Another Replacement Guard ?

[hoophuskee]

I’m confused. Initially you were making the case that UConn should have recruited more players to sit on the bench as insurance this season, with little chance of playing. Now you are changing your tune to account for the natural development of players from their freshman to sophomore season.

Amari was a top 10 recruit who missed her entire senior HS season due to the pandemic. She is a skilled offensive player who made the commitment to spend the entire summer working on her game and fitness level. Recruiting Amari as a HS senior is a world of difference from bringing in a 3rd year transfer with little opportunity of playing meaningful minutes.

What's going on with some here is the misguided use of Paige and Geno's comment of "Title or Nothing" and completely disregarded any other comment they have made. It's called "Cherry-picking."

And anyone suggesting short benches don’t work well apparently they haven't followed UCONN basketball much nor have they followed wcbb in which most teams win with short benches.

And another issue is that over the past 4 and now maybe 5 years, UCONN has had only one All-American. And that A/A left us in a year we would have had a super chance to win it all. And to acquire more "very good players" when you get number 1/number/number 3 ranked H/S All-Americans already on your team is incredibly naive considering those high ranked players are coming to "Glamorous Storrs" to play. Not sit on the bench.

And the minute you stop playing them big minutes (in particular guards and wings), you start to say goodbye to the number 1 recruits coming to UCONN that have bene an enormous reason why UCONN has won so many titles.

 

[hoophuskee]

“I chose UConn because I wanted to win in the Final Four and win a championship,” Samuels said. “I believe that Coach Geno can make me a professional basketball player and get me in the WNBA.

“I was really nervous to be honest talking to (Auriemma) because people say that he’s a real hard coach, but he’ll challenge you at the same time,” Samuel said. “So I’m nervous, but I accepted the challenge.”

Qadence Samuels is part of the class expected to carry torch from the Paige Bueckers era

Before choosing UConn, Qadence Samuels received offers from Miami, Wake Forest, North Carolina and NC State.

theathletic.com

Again this is very simple: Don't go to UCONN unless you are willing to embrace the challenge or expecting something like playing time to be handed to you-don't do it!

And many don't. So what's your point?

 

[cohenzone]

Oh, we can turn on a dime!

How about a combo center

 

[PacoSwede]

Great post!

,,,

Secondly, you make a good point about "accepting the challenge." The problem is that UCONN usually gets number 1 ranked guard and wing high school recruits in the past. How much of a realistic challenge do terrific recruits ranked behind for example Paige and Azzi feel like they are going to realistically compete? Why would a top ranked but lesser ranked player take that risk competing vs number 1's when it is much less risk at another fine school, and you can play?

if anyone gets a chance, let's ask kk and ashlynn for their answers

 

[Stymie]

Rotation of 7-8 players is inadequate.
Gone the way of the buggy whip and .99 gas.
You want to waltz through the Big East?
Fine- play 6-8.
Let’s see how this year pans out after another Big East “CROWN”.
Season cannot start soon enough for me.

 

[CocoHusky]

And many don't. So what's your point?

Were you truly seeking an answer to the question you posed?

As a reminder your question was: Why would a top ranked but lesser ranked player take that risk competing vs number 1's when it is much less risk at another fine school, and you can play?

My point is that Qadence Samuels fits your description- (highly but lesser ranked player taking the "risk" of competing with multiple #1s (Paige and Azzi) & she has answered you question about as thoroughly and eloquently as possible.

Qandace says she doing it for a chance to get to the FF, win a championship and because she believes Geno will get her to the WNBA.

Those are some pretty damn good reasons don't you think?

BTW There are only two teams with multiple #1s-UCONN and Stanford.

 

[CocoHusky]

if anyone gets a chance, let's ask kk and ashlynn for their answers

Qandace has provided a great answer IMO- see a few post above.

 

[CocoHusky]

What's going on with some here is the misguided use of Paige and Geno's comment of "Title or Nothing" and completely disregarded any other comment they have made. It's called "Cherry-picking."

And anyone suggesting short benches don’t work well apparently they haven't followed UCONN basketball much nor have they followed wcbb in which most teams win with short benches.

And another issue is that over the past 4 and now maybe 5 years, UCONN has had only one All-American. And that A/A left us in a year we would have had a super chance to win it all. And to acquire more "very good players" when you get number 1/number/number 3 ranked H/S All-Americans already on your team is incredibly naive considering those high ranked players are coming to "Glamorous Storrs" to play. Not sit on the bench.

And the minute you stop playing them big minutes (in particular guards and wings), you start to say goodbye to the number 1 recruits coming to UCONN that have bene an enormous reason why UCONN has won so many titles.

Actually..... that's not correct. UCONN WBB was without an AA player this past season for the first time since 2007.

