Azzi's Basketball Skills Beyond Shooting

[FanFromMaine]

"AND, she makes layups and free throws." How true and important. Together costing UCONN 6 to 10 points per game.

 

[AzzisBraids]

I agree with your assessment of AZZI FUDD and Paige. Paige is unique, even on this very talented Uconn team she is special. Her court vision, Basketball IQ, native intelligence sets her apart for all others on the team. All are intelligent or they would not be on this team. Paige is so unique, so special she almost defies being boxed into a category. If we could define it and sell it I know 200 Div 1 coaches men and women that would buy it. Some of what Paige brought to the Uconn game, these past 2 years, was amazing and undefinable. Don't expect Azzi or Caroline or any of the next year recruits to replicate/emulate/ or be a clone of Paige. Paige is Paige and Uconn has her.

I don't think Caroline or Azzi want to be Paige or anyone expects them to be. All three of them bring something pretty different to the table and I think most fans are excited to see how well this trio works together. Paige is not Diana just yet. She can't win a NC by herself with the South Carolinas, Louisvilles and Stanfords stacked the way they are.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Paige will help everyone on this team and part of that is because she is between the old school ( CW, Evina, Liv ) and the new school ( Caroline, Azzi, Dorka ). She will pass tom the person who is most open and with her running the show they all will be open more. She's not worried about her playing time. She just wants to win and she knows she's going to play.

I think Azzi is a defender who has been schooled not to give fouls and she is trained to put her hands up and not to try to swat the ball and get fouls. It is probably the best defense but it seems that often the opposing player can just score anyway with that approach being so dominant. Sometimes you have to go for the ball as well. A little mnore grittiness would probably help but I'm sorry, I see lots of people losing their man and giving up open shots. No one is perfect.

 

[Bald Husky]

A lot of posters have knocked Nika for not getting the ball to Azzi, and as a result put up a shot herself. We all have been on Nika for not shooting, so she did with not good results. Everyone has a bad shooting night, but if our other players were moving and not standing around than maybe she would not have put so many up. She may have missed Azzi on a couple of plays (she wasn't that open), but so did Edwards and ONO. I remember some plays when Azzi is in the corner and just standing there with her defender about 4 feet away. The point is that she wasn't moving, like she was waiting for the ball to go somewhere else. DT was always blanketed by the best defender, but she seemed to have the green light to move anywhere she wanted to get open. Geno must give Azzi the same opportunity to find her own shot within the sets they are playing. Our screening has always been great, but this year it seems that they cannot do it consistently. Christyn does a great job of doing that, so now is the time to get Azzi going. If she can get open 8-10 times a game, I guarantee she will get 20 points out of it.