Charli Collier to UCONN!!!!!

[RockyMTblue2]

Let's hope they have her bulking up in the weight room this redshirt year, muscle up for 2017-18

In the interview I posted earlier - from early sophomore year - she said she was trying to do that. Coco may be right; her genetics may inhibit the effort. However, you can be long and lanky and very strong. Sure, you can be bumped off the defensive block, but there are compensating moves. She can front and smother most posts when required, but I see Batouly taking care of a lot of business down there.

 

[rvwsleep]

Who will be the backup point guard behind Crystal next year? To me, Molly is the most obvious choice, and she should be a very good choice.

Of the six new players next year, Mikayla Coombs is the only one that could plausibly play that position. I don't doubt that Coombs is probably a better athlete than Molly, but as a freshman will she have the seasoning to run the point for the UConn offense, even as a backup?

Regarding the front court next year, I expect that Azura will start as the center and play as Stewie did: guarding the rim on defense and moving all over the court on offense while being a threat from almost anywhere. Napheesa will be perfectly adequate "4" playing next to her. I do think Batouly will see significant minutes as a 4 also. Judging from the practice on Sunday, Batouly seems to have everything that a good power forward needs, except maybe a couple of inches of size (but that never bothered Morgan Tuck). Batouly has speed, is athletic, is very strong, and appears to have an appetite for physical play. Her "putback" shot seems to be reliable. I doubt very much that she has the scoring ability of Napheesa or the instinct for where the rebound will fall, or for that matter the passing skills that Napheesa is developing as she plays every game this year. That's why I think Napheesa will start as the 4.

ASGR has Combs ranked as the #4 recruit overall in her class. It's difficult for a freshman to get a lot of playing time for UConn but I have to believe that sometime during the year she will be the first pg option off the bench. Too much talent not to.
Which also makes it more difficult to secure C. Williams
in the following class. She's first on my non-post wish list for 2018. As it is, if we secure ODO or N. Smith in 2018, the rest of wcbb will be saying uncle before the start of that season.

 

[UcMiami]

I don't think Geno has ever 'juggled' his starting line-up during a season - he may have changed it based on players not performing well or others performing better, but not switching it game to game based on the opponents line-up. What does change is how quickly he may go to the bench to alter the balance of the team. He likes his players to 'know their roles' so they can get into a routine leading up to tip-off.

 

[Mdoggie]

Guess I'm feeling a bit sorry for Natalie. In her senior year, she may be the last one off the bench.

If so that falls on Nat and no one else.

 

[oldude]

The backup PG role might be the easiest way to get Megan into the rotation. Minutes on the wing are going to be scarce even with Napheesa playing the 4 because you still have to account for Gabby & KLS.

IMO Megan is "college ready" right now. She has size, strength, handle & the ability to score inside & out. I know I am going out on the limb here, but I respectfully suggest that if Megan improves her defense she will push Kia at the 2 guard for playing time next year.

 

[Tonyc]

With what UConn has I can play point guard for the Huskies. They are that good. BTW Im still pretty good. LOL Next season will be the start of 6 more years of number 1. Its going to be very hard to keep up with UConn. You know I watch WCBB games and see teams with height and they just dont play like UConn bigs play thus Butler Camara and Stevens transferring. The problem now is UConn is loaded for the few seasons.

We're Going to the VERY Top...again

 

[CocoHusky]

IMO Megan is "college ready" right now. She has size, strength, handle & the ability to score inside & out. I know I am going out on the limb here, but I respectfully suggest that if Megan improves her defense she will push Kia at the 2 guard for playing time next year.

I will gladly go out on that limb with you.

 

[rugbymate]

With what UConn has I can play point guard for the Huskies. They are that good. BTW Im still pretty good. LOL Next season will be the start of 6 more years of number 1. Its going to be very hard to keep up with UConn. You know I watch WCBB games and see teams with height and they just dont play like UConn bigs play thus Butler Camara and Stevens transferring. The problem now is UConn is loaded for the few seasons.

We're Going to the VERY Top...again

As Geno causes college basketball coaching records fall by the wayside , the one record that Wooden still has that some have considered a never to be broken record is the 7 consecutive NCs. Should good fortune shine on UCONN this year , one has to like the possibility of that record being broken. Should good fortune shine elsewhere, one has to like our chances of starting a very nice streak. Its good to be a UCONN fan.

