#44 Aubrey Griffin (6'1" Forward)

[cohenzone]

Sorry but when Nika came out it was Christyn that was inserted... So that was not the case... as I stated earlier, Anna came in to spell Olivia, who is a forward and defensive presence.. they were plenty of capable ball handlers on the court, Paige, Christyn, Evina.. we didn't really need 4 of them on the court, High point was not pressing our team or forcing any significant amount of turnovers.

This was High Point. They couldn’t score much inside if they’d put in Autumn. Anna needs floor time. So if Aubrey plays maybe High Point scores 10 less points. So? Against another, better, more athletic team, there might be bigger questions. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but that was more like a preseason game than anything else.

 

[pvdoggy]

Nika is a multi-dimensional player. Aubrey? One dimensional.
Aubrey has been given many opportunities. She is athletic. Nika is a basketball player. Fortunately we won't have this discussion next season. Aubrey will buried under all of the new multi-dimensional talent.

I like Nika but she is not that multi-dimensional. Let's see what Aubrey can develop in the off-season and what all the new multi-dimensional talent can bring to the college game before you bury her, heh?

 

[CocoHusky]

I have no problem with that being an issue "next Year", but this season, there is no longer a justification to punish Aubrey in hopes of Anna finding her confidence. The postseason is already here, if Anna hasn't found it by now, time to pack that in. and besides It is Muhl who has taken her job.

And where is it written that every player on the court has to be threat from midrange or 3 to be effective? Nonsense! The young lady brings more to the table than that. 18pts is 18 pts whether it's done by outside shooting or done by hustle play and put-backs.

This is not nonsense nor does it need to be written anywhere. It has been proven again and again in basketball. Any offense simply works better when all five players on the floor are an offensive threat and the defense has to guard all five players on the floor preferably from all positions on the floor . Notice I said in basketball and not just UCONN WBB. Aubrey is arguably the most athletic player on the rosters but her offensive basketball skills are declining. That decline is not just in the deep shooting. As a Freshman Aubrey did not understand the read and react offense well enough and you could see the hesitation and overthinking what to do next . Her understanding and movement in the offense increased greatly at the start of this season. Lately the hesitation is back for Aubrey as are these two notable things: 1)She has become god awful a setting screens and rarely gets a piece of defender. 2) Whether it is off a rebound or in the half court sets Aubrey is treating the ball like a hot potato and can't wait to get rid of it. The latter is the most concerning; for a player who was the go to offensive player in HS when was the last time Aubrey confidently took more than two dribbles or advanced the ball to half court? I agree with @SVCBeercats that all players should be held to the same standard. I believe the players are being held to the same standard in this case. The other thing to consider is that not all players learn the offense and are able to perform at the same rate. There are 4 players in the rotation ahead of Aubrey and what all four have in common is this is their first season in this offense. This is Aubrey's 2nd season-I'll be honest I though Aubrey would have firmly secured a starting spot by now against this roster.

 

[Littlemin]

Westbrook hit the nail on the head; you cannot think when you are on the court, it is a killer. Play and whatever happens happen. A player either trusts their talent or they don’t. Up to now, Griffin has not.

 

[Urshurak]

Aubrey is where she should be in the rotation, as has been stated by HuskyNan and others with the quotes from Coaches and starters.

I think (hope) she has a HUGE leap this off season and is one of the first off the bench next year.

 

[HuskyNan]

FWIW, Mir has the same problem as Aubrey and looks like a freshman Aubrey most of the time. Unfortunately for her, we now have a sophomore Aubrey, a more experienced one, so she doesn’t get much floor time. I’m a Mir fan and am rooting for both of them. The more options Geno has, the better.

 

[freshler40]

From the guy that decides who to play:

“There’s a lot that Aubrey can do that she’s not doing both offensively and defensively. And I’m asking her to do more and usually when you ask people to do more, they like that,” Auriemma said. “So I’m hoping that we can get her to do more. More of the good things that she does and less of the tentative things that she does.”

