We Have a Problem at Point Guard

[freescooter]

Our PG continues to win us games with his defense. RJ Cole might actually be one of the best on ball defenders I’ve ever seen in UConn history.

Huh? I’m guessing you haven’t followed UConn basketball that long. It’s not even worth going through the list, but just for kicks, go back and look at Ricky Moore some day. Or ask Coach K about him. LOL. Hell, you don’t need to go back that far. Napier could lock guys down.

You sound like a baseball fan defending his favorite player who is at first base and hitting .200. Well yeah but how many games has he won with his glove? RJ Cole wasnt brought in to be a lockdown defender. He was brought in to play point and give us a second option after Bouknight. He is barely adequate at the first and below average as a scorer. He didn’t win any games with his defense. He lost one with his foul shooting.

 

[AuRevoirAAC]

Huh? I’m guessing you haven’t followed UConn basketball that long. It’s not even worth going through the list, but just for kicks, go back and look at Ricky Moore some day. Or ask Coach K about him. LOL. Hell, you don’t need to go back that far. Napier could lock guys down.

You sound like a baseball fan defending his favorite player who is at first base and hitting .200. Well yeah but how many games has he won with his glove? RJ Cole wasnt brought in to be a lockdown defender. He was brought in to play point and give us a second option after Bouknight. He is barely adequate at the first and below average as a scorer. He didn’t win any games with his defense. He lost one with his foul shooting.

Season ticket holder at both locations since 1990. Attended 3 of the 4 title games.

To use your analogy, you sound like a baseball fan who doesn’t actually watch the game.

I challenge you to go back and watch the game replay. Keep your eye on RJ during our second half run. Best defensive player on the floor by miles.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Twenty or so years ago I went to an early season blowout at HCC and Chad Wise (RIP) had a few nice plays, a dunk coming down the lane and a decent game statistically. An older gentleman sitting directly in front of me at the end of the game stated "I like this Wise kid, I think he's going to do big things for us". Now we all know who else was on the roster at that point and how the season would end up but at that second, this gentleman had put expectations on Chad's shoulders that were very unrealistic.

I feel as though for some, the expectations of RJ and Gaff are along the same lines as that gentleman's of Chad to a degree.

RJ is looking like a mid-major player trying too hard to prove all of the scouts wrong. We don't need "All-MEAC" RJ, we need senior leadership and good decisions out of him. Right now, I think he's trying to be the guy who routinely torched Hampton and Bethune-Cookman. Those caliber of teams are not walking into the gym anymore so he needs to adjust his game a bit.

Gaff I think will be okay eventually but it's six games into a really weird season so I give him a little bit of a pass...for now. I think he's playing 'not to get subbed in for' which is holding him back.

 

[Lefty2one]

Our pg situation is not a problem.

I appreciate the positivity, but our two point guards together are posting the following numbers in 53 MPG:

.309 FG
.326 3PT
16.0 PPG
5.6 APG
3.3 TPG

They have 26 FGs in six games. Neither can finish at the rim. Both can defend and make their FT (save the Cole dig) but leave a lot to be desired. Cole is struggling in ways I expected to see. The Big East is a massive step up from the MEAC. He can hang defensively but looks overwhelmed and limited on the offensive end.

We stayed in the Creighton game because Bouk played like the best player in America and we won tonight because Polley turned into Klay Thompson. We cannot rely on world-beating performances to win games.

Our point guard situation is a problem and it's been apparent in every game we've played this year.

 

[Excalibur]

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 eye test says the offense is better with Cole on the floor. Last night was Gaffney's best game this year, and probably Cole's worst -- and the offense was still better with Cole out there.

 

[Excalibur]

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!

The run in the first half where we got blitzed was with Gaffney in the game and Bouknight out.

