Miserable awful thoughts

[Fishy]

If you're typing with poms-poms on, stop reading. I don't want to hear your whining.

1) The board seems to entering the bargaining phase of grief, but that performance stunk out loud. They were completely undone by West Virginia's pressure and if you ever had the sense UConn was going to win, I'm not sure what you were watching. UConn rattled by a press....sun might rise in the west tomorrow.

2) Too many guys are happy to hoist perimeter jumpers. Too few guys are capable of making them. We have three power guards - if they're standing still, they're no longer power guards. They're potted plants.

3) Cassell cannot become the guy who just takes eight threes a game and leaves the heavy lifting to someone else - if that's the case, I'd rather see Terrence out there running over things. Five assists in four games? I'll put another chair in the doghouse I built for Nolan if that keeps up.

4)

5) Until the train crash that is the offense gets back on the rails, the defense needs to stop taking the first half off. (On the season, we're -12 in the first half.)

6) Coaching Terrence Samuel must be like a Civil War soldier firing a cannon. You're sure that you're about to do a great deal of damage somewhere downstream, but as to where, what or who that damage will visit, heaven knows. He plays so hard, but half the time the damage he does is friendly fire. Growing pains, I 'spose.

7) Do not look up the AAC's power numbers. We need to beat Texas.

8) I do not want to be Rakim Lubim, Omar Calhoun, Dan Guest or Marcel Lewis right now. Between the four of them, they haven't scored a single point and they're the ones who get pegged....I don't think this week is going to go well for the Puerto Rico Four. Some deeper thoughts there, but this isn't the place.

9) Kentan Facey. Four games in....25.0 minutes per game, .500 FG%, six points, seven rebounds. Whatever we thought we might get out of Nolan and Lubin, we're getting it from Facey. He's becoming a very interesting player.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

rockski picked wrong nite to snooze

lineup of boat and tsam wit rock, amidaamoeba and newrip could have ripped hillbils a new 1

 

[Kitaman]

DHam had a hot hand, for some reason TSam and Cassell wanted one too. I wanted them to feed him the ball but our guards had other plans.

Sure he had turnovers and was rattled but I'll be damned if that kid was going to let that stop him.

 

[champs99and04]

It'll be interesting to see how the Facey-Brimah pairing develops as the season progresses. In theory, they would seem like a natural fit - if you want to maintain a respectable rebounding margin with Brimah at the five, you'd better have somebody who can get the ball off the rim at the four. Facey has been everything we've hoped for and more, but he's still a bit lost defensively and against teams like West Virginia who press, he isn't much of a release valve.

It's a short sample of four games, but the depth in the back court might not be what we hoped for. Samuel and Cassell have really struggled thus far, and their ineffectiveness simply wore Boatright down. He can't apply relentless defensive pressure, do everything offensively, and save our asses on the boards for 38 minutes a game. This was his third game in four days, and it was obvious that he wore down in the second half. I'm hopeful that Purvis is closer to the guy he was on Friday to what he was today, and if Calhoun can provide another serviceable ball-handler (I'm skeptical) and shooter, one of Cassell or Samuel will likely find themselves on the outside looking in.

Daniel Hamilton is obviously the guy who can swing this season from bridge year to awesome year. I went from hoping he would be our third or fourth best player to thinking he could be one of the best players in the country in four games. On offense, he's not incredibly far behind what somebody like Jabari Parker was last season.

As a whole, I'm still very high on this team. It was inevitable that we were going to get our asses kicked in at one point or another - in some ways, I'm glad it happened today and not on December 18th. Ollie's got some work to do with this team, particularly defensively. But the pieces are there.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

quality depth is serious problem vs quality opponents

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

If you're typing with poms-poms on, stop reading. I don't want to hear your whining.

1) The board seems to entering the bargaining phase of grief, but that performance stunk out loud. They were completely undone by West Virginia's pressure and if you ever had the sense UConn was going to win, I'm not sure what you were watching. UConn rattled by a press....sun might rise in the west tomorrow.

