You can analyze this loss any way you want but from my seat two rows behind the Pitt bench it became patently clear to me that the 2009-2010 version of the UCONN Huskies just doesn't have the horses. To wit, we are one guard short, do not have a three point shooter or even a really good jump shooter, and between Majok and Okwandu, we are very weak offensively at Center. That's 3 key players short; This team will have done extremely well if they make it to the Sweet Sixteen and I am not sure that they are not NIT bound this year.
Despite the loss, thanks to Bill Mitchell this reporter was seated two rows behind the Pitt bench. What one cannot see on TV or from further back is the awesome size of these guys and the very fast pace of the game; in addition one gets to pick up both strengths and weaknesses of the players. As far as last night's pounding from the Pitt Panthers on the Huskies home court, the problems with this year's squad were apparent.
Pitt led almost all the way except for the Huskies briefly taking two one point leads with about 6 minutes to go after a stretch of their best run of the game. Pitt's guard oriented, motion offense was impressive affording Ashton Gibbs( 19 pts) and Brad Wanamaker(19 pts) good open looks at the hoop as well as openings to drive the lane. In contrast, UCONN's stagnant half course offense was evident. Essentially, in the half court, Dyson dribbles around looking for opportunities to drive the lane; His excessive dribbling tends to induce the other players to stand around waiting to see what Dyson will do. Pitt defended against this cleverly last night by having their big, strong, Center, Gary Mcghee come out and force Dyson to give up the ball whenever he beat his first man.
The Huskies had one good seven minute run starting mid way through the second half. They increased their defensive intensity and subsequent steals and forced turnovers allowed them to move into their running game. Both Walker and Dyson turned on during this stretch and they came back from 8 down to take a one point lead. Jamie Dixon, the incredibly intense Pitt coach reinserted McGhee into the line up at this point, the pace was slowed and Pitt pulled away to win by 10. The Huskies scoring was led by Stan Robinson with 19, Dyson with 14 and Walker with 10.
Some observations from courtside;
1) Walker is playing scared. He has the goods, but has to relax, start shooting again and learn to play under better control. I would like to see him pull up in the lane more often when he penetrates rather than go air borne with no one open. His development is slower than anticipated but he will still be a very good guard. For his benefit, I hope he stays four years.
2) I know some of you think I am too hard on Stanley Robinson, but sorry folks he just doesn't have what it takes. While clearly he is a better player this year and will be important to whatever the Huskies achieve, he is, at best, a mid to late first round NBA draft choice and I predict by the end of his second season in the NBA he will be waived and no one will pick up his contract. Will probably end up playing in Europe. Why do I say that? He fools people because of his speed for his size and his great ups- he can sky. The essential problem is that he is not a good athlete; his eye-hand coordination is poor resulting in poor hands. Many passes he does not catch cleanly or misses and of most important is that he is a poor shooter. He has very little touch and feel and he will never shoot well. In addition, he moves stiffly and has no 1on1 offensive moves. When he gets the ball down low he just dribbles aimlessly and uses his jumping ability to go over the defender- this will not fly in the NBA and is only semi effective at the college level. Being close to the court I was able to see that he is poorly conditioned indicating poor work habits. He was completely winded in the second half and was gasping for air the entire time. Finally and of most importance he has no heart and when the game is tight he gets passive and does not want the ball. Once again, this happened against Pitt. 15 pts in the first half, but when the chips were on the line in the second half he scored 4 points and he got 1 that is right folks 1 rebound the entire game.
Ater Majok has abililty but is a project- he will not contribute significantly this year but will in the future.
Dyson is a very good player with plenty of heart but he can't shoot. The Huskies made one trey against Pitt and this will kill them in close games down the stretch.
In short, we are short 3 horses and nothing will change that.
"You Heard it here First"
Steve
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7 comments:
Behind the Pitt bench. No wonder we lost!! How could Calhoun hear you from there?
Mike Davis
good point mike, he couldn't hear me screaming to urge Walker to shoot and get some motion in the offense.
