Starting Lineup Change?

[UofCT]

If Carlton and Polley are major pieces in our future we are royally screwed.

They aren't major pieces of the present or future. Polley is a streaker shooter who can't really shoot.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

At least Cobb has shown something on offense against high level D1 opponents. Like OP said with Yakwe at the 4 to help on D, I’ll take Cobb. Carlton has been a waste of floor space. Can’t wait for Kofi.

 

[Hi-Low]

They aren't major pieces of the present or future. Polley is a streaker shooter who can't really shoot.

Hard to say Carlton & Polley aren't major pieces of the present when they start and play most of the minutes at the 4 & 5 spots. Would they be major pieces on a good team, no but we are a bad team. Hopefully we aren't a bad team in 1 or 2 years and they will be just 10 mins per game role guys that show occasional flash.

 

[BlueDogs]

Carlton is a sophomore. He plays 16 minutes a game. If he is your major problem, you don't have many problems.

Polley is a sophomore. He gets major minutes, 25 a game. He shoots 44% from the field and 36% from the arc. He averages 8 per game with a couple of rebounds. He could be better and he probably will get better over the year. So will Carlton.

Neither is why we lose. We lose because the team is lackadaisical and soft. This is a team without a leader and without a go to clutch player. Our upper classmen have as many bad habits as our sophomores. When the game is free flowing and loose they are fine. Slow the tempo, make the game deliberate and they are uncomfortable and unable to perform.

Carlton and Polley's time will come. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to speed up their progression or consistency. But neither is the problem.

Counterintuitive, but the sooner Adams is removed from the equation the better. He's a virus with a losing mentality that impacts the entire team. How many times does this kid fail to step up and actually folds when the pressure is on. Huge turnovers and bad shots at critical times, and the other players deflate. JA getting his points is meaningless if the cost is the rest of the team follows down the losing path. Time to take him off the floor and have others step up and shoulder the leadership and performance accountability. Thanks for the effort JA, but the heroic leader role losing under a chaotic and lost KO team is no longer relevant.

 

[businesslawyer]

Can we lock Polley in the gym with Roscoe Smith to teach him how a skinny guy rebounds? I get that he's frail and slow, but what is his major lacking that prevents him from getting any rebounds? Is it positioning? Is he out on the perimeter too much? Lack of desire?

He can't even grab defensive foul shot rebounds. That's incredulous. Those are almost free.

He can become a nice player in the future, but at the 4 he needs to contribute to grab at least a few rebounds, especially with this front court.

Roscoe was much stronger and much more athletic than Polley. There is no comparison between their talent levels.

 

[KingAG]

If Carlton and Polley are major pieces in our future we are royally screwed.

I think Polley can be a vital piece moving foward. He needs to do a better job and defending his position and being a big shot maker. But I believe the tools are there for Polley to be a REALLY good role player. Carlton has been depressing this yr. I haven’t seen much to work with

 

[KingAG]

At least Cobb isn’t scared of big moments. Carlton seems terrified and is tissue soft around the basket

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

AG
CV
Sid
Cobb
Yakwe

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I'd roll with Sid over these guys. Guy plays with a pulse out there and I think his shot/offensive game will improve as it is a bit rusty from the NCAA making him sit out last season. I like his upside and athleticism over what Carlton and Polley are bringing to the table against non-cupcake competition.

 

[SouleMan]

Herein lies the problem. There just aren't any good answers on the bench to the frontcourt issues. The team needs an influx of talent and that doesn't happen over night. It's realistically going to take 2-3 years of good recruiting.

After last night's disaster Hurley said the culture needs to change and the team doesn't have a lot of fight (see quotes below). I don't know if that's a major problem (hard for an outsider to see all that) but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and agree it's an issue. And if it is then that takes a lot of time to change as the roster cycles through (current players leave and new ones come in). I think it was probably naive to think this thing could get completely turned around in one year.

“We just exhibit all the symptoms of a team that’s not a good team,” Hurley said. “A disheartening performance, disappointing. We’ve got a long way to go.”

“You would think that we would have tried harder,” Hurley said, “it would have meant more to us to get those 50-50 balls, based on this team’s desire to be better than it’s been the last couple of years. ... That’s the sign of a team that’s not focused, not locked in, maybe a little too cool.”

“When the snowball starts rolling down the hill for us, we cave in,” Hurley said, “we give in. It’s more of a matter of having the toughness and the will to play a full 40 minutes. We’ve got a long way to go as a program to develop the habits that winning programs have.”

As a program, huh? not as a team?

That just about says all you need to know about Hurley's thoughts on this year.

