The Athletic: Coach Confidential

[Drew]

UConn. “The most physical team in our league. They don’t have a great scorer like they had with James Bouknight, but they’re a more complete team without him. The one thing they’re missing is that point guard they’ve had in the past. R.J. Cole is more of a scoring guard than a point guard. He’s a good knockdown shooter, but when he gets into the lane, he struggles when he has to score over length. Andre Jackson is a dynamic athlete. He couldn’t shoot it at all last year, but now he’s making shots and pushing the ball up the floor. If they play through Adama Sanogo, a lot of good things happen. You gotta push him away from the basket as much as possible. Waste some fouls on him. You need to get a few in transition. If it’s a slowdown game, it’s in their favor. They don’t play with the same energy at the XL Center as they do in Gampel. Tyler Polley is interesting because he’s 6-9 and he can make 3s when he’s in rhythm. They’re very dependent on their set offense. When you take them out of their plays, they have a hard time scoring.”

‘What’s the matter with them?’ Anonymous coaches dish on the ACC, Big 12, Big East: Hoop Thoughts

Men’s college basketball is starting to get serious, and you know what that means: It’s time to beef up our inside game. I’m not talking here about size and brawn, although that certainly helps. I’m talking about brains. There are a lot of really good teams out there, and they all have...

theathletic.com

 

[ASweet3781]

Oh goodie. Another thread on the XL center.

 

[CTBasketball]

Oh goodie. Another thread on the XL center.

Just HAVE to highlight the difference and use it as an excuse.

 

[UConnJim]

UConn. “The most physical team in our league. They don’t have a great scorer like they had with James Bouknight, but they’re a more complete team without him. The one thing they’re missing is that point guard they’ve had in the past. R.J. Cole is more of a scoring guard than a point guard. He’s a good knockdown shooter, but when he gets into the lane, he struggles when he has to score over length. Andre Jackson is a dynamic athlete. He couldn’t shoot it at all last year, but now he’s making shots and pushing the ball up the floor. If they play through Adama Sanogo, a lot of good things happen. You gotta push him away from the basket as much as possible. Waste some fouls on him. You need to get a few in transition. If it’s a slowdown game, it’s in their favor. They don’t play with the same energy at the XL Center as they do in Gampel. Tyler Polley is interesting because he’s 6-9 and he can make 3s when he’s in rhythm. They’re very dependent on their set offense. When you take them out of their plays, they have a hard time scoring.”

‘What’s the matter with them?’ Anonymous coaches dish on the ACC, Big 12, Big East: Hoop Thoughts

Men’s college basketball is starting to get serious, and you know what that means: It’s time to beef up our inside game. I’m not talking here about size and brawn, although that certainly helps. I’m talking about brains. There are a lot of really good teams out there, and they all have...

theathletic.com

Pretty fair assessment. I disagree with their point about Bouknight as a scorer of his caliber that can create his own shot would be a great addition to the team as the team is too dependent on Cole to make shots in crunch time. And, UConn seriously lacks guard depth, especially at PG.

 

[navery12]

Cue the "They run plays?" reply

 

[8893]

The most physical team in our league

Not sure when this intelligence was gathered, but my guess is that this take would be a bit different now.

 

[UconnU]

I agree with everything that is said.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

Cue the "They run plays?" reply

I think they run too many plays. There is nothing natural about it, it is all scripted and very easy to prepare for. I'm sure part of the problem is we don't really have anyone who can go off script and create offense.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Not sure when this intelligence was gathered, but my guess is that this take would be a bit different now.

Agree. Other than Sanogo at times, who on this roster regularly imposes his will physically on opponents? I actually think this team is too nice on the court.

 

[navery12]

Agree. Other than Sanogo at times, who on this roster regularly imposes his will physically on opponents? I actually think this team is too nice on the court.

Hard to exclude Sanogo when he's 75% of the reason for that answer. I'd also say Martin and Whaley fit in that category. I suspect it comes mostly from the fact that we dominate the offensive rebounds

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I was mostly fine with the article. Nothing all that insightful to anyone who has seen them play. Without expounding on it, I don't agree with this line, "Andre Jackson is a dynamic athlete. He couldn’t shoot it at all last year, but now he’s making shots".

