A New Starting Lineup?

[diggerfoot]

I’m with @Ozimoto , @Centerstream and @NycUcWbbFan for the same reasons they gave: our impressive fast starts, upperclassmen, etc.

Let me add an observation about Strong and Quinonez. Quinonez scores well whether Strong is in the line up or not. However, Quinonez performs much better and makes fewer costly mistakes with Strong in the line up with her. I realize this can be said of every other teammate of Strong’s as well, but until she gets more coaching and acclimation Quinonez makes more costly mistakes than others and needs to be “stabilized.”

Thus for Quinonez to enter the starting line up both of two things has to happen. Quinonez has to learn the system better and make better decisions, and the current starting line up has to regress from the currently phenomenal way in which they started games, including against the toughest team we may play in the regular season. I believe the former will happen, but not the latter.

As a side note, in addition to her impressive skills, the sophomore Strong is the most stabilizing force in the line up. I am more amazed by that than even with her skills.

 

[hookshot]

Can it? Sure. Will it? Undoubtedly. But that doesn't mean we will stop talking about this.

I'll echo some of the voices above that I think it's very unlikely KK won't continue to be the starter. I think she runs the offense better and provides the stability needed at the point in the beginning of games.

I'm less confident about Ashlynn. She plays hard in her presence is felt all over the court often in ways that do not show up in the boxscore. At least through the end of the year, I think she will continue as a starter, but undoubtedly Heckel and Blanca are making cases for themselves particularly with their offense.

If I were to guess I would anticipate both KK and Shade continuing as starters, but their minutes would be reduced in order to make more time for other players. Ultimately, that's probably a good thing as it lets every player give maximum output during their time on the court.

One final thought, which I think is a little counterintuitive, Blanca and Heckel may get some minutes from Williams. While they aren't at the same position, Geno has shown a preference for his small ball lineup. Ultimately there's only 400 minutes to go around. As players such as Blanca and Heckel show they can contribute, minutes will have to be adjusted to get them playing time. But that doesn't need to be a position for a position sub like you would see in football. I like playing the team with less individual minutes as I think it allows the players to stay fresh during the game and hopefully makes them less prone to injury.

(For what it's worth, I like Blanca as a sub for Strong for at least a couple of minutes per half. No one can replace with Sarah can do, but two minutes per half would reduce her to 36 minutes overall, which I think is more manageable and Blanca, though not yet the complete player that Strong is, offers a high octane boost to our offense. Opposing defenders breathing a sigh of relief as Sarah goes to the bench would inwardly groan when they realize they now have to account for Blanca attacking at 100 mph.)

Agree with all ! Blanca, because of her high ceiling, will command additional minutes (based on the consistency of her on-going performance). Whether that comes by introducing in the starting line-up (for Ash most likely), or by snatching more as an Ash, Williams, Strong sub is not necessarily a priority now, but will sort out sooner or later. The KK, K9 is even a less a priority and may never need to be sorted out. Although I believe K9 has higher ceiling (because of offense), more offense may not be needed if Blanca and Williams progress. For now, besides loyalty credits, KK brings stability and predictability on field generalship, defense and with some offense as a bonus. K9 is a disrupter, she pushes the pace faster than KK, she has more offensive tools than KK and is just as disruptive on defense because she keeps her hands in the opponents shirt. Likely, KK keeps her spot with K9, Ash and/or Blanca as the 2nd quarter disrupter team.

 

[Charliebball]

UConn is a work in process right now. Some newbies are learning and the chemistry is coming together. We will as the season progresses start clicking and when we do all our worrys will be over. We are watching the tweaking going on and the development beginning to take form. It takes time be patient. Changes in the starting lineup will only hurt our chemistry. We saw what happened in the 3rd qtr when Geno put in a few non starters. It took them time to get going and thats a good think that he put them in they need real game time experience. This is all about the building process

Geno has the entire conference schedule to tweak his lineups........I expect Blanca will take over Ashlynn's spot but KK should remain the starting point guard, as much for her defense as for her ball distribution or scoring........I certainly wish Morgan was healthy enough to play as she too would be excellent off the bench....

 

[my2cents]

His starting line-up will not change anytime soon. Geno makes no decisions based on how you do against week opponents. KK and Ash have performed well at Final Fours and that carries more weight than playing well against Utah.
The only change that may happen is Jana replacing Serah who is not performing like an All-Big Player at this point.

 

[Charliebball]

His starting line-up will not change anytime soon. Geno makes no decisions based on how you do against week opponents. KK and Ash have performed well at Final Fours and that carries more weight than playing well against Utah.
The only change that may happen is Jana replacing Serah who is not performing like an All-Big Player at this point.

Sorry to hear about the end of the penny...... ☹️

 

[BRS24]

Geno has always liked having the spark off the bench as the first sub. Nykesha, Diana, Shea, Maya, among others. The starters set the tone, and then dependent on what's happening, the 1st or 2nd sub will either continue the success, or create enough disruption where the opponent isn't ready for it.

