6 Reasons Why Ash and KK will start

[Dugway]

I absolutely agree that Paige, Ashlynn & KK will start at the beginning of the season. Every other guard is coming off of an injury or they are inexperienced freshmen.

I do hope to see some of those guards off the bench pushing for starter’s minutes. Of course the most intriguing possibility would be if Azzi pushes Ashlynn for her old starting spot at shooting guard.

Should that happen, UConn would be able to field a wealth of sharpshooters, that would force opponents to scramble all over the court, trying to defend a lineup that just can’t be defended.

Sir, this is an inaccurate statement. UConn has a fifth-year guard, she has not been injured, and she is certainly not inexperienced. In fact, she is one of only two Collegiate All Americans that are on the current UConn roster. I would not be one bit surprised if come November, we find that she is one of the starters in lieu of those sophomores; but we will just have to wait and see how it plays out.

 

[Dugway]

I never heard that. Can you provide a reference? That does not sound like Geno to me.

I believe it's simple. To replace Ash or KK in the starting lineup, the replacement merely has to out work them in practice. Is someone going to out work KK? Maybe, but I want to see the kid who can out work Ash.

I believe that whomever it is going to be is 100% going to have to work extremely hard; but when the rubber meets the road, it is not going to be about who outworks whoever else. There is absolutely no substitute for effort, but it does not guarantee you success! In the end it is going to be, 'who is better?' I believe that is the player who will get the minutes. This is big time collegiate basketball, it is not a personality contest, nor a test of physical strengths, but rather 'who plays better basketball'? JMHO

 

[DefenseBB]

Ash shot .481 and KK shot .459, not too shabby. Allie and Morgan have shot .000 so far. So, your prognostication is that Allie and Morgan will be co-BE Freshman of the year and be on the all-BE freshman team? No criticism, here I hope you are correct.

By comparison, Paige shot .530. Not exactly blowing Ash and KK away.

Ok, let’s use a bit of logic here, in the big 6 games in Feb and March (ND, SC, Syracuse, Duke, USC and Iowa) where deep and talented teams will clamp down on Paige and have some other talented players guard KK and Ash, as opposed to the less than stellar Big East opponent, Ash shot 23-61 or . 377 vs. her .481 and in 3 pt shooting which we desperately need she was 9-36 or .25 vs. her pedestrian season Ave of .356. That has to improve.
For KK she was 23-53 or .415 from the floor and 5-15 from 3 pt. Her season ave was .459 and .330 and again both have to really improve to warrant starting over the other options.

Shooting great against Seton Hall, Georgetown, Providence et al is nice but we are trying to contend for national titles. Both need to step up to warrant starting.

 

[Alydar]

Usually the nucleus of last year's team is a good beginning for the new season. Paige, Ash, and KK are the nucleus. #1 - Both KK and Ash are 10 point scorers (give or take.) Nice place to begin. #2 - They played 30 plus minutes every game or more on occasion--that equals Geno Trust. High on the list to play for UConn. #3 - They both played top level Team Defense--they made the final four. #4 - Starters should be intense, tough, High IQ and High Motor. KK and Ash --Yes, yes, yes, & definitely Yes on the high motor. #5 - We can eliminate alot of the competition for starting because 4 players are coming back from injury (Azzi, Aubrey, Caroline, Yanna.). Before starting these players must fully recover physically from the injury. Then they must work off the rust and mentally recover game reliability. Finally before starting they must regain Geno's trust. We all know that those 3 elements will take time. No early starters here. Q and the 2 frosh are not ready. That leaves Sarah and Ice. I see Caitlyn taking Nika's spot for now and Jana will start over Ice. I Don't believe that Sarah will get the total defense thing that early in the season. Geno loves the D enough to let her learn and come off the bench--maybe real early for offense. After 8 to 10 games starting could happen.
#6 - Final and very important reason why I see KK and Ash starting, is the Sophomore leap. All three frosh have not experienced the speed and strength of the college game. (I am giving Jana the benefit of the doubt since she played International for years against older players --more aggressive and stronger.) KK and Ash played so much last year that they know the speed and strength of the game (all the way to the final four--top teams.)
They both learned from hard core experience where they have to improve. First speed--KK went to special camps for quickness and movement and Ash worked with her Dad & outside trainers. The strength continues to build over last year and they both look bigger. Mentally they have true understanding of the stress and pressure of critical moments. Finally, they learned from personal experience and the super coaching staff of UConn, what 2 or 3 things needed to improve. For instance, KK worked on driving in quicker, smarter angles and getting off shots that cannot be blocked so easy. Both players know and are refining the instantaneous decision making of receiving ball and then---immediately dribbling , passing or shooting. Geno caught Ash hesitating and holding the ball too long before choosing one of the three options.
In short, KK and Ash are better than last year. If they are knocked out of starting then someone has to be playing at a VERY HIGH LEVEL.
**I am aware that starting and coming off the bench are each important. Aubrey is the classic--off the bench--game changer. I just see November and December games with them starting. As the season unfolds, the development of the team and the other players will determine who plays the most minutes and when they will be played. Just my humble view of the new season.

