewart: 9 min, 2-3, 3 Reb, 5 pts - played 16 min last night with +1 Reb, but 1-4 FGs
Johnson: 19 min, 5-6, 5 Reb, 3 Block, 11 Pts - played worse as a starter last night but hey, 1 game != a season.
Ball: 15 min, 1-5, 2 Reb, 2 Pts - way better this year in G1, 29 min, 16 pts, 4-7 3, 5-9 overall.
Diarra: 22 min, 2-5, 2 Ast, 2 Reb, 6 pts - last night 21 min, 1-6 shooting, missed all 4 3s, had 5 pts.

Big difference this game 1 is last night we had 25 assists (last year 15) on 32 made baskets (last year 32 as well). We also got 33 defensive rebounds (35 last year) on 37 misses by SH (last year N. Arizona missed 39) - the math does not include Free Throw misses rebounded.

So overall based on Game 1s in successive seasons...
1. Liam > Stephon after 1 Game
2. We miss Tristen in a big way - Ahmad Nowell in 9 min had 4 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist - he may be our PG before too long.
3. Mahaney looked like he has not played 2 seasons - I really am rooting for him plus jealous of his hair line
4. Reed was a monster in the 2nd half - Probably will be the starter if the Johnson/Reed Jr stats stay the same.

Only changes to starting lineup I would make are:

1. H. Diarra starts over Maheney
2. S. Ball
3. L. McNeeley
4. Alex
5. Reed Jr starts over Johnson

Let's please all see what happens in G2 vs UNH on Saturday night.

Diarra missed his 3s, but otherwise looked pretty good. He is really a pest on defense, and had some nice passes (6assists) and really pushed the ball. The offense looked better to me when he was in there, and certainly the defense is better when he is in. Haven’t seen what Ross can do yet but I think Diarra’s defense is going to win him the starting spot. I think Mahaney and Nowell will also given them solid play off bench.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Yep it does look from early indication others have improved their games faster than Stewart which is a dissapointment. Still early though so let's see if his shooting improves. He looked hesitant to take the outside shot when open last night.

Starting to think Stewart isn’t a good fit for this offense. He’s not really a catch and shoot or off ball guy and seems to work best with the ball in his hands. In this offense there’s not a lot of opportunity for him to do that.

Don’t think it’s an indictment on either or, just not a good fit. Hope he can figure it out eventually.

 

[Stinger92860]

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.

Nowell looked very strong when he had the ball in his hands as the primary PG. I would like to see More.

 

[temery]

The look on the ladies' faces is priceless.

 

[RuffRuff]

It's LIAM, for God's sake. you're going to give me a cardiac incident

You must be of Celtic blood

 

[RuffRuff]

The look on the ladies' faces is priceless.
View attachment 104618

This guy was so good last night - it’s like he was on a flow state, everything came so easily. Looked amazing with what felt like he was barely trying.

 

[Peacefrog]

I try not to read too much into these warm up games against totally overmatched opponents (other than it being good news that, in fact, the opponent was totally overmatched). The one thing I pulled from the game is a negative and not a positive. If Samson Johnson can't keep his butt on the court without fouling against Sacred Heart, that does not bode well.

Maybe we need to simply conclude that Samson is what he is at this point but its so frustrating because it seems that it should be something relatively easy to correct. Two of his fouls were reach-ins on guards outside the 3-point line and that is pretty par for the course for him historically. I don't mind the fouls in the paint so much but trying to make a steal in these situations just isn't going to be successful. If they could just get him to never reach in, especially outside the 3-point line, it would save him 1-2 fouls/game I bet. Resist the temptation and just keep your arms up young man.

 

[3rdbass]

Maybe we need to simply conclude that Samson is what he is at this point but its so frustrating because it seems that it should be something relatively easy to correct. Two of his fouls were reach-ins on guards outside the 3-point line and that is pretty par for the course for him historically. I don't mind the fouls in the paint so much but trying to make a steal in these situations just isn't going to be successful. If they could just get him to never reach in, especially outside the 3-point line, it would save him 1-2 fouls/game I bet. Resist the temptation and just keep your arms up young man.

He is showing more of advanced offensive game but yeah his fouls and rebounding leave a lot to be desired. It would be nice if either him or Reed could hit a 10 foot jump shot.

