Chong isn't going anywhere!

[Carnac]

I am soo confused by Chong's lack of playing time. Obviously I trust Geno, but to me, I see a player who could be super solid. She reminds me of Kiah Stokes in that I think her true self will shine through her senior year. I know coach doesn't like her defense and from what I remember, as soon as she got in the championship game, she got beat on defense and I was really disappointed because I believe in her and I'm like oh....that's why she doesn't play. Lack of focus. People may disagree with me and I've always felt that with hard work, she could play in the league. I think she will step up next year, because I think her demeanor is that of....She doesn't have a choice. And she will shine bright. Her offensive game looks elite to me. Just gotta focus on defense.

I think the yard is split down the middle on this topic. There are many that agree with you, and just as many that don't. Believe me, this topic will be discussed and debated ALL summer.
I'm rooting for Saniya (Lord knows she's paid her dues), but if she's going to start, she's going to have to beat out all of the other guards once official practice begins., and earn that spot. Geno is not sentimental, he's going to start the best 5 players that give the team the best chance to win. If Saniya is in that number, good for her. If not, she'll continue to come off the bench.

That's the way I see it, I think that's the way it should be. Your reference to her defensive deficiencies are on point. I remind you of the definition of insanity. I think that applies here. She's going to have to do something different to improve and enhance her ability to keep her man in front of her. That's one thing Geno will not tolerate from any player. Saniya is much better than when she first got here, but there's still room for improvement.

This is her last "round-up". She knows what her deficiencies are. She has the entire summer to address them. She should come back in the fall ready to compete for a starting spot. Hopefully she will return healthy, and free from the IT Band Syndrome that plagued her this year. Kia Nurse will of course be the other starting guard. Whether she moves over to the point, or someone else assumes that role remains to be seen.
We'll discuss and debate THAT issue also. We've got lots of "fodder" to keep us entertained until October, that's six looooong months from now.

 

[Carnac]

Chong needs to learn defense. She should find that yellow brick road and get going. Very disappointed to learn that she has not started.

OK......If Chong were to start, which one of the other starters would you have take a seat on the bench? Which one of the 5 starters do you think Chong should be starting over? You know Geno is going to start the best 5 players that give him the best chance to win, right?

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

I believe that Saniya will have a Kiah Stokes-esque rebirth in her senior year. Suddenly there are no Superstars to fall back on, YOU are the Senior everyone is looking to for leadership, and there is a gaping hole at YOUR position. The time has come to earn your scholarship, and validate the rings on your fingers. I don't think she will let her teammates down.

Just like Kiah, she has all of the talent and ability, and has enticed us at times with brilliant plays, while frustrating us madly with sophomoric blunders and what appeared to be lackluster play. When opportunity knocked, Kiah grabbed it by the throat and throttled it, dominating opponents throughout her Senior season. I see Saniya doing the same.

 

[Charliebball]

I believe that Saniya will have a Kiah Stokes-esque rebirth in her senior year. Suddenly there are no Superstars to fall back on, YOU are the Senior everyone is looking to for leadership, and there is a gaping hole at YOUR position. The time has come to earn your scholarship, and validate the rings on your fingers. I don't think she will let her teammates down.

Just like Kiah, she has all of the talent and ability, and has enticed us at times with brilliant plays, while frustrating us madly with sophomoric blunders and what appeared to be lackluster play. When opportunity knocked, Kiah grabbed it by the throat and throttled it, dominating opponents throughout her Senior season. I see Saniya doing the same.

I do see similarities to the Stokes situation..... Chong could be an impactful part of the team even if she doesn't start. If she is fit and that's a big if, she could be the first guard off the bench and could be inserted any time her shooting touch was needed. After all, she will be one of the two or three best outside shooters on the team next season.

 

[trb123]

OK.If Chong were to start, which one of the other starters would you have take a seat on the bench? Which one of the 5 starters do you think Chong should be starting over? You know Geno is going to start the best 5 players that give him the best chance to win, right?

Carnac

I had read only the title of this thread and not much else when I posted. I believed she should get going. I can almost hear her say, " I am Saniya, five foot nine and fast......"

I know that Geno is going to start the best 5 players. I am not going to talk about Chong making the starting 5. Very wary of talking about something that is not my expertise.

