Tarris Reed not being utilized

[FreeKlaiber]

If you want to win the games short-term, yes, playing Tarris in front of Samson.
But that's not who Hurley is. He wants to plant the seeds, build the culture and tradition and win the war for years to come.

Hurley is a builder of program, amd in and of itself it involves a helluva more than just playing best talents and skills on the courts. He understands basketball way deeper and better than this. Individual talents don't translate well in the hardwood. He needs to manage chemistry in the locker room, the egos, the coming, going and retaining of talents, the bonding and trust between him and coaching staff and players (potential impacts and optics on recruiting), to name a few. Judging from his relations with coaching staff, he likes to run a tight ship like a family. Seniority is one of things he respects and this is the last year that Samson will ever play for this program. So what's he doing for Samson is not difficult to understand. Another example seeing how he defended Alex after FTgate, it should not come as a surprise at all. The thing is that if you put in your dues and give it time, your turn will come.

I think this is all true. & I have no problem with Samson starting and them splitting time down the middle and according to matchups. Samson brings a lot in his own way.

What I don't understand is why Danny doesnt use Reed more on the low block, as he looks like he can take over a game in spurts (readers with good memories might remember I made very same argument for DC last yr- but we had Cam Tristan etc consistently humming so didnt need as much, til tourney when Clingan got increased post touches).

I'd like to see them even attempting to post up the Kalkenbrenner types, especially without Liam. Make them play D, get in foul trouble perhaps. Kicking it back out leads to open shots in theory. You can always adjust out of it unlike Underwood. We work too hard for our baskets at times unlike layups and FTs that opponents get in our subpar performances.

 

[RuffRuff]

He did it with retaining KO’s players and developing them.

If you want to get players with ethical and loyalty standards you need to demonstrate it with how you run things. There are negative consequences to following the suggestions we make in this forum.

Good take. When you build culture you can’t waiver off values or else it becomes flimsy, and kids will feel that. It’s hard to doubt that, and you have to believe in Hurleys process for the long term, not short term satisfaction.

It’s easy to get frustrated game to game, but sometimes you do have to sit back and realize the healthy energy he’s looking to build in the locker room, and how kids buy in to that and stay positive/engaged, especially with this generation. This is a program and not a single event transaction. He’ll likely have it all pressed down to what offers the best chance to win come March.

Take a look at Notre Dame FB for instance - they have a defined culture. That RB who willed his way to a TD last night was part of that.

 

[CT2SC]

The portal rationale of AM is perplexing, when you consider he’s mismatched on both ends of the floor. More than anything how quickly they decided on him when there were so many options out there. I’ll stick to the conclusion that they over indexed on processing (which ironically has been slow) and culture fit over size/skill. Taking on a smallish moderately athletic 2G to convert to PG and a new defensive scheme really is pushing it. NIL aside we likely had our pick of the litter after a second NC, 10+ players come to mind quickly as to what would likely have been a better fit.

I think Cam integrated so seamlessly that Hurley was trying to recreate that magic and felt AM was the most “Cam like” option in the portal. He likely underestimated just how hard it would to find another Cam.

The thread regarding AN is also perplexing in that he is looking for Nowell to make “magic happen”. The guy hasn’t sniffed the court in weeks and he needs to somehow produce magic in his 5 minutes of playing time? Is Ross making magic happen? Now that he’s admitted AM isn’t a fit at the point we desperately need Ahmad to develop to give Hass a breather. We also need to develop him to run the offense next year. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get more playing time unless he’s injured.

 

[HailUConn]

He did it with retaining KO’s players and developing them.

If you want to get players with ethical and loyalty standards you need to demonstrate it with how you run things. There are negative consequences to following the suggestions we make in this forum.

And it appeared Hurley's way is the winning way. how he managed to retain talents in the PORTALing age and won back2back is the ultimate proof. Samson could've have gone somewhere else but he did not.

With that said, there is an invisible line that Hurley and Co. is watching and not going to cross. that is, the balance between developing players and winning the games. We are in a final trial/error/development period in January and if we can afford the loss and developing players (not ready to give up Samson), so be it. But if Tarris keeps playing like this or better, In February, he will give Hurley no choice but let him start at 5.


There is another side to Hurley strategy to this. Our back court is being revamped. If you watched last year's team, the lob game with Samson/Clingan was tremendous. It's very much possible in Hurley plan that he wants that part of game with new PGs with Samson, and Samson is our best lob threat. Currently on this team, only Diarra can throw a one or two at times, none else can do it.

