What I Want for the Off Season Improvements

[Chin Diesel]

Standards stuff of rebounding, shooting range, etc. I get it. They have one thing in common.

This year's team wasn't explosive in coming off screens, trying to find a body to box out or anything else.

After three seasons I think Ollie is a coach that wants to find players to run his system more than a coach that will flex to fit his players.

This year's team did an overall poor job of accelerating through picks and screens. The byproduct was players catching the ball not in position to shoot or dribble past a defender. They'd catch the ball while trying to get their feet set which gives the defense a break. Ideally the UConn player can accelerate to the spot and have feet set while receiving the ball ready to shoot or dribble past the scrambling defender.

It also applies on the rebounding end. A half step faster to the spot allows the UConn player to get to the spot, identify the defender, put a body on him and jump straight up for the rebound or get an over the back call. Too often UConn players were scrambling to get to the spot and were flat footed while the opponent was jumping.

Squats, lunges and lower body explosion exercises. Put the parachute harness on them, leg weights, weighted vests, etc. I'm not worried about broad shoulders or 24 inch python biceps. Functional muscles in the lower body and core is what you need for basketball.

 

[dogpause]

It really bothers me that this team seemed as if it hardly improved from October. I've just never seen a UConn team that looked so poorly coached, and every other team we played looked better coached and more fundamentally sound.

This doesn't mean the coaches were necessarily at fault, but we seemed so lacking in so many aspects of the game and it continued all season long. When players don't improve, who do you blame?

Was it a chemistry thing? Maybe, but usually word leaks out when that is the problem. Just a very perplexing and very disappointing season.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Really don't want to knock ollie. But the lack of progression across the board is alarming. Did any player get any better as the season went along? Facey, samuel, brimah, omar? None of them got a lick better. Shockingly I think phil actually improved the most. Although the starting point was very low. Purvis came on at the end which is encouraging.

KO was dealt a tough hand. He got a team that couldn't shoot and had zero low post offense. Tough to do much with that. But it is alarming that we literally can't even inbounds the ball and the offense was this abysmal all season and showed zero signs of improvement.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Purvis and DHam both got better.

Crazy as it sounds, Phil technically improved too. Unfortunately for Phil he improved from completely useless to useless/neutral.

Even Omar's defense got better. But Facey and TSam regressed overall and became less useful as the season went progressed.

Amidah didn't improve at all.

Rock improved to the point of playing useful minutes.

 

[buddy]

Purvis and DHam both got better.

Crazy as it sounds, Phil technically improved too. Unfortunately for Phil he improved from completely useless to useless/neutral.

Even Omar's defense got better. But Facey and TSam regressed overall and became less useful as the season went progressed.

Amidah didn't improve at all.

Rock improved to the point of playing useful minutes.

I think that they played to their capabilities and you have to give them credit for that. It seemed to me that the opponents were bigger and stronger than the team that UConn was able to field. That took it's toll over the many games, lengthy travel, and sometimes uneven officiating. Can't really blame the players. They tried their best.