Nika Muhl- A Great Teammate!

[JoePgh]

It was a foul. The foul was the stiff arm by Dalce outside the body. Paige got called for a soft outside arm on a box out of Olsen for her 4th foul in the 3rd quarter. The Dalce arm was a true hold. The refs went to review it apparently only to see who touched it last since no foul was called.

Remember that referees do not have the option to call a common foul after replay video review. If a common foul is not called immediately, it cannot be called at all. The only discretion that referees have after replay is to call an intentional or flagrant foul if the action on replay rises to that level.

My guess is that the referees looked at the video and saw that Dalce committed a common foul with her arm check, but they could not call a common foul at that point. They didn't consider Dalce's action as any more than a common foul, so their only option was the no-call.

You can say that one of them should have seen and called the common foul in real time, but no referee sees everything.

 

[HuskyNan]

And yet, as DEpup opined, his sense is that Nika would be an even better teammate if she were more of a scoring contributor. How is that wrong? He has an opinion that I and others agree with...

How does that conflict with your thoughts, Nan? Nika is a really good teammate from whom more scoring would surely be an asset to the Huskies. Don't we all agree on that?

Why single Nika out?

 

[MSGRET]

I couldn’t tell what Nika said but I think the last word was an uncomplimentary noun beginning with the letter “b”.

I would not put Nika in a lane position when we are shooting free throws. She has picked up a few violations for getting in the lane too soon, and she hasn’t gotten many rebounds from that position. She also crashes so hard that she can pick up cheap fouls and also, like last night, put herself in harm’s way.

You do know who is third in rebounding with the remaining 9 players? Nika averages 4.5 rebounds a game, only behind AE's 9.5 and Paige's 4.5. If either of those two are shooting she is on the line, if it's someone else it's usually Paige and AE on the line.

 

[The deacon]

Why single Nika out?

Ummmm, the thread is about Nika as a 'great teammate,' correct? Just going with the flow.

Plus, she is the starter with the lowest scoring average and a four-year reticence to shoot. I believe we've all noticed that.

 

[ScottCT]

And yet, as DEpup opined, his sense is that Nika would be an even better teammate if she were more of a scoring contributor. How is that wrong? He has an opinion that I and others agree with...

How does that conflict with your thoughts, Nan? Nika is a really good teammate from whom more scoring would surely be an asset to the Huskies. Don't we all agree on that?

The problem is that you're taking a positive thread about a player and making it negative. If you want to talk about her flaws as a villain player that's another topic for another thread.

 

[MSGRET]

Ummmm, the thread is about Nika as a 'great teammate,' correct? Just going with the flow.

Plus, she is the starter with the lowest scoring average and a four-year reticence to shoot. I believe we've all noticed that.

So are you the coach? What if Geno wants her to do other things and leave the shooting to Paige, AE, Ash and KK while she facilitate's that, play defense and help get rebounds.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Dalce also had Paige get up in her grill on her way back towards the court. Paige wasn't happy, obviously.

I don’t believe in a brawl, but as I said earlier, I like the supportive spirit of the team. Personally, I am, and I’m sure they are too, sick and tired of being everyone’s beating stick(s). However, from my couch, it appears that they stood up for themselves last night, and I’m happy to see it.

 

[The deacon]

The problem is that you're taking a positive thread about a player and making it negative. If you want to talk about her flaws as a villain player that's another topic for another thread.

So are you the coach? What if Geno wants her to do other things and leave the shooting to Paige, AE, Ash and KK while she facilitate's that, play defense and help get rebounds.

Scott, I didn't do anything other than suggest the team might be better served if Nika shot more... how is that making it a negative? A 'villain player'? Come on, Scott.

MSGRET, from the numerous threads on the BY to the Chatroom, you continually put me down for my alleged 'hatred' of Nika. I hold no such 'hatred' for Nika and value her as an important player for the Huskies.

You need to take a deep breath and understand the Boneyard is a forum for varying opinions. I do not put Nika on a pedestal as you do. That is my right, correct, or am I not allowed to say anything that might offend your acute need to serve as Nika's defender?

No, I'm not the coach, MSGRET. I suspect you know that. I have always appreciated the qualities Nika brings to the Huskies which make her such a fan favorite... however, I just don't understand the fanatical passion any statement about Nika short of compete adoration arouses such bitter antipathy from her cabal of fans.

I guess I should be used to it by now. As always, I'll root hard or Nika and her teammates, and shrug off the vindictive barbs some of my BY compatriots fire at me.

 

[DEpup]

Not everyone who is viewed as a great teammate averages double digits. Kelly Faris only averaged 7.2 ppg for her career yet was drafted 11th by the WNBA.

