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Fully agree that Williams has the proven skills to still become dominate this year. My view is that this will require Geno to tweek the offensive system, something he appears reluctant to do.
Christyn
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The criticism of CW does seem to be too harsh and frankly over the top. People tend to be pendulumic in reaction to an initial lack of objectivity. The criticism is a reaction to the disappointment that she did not live up to their expectations of her. From the beginning, fans projected her to like past Uconn recruits who became AA. They were encouraged by her #1 rating and her McDonalds performance. If you really watched the game it should have been obvious that her numbers were fueled by two factors. One McDonalds games are not known for their defense and Williams is a player who recognizes and takes advantage of defensive mistakes. Two she was hot that game and all her shots were dropping.
CW is a very good complimentary player. Or someone that plays within an offense and takes advantage of what the defense gives her. Complimentary players are also valuable. This season she has been put into the role of a primary scorer and that does not suit her very well. She certainly can fill it up when she is feeling it but when she is not the kind of result against SC happens. She was trying to manufacture points and her shots were not dropping. SC actually did not defend her that well. The SC game was an aberration in that respect. Sometimes the shots just don't drop. Never the less she is not the type of player who can manufacture shots against top-level defenders.
With respect to playing 3X3 this summer. It tends to not translate well offensively to 5X5 for guards. This is just logic. In 3X3 the driving/passing lanes are huge. Most guards should be able to take their defenders off the dribble with that much space. The same lanes do not exist in 5x5 because there are more defenders on the court. Playing 3X3 will give a guard an unrealistic perspective of what is doable in a 5X5 game. Oregon St. Goodwin also was affected negatively and she is just now beginning to adjust back to 5X5. It would not affect a technically solid player like Sabrina as much. Her brain is a basketball computer and for her, good decisions are standard. It does help them their on-the-ball defense, however. I do think that CW is better defensively in those areas than she was last season. But that would not include switches and fighting through screens.
CW is a very good complimentary player. Or someone that plays within an offense and takes advantage of what the defense gives her. Complimentary players are also valuable. This season she has been put into the role of a primary scorer and that does not suit her very well. She certainly can fill it up when she is feeling it but when she is not the kind of result against SC happens. She was trying to manufacture points and her shots were not dropping. SC actually did not defend her that well. The SC game was an aberration in that respect. Sometimes the shots just don't drop. Never the less she is not the type of player who can manufacture shots against top-level defenders.
With respect to playing 3X3 this summer. It tends to not translate well offensively to 5X5 for guards. This is just logic. In 3X3 the driving/passing lanes are huge. Most guards should be able to take their defenders off the dribble with that much space. The same lanes do not exist in 5x5 because there are more defenders on the court. Playing 3X3 will give a guard an unrealistic perspective of what is doable in a 5X5 game. Oregon St. Goodwin also was affected negatively and she is just now beginning to adjust back to 5X5. It would not affect a technically solid player like Sabrina as much. Her brain is a basketball computer and for her, good decisions are standard. It does help them their on-the-ball defense, however. I do think that CW is better defensively in those areas than she was last season. But that would not include switches and fighting through screens.
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This is an excellent analysis.
JoePgh
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There are at least two problems with this point of view:
- The majority of Olivia's fouls do not result from "tough defense". Either they are offensive fouls (especially in recent games), or they result from bad defense (fly-swatting at shots, or failing to box out and then going over the back). Either way, they are avoidable, ill-considered (i.e., dumb) fouls.
- Obviously it's Geno who is telling Olivia that she needs to stay in the game, which all too often she doesn't do because of dumb fouls. She has had a number of games where she has been limited to 12-20 minutes, largely because of foul trouble. I'm sure Geno is sending the same message to Megan and Christyn, and they are being observant of it. I'm not sure about Christyn, but it appears to me that Megan usually plays effective defense without fouling.
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UConn held SC to 11 points in the first quarter by mostly playing excellent defense. On that side of the ball, the team has been a pleasant surprise. To parrot willcall’s excellent post, offensively they are a team of complementary players, which is a huge problem. Even if one suggests that Dangerfield is not, by definition a point guard should not be the “go to” scoring option, particularly if that person is 5’5”. That might have been different with Westbrook available; she will really be needed next year as well.
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Are you telling Megan and Christyn to "back off" .. ?
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Apologies. I did not know that.
CocoHusky
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Doubtful many UCONN fans remember or even care how Christyn Williams performed in the McDonalds AA game. Doubtful any UCONN fans will forgot how Christyn played in her first big game as a freshmen @ND.
She was spectacular, inspiring, confident and unafraid. "Real confidence" was the way Geno put it. That performance set the expectation that Christyn would be a reliable performer for UCONN in big games going forward and a foundation piece of future UCONN teams. Since this is UCONN a sophomore leap was also expected for Christyn. Just because she has so not lived up to these expectations (so far) does not mean that the expectations were unreasonable.
