Solo Ball the one-man escape hatch | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Solo Ball the one-man escape hatch

aburks41 said:
Stewart nearly shut down Dixon for as long as he could. He was incredible last night on defense.

Solo's offense is as good as his defense is bad. He is one of the most dangerous players in the country on offense and also one of the worst defensive players in the country.

Per EvanMiya, Solo is the 3rd worst defender among ALL POWER CONFERENCE players with a minimum of 500 possessions (starters). The only players who rate worse than him are Jalen Blackmon (Miami) and Dion Brown (Boston College). I never thought I'd see that for a Dan Hurley coached player
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Let’s hope Hurley is flashing these stats so that these guys can’t go incubate on defensive foot speed drills ala Flashdance.

 
superjohn said:
From what I'm seeing on the EvanMiya site Jaylin and Jayden are horrible too. Mahaney really bad, Karaban bad. McNeeley the best on the team, Reed next best.
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Mahaney is rated as the 37th best overall player in the Big East which, considering there are 55 starters, is pretty good. He's been better defensively the last couple of games. That bar is pretty low though. But he definitely has shown improvement.

Karaban and Hass's defense is rating out worse than last year. Probably because they don't have Clingan behind them.
 
aburks41 said:
Karaban and Hass's defense is rating out worse than last year. Probably because they don't have Clingan behind them.
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It's enough to make you wonder how much you can take from these stats. Were they better defensively last year? Maybe, or maybe they relied an all-world defensive center behind them.

That doesn't make defensive stats worthless but you can easily take them too far.
 
The good news is offense sells!! 2026 5 star class jump aboard.

 
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Inyatkin said:
It's enough to make you wonder how much you can take from these stats. Were they better defensively last year? Maybe, or maybe they relied an all-world defensive center behind them.

That doesn't make defensive stats worthless but you can easily take them too far.
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My eye test tells me that Karaban is about the same, but Hass seems a bit worse on the defensive end. Granted, I think the main reason for that is just a change in minutes. When you're playing 15-18 minutes a game you can go all out of defense. When you're playing 35+ minutes a game and facilitating the entire offense, you can't play with the same intensity every possession on defense
 
HuskyAlum012 said:
I am honestly surprised Hurley recruited a player with his lack of effort on the defensive end. It is extremely hard to watch him defend with his hands at his ankles every single game. I am not even sure his offensive explosiveness (which is really really good) makes up for being a complete liability on the defensive end
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Many/most of our high school recruits are middling defenders. Because most high school player are middling defenders. Castle was an awful defender until Hurley and Kimani challenged him in Storrs.

We recruit the physical profile and intangibles.
 
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aburks41 said:
My eye test tells me that Karaban is about the same, but Hass seems a bit worse on the defensive end. Granted, I think the main reason for that is just a change in minutes. When you're playing 15-18 minutes a game you can go all out of defense. When you're playing 35+ minutes a game and facilitating the entire offense, you can't play with the same intensity every possession on defense
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100% the reason for Hass. It's ok. He has been excellent for us.
 
aburks41 said:
Stewart nearly shut down Dixon for as long as he could. He was incredible last night on defense.

Solo's offense is as good as his defense is bad. He is one of the most dangerous players in the country on offense and also one of the worst defensive players in the country.

Per EvanMiya, Solo is the 3rd worst defender among ALL POWER CONFERENCE players with a minimum of 500 possessions (starters). The only players who rate worse than him are Jalen Blackmon (Miami) and Dion Brown (Boston College). I never thought I'd see that for a Dan Hurley coached player
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So, alot of room for improvement??? Is that a positive?
 
Hass point guard duties taking alot of energy. Big responsibility.
 
He can heat up like no other. It’s wild. Would love if he didn’t want until we were down 12
 
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husky429 said:
Many/most of our high school recruits are middling defenders. Because most high school player are middling defenders. Castle was an awful defender until Hurley and Kimani challenged him in Storrs.

We recruit the physical profile and intangibles.
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“We recruit really good offensive players now and we force them to play defense,” Hurley said. “We force them to rebound the ball like it’s a life-or-death proposition, because ball possession represents life in my mind.”

