Christyn

[Jingo]

Also, I would like to know what the scoring average of the person she principally guards is. I would speculate it is more than 14.9.

yes .. CW&MW guard people as if they don't want to get into foul trouble .. not so with Liv whom I admire...

 

[oldude]

Normally, players don’t suddenly become much better once the playoffs start. I hope she is much better next year, but thinking she will magically become a different player in March is a very remote possibility.

Normally, you are absolutely correct. But I can think of two Huskies who significantly upped their level of play during the Big Dance. One was Stewie, who had this amazing ability, even as a freshman, to seemingly find the nearest phone booth and suddenly emerge as Supergirl in March.

The second player transformation was a more recent one, specifically last year. With Lou hobbled with an injury, the Huskies needed someone else to step up in the Big Dance. UConn’s freshman shooting guard did exactly that, scoring double figures in all 5 tournament games, shooting over 50%, knocking down critical shots from the arc while providing surprising and much needed support on the boards.

For the tournament, Christyn was UConn’s second leading scorer behind Pheesa as well as the team’s 3rd leading rebounder. While we don’t know if Christyn can do it again this year, we certainly know that she did it before.

 

[eebmg]

I recall in the SC game after CW lost her man through a set of baseline screens leaving a good open 3pt shot by Harris, Geno was very animated with her on the sidelines. And CW was arguing back fairly animated (Like what am I supposed to do??). I think their is alot of frustration on both sides right now. She needs to finish the season as strong as possible against the weak schedule and get her confidence going and not just on the offensive end.

 

[CocoHusky]

yes .. CW&MW guard people as if they don't want to get into foul trouble .. not so with Liv whom I admire...

You "admire" the player that gets in foul trouble? Novel!

 

[WestCoast]

Also, I would like to know what the scoring average of the person she principally guards is. I would speculate it is more than 14.9.

@Jordy,

Should Williams be coming off the bench now? Or, can you wait until next season when UConn gets its frosh class in? Is there any hope that Williams will show the overall game that enabled her to be one of the best 3v3 players in the country this past summer?

 

[ucbart]

No. There's a world of difference between playing point guard in high school and against collegiate competition. This is the same BS that people throw out about "a good high school team could beat this college team."

I sat and talked to Evina's mom before the Tennessee game for an hour(we casually met while seated next to each other at a restaurant). I will not get into the specifics of our conversation, but the one thing I took from it is that Evina is in fact, an alpha, which is exactly what is missing from this team, IMO.

I think Evina will be an alpha like Sue is and Paige will be an alpha like Diana. Two very different types of alpha/leader types, but both are.

 

[CocoHusky]

Should Williams be coming off the bench now? Or, can you wait until next season when UConn gets its frosh class in? Is there any hope that Williams will show the overall game that enabled her to be one of the best 3v3 players in the country this past summer?

My 2 cents. You can't bring Williams off the bench now because there is no productive alternative to her starting. Next year is a different story because at a minimum Paige & Evina will be productive options at SG for UCONN. That large elephant in the room will shrink next year. Right now we have three players Megan, Christyn, Crystal all AVERAGING over 35 mins per game. So while starting or not starting Christyn next year is good BY fodder the real accomplishment will be getting her MPG under 30. She will benefit as will the team.
There are only certain aspects of 3 X 3 that translate well to the UCONN offense primarily the constant movement & the mandatory ball handling. While very productive and entertaining much of the stuff that Christyn was doing at 3 X 3 such as beating people off the bounce is not a natural fit for the UCONN offense. To be fair and to your point Christyn is not the same player we saw at 3 X3 this summer either. Geno has run some actions for Christyn to go one on one this year but Christyn has not been productive in many of those sets. When Geno has to have a bucket lately the action has been for Crystal or Megan to come off screen for short jumpers or hoping for a perimeter mismatch. That used to be Christyn coming off those screens or creating those perimeter mismatches.
People are going to hate me saying this as much as I hate writing it but Boston put more useful things into her tool kit from 3 X 3 play this summer than Christyn did.

 

[oldude]

People are going to hate me saying this as much as I hate writing it but Boston put more useful things into her tool kit from 3 X 3 play this summer than Christyn did.

I suspect you meant to say Liv?

 

[bluedevil]

Can't hate truth..

 

[tchalla1]

CW hasn't played well in a couple of big games but if averaging over 15 points and 5 rebounds a game is awful give me another three awful players please.............

Sure CW's numbers are good 15 and 5--but those numbers are fattened by playing against the inferior AAC teams. Last year, she had a good stretch during the NCAA tourney, but as several BY'ers have pointed out, this may have been largely due because we had alpha players such as Pheesa and KLS and CW and MW didn't draw primary attention and have opposing teams' best defenders on them. I'm sorry but it in the big games against highly-skilled opponents, CW has not shown up... Her stats are misleading.

 

[tchalla1]

Williams is averaging 14.9 points and 5 boards per game. She is shooting 46% from field. All solid numbers. UConn fans point to her subpar performances in the team's bigger games. She is better than a lot of people on this board give her credit for. If she delivers as hoped in the NCAA tourney, a lot of people on this board will owe her an apology for having given up on her as a sophomore.

Yes, true, these are solid numbers but CW like MW unmistakably are different players in the AAC than against top 10 teams. I didn't see this type of the drop off in Pheesa, KLS or Gabby or Kia. Largely, I think CW's stats are driven by the level of competition... So, I think it's fair to asterisk these numbers....