 

[Tenspro2002]

What's insightful isn't the observations, which we can see for ourselves, but the fact that opposing coaches are noticing.

If opposing coaches -- who see us at home at most once a year, and in each venue at most every two years -- can tell even in their limited sample that we're harder to play at Gampel, that's pretty significant.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

I was mostly fine with the article. Nothing all that insightful to anyone who has seen them play. Without expounding on it, I don't agree with this line, "Andre Jackson is a dynamic athlete. He couldn’t shoot it at all last year, but now he’s making shots".

He probably spoke to that coach after the Butler game. Lol

 

[JustbrewitMan]

If XL is another funeral parlor tomorrow night vs Marquette, we deserve to lose.

Fans need to show up before tipoff and be crazy loud leading into the game. Support for the team during Player introductions was pathetic at the Creighton game. 630pm start is no excuse.

Don’t think that the players don’t react to the vibe & energy of the arena. Any human feeds off emotion for better or worse.

 

[ASweet3781]

If XL is another funeral parlor tomorrow night vs Marquette, we deserve to lose.

Fans need to show up before tipoff and be crazy loud leading into the game. Support for the team during Player introductions was pathetic at the Creighton game. 630pm start is no excuse.

Don’t think that the players don’t react to the vibe & energy of the arena. Any human feeds off emotion for better or worse.

Please. It’s a built in excuse that people are using to cover up for a bad stretch. Notice you say if the crowd doesn’t pass your muster we deserve to lose. Not if the team fails to show up. So either way I guess Hurley and the team are off the hook if it goes poorly. If we win tomorrow is the XL a great home court now? Which is it?

And none of you can answer for that near epic collapse down the stretch against St. John’s which occurred in….GAMPEL. And I say this as someone who much prefers gampel both the atmosphere and the scenic country backroad commute. But this XL crap is lashing out to distract from a team that is currently not playing well with a lot of roster management and coaching decisions being questionable.

 

[CV1]

If XL is another funeral parlor tomorrow night vs Marquette, we deserve to lose.

Fans need to show up before tipoff and be crazy loud leading into the game. Support for the team during Player introductions was pathetic at the Creighton game. 630pm start is no excuse.

Don’t think that the players don’t react to the vibe & energy of the arena. Any human feeds off emotion for better or worse.

I agree. The crowd absolutely affects a team giving a little extra effort on the defensive end. I was at both the Providence and Creighton game. The Providence crowd was ok but could have been better. The Creighton crowd was embarrassing. Marquette will probably be ranked around 15 today? If we can’t come close to selling out and bringing the noise for a top 15 game, I will be very disappointed.

 

[ASweet3781]

I agree. The crowd absolutely affects a team giving a little extra effort on the defensive end. I was at both the Providence and Creighton game. The Providence crowd was ok but could have been better. The Creighton crowd was embarrassing. Marquette will probably be ranked around 15 today? If we can’t come close to selling out and bringing the noise for a top 15 game, I will be very disappointed.

I was at the providence game and that is a flat out lie. It was packed and ready to rock and UConn came out and played a terrible first half. This is what people are resorting to now. Lying to cover up for a recent disappointing stretch.

 

[navery12]

I think they run too many plays. There is nothing natural about it, it is all scripted and very easy to prepare for. I'm sure part of the problem is we don't really have anyone who can go off script and create offense.

It is incredibly scripted, but agreed that I'm not sure we have an alternative. Definitely something that has to change in the transfer portal this offseason.

I think the perfect summary of how scripted it is was the DePaul game when they had the camera on Hurley as we brought the ball up and he was literally yelling out the play and calling Polley's name telling him the play was for him to get a 3 off a screen. I could tell what was coming watching on TV, so everyone on the court had to know too. He made the shot I believe, but it was still entirely scripted

 

[CV1]

I was at the providence game and that is a flat out lie. It was packed and ready to rock and UConn came out and played a terrible first half. This is what people are resorting to now. Lying to cover up for a recent disappointing stretch.

