Chong--on the first game and last year.

[HGN]

Geno already destroyed her psyche. She's too far gone now. Best player on floor against Stanford and benched because he never really wanted her to start. Let's keep it real. She's just going to enjoy her college life at Uconn as she loves the university. She's accepted the fact that she was in an uphill battle after the Stanford game last season. Lines were drawn.

Are you saying that Geno taking Saniya out of the starting lineup for Kia Nurse , a bigger and better defensive player, which resulted in a National Championship , was a mistake ?

 

[JoePgh]

Not to pile on Hoopdreams, but let me add that it is the player, not the coach, who is primarily responsible for maintaining her psyche in a healthy condition. I suppose it is possible to imagine coaches (Renee Portland or the former Rutgers Men's BB coach come to mind) who are so abusive that almost any player would be emotionally affected by it, but Geno is not such a coach.

Any coach has to make a decision about who will be in the starting lineup, and any player who is not in the starting 5 is vulnerable to being disappointed. But such decisions occur on every basketball team in the world, at every level. A player who allows that disappointment to "destroy" her psyche is not going to go far in the basketball world, regardless of her physical talents.

Any player who comes to UConn has to know that her teammates will be very talented, and she may not make the starting lineup, especially in her sophomore year and especially if she was not a Top-10 recruit coming out of high school. Right now, Lou is coming to UConn as the #1 recruit of 2015, and she may not make the starting lineup. Napheesa was #5, and she may not make it. Are their psyches going to be destroyed?

I certainly hope that both of them, as well as Saniya, are made of sterner stuff than that.

 

[watanabe]

Psy-che: A young woman who loved and was loved by Ero sand was united with him after Aphrodite's jealousy was overcome. She sub sequently became the personification of the soul. . (The Free Dictionary by Farley)
Aphrodite: mean fans
Eros: Those who like and support Chong
Soul: UConn WBB team
She ends up vindicated and victorious in the end.

Yeah, I know....

 

[msf22b]

And since you are so fond of worrying about the players psyches (and they are all probably tougher than any of us except Kib), you do not surprise me either. Kia being a better choice has nothing to do with an unfounded and baseless assumption that Ms. Chong's psyche was destroyed.

Precisely my point

 

[DaddyChoc]

And since you are so fond of worrying about the players psyches (and they are all probably tougher than any of us except Kib), you do not surprise me either. Kia being a better choice has nothing to do with an unfounded and baseless assumption that Ms. Chong's psyche was destroyed. If anyone can provide a quote from her or the coaches or even a respected member of the Horde, about Saniya's metal health, okay. Until then, it is a nasty, horrid accusation and we should all have nothing to do with it. In other words, why are you encouraging hoopdreams? "Does not exclude the possibility?" BAH!

psyche is similar to "confidence" IMO... I dont care for "lack of confidence" as well

 

[DaddyChoc]

Are you saying that Geno taking Saniya out of the starting lineup for Kia Nurse , a bigger and better defensive player, which resulted in a National Championship , was a mistake ?

you think that made the difference in winning the championship?

 

[HGN]

you think that made the difference in winning the championship?

I certainly don't think it hurt. And apparently Geno thought it would help because he not only made the move but stuck with it. He took out a 20 point scorer and out of all the players he could have put in , he chose Nurse. So yes, I think it made a big difference at the time.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I certainly don't think it hurt. And apparently Geno thought it would help because he not only made the move but stuck with it. He took out a 20 point scorer and out of all the players he could have put in , he chose Nurse. So yes, I think it made a big difference at the time.

Chong would have been fine... after the Stanford game UConn basically faced AAC teams. Not to take anything from Nurse but anyone could shine against them. Look at Gabby, tore up the AAC but when the tourney came around (Final Four) was basically MIA

 

[PhillyCoach]

I certainly don't think it hurt. And apparently Geno thought it would help because he not only made the move but stuck with it. He took out a 20 point scorer and out of all the players he could have put in , he chose Nurse. So yes, I think it made a big difference at the time.

HGN - I agree that the move did make a difference. Without Nurse starting - Loss to Stanford; With Nurse-- NC. Nurse was the 5th cog in the wheel and then there was symmetry, chemistry and flow.
One more point you mentioned HGN - Geno took out a 20 point scorer for a defender. Evidence that defense is the first priority (then Geno expected Nurse to score 10 a game and get 100 assists a season.) A defense Side note - that's why I think Gabby will start ahead of the freshman until Butler comes back.

