Another starting five prediction

[CL82]

I doubt the double big approach is going to be what Geno uses. My guess is swapping out Shade for Jana.

 

[Carrot23]

Blanca?

 

[oldhusky]

Blanca?

Considering Ash, Jana and Blanca are probably the most likely to get that last spot this is a glaring omission that she is not even considered a key reserve. I notice foreign players are often forgotten in many preseason lineup projections.

 

[Charliebball]

I'm going with Sara, Serah, Azzi, KK, Ashlynn to start the season with Blanca replacing Shade as the season progresses....

 

[Centerstream]

I'm gonna agree with the OP starting five.
Last year I believe Geno used his big lineup to start every game when all five were available. I think Jana started because the coaches wanted to give her every opportunity to show the coaching staff what she is capable of. So unless Ice has made a giant leap, I see this continuing.
I also think it will be fun to see how the others are used off the bench. Hopefully the first off the bench will be Ashlynn, Caroline, Kayleigh and Ice...in no particular order. Then add the underclassmen to the mix and what combinations we could see.
I'm very curious to see the players that can make strides in helping the team when coming off the bench!

 

[Cuango]

Boy! I surely do hope Blanca is as good as many here on the Boneyard project! I don’t really know that much about her and the idea that she’s going to beat out Ash is a little hard to swallow. However, if she really is the second, third, or fourth best player on this roster as many seem to be implying, then I guess she should start. It won’t be long now.

 

[bballnut90]

I doubt the double big approach is going to be what Geno uses. My guess is swapping out Shade for Jana.

Sort of a weird lineup choice. Starting both El Alfy and Williams makes no sense to me. Neither is a 3pt threat and KK isn't a strong 3pt shooter either, so keeping all 3 in the lineup allows defenses to clamp down on Fudd and Strong. I also don't see the need to have 3 shot blockers on the floor and El Alfy clogs the lane for Serah Williams to operate in the post.

I'm sure lineup options have been discussed adnauseum here, but a better lineup is Arnold/Shade/Fudd/Strong/Williams. Defensively you have 2 perimeter hawks in Fudd/Arnold, a high energy wing defender in Shade, a shot blocking 4 in Strong and low post shot blocker in Williams. Offensively the spacing is much better with:
-Arnold at point
-Shade as a 3 and D player
-Fudd as the primary scoring threat from the perimeter
-Strong who can operate from anywhere, but is the team's best facilitator and can stretch the floor to create 1 on 1 situations for Williams
-Williams inside who can feast on single coverage defense

This lineup maximizes strengths on both ends and gets the most out of Sarah Strong's inside out ability.

Also worth noting, having a player like Shade is the optimal choice for a 5th option offensively. She doesn't require a lot of shots, constantly moves off ball and can step up as needed but understands she's primarily out there to support the goto players. That's exactly what you need from a 5th option on the court and Shade is well suited for the role.

 

[Reypl21]

Sort of a weird lineup choice. Starting both El Alfy and Williams makes no sense to me. Neither is a 3pt threat and KK isn't a strong 3pt shooter either, so keeping all 3 in the lineup allows defenses to clamp down on Fudd and Strong. I also don't see the need to have 3 shot blockers on the floor and El Alfy clogs the lane for Serah Williams to operate in the post.

I'm sure lineup options have been discussed adnauseum here, but a better lineup is Arnold/Shade/Fudd/Strong/Williams. Defensively you have 2 perimeter hawks in Fudd/Arnold, a high energy wing defender in Shade, a shot blocking 4 in Strong and low post shot blocker in Williams. Offensively the spacing is much better with:
-Arnold at point
-Shade as a 3 and D player
-Fudd as the primary scoring threat from the perimeter
-Strong who can operate from anywhere, but is the team's best facilitator and can stretch the floor to create 1 on 1 situations for Williams
-Williams inside who can feast on single coverage defense

This lineup maximizes strengths on both ends and gets the most out of Sarah Strong's inside out ability.

Also worth noting, having a player like Shade is the optimal choice for a 5th option offensively. She doesn't require a lot of shots, constantly moves off ball and can step up as needed but understands she's primarily out there to support the goto players. That's exactly what you need from a 5th option on the court and Shade is well suited for the role.

I agree with your lineup. Shade is going to be very good for UConn. I'm surprised some think she will get bested out for a starting spot eventually.

 

[EricLA]

I agree with your lineup. Shade is going to be very good for UConn. I'm surprised some think she will get bested out for a starting spot eventually.

Mainly because while very good, her ceiling is lower (IMHO) than Blanca's. I think Blanca has 1st team AA potential, and I do not think Ash has that in her (HM is her ceiling IMHO). We will see, of course, but it would not surprise me if we see comparisons of Blanca to Sarah's freshman year all season. I think that's why.

I don't disagree that Ash is probably the 5th starter, but at this point I think there are only 2 guaranteed starters - Azzi and Sarah.

KK - about 90% chance to start over Kayleigh
Serah - about 50% chance at this time to start over Ice or Jana (we have read Serah has struggled)
Ash - about 60% chance at this time to start over Blanca

Obviously just my opinion, but I don't think Geno knows who the starters in game 1 will be, and I'm excited to see how it works out.

 

[victor64]

Ash is my favorite player to watch. The hustle,
smile, defense and her ability to make plays is why it is understandable Geno loves her.

However, wonder if Blanca is as good as many suspect? Wonder if Allie makes the typical sophomore leap with improved defense and fitness. Wonder if Carol returns to freshmen year Carol? To me, any or all could result in fewer minutes for Ash.

If Geno still loves the small lineup, we see a bunch of Ash. If not, it could get interesting.

 

[Charliebball]

I agree with your lineup. Shade is going to be very good for UConn. I'm surprised some think she will get bested out for a starting spot eventually.

If Blanca is as good as many believe, she's going to be hard to keep on the bench........ I expect that she'll be a dominant player at both ends of the court in the style of Aubrey Griffin but with a better offensive game...

 

[BobbyJ]

Mainly because while very good, her ceiling is lower (IMHO) than Blanca's. I think Blanca has 1st team AA potential, and I do not think Ash has that in her (HM is her ceiling IMHO). We will see, of course, but it would not surprise me if we see comparisons of Blanca to Sarah's freshman year all season. I think that's why.

I don't disagree that Ash is probably the 5th starter, but at this point I think there are only 2 guaranteed starters - Azzi and Sarah.

KK - about 90% chance to start over Kayleigh
Serah - about 50% chance at this time to start over Ice or Jana (we have read Serah has struggled)
Ash - about 60% chance at this time to start over Blanca

Obviously just my opinion, but I don't think Geno knows who the starters in game 1 will be, and I'm excited to see how it works out.

I agree with you here on BQ. However, I don't believe it will be this year because you have to pile up some stats for AA and I don't think those will be there short term. The two keys I see for BQ are 1) How much offense she'll be able to generate off the ball with most of the shots being logically produced for and the bulk of the offense being run through Strong and Fudd. 2) She's an excellent defender but how much physicality will the softer college officials allow her to play with. Foul trouble can come quickly, similar to A. Edward's first year or so.