Azura

[BroadwayVa]

Kelsey Mitchell may have something to say about who the NPOY is?

Does Kelsey get to vote too?? Dang!

 

[BroadwayVa]

Very glad to have Azura at UConn but "luck" had nothing to do with it. UConn has only lost two games since Azura left HS= a lot of hard work to make the program attractive enough for talented players to want to join.
An speaking of attractive programs Duke with Sophomore Azura missed the NCAA tournament. Duke without Azura not only made the tournament but they also beat #1 (at the time) South Carolina.

The development of Ms Stevens at Uconn will have JPM and Dukies screaming FOUL--By Azura's own words she was never asked to play so fast with such precision at Duke. I do feel a TINY bit of sorrow for Duke losing this great talent (to be seen).
I would much rather have Azura in a Uconn Uniform than NOT.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Agreed Collier had two and sometimes three defenders on her in the post. Azura will take this heat off because she can do some of Colliers stuff. Then Collier can also roam more and hit from the outside. Who do you check?

]

I love every thing about Precious---the kid was born with quiet talent--a TRUE big is an asset for
Uconn and Napeesa . In most games Collier shall get her 20 plus points--she's a scoring machine-But, whether some teams have the opportunity to put 2 players on her--they may put one player on Z and one on Precious --and that may be all they need.
My point is --good teams no longer lie down when faced with a Uconn jersey. In a few, maybe more, Uconn will be required to actually win them.
Until we see this entire squad out on the floor playing more than warmup games---we really can only speculate--the fun of pre-season.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Easily?
I don't think so.

Player of the Year? Not in the Geno system. If the requirement is to be a 30 per game scorer--with Z, KLS, Walker, Danger, Gabby, Kia etc ---. On teams where ONE or 2 do all the scoring--POY becomes attainable.

 

[BroadwayVa]

UConn has four potential contenders for that award with A'ja Wilson likely being the biggest competition. Maybe Kalani Brown too. The latter two will be needed to dominate for their teams which might give them the edge.

If Uconn has 4 contenders --for an award that usually goes to Scorers---?????

 

[CocoHusky]

I said this before. The NPOY should be judged on their all around skills. I understand why Plum received it this past year. With that being said, I don't think there is a clear front runner.

This year's front runner is also last years front runner in A'Ja Wilson. Plum did not come out of no where to win the award last year-she was WBCA all American in 2016. There are Front Runners every year. One of the reason Gabby may have lost last year is because she was not a front runner. There are Seven 2017 WBCA AA players returning to play this year (Collier, Mitchell,Wilson, Brown, Samuelson, Williams, & Turner (TBD).
Mitchell and Wilson are two time returning WBCA AA so co-front runners. Wilson is defending National Champion-"The" front runner.

 

[iamcbs]

Forget Mitchell , How about Collier ????? What a freaking Team Geno has assembled!

Did you express the same sentiment about Kelsey Plum this time last year?

 

[iamcbs]

She gets to vote???

She votes with her play, being a 3-time AA and within striking distance of the NCAA scoring record for WCBB is worth a vote or two don't you think?

 

[Bajan Best]

LoL. Yes I would gladly take 2 Colliers (Gabby and Napheesa) over 1 Wilson. The WNBA GM will get to make the choice of Wilson over Gabby next April.
You need to Go back and watch the replay of the South Carolina game because Wilson was not matched up against Gabby. That was Coates that Gabby repeatedly blew by.

I stated that she was out played by, not matched up against.. As I believe Gabby came away with Player of the game.. Not that it matters but they were a few plays in that game where Aja attempted to guard her as well due to switches, with pretty much the same results..

Aja is definitely not worth two Collier's in my books, to me that would be kinda insulting to Collier, put their numbers side by side and please tell me how anyone could believe her to be.. Just can't see it

 

[TitleTown]

Stewie allowed MoJeff a lot of leeway, by being the last line of defense on those last 2 UConn teams. Last year there wasn't someone to wipe out misses, with Azura you have that big.

Great point. Having Azura as a rim protector is going to allow UConn to be a lot more aggressive on the defensive end. They can now play tighter in their man to man, get out in more passing lanes, and gamble for more steals.

 

[Carnac]

Great point. Having Azura as a rim protector is going to allow UConn to be a lot more aggressive on the defensive end. They can now play tighter in their man to man, get out in more passing lanes, and gamble for more steals.

Does this mean that Azura starts? Or does she do this sparingly coming off the bench? A lack of height was a problem for UConn at times last season. Some posters think Dangerfield should start. Others think one of the freshmen will break into the starting lineup. We'll find out in about 45 days (August 13 the 1st exhibition game in Italy).

 

[Striper69]

With so much All-American talent it will be very difficult for a UConn player to stand out on next season's team and even more difficult to stand out as the best in all of WCBB. That alone will give Wilson an edge.