 

[Hoopdreams]

The bottom line is Geno wanted Nurse to win the starting job all along, so let's stop the nonsense. Chong has very little margin for error. He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game. Nobody else but Chong.

 

[Aluminny69]

The bottom line is Geno wanted Nurse to win the starting job all along, so let's stop the nonsense. Chong has very little margin for error. He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game. Nobody else but Chong.

Kiah Stokes was removed as a starter also.

 

[rvwsleep]

Stokes started the first 2 games (The Stanford game was game #2) that year along with Chong. Stokes started the game after Stanford only because KML missed that game. With KML back, both Chong and Stokes came off the bench the rest of the year.

 

[AboutWeston]

I hope the players don't read this board.

 

[rvwsleep]

The bottom line is Geno wanted Nurse to win the starting job all along, so let's stop the nonsense. Chong has very little margin for error. He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game. Nobody else but Chong.

Why you continue to go down this path is completely baffling to me. In your own post earlier in this thread you state " I have no problems with the move, as Nurse is clearly a better defender and more fearless." It would be difficult to argue that Nurse is not also a better offensive player. So, you don't have a problem with the move and admit Nurse is a better defender yet you describe it as " He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game ". It just doesn't make sense. The only explanation I can come up with is that you have a personal relationship with either Chong, her family or both and it has become more of a personal/emotional issue for you.

 

[Hoopdreams]

Why you continue to go down this path is completely baffling to me. In your own post earlier in this thread you state " I have no problems with the move, as Nurse is clearly a better defender and more fearless." It would be difficult to argue that Nurse is not also a better offensive player. So, you don't have a problem with the move and admit Nurse is a better defender yet you describe it as " He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game ". It just doesn't make sense. The only explanation I can come up with is that you have a personal relationship with either Chong, her family or both and it has become more of a personal/emotional issue for you.

Are you telling me he did not throw Chong under the bus after the game? Are you telling me he did not totally mess with her mind when she has a few DNP's in the NCAA tournament and in games against some better opponents? Look at her minutes per game dwindle down as the season progressed. Because she's a great character individual and a great teammate, she did not pout. She loves the school and her teammates. I'm strictly going on my own observations.

 

[rvwsleep]

Correct. I'm telling you that he did not throw her under the bus after that game. Geno rearranged the starting lineup after the Stanford game. Stokes was also taken out of the starting lineup. Think about this possibility. Suppose Geno thought that Nurse deserved to start from game 1 but in defference to Chong being a sophomore he started her instead of the freshman Nurse. After the Stanford game he realized that changes had to be made and he made them. If Geno's history tells us anything it's that playing time is performance driven.
Here's one of the problems I have with your posts on this subject. You stated that Geno did "throw Chong under the bus" and, in the same thread, " I have no problems with the move..." Ipso facto,using your terminology, you have no problems throwing Chong under the bus.

 

[Huskies Rule]

If nothing else, Geno Auriemma is an equal opportunity curmudgeon, his ill-temper and impatience known to all. But there is nothing he values more than winning games and winning championships. To suggest his benching of Saniya was not done solely in what he determined to be the best interests of the team, and that it was somehow personal, unfair and unreasonable, is just ridiculous. Unless, of course, you can offer something more substantive than uncorroborated opinion. And when it comes to basketball opinions, there is no one I respect more than Geno Auriemma.

Geno is all about winning. Some may not like his coarse vulgarities, his political incorrectness, and his downright meanness at times. But Geno would start a one-eyed, green-skinned axe murderer (after she did her prison time) if she were properly enrolled in school, practiced hard, and coach thought she would help the team win. I have no doubt that Saniya is a great young lady, and I'll bet she works damn hard in practice. A genuinely nice kid. Therefore it seems to me very unlikely that when she is on the bench it is for any reason other than the fact that Coach believes his best starting five simply doesn't include her. Geno did not get to be the greatest coach in WCBB history by making irrational, prejudicial decisions based upon which players he liked most.

It just doesn't make sense to believe coach has something personal against Saniya and is acting on that bias (which is being suggesting).

I can only conclude, "It's not personal. It's strictly business." [Michael Corleone to Sonny]

 

[EricSD]

The bottom line is Geno wanted Nurse to win the starting job all along, so let's stop the nonsense. Chong has very little margin for error. He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game. Nobody else but Chong.