I could quibble over a couple of things but it's a great argument. It reminds me of the people who analyze the entries to the Kentucky Derby and write about why their pick will win. They make good cases but they fail to see that a good case could be made for maybe 15 of the 20 entries.
If others outplay them in the next 10 weeks then Shade and Arnold will not start. I agree that they have a head start but there is an awful lot of talent on that roster and as we have seen in the last few years freshmen across the country have started and starred.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Ok, let’s use a bit of logic here, in the big 6 games in Feb and March (ND, SC, Syracuse, Duke, USC and Iowa) where deep and talented teams will clamp down on Paige and have some other talented players guard KK and Ash, as opposed to the less than stellar Big East opponent, Ash shot 23-61 or . 377 vs. her .481 and in 3 pt shooting which we desperately need she was 9-36 or .25 vs. her pedestrian season Ave of .356. That has to improve.
For KK she was 23-53 or .415 from the floor and 5-15 from 3 pt. Her season ave was .459 and .330 and again both have to really improve to warrant starting over the other options.

Shooting great against Seton Hall, Georgetown, Providence et al is nice but we are trying to contend for national titles. Both need to step up to warrant starting.

No one else on the current roster shot better in those games except for maybe Paige.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

Ok, let’s use a bit of logic here, in the big 6 games in Feb and March (ND, SC, Syracuse, Duke, USC and Iowa) where deep and talented teams will clamp down on Paige and have some other talented players guard KK and Ash, as opposed to the less than stellar Big East opponent, Ash shot 23-61 or . 377 vs. her .481 and in 3 pt shooting which we desperately need she was 9-36 or .25 vs. her pedestrian season Ave of .356. That has to improve.
For KK she was 23-53 or .415 from the floor and 5-15 from 3 pt. Her season ave was .459 and .330 and again both have to really improve to warrant starting over the other options.

Shooting great against Seton Hall, Georgetown, Providence et al is nice but we are trying to contend for national titles. Both need to step up to warrant starting.

Thank you I totally agree. People are being blinded by emotion with KK and Ash imo. They were starters because of extraordinary circumstances and while they should get significant playing time in no way should they be the default starters because of last season.

 

[Alydar]

Ash shot .481 and KK shot .459, not too shabby. Allie and Morgan have shot .000 so far. So, your prognostication is that Allie and Morgan will be co-BE Freshman of the year and be on the all-BE freshman team? No criticism, here I hope you are correct.

By comparison, Paige shot .530. Not exactly blowing Ash and KK away.

Consider that Shade and Arnold took open shots while Bueckers was the shooter of last resort and took tougher shots while double and triple teamed. I give Shade high marks for her scoring though including the NCAA's. She actually had a higher 3pt% than Bueckers, who attempted more shots than Shade and Arnold combined.

It's hard to measure the worth of a pg but I think Shade may be the benchmark by which the other off-guards will be measured this preseason. She's driven and I expect her to be both stronger and smarter this season. That may or may not be enough but in either case we fans win.

 

[MSGRET]

Can't wait until November so this thread can be forgotten about. I really don't care who starts because Geno will start with who he thinks will get the team going at the jump.

 

[oldude]

Sir, this is an inaccurate statement. UConn has a fifth-year guard, she has not been injured, and she is certainly not inexperienced. In fact, she is one of only two Collegiate All Americans that are on the current UConn roster. I would not be one bit surprised if come November, we find that she is one of the starters in lieu of those sophomores; but we will just have to wait and see how it plays out.

I don’t disagree. Kaitlyn Chen will also be pushing for a starting spot. I have watched many of her games over the past 4 years, and she is absolutely clutch. But I have to say that KK has a greater upside, Ashlynn is a better shooter and Paige is Paige. So that’s my starting guards, although I would not be surprised if Kaitlyn joins them in the starting lineup. UConn went all the way to the FF last year playing 4 guards.

 

[Boreifs]

I wouldn't rule out Kaitlyn Chen starting. I believe she started and played major minutes for Princeton last year. If the PG stating spot comes down to KK vs. Chen, that's a close call.

She was an honorable mention all American.

