Caroline Conundrum | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Caroline Conundrum

CocoHusky said:
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.
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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.
 
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!
 
Centerstream said:
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.
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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:
1670863565913.png
 
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.
 
CocoHusky said:
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
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@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? :oops:
 
Centerstream said:
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.
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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.
 
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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.
 
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.
 
CocoHusky said:
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
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I found this. It appeared to me that the head and neck issues were related but to someone else, it might be interpreted differently.
 
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.
 
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HuskyNan said:
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She definitely did a lot of very good things out there that were overlooked. 13 points on 5-11, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal is a solid game. She is a very well trained and heady basketball player who moves as well without the ball as anyone we have seen recently. She has multiple offensive skills and at 6'2" is a very tough 3 to defend. Above all else, she is fearless.

Having said all that, I hope we look for her and get her the ball more on post ups underneath and cuts to the basket. We also know that she is still not all the way back. I think the turnovers are symptomatic of that but that it is just a layer of the onion that also has to be peeled away. It's coming, it's only December and she was hurt.

Even if this is as good as it gets with her, she would still be very valuable to the team and I am certain that she would win games for us. I am sure this is not the apogee for her though. She will continue to improve and now that her "game wind" is back thanks to Sunday in Maryland, I look forward to Florida State for her. She will come through just like she did last year. It's in her DNA. You can just tell.
 
BBallF said:
She definitely did a lot of very good things out there that were overlooked. 13 points on 5-11, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal is a solid game. She is a very well trained and heady basketball player who moves as well without the ball as anyone we have seen recently. She has multiple offensive skills and at 6'2" is a very tough 3 to defend. Above all else, she is fearless.

Having said all that, I hope we look for her and get her the ball more on post ups underneath and cuts to the basket. We also know that she is still not all the way back. I think the turnovers are symptomatic of that but that it is just a layer of the onion that also has to be peeled away. It's coming, it's only December and she was hurt.

Even if this is as good as it gets with her, she would still be very valuable to the team and I am certain that she would win games for us. I am sure this is not the apogee for her though. She will continue to improve and now that her "game wind" is back thanks to Sunday in Maryland, I look forward to Florida State for her. She will come through just like she did last year. It's in her DNA. You can just tell.
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Well said, BBallF, and thanks for those clips, Nan. Caroline will possibly be more TO prone than some others, but the positives well outweigh the negatives.

Two points from those videos:
Caroline hammering the stanchion after making that basket on the break spoke volumes to me about her level of frustration, passion and dedication to help the Huskies in any way she can.

For those who haven't seen her three-point shooting when she was in prep ball, note that three she made Sunday was from about five feet outside the arc. Some will tell her to move in, but she's got that range, and it will become more apparent as time goes on.

As you said, BBallF, 'it's in her DNA,' and the Huskies will again be the better for it.
 
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I believe that in the 4th quarter, Caroline missed two of what I refer to as underhanded scoop shots, shots that she has made often before. I think that the reason for her misses is because she had to be mentally and physically tired at this point and because she was trying to draw a foul. I think this again shows her basketball awareness. If I recall correctly, one of those shots ended up being a TO and the other Aaliyah was able to score off of (I am not positive about this though).
I have to say, that IMO, Caroline played a helluva game!!! As did the other 6 players that played!!!
 
BBallF said:
She definitely did a lot of very good things out there that were overlooked. 13 points on 5-11, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal is a solid game. She is a very well trained and heady basketball player who moves as well without the ball as anyone we have seen recently. She has multiple offensive skills and at 6'2" is a very tough 3 to defend. Above all else, she is fearless.

Having said all that, I hope we look for her and get her the ball more on post ups underneath and cuts to the basket. We also know that she is still not all the way back. I think the turnovers are symptomatic of that but that it is just a layer of the onion that also has to be peeled away. It's coming, it's only December and she was hurt.

Even if this is as good as it gets with her, she would still be very valuable to the team and I am certain that she would win games for us. I am sure this is not the apogee for her though. She will continue to improve and now that her "game wind" is back thanks to Sunday in Maryland, I look forward to Florida State for her. She will come through just like she did last year. It's in her DNA. You can just tell.
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I agree with everything you said. I would just like to add that in the Maryland game, she was playing more of a perimeter game due to the shortage of guards. When Ines was in, Caroline got to the basket more often. Hopefully Nika and Azzi return soon and Ines continues to improve so Caroline can get back to her natural position
 
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Chasm64 said:
Simply not in game shape, physically or mentally.
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She is a lot closer to physical game shape now after 39 minutes against Maryland. My guess is that the mental aspect will come along with the physical and that the physical, if she is not there already ( I agree that the turnovers are symptomatic of that), will come very quickly now. If you remember last year, she had some very poor games in December against Georgia Tech and Seton Hall and then suddenly 24 against Louisville. My point is that her game comes together rapidly because it is so good fundamentally. Listen, we need her big time right now and she knows what she needs to do. She is all business. I look for a lot from her on Sunday if we just get her the ball in the right spots.
 
But Nan, the turnovers really hurt and many displayed a lack of basic basketball understanding. When trapped in the corner she simply could have thrown the ball of a competitors leg to get out of the trap. Basic stuff????
 
I think Caroline is still struggling. 6 turnovers has got to be her record amount ever. I do sense that she is getting more up to speed though and making improvements physically. Her quickness isn't there yet but time will probably help.
 
Pre-season I thought Durcharme had the second best chance of being an AA on the team behind Azzi. Clearly wrong.

For those who point to her turnovers being due to playing our of position or tiredness, how do you explain the turnovers in the first quarter with Bettencourt in the game?

At the end of last season Durcharme needed to improve her 3pt shooting % and reduce her turnovers. 8 games into this season and they are still things she needs to improve on.
 
I admit I decided not to read through this whole thread. Because it's awfully hard to judge players coming off an injury. You don't know the pain or uncertainty they feel when they try to do the things that used to do naturally.
 
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