We Have a Problem at Point Guard

[Dabutlerdidit]

They will be better versions of themselves by end of month.. and it will be good enough for where we want to go

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

It's our weakness, no way around it until one of them steps up. Andre might've been the solution in a normal season.

I thought the weakness was Whaley at the 4.

 

[UConnDad]

Let’s see, Cole guards his man. Gaff chases his man after he goes by him. Cole runs the offense, Gaff is afraid and can’t wait to be rid of the ball. Cole plays with some urgency while Gaff dribbles just over half court.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I like Cole when he is under control and is more of a spot up guy.

On the Gaff 3 point attempt, Adams has to make the pass quicker. I would also like to see Gaff pull up at the top of the key once in awhile.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I like Cole when he is under control and is more of a spot up guy.

On the Gaff 3 point attempt, Adams has to make the pass quicker. I would also like to see Gaff pull up at the top of the key once in awhile.

Yup, we should run our offense through Bouk and Martin, let them penetrate bc they’re apparently the only ones who can, and have Cole as a spot up shooter. I’d also like to see more post touches, it worked with Sanogo in the early going then we just got away from it.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

this is what a team looks like.
this team has all the parts that are needed to win this year.
our rebounding is dominant. our d is superior. akok returns.
heck, even messrs carlton and whaley handle in the middle of the court, while on the run.

 

[wheelerdog]

Gaffney should be showing more at this point. Hes had a lot of opportunities and he still looks like a deer in the headlights

He's a sophomore 6 games into a season that's seen two shutdowns. Let's give him a break.

 

[Spaceman213J]

Yup, we should run our offense through Bouk and Martin, let them penetrate bc they’re apparently the only ones who can, and have Cole as a spot up shooter. I’d also like to see more post touches, it worked with Sanogo in the early going then we just got away from it.

The problem is when Sanogo and Carlton comes in. I love how Carlton is playing this year, but he often makes up his mind that he is going to shoot as soon as he catches the ball, and kicking it out has never been a strength of his.

 

[Deepster]

My prediction is half the board argues for Cole and the other half argues for Gaffney for the rest of the season

The same board that hated on Taliek Brown.

 

[stevesancho]

We just need one of them to play point guard and not try to be the 2nd scorer...that feels more like gaffney ito me. Cole tries to do too much and gaffney does what is needed, makes the right play / doesn’t force much. We have good scorers in other places, just need our point to facilitate. Gaffney better suited for that.

 

[LIuconn]

Gaff has to pull up from 10-15 feet instead of trying to thread passes

 

[Palatine]

Cole is a confident player. Gaffney isn't, not just yet. That's the difference.

Hurley expects Cole to have a 20 point game soon. Hurley is bringing Gaff along. That's another difference.

Everyone needs to relax about this. They are both going to play and contribute. Cole will have some big games. Gaff will come along and, perhaps, have some big games. But both Cole and Gaff are important pieces.

 

[BParkDog]

On the Gaff 3 point attempt, Adams has to make the pass quicker. I would also like to see Gaff pull up at the top of the key once in awhile.

This is a sophisticated take. Hurley, I'm sure, saw this live, but, if not, he'll see it on the tape. The pass got to Gaffney a bit too late, which forced him to hurry. His decision to shoot it was not the problem.

As a coach, it's critical to look at decision making and execution, and not results. The box score will show that Gaffney missed a 3. That's the result. The decision making to shoot was sound, iirc, because the shot clock was winding down. The execution by Gaff was reasonable - he got the shot off and it had a chance. The issue was that the hockey pass got stalled at the 2nd passer. Not sure if Adams mishandled it or didn't read the next pass early enough, but that was the issue with that play.

I also agree with you that I would like to see Gaff shoot from straight away.

I'm not sure if the light is going to come on for him this year, but I think he's a very nice player, and, with some seasoning, I think he's going to be very, very good for us.

 

[BrassBonanza]

Gaff can make some passes over the top of the hedge/trap that Cole just can't see. I like them both but agree we need a bit more from each

 

[HooperScooper]

It's the biggest weakness on the team. Hopefully diggins can come in and be a facilitator right off the bat.

