Springs: Did he play too well in the first half ...

[HooperScooper]

I've been saying for 2 years now that every time Springs plays, even in mop up duty, he just looks like he belongs and isn't overwhelmed like most players at the end of the bench. But Hurley sees a lot more of him than any of us do. I'd be curious what his real thoughts are on Springs. He may have to play Springs some more with Johnson probably out for a while.

"I'm proud of Richie today," Hurley said. "We were kind of blindsided by the Samson injury. It kind of came out of nowhere, really (Thursday), where it went from not much of a thing to a major thing. We didn't have much time to really get Richie mentally ready to go, but he did some good things. He can give us some minutes here and help us hold it down until we get healthier. And also prove that he's a good player."

 

[UCFan1513]

I do think Hurley is prone to playing favorites, specifically with players who are freak athletes and/or “make the game look easy” (his words for his favorite type of player). I think we saw early on with Whaley, and now with Springs, that he isn’t predisposed to love the slightly less athletic and less naturally gifted players.

I think it’s a blind spot for him as a coach, and I see a lot of similarities between Whaley and Springs - both look really solid in the limited minutes they got, but in Spring’s case it hasn’t led to more PT. Springs is offering more than I bet Samson would at this point (injury aside), but he’s not the freak athlete that oozes potential

With Whaley I remember this board scratching our heads whenever he’d have a quick hook or limited minutes. Luckily Hurley woke up on him. Hopefully he does the same here

 

[Umami Zen]

FWIW.. Over the years that RS has been on the team.. Hurley has said on more than one occasion.. He is the best offensive rebounder we have.. Coach speak or not.. Given the cards DH has been dealt (SJ out ) one would think that there are some minutes for RS--Use some of Richie's fouls /grab some boards/ give AK a breather..

There will be a time this year in a BE game or a Tournament game where a combination of foul trouble/in-game injury/match up problems would benefit from a confident RS helping out for a few minutes. A good time to build a foundation for that possibility.

 

[REB1094]

He played great, definitely deserving of more minutes.

But in a 30 point win, I don’t think anybody at UConn is going to look back and ask what they could have done differently with rotations. Remember he only got in because our starting PF was out and our backup PF was in foul trouble.

I hope he gets more minutes and I hope he continues to play well, but when we’re fully healthy I really can’t see him breaking the rotation

 

[Brochacho]

Springs looks good - but that doesn't change the fact he won't see minutes at the 5 over Sanogo/Clingan or pass over Jackson, Karaban or Johnson at the 4. Its just too bad for him because he looks like he belongs but there are just better players on the team.

 

[Umami Zen]

He played great, definitely deserving of more minutes.

But in a 30 point win, I don’t think anybody at UConn is going to look back and ask what they could have done differently with rotations. Remember he only got in because our starting PF was out and our backup PF was in foul trouble.

I hope he gets more minutes and I hope he continues to play well, but when we’re fully healthy I really can’t see him breaking the rotation

Until/once SJ returns healthy.. The rotation is shorter. DH has a lot of flexibility with lineups(now with better talent) that are small ball-medium (4 and out) or larger lineups.. Will be dictated by a variety of factors and will change during the course of a game.

I believe RS has the potential to be a valuable asset off of the bench at the end of the rotation this year. Once SJ returns.. I would expect DH to return SJ to his spot in the rotation. In the meantime-- Its great to have a deep team.

 

[superjohn]

Springs looks good - but that doesn't change the fact he won't see minutes at the 5 over Sanogo/Clingan or pass over Jackson, Karaban or Johnson at the 4. Its just too bad for him because he looks like he belongs but there are just better players on the team.

He needs some consistent minutes now with Samson out a while. Sanogo and Clingan are great but they're our only 2 guys with real size. Springs will be needed at some point.

 

[Umami Zen]

Springs looks good - but that doesn't change the fact he won't see minutes at the 5 over Sanogo/Clingan or pass over Jackson, Karaban or Johnson at the 4. Its just too bad for him because he looks like he belongs but there are just better players on the team.

Never saw RS passing over those guys at the 4.. I also don't see his natural position as a 5.. I don't see AJax playing long stretches at the 4-- Unless DH is totally committed to the four and out with no flexibility to adjust to game conditions when necessary. BTW--Did not say AJax won't be on the floor in some positionless capacity.

I do think RS has the potential to spell/give a breather to the starting 4 until SJ is back.. Certainly not at the expense of AJax's PT when he's occupying the 4 spot..

 

[UconnU]

The biggest problem is the spacing with him in. It just looks too clogged on offense. Both AS and DC do better with shooters around them.

 

[REB1094]

The biggest problem is the spacing with him in. It just looks too clogged on offense. Both AS and DC do better with shooters around them.

He has a decent midrange jumper. I wonder if it’ll still go in if he steps out a few feet to the three point line

 

[gtcam]

IMHO - I dont understand the word Proud here
Happy, pleased, elated, more than expected but proud?
To me it is just a weird word to use (I could see if Springs was overcoming an injury or emotional setback -then it fits)
I feel that Springs deserves a lot more PT than DH has ever given him but DH calls the shots so it is what it is Richie
Great job while he was in there - his play was better than any big with exception to AS and DC to date

 

[UConnRock]

The UConn practices must have some battles if we’re are looking Springs and Apostolos as 11 and 12 off the bench. This a depth fans haven’t seen in a decade. The practice depth is a reason this team will likely creep up the rankings. I admire Springs for staying given the appeal of playing time and the ease of the transfer portal.