Good News from Jim Fuller

[UConnCat]

Jim Fuller ‏@NHRJimFuller 5m
#uconn's Brianna Banks looking pretty good out on Gampel Pavilion firing up shots with no knee brace and moving well

 

[Biff]

Jim Fuller ‏@NHRJimFuller 5m
#uconn's Brianna Banks looking pretty good out on Gampel Pavilion firing up shots with no knee brace and moving well

Good health to you Brianna! Can't wait to see her back and hopefully 100% by the end of the year.

 

[Wonkster]

.
Banks is a great kid. I'm sure it was tough for her to be unable to play during the NCAAs in March.

I hope she turns out to be a real ass-kicker on the court this season, which could easily happen as the opposition has probably forgotten about Brianna since her injury.

 

[4ontheT]

She was doing so well before the injury . What is her current eligibility ? Did she get a redshirt last year ?

 

[Wonkster]

She was doing so well before the injury . What is her current eligibility ? Did she get a redshirt last year ?

Don't think so - it was too late in the season, I'm sure.

 

[vtcwbuff]

She will not redshirt. If she comes back near 100% I expect that she will challenge Jefferson for a starting job. Banks proved last year that she's a scorer with a good outside shot and she can run the team. Jefferson has yet to prove that she can be a scoring threat.

 

[dtbtbtb]

It seemed to me last season that Geno was building BB to be the future defensive stopper (after Faris) and clearly her offense was getting to be reliable. Hopefully she picks up close to where she was and builds from there.

 

[VAMike23]

She will not redshirt. If she comes back near 100% I expect that she will challenge Jefferson for a starting job. Banks proved last year that she's a scorer with a good outside shot and she can run the team. Jefferson has yet to prove that she can be a scoring threat.

I disagree - I think BB will come off the bench and that Mo will get the initial nod as starting PG, with a fairly long rope.

Geno has said before how much he values and admires Mo's natural PG mentality; he has been pretty consistent in tagging BB as a 2-guard; and he doesn't need very much scoring from the point this year (or most years). I love BB and her game but it seems to me that Mo is the natural leader of the two and that the team will need leadership and organization from its PG more than anything. Mo is still on a learning curve so she's not yet the calming/organizing force that she hopefully will be as an upperclassman, but I think her experience last year and her USA Basketball stint this summer have made a difference.

I'm betting that Geno will be willing to live with some ups and downs with Mo in the belief that she is the #1 point guard for the future.

Bria can certainly hold it down at either guard spot, no problem. But likely she will play the 2 alongside Mo for the minutes that really count against the better teams.

Chong is a wildcard with little pressure on her 1st year, which is a nice situation. Nothing like Bria being thrown in the deep end (perforce) on Day 1.

BB will still get her minutes as she works her way back, but this is just how I see it. My 2 cents.

 

[Tonyc]

Welcome Back BB. .

 

[Phil]

Great to hear the news

 

[jplotinus]

Glad to hear the news. I hope the tweet will lead to a full fledged story in a couple weeks, with continuing good prognosis for fulsome recovery toward the early end of the normal timeline.

 

[wbfree]

I disagree - I think BB will come off the bench and that Mo will get the initial nod as starting PG, with a fairly long rope.

Geno has said before how much he values and admires Mo's natural PG mentality; he has been pretty consistent in tagging BB as a 2-guard; and he doesn't need very much scoring from the point this year (or most years). I love BB and her game but it seems to me that Mo is the natural leader of the two and that the team will need leadership and organization from its PG more than anything. Mo is still on a learning curve so she's not yet the calming/organizing force that she hopefully will be as an upperclassman, but I think her experience last year and her USA Basketball stint this summer have made a difference.

I'm betting that Geno will be willing to live with some ups and downs with Mo in the belief that she is the #1 point guard for the future.

Bria can certainly hold it down at either guard spot, no problem. But likely she will play the 2 alongside Mo for the minutes that really count against the better teams.

Chong is a wildcard with little pressure on her 1st year, which is a nice situation. Nothing like Bria being thrown in the deep end (perforce) on Day 1.

BB will still get her minutes as she works her way back, but this is just how I see it. My 2 cents.

Bria Hartley is our starting pg. NC starting pg, and pg for the last three years. Geno doesn't give starting jobs to anyone. Mo has to earn it, and so far she hasn't come close to earning it.

 

[VAMike23]

Bria Hartley is our starting pg. NC starting pg, and pg for the last three years. Geno doesn't give starting jobs to anyone. Mo has to earn it, and so far she hasn't come close to earning it.

So who's in the starting 5?

 

[Geno-ista]

I disagree - I think BB will come off the bench and that Mo will get the initial nod as starting PG, with a fairly long rope.