 

[Milo65]

This team is defensively sound and deep, Cole is a big part of that! It will keep us in games. Unfortunately, we need another scorer. Polley stretching the floor last night was a huge step forward if his shooting is consistent. We have some nice bulk down low, but no real inside scoring threat. We have some nice perimeter players, but no real shooting threat (unless Polley is consistent). Teams that can effectively limit dribble penetration will give us a hard time. We are a team that likes to penetrate, dish, and/or draw fouls. The evolution and maturation of Polley is key.

 

[Kemba Time]

There's a huge difference between holding out hope that Gaffney can turn into something, lack of practice time is an issue or he's still developing and those saying things like there's some eye test that proves he's a better option than Cole and should be our PG.

In four games against Power 6 teams this season, Gaffney's line is:

4.75 points per game in just over 20 minutes.
20% FG
22% 3FG
5 assists to 6 turnovers.

That is simply not a usable player at this level, and that's why the minutes split has become what it is and why Hurley took him out for the rest of the game at the first sign he was overwhelmed in the second half last night.

 

[gtcam]

Seems weird that being a former PG, DH has these two guys as his PGs
I thought that Gaff, off of last year, would show improvement. However he went on the Josh Carlton weight gain regime and has lost much of his foot speed and that spells bad news for a PG.
Cole is simply not a PG nor does it look as if he desires to fit that role. I feel he looks at himself as a scorer but that has not come through as of yet.
Next year we may have an answer at the PG but with the team playing a high level of defense there stands a chance for them to be very good but the half court game is not a good look offensively right now.
BIG WIN LAST NIGHT so maybe an added bit of confidence will shake things up and provide for a more even effort.
Thank you Mr Polley - it was great to see you come alive

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Having two capable point guards that haven't taken control of the spot, and we're still winning games, is a pretty good "problem" to have.

Can't wait til one of Gaffney or Cole figure out their game...at least one of them will.

 

[DayDayTFS]

The run in the first half where we got blitzed was with Gaffney in the game and Bouknight out.

The game is played by 5 players per team (strange I know). when the run happened we had a bizarre lineup in where literally nobody wanted the ball. Can’t just blame him.

 

[SubbaBub]

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.

I don't think this is quite right. Applies more to the Ollie era guards. Hurley is running a different offense that requires this to move the defense. The test is how successful they are at getting the ball into scoring positions inside or creating driving lanes. If we are taking contested threes at the end of the clock, that is a sign of not getting it done.

This is where Cole gets in trouble, but even he does it less often than AG and CV did as underclassmen. Cole just needs to run the offense and trust hus teammates as better scoring options. He'll still get shots, just not as the first or second option.

 

[Excalibur]

The game is played by 5 players per team (strange I know). when the run happened we had a bizarre lineup in where literally nobody wanted the ball. Can’t just blame him.

No, but that same lineup with Cole replacing Gaffney did pretty well in the 2nd half . . .

We are better with Cole on the floor. Not saying he's been great, but objectively better than Gaffney.

 

[GoDAWGS]

Not to rain on the parade, but a huge takeaway from this game is we have a problem at PG.

It looked like Hurley wanted to get Gaffney some minutes and confidence in the second half but just couldn’t trust him down the stretch.

Carton is a stud and had a beautiful step back jumper and could finish at the rim. I hope we can get something like that out of either gaffney or Cole.

Im gonna say this is a bad take, Rj played a great point, his on ball defense was superior to cartons. Rj is an incredible defender that needs to figure out how to score, but he managed the point really well. I wouldn't want anything carton lol kid disappeared

 

[GoDAWGS]

What has Cole done to show you it shouldn’t be Gaff’s job right now?

Hes played some of the best defense that UConns ever seen, he just played point guard in a 18 point comeback 11 point win

 

[methodology]

Our PG continues to win us games with his defense. RJ Cole might actually be one of the best on ball defenders I’ve ever seen in UConn history.

lol Ricky Moore and others would eat his lunch

 

[SubbaBub]

I appreciate the positivity, but our two point guards together are posting the following numbers in 53 MPG:

.309 FG
.326 3PT
16.0 PPG
5.6 APG
3.3 TPG

They have 26 FGs in six games. Neither can finish at the rim. Both can defend and make their FT (save the Cole dig) but leave a lot to be desired. Cole is struggling in ways I expected to see. The Big East is a massive step up from the MEAC. He can hang defensively but looks overwhelmed and limited on the offensive end.

