the bottom line is at this point in the season the team needs her to succeed............I think the more time she gets the more comfortable she will be and the better she will play...........worst case, she plays 10-15 minutes to rest others and doesn't hurt the team when she's out there.....;
No that isn't the bottom-line. That's the point of disagreeing with you I suppose. You could be right but I think your philosophy is nothing but prayer if not playing your best. You can’t say those 10-15 minutes will make her comfortable going into games S16/E8/ FF etc. Anyhow, I prefer the best players be rewarded. Not giving minutes to not as good players in hope and prayer they might produce in a 1 game elimination tournament is a faulty philosophy. And her being “comfortable” might be the worst thing possible. . IMO with Amari giving her baby steps is a great way of doing things.
Even if you don't want to reward her at this point in the season, with a very limited bench you are hurting the remaining players by not giving them a break...........once Dorka returns the need will not be as great, but I still believe if you play the remaining players 35 minutes plus you are risking more injuries or simple burnout.........this is an argument I've had here since I joined the Boneyard and I'm always amazed how some here forget how physically taxing this game is at this level.....
I don't like to disparage UConn players but has Ducharme earned additional minutes based on the quality of her play this season? As far as I'm concerned, you keep her on the floor if she's healthy enough and let her figure it out because you know the talent is there but under your system, she's riding the bench if there are others available......
I was talking as they get healthier. My argument with you is different than your argument with me. I was talking as they get healthier. With a limited bench yes I agree 100% enthusiastically she plays.
She earned it from last year's performance. She has shown an ability to be the best player on the court. I don't want to disparage Amari. Matter of fact as stated on another thread I'm proud of the team. - her included for this past game You get that feeling with Amari that she is among the best? I don't.
yep, sorry I meant Katie Lou Samuelson
Frankly, I would prefer the way that Dawn substitutes........she only has two players averaging less than ten minutes a game (both average 9) and she plays almost everybody during different parts of the game........keeps the starters fresh during the season and allows the bench players to get valuable experience...........Geno doesn't have that option right now but I'm hoping next season he adopts a bit more of that philosophy as the team will hopefully be loaded with talent..........
No time for decisions based on merit right now.........If you remember Ducharme looked like a deer in the headlights when she played early last season..........it wasn't until Geno was forced to play her that she blossomed.........unfortunately she hasn't been the same player since her various injuries and she's scuffling right now.......I'm not sure if her play is being affected by physical issues or a lack of confidence or both but she needs to play her way out of it if she's healthy enough to go........it's all hands on deck.....
I like that approach. I'm an advocate of getting "the Bench" in more games, more often. That is predicated on "actually having a bench:"
Not all kids learn to swim when thrown into the pool. Those that do swim earlier. Better? some.
Ready or not, it appears she shall, for the immediate future, be THE ROTATION.
Sorry, Geno doesn't need to copy anything any other coach does. If it comes to that, I am guessing that he is close to retirement. IMHO.
Geno talks to other coaches from WBB and NBA all the time to pick up new things...........he's the first to admit that there's always something new to learn...........he also appears to have toned down his tough talk to the players a bit as an acknowledgment that this generation of players is just different.........even the most successful old dog can still learn new tricks......
We haven't had a "dominant" team in a while but I prefer Geno's style using 2013-2016 as examples. Get your stars to play in that 30 minute per game range. This allows your stars to maintain a rhythm and level of consistency throughout the season and comfort zone throughout the Tournament. Giving around 30 +/- minutes is fine for these player as they've historically shown.
Yes I like to use the Ducharme as an example which shows how Geno's method is so spot on. If you'll remember early on Geno didn't play Ducharme much if her 1st 5 games in which she only averaged 5 minutes per game. But then between having the opportunity along with her performance in the 6th game vs ND - she scored 14 points in 14 minutes. The team was having scoring issues and she showed she could do it. That's what we want to see out of Amari and other players. Even though you are averaging 5 minutes, it doesn't mean you can't produce in a future game. IF she wasn't producing, she wasnt'; going to play. The point is - you can't use the 5 minutes as an excuse just like the example Caroline has shown us.
This is a debate I've been having since I started here.........with the new transfer portal rules it's going to be even more difficult to satisfy those highly ranked players who are getting only four minutes per game as they simply don't have the patience to wait to play.........hopefully next season there will be an entire bench of quality players at UConn......it's not going to be easy to play eight players and keep everybody happy..........it's a great problem to have but might be tricky........
That's why I don't believe Dawn will have the same success after this year unless she changes. Many top ten recruits are not going to want to play just 15-20 minutes like Cardoso for example.
Receiving significant NIL money can make it more palatable for some.
