New Comments from Geno Re Short Bench

[NEforceUConn]

I think Crystal will be trusted, in fact she probably already is, sans the occasional freshman mistake.

Molly on the other hand, seems to catch on with D, except for the occasional foul. However on offense she appears to be (you chose) passively steady or unremarkable. I wonder if she has the ability to beat her defender and take a mid range jumper or drive to the hoop?

I hope so and she is only a freshman.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I would offer another explanation of Danger's confidence vs Baylor and her occasionally tentative performance more recently.

Against Baylor, Danger did exactly what she did in HS, she took the ball and scored. Her play was instinctive. I felt the same way watching Slocum from MD the other night against the Huskies.

Danger is now being asked to run UConn's offense when she is on the floor. You can almost see her thinking what to do, and that makes her tentative. In time, running the UConn offense will become instinctive for Danger, and when that day arrives, it's going to be a lot of fun to see, unless you're a UConn opponent.

Thank you obviously I agree with every word.
Let me offer one more explanation; She in HS ran a bit loosely Goosey and scored--as she did in the Baylor game. She is finding in WBB at UConn there are restrictions--and as SVETA found out just scoring doesn't give you more pt--she has to play in the flow of the game, the movements of her teammates, also she is learning where gabby, Napheesa, KLS, even Butler need the pass to execute. She has had open shots, after the Baylor game, that she didn't take and looked a bit confused--shots in HS she would have taken without thinking. I guess we are really saying the same thing...

 

[Monte]

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

How can you trust someone who has NO talent(or little talent)?

 

[jsloanjr]

AAC games will get the bench more PT to prove to coach they can be trusted..........No fear.....The Calvary is coming in 9 months.....Hold down the fort until then and win your 5 NC in a row............

 

[BroadwayVa]

I think Crystal will be trusted, in fact she probably already is, sans the occasional freshman mistake.

Molly on the other hand, seems to catch on with D, except for the occasional foul. However on offense she appears to be (you chose) passively steady or unremarkable. I wonder if she has the ability to beat her defender and take a mid range jumper or drive to the hoop?

I hope so and she is only a freshman.

I like that you find Molly getting there--Molly HAS the ABILITY to take those shot---is she fearful if she misses --she'll sit?// Success for Uconn Frosh comes with confidence---taking the shot and if hell rains on her--so be it. Will Molly, only a guess, she will in some game find her range and put us some small numbers--and she shall evolve. No she won't be DT, Maya, Tina, or even Tuck--she never arrived with their attributes. She' shall beat some defenders and not others just like the rest of the team (except Gabby)

 

[DefenseBB]

@JoePgh I don't find any "new" in these comments clearly the comments are directed at this bench. I also don't believe that the Boneyard ever achieved consensus about more playing for anyone because many of us understood the standard of earning Geno's trust. Come to think of it I'm not sure Boneyard ever achieved consensus on anything.
Strangely enough we have been here before, Kiah Stokes was a all world class defender but the offense bogged down at times with her.

Coco, I think the "re-iteration on his mantra" is warranted from time to time to remind our colleagues why some BYers see different skills during games then others. Example, Molly clearly works hard in practice as she's always the 8th person in however her flow in the offense is disjointed, even on the fast break. Similarly neither Nat nor Kyla demonstrate any post moves which would aid an "inside-out" game. Gabby, while not playing much her freshman year, is an unbelievable athlete and while it seems logical, working hard will help, based on Courtney Ekmark's lack of development, I see similar restrictions occurring for this bench. Ideally, Nat needs to work on "Morgan" moves she saw the last two years and that might open the weakside for Kyla or outside for Molly.

 

[Schoup]

How can you trust someone who has NO talent(or little talent)?

Geno surely is not expecting Bent or Irwin to light things up. He wants to get to the point where you can put them in and not have then screw up. ..ie trust. Give good minutes to rest people, play defense and run the offense up to their talent limitations. Make the simple plays, not have bad turnovers, telegraphed passes, make the correct defensive rotations,etc.... In Geno's comments over the years he understands physical limitations. He wants the limited talent players to play smart and he trusts them to not mess up and not do things beyond their talent, play smart within the system. He wants them to make the right play mentally whether it turns out right in the end based on their physical limitations. This also comes with not playing robotic, all the frosh at this point when in you see them thinking and thus move in slow motion. The few times Dangerfield looks good is when she just gets in flow in the open court or just goes slashing to the basket, she becomes hesitant running the half court sets in general.

 

[Carnac]

AAC games will get the bench more PT to prove to coach they can be trusted.....No fear.....The Calvary is coming in 9 months.....Hold down the fort until then and win your 5 NC in a row..

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 them. 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.

 

[JoePgh]

I would like to understand the factual basis on which people conclude (assume?) the Molly has "NO (or very little)" physical talent. Have you seen her play enough to know that?

Even though they play different positions, I see a significant difference between her and either Natalie or Kyla. Both Nat and Kyla frequently show clumsiness, inability to hang on to balls delivered cleanly to them, missing bunny shots, etc. I have not seen that in Molly's play.