And from Evina:

“She knows what to do know. She knows what she’s capable of and I think she just fights herself more than anything,” Westbrook said. “Like ‘Okay, should I do it now? Let me just wait.’ And I can physically see her thinking in her mind, I’m like ‘Hey, just go, just do it. If you mess up, you mess up. Just do it whatever whatever you’re thinking in a moment. Just do it.’”

UConn WBB Weekly: Aubrey Griffin just scratching the surface of her potential

The uber-athletic sophomore is the Huskies’ biggest x-factor heading into the home stretch of the season.

www.theuconnblog.com

Thanks for providing coach and player incite. Perhaps AG over thinks as she has had to play several different positions against different types of opponents. This can be challenging for anybody. Most of the starter know their rolls well but AG is a floating player at times, positionless? As a soph with many new freshmen she is trying to fit in but perhaps should just play to her personal strengths. I hope she can sort it out but playing fewer minutes per game make that a reach. She if very important to the team and can overwhelm opponents at times.

 

[Bajan Best]

This is not nonsense nor does it need to be written anywhere. It has been proven again and again in basketball. Any offense simply works better when all five players on the floor are an offensive threat and the defense has to guard all five players on the floor preferably from all positions on the floor . Notice I said in basketball and not just UCONN WBB. Aubrey is arguably the most athletic player on the rosters but her offensive basketball skills are declining. That decline is not just in the deep shooting. As a Freshman Aubrey did not understand the read and react offense well enough and you could see the hesitation and overthinking what to do next . Her understanding and movement in the offense increased greatly at the start of this season. Lately the hesitation is back for Aubrey as are these two notable things: 1)She has become god awful a setting screens and rarely gets a piece of defender. 2) Whether it is off a rebound or in the half court sets Aubrey is treating the ball like a hot potato and can't wait to get rid of it. The latter is the most concerning; for a player who was the go to offensive player in HS when was the last time Aubrey confidently took more than two dribbles or advanced the ball to half court? I agree with @SVCBeercats that all players should be held to the same standard. I believe the players are being held to the same standard in this case. The other thing to consider is that not all players learn the offense and are able to perform at the same rate. There are 4 players in the rotation ahead of Aubrey and what all four have in common is this is their first season in this offense. This is Aubrey's 2nd season-I'll be honest I though Aubrey would have firmly secured a starting spot by now against this roster.

I think you have not read my response clearly, it was in response to Aubrey needing to develop an outside shot to be an effective contributor on offense for her team... That is simply not true.. Tell that to the Chicago Bulls Dennis Rodman and we can go on and on with examples of players who have made millions that can't shoot for crap. Look at the numbers and you will see that despite what you believe to be true that Aubrey has scored more consistently than several others who are supposedly ahead of her..

 

[Longtime fan]

What exactly does Aubrey have to do to get some love from you folks?

Imagine against Highpoint, a team that thrives on the 3 Ball, our defense allowed 34 Attempts, 34!!
Guess how many of those attempts were by a player guarded by Aubrey? Go ahead guess.
The only other player that was effective in preventing Highpoint from hoisting up 3's may have been Olivia.
Even everybody's Defensive Darling, (and rightfully so) Nika gave up at least one, before her unfortunate injury..

In 13 Mins of Playing time, besides being effective at slowing down the deep threat, Aubrey still managed to Score 9pts on 4 of 6 Shooting, which is 66% (3rd Best) behind Aaliyah 80%, Paige 69%, snatched 7 rebounds (Roughly 1 every 2 mins of playing time, the best rate of the entire team). 1 assist, (worthy of play of the game) and 0 Turnovers.
Yet I do not see one single topic thread acknowledging her contributions to the first-round win.

You guys are a tough crowd. SMH
One could only imagine if she was given 26 mins of playing time..