 

[Kibitzer]

With what UConn has I can play point guard for the Huskies. They are that good. BTW Im still pretty good. LOL Next season will be the start of 6 more years of number 1.

Tony, I went along with your 195-0 prediction but this suggestion that you can somehow be a transgender replacement for Crystal Dangerfield is taking optimism to a stratospheric delusional level. Please take your meds and enjoy the game.

 

[uconn1999]

Yep, we're cringing. If UCONN wins the title this year, we could easily be looking at 8-9 straight titles in Storrs.

I know that other program do not have the luxury to recruit in the same way that Connecticut does, but every season, Geno recruits 1-2 standout kids, and 1-2 players who know they'll be a role player or see limited minutes at UCONN. Ones who are not happy with this usually fizzle out, the program consistently has a couple of star upperclassmen and 1-2 star underclassmen waiting in the wings. From how he builds his rosters, it seems like Geno intentionally leaves gaps at positions where he wants a stud player to fit in. There was a perfect opening for KLS with the graduation of KML, a perfect opening for Dangerfield with Jefferson leaving, a perfect opening for Walker since UCONN needed guard/forwards her class, a perfect opening for Collier with the graduation of Butler and no true post players on the roster, etc. Obviously, top kids have confidence that they'll earn their playing time no matter where they go, but Geno almost seems to create the perfect vacancy for the top kids he recruits, and whether it is said or not, they know they'll be able to slide in nicely from day 1.

Back to Collier--she looks like a classic four who can fill the void in the post. A true 5 will not be needed with UCONN's roster since they'll have Napheesa Collier, Charli Collier and Azure Stevens who can man time inside. I imagine 2018 and 2019 will be similar to how UCONN thrived without a 'true center' in 2002, 2009, 2010, 2015 (besides Stokes in limited minutes), and 2016. Charli has a good strong build, good agility and footwork, and she is very very smooth around the basket. I think she'll have a role similar to the one Charles had at UCONN where she is going to be a primary post but has a good face up game and will be the shot blocker inside.

Collier is ranked #7, but I think she's more "college ready" than some of the prospects ahead of her. Obviously, she still has 2 years of high school/AAU ball to go, but I see her being a strong contributor from day 1 and will likely start for 3 years.

UCONN's roster in 2018-19 looks like:
F-Azure Stevens (RS-Sr)...AA honors at Duke
F-KLS (Sr)..2015#1 recruit
F-Collier (Sr)..2015 top 10 recruit
G/F-Walker (So)...2017 #1 recruit
G-Dangerfield (So)...2016 #3 recruit

F/C-Collier...2018 top 10 recruit
G-Bent (Jr)
F-Irwin (Jr)
G-Coombs (So)
G-Gordon (So)
G-Hunter (So)

Nice recap but wouldn't Dangerfield be a Jr.?

 

[hoophuskee]

View attachment 17236

So, I think Coco's point isn't that AZ is soft, but especially against some teams that stack bigs (like USC and Baylor) the team would be more effective with a true 5 behind her, like Batouly or Natalie.

But I think that next year there will be far too much talent sitting on the bench for there to be a set line-up like that, game after game. With Crystal at the 1, Kia at the 2, and Lou at the 3, Geno is going to need to fit AZ, Pheesa, and Gabby into 2 positions, not to mention a true 5 under certain circumstances and next year's incredibly talented freshmen.

And besides that juggling, I think we can't know fully until we see AZ on the court next year. Clearly, she's on a pre-professional track, which means she's likely trying very hard right now to beef up in preparation for a very different game eventually. And finally, maybe by next fall, Geno will have a better sense of whether AZ is a one-and-done or is interested in staying for another year, and that information might affect how he views player development with an eye toward 2017/18.

