EricLA
Cronus
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2011
- Messages
- 15,000
- Reaction Score
- 81,727
So I know we've had the debates about the starting lineup, and I'm betting we will have a few more before November rolls around, but this time I wanted to "talk" about what I'm looking forward to next year vis-a-vis each individual player...
Stewie - After her benching with Morgan, she came back more focused, but didn't really pour it on consistently (at least from an offensive perspective) for the rest of the season. Having said that, she was ferocious on defense - almost every single game AND every single minute she was on the court. She was an absolute terror with her Inspector Gadget arms and deceptive athleticism. But for next year, I'd like to see her more consistent on offense. She totally deserved all the NPOY awards she received, but it would have shut down all debate if she'd been stronger and more consistent on offense. While her mid range game was solid, looking forward to her expanding her 3 point prowess, AND bringing the intensity every single game.
Moriah - To me she may be the MVP on the team. Not necessarily the best player (although you could argue she is), but the MVP. She was the highest rated guard ever coming out of HS and she's showing why. I have never seen a UCONN player be such a terror on defense 100% of every game she plays in. She doesn't have the intensity in her facial expressions, and smiles and seems to enjoy herself at times on the court, but no one can doubt the incredible skill and athleticism she possesses. And that's just her defense. As a 5'7" PG, her offensive decision making (passing, scoring) is phenomenal. I'm not sure how much she can improve, but for next season, I just hope she continues to work on her game and take it to an even higher level if she can get there.
Morgan - She reminded us this year why she was ranked #1 in her class before her injuries and why several of us thought that we had the top 3 players in the entire class. Next year I'd like to see her continue to work on her quickness and speed - This was really only her first fully healthy season in a while dating back to HS. Her 3 point shot was abysmal early in the season but really picked up as the season went on. I'd also like to see her fine tune her post moves as ND showed how to shut her down with double teams in the NC game when she'd "start to make her move". Can't wait to see her next season.
Nurse - If ever a kid was ready to step in and make an impact as a freshman, it was Kia Nurse. I think we all marveled at how poised she was. She had some offensive pop and ended the season averaging 10.2 PPG - impressive, but in the last third or so of the season it seemed she petered out a bit. Tired? Freshman wall? She still was a terror on defense and fearless in driving to the hoop, but next year I'd like to see even more consistency out of her offensively and also see her work on posting up some guards like KML would occasionally do. Very few 2G's are stronger than Nurse. I'm not sure how much of a sophomore leap we can expect - she was so good as a freshman, but if she does have a leap, we will all be blown away.
Chong - not going to rehash why she lost her starting job but we read comments that her lack of confidence made her game performances self fulfilling. I'm looking for her to really work on a few things - continue with her defensive work in getting down in stances and improving her lateral quickness and reaction time. Also fine tune her decision making in when to shoot vs. when to pass or attack the basket. We saw flashes of brilliance punctuated with a disappearing act. Attending a "PG college" over the summer would work wonders for her IMHO. If she can get her confidence back on track, I'm betting she can average 20 MPG and 8-10 PPG as well as 3+ APG next year. I think as fans, we are all rooting big time for her and the frustrating part is everyone knows she's capable, except perhaps, herself.
Williams - She showed us unequivocally why ASGR had her as the #2 kid in the class. Otherworldly athleticism, tenacious rebounding, and a great ability to elevate and put the ball in the basket. BUT she was a guard in college. Time to work on all her guard skills especially her mid range game, FT shooting, and ball handling/passing. The sky really is the limit for this kid. She has a tenacious work ethic and desire to be great and to be great for her team. Can't wait to see this kid grow and improve.
Ekmark - Next season will be make or break for her IMHO. For a kid known for her 3 point shooting in HS, it was largely non-existent this past season. She got a pass for coming off injuries but she needs to see a big leap in skill and ability if she wants to carve out any meaningful PT and not get lost behind the 3 fantastic incoming freshmen. I'll be honest - I'm worried for her, but she know what she needs to do. Work on fitness and quickness and improve her lateral movement on defense. Work on ball handling, passing, and shooting. It's really a tall task and even if she makes the normal sophomore leap, I'm not sure it will be enough. Rooting for her big time. I could see her becoming a Madison Cable type of player with that kind of impact, but she needs to spend the summer with a fitness trainer hitting it HARD.