Taking into consideration all aspects of the game -- scoring and non-scoring statistics, defensive ability and leadership -- the most complete and dominant player in WCBB last season was Gabby Williams. Jay Bilas described her as the most complete player in college basketball. Gabby averaged 14 ppg, grabbed 205 defensive rebounds, dished out 190 assists, blocked 52 shots and came up with 100 steals. She was WBCA Defensive POY. The only thing she didn't do on the court was shoot and make 3-pointers.

With the presence of Stevens I'll be curious to see how Gabby's role changes. She'll be more of a perimeter player defensively and hopefully her offensive perimeter game will continue to develop.

Gabby for POY!

 

[TitleTown]

Does this mean that Azura starts? Or does she do this sparingly coming off the bench? A lack of height was a problem for UConn at times last season. Some posters think Dangerfield should start. Others think one of the freshmen will break into the starting lineup. We'll find out in about 45 days (August 13 the 1st exhibition game in Italy).

I think that Stevens will be the 5th starter.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Some points I've been waiting for someone to bring up is that if Z and N are both on the court at the same time.
1) We lose the devastating high low of Gabby and Napheesa. IMO it was the single most important offensive option of last years team. Not only did it provide volumes of hoops for those players but caused the defense to collapse freeing KLS and Kia for kick out options from the outside. The possible Z/Napheesa high low is relegated to speculation at this time.
2) the prospect of 2 dominant interior players means much more zone defenses. Zones mean more opportunity for KLS and fewer chances for Gabby to slash to the hoop.

The personality of last years team has under gone a drastic makeover. I'm excited to see who this years team is

 

[Bajan Best]

Some points I've been waiting for someone to bring up is that if Z and N are both on the court at the same time.
1) We lose the devastating high low of Gabby and Napheesa. IMO it was the single most important offensive option of last years team. Not only did it provide volumes of hoops for those players but caused the defense to collapse freeing KLS and Kia for kick out options from the outside. The possible Z/Napheesa high low is relegated to speculation at this time.
2) the prospect of 2 dominant interior players means much more zone defenses. Zones mean more opportunity for KLS and fewer chances for Gabby to slash to the hoop.

The personality of last years team has under gone a drastic makeover. I'm excited to see who this years team is

I'm not exactly sure how you came to the conclusion that the Z/Napheesa combo would be loss in the High low offense.. If anything it should be an improvement since both Z & Napheesa are regarded as UN-gaurdable.. with range extended beyond the three point arc.. and being almost 5" taller would definitely give Azura the edge in both passing and receiving the entry..

Secondly Neither are just Dominant Post players, both are versatile and have the ability to play on the perimeter as well.. As a matter of fact that is where Azura was most comfortable, and is now working with the UConn staff to be more consistent with her post game offensively..

Any team wanting to play Zone against UCONN this coming season, better be ready for games with record scoring, considering the amount of capable shooter's of upperclassmen on the team from beyond the arc.. KLS, Nurse, Napheesa, Azura, with a few freshmen who are also deadly from that range..

Gabby will score as she often does by being active in the motion offense, fastbreaks and on putbacks etc.. Her assist number could even be more impressive this coming year with the scorer's surrounding her.. And will be on the court a lot because of her outstanding defense..

There is no speculation when it comes to Z, the young lady is that good.. Geno does not give false praise to anyone, and he has already stated how dominant she was at practices last year.. It should be a fun year for us Fans, but very demoralizing for those who have to face them.. barring injuries this should be an incredible team... Can't wait to watch it all play out..

 

[Los24]

She was special her first two years at Duke. As a sophomore she was an All-American Honorable Mention. She will be better the next two years. UConn lucked out when she decided to leave Duke. I cannot comprehend how anyone could think she will not start. Mobile, coordinated height is what this team needs. Expect from Stevens the following:

I agree. It is quite simple. Regardless of record, our biggest weakness was not having a big in the middle to regulate the paint and cover up others' mistakes that Stewie used to do. You have a gift of a mature and accomplished player who for the past year had been working with team to fill it, enough said.

 

[huskeynut]

Some points I've been waiting for someone to bring up is that if Z and N are both on the court at the same time.
1) We lose the devastating high low of Gabby and Napheesa. IMO it was the single most important offensive option of last years team. Not only did it provide volumes of hoops for those players but caused the defense to collapse freeing KLS and Kia for kick out options from the outside. The possible Z/Napheesa high low is relegated to speculation at this time.
2) the prospect of 2 dominant interior players means much more zone defenses. Zones mean more opportunity for KLS and fewer chances for Gabby to slash to the hoop.

