Bueckers & Fudd show, managing minutes, challenging schedule

[SVCBeercats]

Questions and storylines facing UConn women’s basketball team

With UConn women’s basketball preseason practice underway, here’s a quick look at...

www.ctinsider.com

 

[cferraro04]

Many boneyarders have written over this summer about the distribution of minutes among this talented group of players. There has been much disagreement because as the amateurs that we are...we try to give every player some minutes thinking if we don't they will leave the program.

However, what we don't understand is how Geno and staff will approach this situation. Everything is conjecture on our part.

Geno may shorten his bench and go with a 7-8 person line-up and let the remaining 9-13 develop the competitiveness needed to break into the line-up.

Maybe he will opt to give everyone some minutes.

Maybe he will adopt a wholesale substitution pattern where he establishes a starting 5 and then brings in 5 players at a time as a second team if you will. I doubt he will adopt the wholesale first team / second team approach but, he certainly has the talent to do so if he wishes. If I were the starting five I wouldn't get lazy and piss Geno off because he has the options to bench anybody who he feels isn't working up to expectations.

In any case let me say that I like being in the position where we have so many options available to our coaching staff. This is a very deep team and I am extremely excited and looking forward to watching this team grow and develop into what I believe will be one of UConn's best ever teams.

 

[CocoHusky]

Many boneyarders have written over this summer about the distribution of minutes among this talented group of players. There has been much disagreement because as the amateurs that we are...we try to give every player some minutes thinking if we don't they will leave the program.

However, what we don't understand is how Geno and staff will approach this situation. Everything is conjecture on our part.

Geno may shorten his bench and go with a 7-8 person line-up and let the remaining 9-13 develop the competitiveness needed to break into the line-up.

Maybe he will opt to give everyone some minutes.

Maybe he will adopt a wholesale substitution pattern where he establishes a starting 5 and then brings in 5 players at a time as a second team if you will. I doubt he will adopt the wholesale first team / second team approach but, he certainly has the talent to do so if he wishes. If I were the starting five I wouldn't get lazy and piss Geno off because he has the options to bench anybody who he feels isn't working up to expectations.

In any case let me say that I like being in the position where we have so many options available to our coaching staff. This is a very deep team and I am extremely excited and looking forward to watching this team grow and develop into what I believe will be one of UConn's best ever teams.

"Almost" everything is conjecture on our part. What is not conjecture is Geno 30+ years of coaching history and an unwavering philosophy. His history tells us that he will play as many players as are capable of positively impacting the game and his unwavering philosophy reminds us minutes are earned not given. Wholesale substitutions is not a part of Geno philosophy because it heavily conflicts with another part of his philosophy which is "individual" accountability. In other words Geno has no issues yanking and benching players who has missed an assignment or is not playing well. The reason that conflicts with wholesale substitutions is because if the entire team is not playing well and "requires" wholesale substitutions you are probably not watching a Geno Auriemma coached team. A corollary to the individual accountability part of Geno's philosophy is leadership must come from the upperclassmen and/or the PG position.

 

[Centerstream]

I think most of us BYers are making our starting 5 and minutes played guesses based on the fact that all of our new team members pick up the offense and defense schemes by November 7th. But what are the odds of this happening for all of them? I can remember Geno saying last season how surprised he was that Paige had accomplished that, especially due to the early preseason COVID related restrictions.
I certainly hope that everyone is ready to go by November 7th but...

One month to go!!!!!!

 

[huskyd]

As I mentioned, I have spent a good deal of time watching last year's games. Of the many obvious patterns was NEVER letting Paige off the court with few exceptions. The team simply isn't the same w/out her. Also, Geno believes that fans come to see the stars, and Buckets is the biggest of those.
Coco cites historical Geno practices. Among those is that Coach generally searches for chemistry early, then settles on a regular rotation, usually a very short one.
Expect the same. I don't believe that last season's regulars are a sure-bet to start this year.
Surprise success: Mir McLean.

