5th Starter On Opening Night: Poll

[Tonyc]

You must believe it. You said it twice. Neither Morgan nor Kaleena can handle a basketball.

Even when coached for three years or so by that incomparable developer of talent, Geno Auriemma.

I guess we're doomed afterall.

No I believe Geno will start two ball handleing guards. IMO KML is a wing as is Tuck. Playing them at the guard position is playing out of position. Now with that said in pre season exhibition games Geno may try it and in games when its called for Geno may try it however by playing either at guard would be taking away from their strengths especially on a team with so many guards. Now our freshman are inexperienced at the college level so Geno may try it and yes Nurse has experience at a higher level then the other freshman however I do believe Chong will start until it is proven that Nurse of someone else should start. IMO before seeing them play. Ekmark is a shooter, Edwards is a great slasher and defender, Nurse can play either guard position and Williams is a ball handling guard who is coming back from injury. So Yes I believe Genos loyalty is Chong starts and if Nurse beats her out after a couple of games she starts but both Chong and Nurse will see the most time at the guard positions along with MoJeff.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This coming month is the time of the year for Geno & Co. to explore options. There is a dilemma - one that confronts coaches constantly. Start Saniya and have her not perform, which can shake a player's confidence or don't start her and shake her confidence! I believe her starts Saniya, but believe he will be rotating in guards quite a bit over the course of November and in league play. I think Morgan is a terrific player, but making her the 5th starter makes for less than an all purpose line up and leaves us playing a guard out of position if / when a post needs a blow on the bench.

 

[rugbymate]

There are 120 minutes available for the 3, 4 and 5 positions with 4 players competing for that time ( KS,TBS, MT and KML). That's 30 min per game per player which is probably more than Geno will have MT play early on.
For the 1 and 2 positions, we have 80 min of playing time for 6 available players, and at least 30 of that goes to Mo Jeff.
IMO, I don't see any way that it makes sense to have one of the above 4 play the 2 position unless certain match ups in a big game ( Stanford, ND, SC) dictate. Given player availability, its more likely that we can all enjoy watching some 3 guard offense.
The above argues for Chong or one of the freshmen to start at the 2 position.

 

[OneTrickPony]

I voted Tuck because "starting" is a somewhat honorary position...especially in the first game, and Morgan deserves the honor. I do think she makes more sense as a rotation player in the forecourt, and when that happens Saniya will start at the 2 until she loses the spot. On that score, with the guards we have coming in...no one can rest on their laurels at the two. I cannot imagine Saniya thinking that way after the way her season ended last year when Geno tightened the rotation.

A better question is who emerges at the 2 as the season progresses. Saniya and Kia would appear to have the momentum out of the gate, because of their experience and the fact that both can rotate to the point. Courtney I like as an understudy to Kaleena at the wing, and I see no reason for her not to follow Kaleena's development trajectory and keep the Hunger Games alive in the paint when they shadow her on the wing.

That leaves Gabby and Sadie. I can see either of them at the 2 eventually if they both stay healthy and get comfortable in the demands of the system. That's a tall order for freshman year, especially with Gabby rehabilitating. I must admit, I see Gabby suffocating a first team All-American in the tournament in two years at the Final Four...guess who?

 

[stamfordhusky]

Tuck.

In the 2013 NCAA championship game against Louisville. Tuck played 18minutes in the game and there were stretches of the game where the lineup was Hartley, KML, Dolson, Stewart, and Tuck.

True, although those three were in the Louisville game together only once, and that stretch lasted only about 90 seconds. I'm sure we will see the three together occasionally but starting them together would make the substitution patterns difficult unless Geno pulled either Tuck or Stokes very early for a breather so that by the time the other one needed a rest, the one who was subbed out early would be ready. With only three bigs on the team - and one of those three (i.e. Stewart) not someone you want guarding a physical post player - I think the subbing just becomes tougher if you start both Stokes and Tuck. I voted for Chong.

 

[Stewie Fan]

As much as I would like to see Tuck start I voted Chong. I believe Tuck will see a lot of playing time in relief of any of the front line players. I also believe Ekmark will see playing time in relief of KML. She seems to be the same type player KML is. Nurse will be the 1st off of the bench at the guard spot. Time will tell and it's fun to guess. Let the games begin.

 

[WildEagle]

CHONG; I hope that with the 2 ball hogs now gone she will regain her confidence and mature into the fantastic player that we all know she can be.
As for KML playing the #2, unless she has trimmed down I do not see her being able to keep up on D against much faster guards. She is a shoot-the-lights-out wing and that is where I think she will be.

 

[johnnyc]

All great arguments for each opinion. All along I have thought it would be Nurse. Tuck of course could start and would be a starter on any other team. I just think with the makeup of the team it would be better for her to come off the bench. Remember also that Morgan has three more years with the team, is coming off an injury and there is no reason to rush her for the sake of an honorary position. I don't see KML at the 2 spot. She has a perimeter game but also can mix it up inside. So imo it comes down to Nurse and Chong. I have no idea how Saniya (or anyone else) is playing in practice but I have changed my opinion to her getting the start based on the 'no freshman start' thing let alone that she has shown she can be a pretty damn good player.

as an aside.....as part of the rotation we will probably see KML at 3, Tuck at 4 and Stewart at the 5. That will be interesting. It's going to be a fun team to watch.

 

[Sonny44]

Tuck.

I wanted to watch some pre-injury Tuck games before I answered the question.

In the 2013 NCAA championship game against Louisville. Tuck played 18minutes in the game and there were stretches of the game where the lineup was Hartley, KML, Dolson, Stewart, and Tuck.

