Narratives

[diggerfoot]

Over the course of a player's career a defining narrative develops. Sometimes this narrative can be driven by a single poster, such as the narrative of Conlon being too slow for DI basketball (I keep wondering if Bball***** has a new handle whenever I see a similar negative agenda against a player). Sometimes the narrative can be driven by none other than Coach Auriemma, such as Samuelson needing to get the California knocked out of her (to grossly paraphrase).

In reality, I remember reading reports on Samuelson being a fiery high school competitor, much more driven than her sisters and, for that reason, desirous of coming to a place like UConn. I watched during her freshman season as she demonstrated a much greater willingness to mix it up throughout the season than her predecessor Stewart (please, don't misconstrue this as me saying Samuelson is better, or will be better, just that out of the two it's Stewart who needed "California knocked out of her," not Samuelson). Then I watched her play sixteen minutes on a broken foot. Yet somehow this season a narrative has developed that she's blossomed into the fiery competitor she needed to be, accentuated by hitting a different kind of bucket in an important game.

Nope. We know that Auriemma is a master motivator. It is precisely because Samuelson is so naturally competitive that he pushes those buttons, why she takes those buttons being pushed so hard yet responds so well. No doubt that puking in a bucket cements Samuelson as the leading candidate for a NPOY award from the Husky roster, but I bring the topic of narratives up not so much because of Samuelson but everyone else.

In reality, there are four good choices for MOP or MVP on the Husky roster. As each one as her own proponents (and detractors in the case of Nurse, though she has made enough shots now to shut them up) narratives have developed for each of them. These narratives are mainly positive, as people advocate for their champion. The only problem I have with that is when I see a comment like "it's not even close." Well, of course it's close, that's why it generates so much (mainly positive) debate.

Yet precisely because we have such positive narratives for the "core four" I get a little concerned about the narrative developing for the "scary dropoff" when we turn to the bench. One of them, a center with little hoopla coming out of high school, leads to a "burden of proof" similar to what I used to see about Conlon, except now from multiple posters. The other, a highly regarded point guard out of high school, for that reason seems to receive more of a "benefit of doubt."

A post made early in the season accentuates this contrast. The poster blamed Butler for not handling passes from Dangerfield. My take on this is similar to what I've read from BroadwayVa; allow me to back up to the Baylor game for context. I was as high on Dangerfield as the next guy. One thing I noticed is that she would pull up short to make a jumper, leaving too much of a gap and no chance for her shot to get blocked. As the natural tendency for any player is to drive as close to the basket as possible I thought at the time: "Great! She's learned how to minimize her height disadvantage!"

Yet I saw this "savvy" working to her disadvantage when it came to making passes to Butler in a subsequent game. She maximized the probability of making a pass into the post, but often at the worst time possible for the post player. To somewhat defend Butler on another front, I've seen references to both good and bad footwork. What I see is both. When opponents run plays Butler responds well and her footwork is excellent. Jones, while extremely efficient, did not score much for two reasons: the main reason was Williams but the other was Butler. However, when a play is busted, due to a loose ball or rebound, Butler does not recover well. I'm afraid only a lot of in game experience will remedy that, which leads me to my main response to all these narratives.

"Play for more than you can afford to lose and you will learn the game." Churchill

If Conlon was on the roster today I'm afraid BBall***** would have a field day. She would seldom play and her detractors could crow forever about how slow she is for DI basketball. But she played for a great coaching staff that placed her in a situation where she had no choice but to "learn the game," and she responded well. With Charles departing, Dolson was placed in a similar situation. Given her initial athletic shortcomings, being the brunt of jokes for not being able to jump (take heart Butler), one could imagine an alternative scenario of development for Dolson, but she was instead forced to "learn the game" by a great coaching staff.

As the point guard heir apparent, I have no doubt Dangerfield will "learn the game" as well. As long as she is willing to learn she will end up among our top three point guards. So, too, will Butler "learn the game" to the extent that is necessary for this roster, but what she needs to learn is not as great as it was for either Conlon or Dolson. So, too, will all the starters. Fortunately for UConn fans, the real narrative is what "more than you can afford to lose" means for this particular program and the impact that has on how our players "learn the game."

 

[NVUConnFan]

Interesting post. I've always been a fan of Butler, but I agree with your analysis on her. For Chong, the jury is still out for me. Dangerfield is young and a frosh of course, so there is only upside for her. Too bad she's so short. LOL!