 

[MooseJaw]

As I mentioned, I have spent a good deal of time watching last year's games. Of the many obvious patterns was NEVER letting Paige off the court with few exceptions. The team simply isn't the same w/out her. Also, Geno believes that fans come to see the stars, and Buckets is the biggest of those.
Coco cites historical Geno practices. Among those is that Coach generally searches for chemistry early, then settles on a regular rotation, usually a very short one.
Expect the same. I don't believe that last season's regulars are a sure-bet to start this year.
Surprise success: Mir McLean.

One of if not the first to bring up Mir in this way, I hope that she has progressed to the point that she is in the conversation as breaking into being a starter or in a regular rotation. What an amazing athlete she appears to be. she like most of the returning starters will battle for her time. Good wishes for her and the rest of the Husky's.

 

[Carnac]

Many boneyarders have written over this summer about the distribution of minutes among this talented group of players. There has been much disagreement because as the amateurs that we are...we try to give every player some minutes thinking if we don't they will leave the program.

However, what we don't understand is how Geno and staff will approach this situation. Everything is conjecture on our part.

Geno may shorten his bench and go with a 7-8 person line-up and let the remaining 9-13 develop the competitiveness needed to break into the line-up.

Maybe he will opt to give everyone some minutes.

Maybe he will adopt a wholesale substitution pattern where he establishes a starting 5 and then brings in 5 players at a time as a second team if you will. I doubt he will adopt the wholesale first team / second team approach but, he certainly has the talent to do so if he wishes. If I were the starting five I wouldn't get lazy and piss Geno off because he has the options to bench anybody who he feels isn't working up to expectations.

In any case let me say that I like being in the position where we have so many options available to our coaching staff. This is a very deep team and I am extremely excited and looking forward to watching this team grow and develop into what I believe will be one of UConn's best ever teams.

I agree Geno has the talent to have a second 5 player team that could be subbed in wholesale, and that he probably won’t do it. You can bet if he did, that second unit would come in and play their as%#$ off while they were on the floor, hoping to prove they were worthy, and perhaps be allowed to stay on the floor a bit longer. You can bet hustling and giving maximum effort would not be a problem with this group.

 

[UcMiami]

I agree Geno has the talent to have a second 5 player team that could be subbed in wholesale, and that he probably won’t do it. You can bet if he did, that second unit would come in and play their as%#$ off while they were on the floor, hoping to prove they were worthy, and perhaps be allowed to stay on the floor a bit longer. You can bet hustling and giving maximum effort would not be a problem with this group.

He is going to get that almost daily in scrimmages with his starters having to fight off a very determined second team.

 

[Ralph]

During my time at Princeton, ages ago, we were ranked second behind UCLA. Long, long ago. Obviously we had the best team in the Ivies, but everyone said we also had the second best with our 6-10. The starters would be lazy and be up 2 to 5 at the 10 minute mark. All 5 got pulled and 6-10 went in. You can bet they played hard, and they had played as a team every practice. The other team never knew what hit them. by the half we were up 20 to 25, game over. I think Bruno did this at DePaul for a while, might still. It does work with the right people. When 5 starters sit for 10 minutes and watch the subs play way better and way harder, and they see coach smiling, it sends a big message. And it sure keeps people's legs fresh.

 

[Ralph]

How do I edit to stick in a "see". found it.

 

[Biff]

Just a bit of trivia. Geno has done a 5 player sub in the past. However it remains very unlikely we will see such a thing this year barring a very special circumstance.

 

[Stymie]

One luxury Coach has this season is the ability to continually change the tempo and direction of team play.
Liberally substituting players and changing the team’s ‘look’.
Forcing a comparatively under’manned’ opponent to continually adapt to a changing attack strategy and speed.
Say from stifling full court pressure to half court, to run and gun, to a strategic, more designed approach.
And always with players with fresh legs.
A Coach preparing to play a team that can offer so many different looks has planning nightmare.
Geno has many more options year than in recent seasons.
I look forward to enjoying a potentially 8,9,10 player rotation by mid season.