Sacred Heart Post Game Thread

[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.

 

[DogMania]

Game 1. Lot of good things and some areas of improvement. Much of what we see now is not what we'll see when BE season begins and in March. Also, it's just 1 game. A player that shows a lot more as the season goes on, might have an off night. Can't draw too many conclusions. With that said:

McNeeley looks like the real deal. Not only can stroke it from deep, but can put it on the floor and take it to the rim or score from midrange. Sees the floor well, dishing the ball to open teammates for better scoring opportunities.

Reed looks like an excellent rebounder. A little unrefined at the rim, rushing it a bit. I'm sure Hurley and staff will coach him up. I have a feeling he's going to help give us some additional offensive opportunities with his offensive rebounding, which can be huge.

Mahaney seemed to be tad slow with his decision making when he receives the pass in the half court set. He's still learning the system, but would like to see him more decisive, something to keep an eye on. He'll probably be fine and it's just a matter of reps and confidence.

Ball and AK were outstanding and seemed decisive on offense. AK had a block party. Showed that in last year's tournament. He's more athletic than most give him credit for. Just needs to continue to work on his lateral movement. He's quick to the ball when opponents go up for their shot.

I think we'll be fine at all positions even the 5. This team looks dangerous. Would not be surprised if they lose a few tough BE games, but by BET time this team will be poised for another conference tourney and national title.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

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 like to poke fun at those guys for having bad UConn takes, but their personal insults of Tarris are so uncalled for its disgusting

 

[BigTenFan]

Great crowd and energy last night at Gampel. Uconn has lots of outside shooting options. Going to open up the paint against teams that try and face up outside the 3 line

 

[huskeynut]

First game - very good start. The chemistry is coming along.

Tarris Reed, Jr. is the real deal. Excellent pickup by the staff. Powerful rebounder. Double/ double in his first game. With Johnson and Reed, the post position is in good hands.

McNeeley surprised me. The kid is a stud. Teamed with Alex, this is a powerful duo.

Ball is good, very good. Saw a few flashes last year.

Mahaney will get there. Luke's offense is not an easy one to learn and execute. He will get there.

Diara should run the point. And I beleive he will.

The bench - OMG. Hurley can go 10 deep in any game.

This is not a team I would want to face in any game. When Hurley get's them rolling - watch out.

 

[3rdbass]

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!
View attachment 104609

Villanova needs to fire their coach!

 

[Lambeau]

The press conference demonstrates the great chemistry between Alex and Liam--what a delight, and they will help each other.
The guard position is fascinating, and fluid--who knows where it will be in March.
As good as Nowell looks, don't forget Dan Hurley calls him tenth in the rotation--I doubt he's a candidate to start this year.

 

[RedStickHusky]

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.

We've had road blocks in there the past two years. Guys would get in the lane and turn around. I don't think we have that this year.

 

[businesslawyer]

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.

 

[SubbaBub]

We are going to need more out of the Diarra/Mahaney spot.

McNeeely is capable of replacing the non-center rebounding we lost last season. With Ball, AK, and the Reed/Samson combo, when can except scoring from 4 spots but only 3 of those would I consider reliable. We won't have a different top scorer every game like last year.

Samson will need to stay on the floor. Reed looks like he has the ability to take his spot. As a duo, they rebound well and score enough but are clearly short of the last two seasons.

AK is the key to the season. He needs to be in the mix most games as the driving force. Not sure I want him bringing the ball up as much as he did.

Ball is much better is is going to hurt some teams. It'd be great if he can handle the ball as PG more often.

The bench. People are saying we're deep, but the stat sheet wasn't kind to anyone other than Reed. The backcourt and wing guys will need to give more agaisnt better teams. I expect Hurley to go to his usual 7-8 man rotation. Beyond the centers, AK, Ball, McNeeley the competition for the next 3 spots is going to be fierce. You'd think Diarra and Mahaney plus either Ross/Stewart, but one or more of those guys might get squeezed.

 

[nomar]

Well, they better start improving their FT's now when their legs are fresh and the competition is light. Otherwise, it's going to be a long February.
15-23 is unacceptable for a championship level team. I don't know what the coaches are "coaching" in practice, but it obviously isn't FT's!!
McNeeley is a 5-star recruit and goes 3-6. No thanks. Park his but on the bench and give Stewart some run.
These guys should be in the gym before practice, after practice and any chance they get shooting FT's by the hundreds.
Hopefully once the crowd left and the lights were turned off Hurley got them all back in there shooting FT's.


(sarcasm off)

Took me a second

 

[husky429]

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.

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

 

[Pmac923]

McNeeley, Ball, and Karaban are the real deal. Mahaney’s defense was promising and Tarris Reed seemed to be in better shape since the Rhode Island scrimmage. We have so many ways to beat an opponent.

 

[HooperScooper]

This quote from Hurley is something we should all keep in mind.

