Azzi getting her mind and body ready to lead

[Stymie]

I tend to speak in prophetic terms. It’s how I roll. Get with the program. Now is not the time for caution and half praise.

Get with the program ?
Your program?
Let’s just anoint them National Champions for 2023. And move on.

 

[Bone Dog]

Get with the program ?
Your program?
Let’s just anoint them National Champions for 2023. And move on.

Form your lips to God.

Of course, I trust you’re not speaking a sacred article of faith in vain.

 

[Bigboote]

Fudd is a SHOOTING guard. THAT is where she is best and most productive at. Yes, she can run the point if she has to, but she’s more effective and lethal at the 2.

There is also a little insurance in the form of Ines. Assuming Nika is good for 25-30 minutes/game, if Ines is good for 5, that leaves 5-10 for Azzi. I agree that Azzi is much more valuable as a 2, but as has been mentioned, the most exciting thing about UConn this year may be its ability to give the opponents different looks, and Azzi at point may be one of those looks.

 

[CocoHusky]

Just a bit of history. These would have been the backup possibilities in 2013 and 2014 if Jefferson had been lost for a season.

2013
Caroline Doty s - knees shot, could only play limited minutes
Brianna Banks s - never played pg
Bria Hartley j - starting 2 and lacked the quickness to play point
Kelly Faris s - more of a wing and a total lack of offense as a sophomore

2014
Tierney Lawlor f - end of bencher
Bria Hartley s - see above
Brianna Banks j - see above
Saniya Chong f - a possibility as a pg
Briana Pulido s - walk on

UConn was lucky that Jefferson stayed relatively healthy for 4 years.

I must have read a hundred times about what Mühl "needs to do". I'm just happy that UConn has a competent backup. And I keep it in mind that she came to UConn with the understanding that Bueckers would start. many here want her to perform as a five-star pg. Five-star point guards don't sign to be backups their whole college career.

You probably also read 100 times that NOBODY is expecting Nika to be Paige. Bria Hartley lacked quickness to play PG? Compared to who? Truly laughable considering Bria was an AA as a sophomore and 2nd on the team in assists.

 

[Mdoggie]

I thought all y’all cared about was who and when we will see a dunk? Lol

 

[TeamFirst!]

We don't beat the top teams unless Azzi plays over 32 minutes and I would contend most of that has to be at PG for us to be at our best. I'd rather have Lou and Caroline on the floor than Nika. If Nika comes out and lights it up I will change my evaluation but right now I want Lou, Caroline and Azzi all on the floor for over 30 minutes. This is in close games, not blow outs of course. I don't think it's even that close.

 

[Bone Dog]

We don't beat the top teams unless Azzi plays over 32 minutes and I would contend most of that has to be at PG for us to be at our best. I'd rather have Lou and Caroline on the floor than Nika. If Nika comes out and lights it up I will change my evaluation but right now I want Lou, Caroline and Azzi all on the floor for over 30 minutes. This is in close games, not blow outs of course. I don't think it's even that close.

I get this sentiment too. But there's still a question mark in my mind about Lou's ability to play UConn D. Geno said as much at the beginning of the summer, and I think that means he won't play her for 30 mins if she's a defensive liability. In a sense, Nika and Lou are mirror images of each other -- one needs to show Geno she's not a defensive liability, the other needs to show him she's not an offensive liability. I'm pretty confident at least one of them will step up and earn the minutes we all want to see. The interesting case will be if they both show Geno what he needs to see. In that case, we could actually see the 4 guards divide 120 mins (for position 1-3) more or less evenly. That would be the very definition of "everybody eats."

There's a place in my heart that really wants to see Nika pull this off, because I love the defensive ferocity she brings. Picture what opponents will have to face, if Nika does her thing, especially in the first 5 mins of the 3rd quarter, and then Aubrey and Ayanna sub in at the 3 and the 4 and give them a completely different and perhaps equally terrifying form of defensive intensity in the second 5 mins. That 3rd quarter is often when opponents are blown off the court.

And the whole time, Azzi and Caroline torch them from the perimeter.

 

[TeamFirst!]