The coaches don't seem to give her much love, either. Although I am sure they love her.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think you have not read my response clearly, it was in response to Aubrey needing to develop an outside shot to be an effective contributor on offense for her team... That is simply not true.. Tell that to the Chicago Bulls Dennis Rodman and we can go on and on with examples of players who have made millions that can't shoot for crap. Look at the numbers and you will see that despite what you believe to be true that Aubrey has scored more consistently than several others who are supposedly ahead of her..

Although I "might" forgive you for confusing Paige with MJ this version of UCONN WBB does not have anyone who could possibly equate to Scottie Pippen. Dennis Rodman was able to specialize because on those Bulls teams because he was HoF specialist sharing the floor with at least two other HoF players who would have made the HoF solely based on the way they played defense. This makes your comparison kinda of luda.

 

[browns]

This is not nonsense nor does it need to be written anywhere. It has been proven again and again in basketball. Any offense simply works better when all five players on the floor are an offensive threat and the defense has to guard all five players on the floor preferably from all positions on the floor . Notice I said in basketball and not just UCONN WBB. Aubrey is arguably the most athletic player on the rosters but her offensive basketball skills are declining. That decline is not just in the deep shooting. As a Freshman Aubrey did not understand the read and react offense well enough and you could see the hesitation and overthinking what to do next . Her understanding and movement in the offense increased greatly at the start of this season. Lately the hesitation is back for Aubrey as are these two notable things: 1)She has become god awful a setting screens and rarely gets a piece of defender. 2) Whether it is off a rebound or in the half court sets Aubrey is treating the ball like a hot potato and can't wait to get rid of it. The latter is the most concerning; for a player who was the go to offensive player in HS when was the last time Aubrey confidently took more than two dribbles or advanced the ball to half court? I agree with @SVCBeercats that all players should be held to the same standard. I believe the players are being held to the same standard in this case. The other thing to consider is that not all players learn the offense and are able to perform at the same rate. There are 4 players in the rotation ahead of Aubrey and what all four have in common is this is their first season in this offense. This is Aubrey's 2nd season-I'll be honest I though Aubrey would have firmly secured a starting spot by now against this roster.

Could not have said it better..excellent!

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

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Ask the wizard himself. Geno will reply "who do I take out?"
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Petition Geno and CD. They can show it to Paige so she will not pout next time she is taken out.
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[Bajan Best]

In my View, there are other players on our team who are at this stage still "over thinking", Mama E included... So why pick on Aubrey? Christyn did, didn't impact her mins? Anna has her entire UConn career so far. ONO also has been guilty of this... Read and react requires thought, does it not?

Let me ask you all this, How many turnovers have AG committed in the last few games or throughout the post season so far? How many? hmmmm

Westbrook hit the nail on the head; you cannot think when you are on the court, it is a killer. Play and whatever happens happen. A player either trusts their talent or they don’t. Up to now, Griffin has not.

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

Although I "might" forgive you for confusing Paige with MJ this version of UCONN WBB does not have anyone who could possibly equate to Scottie Pippen. Dennis Rodman was able to specialize because on those Bulls teams because he was HoF specialist sharing the floor with at least two other HoF players who would have made the HoF solely based on the way they played defense. This makes your comparison kinda of luda.

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and on the Detroit Bad Boys as well
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[Performance]

Aubrey is one of my favorite players, she plays great defense and rebounds better than most!!!

 

[Bajan Best]

Although I "might" forgive you for confusing Paige with MJ this version of UCONN WBB does not have anyone who could possibly equate to Scottie Pippen. Dennis Rodman was able to specialize because on those Bulls teams because he was HoF specialist sharing the floor with at least two other HoF players who would have made the HoF solely based on the way they played defense. This makes your comparison kinda of luda.