Butler - There is a TON of PT available this coming year given we lost KML & Stokes. They averaged over 28 and 18 MPG respectively. If everyone else averages similar MPG next year (which they likely won't), that means there are 46 MPG to spread around. She already showed what a great teammate and how hard a worker she is. The coaches and players have raved about her. There's been a lot of debate about what to expect but here's what I'm looking forward to... Will she remind us of Stef as a sophomore, or does she have other strengths and weaknesses that will lead to other observations? I'm looking forward to seeing how much of an inside force she is - back to the basket or face up game. I'm hoping she's effective enough to give Stewie lots of room to roam instead of plugging her into the post like we did for much of last year. And I hope she's a force on defense too. She's 2" taller than Stokes, but obviously less athletic (almost everyone is!). Can't wait to see what she brings!
Samuelson - #1 kid coming out of HS. Known as one of the best 3 point shooters around. But...I don't see her shooting as well as KML. Having said that, she's taller and leaner and a really good ball handler. I'm hoping to see her fully healthy - she often seems to have a tweak or illness somewhere. During team USA's games, she had strep and an ankle tweak. She missed the Jordan classic with another injury. She seems injury and illness prone so I'm hoping she's able to get beyond that and be able to practice 100% because that's what we need. When fully healthy and engaged, there's a reason she's the #1 kid in her class.
Collier - If Samuelson really is #1 in her class, Collier is #1A. Sort of like Stewie and Moriah. I really think Collier is one of the top 2 or 3 kids in the class. She does EVERYTHING on the court and once Geno and co. start coaching her up, I expect her to get even better. It would not surprise me to see her struggle a bit as Geno works on tweaking and improving her play, but this kid already reminds me of Maya Moore, and while she has less "hype", I think she has a chance to make almost as much an impact as Maya did.
Boykin - She is a glue player and a kid who seems to love the dirty work. Cleaning up rebounds, putbacks around the hoop, solid defense, steals, etc. I don't expect big numbers from her but I do expect to see big effort. I know she's capable of big offensive numbers, but like Stokes, it would not surprise me to see her let others do the scoring while she simply excels at everything else.
Pulido/Lawler - don't want to leave them out but realistically, they are "walk ons" regardless of their scholarship status and will likely only ever get minutes at the end of games. Still, great kids, great teammates, and they give 100% of themselves 100% of the time. You cannot put a price tag on teammates like that.
Lastly, while I think most everyone will agree there are a lot of teams who will be better next year, I honestly think UCONN is better by at least as much, if not more, than every other team out there. What we bring back and what we add is 2nd to none.
Stewie - After her benching with Morgan, she came back more focused, but didn't really pour it on consistently (at least from an offensive perspective) for the rest of the season. Having said that, she was ferocious on defense - almost every single game AND every single minute she was on the court. She was an absolute terror with her Inspector Gadget arms and deceptive athleticism. But for next year, I'd like to see her more consistent on offense. She totally deserved all the NPOY awards she received, but it would have shut down all debate if she'd been stronger and more consistent on offense. While her mid range game was solid, looking forward to her expanding her 3 point prowess, AND bringing the intensity every single game.
Moriah - To me she may be the MVP on the team. Not necessarily the best player (although you could argue she is), but the MVP. She was the highest rated guard ever coming out of HS and she's showing why. I have never seen a UCONN player be such a terror on defense 100% of every game she plays in. She doesn't have the intensity in her facial expressions, and smiles and seems to enjoy herself at times on the court, but no one can doubt the incredible skill and athleticism she possesses. And that's just her defense. As a 5'7" PG, her offensive decision making (passing, scoring) is phenomenal. I'm not sure how much she can improve, but for next season, I just hope she continues to work on her game and take it to an even higher level if she can get there.
Morgan - She reminded us this year why she was ranked #1 in her class before her injuries and why several of us thought that we had the top 3 players in the entire class. Next year I'd like to see her continue to work on her quickness and speed - This was really only her first fully healthy season in a while dating back to HS. Her 3 point shot was abysmal early in the season but really picked up as the season went on. I'd also like to see her fine tune her post moves as ND showed how to shut her down with double teams in the NC game when she'd "start to make her move". Can't wait to see her next season.
Nurse - If ever a kid was ready to step in and make an impact as a freshman, it was Kia Nurse. I think we all marveled at how poised she was. She had some offensive pop and ended the season averaging 10.2 PPG - impressive, but in the last third or so of the season it seemed she petered out a bit. Tired? Freshman wall? She still was a terror on defense and fearless in driving to the hoop, but next year I'd like to see even more consistency out of her offensively and also see her work on posting up some guards like KML would occasionally do. Very few 2G's are stronger than Nurse. I'm not sure how much of a sophomore leap we can expect - she was so good as a freshman, but if she does have a leap, we will all be blown away.
