Caroline Conundrum

[hoopsfan22]

Really that is where you want to go ??? With all due respect any knowledge of the team or injuries and recovery time?

Yes because the most common use of kinesiotape on this team is to cover tattoos. Caroline wouldn't be the first to use it to cover a neck tattoo.

 

[JJTB]

I just hope the first shot goes in! Love watching her play when she’s confident and has that “bounce” in her step!

 

[Centerstream]

I wish I could understand why her conditioning remains so poor into December. Clearly not in game shape. Understandably difficult to recover from the kind of concussion she suffered last year under the best of circumstances. But I would need to see a level of physical fitness at least approaching that of her teammates as a first step towards believing she can once again be the player she was in the earlier stages of last season.

As has already been posted, Caroline underwent hip surgery in the summer and wasn't even able to do any kind of practice related work until August. Combine that with the neck issue that she has been battling since last season, I am surprised that she is feeling well enough to even suit up. I watched the replay of the Princeton game and I agree with others that she did look "winded" at times while on the court...but she was on the court, giving her all. I would guess that she is playing many more minutes than the coaching and medical staff would like but she is out there. Imagine if she wasn't. What would be the alternative???

 

[JordyG]

symptoms you cite here seem to indicate neurological trouble, which gibes well with the multiple head blows that had her sitting out a string of games last january (or february or march). when caroline finally returned, she didn't play like herself, and she hasn't since.

i've dealt with neurological difficulties and they are hard to pin down sometimes. the folks at storrs perhaps have not even considered this as a possible cause for caroline's woes. if she is suffering from this, it easily could manifest as changes in coordination, balance, vision, reaction time and the like which clearly would be horrible on the basketball court but not necessarily noticeable in day-to-day activities. basketball skills could be affected while caroline appears to be fine physically. conditioning could be a non-issue and lack of practice also could be beside the point.

it's worth considering in this situation. i don't believe it has been, at least not in the BY.

but of course maybe an injection of confidence, or better conditioning, or more practice time -- or simply more time to recover from surgery -- are the paths to renewal of the 'old' caroline.

I'm sad to hear you've had to deal with neurological problems. I hope all is now well for you. I'm not a doctor, I've never had neurological problems, and I'm not privy to any conversations had between Caroline and her physicians. As a pure layman I too have considered this as the cause of her problems as well as a few other causes, though I will not speculate. All I can do from my trusty keyboard is wish her well and hope that my worse fears are misguided and my best hopes are realized.

 

[Martin]

symptoms you cite here seem to indicate neurological trouble, which gibes well with the multiple head blows that had her sitting out a string of games last january (or february or march). when caroline finally returned, she didn't play like herself, and she hasn't since.

i've dealt with neurological difficulties and they are hard to pin down sometimes. the folks at storrs perhaps have not even considered this as a possible cause for caroline's woes. if she is suffering from this, it easily could manifest as changes in coordination, balance, vision, reaction time and the like which clearly would be horrible on the basketball court but not necessarily noticeable in day-to-day activities. basketball skills could be affected while caroline appears to be fine physically. conditioning could be a non-issue and lack of practice also could be beside the point.

it's worth considering in this situation. i don't believe it has been, at least not in the BY.

but of course maybe an injection of confidence, or better conditioning, or more practice time -- or simply more time to recover from surgery -- are the paths to renewal of the 'old' caroline.

I like how you positioned this Paco. I was trying to make this point in my brain and respond and it really just would have sounded like negative feedback and criticism which I don’t think she deserves.

 

[faithfulfan]

Unfortunately Caroline cannot slowly get back to normal with limited bench minutes until she is ready for a major role again. She has to play significant minutes no matter how close she is to 100% back because of injuries to others. The sooner we get normal production out of Caroline the better.

For most of the season the player many Boneyarder's wanted to see have a breakout game was Amari, but now I think because of her importance that wish has been transferred to Caroline. One big all-around game that can convince us she is back, would be a wonderful tonic for the adversity we are going thru now.

she can contribute in many ways if her scoring isn't there, as she has done with rebounding etc, what's troubling is the turnovers!
Geno has always said when your shot is off for a game, find some other way to help!

 

[JoePgh]

For what it's worth, Caroline played 39 minutes in the Maryland game this afternoon, and (apart from 6 turnovers) put up very respectable stats: 5-for-11 shooting including 1-for-3 from the arc, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. The steal was a very alert play, grabbing a guard-to-guard pass near the center of the court.

As others have noted, Caroline seems to rely more than most players on regular major minutes, i.e., a lot of games like the Maryland game. She needs those minutes to tune her 3-point shot, which quickly loses accuracy if she does not attempt it in game conditions regularly. Her turnovers seem to be attributable to slight timing errors and bad anticipation of teammates' movements -- also things that are fixable through more in-game experience.