Perhaps the most dissapointing game of the season. I'll throw out some hope. I think UCONN is a "team of ifs" right now, which is bad. But the bright side is that IF Kemba Walker finds himself as a point guard, IF Stan the Man continues to mature and become more assertive, IF Calhoun can jazz up the half court offense, IF Majok can break out, IF Oriakhi can mature, and IF Coombs-McDaniel magically turns into great 3-point shooter, then UCONN will make the final 4
At the highest level, UCONN has an incredibly unimpressive offensive scheme. It appears as though CT has gone from fundamentals/team to the Jordan School of Basketball...where Dyson or Stanley have the green light to do whatever they want. I couldn't agree more with Steve's comments that our offense seems to stand around when one of those guys gets the ball. I would argue that Pitt has adopted the style of play that made UCONN so successful over the years. Overachievement through hard work, physical play, really smart decisions and yes, maybe a stud or two. Until I read this post, I was ready to throw in the towel. Soft, one dimensional, and unintelligent was my takeaway from the game...let's hope that the IFs turn into WHENs....
IF#1: I think that without question Kemba improves and breaks out of his sophomore slump...this will make a big difference...great teams need 3 difference makers on the court and a great system to play in...if Kemba gets it going, big big help. However, without 1 spot shooter he or Dyson could kick to off the dribble penetration, his job will become more difficult (as defensives sag)...leading to turnovers in the paint, forced shots, etc
If#2: Stanley - above average chance that he continues to get better. On the positive side this season, there has been an astronomical change in his game. We are now suffering a bit from Stanley figuring out what it means to be 'the man', now that he knows he is. Up until 4 games ago, he still didn't believe. (Side note: agree without about half of Steve's comments on Sticks...I think his fitness is a problem -- not sure that should be confused with heart...combination of being tired and still learning about being the go to guy is a problem that I think he can overcome through the season...not sure it is heart as much as fitness and court IQ. Many former UCONN NBAers struggled with becoming the go to player and had somewhat awkward offensive moves (Rudy Gay for one) -- I couldn't disagree more that Stanley lacks a touch, can't shoot or doesn't have 1 on 1 moves. Later topic.
IF #3: Calhoun HAS to jazz up the offensive set. If he doesn't, he should give the job to Blaney. He should be embarrassed by what he saw in the Pitt game. High likelihood.
IF #4: Majok will not break out. However, if he can become a consistent presence down low (low turnovers, high blocks, scrappy rebounds/points) and figures out how not to be tossed around the gym, we improve dramatically.
IF #5: Coombs-McDaniel is a great 3 point shooter in a system that supports 3 point shooting. This IF ties directly to #3. Balanced offensive will give consistent looks to shooters like C-M (who need to find their touch at the next level) and stretch the defensive so life becomes a lot easier for the go to guys.
If all of these IFs tick toward the positive, I think it gives us a chance to make the tournament and compete for the sweet 16. I don't see this team making the final 4. Frankly, if we play like we did against PITT, we will have a losing season in the Big East and be a bubble for the NIT.
What a great initial post by newcomer to the blog Steve Halloran- thanks Steve and keept them coming. I particularly like your point about Coombs-Mcdaniel. I like his stroke but do not get him the ball where he can spot up. Steve, you are a great addition; great insights, well expressed.
Pete, you hit the nail on the head but there are an awful lot of ifs.
Steve
Steve H, I want to elaborate on my feeling that Robinson is not a good shooter since you felt differently. From the courtside seats I saw how many passes he doesn't catch cleanly thus losing opportunities to catch and shoot. His poor hands make his shot mechanical. When standing still with time he hits a reasonable number of threes; however, when he is moving or has to improvise there is no inherent touch to allow adjustments. Watch how many of his shots are way off the mark when is moving. You rarely see a Robinson shot go in and out or hang on the rim- signs of a shooter with touch. Having said that you made a great point about his adjusting to being the "go to" guy.
Steve
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