New Comments from Geno Re Short Bench

[Buzzyboy]

You know Gabby is a junior and Crystal is a freshman, right?

Yes, of course I know that Gabby's two years further in her college career! I was responding to a post by CocoHusky that made a case for Crystal (at some point) being better in her own right than Gabby (at any point in their respective UConn careers) and I don't think there's any possibility that will ever happen. It's not meant to be a downer for Crystal but based on the remarkable athleticism Gabby has and how her skill set has evolved, I don't feel Crystal matches up. JMHO! I'm not suggesting that Dangerfield won't have a great college career in Storrs but I'm just responding to CocoHusky's post.

 

[Blueballer]

Yes, of course I know that Gabby's two years further in her college career! I was responding to a post by CocoHusky that made a case for Crystal (at some point) being better in her own right than Gabby (at any point in their respective UConn careers) and I don't think there's any possibility that will ever happen. It's not meant to be a downer for Crystal but based on the remarkable athleticism Gabby has and how her skill set has evolved, I don't feel Crystal matches up. JMHO! I'm not suggesting that Dangerfield won't have a great college career in Storrs but I'm just responding to CocoHusky's post.

You could probably leave the "H" out of that.

 

[Gus Mahler]

As is so often the case, it's hard to have a fruitful discussion on these players because of differing interpretations of what "talent" means. A quick Google reveals talent to mean "natural aptitude or skills."

Based on that definition, Molly clearly has talent, and Crystal is loaded with it. I don't think Coco's remark is stunning at all. It's a viable position based on quite a bit of evidence.

Talent and effort are two different things. Working hard might bring out talent, but only if there is something there to start with.

 

[nyfanofwbb]

Some atheletes will accept the scholarship knowing that they will be roll players. Seen it in softball. Given the opportunity to be part of a great program, get a great education, work hard in practice to get the minutes to play. I was always told that these were the token "A"students needed to reach those team academic awards..

 

[Carnac]

No, they don't. They need to learn the offense and defense, play hard every practice, and give some minutes where they don't hurt the team in games. They have to play within their abilities, such as they are at this point in their careers, developing at their own rate or else they'll lose their confidence because too much is expected too soon.

UConn fans have become spoiled because of the wealth of magnificently talented players that have come to UConn, many have been college ready right out of the box, probably due to the USA Basketball experience. Others such as Maria, Kelly Schumacher, Ketia Swanier, et al weren't factors in their freshman years but were important role players later on.

I think they do. They don't have the luxury of waiting until next season to "get it". We're not going to convince each other as to who is right on this. My take is they've got a year's head start to get and stay in front of the next incoming class on the depth chart, or get pushed further down the bench. Everything you've mentioned will help them in this regard. If they have not made the sophomore leap by November, they may be over taken by several of the freshmen who may be more talented than they are.

If any of the 4 freshmen come in and quickly assimilate to the program their first year, that MAY allow them to leap frog over Bent and Irwin on the depth chart. Spoiled fans have absolutely nothing to do with this dynamic. That is Geno's call. How far down on the bench you are depends on your skill set, your understanding of his system, and how much Geno can trust you, not the fans. I understand and appreciate your references to the players you mentioned, but that was then, this is now, and has nothing to to do with 2017. The dynamics are totally different. They both will also be behind Camara & Stevens next year.

Bottom line: IF..................the players coming in next year are more talented, and learn the system quickly, and gain Geno's trust, they will play ahead of Bent & Irwin. We can go back and forth on this, but only Time will tell who is right. You say they can afford to take their time, I say they can't. Time waits for no man. This cannot be resolved now. The results will be predicated on events that won't take place until 11 or 12 months from now. BTW, I'm not suggesting that Bent & Irwin have no talent,that was Monte. I think they do. I'm suggesting that one or two of the incoming freshmen may have more, which remains to be seen.

 

[Carnac]

I want to clarify a sentence (in bold) in an earlier post in case it may have been misunderstood...........

Geno has managed a short bench before. If that short bench was not critical to their success in their first 12 games, I think Geno can manage with a short bench for the last 6 at the end of the year. Bent and Irwin really need to make that HS to college transition THIS year. If they don't, they may find themselves on the end of the bench depth wise next year.

