Can the Huskies be too big??

[Bone Dog]

With all the talk about needing more size, I was just reviewing @BRS24's most recent recruiting table [ UConn roster - 2024 and beyond ... ] and wondering about how big the team will be over the next few years. We were one of the smaller teams in the top 25 last year with only Aaliyah and Ice at 6'3" each, and we did not have great team speed beyond KK. This coming year, UConn will be one of the taller teams with Jana Ice Ayanna Sarah Caroline and Morgan. Not the tallest, that honor will go to UCLA and SC. We'll also be a quick team with the addition of Azzi Kaitlyn and Morgan.

For 2025-26, depending on who stays on, Geno has already lined up Kelis and Gandy, and may get Lara. This could give him (2x) 6'5", 6'4" 6'3 and (4x) 6'2" in the front court, along with Azzi KK Ash Allie Q and Kelis in the backcourt or on the wing. This would be a very tall lineup. Even with Jazzy Davidson back in the mix, it's not clear Geno would have room for her.

For 2026-27, again depending on who stays on, Geno has his eye on the Big O and Jerzy. If he gets those two, he could be at 14 players again. This would be another very large team with (3x) 6'5", 6'4" 6'3 and (3x) 6'2" in the front court, along with KK Ash Allie Q and Kelis in the backcourt or on the wing.. That's 8 bigs and 6 guards if Jerzy commits.

Geno might not have much room to recruit real guard depth until 2027-28 when the core of the team could well be Jana Lara O Gandy Sarah Morgan Allie Kelis and Jerzy. Does he turn to building a deeper front court at this point? He could have 4 or 5 spots to fill. Does he push for quickness with Qandace Ivanna and Special K, or does he try for size with Hassell, Marion and Mobley?

I pose these questions because Geno may have to choose between a big team or a quick team. UConn will be plenty quick as long as he has KK, Morgan and Kelis in the backcourt. But after that, it will be decision time.

Don't get me wrong. I know Geno will put together the team he thinks is best. These questions are for us to ponder as we look at team size and speed.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

With all the talk about needing more size, I was just reviewing @BRS24's most recent recruiting table [ UConn roster - 2024 and beyond ... ] and wondering about how big the team will be over the next few years. We were one of the smaller teams in the top 25 last year with only Aaliyah and Ice at 6'3" each, and we did not have great team speed beyond KK. This coming year, UConn will be one of the taller teams with Jana Ice Ayanna Sarah Caroline and Morgan. Not the tallest, that honor will go to UCLA and SC. We'll also be a quick team with the addition of Azzi Kaitlyn and Morgan.

For 2025-26, depending on who stays on, Geno has already lined up Kelis and Gandy, and may get Lara. This could give him (2x) 6'5", 6'4" 6'3 and (4x) 6'2" in the front court, along with Azzi KK Ash Allie Q and Kelis in the backcourt or on the wing. This would be a very tall lineup. Even with Jazzy Davidson back in the mix, it's not clear Geno would have room for her.

For 2026-27, again depending on who stays on, Geno has his eye on the Big O and Jerzy. If he gets those two, he could be at 14 players again. This would be another very large team with (3x) 6'5", 6'4" 6'3 and (3x) 6'2" in the front court, along with KK Ash Allie Q and Kelis in the backcourt or on the wing.. That's 8 bigs and 6 guards if Jerzy commits.

Geno might not have much room to recruit real guard depth until 2027-28 when the core of the team could well be Jana Lara O Gandy Sarah Morgan Allie Kelis and Jerzy. Does he turn to building a deeper front court at this point? He could have 4 or 5 spots to fill. Does he push for quickness with Qandace Ivanna and Special K, or does he try for size with Hassell, Marion and Mobley?

I pose these questions because Geno may have to choose between a big team or a quick team. UConn will be plenty quick as long as he has KK, Morgan and Kelis in the backcourt. But after that, it will be decision time.

Don't get me wrong. I know Geno will put together the team he thinks is best. These questions are for us to ponder as we look at team size and speed.