If you watch Azzi's high school games, she had no problem creating offense off the dribble. Last year we just posted her at the 3 point line and it stretched the defenses but she could largely be shut down with a focused approach. What if they do that again and we are suddenly relying on Nika and Caroline's outside shot? The team is just better with Azzi running the point and creating her own shot or penetrating and setting up her team mates. Nika doesn't shoot that well from outside, has very little pull up game and doesn't penetrate well. Our offense suffers badly in comparison with what Azzi can bring to the table. Indications are that Lou can shoot. We maximize her game as the shooting guard. Lou will have to be pretty bad defensively to not warrant a lot of PT.

If we run into a team with quick guards penetrating all over the place we may have to play Nika to help but that sort of team ( Aari McDonald type players ) is going to be a problem for us even with Nika.

 

[tchalla1]

This is an absurd comparison as well as an unfathomable expectation for Nika because what Moriah did as a junior was put up one of the all time great season in UCONN history for a PG. To get to those 12.4 PPG all she did was shoot 49.6% (better than KML) from deep and 58.7 % overall. She had 100 steals on the season & 191 assists compared to 62 turnovers resulting in her winning something called the Lieberman Award=best PG in the nation. In order to get to 12 PPG Nika would have to attempt 3X more FG than she is currently doing and improve her accuracy by 18% overall, and her 3PTFG accuracy by 13%, and be expected to play over ~38 MPG. This will also require a great deal of "energy expenditure" on the part of Nika.

And let's also remember that MoJeff played her UCONN career with 4 or 5 other all-Americans: Stewie, Tuck, KML and Dolson and Hartley; while this current UCONN team is stellar, MoJeff's team was probably the greatest ever in WBB--certainly the comparisons to Nika are not realistic as has been pointed out, but let's keep in mind that MoJeff was like the 4th or 5th option on that team and this freed her up immensely. Her teammates gave her so much space in which to operate. Incidentally, this is what challenged CW and why her freshman year was not wholly replicated in ensuing years: With KLS, Pheesa, and Meagan Walker on the floor, being the fourth option freed her up for a lot of good, easy shots. However, when she became the go-to-player for UCONN and then the 2nd option, as Geno pointed out, things were not as easy for her...

 

[AzzisBraids]

The more Azzi has the ball in her hands, the better. Doesn't matter which position whether 1 or 2. She will attract defenses to set up her team or get her own shot off.

 

[cgshuskie]

Azzi was disappointing in the NC game. She only hit 3 points and I think she was intimidated by S Carolina, especially Zia Cooke. Showed little confidence and just ran around the court, made bad passes, got a jump
shot blocked by Saxton, and only hit one three. She had a similar bad performance in the earlier game against
S Carolina. Azzi's heart is suspect. She has to learn to compete. great skills but its in the heart. ask paige

 

[MilfordHusky]

Azzi was disappointing in the NC game. She only hit 3 points and I think she was intimidated by S Carolina, especially Zia Cooke. Showed little confidence and just ran around the court, made bad passes, got a jump
shot blocked by Saxton, and only hit one three. She had a similar bad performance in the earlier game against
S Carolina. Azzi's heart is suspect. She has to learn to compete. great skills but its in the heart. ask paige

Azzi had a stomach flu in the championship game. She was also playing injured to some degree. Her heart is not suspect.

 

[hoophuskee]

Azzi was disappointing in the NC game. She only hit 3 points and I think she was intimidated by S Carolina, especially Zia Cooke. Showed little confidence and just ran around the court, made bad passes, got a jump
shot blocked by Saxton, and only hit one three. She had a similar bad performance in the earlier game against
S Carolina. Azzi's heart is suspect. She has to learn to compete. great skills but its in the heart. ask paige

One poster told you she was sick game 2 it's why she didn't play. It was reported she was sick. Not sure as a husky fan how you missed that?

The 1st game she was playing injured. She played just 10 minutes then right after the game went immediately on the Injured List. Again - not sure why a UCONN Husky fan doesn't know this?

The comment about Azzi's heart made me laugh. Thank you for that joke.

 

[Bone Dog]

Azzi's heart is suspect. She has to learn to compete. great skills but its in the heart. ask paige

Like many others, I reacted negatively to the wording of this post, initially. But I can understand the concern. Azzi was a bit tentative as a freshman. Now granted, she was injured for much of the year, and this may have undermined her confidence. We caught glimpses of her brilliance early on, and then basked in the glory of it late in the season. And finally, in the NC game she seemed to falter -- I gather she was under the weather -- and maybe a little bit in the Stanford game, too.