What's really going on here is not cherry picking so much as it is selective hearing on your part because you want to pretend Paige didn't really say it or didn't meant it. The reality is that many other people associate with this program have said similar things. Sue Bird, DT, Geno, Bria Hartley, Stewie, Dolson, KML.... Marissa Mosley, Tiffany Hayes ........

Geno on Championship expectations: “It is what it is,” Auriemma said. “We created it, we did it, we own it and we embrace it. And that’s the only way that you can look at it."

UConn has had its share of national champions. How does this season’s team measure up?

UConn had the depth, talent and competitive fire to win its 12th championship since 1995.

theathletic.com

 

[oldude]

Rotation of 7-8 players is inadequate.
Gone the way of the buggy whip and .99 gas.
You want to waltz through the Big East?
Fine- play 6-8.
Let’s see how this year pans out after another Big East “CROWN”.
Season cannot start soon enough for me.

Nonsense. Now you’re just uttering platitudes. UConn got to the championship game this past year with an 8 player rotation in the win over Stanford. While SC was able to empty their bench in their double-digit win, only 6 Gamecocks played 10 mpg or more. In 2018, ND won a championship with a 6 player rotation. The following year, Baylor won their championship with a 7 player rotation.

 

[BobbyJ]

Rotation of 7-8 players is inadequate.
Gone the way of the buggy whip and .99 gas.
You want to waltz through the Big East?
Fine- play 6-8.
Let’s see how this year pans out after another Big East “CROWN”.
Season cannot start soon enough for me.

You really need to get up to date. I only had to go back to last season to find that the first 4 top teams I checked had rotations of only 6-8 playing 10 minutes or more. SC used 6, Stanford 7, NC St. 8, and Tennessee 8.

 

[Stymie]

Nonsense. Now you’re just uttering platitudes. UConn got to the championship game this past year with an 8 player rotation in the win over Stanford. While SC was able to empty their bench in their double-digit win, only 6 Gamecocks played 10 mpg or more. In 2018, ND won a championship with a 6 player rotation. The following year, Baylor won their championship with a 7 player rotation.

Part of a deep roster is to get your starters to the final game healthy and with fresh legs.
Please don’t try to 3 card monty me.
How did roster deficiency work out last year against Oregon?
Painful to watch.
Worse than a root canal
The court graphics notwithstanding.

 

[oldude]

Part of a deep roster is to get your starters to the final game healthy and with fresh legs.
Please don’t try to 3 card monty me.
How did roster deficiency work out last year against Oregon?
Painful to watch.
Worse than a root canal
The court graphics notwithstanding.

Unless I missed something, Oregon wasn’t the final game. UConn played short handed all last season, and yet they still managed to make it to the final game. You really are all over the place on this subject, and increasingly you are contradicting your own conclusions.

 

[HuskyNan]

Part of a deep roster is to get your starters to the final game healthy and with fresh legs.
Please don’t try to 3 card monty me.
How did roster deficiency work out last year against Oregon?
Painful to watch.
Worse than a root canal
The court graphics notwithstanding.

Using Oregon as an example is disingenuous.

• It was Nika’s 4th game back after her injury
• Christyn was a scratch 15 minutes before the game, which threw the team out of equilibrium
• There was one guard, 2 wings, and 3 forwards. For a short bench to work, it needs to be the right players. If either Paige or Azzi had played, the Huskies might have won that game.

 

[Stymie]

Using Oregon as an example is disingenuous.

• It was Nika’s 4th game back after her injury
• Christyn was a scratch 15 minutes before the game, which threw the team out of equilibrium
• There was one guard, 2 wings, and 3 forwards. For a short bench to work, it needs to be the right players. If either Paige or Azzi had played, the Huskies might have won that game.

“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a party we’d have.”
Let me ask you HuskyNan, do you believe this year’s roster is fully apportioned or do you feel we’re opening up short?
Also, do you believe that a player rotation of 6-8 adequately addresses the changing dynamics of top level WBB?
That’s all.
We can all cherry pick a game here and there or a championship team from s decade ago, but let’s deal with the here and now.
Curious of your opinions of the above.

 

[oldude]

We can all cherry pick a game here and there or a championship team from s decade ago, but let’s deal with the here and now.
Curious of your opinions of the above.

Wasn’t it you that cherry picked the Oregon game or did you just forget over the course of 2 successive BY posts? You are a master of contradiction.

