Annesah Morrow a Model for Alliyah?

[PvP]

Unfortunately, Alliyah has not grown from her promising Freshman season. She looks lost a lot of the time. Geno only played her for 8 minutes in the first half against DePaul and then benched her for the entire second half when the game was on the line. At the same time, Depaul's Freshman Forward used her strong body and remarkable aggression to dominate the Huskies as she has dominated the rest of the Conference all season long. In thinking about who on UCONN could emulate Morrow, the answer is clear. The only UCONN player with the physical size and innate natural aggression is Aalliyah Edwards. I would hope that the coaches would agree and would have her study Morrow film and to have her use Morrow as a model on which to recast her play. This would mean a complete make-over but as Edwards is at a personal nadir anyway, I can't see that there is much risk, while the upside for someone with Aalliyah's formidable body which is larger than Morrow's and natural aggression could become a season altering asset for the Huskies and a major upgrade for a struggling UCONN player with great potential if it can be focused and achieved.

 

[hoopsdiva]

I was thinking last night that Morrow looked more like freshman year Aaliyah than sophomore Aaliyah does.

I don't know what's up with Aaliyah this year. Whatever the problem is, I hope she can get past it. We still need her.

 

[slepers]

I thought I heard if that happened she would foul out in the first quarter of every game. Side note Morrow has fouled out of 2 games so far.

 

[Carnac]

I'll be the first one to "bite" on your query. After watching UConn for 16 games (half the season), I believe that's enough games to "fairly" evaluate Aaliyah's progress this year. The boneyard consensus (judging from the comments I've read) suggest that Edwards to date has failed to perform up to the team's over all expectations. It's not necessary to go into the details. As you mentioned, she was benched last night due to an underwhelming performance. Instead of a sophomore leap, Edwards has taken a sophomore swoon. I'm sure she knows it, as no doubt the coaches have discussed this dynamic with her on several occasions.

If she or her coaches sought another player for her to watch, study and emulate, Annesah Morrow would be a great study. She's made a big splash in the world of WCBB lately. We got to see her up close last night. At 6'1" she lived up to all of the advanced billing. She dominated the taller 6'5" senior ONO (6 points/6 rebounds), eventually fouling her out in the closing minutes of the game that was still in doubt.

Morrow was #1 ESPN's recent ranking of freshmen in women's basketball, had 30 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, she is only the fourth player in the last 20 seasons to get at least 30 points and 10 rebounds against UConn. The other three were all WNBA No. 1 picks: Tennessee's Candace Parker did it in 2007, Louisville's Angel McCoughtry in 2008 and Notre Dame's Jackie Young in 2018.

Morrow now has three consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. No player had done that since Middle Tennessee's Alysha Clark, in 2010; Clark is now with the Washington Mystics. It was also Morrow's 15th double-double this season, tying her with Missouri junior Aijha Blackwell for the most in Division I. Morrow's 13 consecutive double-doubles is the longest active streak in Division I. Many players don't have 15 double doubles in a career. Morrow had a double double last night at half time.

Edwards is listed at 6'3". She is also a solidly built player. Edwards should be able to do the same things this freshman is doing. To answer your query, yes. Morrow (IMHO) would be a player that Edwards could look at and perhaps gain some tips and inspiration from. She'd have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If Edwards stays on her current trajectory, she'll be spending a lot of time on the bench. We need Edwards to recapture her form and toughness from last year. She remains a very valuable and treasured team member.

 

[browns]

I was thinking last night that Morrow looked more like freshman year Aaliyah than sophomore Aaliyah does.

I don't know what's up with Aaliyah this year. Whatever the problem is, I hope she can get past it. We still need her.

Someone posted her problem is a lack of fundamentals that she couldn't work on in the summer because she was with the Canadian team and not playing much..I guess you could say that may be a small part of it but i think it goes much deeper..She is not the same player..crashing the boards for rebounds..out hustling other players..spin moves in the paint..going up strong undeneath..wev'e seen very little of that this year..all things we thought she would just get even better at this year..that hasn't happened and she hasn't just declined a little but has gotten to be such a liability that in a game where liv is in foul trouble and you need a big body to go against Morrow Geno couldn't even put her in the2nd half.
She hasn't looked the same since her terrible playing against Arizona in the final four..people remember Liv because she was even worse but AE was not good.Maybe it stuck in her head and she just can't get over it..her lack of fundamentals were there last year but she made a positive impact ..not so this year
Another thing that comes to mind was everyone saying how great she was going to be this year and all of a sudden Dorka enters the transfer portal..AE knows she doen't have the skills Dorka has and that her PT will probably be diminished..did this effect her mindset
It really is mindboggling but if she could ever get back to the way she was last year I think Uconn makes the final four but I just don't see that happening

 

[EricSD]

Question - has anyone asked Geno what is going on? Not BY'ers of course, but members of the horde? It would seem that as much as they ask questions about great games, players improvements, performances in specific games, injuries, etc., they also should ask about players not playing well (or in this case regressing).