It appears to me that they are/will be role players. I doubt either of them will ever become starters. We need role players, everyone can not be a starter. The 2017 freshmen will come in and have to make the same adjustments they do. This will be the only chance they'll have of maintaining their pecking order on the bench. When next year's crop of freshmen come in, they should be sitting behind Bent & Irwin on the depth chart to begin the season. If not, they may find themselves gradually inching their way in the wrong direction on the bench.

When one finds him/her self buried on the end of the bench, it's almost impossible to work your way back up. You have to beat out too many other players. Next year, there should be 14 players on roster for UConn.
That means 9 players on the bench. If you've on the end, you've got 7-8 other potential subs Geno can choose from in front of you. Good luck getting on the floor.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Geno will have no concerns next year. The short bench was part bad luck of people not panning out. Ekmark, Boykin and Edwards.

And recruits who got away, like A'ja Wilson, Brianna Turner, and Lauren Cox.

 

[MilfordHusky]

A few thoughts:

We've had scoring-challenged bench play in several years. Some years were not so bad, some were pretty bad. It's a matter of degree, but it's nothing new. In some cases, it's a lack of chemistry and/or a lack of willing shooter.

Next year will be interesting. While the frosh may be more talented than Molly and Kyla, they will be farther down on the learning curve. Will talent or familiarity and preparation win out? I think the answer is more complicated than some folks think.

Molly gets more PT than Kyla and, in my view, plays better. Both will get more PT in conference play. Neither is likely to play much starting in the NCAA Regionals.

In the UCF game, Saniya made 2 terrible passes in a row. Both led to layups for UCF. Crystal also made a bad one and didn't watch the clock at the end of Q2. Geno called timeout to get her attention. Crystal is having ups and downs, but she is tough and talented. Geno has talked often about how good she can be. He wants her to play harder and be more focused. Recall that it took Lou about 20 games last year for things to kick in. Stewie was on a similar timeline.

I'm not sure who will be playing in "garbage time" next year, but scoring should come much more easily. Lexi, Andi, Mikayla, and Megan can fill it up.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I agree, but one of my favorite aspects of her game is her willingness to make the extra pass. She's just as happy to get an assist as she is to score, and that's invaluable. We saw it - I think twice, though it may only have been once - against UCF when the announcers said that she could have shot and easily made (as she was wide open) the basket but instead chose to pass it to Saniya. Alas, I do hope she looks to score more.

I'll agree with you as long as Kia continues to pass the ball to Saniya.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Different circumstances but both players had adequate opportunity to earn playing time.
D'Janae left the program on December 15th that was 11 full games into UCONN's season. Plenty of close games at ND and Depaul, Florida State. But there were also plenty of blowouts Kansas State + 40, tOSU + 44, Nebraska +42 and ample opportunity for D'Janae to earn playing time- I though there was talk that her hand may have not been completely healed from HS injury. Similar Situation for Sadie who was gone by Christmas time also 11 games into the season. Close games against Stanford and ND and blowouts against UC Davis, Charleston +61.

I also remember it that DJB's hand was yet unhealed when she arrived on campus, but she also reportedly developed a sore Achilles, which I understand takes a long time to heal.

I suspect, though, that neither was ultimately a determinant in her leaving.

 

[hoophuskee]

The Hartford Courant had a long article by Paul Doyle entitled "Auriemma Digging For Depth" on this very subject today. I would link it but it seems that most of you can't use Courant links anyway. Anyway, here are some key quotes from Geno:

. . .

I adhere to my view that the players in question (including Crystal and Natalie as well as Kyla and Molly) will get increased minutes during the AAC schedule, and that by tournament time, they will get more minutes per game than they got during November and December.

. . . .

Geno has cited what everyone has spoken about all year- we don't have a deep bench. But I don't see your pov in bold regarding Klya to be what will happen unless something bad happens or if we really blow out some teams, then yes Kyla will play. Freshmen don't always produce. Sometimes they can get minutes during the season and still found to not be trustworthy during late rounds or tight games.

