How much does Geno like Crystal's game?

[bags27]

Dangerfield could have joined Pam Webber as the only UConn freshmen with 10 assists in a game had she connected on that pass. Still, she had some rather impressive assists in the game.

"You are born with that stuff," Auriemma said. "We used to talk all the time that you can tell a kid to look inside and they have no idea what they are looking at. She sees everything and the key is throwing the right pass at the right time and she does that and that is not from coaching, that is from an innate ability that she has, nine assists today and that particular sequence (in the third quarter) was probably her showcasing all the little things that she can to help your team. She only made one bucket today and she dominated the game for long stretches at a time."

The New Haven Register Blogs: Elm City to Eagleville: UConn hits the ground running

 

[Sonny44]

Looks like the complete package to me.

 

[BigBird]

Likey likey.

 

[Shorty Dee]

Crystal "Danger" Dangerfield is special. She is the smallest one on the court, but you can't sleep on her. Wow, can she pass, and when she starting hitting shots, all you can say is "Danger, Danger, Danger". I love to watch Ms. Crystal, because she is an amazing player.

 

[JoePgh]

Sadly, it's looking like Saniya will again be developing a close relationship with pinewood. Although she started against Dayton, based on her minutes and her play, she was effectively a bench player.

 

[xHunt3r]

Geno making sure he gives her a hard time about something....

"You are not going to get everything," Auriemma said. "After the (Baylor) game everybody was ready to annoint her the next Chris Paul and against LSU she looked like Les Paul. God bless him, he is no longer with us but he is a great guitar player."

 

[UcMiami]

I have been impressed with all the players passing skills this year - yeah they are piling up a fair number of TOs, but that is also to be expected this early - Lou's pass to Crystal on the backdoor against Baylor was amazing, Gabby passing to Napheesa last night in tight was amazing too.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned and it relates to some of the foul trouble - pretty much everyone has also made at least one pass that they should not have - a pass that led the recipient straight into a defender that was almost guaranteed to create a charge. I think it is something the coaches need to work on - the instinct is right, but the particular pass is a bad choice.

But ... boy is Dangerfield picking it up quickly.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Dangerfield will be in the starting lineup within two months, imo. Don't know if it'll be sooner than later but the team is much better when she's on the floor.

 

[bags27]

Did you see Crystal's halftime interview? She saw UConn when she was NINE and made up her mind then that she would work hard everyday to get there.

 

[Jim R]

Dangerfield will be in the starting lineup within two months, imo. Don't know if it'll be sooner than later but the team is much better when she's on the floor.

While we understand Geno's loyalty to his players who've paid their dues, what Crystal brings is hard to ignore. It's an uptempo offense when she's in the game, and beginning with Baylor, we're a different team when she's on the floor. She's not a normal freshman - expect she'll be in the starting five the first week of December. It's certainly been fun to watch!

 

[UcMiami]

It isn't just loyalty to a particular player, it is also a consideration to how the other players involved are effected - Gabby is obviously a player whose skills dictate she starts, but if the Dayton game turns out to be the aberration and she were to continue to rack up two fouls in the first quarter of the games to come, Geno might decide to 'bench' her from the starting line-up so as to keep her on the floor longer. Dangerfield coming in after two - four minutes, may be better for her and for Chong at this point even if she is the best option to run the team - like using Doty's 2-4 minute starting time to improve Bria's effectiveness in the NCAAs.

 

[Vowelguy]

Sadly, it's looking like Saniya will again be developing a close relationship with pinewood. Although she started against Dayton, based on her minutes and her play, she was effectively a bench player.

Saniya did not have a good game, and the team noticeably improved with CD. I don't expect that to be the case every game -- Saniya has had bright spots, and CD will have frosh moments.
That said, if the team has more games where they struggle at the start, then Geno will likely make a change.

 

[Vowelguy]

Dangerfield will be in the starting lineup within two months, imo. Don't know if it'll be sooner than later but the team is much better when she's on the floor.

Whether she starts is not up to her. It's up to Saniya. If Chong does what she needs to do, she will continue to start.
She did not do that against Dayton, and thus the playing time we saw.

 

[JordyG]

FOTFLOL

"Against LSU she looked like Les Paul." After Geno leaves The UConn a book of his quotes will be a 1000 pages.

 

[PhillyCoach]

While we understand Geno's loyalty to his players who've paid their dues, what Crystal brings is hard to ignore. It's an uptempo offense when she's in the game, and beginning with Baylor, we're a different team when she's on the floor. She's not a normal freshman - expect she'll be in the starting five the first week of December. It's certainly been fun to watch!

