Why don't we run?

[BigErnMcCracken]

We don’t run because RJ Cole is a turtle

I'm not going to pin it on any one player but if you watched the game today and your takeaway is that Cole is responsible for the team's pace of play I don't know what to tell you.

 

[tzznandrew]

You didn’t respond to the point. Sheffer and Knight were most clearly below average high D1 college basketball athletes. I referenced the above average passing skills of Sheffer. THAT is what contributed to that team being our best running team ever. NOT having 5 great athletes.

Donny Marshall and Ray Allen are better athletes than anyone playing on this team other than Jackson, and Marshall was a senior and Allen a junior. Travis Knight was key to the secondary break because he could shoot in a way literally none of our bigs can. And we literally do not have a passer like Sheffer.

So, A) I don't think that team was as unathletic as this particular team is without Bouknight. I actually think it was pretty darn athletic.

But B) this team doesn't have the tools to even make the comparison useful. It's like: make Cole 7 inches taller, have incredible court vision, and also a 40% 3point shooter, or your centers consistently took and made 18ft jumpers...then, sure, yeah, you can run without being super athletic.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

But B) this team doesn't have the tools to even make the comparison useful. It's like: make Cole 7 inches taller, have incredible court vision, and also a 40% 3point shooter...then, sure, yeah, you can run without being super athletic.

So why hasn't Hurley done this?!?!

 

[uconngb]

Donny Marshall and Ray Allen are better athletes than anyone playing on this team other than Jackson, and Marshall was a senior and Allen a junior. Travis Knight was key to the secondary break because he could shoot in a way literally none of our bigs can. And we literally do not have a passer like Sheffer.

So, A) I don't think that team was as unathletic as this particular team is without Bouknight. I actually think it was pretty darn athletic.

But B) this team doesn't have the tools to even make the comparison useful. It's like: make Cole 7 inches taller, have incredible court vision, and also a 40% 3point shooter, or your centers consistently took and made 18ft jumpers...then, sure, yeah, you can run without being super athletic.

You are incredibly obtuse. My argument is that you don’t need 5 athletes on the floor to be a running team. That team had two subpar athletes and was a running team. I used that team to support my argument. I’m not making any comment on our current team.

You seem hell bent to argue something I am not arguing. This team is lacking both athleticism and passing abilities to run. I’m not comparing it to 94/95.

 

[tzznandrew]

Every year we say next year

Yup. It's true. But most people are talking about the press—which they remember fondly from early Calhoun days up through around 1996. They seem to forget that we didn't win anything but regular season titles while pressing.

But easy buckets from rebounds and steals are valuable at every level, and as a coach you have to plan to get them when you can.

This team, though, needs to value its possessions. When you play fast you have more wasted possessions, and I'm not sure that would benefit this particular team.

 

[superjohn]

Hopefully having a real PG like Diggins running the team lets us do that. Gaffney and Cole are important but both need to be playing off ball more, let Diggins and Jackson push the ball and break the press

Yep, Jackson and Diggins will be what makes us go if Hurley let's them. Diggins is a great look ahead passer and can break down defenses and Jackson will always be the best athlete on the court against any team and all his talents are built for a running game. Hawkins is just about as good an athlete as there is for a shooting guard. Throw in Akok, Johnson, and Martin who are all plus athletes for their positions. Yet I still worry a year from now we'll be asking why don't we run?

 

[tzznandrew]

You are incredibly obtuse. My argument is that you don’t need 5 athletes on the floor to be a running team. That team had two subpar athletes and was a running team. I used that team to support my argument. I’m not making any comment on our current team.

You seem hell bent to argue something I am not arguing. This team is lacking both athleticism and passing abilities to run. I’m not comparing it to 94/95.

I reject the idea that this team is anywhere near as athletic as that year's team, particularly without Bouknight. So we don't even agree on first principles.

If I accepted to you argument that these two teams are roughly equivalent athletically (let's say because we're comparing them relative to their competition...which I still don't agree, but fine), even then, I agree that you don't need all five of your players to be above average athletes, but I'd argue to do it effectively you need all five of your players to have NBA talent. KO, Marshall, Ray, Knight, Sheffer were all drafted. Sheffer and Knight had unique skills that allowed that team to run.

 

[superjohn]

Yup. It's true. But most people are talking about the press—which they remember fondly from early Calhoun days up through around 1996. They seem to forget that we didn't win anything but regular season titles while pressing.

But easy buckets from rebounds and steals are valuable at every level, and as a coach you have to plan to get them when you can.

This team, though, needs to value its possessions. When you play fast you have more wasted possessions, and I'm not sure that would benefit this particular team.

People aren't talking about the press, that's largely of a thing of the past in college basketball but most teams run, Hurley has us intentionally not running.

 

[polycom]

People aren't talking about the press, that's largely of a thing of the past in college basketball but most teams run, Hurley has us intentionally not running.

In order to run you have to make contested layups, find the open man or knock down open shots... exactly which one of those do we do well?

 

[bendm]

this lineup should be able to run all day:
cole/gaff
aj
polley
martin
sanogo/whaley

it's also not a bad shooting lineup. we had this lineup on the floor for a bit today and it was working. idk why hurley refuses to play small.

 

[tzznandrew]

People aren't talking about the press, that's largely of a thing of the past in college basketball but most teams run, Hurley has us intentionally not running.

You forget you're on the Boneyard where the average poster is like 60, even on the men's board. Most of these dudes are thinking of the press.

There's an argument to be made for playing faster. I think we can play smarter, for sure. But I'm not blaming Hurley for A10 talent—and very young Top 10 talent—not doing it yet. That's not to say there aren't improvements. But the team is 8-5. One of those losses is on FTs. We might argue that some of them are from a loss of practice (which is highly relevant). But there's only so much you can do when you're out-talented.

