Aneesah Morrow list

[bballnut90]

Beale didn't leave her eyelashes in the locker room. Now, if you were being metaphorical . . .

Not to mention Saxton/Johnson either. I'm not sure a "no fake eyelashes" rule would be enforceable or go over well in today's day and ago.

 

[asuwish]

Iowa beat South Carolina with a 6-3 center. They hit their outside shots

I was saying out loud that if UConn could fill in any gap that could give them a problem that would be the one area. We return 1 proven inside player so experience and or just size is our weakest link. If both Hailey Van Lith and Betts wanted to come to Uconn I'd take Betts. We have a ton of guard play.

 

[Zarathustra]

Yes. But let's be honest. Were those two teams to play a 5-game series, even a 3-game championship series, South Carolina wins every other game. South Carolina dominated in virtually every stat. They scored well as well.

That game was a fluke. And it was no surprise that Iowa got blown out the very next game by LSU, a team that South Carolina had defeated. The stars aligned for one night. Luck, not the better team.

A " W " is a "W". Someone once said (and I paraphrase ): Luck happens when practice meets opportunity.
Iowa executed their game plan. Kudos to Lisa Bruder and her team.

 

[Zarathustra]

South Carolina outrebounded Iowa 49 to 25. They took 20 more shots. Iowa won at the free throw line, making all 14 of its shots, while South Carolina missed 4 of its 13 free throws. South Carolina dominated underneath. They clobbered Iowa, except for Clark. Would South Carolina miss 16 of 20 three's if they played them again? Not likely.

You can't win a NC without a great post player. Look at past NC's: A'ja Wilson. Aaliya Boston. Britney Griner. And look at UConn teams and the posts we won with.

I think that this discussion is going to go round and round. Did LSU have a "great" post player ( in the
normal sense of the term, e.g. "a big, big'? Angel is a gifted athlete and an great rebounder, but
is she a classic " post player "? Maybe a post player is defined by what she does? In that case probably
a "yes" answer. Will she be a post player in the WNBA? There I believe the answer is "no". Let the
discussion continue!!!

 

[IArick]

I think that this discussion is going to go round and round. Did LSU have a "great" post player ( in the
normal sense of the term, e.g. "a big, big'? Angel is a gifted athlete and an great rebounder, but
is she a classic " post player "? Maybe a post player is defined by what she does? In that case probably
a "yes" answer. Will she be a post player in the WNBA? There I believe the answer is "no". Let the
discussion continue!!!

The biggest difference in the game was LSU shot lights out from the 3 point line. Carson, more specifically shot well above what her season average and was hot beyond the 3. Iowa was only 2 points below their season average. I'm sure most scouting reports for Carson was that the 3 wasn't a strength. The few minutes in the 2 quarter really decided the outcome of the game.

 

[HopJim]

Not sure I understand this conversation. Can you win without 2-3 strong bigs? Sure. Is it better to have a balanced team with elite players at every position (including bigs) and 1-2 on the bench? Absolutely. Rarely does a team have home run hitters at every position - this is where coaching comes in. I like our position as it exists now but would be thrilled to have another proven big (as long as its not Morrow).

 

[visitingcock]

Not sure I understand this conversation. Can you win without 2-3 strong bigs? Sure. Is it better to have a balanced team with elite players at every position (including bigs) and 1-2 on the bench? Absolutely. Rarely does a team have home run hitters at every position - this is where coaching comes in. I like our position as it exists now but would be thrilled to have another proven big (as long as its not Morrow).

I thought that’s who this thread is about. Silly me. Didn’t follow all the thread drift.

 

[Urshurak]

And how long ago did we win #11? Who besides AE can play underneath? AM has done this for 2 years. If our budding post players can show that they can shine with defense and offense (!!), AM can reduce her minutes and play even better. NO, I cannot be sure that we have adequate post support on the active roster.

Ice Ice Baby…..bad Bon dada Bon dada Bon.

 

[Zarathustra]

Ice Ice Baby…..bad Bon dada Bon dada Bon.

"ICE" will melt the dreams of those teams hoping to beat UCONN under the basket.
(And some from the outside, while running the floor, and making anyone who
trys to take an offensive/charge on her " pay the price" of foolishness. GO ICE!
Addendum: IMO we do not " need " and extra player, but I would not
complain if Geno and Lauren Betts come to an agreement to put Lauren
on the path to NCAA Finals greatness! Go Lauren! p.s. any typos are due
to my still waking up!!! Z

 

[southofnorth]

Yes. But let's be honest. Were those two teams to play a 5-game series, even a 3-game championship series, South Carolina wins every other game. South Carolina dominated in virtually every stat. They scored well as well.