I have not seen anything in print, or seen it mentioned here, but I don't think it's unfair for the horde to ask "What is going on with Aaliyah?" (and also ask about Evina).

 

[TCC Kid]

Unfortunately, Alliyah has not grown from her promising Freshman season. She looks lost a lot of the time. Geno only played her for 8 minutes in the first half against DePaul and then benched her for the entire second half when the game was on the line. At the same time, Depaul's Freshman Forward used her strong body and remarkable aggression to dominate the Huskies as she has dominated the rest of the Conference all season long. In thinking about who on UCONN could emulate Morrow, the answer is clear. The only UCONN player with the physical size and innate natural aggression is Aalliyah Edwards. I would hope that the coaches would agree and would have her study Morrow film and to have her use Morrow as a model on which to recast her play. This would mean a complete make-over but as Edwards is at a personal nadir anyway, I can't see that there is much risk, while the upside for someone with Aalliyah's formidable body which is larger than Morrow's and natural aggression could become a season altering asset for the Huskies and a major upgrade for a struggling UCONN player with great potential if it can be focused and achieved.

I like your thinking. I do feel that in the same positions playing under the basket for what ever reason Morrow got away with much more than Edwards would in doing the same things. Her aggression, hand, arm, elbow use would have had Edwards sitting with fouls. I admit the kid has exceptional shooting skills within 8 ft of the basket she is deadly. She rebounds well because she is so much more aggressive than any Uconn player (Geno allowed her close is baskets because he couldn't accept Uconn fouls)
If Edwards could make 20 point or even 15 pg] Uconn would be ranked in the 2 or 3 category. Morrow to Depaul is what Paige is to Uconn. Now that Fudd and Caroline are "healthy" Paige, while needed, is needed less.

 

[CL82]

I thought I heard if that happened she would foul out in the first quarter of every game. Side note Morrow has fouled out of 2 games so far.

She should have fouled out of last nights game. She grabs and holds excessively. She push the entire game. And her on the ball defense is inevitably fouling. But for some extraordinarily lenient reffing, she would have been out.

 

[CocoHusky]

Question - has anyone asked Geno what is going on? Not BY'ers of course, but members of the horde? It would seem that as much as they ask questions about great games, players improvements, performances in specific games, injuries, etc., they also should ask about players not playing well (or in this case regressing).
I have not seen anything in print, or seen it mentioned here, but I don't think it's unfair for the horde to ask "What is going on with Aaliyah?" (and also ask about Evina).

The last press question regarding Aaliyah was back in December after the Seton Hall game. I'm pretty sure Geno answer would be the same now as it was then. Aaliyah is just not working hard enough.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I still believe in Edwards. I'm not even remotely close to giving up on her. I sense she is trying too hard not to make mistakes. She'll figure it out.

 

[Conndog]

One can hope she can become that aggressive. DePaul’s outside shooters are enough of a threat so that the middle is clear for Morrow to operate. UConn has shooters now and could do the same. But when Aaliyah is the only center, Geno is stuck in his high-post mindset, which not only eliminates this opportunity for her to try to carve out space down low, but it is where she is least effective with her shooting range, passing and rebounding.
I would love for Aaliyah to work on using her body mass more effectively down low & to practice with footwork and aggressiveness.
UConn plays best with having Ono and Aaliyah, or Ono and Juhacz, paired together. If playing just a single big, it shouldn’t be just Aaliyah.
And two more things. Make uncontested layups! And secondly, don’t stop dribbling just after crossing mid-court (you know who you are), and when inbounding if no one gets free, call time-out.

