6 Reasons Why Ash and KK will start

[Alydar]

Really?

You responded ot the poster that said Paige could do what she did this past year and show off her PG skills and also show off her wing skills (i.e a point-forward).

So, my point was why is doing more than just a pg so bad? Players like LeBron and Bird are regarded as the greatest of all-time.

And what Paige did this past year taking the team as far as they got was off-the-charts special.

There's the difference between you and I. There is nothing more important for Bueckers to do to ensure victory than play pg. There are a few others who can play pg but not close to what Bueckers can do there.

 

[hoophuskee]

There's the difference between you and I. There is nothing more important for Bueckers to do to ensure victory than play pg. There are a few others who can play pg but not close to what Bueckers can do there.

She does play pg. There are very few LeBron's and Bird's in the history in the sport. Paige is that point-forward in their type of style. There are very few that can do what Paige has shown to do.

IMO too many UCONN fans underrate how great Paige is because in part they take Geno so literal and because she hasn't won it all. There shouldn't be any underrating, She isn't a 1 year wonder.

And in regard to ensuring victory she has done that. She doesn't play for 1 year and the team can't get by the S16. Her pg play along with her wing play has been spectacular. Her big flaw is that she isn't perfect. Just like any other player that has this flaw.

And as you and I have pointed out to others, the comaprsion of her vs Maya is way unfair. Onre of Maya's teammates was the NPOY and is now the WNBA's 2nd all-time leading scorer. And the 2nd all-atime leading rebounder in WNBA History. Not to mention throw in 1 year of 1st team A/A Renee Montgomery.

Paige never had "that." If this superstar Point-Forward had "that" then rest assured titles would have followed too. We saw with injuires to Shea many years ago and on the men's side Ricky Moore. Paige's teams have been crushed by injury much worse.

 

[Rudy1927]

Strong will be starting.

 

[Skeets]

There's the difference between you and I. There is nothing more important for Bueckers to do to ensure victory than play pg. There are a few others who can play pg but not close to what Bueckers can do there.

True, but the same can be said of Paige and the shooting guard position.

 

[From France]

True, but the same can be said of Paige and the shooting guard position.
Or the 3 or even the 4

 

[oldhusky]

She is also a PG. LeBron James was/is a PG. and more Larry Bird was also a PG and more.

These are/were true pg's at times and more.

I just wish some of you would stop limiting her game as part of your view. She is so much of a better player than you give her credit for.

She does play pg. There are very few LeBron's and Bird's in the history in the sport. Paige is that point-forward in their type of style. There are very few that can do what Paige has shown to do.

IMO too many UCONN fans underrate how great Paige is because in part they take Geno so literal and because she hasn't won it all. There shouldn't be any underrating, She isn't a 1 year wonder.

And in regard to ensuring victory she has done that. She doesn't play for 1 year and the team can't get by the S16. Her pg play along with her wing play has been spectacular. Her big flaw is that she isn't perfect. Just like any other player that has this flaw.

And as you and I have pointed out to others, the comaprsion of her vs Maya is way unfair. Onre of Maya's teammates was the NPOY and is now the WNBA's 2nd all-time leading scorer. And the 2nd all-atime leading rebounder in WNBA History. Not to mention throw in 1 year of 1st team A/A Renee Montgomery.

Paige never had "that." If this superstar Point-Forward had "that" then rest assured titles would have followed too. We saw with injuires to Shea many years ago and on the men's side Ricky Moore. Paige's teams have been crushed by injury much worse.

Adding to these points, it is Paige's great versatility that allows most of the other players to play their best positions. It is quite possible that Paige may play as much at her third and fourth best positions as her first two. I think while the 1 and 2 are her best, she is almost as good as a 3, and while certainly not her best, she is still a star at the 4.

Last year when Nika was on the floor, it made far more sense to have Paige play elsewhere and Nika man the point. Not because Nika was the better point guard, but because Nika's effectiveness as a SG is much worse than at the point, and Paige is literally exceptional at the three perimeter positions and very very good even at the 4.

To a lesser degree that still applies this year. If you just compare our options at the 1 and the 3, there are far more concerns over the 3. We have two talented PG's other than Paige. At SF/3 there are some talented possibilities, but a few more question marks, largely health and inexperience.

