This year's team tougher than last year's team?

[oldude]

“This team lacks experience, size and depth. They are not as talented as last year’s team.” Maybe so, but I suggest there is a quality where this year’s team may actually exceed last year’s team - mental toughness.

Last year’s team was certainly tough, but they were also one of the most talented WCBB teams in history. IMO there was only 1 game all season that presented any suspense as to the outcome: MD at MSG until Saniya the Turtle Slayer ended the suspense. More often than not, last year’s team toyed with opponents like a killer whale playing with a seal, until it gets bored and devours the seal. The NCAA tournament was more coronation than competition. What team loses their best shooter in the 1st half of a national semifinal and coasts to a 19 pt victory, followed by a 31 pt victory in the championship.

Under the theory, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER, this year’s team has experienced a tremendous level of challenge & adversity. To start, the murderers row, 12-game, pre-conference schedule. 6’1” Pheesa & 5’11” Gabby matched up, night after night, against some of the very best BIGS in the nation, consistently outplaying them. Lose 2 different point guards to concussions. Lou got beaten up game after game, sick as a dog vs MD, but performs at an AA level….and Kia was just born tough.

If a 12th banner goes up at Gampel in April, as much as anything, it will be the result of the incredible strength of will and mental toughness this team possesses.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Just one nit to pick: KLS wasn't the best shooter on last year's team.

FG:
Gabby 63.6%
Stewie 57.9%
Mo 55.7%
Collier 53.3%
Tuck 51.6%
KLS 49.3%
Kia 44.3%

3FG:
Mo 43.1%
Stewie 42.6%
KLS 39.4%
Kia 37.0%
Tuck 32.2%
Chong 36.8%
Ekmark 36.1%

FT:
Collier 91.7%
Mo 89.4%
Chong 85.7%
KLS 83.7%
Stewie 83.6%
Tuck 78.8%
Kia 75.4%
Gabby 75.0%
Butler 60.5%

 

[rugbymate]

Not sure if they are tougher than last years team but they seem to be having more fun. Ah...the exuberance of youth.

 

[CocoHusky]

Q: This year's team tougher than last year's team?
A: NO..................!

 

[UcMiami]

Interesting question - does a team that struggles to win have greater mental toughness than one that never gets challenged?

No way to answer that. But I would say a group of players that goes 3 years and 6 games with only one loss is pretty darned tough!

 

[oldude]

Just one nit to pick: KLS wasn't the best shooter on last year's team.

FG:
Gabby 63.6%
Stewie 57.9%
Mo 55.7%
Collier 53.3%
Tuck 51.6%
KLS 49.3%
Kia 44.3%

3FG:
Mo 43.1%
Stewie 42.6%
KLS 39.4%
Kia 37.0%
Tuck 32.2%
Chong 36.8%
Ekmark 36.1%

FT:
Collier 91.7%
Mo 89.4%
Chong 85.7%
KLS 83.7%
Stewie 83.6%
Tuck 78.8%
Kia 75.4%
Gabby 75.0%
Butler 60.5%

I certainly agree relative to total shooting percentage for the season. I probably should have specified that Lou was the team's best 3-pt shooter down the stretch last year, IMO.

 

[Sonny44]

Q: This year's team tougher than last year's team?
A: NO...!

But they do have to rely on toughness more than lady year's team.

 

[CocoHusky]

I certainly agree relative to total shooting percentage for the year. I probably should have specified that Lou was the team's best 3-pt shooter down the stretch last year, IMO.

Still not correct, down the stretch Morgan Tuck was on Fiyah, from 3 point range including two tournament games (Texas & Oregon St.) where she was a combined 7 for 12. FYI she was also robbed of another 3 point made early in the Oregon State Game that was incorrectly rule a 2 pointer.
This video from the replay site is not very good but Morgan is well behind the line .

 

[BroadwayVa]

“This team lacks experience, size and depth. They are not as talented as last year’s team.” Maybe so, but I suggest there is a quality where this year’s team may actually exceed last year’s team - mental toughness.

Last year’s team was certainly tough, but they were also one of the most talented WCBB teams in history. IMO there was only 1 game all season that presented any suspense as to the outcome: MD at MSG until Saniya the Turtle Slayer ended the suspense. More often than not, last year’s team toyed with opponents like a killer whale playing with a seal, until it gets bored and devours the seal. The NCAA tournament was more coronation than competition. What team loses their best shooter in the 1st half of a national semifinal and coasts to a 19 pt victory, followed by a 31 pt victory in the championship.

Under the theory, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER, this year’s team has experienced a tremendous level of challenge & adversity. To start, the murderers row, 12-game, pre-conference schedule. 6’1” Pheesa & 5’11” Gabby matched up, night after night, against some of the very best BIGS in the nation, consistently outplaying them. Lose 2 different point guards to concussions. Lou got beaten up game after game, sick as a dog vs MD, but performs at an AA level….and Kia was just born tough.