Just my opinion. You may disagree but it does not mean that I am lying. Every time the crowd got fired up in the PC game, we made a comeback. Has anyone noticed that both Cooley and Mcdermott called timeouts quickly to silence the crowd in both of those games? Just proof how much crowd noise can affect the opponent. The XL crowd usually needs a dunk or flashy play to get out of their seats and go crazy.

 

[HuskyHawk]

UConn. “The most physical team in our league. They don’t have a great scorer like they had with James Bouknight, but they’re a more complete team without him. The one thing they’re missing is that point guard they’ve had in the past. R.J. Cole is more of a scoring guard than a point guard. He’s a good knockdown shooter, but when he gets into the lane, he struggles when he has to score over length. Andre Jackson is a dynamic athlete. He couldn’t shoot it at all last year, but now he’s making shots and pushing the ball up the floor. If they play through Adama Sanogo, a lot of good things happen. You gotta push him away from the basket as much as possible. Waste some fouls on him. You need to get a few in transition. If it’s a slowdown game, it’s in their favor. They don’t play with the same energy at the XL Center as they do in Gampel. Tyler Polley is interesting because he’s 6-9 and he can make 3s when he’s in rhythm. They’re very dependent on their set offense. When you take them out of their plays, they have a hard time scoring.”

‘What’s the matter with them?’ Anonymous coaches dish on the ACC, Big 12, Big East: Hoop Thoughts

Men’s college basketball is starting to get serious, and you know what that means: It’s time to beef up our inside game. I’m not talking here about size and brawn, although that certainly helps. I’m talking about brains. There are a lot of really good teams out there, and they all have...

theathletic.com

Not a very sharp coach. UConn is terrible in slowdown games and thrives in transition. Push out Sanogo...wow, there is some insight, thank you coach obvious. Dependent on set offense? Is he serious?

 

[TerryBoyz]

I suggest the same motivational technique they used when they had a gym filled with cardboard cutouts.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It is incredibly scripted, but agreed that I'm not sure we have an alternative. Definitely something that has to change in the transfer portal this offseason.

I think the perfect summary of how scripted it is was the DePaul game when they had the camera on Hurley as we brought the ball up and he was literally yelling out the play and calling Polley's name telling him the play was for him to get a 3 off a screen. I could tell what was coming watching on TV, so everyone on the court had to know too. He made the shot I believe, but it was still entirely scripted

I agree with you on this. It's obvious, aside from observing Hurley, that he frequently wants X player to take a shot. I think this is what so often makes our offense stagnant. You see guys pass up good looks to get the ball to somebody (Cole, Polley, Sanogo) who is closely defended. Many of our late shot clock shots look like this.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Cue the "They run plays?" reply

LOL. They run really good plays. Their weakness is lack of a breakdown 1-on-1 player.

Cole's better off ball, but he's the best they got at PG and has to play it.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Please. It’s a built in excuse that people are using to cover up for a bad stretch. Notice you say if the crowd doesn’t pass your muster we deserve to lose. Not if the team fails to show up. So either way I guess Hurley and the team are off the hook if it goes poorly. If we win tomorrow is the XL a great home court now? Which is it?

And none of you can answer for that near epic collapse down the stretch against St. John’s which occurred in….GAMPEL. And I say this as someone who much prefers gampel both the atmosphere and the scenic country backroad commute. But this XL crap is lashing out to distract from a team that is currently not playing well with a lot of roster management and coaching decisions being questionable.

I'm not making excuses nor distracting. When you show up as a fan, your most important job is supporting your team and making life difficult for the opponent. It's a pretty G.D. simple job...Get to your seats, stand up during the game, and be LOUD.

Most here need to get out of the bubble of UConn BB and pay attention to CBB in general. This weekend, there were well over a dozen teams that were big favorites who struggled at home and either got smoked or barely squeaked by with a win. That crap happens all the time and is not just a UConn thing. It's part of the sick charm of CBB.

