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Just thought I'd throw this topic out there for discussion.
My answer:
1. Start the game with more intensity - They've had the bad habit of getting out of the gate slowly and playing with a lack of energy. I don't know why. Against the better teams, they run the risk of falling behind early and possibly digging a hole too big to crawl out of. It can expend a lot of energy to catch-up and sometimes even if you do so late, you run the risk of running out of energy and getting clipped again at the very end. Let's see them take some games against good teams wire-to-wire. Not that this has been happening a lot, but I simply would like to see them play the same way the do at the end of the first half and during the middle of the 2nd half, throughout the entire game.
2. More inside/outside scoring balance - I thought they began to show improvement the last couple games and would like to continue to see this trend.
3. More transition game - I think it's important they continue to work on and improve their half-court execution, but I'd like to see them begin to generate more transition opportunities leading to easy baskets. We have the athletes. They not only need to get more of these types of opportunities, but also need to improve their execution. Too many times the handler is selfishly taking the shot. Sometimes that's the best option since a pass does have its risks, but they've had a few charges, TOs and misses where the pass would have been the better choice. A little more running and a little less selfishness will go a long way.
4. Better movement in the half-court - It seems they still do a little too much standing around for my taste. Wear out opponent by making them move on D, plus open up more scoring opportunities in the half-court.
5. Improved perimeter/help D - Our guards are losing their man far too often and when they do, our Bigs haven't consistently stepped up and closed off the driving lanes. SJU got way too many lay-ups and dunks on us. I don't want to see that again. UConn's defensive FG% is still among the best in the nation, but the eye test tells me there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Lots of ball yet to be played and time to improve on the above and whatever the rest of you come up with. This is not meant to be an opportunity to bash our team, but to point out where we'd like to see continued improvement. So far we saw the 2011 Huskies. I'm looking forward to seeing the 2012 one come into form as the season goes on.
My answer:
1. Start the game with more intensity - They've had the bad habit of getting out of the gate slowly and playing with a lack of energy. I don't know why. Against the better teams, they run the risk of falling behind early and possibly digging a hole too big to crawl out of. It can expend a lot of energy to catch-up and sometimes even if you do so late, you run the risk of running out of energy and getting clipped again at the very end. Let's see them take some games against good teams wire-to-wire. Not that this has been happening a lot, but I simply would like to see them play the same way the do at the end of the first half and during the middle of the 2nd half, throughout the entire game.
2. More inside/outside scoring balance - I thought they began to show improvement the last couple games and would like to continue to see this trend.
3. More transition game - I think it's important they continue to work on and improve their half-court execution, but I'd like to see them begin to generate more transition opportunities leading to easy baskets. We have the athletes. They not only need to get more of these types of opportunities, but also need to improve their execution. Too many times the handler is selfishly taking the shot. Sometimes that's the best option since a pass does have its risks, but they've had a few charges, TOs and misses where the pass would have been the better choice. A little more running and a little less selfishness will go a long way.
4. Better movement in the half-court - It seems they still do a little too much standing around for my taste. Wear out opponent by making them move on D, plus open up more scoring opportunities in the half-court.
5. Improved perimeter/help D - Our guards are losing their man far too often and when they do, our Bigs haven't consistently stepped up and closed off the driving lanes. SJU got way too many lay-ups and dunks on us. I don't want to see that again. UConn's defensive FG% is still among the best in the nation, but the eye test tells me there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Lots of ball yet to be played and time to improve on the above and whatever the rest of you come up with. This is not meant to be an opportunity to bash our team, but to point out where we'd like to see continued improvement. So far we saw the 2011 Huskies. I'm looking forward to seeing the 2012 one come into form as the season goes on.
