Saniya Chong and Kiah Stokes

[pvdoggy]

what has happened to Sanyia Chong's shot since the Stanford game ?
she was such a great shooter in HS, and her shot in the Stanford game was so good. Now most of her jump shots are not even close to going in. She is still playing hard with the facets of her game though.

How does Kiah Stokes only play 17 min in this game when the opponent is so small ?

 

[bschwartz]

Kiah had Crisco hands tonight...but she had some good plays.
Play 1
Play 2
Play 3

 

[Geno-ista]

She may not be handling the "coming off the bench" role that well. At Stanford her offense was off the charts in high pressure situation.

 

[Hongster]

Sorry but never had I been a fan of SC, her shots are way too awkward, she may had been good in HS but that was a different competition level.

 

[Hongster]

I think the reason Kiak Stoke only play 17 minutes because Geno didn't think he needed her on the floor to defend as much as playing time for Gabby. I thought that was good move by Geno. We need 8-9 players rotation not 6-7.

 

[Geno-ista]

Re Kiah- DePaul wasn't very tall. It may have been Geno was able or wanted to play Gabby more because of match ups. And once she was in, she just kept doing really good things on both ends of the floor. She seams to be getting better by the minute!!!! She was even playing a bit on the perimeter I think. She seams un phased by mistakes. She plays with know fear. I hope she's a righty, because she is strong with the left!

 

[pvdoggy]

She may not be handling the "coming off the bench" role that well. At Stanford her offense was off the charts in high pressure situation.

She seems to be a little gun shy with her shots as well. So many times she is opened and instead of shooting, she passed it off.

 

[Geno-ista]

Sorry but never had I been a fan of SC, her shots are way too awkward, she may had been good in HS but that was a different competition level.

Hongster- the Gd news is she produced on offense big time in the pressure cooker in Stanford. Nice to have that option of her and her offense off the bench, combined with Stokes who is such a defensive presence.

 

[Striper69]

Saniya's doing OK. She has to adjust to coming off the bench. They don't need her to take all the shots anyway with Nurse, Stewart & Company going the way they are.

BTW- Saniya Chong is still my fave UCONN Huskie! Love that gal!

 

[Geno-ista]

She seems to be a little gun shy with her shots as well. So many times she is opened and instead of shooting, she passed it off.

Noticed it too- and hope it's short lived!!!! She gives us a great option w firepower off the bench- even with her short comings.

 

[reno tony]

I think the reason Kiak Stoke only play 17 minutes because Geno didn't think he needed her on the floor to defend as much as playing time for Gabby. I thought that was good move by Geno. We need 8-9 players rotation not 6-7.

I also think that the way Stewie was playing, he wanted her to get as much time as she could to get her out of her minor funk.

 

[hoophuskee]

what has happened to Sanyia Chong's shot since the Stanford game ?
she was such a great shooter in HS, and her shot in the Stanford game was so good. Now most of her jump shots are not even close to going in. She is still playing hard with the facets of her game though.

How does Kiah Stokes only play 17 min in this game when the opponent is so small ?

IMO Geno got frustrated a bit with Stokes offense. She had a layup in the 1st half and didn't even hit the rim. Another play in early 2nd half she got an offensive rebound - instead of going up she put the ball on the floor and ended up losing the ball or something similar.

Weren't you the one that told me that Kiah Stokes offense won't get any better when she hits the pros no matter how many minutes she gets? So why is it a big deal she only got 17 minutes? Weren't you saying you wanted Gabby to have more minutes? She got 20. Stewie got 30. KML got 31. Tuck got 20. So who do you bump in order to give Stokes more minutes?

And I don't understand why you think size in which a player like Stokes isn't much of a scorer-- would necessarily work vs a perimeter team.

 

[pvdoggy]

IMO Geno got frustrated a bit with Stokes offense. She had a layup in the 1st half and didn't even hit the rim. Another play in early 2nd half she got an offensive rebound - instead of going up she put the ball on the floor and ended up losing the ball or something similar.