Plus we want Bueckers to shoot more for her efficiency. We want the freshman to become as experienced and efficient as possible by tournament time, which is precisely a task you would expect from a senior to accomplish. Finally, we certainly do not want Edwards to shoot less.

Or do we? Given that we cannot expand the length of a game, what is your solution for Muhl to take more shots per game? Which player(s) should have less?

I'd like her to make more of the shots she takes. I'm not sure she needs to take more shots.

 

[DEpup]

I said in another thread that a lot of people seem to think “playing great basketball” means “scoring a lot of points”

I never said a lot of points. I said simply 10-15. For a guard, that means 4-5 baskets and maybe some foul shots.

I am quite up front in that I think an upper classman's job as well as being a good teammate is having reliable and efficient production and it is a game of the most points win so scoring is an aspect of production.

Reliable and efficient production by an upperclassman takes the pressure off underclassmen and they are typically more productive in my experience.

 

[DEpup]

Don't you mean Shade and Arnold and Paige and Aaliyah and anyone else who is in there? If Nika is open she'll shoot it.

Sure of course. I was more thinking about guards outside be able to load a side because they aren't worried about Nika to score.

 

[DEpup]

So are you the coach? What if Geno wants her to do other things and leave the shooting to Paige, AE, Ash and KK while she facilitate's that, play defense and help get rebounds.

That doesn't jive with Geno's statements. He's discussed her shooting challenges and that she's been working on it. It seemed to be really doing her good for a while but the last couple weeks I've noticed a regression. For me, that seems to track with Shade and Arnold's challenges in scoring....seems related.

 

[ThisJustIn]

**side noting the AE event. Bob and Debbie both were like "What the heck was that!" They thought the refs were looking at the video to call a flagrant... but it turned out they were checking time?
When they interviewed AE post-game, they asked, "Was that what we thought?" AE: "Yes."

 

[CL82]

Love these gals, but its Nika I want in my foxhole.

 

[#12in21]

I am quite up front in that I think an upper classman's job as well as being a good teammate is having reliable and efficient production and it is a game of the most points win so scoring is an aspect of production.

Reliable and efficient production by an upperclassman takes the pressure off underclassmen and they are typically more productive in my experience.

Assists also contribute to reliable and efficient production. To get an assist somebody had to score. Nika has been unparalleled as an upperclassman in amassing assists. She holds the records for most assists in a game and a season and will finish her career at a minimum in the top five in career assists (with a good chance to finish first on that list) and will be the only Husky to ever have two 200 plus assist seasons. She has had more double digit assist games (by a large margin) and is first in assists/game among all Huskies.

Those assists tallied 2 or 3 points each to her teammates scoring totals. In Nika's case, her assists weren't just gravy on top of her points scored they were her main course. She has been dominant in that offensive contribution to her teams efforts. This season, would you really rather she took a few more shots rather than feed an extremely efficient scoring Paige or Aaliyah?

As an upperclasswoman she raised her point/game by 2.5 and this season raised her shooting% to 48% and 3pt% to 40%. Between her assist rate and ability to hit open shots she is not being left unguarded which has been an argument made in the past.

I would argue that given the unprecedented (in UConn wcbb history) impact Nika has made in amassing assists, to measure her offensive production simply in terms of points scored is not a realistic assessment of her reliable and efficient production.

 

[JoePgh]

**side noting the AE event. Bob and Debbie both were like "What the heck was that!" They thought the refs were looking at the video to call a flagrant... but it turned out they were checking time?
When they interviewed AE post-game, they asked, "Was that what we thought?" AE: "Yes."

As I noted on another thread, officials are not permitted to call a common foul after video review if they didn't call it during live action. So if they didn't judge that Dalce committed an intentional or flagrant foul in their video review, their only option was a no-call.

 

[good2go]

Assists also contribute to reliable and efficient production. To get an assist somebody had to score. Nika has been unparalleled as an upperclassman in amassing assists. She holds the records for most assists in a game and a season and will finish her career at a minimum in the top five in career assists (with a good chance to finish first on that list) and will be the only Husky to ever have two 200 plus assist seasons. She has had more double digit assist games (by a large margin) and is first in assists/game among all Huskies.

Those assists tallied 2 or 3 points each to her teammates scoring totals. In Nika's case, her assists weren't just gravy on top of her points scored they were her main course. She has been dominant in that offensive contribution to her teams efforts. This season, would you really rather she took a few more shots rather than feed an extremely efficient scoring Paige or Aaliyah?

As an upperclasswoman she raised her point/game by 2.5 and this season raised her shooting% to 48% and 3pt% to 40%. Between her assist rate and ability to hit open shots she is not being left unguarded which has been an argument made in the past.

