Starting point guard

[wingsfan055]

I completely agree. Caroline has to be healthy and clutch all the time to earn that fifth starting spot. If she can’t, I’d favor starting Ice or Ayanna. On the other hand, it isn’t a realistic judgment of what Caroline’s capable of to judge her by mere stats from last season. We all know she’s more than that. But she won’t start unless she can put together the season her talents would indicate. Buuuuut…

… If she is healthy and finds her form again, I’d start her before Aubrey Ayanna Ice and Qadence. If I’m thinking who do I want on the floor in the opening minutes of every game, it’s the run-and-gun team, with Nika and Azzi pressing in the first five minutes, and Paige and Caroline waiting to pick off the desperation long pass at mid court, and Aaliyah anchoring the paint in case they break the press. Rotate the rest of the bench in as needed to keep opponents utterly disrupted.

When CD is healthy, she has shown to be an elite shooter and scorer. She moves well without the ball. She can play the post-up game since she is usually a size mismatch, or she can knock down the 3. She is the perfect Wing. Unfort., she hasnt been healthy in long stretches during her UConn career. I'm guessing Geno will ease her in by giving her meaningful minutes off the bench.

 

[Bald Husky]

KK will not start, as we need a great PG coming off the bench with Caroline, Ashlynn, and Jana. Nika DOES go for lay-ups, haven't you watched the games? Maybe she should be excused because she isn't a MoJeff or CW. Nika does what she does, and that is enough to lead this team with Paige, Azzi, Aaliyah, and probably Ice in the starting line-up.

 

[Cuango]

This chain of posts remind me of Nika's response in the comical post vs. guards video, when as she was walking along shaking her head saying it's not like I'm 4'-10" or something....

This past season Nika broke Sue Bird's 21 year old season assist record by a good margin while being forced to play more minutes than any one on the team, yet always consistently pushing pace. With teammates in and out of the rotation throughout the season, many times leaving only one great shooting option on the floor with her, she still managed to get double digit assists in 1/3 of her 36 games (another Uconn record), at one point four in a row - the first of them dishing 15 assists (yes, another two records). From the start of the season until it's twilight she led the nation in assists (only falling behind Clark, NCAA POY, during the team bad stretch of games). These are significant accomplishments!

She repeated as BE DPOY even as she was obviously self-restraining her aggression to assure that she avoid foul trouble. She was challenged preseason by Geno and under incredible pressure (as per Geno - second only to Azzi) she not only met the challenge she excelled. She was by all accounts the recognized team leader, floor general and most vocal player. She, self professedly, matured significantly, harnessed her emotions, understood and accepted her needed role(s) to best serve team success. Her scoring increased along with her willingness to attack the basket off the dribble, she reduced her fouls, increased her FT attempts and % all while maximizing her great ability to feed her teammates. Nika made significant jumps, this past season, in her game, attitude and perspective and IMO she is far from hitting her ceiling.

The point is you don't sit this kid because on paper she plays the same position, as possibly, the greatest women's college basketball player ever. They are incredibly complimentary players which will both maximize each others best attributes while playing on the floor together. The discussion really shouldn't center on Nika or Paige, it should be about who are the other three on the floor with them to maximize team success. To me, Azzi and Aaliyah are givens. The discussion should be on the fourth.

Seriously, it's not like she is 4'-10" or something....

Right! You don’t sit her because of Paige but rather because Paige and the four other best players at their respective positions constitute a better team than Nika and the four other best players at the same positions. PB, Azzi, CD, AE, and Ice, assuming full health, are better IMO than NM, Azzi, PB, AE, and Ice. Admittedly, Geno may value Nika’s intangibles more highly than Caroline’s superior skill set and we will once again see Nika as the starter. I don’t believe anyone is saying that cannot happen.

The debate on this is not whether Nika might be the starting PG but rather over the apparent denial by some that there could conceivably be a better lineup constructed from this roster that does not feature Nika as the starting PG! I happen to think there can be. However, that implies no disrespect toward Nika! I think she is a vitally important player and am very happy she is a Husky but I just don’t get this fixation on her starting. Surely it’s conceivable that we could be a better team with her coming off the bench?

 

[Centerstream]

Nika will be a senior this season, as is Paige and Aaliyah. As I have posted previously, these three plus Azzi will most likely start games. And because of Aubrey being a red shirt senior, odds are that she will also start. It would be anyone's guess who will be the first off the bench.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Right! You don’t sit her because of Paige but rather because Paige and the four other best players at their respective positions constitute a better team than Nika and the four other best players at the same positions. PB, Azzi, CD, AE, and Ice, assuming full health, are better IMO than NM, Azzi, PB, AE, and Ice. Admittedly, Geno may value Nika’s intangibles more highly than Caroline’s superior skill set and we will once again see Nika as the starter. I don’t believe anyone is saying that cannot happen.