I think that was exactly his point when he says ("not sturdy," "look at her arms and shoulders, NEEDS Butler while -- though we see Collier didn't. To me if you were to describe a soft palyer these would be the type of things you do to describe a soft player when they are a wcbb that stand 6'6.)--
Anyways I'd like to ask you two questions because I do respect your opinion and coco's - he'll get over our dispute: You're both good posters. I fear coco will get upset but oh well---
-------------------

Question 1: If Napheesa Collier could handle Baylor's low post (i.e. "didn't need Butler") especially when it came crunch time the last 7.5 minutes of the game while she was playing alongside with Gabby, why would anyone think Stevens couldn't handle unless she had Butler? You'd have to think Collier and Gabby are superior post players. UCONN handled Baylor in the post. We won the game. Which leads me Question 2:

Question 2-- : You speak of "having a true 5 behind Stevens vs the big teams. But if you are Baylor next year, can you please explain how you can defend Stevens and Collier with the two bigs they threw at us this year? Collier's shooting has improved this year so I expect it will take another good jump. Both Stevens and Collier are more athletic. So imo it makes no sense to deliberately slow the game down with a "less talented low post player" in Natalie in which we'll be forced to play a more slow down game which may be ta the pace Baylor wants. Instead they would have little chance to defend Stevens and Collier, right? We have this probable super bench and amazing athleticism all over the court and tremendous guard play and a freak shooter in Lou -- so I don't see why we'd consider forcing ourselves to slow down the game to defend with a slower big when we've already beaten them with a very small team.


*********I do think Camara could start alongside Stevens. But that is different than Butler. Camara has potential to be an all-american the way it sounds from other posters.
-----------
I would be absolutely ecstatic of Charli is quicker than I thought and can be a menacing "Stewart" at the defensive end.

 

[UcMiami]

hoopkuskee - you want a big when playing against a big line-up because if you don't have one, you run the risk of exactly what happened in the Baylor and FSU games - when an undersized player is playing against a big, they are much more likely to pick up fouls because they need to use elbows and quick hands to have a chance, and those tactics can lead to extra fouls - both Napheesa and Gabby rode the pine for long stretches in both of those games - luckily for Uconn against Baylor, Brown also picked up quick fouls and sat for most of the first half and for extended minutes in the second. In both games Butler came in and played 15 minutes of foul free defense and rebounding. And part of why she didn't foul was because she didn't need to use 'tricks' to maintain defensive position - she could lean against the bigs just as hard as they were leaning against her.

Yes you have an advantage at the other end with your quickness, but it then becomes a balance between your quicks being able to score more than their bigs. If Baylor had been better/more patient at getting the ball to their bigs (or less willing for their wings to hoist shots) the equation could have turned against Uconn. It will be interesting should we meet them in the NCAAs to see whether they have solved that, and if they have, how Uconn can counter that.

 

[hoophuskee]

hoopkuskee - you want a big when playing against a big line-up because if you don't have one, you run the risk of exactly what happened in the Baylor and FSU games - when an undersized player is playing against a big, they are much more likely to pick up fouls because they need to use elbows and quick hands to have a chance, and those tactics can lead to extra fouls - both Napheesa and Gabby rode the pine for long stretches in both of those games - luckily for Uconn against Baylor, Brown also picked up quick fouls and sat for most of the first half and for extended minutes in the second. In both games Butler came in and played 15 minutes of foul free defense and rebounding. And part of why she didn't foul was because she didn't need to use 'tricks' to maintain defensive position - she could lean against the bigs just as hard as they were leaning against her.

Yes you have an advantage at the other end with your quickness, but it then becomes a balance between your quicks being able to score more than their bigs. If Baylor had been better/more patient at getting the ball to their bigs (or less willing for their wings to hoist shots) the equation could have turned against Uconn. It will be interesting should we meet them in the NCAAs to see whether they have solved that, and if they have, how Uconn can counter that.

How did it work out Baylor? Especially the last 7 minutes? Pace and tempo and skill and superior talent will defeat slowness and size unless a team is completely overwhelmed by size. But we saw a 6'1 and 5'11 player defend the paint quite a bit. Yes they needed Butler. Couldn't have won without her. But ball movement and quick slashes is huge in the college game. And it's hard for 20 year olds to be patient. That's why you hear so often it a guards game. Anyhow, if size was so important why didn't Geno start Butler vs Baylor? Why did Butler only get 20 minutes? Why did Gabby only pick up 2 fouls?

Why didn't he pull Butler at some point early in the 4th qtr to save her so he could have her for example the last 4 minutes and let the smaller players struggle in order for Geno to use Butler down the stretch?. So what if one of them fouled out (Though Gabby with 2 fouls wasn't going to foul out. Collier could have fouled out the second she came back), but if size was so important and Baylor was narrowing the score while Butler was in (they actually tied it, so how effective was UCONN when Collier went out and Butler came in vs when Butler came out and Collier came in?) and Collier was out, why didn't it overwhelm our front line enough to win the game?

