Another Short Bench for the Huskies This Season?

[BroadwayVa]

I know Z was the sub. I’m saying, when she came in, our level of play dropped. You realize ND won the entire thing last season playing only 6 players in the FF right? If they shoot like they did against MS St, UConn wins by 15-20. Overreacting because of a performance of a lifetime by ND & MS ST. It happens, no reason to overreact. View attachment 36032 View attachment 36032

I'm not reacting because of the LOSS TO ND. Every team loses some time. I don't particularly think a loss is a good thing either. I don't buy into the 3 players played the game of their lifetime. They all produced all year, when healthy. Geno had a team with serious injuries to their legs/shins/feet one of which was surgically repaired after the season. I sure would like to see this startng 5 to get a bit more PT than needed to keep them on their game, also enough to keep them injury free. Thanks for the stats, I always enjoy reading them. Thanks.

 

[Carnac]

She’s the X-Factor. Let’s face it, this team will thrive or die with her & Lou. All the talk about the help is great but these two will decide our fate 9/10 & they are two of the best so I’m okay with that.

Lou said in a recent interview how different it is now, because theres no one else on the team (Gabby & Kia) that will do the scoring and play the tough defense as in the past. THAT role has shifted to her and Collier, and she/they know it.

I expect BOTH of them to be very aggressive this season. More so than in the past. They know if they don't score and play tough defense and get some stops, no one is going to come off the bench and do it for them. This year, they are the first and last line of defense.

 

[Huskygamble19]

I had the impression that when the reserves were in, they did more passing than shooting. they made severl in and out passes without bothering to shoot and when they did it was at the end of the shot clock and was usually a poor shot that leads me to believe he was more interested in them making good passes and eating clock over actually shooting for points.

 

[paisan]

I am sorry, but we are starting to hear the same business about the 2nd team or 3rd team players. Geno, please look in the mirror, if you and your coaches cannot these players to do what you need, get new players. Geno is the CEO of UCONN WB, if the players cannot follow directions and your coaching, maybe, we need another voice. UCONN should have won 13 NC if he coached his players better. I was a huge Geno fan for many years, but he needs to coach them better or change the players. I like his bench players....Their skill sets are totally different that the starting 7 players. Where ever you work, how many CEO's blame the mail room or IT for lagging sales or poor performance?

The ANSWER is NONE...…...They FIX it...….

I am sure that I am not the only frustrated UCONN fan on this board.

I agree Geno and his coaches have done a poor job training , recruiting, retaining Azura, adapting the skills of the players he does have. They chose these players. We have seen two years of running the scores up while bench players sit on the bench languish on the bench. How can they improve if they never play?

 

[oldude]

I agree Geno and his coaches have done a poor job training , recruiting, retaining Azura, adapting the skills of the players he does have. They chose these players. We have seen two years of running the scores up while bench players sit on the bench languish on the bench. How can they improve if they never play?

Someone is trolling again.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Geno is the worst basketball coach, except for all the other basketball coaches.”

 

[JoePgh]

I agree Geno and his coaches have done a poor job training , recruiting, retaining Azura, adapting the skills of the players he does have. They chose these players. We have seen two years of running the scores up while bench players sit on the bench languish on the bench. How can they improve if they never play?

As was previously mentioned, the coach of the reigning National Champions, who is generally regarded as a very good coach in women's game, handled her bench in exactly the same way as Geno. She played only six players in the Final Four, and had other players on her bench, including some with notable high school honors, who got basically no minutes all year except in garbage time.

I guess she did a poor job also, even while winning an NC.

 

[pinotbear]

I think Walmart, in an effort to compete, now has them available on line. If you order more than two, shipping and handling is free!

When searching for female athletes, I would go to Amazon!

 

[meyers7]

I am sorry, but we are starting to hear the same business about the 2nd team or 3rd team players. Geno, please look in the mirror, if you and your coaches cannot these players to do what you need, get new players. Geno is the CEO of UCONN WB, if the players cannot follow directions and your coaching, maybe, we need another voice. UCONN should have won 13 NC if he coached his players better. I was a huge Geno fan for many years, but he needs to coach them better or change the players. I like his bench players....Their skill sets are totally different that the starting 7 players. Where ever you work, how many CEO's blame the mail room or IT for lagging sales or poor performance?

The ANSWER is NONE...…...They FIX it...….

I am sure that I am not the only frustrated UCONN fan on this board.

This is one of the most ridiculous comments I have ever read on this board, and that is really saying something.

I do not think this team can possibly compete with a team like ND, whose bench is as good ( nearly ) as our starting 5.

I don't think boreifs meant that as a challenge.

What exactly are you a longtime fan of??

You want to compare Patterson (So), Vaughn (So), Gilbert (Fr), Nixon (Fr) and ummm Prohaska (Fr) with KLS/Collier/Dangerfield/Walker/Williams??? Seriously? That's what you think of UCONN's starting 5?

ND's starters might (might) be better than our starters, but that's pretty close. On any given day. But UCONN starters vs ND Bench??? I'll take UCONN 100 out of 100 times and give 25 points.

 

[Bama fan]

When searching for female athletes, I would go to Amazon!

You, my friend, are smarter than the average bear! (That puts you in pretty good company). I appreciate clever, and that was a clever response. Made me laugh on an otherwise doleful day! Thanks.

 

[Ozimoto]

For my own mental health I am quite willing to let the season unfold one game at a time and see what happens. Trying to project what the team and season may be and who may or may not contribute based on the first exhibition game of the season is not a formula for enjoying the season for me.

 

[eebmg]

I don't think boreifs meant that as a challenge.

What exactly are you a longtime fan of??

