Terry Larrier is much better than he's playing

[Kitaman]

There is something wrong with him, and I'm not talking physically. He has not improved this season and in fact looks to be regressing. He looks like his confidence is shot, and also looks disengaged from his teammates.

I've been watching him closely and the Coaching staff really needs to get to him, or he may just wander all season. He may not be AA, but with confidence he can break a zone and always become our best and reliable outside shooter.

It always seem to go back to this damn thing of player development. David looks like he has zero confidence. Vital has potential to be a damn good college basketball player but has become somewhat unreliable (he's young though). And our bigs are very inconsistent, meaning not reliable or good for any one thing.

This staff really needs to close their door and come up with THE SOLUTION on how to make our players better. If Jalen Adams leaves UConn without a sniff at making one of the national AA teams then he was failed, regardless of what people think of his attitude. He's the best thing we've had since Bazz.

I'm not a Coach so I don't know how to develop players beyond cheering them on as a fan with the hope of giving them confidence. That's why I'm not paid millions, or a hundred thousand dollars or more.

Back to Larrier, somehow they have got to wake him up and find out how to push the right buttons. He's got a jumper, has good height and can shoot over defenders. In other words staff has something to work with. If he's making mistakes and not playing well it is not 100% on him. He's an amateur player made of good clay ready to be molded into something real good. Either way lets not forget the potter is Ollie and his staff.

Whether this staff remains after this season or the next 5 or more, if they don't start developing what they recruited then we are in for a very alarming and disheartening future. Our players need help!

 

[Son of Robert]

What I have noticed, which at the beginning of the year I was sure would be a concern, is Terry is not just chucking up shots at a high rate. He is playing within the offense and is getting rebounds and passing the ball. His shot selection is good. He does need to tighten up his game, his handle, but I think his best playing is yet to come.

 

[uconnfan68]

Larrier really shouldn’t be a ball handler. He can’t create off the dribble. They need to move him around and find him when he’s ready to shoot.

 

[AdamaNation]

For whatever reason I was just thinking how different this team would be if magically a loved player not even one of our legends was on it. The first three that come to mind are any of roscoe, Tony Robertson, or chuck. It’s like they are missing one thing. Toughness? Height? Confidence? Iq? Talent? Familiarity with each other? Trust? Depth? What?!?!???

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Stats wise he’s our second leading scored at 16 a game on 42-42-81 percentage splits. Hes also second on the team in both eFG% and true shooting %. He’s our leading rebounder as well. If you want to get on him for his defense that’s fair, but I’m not sure offensively the problem lies with him. The problem is outside of him and Adams there isn’t a single reliable scorer on the team you can count on to get 8-12 a game.

 

[upstater]

There is something wrong with him, and I'm not talking physically. He has not improved this season and in fact looks to be regressing. He looks like his confidence is shot, and also looks disengaged from his teammates.

I've been watching him closely and the Coaching staff really needs to get to him, or he may just wander all season. He may not be AA, but with confidence he can break a zone and always become our best and reliable outside shooter.

It always seem to go back to this damn thing of player development. David looks like he has zero confidence. Vital has potential to be a damn good college basketball player but has become somewhat unreliable (he's young though). And our bigs are very inconsistent, meaning not reliable or good for any one thing.

This staff really needs to close their door and come up with THE SOLUTION on how to make our players better. If Jalen Adams leaves UConn without a sniff at making one of the national AA teams then he was failed, regardless of what people think of his attitude. He's the best thing we've had since Bazz.

I'm not a Coach so I don't know how to develop players beyond cheering them on as a fan with the hope of giving them confidence. That's why I'm not paid millions, or a hundred thousand dollars or more.

Back to Larrier, somehow they have got to wake him up and find out how to push the right buttons. He's got a jumper, has good height and can shoot over defenders. In other words staff has something to work with. If he's making mistakes and not playing well it is not 100% on him. He's an amateur player made of good clay ready to be molded into something real good. Either way lets not forget the potter is Ollie and his staff.

Whether this staff remains after this season or the next 5 or more, if they don't start developing what they recruited then we are in for a very alarming and disheartening future. Our players need help!

You need a point guard. If you only have a young point guard, you can maybe try to make the tournament. If you have a seasoned one, then he'll make the other players look better. Malpractice by the staff is chiefly the story of having no point guards.

 

[BFieldHusky]

You need a point guard. If you only have a young point guard, you can maybe try to make the tournament. If you have a seasoned one, then he'll make the other players look better. Malpractice by the staff is chiefly the story of having no point guards.

Gilbert. He's hurt. But if we had him we are a different team.

 

[upstater]

Gilbert. He's hurt. But if we had him we are a different team.

But even he's not enough. If you have a stud freshman PG, you need an upper classman to show him the ropes. 2 PGs at all times. One passes off the baton to the other.

It looks like we're going to suffer through two years without proper PG play.

 

[zls44]

Frankly sick of people hiding behind the no AG excuse. Is it a problem? Yes. But it was an entirely predictable one, mitigated by their malpractice with MAL.

That's not something you use to defend the staff, its something you use to indict them.

 

[Husky68]

At some point you are not better or worse than you are playing, you are how you are playing. All this Ollie has to improve this player or that, how about the players have to improve themselves. The team is about 300 ranked in shooting and 3 point shooting. You shoot 41% overall you are not going to win many games unless your defense is lock down good. Make your shot. Vital can't shoot this bad and play these minutes and have the team win, he has shot the most 3's and is shooting 25%, how do you win with that? If they continue to shoot like this, they are this; then they just aren't good enough to win consistently.