Hey Jim - Agree wholeheartedly. IMHO Crystal is the only PURE point guard on the team. Kia, Chong, & Bent can play the point, but as Geno states--Crystal was born with the innate knowledge of a pure point.
Nurse & Chong are so much more valuable at the 2 guard. Nurse on defense and just an all-around BB player. IMHO Chong is a scorer first and can help in the future. As Geno says--We want people to play to their strengths.
Like others, I watch one player at a time during key moments in a game. Crystal runs the point so different than the others because she not only scans the floor looking for an effective pass, she instantly recognizes when there is no pass available and then SEES A VULNERABLE spot on the floor and penetrates. Sometimes it just takes a step or two to draw the defender, sometimes she knows she has to get deeper. Of course, like Mo could (and sometimes Chong or Kia) Danger sees the fleeting opening and motors in for the score. Chong is better than Kia. Kia still bangs around too much, where Chong can wiggle and get there in an uncanny fashion.
Kia and Chong--too often when at point--come down the floor, don't see much to attack, then throw a pass to another player on the outside. Maybe run through, come back out, and do the same thing again. Correct me if I am wrong, but Chong rarely sees an opening and does not penetrate as often as is necessary.
Finally, as a pure point, Crystal has more passing methods, styles, skills than all the other guards. And it has to be said, she has executed those varied methods in the first games of the season. I have not seen Chong or Kia execute that variety over the years.
Remember the end of game embrace with Geno and Crystal? They both knew that she has what it takes and she showed it that game.
Of course she is a frosh and will be inconsistent, but it is all there. You can't fake that scoring, passing and leadership!
Crystal is the 5th piece to the puzzle. Butler and Chong will have their roles this season as will the rest of the team. Those 5 will take us far. One side note - - I am more fearful of South Carolina than any other team.

 

[bags27]

Great post as usual, PhillyCoach. Apropos of Crystal's innate sense of "geometry", I remember one play in the 2nd half last night where Crystal didn't even make the pass that got the assist, but without her positioning it wouldn't have happened. As the ball swung around from the left side to the center, Crystal moved wider and deeper into the right, opening up spacing. The ball swung around to her, she quickly passed back to the point (Lou, I think) who then had an open lane to pass it deep to Gabby for the easy layup. It was so obvious that Crystal innately saw this potential pattern and drew her defender wide to make it happen. Geno's right: just can't teach that.

 

[cbraarj]

Sadly, it's looking like Saniya will again be developing a close relationship with pinewood. Although she started against Dayton, based on her minutes and her play, she was effectively a bench player.

Saniya can be that spark like John Gwynn was for the men or Vinnie Johnson for the Pistons were. Help jumpstart the offense when needed. Paige and Stacey sat in their SR. years because Geno told them he needed to play Williams, Jones, Cash and Shuey. They were still leaders for the team.

 

[Sonny44]

Did you see Crystal's halftime interview? She saw UConn when she was NINE and made up her mind then that she would work hard everyday to get there.

That reminds me: haven't heard from Mone lately. We can fit her in, no?

 

[BroadwayVa]

Dangerfield could have joined Pam Webber as the only UConn freshmen with 10 assists in a game had she connected on that pass. Still, she had some rather impressive assists in the game.

"You are born with that stuff," Auriemma said. "We used to talk all the time that you can tell a kid to look inside and they have no idea what they are looking at. She sees everything and the key is throwing the right pass at the right time and she does that and that is not from coaching, that is from an innate ability that she has, nine assists today and that particular sequence (in the third quarter) was probably her showcasing all the little things that she can to help your team. She only made one bucket today and she dominated the game for long stretches at a time."

The New Haven Register Blogs: Elm City to Eagleville: UConn hits the ground running

Nice Catch Bags---thanks..
For the life of me I can't understand why he does not like Crystal Dangerfield!! It's about time GENO jumped on the Crystal bandwagon!! Ok this is what he saw when he recruited her!!! I get it! I saw this when she played USA. Obviously he saw her in the USA's because he has said a few times --she HAS EXPERIENCE.
You know Bag, Geno knows, and I know that as good as she is too much pressure too early isn't good , with SOME kids--Crystal isn't one of them . But she isn't used to playing this intense and this long and this many days in a row--that does not happen in HS or AAU.
She and Moriah and Sue Bird were BORN with the ability, talent and intelligence

 

[BroadwayVa]

Saniya can be that spark like John Gwynn was for the men or Vinnie Johnson for the Pistons were. Help jumpstart the offense when needed. Paige and Stacey sat in their SR. years because Geno told them he needed to play Williams, Jones, Cash and Shuey. They were still leaders for the team.