 

[HailUConn]

Locked it up. Back to 2-headed monsters, play time depending upon match-up and who show up on a given day.

 

[ctchamps]

And it appeared Hurley's way is the winning way. how he managed to retain talents in the PORTALing age and won back2back is the ultimate proof. Samson could've have gone somewhere else but he did not.

With that said, there is an invisible line that Hurley and Co. is watching and not going to cross. that is, the balance between developing players and winning the games. We are in a final trial/error/development period in January and if we can afford the loss and developing players (not ready to give up Samson), so be it. But if Tarris keeps playing like this or better, In February, he will give Hurley no choice but let him start at 5.


There is another side to Hurley strategy to this. Our back court is being revamped. If you watched last year's team, the lob game with Samson/Clingan was tremendous. It's very much possible in Hurley plan that he wants that part of game with new PGs with Samson, and Samson is our best lob threat. Currently on this team, only Diarra can throw a one or two at times, none else can do it.

Liam has the best potential to take advantage of that lob threat. Reed Jr. is being under utilized in the block.

Samson is probably being less utilized in the lob threat. Even Diarra misses him a lot choosing to take difficult drives in the lane instead.

 

[huskyjawz]

They didn't give Reed Jr. the ball one single time inside all game.
Meainng in a post up type situation with an opportunity to score.

 

[jibsey]

A "high hedge" defense in basketball refers to a defensive strategy where the defender guarding the screener in a pick-and-roll situation aggressively steps up to meet the ball handler coming off the screen, essentially "hedging" high up the court to disrupt their penetration and force them to retreat, often delaying the offensive play and allowing the original on-ball defender time to recover; it's considered a more aggressive approach to defending a pick-and-roll compared to a standard "show" defense where the defender might only slightly step towards the ball handler

Johnson is a much improved player this year, he looked good out there, 9 points and 5 rebounds, active hands. Lately his fouls have been better too.

 

[navery12]

Can someone explain to me the theory behind the high hedge when our center is out at the 3 point line guarding their center who is setting screens for offense and possible pick and roll?
When they are out there they are not in good position for a rebound after other players drive or shoot.

Without going into a long diatribe, the TLDR is that it basically forces the ball handler to move laterally coming off the pick instead of being able to move downhill and get momentum moving to the basket

 

[tedsdrunk]

Yea I don't get it either, especially when the team goes on those scoring droughts like we've seen in the first halves of the past 2 games.

if you want the 3peat you better get used to us saving our big guns for the tourney

 

[auror]

They didn't give Reed Jr. the ball one single time inside all game.
Meainng in a post up type situation with an opportunity to score.

One of his first possessions they gave it to him in the post, Georgetown quickly doubled and he passed out of it.

 

[KembaRunner]

If you want to win the games short-term, yes, playing Tarris in front of Samson.
But that's not who Hurley is. He wants to plant the seeds, build the culture and tradition and win the war for years to come.

Hurley is a builder of program, amd in and of itself it involves a helluva more than just playing best talents and skills on the courts. He understands basketball way deeper and better than this. Individual talents don't translate well in the hardwood. He needs to manage chemistry in the locker room, the egos, the coming, going and retaining of talents, the bonding and trust between him and coaching staff and players (potential impacts and optics on recruiting), to name a few. Judging from his relations with coaching staff, he likes to run a tight ship like a family. Seniority is one of things he respects and this is the last year that Samson will ever play for this program. So what's he doing for Samson is not difficult to understand. Another example seeing how he defended Alex after FTgate, it should not come as a surprise at all. The thing is that if you put in your dues and give it time, your turn will come.

So why did Mahaney start over Diarra earlier this season?

 

[huskyjawz]

One of his first possessions they gave it to him in the post, Georgetown quickly doubled and he passed out of it.

Oh yeah. You're right.

 

[homunculus]

So why did Mahaney start over Diarra earlier this season?

I’d guess that he wanted to begin to build up a senior leader for next season, with almost certainly all of Diarra, Alex, Liam and Samson going pro or running out of eligibility. That, and Diarra was outstanding as a 6th man last season.

 

[Waquoit]

His stubbornness is maddening…..we’d have at least 1-2 more wins if he threw in a zone defense here and there

Ridiculous.

 

[Waquoit]

So why did Mahaney start over Diarra earlier this season?

Becuase Hurley thought the team would be better that way originally. He adjusted when it wasn't the case. He plays the long game and most here have shown over that years that they don't understand that.

 

[ctchamps]

So why did Mahaney start over Diarra earlier this season?

