The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Polley’s shooting has impressed his coach
STORRS — When Dan Hurley met up with Tyler Polley for the first time after taking over as UConn’s head coach, he had to remind Polley that it wasn’t actually the first time they had met.
“The first thing he said to me was, ‘I recruited you, Tyler,’” Polley recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, you did.’ I didn’t get to know him that well when he was recruiting me at Rhode Island.”
Hurley had watched Polley play about a halfdozen times when Polley was at the Sagemont School in Florida and Hurley was head man at URI. Still, it was one of URI’s assistant coaches who had the most contact with Polley, before both sides decided to amicably part ways.
“Positionally, we ended up going in a different direction,” Hurley recalled. “And his list of schools were a little bit above the Atlantic-10.”
Still, Hurley got a good feel for Polley’s shooting ability and all-around skills. Last year, Polley was UConn’s top 3-point shooter, hitting 41 percent from beyond the arc overall and
50 percent (11-for-22) in conference play.
Now, as Polley’s head coach, he’s getting to like them even more. Those skills were evident on Saturday, as Polley knocked down numerous long-distance shots in a practice free and open to the public at Gampel Pavilion. A couple of days earlier, Hurley noted that Polley was probably the team’s best shooter, and that if the season began tomorrow, the 6-foot-8 sophomore would likely be UConn’s starting power forward.
“As a stretch four, he brings a lot to the table, dragging that four-man away from the basket,” Hurley noted. “Also, playing against the four, he’s got a much better chance of a shot-fake or quick-ripping and beating a four-man than he does beating a three right now because he’s not a great ballhandler. At the offensive end, he brings a tremendous amount of value as a stretch four. The defensive end is where he’s got to work — really, at both spots.”
Ah yes, defense — the part of the game where any coach worth his salt, Hurley front and center among them, puts the most emphasis. It’s an area where Polley clearly needs to improve.
“He’s got to work on his lateral quickness to be able to play perimeter defense,” Hurley said. “And, obviously, he’s got to work on the physicality and rebounding we would need if we were to try to play him at the four. But shooting like that is gonna open up the court for Jalen (Adams) and (Alterique Gilbert) and Christian (Vital). And we’ll get one-on-one in the post for Josh (Carlton).”
Polley gets it, noting that “playing more with a motor and being aggressive on defense is what I’m struggling with right now.” He also knows that his rather spindly frame (he’s listed at 200 pounds) needs to get a little thicker, something he tried to do over the summer through workouts, weightlifting and eating more. He knows he can get bigger and stronger, too. After all, his dad, Tommy, was a star linebacker at Florida State who played five seasons in the NFL and is now an assistant coach at East Coast Prep in Monterey, Massachusetts.
“I know it’s there,” he promised. “I am a couple inches taller than him, but I know it’s there.”
What’s there now for Tyler Polley is the chance for playing time. The Huskies’ frontcourt situation is fluid and wide-open. Josh Carlton, Eric Cobb and Isaiah Whaley are battling at the five, with St. John’s grad transfer Kassoum Yakwe jumping straight into the fray when he returns from a foot injury in another week or so. Whaley, Yakwe, Polley, ultra-talented but inconsistent Sid Wilson and Kwintin Williams are all in the mix at the four, along with Mamadou Diarra (who’s out until at least mid-December after off-season knee surgery).
Each player brings different skill sets, and each will have a chance to make his mark.
“There will be a lot of competition in those frontcourt spots,” Hurley noted, “where you’re gonna have to be on your stuff if you want to stay on the court or be on the court.”
Added Carlton: “Everybody knows we’ve got a strong backcourt. Our frontcourt’s still unproven. Coming into the year, to complete the team and for us to go where we need to go, the frontcourt has to carry the load.”
Polley agreed.
“The frontcourt, man, if we step up big, rebound, do our job ... it’s gonna be tough to beat us.”
RIM RATTLINGS
⏩ About 200-300 fans sat in on Saturday’s open practice, which ran a little over two hours and put Hurley’s intensity on full display.
“The more times that you can get the guys in front of a little bit of a crowd, it just knocks out a little bit of the jitters,” the first-year Husky coach said. “And also, it’s a chance (for fans) to see just how hard the guys are working, maybe get a little bit better understanding of what we’re coaching, what we’re doing.”
⏩ Through his years on the recruiting trail at URI, Hurley grew most acquainted with Adams, Vital, Wilson and Polley. He at least knew the names of just about every other player currently at UConn. Except Whaley, who he knew absolutely nothing about.
He noticed Whaley started 12 games last year as a freshman, and after watching him in practice over the past several weeks, he now knows why.
“I understand what Kevin was thinking, because he’s a solid guy. It’s not necessarily about having a great skill level, though I think his skill level is coming. We’ve got to work on his technique so eventually he can be a real four-man. Right now, he’s in the mix at the four, in the mix at the five. He’s a guy that you’re just comfortable with on the court, because he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He kind of has a feel for what we’re trying to do.”
⏩ The biggest difference in practice this year?
“Intensity of practice is a big adjustment,” said Whaley. “Sometimes, if you’re not locked into every detail (he paused, then smiled) ... there’s a problem there.”
⏩ Did Carlton agree with Hurley’s assessment that Polley is the team’s best shooter?
“I think I can co-sign that,” he said after a long pause. “But I’ll say it’s between him and Christian.”
⏩ Grad transfer Tarin Smith sat out of practice on Saturday with a sore quad. It’s doesn’t appear to be anything serious.