"We're going to get drastically better throughout the year," Hurley said. "I think when you look at the team and people are imagining what the team looked like last year, like you can't compare what we looked like last year. The last time you saw us play and then you see us tonight and you say, 'Wait, they don't look as good as the last time I saw them in Phoenix.' Well, it took us a while to get that good."

 

[CardiacAndre7]

We are going to need more out of the Diarra/Mahaney spot.

McNeeely is capable of replacing the non-center rebounding we lost last season. With Ball, AK, and the Reed/Samson combo, when can except scoring from 4 spots but only 3 of those would I consider reliable. We won't have a different top scorer every game like last year.

Samson will need to stay on the floor. Reed looks like he has the ability to take his spot. As a duo, they rebound well and score enough but are clearly short of the last two seasons.

AK is the key to the season. He needs to be in the mix most games as the driving force. Not sure I want him bringing the ball up as much as he did.

Ball is much better is is going to hurt some teams. It'd be great if he can handle the ball as PG more often.

The bench. People are saying we're deep, but the stat sheet wasn't kind to anyone other than Reed. The backcourt and wing guys will need to give more agaisnt better teams. I expect Hurley to go to his usual 7-8 man rotation. Beyond the centers, AK, Ball, McNeeley the competition for the next 3 spots is going to be fierce. You'd think Diarra and Mahaney plus either Ross/Stewart, but one or more of those guys might get squeezed.

Gang rebounding will be fine. Solo can get up and grab at the apex, AK, LM, Diarra are plus rebounder for position. I’m worried about Samson being simply a poor rebounder and Reed being somewhat earthbound. We won’t play SHU every game, and guys that are big, athletic and attack the glass may give us some issues.

 

[3rdbass]

McNeeley, Ball, and Karaban are the real deal. Mahaney’s defense was promising and Tarris Reed seemed to be in better shape since the Rhode Island scrimmage. We have so many ways to beat an opponent.

What defense? You need to rewatch the game. He was continually getting beat off the dribble. It was the main reason he didn't play more. Maybe you meant Diarra as he and Nowell are the only PGs that played any defense in that game. Mahaney is going to have to improve there or it will be harder to stay on the court especially when his offense is off like it was today.

 

[Chin Diesel]

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.

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.

 

[BigTenFan]

This quote from Hurley is something we should all keep in mind.

"We're going to get drastically better throughout the year," Hurley said. "I think when you look at the team and people are imagining what the team looked like last year, like you can't compare what we looked like last year. The last time you saw us play and then you see us tonight and you say, 'Wait, they don't look as good as the last time I saw them in Phoenix.' Well, it took us a while to get that good."

That's what makes him such a great coach. Temper short term expectations. Win when it matters most

 

[husky429]

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

Price of doing business at a program like this. Everyone on this roster understood when they chose to play this season. Really everyone but AK was betting on themselves choosing to play here, believing they could improve enough to play. Reality is whoever that 9th orn10th man ends up being would probably start on 300+ D1 teams

 

[huskymedic]

 

[navery12]

My only comment is I'm glad to have UConn basketball back. Any rash judgements after one game are dumb, especially when it's against Sacred Heart

 

[3rdbass]

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.

Stewart is hampered by a sub par outside shot. I was hoping he worked on it over the offseason. Hopefully it will improve as the season goes on, same with Diarra's outside shot and Mahaney's defense. All 3 of them them need to step up in those areas to see consistent playing time. Otherwise it will be Ross getting a lot of their minutes if he is as good as advertised and played in the Rhode Island game.

 

[3rdbass]

My only comment is I'm glad to have UConn basketball back. Any rash judgements after one game are dumb, especially when it's against Sacred Heart

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.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Price of doing business at a program like this. Everyone on this roster understood when they chose to play this season. Really everyone but AK was betting on themselves choosing to play here, believing they could improve enough to play. Reality is whoever that 9th orn10th man ends up being would probably start on 300+ D1 teams

Stewart is hampered by a sub par outside shot. I was hoping he worked on it over the offseason. Hopefully it will improve as the season goes on, same with Diarra's outside shot and Mahaney's defense. All 3 of them them need to step up in those areas to see consistent playing time. Otherwise it will be Ross getting a lot of their minutes if he is as good as advertised and played in the Rhode Island game.

For clarification, I'm not down on Stewart and have nothing against him. There's the real probability he did was he was supposed to do in the off-season and has gotten better. Problem might be a few others made massive improvement.
If I go out and work and get 10% that's good. If my playing time competitor got 20% better, I'm screwed.

 

[3rdbass]

For clarification, I'm not down on Stewart and have nothing against him. There's the real probability he did was he was supposed to do in the off-season and has gotten better. Problem might be a few others made massive improvement.
If I go out and work and get 10% that's good. If my playing time competitor got 20% better, I'm screwed.

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.

 

[ddent68]

Mahaney looks like he is over thinking it to me. I think he will be fine over time. He didn’t really look for his own shot and that has been the way he has been asked to play his whole career. Now he is being asked to do something different. In the exhibition he had a great second half because you saw St. Mary’s Aiden. He’s still working out what UConn Aiden looks like.