Geno has said before how much he values and admires Mo's natural PG mentality; he has been pretty consistent in tagging BB as a 2-guard; and he doesn't need very much scoring from the point this year (or most years). I love BB and her game but it seems to me that Mo is the natural leader of the two and that the team will need leadership and organization from its PG more than anything. Mo is still on a learning curve so she's not yet the calming/organizing force that she hopefully will be as an upperclassman, but I think her experience last year and her USA Basketball stint this summer have made a difference.

I'm betting that Geno will be willing to live with some ups and downs with Mo in the belief that she is the #1 point guard for the future.

Bria can certainly hold it down at either guard spot, no problem. But likely she will play the 2 alongside Mo for the minutes that really count against the better teams.

Chong is a wildcard with little pressure on her 1st year, which is a nice situation. Nothing like Bria being thrown in the deep end (perforce) on Day 1.

BB will still get her minutes as she works her way back, but this is just how I see it. My 2 cents.

Great observations and post. Totally agree with all your thoughts. With the amt of talent and veterans on the floor, Mo should have a long rope, and they can bring BB back as fast or slow as her recovery warrants.

 

[doggydaddy]

Great news but no surprise. I expect her to be participating in full practices in September and playing regular minutes with no restrictions when the season starts barring no setbacks.

 

[Geno-ista]

Did we hear that her tear was relatively clean or not a horrible one? Or am I hallucinating? Again!

 

[doggydaddy]

Did we hear that her tear was relatively clean or not a horrible one? Or am I hallucinating? Again!

It was "just" the ACL.

 

[Geno-ista]

And

It was "just" the ACL.

when it happens it is not an injury that is much different from person to person I guess. ThanksDD

 

[VAMike23]

And
when it happens it is not an injury that is much different from person to person I guess. ThanksDD

I'm not sure either way re: similarities of ACL injuries per se, but I think he was just referring to other injuries that players like Kalana Greene, for example, have sustained when injuring their ACL.

IIRC she had an MCL sprain and torn meniscus along with the ACL, so it was much more to recover from.

 

[Geno-ista]

Th

I'm not sure either way re: similarities of ACL injuries per se, but I think he was just referring to other injuries that players like Kalana Greene, for example, have sustained when injuring their ACL.

IIRC she had an MCL sprain and torn meniscus along with the ACL, so it was much more to recover from.

Thanks VA!

 

[Icebear]

Bria Hartley is our starting pg. NC starting pg, and pg for the last three years. Geno doesn't give starting jobs to anyone. Mo has to earn it, and so far she hasn't come close to earning it.

You need to recheck you facts. Hartley was not the starting guard in the NC. She came off the bench. Bria is, also, more likely the 2 guard. Bria plays PG but is really a combo/2 guard. She and MoJeff were on the court together numerous times in the season with Bria at the 2.

My guess is that Dolson, Stewart, KML, Bria and MoJeff are the starters with Bria at the 2.

 

[VAMike23]

ThThanks VA!

No problem - DD was actually the one who pointed out the [more serious] nature of Greene's knee injuries in a previous discussion about Banks from earlier this summer.

I believe that Kalana has been quoted as saying her knee was never quite as strong again and she never regained the same degree of explosiveness in that leg, but hopefully with a more "garden variety" ACL injury and nothing else, BB's knee will be closer to what it was before. Each athlete's body is of course different so we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[meyers7]

You need to recheck you facts. Hartley was not the starting guard in the NC. She came off the bench. Bria is, also, more likely the 2 guard. Bria plays PG but is really a combo/2 guard. She and MoJeff were on the court together numerous times in the season with Bria at the 2.

My guess is that Dolson, Stewart, KML, Bria and MoJeff are the starters with Bria at the 2.

Yep, that's the way I see it. Jefferson is a pure PG, Hartley is a combo, and Banks is more a 2 guard. I see them playing that way most of the time if possible. The wild card will be Chong. Who I think can be another combo.

And that's the starting 5 most likely (5,4,3,2,1).

 

[Geno-ista]

Yep, that's the way I see it. Jefferson is a pure PG, Hartley is a combo, and Banks is more a 2 guard. I see them playing that way most of the time if possible. The wild card will be Chong. Who I think can be another combo.

And that's the starting 5 most likely (5,4,3,2,1).

No question on this point - and Morgan will spell Steph and Stewie and could even back up Kml if needed. We have more depth than some of the recent years including Maya's last two years. But we are thin at guard- talented for sure, but thin!

 

[CL82]

I'm excited for Brianna. She was impressive before the injury and nowhere near her ceiling. She's going to be fun to watch develop.