That game was a fluke. And it was no surprise that Iowa got blown out the very next game by LSU, a team that South Carolina had defeated. The stars aligned for one night. Luck, not the better team.

That game was not a fluke. South Carolina dominated in exactly 2 stats: rebounding (49; 26 offensive, 23 defensive; +24) and shots taken (77; +20). They did have 5 blocks (+4), but I wouldn’t call that dominant—note that they were the nation’s leading shot blocking team (over 9 bpg) heading into that matchup.

It was absolutely a surprise that Iowa got blown out because LSU made 11-17 (64.7%) from 3 when they averaged about 4.3 makes per game on about 12.3 attempts per game (~35%) going into the championship game. They did have a couple of other games during the season where they shot 50%+ from 3 on 15+ attempts, but those nights were few and far in between (hence the ~35% overall for the season) and often against lesser competition. Sometimes the law of averages just works in your favor. That’s not luck, that’s statistics. If you don’t consider LSU’s shooting in the championship a fluke, then you definitely shouldn’t consider Iowa’s win against South Carolina a fluke.

 

[Tonyc]

All you who want Betts at UConn and she played very little at Stanford. Why? If she didn’t play at Stanford and didn’t gain little experience. What makes you think she would play at UConn? She still needs to gain experience. How long will that take? Who will leave UConn if she came? Is it worth having roster players leave and recruits thinking about going elsewhere? Just the fact that she got almost no time and no experience at Stanford is a red flag for me. IMO spend time with our current roster’s players is the right thing to do for the team. If she were a player who could start right now that would be something else. She’s not or she would’ve seen time at Stanford.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Honestly, the team often played better with 4 guards and one post player. I wouldn’t mind more of that, especially given the guards on the roster

Nika, Azzi, and Lopez-Senechal are three of them, plus Caroline who can play any position.

 

[Jim]

I’d like to see what Ice and Jana can do at the D1 college level before saying we need another big. Aneesah and Betts are certainly talented, but how that player’s skills fit into a particular system are more important than talent alone.

 

[Carnac]

All you who want Betts at UConn and she played very little at Stanford. Why? If she didn’t play at Stanford and didn’t gain little experience. What makes you think she would play at UConn? She still needs to gain experience. How long will that take? Who will leave UConn if she came? Is it worth having roster players leave and recruits thinking about going elsewhere? Just the fact that she got almost no time and no experience at Stanford is a red flag for me. IMO spend time with our current roster’s players is the right thing to do for the team. If she were a player who could start right now that would be something else. She’s not or she would’ve seen time at Stanford.

While I was constructing my narrative for the Betts thread, I was basically thinking the same things you are. I read every comment in the Betts thread before it was locked. I was almost ready to change my stance on Betts coming to UConn. Some of the comments were very compelling and raised points I did not consider. You can never have too many bigs, but you can have too many players that are not ready for “prime time.”

Two years ago, we had two 6’5” post players that could not get on the floor for meaningful minutes and were not a factor in any of our wins that year. One of them left. If Betts wants to come to UConn, I’ll be happy with whatever decision Geno makes.

In Geno I trust. He and his staff can figure it out. My only concern is that one of the three post-players we have on the roster step up and play consistently at the high level that is needed from that position.

Tony, you bring up some very interesting and compelling points, the biggest being if she could not get meaningful minutes from Tara, how can she expect to get them from Geno, when there's already a logjam for playing time at the five here?

 

[oldude]

All you who want Betts at UConn and she played very little at Stanford. Why? If she didn’t play at Stanford and didn’t gain little experience. What makes you think she would play at UConn? She still needs to gain experience. How long will that take? Who will leave UConn if she came? Is it worth having roster players leave and recruits thinking about going elsewhere? Just the fact that she got almost no time and no experience at Stanford is a red flag for me. IMO spend time with our current roster’s players is the right thing to do for the team. If she were a player who could start right now that would be something else. She’s not or she would’ve seen time at Stanford.