 

[jibsey]

Didn’t Alex light up the 3 point shooting in the NBA tryouts? He’s more confident even than 7 months ago.

 

[bendm]

Didn’t Alex light up the 3 point shooting in the NBA tryouts? He’s more confident even than 7 months ago.

IIRC he rated as the best shooter at the combine. he'd average 25ppg this year if he werent so unselfish and we werent so deep. i wouldnt trade him for any other player in the country.

 

[RuffRuff]

He is showing more of advanced offensive game but yeah his fouls and rebounding leave a lot to be desired. It would be nice if either him or Reed could hit a 10 foot jump shot.

You mean the shot today’s analytics say not to take ?

I’m holding some hope for Samson once timing of offense is better. He more than anyone needs that to feed his offensive weaponry. He also looks much bigger and stronger. He just needs to figure out the fouling issue which is entirely mental.

As for Stew, needs to work inside. He’s our second strongest body on the roster. If he fancies himself a jump shooter, not sure where it goes. We have too many better shooters all over the roster.

 

[HooperScooper]

Didn’t Alex light up the 3 point shooting in the NBA tryouts? He’s more confident even than 7 months ago.

Karaban, still debating on whether to return to UConn for his redshirt junior season or remain in the draft, went a long way towards the latter by finishing first in three different shooting drills among the more than 70 prospects who participated. He hit 21 of 26 shots in the Side-Mid-Side drill and led everyone in the Shooting off the Dribble drill, knocking down a whopping 90 percent of his 3-pointers. Right behind him was Spencer at 86.7 percent (26-for-30).

Then there was the 3-Point Star Drill, which may have offered the best evidence as to why the Huskies dominated the 2023-24 season. Karaban finished first (84 percent), Castle and Spencer were in a tie for second (72 percent) and Newton was sixth at 68 percent.

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/article/nba-draft-combine-stephon-castle-alex-karaban-19455578.php

 

[ddent68]

Karaban, still debating on whether to return to UConn for his redshirt junior season or remain in the draft, went a long way towards the latter by finishing first in three different shooting drills among the more than 70 prospects who participated. He hit 21 of 26 shots in the Side-Mid-Side drill and led everyone in the Shooting off the Dribble drill, knocking down a whopping 90 percent of his 3-pointers. Right behind him was Spencer at 86.7 percent (26-for-30).

Then there was the 3-Point Star Drill, which may have offered the best evidence as to why the Huskies dominated the 2023-24 season. Karaban finished first (84 percent), Castle and Spencer were in a tie for second (72 percent) and Newton was sixth at 68 percent.

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/article/nba-draft-combine-stephon-castle-alex-karaban-19455578.php

And I think this years Huskies might be a better shooting team top to bottom. Scary

 

[RuffRuff]

 

[Fore!]

Loved how aggressive both Samson and Hoss were on defense all over the court. I have no problem with them going ham in these early season games.

Yep, Samson committed a couple bad fouls but it is what it is. We have 10 fouls between both and if they are gonna be that disruptive, use em.

I know it’s Sacred Heart, but I’ll take 24pts/14reb/4blk/4stl from the 5 spot all year

Sacred Heart has talent, just undersized against UConn

 

[AllHusky]

Was impressed with the Saints(?), will be interested to see their season develop

 

[RuffRuff]

Someone was looking for this

 

[TheChamps990411]

What i got from this game is we might have 4/5 starting spots figured out. AK and Le`Big Mac were almost penciled in from day one but Solo and Tarris look and played like starters while SJ and HD looked like what they do best and that is come off the bench with energy and especially in the case of HD defense, energy and a guy capable of running the offense for short stints. I think the only real question i saw last night was who is going to be the pg? Wouldve liked to have seen Mahaney show he was the guy last night but he may be limited to an off the bench scoring role because of questionable defense and limited athleticism. With HD looking like his best role is off the bench and AM looking questionable it seems a major opportunity has opened up for Nowell who looked pretty good in a small sample and showed a willingness and ability to defend. I think lack of experience will hold him back but if he can come along and learn the offense quickly he could be starting by February. Overall i really like this team and can see a ton of potential and we havent even seen JRoss yet. If he looks like hes taken a big step this team will be a sight to see come March.

 

[Lambeau]

I think Nowell is being groomed for next year, and the other three will battle for that fifth starting job. How does Ross function backcourt?