Tyler Polley Fully Cleared

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Assuming Tyler Phommachanh is back to 100% health, he’s going to see a lot of minutes and has a lot of value to bring to the team. His shooting ability is elite relative to the college level.

I just hope he can stay healthy, he was really taking strides last year. People are talking like we have too much depth for Polley to get good playing time... we actually don’t have too much depth at the wing/forward with 3 and D abilities (yes, Tyler’s D improved quite a bit last season if you weren’t watching). Beyond that, Akok is coming off an achilles which isn’t easy to return from 100%.
And AJ is unproven at the moment (Hurley favors upperclassmen until the young guys earn their PT). And BA is more of a combo guard/wing. Polley fills a void to start the season and it sounds like he should have a great senior season if he’s 100% (mentally and physically)

 

[pj]

Assuming Tyler Phommachanh is back to 100% health, he’s going to see a lot of minutes and has a lot of value to bring to the team. His shooting ability is elite relative to the college level.

I just hope he can stay healthy, he was really taking strides last year. People are talking like we have too much depth for Polley to get good playing time... we actually don’t have too much depth at the wing/forward with 3 and D abilities (yes, Tyler’s D improved quite a bit last season if you weren’t watching). Beyond that, Akok is coming off an achilles which isn’t easy to return from 100%.
And AJ is unproven at the moment (Hurley favors upperclassmen until the young guys earn their PT). And BA is more of a combo guard/wing. Polley fills a void to start the season and it sounds like he should have a great senior season if he’s 100% (mentally and physically)

You left out Tyrese Martin who will get significant minutes. With Bouk & BAdams able to play both 2 and 3, AJ as a classic 3, Martin and Polley as versatile forwards who can play 3 or 4, plus Akok, Springs, and Whaley as 4s, I'd say there's plenty of depth.

If you had to have a specifically 3-and-D role player, then Polley is best suited to it -- but how many of those guys do you need? One is enough.

 

[navery12]

I don’t think it’s semantics to say hurley would not play polley at the 4 last year. Even when asked he said he didn’t see it as a fit.
If you want to say when polley and Martin are on the floor together they are interchangeable that’s got some validity but not the point I was trying to make. That also gets you into how many minutes are they spending together on the court? Now he can be a 4 but only with certain personnel around him.

As others have pointed out it's not really worth getting hung up on what we call positions, but I'll bite. In the last game Polley played the lineup we had on the floor for multiple stretches was Gilbert, Bouknight, Vital, Polley, Akok with Polley at the 4

 

[Chin Diesel]

When it comes to Tyler Phommachanh and rebounding, look at film from last two seasons. Quite often when the opposing team shoots, Polley would go towards halfcourt and start filling a lane for a fast break or sprint to the corner for a corner 3 in transition. If I could notice that, I'm positive the coaches could see it and I believe it's what the coaches wanted. I don't think the coaches have had as much of an expectation for Tyler Phommachanh to be rebounding more as much as us fans do. With newer players and new positions and responsibilities Tyler Phommachanh may be asked to bang inside a bit more and grab boards. Fortunately with this team there appears to be enough talent to bring in another player if the starter isn't performing at the level expected.

 

[Huskyforlife]

The problem with Polley starting is it creates such a logjam at the 4/5. But he's obviously best suited for this team as the stretch 4. The Polley we know with such improved strength should be able to fight for boards he couldnt get in years past. Great problems.

 

[imno1]

First off don’t come at with some bs and try and make things personal, I’m simply saying what hurley said last year when asked about using polley as a stretch 4. When did he play the 4 last year?, and again if you respond try debating the point and don’t come at me like some type of tough guy

He was the starting 4 in the game he got injured.

 

[bendm]

This obsession with assigning guys to positions based on rebounding is baffling to me. How many times over the last several years have we had perimeter guys as some of our top rebounders? Was Vital the power forward last year, or do you just need to update your basketball analysis?

polley hasnt demonstrated he can play PF and it's primarily because he was one of the worst rebounders on the team. he's not as big of a liability on the boards when he's playing SF and matched up with smaller guys...not sure where you get lost in that analysis it's exceedingly straightforward

 

[Jbirdp5]

As others have pointed out it's not really worth getting hung up on what we call positions, but I'll bite. In the last game Polley played the lineup we had on the floor for multiple stretches was Gilbert, Bouknight, Vital, Polley, Akok with Polley at the 4

I am not hung up on positions so much but in using your reference he started every game next to akok and Carlton. If you look at the vast majority of minutes he was a wing and guarded wings from the other team.

 

[navery12]

I am not hung up on positions so much but in using your reference he started every game next to akok and Carlton. If you look at the vast majority of minutes he was a wing and guarded wings from the other team.

So then we agree, he'll split his time between the 3 and 4. It's really a moot point because the 3 and 4 have very similar roles in Hurley's system, they're both wings

 

[Jbirdp5]

He was the starting 4 in the game he got injured.

Brendan Adams played point guard in a pinch, is he now a 1?

 

[Jbirdp5]

So then we agree, he'll split his time between the 3 and 4. It's really a moot point because the 3 and 4 have very similar roles in Hurley's system, they're both wings

I agree with you in a lot of ways, but I think hurley will play 2 “bigs” more than a lot of people think, especially with the roster full of bigs.

 

[Psolo12]

I agree with you in a lot of ways, but I think hurley will play 2 “bigs” more than a lot of people think, especially with the roster full of bigs.