I liked Paige and Bam Bam---tw0 Mid West City, OK women. (Paige was an import)---Bam Bam is the reason Sheri Coales got the job.
Both OK women were easy going nice people--and bought into everything Geno said. I bet he misses that..

 

[BroadwayVa]

Hey Jim - Agree wholeheartedly. IMHO Crystal is the only PURE point guard on the team. Kia, Chong, & Bent can play the point, but as Geno states--Crystal was born with the innate knowledge of a pure point.
Nurse & Chong are so much more valuable at the 2 guard. Nurse on defense and just an all-around BB player. IMHO Chong is a scorer first and can help in the future. As Geno says--We want people to play to their strengths.
Like others, I watch one player at a time during key moments in a game. Crystal runs the point so different than the others because she not only scans the floor looking for an effective pass, she instantly recognizes when there is no pass available and then SEES A VULNERABLE spot on the floor and penetrates. Sometimes it just takes a step or two to draw the defender, sometimes she knows she has to get deeper. Of course, like Mo could (and sometimes Chong or Kia) Danger sees the fleeting opening and motors in for the score. Chong is better than Kia. Kia still bangs around too much, where Chong can wiggle and get there in an uncanny fashion.
Kia and Chong--too often when at point--come down the floor, don't see much to attack, then throw a pass to another player on the outside. Maybe run through, come back out, and do the same thing again. Correct me if I am wrong, but Chong rarely sees an opening and does not penetrate as often as is necessary.
Finally, as a pure point, Crystal has more passing methods, styles, skills than all the other guards. And it has to be said, she has executed those varied methods in the first games of the season. I have not seen Chong or Kia execute that variety over the years.
Remember the end of game embrace with Geno and Crystal? They both knew that she has what it takes and she showed it that game.
Of course she is a frosh and will be inconsistent, but it is all there. You can't fake that scoring, passing and leadership!
Crystal is the 5th piece to the puzzle. Butler and Chong will have their roles this season as will the rest of the team. Those 5 will take us far. One side note - - I am more fearful of South Carolina than any other team.

NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!! You nailed Crystal's intelligence, abilities, and 7th sense. She makes passes and I scream --No Do do that no= wow that was great!! I noticed she fixed her passes into Butler--all were near perfect. She does more expertly than all others on this team--seeing and taking what the defense will allow. It's that half step and breeze by you spoke of Coach.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

There is nothing as powerful as a Bandwagon! In this case I'll happily take my turn driving it.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I have been impressed with all the players passing skills this year - yeah they are piling up a fair number of TOs, but that is also to be expected this early - Lou's pass to Crystal on the backdoor against Baylor was amazing, Gabby passing to Napheesa last night in tight was amazing too.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned and it relates to some of the foul trouble - pretty much everyone has also made at least one pass that they should not have - a pass that led the recipient straight into a defender that was almost guaranteed to create a charge. I think it is something the coaches need to work on - the instinct is right, but the particular pass is a bad choice.

But ... boy is Dangerfield picking it up quickly.

You are right!! I see Dangerfield differently, a bit -not much, she obviously is LEARNING DIV 1 play, but being a PG it's in her DNA.
It does not mean she does not have much much much to learn--but instinctively knowing how when where and when not to make passes or to attach the basket or step back and shoot the three--that's amazing--I though Moriah was my once in a life time guard/player/person
maybe not!.
That pass that leads a recipient into a defender-happens with all of them --but more critical from a PG. Sometimes a PG sees something developing --a defender slips over--before the pass- but the move is in the head--and away it goes. That is why Crystal is so good she see's what isn't there but developing. Stuff like that usually comes with CHEMISTRY--ie. playing so much BB with your team you know what they'll do--so the thinking gets to be instinctive. That's coming for the entire team.

 

[BroadwayVa]

There is nothing as powerful as a Bandwagon! In this case I'll happily take my turn driving it.

I can't drive so I'll just wave the flag--you drive..

 

[LesMis89]

Did you see Crystal's halftime interview? She saw UConn when she was NINE and made up her mind then that she would work hard everyday to get there.

Thank you for that confirmation because the announcers during the LSU game said she wanted to go to Tennessee but came to Connecticut instead because Moriah was leaving.

I hadn't ever heard that version of events. Always heard that UConn was her primary school of choice.