I don't know fully about Molly but I don't agree with your assertion about Kyla. Molly will have a tough time though because there are potentially 4 guards ahead of her. Lou is a wing so she is one of the 4. Therefore

I adhere to my view that Geno is just looking for rest of his players and see if any of the players can give a scoring punch along with playing solid defense during the many upcoming blowouts. Nothing new with that. But expect this year in the big games he runs with 7 players and maybe a few minutes with Molly. He will always have to have one of the core 4 in during the late game blowouts unless he is going to give Lawlor extra minutes too. But anyone can predict they will (Kyla and Lawlor and Bent) will get more minutes during these blowouts than overall Nov and Dec so I don't see the big deal making that proclamation.

What a great problem we have. We're 13-0 and we're concerned that our offense will suffer because a 40 point lead might wind up being 25 at the end of the game. Life is tough in our UCONN WCBB World.

 

[CocoHusky]

I was responding to a post by CocoHusky that made a case for Crystal (at some point) being better in her own right than Gabby (at any point in their respective UConn careers) and I don't think there's any possibility that will ever happen. It's not meant to be a downer for Crystal but based on the remarkable athleticism Gabby has and how her skill set has evolved, I don't feel Crystal matches up. JMHO! I'm not suggesting that Dangerfield won't have a great college career in Storrs but I'm just responding to CocoHusky's post.

There was no conditional "at some point" in my post . The PG position especially in the UCONN offense is the hardest position to learn and master. This makes it especially hard to compare players playing different positions. I stand by my original statement that Crystal is a better PG than Gabby is a Forward or Guard. Both a fabulous passers but Crystal gets the nod as you would expect from a PG. Gabby get the nod for her defensive versatility. Crystal gets the nod on Mid range and long distance shooting while Gabby gets the nod because of her athleticism closer to the basket. Again, overall Crystal gets the nod because she is playing the most difficult position.
About the evolution of Gabby's skill set, by the numbers: Betweeen freshmen and Sophmore year +3 minutes more a game and the same FG%. Increase of .2 PPG entirely due to increasing FT % from .46 to .75. Gabby from Sophmore to Junior year (so far) +10 Minutes per game , +3PPG , -.116 FG%, +2.4 RPG.
Remember the original statement by @Monte was "There is NO ONE on the present Uconn bench with the ability that Gabby has." IMO Crystal does.

 

[CocoHusky]

CocoHusky, you are wrong. Gabby had two surgeries on her knee, was a high school guard and is now a 5'11" center on the Number 1 team in women's college basketball. Nobody plays harder than Gabby, and not only does she defend much bigger centers, when needed she will guard the other team's best guard. No way Crystal has more talent at any position.

By definition an opinion can't be wrong, but I take it you disagree. Effort is kind of level set at UCONN so the statement "Nobody plays harder than Gabby" rings kind of hollow because "Nobody plays harder than (insert your favorite player)" is an equally true statement. Do you really think Gabby plays harder than Kia Nurse? Gabby is not a center.

 

[BRS24]

Some atheletes will accept the scholarship knowing that they will be roll players. Seen it in softball. Given the opportunity to be part of a great program, get a great education, work hard in practice to get the minutes to play. I was always told that these were the token "A"students needed to reach those team academic awards..

There are some players that know the up/downside to playing at UCONN, and accept all challenges, regardless of whether we see them or not. They pick the school for the experience, T&E, knowing that no matter what they choose to do after 4 years, they will be prepared for hoop life, professional life, life life. They will be a part of the UCONN family forever, with a network that only a few of us know of and truly understand. When you think about why some bench players stay for 4 years, it may be that they have a 1-3-5-10 year view of what they want to accomplish. Yes, you could transfer to another school, get a lot of minutes, score a lot of points, but will that help your goals in the future? Who knows.

 

[BroadwayVa]

It is not talent but trust that Geno is talking about.

More than TRUST---although it is a form of trust--he wants to KNOW when he puts you into the game--you will always make the right pass, make the basket when you have it (and know the difference), every time you are in the game he will know as you go in what he'll get from you---I suppose that IS a form of trust. He talked about this of ten in the past--
He loves bench players who immediately as they get into the game, make a steal, a perfect pass, a score, a defensive stop--but something right away. Gabby's asset as a Frosh or Soph---she changed the complexion of the game when she got in.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Different positions but IMO Crystal as a PG has more talent than Gabby does as either a F or a G.

