Amari? Did we forget about her?

[Bone Dog]

I'm thinking she splits the 40 post minutes with Dorka. Some games it will be a little more, some games a little less. Over the course of the season it should even out.

I have hoped all summer to see Amari split the post 20/20 with Dorka. If she averages 14-12 in those 20 mins, she would deserve AA consideration. I' like to see that.

 

[GEAinAustin]

14/ 12. From your mouth to God's ears. More like 5/ 6. Averaging a double=double? That would put her in All-American status. When was the last time A UConn center averaged a double-double? This went from no playing time to 14 pts. and 12 rebounds, wow.

 

[The deacon]

I have a question for my Boneyard brethren. What numbers (average of points and rebounds) would YOU be satisfied with for Amari this season? I'd be happy if she could average 14/12. I'd like to see two 20 point games, and at least one 18 rebound game.

Oh, my gosh, Carnac, I'm wholly with you about urging/cheering/rooting on Amari, but 14 and 12 would likely have her playing ahead of Dorka! They'd also make her a candidate for all-Big East, and absolutely thrill me!

If Amari gives the Huskies 9 and 7 (and 3 assists), playing maybe 15-18 minutes per game, I'll be happy, especially knowing that would mean she's very much part of the team rotation. It also would likely mean she'd be very capable of that 14 and 12 as a junior, maybe better as a senior. We can hope/dream, can't we?

Keep it going, Carnac. I love reading your positive posts.

 

[BBallF]

Even 8-6-2 would be fine with me as long as her defense is solid. Points are mostly coming from Dorks, Liya and Ay underneath so if she can be a credible sub and score some points and get some boards with regularity we can go very far.

 

[Bald Husky]

I have a question for my Boneyard brethren. What numbers (average of points and rebounds) would YOU be satisfied with for Amari this season? I'd be happy if she could average 14/12. I'd like to see two 20 point games, and at least one 18 rebound game.

Right about now, I just want her to be here. I'm not worried about points, I'm not worried about rebounds, because they will come. I just want to know if she is still a member of the team that Geno will use. Inactivity can go the way that the others have gone, and that is my fear. Just knowing she will be used will satisfy me now, and as I have already stated, the points and rebounds will come.

 

[GEAinAustin]

Bald Huskie, agree 100 percent.

 

[Notyetready]

I have hoped all summer to see Amari split the post 20/20 with Dorka. If she averages 14-12 in those 20 mins, she would deserve AA consideration. I' like to see that.

Even 8-6-2 would be fine with me as long as her defense is solid. Points are mostly coming from Dorks, Liya and Ay underneath so if she can be a credible sub and score some points and get some boards with regularity we can go very far.

Points won't be a problem. Footwork and help defense will be the key for her in my view. She had 4 blocks in 5 minutes in one game last year so we know she can do that. We know she can shoot. Focus and determination, good footwork, those attributes have to be her game.
.

 

[ccwarrior]

Have you watched every minute that she's been on the court for UConn?
Have you watched any videos of her playing in games besides at UConn such as USA BB or high school?
Did you hear the practice player comments from last year about her great shooting ability?
Have you watched her dunk?
If you don't believe that she can be a contributor, then what does that say about Geno's ability to evaluate recruits?

Let’s not get into an argument over the performance of recent recruits vs the hype around them from HS. Even Geno has implied that there have some issues that led to the drought of NC’s.

 

[Carnac]

I have hoped all summer to see Amari split the post 20/20 with Dorka. If she averages 14-12 in those 20 mins, she would deserve AA consideration. I' like to see that.

I'm figuring Geno will rest Dorka in games against lesser opponents (Georgetown, Xavier, and maybe St. Johns etc.) during the season, and Amari get 25-30 minutes those games. I think Butler will be improved this year with their new coach Austin Parkinson who is beginning a rebuild there. It should take him at least 3 years before he moves Butler into the top half of the conference standings.

 

[ccwarrior]

I have a question for my Boneyard brethren. What numbers (average of points and rebounds) would YOU be satisfied with for Amari this season? I'd be happy if she could average 14/12. I'd like to see two 20 point games, and at least one 18 rebound game.

Forget the numbers, I’d settle for high effort every minute and a killer attitude on court.

 

[cgshuskie]

Amari will surprise us all. Higher energy, rebounding and strong defense is the key. We know she can shoot. I expect her to be a pretty gooe passer; she showed that last year in spurts. Go Huskies....Go Amari

 

[Stymie]

14/ 12. From your mouth to God's ears. More like 5/ 6. Averaging a double=double? That would put her in All-American status. When was the last time A UConn center averaged a double-double? This went from no playing time to 14 pts. and 12 rebounds, wow.

I have a question for my Boneyard brethren. What numbers (average of points and rebounds) would YOU be satisfied with for Amari this season? I'd be happy if she could average 14/12. I'd like to see two 20 point games, and at least one 18 rebound game.

9 points
8 rebounds.
If Amari is able to make this contribution it would bode well for UConn.
Would also indicate that Amari could develop into a real force in her Jr and Sr years.

 

[oldhusky]

Here's an important positive I noticed in her HS videos, and her limited PT last year: she knows how to catch a ball high and not bring it down. She just pivots and shoots. Liv and Aaliyah were not particularly consistent about this and often got tangled up with little people in the lane by bringing the ball down.