 

[Stymie]

Err…..countering your touting UCONN teams from a decade ago?
“ A long, long time ago, on a planet far, far away…”

 

[oldude]

Err…..countering your touting UCONN teams from a decade ago?
“ A long, long time ago, on a planet far, far away…”

I believe I indicated that UConn’s effective roster during the championship run of 2013-2016 was 9-11 players. FYI, that would be 6-9 years ago which, by definition, is not a decade ago. But let’s look more recently. UConn has made each of the last 5 FF’s played with a roster of 11 players or less, not including walk-ons. So your point that UConn needs a deeper roster continues to be nonsense.

 

[Cuango]

A really good player will never become a great player sitting on the bench.

A “really good player” will get minutes on any Geno team!

 

[BobbyJ]

“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a party we’d have.”
Let me ask you HuskyNan, do you believe this year’s roster is fully apportioned or do you feel we’re opening up short?
Also, do you believe that a player rotation of 6-8 adequately addresses the changing dynamics of top level WBB?
That’s all.
We can all cherry pick a game here and there or a championship team from s decade ago, but let’s deal with the here and now.
Curious of your opinions of the above.

What changing dynamics? The point is that the teams achieving your holy grail of NCs are still doing it with a 6-8 rotation. So you're just disappointed that they're not doing it your way of using a 10 player rotation?

 

[Cuango]

Guys, I think we all need to recognize that the cavalry is not coming. If there was a player available in the transfer portal or overseas who was interested in UConn and could play at the level required to contribute, they would be here already.

UConn’s success next season will rest on the 10 players that are currently on the roster and presumed to be healthy when the season starts. Even without Paige, that’s a pretty formidable group of players.

So long as everyone remains relatively healthy, I have no doubt that Geno and his staff will work their magic turning this Husky team into yet another powerhouse.

Without the most creative and talented player in WBB, the offense won’t be as fluid or effective. As I stated in another post, I expect this team to be relentless on the defensive end, stronger crashing the boards and capable of “winning ugly” against any team in the country.

I agree that we’re not going to get help from the transfer portal but I do think there is a small (and unfortunately, diminishing) chance of an oversea player coming in before the deadline. Not likely perhaps, but not out of the realm of possibility. Anyway, I’m happy with what we’ve got! Just stay healthy! if they stay healthy, we can still compete with anyone!

 

[hoophuskee]

if anyone gets a chance, let's ask kk and ashlynn for their answers

I wasn't clear. Arnold when committed is behind Paige for 1 year. Then next year she is the pg unless Paige decides to remain. Before her injury, would the paly assume Paige would sit for 5 or 6 years? I doubt it though maybe with NIL. But if she leaves, who is the other pg on the team after Paige and Nika graduate? It will be Azzi. So Ashlyn can play the SG while Azzi plays the pg. SO they seem fine to sit one year. Two years, it's tough for a high recruit - top 10 at pg/sg/sg to sit, isn't it?

I'm taking this position because KK and Ashlyn haven't even played 1 year yet. While we should ask the many other players that were high recruits but not top 7 or so that weren't getting immediate time,-- what they felt too, right? Most of them left recently haven't they? They count too. And many left by end of year two, right?

And I wasn't clear with my A/A comment. Actually I forgot to add that UCONN has had only one upper class All-American since Pheesa and KLS left. I forgot to add "upper class."

 

[HuskyNan]

“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a party we’d have.”
Let me ask you HuskyNan, do you believe this year’s roster is fully apportioned or do you feel we’re opening up short?
Also, do you believe that a player rotation of 6-8 adequately addresses the changing dynamics of top level WBB?
That’s all.
We can all cherry pick a game here and there or a championship team from s decade ago, but let’s deal with the here and now.
Curious of your opinions of the above.

Geno has been playing about 8 players as long as I’ve watched the team with the exception of 1999-2000. We are short a guard after losing Paige, obviously, but mostly because it’s Paige. There would be a lot less hand wringing if it had been Nika that had gone down.

 

[CocoHusky]

A “really good player” will get minutes on any Geno team!

Precisely. Kind of mindless to argue 6 or 8 or 10 player rotation without a discussion of "quality". Six players can likely win you a championship if three of the six are juniors/seniors Stewie, Morgan & Moriah. The next part might sound harsh to some: A 10 player rotation is likely not enough if we are talking about the remaining healthy UCONN WBB '22-'23 roster.

 

[hoophuskee]

Were you truly seeking an answer to the question you posed?

As a reminder your question was: Why would a top ranked but lesser ranked player take that risk competing vs number 1's when it is much less risk at another fine school, and you can play?

My point is that Qadence Samuels fits your description- (highly but lesser ranked player taking the "risk" of competing with multiple #1s (Paige and Azzi) & she has answered you question about as thoroughly and eloquently as possible.

Qandace says she doing it for a chance to get to the FF, win a championship and because she believes Geno will get her to the WNBA.

Those are some pretty damn good reasons don't you think?