2) Too many guys are happy to hoist perimeter jumpers. Too few guys are capable of making them. We have three power guards - if they're standing still, they're no longer power guards. They're potted plants.

3) Cassell cannot become the guy who just takes eight threes a game and leaves the heavy lifting to someone else - if that's the case, I'd rather see Terrence out there running over things. Five assists in four games? I'll put another chair in the doghouse I built for Nolan if that keeps up.

4)

5) Until the train crash that is the offense gets back on the rails, the defense needs to stop taking the first half off. (On the season, we're -12 in the first half.)

6) Coaching Terrence Samuel must be like a Civil War soldier firing a cannon. You're sure that you're about to do a great deal of damage somewhere downstream, but as to where, what or who that damage will visit, heaven knows. He plays so hard, but half the time the damage he does is friendly fire. Growing pains, I 'spose.

7) Do not look up the AAC's power numbers. We need to beat Texas.

8) I do not want to be Rakim Lubim, Omar Calhoun, Dan Guest or Marcel Lewis right now. Between the four of them, they haven't scored a single point and they're the ones who get pegged....I don't think this week is going to go well for the Puerto Rico Four. Some deeper thoughts there, but this isn't the place.

9) Kentan Facey. Four games in....25.0 minutes per game, .500 FG%, six points, seven rebounds. Whatever we thought we might get out of Nolan and Lubin, we're getting it from Facey. He's becoming a very interesting player.

What I'm about to say is irrelevant to the issue at hand but I used to play against Marcel Lewis in town league West Hartford all the time and apparently the Dan Guest dude played West Hartford town too.

 

[Fishy]

What I'm about to say is irrelevant to the issue at hand but I used to play against Marcel Lewis in town league West Hartford all the time and apparently the Dan Guest dude played West Hartford town too.

You are obviously a bad influence and I'm suspending you.

 

[DogMania]

If you're typing with poms-poms on, stop reading. I don't want to hear your whining.

1) The board seems to entering the bargaining phase of grief, but that performance stunk out loud. They were completely undone by West Virginia's pressure and if you ever had the sense UConn was going to win, I'm not sure what you were watching. UConn rattled by a press....sun might rise in the west tomorrow.

2) Too many guys are happy to hoist perimeter jumpers. Too few guys are capable of making them. We have three power guards - if they're standing still, they're no longer power guards. They're potted plants.

3) Cassell cannot become the guy who just takes eight threes a game and leaves the heavy lifting to someone else - if that's the case, I'd rather see Terrence out there running over things. Five assists in four games? I'll put another chair in the doghouse I built for Nolan if that keeps up.

4)

5) Until the train crash that is the offense gets back on the rails, the defense needs to stop taking the first half off. (On the season, we're -12 in the first half.)

6) Coaching Terrence Samuel must be like a Civil War soldier firing a cannon. You're sure that you're about to do a great deal of damage somewhere downstream, but as to where, what or who that damage will visit, heaven knows. He plays so hard, but half the time the damage he does is friendly fire. Growing pains, I 'spose.

7) Do not look up the AAC's power numbers. We need to beat Texas.

8) I do not want to be Rakim Lubim, Omar Calhoun, Dan Guest or Marcel Lewis right now. Between the four of them, they haven't scored a single point and they're the ones who get pegged....I don't think this week is going to go well for the Puerto Rico Four. Some deeper thoughts there, but this isn't the place.

9) Kentan Facey. Four games in....25.0 minutes per game, .500 FG%, six points, seven rebounds. Whatever we thought we might get out of Nolan and Lubin, we're getting it from Facey. He's becoming a very interesting player.

All great observations. It was a dreadful game. They handled the pressure terribly but I expected a game or two...or more...like this where they got a wake-up call. They hadn't faced a team that matched, or better put, exceeded, the defensive intensity that they usually put on their opponent. This happens just about every year. They'll learn from it and get better.