The only nonsense on this board is being posted by you. Please show us where he threw Saniya under the bus. Here are some comments from Geno following the loss to Stanford:

“They had a great game plan, which I am sure everyone else is going to copy,” Auriemma said. “But three guys on Stewie and let everyone else shoot. And no one else wanted to make any shots except Saniya.”

When asked about changing the lineup to start Nurse over Chong:

"We need to be a better defensive team," Auriemma said. "Saniya [Chong] is still a good player and she's still going to get the same number of minutes. That's not going to change. But we just need a little more of a defensive presence."

Chong averaged 19 MPG last season, 6th on the team and more MPG that Stokes or Williams. She averaged 5.6 PPG and just over 1 APG. I fail to see where her psyche was ruined, where Geno threw her under the bus, where he messed with her mind, or any other of the nonsense you posted. Just because you continue to spout incorrect statements does not make them true. As Jim Calhoun famously said, "Get some facts and then come back and see me".

 

[CajunHusky]

I don't know why we keep going over and over this .......

IMHO Saniya is an outstanding ballplayer AND a consummate team player! She is here, she is enthustiastic and she is a major contributor!

So what happened against Stanford? First let's set the scene: Coming off a NC and undefeated season, Geno plugged his best available players into the lineup and continued with the same offensive/defensive scheme from the previous year. The Stanford game revealed that the scheme was vulnerable to excellent guard play, Stanford scored a lot more points than a UCONN has given up in a long time. (Saniya scored 20 points that game but the only player giving the Stanford guards any trouble was Kiah). Being only the second game of the year, Coach changed the offensive/defensive scheme by inserting two players with very different skillsets, and then schooled the team harder than ever to get them up to speed on the new scheme. Saniya and Kiah both had stellar years with major minutes coming off the bench!

And let's not use minutes in the tournament as a metric .... Coach has said many times to his players and the press that in the end of year tournaments, he stays with the best five players with few if any substitutions.

I think the first exhibition revealed something interesting ..... Kia played a lot of her time on the wing and she has a nice three point shot. I think at least for the first 5 to 10 games, we may see Kia Nurse slide into KML's role and Saniya become the fifth starter. The three freshmen's play will earn them more playing time (and maybe a start).

 

[HGN]

The bottom line is Geno wanted Nurse to win the starting job all along, so let's stop the nonsense. Chong has very little margin for error. He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game. Nobody else but Chong.

Hoopdreams, I respectfully disagree.............Geno started Chong at Stanford because that's who he wanted to start , and who he felt had 'earned' the start during pre-season. Remember , Geno had praised Chong all through preseason. And he NEVER threw Chong , or any player , under the bus. Or any other bus for that matter. But by starting Nurse , he put Chong , Stokes , and the rest of the Team ON the bus , not under , to a National Championship.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The bottom line is Geno wanted Nurse to win the starting job all along, so let's stop the nonsense. Chong has very little margin for error. He threw Chong under the bus after the Stanford game. Nobody else but Chong.

Carnac, Carnac...is that you doing your mind reading about what Geno wants? What Geno wants, Geno gets and he does not give a gnat's wing about fans bitching over something like Nurse starting the Stanford game rather than Saniya if that is what he wanted. As far as the notion that Saniya became the fall guy for Stanford, that objectively is just not so. He pointed to all the guards as having a defensive lapse. SNY ran a behind the scenes video (or maybe it was one of the 3 ESPN specials) where Geno addressed the bunch of them - the whole team - about lazy defense and expecting somebody else "to do it" after the Stanford game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Courant reporting post-game Geno remarks after Stanford loss:

"It seems like there is much work to be done. Auriemma opened his postgame comments by saying that his guards were outplayed and that Stanford's defensive strategy of harassing Stewart paid off simply because no one scored enough to make it hurt.

"When someone does a really good job defensively on someone, it's usually a two-pronged situation," Auriemma said. "Kaleena didn't get the movement we needed to get [to support Stewart]."

Stewart scored 23 points. She was a large reason that the Huskies led by 10 with 6:32 to play. But other than Chong, who added 20 and was largely spared Auriemma's whip because of it, no one stepped up to support Stewart."

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...onn-loss-to-stanford-1119-20141118-story.html