Amari? Did we forget about her?

[Stymie]

Amari has been in the UConn program now for 15 months. More than enough time to assimilate to the customs and norms of the program and Geno’s way of doing things. When you associate, you assimilate. The other players all work hard trying to improve their game. Amari does not want to be the team’s weak link. I think she has changed her mindset and approach to being an active and productive member on this team.

She has lived with and played with other players that have a vigorous work ethic. She has seen and experienced what a lackluster or non-exsistent aggressive mental approach will get you in Geno’s program. The coaches have been in her ear from day one. We will see this year if her “want to” and physical conditioning catches up with her
Skillset.

Geno’s commentary on Amari’s practice performance thus far.
“She comes and she goes.”
Doesn’t exactly sound like a rave review.
Nor does it sound hyper critical.
Sounds to me (hopefully) that she shows flashes of “getting it” just not for prolonged periods of time.
Inconsistent?
ADD (like me?)
If she wasn’t showing heart, Coach would be much more pointed in his remarks.
As always, JMHO.

 

[Carnac]

Geno’s commentary on Amari’s practice performance thus far.
“She comes and she goes.”
Doesn’t exactly sound like a rave review.
Nor does it sound hyper critical.
Sounds to me (hopefully) that she shows flashes of “getting it” just not for prolonged periods of time.
Inconsistent?
ADD (like me?)
If she wasn’t showing heart, Coach would be much more pointed in his remarks.
As always, JMHO.

One of the many "Geno-isms" that he has said over and over through the years......."if a player hasn't gotten it by their sophomore year, they never will." If the light is going to come on for Amari, it will have to be THIS year. I just successfully came back in from going out on a limb (I predicted as far back as a month ago that Geno would bring in another player before classes resumed, and that player (Ines Betancourt) would be from outside of the US).

So being no stranger to shaky limbs (and being unafraid) , I'm going back out, but only a few steps. This is an easy call. Something tells me Amari does not want to sit on the bench yet another year. She wants to play. She stayed on campus over the summer to better prepare herself for the up coming season. The same thing that told me Geno was bring another player in is telling me Amari will be a rotation player this year. She gets it. I have no idea at this time how many minutes per game she will earn, but we will see Amari in every game BEFORE the game has been decided. When this comes to fruition, remember you heard it from Carnac first, way back in August. The turban and cape are not just for show.

 

[sun]

Sometimes there's no replacement for height.
When jumpers try to block shots they can get faked out and can also foul.
Players can have more specialization now days, and not many big players excel at doing it all.
Amari will probably never be a banger, but she can be an important contributor & teammate.
She has a quickness that others don't have, and it's not with her feet.
If she can exhibit good premonition & smart shot selection then she'll find a way to contribute.
She needs to be able to play to her strengths, and if Dorka ever gets hurt then Amari with her height will become even more important.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Amari sure looks like a center. But that is still all we know about her. Every time I see her my mind is flooded with I Hope, I Hope, I Hope, but that is all we have right now.

 

[Stymie]

As is often said, “ From your mouth to God’s ears.”
No ringing endorsements from Coach like:
“her hard work is paying off”
Or
“she’s certainly put in the time”
Or
“she’s getting it”
Only:
“she comes and she goes”.
Hey , for this team to kick *$$, I certainly want to see the teams tallest player swatting away shots and ripping down rebounds every quarter in every game.
Aayliah started last season flat , even after a stellar freshman season.
Also often said “hope springs eternal”.
Hey, I’d love to see your projection become reality.
We’ll know in about 12 weeks, 12 painfully long weeks.

 

[Notyetready]

Amari, as we saw in the recent twitter feed, led the stadium cheer for the football team. That is not the action of a wallflower, nor of a player of little ambition. It is the act of a leader and the team members who were there followed her lead. This is recent. All that other stuff is history. I look forward to her play this year and expect she will deliver.

 

[MooseJaw]

One of the many "Geno-isms" that he has said over and over through the years......."if a player hasn't gotten it by their sophomore year, they never will." If the light is going to come on for Amari, it will have to be THIS year. I just successfully came back in from going out on a limb (I predicted as far back as a month ago that Geno would bring in another player before classes resumed, and that player (Ines Betancourt) would be from outside of the US).

So being no stranger to shaky limbs (and being unafraid) , I'm going back out, but only a few steps. This is an easy call. Something tells me Amari does not want to sit on the bench yet another year. She wants to play. She stayed on campus over the summer to better prepare herself for the up coming season. The same thing that told me Geno was bring another player in is telling me Amari will be a rotation player this year. She gets it. I have no idea at this time how many minutes per game she will earn, but we will see Amari in every game BEFORE the game has been decided. When this crt of Huskyomes to fruition, remember you heard it from Carnac first, way back in August. The turban and cape are not just for show.

I'm on board, as a Husky fan I care about all our players, wanting the best for all of them. I can't wait to cheer for Amari in meaningful minutes. She is part of Husky Nation and a player who hopefully makes a difference.

 

[cancontent]

Man.........................we've got one more long weekend before summer is over. And it will still be a few weeks before the season starts. Going to do some mediation to get back in to relaxation mode.