If a 12th banner goes up at Gampel in April, as much as anything, it will be the result of the incredible strength of will and mental toughness this team possesses.

Talk about motivational speeches---this was so motivational towards this years crop of kids---i just jumped up and said RAy RAy ---you are sooooooo darn right.

The best phrase in your posting----AND KIA WAS JUST BORN TOUGH!!! You should run the UConn WBB P.R. department. 12th Banner---"will be the result of incredible strength of will and mental toughness------"

You could replace Teddy with the red/white/blue hat as the Boneyard Cheer Leader--this was excellent!!!!!!!

 

[oldude]

Still not correct, down the stretch Morgan Tuck was on Fiyah, from 3 point range including two tournament games (Texas & Oregon St.) where she was a combined 7 for 12. FYI she was also robbed of another 3 point made early in the Oregon State Game that was incorrectly rule a 2 pointer.
This video from the replay site is not very good but Morgan is well behind the line .

It's hard to argue with facts (some might say it's downright foolish), but I'm going to try anyway. Over the last 3rd of the season, once Lou gained her confidence and was inserted as a starter, IMO she was the most consistent 3-pt threat on a team of very good 3-pt shooters.

The case you make for Tuck is interesting because prior to heating up from beyond the arc later in the tournament she had missed a bunch of 3's, to the point where she got the Geno speech, "You got two choices: either start making them or stop shooting them." Obviously, Tuck selected option 1.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Interesting question - does a team that struggles to win have greater mental toughness than one that never gets challenged?

No way to answer that. But I would say a group of players that goes 3 years and 6 games with only one loss is pretty darned tough!

Since last years team was never challenged--there is no way to be certain--but if you step back to the Stanford game--NEARLY very nearly the same team--(at least half of the year) --was the Stanford loss --mental toughness loss??

It really doesn't matter---it's a mental exercise to try to analyze that which is dissimilar enough to not be the same.

Yet if I --just ME--had to evaluate this team---I'd say they are the poster girls for mental toughness!!.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

If a 12th banner goes up at Gampel in April, as much as anything, it will be the result of the incredible strength of will and mental toughness this team possesses.

Not according to Geno on his Show yesterday (taped of course). He said they are too nice and wants them to learn how to throttle an opponent for 40 minutes from the jump. There was also a short locker room segment when he accused them of backing down when challenged in a game (they had away jerseys on, but what game?).

 

[oldude]

Not according to Geno on his Show yesterday (taped of course). He said they are too nice and wants them to learn how to throttle an opponent for 40 minutes from the jump. There was also a short locker room segment when he accused them of backing down when challenged in a game (they had away jerseys on, but what game?).

Trying to get Geno to acknowledge how tough players are until after they graduate is like pulling a pit bull's teeth without sedating it. It's not impossible, but it sure ain't easy.

 

[HopJim]

But they do have to rely on toughness more than lady year's team.

Well said although hard to compare since two different styles. Last year was a classic basketball team-strong PG, Center, etc. This year's team is more like a 3 on 3 team where height rarely overcomes strong movement and overall basketball skills. Neither is good or bad. Just keep winning!

 

[UcMiami]

Found it interesting that Geno talked about 'mental toughness' not in terms of getting through December undefeated, but in terms of how they handle the conference schedule - will they tale care of business or will they allow themselves to pay down to the level of competition.

In that regard, I think last year they aced that part of the mental toughness exam!

 

[Schoup]

Last years team were lead by 3 seniors that had developed toughness physically and mentally the years before. People seem to forget those players in their early years. Moriah was erratic, out of control, and hesitant shooting. Tuck battled injuries and developing her post game. Geno road Stewie hard realizing her potential. Last year was the culmination of developed toughness, this year's team is finding it's toughness and developing the heart of a champion b/c they won last year but they were not carrying the load and expectations.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Just one nit to pick: KLS wasn't the best shooter on last year's team.

FG:
Gabby 63.6%
Stewie 57.9%
Mo 55.7%
Collier 53.3%
Tuck 51.6%
KLS 49.3%
Kia 44.3%

3FG:
Mo 43.1%
Stewie 42.6%
KLS 39.4%
Kia 37.0%
Tuck 32.2%
Chong 36.8%
Ekmark 36.1%

FT:
Collier 91.7%
Mo 89.4%
Chong 85.7%
KLS 83.7%
Stewie 83.6%
Tuck 78.8%
Kia 75.4%
Gabby 75.0%
Butler 60.5%

You DO KNOW that stats don't always tell the story, don't you? KLS was the most talented shooter on that team by far and it was only early season jitters and adapting to college that kept her numbers down. Her stats 1/3 of the way through the season were the topic of more than a few Boneyarder posts. By her standard, she was dreadful and for her to end up with the numbers that she did said a lot about the latter part of last season. Her shot is so much better than anyone on last year's roster and numbers don't begin to suggest how good she is.

 

[EricLA]

Great post and thread. I would say without a doubt that this team APPEARS to have more mental toughness. BUT... it's an impossible thing to quantify.