Yeah but I want them to win this season. I'll worry about next season next season.

 

[Burnsbros23]

It's our weakness, no way around it until one of them steps up. Andre might've been the solution in a normal season.

Andre who? Jackson? You gotta be kidding

 

[Huskyforlife]

I thought the weakness was Whaley at the 4.

It is, obviously I meant our weakest position. But you knew that.

 

[UconnU]

We’re good enough at the wing and front court all we need is a game manager really.

I have noticed that RJ Cole, like many other undersized guards in today’s game, has trouble finishing in the paint and is increasingly settling for contested 3s.

 

[SubbaBub]

Let’s see, Cole guards his man. Gaff chases his man after he goes by him. Cole runs the offense, Gaff is afraid and can’t wait to be rid of the ball. Cole plays with some urgency while Gaff dribbles just over half court.

Afraid is the wrong word, but the sentimenr is correct. Gaff isn't playing with confidence and looks slower of foot and mind than he should.

Cole is a defensive plus player and should be the starting PG based on that alone. He can also put pressure on the defense with the ball. He, for the love of JC, needs to stop looking for his shot like he is Kobe. He can knock down open spot ups and has a decent, not great, mid range game. He can't reliablly take people off the dribble or score at the rim. The entire comeback was a bright spotlight on this, because he completely stayed away from it.

If it's not Bouk, we score by going inside to the bigs, hitting the offensive glass or kicking it out if Polley or Martin show a hot hand. We've seen enough to know this should be the gameplan.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Thank you @kansashusky. I’ve been saying this from day 1. Glad you started this thread and not me. I’d be getting dumped on. Cole is barley AAC material, forget BE. I like Gaff running point much better for us. And I don’t want any stats thrown in my face. It’s called the eye test. That run last night was basically all without Cole in the game.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Our pg situation is not a problem. Finding a consistent second scorer is the problem. Hurley not taking a timeout to stop an opponent's run is the problem. Hurley putting horrible lineups out there is the problem.

If Cole is out, Bouknight can't be out. If Bouknight is out, Cole can't be out. If Whaley is out, bot Cole and Bouknight can't be out.

 

[mauconnfan]

Thank you @kansashusky. I’ve been saying this from day 1. Glad you started this thread and not me. I’d be getting dumped on. Cole is barley AAC material, forget BE. I like Gaff running point much better for us. And I don’t want any stats thrown in my face. It’s called the eye test. That run last night was basically all without Cole in the game.

The run was without Cole? Lol he played 30 minutes to 13 for Gaffney. He did what he had to do during the run, play defense and get the ball where it was needed to keep the flow. He kind of stayed out of the way of the offense because others were making plays and that’s fine. He played tough defense on Carton as well as anyone he switched on making him a very solid piece during the run. For now it’s not close he’s a much better defender which is the separation , neither is great at getting to the lane to make plays and for now neither a great shooter. But I have no doubt Cole will make shots and can. He’s the right guy for now and again, it’s not close especially in the eye test. But the OP is correct, this position is not as strong as we’d like at this point of the season. Need them both to step up their games.

But a great win!

 

[freescooter]

I thought gaffney really showed his potential in short stretches tonight but then he ends up having a bad turnover. I hope we can get more of that good gaffney more consistently. Cole has me concerned too. He’s a guy you can trust to not turn it over much but he’s having a hard time scoring and setting up guys in good spots to score.

I thought the comment of the night came from one of the tv guys. Cole went inside and got stuffed. He said “that’s the difference between the MEAC and the Big East.” Cole is a good mid-major player. He also has this odd shot where he keeps the ball low and everything looks like a line drive. At UConn he is over his head. I don’t know what to make of Gaffney. He looks very good at times but does dumb things at others. I thought he was more aggressive last night than he has been all year,but I still get the sense he is looking over his shoulder afraid if he makes a mistake he is done lots of the time.

 

[Kenny11]

Our PG’s are either passing it around the perimeter aimlessly or probing with the dribble and not really getting anywhere. I think they just need to be more aggressive.