Tony here’s why Betts is a good bet. While she didn’t play a lot of minutes at Stanford, she did play prime time minutes as Brink’s backup, frequently when Brink was in foul trouble. Her production in those minutes was actually better on a per 40 basis than Brink. She has a well developed, back to the basket, low post game on offense and she is an excellent rim protector on defense.

Certainly, Betts has room for improvement. But at 6’7”, with 3 years of eligibility, she checks all the boxes for UConn and, imo, makes UConn a solid favorite to win the national championship in each of the next 3 years.

As I have said many times, I am not generally in favor of recruiting over players already on the roster. But the upside for Betts, particularly under the coaching she would get at UConn, is too great to pass up.

 

[Dillon77]

The biggest difference in the game was LSU shot lights out from the 3 point line. Carson, more specifically shot well above what her season average and was hot beyond the 3. Iowa was only 2 points below their season average. I'm sure most scouting reports for Carson was that the 3 wasn't a strength. The few minutes in the 2 quarter really decided the outcome of the game.

Completely agree. LSU won the game in the 2nd with unworldly and unexpected three-point shooting. Once-in-a-season (career?) performances. Sports can do that.

 

[ucbart]

Completely agree. LSU won the game in the 2nd with unworldly and unexpected three-point shooting. Once-in-a-season (career?) performances. Sports can do that.

LSU beat Iowa the way I thought Iowa had to play to beat SC.

 

[cohenzone]

Morrow took 35.5% of DePaul’s shots. The players at ND going to be good with that? She’s not quite a black hole, but it’s close

View attachment 87287

The issue isn’t how many shots. It’s how she can fit into a far more structured offense that isn’t as dependent on her as DePaul was. I know many don’t agree, but I’ve never been impressed by Bruno as an Xs and Os coach. Morrow is not likely to find many other top coaches who run such a wide open offense. She is a talent. I would take her. No matter how much Ayana might or might nor improve, she is unlikely to ever come close to Morrow. Who knows if she would be interested in UConn or if Geno would go after someone who is probably the best player his pal Doug ever had. Obviously what affect she or any other transfer might have on team chemistry is unknown. Lou worked out pretty well Anyway, hopefully Ice is as good as some believe. Jana maybe more of an unknown. A lot of pressure on Aaliyah at least to start the year.

 

[hoophuskee]

sure wouldn't want her attempting 209 3s and only making 25.4% for ND. If she's willing to play in a team offense concept and operate primarily as an interior scorer, then I'd be all over her.

Here is the crux of the problem when you use the word "primarily." You're exactly right in one way that she is terrific inside and a huge benefit in the paint.

But when players commit, many are looking to grow. And some ofc have pro aspirations. As a result, I don’t think she is going to want to get stuck playing in the post. I view her game like UCONN's Edwards. Edwards took a big leap this year with an ability to hit outside shots (outside shots aren't just 3's).

if Morrow shows an ability to hit from the outside at a decent level and is okay with not taking a lot of shots on a consistent night-in-and-night-out basis for ND then she would be fine. But if she wants to be the primary #1 player then that won't work for ND. I'm sure she realizes that at 6'1 she is not going to be much of a force in pro women’s ball if she can't shoot well enough from the outside. And she doesn't have Gabby's handle. So, she has to be on a team that is willing to let her shoot from the outside -- and most importantly won't give up on her from taking "some" outside shots (if she goes through outside shooting slumps or initially is not hitting well) if her aspirations are to make pro ball other than being a situational bench player only. So, it comes down to how much is she willing to play "primarily" in the paint vs how well she can show she can hit from the outside.

For some teams with title aspirations there has to be a breaking point when they tell a player that is not shooting well from an area or take a certain higher volume shots to just "stop."

 

[Bone Dog]

Doggie, you’re not helping. I’m still on the fence on this one. I can’t argue against any of your very poignant and compelling points. So much so, I’m going to sit this one out. As I’ve said, I have not seen her enough to have an overwhelming opinion one way or the other.

In my debate classes in high school, we had to present arguments for both sides of a topic. I could do that here, but my heart wouldn’t be in it. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed, and hope for the best.

I know what you mean. It’s a vexed question for me too, and I lean toward not adding anyone, even Betts or Morrow. I think Jana and Ice will be enough next to Aaliyah Ayanna and Aubrey to allow Paige Azzi Nika and Caroline to power the team all the way to an NC. It’s easy to overlook just how potent our backcourt will be, and what this will mean for the growth of Jana and Ice. The paint will not often be packed.