 

[Charliebball]

Edwards is listed at 6'3". She is also a solidly built player. Edwards should be able to do the same things this freshman is doing. To answer your query, yes. Morrow (IMHO) would be a player that Edwards could look at and perhaps gain some tips and inspiration from. She'd have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If Edwards stays on her current trajectory, she'll be spending a lot of time on the bench. We need Edwards to recapture her form and toughness from last year. She remains a very valuable and treasured team member.

Succeeding on the court consistently takes a lot more than just physical ability..........Morrow appears to be a focused, maniacal workhorse who goes 110% whether driving to the basket or chasing down rebounds..........that's just a mindset that some are born with and it's really difficult to manufacture if you don't have it.......not saying Edwards is a slacker by any means, in fact there are times when she's trying too hard and that led to numerous missed opportunities.........I'd say she needs to continue to work her butt off and just let the game come to her.....

 

[Vowelguy]

The last press question regarding Aaliyah was back in December after the Seton Hall game. I'm pretty sure Geno answer would be the same now as it was then. Aaliyah is just not working hard enough.

[

The missed layups are not really lack of effort.
Unless , and Geno might say this, a lack of effort —> less confidence —> mental mistakes.

I would also note that the coaches ramp up their expectations of players as they go. CW had that problem her soph year, thiugh that was also because she found that being the 1st or 2nd option was a lot harder than being the 4th or 5th,

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Succeeding on the court consistently takes a lot more than just physical ability..........Morrow appears to be a focused, maniacal workhorse who goes 110% whether driving to the basket or chasing down rebounds..........that's just a mindset that some are born with and it's really difficult to manufacture if you don't have it.......not saying Edwards is a slacker by any means, in fact there are times when she's trying too hard and that led to numerous missed opportunities.........I'd say she needs to continue to work her butt off and just let the game come to her.....

I think the refs are kind to Morrow...not to say she isn't a beast. But, I can see where that same physicality would have Aaliyah fouled out in the first half. The second half if the refs are from the SEC. lol

 

[CocoHusky]

Succeeding on the court consistently takes a lot more than just physical ability..........Morrow appears to be a focused, maniacal workhorse who goes 110% whether driving to the basket or chasing down rebounds..........that's just a mindset that some are born with and it's really difficult to manufacture if you don't have it.......not saying Edwards is a slacker by any means, in fact there are times when she's trying too hard and that led to numerous missed opportunities.........I'd say she needs to continue to work her butt off and just let the game come to her.....

Absolutely!

I think the refs are kind to Morrow...not to say she isn't a beast. But, I can see where that same physicality would have Aaliyah fouled out in the first half. The second half if the refs are from the SEC. lol

I honestly don't get this BY bashing of Morrow and calling her a dirty player and getting help from the refs as if she needs it. If any UCONN player displayed half her aggression they would be applauded. This kid plays hard and had me sold on the second UCONN possession of the game where she got a piece of the ball on 3 consecutive UCONN attempted passes.

 

[CTisballers]

Unfortunately, Alliyah has not grown from her promising Freshman season. She looks lost a lot of the time. Geno only played her for 8 minutes in the first half against DePaul and then benched her for the entire second half when the game was on the line. At the same time, Depaul's Freshman Forward used her strong body and remarkable aggression to dominate the Huskies as she has dominated the rest of the Conference all season long. In thinking about who on UCONN could emulate Morrow, the answer is clear. The only UCONN player with the physical size and innate natural aggression is Aalliyah Edwards. I would hope that the coaches would agree and would have her study Morrow film and to have her use Morrow as a model on which to recast her play. This would mean a complete make-over but as Edwards is at a personal nadir anyway, I can't see that there is much risk, while the upside for someone with Aalliyah's formidable body which is larger than Morrow's and natural aggression could become a season altering asset for the Huskies and a major upgrade for a struggling UCONN player with great potential if it can be focused and achieved.

She really used and abused Liv I’m disappointed in her defense tonight. Senior against a undersized freshman and couldn’t do anything with marrow. AE struggling and not playing basically cus of CD phenomenal performance and Azzi being back. Dorka was playing pretty good. It was just a bad match up for AE

 

[cohenzone]

I'll be the first one to "bite" on your query. After watching UConn for 16 games (half the season), I believe that's enough games to "fairly" evaluate Aaliyah's progress this year. The boneyard consensus (judging from the comments I've read) suggest that Edwards to date has failed to perform up to the team's over all expectations. It's not necessary to go into the details. As you mentioned, she was benched last night due to an underwhelming performance. Instead of a sophomore leap, Edwards has taken a sophomore swoon. I'm sure she knows it, as no doubt the coaches have discussed this dynamic with her on several occasions.