Weren't you the one that told me that Kiah Stokes offense won't get any better when she hits the pros no matter how many minutes she gets? So why is it a big deal she only got 17 minutes? Weren't you saying you wanted Gabby to have more minutes? She got 20. Stewie got 30. KML got 31. Tuck got 20. So who do you bump in order to give Stokes more minutes?

And I don't understand why you think size in which a player like Stokes isn't much of a scorer-- would necessarily work vs a perimeter team.

I think you have me confused with someone else. I have said that Kiah does not seem to have a feel for the basket, but if you don't play her, then don't expect her to improve and don't count on her when it matters. I have never said anything about wanting more playing time for Gabby. As far as Kiah's size against the smaller team, well the offense was pounding the ball quite a bit inside for Stewart, they could have tried to do the same for Kiah as well to see how she handles it. If you don't get a chance to learn when the score is so lopsided, when are you going to ?

 

[sawxfan23]

what has happened to Sanyia Chong's shot since the Stanford game ?
she was such a great shooter in HS, and her shot in the Stanford game was so good. Now most of her jump shots are not even close to going in. She is still playing hard with the facets of her game though.

How does Kiah Stokes only play 17 min in this game when the opponent is so small ?

In the Stanford game the Cardinal chose to sag off and double Stewart every chance so Chong was basically left wide open by design. As well all know Chong's shot starts from her waist and when she is able to get set and shoot in a rhythm she is a good shooter(Stanford Game) but when she is guarded closer and does not have quite as much time to set up her shot she struggles, Since the Stanford Chong has gone an abysmal 2 for 17 from 3pt range. Many thought that her low release would be a problem for Chong at the college level and it seems to me that is true.

 

[Geno-ista]

In the Stanford game the Cardinal chose to sag off and double Stewart every chance so Chong was basically left wide open by design. As well all know Chong's shot starts from her waist and when she is able to get set and shoot in a rhythm she is a good shooter(Stanford Game) but when she is guarded closer and does not have quite as much time to set up her shot she struggles, Since the Stanford Chong has gone an abysmal 2 for 17 from 3pt range. Many thought that her low release would be a problem for Chong at the college level and it seems to me that is true.

The positive side is- she has to be closely guarded b cause she is such a threat from the perimeter. She can take you off the dribble like lightning. This allows us to find our other scorers, where we want them to get the ball. She is a Gd option off the bench.

 

[easttexastrash]

Saniya's doing OK. She has to adjust to coming off the bench. They don't need her to take all the shots anyway with Nurse, Stewart & Company going the way they are.

BTW- Saniya Chong is still my fave UCONN Huskie! Love that gal!

I don't understand the "adjusting to coming off the bench" theory. Didn't she come off the bench all of last season? It's not as if she has started in a lot of games.

 

[Geno-ista]

ET - it may be a little different when you worked yourself into a starting role after a lot of off season work. And then Boom- a freshman walks in and snatches it immediately. There may be a bit of a mental adjustment possibly.

 

[easttexastrash]

ET - it may be a little different when you worked yourself into a starting role after a lot of off season work. And then Boom- a freshman walks in and snatches it immediately. There may be a bit of a mental adjustment possibly.

So it's not adjusting to coming off the bench, it's more about recovering her confidence after a personal setback. She knows how to play coming off the bench.

 

[vballcoach]

I'm sure it didn't go unnoticed by the coaches that Stokes entered the game with UCONN ahead 26-24 and both teams headed for 100+ points. She left after a 14-2 run, with the game essentially over.

 

[meyers7]

ET - it may be a little different when you worked yourself into a starting role after a lot of off season work. And then Boom- a freshman walks in and snatches it immediately. There may be a bit of a mental adjustment possibly.

So it's not adjusting to coming off the bench, it's more about recovering her confidence after a personal setback. She knows how to play coming off the bench.

I think you guys are actually on the same page.

 

[HuskyNan]

.
I got a laugh seeing a DePaul player drive into the paint, see Kiah, then do an immediate U-turn. Kiah is an imposing presence under the basket.

 

[RadyLady]

.
I got a laugh seeing a DePaul player drive into the paint, see Kiah, then do an immediate U-turn. Kiah is an imposing presence under the basket.

