A couple of post-game thoughts

[tomcat]

Yeah, UCOnn's freshmien are pretty good. We'll see how good later in the season, but they both look like they belong and, as someone in chat said, no yips. WIlliams is the real deal, ONO needs muscle and has this annoying tendency to hesitate before shooting, but she's not afraid to rebound. Walker looked better as the game progressed. Katie Lou, Crystal and Napheesa were just as we would expect. Camara did a decent job in limited minutes. I was not blown away by anyone else.

 

[uconn34]

Coombs looked solid , ball handling, generally in control, willing to look to the basket. She will play.

 

[eebmg]

As I said in Chat, I think we will only go 7 in real games. ONO and Irwin. Coombs is quick but she still forces too much and does not shoot at all from the outside. I think ONO will develop a 15 footer so all those hesitation shots will actually be a threat towards end of year.

On the bright side, plenty of room for blue star recruits.

 

[bbballfan23]

Thoughts? We have 2 of the very best in the entire country & if Crystal is going to distribute and run the team like she did today we might have the best PG as well (very Moriah like).

 

[MilfordHusky]

Mikayla had a couple of buckets on moves to the hoop.

Olivia is a little raw, but very long.

The bench is handicapped by not being able to run the break.

I think it’s pretty clear that Meg and Squeaks deserve to start.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I didn't manage to see the game. Who started?

 

[Rixxx]

Lou, Napheesa,Crystal Dangerfield, Megan, Chrystn.

 

[Bama fan]

I didn't manage to see the game. Who started?

Lou, Phee, Meg, Danger, and Squeaks

 

[Husky fanatic]

ONO has a lot of work to do in the weight room. Got pushed around and lost her foot position quite a few times. Starting five were poetry in motion but sit them down and all continuity is gone. We’ll know a lot more after Ohio State but right now it’s six deep.

 

[JordyG]

Liv's a playa, but she has a long way to go before she's at Z's level.

I saw at least 5 plays where Liv's lack of strength resulted in her being unable to do a put back, unable to grab a rebound, unable to stop her mark from muscling up a shot, or not being able to control the ball. I also saw a number of plays where her lack of positioning cost her a rebound, where she was unable to receive the ball in position to score, or cost a teammate an open shot because of her inability to set a proper screen. Her athleticism is clear, and she can jump out of the gym, but I saw one play where she jumped for a rebound with her hand over the rim, but her positioning was so poor the rebound went over her hand and into an opposing players hand. Also by the end of the 4th she was gassed.

I said it when I saw her play at the World Cup and I'll say it again. This is a future AA, but her weaknesses are strength and conditioning. We won't really see evidence of her AA potential until the second half of the season at best.

 

[huskeynut]

Good start, even though Vanguard was totally over matched.

Williams is the real deal. She looked very comfortable in the first half. Nice three point shot, good midrange and she can put on a burst of speed to blow by a defender. She also showed she can make the pass to the open player.

Olivia will play a significant role this year. Raw in some respects but the skills are there. She is not afraid to crash the boards. She will get stronger as the year progresses but don't expect her to put on a lot of muscle. Not her body type.

Lou, Pheesa and Crystal as expected.

Irwin may be in the best shape every but - don't see her game going to the next level. Coombs may be a dark horse. We'll see if it comes out. Don't see the rest doing much but mop up time.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelli Stacy’s take:

UConn women's basketball dominates in exhibition against Vanguard, wins 96-30

 

[Monte]

Yeah, tough to rate against Vanguard(they lost to Stanford by 51 last week).

As expected, Walker will be the 4th starter. I don't see Bent or Irwin ready to help out; have to rely on others to step up.

 

[oldude]

It’s way early, but right now I see 5 players that are “game ready.” Everyone else is a ? imo.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Kelli Stacy’s take:

UConn women's basketball dominates in exhibition against Vanguard, wins 96-30

Link bad. try this:

Rewind: UConn women host Vanguard in preseason opener

 

[Charliebball]

Liv's a playa, but she has a long way to go before she's at Z's level.