Most presume both KK and Kaitlin will see significant time. I do too, but mostly at PG. If either of those is on the floor they should be the PG not Paige. While not as extreme an issue as with Nika it still applies. Kaitlin might be close to a swing guard 1/2, but KK is far more a pure PG. Remember KK had to play out of position pretty much the whole season with both Nika and Paige on the floor with her. You could make a pretty logical argument that her potential improvement over her freshmen season could be a lot if allowed to spend most of her time at the point.

While Kaitlin can be a pretty good 2 as well as 1, there is not much need for her to play there, not because she can't, but because of who else we have that could be great there, namely Azzi, Ash, Allie, and of course if needed Paige. So if KK and Kaitlin get minutes, the vast majority of those will be at the point, meaning Paige will be elsewhere, and with so many great players at the 2, that means Paige's primary position is more likely to be the 3.

Then if you look at the 4, I hope for and believe Sarah will start there. But even if you assume that, there is still an issue with the backup minutes there. At the start of the season even if you pencil Sarah in for 30 good minutes a game, Ayanna and Ice have not yet lived up to their HS rankings, one is coming off surgery, and the other will also be needed for backup minutes at the 5, presumably behind Jana. So the clear cut best option behind Sarah is probably Paige, at least until Aubrey returns.

Because of the mix with other players and greater needs at the 3 and the 4, Paige may play less at the point than many assume. She is the team's best 1,2,3 and even possibly 4. KK and Kaitlin are better at the 1 than the 2, Azzi and Ash are a little miscast at the 3 and better at the 2, Caroline is better at the 3 than the 2 or the 4, Q is more 3 than 4 etc. Because of Paige's greatness at so many positions we can get the most out of our other players.

Last year's team didn't have options. The only player playing their best position at year end was Nika. KK at the 2 instead of the 1, Ash at the 3 instead of the 2, Paige at the 4 instead of 1-3, and Aaliyah at the 5 instead of the 4 after Aubrey got injured. All teams wind up with players out of their best position part of the time, but last year it was the norm, this year it should be the exception IMO.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

She does play pg. There are very few LeBron's and Bird's in the history in the sport. Paige is that point-forward in their type of style. There are very few that can do what Paige has shown to do.

IMO too many UCONN fans underrate how great Paige is because in part they take Geno so literal and because she hasn't won it all. There shouldn't be any underrating, She isn't a 1 year wonder.

And in regard to ensuring victory she has done that. She doesn't play for 1 year and the team can't get by the S16. Her pg play along with her wing play has been spectacular. Her big flaw is that she isn't perfect. Just like any other player that has this flaw.

And as you and I have pointed out to others, the comaprsion of her vs Maya is way unfair. Onre of Maya's teammates was the NPOY and is now the WNBA's 2nd all-time leading scorer. And the 2nd all-atime leading rebounder in WNBA History. Not to mention throw in 1 year of 1st team A/A Renee Montgomery.

Paige never had "that." If this superstar Point-Forward had "that" then rest assured titles would have followed too. We saw with injuires to Shea many years ago and on the men's side Ricky Moore. Paige's teams have been crushed by injury much worse.

Paige is not a point forward. She is too small. She was a guard playing out of position in a forward spot because her team was decimated by injuries. Larry Bird is the size of a forward. As is Lebron James. Paige isn't comparable to those two in any way shape or from. She is just a guard.

 

[hoophuskee]

Paige is not a point forward. She is too small. She was a guard playing out of position in a forward spot because her team was decimated by injuries. Larry Bird is the size of a forward. As is Lebron James. Paige isn't comparable to those two in any way shape or from. She is just a guard.

You are not correct. There is no defined size for a Point forward or for any forward or any guards or centers for that matter. The size does not dictate position. On the flip-side it's like saying back in the day Magic Johnson wasn't a pg because he was too tall.

Nor does it matter why she was playing Point-Forward other than she did it at a supreme level.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

You are not correct. There is no defined size for a Point forward or for any forward or any guards or centers for that matter. The size does not dictate position. On the flip-side it's like saying back in the day Magic Johnson wasn't a pg because he was too tall.

Nor does it matter why she was playing Point-Forward other than she did it at a supreme level.

OK if you want to say size is not disqualifying for position, she also doesn't have forward skills. She doesn't have post moves or a back to the basket game. She is just guard playing out of position last year.. She wasn't our point forward last year either, she played off the ball. Nika was a ball dominant point guard, kk the back up PG and occassional Paige would play. Her being a post player was always a joke. We ran a 4 guard line up, not a three guard line up with a point forward.