The debate on this is not whether Nika might be the starting PG but rather over the apparent denial by some that there could conceivably be a better lineup constructed from this roster that does not feature Nika as the starting PG! I happen to think there can be. However, that implies no disrespect toward Nika! I think she is a vitally important player and am very happy she is a Husky but I just don’t get this fixation on her starting. Surely it’s conceivable that we could be a better team with her coming off the bench?

Unclear why AE or even Ice are better with Pb, azzi and Aaliyah? Defensively Nika is a better perimeter defender than Aubrey, which is what the SF position is in modern day basketball, and a better offensive threat as well. If you have two of the best shooters in college basketball it seems like a no brainer to pair them with the single season assist record holder rather than a tweener that shoots significantly worse from the perimeter.

 

[From France]

For me it should be Nika Muhl playing at the1, then Paige & Azzi plyaing the 2 both, no 3, Aaliyah at the 4, Jana at the 5

 

[#12in21]

Right! You don’t sit her because of Paige but rather because Paige and the four other best players at their respective positions constitute a better team than Nika and the four other best players at the same positions. PB, Azzi, CD, AE, and Ice, assuming full health, are better IMO than NM, Azzi, PB, AE, and Ice. Admittedly, Geno may value Nika’s intangibles more highly than Caroline’s superior skill set and we will once again see Nika as the starter. I don’t believe anyone is saying that cannot happen.

The debate on this is not whether Nika might be the starting PG but rather over the apparent denial by some that there could conceivably be a better lineup constructed from this roster that does not feature Nika as the starting PG! I happen to think there can be. However, that implies no disrespect toward Nika! I think she is a vitally important player and am very happy she is a Husky but I just don’t get this fixation on her starting. Surely it’s conceivable that we could be a better team with her coming off the bench?

You of course have a right to your opinion. I have never seen Ice play a minute alongside those four or even of college basketball so I can’t conclude she is either the best option at the five or would be part of our best starting roster. Nika clearly had a far superior year last season than Caroline and is a proven effective player when starting alongside both Paige (as a freshmen) and Azzi ( this past season).

I am not fixated, illogically with Nika starting at the PG but rather for the many reasons I’ve cited in various posts above I believe she will be part of the best starting five. What makes Caroline’s or Ice’s or any other player’s projected value trump Nika’s proven value?

 

[ballerfan]

Just watched Geno’s interview. No one can see the future, but this is what I think is going to happen, not necessarily what I want to happen.

First game of the season
Nika, Paige, Azzi, Aubrey, Aaliyah
Based on last year’s performance and seniority

First game of the tournament
I feel a little more hopeful for Nika after listening to the interview, though Geno was clear that Nika would be playing fewer minutes.
So maybe Nika, Paige, Azzi, Ice, Aaliyah

My gut feeling about the tournament starting lineup
Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Aaliyah, Jana

Too bad we can’t bet on the Boneyard.

 

[hoy-ah!]

She'll do what her and CWill did. Who was the sf when UCONN had a lineup of Liv, Evina, Cwill, Paige and Nika. This team went to the Final Four and tier huge issue in the Final Four was Arizona’s guard. Stanford won the tile with Lexi Hull as the SF.


An what are you talking about with LSU? What makes you think Reese and Morrow can play sf and guard Paige?

The point is, the bigger the team, the more UCONN would penalize them with their perimeter play. For example, Maya Moore lived at the PF and who stopped her at the pf? Who would stop Paige?

Please name the SF that you know would shut her down rather than make a general comment?

And I just want o reinforce the team that gets the most rebounds does not necessarily win. It's the team that scores the most points. It's the reason why small teams can win. It's the reason why Stanford won it all with Lexi Hull at SF rather than a 6'4 sf.

What you must take into account is that the teams that will look to pound UCONN inside also have to be bale defend the perimeter extremely well v not only good but potentially extremely super perimeter players. It goes both way - the game isn't all about rebounding.

So I'll ask anyone - please name the SF that will shut down Paige Bueckers? If you can't specifically name one, then what's the big deal? There is a reason why small teams and less athletic teams can beat a team like South Carolina.


This isn’t pro ball in which there is extreme talent at every position. Small teams/even less athletic teams are fine. At the end of the day it’s who scores the most wins. In this case, challenge the opposing team to stop us.

