Anna: the stats don't lie

[jazz]

I don't think she's played very well at all so far, I was hoping for better. Her shooting has been atrocious, she has the worst two bricks of the year. We'll need better from her when we play the varsity.

Atrocious?? That seems extreme. A brick is a brick, it does not matter how bad they are. They are just two missed shots. One was a rushed shot as the clock was running out. Anna will be fine.
[/QUOTE]
IMHO, you couldn't be further off. If she played atrocious, Geno would have cut her PT and/or sounded off in the post game. Actually she has been pretty darn good: averages 28 min, 8 pts on 45% shooting (would be over 50% without the two 3 pt heaves/rushed shots to beat the shot clock) and 33% from 3 pt. (again, she would be at 39% from 3 if not for 1 heave/rushed shots each in the first and second game to beat the shot clock), 5 RBs, 5 assists and a steal a game. I'd say she is doing just fine.

If not for the SH game where she only took 4 shots, she could easily be averaging double figures. I have not seen any bricks, although she had an air ball, but so did a CW.

AM gets miss-analysed on this board more than any player in recent memory. although to be fair, it seems most appreciate her game. At season's end, she will average roughly 10-12 pts a game, with 5 Rebs and 4 Assists and a steal plus a game. Could be higher if others assert themselves and she gets open looks from 3.

She feeds the ball to others particularly well and sees things develop before others do. Terrific player. Too bad she has slow feet on defense but I'll take her as my 4th -5th option any day. Just watch her drain threes for the rest of the year and continue to drop dimes on the opposition.

Key point: she doesn't need to shoot the ball 15 times a game to make a difference! But leave her alone and she will make you pay!

For me, she is the real 'glue' player. Does a lot but doesn't need a lot of shots (taking less than 7 per game!).

 

[huskeynut]

Fan expectations have a way of clouding objective judgement. No every player is an AA or a superstar. Basketball is a team game with each piece (player) carefully positioned to maximize their talents to help the team succeed - aka win!

Anna is an integral part of the fabric of this year's team. Her court awareness and passing are part of the glue that holds the fabric together. She will get her fair share of points.

Three games into a most unsettling season, with who knows what comes next, and someone barks and complains she threw up a couple of bricks and is not averaging 10 to 12 points per game as he expected.

 

[Sifaka]

Sometime in the second half last night...
I glanced at the statbroadcast box score. Anna was 0 for 3 on 3 pointers. 0%
Then she hit one from behind the arc. 20%
About 35 seconds later she hit another 3! 40% three point shooting!

Stats don't make basketball happen; basketball makes stats happen.

I'm glad Anna is on our team, very glad.

 

[Dokey]

Atrocious?? That seems extreme. A brick is a brick, it does not matter how bad they are. They are just two missed shots. One was a rushed shot as the clock was running out. Anna will be fine.

IMHO, you couldn't be further off. If she played atrocious, Geno would have cut her PT and/or sounded off in the post game. Actually she has been pretty darn good: averages 28 min, 8 pts on 45% shooting (would be over 50% without the two 3 pt heaves/rushed shots to beat the shot clock) and 33% from 3 pt. (again, she would be at 39% from 3 if not for 1 heave/rushed shots each in the first and second game to beat the shot clock), 5 RBs, 5 assists and a steal a game. I'd say she is doing just fine.

If not for the SH game where she only took 4 shots, she could easily be averaging double figures. I have not seen any bricks, although she had an air ball, but so did a CW.

AM gets miss-analysed on this board more than any player in recent memory. although to be fair, it seems most appreciate her game. At season's end, she will average roughly 10-12 pts a game, with 5 Rebs and 4 Assists and a steal plus a game. Could be higher if others assert themselves and she gets open looks from 3.

She feeds the ball to others particularly well and sees things develop before others do. Terrific player. Too bad she has slow feet on defense but I'll take her as my 4th -5th option any day. Just watch her drain threes for the rest of the year and continue to drop dimes on the opposition.

Key point: she doesn't need to shoot the ball 15 times a game to make a difference! But leave her alone and she will make you pay!

For me, she is the real 'glue' player. Does a lot but doesn't need a lot of shots (taking less than 7 per game!).
[/QUOTE]
I applaud the “glue” line. At the beginning of the season last year I picked Anna as the player I would concentrate watching. I saw her go from 0 for America while leading team in assists to a deadly three point shooter. I saw passes that took your breath away. I saw her make up for her so called slow feet with great court awareness. I saw the team play much better—that glue—when she was on the court. She continues to see players who can make the shot and she gets them the ball even when another, lesser player would force their own shot. I see a player who demands more of herself than even Geno does.