That's a good question and relevant to the discussion of whether Hurley tries to set an example of having a good culture.

Coaching a team is a balancing act in trying to be fair to players with the goal of winning. In Samson's case the coaches assessed that his ability to score outweighed his inability to rebound. They assessed Reed Jr. would be ok with coming off the bench and might have promised Samson he would start this season if he remained with the team. Given that the team has played even or got off to good starts when Samson started (his biggest problem earlier in the season was getting removed from quick fouls), given Liam was able to develop quickly as a good rebounder to augment how Samson was being utilized on defense, there was no need to change. In spite of what many members of this forum would prefer to see.

The coaching staff believe that Mahaney has a similar potential to Tristen so he got the start in that role this season. His struggles were not dissimilar to what Tristen went through two seasons ago. So they kept him in that role for quite a while. They probably had conversations with Hassan as part of their decision and got the impression he was fine with the sixth man role. But Mahaney's defense was such a liability, especially playing alongside Solo's bad defense, and his offense got off to a bad start they started Hassan as a necessity. This allowed Mahaney to break into this team with less pressure. If you noticed in this Georgetown game he was running the point when Hassan got in foul trouble. Not only has his defense continued to progress but he's showing signs he can be a point guard.

Singare is the player who got pushed out of the picture. But he's a sophomore while this will be the last season Samson and Hassan will be putting on the UConn jersey.

I believe our coaching staff goes the extra mile in trying to make as many things possible to keep our program as one of the best, if not the best program in the country, for both the short and long term. We really hit the lottery with them.

 

[HailUConn]

That's a good question and relevant to the discussion of whether Hurley tries to set an example of having a good culture.

Coaching a team is a balancing act in trying to be fair to players with the goal of winning. In Samson's case the coaches assessed that his ability to score outweighed his inability to rebound. They assessed Reed Jr. would be ok with coming off the bench and might have promised Samson he would start this season if he remained with the team. Given that the team has played even or got off to good starts when Samson started (his biggest problem earlier in the season was getting removed from quick fouls), given Liam was able to develop quickly as a good rebounder to augment how Samson was being utilized on defense, there was no need to change. In spite of what many members of this forum would prefer to see.

The coaching staff believe that Mahaney has a similar potential to Tristen so he got the start in that role this season. His struggles were not dissimilar to what Tristen went through two seasons ago. So they kept him in that role for quite a while. They probably had conversations with Hassan as part of their decision and got the impression he was fine with the sixth man role. But Mahaney's defense was such a liability, especially playing alongside Solo's bad defense, and his offense got off to a bad start they started Hassan as a necessity. This allowed Mahaney to break into this team with less pressure. If you noticed in this Georgetown game he was running the point when Hassan got in foul trouble. Not only has his defense continued to progress but he's showing signs he can be a point guard.

Singare is the player who got pushed out of the picture. But he's a sophomore while this will be the last season Samson and Hassan will be putting on the UConn jersey.

I believe our coaching staff goes the extra mile in trying to make as many things possible to keep our program as one of the best, if not the best program in the country, for both the short and long term. We really hit the lottery with them.

The narrative and optics also look tremendous for future portal prospects and pay huge dividends in the long haul. that is, our coach is putting the money where our mouth is.

 

[AllHusky]

Ridiculous.

Maybe the part about 2 more wins is ridiculous, but getting a zone ready seems like a good idea.

 

[Matias]

I'm having visions of come tourney time, Hurley suddenly unleashing T Reed's insane post game and yelling "Surprise muthafuckas!"

 

[Waquoit]

Maybe the part about 2 more wins is ridiculous, but getting a zone ready seems like a good idea.

A quirk I have is that folks wanting zone remind me of folks that want the back-up QB.

 

[3rdbass]

It is weird we aren't seeing more of T. Reed's post game in this offense as we saw in with Sanogo but maybe the offense has evolved in the last year to really use any traditional post game except for when our sets aren't working to create good shots for our men. I think as we start getting into the main part of the Big East play Hurlley is going to have utilize Tarris more to create good opportunities. Our shots aren't always going to be falling every game.

 

[AllHusky]

A quirk I have is that folks wanting zone remind me of folks that want the back-up QB.

Not the same. We have defensive deficiencies that may(or may not if we improve enough) that could stop an NCAA run in its tracks. It's the reverse of having a zone buster player on the bench. Maybe you get a team that is driving it down our throat, a 5 out team that lacks outside shooting. Having a zone defense to throw at them might be an effective response.

