Chong isn't going anywhere! | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Chong isn't going anywhere!

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uconnever said:
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.
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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.
 
boreifs said:
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.
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I hope you mean Collier may play the 5, not he 1, if Chong ends up starting instead of Butler.
 
.-.
pinotbear said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
Gus Mahler said:
...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.
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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.
 
victor64 said:
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.
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Pulido's shot was fantastic, a thing of beauty, but to credit Chong for doing anything special on this play is ridiculous. Just sayin'
 
Gus Mahler said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
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Gus Mahler said:
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? ....
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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.
 
Gus Mahler said:
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. 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. 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.
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Gus all fair points. I have been accused of being a Saniya “detractor”-(I’ll use a nice word) and there are a couple of thoughts as to why Saniya (perhaps) receives more than her fair share of criticism.

Saniya is the only one in her class and has to carry the burden of an entire class.

I don’t think the staff is doing Saniya any favors by casting her in PG role because she is not as skilled being game manager; she is much more skilled finisher & going straight line point A to B. In fairness to the staff though, minutes are and have been available at the backup PG position for 3 years now and no one has grabbed those minutes.

Saniya does not recover her confidence easily. If she starts playing well she will finish well but if starts poorly rarely turns it around and this leads quick hooks.

Saniya is extremely talented-but she is also a Junior and while her struggles this year can be attributed to IT band injury overall 3 years at UCONN can be characterized as-capable but inconsistent. Capable enough to start UCONN games as a Freshmen, Sophomore & Junior. Her steal, cross over and overhead reverse layup in MD game was exactly the same move that Moriah execute in the NC game against Syracuse. She also handed out two critical assist to Stewie & Moriah just before the half to right the UCONN ship after MD has taken the lead.

Saniya is definitely capable of starting next year but she badly needs an in game reset button or the ability to flush the last play and move on to the next one.
 
DesertFox said:
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.
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well, if you are to define "starters" as (top 7-8 players), she was 8th in minutes per game this season while injured, and 6th in minutes per game last year while healthy.
 
It must be more difficult to be the only recruit in your class in this high level and difficult team structure. The other girls(Kia/Gabby, Lou/Napheesa, etc. seem to be very close and have been quoted as appreciating having someone to help share with the highs and lows of this program. I'm sure this level of basketball and the expectations that follow, in addition to schoolwork is very tough! I hope Chong can step it up and succeed in her senior year. She has the offensive skills that are going to be needed to help replace the points provided by Stewie, Moriah and Morgan. On to 16/17!
 
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DesertFox said:
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?
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Really? Are you that obtuse?

You said "She makes tons of mistakes and turns the ball over way too much".

But you can't understand someone refuting that with actual evidence?
 
Gus Mahler said:
At all? :confused:
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It is almost scary how she is almost invisible on defense. Yes , unfortunately she would have played many minutes while the games were in doubt. I think she is that bad on defense- relative to our standards for sure.
 
Geno-ista said:
It is almost scary how she is almost invisible on defense. Yes , unfortunately she would have played many minutes while the games were in doubt. I think she is that bad on defense- relative to our standards for sure.
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This seems pretty harsh, and it's sort of hard to judge because of all the switching and overall team defense UConn plays. But if one watches the Stanford game from 2014, it's pretty clear that she was effectively clueless on D. Of course, that was last year. CocoHusky's points seem in every way correct. My own (very amateurish) view is that often she moves the ball sideways and can stall the offense. She is far better, it seems to me, making scoring opportunities for herself than playing 5-person offense, UConn style. To be constructive, she will undoubtedly get more minutes in the early part of the season (waiting for Crystal to get experience), so she will have a reasonable opportunity to make her mark.
 
We need another person that can light it up- and she can! But if someone hasn't materialized by their junior year, they usually don't. This has me concerned about Natalie too. Hey- I hope I'm wrong- but she is the weakest defensive player I've ever seen at UConn. And her quickness should be an asset. It must be a mindset that just does not seam to fit her personality.
 
Geno-ista said:
But if someone hasn't materialized by their junior year, they usually don't. .
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Yes, but Kiah Stokes was a non-factor until her senior year. Saniya may yet contribute.
 
Fiftyish said:
Yes, but Kiah Stokes was a non-factor until her senior year. Saniya may yet contribute.
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Well- not sure that's a great analogy. Or it may be. Kiah was athletic and a great rebounder and defender by her Jr yr. And got even better at what she was already good at. She never ever got comfortable with the ball in her hands - ever at UConn. At the elbows or high post. It was like a hot potato- and I used to laugh at people that thought she would go 2nd or 3rd round in WNBA- she struggled on offense with us- even during her Sr yr- and lacked confidence on offense. Identical to Saniya's lack of confide see- especially on the defensive end!
 
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Gus Mahler said:
...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....
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I can help here. Saniya's TO-per-40 number for the full year is 2.15. Only Kia (1.97) and Lou (2.07) were lower. Next lowest is Stewie (2.23), then up to Morgan (2.40). (Briana is at 0.58 but with only 2 TOs.)

I share your displeasure at the sniping.
 
JRRRJ said:
I can help here. Saniya's TO-per-40 number for the full year is 2.15. Only Kia (1.97) and Lou (2.07) were lower. Next lowest is Stewie (2.23), then up to Morgan (2.40). (Briana is at 0.58 but with only 2 TOs.)

I share your displeasure at the sniping.
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Sorry- they will all fix their minor weaknesses and will cruise to another NC.
I suppose I was sniping when I predicted and almost gtd that Morgan would go pro. This is an opinion board. I was under assault. I was stating my opinion that turned out to be true. I hope she learns how to play defense next yr- because we are desperate for her offense.
 
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