If she or her coaches sought another player for her to watch, study and emulate, Annesah Morrow would be a great study. She's made a big splash in the world of WCBB lately. We got to see her up close last night. At 6'1" she lived up to all of the advanced billing. She dominated the taller 6'5" senior ONO (6 points/6 rebounds), eventually fouling her out in the closing minutes of the game that was still in doubt.

Morrow was #1 ESPN's recent ranking of freshmen in women's basketball, had 30 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, she is only the fourth player in the last 20 seasons to get at least 30 points and 10 rebounds against UConn. The other three were all WNBA No. 1 picks: Tennessee's Candace Parker did it in 2007, Louisville's Angel McCoughtry in 2008 and Notre Dame's Jackie Young in 2018.

Morrow now has three consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. No player had done that since Middle Tennessee's Alysha Clark, in 2010; Clark is now with the Washington Mystics. It was also Morrow's 15th double-double this season, tying her with Missouri junior Aijha Blackwell for the most in Division I. Morrow's 13 consecutive double-doubles is the longest active streak in Division I. Many players don't have 15 double doubles in a career. Morrow had a double double last night at half time.

Edwards is listed at 6'3". She is also a solidly built player. Edwards should be able to do the same things this freshman is doing. To answer your query, yes. Morrow (IMHO) would be a player that Edwards could look at and perhaps gain some tips and inspiration from. She'd have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If Edwards stays on her current trajectory, she'll be spending a lot of time on the bench. We need Edwards to recapture her form and toughness from last year. She remains a very valuable and treasured team member.

Agree to a point. Morrow has a way better shooting touch. That is not so easy to replicate. But Edwards, likely subconsciously, is rushing or losing concentration. We all know how important she can be for this team.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Absolutely!

I honestly don't get this BY bashing of Morrow and calling her a dirty player and getting help from the refs as if she needs it. If any UCONN player displayed half her aggression they would be applauded. This kid plays hard and had me sold on the second UCONN possession of the game where she got a piece of the ball on 3 consecutive UCONN attempted passes.

I don't have an issue with her aggressiveness...just the fouls. And...one of my biggest pet peeves is...flopping. She's too good of a player to resort to the Audrey Warren playbook.

 

[CocoHusky]

The missed layups are not really lack of effort.
Unless , and Geno might say this, a lack of effort —> less confidence —> mental mistakes.

I would also note that the coaches ramp up their expectations of players as they go. CW had that problem her soph year, thiugh that was also because she found that being the 1st or 2nd option was a lot harder than being the 4th or 5th,

I think Geno would say put in the hard work required to gain confidence in your ability not to make mental mistakes and miss easy layups. For Geno all things come down to working hard.

 

[Carnac]

I think the refs are kind to Morrow...not to say she isn't a beast. But, I can see where that same physicality would have Aaliyah fouled out in the first half. The second half if the refs are from the SEC. lol

We saw Morrow on several occasions push a UConn player to get an advantage. Those refs were horrible. I thought at least 4 charging calls that we got should have been blocking fouls. A DePaul player inbounded the ball and CLEARLY stepped in the line right in front a referee, and he missed it.

They replayed it on the TV broadcast. It was clearly visible. She's already fouled out of two games. If she continues to push and shove like that, it will catch up with her. Aaliyah has a year under her belt and should know how to temper her aggressiveness by now. She can't help us sitting on the bench with foul trouble.

I can't wait for the Providence game Sunday. I'm interested to see if UConn can pick up where they left off yesterday, playing the kind of defense that held DePaul to 14 points UNDER their season average, and if Azzi can find her stroke early in the game. I'd like to see her take at least 10-12 shots a game. If she's hot early....by all means feed her!!!

 

[Conndog]

Would love, love , love to have Morrow who is aggressive, physical and relentless on our team! But another thing I noticed when watching the game today, there were a number of times when Morrow could have been called for 3 seconds in the lane. She stays a long time there.

 

[CocoHusky]

I don't have an issue with her aggressiveness...just the fouls. And...one of my biggest pet peeves is...flopping. She's too good of a player to resort to the Audrey Warren playbook.

