Solo breakout

[UChusky916]

Glad Solo finally saw the ball go in tonight. 5-8 from the field, 50% from 3. It felt like a game like this was coming for him. Beat reports said his shot was good, and it looked good, just wasn't dropping until tonight.

Aside from his shot, he always plays within himself and never forces anything. Played great D and grabbed some boards. Pretty good handle... looks very composed out there, you wouldn't think he's a freshman.

Solo getting some run early with Castle out may have been a blessing in disguise, because if he brings this consistency and shot making every night off the bench, that's going to be a big problem for opponents.
Good game, Solo!

 

[husky429]

He was missing when he rushed and didn't set his feet. The more the game slows down, the better he'll be.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He's going to be a big contributor. Starting SG next year. Love his bully ball mentality and his hustle. I don't expect him to shoot like he did today, but when the team has scorers all over, somebody is open. Today he made them pay.

Since Gonzaga was up 28-2 on Arkansas Pine Bluff, I am hoping we can rest Cam, rest AK and maybe Donovan. Let's get Solo more minutes and some for Stewart/Ross. Castle can knock the rust off.

 

[evmore]

Glad Solo finally saw the ball go in tonight. 5-8 from the field, 50% from 3. It felt like a game like this was coming for him. Beat reports said his shot was good, and it looked good, just wasn't dropping until tonight.

Aside from his shot, he always plays within himself and never forces anything. Played great D and grabbed some boards. Pretty good handle... looks very composed out there, you wouldn't think he's a freshman.

Solo getting some run early with Castle out may have been a blessing in disguise, because if he brings this consistency and shot making every night off the bench, that's going to be a big problem for opponents.
Good game, Solo!

Great points by you. Solo is going to be sooooo much better in Feb/March from the minutes he's gotten & I love that DH & Co continued to show faith in him in big moments even when the game was still a little too fast for him or the shot waasn't falling.

 

[jibsey]

Best part of what he does, he’s not afraid to drive it inside. We’ve also seen him disrupting on D and rebounding well, put backs around rim. He’s gained confidence from his success as a player, what a combo with Castle.

 

[Hunt for 7]

The one that stands out is that he does not look like a freshman. Actually his handle is better than I though so if he shoots like this and with his length he will figure out how to get his shot off when driving to basket, I think we have another nba talent level player on our roster.

 

[REB1094]

His shot is funny, I feel like it’s very easy to tell if he’s going to make or miss it depending on how he sets himself and goes up. Something that will get much more consistent with time

This year he’s been jittery and jumpy on defense which makes it easy to blow by him. Last night he was more grounded which lets him use his strength and athleticism to his advantage

And add in strong confident drives to the hoop. I’m very very excited to see how good Solo ends up being

 

[HuskyHawk]

The one that stands out is that he does not look like a freshman. Actually his handle is better than I though so if he shoots like this and with his length he will figure out how to get his shot off when driving to basket, I think we have another nba talent level player on our roster.

He was labeled a combo guard, so I knew he could handle the ball. He doesn't have much length, so his NBA role would be PG. Hurley will let him play some PG next year is my guess. He needs to work on distributing.

 

[superjohn]

He was labeled a combo guard, so I knew he could handle the ball. He doesn't have much length, so his NBA role would be PG. Hurley will let him play some PG next year is my guess. He needs to work on distributing.

Not too tall but he actually has an enormous wingspan. All his scouting reports say he has a 6'10 wingspan and from last March Solo said himself he has a 6'10 wingspan. His UConn bio says 7'0 which is hard to believe and doesn't seem accurate.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Super happy for Solo. Need him to make a Hawkins type jump next year. This year, yesterday was perfection of what we need from him. Pure hustle while playing under control.

 

[AD DB Burner]

The three best games he has played so far this year have all taken place at Madison Square Garden. He certainly shows he can show up when the lights are bright.