If all goes well in the recruiting success you are "writing into being", by the time the big team or a quick team decision has to be made, NC #14 could be on the shelves at Werth, and banners up in Gampel!!!

Go Huskies!

 

[bballnut90]

Height helps immensely and takes precedent over quickness IMO. I think the biggest reason why South Carolina has dominated the past 3 seasons is their size and athleticism inside with Cardoso/Boston/Watkins/Feagin among others. They also dominate the glass and block a ton of shots. They’ll be loaded once again inside so UCONN will need El Alfy to be healthy and productive to combat gong up against a tall and athletic South Carolina team.

 

[diggerfoot]

Why does Bueckers consistently left out of speed/quick/fast claims? She is all of the above. At times she was the fastest on the team in drills (when Griffin or McLean was injured), did well in track in HS, and her quickness is overtly plain to see on the court. I don’t get it.

 

[Pharos]

Height and skill as givens, UConn recruits people.

 

[topogigio]

The old adage, "you can't teach height" is so true for basketball success!

 

[oldhusky]

If we got Lara and the Big O to go with Jana, Gandy and Sarah, that would be great, not a problem. First Gandy was probably recruited with the expectation of being a quality backup C. If we have plenty of very good bigs, Sarah could be full time or part time at the 3. If we are overloaded with 5's, Jana and the Big O could play together with one of them at the 4, still getting Gandy some backup minutes at the 5.

Some of the best teams in the country had 5 high level bigs. A couple with future WNBA picks (Betts and Cardosa) as 6-7 superstar backups to Brink and Boston for example. In some ways it almost seemed unfair, but I would love to have that advantage.

A couple of those SC teams out rebounded their opponents by 15-20 a game. It may not have been pretty but it was effective. They sometimes didn't shoot that well, but in many cases a missed shot was almost like a pass because they got about half of the offensive rebounds.

I left out a couple of players in the above because I don't think they have yet earned a right to rotation minutes if we can improve on them. I think Lara and the Big O are likely to do that, maybe Gandy too, but with a lower level of confidence. We are far from worrying about "too big" in my opinion. First we would have to get Lara and the Big O, then those two would have to meet our expectations along with Gandy.

5 high level bigs with one as much a 3/4 as a 4, is not too much. If Ayanna and Ice made quantum leaps, maybe it would be, but I think they need to show that first. Based on where we are now, I think we go for Lara and the Big O and hope we get both.

 

[Jim R]

In some ways it almost seemed unfair, but I would love to have that advantage.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Personally, I look forward to the first post on the Boneyard saying “we need smalls!”

 

[RockyMTblue2]

No. It would take monumental inattention not to keep the guard closet well stocked. The harder hunt will always be finding effective height. We have demonstrated the ability to recruit ineffective height. We have also demonstrated the damaging consequences of gambling on a Yes and not getting it. I don't ever want to see again making a 3 play a 5 her whole career. The Bigs side of our recruiting has been flawed and erratic and there is no excuse for it. Looking good now and let's keep it up.

 

[yhun89]

No. It would take monumental inattention not to keep the guard closet well stocked. The harder hunt will always be finding effective height. We have demonstrated the ability to recruit ineffective height. We have also demonstrated the damaging consequences of gambling on a Yes and not getting it. I don't ever want to see again making a 3 play a 5 her whole career. The Bigs side of our recruiting has been flawed and erratic and there is no excuse for it. Looking good now and let's keep it up.

Ineffective? I dunno if I can agree with that one. We recruited Edwards who was our 5 despite not being a center. Dorka was a successful transfer PF for us. Ice, while she had a rough start to the season, blossomed in the tournaments and showed good development. I dunno if I’d call that “ineffective.” We just recruited a strong PF in Sarah, and Jana has been hyped up by Geno and crew for a while now. Not to mention we recruited a rebounding machine in Gandy for 2025, and are a strong contender for Somfai in 2025 as well.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Ineffective? I dunno if I can agree with that one. We recruited Edwards who was our 5 despite not being a center. Dorka was a successful transfer PF for us. Ice, while she had a rough start to the season, blossomed in the tournaments and showed good development. I dunno if I’d call that “ineffective.” We just recruited a strong PF in Sarah, and Jana has been hyped up by Geno and crew for a while now.