 

[Florida Fan]

I have never forgotten about Amari. Folks have mocked me for my optimism about her. She’s got excellent skills. But she’s yet to show the sort of energy we need to see. I can hardly wait to see what her decision to spend the summer in Storrs means for next season.

In the video, she says she wasn’t used to playing against kids her size in high school. I think that says a lot about why her first year at UConn unfolded the way it did.

 

[Florida Fan]

I have NOT forgotten Amari. But until she develops post scoring skills, she will remain just another 6'5" player with potential. Will she be another Tina Charles, getting so much better she became the best center in the country? Right now, Amari enlivens the bench; her swooning and having to be revived, is good comedy, we all laugh with her and the other reserves. But she needs to get better. That's the player I'll remember.

 

[Alydar]

It's more than just scoring and defensive skills. She needs to run offenses and know whether her teammate is cutting or faking a cut. UConn is all about integrating yourself into the system. You have to practice like the life of your first-born is at stake. I have no idea what went on last season but when they could have used her she wasn't used.

 

[hoophuskee]

It's more than just scoring and defensive skills. She needs to run offenses and know whether her teammate is cutting or faking a cut. UConn is all about integrating yourself into the system. You have to practice like the life of your first-born is at stake. I have no idea what went on last season but when they could have used her she wasn't used.

Are you saying Geno made a mistake in not playing her?

 

[Alydar]

Are you saying Geno made a mistake in not playing her?

No.

 

[TCC Kid]

I really hope she has a “breakout” season.

Thank you McDoggie. She needs to have her name brought up in the conversation of this team.
Will she meet her potential? Will she be an effective Post for Geno? She obviously has "something" that Geno likes, you can can be certain she'd be gone if that were not true. My hopes are for her to be more than she can be, she shall meet most expectation. My personal expectation is for her to be a good, around the hoop rebounder and score some. lf she tandem's well with Edwards that could be effective.

 

[TCC Kid]

It's more than just scoring and defensive skills. She needs to run offenses and know whether her teammate is cutting or faking a cut. UConn is all about integrating yourself into the system. You have to practice like the life of your first-born is at stake. I have no idea what went on last season but when they could have used her she wasn't used.

This not a negative, it is an honest question. First, I know as a player DeBerry must know all you say. I'm wondering, what you read that leads to believe this is a weakness for her? Guards, in my limited knowledge, typically are required to KNOW their scorers--i.e. where and how hard or soft all guards, forwards, posts want to receive the ball.

 

[TCC Kid]

I hated that when I saw it live, and do now. I gave just as much effort in practice as in games in HS and College, and really had no time for teammates than didn't do the same.
How did Iverson think he got so good? Could it been from all those hours on the playground (essentially unstructured PRACTICE)?

Ivesons, Mothers, relatives, friends as a very young child told him how "great" he was over and over. You don't have to be great, you just have to believe you ARE great. Often those that feel it, are it.

 

[Carnac]

It's more than just scoring and defensive skills. She needs to run offenses and know whether her teammate is cutting or faking a cut. UConn is all about integrating yourself into the system. You have to practice like the life of your first-born is at stake. I have no idea what went on last season but when they could have used her she wasn't used.

Unless Geno or one of the coaches share with us the reason why she wasn't used more, we'll never know. One thing I do know is that Geno has said many times that he's not going to put a player out on the floor that's not ready to play "UConn basketball." Obviously Amari was not ready to play.

I remember Gabby Williams saying to reporters during a presser at the beginning of her sophomore year, the reason she did not play in the overtime lost to Stanford (2014) the year before. She admitted that she wasn't ready. She knew it and Geno knew it. Geno knows who is ready, who can play and who can't. In Geno I trust. Folks in hell want "ice water", but we don't always get what we want. I'm not going to try and coach the team from here (Southern California). I'll just root and cheer for whoever is on the floor at any given time, and celebrate every victory they produce this season. At some point Amari will be ready to play. It may be at the beginning of the season or sometime thereafter. We won't have to guess when that is. She'll show us by making lots of BIG plays.

 

[TCC Kid]

Yea, need to see a big, big, sense of urgency from her, esp on defense - have a real active, fire in the belly, don't come in here mentality, essentially with a "we got this thing" aura to her. Maybe I'm wishing and hoping too much, but it's June, warm weather can do that to me.

You'll and others will say TINA was great. No she came to Uconn PRETTY GOOD. About her Junior year something happened a good became GREAT. Shall Ameri become great? This year ? Ever? Not even Geno knows. I surely hope she becomes VERY GOOD. A good kid, everyone likes her, nice kids don't have to finish last.

 

[TCC Kid]

A lot of people succeed with great accolades in high school, in various sports, due to little more than the nature of their birth. They are bigger, stronger and faster earlier. Some retain this advantage as to move too higher levels of competition, but no longe
r just by " showing up." As the competition toughens, so must each athlete. Otherwise, they fade away and, eventually, enter the portal to move down a level of competition. It is a good sign that Amari seems to recognize this in herself, and is eager to spend the summer at UCONN working on her game.