 

[upstater]

Frankly sick of people hiding behind the no AG excuse. Is it a problem? Yes. But it was an entirely predictable one, mitigated by their malpractice with MAL.

That's not something you use to defend the staff, its something you use to indict them.

You're not referring to my post, right? Where I say the staff committed malpractice, right?

 

[Chief00]

Quite frankly, Larrier should be used as a catch and shoot guy and a position rebounder. He is not a ball handler or a creator assist guy. He’s very careless with the ball. If he was a running back for Belichick he would be riding the bench with all his fumbles.

 

[Danzz]

Our shooting would improve a lot if we had a front court threat. Our front court is young except for DO who has little talent and Cobb who has been in and out of the lineup.
Cobb and Carlton need to step up their games and Polly needs some muscle. All 3 have shown signs of talent and the hope is they progress enough to get us through conference games and on to the tournament.
Larrier drifts around the perimeter and really plays more like a guard without a handle.
All is not lost. At least not yet.

 

[upstater]

Our shooting would improve a lot if we had a front court threat. Our front court is young except for DO who has little talent and Cobb who has been in and out of the lineup.
Cobb and Carlton need to step up their games and Polly needs some muscle. All 3 have shown signs of talent and the hope is they progress enough to get us through conference games and on to the tournament.
Larrier drifts around the perimeter and really plays more like a guard without a handle.
All is not lost. At least not yet.

Personally I would play Carlton for 25 minutes every game (so he could learn not to foul out, so he could figure out the defense). This kid is going to grow bigger and stronger over the years, but the team also performs better with him in there.

 

[Purple Stein]

Quite frankly, Larrier should be used as a catch and shoot guy and a position rebounder. He is not a ball handler or a creator assist guy. He’s very careless with the ball. If he was a running back for Belichick he would be riding the bench with all his fumbles.

And yet he's continually put in a position to create on offense. That's the problem.

Run him around two screens and let him catch and shoot, maximize that strength. Don't put him beyond the arc and ask him to drive!

 

[Wordbomar]

I miss Rodney Purvis

 

[ZenConn]

I'm no doctor but it's just a year from tearing his ACL. Anything with that? How long does it take to get back to the way it was before?

Not an excuse for his ball handling woes though...

 

[mdkhusky]

Quite frankly we stink. Alterique is worth a win or 2 but we didn't look so hot with him playing

 

[uconnfan68]

For whatever reason I was just thinking how different this team would be if magically a loved player not even one of our legends was on it. The first three that come to mind are any of roscoe, Tony Robertson, or chuck. It’s like they are missing one thing. Toughness? Height? Confidence? Iq? Talent? Familiarity with each other? Trust? Depth? What?!?!???

Good call on toughness. Better call on B.B. IQ.

 

[zls44]

You're not referring to my post, right? Where I say the staff committed malpractice, right?

Nah.

Can't deal with these people who are acting like there was no way to anticipate Alterique would get hurt again, when there's literally overwhelming evidence that he would get hurt again.

 

[NYC_HUSKY22]

IF Larrier stays another year. We could very well end up with a fully polished stud. (hear me out).

Take Dion Lewis this year for example. Before he tore his ACL he was absolutely incredible, year after - meh.. didn't think we'd ever see the running back he once was, and then BAM this year .. breaks out again.

Point I'm trying to make is an ACL tear is a really tough injury to recover from - both mentally and physically. Even a year back on the court we could very well be seeing a tentative Terry, simply because he isn't fully prepared to do everything he was pre-injury. Now, this doesn't excuse things like poor ball handling and the like. But, there is also a mental recovery aspect to this.

I could be wrong, but just a possibility to consider.

 

[UconnFanDC]

Everything we complain about daily on the boneyard all points back to the coaching staff. I just wanna make the NCAA tournament this year without crossing my fingers on selection Sunday

 

[mauconnfan]

Is he?

Nice player, good shooter has improved his 3 point and mid jumper to the point I expect him to make a lot when open. Problem is he can't keep his dribble when trying to get to the hole and he's not a good passer as we've found out. His time lost between sitting out and the knee maybe put him behind a bit. Certainly seem like he understands the game and has a nice feel. But he really needs to improve his strength, handle and rebounding to be the stud we were hoping for when he was showing off at the kids Nike camps 2 years ago.

 

[pj]

And yet he's continually put in a position to create on offense. That's the problem.

Run him around two screens and let him catch and shoot, maximize that strength. Don't put him beyond the arc and ask him to drive!

Show him Rip Hamilton and Reggie Miller film. If he has an NBA future, that's it.

 

[mauconnfan]

Show him Rip Hamilton and Reggie Miller film. If he has an NBA future, that's it.

Good call on these 2 but unfortunately for Terry he's not as agile as Rip and can't shoot it like Reggie - but who can be the same as either of them but as you say, look at how they became what they were and follow those outlines. I mean Rip to this day amazes the hell out of me with that motor he had, unbelievable haven't seen anything like that again ever. Non stop.

I feel bad for Terry he has some issues he can't help. I mean he goes down a lot without reason, seems like free throw lines and baselines jump up to trip him. Could be the injury and aftermath but he's not built for physical play it would seem for now.