BTW There are only two teams with multiple #1s-UCONN and Stanford.

Yes I was. It's why I asked. Same is a SF as well. Which number 1 ranked recruit at UCONN is a SF at the moment? I specifically said "number 1 ranked recruit." And hopefully she and Ashlyn, and Arnold will stay. But history has show recently that if they are sitting for up ot 2 years, then the pg,s g, sf leave, right? S

And what does your point about Stanford have to do with my point? I specifically spoke of guards and wings as number 1 recruits. So are you going to classify Haley Jones as a wing? Whether you do or don't that's fine (Maya was technically a wing but UCONN used her mostly as a PF so ot classify Jones in this argument that is fine and it seems Stanford used Haley a lot as a PF vs UCONN). But she averaged during the season 30.8 minutes per game. I think UCONN tries to shoot for that but if their teams aren't as strong that may not happen.

But if your mention of Stanford has to do with my point, how is what Tara is doing is any different than what Geno was doing? Haley Jones played 39 minutes, 40 and 40 minutes the last 3 games for Stanford. Where's the Stanford bench to relieve her? Why does it seem that two of the greatest coaches in WCBB History use their stars for so many minutes while so many sit back and claim "You need more of a bench! You need more of a bench!" Okay we do! But we can't seem to get players that stay so just like Stanford, just like past teams like Baylor and ND who have won titles, they play with short benches.

These are all-time great wcbb coaches that do this.

 

[hoophuskee]

Precisely. Kind of mindless to argue 6 or 8 or 10 player rotation without a discussion of "quality". Six players can likely win you a championship if three of the six are juniors/seniors Stewie, Morgan & Moriah. The next part might sound harsh to some: A 10 player rotation is likely not enough if we are talking about the remaining healthy UCONN WBB '22-'23 roster.

What does "Quality" mean to the player not getting minutes? Don't you think the players UCONN has recruited and ended up leaving that nearly all of them felt they were "A quality/really good player?" And yet they still left.

And as for teams, but UCONN wasn't favored to win before the recent Paige injury. So if they had a bench player, how does that change your "Win title or bust attitude?" And now they are not and they wouldn't be no matter who they picked up. But giving Paige Bueckers as many minutes possible shouldn't certainly be a slam on UCONN. It's great to have crystal ball but relying on your superstar should not be a bad way to go.

 

[CocoHusky]

What does "Quality" mean to the player not getting minutes?

For UCONN WBB it simply means they are not good enough to earn minutes. Hate to break it to you but Geno is not running a recreation league where minutes are handed out like participation trophies.

 

[hoophuskee]

For UCONN WBB it simply means they are not good enough to earn minutes. Hate to break it to you but Geno is running a recreation league where minutes are handed out like participation trophies.

Huh? Hate to break it to you, but what you're saying is very funny. Thank you for the laugh.

 

[Zarathustra]

I agree that we’re not going to get help from the transfer portal but I do think there is a small (and unfortunately, diminishing) chance of an oversea player coming in before the deadline. Not likely perhaps, but not out of the realm of possibility. Anyway, I’m happy with what we’ve got! Just stay healthy! if they stay healthy, we can still compete with anyone!

My next "Oversea Dream" is Elena Buenavide Estevez. She was a guard on the winning U 20 Spanish
team, this summer, AND she is the point guard on the current Spanish U18 squad currently playing.
The young lady is now 18 and she was eligible for both squads. She also scored 20 points?? in the
first game of the U18 European FIBA Tournament. Would that make her a possibly eligible " walk on" for
the fall semester? One blogger said that an eligible player needs to be enrolled by late August, another
said a player needed to be enrolled by the tenth day of classes. ONLY GENO knows for sure!

 

[sun]

I would really like an explanation of the bolded..... Anna Makurat was listed as guard when she was a freshman in 2019 -2020 and could still be eligibile.

I mentioned her because I would love to see Anna Makurat come back and play for the Huskies this upcoming season.
She's a great shooter & passer, knows the UConn system, and could add a mature dimension to the team in Paige's absence.
She played with Paige, Nika and Edwards.
I wouldn't be surprised if Geno tried to contact her to gauge her interest, or to help find another European player.
Anna's part of the UConn WBB family.

 

[Luckystrike]

Hate to play "what if" about PB's injury since it's just flat out devastating for her, but I think if the timing was different, the grad BYU transfer who signed with Texas mid-July Shaylee Gonzales would have chosen UConn to fill in the gap for PB. In following her social media for clues to where she would transfer I had noticed she kept things pretty close to the vest except her admiration for UConn WBB

Totally agree. I actually went and checked her social media after Paige’s injury was announced just to see if she had committed anywhere yet. Looks like she will be at Texas