Ameri is big, she has talent. Probably for the past 10 years all she had to do was show up--BIG you can't teach. She was probably a Star since at least 7th grade. Without good/great coaching, in some AAU situations, (excuse the term, there must be a good synonym for Lazy, but right now I don't have it--so excuse an old addled (old word for mixed up) brain. With just being you it is easy to not expend the effort to be better. Is that Ameri, probably not, but it happens to too many good possibly great Posts.

 

[Bone Dog]

The thing I look for with bigs is 1) will they run the court and 2) will they move their feet in half court defense. Lots of them just lope up the court, or when they go faster it’s with long strides (which is only natural but also why you don’t want them to bring the ball up). But Aaliyah sprints the floor, and so does Dorka sometimes. If they don’t move their feet well on D, they tend to get in foul trouble.

 

[Carnac]

Amari is big, she has talent. Probably for the past 10 years all she had to do was show up--BIG you can't teach. She was probably a Star since at least 7th grade. Without good/great coaching, in some AAU situations, (excuse the term, there must be a good synonym for Lazy, but right now I don't have it--so excuse an old addled (old word for mixed up) brain. With just being you it is easy to not expend the effort to be better. Is that Ameri, probably not, but it happens to too many good possibly great Posts.

In my opinion, a very accurate observation TCC Two thoughts here,
1. I'm not worried or concerned about were Amari is right now on Tuesday September 6. I think she's better than she was this time last year, even better than she was 6 months ago. She admitted that she was not use to playing against players as tall as she was. She will. Remember, she went against other 6'5" players in practice all last season, and will again this year.

What I will be EXTREMELY concerned about is her mindset and focus 90 days from now on December 6. On December 6, UConn will have played 6 games against Northeastern, Texas, NC State, Duke, Iowa or Oregon St (The Phil Knight Legacy Tournament in Portland) and Notre Dame. I have every confidence in the world that we will have seen Amari's "hole card" by then. All of the questions we have about her now, will be answered by then. There is NO WAY Amari can be around her teammates everyday and not assume their mindset, work ethic and goals. One for all and all for one. There's no I in team. Amari does not want to be THAT player on this team. There are no cheerleaders on this year's team except for Paige who can't play and won't dress.

2. You can't rush a player's development. Remember, it took Tina Charles two years before she blossomed. But blossom she did. Can UConn use Amari THIS year, of course they can. That's high on every UConn fan's wish list. Geno would not have recruited her if he didn't see some potential in her he thought he could bring out, and would benefit the program. Some players come gift wrapped ready to play the day you open them (Maya Moore, Paige Bueckers etc.), and some you have to let ripen (age) a bit before they're ready. Brianna Stewart had to "ripen" a bit before she was ready for prime time action her freshman year. There is something there that Geno saw that he liked. In Geno I trust. I'll go with that.

 

[Alydar]

This not a negative, it is an honest question. First, I know as a player DeBerry must know all you say. I'm wondering, what you read that leads to believe this is a weakness for her? Guards, in my limited knowledge, typically are required to KNOW their scorers--i.e. where and how hard or soft all guards, forwards, posts want to receive the ball.

At UConn posts pass as much as receive. And I wasn't describing DeBerry. I was commenting on those who say she has to improve her individual skills. From the video I've seen she seems comfortable with the ball in her hands and she is very fluid out on the perimeter. Other than that we know nothing.
Patterson stated in an interview that in HS her size was sufficient but in college that's not enough. That may sum it up for DeBerry. She looks amazing. So why did she get Gabriel minutes?

 

[Bone Dog]

From the video I've seen she seems comfortable with the ball in her hands and she is very fluid out on the perimeter.

That about catches it. She also knows better than to bring the ball down when she catches it. She can just turn and shoot with the ball up high. And what you say about comfortable with the ball in her hands sounds just about right. With Liv, the ball seemed like an alien object in her hands, especially at the FT line. Amari looks comfortable shooting the ball.

 

[JoePgh]

The first thing I would like to see from Amari (and I suspect that Geno would agree) is a readiness to mix it up under the basket -- protect the rim on defense, box out, contest rebounds, hang onto rebounds when she gets them, look first for a putback rather than someone to pass to, and (in general) don't pass unless/until she is double-teamed. After she shows those credentials, shooting from 10 or 15 feet may be the next priority, but it's somewhere quite a ways down the list.

If she just wants to be a big who can make midrange shots, there are other players on the roster (Aaliyah, Ice, Ayanna, Caroline, maybe even Aubrey) who can do that -- and those players can also attack the basket and contest rebounds. For Amari to make enough of a contribution to get serious minutes, she needs to use her 6-5 frame and be a credible backup for Dorka or Aaliyah when they are unavailable for whatever reason.

 

[Stymie]

I’m very comfortable with Dorka and Aaliyah getting plugged in for the majority of time up front with the soph and 2 freshman slugging it out for minutes.
Stiff competition amongst the newbies will hasten their development.
I mean, who wants to be the odd one out?
Gonna be VERY energized, competitive practices!!!