If the BE coaches note that we're a tougher team at Gampel vs. XL, then its clear they recognize that the arena atmosphere has a tangible effect on their team's play. Shouldn't we do something about it as a fanbase???

It undeniable that, regardless of crowd size, that the XL environment leans towards apathetic with short bursts of strong support. That can be changed.

Let Hurley and the players work through their issues. We need to STFU and work on our issues.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

It is incredibly scripted, but agreed that I'm not sure we have an alternative. Definitely something that has to change in the transfer portal this offseason.

I think the perfect summary of how scripted it is was the DePaul game when they had the camera on Hurley as we brought the ball up and he was literally yelling out the play and calling Polley's name telling him the play was for him to get a 3 off a screen. I could tell what was coming watching on TV, so everyone on the court had to know too. He made the shot I believe, but it was still entirely scripted

I think it has to go through Sanogo. I know he isn't the passer everyone wants him to be, but they have to keep working with him because him getting doubled can create some of our best offense if he can learn to get the ball out on time to the right guys. Not sure we have anyone else who can draw two guys and get others freed up.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The BE coaches are making that proclamation based on what? Last year weren't fans not even in attendance?

 

[Tenspro2002]

I think it has to go through Sanogo. I know he isn't the passer everyone wants him to be, but they have to keep working with him because him getting doubled can create some of our best offense if he can learn to get the ball out on time to the right guys. Not sure we have anyone else who can draw two guys and get others freed up.

The problem with scripted iso's for Sanogo is that, unless there's an open passing lane to him with a foot already on the block, the result is most likely either:

• a forced pass that ends up in a turnover
• he catches it in a bad position, takes a while to pass it back out, and then nobody is able to create a shot for themselves
• he catches it in a bad position, forces a bad shot and misses, leading to an easy rebound because we've all cleared out of the lane for spacing

All of which are deflating for momentum on top of being a wasted possession.

Looking for it early in a possession is fine, but if it's not there, we have to move onto something else.

 

[aburks41]

The problem with scripted iso's for Sanogo is that, unless there's an open passing lane to him with a foot already on the block, the result is most likely either:

• a forced pass that ends up in a turnover
• he catches it in a bad position, takes a while to pass it back out, and then nobody is able to create a shot for themselves
• he catches it in a bad position, forces a bad shot and misses, leading to an easy rebound because we've all cleared out of the lane for spacing

All of which are deflating for momentum on top of being a wasted possession.

Looking for it early in a possession is fine, but if it's not there, we have to move onto something else.

And the fact that this has been an issue since November is still what bothers me. Maybe we don't have the personnel to fix the issue this season, fine, then we need to recruit and hit the portal to fill those gaps.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

The problem with scripted iso's for Sanogo is that, unless there's an open passing lane to him with a foot already on the block, the result is most likely either:

• a forced pass that ends up in a turnover
• he catches it in a bad position, takes a while to pass it back out, and then nobody is able to create a shot for themselves
• he catches it in a bad position, forces a bad shot and misses, leading to an easy rebound because we've all cleared out of the lane for spacing

All of which are deflating for momentum on top of being a wasted possession.

Looking for it early in a possession is fine, but if it's not there, we have to move onto something else.

I mean obviously we don't have any perfect options, but imo these things are fixable and Sanogo still has more room for improvement than anyone else on the team. Whether or not this staff can help him reach his full potential is TBD.

 

[CL82]

Please. It’s a built in excuse that people are using to cover up for a bad stretch. Notice you say if the crowd doesn’t pass your muster we deserve to lose. Not if the team fails to show up. So either way I guess Hurley and the team are off the hook if it goes poorly. If we win tomorrow is the XL a great home court now? Which is it?

And none of you can answer for that near epic collapse down the stretch against St. John’s which occurred in….GAMPEL. And I say this as someone who much prefers gampel both the atmosphere and the scenic country backroad commute. But this XL crap is lashing out to distract from a team that is currently not playing well with a lot of roster management and coaching decisions being questionable.

You do realize that the Athletic is an independent publication and not a BY poster, right? It made the same observation that posters have about the XL Center.