Dorka saved our butt. Edwards got things done. No, I'm talking mostly pre the last 5 years. But we scrambled even recently. 1 sorta big is not a championship roster.

 

[Bone Dog]

Maybe it was inevitable that folks would want to relitigate past classes. But I have no interest in doing that anymore. How's about we look forward to the great class we have right in front of us and the strong likelihood of more to come?

Jana, Sarah, Ice, Ayanna -- that's a heckuva foundation to recruit from. What HS bigs wouldn't want to play with them for the next couple years?
Caroline, Morgan, Aubrey, Q, Allie -- that's a lot of talent to support any post players.
Paige, Azzi, KK, Ash, Kaitlyn -- this front court is unparalleled, especially since it can be supplemented by Morgan, Sarah and Allie.

And each of these groups is likely only to get better (if that's conceivable after Paige turns pro) in the coming years, starting with the addition of Kelis and Gandy.

When you lay it out like this, starting with the bigs and working out from there, it really hits you what an array of talent Geno has amassed for this season. But it also looks like just a beginning for future seasons. They may not win every NC over the next 5 years. But they are sure to be contenders.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

No, with the staggered addition of Gandy, Laura (Jana’s 2nd year, if we get her) and Olivia (Jana’s 3rd year, if we get her).

• Bigs need more time to acclimate to D1 basketball and more time to function optimally in Geno’s system;
• Practicing with fellow talented Bigs with diverse skill sets will lessen the acclimation time;
• Having more Bigs will dampen any Rookie walls and is insurance for team goals;
• Having more Bigs will fine tune the development of Sara, Ice and Ayanna (who I think can tailor her game as more banging Aubrey - Aaliyah mix) for their junior and senior years and the next level;
• Having more Bigs will negate South Carolina’s way of negating Geno’s “beautiful” basketball which is predicated on controlling pace, spacing, accuracy and positionless basketball; positionless basketball does not mean having a player playing 1-5, but having a player contribute anywhere on the court to maximize possessions in a read-and-react system;
• Imagine South Carolina’s Bigs having to chase UConn’s Bigs all over the court where UConn Bigs are expected to be more skilled playing in a system that showcases those skills; UConn’s guards can have a field day and won’t have to contend too much with the ghastly situation of being guarded by a player akin to Amihere;
• Bigs tend to be more effective when they play in blocks of time, with intermittent strategic rest;
• If one is a top-shelf guard recruit (or a top transferring guard), the prospect of getting to be taught how to play in a positionless basketball setting with really talented bigs during Geno’s contracted time as preparation for the next level must be enticing.
• This year’s roster and the evolving 2025+ rosters (more so if Geno lands Jerzy), makes it the most fun time to be a fan as other times in Geno’s tenure.

 

[Bone Dog]

This year’s roster and the evolving 2025+ rosters (more so if Geno lands Jerzy), makes it the most fun time to be a fan as other times in Geno’s tenure.

I am so with you on this thought! It's a great time to be a Husky fan.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

With all the talk about needing more size, I was just reviewing @BRS24's most recent recruiting table [ UConn roster - 2024 and beyond ... ] and wondering about how big the team will be over the next few years. We were one of the smaller teams in the top 25 last year with only Aaliyah and Ice at 6'3" each, and we did not have great team speed beyond KK. This coming year, UConn will be one of the taller teams with Jana Ice Ayanna Sarah Caroline and Morgan. Not the tallest, that honor will go to UCLA and SC. We'll also be a quick team with the addition of Azzi Kaitlyn and Morgan.

For 2025-26, depending on who stays on, Geno has already lined up Kelis and Gandy, and may get Lara. This could give him (2x) 6'5", 6'4" 6'3 and (4x) 6'2" in the front court, along with Azzi KK Ash Allie Q and Kelis in the backcourt or on the wing. This would be a very tall lineup. Even with Jazzy Davidson back in the mix, it's not clear Geno would have room for her.