 

[B1GEast]

When you have guys like Newton, Karaban and Spencer, nights like this don't come often, but it's nice to see him add value at this stage in his game.

He'll be huge for us next year. Program building blocks

 

[Hunt for 7]

He was labeled a combo guard, so I knew he could handle the ball. He doesn't have much length, so his NBA role would be PG. Hurley will let him play some PG next year is my guess. He needs to work on distributing.

I get the length issue but his wingspan will help. Although I agree he would project probably to an nba pg. But even against Kansas he spent a few minutes guarding Adams. Point being if he can be a lock down defender (which he will be by end of year or next year) get to the hoop (which he can do at will but right now that is not always a good thing) and hit the three (which we saw last night he will) I do think he is big enough to find a role in the nba.

 

[Palatine]

Great to see him step up on the biggest stage. He's a freshman meaning his development will not be a straight line. I expect some highs and lows as the season goes on. The most important thing is the talent is there. You can see it. He is a very complete player, good handle, tough defender, nice stroke and the ability ti get inside and mix it up. The injury to Castle was a gift to Solo and the Huskies.

 

[Son of Robert]

Very good handle, even at speed. Three way scorer who is getting better by the game.

 

[BrassBonanza]

Different players for sure but just thinking about what Solo is providing vs what Hawkins was doing in his first 10 games of his freshman year, I see big things coming in the future for Solo!

 

[AdamaNation]

Great points by you. Solo is going to be sooooo much better in Feb/March from the minutes he's gotten & I love that DH & Co continued to show faith in him in big moments even when the game was still a little too fast for him or the shot waasn't falling.

Castle setback may show as a long term blessing with solo

 

[HooperScooper]

"Special makeup, that kid," Hurley added. "Huge shots. When we recruited him, we knew he was a special guy. We see him every day. The way he shoots the ball, it's a beautiful-looking shot. And it's lefty, so it looks even better."

UConn men's basketball freshman Solo Ball impresses on Madison Square Garden stage: 'Special makeup'

After another strong effort at Madison Square Garden, UConn men's basketball freshman Solo Ball continues to prove he loves the big stage.

www.nhregister.com

 

[Tenspro2002]

Not too tall but he actually has an enormous wingspan. All his scouting reports say he has a 6'10 wingspan and from last March Solo said himself he has a 6'10 wingspan. His UConn bio says 7'0 which is hard to believe and doesn't seem accurate.

Breanna Stewart is 6'4 with a 7'1 wingspan. She's a freak, but it's not impossible that Ball at 6'3 could have a 7' wingspan.

 

[coachn]

Got to love the way Solo plays BULLY BALL.

 

[HU5KIES]

 

[NJHoops]

So proud of Solo. He was thrown in as a starter by necessity and hasn’t blinked- expected uneven play but confident and ready. He is endlessly coachable. These freshmen (all 5 of them) just get it.

 

[caw]

Games like that are going to make Hurley question who starts for a bit. I do think Castle wins the spot back but it’s a fight. Either way plenty of bench time available with basically the only 1-4 sub besides those two being Diarra right now in competitive games. Would be great to get Newton/Spencer/Karaban down to 26 per game going forward

 

[AD DB Burner]

Games like that are going to make Hurley question who starts for a bit. I do think Castle wins the spot back but it’s a fight. Either way plenty of bench time available with basically the only 1-4 sub besides those two being Diarra right now in competitive games. Would be great to get Newton/Spencer/Karaban down to 26 per game going forward

Why would you want to play 3 of your best players 26 minutes per game?

Clingan and Johnson will soak up the full 40 minutes per game at Center and from there you still have 160 minutes to divvy up between what seems like 7 guys that Hurley trusts against quality opponents.

Assuming Newton, Spencer, Karaban, and Castle are all around 30 minutes/per game that still leaves you with 20 min/per game for both Diarra and Ball off the bench.

 

[jibsey]

For freshman both he and Castle besides their skills are already very powerful, not skinny and ready to mix it up.