I agree that Molly does not show (and does not have) the extraordinary physical talent of Crystal. She won't make amazing drives, uncanny bounce passes through traffic, or spectacular bank shots. That is really the big difference between Crystal and Molly -- they both make mental mistakes (lazy passes or occasional missed defensive assignments), but Crystal compensates for it with sensational plays that Molly is never going to make. I assume that is why Crystal gets more minutes even while she taxes Geno's patience.

But UConn has a substantial history of guards who were not Top 100 coming out of high school who played very productively -- Jen Rizzotti, Carla Berube, Maria Conlon, Ashley Valley, Mel Thomas (probably an incomplete list). I know that the last three got very few minutes in their freshman years, but became trusted starters by their senior year. (I wasn't around to observe Jen's or Carla's freshman year). I don't see why Molly can't fit into that tradition, and eventually become equally productive and equally trusted. It sounds to me from Geno's comments that her limitations right now are much more mental than physical -- the college game hasn't slowed down for her yet, so she can't play instinctively as she needs to do. (It hasn't slowed down for Crystal either, but she can play instinctively and beat most opponents based on sheer athleticism.)

 

[Monte]

Geno surely is not expecting Bent or Irwin to light things up. He wants to get to the point where you can put them in and not have then screw up. ..ie trust. Give good minutes to rest people, play defense and run the offense up to their talent limitations. Make the simple plays, not have bad turnovers, telegraphed passes, make the correct defensive rotations,etc.... In Geno's comments over the years he understands physical limitations. He wants the limited talent players to play smart and he trusts them to not mess up and not do things beyond their talent, play smart within the system. He wants them to make the right play mentally whether it turns out right in the end based on their physical limitations. This also comes with not playing robotic, all the frosh at this point when in you see them thinking and thus move in slow motion. The few times Dangerfield looks good is when she just gets in flow in the open court or just goes slashing to the basket, she becomes hesitant running the half court sets in general.

 

[HuskyNan]

Bent and Irwin really need to make that HS to college transition THIS year.

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.

 

[Blueballer]

How can you trust someone who has NO talent(or little talent)?

Absurd statement. Players don't get into the UCONN program with "No (or little) talent". Even walk-ons.

 

[Monte]

Geno surely is not expecting Bent or Irwin to light things up. He wants to get to the point where you can put them in and not have then screw up. ..ie trust. Give good minutes to rest people, play defense and run the offense up to their talent limitations. Make the simple plays, not have bad turnovers, telegraphed passes, make the correct defensive rotations,etc.... In Geno's comments over the years he understands physical limitations. He wants the limited talent players to play smart and he trusts them to not mess up and not do things beyond their talent, play smart within the system. He wants them to make the right play mentally whether it turns out right in the end based on their physical limitations. This also comes with not playing robotic, all the frosh at this point when in you see them thinking and thus move in slow motion. The few times Dangerfield looks good is when she just gets in flow in the open court or just goes slashing to the basket, she becomes hesitant running the half court sets in general.

YES, your 2 key words were "talent limitations." You cannot expect that every year, the bench players will have the the same "talent limitations." I just feel that this year this is a 2 player bench. I hope I am wrong.

 

[Schoup]

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. But others such as Maria, Kelly Schumacher, Ketia Swanier, et al weren't factors in their freshman years but were important role models later on.

Bent and Irwin are going to be shuffled to garbage time status next year. Bent is not playing over Gordon, AEH, Walker, and Irwint is going to be behind Camara, Stevens and Coombs. Coombs though listed as guard I think will be used as a small forward, defensive ball hound and will progress offensively later in her career, Gabby type scenario.

 

[Monte]

Absurd statement. Players don't get into the UCONN program with "No (or little) talent". Even walk-ons.

Why have some players transferred out of Uconn??.....were they getting too much playing time?

 

[HuskyNan]

Bent and Irwin are going to be shuffled to garbage time status next year. Bent is not playing over Gordon, AEH, Walker, and Irwint is going to be behind Camara, Stevens and Coombs. Coombs though listed as guard I think will be used as a small forward, defensive ball hound and will progress offensively later in her career, Gabby type scenario.

Gee, are you related to Bball02145? He was absolutely, 100% convinced that Maria Conlon "would never play one minute in an important game" and would harp on her play. Every. Single. Game. He was so persistent and so definitive about her basic worthlessness to the program that Tim Conlon begged me to ban him (Tim) so he wouldn't say something rude. As it turned out, Maria was the starting point guard of a National Championship team, ending up with 9 assists to zero turnovers in the Final Four.

Will either Kyla or Molly have a Maria-like career? I have no idea - and neither do you.

 

[bags27]

Bent and Irwin are going to be shuffled to garbage time status next year. Bent is not playing over Gordon, AEH, Walker, and Irwint is going to be behind Camara, Stevens and Coombs. Coombs though listed as guard I think will be used as a small forward, defensive ball hound and will progress offensively later in her career, Gabby type scenario.