In the current state of the roster, she will probably get her wish for as much playing time as she wants. Until Azzi comes back, she is UConn's second-best 3-point threat. With more games with 35+ minutes, she should get all the opportunity she needs to tune up her 3-point shot.

 

[2PointGuards]

She does seem rather slow getting up the court. A remnant of her hip surgery?

 

[jdote33]

For what it's worth, Caroline played 39 minutes in the Maryland game this afternoon, and (apart from 6 turnovers) put up very respectable stats: 5-for-11 shooting including 1-for-3 from the arc, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. The steal was a very alert play, grabbing a guard-to-guard pass near the center of the court.

As others have noted, Caroline seems to rely more than most players on regular major minutes, i.e., a lot of games like the Maryland game. She needs those minutes to tune her 3-point shot, which quickly loses accuracy if she does not attempt it in game conditions regularly. Her turnovers seem to be attributable to slight timing errors and bad anticipation of teammates' movements -- also things that are fixable through more in-game experience.

In the current state of the roster, she will probably get her wish for as much playing time as she wants. Until Azzi comes back, she is UConn's second-best 3-point threat. With more games with 35+ minutes, she should get all the opportunity she needs to tune up her 3-point shot.

Yeah, I'm a little all over place in regards to assessing her play today but I am glad she was able to play that many minutes. After her and 1 in the 4th quarter she slapped the stanchion, I think in a bit of frustration (Nika and Paige joking about it on the bench made me chuckle). I think it's telling that in 39 minutes she was only able to get up 11 shots. She let it fly last year, and was able to hunt shots at will. Against top 25 teams like Louisville and Oregon I think she got 20 fgas. Of course she was playing with Evina, Liv and Dorka, which helped her out a lot and allowed her to not be relied upon as a primary facilitator.
Nevertheless, I was one, who thought once Paige went out, that she could be used as a point forward. I feel like she was able to play that role in HS, so I guess I was a bit surprised to see how she struggled handling the ball at times today. To me, it was kinda on her today to take the pressure off Ines. You could see her leading in huddles which I think is great, but I was hoping once Ines brought the ball up, if she got it to Lou of Caroline, they could essentially facilitate the offense. I think my expectations may have been a bit too high and she's still only in her 8th game as a sophomore. These in-game reps are invaluable and shes still getting healthy.
But I think games like this show areas where she needs to improve. Too many offensive fouls with the off arm all season, and she has to be a bit better ballhandling, particularly with her left hand. She had a dousy of a pass to AE off the pick and roll, so she has it in her without a doubt, but it would be great to see her get more comfortable ball handling and creating for others in space. I'll probably re-watch the game and don't want to harp too much on everything.

 

[CocoHusky]

As has been mentioned by Geno numerous times, Caroline is battling a neck issue that is a result of last season's issues. She doesn't get to practice full time and is a starter out of necessity, just like Azzi last season when Azzi had foot issues. If you look at the back of Caroline's neck, especially in previous games, she is wearing kinesio tape. A further indication that she is battling something.

Can you please clarify this. "Caroline is battling a neck issue that is a result of last season's issues."

I have not seen a connection made between Caroline's issues from last season (Hip surgery, Head injury) and Caroline current issue (neck stiffness). Keep in mind that Caroline played 22 minutes in the Championship game 4/3/22 which was well after her head injury on 1/30/22. Caroline's hip surgery was 4/29/22 and although she was expected to miss all of the summer works outs the expectation was for her to be a full participant once full practices began in September.

 

[Centerstream]

Can you please clarify this. "Caroline is battling a neck issue that is a result of last season's issues."

I have not seen a connection made between Caroline's issues from last season (Hip surgery, Head injury) and Caroline current issue (neck stiffness). Keep in mind that Caroline played 22 minutes in the Championship game 4/3/22 which was well after her head injury on 1/30/22. Caroline's hip surgery was 4/29/22 and although she was expected to miss all of the summer works outs the expectation was for her to be a full participant once full practices began in September.

Ok, you caught me because I am not going back and listen to every Geno interview he had this season just to find when he (allegedly?) shared this information. But I am guessing that it was around our first game when Caroline didn't play.
And what does it matter if it is a result of last season or is new this season? Doesn't change the fact that she has a neck stiffness issue now.

 

[Cuango]

The bottom line is that she (Caroline) is clearly suffering and is unable to perform up to her abilities. She is possibly my favorite player on this team and at this point, I would simply pray that she can just get healthy! I am becoming very concerned at this point, as they are clearly unable (as yet) to “fix” the problem. I’m obviously no Dr but it’s pretty clear that she has not been the same since her head injury/injuries and at this point, I don’t even care about the basketball (except the obvious loss to her) but simply hope and pray that, whatever it is, it can be resolved and she can live a long and pain free life!

