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Uconn officially starts the quest for a 3-peat

the Blades

the Blades

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"Now, Dan Hurley gets his players for 20 hours per week, not just eight, as he tries to shape and mold this group towards a historic goal.....We'll predict a Nov. 6 starting lineup of Diarra, Ball, McNeeley, Karaban and Johnson. The positional versatility of Stewart and Mahaney will allow them to play just as many minutes as any starter, and Hurley will respect the championship mettle of Diarra and Johnson.."

 
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As I posted elsewhere I was not all that impressed with Mahaney in the August 2 Open practice. But the other guards defended the hell out of him. I was extremely impressed with Isaiah Abraham who didn't play like a freshman either offensively or defensively. He looked ready to contribute and so did Ahmad Nowell. Nowell was a flat out Dawg. I am looking forward to seeing these guys in the Rhode Island game October 14.

What I liked about Mahaney on tape is he seemed to use both hands really well in the mixtapes that I saw. That's what I am hoping to see in games.
 
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KhalidShockedTheWorld said:
What I liked about Mahaney on tape is he seemed to use both hands really well in the mixtapes that I saw. That's what I am hoping to see in games.
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As Borges mentioned Mahaney ( our new Joey C from the WCC ?) would help off the bench at 2 positions We'll see but I do like the Solo Ball ( strictly a 2 ) as the starting shooting guard, mainly because the guard position got alot smaller this year. So it would add strength and athleticism in regards to his defense and rebounding help.......also interesting:

 
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Ball is a lot bigger than Mahaney. That 6'3" listing for Mahaney is questionable. He might be closer to 6'1". I also like the idea of starting Ball and using Mahaney and Nowell as the bench guards.
 
Zanetto, in his 1st practice Podcast Friday, said he believes we will be seeing a lot of Diarra and Nowell playing together. That remains to be seen, but that is their best defensive backcourt against smaller and quicker backcourts.
 
"You could make a case that every other starting spot needs to be earned," Hurley said on Tuesday. "And they always have to be earned. But, with so much roster turnover, there's so much for people to compete for. I think you want to see that right now.......I don't really know who's going to start Monday," he continued. "At best, (I know) maybe two or three guys who'd be starting. A lot of it's going to be determined through Sunday."

 
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This is something to watch. Anyone remember the game at Seton Hall last year when Clingan got hurt and the ensuing rim attacks/assaults?
 
Props for J-Ross ....but I've noticed DH not throwing many good vibes toward Jaylin Stewart ( I wouldn't say shade ). Is this motivational speak/non speak because he expects bigger things from him ? I know I would, seeing he was a main bench guy and had some decent moments ( BE tourney, etc) last year. We shall see... but I'd expect to see him as a starter on opening night, especially with McNeely out for a few weeks. Seems he could really help on D and rebounding ( beside his versatile O game), which will be a big area of need with a smallish line-up compared to last year.

 
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the Blades said:
Seems he could really help on D and rebounding, which will be a big area of need with a smallish line-up compared to last year.

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This may be true with some other teams on the schedule but rebounding will not be a concern until UConn arrives in Maui. Anyone can play up front in all of the pre Maui games. Certainly Stewart should help in that area and he is the best defender out of the forward group and the only one capable of covering Hopkins of PC, just for example. I can still remember Hopkins eating Karaban alive. When UConn plays PC Stewart should get lots of minutes because you have to stop that guy when you play Providence. He is a live body.

Regarding Jayden Ross, he is a very high energy guy who I think will also be a good defender. I thought he played a little too fast at times vs URI, but it seems like UConn's strategy was to play very fast against URI and wear them down, which they did very successfully I thought. I think Ross might be the highest energy guy on the whole team.
 
I think AJ is a good comparison from an energy standpoint, although Ross is a much better shooter. I didn't see it, but heard he won the 3 point shooting at First Night. This did not surprise me, although with presumptive event favorite McNeely sidelined, my money would have been on Karaban or Mahaney. There are lots of guys who can make 3s on this team.
 
the Blades said:
Props for J-Ross ....but I've noticed DH not throwing many good vibes toward Jaylin Stewart..... Seems he could really help on D and rebounding, which will be a big area of need with a smallish line-up compared to last year.
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Good podcast yesterday leading into the season... a few things of note regarding line-up and rotations.....
* Doesn't confirm Diarra as a starter (" whether he's coming off the bench or starting" )

* mentions he can't play (small) Mahaney and Hassan together to much because perimeter size was part of teams previous success. I remember at one point in the URI game DH had a bigger line-up of Ross, McNeely and AK or J-Stew together (@ the 2,3,4) with a point guard and a big.

* mentions his trust in Solo, Stewart ( good to hear) and J-Ross to be a part of the top 6 or 7 guys in the rotation

 
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the Blades said:
Props for J-Ross ....but I've noticed DH not throwing many good vibes toward Jaylin Stewart ( I wouldn't say shade ).We shall see... but I'd expect to see him as a starter on opening night, especially with McNeely out for a few weeks. Seems he could really help on D and rebounding ( beside his versatile O game), which will be a big area of need with a smallish line-up compared to last year.
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the Blades said:
* mentions he can't play (small) Mahaney and Hassan together to much because perimeter size was part of teams previous success. I remember at one point in the URI game DH had a bigger line-up of Ross, McNeely and AK or J-Stew together (@ the 2,3,4) with a point guard and a big.
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Interesting article on upgrading the smaller line-up this year. Heard DH talk about J-Ross starting in the post game WED night, if he wasn't injured, even with McNeely back for the opener. He talks more in this article about adding perimeter size (post above ^^^), by going positionless with a line-up 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 6-8, 6-10... kinda like NBA teams. Which could put both Diarra and Mahaney coming off the bench.

 
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Zanetto devoted an entire podcast to this subject of a possible Ball-Ross backcourt to pair with McNeely, Karaban and Johnson/Reed. When I saw Ross in the URI game he was playing a little too fast (was probably amped up) and this caused some sloppy plays by him. He is definitely a high energy guy in the mold of Andre Jackson Jr., and like AJ and Castle (who are now both starting in the NBA), he has defensive stopper potential. I am sure we will see that lineup at some point and it will be interesting to see how it plays, although not sure you can play that lineup for prolonged stretches against certain teams.
 
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