I would argue that given the unprecedented (in UConn wcbb history) impact Nika has made in amassing assists, to measure her offensive production simply in terms of points scored is not a realistic assessment of her reliable and efficient production.

Scoring is not the true measure of Nika’s value. Her defense is more important than how much she scores. She was the primary defender on the top scorers from Georgetown, Creighton, and Villanova and shut them down.

 

[diggerfoot]

I'd like her to make more of the shots she takes. I'm not sure she needs to take more shots.

Muhl’s 3% is 40.6, second only to Bueckers at 42.3, and almost five percentages higher than third place Samuels at 35.7. Shade is fourth at 34.8.

Muhl is third in overall fg% at 48%, a respectable percentage that trails only our two AAs, Bueckers and Edwards.

You may want her to increase those already decent percentages further, but it‘s a pretty high bar you set for you to consider someone being a great teammate.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I think it's refreshing to see a little nastiness coming from the UConn side. I believe that there is the perception that the Huskies are somewhat passive/soft when it comes to the physical nature of the modern game. With Nika leading the charge a little pushback will serve them well going forward.

 

[MSGRET]

Scott, I didn't do anything other than suggest the team might be better served if Nika shot more... how is that making it a negative? A 'villain player'? Come on, Scott.

MSGRET, from the numerous threads on the BY to the Chatroom, you continually put me down for my alleged 'hatred' of Nika. I hold no such 'hatred' for Nika and value her as an important player for the Huskies.

You need to take a deep breath and understand the Boneyard is a forum for varying opinions. I do not put Nika on a pedestal as you do. That is my right, correct, or am I not allowed to say anything that might offend your acute need to serve as Nika's defender?

No, I'm not the coach, MSGRET. I suspect you know that. I have always appreciated the qualities Nika brings to the Huskies which make her such a fan favorite... however, I just don't understand the fanatical passion any statement about Nika short of compete adoration arouses such bitter antipathy from her cabal of fans.

I guess I should be used to it by now. As always, I'll root hard or Nika and her teammates, and shrug off the vindictive barbs some of my BY compatriots fire at me.

Maybe because she is the only one that you consistently rag on about shots, turnovers and whatever, you did it even when she broke the single season assists record. She has stated from the start of her Freshman year that she believes in getting the assists is her priority and have the other players score. She has improved her shooting this year, but that is not what she believes that is what makes the team its best. This is the last post that I will bother with addressing your obsession on putting Nika down.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think everyone should lighten up on @The deacon, whose point is not to criticize Nika but to encourage the rest of us to trash Caitlin Clark. It’s a Zen thought: whenever someone approaches an important milestone, we ought to criticize them rather than praise them.

I don’t have the time just now to trash Caitlin. But thanks to @The deacon’s encouragement, I’ll be sure to get on it at some point. There’s so many untapped areas to criticize. All of us will have to pitch in.

 

[BBallF]

Remember that referees do not have the option to call a common foul after replay video review. If a common foul is not called immediately, it cannot be called at all. The only discretion that referees have after replay is to call an intentional or flagrant foul if the action on replay rises to that level.

My guess is that the referees looked at the video and saw that Dalce committed a common foul with her arm check, but they could not call a common foul at that point. They didn't consider Dalce's action as any more than a common foul, so their only option was the no-call.

You can say that one of them should have seen and called the common foul in real time, but no referee sees everything.

That's exactly what happened. There was no foul called on the play. The stiff arm is what caused Liyah to fall but none of the refs were in position to see it.

 

[PacoSwede]

I think everyone should lighten up on @The deacon, whose point is not to criticize Nika but to encourage the rest of us to trash Caitlin Clark. It’s a Zen thought: whenever someone approaches an important milestone, we ought to criticize them rather than praise them.

I don’t have the time just now to trash Caitlin. But thanks to @The deacon’s encouragement, I’ll be sure to get on it at some point. There’s so many untapped areas to criticize. All of us will have to pitch in.

great post! love it/

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I liked the no call...just two players going after the ball hard. Dalce is always spicy...and always on that bench nursing her fouls. lol Aaliyah treated her like..."girl please" and just kept swatting her hands off. lol. NOW...can ICE get those no calls, please?

 

[The deacon]

Maybe because she is the only one that you consistently rag on about shots, turnovers and whatever, you did it even when she broke the single season assists record. She has stated from the start of her Freshman year that she believes in getting the assists is her priority and have the other players score. She has improved her shooting this year, but that is not what she believes that is what makes the team its best. This is the last post that I will bother with addressing your obsession on putting Nika down.

Thank goodness. I appreciate that, MSGRET.