Having said that---I'm sure you do not believe that Gabby, now an in the future will not be a huge

There was no conditional "at some point" in my post . The PG position especially in the UCONN offense is the hardest position to learn and master. This makes it especially hard to compare players playing different positions. I stand by my original statement that Crystal is a better PG than Gabby is a Forward or Guard. Both a fabulous passers but Crystal gets the nod as you would expect from a PG. Gabby get the nod for her defensive versatility. Crystal gets the nod on Mid range and long distance shooting while Gabby gets the nod because of her athleticism closer to the basket. Again, overall Crystal gets the nod because she is playing the most difficult position.
About the evolution of Gabby's skill set, by the numbers: Betweeen freshmen and Sophmore year +3 minutes more a game and the same FG%. Increase of .2 PPG entirely due to increasing FT % from .46 to .75. Gabby from Sophmore to Junior year (so far) +10 Minutes per game , +3PPG , -.116 FG%, +2.4 RPG.
Remember the original statement by @Monte was "There is NO ONE on the present Uconn bench with the ability that Gabby has." IMO Crystal does.

I agree with the POTENTIAL of Crystal Dangerfield---if past performance provides judgement of future success--then we can ass u me she shall have that success.
However, I believe--this OnLY an opinion--that as long as Gabby is with the UConn program she shall have a place as a starter. Her assets are huge. There isn't a kid on this team that i consider an Anti-favorites! I like them all. To the point I get protective when one is getting disrespected.

 

[CocoHusky]

Having said that---I'm sure you do not believe that Gabby, now an in the future will not be a huge
I agree with the POTENTIAL of Crystal Dangerfield---if past performance provides judgement of future success--then we can ass u me she shall have that success.
However, I believe--this OnLY an opinion--that as long as Gabby is with the UConn program she shall have a place as a starter. Her assets are huge. There isn't a kid on this team that i consider an Anti-favorites! I like them all. To the point I get protective when one is getting disrespected.

I regret that my response to @Monte post has devolved into something it was not meant to be-harder worker or who should start or potential....
His point as interpreted by me: You cannot compare when Gabby was sitting on the bench to the players that are currently sitting on the bench because Gabby is far more talented than ANY UCONN player currently sitting on the bench.
My point: One of the players currently sitting on the UCONN bench is Crystal. Although they play different positions, IMO Crystal is more talented than Gabby.
That opinion was called "crazy" but here is the real crazy part-half the time I don't even agree with myself, so I certainly wouldn't expect everyone else to agree with me.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I regret that my response to @Monte post has devolved into something it was not meant to be-harder worker or who should start or potential....
His point as interpreted by me: You cannot compare when Gabby was sitting on the bench to the players that are currently sitting on the bench because Gabby is far more talented than ANY UCONN player currently sitting on the bench.
My point: One of the players currently sitting on the UCONN bench is Crystal. Although they play different positions, IMO Crystal is more talented than Gabby.
That opinion was called "crazy" but here is the real crazy part-half the time I don't even agree with myself, so I certainly wouldn't expect everyone else to agree with me.

Did I disagree with you??? I don't remember!!
That opinion was called "crazy" but here is the real crazy part-half the time I don't even agree with myself, \
Seems like you and I are seeing the same Mental Doctor---you realize he is Mental???
(in the old daze Mental was used to infer dementia).

 

[CocoHusky]

Did I disagree with you??? I don't remember!!
That opinion was called "crazy" but here is the real crazy part-half the time I don't even agree with myself, \
Seems like you and I are seeing the same Mental Doctor---you realize he is Mental???
(in the old daze Mental was used to infer dementia).

No it wasn't you. If you called me crazy I would just carefully consider the source before .

 

[BroadwayVa]

I regret that my response to @Monte post has devolved into something it was not meant to be-harder worker or who should start or potential....
His point as interpreted by me: You cannot compare when Gabby was sitting on the bench to the players that are currently sitting on the bench because Gabby is far more talented than ANY UCONN player currently sitting on the bench.
My point: One of the players currently sitting on the UCONN bench is Crystal. Although they play different positions, IMO Crystal is more talented than Gabby.
That opinion was called "crazy" but here is the real crazy part-half the time I don't even agree with myself, so I certainly wouldn't expect everyone else to agree with me.