If I compare her freshman year to Paige's a difference immediately emerges. No freshman jitters for Paige. She was the go-to player from day one until the Arizona game. The Tennessee game and the SC game are amazing examples of just how much heart she had. In the one, she came back from an injury to lift the team from a poor shooting night and finish off the Vols. In the SC game, she played well all game, but especially in the last few minutes and all of overtime. She took the team on her back and almost single-handedly wrenched the victory away from the Gamecocks. She suffered similar injuries, and was probably under the weather occasionally too. This is what we haven't seen Azzi do yet -- though in the loss to Villanova, she asserted herself in the second half and engineered the comeback that fell only slightly short.

This is what I think Azzi means when she says she can do better. She means to be what Paige was to the team these last two years. I have enormous confidence in her, and will give her the benefit of the doubt now and throughout the season. I assume she is already the best guard in the country -- you guys have already mocked me for this, perhaps deservedly. But even injured, even as a freshman, she was who opposing coaches strategized against (Kelly Harper said as much in a postgame interview) and that tells me they know what can come from this young woman's spark. She will set opposing teams ablaze.

One completely positive indicator for me is that as a freshman, Geno wanted her at the free throw line at the end of close games, perhaps even in preference to Paige.

 

[eebmg]

Azzi's 4 pressure filled FT's in last seconds of the Stanford game. Nuff said.

 

[Stymie]

Like many others, I reacted negatively to the wording of this post, initially. But I can understand the concern. Azzi was a bit tentative as a freshman. Now granted, she was injured for much of the year, and this may have undermined her confidence. We caught glimpses of her brilliance early on, and then basked in the glory of it late in the season. And finally, in the NC game she seemed to falter -- I gather she was under the weather -- and maybe a little bit in the Stanford game, too.

If I compare her freshman year to Paige's a difference immediately emerges. No freshman jitters for Paige. She was the go-to player from day one until the Arizona game. The Tennessee game and the SC game are amazing examples of just how much heart she had. In the one, she came back from an injury to lift the team from a poor shooting night and finish off the Vols. In the SC game, she played well all game, but especially in the last few minutes and all of overtime. She took the team on her back and almost single-handedly wrenched the victory away from the Gamecocks. She suffered similar injuries, and was probably under the weather occasionally too. This is what we haven't seen Azzi do yet -- though in the loss to Villanova, she asserted herself in the second half and engineered the comeback that fell only slightly short.

This is what I think Azzi means when she says she can do better. She means to be what Paige was to the team these last two years. I have enormous confidence in her, and will give her the benefit of the doubt now and throughout the season. I assume she is already the best guard in the country -- you guys have already mocked me for this, perhaps deservedly. But even injured, even as a freshman, she was who opposing coaches strategized against (Kelly Harper said as much in a postgame interview) and that tells me they know what can come from this young woman's spark. She will set opposing teams ablaze.

One completely positive indicator for me is that as a freshman, Geno wanted her at the free throw line at the end of close games, perhaps even in preference to Paige.

I have no doubt as to Azzi’s heart (or dedication).
The unfortunate fact is that she has been competing on a bad wheel ever since she arrived
Injury occurred during HS career and has lingered UNTIL THIS DAY
There is ( reportedly) lingering (minor?) issues with this stress.

 

[Cuango]