 

[Dokey]

Here’s the way to end this ridiculous conversation. The guy who won 11 NCs, who has won the third most games in WBB history, the guy whose teams routinely goes to the FF, that guy plays Anna 30 minutes a game.

 

[chrissaran]

I don't think she's played very well at all so far, I was hoping for better. Her shooting has been atrocious, she has the worst two bricks of the year. We'll need better from her when we play the varsity.

Atrocious? Did Anna's two consecutive 3s last night change your mind? I'll be looking for you on the court to show her how it's done.

 

[AmeriConn]

Anna is a very intense player. You can see it in her face and her demeanor. She wants to "do it right"... she wants to be productive... and it drives her nuts when she misses the mark on either offense or defense. Her passing and court vision remain very solid (as they were last year) and she is contributing to the success of the Team. Her 3pt shooting WILL come around...as it did last year. As Geno says, this season is like nothing he has ever experienced (due COVID) and it's the same for the players.

GO HUSKIES!!!

Excellent comments! Anna is a very good player and teammate. Watch for her to get even better.

 

[Waquoit]

Stats may not lie, however, some fans d ... well ... have issues.

I don't remember any insults like this from you to all the posters that were killing Mir on that other thread. They were far worse than anything I said here. I haven't given up on Anna it's way too early but I had high expectations for her.

 

[chrissaran]

Who was killing Mir after what, one or two games? Ridiculous. They need to have a lot more patience. Also, this isn't the usual season. Not practicing as a complete team. Using games to get used to each other. Patience. They'll be in the Final Four.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I think Anna is playing well on both ends of the floor. Of course I am slightly bias as she is one of my favorite players. But I think she is the perfect complement to the "Big 3-Paige, ONO, and CW". She plays within the style that the team plays. I mean nothing is more frustrating than watching a player jacking up shot after shot and not hitting or trying to pass to another teammate. Anna ain't like that, which I am glad. I know folks are like "Oh she needs to shoot more." True but think about what you are saying. Paige taking 10-15 attempts. CW is taking 10-20. ONO is going to get 10-20. Do you really think Anna, or any high IQ basketball player, is going to go out there and say well they are getting 10-20 shots, I might as well get mine? Nope. Anna understands and knows when she is going to take her shots within the flow of the offense. That is the mark of a solid team player.

Anna took 9 shots the other night against Creighton. I forgot the total but it was maybe 5 or 6 that she knocked down. Those quality shots were within the flow of the offense. Nothing forced. It was pretty efficient. Also her board work is solid. Her assist to turnover rate is off the charts. She is 3rd on the team in steals. She is doing well and playing well. I ain't mad at her. Then again, she is my favorite player so I will never be mad at her

I'm just waiting for a team to decide to leave her alone based on three games data, and see Anna light up the scoreboard, so the threads can go back to worrying about who is getting recruited in 2022, because this year's NC is a lock..... : )

 

[HopJim]

I don't think she's played very well at all so far, I was hoping for better. Her shooting has been atrocious, she has the worst two bricks of the year. We'll need better from her when we play the varsity.

Let me know what channel or streaming service you are looking at. Didn't know there was another different set of games UConn was playing.

 

[BBallF]

IMHO, you couldn't be further off. If she played atrocious, Geno would have cut her PT and/or sounded off in the post game. Actually she has been pretty darn good: averages 28 min, 8 pts on 45% shooting (would be over 50% without the two 3 pt heaves/rushed shots to beat the shot clock) and 33% from 3 pt. (again, she would be at 39% from 3 if not for 1 heave/rushed shots each in the first and second game to beat the shot clock), 5 RBs, 5 assists and a steal a game. I'd say she is doing just fine.

If not for the SH game where she only took 4 shots, she could easily be averaging double figures. I have not seen any bricks, although she had an air ball, but so did a CW.

AM gets miss-analysed on this board more than any player in recent memory. although to be fair, it seems most appreciate her game. At season's end, she will average roughly 10-12 pts a game, with 5 Rebs and 4 Assists and a steal plus a game. Could be higher if others assert themselves and she gets open looks from 3.

She feeds the ball to others particularly well and sees things develop before others do. Terrific player. Too bad she has slow feet on defense but I'll take her as my 4th -5th option any day. Just watch her drain threes for the rest of the year and continue to drop dimes on the opposition.

Key point: she doesn't need to shoot the ball 15 times a game to make a difference! But leave her alone and she will make you pay!

For me, she is the real 'glue' player. Does a lot but doesn't need a lot of shots (taking less than 7 per game!).