That is something that we see frequently when Kiah is on the floor, and I, too love seeing the opposition hit the brakes when they see the wall that is Kiah. But I agree, this was a game that was tailor made for Gabby to get some good minutes given DePaul's size, though I would never sell them short (pardon the pun) - they are well coached and feisty. I loved watching the player who was almost a foot smaller body up on Stewey.

 

[Hongster]

Hongster- the Gd news is she produced on offense big time in the pressure cooker in Stanford. Nice to have that option of her and her offense off the bench, combined with Stokes who is such a defensive presence.

You're right, that was a little harsh from me. She's an excellent PG, setting up offense, dishing and penetrating.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think you have me confused with someone else. I have said that Kiah does not seem to have a feel for the basket, but if you don't play her, then don't expect her to improve and don't count on her when it matters. I have never said anything about wanting more playing time for Gabby. As far as Kiah's size against the smaller team, well the offense was pounding the ball quite a bit inside for Stewart, they could have tried to do the same for Kiah as well to see how she handles it. If you don't get a chance to learn when the score is so lopsided, when are you going to ?

I think Geno agrees with the other opinions you had on this board. As you say on the 1st link below in italics - if she hasn't shown it 3+ years-( you've made an evaluation after watching her about 100 times in which you drew a conclusion, right?) how much offensive instincts will she have? Your evaluation has been with both these posts that "you can't see it happening." Geno was talking about her on his show last night and we know he has seen Kiah over her career about 500 - 800 times and he says similar to your posts. He doesn't see her offense as instinctual either.

So why should someone like Stewie get her minutes cut back when we can see for example Steie who NOT ONLY played on the inside but played on the wing quite a bit too? She needs minutes playing BOTH, right? So Gabby and Tuck only got 20 -- so you wanted to see KML's minutes get dropped (keep Gabby and Tuck at 20) and play Stewie more on the wing? Or you want one of the three guards mintues to drop? What players do you want to see drop their minutes in order to give Stokes more?

You even indicated in the 3rd link below - probably a type of post Geno is agreeing with as well when you say Stokes doesn't have the offensive instincts yet Gabby seems to. So Geno awarded Gabby with 20. That's something you agree with right? Because as you cited below when Stokes played 13 she didn't look aggressive offensively- same last night in her 17 early on when I indicated she had a layup but missed the rim on one play and another early in 2nd half she had an offensive rebound then became tentative and put the ball on the floor. He sees what you see - and he has seen it - maybe 5-8 times more (a ton more incalcuable if you count minutes he has watched her vs. you and I) than you and I have. The other players deserve minutes too and as you say after about 100 evaluations. As you say-- offensively-- "I just don't think she has the instinct for it, even compare to Gabby for example."


http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/sierra-calhoun.69357/#post-1159088
I think Kiah will be drafted in the first round this year as well, may be late first round but only because it will be a weak draft for the WNBA. I don't think she will be the first non guard/wing taken though. Kiah lacks offensive instinct, something I don't think she will be able to pick up in the WNBA if she has not learned in 3+ yrs at UConn. Her defense, especially in the ND game was great.

http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/can-you-imagine-kiah-stokes-with-a-dt-attitude.68996/#post-1150654
As much as I have been a fan of Stokes, I can't see it happening on the offensive end. She has been great on the defensive end, but other than Stanford, all the teams UConn has played so far do not have much size up front, and even Stanford is not that big either.

http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/thoughts-about-tonights-uconn-green-bay-game.68825/#post-1148395
Seems to me like Stokes has regressed back to the role she was comfortable with last year, i.e. playing defense and block shots. Even the 13 min she played tonight, most of it is when the game is so far out of reach already and even then Kiah never tried to force the issue on offense. I just don't think she has the instinct for it, even compare to Gabby for example.

 

[Sonny44]

Saniya's doing OK. She has to adjust to coming off the bench. They don't need her to take all the shots anyway with Nurse, Stewart & Company going the way they are.

BTW- Saniya Chong is still my fave UCONN Huskie! Love that gal!

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