 

[hoophuskee]

OK if you want to say size is not disqualifying for position, she also doesn't have forward skills. She doesn't have post moves or a back to the basket game. She is just guard playing out of position last year.. She wasn't our point forward last year either, she played off the ball. Nika was a ball dominant point guard, kk the back up PG and occassional Paige would play. Her being a post player was always a joke. We ran a 4 guard line up, not a three guard line up with a point forward.

So in one breath you make a prior post that Paige was playing the forward spot. But in another you say she wasn’t a forward? If someone is playing the forward sport which you even stated Paige was – then that’s a Forward to me, And she did it at 1st team All-American Level and yet you suggest she doesn’t have the Forward skills? In part what good are the Forward skills that she supposedly doesn’t have if Paige is generally kicking butt at that Forward spot that she is soo supposedly playing out of position? So much as she takes a team with no business getting to FF and is seconds away from The Finals?

This imo this is the type of example that you imply that massively underrates Paige. If you want to refer to no Forwards but just 4 Guards okay, but then if you aren’t giving Paige credit for some of her PG play in that 4-guard set then it highlights how some of you have so little respect for her game. Because if there are 4 guards, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the guards are doing different things? So Paige was that limited this year that she never played at all pg – she only played “off-the-ball?”

To say Paige doesn’t have back to the basket play or post moves as back-to-the basket is just wrong. Because if she has back to the basket moves/play but doesn't show it a lot then why would we disqualify her from being a Point-Forward???? Why should she have to show it a lot? LeBron James early in his career rarely low posted. A Point-Forward can be predominantly inside or out. We’ve heard the term before “Wing.” By its definition “Wing” includes a Forward and the term “Wing” also refers to someone primarily on the outside. Ergo using the terminology “point-Forward” is also a Forward that can also play as a Wing. Why can’t a Point-Forward play predominantly on the Wing? So why are you so focused on back-to-the-basket? And to add to this, we’ve heard the terminology “A Stretch 4.” That’s a Power Forward playing outside. They are still defined as a Power Forward despite that they rarely if ever produce low post moves. So why should we underrate Paige as not being more than just “an only off-the-ball guard” because she doesn’t score as often on the inside when Forwards such as Wings and Stretch 4’s don’t as well? This would imply one rule for Paige and another for everyone else.

And in regard to Paige only plying off the ball and Nika being the dominant pg is just completely false. First off saying Paige only plays off the ball is like saying that’s all Larry Bird was as well. Secondly, I’d ask anyone to watch SOCal vs UCONN the entire 4th qtr. – a close game – and then decide if Paige wasn’t also having pg responsibilities. Just as we term things like ‘There are team that have 2 pg’s” or “This team has Twin Towers;” why ism’t that the same with UCONN and Paige? Nika was not dominant as a pg if we want to look at close games giving the example of the entire 4th qtr I mentioned. They split about 50-50 bringing the ball up the floor. Then you had times Nika would bring it up give the ball to Paige then set herself 25 feet away while Paige ran from the start. And other times Paige would hunt for the ball even after a few passes then look to make a play while Nika would do that much, much, less. Allowing another player to run plays late in the shot clock or even to start the half court as often as Nika “allowed” is in no way a characteristic of a dominant pg. In addition when UCONN was pressed Paige and Nika shared the ball. Thus to say Paige was only “off the ball” just highlights how underrated she is actually thought of by some. .

And by the way, in the 4th quarter Paige did score on a back to the basket move. And incidentally she was fouled but they didn’t call it. All these are examples of why Paige can be so massively underrated to pigeon-hole her as only off-the-ball and minimize her other skills and imply no pg play imo is so wrong.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

So in one breath you make a prior post that Paige was playing the forward spot. But in another you say she wasn’t a forward? If someone is playing the forward sport which you even stated Paige was – then that’s a Forward to me, And she did it at 1st team All-American Level and yet you suggest she doesn’t have the Forward skills? In part what good are the Forward skills that she supposedly doesn’t have if Paige is generally kicking butt at that Forward spot that she is soo supposedly playing out of position? So much as she takes a team with no business getting to FF and is seconds away from The Finals?

This imo this is the type of example that you imply that massively underrates Paige. If you want to refer to no Forwards but just 4 Guards okay, but then if you aren’t giving Paige credit for some of her PG play in that 4-guard set then it highlights how some of you have so little respect for her game. Because if there are 4 guards, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the guards are doing different things? So Paige was that limited this year that she never played at all pg – she only played “off-the-ball?”

