We Need a Shakeup

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Purvis is wildly inconsistent and I don't know what Hamilton is doing sometimes. We've given Purvis and Hamilton plenty of time to take the reins of this team and lead with consistent play. They are simply not meeting expectations. Let's bring Purvis and Hamilton off the bench for a little while, because obviously whatever the hell we are running offensively is not working. Maybe this will piss them off and light a fire under their ass, and sends a message to the entire team. Start a lineup of Adams, Gibbs, Calhoun, Miller/Facey/Nolan. Worst case scenario we play just as poorly as we already are, but Adams builds some confidence and Ollie says "Hey Jalen, this is your team now, but let's run some f*king plays"

Not saying it's a long term solution, but we need to try something radically different.

 

[UConnStats]

Hamilton is a big part of our struggles vs the zone over the past couple of years. He's our primary ball handler, but his handle isn't tight enough to penetrate a zone. We're stuck moving the ball around the perimeter. We need penetration. Against the zone we have to use Gibbs or Adams to run the offense.

Hamilton will turn it around eventually. Our poor shooting% will improve and that will help us win games where we hold out opponents to 60 points, but our offense in general against the zone needs to stop running through Hamilton. If you want Hamilton's passing ability as a focal point, stick him on the free throw line and pass to him upon penetrating. Hamilton can't do the driving and passing while two defenders collapse on him though.

UCLA had similar issues against the zone with Kyle Anderson running the offense for the same reason.

 

[InKembaITrust]

I'm sorry but I just don't see this happening or being a positive solution to this team right now. This team needs a consistent starting lineup to build desperately needed chemistry at this point in the season.

I do however agree with you on benching these guys when they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing as leaders and "best" players on the team.

Ollie needs to learn to bench people, no matter who they are, when they make bonehead mistakes that cost the team a basket here and a basket there.

This is the major difference between Ollie and Calhoun. I feel that b/c Ollie is an ex-player, and knows how it feels to be benched after a bonehead mistake, he's reluctant to do that to his players and feels they will just figure it out after the fact. WRONG! One mistake with Calhoun and you are going straight to the bench, PERIOD. This needs to happen more with Ollie moving forward if he wants to build more consistency and discipline with this pampered team.

 

[3rdbass]

Purvis is wildly inconsistent and I don't know what Hamilton is doing sometimes. We've given Purvis and Hamilton plenty of time to take the reins of this team and lead with consistent play. They are simply not meeting expectations. Let's bring Purvis and Hamilton off the bench for a little while, because obviously whatever the hell we are running offensively is not working. Maybe this will piss them off and light a fire under their ass, and sends a message to the entire team. Start a lineup of Adams, Gibbs, Calhoun, Miller/Facey/Nolan. Worst case scenario we play just as poorly as we already are, but Adams builds some confidence and Ollie says "Hey Jalen, this is your team now, but let's run some f*king plays"

Not saying it's a long term solution, but we need to try something radically different.

Lay off the pipe. Any suggestion of taking our best player and our best scorer to the bench is not going to improve this team. Even a mention of Nolan starting has to be a joke. I think we start RP, SG, JA, DHAM and SM and just see where we can go. That is our best offensive unit by far. DHAM is going to have to play better since there is a huge drop off to OMAR. I rather have Kelis Fisher come off the bench as he provides zero offense and we really need to space the floor on offense inside.

 

[upstater]

We need to do the opposite of what this thread suggests. We need a 6 man rotation until Brimah comes back and makes it a 7 man rotation. No more crazy unbalanced lineups. Force our best players to figure it out by staying on the court together. Nolan comes in to give Facey a breather if he has foul trouble, but only Jalen Adams rotates in.

 

[tykurez]

Prior to last night's game ... Rodney Purvis was shooting over 45% from three while scoring 15+ points per game. Only UConn player to do that in the last 20 years: Ray Allen.

Let's bench that kid.

 

[cohenzone]

The principal issue is wildly inconsistent ball movement. It doesn't help when Purvis or Hamilton or, for that matter, Gibbs, have to force a shot with the clock running down. There are times when our ball movement against the zone looks sharp and produces good shots. There are long stretches without ball movement, too much dribbling and either forced or aimless drives to the hoop or forced jumpers. There should be a purpose that makes sense in every possession to improve the chances of a better shot. Now Hamilton looks almost desperate to score, and I think he misses Brimah on his penetration. It just seems as if there is no real scheme to our zone offense.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Hey, lets sit down the team's two best players this year. That'll shake things up. Also, let's see what Foxen can do running the point.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

This Teams complete inability to drive to the rim has closed down almost all options for us offensively. Kemba/Shabazz and even Boatright had the ability to drive into the lane, dish to an open player at 3 point line when available, finish at the rim or turn around and pull it back out if necessary and reset. Not having anyone who can do this has changed the entire program. We are now a mediocre team stuck in a mid major conference. Without this option we need to focus on other things, setting more screens, creating shots for others, some back door passes. The Pro style offense is a failure without a point guard.

