Butler Postgame Thread

[jazz]

This is more than speculation because Nika had been playing well up until this point. UCONN was in man to man defense. On the prior play she got beat with a pass to the baseline and she turned her back. On the next play she easily got beat and then she left her man to go to the other side of the floor aka she gave up. In man to man defense you are supposed to lock and trail if you get beat. She turned her back and ran to the other side of the floor aka unacceptable effort. You can tell Geno was pissed because he called a time out when the ball was in Nika hands. You can also see Geno motion to get her out of the game before calling the time out. Missed layups and lack of effort are two things that draw Geno ire like this. I posted ad nauseum about Nika lack of defense technique- her defensive technique is really really bad. Geno will accept the bad technique for a while but that lack of effort will make him explode.

Hey Coco...good to hear your view.

I don't think she got beat on the pass to the baseline. Maybe she could have played a bit tighter but if this is the criteria for taking players out, then nobody would be on the floor. The play later when she got beat and turned her back was not good and I agree with that. That is the one and only play that in my opinion, GA was 'pissed' at.
Curious that GA doesn't seem to have the same standard with CW because she gets beat more than anybody. I think he already knows defensively CW is what she is, but he thinks NM can be better.

You say 'I posted ad nauseum about Nika lack of defense technique- her defensive technique is really really bad.' Maybe I have a bad memory but I thought you said or alluded to her as being 'slow'. I alluded to her swiping a lot and stopping the movement of her feet, which suggests technique issues. If indeed your position is that she has (at times) poor technique on defense, then yes, I agree.

I don't agree that she has shown a 'lack of effort', but she did have a 'lapse in concentration' which happens. Once she was beat, I'm not sure she really knew what to do about it.

In any case, I think she played about 15 minutes, and had one poor defensive play. She also had one very good play where in my view, she drew the charge. She also consistently moved her feet well and gave good effort. Finally, she did not swipe this game from what I can remember which is a good sign.

I see a player getting better at defense as she now enters her (estimated) 35th minute of WBB. I think she has progressed nicely in that very limited time on the court.

 

[CocoHusky]

Muhl is struggling with the speed and athleticism of the US game on the defensive end.

This is remarkable considering that UCONN really hasn't faced any elite guard competition yet.

 

[Centerstream]

Did you ever stop and think it was not a "nickname" at all, and simply just the word that Makurat was auto-corrected to?

As the original poster of the word later said - auto-correct issue (or maybe it was due to auto-fill).
I believe I was the first to question the word by my one word reply "Who?". But let's face it, I knew exactly who the poster was referring to but I was just trying to have a little fun, but I forgot to add a smiley face to my reply.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

From his response I believe that was the way he thought her name was spelled. He mentioned spellcheck in a later post.

Ah. I'd rather go with your interpretation.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Did you ever stop and think it was not a "nickname" at all, and simply just the word that Makurat was auto-corrected to?

No. I just spell checked and got maturation and mature and I'll bet other programs will spit out at least a dozen more. I don't read second guessing the words of the author. If it was a mistake I'm glad, but I'm not feeling bad for pointing it out.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Did you ever stop and think it was not a "nickname" at all, and simply just the word that Makurat was auto-corrected to?

That's exactly what it was. Spell checker changed the word to the one which came up. No intention whatsoever to come up with a snotty nickname for her. Only realized the spell checker error when posters began making jokes about it.

 

[npignatjr]

I just rewatched the game. Nika did get beaten badly on defense, but she then circled around and went to look for someone else to cover. I didn't see a lack of effort at all. I've seen other Huskies beaten as badly this year. Nika is an emotional person, usually with positive emotions. She was very upset. To their mutual credit, Geno put her back in, and Nika responded with solid play and a couple of nice assists.

True AG was beaten twice early.

 

[CocoHusky]

Hey Coco...good to hear your view.