Needless to say I am very happy to learn about these vast improvements waiting to happen in summer and early fall.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Y'know, Saniya, despite fighting health issues, averaged about 12.5 minutes per game. Last year, when healthier, she averaged 19, I believe. There's been a few starts scattered in there, too.

When you're part of teams that are being considered as the two most powerful college basketball teams ever, that ain't so bad.
When you look at the players on these teams that get more minutes - All Americans, Olympian/National team players, current-and-soon-to-be WNBA players - that ain't so bad.
When you look at the wonderful experiences and wonderful people you get to spend your time with - that ain't so bad.

I could go on, but, you get the idea. We tend to fixate on starters, and can be very quick to point out deficiencies in players who don't play ahead of the aforementioned roster of AA's, etc. Just because a kid doesn't start at UConn, doesn't mean they're chopped liver - and a kid who averages double-digit minutes, I would contend, is definitely not chopped liver.

A very not-chopped-liver post, Mr. Bear.

 

[Geno-ista]

A lot of interesting stuff on this thread- here's my take. I love Collier- love he!!! But I see Gabby as a better ball handler/guard right now vs Napheesa. With Morgan going too- ( which I took a lot of "constructive criticism" for my prediction last summer", the Boykin Transfer will loom large- large! I'm not confident about Butler and Chong being players that will be able to get us thru regionals to a FF. I hope I'm wrong. I think next yr's team goal is to get Danger in a position to make a big run to the Promised land her Sophomore yr. Butler is going to have to be able to drain a high percentage 13-17 mid range shots all the time for us to have a prayer next yr. her footwork on both ends and defense ends in fouls most of the tim. I really thought she would have been farther after 2 yr's of practice w our teams. And Saniya is almost invisible on defense. I'm not expecting more than a regional game next year. I'm still looking forward to the season and seeing everyone's ind growth.

 

[Geno-ista]

Don't count out Molly Bent, she's going to surprise a lot of people.

I hope you're right- we'll need all the help we can get. We need the help next season! Not sure she can help us that much by March?

 

[Carnac]

Yes, Saniya's greatest limitation is her inability to initiate the offense. Given that it will take a while, perhaps the entire year, for Crystal Dangerfield to master the point, it makes sense for Kia to slide over to the 1, a position she has played with considerable success for the Canadian national team. If that happens, Saniya's could see significant time as the off guard (especially against shorter lineups) which would reduce the pressure on her to initiate and free her up to drive to the hoop and dial from long distance.

Pardon my ignorance, but you have me at a disadvantage. I assume that Chris Daley is "CD". I'm also assuming that Crystal Dangerfield is Crystal Dangerfield. My question is who is CD2?

 

[Geno-ista]

Right. Picture a team, with small guards, putting a full court press on Uconn. You don't want to see Collier+Williams handling the ball in the back court. As another poster said, Chong needs to concentrate more, and do it 100% of the time that she is on the court.

She can't defend at all- biggest detriment.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I am soo confused by Chong's lack of playing time. Obviously I trust Geno, but to me, I see a player who could be super solid. She reminds me of Kiah Stokes in that I think her true self will shine through her senior year. I know coach doesn't like her defense and from what I remember, as soon as she got in the championship game, she got beat on defense and I was really disappointed because I believe in her and I'm like oh....that's why she doesn't play. Lack of focus. People may disagree with me and I've always felt that with hard work, she could play in the league. I think she will step up next year, because I think her demeanor is that of....She doesn't have a choice. And she will shine bright. Her offensive game looks elite to me. Just gotta focus on defense.

Shortly after she entered the game at the 3:25 in the third period, in the midst of the SU run, she made a turnover against the press. She was double-teamed and a tall player (Sykes?) blocked the pass and stole it. It looked as though she could have run harder after the SU player going to the hoop though there was probably little she could do. As it happens, on the next play Mo tossed up a bit of a lollipop diagonally to Nurse and that was stolen.