We can say lots of other things, like her smooth shooting touch, her ability to block shots without swatting at the ball, etc, as well as critical things about the low energy she seemed to display last year when she was on the court. I hope she has found another gear over the summer, because she has very trainable skills in other aspects of her game.

When Amari shoots, she looks like a shooter. Lots of bigs shoot the ball as if it were some alien object that fell into their hands.

Like probably many on the Boneyard I tried to look up HS videos of Amari when she committed and later, and didn't find many and not enough to form much of a conclusion on many parts of her game. What did stand out to me was her ability to pass, play from the high post, and she seemed pretty smooth and mobile, more than quick.

Between basketball skills like shooting and passing, combined with a mobile 6-5 frame, that usually translates to a major Division 1 prospect. Amari's high school ranking was top 5 for a significant period, but by the end of her high school career she had dropped to 15 at least with ESPN. Unlike others she did not get the so called "Uconn bump". That is somewhat concerning because as others evaluated her more closely, she started slipping in the ratings, despite her skills and size.

I wish there was more video on her, particularly against bigger quality opponents to form opinions on what kind of a player she is. It is a very limited sample, and her sparse minutes last year didn't help fill in many gaps. If we were a fly on the wall during all the practices and workouts, we would have a much better idea of her strengths and weaknesses, particularly against our other talented bigs. The coaching staff and players know, but say little, which I interpret more negatively, but on the other hand one of the male practice players was very impressed with her shooting, and that is from an insider. So the jury is still out deliberating, but by the end of this year I think they will reach a verdict.

 

[Bone Dog]

Amari's high school ranking was top 5 for a significant period, but by the end of her high school career she had dropped to 15 at least with ESPN. Unlike others she did not get the so called "Uconn bump". That is somewhat concerning because as others evaluated her more closely, she started slipping in the ratings, despite her skills and size.

There isn’t a lot of video of her hs games out there. Just bits and pieces. She played in the FIBA U19 team with Azzi and Caitlin Clark the summer before coming to UConn and that was revealing. She played like her usual self, reserved and low key, but she didn’t get much PT. At the time, I thought it might just be because the coach, Cori Klose, wanted to favor her own prospects. But it might have reflected a judgment of her ability to contribute.

But in the end, my optimism is based on hopes, and something she said in an interview — that she wasn’t used to playing much against kids her size before college. I took her performance freshman year to reflect the usual disorientation of someone entering a much higher level of competition. I think she can grow past that initial response.

 

[BBallF]

Points won't be a problem. Footwork and help defense will be the key for her in my view. She had 4 blocks in 5 minutes in one game last year so we know she can do that. We know she can shoot. Focus and determination, good footwork, those attributes have to be her game.
.

All true but for me it comes down to one word for Amari- INTENSITY.

 

[ccwarrior]

All true but for me it comes down to one word for Amari- INTENSITY.

I would say three words - consistent high effort.

 

[Stymie]

Simple answer is:
“We’ll forget about her if she lets us to forget about her”.
It’s in her hands.

 

[Huskie02]

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.

Coach has spoken highly of some players during pre season but unless I missed it, he has been noticeably quiet about Amari.

 

[Zinethar]

Coach has spoken highly of some players during pre season but unless I missed it, he has been noticeably quiet about Amari.

I have noticed the same thiing sadly. In one interview he seemed to try to mention something about everyone but still nothing on Amari. Hopefully he is just hiding her growth until the games begin!

 

[Tonyc]

We have no one who has height and some experience to give Dorka a rest or replace her if she is in foul trouble. We need Amari on the floor. If Geno doesnt play her I dont know who will get the chance.

 

[ccwarrior]

We have no one who has height and some experience to give Dorka a rest or replace her if she is in foul trouble. We need Amari on the floor. If Geno doesnt play her I dont know who will get the chance.

Geno has said, and done, this for years: if you player doesn't meet UConn standards in practice they don't get "learn on the job" with game playing time. This issue with her seems far simpler than many on this board believe.

 

[Bone Dog]

Geno has said, and done, this for years: if you player doesn't meet UConn standards in practice they don't get "learn on the job" with game playing time. This issue with her seems far simpler than many on this board believe.

It’s not that we don’t believe what you’re saying, or that we’ve forgotten the basic principles of UConn 101. It’s that we wish Amari could become something she clearly hasn’t shown yet. We’re engaging in self-comforting behavior. It’s one of the things fans sometimes do.

 

[Bone Dog]

Here’s a different (but related) question: have we ever won it all without a classic “big post”? Maybe it’s okay if Dorka graduates and Amari doesn’t crack the starting lineup and all we have in the post is Aaliyah Ayanna and Ice.

 

[GEAinAustin]

Tonyc, this isn't about who gets a chance, it's about putting the best players on the floor. If Auriemma doesn't regard her in that category , she sits.

 

[pvdoggy]

Here’s a different (but related) question: have we ever won it all without a classic “big post”? Maybe it’s okay if Dorka graduates and Amari doesn’t crack the starting lineup and all we have in the post is Aaliyah Ayanna and Ice.

At least once, Stewie's last year.