Courtside: scrimmage at Gampel Wednesday afternoon

[Blakeon18]

I had the great pleasure of watching our kids scrimmage yesterday afternoon....all hands on deck.
Given that these are clearly Dixville Notch type returns please take all of this with many grains of salt.

First impressions: It was a delight to see Kiah out there playing given her earlier surgery....was moving fine. Major props...MAJOR....to Stef on her off-season program of conditioning. If you saw her in September of 2010 as a frosh and then saw her for the first time now, you would demand that she show you ID to prove it was her. Considerable weight loss? I don't know...but she looked incredibly trim and fit....and was darn effective in the scrimmage. Stef is going after top notch conditioning with a vengeance. Moriah....looks incredibly young....very slender....babyface with a killer grin. I wonder if she has a nickname? If not...'Face' would be a good one. Some 20 years down the road when she has teen-agers they still will be carding her if she orders an adult beverage.

I saw them play for about an hour...with some breaks thrown in there. About 5 guys were involved in the scrimmage as well. The leading scorers in no particular order: KML, Tuck, Dolson
and one surprise.

Kelly: played like Kelly....overall a good thing. Hit a couple early....missed some....did her usual
job of handling and other things.

CD The Younger: wearing the brace....seemed to be moving well. Missing early...hit a few late.
Had one bad fall...everytime that happens you hold your breath. Looked solid.

Brianna: was aggressive in looking for her own shot....maybe too much so. Missing from deep...made several really nice drives....played with confidence.

Bria: didn't take a shot for the first half of the session....scored a few late....looked solid.

KML: hit a bunch of treys...a couple of post-ups....looked fine.

Kiah: perhaps didn't play quite as much as the others...maybe a nod there to her injury status...was running nicely....didn't score. BTW: she and Kelly arrived on the court first and
kinda collapsed in chairs..looked dead tired. I suspect the team had a weights session beforehand.

Morgan: very impressed! Hit an early trey and then scored a bunch of inside shots with clever post moves. Doesn't seem to be a high riser but she gets off shots against inside defenders with a variety of cool moves....scoopers, baby hooks, drop-steps etc. It doesn't look like she will get them off but she always did....nice touch around the basket.

Moriah: didn't have a big impact....hit a trey very early...missed a couple of them...seemed to be kinda feeling her way out there....didn't really see a lot of the skills we KNOW she has in terms of handle, penetration etc. Guards are going to try to bully her and get into the paint....hopefully her quick hands will offset that.

Stef: looked great....and played great. Showed off her inside moves with nice touch...hit that face-up set shot nicely....was very effective...I would guess she has gained some quickness over the summer in the half-court sets. Second best center in the land...period.

Breanna: didn't do too much for the first half of the session....then hit a few post move shots and a few face-ups....overall a solid performance. I have seen Breanna several times over the past 2 years in person...this was a quietly effective game for her....more, much more coming.

Heather Buck: dang...she looked very, very good! One of the leading scorers....hit face-up shots from 12' to 17'....made a bunch and maybe missed one. Finished around the basket nicely with some open looks. Played with confidence. If she can somehow bring this to games, she will be a real factor. Obviously the jury is out on that but any team in the country would love to have this kind of performance at center....especially if it comes off the bench.

It's always a delight to watch these scrimmages...hopefully I'll go again and we'll get an odd Boneyarder or two to get down there and offer their own wisdom on matters. The 'odd'
part will be no problem at all.

 

[alexrgct]

Thanks for the overview!

I'd happily go if I knew about it in advance. Do you have to be a member of anything or a donor to be admitted?

 

[pap49cba]

Thanks Blake. Nice report.

CD has been writing that she has a new brace (for a new year) that is shorter than the bionic leg brace she wore last year.

 

[Kibitzer]

Some statements you can put into "boilerplate," for ease of reproduction in print when you just know they will be used over and over and over, repetitively.

For example: KML "hit a bunch of treys."

 

[Bestiarius]

Nice summary Blake, thanks. I'm amazed that there has been so little talk about KML over the summer. I think she will be a major factor this year. Great news about Stef. She always had the mental part in gear and it looks like perhaps the physical has caught up. Is it possible that Heather has gained confidence in herself? I think we all know that was the only missing piece. Would love to see her cap her Uconn career with a monster year.