I don't think she got beat on the pass to the baseline. Maybe she could have played a bit tighter but if this is the criteria for taking players out, then nobody would be on the floor. The play later when she got beat and turned her back was not good and I agree with that. That is the one and only play that in my opinion, GA was 'pissed' at.
Curious that GA doesn't seem to have the same standard with CW because she gets beat more than anybody. I think he already knows defensively CW is what she is, but he thinks NM can be better.

You say 'I posted ad nauseum about Nika lack of defense technique- her defensive technique is really really bad.' Maybe I have a bad memory but I thought you said or alluded to her as being 'slow'. I alluded to her swiping a lot and stopping the movement of her feet, which suggests technique issues. If indeed your position is that she has (at times) poor technique on defense, then yes, I agree.

I don't agree that she has shown a 'lack of effort', but she did have a 'lapse in concentration' which happens. Once she was beat, I'm not sure she really knew what to do about it.

In any case, I think she played about 15 minutes, and had one poor defensive play. She also had one very good play where in my view, she drew the charge. She also consistently moved her feet well and gave good effort. Finally, she did not swipe this game from what I can remember which is a good sign.

I see a player getting better at defense as she now enters her (estimated) 35th minute of WBB. I think she has progressed nicely in that very limited time on the court.

Geno has the exact same standard for all his players with regards to effort. CW is not a good example to use if you are talking defense technique as @JordyG and other have pointed out CW gets beat plenty on backdoor cuts and blowbys. You also won't find many people perpetrating CW to be a defensive "stopper" as they are doing for Nika. I have refereed to Nika as slow footed on defense because she drags her feet instead of sliding-that is part of the lack of technique I'm talking about. More technique notes: You mention the offense foul Nika drew which was a Mayberry worthy flop IMO. What you fail to point out was she got beat ( from the inside position) for the offensive rebound just prior to that play. Nika has not progress defensively in her time on the court.

 

[JordyG]

I just rewatched the game. Nika did get beaten badly on defense, but she then circled around and went to look for someone else to cover. I didn't see a lack of effort at all. I've seen other Huskies beaten as badly this year. Nika is an emotional person, usually with positive emotions. She was very upset. To their mutual credit, Geno put her back in, and Nika responded with solid play and a couple of nice assists.

Lack of effort, no. But in rewatching the game there wasn't a single occasion where Nika wasn't beaten off the dribble going to her left. On one occasion she was beaten just as badly as on the play where Geno reprimanded her. On that play however her mark saw Paige just outside the lane and pulled up to pass the ball. Not to come down too hard on Nika, but if you have a reputation as a defensive stopper expect criticism when you're not. Now I still believe her poor footwork on the perimeter is mostly due to her stress fracture, but my being wrong has become a cottage industry.

 

[BobbyJ]

Muhl is struggling with the speed and athleticism of the US game on the defensive end.

Exactly. People on the board that, when she was signed, immediately labeled her a great defender were mistakenly believing that playing for a club team in Croatia was like playing against WNBA competition.

 

[jabstep]

Muhl is struggling with the speed and athleticism of the US game on the defensive end.

She is and she is from a different background. The technique of sliding her feet to stay in front of the person she is guarding needs to get better In Europe she did a lot of swiping as the offensive player went by her and created steals. She will be taught and pick up quickly this technique. Geno will make sure of it. Paige is improving already like those before them with good coaching.

 

[JordyG]

On a brighter note the two most impressive things I saw last night was one, Evina's all around play, and from the opening tip. I noted immediately in the chat that Evina, unlike the last game, was moving well both vertically and laterally. Second, I was impressed with AG hitting another 12-15 foot shot. This immediately after missing a 12 footer. If AG wants to help this team she has to improve enough to be that shooting option that the trigger finds as the opposite, the pull up at the post or (okay, I'm dreaming) that option out of the deep corner. Frankly without that shot her future beyond UConn is questionable. Right now though Evina is, when healthy, my kinda baller.

