Anna Anyone?

[jazz]

Welcome aboard Jazz, looking forward to seeing what you have to say!

Thanks Huskee11. I tend to be too wordy so you might regret saying that!

 

[Rb335]

Not a chance, 10pts 3ast, 4 rebs tops, she is going to lose PT this year.

Last year she averaged 7.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 3.2 apg. If what you say is correct, she will essentially have made zero improvement from freshman to sophomore year. If that is the case, I fear uconn won't be as good as predicted.

Who will she be losing playing time to? Last year we played 32 games, so 6400 total minutes. We graduated 3031 of those minutes, or 47%. These minutes were shared by 6 players...so there are plenty of free minutes to allocate to the freshman and Evina before eating into our four returning players' minutes. I'd expect Williams to be the one to lose PT, since she played 35.7 mpg last season.

 

[soxfan23]

Last year she averaged 7.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 3.2 apg. If what you say is correct, she will essentially have made zero improvement from freshman to sophomore year. If that is the case, I fear uconn won't be as good as predicted.

Who will she be losing playing time to? Last year we played 32 games, so 6400 total minutes. We graduated 3031 of those minutes, or 47%. These minutes were shared by 6 players...so there are plenty of free minutes to allocate to the freshman and Evina before eating into our four returning players' minutes. I'd expect Williams to be the one to lose PT, since she played 35.7 mpg last season.

Yes, her overall stats will be very similar to last year. UConn had a 6 man rotation last year, this year Coach Auriemma will have to find time for 8, possibly 9 players. Sure they lost Walker and Dangerfield, but they also added Westbrook, Bueckers, Edwards, Muhl, and possibly McClean to the rotation. Don't get me wrong, against stiff competition Geno will play a smaller rotation and I expect Makurat to be a big part of that rotation, but EVERYBODY'S minutes are going to go down. I do think she will go from a really good player to a really really good player this year, and I think her efficiency rating(production/minutes played) is where we see the biggest leap.

 

[MooseJaw]

I wish everyone would take a deep breath and relax. I hope that no one wants Ana to have a disappointing or bad season. It's in all of our and her best interest for her to have an outstanding year and be a team leader. Last year to me it was apparent that MW was a shoot first player while AM was a pass first player their style was completely different. While the loss of MW is a big loss her leaving gives others more opportunity to grow, lets step back and watch the results. Remember we are all here for the same reasons.
In parting I can say with certainty that I have learned so much from these threads and welcome a robust discussion. Let the dogs out they need to run, like you I can hardly wait. A little like Christmas eve when I was a young kid the waiting and anticipation was overwhelming.

 

[Jingo]

This should be a fun year to watch since many players on the team have the potential to score 25+ in a game. While I expect Anna to have several games where she is the leading scorer, with so much talent and Geno's tendency to rotate players, doubt anyone on team will average over 18. This is a good thing if you want to win it all.

I agree 100%

 

[Cuango]

When did our standards sink so low? Right where she left off? Anna last three games of the season last year were against AAC opponents USF, Temple and Cincinnati.

Game	Minutes	FGM/FGA	3PTFGM/A	Assist	Points
Temple	37​	4/8​	3/5​	8​	14​
USF	31​	1/4​	1/2​	4​	3​
Cincinnati	36​	3/7​	1/2​	8​	8​
Averages	34.6 ​	42% ​	55% ​	6.7 ​	8.3 ​

Is this the type of productivity we are looking forward to and excited about?

This is a little unfair. Anna will almost certainly see more opportunities this year based on her being more experienced and also because this team has much better passers as well as having more scoring options. If she shoots 40% or better from three, you can bet she will raise her average considerably. She is also, by all accounts, in much better shape. I will be very surprised if she does not average 10+ points a game this season and I believe the rest of her game will show improvement as well.

 

[BBallF]

I don't agree with this. What's killed UCONN the last few years is that their bigs decommitted late and/.or left earlier than anticipated or were hurt (along with we didn't have elite guard play). You can't just force an inside game if you don't have the necessary players you aren't going to get to the foul line enough or create foul troubles vs the elite teams like "Baylor."

And anyone else UCONN has beaten which is why we are still so damn successful is because UCONN had an alternative - that was extremely hard to beat- which was a terrific perimeter game that only the elite teams could beat.

What has also killed UConn these few years is that their guards weren't good enough. Where we would rank Walker (she played like a guard in terms of shooting) in terms of 1st team A/A's? IMO she would be last. She was UCONN's bets player and she was required to carry her team.

**For what Walker did- that was terrific. She kept UCONN relevant. As for AMak- if she is shooting 40% - 45% from 3-- and CWill isn't hitting -- she is going to take plenty of shots. You shoot that well- you take plenty of shots - and your team is top 4 - you are going to be in consideration for an A/A.

To pound inside without players being good enough will get UCONN nowhere. IMO UCON will do what they always do- and that is play to their strengths very, very well. This team though has the potential of guards who can not only penetrate but finish in the lane. It's different than the last many years. Can't wait to see.