We stayed in the Creighton game because Bouk played like the best player in America and we won tonight because Polley turned into Klay Thompson. We cannot rely on world-beating performances to win games.

Our point guard situation is a problem and it's been apparent in every game we've played this year.

Shooting 31/33%. Just stop shooting so much guys and we cease having this discussion. Watch tape of Talik, Ricky, and a host of other great UConn PGs.

There are many ways to impact a game. Both can shoot under the right circumstances. Volume shooting isn't part of eithers game right now.

Talent isn't a problem here. Play aggressive, disciplined ball and we win. That's been pretty clear.

 

[Waquoit]

It’s called the eye test.

They have some good drops now, you know.

 

[QDOG5]

I prefer Cole over Gaffney right now. I think he's better at both ends of the floor. Cole deserves the larger chunk of minutes through six games. He was the better of the two last night.

 

[Waquoit]

I appreciate the positivity, but our two point guards together are posting the following numbers in 53 MPG:

.309 FG
.326 3PT
16.0 PPG
5.6 APG
3.3 TPG

Those look like Vital's stats last year.

 

[87Xfer]

My take is that neither Cole nor Gaff is ever going to be remembered as a great UConn point guard. But by BE tourney time, one or both will be good enough that we can win games consistently. Hell, we're winning games now. But with a little PG improvement there won't be as many cringey minutes.

 

[husky429]

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.

Cole was in the game for the beginning and end of that run. Are we just making things up now?

 

[NJHusky]

There's a huge difference between holding out hope that Gaffney can turn into something, lack of practice time is an issue or he's still developing and those saying things like there's some eye test that proves he's a better option than Cole and should be our PG.

In four games against Power 6 teams this season, Gaffney's line is:

4.75 points per game in just over 20 minutes.
20% FG
22% 3FG
5 assists to 6 turnovers.

That is simply not a usable player at this level, and that's why the minutes split has become what it is and why Hurley took him out for the rest of the game at the first sign he was overwhelmed in the second half last night.

You know what they say about statistics....look who Cole is playing with and who Gaff is playing with. I've not counted, but it seems like Gaff looses 3-5 assists per game because guys can't catch or finish sometimes

 

[XLCenterFan]

Cole was in the game for the beginning and end of that run. Are we just making things up now?

The run started with about 16 min left in the half and went til there were about 8 min left. In this span we went from down 18 to up 1. Is there anywhere we can see which players were in during this time frame. I distinctly remember watching the comeback and thinking to myself “probably because Cole isn’t in.” It was either that or he barely touched the ball. Either way - good for us.

 

[selles]

The run in the first half where we got blitzed was with Gaffney in the game and Bouknight out.

True, but Gaffney actually played ok during that run. Most possessions we got a decent shot, it wasn't his fault that Martin and Carlton were having a tough time putting the ball in the net. At least we weren't aimlessly tossing the ball around the perimeter.

I think it's apparent that Hurley took Gaffney aside at some point earlier this year and told him that he needs to create more on offense. Because of their relative sizes, Gaff has potential to create offense through penetration that Cole does not.

Against Depaul, he played a much different style than normal. He was very aggressive looking to drive and at times out of control. All part of the (painful) process of taking the next step in developing the type of game we need from him. Gaining confidence in what to do off a drive is probably the most difficult skillset for a young point to master. Last night he was again more aggressive, but he was also more in control and - while it wasn't great - it was an improvement over Depaul.

My guess is that Gaffney will improve a great deal over the next month, and that in March our winning time lineup will feature Cole (whose defense really has been a wonderful surprise), Gaffney and Bouk all on the court together.