Other than RB, the guard play was horrible. Not sure how much the injury Purvis sustained early in the game hampered him, but it sure looked like it. He was not the same player and if a 100% we might have fared better. But combined, Purvis, SCJr and TSam were horrible on so many counts. Shot selection was horrible. Lost all composure for much of the game. Overall discipline was flat out bad, getting beat down court time and time again, not staying close enough on the shooters, etc. I just don't know why they kept on tossing up 3 after 3. They had some success taking it the the basket and if they could have just finished better or rebounded the offensive glass a tad better they might have kept in that game late. They closed the gap to 6 a few times, but just couldn't get within striking range.

Defensively they were horrible at defending the post and rebounding on our own glass. I didn't hear the 2nd chance attempts and points, but that along with jacking up way too many 3s were their undoing. I say this every year. There's just so many things you can do wrong in a game where they just pile up and equal a big fat L. You're not going to win many games when you can't handle the on-the-ball pressure, you take lots of ill advised shots, you get beat down court over and over again and then give up a boat load of 2nd chances. It's hard to believe they only lost by 10 points. That is actually a good sign that they could play as poorly as they did and not get their doors completely blown off. Many of those things are correctable.

Like last year, they had their share of horrible performances. Just take any of the UL games for instance. Add to those the Houston and SMU losses in TX. In the end they were the last team standing. My only concern is that we need some Ws against good Non-conference teams that don't take place in Hartford or Storrs. Losing this one means we need to get some quality OOC Ws elsewhere.

Clearly no reason to panic. It was just a disappointing performance with many things that are correctable. KO now has a point of reference to get their attention and to teach them what they now need to do to be successful. I'm sure practice over the next week or so once they get back is probably going to be intense.

 

[DogMania]

rockski picked wrong nite to snooze

lineup of boat and tsam wit rock, amidaamoeba and newrip could have ripped hillbils a new 1

Agree with you Chappy. Just a few minutes here and there from Lubin to lay down some lumber in the post would have helped. Now that wasn't the sole issue, but he would have possibly helped to keep the front court as fresh as possible giving KO a quality 8 to 10 minutes throughout the game. He certainly wouldn't have helped our poor guard play though. Wow was it ugly watching them try to get the ball across half-court and then try to get into their offense. To some degree, Boatright is becoming this year's Kemba/Napier. The problem is none of the other guards so far are becoming this year's Napier/Boatright. I hope the collective guards not named Ryan Boatright up their game and show a steadier and more productive contribution.

One thing crossed my mind. Even though their collective shot selection needed a lot to be desired, if they were able to knock down their 3s at even a modest clip, the Mountaineers would have had to back off their high-risk high-intensity pressure. As long as we were bricking open 3s, they kept their foot on the peddle. Still, they should have drove it to the basket a heck of a lot more, instead of jacking up so many 3s, and some were well beyond the outer arc. Frankly, I wasn't watching the game too closely. Had something to do while watching the game, but I think they were taking 3s well beyond the normal range a number of time, when they could have stepped in a step or two. I'm sure KO was going nuts with their poor decisions throughout the night.

 

[Danzz]

DHam had a hot hand, for some reason TSam and Cassell wanted one too. I wanted them to feed him the ball but our guards had other plans.

Sure he had turnovers and was rattled but I'll be damned if that kid was going to let that stop him.

I would be fine if TSam doesn't take another outside shot for the rest of the year. Problem is opponents know he isn't a threat and sag off him. TSam contributes in other ways but outside shooting isn't one of them. Sam Jr. is a good outside shooter but just didn't have it this game. We had our chances to come back but WVA was to be able to do enough to kill our momentum when we made a run so we have to give them credit.
Good news was the play of Facey; he seems to be much more confident this year. More good news was that we never quit and played hard the entire game. This team is a work in progress and while they will have more losses, we will continue to get better as Ollie addresses our weaknesses.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

jr is NoT a good shooter, please chek his stats at Shtpola Clg then you will know

see comments regarding jr as gunner then you will know

it would have been fun to see at least for 5 minutes frontline of kenhops, amoebaamida & rockski wit boat and newrip at the guards: just f in go over top of press with big risk passes and jam the out of huggy bear arse