“It’s hard to win championships and it’s hard to win a tournament like the NCAA Tournament unless you can score,” he said. “It’s hard to get out of the first round if you’re in a rock fight, because you feel enormous pressure in the first round of NCAA Tournament games when you coach at UConn. The best way to mitigate that is to have a high-power offense that can go on runs… to blow up a game because you’ve got firepower.”

So the question is can any player be taught to play very good defense? Or do some players have physical limitations that prohibit them from being good defenders? Has Hurley overrated his ability to turn offensively talented players into very good defenders?

I was actually going to start a thread on this with those questions but figured I'd wait until the end of the season to see if the defense improved a lot.
 
HooperScooper said:
“We recruit really good offensive players now and we force them to play defense,” Hurley said. “We force them to rebound the ball like it’s a life-or-death proposition, because ball possession represents life in my mind.”

“It’s hard to win championships and it’s hard to win a tournament like the NCAA Tournament unless you can score,” he said. “It’s hard to get out of the first round if you’re in a rock fight, because you feel enormous pressure in the first round of NCAA Tournament games when you coach at UConn. The best way to mitigate that is to have a high-power offense that can go on runs… to blow up a game because you’ve got firepower.”

So the question is can any player be taught to play very good defense? Or do some players have physical limitations that prohibit them from being good defenders? Has Hurley overrated his ability to turn offensively talented players into very good defenders?

I was actually going to start a thread on this with those questions but figured I'd wait until the end of the season to see if the defense improved a lot.
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I think physical limitations can prohibit players from being good defenders. If we’re going to go with this kind of recruiting strategy it would behoove us to continue to prioritize rim protectors to make defense easier for the guards.

Ball does have the attributes to be a good defender though. Not sure why he’s been so bad thus far honestly.
 
I predict the Ball is going to be a terror to defend in two months. Hurley needs to find a way to neutralize the opposing stud players. That's the glaring difference, need a plan for an inside guy and an outside dribble drive guy.

Stewart did a good job early on Dixon then Neptune moved him inside and things changed.

That said, giving up 68 points should = a win. Defense didn't lose this game, the missed opportunities on offense did. That includes turnovers and not getting to the foul line.
 
I'll give Diarra a pass because he's still solid and being asked to carry way too much of a burden offensively.

Solo is the worst defender I've ever seen, relative to size and athleticism. It's making me question Dans ability to teach defense. He's like if Hawkins played Mahaney defense.

Ross looked like he had potential, but he bites at everything and you can tell he's desperate to make splash plays on defense. Think there's still a chance he'll figure it out next year, he needed this experience.

Stewart is getting tons of credit for stopping Dixon, but I thought the constant doubles were a larger factor.

Samson still smacking people 40 feet from the hoop has me looking at Dan funny too. How is this still a problem? Dude is a 5th year senior and fouls like a true freshman.
 


Wonder what happened to his hops, why does he settle for pull ups and floaters instead of attacking violently when he gets a step? Kinda reminds me of what happened with Purvis.
 
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Should probably say though Solos improvement on offense is monumental and very important to the team. Didn't think he would ever be this caliber of shooter, especially in year 2.

He could be an AA in year 3 if he improves his other skills on offense, and becomes passable on defense. He'll probably average around 14-15 points by the end of this year. 18ish next year is realistic.
 
The proper futuristic comparison to Solo Ball is a more athletic Rashad Anderson.

Solo needs some daggers before that comparison is true. Both fundamentally bad on defense.
 
Huskyforlife said:
I'll give Diarra a pass because he's still solid and being asked to carry way too much of a burden offensively.

Solo is the worst defender I've ever seen, relative to size and athleticism. It's making me question Dans ability to teach defense. He's like if Hawkins played Mahaney defense.

Ross looked like he had potential, but he bites at everything and you can tell he's desperate to make splash plays on defense. Think there's still a chance he'll figure it out next year, he needed this experience.

Stewart is getting tons of credit for stopping Dixon, but I thought the constant doubles were a larger factor.