These are just a few, there are probably more, and conversely, there are years where Geno probably had to start them based on injuries, etc, and for a few (Paige, Stewie & Sarah), they were too good not to start.

 

[meyers7]

I don't think Geno's gonna be changing a starting lineup that has outscored it's opponents 151-68 in the 1st quarter through 6 games. (only gonna get better as we get into conference)

That's averaging 25.2 - 11.3.

 

[Dogdude]

I don't think Geno's gonna be changing a starting lineup that has outscored it's opponents 151-68 in the 1st quarter through 6 games. (only gonna get better as we get into conference)

That's averaging 25.2 - 11.3.

Yup, agree 100%. And while we all love what Blanca brings, her game isn't quite complete yet. Right now, she's a super-sub, and I bet that stays for a while. The comparisons with Svet are apropos, but the athleticism and quality of team play amongst the top 25 are so much higher now than they were even just 10 years ago. That the sort of semi-in control play only takes you so far for so long. She'll develop that, of course, but it'll be a season-long process, I'm betting. Even as a sub, she'll still get over 20 mins a game, just more strategically placed. I remember Walter Berry at St. Johns being that sort of one-man wrecking crew, and failing at the pros as he refused to change or develop. I remember his quote, "Coach wants defense and fundamentals, and my game isn't built on fundamentals." As the women's game has progressed to where it is now, the ability to work in a system is more important than ever. Allie fits in superbly, and K9 is getting there, also still just a little wild. Come on Morgan, get healthy!

 

[Suebird10fan]

Towards the end of his postgame presser, Geno was asked about KK and Ash's performance, and he discussed how they have been used in the two previous years where they started as Freshmen and then came off the bench as Sophomores. He pointed out that UCONN won the National Championship with them coming off the bench and then stated "I like them (coming off the bench) better.

I think, given Geno's statement, that it is only a matter of time (and likely sooner than later) that he reverts to having KK and Ash come off the bench once again as "super agitators". Which begs the question, what the new starting lineup will be. This will be super controversial to be sure, but I think he will stick with Serah Williams as she has an extremely important role long term and that he simply cannot ignore what Blanca has shown. Sarah and Azzi are givens of course. I would posit that Allie will be the other new starter. I noticed, as I am sure many others here did, that Allie was on the floor at the end of the Michigan game when everything was on the line which tells me, he has great confidence in her when the stress is greatest. Of course, that raises the question as to who will be the PG? Sarah and Azzi have often brought the ball up and could again, but may not be the answer longer term. The alternative would be Heckel of course but she has been shaky of late.

I expect a LOT of differing opinions.

I totally agree .... there will be a LOT of differing opinions, LOL!

 

[ABCDFE]

I more or less agree that we’re likely to see Sarah and Azzi bring the ball up the court in pressure situations. And we’ve already seen Geno have Allie do the same on a few occasions against tOSU, Michigan and Utah. But I don’t think we’ll see her start anytime soon.

I suspect Blanca will replace Ash as a starter eventually, though perhaps not before the end of January. But replacing KK as a starter seems a lot trickier. Kayleigh is not yet a better option, and Azzi is not a better passer than KK. Geno may well prefer the energy KK brings off the bench and still not have a better option for the starting lineup.

Replacing Ash is also a bit tricky. She’s really the only other 3pt shooter I think can make shots within the flow of the offense. I know Strong is a solid 3 point shooter, but defenses will be focused on both her and Azzi. I’m not sure I’ve seen enough of Blanca to be that type of shooter, historically she has shown she’s just good enough to warrant no sagging from defenses but we def don’t want her shooting tons of threes. In my mind this is a true dilemma for Geno. What would’ve been ideal is if KK or Heckel were outstanding 3 point shooters, then I would think putting Blanca in as a starter is a no brainer. Right now I’m leaning towards putting Blanca in because it’s with a try.

 

[Suebird10fan]

KK has 24 assists, 5 TOs, 14 steals. Those are not the kind of stats that keep you out of the starting lineup.

 

[Bald Husky]

Nika Muhl: For some reason this sounds familiar.

Can we get Nika back? Why not, she did leave with one year of availability. Of course that sounds stupid, but a mens college program did sign a player that has been playing in the NBA D league. LOL

 

[Tonyc]

You all make great comments and opinions however all we need is one more scorer/shooter and we are fine. With that said Serah Jana Blanca Kayleigh Ash and Allie can fit that position. I feel with a little time they all will fit and I also believe when Ice is better she will too, plus our 2 AA's ( Azzi Sarah). KK will handle the point and disrupt our opponents. Folks we have a tremendous team and when they blossom its gonna be fantastic. Next Morgan and Yana get healthy and Caroline I feel they are being cautionary with. Kelis and Gandy need time and during the BE season everybody will get minute and time to develop. We are now playing our early season schedule with some ranked teams. When the BE season starts we have a few ranked teams and we should be able to handle them all.