LOL, so there are no projected Future Hall of Famer's on this current UConn team? Nice try
That might be considered a slap in the face to both AE and ONO, just saying

 

[CocoHusky]

Thanks for providing coach and player incite. Perhaps AG over thinks as she has had to play several different positions against different types of opponents. This can be challenging for anybody. Most of the starter know their rolls well but AG is a floating player at times, positionless? As a soph with many new freshmen she is trying to fit in but perhaps should just play to her personal strengths. I hope she can sort it out but playing fewer minutes per game make that a reach. She if very important to the team and can overwhelm opponents at times.

This is simply not accurate and a common misconception. Aubrey has been asked to play 2 positions in her entire time at UCONN. Playing 2 Positions is standard for all UCONN players. Aubrey has been asked to play the (3) SF and (4) PF. A big part of the misconception is because people are confusing the substitutions. For example Aubrey came into the last game for Liv. This did not mean that Aubrey went into the game to play the center position. Even in Garbage time Aubrey is never asked to play the center it is usually Mir or Piath sliding into the center position.

 

[jazz]

I can support your point with the change of one word. I would have said, "Other than that, she is a heck of an athlete." Her one on one game is superb. She is a ball hawk who uses her superior quickness and jumping ability to turn scrums into points. What did Geno say about her, "She will do 5 things that make you say why isn't she getting 40 minutes a game and then she will do 5 things that will make you shake your head." As long as she does those 5 shake your head things she will only be used in situations and, I assume, will be directed by the coach what her designated task is to be.

I greatly enjoy watching #44 play. I see your reasons for supporting the lady and they are valid, but her playing time will continue to be diminished by her incomplete basketball IQ.

GA speaks with a lot of hyperbole. Obviously and I know this and I'm sure you do as well, she is not doing something. But, what she does do is a heck of a lot of things in a very short period of time that will help win games. This is why so many people ask this question on this site and in the media. I can't say that she has an incomplete BB IQ.

 

[Littlemin]

In my View, there are other players on our team who are at this stage still "over thinking", Mama E included... So why pick on Aubrey? Christyn did, didn't impact her mins? Anna has her entire UConn career so far. ONO also has been guilty of this... Read and react requires thought, does it not?

Let me ask you all this, How many turnovers have AG committed in the last few games or throughout the post season so far? How many? hmmmm

You can quote stats all you want, they mean very little to me. I am not here to denigrate any player, especially one who plays as hard as Griffin but the eye test says it all. If you don’t see that, we just disagree.
And I have posted this before, I knew her Dad fairly well when he played at SHU and he is class personified so I root for his daughter like crazy but her abilities and potential have just not manifested themselves on the court yet. Hopefully they will but the quotes from Auriemma provided here trump any and all of the stats you cite.

 

[CocoHusky]

LOL, so there are no projected Future Hall of Famer's on this current UConn team? Nice try
That might be considered a slap in the face to both AE and ONO, just saying

You got AE and ONO making THE Hall?

 

[jazz]

Although I "might" forgive you for confusing Paige with MJ this version of UCONN WBB does not have anyone who could possibly equate to Scottie Pippen. Dennis Rodman was able to specialize because on those Bulls teams because he was HoF specialist sharing the floor with at least two other HoF players who would have made the HoF solely based on the way they played defense. This makes your comparison kinda of luda.

He did it with Detroit and SA as well. There are numerous examples of this. I would take AG shooting skills over Rodman any day.

I think the point he is making is that it is possible and has been done before and is being done now with other teams. If she played 25 plus minutes consistently, I think she would be close to a double double day in day out and we would still be #1 ranked team but just do it a little differently. I think her shooting and confidence would increase as well and we would be that much better.

Yes I know GA is a HOF and doesn't agree with me.

 

[jazz]

This is simply not accurate and a common misconception. Aubrey has been asked to play 2 positions in her entire time at UCONN. Playing 2 Positions is standard for all UCONN players. Aubrey has been asked to play the (3) SF and (4) PF. A big part of the misconception is because people are confusing the substitutions. For example Aubrey came into the last game for Liv. This did not mean that Aubrey went into the game to play the center position. Even in Garbage time Aubrey is never asked to play the center it is usually Mir or Piath sliding into the center position.