 

[BobbyJ]

This is remarkable considering that UCONN really hasn't faced any elite guard competition yet.

That's probably why GA got so upset. What happens then?

 

[pvdoggy]

Lack of effort, no. But in rewatching the game there wasn't a single occasion where Nika wasn't beaten off the dribble going to her left. On one occasion she was beaten just as badly as on the play where Geno reprimanded her. On that play however her mark saw Paige just outside the lane and pulled up to pass the ball. Not to come down too hard on Nika, but if you have a reputation as a defensive stopper expect criticism when you're not. Now I still believe her poor footwork on the perimeter is mostly due to her stress fracture, but my being wrong has become a cottage industry.

I don't think I have ever heard Geno referred to Nika as a defensive stopper. Geno only talked about her as bringing consistent energy. Any reputation as a defensive stopper at this point of her career is made up by people here.

 

[jazz]

Geno has the exact same standard for all his players with regards to effort. CW is not a good example to use if you are talking defense technique as @JordyG and other have pointed out CW gets beat plenty on backdoor cuts and blowbys. You also won't find many people perpetrating CW to be a defensive "stopper" as they are doing for Nika. I have refereed to Nika as slow footed on defense because she drags her feet instead of sliding-that is part of the lack of technique I'm talking about. More technique notes: You mention the offense foul Nika drew which was a Mayberry worthy flop IMO. What you fail to point out was she got beat ( from the inside position) for the offensive rebound just prior to that play. Nika has not progress defensively in her time on the court.

We will have to agree to disagree on several points.

I do NOT believe Geno or any coach treats all players equally with the same exact standard. If he held CW to the same standard, she would never get in the game. If you think NM is ONLY 'slow' because of her feet, then I must not remember verbatim what you said as I thought you generally thought she was slow. I thought we had a long discussion on that. I don't really care enough to re-read the posts, so I'll take you good word for it.

Mayberry flop or not, the point is that the offensive player pushed off. For the record, I'm not sure she took a flop, but possible. Yet this is still beside the point. She beat the player to the spot and the player pushed off. If anything, it was a charge (IMHO of course).

I'm not sure if I worded my reply very well, but I used CW in the context of bad defense not good defense. She has been beat plenty this year and by all levels of competition but yet is supposed to be a leader and a AA. My intent is not to pick on CW as we can debate that elsewhere but only to say that CW is worse than NM at perimeter defense. Keep in mind CW is a JR and NM is approaching 35-40 mins of WBB in her freshman year.

Even if you are correct and there was more than once instance of her playing poor defense, she still played well for numerous possessions and this is the first game she didn't try to swipe at the ball - too me that is progress! I find it hard to believe that you or anybody can't see she is playing well defensively, save a play or two. My opinion would be the same even if every single person here thought differently. I see what I see.

But, ok, I respect everybody's opinion and I also know that I well could be wrong. I'd love to hear Geno say that she hasn't progressed - then I'd ask him why is she playing 15 plus minutes a game the last two games? Why is she the first guard off the bench? Why not change the substitution pattern...

 

[CocoHusky]

We will have to agree to disagree on several point:

But, ok, I respect everybody's opinion and I also know that I well could be wrong. I'd love to hear Geno say that she hasn't progressed - then I'd ask him why is she playing 15 plus minutes a game the last two games? Why is she the first guard off the bench? Why not change the substitution pattern...

Because....There are no other scholarship guards to come off the bench! No worries Saylor is coming.

 

[JordyG]

I don't think I have ever heard Geno referred to Nika as a defensive stopper. Geno only talked about her as bringing consistent energy. Any reputation as a defensive stopper at this point of her career is made up by people here.

No. Before the season Geno consistently referred to Nika's defensive skills. Even during one practice he told Paige "Do you know why Nika wears number 10 and you number 5? Because she's twice the defensive player you are". What seems also not to be made up is your unwillingness to remember or listen to reports coming out of early practices.