I have every confidence Azzi will be a great player for us. I believe her name will be on the wall. I’m certainly not ready to buy that she is lacking in “heart”! However, I also believe that there’s a lot of hyperbole going on about both her and Nika. Let’s face it, we have only seen tantalizing tidbits of Azzi so far. That is obviously not her fault as she was never fully healthy in her freshman season.
I must say though, these comparisons to Paige are imo waaay over the top. Paige is on a different level! I see her in the same light as Maya, Dee, and Stewie (and she wouldn’t be last on that list either)! I realize there is a school of thought that she (Paige) can never be fully a part of that group unless she wins a championship and I even understand that pov.
However, in terms of being a basketball player, with all that implies; handle, shooting, passing, instinct, heart, love of the game, and the ability and willingness (eagerness) to step up when things aren’t looking good, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone like Paige!
My all time favorite basketball player is Larry Legend. To me, he personified how this game should (and very rarely, could) be played. I never thought I would say this about what is essentially a sophomore college player but I think Paige comes from the same bloodlines as Bird, Magic, Jordan etc. She simply has something that other “mere mortals” don’t.
So, I have to say, when I hear that Azzi is as good as Paige right now, or that Nika is as good a passer (or anything else on a basketball court) as Paige I have to wonder what I’m missing. I’m not saying (at all) that Azzi, specifically, will not be a truly great player (perhaps even a “Rushmore” player, only that we haven’t seen that from her yet.
As for Nika, yes she’s an asset, she’s a strong defensive presence, has a winning attitude, is a competent point guard, but (again, IMO) she is not and will likely never, be on Paige’s level at anything on the basketball court.
I say all this, not to be hurtful or because I don’t like or respect Azzi and Nika, but rather because I don’t think some people fully appreciate just how special Paige really is! She is imo, even as an injured junior, already the best women’s player I’ve ever seen!

 

[Mdoggie]

Azzi was disappointing in the NC game. She only hit 3 points and I think she was intimidated by S Carolina, especially Zia Cooke. Showed little confidence and just ran around the court, made bad passes, got a jump
shot blocked by Saxton, and only hit one three. She had a similar bad performance in the earlier game against
S Carolina. Azzi's heart is suspect. She has to learn to compete. great skills but its in the heart. ask paige

Hmmmm? Her numbers aren’t the numbers that were upsetting. She was only a freshmen. The “Wooden award” nominee was shell shocked. That’s were the team faltered.

 

[Mdoggie]

Ok. I’ll say it. Paige and Azzi have the same skill set. Where they differ is the mental. That’s the only difference and that’s what make Paige’s game a bit better for now. I suspect that will change this season and Azzi will elevate her game because she has too.

 

[Alydar]

I have every confidence Azzi will be a great player for us. I believe her name will be on the wall. I’m certainly not ready to buy that she is lacking in “heart”! However, I also believe that there’s a lot of hyperbole going on about both her and Nika. Let’s face it, we have only seen tantalizing tidbits of Azzi so far. That is obviously not her fault as she was never fully healthy in her freshman season.
I must say though, these comparisons to Paige are imo waaay over the top. Paige is on a different level! I see her in the same light as Maya, Dee, and Stewie (and she wouldn’t be last on that list either)! I realize there is a school of thought that she (Paige) can never be fully a part of that group unless she wins a championship and I even understand that pov.
However, in terms of being a basketball player, with all that implies; handle, shooting, passing, instinct, heart, love of the game, and the ability and willingness (eagerness) to step up when things aren’t looking good, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone like Paige!
My all time favorite basketball player is Larry Legend. To me, he personified how this game should (and very rarely, could) be played. I never thought I would say this about what is essentially a sophomore college player but I think Paige comes from the same bloodlines as Bird, Magic, Jordan etc. She simply has something that other “mere mortals” don’t.
So, I have to say, when I hear that Azzi is as good as Paige right now, or that Nika is as good a passer (or anything else on a basketball court) as Paige I have to wonder what I’m missing. I’m not saying (at all) that Azzi, specifically, will not be a truly great player (perhaps even a “Rushmore” player, only that we haven’t seen that from her yet.
As for Nika, yes she’s an asset, she’s a strong defensive presence, has a winning attitude, is a competent point guard, but (again, IMO) she is not and will likely never, be on Paige’s level at anything on the basketball court.
I say all this, not to be hurtful or because I don’t like or respect Azzi and Nika, but rather because I don’t think some people fully appreciate just how special Paige really is! She is imo, even as an injured junior, already the best women’s player I’ve ever seen!

And yet I read every day that "Nika needs to be a 3 level scorer" "Nika has to be a better passer" "Azzi needs to play like Bueckers in big moments of big games"

I'd love to see that. What I see is that some think that Bueckers-level play is the new benchmark for UConn guards and those who can't measure up are simply not trying hard enough.

 

[Mdoggie]

And yet I read every day that "Nika needs to be a 3 level scorer" "Nika has to be a better passer" "Azzi needs to play like Bueckers in big moments of big games"

I'd love to see that. What I see is that some think that Bueckers-level play is the new benchmark for UConn guards and those who can't measure up are simply not trying hard enough.