How many years has Paige played at SF? (Maybe this is my general comment?) South Carolina lost to Iowa because they didn't shoot well from the outside. Packed it inside and dared South Carolina to make outside shots. And, for this game, they didn't shoot well. How many games did South Carolina lose last season playing their style? Stanford won against Arizona by how many points? Stanford still had the better front line...Cameron Brink, etc. with a nice complement of perimeter and attacking players.

This thread is about who is the starting point guard. It's my thought that Paige as a SF will likely get roughed up more than as a guard.
Yes, the winner is the one with the higher score. Whether you get there by offense or defense is immaterial. Personally, I've been coached by winning on the defensive side.

 

[hoy-ah!]

Maybe this has been posted elsewhere...if the question is "Who is the starting point guard?", then maybe an associated thought would be "Who is the best floor general?" As a point guard all my hoop days, this has been the term for the PG. Who commands the ball, sees the defense, knows/sees how the defense is playing the offense, and vice-versa.

To me this is PB. Likely the best player on the team, pound for pound.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Angel Reese is listed as PF/SF. (I haven't really seen her in games where she posts up.) I see her as a SF though, whether you think it's real or not. Someone who can drive/slash to the basket, long, and can board. Preferably has a decent mid-range jumper. Why don't you consider Reese a SF? Is she a PF, C, guard? I don't see Reese or Morrow guarding Paige. Best left to LSU's quicker guards.

She has no jump shot and she has a terrible handle. She can face up from the elbow ish but that’s about it. I’ve really only see her be successful posting up or owning the offensive boards. I’ve seen little of her ability to slash or drive. And I watched a lot of LSU games. She’s likely going to have to be their center for large portions of the game this year so I’m not sure we are talking about the same player.

 

[Bone Dog]

If anyone thinks seniority matters to Geno, or how someone played the previous year, or even that some players deserve minutes, think again. I'm pretty sure Geno determines playing time entirely on the basis of how someone performs in practice and in the last few games. You earn minutes with him. Nobody deserves them. In this most recent video, he reiterated this very principle. And in previous years he has said that seniors have no special priority for playing time and that getting playing for underclassmen is often more important to the program.

As fans, we are free to speculate on who will get minutes on the basis of seniority, prior year's performance, etc. And we're not wrong to do so. But that's just speculation. It's not what Geno bases his decisions on.

 

[Dogstar]

The stats say tht she is

 

[sun]

The stats say tht she is

Carol scored .332 points per minute that she played last year.
Nika scored .194 points per minute that she played last year.

Geno said in his recent interview that he wants increased efficiency & will be rewarding it with PT since there will be less minutes to go around due to the larger roster.
He wants players to accomplish more during their limited PT.

 

[Alydar]

So not only is she a worst shooter statistically, she’s also a high volume poor shooter? Not really making the case to start Caroline over Nika here.

Nika’s form may be worse than Carolina but this far Carolinas shooting touch hasn’t translated into real college games. Where as Nika also has defense and creating shots for other in her skills set so even if she isn’t shooting well she is still creating points.

There is just not a rational argument at this time that validates putting Caroline or Aubrey over Nika in the line-up.

I acknowledged Muhl's somewhat higher shooting%. This isn't about Muhl's ability. It's about your inability to recognize Ducharme's. Dec. 19th 2021. The Hall of Fame game vs Louis. UConn lost. Ducharme, a month into her freshman season, started and played 40 minutes while leading the team in scoring (24) and rebounds (8). She took 40% of UConn's shots. Her 3 pt shooting 3-9 was about at Muhl's average but the more important point is that those were the only 3's UConn made. I remember not expecting a lot from her coming into the game. It wasn't her numbers that impressed me, it was her maturity. She played confidently and efficiently. She continued to do that until her 1st head injury. That's all I need to list her as eligible to start. She siezes opportunities, she anticipates. She's a 3 level scorer. And I know this because she has shown it in actual games.


That game also typified the ineffectiveness of both Williams and Westbrook and why Bueckers moved to scoring guard. Thankfully UConn has a stable of great shooting/scoring guards/wings this season.

 

[HuskyNan]

Carol scored .332 points per minute that she played last year.
Nika scored .194 points per minute that she played last year.

Geno said in his recent interview that he wants increased efficiency & will be rewarding it with PT since there will be less minutes to go around due to the larger roster.
He wants players to accomplish more during their limited PT.

Caroline scored more points because she took more shots per minute. Link to @JRRRJ stats here. But Nika shot a higher percentage

 

[Dogstar]

Carol scored .332 points per minute that she played last year.
Nika scored .194 points per minute that she played last year.

Geno said in his recent interview that he wants increased efficiency & will be rewarding it with PT since there will be less minutes to go around due to the larger roster.