 

[Wilderness]

Nice post - most appreciate getting away from the most one-dimensional of narrative lines. How many times to say Gabby is athletic or last year Lou just hung out at the three point line. UConn players pretty much all develop a full set of basketball skills, participate in the team game in all dimensions. I appreciated that again watching the individual offensive play in Louisville - Duke last evening. Anyway - thanks for the post digger.

 

[tomcat]

Really thoughtful post, especially abut Butler's game. I'll have to watch more closely to see if I can pick up on the distinction you noted.

 

[bags27]

thank you so very much, diggerfoot, for this essential and brilliant post.

I see the current nastiness (what you charitably call narratives) as somewhat of a Thermidorian Reaction, following the MD game, which ended the wildly successful running of the gauntlet/gantlet. Folks have cycled from celebrating the entire team to emotional exhaustion and now to pettiness about individuals. Since there's nothing grand to say while UConn is currently beating up on bad teams, let's nitpick about individual Huskies. As you say, the nitpicking becomes permanent narrative, or "court rep". Just nasty, depressing stuff that shows the weakness of social media.

 

[chuck.r]

thank you so very much, diggerfoot, for this essential and brilliant post.

I see the current nastiness (what you charitably call narratives) as somewhat of a Thermidorian Reaction, following the MD game, which ended the wildly successful running of the gauntlet/gantlet. Folks have cycled from celebrating the entire team to emotional exhaustion and now to pettiness about individuals. Since there's nothing grand to say while UConn is currently beating up on bad teams, let's nitpick about individual Huskies. As you say, the nitpicking becomes permanent narrative, or "court rep". Just nasty, depressing stuff that shows the weakness of social media.

^^^^THIS. could not have been stated better. well done.

 

[CocoHusky]

Nailed it!

 

[UcMiami]

Diggerfoot - you don't post often enough, but it makes the occasions when you do post all the more precious!

Really nice post and perspective.

I think fans of all team sports fall into the trap of comparing current player to the superlatives in their sport or the historic players for their team - new players are denigrated with the phrase 'well, he isn't Tom Brady or Aaron Rogers' or 'he isn't as good as Michael Jordan' as if any young player can become iconic in a year or two. We at Uconn have our own superlatives in Bird and DT, Maya, Tina, Stewart, and Moriah. So Lou leaves so much to be desired when compared to senior Breanna, Dangerfield is nothing like a senior Moriah or a 15 year pro like Sue, etc. etc. And we are always impatient and focused on the individuals and not the team and what the individuals are not providing, rather than what they are provide to the team.

What makes Uconn special and the coaching staff unique is their ability to deal in the present and integrate the strengths of the individuals on the roster into a team that celebrates those strengths and hides their weaknesses. Saniya will never be Moriah or DT or even Bria or Renee - but she can be a different incarnation of the Conlon style of player providing steady and careful leadership to a younger team - a role she is fulfilling admirably this year. Butler is never going to start for Uconn, but she can be a different incarnation of a Kiah Stokes kind of player who provides strength and height and defensive intensity while scoring occasionally. Dangerfield is a freshman and will not find the consistency of a senior this season, but can provide occasional brilliance as she learns the college game like so many freshman before her at Uconn. Nurse is never going to be DT, but she can be a different incarnation of a Kelly Faris type player - the glue and intensity that the other members of the team feed off of. Kyla and Molly - still so early in the season to tell whether they will be able to contribute much this season as it has been with a myriad of other freshman in Uconn's history - Gabby glued to the bench at Stanford as players fouled out and the team collapsed into it's last defeat.

I too find it hard to read all the posts harping on what individual players cannot do, aren't, and will never become. I love seeing what they can do, what they are, and what they can add to their games as the season unfolds, and as they progress from year to year.

And the equally annoying posts about what the team isn't, doesn't accomplish, and will not achieve compared to a previous years team - as if a team could be preserved and reused each year.

 

[GoUconn7961]

thank you so very much, diggerfoot, for this essential and brilliant post.

I see the current nastiness (what you charitably call narratives) as somewhat of a Thermidorian Reaction, following the MD game, which ended the wildly successful running of the gauntlet/gantlet. Folks have cycled from celebrating the entire team to emotional exhaustion and now to pettiness about individuals. Since there's nothing grand to say while UConn is currently beating up on bad teams, let's nitpick about individual Huskies. As you say, the nitpicking becomes permanent narrative, or "court rep". Just nasty, depressing stuff that shows the weakness of social media.