 

[BBallF]

I don't see Paige starting at the 4 again so I don't see 4 guards as a steady diet or as a preconceived strategy. I don't see the risk of injury worth it to Paige and the downside of her playing out of position offensively and the loss of development to our bigs, Ice, Jana, and Sarah. I also have watched Chen and she is a very good player so I actually see her pushing for a starting position. She has a better all around offensive game and is a more 1-2 guard than KK although KK is faster obviously. I don't know if strength is the remedy for KK, I think it is judgment and discretion and the lack of a true pull up move. She got into a lot of trouble last year by forcing because she couldn't or wouldn't pull up the 10 footer. Also, Ash, no matter how improved, is not Azzi who is a great player but the question is whether Azzi is Azzi. You don't lose a lot of games with Paige, Ash, Chen, KK, Ice, Jana, Strong, and Q, in your early season rotation while others mend and get their rhythm back with the other 2 freshmen getting minutes here and there. Just imagine this team with healthy versions of CD, Azzi, Ayanna and Aubrey joining that group.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

But Geno already said he was going to send Ash to the bench for Azzi. I don’t get why his own words are being ignored.

Hmm, I didn't hear him say that. He skirted and danced around the issue of playing time, but he did NOT say he was going to send Ash to the bench for Azzi. If and when Azzi is Azzi (and that has been a rare occurrence in a UConn uniform) then I would expect her to be in the starting lineup. Whether that means Ash would go to the bench is an unknown factor at this point. I think we can all agree on only one starter for sure, and that would be Paige.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

Usually the nucleus of last year's team is a good beginning for the new season. Paige, Ash, and KK are the nucleus. #1 - Both KK and Ash are 10 point scorers (give or take.) Nice place to begin. #2 - They played 30 plus minutes every game or more on occasion--that equals Geno Trust. High on the list to play for UConn. #3 - They both played top level Team Defense--they made the final four. #4 - Starters should be intense, tough, High IQ and High Motor. KK and Ash --Yes, yes, yes, & definitely Yes on the high motor. #5 - We can eliminate alot of the competition for starting because 4 players are coming back from injury (Azzi, Aubrey, Caroline, Yanna.). Before starting these players must fully recover physically from the injury. Then they must work off the rust and mentally recover game reliability. Finally before starting they must regain Geno's trust. We all know that those 3 elements will take time. No early starters here. Q and the 2 frosh are not ready. That leaves Sarah and Ice. I see Caitlyn taking Nika's spot for now and Jana will start over Ice. I Don't believe that Sarah will get the total defense thing that early in the season. Geno loves the D enough to let her learn and come off the bench--maybe real early for offense. After 8 to 10 games starting could happen.
#6 - Final and very important reason why I see KK and Ash starting, is the Sophomore leap. All three frosh have not experienced the speed and strength of the college game. (I am giving Jana the benefit of the doubt since she played International for years against older players --more aggressive and stronger.) KK and Ash played so much last year that they know the speed and strength of the game (all the way to the final four--top teams.)
They both learned from hard core experience where they have to improve. First speed--KK went to special camps for quickness and movement and Ash worked with her Dad & outside trainers. The strength continues to build over last year and they both look bigger. Mentally they have true understanding of the stress and pressure of critical moments. Finally, they learned from personal experience and the super coaching staff of UConn, what 2 or 3 things needed to improve. For instance, KK worked on driving in quicker, smarter angles and getting off shots that cannot be blocked so easy. Both players know and are refining the instantaneous decision making of receiving ball and then---immediately dribbling , passing or shooting. Geno caught Ash hesitating and holding the ball too long before choosing one of the three options.
In short, KK and Ash are better than last year. If they are knocked out of starting then someone has to be playing at a VERY HIGH LEVEL.
**I am aware that starting and coming off the bench are each important. Aubrey is the classic--off the bench--game changer. I just see November and December games with them starting. As the season unfolds, the development of the team and the other players will determine who plays the most minutes and when they will be played. Just my humble view of the new season.

Actually there are five (5) players hopefully coming back from injury (Azzi, Aubrey, Caroline, Jana and Ayanna). You also can't say with absolute certainty that Ash and KK are better than last year! How would you know that? I hope you are correct, but you might not be. If everyone is healthy, competition for minutes will be fierce. That will be entirely different than it was last season. People got minutes, lots of them, because there was no one else. And because there was no one else the fear factor was greatly reduced. Regardless, they did a great job and once again we made the FF.