To say Paige doesn’t have back to the basket play or post moves as back-to-the basket is just wrong. Because if she has back to the basket moves/play but doesn't show it a lot then why would we disqualify her from being a Point-Forward???? Why should she have to show it a lot? LeBron James early in his career rarely low posted. A Point-Forward can be predominantly inside or out. We’ve heard the term before “Wing.” By its definition “Wing” includes a Forward and the term “Wing” also refers to someone primarily on the outside. Ergo using the terminology “point-Forward” is also a Forward that can also play as a Wing. Why can’t a Point-Forward play predominantly on the Wing? So why are you so focused on back-to-the-basket? And to add to this, we’ve heard the terminology “A Stretch 4.” That’s a Power Forward playing outside. They are still defined as a Power Forward despite that they rarely if ever produce low post moves. So why should we underrate Paige as not being more than just “an only off-the-ball guard” because she doesn’t score as often on the inside when Forwards such as Wings and Stretch 4’s don’t as well? This would imply one rule for Paige and another for everyone else.

And in regard to Paige only plying off the ball and Nika being the dominant pg is just completely false. First off saying Paige only plays off the ball is like saying that’s all Larry Bird was as well. Secondly, I’d ask anyone to watch SOCal vs UCONN the entire 4th qtr. – a close game – and then decide if Paige wasn’t also having pg responsibilities. Just as we term things like ‘There are team that have 2 pg’s” or “This team has Twin Towers;” why ism’t that the same with UCONN and Paige? Nika was not dominant as a pg if we want to look at close games giving the example of the entire 4th qtr I mentioned. They split about 50-50 bringing the ball up the floor. Then you had times Nika would bring it up give the ball to Paige then set herself 25 feet away while Paige ran from the start. And other times Paige would hunt for the ball even after a few passes then look to make a play while Nika would do that much, much, less. Allowing another player to run plays late in the shot clock or even to start the half court as often as Nika “allowed” is in no way a characteristic of a dominant pg. In addition when UCONN was pressed Paige and Nika shared the ball. Thus to say Paige was only “off the ball” just highlights how underrated she is actually thought of by some. .

And by the way, in the 4th quarter Paige did score on a back to the basket move. And incidentally she was fouled but they didn’t call it. All these are examples of why Paige can be so massively underrated to pigeon-hole her as only off-the-ball and minimize her other skills and imply no pg play imo is so wrong.

We played with one forward spot on the floor last year. Played by either Edwards or Brady. Paige was still a guard when she was on the floor, we just had three others. She wasn't slotted in doing what another forward or post player would be doing if they were on the floor. She was just a guard.

I said in my post Paige occassionaly played PG. But it was an actual PG, not a from the point forward position, like say a Stewie.

I hope we are healthy next year so you can be reminded what a two forward line-up looks like and that Paige is in fact a guard, not a forward or post player.

 

[hoophuskee]

We played with one forward spot on the floor last year. Played by either Edwards or Brady. Paige was still a guard when she was on the floor, we just had three others. She wasn't slotted in doing what another forward or post player would be doing if they were on the floor. She was just a guard.

I said in my post Paige occassionaly played PG. But it was an actual PG, not a from the point forward position, like say a Stewie.

I hope we are healthy next year so you can be reminded what a two forward line-up looks like and that Paige is in fact a guard, not a forward or post player.

Well this will be our last encounter. With your Edwards comment just further highlights imo your fixation with size and your stereotype positions that I feel are way too narrow. And your post about Nika as "dominant pg,", and your point of "Paige plays the forward spot" but can't be called a Forward. Or this post you made of Edwards;--- is it you are implying that despite her playing the Center spot but she can't be called a Center too? IMO your definition of positions is wrong. So I feel best we avoid going forward.

In regard to The OP (phillycoach) on this thread I would say he or she is 50-50; --> getting Shade right but Chen wrong but Chen and KK very close.

Also, I do believe the OP is wrong for his reasons such as assuming that all the frosh players will have a soph ;leap along with his reason why Jana starts. For example, I do believe if Ashlynn were to start (I agree with Philly I believe she will start but ofc a guess) it would have more to do with Azzi's health to some degree. Philly seems to reference soph jump. A little there but I feel its mostly Azzi's health.

