Your "difference maker" for this year's team?

[winlots]

Based on the expectations you have for the individual members of the squad, if one player was to EXCEED your expectations substantially, which one has the biggest potential to propel us to a national championship.....and why?

I'll lead off and pick Stokes. Because of some of the issues regarding hustle, etc, noted last year, my expectations for her are somewhat modest, compared to my hopes for her. If she comes thru big time for us, I think she could put us over the top.

Why? She CAN motor.....she CAN block shots.....she CAN score....she CAN run...and she is athletic enuf to hustle and to get in prime condition if she commits to doing that. Despite her high school rep (in some quarters) for not wanting to mix it up and grab the tough rebounds, I'm sure she CAN over come that as well. And if she does these things, look out opponents.

 

[Kibitzer]

Kaleena.

 

[semper]

Stef

 

[Wonkster]

.
Kiah Stokes.

For Geno to be able to take the pressure off Dolson by bringing in a player like a newly confident Kiah - that could be the tipping point against anyone hanging their strategy on swarming Stef like they did last year.

If Kiah plays up to her incredible gifts this season, trying to score in the paint against UConn will be a torture for the opposition. Gampel will be renamed The Storrs Hall of Horrors by visiting teams.

 

[John Glass]

Jefferson = easy baskets

 

[sarals24]

Breanna Stewart! She is the difference maker from last year's team to this...scores, plays D, is an outside AND inside threat to take pressure off KML and Stef...oh man, I can't wait for October...

 

[doggydaddy]

It's too difficult to pick one player. So I'll pick "the depth of the team" as the difference maker.

 

[THC]

Heather Buck.. Her meteoric rise from doghouse to dominant post through her five years in Storrs will be the stuff of legend.

You mess with the Buck, you get the horns!

 

[VAMike23]

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.

I opined previously that if KML takes a big sophomore step forward and leads the team in scoring [again], we will go undefeated and win the NC.

I say this because sophs do not always take a big step forward and because on a team this talented it won't be easy to get a whole lot of minutes let alone repeat as the scoring leader, which she was last year by a smidgen. If you lose your confidence or start falling behind the curve, Geno need only take a quick glance down the bench and another elite player will be checking in momentarily. I think Bria is better this year and will log substantial minutes, Stef is leaner and better, and now you've got Stewie who will be scoring from both inside and outside once she warms up.....which won't take long. ..

I look for KML to raise her 3-pt shooting above 40% (last year she shot 38%) and to shoot more consistently in general. More than anyone else on the team (still), I see some of Maya's swag in her. That is, she not only wants to beat the opponent silly, she wants to be the best player on her team. I see Bria and others as wanting to beat the other team silly but I don't get a clear sense that they need to be seen as the best player. I do think Bria wants to be the clear leader; I know others disagree on this. Maya, to me, was the opposite: she was in some ways a reluctant leader, but boy, she made sure you knew who the best player on the court was. With all the talent on this team it won't be easy, but if KML has that mindset this season the team will not be stopped by Baylor or anyone else.

 

[msf22b]

Tuck, slightly lost in the Stewie hubbub, a complete player, say: Havlicek

 

[Dawson]

I'm gonna go with Bria but I really want to say Stef as well, so I will.

 

[connboy77]

This UCONN team is full of difference makers; name any player, Bria, Stef, KML, Breanna, Morgan, Kelly, Kiah, or anyone else and you could be right.

 

[Icebear]

Bingo, c-boy, it is a team, a collective of difference makers.

 

[alexrgct]

I'll say Stef. If she's able to play consistently like she has on her best days, everyone else is in trouble. If she can hit that 19 footer against Baylor with enough consistency to make Griner respect it and draw her out of the post on defense, that COMPLETELY changes UConn's options on offense and may be what we need to outscore Baylor.

 

[meyers7]

Breanna Stewart! She is the difference maker from last year's team to this...scores, plays D, is an outside AND inside threat to take pressure off KML and Stef...oh man, I can't wait for October...

My first thoughts too. Stewart to take pressure off Dolson and KML. 3 very tough scoring options (from different areas of the floor) to stop.

 

[Vowelguy]

Stewart. If she lives up to the super-hype, we have a serious shot at an NC. If not, probably not.

 

[OneTrickPony]

My first thoughts too. Stewart to take pressure off Dolson and KML. 3 very tough scoring options (from different areas of the floor) to stop.