 

[Boreifs]

Is it even possible with such a deep squad that Geno will experiment with a Hubie Brown second unit? He has never done it before, but he also has never had such a deep squad. That would be one way that he could protect the three upper classmen coming off injuries by playing them limited minutes together. I don’t think he will do it, but it will be interesting to see how he handles the embarrassment of riches (assuming health of course).

 

[Cuango]

I agree with this. Kaitlyn seems like the most natural pairing with Paige in the backcourt because they can both play on and off the ball. I think the third guard spot is Azzi's to lose once healthy, maybe Ashlynn's if she's not healthy day 1 but it could also go to Sarah or Morgan if we want to go big, Carol if she's healthy. So we will see.

 

[freshler40]

My thought on who starts is tempered by the obvious needs from last year's tournament run. We were weak with height, depth and offensive rebounding. All these needs were more than met with this recruiting class and returning players from injury.
I'm less concerned with who starts but who develops and fits the team needs. We are rich beyond dollars. We match up with any team. This is a coach's dream team. The mix and match possibilities against the field will prevent opposing teams from X and O's us. Let the games begin.

 

[CL82]

But Geno already said he was going to send Ash to the bench for Azzi. I don’t get why his own words are being ignored.

Because that's not what he actually said?

What he said is with a deeper roster everyone's roles are going to change. Definitionally, more players available means that our kids won't have to play the same minutes that they did when our roster was depleted. That's a good thing, and as Geno noted allows us to pick up our piece of play, which in turn creates more possessions. His point that (a healthy) Azzi isn't going to be sitting on the bench and only playing five minutes a game, doesn't mean that Ashlynn will either.

In the past Connecticut teams with stacked rosters had star players playing less than 30 minutes a game. That does a lot for the team. Piece of play picks up, because you don't have to worry about tiring out your players. Defense can be. much more aggressive because you have more files to give. it also keep players fresher over the course of the season. That's what I expect to see this year.

So, yeah, no one's going to be playing 40 minutes a game, because we won't have to.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Because that's not what he actually said?

What he said is with a deeper roster everyone's roles are going to change. Definitionally, more players available means that our kids won't have to play the same minutes that they did when our roster was depleted. That's a good thing, and as Geno noted allows us to pick up our piece of play, which in turn creates more possessions. His point that (a healthy) Azzi isn't going to be sitting on the bench and only playing five minutes a game, doesn't mean that Ashlynn will either.

In the past Connecticut teams with stacked rosters had star players playing less than 30 minutes a game. That does a lot for the team. Piece of play picks up, because you don't have to worry about tiring out your players. Defense can be. much more aggressive because you have more files to give. it also keep players fresher over the course of the season. That's what I expect to see this year.

So, yeah, no one's going to be playing 40 minutes a game, because we won't have to.

The implication was pretty clear that Ashlyn can expect to play behind Azzi and not the other way around.

 

[CL82]

The implication was pretty clear that Ashlyn can expect to play behind Azzi and not the other way around.

Shrug. I understand that you inferred that I'm not sure that he implied it.

I think the better takeaway is that Geno Is hopeful that for the first time in two seasons, he will have close to a full squad of players which gives him a lot of options. The lack of depth these past few years is an aberration. I think what we will see this year is closer to Geno's idealized style of play. We shall see you soon enough.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Shrug. I understand that you inferred that I'm not sure that he implied it.

I think the better takeaway is that Geno Is hopeful that for the first time in two seasons, he will have close to a full squad of players which gives him a lot of options. The lack of depth these past few years is an aberration. I think what we will see this year is closer to Geno's idealized style of play. We shall see you soon enough.

Here is his quote where the implication is clear:
“Her (Ashlyn’s) role will be different this year. And somebody like ‘well why?’ I said well maybe it won’t be different, maybe Azzi will decide she wants to come off the bench and play 5 minutes”

To me that’s a pretty clear implication that Azzi is the expected starter and Ash will be coming off the bench and not having to play as much.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ash shot .481 and KK shot .459, not too shabby. Allie and Morgan have shot .000 so far. So, your prognostication is that Allie and Morgan will be co-BE Freshman of the year and be on the all-BE freshman team? No criticism, here I hope you are correct.

By comparison, Paige shot .530. Not exactly blowing Ash and KK away.

I'm with you on this one. But on Paige's behalf I'll add that she took almost all the Hail Mary end-of-period shots all season long. That tends to weigh on your percentages. Same thing happened the year before to Azzi.

As for the now recurring Azzi vs Ash debate, it has to be obvious that a fully healthy Azzi has to start. This discussion reminds me of that joke Geno told two years ago when everyone was hoping for Paige to return from that tibial-plateau injury in time for the tournament: "Of course, she'll have to earn her minutes in practice." It's the same deal with Azzi.