I applaud the “glue” line. At the beginning of the season last year I picked Anna as the player I would concentrate watching. I saw her go from 0 for America while leading team in assists to a deadly three point shooter. I saw passes that took your breath away. I saw her make up for her so called slow feet with great court awareness. I saw the team play much better—that glue—when she was on the court. She continues to see players who can make the shot and she gets them the ball even when another, lesser player would force their own shot. I see a player who demands more of herself than even Geno does.
[/QUOTE]
I think she is a great talent and a "glue player" but not "the real glue player". I think that is Evina who is the player I focus on every game just as you focus on Anna. We should probably trade one game. Evina, when she is not setting up a player with a direct assist is often the pass before the assist pass. She is also the one who does the talking in the mini team huddles on the court such as after a shooting foul. She starts the offense when she brings it up and directs the other players. The leading scorer for Creighton even after last night's game was Temi Carda, #4. She did not score off of Evina in the first half and finished with 7. I think she may have had 1 basket while Evina was on her. We can discuss all day long whose glue is stronger and you may be right but Evina is a leader and when she, like Anna, gets her offense into 2nd or 3rd gear the best comparison will be Villanova 2018 where everybody on the court is a shooter and scorer. You may also be seeing right now the early stages of one of the greatest passing teams in UCONN history. Let's all be patient and see what unfolds and let these players find their own rhythms. This is in many respects a brand new team with the pieces just starting to fall into place in a crazy year with both the players and coaches trying to figure out which piece goes where and when.

 

[CocoHusky]

That's why I avoid the chat rooms. Too many silly/misinformed comments.

You are not going to avoid silly and misinformed by just avoiding the chat room. You'd have to skip most threads on the BY-this thread especially.

 

[Dokey]

I applaud the “glue” line. At the beginning of the season last year I picked Anna as the player I would concentrate watching. I saw her go from 0 for America while leading team in assists to a deadly three point shooter. I saw passes that took your breath away. I saw her make up for her so called slow feet with great court awareness. I saw the team play much better—that glue—when she was on the court. She continues to see players who can make the shot and she gets them the ball even when another, lesser player would force their own shot. I see a player who demands more of herself than even Geno does.

I think she is a great talent and a "glue player" but not "the real glue player". I think that is Evina who is the player I focus on every game just as you focus on Anna. We should probably trade one game. Evina, when she is not setting up a player with a direct assist is often the pass before the assist pass. She is also the one who does the talking in the mini team huddles on the court such as after a shooting foul. She starts the offense when she brings it up and directs the other players. The leading scorer for Creighton even after last night's game was Temi Carda, #4. She did not score off of Evina in the first half and finished with 7. I think she may have had 1 basket while Evina was on her. We can discuss all day long whose glue is stronger and you may be right but Evina is a leader and when she, like Anna, gets her offense into 2nd or 3rd gear the best comparison will be Villanova 2018 where everybody on the court is a shooter and scorer. You may also be seeing right now the early stages of one of the greatest passing teams in UCONN history. Let's all be patient and see what unfolds and let these players find their own rhythms. This is in many respects a brand new team with the pieces just starting to fall into place in a crazy year with both the players and coaches trying to figure out which piece goes where and when.
[/QUOTE]
I agree this will be an outstanding passing team. Anna (15), Paige (15), and Evina (13) have 43 assists in three games. Evina is still a bit under the radar for me. I often forget she’s in the game but you are the one watching her and I take your word. Her shooting seems a bit off but I suspect that’s just rust. It looks like Anna and Evina are mostly looking to feed Ono, CW, and Paige rather than taking the shot themselves. Evina is used to scoring so she might break out sooner, Anna, like last year, thinks pass every time unless she’s wide open or shot clock is heading to zero.

 

[hart2hart]

I love Anna’s game. Please remember this is game 3......and quite frankly she is a true asset to the team. Basketball = Team sport. Please be positive as negativity doesn’t do anyone any good! Just love Anna Mak!! And.....Didn’t you think her most recent game was very good? I did!

 

[Monte]

"Stats don't lie."
Neither do hips or so I've heard.

Stats can be "misleading." If you looked at a box score and saw that a player shot 5 for 8 from the floor you would think that is great(62%).....BUT, not so great if the 8 shots were all layups.

 

[jazz]

I applaud the “glue” line. At the beginning of the season last year I picked Anna as the player I would concentrate watching. I saw her go from 0 for America while leading team in assists to a deadly three point shooter. I saw passes that took your breath away. I saw her make up for her so called slow feet with great court awareness. I saw the team play much better—that glue—when she was on the court. She continues to see players who can make the shot and she gets them the ball even when another, lesser player would force their own shot. I see a player who demands more of herself than even Geno does.