Wow,wish I were so certain about things in life. What did Geno say when Molly accepted her scholarship offer, that he's won championships playing kids like her, reminding him of Kelly Ferris, wasn't it?

 

[Blueballer]

Why have some players transferred out of Uconn??.....were they getting too much playing time?

What's that got to do with anyone having little or no talent?

To answer your question - players transfer because the program isn't for them. And some players have transferred before their Freshman season even started. They didn't even get to the point of being deprived of playing time.

 

[Blueballer]

Gee, are you related to Bball02145? He was absolutely, 100% convinced that Maria Conlon "would never play one minute in an important game" and would harp on her play. Every. Single. Game. He was so persistent and so definitive about her basic worthlessness to the program that Tim Conlon begged me to ban him (Tim) so he wouldn't say something rude. As it turned out, Maria was the starting point guard of a National Championship team, ending up with 9 assists to zero turnovers in the Final Four.

Will either Kyla or Molly have a Maria-like career? I have no idea - and neither do you.

Is there any way I can like this post twice?

 

[StephStorrs]

It absolutely boggles my mind when people insinuate that Molly and Kyla have little to no talent. These kids have must have some talent - they're at UConn, playing for one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. Geno recruits every kid for a reason. They're here for a reason. You might not know or see the reason yet, but there's a reason. You don't end up at UConn because you have little or no talent, but if it would make people feel better to think that Molly and Kyla have little or no talent, I guess to each their own. I, however, am going to appreciate what they're able to produce on the court and enjoy watching them go hard for their teammates while they're on the bench.

 

[Schoup]

It absolutely boggles my mind when people insinuate that Molly and Kyla have little to no talent. These kids have must have some talent - they're at UConn, playing for one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. Geno recruits every kid for a reason. They're here for a reason. You might not know or see the reason yet, but there's a reason. You don't end up at UConn because you have little or no talent, but if it would make people feel better to think that Molly and Kyla have little or no talent, I guess to each their own. I, however, am going to appreciate what they're able to produce on the court and enjoy watching them go hard for their teammates while they're on the bench.

UConn struck out on the recruits on their wish list besides Dangerfield in 2016, hence Irwin and Bent. Inosecu and others were on the recruiting board. 2017 Geno got all his recruits. 2018 they have Collier and are really working Smith hard by many reports. Geno doesn't strike out much, but 2016 he only got 1 of his top desired prospects

 

[Buzzyboy]

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.

I totally concur. I was a bit stunned when I read CocoHusky's remark. Crystal earned kudos based on a phenomenal game against Baylor but other than that game, she's been totally inconsistent and the number of ways that Gabby is contributing now is off the charts. Her skill set has caught up with her remarkable athleticism and I can't visualize a time where Dangerfield is ever going to measure up to Gabby. Even in terms of anticipation, Gabby is amazing. I was a bit reluctant to jump on the Gabby wagon because I felt that her shooting skills were weak at best, coming into this season. Her off season work has paid some serious dividends because she now shoots the ball quite well and is a complete player in every way. Crystal can be an outstanding point guard and a good offensive player but she'll never be the type defender Gabby is and of course will never be able to defend multiple positions like Gabby.

 

[HuskyNan]

I totally concur. I was a bit stunned when I read CocoHusky's remark. Crystal earned kudos based on a phenomenal game against Baylor but other than that game, she's been totally inconsistent and the number of ways that Gabby is contributing now is off the charts. Her skill set has caught up with her remarkable athleticism and I can't visualize a time where Dangerfield is ever going to measure up to Gabby. Even in terms of anticipation, Gabby is amazing. I was a bit reluctant to jump on the Gabby wagon because I felt that her shooting skills were weak at best, coming into this season. Her off season work has paid some serious dividends because she now shoots the ball quite well and is a complete player in every way. Crystal can be an outstanding point guard and a good offensive player but she'll never be the type defender Gabby is and of course will never be able to defend multiple positions like Gabby.

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

 

[NEforceUConn]

Wow some strange posts about players' future. Keeping it with Molly: she defiantly has talent. I hope, as someone posted, that the game slows down for her and she increases her confidence to show off her offensive game. She may be right on schedule to bring it all together during these AAC games, and has the coach to get results.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

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

I totally concur. I was a bit stunned when I read CocoHusky's remark. Crystal earned kudos based on a phenomenal game against Baylor but other than that game, she's been totally inconsistent and the number of ways that Gabby is contributing now is off the charts. Her skill set has caught up with her remarkable athleticism and I can't visualize a time where Dangerfield is ever going to measure up to Gabby. Even in terms of anticipation, Gabby is amazing. I was a bit reluctant to jump on the Gabby wagon because I felt that her shooting skills were weak at best, coming into this season. Her off season work has paid some serious dividends because she now shoots the ball quite well and is a complete player in every way. Crystal can be an outstanding point guard and a good offensive player but she'll never be the type defender Gabby is and of course will never be able to defend multiple positions like Gabby.

And it is crazy to compare players who play different positions. Has anyone ever compared Stewie and Moriah before??