The personality of last years team has under gone a drastic makeover. I'm excited to see who this years team is

The high/ low game does not disappear or become diminished by having Z and Pheesa on the court at the same time. Gabby will still be high post player feeding down low. If we go to past seasons, Geno sets his offense out higher/ away from the basket and the end line. This spacing allows the high low game to work because the baseline and the lane does not get crowded. Stewie and Morgan feasted on opponents with this offense style. It makes no difference whether the opponent plays man or zone defense. The baseline will be wide open.

The kickout to Lou or Kia or Pheesa or Z for the 3 ball is still there. No change. And Gabby will still be able to slash to the rim from the high post. Her quickness is more than most post players can handle, including Wilson.

 

[mudcat]

Z and KLS will battle it out for NPOY!

Bizarro, you do say some bizarre things (such as Gabby and Collier not being "great players" because they missed some free throws in the MS St game). This is another one: we have four great players who are legitimate candidates for NPOY (Gabby, Collier, KLS, and Azure). I personally don't think any of them will be NPOY because of splitting votes because of being on the same team and also because of splitting stats.

 

[CocoHusky]

The high/ low game does not disappear or become diminished by having Z and Pheesa on the court at the same time. Gabby will still be high post player feeding down low. If we go to past seasons, Geno sets his offense out higher/ away from the basket and the end line. This spacing allows the high low game to work because the baseline and the lane does not get crowded. Stewie and Morgan feasted on opponents with this offense style. It makes no difference whether the opponent plays man or zone defense. The baseline will be wide open.
The kickout to Lou or Kia or Pheesa or Z for the 3 ball is still there. No change. And Gabby will still be able to slash to the rim from the high post. Her quickness is more than most post players can handle, including Wilson.

Excellent analysis! Any two of these UCONN players ( Gabby, Napheesa, Azura, Megan, KLS) can be combined to make the high low offense devastating without diminishing any other aspect of the UCONN offense because each can handle to blow by, space to the three point line, or hit any open teammate for an easier shot.

 

[SVCBeercats]

So any transfer then would be luck, right?
Or is it just the transfers that end up choosing UConn?
BTW those are trick questions. By my count there were 6 players ranked ahead of Azura in the 2014 class that transferred. One of those players was a transfer from UConn to USC. Was USC lucky and UConn unlucky in that case?

Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Was UCONN! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

 

[SVCBeercats]

Blah Blah Blah!
“Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity"
Seneca
Despite ALL the short comings you mentioned UConn was prepared enough to have an Undefeated regular season -WITHOUT AZURA'

Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Was UCONN! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

 

[CocoHusky]

Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Was UConn! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

" They (UCONN) get the best players and they kill everybody.' And I'm like, 'That's the most idiotic statement I ever heard.' That just goes to show you how ignorant some people are."
Geno.

 

[Alydar]

Play zone against UConn? I'm sure a lot of teams will try but UConn can put three players outside the arc that are 6'1", 6'3" and 6'6" and who are all proven to be effective spot up 3pt shooters. It will be like trying to stop catapults with a 10 foot wall. And another point not mentioned is that zones are vulnerable to offensive rebounds. Williams and Collier might set records for O-boards if they face zones all season.

Nobody is going to beat UConn with schemes next year. The only vulnerability UConn showed was when they were played very physically. And with sophomores Irwin and Camara on the bench I don't see that happening this year.

 

[Tonyc]

Today in WCBB its about coaching a group of women that accept discipline, are coachable, and are willing to play as a team. In the old days it was about getting the best player, and there werent as many as there is now and out talenting opponents for the most part. Geno came along and brought an entire new focus to the game. UConns continuous winning has afforded them to attract many top players. Players who are willing to do whatever it takes and are willing to following Genos demands because they know they will only get better. They trust Genos system because of what he's accomplished.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Since your name is bizarro do you speak in opposite language? Lol but really I like your enthusiasm and the fact that you think Stevens will totally crush Wilson. But lets think logically, in their first two matchups Wilson dominated Stevens in every category. Its not hard to think Stevens won't be a much better player in a UConn jersey, but to say she'll completely dominate a'ja is a bit ludicrous. Also I'm quite confident our girls wont get blown out, we ight not win the game but we have the players to compete and the game will be in Columbia likely in front of a sold out crowd so that's a little more incentive for them to play harder.

SCspur- - - SoCar fans have been saying that for 4 years and each time UCONN dominated them at Gample and in Columbia, in front of sold out crowds! If Miss St didn't pull the well earned upset UCONN would have beat SoCar's socks off winning their 5th in-a-row and 12th overall!
UCONN just has SoCar's number from the HC to Assts. to starters to the bench, UCONN would beat SoCar on any site, home, away, or neutral! If both teams are at full strength UCONN is just better!
And the match-up between Aja and Azura, the media made the comments that the best/outstanding player of next season isn't even playing this season, Stevens will be the best player on the court as Stewie was previously!