They often don't play with a center.

 

[CocoHusky]

He did it with Detroit and SA as well. There are numerous examples of this. I would take AG shooting skills over Rodman any day.

I think the point he is making is that it is possible and has been done before and is being done now with other teams. If she played 25 plus minutes consistently, I think she would be close to a double double day in day out and we would still be #1 ranked team but just do it a little differently. I think her shooting and confidence would increase as well and we would be that much better.

Yes I know GA is a HOF and doesn't agree with me.

I understand and agree that it can be done. Do you understand my (this) point: Dennis Rodman is an EXTREME example to use to prove that it can be done. I hate to seem like I'm knocking the player just to shoot down this extreme but Aubrey's impact is not even close to Dennis Impact and this UCONN roster aren't the 96 Bulls. Let's deflate this hyperbole a just a little bit. Since there a "numerous examples" can you cite an example in WCBB?

 

[diggerfoot]

? This is puzzling:

I think you have not read my response clearly, it was in response to Aubrey needing to develop an outside shot to be an effective contributor on offense for her team... That is simply not true..onsistently than several others who are supposedly ahead of her..

Here is the post you were reacting to:

That decline is not just in the deep shooting. As a Freshman Aubrey did not understand the read and react offense well enough and you could see the hesitation and overthinking what to do next . Her understanding and movement in the offense increased greatly at the start of this season. Lately the hesitation is back for Aubrey as are these two notable things: 1)She has become god awful a setting screens and rarely gets a piece of defender. 2) Whether it is off a rebound or in the half court sets Aubrey is treating the ball like a hot potato and can't wait to get rid of it.

To clarify/reiterate, an outside shot is not the issue in the narrative, it is hesitation as revealed in 1. Griffin’s lack of screening and 2. Not wanting the ball. The counters then is ti 1. Claim that others are just as slow at learning when and how to screen; 2. Claim that others also do not want to handle the ball (Makurat shows an even greater reluctance to shoot, but not to handle the ball and facilitate offense); or 3. Bring up a separate read and react metric that others are having a bigger problem with than Griffin.

I don’t think anyone disputes your assertion that giving Griffin more playing time will develop her faster. The issue is comparing her rate of learning to read and react with others and whether that should warrant more or less playing time within the UConn system.

 

[King Kong]

Well, when Nika went down, I’m pretty sure Anna was put in as a ball handler. If Nika isn’t ready today, the choice would be start Aaliyah or start Anna. Aubrey is an unlikely first or second choice. Obviously she’s a disrupter and occasional scorer. But Aaliya is already way ahead of her as far as playing in the post area. Anna is way ahead of her as a ball handler. Aubrey is a net plus and would start for plenty of teams. UConn has the luxury of using her as needed.

As far as the High Point game goes, that team would’ve shot from half court if need be. The game wasn’t close ever and two or three of their 3s were banked, in otherwise known as an air ball that hit the backboard. So if Aubrey played more maybe they don’t get more than 45 points. Aubrey has played two full seasons and hasn’t shown a lot more reliable offense. I know, neither has Anna, but at the moment, both have pretty specific skills and Anna fills the bill for a missing Nika. Could be different against a more athletic team.

Interesting phraseology, "two or three of their 3s were banked, in otherwise known as an air ball that hit the backboard". I will now have to think of a bank shot "as an air ball that hit the backboard". Purposely or accidentally?