Audrey Warren? Most people will not catch the reference. Just pick a player from the ND WBB roster (past or present) if you are going to talk about embellishing contact and flopping and everyone here will be able to relate.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Would love, love , love to have Morrow who is aggressive, physical and relentless on our team! But another thing I noticed when watching the game today, there were a number of times when Morrow could have been called for 3 seconds in the lane. She stays a long time there.

I knew I forgot something! Yea...she definitely sets up a tent down there.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Audrey Warren? Most people will not catch the reference. Just pick a player from the ND WBB roster (past or present) if you are going to talk about embellishing contact and flopping and every here will be able to relate.

Sorry...I had to use Audrey...lol. Every time she launches herself out of bounds or onto the floor...I wonder if she has a pulse. Looks painful.

 

[Jumpy Radar]

She really used and abused Liv I’m disappointed in her defense tonight. Senior against a undersized freshman and couldn’t do anything with marrow. AE struggling and not playing basically cus of CD phenomenal performance and Azzi being back. Dorka was playing pretty good. It was just a bad match up for AE

I agree withthis comment. I also believe that AE's benching had more to do with matchups than her playing bad. Morrow would have destroyed her down low. Likewise, Liv and Dorka with their size should have defended Morrow much better than they did. I truly believe that AE's struggles this year have more to do with Paige not being on the floor than anything else. Paige got her the ball in the right spots. This year without Paige she is trying to create her own shots which is not her game. When Paige gets back I think we will all see the AE we were accustomed to seeing from last season. Aaliyah will be fine.

 

[MrT]

Unfortunately, Alliyah has not grown from her promising Freshman season. She looks lost a lot of the time. Geno only played her for 8 minutes in the first half against DePaul and then benched her for the entire second half when the game was on the line. At the same time, Depaul's Freshman Forward used her strong body and remarkable aggression to dominate the Huskies as she has dominated the rest of the Conference all season long. In thinking about who on UCONN could emulate Morrow, the answer is clear. The only UCONN player with the physical size and innate natural aggression is Aalliyah Edwards. I would hope that the coaches would agree and would have her study Morrow film and to have her use Morrow as a model on which to recast her play. This would mean a complete make-over but as Edwards is at a personal nadir anyway, I can't see that there is much risk, while the upside for someone with Aalliyah's formidable body which is larger than Morrow's and natural aggression could become a season altering asset for the Huskies and a major upgrade for a struggling UCONN player with great potential if it can be focused and achieved.

This is not the WWE. Morrow should have fouled out in the first half. [ ] play the game with skill, proficiency and integrity, thats the UCONN way.

 

[EricSD]

The last press question regarding Aaliyah was back in December after the Seton Hall game. I'm pretty sure Geno answer would be the same now as it was then. Aaliyah is just not working hard enough.

Thanks for that! Geno flat out said "This is the 5th game of the season and she got more offensive rebounds in the first half than she has in the rest of the season combined. She worked harder than in any game this season and the results speak for themselves".

Ok then. Liya's problems come from effort (or lack thereof) and intensity.

 

[cancontent]

A lot of good points here. In some comments, I get the impression that some think that Aaliyah's hit her ceiling and that's it. Not sure if that's fair considering players go through slumps at various points in their playing careers. I recall similar concerns were expressed about Aubrey last season, which also was her sophomore season.

I agree her time with Canada Basketball seems to have hindered her progression. I also believe she has the ability to find her groove and contribute in ways the team will need her.

Most know, I have a bias, being Canadian and seeing her play for many years before UConn had her on their radar. Trust me, she's gone through tougher times than this and has found a way to succeed. I have faith she'll figure things out.

 

[Charliebball]

I knew I forgot something! Yea...she definitely sets up a tent down there.

nothing wrong with that if the refs aren't calling it........ take every advantage they give you....

 

[Rocket009]

I agree withthis comment. I also believe that AE's benching had more to do with matchups than her playing bad. Morrow would have destroyed her down low. Likewise, Liv and Dorka with their size should have defended Morrow much better than they did. I truly believe that AE's struggles this year have more to do with Paige not being on the floor than anything else. Paige got her the ball in the right spots. This year without Paige she is trying to create her own shots which is not her game. When Paige gets back I think we will all see the AE we were accustomed to seeing from last season. Aaliyah will be fine.

AE's benching may be due to allowing Morrow to beat her up and down the floor. I saw that in the game at least a couple of times- there's no excuse for not running hard especially for someone as athletic as AE.