 

[tchalla1]

I recall in the SC game after CW lost her man through a set of baseline screens leaving a good open 3pt shot by Harris, Geno was very animated with her on the sidelines. And CW was arguing back fairly animated (Like what am I supposed to do??). I think their is alot of frustration on both sides right now. She needs to finish the season as strong as possible against the weak schedule and get her confidence going and not just on the offensive end.

Yes, a very good descriptor of the mutual frustration on that play--however, you could see SC setting up that open 3-point shot from Mars--CW has to have enough foresight and basketball sense to recognize what's going on, and either ride Harrigan's hip or get ahead of her and force her back the other way, do something, but just don't "half way" it. CW does this a lot, she "half ways" things on D and that's why Geno chews on her at times...

 

[CocoHusky]

I suspect you meant to say Liv?

No I meant Aliyah Boston and Christyn Williams. I don't hate talking about Liv, she's wearing a UCONN uniform.

 

[pvdoggy]

CW may or may not be elite (jury is still out on that), but she is still a damn good basketball player with some flaws (who does not have them, even "generational talent" like Boston). It's crazy to hear the way some people trashing her like she is no good.

 

[Biff]

It's crazy to hear the way some people trashing her like she is no good.

Amen brother (or sister....whatever the case may be!)

 

[oldude]

No I meant Aliyah Boston and Christyn Williams. I don't hate talking about Liv, she's wearing a UCONN uniform.

I guess I’m a little confused. I know Boston played some 3x3 in 2018, but your post seems to indicate that she also played this past year, which I was not aware of.

 

[CocoHusky]

Sure CW's numbers are good 15 and 5--but those numbers are fattened by playing against the inferior AAC teams. CW has not shown up... Her stats are misleading.

Yes, true, these are solid numbers but CW like MW unmistakably are different players in the AAC than against top 10 teams.

It's crazy to hear the way some people trashing her like she is no good.

Agree that the trashing is over the top but statistically there is a case to be made or not? You decide.

 

[Charliebball]

Yes, true, these are solid numbers but CW like MW unmistakably are different players in the AAC than against top 10 teams. I didn't see this type of the drop off in Pheesa, KLS or Gabby or Kia. Largely, I think CW's stats are driven by the level of competition... So, I think it's fair to asterisk these numbers....

yes she's come up short in three important games this year.....................the basketball ability is clearly there, her issues seem to be more psychological in nature.........................I'm hopeful she will turn things around before the end of the season as I don't think UConn can go far without her contributions...........

 

[Jingo]

You "admire" the player that gets in foul trouble? Novel!

No .. I admire people like Liv who play tough defense ... not,"Oh I can't guard her tight, I must be a matador, otherwise I might get into foul trouble and the team needs me to score" .. not my type of player....

 

[CocoHusky]

yes she's come up short in three important games this year.....................the basketball ability is clearly there, her issues seem to be more psychological in nature.........................I'm hopeful she will turn things around before the end of the season as I don't think UConn can go far without her contributions...........

Which 3 games are you counting against her. Certainly not Baylor.

 

[pvdoggy]

Agree that the trashing is over the top but statistically there is a case to be made or not? You decide.
View attachment 50847

That's why I said she may not be elite, but she is still a good basketball player. Also since bb is still a team's game, how an individual stat stack up also depends on how the team as a whole performs.

 

[Charliebball]

Which 3 games are you counting against her. Certainly not Baylor.

no she was great against Baylor..........I was thinking about South Carolina (5/5/2), Oregon (5/4/0) and Tennessee (9/7/0)

 

[JonathanXIV]

Agree that the trashing is over the top but statistically there is a case to be made or not? You decide.
View attachment 50847

Yes. But a very small sample size.

 

[HopJim]

While I generally agree, the only thing I would point out is that last year, with 2 AA’s on the team, CW was freer to move without the ball and her teammates would find her for open shots. Just about every one of Christyn’s shots in last year’s ND game came off an assist.

This year, Christyn is being asked far more frequently to create her own offense off the dribble, which is much harder to do. In addition, she’s playing harder on the defensive side of the ball and she has become a key rebounder for the undersized Huskies.

I think we all overestimated Christyn’s ability to just take the ball and score, something that only a very elite handful of WBB players can do consistently. IMO, there are only 2 such players currently in WCBB: Ionescu & Carter. In the past, players like DT, Plum & Durr come to mind.

If Christyn is not truly one of those players, then she needs to get most of her points in the flow of the offense. Unfortunately, UConn’s offense does not flow like it did in prior seasons

Well said. Seems like in the tough games, UConn's offense gets pushed further out and CW ends up getting the ball while guarded 30 feet from basket with less than 10 seconds left in shot clock. She proved last year she could succeed - you netted it out that the flow of this year's offense is different.

 

[HopJim]

I mostly agree with your points on Williams. Two things I would add are about your 2020 lineup and ONO. On that lineup, it might be OK for offense but that team will be very much like this year's on D. Zero interior defense other than ONO. Edwards at some point may help some but asking ONO to handle two posts against good teams is too much. And I doubt Gabriel will be any factor at all. On ONO, I've supported and really like this kid. But I have no idea how she could be around BB year round and still hasn't learned how to turn both ways and go up and extend for shots at 6-5. For a kid as athletic as she is, it's not that hard but she needs someone who's played at a high level like Lobo or Stewart or a good skills coach to work with her as soon as possible.

While I agree with your points regarding ONO's development, perhaps this is one of the outcomes of the past 3 year's weak recruiting. Who does CD and Geno have to guard and push her in practice? Seems like we always had a Butler or Stevens or Stokes to push the starter(s).