This is by far my favorite post.

 

[JudgeSCR]

I agree that some comments go over the edge. However, I think there is a place for a fair, critical and constructive comment.

I think there is a world of difference between saying "X player can't or is no good at rebounding" vs. "X player needs to work on her rebounding". I think there is a difference between saying "Y player can't pass into the post" vs. "Y player's timing of passes or placement of passes into the post needs to get better."

I also think that we should be careful about commenting on things that they can't change. But what do I know, I still believe that you don't say insulting things to other people without a really good reason.

 

[HuskyNan]

What's stunning to me is the context of the complaints. In the preseason, most experts - both the ones in the media and the ones here on the Boneyard - expected the young and inexperienced team to struggle and to most likely have a few losses by the end of the year. Yet, the women in blue have exceeded everyones' expectations, beating all challengers and looking good doing so, for the most part. For those parts where the team looks its age, we have a crew that goes bananas over every turnover or wayward shot. Just about every player has suffered her share of over the top criticism and the team itself has been compared to an elementary school team or a CYO team (sorry, I can't get over that bizarre and outrageous insult).

If the #1 ranked and undefeated team, led by a couple sophomores and featuring at times a freshman point guard, can't get respect from its own fans then I have no idea what team could please those people.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Every time I'm watching the game at home and see a mistake that wouldn't have happened last year I remind myself that this is essentially a new team. Even the players that returned are in positions of leadership that weren't required of them last year. The only thing I'd like to see is when Butler is in the game that who ever passes to her pass it high enough so that she doesn't have to bend to the floor or bounce the ball before she goes to the basket. That's pretty much my only "complaint." This team has surpassed my expectations already.

 

[oldude]

Husky fans are indeed terribly spoiled. We expect national championships, undefeated seasons and every freshman to be college-game ready the 1st time they lace up their sneakers at UConn.

Nat is & will be a key contributor to the Huskies this season. Danger is learning how to be a UConn PG. By the end of the season she will be dynamite.

Molly & Kyla posess three of the most highly-valued qualities that Geno looks for in everyone he recruits: they are team-oriented, hard working and smart. It may take a year or two for them to develop, but they will develop and ultimately contribute to the success of UConn WBB.

 

[Dabber]

What's stunning to me is the context of the complaints. In the preseason, most experts - both the ones in the media and the ones here on the Boneyard - expected the young and inexperienced team to struggle and to most likely have a few losses by the end of the year. Yet, the women in blue have exceeded everyones' expectations, beating all challengers and looking good doing so, for the most part. For those parts where the team looks its age, we have a crew that goes bananas over every turnover or wayward shot. Just about every player has suffered her share of over the top criticism and the team itself has been compared to an elementary school team or a CYO team (sorry, I can't get over that bizarre and outrageous insult).

If the #1 ranked and undefeated team, led by a couple sophomores and featuring at times a freshman point guard, can't get respect from its own fans then I have no idea what team could please those people.

GREAT post Nan

 

[wallman]

Told you, spoiled brats the lot o' ya! Oops will I be ostracized for being too harsh? JK

 

[tkaes]

digger, you have made a well-conceived and cogent case for Natalie and others with documented weaknesses in their games. However, in her 4th year of D1 basketball she is not going to "learn" how to have better hands. She is not going to learn how to jump at this point. The time to "learn" those things, if at all possible, was in her teens. That's not to say that there can't be improvement or polishing of skills near the end of one's amateur career or in the prime of one's pro career. Those things clearly happen for most players in all sports. They may "learn" to compete at a different level, but if they have bad hands they're not going to suddenly "learn" to have good hands.

We've watched Natalie play now for 1 1/2 years. She still can't catch. She seldom leaves her feet. She tries to rebound by standing flat-footed with her arms stretched above her head. When she does win the ball, she too often loses it because she seemingly doesn't have the strength in her arms and hands to maintain possession. Those deficiencies are not going to be overcome by more playing time.

 

[diggerfoot]

Diggerfoot - you don't post often enough, but it makes the occasions when you do post all the more precious!

Really nice post and perspective.

Thanks, UCM, you know I consider you one of the most logical posters, hence, a compliment from you is quite welcome.