And as far as Jana - Philly had mentioned on another thread highlighting international experience as if that trumps USA experience. IMO it just seems she is possibly "that good" despite not playing USA basketball. Thus I don't view international is better than USA if he implied that. Jana might be just a beast,

As long as the team is healthy, then imo Sarah and Jana are most important how great this can be. UCONN needs an inside game both offensively and defensively and both have potential enormous upside. becuase of Page and probbaly Azzi's threat from the outside.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Really?

You responded ot the poster that said Paige could do what she did this past year and show off her PG skills and also show off her wing skills (i.e a point-forward).

So, my point was why is doing more than just a pg so bad? Players like LeBron and Bird are regarded as the greatest of all-time.

And what Paige did this past year taking the team as far as they got was off-the-charts special.

It’s not bad thing in general but we would have been better last year if we had real post players and Paige could have played on the ball more. There is nothin wrong with not being a PG but I happen to think we are better with Paige as the PG and players around her that can play off the ball.

 

[Alydar]

True, but the same can be said of Paige and the shooting guard position.

Also true. But PG has a bigger impact the rest of the team than any of the other positions.

And there's nothing that prevents Bueckers from scoring from the pg position as far as I know.

 

[Ace565]

Only Geno knows who he will start at season opener, but using his words "put your best five players out there and keep them out there as long as you can". Imo the five is Paige, Ash, Kaitlyn, Jana, and KK, but I believe if Allie continues to do well in practice and transitions well she will start. You don't leave one of you best shooters on the bench and she is by far the better shooter over KK. She is better than KLS was and she always started. Overall though it really doesn't matter who starts but how they play as a team. It's just a glorified title that gets thrown around. In Geno we trust!

 

[CL82]

Larry Bird is the size of a forward. As is Lebron James. Paige isn't comparable to those two in any way shape or from.

Is she comparable to Steph Curry or Kyrie Irving? Just curious.

 

[Bone Dog]

I seem to be confused about the PG position and what exactly a point forward might be. Let me reflect on this a bit.

The PG is a high energy position, maybe more than any other on the floor. The PG doesn’t just bring the ball up the floor and then initiate the offense, though I often mention these two things as indicators of who the PG might be in a positionless scheme like Geno’s. But a traditional PG has other responsibilities, like ensuring floor balance, being the first back on defense in case of a long rebound or live ball turnover, breaking a press and also leading the press.

Does a point forward do all these things, too? Or can they occupy an unbalanced position on the floor, crash the offensive boards, and generally score and defend from the wing or low post? We may simply be thinking of a point forward as a big guard. Paige is a big guard. So was Evina. So was Kia. They each played like a traditional PG at times but occasionally like forwards too. I’m not sure either was ever a point forward. When Paige was a PG, like in her first two seasons, she did all the other things a PG does, especially on defense. Last season, when she played forward, she crashed the o-boards others had to get back on D in case of a long rebound or turnover.

Morgan at 6’2” was a traditional PG in high school but she also crashed the boards and played low post defense. She covered the traditional responsibilities of the PG and then some other things too. But as soon as she went down low on offense the rest of the team had to compensate. That’s the scheme her coach had designed.

Would Geno use Morgan as a point forward in such a scheme? She has the skills for it. I think he has the athletes who could compensate for the compromises it would create. On the Gabby-Katie Lou-Phee teams, Geno could run a half court set with Kia or Saniya at the point, but he had the athletes to run the floor in transition (and transition defense) and any of them could lead the break. That was the beauty of having Gabby play center.

I guess now I’m thinking Geno doesn’t like point forwards. But he likes having big guards, Swiss-army-knife types who can cover a lot positions and run the floor really well. At Stanford, Tara used Haley Jones as a point forward and they seemed less effective to me as a result, though she certainly had the athletes for it.

Geno has big guard types — Paige, Azzi, Morgan, Allie — who could function as a PG or a small forward, and he has a pair of obvious PGs in KK and Kaitlyn. Ash and Caroline and Aubrey and Sarah have guard skills but Geno might not want them to cover the PG position. They are good at making outlet passes in transition, but Geno doesn’t have them running the half court sets. Sarah is the exception. He may well use her in just this way. Jana has the guard skills to break a press just as Aaliyah and Breanna did. But you wouldn’t really want to use any of them as a PG or a point forward.