I saw at least 5 plays where Liv's lack of strength resulted in her being unable to do a put back, unable to grab a rebound, unable to stop her mark from muscling up a shot, or not being able to control the ball. I also saw a number of plays where her lack of positioning cost her a rebound, where she was unable to receive the ball in position to score, or cost a teammate an open shot because of her inability to set a proper screen. Her athleticism is clear, and she can jump out of the gym, but I saw one play where she jumped for a rebound with her hand over the rim, but her positioning was so poor the rebound went over her hand and into an opposing players hand. Also by the end of the 4th she was gassed.

I said it when I saw her play at the World Cup and I'll say it again. This is a future AA, but her weaknesses are strength and conditioning. We won't really see evidence of her AA potential until the second half of the season at best.

I agree with you on her weaknesses and yet even with all of those faults she still effected the game on both ends of the floor...............I think we'll know more if she gets decent minutes in the Ohio State game..................once she gets stronger and more under control she will be virtually unstoppable......

 

[LasVegasYank]

Ain't no problem with the starters, IMHO, especially the three amigos.

Quality of play dropped significantly when KLS sat.

MW's double-double is just the start for her.

Bench play is still problematical.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Just wanted to see if I could do this. Not saying anything ... yet.

 

[Charliebball]

It’s way early, but right now I see 5 players that are “game ready.” Everyone else is a ? imo.

I don't think Irwin is a question mark...................you know you're going to get a max effort player who can rebound a bit and set screens but is otherwise limited and while I'm not sure how many points she'll provide this season, I do know that ONO will be a disruptive defensive force simply by standing under the basket with her arms up................

 

[oldude]

I don't think Irwin is a question mark....you know you're going to get a max effort player who can rebound a bit and set screens but is otherwise limited and while I'm not sure how many points she'll provide this season, I do know that ONO will be a disruptive defensive force simply by standing under the basket with her arms up......

CB, I thought you’re supposed to be the pessimist and I’m the optimist.

I love Kyla, but she doesn’t have the athleticism to play against top 20 competition. It would be great if Liv could contribute this year, but I think it will take a year for her to be able to compete vs top college Bigs.

 

[Bigboote]

My take on ONO was that she needs better hands. That could be a strength thing only manifesting in a poor handle, but it seemed the ball hit her in the hands several times on rebounds/catches that she fumbled.

I think Coombs will see a lot of playing time.

You can't fault Kyla's or Molly's effort. Geno obviously likes Kyla's development enough that she was first off the bench in both halves.

 

[Charliebball]

CB, I thought you’re supposed to be the pessimist and I’m the optimist.

I love Kyla, but she doesn’t have the athleticism to play against top 20 competition. It would be great if Liv could contribute this year, but I think it will take a year for her to be able to compete vs top college Bigs.

Kyla is what she is...............she and Batouly are charter members of the committee of the big bodies that Geno may be forced to employ if Collier gets into foul trouble or needs a breather.........that's ten additional fouls to give against the bigger opponents down low................I've been watching ONO for a couple of years now and she's got a lot more to her game then the average 6'4" player..............she certainly will grow with time but she will be needed this year and in between the mistakes you're going to see some pretty impressive stuff

 

[CocoHusky]

Really like the UCONN activity at the top of the zone from Crystal, KLS & Christyn. That is going to go a long way but Megan and Napheesa are going to need help rebounding the medium range rebounds and dives to the basket from the high post. Christyn is a much better defender that I imagined the announcer threw out an Odyssey Simms comparison, hadn't though of that but it works.

 

[Charliebball]

My take on ONO was that she needs better hands. That could be a strength thing only manifesting in a poor handle, but it seemed the ball hit her in the hands several times on rebounds/catches that she fumbled.

I think Coombs will see a lot of playing time.

You can't fault Kyla's or Molly's effort. Geno obviously likes Kyla's development enough that she was first off the bench in both halves.

I think some of that fumbling may also be nerves...................she's just trying to be quick and sometimes that works against you until you learn to relax and let it happen naturally

 

[Charliebball]

Really like the UCONN activity at the top of the zone from Crystal, KLS & Christyn. That is going to go a long way but Megan and Napheesa are going to need help rebounding the medium range rebounds and dives to the basket from the high post. Christyn is a much better defender that I imagined the announcer threw out an Odyssey Simms comparison, hadn't though of that but it works.

CW should also get 4-6 rebounds a game if she plays regular minutes..........