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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 4010323, member: 1131"] This is a reply to Littlimin's comments, in this thread and elsewhere, about Paige and the point guard position. He is too verbose to quote, but basically he is saying that PG is not Paige's best position because she lacks elite penetration skills, and that is why Geno had her at the 2 guard for most of last year. I think he is wrong on both counts. To take the latter point first, Geno had Paige off the ball for one reason only, which was that she was the best jump shooter on the team, and he wanted to get her open for shots, which is easier to do if she is off the ball. That is obvious; defenders have a harder time keeping up with her if she can move all over the court while the defense is focused on stopping the ball. The first point, however, is more fundamental. Where is it written that point guards have to be elite penetrators? Sue Bird was not; Sabrina Ionescu is not. Moriah and Crystal were, but that was an "extra" skill for them, which somewhat compensated for the fact that they were not always reliable jump shooters. The basic requirements for the PG position are court vision and passing, and Paige's skills in those areas are beyond elite. Geno purposely chose not to maximize her use of those skills when he played her off the ball, because anyone she might have passed to would be less likely to score than she was. A PG's personal scoring skills (via either jump shooting OR penetration) need only be sufficient to deter the defense from neglecting her as a scorer and focusing on covering the passing lanes. This year, with Dorka and Azzi plus another year of improvement for Christyn, Evina, and Alliyah, it should no longer be true that Paige's own jump shot is UConn's best offensive weapon. At that point, it will make sense to put her back at PG where she belongs. [/QUOTE]

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