Samson still smacking people 40 feet from the hoop has me looking at Dan funny too. How is this still a problem? Dude is a 5th year senior and fouls like a true freshman.
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He's not a 5th year senior
 
If Solo could just up his driving game it would be big.
 
aceboon said:
He's not a 5th year senior
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Second year of game experience. Reed Jr. has double the college playing experience.

Plus Samson has avoided these silly fouls recently. As long as he doesn't continue and make this a trend it's silly to make it an issue.
 
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Solo a little slow to drive to the basket after receiving pass. He is a 3 point shot first guy, rather than a drive and see what comes up guy. He could take a quick 2 dribble drive to the hoop and backpedal for a 3, but right now I'd say he catches and looks to shoot, not drive. By the time he realizes he's not clean for the 3, the opportunity to probe with a drive all the way or dish is probably gone. Could change, as he is morphing rapidly in a positive way.

I think you'll see him make more defensive plays soon. Same as indecision about driving, he is still a little slow to anticipate and stay ahead of the play right now. One poster mentioned ball watching. Yes, agreed, especially when he is on opposite side from the ball. He is vulnerable to back doors and skip passes over the top to the man who he is loosely guarding.

Watched the move by Brickus when he made Solo look sick on a drive. I can see Solo defending that effectively real soon. Quicker brain, quicker feet and great length and athleticism and that's a stop,
Reply
 
HuskyWarrior611 said:
He had a drive through traffic in the 2nd half that was the best take I’ve seen from him all year.

Would love for him to keep developing that, along with his find to Stewart, and the pull up mid range to really get his overall game going.

He has the tools to be the best guard in the country if he can do all of that consistently.
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Doesnt need the midrange for now. Work on D. Would rather have him be a three and layup guy.
 
HooperScooper said:
“We recruit really good offensive players now and we force them to play defense,” Hurley said. “We force them to rebound the ball like it’s a life-or-death proposition, because ball possession represents life in my mind.”

“It’s hard to win championships and it’s hard to win a tournament like the NCAA Tournament unless you can score,” he said. “It’s hard to get out of the first round if you’re in a rock fight, because you feel enormous pressure in the first round of NCAA Tournament games when you coach at UConn. The best way to mitigate that is to have a high-power offense that can go on runs… to blow up a game because you’ve got firepower.”

So the question is can any player be taught to play very good defense? Or do some players have physical limitations that prohibit them from being good defenders? Has Hurley overrated his ability to turn offensively talented players into very good defenders?

I was actually going to start a thread on this with those questions but figured I'd wait until the end of the season to see if the defense improved a lot.
Expand ...

Some players are just limited and won't ever be great defenders (see Mahaney, Aidan). Others have the athleticism and size to be very good or great and can absolutely be molded to get there. That's where Solo is, and I expect by the time he leaves Storrs he will be there.
 
August_West said:
100% the reason for Hass. It's ok. He has been excellent for us.
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Has he been excellent? No because you can’t just play 1 half. Last 2 games he had awful ( not exaggerating) 1st half’s which was a big reason we have been down a good amount in those games. He comes out 2nd half fist pumping and making plays but I’m wondering why this can’t be from the opening tip. Maybe it’s a 6th man mentality? He needs to show up from the tip today, both ends and make plays or we could be looking at a deficit again. Hes been really good at times but we really need Nowell I think to help him out.
 
Rico444 said:
Some players are just limited and won't ever be great defenders (see Mahaney, Aidan). Others have the athleticism and size to be very good or great and can absolutely be molded to get there. That's where Solo is, and I expect by the time he leaves Storrs he will be there.
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Mahaney is better than Ball on D as we speak. It’s amazing to me with his athleticism he’s really this bad. Add to it he’s not very good off the ball in both help and rebounding. He had a killer weakside miss on a box out down the stretch as he watched his guy put back a rebound for 2 big points. Too long and built to play D to continue to be inadequate. I know we need him to play because he can make shots but he doesn’t deserve all the minutes honestly with his defensive efforts.

I will say his rebounding has improved I will give him that.
 
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