Think he'll play two bigs against teams like georgetown that go big, but Hurley's game is fast paced and stretching the floor. It's nice we have the flexibility to tailor our game to our opponent now.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Think he'll play two bigs against teams like georgetown that go big, but Hurley's game is fast paced and stretching the floor. It's nice we have the flexibility to tailor our game to our opponent now.

I also feel like hurley is still evolving as a coach and with his new ability to recruit higher quality players. Much like Calhoun went from small and quick to massive over his career hurley won’t be locked into any one style over his career

 

[auror]

First off don’t come at with some bs and try and make things personal, I’m simply saying what hurley said last year when asked about using polley as a stretch 4. When did he play the 4 last year?, and again if you respond try debating the point and don’t come at me like some type of tough guy

Polley's 3rd most played lineup last year was Gilbert, Vital, Adams, Polley, Carlton and 4th most was Gilbert, Vital, Adams, Polley, Akok. He had a few possessions with the same 4 and Whaley, but not as many. Then there are a few other lineups with the same core group but Bouknight or Gaffney inserted or whatever.

The beginning of the year starting lineup (Gilbert, Vital, Polley, Akok, Carlton) accounts for 40% of his total possessions. However, of the all the remaining lineup combinations outside of garbage time, 45% of them had him as a stretch 4 (about 25% of his total court time). I would consider that a substantial amount of time, regardless of what Hurley said.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Polley's 3rd most played lineup last year was Gilbert, Vital, Adams, Polley, Carlton and 4th most was Gilbert, Vital, Adams, Polley, Akok. He had a few possessions with the same 4 and Whaley, but not as many. Then there are a few other lineups with the same core group but Bouknight or Gaffney inserted or whatever.

The beginning of the year starting lineup (Gilbert, Vital, Polley, Akok, Carlton) accounts for 40% of his total possessions. However, of the all the remaining lineup combinations outside of garbage time, 45% of them had him as a stretch 4 (about 25% of his total court time). I would consider that a substantial amount of time, regardless of what Hurley said.

I appreciate the leg work, where did you find all this info?

 

[auror]

I appreciate the leg work, where did you find all this info?

Hoop-Explorer has a lineup analysis tool (and on/off). Play-by-play lineup data collection is very noisy and prone to small samples (especially for college basketball), so it's best not to try to draw TOO many conclusions. But it's useful for big picture stuff.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Hoop-Explorer has a lineup analysis tool (and on/off). Play-by-play lineup data collection is very noisy and prone to small samples (especially for college basketball), so it's best not to try to draw TOO many conclusions. But it's useful for big picture stuff.

I must not know how to read the data because the way I’m reading it there are many more possessions as a 3 than anything else I see 262 possessions with the top lineup and nothing else even close

 

[tennmike]

Think he'll play two bigs against teams like georgetown that go big, but Hurley's game is fast paced and stretching the floor. It's nice we have the flexibility to tailor our game to our opponent now.

Let's get good so they have to tailor their game to match ours.

 

[Improviser]

I never really paid attention to this while watching the games, but how was Polley's passing?

Did he facilitate ball movement or was he basically a catch and shoot player when he got the ball?

 

[imno1]

You asked and I quote "When did he play the 4" I provided an answer. On the other hand BA did not start one as a pg.

 

[bendm]

You asked and I quote "When did he play the 4" I provided an answer. But Tyler started a lot of games as a 4 last year. On the other hand BA did not start one as a pg.

better example: when we were down to 7players BA started games at the 4 or stretch 4 or PF or the 4th guard or whatever you want to call him (there are positional labels for a reason) yet no ones calling him a PF

 

[bendm]

As others have pointed out it's not really worth getting hung up on what we call positions, but I'll bite. In the last game Polley played the lineup we had on the floor for multiple stretches was Gilbert, Bouknight, Vital, Polley, Akok with Polley at the 4

but you know this was out of desperation and that akok is not a legit center either. perhaps the slightest/weakest lineup in uconn history.

So then we agree, he'll split his time between the 3 and 4. it's really a moot point because the 3 and 4 have very similar roles in Hurley's system, they're both wings

the stretch 4 plays like a wing on offense sure but he still has to play D against other average sized PFs. akok is so much better equipped to do that than polley they arent interchangeable

 

[navery12]

but you know this was out of desperation and that akok is not a legit center either. perhaps the slightest/weakest lineup in uconn history.

the stretch 4 plays like a wing on offense sure but he still has to play D against other average sized PFs. akok is so much better equipped to do that than polley they arent interchangeable

It wasn't out of desperation, we had our team at full strength for the game I was talking about that you quoted. You can read Auror's post above about how it was true across multiple lineups that Hurley was playing him at the 4.

There will obviously be games Polley is a bad matchup at the 4 and luckily we have tons of options to work with. But these big PFs you talk about are just not on a lot of the Big East teams. Creighton started a 6'5 200 pound 4 (and a 6'7 205 pound "5"). Villanova was running out Samuels/Bey/Swider all together. Seton Hall had a mix of Rhoden/Mamu at the 4, both who stretch the floor and play on the perimeter. I could keep going but the point is most teams are playing the 4 as a wing

 

[glastonbury50]

I never really paid attention to this while watching the games, but how was Polley's passing?

Did he facilitate ball movement or was he basically a catch and shoot player when he got the ball?

Catch and shoot

 

[bendm]

But these big PFs you talk about are just not on a lot of the Big East teams.

i'm not saying our PF has to be "big" i think martin is our best option at PF until akok comes back and he's just a much more competent rebounder and defender compared to polley