I just got it. You think my "protective" comment was pointed towards you----it was not. It was a general comment of my feelings for all of the uConn Women.
i had then nor now any disagreement with you about Gabby or Crystal. If I disagree--you'll know it--you usually do.
Like you or even more so---my comments on an issue EVOLVES

 

[BroadwayVa]

No it wasn't you. If you called me crazy I would just carefully consider the source before .

Now that is the Coco--I love . Funny!!!

 

[Longtime fan]

The Hartford Courant had a long article by Paul Doyle entitled "Auriemma Digging For Depth" on this very subject today. I would link it but it seems that most of you can't use Courant links anyway. Anyway, here are some key quotes from Geno:

"You're not going to play here at Connecticut until you prove to me that you're ready and that we can trust you. And if you can't, then you're not going to play. I don't care what your reputation is coming out of high school." (Listening, Crystal?). "I don't care if you're a nice kid, a great kid, you're an A student; it doesn't matter." (That would be you, Kyla and Molly.). "You come here and you're ready and you're ready to play and everyday in practice you earn it, like Kia Nurse did as a freshman or a lot of these other guys did as freshmen, then you're going to play a lot."

Also: "There's a reason why our fourth quarters are so bad. Either we're getting tired or we have people on the floor that can't score. There's a reason why in the first and third quarters, we blow everybody out. We almost never win the fourth quarter. Either we have to slow it down because we're exhausted or we've subbed and we can't put points on the board."

I think there are a few conclusions to be drawn here that seem to differ from the Boneyard consensus: (A) He is not wedded to a short bench -- he will play as many people as, in his estimation, earn the right to play. (B) He recognizes that the shortness of the current bench is a problem that needs to be fixed. (C) Apparently the key problem with the current bench players is their offense, not their defense.

I adhere to my view that the players in question (including Crystal and Natalie as well as Kyla and Molly) will get increased minutes during the AAC schedule, and that by tournament time, they will get more minutes per game than they got during November and December.

The article also mentioned that Geno had recently pointed out to the freshmen that Gabby Williams didn't play much as a freshman during the final three games of the NCAA tournament. That was obviously not due to a shortage of talent; it was a shortage of focus and understanding of the offense and defense -- a defect which was always curable and has now been cured.

Many thanks for passing this along. I do recall Geno saying, once he was permitted to speak about the committed recruits, that, " UCONN fans were going to love Molly and Kyla." ( Crystal was in a different, superstar recruit category, whereas, Molly and Kyla were under most radar, and in the category of unknowns). So far, however, he doesn't seem to love either one. Molly did get quality minutes against Central Florida, but Kyla earned only garbage time. As fans, we all want to see exactly what it is, " that we are going to love about them." As basketball players. And we are impatient. And spoiled. I trust Geno. So he will prove his forecast correct, I'm sure. But I would love to see a spark. Hustle is good, but rebounds, assists, steals and shot-making are better.

 

[housekeys]

Hmmm, here's more context, without the editorial comments inserted by the OP. The actual text from the article is in italics. (link to article)

Auriemma has been waiting for the freshmen to demand more playing time based on their performance. He recently pointed out to the freshmen that Gabby Williams didn't play much as a freshman in the final three games of the NCAA Tournament.

"You're not going to play here at Connecticut until you prove to me that you're ready and that we can trust you," Auriemma said. "And if you can't, then you're not going to play. I don't care what your reputation is coming out of high school. I don't care if you're a nice kid, a great kid, you're an A student, it doesn't matter. You come here and you're ready and you're ready to play and everyday in practice you earn it, like Kia Nurse did as a freshman or a lot of these other guys did as freshmen, then you're going to play a lot."

Will this year's freshmen earn minutes?

"Absolutely," Auriemma said. "They're competitive. They want to play."

I want to avoid the fruitless task of player comparisons (not you Nan - can we please stop the BS and enjoy our team! ), and focus on the main theme of the OP.