 

[Tonyc]

The team needs to play together and the chemistry must be there. If we start inexperienced players team chemistry may be a problem. As in many past seasons Geno has started players with experience and worked everybody else in until they flowed with the team chemistry and with confidence. The starters will be determined by how they perform in practice and the first couple of games of the season. Paige is a given I think we all agree. Azzi will get minutes based on her health. If healthy she starts. KK and Ash complete the experience and chemistry. Who will be the 5th starter. Ice has experience and Jana is the big we've been missing. Another point about Jana. If she can shoot consistently from the outside she may play a position much like Stewie did on offense and down low on defense which could translate into Ice playing down low. Geno has alot of options. He has upperclassman that need playtime and underclassman that need playtime to be developed. Its gonna be interesting to see who is ready for significant minutes based on chemistry heath and development. With that said Chen has experience and I feel she will be first off the bench followed by Sarah. Chen imo is a great get because of what she had done last season.

 

[HuskyNan]

It’s not bad thing in general but we would have been better last year if we had real post players and Paige could have played on the ball more. There is nothin wrong with not being a PG but I happen to think we are better with Paige as the PG and players around her that can play off the ball.

Geno played Maria Conlon at PG and Diana Taurasi as G/W/F and that turned out OK. Diana was Geno's first point forward

 

[Dogstar]

Paige is not a point forward. She is too small. She was a guard playing out of position in a forward spot because her team was decimated by injuries. Larry Bird is the size of a forward. As is Lebron James. Paige isn't comparable to those two in any way shape or from. She is just a guard.

True she's a guard, a guard tht can play at both guard positions and is very capable of playing the small forward position in fact she's a nightmare for small forwards to defend often forcing the double team. As far a her defense at the sf position she had 53 blocks, 5 rebounds and 86 steals. All in all if you throw in her 150 assist tht does kinda make her a Point Forward being tht Bird and Lebron both accomplished the same tasks for their teams. Height's not a big part of playing either forward spot, Charles Barkley admitted tht he's actually 6'5 on a good day but they always listed him as 6'6 or 6'7

 

[Cornell Lt]

Don't really care who starts a game, never have never will. I'll pay attention to the rotations after the season starts and see who Geno uses at the end of the competitive games, that will tell me what I need to know.

 

[CL82]

Don't really care who starts a game, never have never will. I'll pay attention to the rotations after the season starts and see who Geno uses at the end of the competitive games, that will tell me what I need to know.

Somewhat agree. The starting lineup does give you some insight into the team and their abilities, but 100% agree with you that who subs for whom, total minutes, and who's on the court at the end of the game are more important.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Geno played Maria Conlon at PG and Diana Taurasi as G/W/F and that turned out OK. Diana was Geno's first point forward

Diana is a shooting guard. She played as a shooting guard next to Sue for two years and then Maria for two years. And given Taurasi desire and willingness to score, she’s a better shooting guard than Paige.

But she was far closer to a point forward than Paige ever was but to me to be a point forward you have to be initiating the offense from the post and neither really ever did.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Don't really care who starts a game, never have never will. I'll pay attention to the rotations after the season starts and see who Geno uses at the end of the competitive games, that will tell me what I need to know.

As a coach I like to look at my team or another team (UConn) and make decisions on "what is my starting lineup on day one." I did that with soccer, basketball, and tennis. As a fan and poster I am "curious" about what Geno thinks and how all the players will fit into the coming season. Many posters/fans are curious too. The Boneyard is a fun thing for me and it helps me get away from the chaos/problems around us.
As a counselor I am interested in how people think and make their decisions. As we all know, some posters have quite different views and ideas. Some interpretations of what I wrote were amusing (by the way I started this thread.)
Azzi has come up lots of time from posters. I clearly stated she is coming off injury and has a few hoops to jump through before she starts. Remember, we are talking about starting in November/December. When fully healthy she will probably start. Chen has come up too and I stated that I think she will be an early starter (experience). I put in Jana as an early starter (and long term too) and ask Geno if International players are trained and developed differently than AAU - USA players. Look at the NBA, International Bigs can actually shoot fouls and have more total skills. Jana does too. I still believe that Sara will still be learning the total Defense package early and will come off the bench. I also believe she will start or play MUCHO minutes later in the season.
Ice is a question. I think she will come off the bench, but Geno will experiment with her and Jana together. Could be early or develop later--that's a question to be answered.
So, to reiterate, Paige, Ash and KK will start the season and I think Chen and Jana will be there too.

