2024-25 Starting Lineup | Page 4 | The Boneyard

2024-25 Starting Lineup

PJCLaw said:
Do you really think that's best when she had a better year this year than her freshman year? She had a better all-around game, better rebounding, steals, blocked shots AND her scoring was better off the ball. I think she goes to the 3 and Azzi (or others) the 2 or vice versa, but not the 1.
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Yea but she was way more aggressive offensively when she brought the ball up the court and insisted the offense. She was at HER best this season with the ball in her hands, imo.
 
Last spring at this time everyone was talking about the depth and how difficult it would be for Geno to find minutes for everyone. I am hopeful that the string of injuries has run its course and everyone will be healthy from here on out. My expectation is that Strong will be a starter along with Ayanna and Jana with Paige and Azzi. This gives you good size, great shooting and leadership needed to win games.

I think KK will be a big factor next season with Morgan and Alli if they are the height advertised. Ash needs to work on speeding up her shot and extend her range to be more effective on the 3s. They could be really deep and really talented and could put a press team on the floor if Geno felt compelled to do so.
 
SLY63 said:
There is no way KK doesn't start
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You don't think Azzi and Paige will be the guards? The spot that seems to be open is the 4 and I expect Ayanna to be there if healthy to ensure they can control the lane. KK will play a lot of minutes but I don't think it will be as a starter.
 
Rowdy831 said:
You don't think Azzi and Paige will be the guards? The spot that seems to be open is the 4 and I expect Ayanna to be there if healthy to ensure they can control the lane. KK will play a lot of minutes but I don't think it will be as a starter.
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Yes and yes. Paige becomes the starting 3 guard, KK the 1 guard, and then Shade/Azzi share the starting 2 guard duties as Azzi gets back from injury.
 
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DEpup said:
Yes and yes. Paige becomes the starting 3 guard, KK the 1 guard, and then Shade/Azzi share the starting 2 guard duties as Azzi gets back from injury.
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I admit to being biased because I really like having two PG's on the floor together, so I obviously agree with you having Paige and KK in the starting lineup.
 
My only contribution to this discussion is that next season can't come fast enough! Hopefully we remain injury free. Some of these lineups, if they pan out, will keep other coaches up at night.
 
With Nika's departure, I'm wondering who replaces what she has done these past couple years. It's crazy to think about how dominate she has been in terms of assists, literally writing her name atop virtually all individual game, season and career assist categories. Imagine if she had played as many career games as Moriah, those additional 24 games at her career average/game would have put her over 800 career assists! As impressive as her impact in that area has been I think that will be the easier of her contributions to cover next year. I think Paige will exceed any of her own prior years totals, I expect a return to 'a big' dishing a lot of assists from the high post and a broader spread of assists across the other guards.

The challenge will be who becomes the defense leader that Nika has been these past two years? The biggest criticism of Nika over her career has been her lack of scoring (which many would argue, including myself, was more than offset by her overall contributions). This upcoming season we will have (barring injuries) a wealth of scoring potential. But who will have the hunger, commitment and desire to bring not only the intensity but the leadership that has been Nika's calling card these past two seasons. KK was freshman-Nika-like in her ability to disrupt but can/will she develop the sustained face guarding ability or singular leadership abilities of Nika. Aubrey has always been a great off ball defender and disrupter but can she show the sustained intensity that Nika possessed? Paige really was an exceptional defender this past season but would asking her to sustain that over forty minutes every game be what we want her focus to be? Maybe one of the new guys will develop into what we need or compensation will be more a team wide effort.

Somebody will have to be that one voice that keeps everybody on the same page. Nika has been that person for the past two seasons. She has been on the floor for more minutes than anyone else with defense as her primary focus. She has said that defense is what she loves most. Great defense has always been a hallmark of UConn wcbb's identity. So in composing a starting lineup next season how does replacing Nika's defensive impact play into whose on the floor, not just at the opening tip but as a sustained leadership presence?
 