She was spectacular, inspiring, confident and unafraid. "Real confidence" was the way Geno put it. That performance set the expectation that Christyn would be a reliable performer for UCONN in big games going forward and a foundation piece of future UCONN teams. Since this is UCONN a sophomore leap was also expected for Christyn. Just because she has so not lived up to these expectations (so far) does not mean that the expectations were unreasonable.
CocoHusky
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What would your example of a tweek to the offense be. Geno tweeks the offense all the time. Sometimes multiple times within a game. Without getting too geeky against South Carolina UCONN wasn't getting much success out of the flex action which is dependent on high ball screen so he went to floppy action which is dependent on multiple cross screen followed by pin downs.
The defenses are constantly tweaked also, they defended Boston with variety but to her credit she beat most of the defenses.
I won't defend Williams any more after this post. But is Williams really having an "awful" season? I know that expectations were sky high for her prior to this season. She hasn't met those lofty expectations. But, so many other Top 20 teams would love to have her in their lineup, including my two favorite squads.
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Awesome post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Point 1 regarding most fans remembering her McD A/A' performance is spot on.
Point 2 spot on about CW vs ND last year.
Point 3 spot on about performance set the expectation.
Point 4 spot on about sophomore leap.
Point 5 spot on about so far.
Point 6 spot on that the expectations were not unreasonable based on the many factors you mentioned.
cferraro04
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I think that "Point 4" can actually be a summation of the following two conflicting forces that seem to pervade ones' sophomore season: 1. The sophomore leap...which seems to show itself by the overall play of the player...scoring, rebounds and assists are merely actors to the players level of comfort playing the college game. Gone is the uncertainty of the offensive sets, gone is the uncertainty of their defensive responsibilities. 2. This sophomore leap is some times dampened by what is known as the sophomore slump. This is more of a temporary condition that is usually initiated and cultivated by the players level of confidence which now and then takes a hit. It can manifest itself in the form of a player not being able to throw the ball into an ocean (missing three pointers, foul shots and lay-ups) or it can manifest itself in the form of the player standing around, not reacting to the other teams offensive sets, players become lethargic and seem to lack defensive intensity. The good news is eventually, most quality players overcome their sophomore slump and settle into their sophomore leap... I think everyone will feel much better when CW regains her confidence and puts this slump behind her and returns to wallowing in the comfort of her sophomore leap that we have all seen glimpses of.
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The standing around started two years ago but not as obvious.Well, my electroshock idea was meant to curtail dumb tomahawk fouls for Liv but I suppose it could be expanded to get the team's cabooses moving more.
I personally think everyone can continue talking Xs and Os about CW, Meg, and Liv until the cows come and never get to the point. I believe their struggles have nothing to do with skill, its about the lack of maturity and professionalism on the court...... this is what I see when there is streaky play, stupid fails, and crumbling under the pressure of a big game. Unfortunately the failed recruiting over the past few years leaves no one for Geno to put in their place so they can sit on the bench and experience the consequences of being immature and unprofessional at UConn. All the other greats went through it and became better players because of it. These players are not getting the tough love and therefore are not progressing as fast as previous UConn greats in my opinion.
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It's sad to see that criticism of our Women Huskies goes further than this private community (no disrespect intended as I realize most of it here is out of our love and frustration for the team). I just read in a local CT. newspaper the following, under a Commentary section called "THUMBS DOWN": "CHRISTYN WILLIAMS - Watching the UCONN guard struggle against the nations best teams, it's hard to believe she was once the No. 1 recruit in the nation. Ditto for Megan Walker". It was So sad to see this. No college team should be put down by journalists where the public can see it. I am sure all of them try their very best to succeed..........
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This is wishful thinking, to be sure. If the media is forbidden to criticize, then it would also be forbidden to praise. Like it or not, the UConn players are public figures; without the media, no one would ever come to the games.It's sad to see that criticism of our Women Huskies goes further than this private community (no disrespect intended as I realize most of it here is out of our love and frustration for the team). I just read in a local CT. newspaper the following, under a Commentary section called "THUMBS DOWN": "CHRISTYN WILLIAMS - Watching the UCONN guard struggle against the nations best teams, it's hard to believe she was once the No. 1 recruit in the nation. Ditto for Megan Walker". It was So sad to see this. No college team should be put down by journalists where the public can see it. I am sure all of them try their very best to succeed..........
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I suspect that I can be as critical as nearly anyone on this board regarding spoiled UConn fans, but I think you are trying WAY too hard to dismiss CW's drop in production on we silly little UConn fans with our unrealistic HS AA expectations. Tsk, tsk. Oh the lack of objectivity on this board can result in reactions that are so pendulumic. (Is that even a word? Because neither Merriam nor Webster have heard of it.) ANYBODY could see that she was just a complimentary player all along. Oh the pendulous nature of her career to date.
Maybe it was based on the fact many UConn fans can read, and often choose to do so. Like the following observations from the Guy with that really great lineage of overrating freshman players in his program.