 

[CocoHusky]

Ok, you caught me because I am not going back and listen to every Geno interview he had this season just to find when he (allegedly?) shared this information. But I am guessing that it was around our first game when Caroline didn't play.
And what does it matter if it is a result of last season or is new this season? Doesn't change the fact that she has a neck stiffness issue now.

I'm honestly not trying to "catch you" in something. I'm just seeking clarification.
It matters because if you are correct then Caroline still has lingering effects from a head injury that is 10.5 months old which would be very troubling. Remember Caroline WAS NOT officially diagnosed with a concussion after that head injury. But in the words of Geno "Caroline has not looked right since that injury in the Providence game".
If you are not correct then this is a new injury and potentially more troubling because of the accumulation of injuries for Caroline =( 3 Surgeries (hip, knee, shoulder) + (head injury + neck stiffness).
I'm just trying to manage my worry meter regarding Caroline. Right now:

 

[Centerstream]

I have also posted this season that it appears to me that she has had kinesio tape on the back of her neck this season. Someone posted that if it was tape, it could be covering a tattoo. I agreed.
So I guess I really have no clue about what is going on with her.

 

[Brewski]

I'm honestly not trying to "catch you" in something. I'm just seeking clarification.
It matters because if you are correct then Caroline still has lingering effects from a head injury that is 10.5 months old which would be very troubling. Remember Caroline WAS NOT officially diagnosed with a concussion after that head injury. But in the words of Geno "Caroline has not looked right since that injury in the Providence game".
If you are not correct then this is a new injury and potentially more troubling because of the accumulation of injuries for Caroline =( 3 Surgeries (hip, knee, shoulder) + (head injury + neck stiffness).
I'm just trying to manage my worry meter regarding Caroline. Right now:
View attachment 81844

@CocoHusky, you and your ubiquitous visual aids and careful analysis now have me stressed. You wouldn't happen to have some spare Zoloft would you?

 

[CL82]

Ok, you caught me because I am not going back and listen to every Geno interview he had this season just to find when he (allegedly?) shared this information. But I am guessing that it was around our first game when Caroline didn't play.
And what does it matter if it is a result of last season or is new this season? Doesn't change the fact that she has a neck stiffness issue now.

For what it’s worth, I haven’t heard anything that says it’s “a result of last seasons issues”. But that could be me just having missed it.

 

[oldhusky]

Like others I don't know how worried I should be. I didn't consider the hip surgery to be a negative at all. In fact, I thought it was a positive increasing the odds Caroline would be better than last year, when she played with that bothering her. Then neck stiffness sounded like a minor just a few days kind of issue that apparently was more serious.

We didn't get much info on her issues last year or this year. If Caroline and Geno want to keep fans on a don't need to know basis, that is there right. In the meantime, we can just judge what we do or don't see.

The thing that has changed for me is the presumed starting lineup when Dorka and Nika are back. I had presumed Caroline would play the 3 when that happened, but now I think moving Aubrey to the 3 and bringing Caroline off the bench is more logical. Aubrey has earned major minutes somewhere, and Caroline clearly has not.

Caroline IMO needs several breakout games at or better than last year's norm to change that dynamic. The Maryland game was not that kind of a game, yes she gutted out heavy minutes, but her first half was terrible and the second half much better, but overall that was a so so game for her.

 

[Topdawg]

Whatever Caroline’s health issues are, I hope she continues to get better. She is clearly working hard so I expect that to pay off with improved speed and better timing. Confidence improves faster when there are confident players around you. I am looking forward to Caroline making big contributions in January and for the rest of the season.

 

[Centerstream]

I'm honestly not trying to "catch you" in something. I'm just seeking clarification.
It matters because if you are correct then Caroline still has lingering effects from a head injury that is 10.5 months old which would be very troubling. Remember Caroline WAS NOT officially diagnosed with a concussion after that head injury. But in the words of Geno "Caroline has not looked right since that injury in the Providence game".
If you are not correct then this is a new injury and potentially more troubling because of the accumulation of injuries for Caroline =( 3 Surgeries (hip, knee, shoulder) + (head injury + neck stiffness).
I'm just trying to manage my worry meter regarding Caroline. Right now:
View attachment 81844

I found this. It appeared to me that the head and neck issues were related but to someone else, it might be interpreted differently.

 

[Stinger92860]

She does seem rather slow getting up the court. A remnant of her hip surgery?

I saw the same. The game was physical and she was definitely tired. She gave everything she had.

 

[BobbyJ]

This really isn’t that mysterious. If Ducharme has a serious neck issue, she would not have been cleared by the medical staff to play 39 minutes of fast paced, D1 basketball. And as cautious as Auriemma is with injuries, he would not have played her those minutes.

 

[Martin]

I found this. It appeared to me that the head and neck issues were related but to someone else, it might be interpreted differently.

Required viewing for everyone. Good find. Great share.

 

[HuskyNan]

A lot of people in the game thread were talking about the turnovers but Caroline did other things too

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HuskyNan]