Solo Ball’s minutes last night?

[asteinindc]

Dauster brought it up on his pod, so just relaying it here: is there a scenario in which Hurley decides J Stew is a better fit for the starting lineup and Solo comes off the bench?

 

[superjohn]

Maybe not, but a clear 2-1 break with Mullins sitting there with a wide open layup and you take it to the rim and miss is definitely an unusual dynamic. There's been others. Let's not forget about human psyche here - you have a freshman hotshot coming in to steal your thunder, could be a little bit there that doesn't want to share.

Why on earth are you trying to create drama when there is none and taking a shot at the character of a player who is nothing but a great kid and teammate?

 

[Palatine]

Issue is just that him and Mullins are kinda redundant, so if Solo isn't providing stuff beyond 3pt sniping/hunting shots, and Mullins is better at it, it's an imbalanced compliment. It almost feels like they are competing out there - I have seen Solo look off Mullins when he was wide open a number of times.

This is a bad take. First, Solo have been very good getting to the rim this year. Even when his three was off, his production did not slip because he has been so effective scoring inside and drawing "and ones." He also had a nearly automatic elbow jumper. So the idea that his only offensive value is "sniping 3s" is a poor observation.

When Mullins and Solo play together. It really opens up the floor. Not just for each other but inside as well. It is our best offensive line up. And your "observation" that Solo doesn't want to pass to Mullins is just flat out ridiculous. It doesn't deserve any attention. Hurley has mentioned many times that Solo has improved his defense this year. Anyone with eyes can see it.

FINALLY, you obviously don't realize what you said. Saying that Solo is redundant to Mullins is one hell of a compliment. He is redundant to a one and done that is one of the best shooters in college basketball? What a luxury for a coach, who wouldn't want that situation? LOL.

 

[uconngb]

Why on earth are you trying to create drama when there is none and taking a shot at the character of a player who is nothing but a great kid and teammate?

You make some good posts but I don't know why you continue to do stuff like this.

I wonder if either Solo or Braylen are good enough to play for Michigan??

 

[superjohn]

Dauster brought it up on his pod, so just relaying it here: is there a scenario in which Hurley decides J Stew is a better fit for the starting lineup and Solo comes off the bench?

Dauster is another reactionary guy who tends to be captured by the moment which leads to some nonsense talk.

I like that he's a UConn guy and he has some good stuff to say but I watch The Field of 68 for Tyler Hansbrough and Terrence Oglesby.

 

[Gurleyman]

Although he's been better this year, it's no secret that Solo is not a great defender. Solo was struggling a bit on that end all night. But I don't think he was "benched" as some have said. I think Hurley was simply trying to substitute Offense (Solo) & Defense (Stewart) at the end of regulation as coaches often do. Sometimes game action doesn't allow for substitutions on all possessions and sometimes you may not (want to) call a timeout just for player changes...you only get so many and you may not want to let the opponent set their D. So I think it just worked out that Stewart played the last 2 or 3 minutes of regulation over Solo based on how the flow of the game went; (very few stoppages where we'd be on 'O'.)

Once we made the comeback with the JStew lineup, Hurley kept with it in OT. JStew was making hustle plays and is the better defender. We had enough offense on the floor. There was no reason to mess with what was working at that point.

I wouldn't read anything more into it as far as a benching or as far as future games go. Hurley has plenty of confidence in Solo.

I do think it's interesting though that at least the eye test seems to show that we often play a bit better with either Ross or Stewart on the floor. Having Solo, Mullins, and Karaban on the floor together is a ton of firepower but it's not a great defensive unit. They are 3 of our best players but I personally think that lineup also makes Silas too deferential because there are so many other offensive options. I won't be surprised if we see a little less of Solo and Mullins sharing the floor as the year goes on, at least against bigger teams.

It was a great and fortunate comeback win! Just enjoy it!

Yep - around the 4 minute mark they did a few offense/defense situations on dead balls to put Stewart in on defense and Ball on offense. In addition to Ball not being great on the defensive end yesterday, the specific matchup of guarding Jones, Mela and Vaaks on the perimeter lent itself to needing a bigger defender.

And then as they were doing offense/defense, Stewart hit the big three, so it didn't make sense to take him out on offense - unless we starting bogging down perhaps, which never happened.

 

[aboogieee]

Dauster’s take is just as questionable as some of the others in this thread. Oof.

 

[PAHusky]

Some of you are high. Solo is one of the better players on the team and should be a nailed on starter. He's saved this team offensively plenty of times and he was the only one last night who actually had any shred of energy in the first ten minutes. He had a bad game afterwards and deserved to be bench, but anyone calling for him to be replaced by Stew is a madman. Stew is a great glue guy and is putting it together to be a great 6th man. Solo is an all conference level player that can alter games with his offense. Use your brain people

 

[Stew Crew]

A lot of you are insisting that Stew is the better defender. He certainly has more length, but he has trouble keeping guys in front of him as much as any of our guys do. Ball is quicker and more athletic. He has improved a lot as a defender. He is still a work in progress. I agree with the assessment that Hurley just found a combo that was working and he stuck with it. Let's not read too much into it. Ball will be fine. I hope. My only concern is whether this motivates him or gets him down. Clearly Stew has shown he doesn't let those things get him down. He is a great team player. I think Ball will prove himself to be as well, but we will see.

A year ago, or even a couple of months ago, I would have said you're right, but Stewart has really elevated his defensive game this year. Ball has also improved defensively but I would give the edge to Stewart at this point.

 

[Gurleyman]

Why on earth are you trying to create drama when there is none and taking a shot at the character of a player who is nothing but a great kid and teammate?