Last year defenses made adjustments to keep KML from getting into a shooting rhythm. I don't think they have that luxury this year...or for the foreseeable future...

 

[diggerfoot]

The title "difference maker" could apply to many, I agree with doggydaddy, connboy and icebear in a sense. I EXPECT players like Stewart, Tuck and KML to all make a big difference from last year's team and I don't think I could choose between them.

But I EXPECT that; winlots went on to clarify regarding someone you don't expect. For me I'm not certain about Stokes, Banks and Jefferson. As an aside, what's truly unusual for me this year is I don't have question marks about Tuck and Stewart, I tend to naturally assume most freshmen need to adjust to Auriemma's system before they make an impact, I even assumed this about KML though I'm glad to say I was wrong. Given the presence of Dolson, Stewart and Tuck (and even Buck for certain situations), I feel like where we can better use a difference maker out of those three is from the guards. My answer then is Banks. If she eliminates the question marks I have she will exceed my expectations to become a big difference maker for the team.

 

[alexrgct]

One thing I will say, even though I didn't have her as my "difference maker" is that the encouraging news on Banks put me over the top in terms of optimism for this squad. She knew she didn't pay the price she needed to pay at this level last year, and she has publicly owned up to it. Now Geno has stated he's seen a difference, at least in terms of workouts and such.

Here's my point: I was worried about her after her freshman year, and now I'm not. She is incredibly athletic and fast, and if she can dig in and play the way Geno wants her to, there is simply no weak link on this team. It's 11-deep with really good players. All of them were high school AAs (or would have been in Caroline's case). Every position is stacked. The lineup that would be the least effective offensively (without putting three post players on the floor at the same time or something) is probably Caroline, Mo, Banks, Tuck, and Buck. And that's a pretty nasty lineup!

Everyone on this team wants to be here, everyone wants to play, and everyone has a role. That's bad news for everyone else. Baylor is going to be a tough out, and they're still my "gun to the head" pick to win the NC, but this UConn team is very much capable of getting it done.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelly. She becomes a solid offensive player and is the best defender her size in the nation. She gets steals and assists, runs the floor, and takes over games as Maya used to do.

 

[Ouremblem]

Breanna Stewart! She is the difference maker from last year's team to this...scores, plays D, is an outside AND inside threat to take pressure off KML and Stef...oh man, I can't wait for October...

Totally agree with you! She is going to cause such matchup problems while being a total team player. She rebounds well, can dribble the ball upcourt to help break the press and is a great passer. She can fire the ball down court on the break with velocity and hits the open shooter if doubled in the half court game.

 

[UConnCat]

Breanna gets my vote as the difference maker. I approach each season assuming the returning players will improve and will be able to do what they're really good at. That being said, adding a player with Stewart's skill, size and attitude is what can push this year's team over the top. She'll be a match-up nightmare for opponents, including Baylor, and it's amazing to think that she'll be coming off the bench.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Depth

 

[Phil]

Depth

Yeah, I support this, which I think DD said earlier.

I see many potential candidates, and I think even if there ends up being one clear candidate, the depth will contribute. By that, I mean that Stewart will make it tough to double Stef, so she could be the player. Tuck's presence will make it harder to key on Kaleena, so either could fill the role, partly because the other one is there. Maybe it will be Hartley, because the new and improved Banks, plus MoJe will make it tough to shut her down.

 

[EricLA]

Good thread, Winlots. As I read through the posts, I realized that almost every player on the team was mentioned except for Caroline. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say CD will be the difference maker. I think this year she will finally be as healthy and strong as she's ever going to be and as a 5th year senior, she knows this is her last hurrah. Her fiery, but steady leadership is what will take UCONN over the top this season.

A number of people have mentioned our depth as the difference maker. I don't disagree in general, but UCONN has won it all going only 7 players deep in a NC game, and with the starters all playing close to 35 minutes. In a BIG game, i'm not sure our depth will come into play as much as people might think, unless Geno needs to make adjustments during the game that work better.

I honestly don't recall, but when we had a team that legitimately was 9 or 10 deep, in a NC game, how much PT did the subs get?

Even in the NC in 2000, only Sveta, Kelly, Sue, Shea, Ashja, and Kennitra played over 20 minutes while Swin and Tamika played 18 and 14 respectively. i couldn't find the box score for 2002 to see what kind of minutes everyone got that game...