I'm a supporter of Saniya and ever since I've been on this board I've been disappointed in the amount of criticism she receives. It looks as though she will be forever tagged as being deficient on defense no matter what she does. I don't think she's as good on defense as Mo or Kia, but then, who is? It's true that she often appears lost or out of sync, but some of that must surely derive from coming into games cold off the bench. In the NC game, she was thrown right into a full court press in the midst of the 16-0 SU run (she was in for Tuck). Yes, she made a turnover, but so did others. Also, Tuck missed a bunny in that run, and there was that pass from Tuck(?) to Nurse that didn't quite make connections and Kia looked bad trying to save it. Kia also appeared to be late on a close-out at another point in the run. There was also confusion between Kia and Saniya at one point regarding who should be in the backcourt with Mo. Was that based on something Geno wanted or was Kia orchestrating that? Don't know.

My point in all this is not to be critical of the other players, but Saniya's shortcomings are often quick to be reported here. After the timeout, Saniya was taken out and Tuck put back in. Was that because Saniya had performed poorly or because Geno wanted his calming senior in the game?

While I'm on this rant, a point was made earlier about her not looking good in the first half of the NC. Did she even play in the first half? A few days ago a poster asserted that she turns the ball over too much. But in absolute terms, over the course of the season she was among the lowest on the team. Obviously, she played fewer minutes than other players, so we would really need a relative measure such as TOs per minute to judge that. Her A/TO ratio of 1.5 overall and 2.5 in the conference seem rather good to me.

So anyway, UConnEver, this rant was not really intended for you, I just felt like ranting. Hope I didn't bore you too much. I do agree with you (and others) that she could be solid, and that she will be an important component of next year's team. Let us hope she is healthy enough to contribute and finish out her UConn career on a high note.

 

[Geno-ista]

I agree that she will mostly play forward on next year's team, but she did have a lot of minutes at the three this past season, which in Geno's system is considered to be a guard. He even mentioned that fact in several interviews before the final game, stating unequivocally that he has used three guards for his entire 30-year coaching career and therefore would be playing Stewie at the three because of Lou's absence. Next season, there will be plenty of situations where Napheesa moves from the four to the three, thus becoming a guard.

Nevertheless, the premise by the author that Chong would be competing with Gabby and Napheesa is totally ridiculous. She is a two guard and is unlikely to ever play any other position other than during the final minutes of a blowout. Gabby and Napheesa will be getting their minutes at the four and three, with an outside chance that Napheesa actually plays the one if Chong ends up starting instead of Butler. That would be a very, very small lineup, but also an incredibly quick one. In that scenario, one might also see a lot of matchup zone, with Lou in the middle, Napheesa and Gabby on the wings and Nurse and Chong/Dangerfield on top. I don't think that anyone should automatically assume that Lou couldn't handle the five on defense; she is an incredibly hard worker and highly motivated to do whatever is asked of her. Of course the ideal scenario is for Natalie to step up in a major way, but if that doesn't happen there are certainly other totally viable options.

I hope you mean Collier may play the 5, not he 1, if Chong ends up starting instead of Butler.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Pardon my ignorance, but you have me at a disadvantage. I assume that Chris Daley is "CD". I'm also assuming that Crystal Dangerfield is Crystal Dangerfield. My question is who is CD2?

Caroline Doty.

 

[Gus Mahler]

She can't defend at all- biggest detriment.

At all?

 

[Carnac]

Caroline Doty.

Thanks Gus. I'll try and keep up.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Thanks Gus. I'll try and keep up.

Same thing happened to me a few months ago.

 

[DesertFox]

Y'know, Saniya, despite fighting health issues, averaged about 12.5 minutes per game. Last year, when healthier, she averaged 19, I believe. There's been a few starts scattered in there, too.

...We tend to fixate on starters, and can be very quick to point out deficiencies in players who don't play ahead of the aforementioned roster of AA's, etc.

When you play on a team with the kind of success UConn has had, minutes played by subs holds very little meaning. The playing time they get is derived more from the overwhelming success of the starters (top 7-8 players) than anything else.

 

[victor64]

I know Dr. Briana should be grateful for Saniiya. Prior to the Pulido shot in the NC game, Chong made the steal, split two defenders and made a great pass to Pulido in the corner. What a special moment Pulido, hopefully Chong enjoyed it just as much.

 

[DesertFox]

...A few days ago a poster asserted that she turns the ball over too much. But in absolute terms, over the course of the season she was among the lowest on the team. Obviously, she played fewer minutes than other players, so we would really need a relative measure such as TOs per minute to judge that. Her A/TO ratio of 1.5 overall and 2.5 in the conference seem rather good to me.