So with that said, I could see a lineup of MoJeff, KML, Tuck, Stewart, and Stokes.

Just a hunch.

Some will say it leaves no post player on the bench but you can always sub in some 6 foot guards and move people around. (Ekmark, Nurse, Williams).

I can't agree; Geno must start evaluating all these guards and Morgan needs to sub in for Kiah and/or Breanna.

 

[DishNSwish]

Are we forgetting this is the same gentleman who started Brittney Griner and Tina Charles side by side with no other true center on the roster for the senior national team?

Tuck most likely gets the start IMO.

 

[Kibitzer]

The time for Kia Nurse to be a starter has not yet come. First, to start ANY freshman now would be a slap in the face of sorts to Saniya. (Geno's only criticism of Chong was that she lost confidence in herself -- and she has agreed, publicly.) Second, since not even Diana or Maya started out of the gate as freshmen, none of the new group, no matter how talented, will start right away either. So now it's Geno's call for #5 starter, Morgan or Saniya. Let's wait and watch to see what he does.

 

[trisailin]

I would love to hear the arguments as to why "flexibility" trumps having your best group of 5 on the floor.

 

[VAMike23]

The time for Kia Nurse to be a starter has not yet come. First, to start ANY freshman now would be a slap in the face of sorts to Saniya. (Geno's only criticism of Chong was that she lost confidence in herself -- and she has agreed, publicly.) Second, since not even Diana or Maya started out of the gate as freshmen, none of the new group, no matter how talented, will start right away either. So now it's Geno's call for #5 starter, Morgan or Saniya. Let's wait and watch to see what he does.

This is why I voted for Saniya as the 5th starter in the poll, while still projecting that Nurse will eventually shoulder more of the minutes at the 2 and might well be the 5th starter later in the season. At this point I believe that Nurse is better equipped to provide what Geno needs this year, on this team, from that position, similar to what Faris did. We'll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out on the early road trip out to Cali.

 

[Vowelguy]

I would love to hear the arguments as to why "flexibility" trumps having your best group of 5 on the floor.

Ask Geno why he started Pam Webber over Nykesha Sales.
Or Amy Duran over Shea Ralph.
Or whoever over Maya Moore.
etc
etc
etc

 

[easttexastrash]

Tuck is too good not to start.

5 - Stokes
4 - Tuck
3 - Stewart
2 - KML
1 - Jefferson

That is a lot of height at positions 2 - 5. And a LOT of speed at the 1.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I think that Chong will start the first few games of the year but then Nurse will take over.

I totally agree that Chong will start initially but that it'll inevitably be Nurse getting the brunt of the starts thereafter. I think the only way that scenario doesn't play out is if one of the other freshman guards really starts showing Geno something above and beyond and Geno decides to utilize them, maybe even in a matchup situation.

 

[HoopsFan21]

It sounds like people assume Chong will start because of seniority, but does Geno really run the team that way? It is possible that Chong is a career bench player at UConn, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[stamfordhusky]

I would love to hear the arguments as to why "flexibility" trumps having your best group of 5 on the floor.

Easy. But to begin, your premise is a bit flawed because you can't have your best group of 5 on the floor for 40 minutes. It's not a question of one "trumping" the other, since they will play a dozen different combinations during the game. It comes down to a few things:

(1) Which minutes do you want your best 5 to play together? Is having them together in the first minute more important than other minutes?
(2) If starting your best five players means you also will have to play a weaker or unbalanced team for periods of time, is it worth it? For example, if starting both Tuck and Stokes means extended minutes in mid-game with Stewart at center and KML at PF, is that the best use of their talent?

 

[stamfordhusky]

It sounds like people assume Chong will start because of seniority, but does Geno really run the team that way? It is possible that Chong is a career bench player at UConn, and there's nothing wrong with that.

1. He has often used seniority as a factor in the past. As pointed out above, Diana and Maya did not start in the early part of their freshman seasons, although they would have started if talent was the sole criterion.
2. Yes, it is possible she will be a career bench player - although injuries etc probably make that unlikely. If she shows improvement this year, I think she will start a number of games.

 

[DavidinNaples]

I love these exercises, whether picking lineups or game analysis. But.....
1. Please keep in mind UConn is playing West Chester.
2. They were 19-9 last year and lost to teams from Clarion, Shippenburg, Bloomsburg, Edinboro and Gannon.
3. I believe they lost their leading scorer and have no one on the roster who is taller than 6 foot.

The starting lineup is interesting, but truthfully, doesn't matter. That said, I think Saniya starts.
Go Huskies..!!

 

[JoePgh]

View attachment 7304
I love these exercises, whether picking lineups or game analysis. But.....
1. Please keep in mind UConn is playing West Chester.

Well, that is why the poll question explicitly stated "Against UC-Davis". I was asking about the first game of the "real" season, not about exhibition games. I think Geno could start almost anybody in the exhibition games (maybe even all 4 freshmen) just to experiment and observe. But by the time of the UC-Davis game, he will be serious.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Well, that is why the poll question explicitly stated "Against UC-Davis". I was asking about the first game of the "real" season, not about exhibition games. I think Geno could start almost anybody in the exhibition games (maybe even all 4 freshmen) just to experiment and observe. But by the time of the UC-Davis game, he will be serious.

I stand corrected...sorry.

My only excuse is I'm just so happy UConn has a game Sunday.... this Sunday..! Only days away...!

 

[Samanthabrown3]

And then it depends on who practiced well. . .

 

[Sonny44]

Another thing no one's mentioned. May not want to push Tuck too hard initially.

 

[rocky rococo]

With 4 front line personnel for 3 positions, that's 30 minutes a piece, starter minutes for everyone, even if not technically a start.