You want to compare Patterson (So), Vaughn (So), Gilbert (Fr), Nixon (Fr) and ummm Prohaska (Fr) with KLS/Collier/Dangerfield/Walker/Williams??? Seriously? That's what you think of UCONN's starting 5?

ND's starters might (might) be better than our starters, but that's pretty close. On any given day. But UCONN starters vs ND Bench??? I'll take UCONN 100 out of 100 times and give 25 points.

I am very confused. What is the point being made in comparing a team's bench against another team's starters?

 

[Bama fan]

I am very confused. What is the point being made in comparing a team's bench against another team's starters?

A very blunt point I'd say. One might even say it it pointless.

 

[paisan]

As was previously mentioned, the coach of the reigning National Champions, who is generally regarded as a very good coach in women's game, handled her bench in exactly the same way as Geno. She played only six players in the Final Four, and had other players on her bench, including some with notable high school honors, who got basically no minutes all year except in garbage time.

I guess she did a poor job also, even while winning an NC.

I am still looking for an explanation of how sitting bench players when you have a 40 point lead benefits anyone ,starters or subs.

 

[eebmg]

I am still looking for an explanation of how sitting bench players when you have a 40 point lead benefits anyone ,starters or subs.

You have heard the explanations. You just don't like them.

 

[oldude]

I am still looking for an explanation of how sitting bench players when you have a 40 point lead benefits anyone ,starters or subs.

I’ll take a shot at this one. There is this general misconception that Geno doesn’t play his reserves enough. That’s just not the case. Obviously, Geno expects players to earn time in practice, and their performance in games will determine whether or not he trusts them enough to give them even more PT in future games. Last season, just about every reserve, with the possible exception of Batouly & Lexi were given prime time minutes with the starters.

Geno typically plays his starters for the entire 1st qtr, whatever the score, with the exception of foul trouble or injury. The starters always need sufficient time on the floor together to stay sharp for the big games ahead.

If UConn has a big lead after 1 qtr, Geno will start to substitute in reserves in the 2nd qtr to play with starters. He never substitutes in mass, as execution declines considerably. It’s much better for the reserves development to work with the starters.

All 5 starters typically start the 2nd half. If the lead continues to balloon Geno will start subbing in reserves to work with the starters about midway through the 3rd qtr.

If it’s a full fledged blowout, Geno usually leaves no more than one starter in the game to start the 4th qtr, usually a guard to establish some level of continuity.

Last season, UConn had only one player who averaged more than 30 minutes per game, Kia with 33. On average, at least 5 reserves were playing at least one full qtr per game. If you exclude games vs top competition (UCLA, ND(2), Tex, Lou, SC(2), Duke, etc.) the reserves played considerably more than 1 qtr per game.

 

[meyers7]

I am very confused. What is the point being made in comparing a team's bench against another team's starters?

IDK, Longtime fan said "I do not think this team can possibly compete with a team like ND, whose bench is as good ( nearly ) as our starting 5. "

You'll have to ask him why he was comparing UCONN starters to ND's bench. And unfavorably at that.

 

[JoePgh]

I’ll take a shot at this one. There is this general misconception that Geno doesn’t play his reserves enough. That’s just not the case. Obviously, Geno expects players to earn time in practice, and their performance in games will determine whether or not he trusts them enough to give them even more PT in future games. Last season, just about every reserve, with the possible exception of Batouly & Lexi were given prime time minutes with the starters.

Geno typically plays his starters for the entire 1st qtr, whatever the score, with the exception of foul trouble or injury. The starters always need sufficient time on the floor together to stay sharp for the big games ahead.

If UConn has a big lead after 1 qtr, Geno will start to substitute in reserves in the 2nd qtr to play with starters. He never substitutes in mass, as execution declines considerably. It’s much better for the reserves development to work with the starters.

All 5 starters typically start the 2nd half. If the lead continues to balloon Geno will start subbing in reserves to work with the starters about midway through the 3rd qtr.

If it’s a full fledged blowout, Geno usually leaves no more than one starter in the game to start the 4th qtr, usually a guard to establish some level of continuity.

Last season, UConn had only one player who averaged more than 30 minutes per game, Kia with 33. On average, at least 5 reserves were playing at least one full qtr per game. If you exclude games vs top competition (UCLA, ND(2), Tex, Lou, SC(2), Duke, etc.) the reserves played considerably more than 1 qtr per game.

I agree that this is a precise description of his substitution pattern. But it doesn't directly address the question of why he doesn't let subs play with starters earlier in the game, when the lead is perhaps 15-20 points in the second quarter rather than 40 points in the late 3rd or 4th quarters.

I think the answer is that minutes in games, outside of garbage time, are the reward that he pays to players who prove in practice that they are BOTH working hard and "getting it". Last year, Molly certainly worked hard but did not really "get it", i.e., she failed to take open shots and had too many turnovers. I'm guessing she did the same thing in practice, and Geno wasn't going to give her real minutes until she demonstrated in practice that those problems were behind her. Other players, especially Megan (last year) and Mikayla, were neither working hard nor getting it very often, and that is why their minutes lagged.

Again, last year was an unusual case. In other years, freshman such as Kia (but not Gabby), KLS, Napheesa, Stef, Bria, Kelly Faris, and Caroline Doty demonstrated in practice that they were both working hard and getting it, and they played serious minutes. That appears to be the case this year with Christyn and hopefully also with ONO.

Geno has said that if a coach gives players (especially freshmen) minutes even when they aren't practicing well, then "there's no coaching them" in later years. They have to gain an appreciation that practice counts, and high school resumes don't. That's why (he believes) it benefits the subs not to play them outside garbage time even in a 40-point game if they haven't been practicing well. And that approach seems to be working (finally) with Megan and Mikayla.