Current and shiny new toys are ALWAYS the best. The best UConn player I ever watched was Stewart. Paige can’t touch her! I know I know different position. I said what I said.

 

[Alydar]

Ok. I’ll say it. Paige and Azzi have the same skill set. Where they differ is the mental. That’s the only difference and that’s what make Paige’s game a bit better for now. I suspect that will change this season and Azzi will elevate her game because she has too.

They both have exceptional talent. Fudd admitted that Bueckers is the better passer and Bueckers has admitted that Fudd is the better shooter. That doesn't mean that Fudd needs to improve her passing or that Bueckers needs to improve her shooting. Work on those? They don't need us to tell them that. Muhl is brought up some here make it a virtual demand that she must become a 3 level scorer. The reality is that Muhl came in knowing she would play pg behind Bueckers. And when Geno moved Bueckers to the 2 because the upperclassmen couldn't produce enough offense Muhl handled the 1 as a freshman. Notice I said handled, not excelled. And that was as good as anyone should expect from a backup pg. She has flaws? What a shock that a backup player isn't as good as the 1st string player! Thankfully there are fans here that remind us all of that every day.

Muhl has always impressed me as being 100% committed to hard work and intensity. She admitted that she needs to work on aspects like her mid-range shooting. What she didn't say was that she needed to "START" working on her midrange game as at least one fan has stated.

 

[jdote33]

Like many others, I reacted negatively to the wording of this post, initially. But I can understand the concern. Azzi was a bit tentative as a freshman. Now granted, she was injured for much of the year, and this may have undermined her confidence. We caught glimpses of her brilliance early on, and then basked in the glory of it late in the season. And finally, in the NC game she seemed to falter -- I gather she was under the weather -- and maybe a little bit in the Stanford game, too.

If I compare her freshman year to Paige's a difference immediately emerges. No freshman jitters for Paige. She was the go-to player from day one until the Arizona game. The Tennessee game and the SC game are amazing examples of just how much heart she had. In the one, she came back from an injury to lift the team from a poor shooting night and finish off the Vols. In the SC game, she played well all game, but especially in the last few minutes and all of overtime. She took the team on her back and almost single-handedly wrenched the victory away from the Gamecocks. She suffered similar injuries, and was probably under the weather occasionally too. This is what we haven't seen Azzi do yet -- though in the loss to Villanova, she asserted herself in the second half and engineered the comeback that fell only slightly short.

This is what I think Azzi means when she says she can do better. She means to be what Paige was to the team these last two years. I have enormous confidence in her, and will give her the benefit of the doubt now and throughout the season. I assume she is already the best guard in the country -- you guys have already mocked me for this, perhaps deservedly. But even injured, even as a freshman, she was who opposing coaches strategized against (Kelly Harper said as much in a postgame interview) and that tells me they know what can come from this young woman's spark. She will set opposing teams ablaze.

One completely positive indicator for me is that as a freshman, Geno wanted her at the free throw line at the end of close games, perhaps even in preference to Paige.

I agree with this. I don't have too much worries about Azzi, outside of health. Idk if she'll be very good or great but she'll be one of the two for sure. NC State was an elite team and she balled out. Tennessee was ranked ahead of UConn and it was her first start and she balled out. As others have mentioned the free throws at the end of the Stanford game were clutch for a freshman. On the other hand, I kind of think it's a nod to the budding SC and UConn rivalry, though I think the teams on the surface seem friendly. But I think some feel you have to do it in that game. Kind of like a Duke v Carolina game or a Yankees vs Red Sox game. It's like u have to go to another level in that game. Even after the game in the Bahamas, Geno mentioned Paige wasn't great. I remember thinking she had like 19 and 7 and was their main offense in the first half. But it's like against another number 1, another POY candidate u have to be that much better. And so the other worry I have is her putting a lot of pressure on herself.
Also I just think the ball wasn't in Azzi's hands a lot throughout the season. Not only did she share with other senior guards and the poy but also one of the better passing/facilitating bigs. I'm interested to see if this changes this year.

 

[Bone Dog]

Picture Azzi as the best shooter on a great shooting team! That’s what I want to see. And no more layup-itis like last year. Ice can help with that, as well as Caroline. Those guys don’t miss layups.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think defenses will have trouble when Azzi and Lou are on the floor together.