those hilbills would have been ripped off both boards; it would have been hilarious to pound them on bds at their own game and hurt them physically at same time

lubin can and will shoot from ten inward, newrip does not care what the hey happens and will always be in attack mode (my kind a guy), boastin boat needs to stay humble and business like no matter how much his mates scroo up, omar needs his keester on floor pronto to start launching, pine with arse cutouts needed for other dudes for extended minutes to watch and learn with exception of tsam; the other dude who does not give a what happened previous minutes, he just attacks (i likes it, i dont care if he has no jo j or consistent layin, his havoc is worth price of admission, my kind of gI)

 

[chapwilvaug72]

if oooolliewood wanted to put wood to hilbils, how about lineup of tsam and newrip at guards (give liittlle superstar from windy city restbit) and upfront amoebaamida, kenhopsihops wit rock: Big Fun and gun

 

[eos91]

I view the good news as the fact that some of our best players: Hamilton, facey and brimah have big potential and should all get considerably better as the year goes on (confidence and experience and touches).

Key will be finding two of our guard/wings to step up. Purvis might have if not injured or maybe Omar will, but today showed a lot of lazy passing and poor shooting from this collective bunch

Couldn't agree more on taking the first half off defensively

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Sometimes, it is as simple as putting the biscuit in the basket. 3 for 17 from 3 and 9 for freaking 18 from the line are horrendous numbers. I disagree about the press handling comment from Fish. I bet most of the 19 turnovers occurred in or near the paint. I think we were ok with the press, bur because we can't shoot, we end up having to attack very loose defenses that are packed in tight in the paint, which will result in turnovers.

Cassell has the shot selection of his father without the accuracy. Ollie has given him a green light, so KO must see something we don't see. The fact that Cassell has the green light from outside is a big area of concern. There may not be any other good choices from outside.

Defense sucked. Giving up 46% from the field plus 23 free throws will usually result in a loss.

Facey is playing great. Amazing what happens when freshmen become sophomores.

 

[pnow15]

If UConn shot free throws in the tourney the way they did last night, St. Joe's might be national champ. If they shot wide open threes last season like they shot last night, Ollie would now be
an assistant coach in Oklahoma.
Did Ollie hire Diaco to work on the teams shooting?
Either Cassell or Calhoun has to be a knock down three point shooter even if they do nothing else.
Cassell is supposed to be able to get to anywhere on the court - eventually. One thing is for certain; he is not one of those starving Huskies I've heard tell about.
There is little doubt that Purvis and TSam were pin balls in a previous life. Must be fun watching these guys take turns running over each other in practice.
I'm fairly certain that Lubin and Omar had a lot more fun on Sat. night than I did.

 

[mauconnfan]

Fishy's on this one.

19 TO's and 9 assists won't win a lot of games. 3-17 from 3 tells me you shot too many 3's and maybe you don't do that all too well.

Kids were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, it was downright scary what that "basic" press did to them. While I agree Boat's been great he's not the calming force vs that press either. It's not Bazz or Kemba in this case and he needs to improve as well. But DHam didn't help him, wow he was rattled for a kid who can handle and pass th e ball so well. Live and learn right?

TSam - I said this 2 games ago. He needs to be who we saw last year late and in the tourney. If he tries to be more he shouldn't be on the court because he's not more, he's a piece. His 3 TO's seemed to be 10. Catch the ball, find an open player or dribble it out. Then get a rebound or get back to the other end and defend like mad. 10 shots from him isn't going to bring us a lot of wins unless they are lay ups!

Facey - definitely interesting. He got 10 and 8 what more can you ask. If he improves his ball handling and passing he can become quite a catch.

Texas is going to have a blast watching this tape - an absolute party!