 

[RuffRuff]

It is weird we aren't seeing more of T. Reed's post game in this offense as we saw in with Sanogo but maybe the offense has evolved in the last year to really use any traditional post game except for when our sets aren't working to create good shots for our men. I think as we start getting into the main part of the Big East play Hurlley is going to have utilize Tarris more to create good opportunities. Our shots aren't always going to be falling every game.

There is something preventing Hurley from using Harris how many think he can be used. It’s rare we go into him with intention, especially late in a clock when it seems he could be a major advantage. Perhaps that’s because we are so generally efficient on offense, maybe he doesn’t flash in the post well timed. He always seems to have better games when we look for him.

I’ll be curious to how Hurley uses the combo against Kalkbrenner, who could physically eat Samson alive.

 

[navery12]

Not the same. We have defensive deficiencies that may(or may not if we improve enough) that could stop an NCAA run in its tracks. It's the reverse of having a zone buster player on the bench. Maybe you get a team that is driving it down our throat, a 5 out team that lacks outside shooting. Having a zone defense to throw at them might be an effective response.

Having a zone is not and never will be the answer. It works for a handful of possessions max, and beyond that goes against our entire defensive identity. There's a reason why the guys who struggled on defense early in the season have looked significantly better the last few weeks

 

[Kembafan]

I posted this in the game thread last night but why aren't we getting the ball to Tarris Reed? He's totally unstoppable and an automatic bucket on the block.

This doesn't seem to be a problem of our guys not being able to make an entry pass like we saw years ago at UConn. It seems to be an intent problem, like it's not even a part of the plan to try and dump it into him a bunch. I don't get it. I know our offense is really good but having him feasting down low would further unlock things for Solo, AK, etc. and it's an automatic two points for Tarris.

On a team that has trouble with all our perimeter players getting to the rim outside of Hass and Liam who is now hurt it makes no sense we aren't riding our Hoss. It was really frustrating we had three cracks at winning the game on our final possession and we never got it into Reed.

It's a mystery, honestly. If it was up to me I'd do exactly as you suggest.

Sometimes I think Hurley and the staff think a complicated offense is necessarily a better offense. If they hadn't won two straight chips I'd seriously freak out about it.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Having a zone is not and never will be the answer. It works for a handful of possessions max

I think having it ready and using it for a handful of possessions is beneficial. Of course our defensive identity is man. But a quick zone look change causes other coach/team to reconfigure, on fly, new offense they will use to attack it. For years a lot of coaches changed up defenses with mades/misses. Look at Pitino, still one of the best technicians out there, he gives different looks throughout the game,.

No one is saying zone all the time is an answer for us, that's a Boeheim straw man. Just a couple times a game. Or next time an opposing coach goes 5 out offense and focuses on picking on Mahaney or our weak link for drive after drive to the rim, throw a 1-2-2 halfcourt or a 1-3-1 or 2-3 matchup out for a couple of possessions. I'm afraid of our guards getting posted up in tourney. I've already watched what Teddy Allen and Eric Ayala can do in an ISO. It is a philosophy of some old school coaches that zone or junk defenses are pointless. But Danny's won 2 championships in a row, so its honestly pointless to even make this post, but here we are lol.

 

[AllHusky]

Having a zone is not and never will be the answer. It works for a handful of possessions max, and beyond that goes against our entire defensive identity. There's a reason why the guys who struggled on defense early in the season have looked significantly better the last few weeks

I'll take one handful per half when needed thank you. I don't think anyone is asking Hurley to become Boeheim.

edit didn't see Klaibers response until I posted mine. More or less saying same thing.

 

[navery12]

I'll take one handful per half when needed thank you. I don't think anyone is asking Hurley to become Boeheim.

edit didn't see Klaibers response until I posted mine. More or less saying same thing.

We tried that earlier in the year, and we got absolutely roasted on defense. There's a reason we don't go zone, and it's because it was even worse than the man to man defense

 

[6Nattys4Us]

With our depth and Ball and Mahaney "incrementally" getting better on D, we should be fine - trend is directionally accurate.

What we need for Reed, Jr. to be effective is switching until the guy guarding him is a foot shorter....of course that needs the opponent to have a shorter/slighter wing who Reed, Jr. can just body past. With Georgetown, we didn't get that so Johnson, who has quicker feet than Reed, Jr. got more minutes and played decently well (as others have said, fouls have come down, rebounds up, etc).

But Kalkbrenner would have a field day with Johnson so we need Reed, Jr. in there.