I think she is a great talent and a "glue player" but not "the real glue player". I think that is Evina who is the player I focus on every game just as you focus on Anna. We should probably trade one game. Evina, when she is not setting up a player with a direct assist is often the pass before the assist pass. She is also the one who does the talking in the mini team huddles on the court such as after a shooting foul. She starts the offense when she brings it up and directs the other players. The leading scorer for Creighton even after last night's game was Temi Carda, #4. She did not score off of Evina in the first half and finished with 7. I think she may have had 1 basket while Evina was on her. We can discuss all day long whose glue is stronger and you may be right but Evina is a leader and when she, like Anna, gets her offense into 2nd or 3rd gear the best comparison will be Villanova 2018 where everybody on the court is a shooter and scorer. You may also be seeing right now the early stages of one of the greatest passing teams in UCONN history. Let's all be patient and see what unfolds and let these players find their own rhythms. This is in many respects a brand new team with the pieces just starting to fall into place in a crazy year with both the players and coaches trying to figure out which piece goes where and when.
[/QUOTE]
It's not a bad thing to have two glue players. Neither need a lot of shots to make a difference in the game. I also love how intense Anna is. I hope that EW can be consistent from 3 bc at the moment, they have Anna and this is basically it from 3. Need to stretch the floor so Liv has room down low and we can hit some back cuts. It would be nice is CW could hit the 3 with consistency too. She has a great stroke, just doesn't fall as often as you hope.

Both Anna and EW are good at keeping their head up when bringing the ball up the court. They find streaking teammates with pinpoint passing and they anticipate passing lanes as well. Either can score in single digits but be responsible for another 10-15 points a game.

I love this team and agree totalling with the passing. Teams are lucky if they have one great passer. We have at least 3. NM could make 4.

 

[RedStickHusky]

I made a comment about her handle in game chat when she dribbled the ball off her foot but I'm not a hater. I like her game, especially her vision when she's looking up court. Geno's post-game comments about her making a shot before the game was over were kind of funny but I think her shooting will come around. She's off to a better start shooting this year then she was through three games last year. I think that if we get twenty points combined from Anna and Evina every night, we'll be on track.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Here’s the way to end this ridiculous conversation. The guy who won 11 NCs, who has won the third most games in WBB history, the guy whose teams routinely goes to the FF, that guy plays Anna 30 minutes a game.

'Cause nobody on the Boneyard second guesses that guy.

 

[jazz]

Here’s the way to end this ridiculous conversation. The guy who won 11 NCs, who has won the third most games in WBB history, the guy whose teams routinely goes to the FF, that guy plays Anna 30 minutes a game.

I think the big guy thinks she's pretty good. He also knows he needs her 3 pt shooting and passing skills.

 

[RedStickHusky]

That's why I avoid the chat rooms. Too many silly/misinformed comments.

I think that if they called it the "reasonable and intelligent discussion room", I'd probably stay away.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Stats can be "misleading." If you looked at a box score and saw that a player shot 5 for 8 from the floor you would think that is great(62%).....BUT, not so great if the 8 shots were all layups.

Shoot 62% for a season and no one will remember or care about the bunnies you missed. Unless one would've been a game winner...

 

[veryolddog]

Who the hell are you people to render critical judgements on any player on the UConn Team. The only one to do so is Geno and his staff. We constantly here this all the time. Why don't we ALL sit back and relax and, frankly, enjoy this abreviated season, as it is and watch these talented people play basketball. And, be thankful that we actually have this pleasure because it could have been completely turned off and we have nothing. Go be a coach somewhere if you don't like a person or what is going on.

 

[soxfan23]

Who the hell are you people to render critical judgements on any player on the UConn Team. The only one to do so is Geno and his staff. We constantly here this all the time. Why don't we ALL sit back and relax and, frankly, enjoy this abreviated season, as it is and watch these talented people play basketball. And, be thankful that we actually have this pleasure because it could have been completely turned off and we have nothing. Go be a coach somewhere if you don't like a person or what is going on.

God forbid people discuss and critique UConn women's basketball on a UConn women's basketball forum, the nerve of some people!

 

[cbraarj]

Ania is their best outside shooter and she should be taking 10 to 15 shots a game. That's what your best shooters do. They need to get into a rhythm. You can't when you only take 4 shots in a game. She also helps out in every aspect of the game with a high BB IQ. As far as her quickness goes. Her favorite player wasn't known for her quickness either but is the GOAT!