 

[SouleMan]

I'd roll with Sid over these guys. Guy plays with a pulse out there and I think his shot/offensive game will improve as it is a bit rusty from the NCAA making him sit out last season. I like his upside and athleticism over what Carlton and Polley are bringing to the table against non-cupcake competition.

His jumper seems pretty flat (he threw up some real bricks yesterday). Shot looked to have more arc in his high school highlights.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

His jumper seems pretty flat (he threw up some real bricks yesterday). Shot looked to have more arc in his high school highlights.

Completely agree. Looks like a rushed line drive.

 

[Tenspro2002]

As a program, huh? not as a team?

That just about says all you need to know about Hurley's thoughts on this year.

Hurley is daydreaming about next October, as we all are. Can't blame him, frankly.

 

[AdamaNation]

I think it's time to start Cobb and Yakwe and send Polley and Carlton to the bench. Yakwe can pick up the slack from Cobb's lack of defense and vice versa on the offensive -- you don't really need Yakwe on offense with JA/CV/AG. Plus, I don't hate the idea of going with more veteran guys. Obviously, it depends on Yakwe's health, but I'm even fine with the Chuck Okwandu strategy and take him out at the U-16 timeout.

I know Cobb can't play a lick of D, but he is the best big man rebounder and offensive post player currently, so you have to work with what you have. He is also the type of guy that can help set the tone early in a game and get a few easy buckets down low to open things up for the guards -- essentially what they do with Carlton against the cupcakes -- and what Carlton can't do against the real teams since he's essentially soft.

Polley, who has been a pleasant surprise overall this year, can't really do much on defense and if he isn't hitting his shots (like last night) he's essentially useless. I do think by the time he is a senior he will be a key contributor, but for now, I think he'd be better off the bench playing with Tarin and Carlton.

I would gladly swap Diarra in for Yakwe if he comes back, but who knows what shape he'll even be in if he plays this year.

Did you read my post from last night?!? Plagiarism!!! But I agree. Yak and Cobb equal a very good big. We have been playing 5 on 4 for years. Brimah couldn’t stand or catch or get offensive boards but cleaned the lane a bit. Carlton is a feather in cement shoes (unless we play west/best conn), Enoch blew. This would be the new UConn format.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Couple more games like yesterday and it will be time to just play freshmen and underclassmen and get them as much experience as possible for the future.

Typically I would agree with that sentiment, but not in this case.
This year is about getting respectability back and being competitive in every game we play. I like Josh Carlton, but he is not our future. We have to do everything we can to win every game this year to get respect back for the UConn brand. We need to show recruits how good of a coach Hurley is rather than trying to squeeze as much potential out of the Josh Carltons and Isaiah Whaleys, even if that means playing Cobb, Jalen and Tarin as much as possible.

 

[UconnU]

Carlton is a sophomore the only other centers we have are seniors, one of whom is injured and another who has off the court issues, we need to play him through his struggles. None of the guards make sense replacing. The only conceivable change we can make is to start Wilson over Polley. No good options for Hurley here.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

Like Polley is doing any better?

fair point. touche

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Yeah Polley had a horrendous shooting night but people really need to simmer down.
Polley and CV are the two most improved players on the team from this time last year. As for his defensive ability, I have no idea what everyone else is seeing but I see him moving his feet actually really well and he gives effort on that end. He has shown an ability to make blocks. And he's expanded his offensive game where he’s no longer just a standstill 3 point shooter.

Polley is not the issue on this team.

 

[AdamaNation]

Yeah Polley had a horrendous shooting night but people really need to simmer down.
Polley and CV are the two most improved players on the team from this time last year. As for his defensive ability, I have no idea what everyone else is seeing but I see him moving his feet actually really well and he gives effort on that end. He has shown an ability to make blocks. And he's expanded his offensive game where he’s no longer just a standstill 3 point shooter.

Polley is not the issue on this team.

The fact he is an option IS

 

[Jay-Bone]

Yeah Polley had a horrendous shooting night but people really need to simmer down.
Polley and CV are the two most improved players on the team from this time last year. As for his defensive ability, I have no idea what everyone else is seeing but I see him moving his feet actually really well and he gives effort on that end. He has shown an ability to make blocks. And he's expanded his offensive game where he’s no longer just a standstill 3 point shooter.

Polley is not the issue on this team.

Seriously? You don't like rebounds either? Maybe if we never missed, you'd be dead on. You wearing the same Hurley goggles?

There was absolutely no reason to leave Polley on the floor the last ten minutes of the game. None. If he's making shots fine, but he missed 5 3's already by then. Bizarro hot hand.