 

[VAMike23]

I had the great pleasure of watching our kids scrimmage yesterday afternoon....all hands on deck.
Given that these are clearly Dixville Notch type returns please take all of this with many grains of salt.

First impressions: It was a delight to see Kiah out there playing given her earlier surgery....was moving fine. Major props...MAJOR....to Stef on her off-season program of conditioning. If you saw her in September of 2010 as a frosh and then saw her for the first time now, you would demand that she show you ID to prove it was her. Considerable weight loss? I don't know...but she looked incredibly trim and fit....and was darn effective in the scrimmage. Stef is going after top notch conditioning with a vengeance. Moriah....looks incredibly young....very slender....babyface with a killer grin. I wonder if she has a nickname? If not...'Face' would be a good one. Some 20 years down the road when she has teen-agers they still will be carding her if she orders an adult beverage.

I saw them play for about an hour...with some breaks thrown in there. About 5 guys were involved in the scrimmage as well. The leading scorers in no particular order: KML, Tuck, Dolson
and one surprise.

Kelly: played like Kelly....overall a good thing. Hit a couple early....missed some....did her usual
job of handling and other things.

CD The Younger: wearing the brace....seemed to be moving well. Missing early...hit a few late.
Had one bad fall...everytime that happens you hold your breath. Looked solid.

Brianna: was aggressive in looking for her own shot....maybe too much so. Missing from deep...made several really nice drives....played with confidence.

Bria: didn't take a shot for the first half of the session....scored a few late....looked solid.

KML: hit a bunch of treys...a couple of post-ups....looked fine.

Kiah: perhaps didn't play quite as much as the others...maybe a nod there to her injury status...was running nicely....didn't score. BTW: she and Kelly arrived on the court first and
kinda collapsed in chairs..looked dead tired. I suspect the team had a weights session beforehand.

Morgan: very impressed! Hit an early trey and then scored a bunch of inside shots with clever post moves. Doesn't seem to be a high riser but she gets off shots against inside defenders with a variety of cool moves....scoopers, baby hooks, drop-steps etc. It doesn't look like she will get them off but she always did....nice touch around the basket.

Moriah: didn't have a big impact....hit a trey very early...missed a couple of them...seemed to be kinda feeling her way out there....didn't really see a lot of the skills we KNOW she has in terms of handle, penetration etc. Guards are going to try to bully her and get into the paint....hopefully her quick hands will offset that.

Stef: looked great....and played great. Showed off her inside moves with nice touch...hit that face-up set shot nicely....was very effective...I would guess she has gained some quickness over the summer in the half-court sets. Second best center in the land...period.

Breanna: didn't do too much for the first half of the session....then hit a few post move shots and a few face-ups....overall a solid performance. I have seen Breanna several times over the past 2 years in person...this was a quietly effective game for her....more, much more coming.

Heather Buck: dang...she looked very, very good! One of the leading scorers....hit face-up shots from 12' to 17'....made a bunch and maybe missed one. Finished around the basket nicely with some open looks. Played with confidence. If she can somehow bring this to games, she will be a real factor. Obviously the jury is out on that but any team in the country would love to have this kind of performance at center....especially if it comes off the bench.

It's always a delight to watch these scrimmages...hopefully I'll go again and we'll get an odd Boneyarder or two to get down there and offer their own wisdom on matters. The 'odd'
part will be no problem at all.

Thanks, Blake !!!!!!!

Been waiting for good solid recon like this ....great stuff! Interesting to hear about Stef's conditioning and Buck's performance, although as you pointed out it remains to be seen if it translates over into games. We've seen GA remark about her strong practices in the past. I'll cross my fingers that HB can make a real impact in her last go 'round.

I also like to hear how Banks is being aggressive....even if she's missing or taking too many, she has to keep pushing in order to learn what works and what doesn't for her at this level. She is a true dark horse this season. (Love seeing her take it to the rim)

 

[HGN]

Great stuff Blake.....Keep it coming. Always good to get independent assessments and hear how the team is practicing and playing in early scrimmages. I especially loved hearing that KML is shooting lights out ; Stef is in better condition ; Buck is playing with more confidence ; I always thought Tuck was a stud ; we all know that Bria can bring it ; and the team is looking good in general. And that's before Stewie gets in gear.

Thanks again.