I am sure Geno is aware of what I am about to say ( assuming what I am saying makes any sense ), but Geno must realize playing time is not as simple as he makes it sound. In the extreme case of foul trouble, it may not be Geno's choice if the bench players play. We have seen UConn struggle when starters get into foul trouble and it is the Achilles heel of the team. So if Geno wants to be proactive and put his team in position to win, he must be aware that his bench players MUST get time on the floor. Geno can't force his bench players to make baskets and get stops, but he can give them the game time experience to work on those things. The easier AAC schedule must be used to our advantage. Having said that, I think Geno's comments address blowout situations where bench players may feel it is automatic that they play after not showing improvement in practice. Geno is getting the message out, that is not the case. Still I think Geno understands, and so should our fans, we need all our players to be ready to contribute. I think they will, and posters who don't think so are, to be polite, plain WRONG!

BTW, notice how the bench players got their time early in the year at FSU and Baylor, and considering the situation, they did quite well.

 

[CocoHusky]

I want to avoid the fruitless task of player comparisons (not you Nan - can we please stop the BS and enjoy our team! ), and focus on the main theme of the OP.

I am sure Geno is aware of what I am about to say ( assuming what I am saying makes any sense ), but Geno must realize playing time is not as simple as he makes it sound. In the extreme case of foul trouble, it may not be Geno's choice if the bench players play. We have seen UConn struggle when starters get into foul trouble and it is the Achilles heel of the team. So if Geno wants to be proactive and put his team in position to win, he must be aware that his bench players MUST get time on the floor. Geno can't force his bench players to make baskets and get stops, but he can give them the game time experience to work on those things. The easier AAC schedule must be used to our advantage. Having said that, I think Geno's comments address blowout situations where bench players may feel it is automatic that they play after not showing improvement in practice. Geno is getting the message out, that is not the case. Still I think Geno understands, and so should our fans, we need all our players to be ready to contribute. I think they will, and posters who don't think so are, to be polite, plain WRONG!
BTW, notice how the bench players got their time early in the year at FSU and Baylor, and considering the situation, they did quite well.

Geno is keenly aware of all things related to this team and is being proactive. Proactive does not mean he MUST do what you are suggesting. For example a valid approach is to condition the starters to play over forty minutes and also teach them to avoid the ticky tac fouls-KLS comes to mind as a good example who is being taught and has learned. Geno comments were specific to FRESHMEN and has been severely overstated. Overstated because one of those Freshmen Crystal is averaging 23.2 minutes per game. If you add up all the backup guard minutes from last year by Courtney & Saniya it does not add up to 23.2 minutes. Natalie butler is averaging 16.8 Mins/game. Among the non-starters on last year's team Gabby led in Mins/game at 18.6- pretty close to what Natalie is averaging. So although you don't want a "fruitless" comparison the heart of the anxiety is exactly that: We/Some want this bench to be as productive as benches from the past, and I guess I'm fruitlessly telling you they don't have to be.

 

[hoophuskee]

I want to avoid the fruitless task of player comparisons (not you Nan - can we please stop the BS and enjoy our team! ), and focus on the main theme of the OP.

I am sure Geno is aware of what I am about to say ( assuming what I am saying makes any sense ), but Geno must realize playing time is not as simple as he makes it sound. In the extreme case of foul trouble, it may not be Geno's choice if the bench players play. We have seen UConn struggle when starters get into foul trouble and it is the Achilles heel of the team. So if Geno wants to be proactive and put his team in position to win, he must be aware that his bench players MUST get time on the floor. Geno can't force his bench players to make baskets and get stops, but he can give them the game time experience to work on those things. The easier AAC schedule must be used to our advantage. Having said that, I think Geno's comments address blowout situations where bench players may feel it is automatic that they play after not showing improvement in practice. Geno is getting the message out, that is not the case. Still I think Geno understands, and so should our fans, we need all our players to be ready to contribute. I think they will, and posters who don't think so are, to be polite, plain WRONG!

BTW, notice how the bench players got their time early in the year at FSU and Baylor, and considering the situation, they did quite well.

The entire tone of your post is all so WRONG!!