 

[Majic Hands]

Don't really care who starts a game, never have never will. I'll pay attention to the rotations after the season starts and see who Geno uses at the end of the competitive games, that will tell me what I need to know.

Agree. One of the most intriguing aspects of watching is the development, growth of individuals, team cohesion, and absolutely who is on the floor at the end of a close game.

However. It’s August. None of that’s going to happen for several months down the road.

In the meantime time it’s interesting seeing what people expect to see as well as what they hope to see.

Even when I throw my head back and laugh and wonder what the hell have they been looking at to come up with what they came up with.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

Is she comparable to Steph Curry or Kyrie Irving? Just curious.

I hate comparing mens players to women's players but I'd say yes. She's a much more traditional combo guard, I don't see much in the way of forward or post skills from her.

True she's a guard, a guard tht can play at both guard positions and is very capable of playing the small forward position in fact she's a nightmare for small forwards to defend often forcing the double team. As far a her defense at the sf position she had 53 blocks, 5 rebounds and 86 steals. All in all if you throw in her 150 assist tht does kinda make her a Point Forward being tht Bird and Lebron both accomplished the same tasks for their teams. Height's not a big part of playing either forward spot, Charles Barkley admitted tht he's actually 6'5 on a good day but they always listed him as 6'6 or 6'7

She's a nightmare for small forwards to defend because she is not a small forward or playing like one when she is on the floor. It seems people are just saying because she's on the floor with other PGs or smaller guards she is automatically playing a SF or PF position when that is not the case. By that logic, Nika and KK are also point forwards since they played PG at times but also had to be slotted into forward position at times.

I seem to be confused about the PG position and what exactly a point forward might be. Let me reflect on this a bit.

The PG is a high energy position, maybe more than any other on the floor. The PG doesn’t just bring the ball up the floor and then initiate the offense, though I often mention these two things as indicators of who the PG might be in a positionless scheme like Geno’s. But a traditional PG has other responsibilities, like ensuring floor balance, being the first back on defense in case of a long rebound or live ball turnover, breaking a press and also leading the press.

Does a point forward do all these things, too? Or can they occupy an unbalanced position on the floor, crash the offensive boards, and generally score and defend from the wing or low post? We may simply be thinking of a point forward as a big guard. Paige is a big guard. So was Evina. So was Kia. They each played like a traditional PG at times but occasionally like forwards too. I’m not sure either was ever a point forward. When Paige was a PG, like in her first two seasons, she did all the other things a PG does, especially on defense. Last season, when she played forward, she crashed the o-boards others had to get back on D in case of a long rebound or turnover.

Morgan at 6’2” was a traditional PG in high school but she also crashed the boards and played low post defense. She covered the traditional responsibilities of the PG and then some other things too. But as soon as she went down low on offense the rest of the team had to compensate. That’s the scheme her coach had designed.

Would Geno use Morgan as a point forward in such a scheme? She has the skills for it. I think he has the athletes who could compensate for the compromises it would create. On the Gabby-Katie Lou-Phee teams, Geno could run a half court set with Kia or Saniya at the point, but he had the athletes to run the floor in transition (and transition defense) and any of them could lead the break. That was the beauty of having Gabby play center.

I guess now I’m thinking Geno doesn’t like point forwards. But he likes having big guards, Swiss-army-knife types who can cover a lot positions and run the floor really well. At Stanford, Tara used Haley Jones as a point forward and they seemed less effective to me as a result, though she certainly had the athletes for it.

Geno has big guard types — Paige, Azzi, Morgan, Allie — who could function as a PG or a small forward, and he has a pair of obvious PGs in KK and Kaitlyn. Ash and Caroline and Aubrey and Sarah have guard skills but Geno might not want them to cover the PG position. They are good at making outlet passes in transition, but Geno doesn’t have them running the half court sets. Sarah is the exception. He may well use her in just this way. Jana has the guard skills to break a press just as Aaliyah and Breanna did. But you wouldn’t really want to use any of them as a PG or a point forward.

Exactly! Geno likes big guards. Doesn't make them point forwards.

 

[hoophuskee]

It’s not bad thing in general but we would have been better last year if we had real post players and Paige could have played on the ball more. There is nothin wrong with not being a PG but I happen to think we are better with Paige as the PG and players around her that can play off the ball.