 

[willie99]

and Bazz could never improve his draft status or his game if he stays for his senior season, he has the leave early. Kemba's team was just an average team entering March of 2011. Boat shoots too much and is out of control for most of 2014. Louisville exposed all our weaknesses in 2014, we're lucky if we win one game

and the band plays on

experience is the world's greatest teacher, I've seen so many damn dumpster fires over the years, especially early on, I've grown numb to them. Kids grow up, kinda surprised some wise old vets seemed to have forgotten all those lessons we've been taught over the years, at least momentarily forgotten

 

[Thirty Three]

rockski picked wrong nite to snooze

lineup of boat and tsam wit rock, amidaamoeba and newrip could have ripped hillbils a new 1

So basically switching Facey for Lubin would have led to us kicking WV's ass huh? Why do you even bother typing? Seriously?

By the way, hows that "DHam can't shoot because All I can do is pay attention to his old high school stats and can't bother to see what he's doing right in front of my eyes" working out for you?

You are the worst, most annoying poster ever, hands down. Unless you are a 12 year old girl, your grammar isn't cute or cool, it's f- cking stupid. Really, really, extra f- cking stupid.

You are annoying beyond belief, disrespectful towards others and a know it all (telling posters they need to open their eyes, or that they must not have played ball if they don't agree with you). And yet you don't contribute anything meaningful.

Let me make my point clear in a way you can understand: youz don't knowz Huskydood. Youz ares super f-cking annoying. Pleaze go beat youselvz to death with both a dictionary and a book of common sense.

 

[RichZ]

2) ... if they're standing still, they're no longer power guards. They're potted plants.

Great line, but potted plants don't commit turnovers.

4)

Pure, unadulterated genius!

6) Coaching Terrence Samuel must be like a Civil War soldier firing a cannon. You're sure that you're about to do a great deal of damage somewhere downstream, but as to where, what or who that damage will visit, heaven knows. He plays so hard, but half the time the damage he does is friendly fire. Growing pains, I 'spose.

Classic Fishmeister.

9) Kentan Facey. Four games in....25.0 minutes per game, .500 FG%, six points, seven rebounds. Whatever we thought we might get out of Nolan and Lubin, we're getting it from Facey. He's becoming a very interesting player.

I'm pretty sure that the board was filled with Facey detractors all through September and October.

 

[willie99]

I do concur about one thing, if we play all our games like we played last night, it's going to be a horrible season

and nobody said you have to beat the best teams in the country (like TX), you just have to play them

 

[Mano]

4)

That's some fine symbolism Fishy, leaving it blank in honor of the Puerto Rico Cuatro.

 

[SubbaBub]

Need a second ball handler and everyone else to figure out their roles and limitations. Not too worried about the missed shots, that won't happen often.

Hamilton needs to be a crunch time scorer and Brimah need to pick up the rebounding.

And what Fishy said about first half defense.

 

[Chief00]

What can be improved is cutting down turnovers, especially with Hamilton who made correctable FR mistakes (leaving his feet, not knowing capability of receiver, just careless). What is a huge concern is the shooting - Hamilton is the only guy who has a nice stroke. Sam Jr looked effective preseason, although not a pretty stroke - but it went in. The last couple games his shot has been ugly - FR nerves or reality?
I agree on Facey. They need to get him the ball some more - he has a nice touch inside 12 feet.
TSam is tough and I like that. Brimah can make great plays and still makes silly mistakes - he is relatively new to the game so it's a process - but trending up.

 

[dogpause]

Call me a pom-pom wearer, but I came away from this game with a lot of optimism. WV plays a style that is tough to be prepared for so early in the year, especially when you're replacing 60% of your starting lineup from last season. Better shooting would have changed everything. Our shooting has not been good so far this season

DHam had 8 of our 21 turnovers, mostly on being too aggressive with his passes. However, he also looked like he could win games singlehandedly.

Our passing wasn't all that bad, and at times it was beautiful. WV is going to get TO's.

We're going to be a tough out come March.

 

[djct1999]

I agree with pt. 4., which of course says nothing. With youth, comes games like this. This team will be fine. In fact, in a vacuum, if I were to take a snapshot of this team and its talent vs where we were last year at this time I might actually be more excited about this team.