For the most part her playing time is against a defeated team, so I fail to understand the so-called importance of her turnover ratio? When it counts (in the throws of real competition) is when stats are meaningful.

 

[DesertFox]

I know Dr. Briana should be grateful for Saniiya. Prior to the Pulido shot in the NC game, Chong made the steal, split two defenders and made a great pass to Pulido in the corner. What a special moment Pulido, hopefully Chong enjoyed it just as much.

Pulido's shot was fantastic, a thing of beauty, but to credit Chong for doing anything special on this play is ridiculous. Just sayin'

 

[wbfree]

Shortly after she entered the game at the 3:25 in the third period, in the midst of the SU run, she made a turnover against the press. She was double-teamed and a tall player (Sykes?) blocked the pass and stole it. It looked as though she could have run harder after the SU player going to the hoop though there was probably little she could do. As it happens, on the next play Mo tossed up a bit of a lollipop diagonally to Nurse and that was stolen.

I'm a supporter of Saniya and ever since I've been on this board I've been disappointed in the amount of criticism she receives. It looks as though she will be forever tagged as being deficient on defense no matter what she does. I don't think she's as good on defense as Mo or Kia, but then, who is? It's true that she often appears lost or out of sync, but some of that must surely derive from coming into games cold off the bench. In the NC game, she was thrown right into a full court press in the midst of the 16-0 SU run (she was in for Tuck). Yes, she made a turnover, but so did others. Also, Tuck missed a bunny in that run, and there was that pass from Tuck(?) to Nurse that didn't quite make connections and Kia looked bad trying to save it. Kia also appeared to be late on a close-out at another point in the run. There was also confusion between Kia and Saniya at one point regarding who should be in the backcourt with Mo. Was that based on something Geno wanted or was Kia orchestrating that? Don't know.

My point in all this is not to be critical of the other players, but Saniya's shortcomings are often quick to be reported here. After the timeout, Saniya was taken out and Tuck put back in. Was that because Saniya had performed poorly or because Geno wanted his calming senior in the game?

While I'm on this rant, a point was made earlier about her not looking good in the first half of the NC. Did she even play in the first half? A few days ago a poster asserted that she turns the ball over too much. But in absolute terms, over the course of the season she was among the lowest on the team. Obviously, she played fewer minutes than other players, so we would really need a relative measure such as TOs per minute to judge that. Her A/TO ratio of 1.5 overall and 2.5 in the conference seem rather good to me.

So anyway, UConnEver, this rant was not really intended for you, I just felt like ranting. Hope I didn't bore you too much. I do agree with you (and others) that she could be solid, and that she will be an important component of next year's team. Let us hope she is healthy enough to contribute and finish out her UConn career on a high note.

Right before the time out Kia missed Saniya wide open in the corner. Instead she forced up a jumper and missed. Saniya did make a nice pass to Pulido for her jump shot.

 

[GiladKatzDeli]

If Saniya has a really good summer, she could have a great season next year. She has all the talent she needs to be really, really good.

 

[xHunt3r]

Pulido's shot was fantastic, a thing of beauty, but to credit Chong for doing anything special on this play is ridiculous. Just sayin'

please just stop posting...

 

[temery]

Pulido's shot was fantastic, a thing of beauty, but to credit Chong for doing anything special on this play is ridiculous. Just sayin'

 

[TFintheMix]

I'm a supporter of Saniya and ever since I've been on this board I've been disappointed in the amount of criticism she receives. It looks as though she will be forever tagged as being deficient on defense no matter what she does. I don't think she's as good on defense as Mo or Kia, but then, who is? ....

Great post! I also feel that Chong has been overly criticized. It reminds me of the constant harping about Kia Stokes' inadequacies while at UConn and backtracking at her success with the NY Liberty. The only problem with Chong is that she has some great players ahead of her and (let's be honest) a very short leash to proof herself.

Honestly, I'm not surprised that Chong MAY have considered transferring. She would be a major star on many very good programs. That she chose to stay at UConn is great and a testament to a student-athlete who is truly committed to the program. I only hope that she gets an opportunity to continue to play if that is her wish.