Its really this simple, if you're playing the 4 and you are atrocious at rebounding, you better make shots. If you're not making shots and not rebounding at all with meager at best defense you should be sitting going down the final stretch of a game. Even Ollie could figure that much out.

The same people that argue Cobb shouldn't play for his offense because his defense is so bad, argue Polley should play for his offense when his rebounding is the worst of any 4 in the history of UConn. And they argue it on a night that he goes 0-7 from 3. Its very fascinating. Paul Newman would check you into the boards for this take.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Roscoe was much stronger and much more athletic than Polley. There is no comparison between their talent levels.

Who's a better size comparison, Deandre? But Deandre could manage 10 rebounds some nights, Polley can't manage 3 at best. I remember Roscoe as not being all that thick? If Roscoe could shoot 3's like Polley (last night aside) he might be in the league right now. Coming out of hs, Roscoe was a shooter, it just never translated. Especially time management with full court shots. But he could sniff out rebounds like a bloodhound, and we loved him for it. It was almost an anomaly, his knack for rebounding. If Polley had 2/10ths that, he'd improve to 2 rebounds a game.

 

[ASweet3781]

If Carlton and Polley are major pieces in our future we are royally screwed.

Dan Hurley said one of the reasons he took this job was because of players in the program like Josh Carlton.

 

[ASweet3781]

Hurley is daydreaming about next October, as we all are. Can't blame him, frankly.

Maybe he should have been busy day dreaming of protecting the 13 point lead we had yesterday.

 

[Danzz]

We didn't play a bad game, we played a bad half. Same with the Villanova game. We just don't survive when opponents make second half runs. We don't make successful adjustments. Hurley has to get at least some of the blame.

 

[olehead]

Best 5
Polley/CV
Cobb
Wilson
Adams
Gilbert

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Best 5
Polley/CV
Cobb
Wilson
Adams
Gilbert

As of right now you think Wilson is part of the best five and Yakwe isn't?

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Seriously? You don't like rebounds either? Maybe if we never missed, you'd be dead on. You wearing the same Hurley goggles?

There was absolutely no reason to leave Polley on the floor the last ten minutes of the game. None. If he's making shots fine, but he missed 5 3's already by then. Bizarro hot hand.

Its really this simple, if you're playing the 4 and you are atrocious at rebounding, you better make shots. If you're not making shots and not rebounding at all with meager at best defense you should be sitting going down the final stretch of a game. Even Ollie could figure that much out.
.

Polley came out of the game more than once.
So when Polley came out, tell me who came in and did better and deserved to stay out there instead of Polley?
Polley is a 3 playing at the 4 spot. He needs to get better at rebounding if Hurley is going to keep him there.
But for people to say that Polley doesn’t deserve to be one of the 5 starters is a knee jerk reaction to a bad shooting night by the best shooter on the team.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Who's a better size comparison, Deandre? But Deandre could manage 10 rebounds some nights, Polley can't manage 3 at best.

Deandre was no better than Polley at rebounding, scoring or anything else until the last 10 games of his last year here (I think he was a JR) when something kicked in for him and he became the tremendous force down the stretch we all remember now.
But before that period? 10 boards a game? No. He came in for a lot of fan derision back then. People said he didn’t put in effort, etc. Anyone else recall this?
I’m willing to take a wait and see with Polley; he’s ahead of where DD was in his sophomore year.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

Deandre was no better than Polley at rebounding, scoring or anything else until the last 10 games of his last year here (I think he was a JR) when something kicked in for him and he became the tremendous force down the stretch we all remember now.
But before that period? 10 boards a game? No. He came in for a lot of fan derision back then. People said he didn’t put in effort, etc. Anyone else recall this?
I’m willing to take a wait and see with Polley; he’s ahead of where DD was in his sophomore year.

fair point to make in regard to DD, but DD was also way more athletic than Polley and was a more heralded recruit so expectations were higher from the get go. But i agree that he struggled with consistency until the latter part of his junior year en route to the national title.

 

[selles]

Deandre was no better than Polley at rebounding, scoring or anything else until the last 10 games of his last year here (I think he was a JR) when something kicked in for him and he became the tremendous force down the stretch we all remember now.
But before that period? 10 boards a game? No. He came in for a lot of fan derision back then. People said he didn’t put in effort, etc. Anyone else recall this?
I’m willing to take a wait and see with Polley; he’s ahead of where DD was in his sophomore year.

Heartily disagree. DD started his sophomore year by getting 12 and 8 and providing a solid inside presence to play a major role in upsetting Michigan State. He averaged 5.5 boards as a soph and 6 as a junior and could actually defend people in the post. He was inconsistent sure, but Polley is not remotely in the orbit of what DD was sophomore year.