Chong - not going to rehash why she lost her starting job but we read comments that her lack of confidence made her game performances self fulfilling. I'm looking for her to really work on a few things - continue with her defensive work in getting down in stances and improving her lateral quickness and reaction time. Also fine tune her decision making in when to shoot vs. when to pass or attack the basket. We saw flashes of brilliance punctuated with a disappearing act. Attending a "PG college" over the summer would work wonders for her IMHO. If she can get her confidence back on track, I'm betting she can average 20 MPG and 8-10 PPG as well as 3+ APG next year. I think as fans, we are all rooting big time for her and the frustrating part is everyone knows she's capable, except perhaps, herself.
Williams - She showed us unequivocally why ASGR had her as the #2 kid in the class. Otherworldly athleticism, tenacious rebounding, and a great ability to elevate and put the ball in the basket. BUT she was a guard in college. Time to work on all her guard skills especially her mid range game, FT shooting, and ball handling/passing. The sky really is the limit for this kid. She has a tenacious work ethic and desire to be great and to be great for her team. Can't wait to see this kid grow and improve.
Ekmark - Next season will be make or break for her IMHO. For a kid known for her 3 point shooting in HS, it was largely non-existent this past season. She got a pass for coming off injuries but she needs to see a big leap in skill and ability if she wants to carve out any meaningful PT and not get lost behind the 3 fantastic incoming freshmen. I'll be honest - I'm worried for her, but she know what she needs to do. Work on fitness and quickness and improve her lateral movement on defense. Work on ball handling, passing, and shooting. It's really a tall task and even if she makes the normal sophomore leap, I'm not sure it will be enough. Rooting for her big time. I could see her becoming a Madison Cable type of player with that kind of impact, but she needs to spend the summer with a fitness trainer hitting it HARD.
Butler - There is a TON of PT available this coming year given we lost KML & Stokes. They averaged over 28 and 18 MPG respectively. If everyone else averages similar MPG next year (which they likely won't), that means there are 46 MPG to spread around. She already showed what a great teammate and how hard a worker she is. The coaches and players have raved about her. There's been a lot of debate about what to expect but here's what I'm looking forward to... Will she remind us of Stef as a sophomore, or does she have other strengths and weaknesses that will lead to other observations? I'm looking forward to seeing how much of an inside force she is - back to the basket or face up game. I'm hoping she's effective enough to give Stewie lots of room to roam instead of plugging her into the post like we did for much of last year. And I hope she's a force on defense too. She's 2" taller than Stokes, but obviously less athletic (almost everyone is!). Can't wait to see what she brings!
Samuelson - #1 kid coming out of HS. Known as one of the best 3 point shooters around. But...I don't see her shooting as well as KML. Having said that, she's taller and leaner and a really good ball handler. I'm hoping to see her fully healthy - she often seems to have a tweak or illness somewhere. During team USA's games, she had strep and an ankle tweak. She missed the Jordan classic with another injury. She seems injury and illness prone so I'm hoping she's able to get beyond that and be able to practice 100% because that's what we need. When fully healthy and engaged, there's a reason she's the #1 kid in her class.
Collier - If Samuelson really is #1 in her class, Collier is #1A. Sort of like Stewie and Moriah. I really think Collier is one of the top 2 or 3 kids in the class. She does EVERYTHING on the court and once Geno and co. start coaching her up, I expect her to get even better. It would not surprise me to see her struggle a bit as Geno works on tweaking and improving her play, but this kid already reminds me of Maya Moore, and while she has less "hype", I think she has a chance to make almost as much an impact as Maya did.
Boykin - She is a glue player and a kid who seems to love the dirty work. Cleaning up rebounds, putbacks around the hoop, solid defense, steals, etc. I don't expect big numbers from her but I do expect to see big effort. I know she's capable of big offensive numbers, but like Stokes, it would not surprise me to see her let others do the scoring while she simply excels at everything else.
Pulido/Lawler - don't want to leave them out but realistically, they are "walk ons" regardless of their scholarship status and will likely only ever get minutes at the end of games. Still, great kids, great teammates, and they give 100% of themselves 100% of the time. You cannot put a price tag on teammates like that.
Lastly, while I think most everyone will agree there are a lot of teams who will be better next year, I honestly think UCONN is better by at least as much, if not more, than every other team out there. What we bring back and what we add is 2nd to none.