 

[Chin Diesel]

He needs to be more open to adapting, we're going to be crazy athletic next year and most likely not a great shooting team.

Which is better than a below average athletic team which is most definitely not a great shooting team.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

I agreement with the argument of playing faster. Donny Marshall said on one of the broadcast that he didn't understand why we didn't initiate the offense earlier and I believe it starts with probing the defense after rebounds with the idea of getting an occasional easy look when the defense is napping. Once the defense is set up, then you run the half court with the purpose of getting as many clean looks as you can regardless of how many seconds are on the clock.

 

[SportsFan88]

Yep, Jackson and Diggins will be what makes us go if Hurley let's them. Diggins is a great look ahead passer and can break down defenses and Jackson will always be the best athlete on the court against any team and all his talents are built for a running game. Hawkins is just about as good an athlete as there is for a shooting guard. Throw in Akok, Johnson, and Martin who are all plus athletes for their positions. Yet I still worry a year from now we'll be asking why don't we run?

I feel where your coming from.. if we still are wondering next year why are aren’t on the break more with the roster we will have then that’s a problem

 

[SportsFan88]

My post was not about strong PG play, it was about maybe running a primary fast break or a secondary fast break. It is about have all 5 players running. This would also be the best way to get Polley some open looks as a trailer or running to a spot on the 3 pt line. I am talking about getting some easy baskets rather than struggling to score every trip.

I think a lot of people on this board overrate polley..

 

[Giddyup5]

Hurley I feel like wants to limit turn overs and does not believe we can keep pace with other high scoring teams.

I think it’s completely the opposite. I would rather increase our turn overs and force the pace.

We should be running all day long.

I’d love if we hunted for our first best shot within the first 15 seconds of the shot clock.

 

[BigFanCT]

The issue is no one besides Jackson knows how to pass. Think about it- have you seen one fast break this year where there has been a 2 or 3 on 1 with a nice pass being made? They take it themselves and either get fouled (less likely) or miss the bunny (more likely). Gaff made a nice alley- oop pass to AJax today but that’s just because Jackson is an absolute freak with high bball IQ.

We don’t run, because our guards (besides Jackson- who has now played 2 games since coming back) can’t make a decent enough pass. The offense needs to be set up and even then you don’t see flashy passes, allowing the offense to open up or instantly score.

Frame it how you want, but Cole, Gaff, Adams (especially Adams) are NOT good enough guards to carry a team to a third place or fourth place finish in the BE. They just aren’t.

 

[tzznandrew]

Getting the best shot in the clock sooner is better in general. If you think your offense sucks because you don't have enough guys who can break down a shooter or finish at the rim or shoot threes (and we don't really) then I can see why we might choose minimizing possessions and TOs and emphasizing defense. We essentially did that to win a title in 2014. I'm not sure I think it's the best strategy with this team, but I do get it.

 

[Rewster]

Wrong, we don't run because our bigs do not throw outlet passes.

No way to tell if the bigs can make an outlet pass. Our guards never separate more than 3 feet from them after a rebound. They usually come to the bigs for the outlet.

My general feeling is you push the ball to look for opportunity even if you are not a good fast break team. You need discipline to pull it out when nothing is there of course but in general probe for weakness and reset when there is none.

And if after that you go thru 24 seconds of a weave offense and take a last second off balance contested 3 then..........

 

[UConnSwag11]

We don't have the athletes or finishers to run yet.

Will they run next year? Who knows. But the athleticism on the team is going to be way higher provided health. Once again the best players will be freshmen and sophomores, but the depth of athleticism and talent across the board will be addition by subtraction.

We do have the athletes. We just slow it down at every time down the court. We need to press on defense as well.

 

[mauconnfan]

For the life of me I don't understand why we don't run at every opportunity. When I had my most offensively challenged teams I would ask the kids what is the easiest shot in basketball? The layup of course, and what is the easiest way to get a layup? By running faster than your opponent! Push the ball every possession,

Simple actually not good enough guard play. These guys are all ok but none of them attack or know when to attack. Adams come down on a 3 on 2 middle wide open yesterday, lanes filled and dribbled it back out to set up the offense, Gaffney did the same thing and has done that multiple times minus his "one break out game." Cole walks the ball up even if given an outlet pass, which we don't have enough of. I would like to see Andre get an outlet and take it home, and I think we eventually will but need him to rebound. Sometimes you see a fast break beginning then you look at the fill in lanes and guys are way too close not wide enough to make the defense work.

C'mon it's like they're just learning the game, can't even ask Dan to have to team spacing on a fast break by now they should know to come in wide and the guard gets to the line and makes the right read. We never see that, never.

 

[Psolo12]

You forget you're on the Boneyard where the average poster is like 60, even on the men's board. Most of these dudes are thinking of the press.

There's an argument to be made for playing faster. I think we can play smarter, for sure. But I'm not blaming Hurley for A10 talent—and very young Top 10 talent—not doing it yet. That's not to say there aren't improvements. But the team is 8-5. One of those losses is on FTs. We might argue that some of them are from a loss of practice (which is highly relevant). But there's only so much you can do when you're out-talented.

I agree with alot of what you've said, but I don't believe Providence simply out talented us.

 

[Icehawk]

I recently watched the Kemba BET/NCAA 11 game spree - there was a team that ran 40m a game. Kemba would score in transition or the team would settle down into clock running when they couldn't make stuff happen in transition. I think I've seen one fast break in the last two or three games from our current team? We can't just pass the ball until the clock winds down without some additional strategy and options. I couldn't believe we were down ~8pts with a few mins to go and they were still trying to run the clock out on every possession. Maybe they'd fail at trying to drive the lane more or shooting in transition but we'll never know because they have one game.