For 2026-27, again depending on who stays on, Geno has his eye on the Big O and Jerzy. If he gets those two, he could be at 14 players again. This would be another very large team with (3x) 6'5", 6'4" 6'3 and (3x) 6'2" in the front court, along with KK Ash Allie Q and Kelis in the backcourt or on the wing.. That's 8 bigs and 6 guards if Jerzy commits.

Geno might not have much room to recruit real guard depth until 2027-28 when the core of the team could well be Jana Lara O Gandy Sarah Morgan Allie Kelis and Jerzy. Does he turn to building a deeper front court at this point? He could have 4 or 5 spots to fill. Does he push for quickness with Qandace Ivanna and Special K, or does he try for size with Hassell, Marion and Mobley?

I pose these questions because Geno may have to choose between a big team or a quick team. UConn will be plenty quick as long as he has KK, Morgan and Kelis in the backcourt. But after that, it will be decision time.

Don't get me wrong. I know Geno will put together the team he thinks is best. These questions are for us to ponder as we look at team size and speed.

It's almost like you don't know the people who follow the Boneyard for UCONN WBB (insert BIG laughing here, because it's meant as a joke)... the people who have been calling for "More Height" for years and years. It's coming to be... is it too much??? a "be careful what you ask for" kind of thing... or is it the path to NCs #12, 13, 14, and more???

 

[Fairfield Fan]

A great deal is riding on Jana's surgically reconstructed Achilles tendon. We all hope and pray that she remains healthy, and that she, like Breanna Stewart, rebounds robustly from the surgery. But beyond Jana, we are not tall. We decline to 6'2". We hope that the badly injured Huskies all recover strongly this year. We also hope that Sarah Strong grows into the superstar she's projected to become. But she's just 6'2", and seems to play more on the perimeter than underneath.

Regarding more quality bigs, we'll have to wait and hope. ESPN ranks Gandy at #69 in its Top 100 Recruits. That doesn't inspire confidence, especially when she's been referred to as a "development" player. And sadly, we've seen too many big, strong post players come in and woefully underperform to put too much faith in her teaming with Jana underneath to neutralize the numerous and talented Bigs on other top teams. Further, our luck recruiting top Bigs has been poor for many years. Indeed, the last time Connecticut won a national title was the last time we fielded a Big-Time Bit: Breanna Stewart. The last time we actually recruited a Top Big was back in 2012. That's a long drought, and we should wonder what's keeping the flow os super-talented Bigs going to so many other programs.

So I'll keep my fingers crossed. But we're not at this time facing the "danger" of being "too big."

 

[hoophuskee]

Why does Bueckers consistently left out of speed/quick/fast claims? She is all of the above. At times she was the fastest on the team in drills (when Griffin or McLean was injured), did well in track in HS, and her quickness is overtly plain to see on the court. I don’t get it.

We have to remember that bballnut is a “Tennessean.” She’s grown up with Pat Summitt Tenn hoop that lives by “Offense sells tickets, Defense wins games, and Rebounding wins championships.” She is going to highly favor height, size, and rebounding over Offense that can be more perimeter-oriented.

Geno doesn’t think or coach that way. After the loss to Iowa this year. He states in the video below at arounf 25:09 it’s the Offense that’s important in the NCAA’s – he even refers to missing open shots (highlighting the mportantance of Offense unlike the minmizing of it by just saying it "sells tickets.."). Those that live by “Offense sells tickets, Defense wins games and Rebounding wins championships,” this is counter-intuitive to them. It’s not what they grown up believing so they will tend to push back.

This is why many including bballnut will highlight South Carolina’s domnance while excluding Paige Bueckers being hurt as much as she has. Along with, they will exclude Azzi Fudd from being hurt as much as she has. Along with, they will exclude #5 ranked Caroline Ducharme. Us UCONN fans saw how in her frosh year before she git hurt she was talking over the Offense as the #1 player. Not saying she would have kept that up specifically her entire frosh year but the point is that she was poised to be a terrific player. Fans that live by height, defense and rebounding” aren’t going to appreciate one bit though what Ducharme was showing. And another player omitted probably no mention of Sarah because she isn’t tall and not a great leaper (i.e. not uber-athletic). These are things Geno doesn’t hold much value in imo either. But a Pat Summitt devotee might.