Ohhhh ok so wht ur saying is tht the 2 and 3 pt percentages don't matter? For last year and carrer.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I acknowledged Muhl's somewhat higher shooting%. This isn't about Muhl's ability. It's about your inability to recognize Ducharme's. Dec. 19th 2021. The Hall of Fame game vs Louis. UConn lost. Ducharme, a month into her freshman season, started and played 40 minutes while leading the team in scoring (24) and rebounds (8). She took 40% of UConn's shots. Her 3 pt shooting 3-9 was about at Muhl's average but the more important point is that those were the only 3's UConn made. I remember not expecting a lot from her coming into the game. It wasn't her numbers that impressed me, it was her maturity. She played confidently and efficiently. She continued to do that until her 1st head injury. That's all I need to list her as eligible to start. She siezes opportunities, she anticipates. She's a 3 level scorer. And I know this because she has shown it in actual games.


That game also typified the ineffectiveness of both Williams and Westbrook and why Bueckers moved to scoring guard. Thankfully UConn has a stable of great shooting/scoring guards/wings this season.

Great that one game almost two years ago means you think someone should start over someone who has shown up consistently on both ends of the court for three seasons. I won’t be operating on potential over reality.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Caroline scored more points because she took more shots per minute. Link to @JRRRJ stats here. But Nika shot a higher percentage

View attachment 89097

I’d also be interest to know how many points Nika created per minute when you factor in points and assists into the equation.

 

[Alydar]

Then what is it that you are actually arguing about regarding Nika?


You are saying equal 26 minutes for Nika, Azzi and Paige when you mention a 3-guard rotation. I that's the case, that means Paige and Nika play 52 minutes which means they are on the court together at times. You think it best that Paige bring up the ball and one of her options on the Wing is Nika? Or on a fastbreak Paige drives to the ft line and looks for Nika to drill a 3? I don't think so. That's not even close to being the same as the other way-- >

When I say rotation that means 3 players for 2 positions. Eighty minutes between three players. When Bueckers/Muhl or Fudd/Muhl are on the court Muhl would be the pg. This does not preclude Bueckers and Fudd getting some minutes at the 3 in certain games. But I expect the depth at post to freeze Ducharme and Griffin back to mostly wing minutes.

The problem is a lot like trying to stuff a sleeping bag into its bags with a hangover. There are 200 minutes and possibly 12 players deserving of game minutes.

 

[Alydar]

Great that one game almost two years ago means you think someone should start over someone who has shown up consistently on both ends of the court for three seasons. I won’t be operating on potential over reality.

If you look it up you would see that from that game Dec 19 to the end of January she was UConn's leading scorer in 6 of their 8 games. That's when she hurt herself. I'm not positive but you check my numbers, OK?

Ducharme is expected to be 100% and if that is the case UConn will be overwhelming on offense. But the possibility of a reoccurrence may make Geno decide to make her a sub. She's a player B1G teams mold their offense around. That good. I've been watching a lot of Larry Bird videos and noticed that he wasn't very fast or very quick, was a decent ball handler but couldn't jump very high. That's Ducharme. Geno may have the luxury of bringing a player of that caliber off the bench?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Geno is unlikely to sit an upperclassman for a freshman unless he’s short handed or the freshman is Maya

There are freshmen, and there are freshmen. Maya was the best freshman I've ever seen, with the possible exception of P. Buckets.

 

[Alydar]

Nika will be a senior this season, as is Paige and Aaliyah. As I have posted previously, these three plus Azzi will most likely start games. And because of Aubrey being a red shirt senior, odds are that she will also start. It would be anyone's guess who will be the first off the bench.

When Muhl entered the starting lineup in her freshman season it was 5th year player Westbrook who sat.

 

[Blond D.]

Maybe this has been posted elsewhere...if the question is "Who is the starting point guard?", then maybe an associated thought would be "Who is the best floor general?" As a point guard all my hoop days, this has been the term for the PG. Who commands the ball, sees the defense, knows/sees how the defense is playing the offense, and vice-versa.

To me this is PB. Likely the best player on the team, pound for pound.

I agree that Paige is the best player on the team...maybe in the WNCAA but that doesnt mean she should be the point guard. Neither Jordon nor Kobi played point guard.

 

[oldhusky]

I’d also be interest to know how many points Nika created per minute when you factor in points and assists into the equation.

Good point, if you count two points for Nika for every assist and add that to her points her volume of points she was involved in may be as high as Ducharme' figured the same way. Or let me ask a question another way, will Azzi and Paige shoot a higher percentage with Nika in the lineup or Caroline? I for one think the additional open looks from Nika's passing will help those two more than the additional floor spacing Caroline might provide.