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

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Kiah Stokes might have been the best rebounder per minute and the best shot blocker per minute in UConn WBB history. Geno loves defense, but dislikes inconsistent flow on offense.
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Aubrey Griffin obviously plays a different position with different teammates. Geno might be using similar decision making process as he did with Stokes. Just a thought.
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Player	Season	Eligibility	Minutes	Rebounds	Blocks	Points
Stewie	2014-5	Junior	1104	303	104	686
Stokes	2014-5	Senior	715	265	147	177

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2015-6 UConn Media Guide contains Final Statistics for 2014-5 on Page 37 (38).
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w baskbl media guide 16 (PDF) - University of Connecticut Athletics
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[jazz]

I understand and agree that it can be done. Do you understand my (this) point: Dennis Rodman is an EXTREME example to use to prove that it can be done. I hate to seem like I'm knocking the player just to shoot down this extreme but Aubrey's impact is not even close to Dennis Impact and this UCONN roster aren't the 96 Bulls. Let's deflate this hyperbole a just a little bit. Since there a "numerous examples" can you cite an example in WCBB?

ok but now you are saying it is not just HOF players but an extreme example in Rodman. I'd agree with that. I disagree that AG does not impact the game even closely to Rodman. That just isn't true. If it was, AG would never play.

You want examples? Are you saying that every single team has 5 players that are proven shooters from distance because this is what everybody is saying the reason in large part why AG doesn't play. Examples abound this year and every year.

Let's take Thomas from ARk, Egbo and oliver from Baylor and SAxton from SC. None are proven shooters from deep and in fact, I think if AG had more time to develop confidence in her shot (since apparently she makes them all the time in practice - what I heard GA or maybe it was CD say some time ago), then I think she would hit them with more regularity. Even NM missed her first 10 or so. A bit similar to AM last year who couldn't throw it in the ocean for half the year and finally she got her grove.

No, I am not saying that AG could possibly shoot 45% from three like AM did last year down the stretch, but I think she could reach say EW or CW levels in the low 30s.

 

[jazz]

? This is puzzling:


Here is the post you were reacting to:



To clarify/reiterate, an outside shot is not the issue in the narrative, it is hesitation as revealed in 1. Griffin’s lack of screening and 2. Not wanting the ball. The counters then is ti 1. Claim that others are just as slow at learning when and how to screen; 2. Claim that others also do not want to handle the ball (Makurat shows an even greater reluctance to shoot, but not to handle the ball and facilitate offense); or 3. Bring up a separate read and react metric that others are having a bigger problem with than Griffin.

I don’t think anyone disputes your assertion that giving Griffin more playing time will develop her faster. The issue is comparing her rate of learning to read and react with others and whether that should warrant more or less playing time within the UConn system.

Never seen or heard of a lack of screening from AG....See her do it all the time. AG has a good handle and has shown it on several occasions in the half court and in the open court going coast to coast on steals.

 

[cohenzone]

Interesting phraseology, "two or three of their 3s were banked, in otherwise known as an air ball that hit the backboard". I will now have to think of a bank shot "as an air ball that hit the backboard". Purposely or accidentally?

No. Lots of shooters use the bank shot on purpose from say 10-12 feet on in. I don’t know of a single player who tries to bank in a 3. It’s a bad miss and the backboard happens to get in the way.

 

[freshler40]

This is simply not accurate and a common misconception. Aubrey has been asked to play 2 positions in her entire time at UCONN. Playing 2 Positions is standard for all UCONN players. Aubrey has been asked to play the (3) SF and (4) PF. A big part of the misconception is because people are confusing the substitutions. For example Aubrey came into the last game for Liv. This did not mean that Aubrey went into the game to play the center position. Even in Garbage time Aubrey is never asked to play the center it is usually Mir or Piath sliding into the center position.

Well for the limited minutes we see Aubrey and the fast action, this common misconcepton becomes real. Some teams play positionless for several players, just let them play. She might have fallen into this trap with coach comments during time outs that tell her to steal the ball, create mayhem. What's a girl to do? The luxury we have with this and hopefully in coming years has created a wonderful dilemma. I do love the thought of having all players able to play two positions at least. Interchangeable parts are the wave of the future for this team! I also love that Liv has adopted well to being a passing Center / forward as needed. She has grown immensely. It does work to be flexible in all things called life! Thanks.