 

[huskyd]

Geno is missing some fire power in the front court. He only has Edwards. Im not expecting much contribution from the freshmen posts next year since they barely contribute

Ice is one exception. She was expected to be a big piece under the basket this season, so maybe that's what she'll be next year. Amari looks the part; sometimes I feel more hopeful for her than other. But even with Brady, UConn is counting on a return to health and form for several key players. Wishful thinking to assume that everyone will come back as they were. It will also be interesting to see what next season's frosh bring. Lotsa questions; Betts could answer a big one.

 

[From France]

Individual skills she has for sure, but can she be a teamate ?

If she had it all, Geno would be after her, but he's al old time friend of Doug and he probably have reasons not to be on her back

 

[UcMiami]

I think we are all whistling in the wind because we have seen nothing from Jana and Ice and because we really know little about the chance the light comes on for Amari. The coaches obviously know a lot more about all three. The initial reports before injury were encouraging about Ice, but were limited, and her knee injury was serious. And we have no idea how serious - patellar injuries are much rarer than ACL/MCL injuries and so do not have as much research and practical experience with best practices and recovery. I feel much better about Jana with a semester in hand of practice at Uconn than if she were arriving in a month.

I could see a situation where both Ice and Jana in an ideal developmental universe would be playing 10-15 minutes a game while both Edwards and Deberry were getting 25 minutes, and Aubrey and Ayanna were getting a few minutes at the four but more minutes at the three. In that case, Uconn is all set.

But, the other option is that Jana really needs the development year that Amari did, and is getting minutes at the end of games, Ice is still in recovery mode and 15 minutes is too much for her, and Amari has still not cracked the code. Suddenly you are having a starting lineup with Edwards playing out of position as the 5 and Ayanna and/or Aubrey out of position filling the 4 role. At that point everyone will ask why we didn't go all out for Betts or Morrow or _______. Geno can make that lineup work, especially with all the guard/wing talent, but it isn't ideal.

 

[UcMiami]

As for Betts Stanford year ... she, and I think five other bigs outside of Brink, were splitting minutes for Tara, and the others were a mixture of seniors, juniors and one sophomore. None of those 5 averaged more than 13 minutes/game. Not sure what Tara's thinking was, but they were all fairly talented and more experienced than her freshman post. 10 meaningful (not mop up) minutes per game is not that unusual for a freshman on a large talented roster. And three of the five will be gone next year so there should be a developmental path with significantly more court time available next year.

So ... minutes per game is what everyone looks at as the cause of Betts transfer because it is staring you in the face, but I suspect it is something else - Stanford and California isn't everyone's cup of tea. Or personalities or personal issues intruded. Or ...

 

[BobbyJ]

I think we are all whistling in the wind because we have seen nothing from Jana and Ice and because we really know little about the chance the light comes on for Amari. The coaches obviously know a lot more about all three. The initial reports before injury were encouraging about Ice, but were limited, and her knee injury was serious. And we have no idea how serious - patellar injuries are much rarer than ACL/MCL injuries and so do not have as much research and practical experience with best practices and recovery. I feel much better about Jana with a semester in hand of practice at Uconn than if she were arriving in a month.

I could see a situation where both Ice and Jana in an ideal developmental universe would be playing 10-15 minutes a game while both Edwards and Deberry were getting 25 minutes, and Aubrey and Ayanna were getting a few minutes at the four but more minutes at the three. In that case, Uconn is all set.

But, the other option is that Jana really needs the development year that Amari did, and is getting minutes at the end of games, Ice is still in recovery mode and 15 minutes is too much for her, and Amari has still not cracked the code. Suddenly you are having a starting lineup with Edwards playing out of position as the 5 and Ayanna and/or Aubrey out of position filling the 4 role. At that point everyone will ask why we didn't go all out for Betts or Morrow or _______. Geno can make that lineup work, especially with all the guard/wing talent, but it isn't ideal.

Patella dislocations are pretty common among athletes. Brady had the recommended surgery and is probably approaching full speed about now.

https://sny.tv/articles/uconn-women-ice-brady-miss-season

3 Questions about Patellar Dislocations Answered | TriHealth

A patellofemoral, or patellar (kneecap) dislocation involves the patella leaving its groove in the femoral trochlea, where it tracks under normal conditions. This typically results from a sudden injury, often during a sport activity.

www.trihealth.com