 

[JS]

Do you have to be a member of anything or a donor to be admitted?

No. The doors are open, or at least one of them is, and you can walk right in and sit down. Nobody bothers you.

But you have to figure out when the practices/scrimmages will occur. Blake is the master on this. Mostly it's a matter of guesswork within some general parameters plus asking whatever player comes wandering through.

The sessions are really interesting, and I wish I were in Hartford more often these days to bop over there. I've sat with Blake and on one occasion with the late LaserT. The scrimmages are obviously fun to watch for a summer-starved fan, and it's equally a treat to watch Geno coaching through various drills.

He's mostly out there in the middle of the floor rather than calling out from the sidelines. He demonstrates moves, points to spots on the floor, wisecracks, cajoles, questions -- sort of the combo tech genius, teacher and stand-up comic you'd expect.

I remember my first impression of Maya from watching a practice before her freshman season. This obviously smooth young lady in red shorts practicing the same move from the top of the key again, again -- and again, with Geno throwing her the pass. She kept tallking to herself about how she just wasn't getting it right.

I knew then that for all her hype as one of the greatest high school players ever, she was a real perfectionist who focused relentlessly on identifying her own weaknesses and growing her game.

 

[EricLA]

Great stuff as always Blake. It's so cool that you head out there, find out when the scrimmages are, and then give us report on them. Very surprised about Heather. Pleasantly of course. It will be fascinating to see how this season unfolds.

 

[meyers7]

I had the great pleasure of watching our kids scrimmage yesterday afternoon....all hands on deck.

About time one of you "got all kinds of time on my hands" types got down there to give us "chained to our desks" types a report. Well done Blake. Sounds like they are looking good.

Given that these are clearly Dixville Notch type returns please take all of this with many grains of salt.
.

Dr won't let me do that anymore.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I remember my first impression of Maya from watching a practice before her freshman season. This obviously smooth young lady in red shorts practicing the same move from the top of the key again, again -- and again, with Geno throwing her the pass. She kept tallking to herself about how she just wasn't getting it right.

I knew then that for all her hype as one of the greatest high school players ever, she was a real perfectionist who focused relentlessly on identifying her own weaknesses and growing her game.

Maya makes things look easy. That is because she works her butt off to prepare behind the scenes. She has some natural gifts, to be sure, but it's her relentless work that has taken her to where she is. Whether it's a hustle play that gets a quick basket or the perfect form on her jump shot or scoop shot, it's all about work for Maya. Those trademak jump shots and scoop shots came from countless hours in the gym.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Morgan: very impressed! Hit an early trey and then scored a bunch of inside shots with clever post moves. Doesn't seem to be a high riser but she gets off shots against inside defenders with a variety of cool moves....scoopers, baby hooks, drop-steps etc. It doesn't look like she will get them off but she always did....nice touch around the basket.

Morgan may be one of the most polished inside players ever to come out of high school. She may have lost some athleticism after her knee surgery (see Kalana), but she has moves upon moves and counter-moves, using both hands. Oh and she has 3-point range. Sweet!

 

[speedoo]

Thanks blake for that great report. Lots of good news!

 

[MilfordHusky]

KML: hit a bunch of treys...a couple of post-ups....looked fine.

Diana's school record for career 3-pointers made is toast.

 

[alexrgct]

KML: hit a bunch of treys...a couple of post-ups....looked fine.

Diana's school record for career 3-pointers made is toast.

KML hit more three-points as a freshman than D ever made in any one season. If she stays healthy, KML should own that record pretty handily.

 

[alexrgct]

Btw, Breanna and Morgan look good on UConn blue:

 

[Phil]

Thanks Blake! great report.

 

[winlots]

Ahhhh.....like finding cool water in the desert.

 

[DEK1234]

Do you mind me asking what time this was? I cut through Gampel yesterday afternoon/evening and only men's players were on the court. Hopefully I can catch them another time.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Thanks Blake!

 

[alexrgct]

Some more pics from UConn Picture Day. Yes, I got them off of Twitter. Get over it:

 

[alexrgct]

 

[alexrgct]

 

[MilfordHusky]

Btw, Breanna and Morgan look good on UConn blue:

Geez. Tiffany and Lorin look soooo different.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Who is the good-looking, tall, skinny kid with the long hair? The one wearing #31?