I guess this is more just general 24-25 roster discussion and I believe @Bone Dog has made this point but are freshman r so big. Lol. I didn't realize AZ was 6 ft. I watched some clips the other day and Cheli was legitimately playing point guard at 6'2. It's tough cuz I love kk but I love big guards. Talk about a position less team with Cheli, Paige, Strong, Caroline and Jana


 
Topdawg said:
I expect we will start the next season where we left off this year.
Paige, KK, Ash, Ice, and Q. Then the subbing will start based on how the practices have been going...
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Nice. First time I saw Q in one of these. Respect
 
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With Beers now in the portal if they could get her along with Paige and Azzi and Strong and either KK or Ash to coin a phrase from Tony,"they would be almost unbeatable"
 
I'm thinking that, early on, the starters will be:
5- Jana
4- Ice
3- Paige
2- Ash
1- KK
There are 2 ACL's, another knee, and a serious concussion that cannot and should not, be rushed into playing 40 minutes.

By tournament time, the recoveries from the injured list from last year will be complete, and the newbies will be more comfortable in the Geno system. It may very well be:
5-Jana
4-Ice
3-Sarah
2-Azzi
1-Paige

With the 2nd shift:
5- portal big
4- Ayanna
3- Aubrey
2- Ash
1- KK
 
OK a dream lineup might be Paige, Azzi, Sarah, Jana, and Raegan, and goodbye to smallball for awhile. while i think Sarah will likely play more at the 4, if other bigs come thru enough she could start at the 3, and Jana can play the 4.
 
Bone Dog said:
I wonder about this. You're not alone in projecting her as merely a shooter with insufficient mobility or athleticism to play a fuller role. Sort of like Taylor Mikesell in her last two seasons. This may be how it plays out, but I'm not convinced. She's very strong and clever. Even if she's lost a step and a bit of lateral mobility, she's smart enough to figure out how to alter her court presence to fit a slightly different set of skills.

In any event, I'll keep my hopes up that she regains all of her quickness and mobility... and above all, her nerve. You can't run with Paige without a lot of nerve and joie de vivre.
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Maybe she’ll become a female version of Cam
 
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I was watching the first half of the nc state game early this year. Wow, we really were going to be a teammm. I had only really remembered the loss, that it was Azzis last game, and that Paige kinda went off. I also remember Nika being quite fired up after the loss, saying we have no more excuses, as the time was finally healthy...geez, what was about to follow. Anyways we played 9 within the first 16 minutes and that's not including Ashlyn (there was an article last month about how Ashlyn was emotional after that game as her parents came to watch her), Q was super ready. Azzi missed a ton of open looks but they were super quality shots. Caroline started, she missed a couple open looks but she took the right shots, and made some decent plays. In some ways the start of the game kinda reminded me of the Iowa game in that we got off to a quick start but let them creep back in the game. But in the Iowa game it was turnovers. In this first half it's just missing open ones. Nika was pretty amazing to start the game.

In any event, it does make me hopeful that Geno will play a bunch of players if they are healthy. It also made me think he does like to have 4 out and 1 big. AE had a ton of space that game (and honestly throughout the season), to either catch and shoot or drive. I think Jana will be phenomenal in that role.
 
Paige and KK (PG for the next couple years), Azzi, Jana and Ice or Strong. Next years team will run hard, substitute often, and constantly change from speed to power.
 
Difference between a likely starting 5 and the starting 5 I think would be fun to watch:
  1. Beers Paige Ash KK Sarah
  2. Paige Morgan Sarah Jana Ash
I don't have a strong opinion about who'll start in November. But I have a strong desire to see Sarah Jana Allie Ash and Morgan on the floor together at some point. I can't help thinking this is the future.
 
oldhusky said:
I think we are placing too much emphasis on KK and Ashlynn earning their starting position. If you want to say they earned a starting position against Q, Ines and Amari, fine, but they didn't have to beat out Azzi or Caroline, or Ayanna or Jana to get a start. This year they probably do, and if anything you could make a case that Azzi and Caroline were incumbent starters that had earned their starts, and they just lost their spot due to injuries.
, and two newcomers that
I think KK and Ash played pretty well compared to expectations, but they were pretty much handed a starting position because we had few choices. Neither was overall statistically better than Azzi or Caroline in their freshmen year, and Azzi had a bad foot all year, and Caroline had concussion issues late that season. In addition while perhaps not probable, it wouldn't be shocking if Allie or Morgan wound up being better than some or all of the four.