You make some good posts but I don't know why you continue to do stuff like this.

There have been a lot of fast breaks this year when we haven't passed. Not just Solo. It's been a bit of a team flaw. And Solo's vision/passing has never been great - he was always going to more in the Hawkins "sniper" role at the 2 for us than a Spencer "combo" role.

There's also the coaching element in it - the coaches may be telling him to attack the basket on the break whenever possible, because they trust his finishing more than his passing instincts.

 

[RuffRuff]

Dauster is another reactionary guy who tends to be captured by the moment which leads to some nonsense talk.

I like that he's a UConn guy and he has some good stuff to say but I watch The Field of 68 for Tyler Hansbrough and Terrence Oglesby.

Love TH & TO. Also my favs. To call Dauster someone who lacks cred is kinda silly. The guy does it for a living, played hoops in college, sees this stuff up close and is a UConn fan. Maybe he's a little dramatic for content sake, but he's not some outlandish view.

Let's see how the Hall game plays out. Last night was not the first time Ball was sat in key spots. I don't think Hurley is going to be overly loyal this year if it means putting the team in a compromised spot.

And yes, he's an amazing kid. All of them are. You can separate off court character and on court tendencies.

 

[Excalibur]

Dauster brought it up on his pod, so just relaying it here: is there a scenario in which Hurley decides J Stew is a better fit for the starting lineup and Solo comes off the bench?

No

 

[campcalhoun2009]

A year ago, or even a couple of months ago, I would have said you're right, but Stewart has really elevated his defensive game this year. Ball has also improved defensively but I would give the edge to Stewart at this point.

Sorry are we watching the same sport?

Stewart is a fine bench option, but before last night I’d say he’d fallen behind Ross in the pecking order in terms of play this season.

We won so people forget the bad turnover Stewart had late in the game as well as the boneheaded transition 3 with like 20+ seconds on the shot clock.

Stewart has not gotten better since he stepped on campus. He’a a long body who’s a decent defender and rebounder and he can get streaky from 3. He’s not Solo freaking Ball.

I think we also have to remember his family member is commentating these games and is VERY quick to narrate around everything he does once he steps on the floor, which isn’t nothing in terms of influencing perception.

 

[Lafayette]

For all that was bad vs Providence (poor overall D, Solo D, etc) - nothing quite cures that like DePaul at home!

 

[Excalibur]

My reaction to 90% of the posts in this thread . . .

 

[Waquoit]

You want a coach who coaches to win the game. It's on Solo to not sulk and come back stronger.

 

[Excalibur]

You want a coach who coaches to win the game. It's on Solo to not sulk and come back stronger.

Did you notice his reaction at the end of the game? Sulking seems like the furthest thing from his mind . . .

 

[Inyatkin]

You want a coach who coaches to win the game. It's on Solo to not sulk and come back stronger.

Is he sulking? Where is this coming from?

 

[Waquoit]

Did you notice his reaction at the end of the game? Sulking seems like the furthest thing from his mind . . .

No and good. I wasn't worried, I was just sayin'.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

I just hate that logic....a foul is a foul no matter when it occurs. If that shot went in, this Board would still be in meltdown mode today over the non-call.

Trust me, I get it but that’s basketball for ya.

 

[GHSWolverines]

Yup. And Mullins makes up for the offense Solo provides. Let’s see how much this lineup plays together. Solo coming off the bench?

Solo is NOT coming off the bench. Dan Hurley sent him a clear message and he will respond.

 

[Stew Crew]

Sorry are we watching the same sport?

Stewart is a fine bench option, but before last night I’d say he’d fallen behind Ross in the pecking order in terms of play this season.

We won so people forget the bad turnover Stewart had late in the game as well as the boneheaded transition 3 with like 20+ seconds on the shot clock.

Stewart has not gotten better since he stepped on campus. He’a a long body who’s a decent defender and rebounder and he can get streaky from 3. He’s not Solo freaking Ball.

I think we also have to remember his family member is commentating these games and is VERY quick to narrate around everything he does once he steps on the floor, which isn’t nothing in terms of influencing perception.

Nothing you said has anything to do with my comments. What does Ross have to do with it? Or Stewart's shot selection? Where did I say he should be starting? Where did I say he was better than Ball overall? The topic was his DEFENSE which has clearly improved from last year (as has Ball's).

To say that Stewart hasn't improved since he stepped on campus is pure idiocy.

 

[Fan1978]

Solo was -19 and Stewart was +18 in a game we won by 5 points. I think that’s all you need to know.

He was dreadful. Huskies making a run and he makes a sloppy pass for a turnover and then defensive rebound comes directly to him he winds up losing an uncontested rebound while falling to floor. I think that is when danny had seen enough. Hopefully he gets his confidence back

 

[REB1094]

I don’t think Solo and Braylon are redundant enough to consider making a lineup change. Stewart or Ross can come in and replace someone for defense when needed, like yesterday

But despite Solo getting benched and only scoring 10 points, he’s still our leading scorer. Let’s not forget his back to back 17 points on 50%+ shooting in the last week. Or his 26 point explosion to start BE play

There are games Solo will be bad (yesterday) and there are times Braylon will be bad (Marquette). The benefit of having this level of depth is that you can make those offense/defense tradeoffs and not get burned as a team

Speaking of team, shoutout Solo Ball for being the first guy off the bench to rush and chest bump Silas after the buzzer

 

[CL82]

Solo will use this to get better.

I liked that Hurley said in the presser that "Solo gets a pass. He's the reason we've won on a lot of nights."