 

[Charliebball]

Replacing Ash is also a bit tricky. She’s really the only other 3pt shooter I think can make shots within the flow of the offense. I know Strong is a solid 3 point shooter, but defenses will be focused on both her and Azzi. I’m not sure I’ve seen enough of Blanca to be that type of shooter, historically she has shown she’s just good enough to warrant no sagging from defenses but we def don’t want her shooting tons of threes. In my mind this is a true dilemma for Geno. What would’ve been ideal is if KK or Heckel were outstanding 3 point shooters, then I would think putting Blanca in as a starter is a no brainer. Right now I’m leaning towards putting Blanca in because it’s with a try.

I'd be very surprised if Blanca isn't a starter by mid-January........Geno can't leave that much talent on the bench for long......

 

[victor64]

Sorry DEup but this is fun. Here are my two cents.

-Ash averages nearly 25 minutes a game. Whether she starts or not, those minutes won't change much if she starts coming off the bench.

-One of the rotations against Utah had Azzi, Allie and Sarah sharing the point. I didn't see much impact on the offensive flow.

-I think he is waiting for Carol to give him a reason to give her more minutes. She may not be 100% but she is close. She just has not shot well.

-Geno will have a "small" lineup. I don't think those 5 are established yet. I would love to see a situation where a "big" lineup is needed. I also wonder what that will look like.

-Serah's and K9 offensive struggles are probably a concern but could it still be them realizing and being comfortable with the expectations?

-Probably near the top of list of concerns is zone offense. Michigan provided a possible method to slow down Sarah. I am sure facing more zones will be in their future.

 

[oldude]

I'd be very surprised if Blanca isn't a starter by mid-January........Geno can't leave that much talent on the bench for long......

I find it fascinating that Geno sat down with Blanca on Saturday for a 1 on 1 film session to review her mediocre performance against MI and then she came out on Sunday with a “lights out” performance against Utah.

Blanca could certainly force her way into the starting lineup this year. It could be Ash’s spot. But it also could be Serah’s spot. In the end, the competition will make everyone better.

 

[Skeets]

Ash is my favorite player. Even though her scoring is down a little early, she'll continue to start because the rest of her game is so solid. More solid than what anyone else has to offer. I believe Blanca is the next UConn superstar. Does she start? Who does she replace? I am conflicted.

UConn needs a PG. It's either KK or K9. KK will continue to start into the foreseeable future.

With Azzi and Sarah being locks, that only leaves 1 other spot a little shaky. Right now it's Serah. Could it be Jana, Ice or even Blanca? Serah should be looking over her shoulder. Something might be gaining on her.

 

[rugbymate]

In some ways, who is starting is probably less relevant than who is in during crunch time during March /April games. Having Sarah, Azzi and Blanca in the same lineup with KK running the point would be incredibly difficult to defend. The 5th player could be Ash or Jana/Serah depending on matchups. Conference play will help sort out chemistry. While Ash, Serah and Jana have high floors, Blanca has a much higher ceiling and seems her minutes should increase.

 

[mhshuskies]

I thought from the title of this thread it was going to be about Blanca starting in place of Serah. KK is a given and I would not trust any of the bench guards ahead of Ash at this point.

 

[Charliebball]

Ash is my favorite player. Even though her scoring is down a little early, she'll continue to start because the rest of her game is so solid. More solid than what anyone else has to offer. I believe Blanca is the next UConn superstar. Does she start? Who does she replace? I am conflicted.

UConn needs a PG. It's either KK or K9. KK will continue to start into the foreseeable future.

With Azzi and Sarah being locks, that only leaves 1 other spot a little shaky. Right now it's Serah. Could it be Jana, Ice or even Blanca? Serah should be looking over her shoulder. Something might be gaining on her.

Serah's basketball resume speaks for itself.......Geno is not going to pull her from the starting lineup six games into the season during her time of adjustment.......she's clearly trying to do too much and has gotten out of her normal rhythm......Geno knows her importance to the team come tournament time and will continue to monitor her progress.......that's not to say that he won't go with the small lineup that he seems to be so fond of when he sees the right matchups......patience my friend!!

 

[Ct Dog]

My eyes tell me Blanca will be starting sooner rather than later. Ash is a fierce competitor and does so much that doesn’t get her in the box score. Her energy might best be served as a spark from the bench. But i’m a fan not a Coach lol

 

[slug25]

Blanca will remain the 6th player for a couple of reasons. First, Geno likes having a potent offensive threat coming in. When the opponents start to sub or tire. Second, she’s foul prone at this point in her US development. Better for her to sit a bit and assess how the refs are calling things.

 

[Stagnant]

I think Xavier is a good time to change the starting lineup. And I think there is a > than 0% chance Geno will do just that.