oldude
bamboo lover
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OK guys, here is my scouting report on UConn recruit Aubrey Griffin:
Pre-game: Aubrey is comfortable shooting layups with either hand, which is not surprising, because all 17 members of Ossining’s girls team are taught by Coach Ricci to shoot layups with their right hand on the right side of the basket and their left hand on the left side of the basket – NO EXCEPTIONS. Ossining also incorporates the same 3 player weave that UConn employs as part of their warmup. During the shootaround, Aubrey didn’t simply float around the perimeter and shoot the ball. She worked over and over again on catching the ball at the foul line with her back to the basket and then turning around to shoot a jumper. I assume this had something to do with a pregame scout of Longwood’s zone defense, But once the game started, Longwood played predominantly man defense. When they did go to zone, Aubrey did flash to the foul line, but she was usually doubled front and back so the she never actually had a chance to take the shot she worked on so hard in warmups.
Athleticism: Aubrey is long and lean. Think of a 6’1” version of Liv. Her long legs and explosive speed allow her to get down the court really fast. She is also stronger then she looks, finishing at the rim several times against hard contact. Aubrey also has long arms and quick hands, something that gives her the potential to be a great defensive player
Scoring: Aubrey has a very smooth shooting stroke. Almost all her jumpers were mid-range shots. While she did not shoot particularly well, even though she scored 37 pts, I have no doubt that she will be a very good mid-range shooter at the next level. As for her 3pt shot, she took only one all game and hit nothing but net. While Aubrey will be a good shooter at the next level, it is her explosive ability with the ball in her hands in the open court that sets her apart. She has another gear on the fast break. She can turn defenders around with her crossover move at full speed and finishes strong at the basket with either hand.
Passing: I only had Aubrey down for 3 assists all game, but that’s not really fair to her passing. On at least 4 occasions, Aubrey delivered perfect passes to her teammates who subsequently missed layups.
Handle: There were times when I had to remind myself that Aubrey is 6’1”. She has an excellent handle with either hand. Great crossover, behind the back etc.
Rebounding: Aubrey had 14 for the game, and didn’t really spend a lot of time in the lane on defense as she was guarding the opposing team’s pg. She is very quick jumper off the floor. On a couple occasions, Aubrey rebounded her own miss for a putback.
Defense: The game within the game was Aubrey matched up against the 2nd best player on the floor, Longwood’s 5’9” pg, Janelle Brown. Brown is only a junior and, dare I say, she reminds me of Crystal. She is strong, lightning quick, pick your pocket on defense, great passer and great shooter. Syracuse Ast Coach Tammi Reiss was at the game, undoubtedly scouting Brown for the Orange. So Aubrey won the center jump and then matched up against Longwood’s pg and their best player for most of the game. Aubrey scored 37 points and worked incredibly hard on defense. She got into an excellent defensive stance, moved her feet well and usually played off Brown just enough so she couldn’t blow by her off the dribble. She harassed Brown and her teammates with her long arms and quick hands. However, there were a couple occasions when Aubrey got a little tight to Brown, and Brown blew by her. In the 2nd half, on two occasions, Coach Ricci went to a zone, probably to give Aubrey a break on defense. On both occasions, Brown shredded the Ossining zone for easy layups or assists, or she knocked down 3pt shots, forcing Ossining to go back to man with Aubrey covering her. Brown fouled out of the game with a couple minutes left so Aubrey went from guarding Longwood’s pg to guarding their center. Obviously, she is a versatile defender. Not quite Gabbyesque, but she’s still young.
I had Aubrey for 3 steals and 2 blocks. Her length. quickness and range make her very dangerous on the defensive end. She came out of nowhere to poach the passing lanes for two of her steals. One of her blocks had the crowd on their feet as she closed out from the paint to extend her long arm and block a shot at the arc. On the negative side, Aubrey had several “fly by” moves when she left her feet to contest a shot, only to have a Longwood player put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. I’m certain that UConn’s staff will work hard with Aubrey to teach her to close on a shooter and breakdown into a defensive stance.
Negatives: As pointed out, Aubrey is really lean and will certainly need to add some muscle to compete at the next level. My other negative was that on a few occasions, when Longwood was on a fast break, Aubrey did not hustle back on defense. I suspect that Geno will fix that issue within 10 minutes after Aubrey’s first practice at UConn.
Overall: Aubrey is long, athletic and very skilled. She scored 37 points while also handling the toughest defensive assignment against Longwood’s best player. I don’t expect her to contribute immediately at UConn. Like all freshmen, she has a lot to learn. In time, she will be a very good player for UConn. Whether that happens next season or the season after remains to be seen.