My main point is we have 6 legitimate candidates for two positions, four of which have been good incumbent starters, and two newcomers with very good credentials. Secondly there will be enough practice time before the season starts (except for Azzi) for any of them to stand out from the pack. Sure KK and Ash might get first dibs if it is close, but it may not be. If two of that group are clearly better than the rest, they should start period.

I fully expect the level of play to "earn" a starting position will be significantly better than what KK and Ash produced last year, and it might come from them if they show a big improvement, but I think whoever starts with Paige on the perimeter, has a much higher bar to clear, than the standard set last year by our two freshmen starters who were pretty darn good. This year we might do considerably better.
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I’d put Ashlynn & KK above the Caroline we’ve seen since her initial collegiate injury. She is still wearing ear protection just to watch games.
 
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The starting lineup should not contain the wish list of who you want to be picked up in the transfer portal. We really don't need any more players, we have a great group of ladies ready to compete at the highest level next year.
 
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Happydad745 said:
The starting lineup should not contain the wish list of who you want to be picked up in the transfer portal. We really don't need any more players, we have a great group of ladies ready to compete at the highest level next year.
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Why on earth not? Threads like this one are essentially wish lists. That said, I share your sentiment that we don't need anyone from the portal. Or was that a wish?
 
It is so hard to predict given the injuries/recovery. I wonder if Geno follows Dawn's SC plan and has 8 or 9 rotate with the exception of Paige. Given our depth and the spread of talent. The only one who stands out at this time is Paige.
 
Starting 5 for the first game will probably be Paige/Azzi/KK/Ash/Raegan. Geno likes to play his vets but Aubrey was excellent in her role off the bench so I'd like to see her stick to that.

Depending on how the year goes, I could see Jana or Sarah making her way into the starting 5 alongside Beers.
 
Everyone keeps hyping Jana. Why do people think she's going to come in and dominate? The college game is difficult and physical for posts. I wouldn't be surprised if she has a season like Ice Brady's freshman season. I think UConn's starting lineup will be: Brady, Strong, Shade, Arnold, and Bueckers. I think Azzi will be slowly brought it, and its not for certain she'll be ready by the start of the season.
 
Reypl21 said:
Everyone keeps hyping Jana. Why do people think she's going to come in and dominate?
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I’m one of those everyones, so I can explain a little. First, I don’t think she’ll dominate in November. There will be a learning curve. But I think there’s a few mitigating factors that might help her out.
  1. She’s a little older
  2. She’s fierce
  3. She has a skill set that might take some pressure off: good handles, good perimeter shot
  4. She will be supported by a backcourt with a bunch of scoring options
  5. The perimeter shooting depth on the team will mean she won’t face a lot of double-teams.
All that said, I imagine the game won’t “slow down” for her until later in the season. I expect early on she’ll struggle with fouls, with defensive assignments and with confidence scoring.

Plus thinking about her skill set might suggest why she may find her way. She runs the floor very well and has good handles. Like Aaliyah, she can take a steal the length of the floor and score on the break. Add in her perimeter and midrange shot should make it hard to defend her one on one

What will slow her down is learning Geno’s defense. This is the challenge for all new players but especially for post players. In her favor, she’s been in practices for more than a year already. She’s not starting from scratch.

Unless Geno finds another big in the portal, I expect he’ll give her a lot of minutes starting in November. Getting her up to speed will be a priority. 20+mins/g seems likely to me.
 
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SLY63 said:
It is so hard to predict given the injuries/recovery. I wonder if Geno follows Dawn's SC plan and has 8 or 9 rotate with the exception of Paige. Given our depth and the spread of talent. The only one who stands out at this time is Paige.
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As you suggest, a lot comes down to injuries/health/recovery. I tend to believe Sarah will get heavy minutes too (relative to the others)- though not as much as Paige - but a lot especially in big games. OFC foul issues with her will be a potential concern through little fault of her own. The refs could play a factor in that there could be more than usual flopping when the other team defends her.
 
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