It was with 7:04 left in the game and the score was tied 54-54, UCONN DELIBERATELY pulled SIZE (Butler) and in came Collier. On the 1st defensive play after a Baylor miss UCONN ran a fastbreak. The Baylor Big trailed the play. UCONN got a layup. On the next play UCONN played a zone, Baylor couldn't get the ball inside, they missed, in which the smaller Collier boxed out their big, then UCONN got the ball up the court with some pace and Lou drove, the big helped and Lou missed but Collier's quickness got the offensive rebound and hit the lay up. What we see here is a clear indication- slow size loses out to pace of play. Because right after that Baylor went with two bigs. And it got worse for Baylor the lead got bigger and bigger.

My point is-- next year UCONN is going to have more size with Stevens. She averaged 9.6 rebounds in the ACC. If we go with a lineup of Stevens and NCollier, we get open looks and it is pretty easy to get them in foul trouble if they are forced to step around the ft line. I can't see either of the Baylor bigs able to defend the 3. Not with our guards for next year.

So I'd like to ask you the same two questions I asked bags:

If Napheesa Collier could handle Baylor's low post (i.e. "didn't need Butler") especially when it came crunch time the last 7 minutes of the game while she was playing alongside with 5'11 Gabby, why would anyone think Stevens couldn't handle under the same circumstances unless she had Butler?

Please explain how you can defend Stevens and Collier with the two 6'4 and taller bigs they (Baylor) threw at us this year?

And what you say "luckily for UCONN" at their bigs picked up fouls I disagree with. Bigs fighting for position can easily pick up cheap fouls. On the play I was telling you that Lou missed - we saw Lou get knocked to the floor. That could have been a foul on their big. Bigs, slow ones, don't get back well on defense. Or when Baylor tied the game at 54, their center could have been called for an offensive foul. Those kids on Baylor aren't Hakeem Olajuwon on defense. Bigs are susceptible getting fouls called on them vs quicker players whether it be when they are on defense their feet are naturally slower and on offense when they fight for position they often are victims of defensive flops/inadvertent elbows etc, or they get cheap over-the-back fouls. And when they get doubled, how often will they see a team's overall quickness like UCONN's for next year? The turnovers can lead to breakouts in which we're going to be one helluva 3pt shooting team.

 

[CocoHusky]

I can't with you. You have gone from Maya to Dennis Rodman to Olajuwon. Gabby & Napheesa did a brilliant job of defending the post in the Baylor game. Despite the brilliant effort the rebound margin was +10 for Baylor.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Brett McCormick talks to Coach Bill about Charli Collier, Christyn Williams, and NaLyssa Smith. McCormick was unaware of Collier's verbal to UConn.

Right at the start for 20+ minutes.

LADIES NIGHT

 

[bags27]

Brett McCormick talks to Coach Bill about Charli Collier, Christyn Williams, and NaLyssa Smith. McCormick was unaware of Collier's verbal to UConn.

Right at the start for 20+ minutes.

LADIES NIGHT

important (if of course speculative) stuff about UConn, but good analysis of Charli. Starts around 18:00.

 

[CocoHusky]

Brett McCormick talks to Coach Bill about Charli Collier, Christyn Williams, and NaLyssa Smith. McCormick was unaware of Collier's verbal to UConn.

Right at the start for 20+ minutes.

LADIES NIGHT

Coach Bill also said UCONN investing in NaLyssa Smith, and is probably looking for a complementary big to go along with C. Collier. Also as we suspected and speculated MW signing might be the only thing keeping C. Williams form committing to UCONN.

 

[SciHiGuy]

Prospects Nation has her listed as a forward. Does UConn still need a post player?

What will the roster look like going into the 2018-2019 season?

We'll have the top high school point guard from 2016, the top scholastic player from 2015, the top wing from 2017, and the top forward from 2018.

So we start Crystal Dangerfield, Katie Lou Samuelson, Megan Walker, Charli Collier. And....?

The WCBB world must be cringing right now! A NC almost guaranteed next year, and then another?

Stevens or N. Collier...