Paige and Azzi may not play 35 mins/game this season, but I expect they'll play >25 mins and probably average 50 pts/g between them. If one of them goes off for 30, the other will be right around 20. This is the key to the lineup I envision. And KK and Ash will have important roles in it, probably starting initially, then becoming key rotation player. But since this thread is about what the starting lineup will look like on Nov 3rd, and if Azzi is not quite cleared to play all out, I think it's reasonable to expect to see Paige KK Ash start alongside whoever else Geno thinks complements them best.

 

[CL82]

Here is his quote where the implication is clear:
“Her (Ashlyn’s) role will be different this year. And somebody like ‘well why?’ I said well maybe it won’t be different, maybe Azzi will decide she wants to come off the bench and play 5 minutes”

To me that’s a pretty clear implication that Azzi is the expected starter and Ash will be coming off the bench and not having to play as much.

Disagree. I think it's an indication that we will have more players available. In any basketball game that doesn't go into overtime there's only 200 available player minutes. When you only are going five, or perhaps six deep, every player plays virtually every minute of the game. With a full roster, that's different.

Don't see the point in wheel spinning much more on this. I understand what you based your statement on, I just think your interpretation not correct.

 

[Cuango]

While I agree that Paige’s power forward days are likely behind her, her experience (and success) playing there last year has clearly made her into an even better player than she was, prior to that experience! I can imagine a scenario in which we’re beating some team by 12 at halftime, the opposing coach has spent the entire halftime working out how to stop our transition game that was being run with Jana and/or Ice on the floor, and then looks out on the floor to see KK, Ash/Kaitlyn, Paige, Strong, & Aubrey smiling back at her!

The possibilities are endless! Once this roster is 100% healthy, Geno is going to be able to mix& match according to every opponent’s lineup, all without much, if any, reduction of talent on the floor! I personally believe Paige, Ash, & Jana are a lock for starting the first game! The final two, I think will be determined in practice.

Were I a betting man, I’d say Sarah is next and then it will come down to a battle between KK, Kaitlyn, and Allie. I know Allie is a bit of a long shot but Geno does love to have an elite shooter on the floor with Paige! If she can come in and show him something in practice, playing decent defense, knocking down some midrange shots, and maintaining her sterling three point shooting, I don’t think it’s out of the question at all that she mght have a chance at that last starting position.

To be sure, the most likely choice will be either KK or Kaitlyn but I do believe Allie’s tremendous firepower gives her a fighting chance. Of course, barring some incredible explosion of talent and efficiency on her part, that starting position (no matter who gets it) is likely temporary and will go away as soon as Azzi is fully ready!

I must say, Geno has a lot to consider with this team! There is elite talent everywhere you look. Assuming full health for the entire team (I’m leaving Caroline out as her situation is still very tenuous) he has one player that would not only start, but that would also be the best player on every team in the country! After that come 12 more that range from generational (Azzi & Sarah) to elite, to outstanding! There are no bench warmers, no mop up, garbage time players whose job is to be the cheerleaders for the rest of the team.They are all top players who could walk into any locker room in the nation and be (conservatively) among the top 50% (in terms of talent and potential) of that team! Sorry for the overlong post! I’m rationally exuberant!

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Disagree. I think it's an indication that we will have more players available. In any basketball game that doesn't go into overtime there's only 200 available player minutes. When you only are going five, or perhaps six deep, every player plays virtually every minute of the game. With a full roster, that's different.

Don't see the point in wheel spinning much more on this. I understand what you based your statement on, I just think your interpretation not correct.

If that were true he wouldn’t have added the “come off the bench” part imo. That was an intentional and conscious add Omg with other statement about Ashlyn not playing in the beginning of games.

 

[Alydar]

Because that's not what he actually said?

What he said is with a deeper roster everyone's roles are going to change. Definitionally, more players available means that our kids won't have to play the same minutes that they did when our roster was depleted. That's a good thing, and as Geno noted allows us to pick up our piece of play, which in turn creates more possessions. His point that (a healthy) Azzi isn't going to be sitting on the bench and only playing five minutes a game, doesn't mean that Ashlynn will either.

In the past Connecticut teams with stacked rosters had star players playing less than 30 minutes a game. That does a lot for the team. Piece of play picks up, because you don't have to worry about tiring out your players. Defense can be. much more aggressive because you have more files to give. it also keep players fresher over the course of the season. That's what I expect to see this year.

So, yeah, no one's going to be playing 40 minutes a game, because we won't have to.

And this is arguably the most stacked team UConn has had, at least talent/skill-wise.