The reason I used the word "appears" is because they simply have been tested more often, and hard this entire season. They barely escaped FSU. Maryland was on the comeback trail and had the game gone 5 more minutes, we possibly could have lost. Both Baylor and ND tested us in different ways - Baylor because of their incredible size, and ND because of their discipline and similarity to our game this year. Also, ND beat the crap out of us in the 2nd quarter and Geno had to make some serious half time adjustments. Baylor was pretty much close the entire way.

Both LSU and Texas beat us in individual quarters, and Texas led for most of the 1st quarter and had a 2 point lead after 1. K-state we walloped in the 1st quarter and played exactly even the rest of the game. tOSU played us tough the entire game except the 3rd quarter where we scored 30.

My point is, this year has not been easy. We've been tested in almost every game, even if it was only for 1 or 2 quarters. Sure the final scores look nice, but getting there was tough. We have no margin for error, barely any depth, and any foul trouble could kill us. Dangerfield often plays like a freshman. Butler is still inconsistent. The rest of the bench is simply not ready to face good competition (for the most part - I don't think Geno has put any of them in to face any other team's starters at any important time of a game).

But because we have had to overcome much more adversity this season, I do feel this team has a mental toughness we've not NEEDED to see from past teams. However, this is not to say that past teams did not have the same toughness, it's just that it's so much more visible this season... Just my $.02..

 

[chrissaran]

You can't compare someone who shot 66% of her shots from three-point range with someone whose shots come much closer to the basket. Katie Lou will prove to be one of the elite shooters in UConn history, and her percentage should go up as she takes more 2s and less 3s. Go Huskies. Woof!

 

[Siestakeyfan]

“This team lacks experience, size and depth. They are not as talented as last year’s team.” Maybe so, but I suggest there is a quality where this year’s team may actually exceed last year’s team - mental toughness.

Last year’s team was certainly tough, but they were also one of the most talented WCBB teams in history. IMO there was only 1 game all season that presented any suspense as to the outcome: MD at MSG until Saniya the Turtle Slayer ended the suspense. More often than not, last year’s team toyed with opponents like a killer whale playing with a seal, until it gets bored and devours the seal. The NCAA tournament was more coronation than competition. What team loses their best shooter in the 1st half of a national semifinal and coasts to a 19 pt victory, followed by a 31 pt victory in the championship.

Under the theory, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER, this year’s team has experienced a tremendous level of challenge & adversity. To start, the murderers row, 12-game, pre-conference schedule. 6’1” Pheesa & 5’11” Gabby matched up, night after night, against some of the very best BIGS in the nation, consistently outplaying them. Lose 2 different point guards to concussions. Lou got beaten up game after game, sick as a dog vs MD, but performs at an AA level….and Kia was just born tough.

If a 12th banner goes up at Gampel in April, as much as anything, it will be the result of the incredible strength of will and mental toughness this team possesses.

Excellent post thx

 

[bags27]

What?!?!? A post in which the entire team's effort is praised, instead of individual players analyzed and criticized for not being: tall enough, strong enough, quick enough or smart enough?
Thank you, oldude!

 

[HGN]

Not tougher.......Not as talented or as deep. Thus this team has to work harder for what it gets , making it look like they are tougher. When they are simply having to work harder.

 

[msf22b]

Not tougher..Not as talented or as deep. Thus this team has to work harder for what it gets , making it look like they are tougher. When they are simply having to work harder.

You can work hard and lose too.

The toughness...and I disagree with Cocoa here
is their (seemingly) unwillingness to lose...confounds Geno too.
They put those 5 on the floor, very thin in reserve...no real hight, nor bulk
and they win against teams that are more balanced, have significant size advantage, much more depth
and according to previous forecasts, equal or greater talent.

One can disagree if the word 'tough' is exactly the appropriate way to describe this phenomenon.
But it's surely something, whether it can be incapsulated in a single word or not.

Undermanned, undersized, former role players, with no reserves: winning, winning, winning.
I actually like tough; pretty good description

Yeah, last year's bunch was tough and had worked their way up, had taken their lumps.
This year's bunch has way less advantages and they're not interested in lumps

Tougher; much tougher.

 

[oldude]

Not tougher..Not as talented or as deep. Thus this team has to work harder for what it gets , making it look like they are tougher. When they are simply having to work harder.

I would respectfully suggest that hard work is a excellent measure of mental toughness.

 

[tomcat]

But they do have to rely on toughness more than lady year's team.

I think Sonny's post describes the distinction between the two teams. We won't ever know how tough last year's team really was because most of the time, evn in some of the tight and important games, that team could simply out-talent people. Even if opponents got a key player into foul trouble, there were other, supremely talented players available to do their thing, which they invariably did.

This team is very different in that they have virtually no safety net. If a player gets into foul trouble (or two players, as we saw not too long ago), they have far fewer resources to rely on. I don't know if that makes them tougher, but they are certainly having to scramble more to stay in the win column.