I agree with this post but would simply add that was is being discussed is only half of the equation. The transformation last year was due to defense, and in particular pressing, deny the ball defense, The offense has 3 solid upper classmen offensive players in EW, CW and Liv. The ball will go under to Liv and even to Aubrey and AE at times but that will not be the offense, not with players like CW, EW, Paige ,Anna and Nika who can create their own shots and shots for others.
This team is going to press and run. We have really 10 players who can do it, excepting Piath for the moment until we see, so how better a way to get everyone playing time. Mir is an excellent defender and floor player by the way and AE was a terror on the defensive end in high school. I see a lot of the offense coming off the defense and those " Holy S---" runs where we are up by 6 and now suddenly it is 20. Give them a few games and wait for Paige, EW and Nika to know their teammates better in game situations; where they like the ball, when they usually go back door, when they should get the ball on a clear out etc.
It may not happen overnight once the season starts but believe me, it's gonna happen eventually, and in spades.

 

[Cuango]

"Too slow" is an opinion given by one BYer. This kid, Anna, is maybe the 'key' that makes a terrific team a great team. Yes, she is a personal favorite of mine. It doesn't mean I don't care for all the other....please! Yes, she is not the fastest, but makes up for it with her intelligence, instincts, and overall skills on the court.
If I understand Geno, just a little bit, he knows what he has in Anna, I bet things will change and kids like Paige, etc, will find her. Yes, she was denied the ball by MW, but also at times by others. Does every player have to be called out? Geno will make sure that Anna sees the ball...important to get her going early! Anna was just a freshman last year and as so may others have pointed out, she came from across the sea into a new environment. Now that she is acclimated at UConn, we should see an improved version....let her bloom into her top tier level.

There was another player everyone said was too slow. His name was Larry Legend and he is in the Hall of Fame! I don’t think Anna is Larry Bird but I think she is going to be a very solid player this year and possibly AA in the future.

 

[Cuango]

So Megan didn't have any "extra baggage" she was carrying that would have been similar what Anna was carrying culturally? Of course you want the performance to be similar because you are mad at Megan for leaving early. The performance was not similar- NOT EVEN CLOSE! see @soxfan23 post on the subject.

While I would agree that Megan obviously performed at a higher level I have to shake my head at calling someone a hater because they don’t respect a player’s game. What a world we live in!

 

[mbr33ct]

Thanks Huskee11. I tend to be too wordy so you might regret saying that!

Yeah, I thought this reply was too wordy.

 

[CocoHusky]

There was another player everyone said was too slow. His name was Larry Legend and he is in the Hall of Fame! I don’t think Anna is Larry Bird but I think she is going to be a very solid player this year and possibly AA in the future.

Agreed, she was a solid player last year and will be more solid this season. As much as I would love to see it I just can't envision her as a future AA-which is ABSOLUTELY OK because she will not need to be.

 

[Cuango]

Too harsh.

I agree but I do think Megan was a one of the weaker number 1s that we have had. She was still a good player but just not a great one. She just couldn’t seem to bring it against really good teams and tended to be a bit of a black hole on occasion. Imo of course!

 

[Alydar]

There was another player everyone said was too slow. His name was Larry Legend and he is in the Hall of Fame! I don’t think Anna is Larry Bird but I think she is going to be a very solid player this year and possibly AA in the future.

I remember some "expert" declaring at the time Bird was drafted that it was impossible for a forward to dominate play. May have been the same guy who said during the draft that Lawrence Taylor couldn't be a dominant player at an outside linebacker position.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Not a chance, 10pts 3ast, 4 rebs tops, she is going to lose PT this year.

I think a more relavent stat for comparison would be "per 40 minutes" as that is where experimentation is necessary to see if more minutes is "ratioable" when that stat says to play someone more....

 

[soxfan23]

I think a more relavent stat for comparison would be "per 40 minutes" as that is where experimentation is necessary to see if more minutes is "ratioable" when that stat says to play someone more....

I agree, I made mention of this in another thread and I think Makurat will improve her per 40 production this year.

 

[cbraarj]

Nonsense

Fact!

 

[da60]

This kid will look back at her accomplishments in a few years....and say, 'did I really do it'....It isn't a fact yet, but I've watched Anna closely last year.....SHE WILL SURPRISE MANY OF YOU....BUT WE OTHERS SEE A HECK OF A FUTURE IN MS. MAKARAT.
Go Anna

 

[soxfan23]

Fact!

Walker put up virtually identical stats to what Stewart put up in her best year and you don't think she deserved to be an AA? Stop embarrassing yourself!

 

[donalddoowop]

Walker put up virtually identical stats to what Stewart put up in her best year and you don't think she deserved to be an AA? Stop embarrassing yourself!

There you go with stats again. Stewart made players around her better. Walker did not.