 

[jazz]

Because....There are no other scholarship guards to come off the bench! No worries Saylor is coming.

GA could easily change the substitution pattern like put EW at guard or not play NM at all like he did when she was hurt. We have enough good ball handlers (including AM), that I think we could probably squeak by the likes of Butler and Providence with NM as a cheerleader for the entire game. Not to be a smartass, but I'm sure nobody is going to say 'Thank goodness we had NM or we would have been doomed against Butler and Providence'.

Also, if GA thought she was terrible, then he would not play her either, assuming he holds everybody to the same high standard.

The point is I don't think she is quite as bad as you think. So we agree to disagree.

 

[jazz]

No. Before the season Geno consistently referred to Nika's defensive skills. Even during one practice he told Paige "Do you know why Nika wears number 10 and you number 5? Because she's twice the defensive player you are". What seems also not to be made up is your unwillingness to remember or listen to reports coming out of early practices.

Yes I remember that too now that you mention it. I would guess he was using a healthy amount of hyperbole though.

 

[CocoHusky]

GA could easily change the substitution pattern like put EW at guard or not play NM at all like he did when she was hurt. We have enough good ball handlers (including AM), that I think we could probably squeak by the likes of Butler and Providence with NM as a cheerleader for the entire game. Not to be a smartass, but I'm sure nobody is going to say 'Thank goodness we had NM or we would have been doomed against Butler and Providence'.

Also, if GA thought she was terrible, then he would not play her either, assuming he holds everybody to the same high standard.

The point is I don't think she is quite as bad as you think. So we agree to disagree.

Before we agree to disagree please reread the specific question you posed. That question was: Why is she the first guard off the bench? Not to be an equal smartass but the answer remains the same: Nika is the ONLY scholarship guard available to come off the bench. Regardless of what rotation Geno comes up with that will not change until Saylor is ready to play. On second thought Autumn did outscore Nika last night..... so maybe Geno has more options than I though for the guard rotation.

 

[jazz]

Before we agree to disagree please reread the specific question you posed. That question was: Why is she the first guard off the bench? Not to be an equal smartass but the answer remains the same: Nika is the ONLY scholarship guard available to come off the bench. Regardless of what rotation Geno comes up with that will not change until Saylor is ready to play. On second thought Autumn did outscore Nika last night..... so maybe Geno has more options than I though for the guard rotation.

ok but you are doing what I some of my colleagues not to do and that is to take isolated information out of a text of meaning. Anyhow, I think you get me. I suppose he could simply not bring in a guard and rotate EW to the guard spot instead. Any yes, I get you as well.....I think....

I guess I could be a real smart ass and say..'I only said guard, not scholarship guard'. Anyhow, let's drop it.

 

[meyers7]

That question was: Why is she the first guard off the bench? Not to be an equal smartass but the answer remains the same: Nika is the ONLY scholarship guard available to come off the bench.

Not last night she wasn't. Makurat is on scholarship.

 

[jazz]

Not last night she wasn't. Makurat is on scholarship.

I wouldn't say AM is a guard. She is a wing or 4. She is more a tweener really, but you don't want her covering too many guards for long stretches. She has a really good handle but she is not a guard in my view. Also, IIRC, they came in at the same time.

 

[DefenseBB]

This was nothing more than an inter-mural pick-up game. Nothing more than a sweat to work on the game legs. Butler would be last in the AAC.

HEY, THEM's FIGHTIN' WORDS! Besides being wrong, Butler at #194 and SMU at #236, At least they haven't quit the season like lowly SMU did...

You seem a tad negative today which is a bit confusing to us so, maybe you should go for a walk around the block, come back and make yourself a drink and do as "Frankie Says" and RELAX...

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I'll give this advice. If you can't even get the person's name right, maybe you shouldn't type a nasty post about them.

Guys! Spell Checker spewed out that word! Not intentional! Come on!!!!