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Message: [QUOTE="BlueSkyGLW, post: 4286670, member: 11281"] Briefly: Every fan knows this narrative: positionless basketball players desired at UConn, meaning they can play at least two of the traditional position designations. So, part of the development process is to determine their potential to do so before arrival at UConn, if possible, and be constantly on the alert to it in order to help them become versatile and interchangeable to some degree. I thought of Maya as the best example of that versatile player at UConn, therefore cited her as reference. Came in noted in one position, ended up capable of playing three but mostly played two. The beauty of it was that she could shift from one to the other depending on the flow of the game and after a while, didn’t need to be told by the Coach: she just read the situation. She was the one that first came to mind but the whole starting five of the 2001-2002 team had players who were highly capable in at least two positions, DT and Swin probably three in the pinch for a 3rd one. UConn next year basically have one player most suitable for wing: Caroline. She is also part of the guard rotation. Aside from using Azzi in an emergency to play there, UConn doesn’t have anyone else with a minute’s worth of experience playing there. As creative as the coaching staff (see Gabby in her junior year) two players on the current roster are possibles for developing there: Ayanna and Aubrey. Both are athletic, so if they perform, then the potential for that position greatly improves, enhancing the resources for favorable matchups against bigger teams. Aubrey’s history is not encouraging but she is still on the roster so Coach will have to try to find somewhere she can be useful. Ayanna? You have 4 others who are going to be developed to rotate in manning the prime two positions for bigs. Ayanna can be the 5th there, no doubt. However she also presents an intriguing prospect to help improve the athleticism and size in the wing…..the kind of wing I remember Swin showed (rotated in the post according to the flow of and player movements in the game with the two other front court players)….thus help shore up that position, especially if Aubrey doesn’t contribute enough. It has nothing to do with the scouting reports which keeps saying Ayanna is a wing. Having seen video highlights (which naturally can mislead), I agree with the scouting reports that say she is improving her range. She definitely is NOT a poor shooter (whatever you might have meant by that). Sure, the highlights shown on YouTube are mostly post scoring but there are enough instances that show mid-range and 3-pt shooting. The stroke is quite good, smooth and consistent. With diligent work she should be able to improve her accuracy. And, if the scouting reports are right that she can defend against anybody, then all the better. It would then be possible to have a team with size up front to play against the big teams out there when matchups are needed, even as it is possible to go small with 3 or 4 guards with 2 or 1 big and be effective. Back to work now…..good bye. [/QUOTE]

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