 

[phil sampieri]

digger, you have made a well-conceived and cogent case for Natalie and others with documented weaknesses in their games. However, in her 4th year of D1 basketball she is not going to "learn" how to have better hands. She is not going to learn how to jump at this point. The time to "learn" those things, if at all possible, was in her teens. That's not to say that there can't be improvement or polishing of skills near the end of one's amateur career or in the prime of one's pro career. Those things clearly happen for most players in all sports. They may "learn" to compete at a different level, but if they have bad hands they're not going to suddenly "learn" to have good hands.

We've watched Natalie play now for 1 1/2 years. She still can't catch. She seldom leaves her feet. She tries to rebound by standing flat-footed with her arms stretched above her head. When she does win the ball, she too often loses it because she seemingly doesn't have the strength in her arms and hands to maintain possession. Those deficiencies are not going to be overcome by more playing time.

Probably so, but some not all of these issues can be corrected over time by repetition in practice. I have been one who has pointed out the obvious faults/habits not to demean a wonderful person. I do so hoping that with her obvious height advantage , she can be even more impactful than she presently is. I hope that we see the change in her that we saw in Tina Charles after her first 2 1/2 and Stokes after her first 3 years. It just takes a bit longer with post players who got away with just being tall in grade and high school ball.
Go Natalie

 

[diggerfoot]

digger, you have made a well-conceived and cogent case for Natalie and others with documented weaknesses in their games. However, in her 4th year of D1 basketball she is not going to "learn" how to have better hands. She is not going to learn how to jump at this point. The time to "learn" those things, if at all possible, was in her teens. That's not to say that there can't be improvement or polishing of skills near the end of one's amateur career or in the prime of one's pro career. Those things clearly happen for most players in all sports. They may "learn" to compete at a different level, but if they have bad hands they're not going to suddenly "learn" to have good hands.

We've watched Natalie play now for 1 1/2 years. She still can't catch. She seldom leaves her feet. She tries to rebound by standing flat-footed with her arms stretched above her head. When she does win the ball, she too often loses it because she seemingly doesn't have the strength in her arms and hands to maintain possession. Those deficiencies are not going to be overcome by more playing time.

This is tangential to my comment on footwork and I agree on both your points, Butler does not jump high and she does not hold onto the ball well, BUT .....

1. Butler jumps as high, perhaps even higher, than Dolson, who by her own admission could not jump higher than a piece of paper. With the body type they both have that does not matter so much; dredging that up is simply fishing for faults.

2. Soft hands CAN be worked on, dependent on two factors. One, obviously, is strength, but I don't think that is Butler's problem. The other is certainty, as in "in this moment the only thing that matters is grabbing this ball, I'll figure out the right thing to do with it in the next moment." Soft hands can result from being too distracted with what you are supposed to do with the ball next. This can be remedied at least a little with sufficient experience and training. If more rode on Butler like it did with Conlon and Dolson such an investment might be warranted, but I don't see this happening. Still, to find fault with it given the context of her expected role, how much she is expected to "learn the game" on this team is, once again, fishing for faults.

 

[UcMiami]

digger, you have made a well-conceived and cogent case for Natalie and others with documented weaknesses in their games. However, in her 4th year of D1 basketball she is not going to "learn" how to have better hands. She is not going to learn how to jump at this point. The time to "learn" those things, if at all possible, was in her teens. That's not to say that there can't be improvement or polishing of skills near the end of one's amateur career or in the prime of one's pro career. Those things clearly happen for most players in all sports. They may "learn" to compete at a different level, but if they have bad hands they're not going to suddenly "learn" to have good hands.

We've watched Natalie play now for 1 1/2 years. She still can't catch. She seldom leaves her feet. She tries to rebound by standing flat-footed with her arms stretched above her head. When she does win the ball, she too often loses it because she seemingly doesn't have the strength in her arms and hands to maintain possession. Those deficiencies are not going to be overcome by more playing time.

We have actually watched Natalie play for 1 year - she was injured through December of last year, and really we have only seen her for two months because by the time Natalie returned from her injury the team had moved on from whatever she might have been able to provide and she never really was reintegrated into the team plans. Lou, Gabby, and Napheesa had split her minutes and weren't relinquishing them. Between that reality and a still clearly not 100% hand the 2015-16 season was a second red-shirt year in effect of not in fact.

 

[McFly]

The carping by some posters a sort of Thermidorian Reaction? I hope not. While UConn's romp through the OOC portion of the schedule could, I suppose, be called a reign of terror, nothing posted here is likely to stop it. I fervently hope it continues well into April.