 

[soxfan23]

There you go with stats again. Stewart made players around her better. Walker did not.

Yes, there I go with stats again because they are indisputable facts! They don't allow people's inherent biases towards certain players to become a factor. There is a reason why stats have been used in sports since the beginning of time as the best metric when comparing players.

 

[Jingo]

I agree with this post but would simply add that was is being discussed is only half of the equation. The transformation last year was due to defense, and in particular pressing, deny the ball defense, The offense has 3 solid upper classmen offensive players in EW, CW and Liv. The ball will go under to Liv and even to Aubrey and AE at times but that will not be the offense, not with players like CW, EW, Paige ,Anna and Nika who can create their own shots and shots for others.
This team is going to press and run. We have really 10 players who can do it, excepting Piath for the moment until we see, so how better a way to get everyone playing time. Mir is an excellent defender and floor player by the way and AE was a terror on the defensive end in high school. I see a lot of the offense coming off the defense and those " Holy S---" runs where we are up by 6 and now suddenly it is 20. Give them a few games and wait for Paige, EW and Nika to know their teammates better in game situations; where they like the ball, when they usually go back door, when they should get the ball on a clear out etc.
It may not happen overnight once the season starts but believe me, it's gonna happen eventually, and in spades.

I don't agree with the post you agree with, but I agree with your half, i.e. we have the personnel to press, trap & run, eh?
As I have stated in several prior posts, I foresee Mir, Aubrey and Nika on the top of the press .. with several capable others in the back row .. and with Liv [mostly] and AE protecting the rim. I don't think I have EVER seen a team with this much defensive talent .. and that includes rebounding, n'est-ce pas?

 

[Jingo]

There you go with stats again. Stewart made players around her better. Walker did not.

There you go fellow doowopper, you hit the nail on the head, you speak the truth!

 

[cbraarj]

There you go with stats again. Stewart made players around her better. Walker did not.

Stewie also won a NC or 4!

 

[hoophuskee]

I agree with this post but would simply add that was is being discussed is only half of the equation. The transformation last year was due to defense, and in particular pressing, deny the ball defense, The offense has 3 solid upper classmen offensive players in EW, CW and Liv. The ball will go under to Liv and even to Aubrey and AE at times but that will not be the offense, not with players like CW, EW, Paige ,Anna and Nika who can create their own shots and shots for others.
This team is going to press and run. We have really 10 players who can do it, excepting Piath for the moment until we see, so how better a way to get everyone playing time. Mir is an excellent defender and floor player by the way and AE was a terror on the defensive end in high school. I see a lot of the offense coming off the defense and those " Holy S---" runs where we are up by 6 and now suddenly it is 20. Give them a few games and wait for Paige, EW and Nika to know their teammates better in game situations; where they like the ball, when they usually go back door, when they should get the ball on a clear out etc.
It may not happen overnight once the season starts but believe me, it's gonna happen eventually, and in spades.

IMO last year's team improved when their defense improved from "bad" to "pretty good. "This meant average teams or just "pretty good" teams could no longer beat them. The Memphis game early in season was an example how bad their D was - thus they were highly susceptible to get "picked off" by average or slightly better teams early. What happened imo was that their defense raised their floor.

But no way could they have pressed hard fullcourt with 6 players vs the elite teams. They were going to have to win with strong offense and defense being just "decent enough" vs the elite teams. They were a combo of too thin in the post- not that great in the post on defense- and too inconsistent on the perimeter defense -to shutdown an elite team.

As far as this year- imo everything is on the table due to virus and now they have had 2 weeks off. Players aren't in game shape to run 30 minutes per. I felt previously that they would go with 7 or 8 in big games-- but this year is ofc an anomaly - and the fact they miss two weeks plus whatever and play less games - nothing would surprise me. Maybe 10 - maybe -- whatever. Just will be fun to see. I'm so pumped to see them play -- and I just don't know what to expect!!!! EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE!!!! Even imo the possibility of AMak being an A/A!!!!

That's why on this thread I think realistically no one can predict what AMak is going to do - good or bad. Too many variables. But -- no way no how no way she averages "25" ppg. And maybe we do go 10. I prefer superstars with less bench in huge games but okay for ANYTHING.

 

[hoophuskee]

Walker put up virtually identical stats to what Stewart put up in her best year and you don't think she deserved to be an AA? Stop embarrassing yourself!

I agree Walker was very good last year - but you aren't using stats to say they were "near" each other, right? Because you can delve into stats that show vs "top 5 teams" that combined Stewart performed much better than Walker, right?

Those stats would show a picture too.

I think Walker "saved" UCONN last year. You had to be "elite" to beat UCONN. None of this garbage of letting an inferior "average" or just "pretty good" team beat UCONN. That never happened with last year's Walker-led team. But in terms of 1st team A/A I would put her last on the list comparing vs all other UCONN 1st teamers. And I would add some 2nd teamers like AJones ahead of her. AJones was also a beast in her sr year.