So ofc for bballnut and those that think that way of the Pat Summit style, they are going to provide a reason why South Carolina has been so dominant is because of inside strength/athleticism. While ignoring that their #1 rival in terms of recruiting these last several years has been destroyed by injuries. Especially by the perimeter skill players that were recruited and came to UCONN in order to best compete and possibly beat styles of great inside play.

Geno Auriemma & Players Postgame vs. Iowa | Final Four (youtube.com)

 

[huskeynut]

After all the posts the last couple of years complaining that we don't have enough bigs, we have a thread saying we may have too much height.

Leave it to the Boneyard!!

 

[hoophuskee]

If we got Lara and the Big O to go with Jana, Gandy and Sarah, that would be great, not a problem. First Gandy was probably recruited with the expectation of being a quality backup C. If we have plenty of very good bigs, Sarah could be full time or part time at the 3. If we are overloaded with 5's, Jana and the Big O could play together with one of them at the 4, still getting Gandy some backup minutes at the 5.

Some of the best teams in the country had 5 high level bigs. A couple with future WNBA picks (Betts and Cardosa) as 6-7 superstar backups to Brink and Boston for example. In some ways it almost seemed unfair, but I would love to have that advantage.

A couple of those SC teams out rebounded their opponents by 15-20 a game. It may not have been pretty but it was effective. They sometimes didn't shoot that well, but in many cases a missed shot was almost like a pass because they got about half of the offensive rebounds.

I left out a couple of players in the above because I don't think they have yet earned a right to rotation minutes if we can improve on them. I think Lara and the Big O are likely to do that, maybe Gandy too, but with a lower level of confidence. We are far from worrying about "too big" in my opinion. First we would have to get Lara and the Big O, then those two would have to meet our expectations along with Gandy.

5 high level bigs with one as much a 3/4 as a 4, is not too much. If Ayanna and Ice made quantum leaps, maybe it would be, but I think they need to show that first. Based on where we are now, I think we go for Lara and the Big O and hope we get both.

Sarah imo is mostly a 4.

Jana could leave early because she is not from USA.

It's unknown how well Ice, Ayanna, Gandy, and Lara will be vs their guard / small forward counterparts.

Is UCONN recruiting Jazzy Davidson? You think she will be mostly a 1/2?
If she is going to share at the 3 with Sarah considering Jazzy will also be playing some significant 2, then where does that leave Ashlynn, Allie, Morgan, and Q going forward? Someone like Lara or Gandy is going to bump these players because they are tall?
Geno has shown that size is more important than anything else?

Geno loves to run. Geno loves to run.

 

[Bone Dog]

After all the posts the last couple of years complaining that we don't have enough bigs, we have a thread saying we may have too much height.

Leave it to the Boneyard!!

Not saying, asking. Not referring to this season but future seasons. Details matter.

 

[Charliebball]

Height helps immensely and takes precedent over quickness IMO. I think the biggest reason why South Carolina has dominated the past 3 seasons is their size and athleticism inside with Cardoso/Boston/Watkins/Feagin among others. They also dominate the glass and block a ton of shots. They’ll be loaded once again inside so UCONN will need El Alfy to be healthy and productive to combat gong up against a tall and athletic South Carolina team.

SC also has had very quick and athletic guards to feed those bigger players and play harassing defense.....

 

[jcoton56]

No. Nor can they be too good or too lucky. Geno can taech many skills, but bigness is not one of them.

 

[Woof 101]

I am so with you on this thought! It's a great time to be a Husky fan.

When has it not been a great time to be a Husky fan? Just asking, details aside.

 

[Blond D.]

It doesnt matter how many girls we have 6'2" and over. What matters with them and the girls 6'1" and under is how quick and fast they are. Speed kills. Speed and quickness. We lost a couple of final 4 and final games becuz of super fast small guards on the other team that we had no answer for. If a big guard is as quick and fast as the smaller guards, then were good with the taller guards.