Yes but I’d ask you to take a look at the game in the 4th qtr UCONN played vs SoCal. She was the pg for much of it. Did you really see a difference as to whether she brought the ball up or Nika did? Other than that hwo can you say was teh actuial pg?

And this year, assume at least until January without Aubrey, - which grouping has the lower floor, - the post players of Jana, Ice, Sarah and Ayanna or all the guards and Forwards UCONN has? I have no expectations for CD. If she is rely "ready" then that changes everything imo.

While I prefer trying to start the higher celling Freshmen, Ice and Ayanna don't exactly have a high floor either. Against the top teams, their floor could drop drastically.

Wouldn't it be better to have to have the best passers then to get the ball to Paige In other words why must Paige be the only passer on the team? Wouldn't it also be very good to have to get the ball to Paige in her best scoring positions whenever she initially gives up the ball?

 

[Dogstar]

I hate comparing mens players to women's players but I'd say yes. She's a much more traditional combo guard, I don't see much in the way of forward or post skills from her.

She's a nightmare for small forwards to defend because she is not a small forward or playing like one when she is on the floor. It seems people are just saying because she's on the floor with other PGs or smaller guards she is automatically playing a SF or PF position when that is not the case. By that logic, Nika and KK are also point forwards since they played PG at times but also had to be slotted into forward position at times.

Exactly! Geno likes big guards. Doesn't make them point forwards.

I say tht bcus opponents usually put height on her as she'll definitely dominate point and shooting guards. Nice try but Nika and KK are true point guards they have NEVER been slotted to play the forward position, now if caught in a screen or switch they may find themselves in the situation of checking a forward but if tht forward tries to take advantage of the mismatch Geno will quickly send a double team, usually from a big who makes it tough to pass out and hard ( with certified ball theives) to dribble out of. In closing like I said they were not slotted there they ended up there. Geno likes big guards but he likes his PGs 6'0 and under, quick, assist first shoot if you have too, defensive Dawgs. Sue 5'9..moriah 5'6..Renée 5'7..Crystal 5'5..Nika 6'0..KK 5'8 all pure guards

 

[hoophuskee]

Also true. But PG has a bigger impact the rest of the team than any of the other positions.

And there's nothing that prevents Bueckers from scoring from the pg position as far as I know.

Don’t agree with your pg assessment.. Our top 3 all-time player's that led their teams to 11 titles were not PG's though DT was a partial pg.

And looking at past rivals that have won between Summitt, Tara, Muffet and Kim, how many were led as their best player by pg.’s?

And there is nothing preventing Paige from both scoring and passing from the Forward position as you saw this year. If Azzi was the sg you really think UCONN was losing to Iowa? .

And in regard to this past year, take a look at the entire 4th quarter vs SOCal. SO you really saw a difference between when Nika brought the ball up the floor vs Paige? Adn there were times Nika brought the ball up and gave it to Paige immediately. SO in these cases who was the pg?

And after Paige makes the1st pass vs the elite team would you rather have a less efficient passer and shooter than Paige try to get the ball back to her or a less efficient shooter but a much better passer try to get the ball back to her?

If you want the ball in Paige's hands as much as possible how then does it make sense to not have better passers in the game so they can more easily get the ball to her? Do you really think for example someone like Chen can't score that she would cause such grief to Paige by being unable to deliver her the ball?

 

[GirlBoo1020]

I say tht bcus opponents usually put height on her as she'll definitely dominate point and shooting guards. Nice try but Nika and KK are true point guards they have NEVER been slotted to play the forward position, now if caught in a screen or switch they may find themselves in the situation of checking a forward but if tht forward tries to take advantage of the mismatch Geno will quickly send a double team, usually from a big who makes it tough to pass out and hard ( with certified ball theives) to dribble out of. In closing like I said they were not slotted there they ended up there. Geno likes big guards but he likes his PGs 6'0 and under, quick, assist first shoot if you have too, defensive Dawgs. Sue 5'9..moriah 5'6..Renée 5'7..Crystal 5'5..Nika 6'0..KK 5'8 all pure guards

The position you are playing shouldn't be defined by the position of the player guarding you. Or the position of the player you are guarding.
Similar to Nika and KK, Paige has also never been slotted to play the forward position on offense. Paige is also a pure guard who is under 6'0 and is assist first. That is the whole problem people are trying to break her from. She is too unselfish. Do people really think she is a post player that can play guard? Have we forgotten we ran a 4 GUARD line up last year because all our post players were taken out for the season?