Pre-game: Aubrey is comfortable shooting layups with either hand, which is not surprising, because all 17 members of Ossining’s girls team are taught by Coach Ricci to shoot layups with their right hand on the right side of the basket and their left hand on the left side of the basket – NO EXCEPTIONS. Ossining also incorporates the same 3 player weave that UConn employs as part of their warmup. During the shootaround, Aubrey didn’t simply float around the perimeter and shoot the ball. She worked over and over again on catching the ball at the foul line with her back to the basket and then turning around to shoot a jumper. I assume this had something to do with a pregame scout of Longwood’s zone defense, But once the game started, Longwood played predominantly man defense. When they did go to zone, Aubrey did flash to the foul line, but she was usually doubled front and back so the she never actually had a chance to take the shot she worked on so hard in warmups.
Athleticism: Aubrey is long and lean. Think of a 6’1” version of Liv. Her long legs and explosive speed allow her to get down the court really fast. She is also stronger then she looks, finishing at the rim several times against hard contact. Aubrey also has long arms and quick hands, something that gives her the potential to be a great defensive player
Scoring: Aubrey has a very smooth shooting stroke. Almost all her jumpers were mid-range shots. While she did not shoot particularly well, even though she scored 37 pts, I have no doubt that she will be a very good mid-range shooter at the next level. As for her 3pt shot, she took only one all game and hit nothing but net. While Aubrey will be a good shooter at the next level, it is her explosive ability with the ball in her hands in the open court that sets her apart. She has another gear on the fast break. She can turn defenders around with her crossover move at full speed and finishes strong at the basket with either hand.
Passing: I only had Aubrey down for 3 assists all game, but that’s not really fair to her passing. On at least 4 occasions, Aubrey delivered perfect passes to her teammates who subsequently missed layups.
Handle: There were times when I had to remind myself that Aubrey is 6’1”. She has an excellent handle with either hand. Great crossover, behind the back etc.
Rebounding: Aubrey had 14 for the game, and didn’t really spend a lot of time in the lane on defense as she was guarding the opposing team’s pg. She is very quick jumper off the floor. On a couple occasions, Aubrey rebounded her own miss for a putback.
Defense: The game within the game was Aubrey matched up against the 2nd best player on the floor, Longwood’s 5’9” pg, Janelle Brown. Brown is only a junior and, dare I say, she reminds me of Crystal. She is strong, lightning quick, pick your pocket on defense, great passer and great shooter. Syracuse Ast Coach Tammi Reiss was at the game, undoubtedly scouting Brown for the Orange. So Aubrey won the center jump and then matched up against Longwood’s pg and their best player for most of the game. Aubrey scored 37 points and worked incredibly hard on defense. She got into an excellent defensive stance, moved her feet well and usually played off Brown just enough so she couldn’t blow by her off the dribble. She harassed Brown and her teammates with her long arms and quick hands. However, there were a couple occasions when Aubrey got a little tight to Brown, and Brown blew by her. In the 2nd half, on two occasions, Coach Ricci went to a zone, probably to give Aubrey a break on defense. On both occasions, Brown shredded the Ossining zone for easy layups or assists, or she knocked down 3pt shots, forcing Ossining to go back to man with Aubrey covering her. Brown fouled out of the game with a couple minutes left so Aubrey went from guarding Longwood’s pg to guarding their center. Obviously, she is a versatile defender. Not quite Gabbyesque, but she’s still young.
I had Aubrey for 3 steals and 2 blocks. Her length. quickness and range make her very dangerous on the defensive end. She came out of nowhere to poach the passing lanes for two of her steals. One of her blocks had the crowd on their feet as she closed out from the paint to extend her long arm and block a shot at the arc. On the negative side, Aubrey had several “fly by” moves when she left her feet to contest a shot, only to have a Longwood player put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. I’m certain that UConn’s staff will work hard with Aubrey to teach her to close on a shooter and breakdown into a defensive stance.
Negatives: As pointed out, Aubrey is really lean and will certainly need to add some muscle to compete at the next level. My other negative was that on a few occasions, when Longwood was on a fast break, Aubrey did not hustle back on defense. I suspect that Geno will fix that issue within 10 minutes after Aubrey’s first practice at UConn.
Overall: Aubrey is long, athletic and very skilled. She scored 37 points while also handling the toughest defensive assignment against Longwood’s best player. I don’t expect her to contribute immediately at UConn. Like all freshmen, she has a lot to learn. In time, she will be a very good player for UConn. Whether that happens next season or the season after remains to be seen.