From The Geno Auriemma Show’ (which) premiered on SNY following UConn women’s basketball’s win over Cincinnati. In the first episode of the season, Auriemma had no shortage of things to say about his star freshman, Christyn Williams. In the highest form of praise, he talked about how she reminds him of arguably the greatest player to ever wear a Connecticut jersey: Breanna Stewart. “Obviously, she’s not 6-foot-4. She doesn’t have the wingspan and all that other stuff. But in mindset, she’s got the same mindset that Stewie had, for sure,” Auriemma said of Williams. "In November of Stewie’s freshman year, she was exactly the same,” he said. “She just played. She was fearless. She just said ‘This is what I’ve done all my life. I just get the ball and I go score.”
Oh that wily wascal Geno, couldn't he see she was just a complimentary player at heart -- he must have fallen for all that McDonald's AA Game hype. Doesn't he know they don't play any defense in that game?
Or perhaps, from SI after the ND win last year: “[Christyn] made a statement last summer that ‘we’re going to win a national championship my first year at Connecticut,’” coach Geno Auriemma said. “And she felt bad about saying it but she really believed it. Then someone asked her another question and she said, ‘I was born for this.’ Some people just know who they are and she knows who she is. “I mean this is the worst she’s ever going to be, right? She’s a freshman, so she’s gonna get better from here.”
Oh that silly Geno, doesn't he realize all starting freshman at UConn eventually fall back into their natural role of being a complimentary player during their sophomore season. Silly rabbit. He must have known she'd be lucky to be a starter by her junior year -- but that doesn't mean she can't be a good complementary player off the bench next year. Given all the great recruits we have coming in next year.
So I won't even bother pointing out that, of course, CW was the Naismith POY two years ago, an honor that she shared with people live Stewie and DT and Maya, as well as Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings and EDD and A'ja and Candace Parker, and Ogwumike and Diggins etc. etc.
Because then you would say "Yeah, but why did you skip over Katie Lou and KM-L and Jackie Young and DeShields, because they weren't nearly as good." To wit I would then have to ask "Yes, and which one of them was just a d... complimentary player?"
CW is a supremely talented player who hasn't played that way for the majority of this season? Why? IMHO because she has lost her explosiveness and her blow-by first step. And with that she is a bit easier to defend and that ripples into a little loss of confidence taking her shot. Never a great defensive player, CW now seems to get locked into her very pretty defensive stance as girls that she would have locked down last year pretty much drive right by her this year.
So why don't I believe she will just become a complimentary bench-type player? Because I believe she has been extremely embarrassed by her play this year and at the end of the season will pull Meg aside and say "Meg, can we talk about those Frosh 15?" Twenty years ago Geno may have given her the Shea Ralph talk, or worse yet, say something to a reporter. But fortunately those days are gone, but that doesn't mean the message won't get made. But her skillset is FAR, FAR more than that of a complementary player.
And for Geno's sake he better get it out of while she is at Storrs. Because the primary reason so many Top 1 type recruits put up with his schtick is because he has convinced young women that he and his methods can get the absolute most of their basketball skills out of them, And if he lets talents like CW turn into just complimentary players, after letting girls like KLS and Meg leave the program with a taint of not having fully achieved their capabilities, seasons as good as 2019-20 will become just a fond memory in future years.
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So you also believe that tickets to UConn games should be free?!
Its UConn! They are one step from professional athletes. Do you think Napheesa became rookie of the year in the WNBA because she was allowed to be given a pass for being a college athlete? No way. Napheesa was and is a machine on the court. She was always professional just like the other greats. Who can you say exhibits that sort of machine mentality on this team? I can tell you who it isn't. Title of this thread. I love her and she is so sweet but it doesn't mean she can't be expected to improve her game and be consistent. I am sure that a lot of people are going to get angry at this but college isn't cheap anymore. Not many college age female kids are earning $50K a year to play basketball and get an education on top of it. Its a small club. There is a certain professionalism and responsibility that has to come from that. Our kids today are so immature. Maybe it's helicopter parenting or always having their heads in screens and not real people. Geno recently took the team to see the young guy on the Mavericks who at their age has to bring it every night and this team needs some of that mentality to win big games. It may not be cheerleading speech but sometimes tough love is needed. If these freshman are all they are cracked up to be , Anna gets in UConn shape over the summer, Evina is healthy and hungry, and Jamelle keeps doing what she is doing with Aubrey, I predict Meg, Liv, and Chrystin will spend a lot of time next year on the bench if these immature antics continue. I bet there is a part of him that can't wait to send some messages..
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With all due respect HopJim, you may have a misconception about practice. Recruited players have nothing to do with the starters' development in practice. Our women do not scrimmage/practice against each other; rather, they play against aggressive, talented intramural UCONN men who are selected specifically to make our players experience a competitive challenge. In past years when I have seen practice, it's not unusual for them to lose to the men.
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No, But I would like them to play defense a little more especially Christyn. And Megan practice her layups and put backs. They have showed why they were the #1 players in their class now they have to prove it in the big games.
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Not her best for sure. But not nice by you. Hope those in your life are a little bit more generous when you have a couple of bad days.
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