We Have a Problem at Point Guard | Page 2 | The Boneyard

We Have a Problem at Point Guard

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.
:cool:
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
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.
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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.
 
UConnDad said:
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.
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Gaffney’s defense isn’t as horrible as your painting it out to be by any stretch. Locked down tonight almost as much as Cole. I’ll take Gaff defense and his potential on offense than Cole’s pretty much non-existent offensive game right now. Gaff has a good chance to develop too. Cole may be what he is at this point. If something changes, great- hope we have 2 decent PGs but I don’t like what I’m seeing from Cole on offense at all right now.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
Spaceman213J said:
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.
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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.
 
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
 
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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.
 
UConnDad said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
XLCenterFan said:
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.
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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!
 
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RayRay said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
AuRevoirAAC said:
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.
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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.
 
freescooter said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
UConnSwag11 said:
Our pg situation is not a problem.
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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.
 
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XLCenterFan said:
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.
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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.
 
mauconnfan said:
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!
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The run in the first half where we got blitzed was with Gaffney in the game and Bouknight out.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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Seems weird that being a former PG, Dan Hurley 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
 
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