 

[Jerry1714]

The OPs idea is pure insanity. Jalen Adams offensive efficiency rating is the lowest on our team and his turnover ratio is the highest (outside of Facey and Nolan), but yes lets give the team to him as a means to fix our issues on offense.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Prior to last night's game ... Rodney Purvis was shooting over 45% from three while scoring 15+ points per game. Only UConn player to do that in the last 20 years: Ray Allen.

Let's bench that kid.

He's the one guy I'm willing to cut slack for last night. It's his firs bad game in a long time. Hamilton though, has had several bad games in a row. He has to stop handling the ball. He looks to me like a guy proving he has the handle to play SG in the NBA. He doesn't. He's a great passer and good midrange shooter and amazing athlete and rebounder for his size. He needs to get the ball at the foul line via the pass. No more dribbling into the zone.

 

[sledog]

pene- trat'- ion. Forget the hail mary 3s - not working anytime soon

 

[joober jones]

Lay off the pipe. Any suggestion of taking our best player and our best scorer to the bench is not going to improve this team. Even a mention of Nolan starting has to be a joke. I think we start RP, SG, JA, DHAM and SM and just see where we can go. That is our best offensive unit by far. DHAM is going to have to play better since there is a huge drop off to OMAR. I rather have Kelis Fisher come off the bench as he provides zero offense and we really need to space the floor on offense inside.

Nolan did start once this year.

 

[willie99]

I think we just need Kevin to act like a father figure, exercise some tough love and lead the team from the sidelines with emotional and mental toughness

While JC use to beat his kids (proverbially speaking), KO is a timeout (go sit in your room for 10 mintes) coach. JC was the father, KO wants to be their best friend.

I loved JC's methodology, some didn't. If he doesn't want to be JC, I'm OK with that. But for heaven's sake, when they're making one bone headed play after another and hoisting one bad shot after another and looking disjointed for extended periods of time, DO SOMETHING other than pouting on the bench.

I can't watch the pouting anymore, it's tearing me part

 

[3rdbass]

Nolan did start once this year.

Yes, but that isn't going to work that often as witnessed by most of his games.

 

[Burnsbros23]

Run plays? That's something we have never done

 

[Marty Jackson]

I remember during the nc run, Ollie would be on the sidelines, almost acting like a sixth player. On defense, you'd think he was guarding the sideline the way he was crouched, and moving around. The commentators even mentioned this and the energy he brings.

Today, more often than not, he's glued to his chair and you wouldn't know who the coach is if you never saw him before. His facial expression is sometimes that of a disinterested spectator.

Big difference, and I think a large part of the inconsistency. College teams need a leader at the helm. Ollie is still very young in his coaching career so he's still developing his style and approach. Maybe he needs to look back at the tapes from that season to see himself and how engaged and dominant he was on the sidelines.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Lay off the pipe. Any suggestion of taking our best player and our best scorer to the bench is not going to improve this team. Even a mention of Nolan starting has to be a joke. I think we start RP, SG, JA, DHAM and SM and just see where we can go. That is our best offensive unit by far. DHAM is going to have to play better since there is a huge drop off to OMAR. I rather have Kelis Fisher come off the bench as he provides zero offense and we really need to space the floor on offense inside.

Yeah, has to be a joke. Maybe I should lay off the pipe.

 

[3rdbass]

Yeah, has to be a joke. Maybe I should lay off the pipe.

Well I will say I was wrong but you were also about DHAM. He played a lot better today and kept us in the game while SG stepped us to carry us. RP is now in the huge funk.

 

[sledog]

If it's any help. I'm shakin' the Manhattans as we speak.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Well I will say I was wrong but you were also about DHAM. He played a lot better today and kept us in the game while SG stepped us to carry us. RP is now in the huge funk.

DHam looked better today, but he still looks erratic at times. Purvis is just way too inconsistent. Over his 1.5 years of playing here, we can confirm he is a streaky player who will never make it at the NBA level. It's nice when he's hitting shots, but we can't rely on him game-in and game-out. We need to him to play more of a SF, making shots in the lane.
As many mistakes as Adams makes, I really think we will see the team we want to see when Gibbs and Adams are leading the charge.