I don't think anyone has said that Geno stifled her offense. But the fair question remains (IMHO). If the Liberty can work in literally 1 month during the spring to get her to be more offensive-minded, why was the UCONN staff unable to do so for 4 years?"Of course Coach (Geno) Auriemma would have loved me to be more offensive minded so I kind of got my role where I didn’t have to, ‘let’s make sure I block shots and rebounds’ and that was kind of my mindset.” Maybe the undercurrent of Geno stifling her offensive game can be buried now?
Well one benefit the WNBA coaches have is, if she doesn't, she doesn't have a job. Not quite the same at UCONN, she just doesn't play as much, but still gets to pursue her academics. Different when you're livelihood is on the line.I don't think anyone has said that Geno stifled her offense. But the fair question remains (IMHO). If the Liberty can work in literally 1 month during the spring to get her to be more offensive-minded, why was the UCONN staff unable to do so for 4 years?
Excellent point. I was legitimately curious - not necessarily criticizing the staff, but curious none the less...Well one benefit the WNBA coaches have is, if she doesn't, she doesn't have a job. Not quite the same at UCONN, she just doesn't play as much, but still gets to pursue her academics. Different when you're livelihood is on the line.
But this has only been a couple pre-season games. We'll see how well it carries over to the real season. (hopefully it does)
I picked up a couple of interesting quotes there as well. "He said it to my face which is something I haven't necessarily heard that many times at UConn" and " He has a lot of confidence in me which is great." Wouldn't this mean that Auriemma would allude to the media that he wanted her to be more offensive minded and that she was hesitant but he and the other coaches weren't telling her this? Why would they wait 4 years for her to do that on her own?Excellent point. I was legitimately curious - not necessarily criticizing the staff, but curious none the less...
Meyers, you hit the nail on the head....Blindfolded. All Geno could do was threaten Kiah with no PT. That didn't bother Kiah because she was so focused that no PT was no problem for her. The Husky Machine kept right on rolling up victories. What was a coach to do , kick her off the team because she was an excellent defensive specialist ? I don't think so. Coach got out of her what he could to benefit the team. And it did.... Now comes the NYL . Now they can threaten with No Offense , NO PT ; NO contract ; NO career in the WNBA. A much BIGGER stick.Well one benefit the WNBA coaches have is, if she doesn't, she doesn't have a job. Not quite the same at UCONN, she just doesn't play as much, but still gets to pursue her academics. Different when you're livelihood is on the line.
But this has only been a couple pre-season games. We'll see how well it carries over to the real season. (hopefully it does)
I picked up a couple of interesting quotes there as well. "He said it to my face which is something I haven't necessarily heard that many times at UConn" and " He has a lot of confidence in me which is great." Wouldn't this mean that Auriemma would allude to the media that he wanted her to be more offensive minded and that she was hesitant but he and the other coaches weren't telling her this? Why would they wait 4 years for her to do that on her own?
A line I picked up on was "We are forcing the situation on her because she is one of our better shooters.."I picked up a couple of interesting quotes there as well. "He said it to my face which is something I haven't necessarily heard that many times at UConn" and " He has a lot of confidence in me which is great." Wouldn't this mean that Auriemma would allude to the media that he wanted her to be more offensive minded and that she was hesitant but he and the other coaches weren't telling her this? Why would they wait 4 years for her to do that on her own?
Yes, and if he could have taught any defense at all to KML they might have REALLY been good! (Feel so sorry for those regular coaches like Brenda Freese who actually have to coach.)View attachment 9643
Since March 23, 2013 UConn has a 84-1 record...
18-0 in the NCAA tournament...
3 straight National Championships.....
average margin of victory in the NCAAs of 31.2 points per game....
If only Geno could have coached more points from Kiah....
I don't think anyone has said that Geno stifled her offense. But the fair question remains (IMHO). If the Liberty can work in literally 1 month during the spring to get her to be more offensive-minded, why was the UCONN staff unable to do so for 4 years?
UCONN teams are filled with players being TOLD what to do by the coaches. That's part of "coaching them up" and getting them to improve and become better basketball players. If playing great defensen was "kind of her mindset", it was up to the coaches to change that mindset, and they did not. We as UCONN fans always talk about players coming to UCONN to be developed "better" than any other program. If that's the case, then what happened with Kiah? Obviously her defensive prowess was developed. But her offense was not...
One last thing - people have said that with scorers like Tuck, Stewie, KML, Moriah, and Nurse, Stokes was not NEEDED to provide offensive. Well go back to Moriah as a freshman. Defenses would sag off her because she could not hit a 3 point shot. And her offense was much "less". In order for her to be come a premier PG, she NEEDED to up her game and her offense. The coaches were able to get Mo to do just that. With Kiah, they did not...
Yes, and if he could have taught any defense at all to KML they might have REALLY been good! (Feel so sorry for those regular coaches like Brenda Freese who actually have to coach.)
LOL good one! Seriously, though, and you make a great point on Charde but...Oh yeah, Oh yeah Eric....well, well ... your feet stink - so there! I suspect we will be debating this one for years. Geno (and 3 other coaches) could not unlock Charde Houston's lock and we can add Kiah to the list. I hope her offense comes out royally in the WNBA because everything she does has an elegance and poise to it - her stroke is fine and then some. Go Kiah - become a great conundrum.
LOL good one! Seriously, though, and you make a great point on Charde but...
Charde never learned anything new in the WNBA, not really. Her problem at UCONN was an inability to master the concept of true team play, and while she excelled at 1 on 1 moves, her defense was lacking, and it never got much better in the pros. Don't get me wrong - I loved Charde, and not just because she was from San Diego, but my point is - name an aspect of her game that REALLY improved once she graduated. I'm betting she probably got stronger and maybe in better shape, but it's not like she suddenly sprouted new skills.
My point in Kiah was that the coaches could not unlock her offense for 4 years, but Lambier seems like he can in 1 month? Or at least set her on a path to do so?
A line I picked up on was "We are forcing the situation on her because she is one of our better shooters.."
That wasn't the case on UCONN. KML, Jefferson, Stewart, Nurse, Tuck were all better shooters. If they want her to be the 3rd or so (Charles and Prince 1-2?) option on the Liberty, that's great. But she wasn't and shouldn't have been the 3rd or so option on UCONN.
We can look at the upside of this. UCONN's 6th man can make an immediate impact on a WNBA team. That shows how well UCONN prepares it's players for the next level.
Again as many of us have said throughout her career, the only thing stopping Stokes was Stokes. If she's gonna get out of her on way, the sky's the limit.
Well if they award the 2022 WC to the USA, I'll figure out how to come up with 150K.Be careful using that avatar, Meyers. FIFA and Sepp Blatter's flunkies will demand 150K in a numbered Swiss account when they get wind you're using it.
I think have asked this before, but this has got to be a unique situation: A player who didn't start for her college team is drafted high in the first round of the WNBA, and may end up starting for the Liberty. That has to be unprecedented. Can anyone think of another example?
BTW, Kiah did start the first two games of the season, but was replaced with Morgan Tuck after the Stanford game. Any speculation on the reason for this?