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Concerned About KK

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BBallF said:
Solid analysis. Shutting down the point is often more valuable than scoring. If KK has to shoot and she won't, Kayleigh will come in.

K9's offensive game is better and she is not afraid to shoot a 3, pull up, or drive. You do not lose much on defense either and she is a true point. Beautiful dish underneath to Jana yesterday.

My only fear about Kayleigh is that she is fearless and gets knocked to the floor at least once and usually twice a game.
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I too am worried about the contact that Kayleigh is getting. Especially with what happened to Caroline. But Kayleigh’s energy maybe can’t be contained & that’s what I simultaneously love about her game. She is really thriving at UConn her new home!
 
KK is just fine. She did what the team needed her to do Sunday and that was play defense on their small fast guards and beat the press. She did great. Ohio State's weakness was in the front court so Sarah, Serah, and Blanca just had a field day pulling them all over the court.

I'm also sure that the KK and Heckel shared duties are set.
 
Here we go again. The assumption is that a point guard must be a scoring threat. Reality is every player on the floor should be considered a scoring threat.

We have played 3 games so far. Everything is still fluid. The team is learning about each other, their strenghts and their weaknesses. Timing between players and passes, screens, backdoor cuts and the like are still developing.

KK is a junior. She knows what to do. Geno knows what she can do and what he wants her to do. She had 5 assists. K9 right now is the backup. She will get plenty of minutes and opportunities. This year's offense is front court oriented with Sarah and Serah. Add in Azzi and UConn has it's big three.

Remember, players have to earn Geno's trust. KK has Geno's trust as does Azzi, Ash and Sarah.

And just a reminder that Nika graduated as the season career leader in assists and the overall career leader in assists.
 
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KK's role has changed. Geno has Sarah playing point forward and also wants the ball in Azzi's hands as much as possible. So KK isn't going to have as much to do with running the offense as some might like. That might look like KK losing some ground, but she's doing what Geno is telling her to do. If he begins to lose confidence in her, we'll know it.
 
FWIW I have zero concerns about KK. In fact, I am supremely comfortable as a fan watching the game with her running the team. Love her demeanor, love her energy, love her leadership, love her communication, and love her leading by example.

I've said it about 10 times on here. She shot something like 11% from 3 in the first half of the season last year and over 30% for the 2nd half. OVERALL not good, but a huge improvement, and she's totally capable of knocking it down now. She will shoot when/if she needs to. But she could go an entire game scoring 0 points and still be one of the most important players on the floor.

I love how she's developed, and to think we still get 1 more year of her - woohoo!!
 
Gilford Dog said:
I feel like this kind of concern is going out of the way to look for something to nitpick. What’s the point? So far there hasn’t been major reason or need for her to hoist up shots. There are so many other shot makers and options, why wouldn’t she make the extra pass or drive. UConn has so many counters to any defense, this doesn’t concern me in the least.
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I agree. KK will shoot the three when she has a quality opportunity. If she is not clearly open, she will drive or pass off to a teammate who is less well covered. Or drive and then pass. But we need not worry about this player.
 
FanSince17 said:
I think we all expected the team to be "scrambling" in its effort to replace Paige. If you think about it, has Sarah kind of done that singlehandedly. I feel, now, players are in the process of getting used to Sarah's ascendance. Games prior to yesterday, players being surprised by some of Sarah's passes, especially Serah. So, IMO KK and Ash in particular are again assimilating to new roles. Those two, a lot has been asked, and they are always there. (I still say 2024 was an incredible season! ) I had it in my head, that this year KK would now be the floor general. UConn has a "point-forward", a la Larry Bird, LeBron James. Tough role for KK, all three years maybe, knowing when to shoot and/or drive. We may not see all of KK until she gets to the W and nobody in the league can stay in front of her. (Tiny Archibald- one of my favs)
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Mine too but Tiny had a great pull up jumper when he couldn't finish the drive. KK needs that.
 
This is much ado about nothing - let’s get a larger sample size, say 20 games, and then have the conversation.

There are many mouths to feed in this offense, which is a good thing, and you need strong facilitators who add value in other ways such as playing lock down defense and pushing the ball up the court when opportunities arise. Both KK and Kayleigh fit that role perfectly.
 
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We have 2 players who happen to be really good Point Guards....if one is off, the other is in.
 
KK possesses the tempo that no other UConn PG seems to be able to match. That's why she's the starter.
She has the moves, the shake & bake twitch and the handle for dribbling which no other UConn PG seems to be able to match.
KK hasn't forgotten how to score. KK is more of an ace in the hole. She can turn into a scorer when she needs to, like in big games of the NCAAT.
Anyone can see that she takes a beating when she drives and then hits the floor....HARD!
 
You could make the case that KK is the perfect point guard for this team. We have super efficient scoring from Sarah and Azzi while Blanca and Serah are trending that way. KK’s role should be to facilitate that strength. On defense, there is no one on the team that plays on the ball disruptively as her. While there really is no stat to measure that it is a major contributor to the Win column.
 
I have no problem with KK. If I remember correctly she helped us win a National Championship last year big time. Her defense was tenacious. People forget that she is only a junior and this is really her first year starting at the point..

She will be fine. Every championship team needs a KK Arnold....

How did we win 2 National Championships with Conlon at the point?

I would be more concerned with Jana to be honest. Especially in a tight game.
 
If someone puts together a consistent run of games and looks fantastic in practice… I think they can find a way into the starting lineup. I think only Azzi and Sarah Strong are locked in.

At this very moment, there is no reason to change the starting lineup imo.
 
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ucbart said:
My biggest concern is her continuous bricking of layups. If she won't take jumpers, she absolutely has to make those layups.,
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She's first among the guards in FG% at 52.2
 
Cornell Lt said:
KK will always be a factor on the court. She will facilitate on offense and provide in your face defense. She is not relied upon to be an offensive option, although she can be if the opponent ignores her.
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Not true, They need all 5 players to be able to score so that they can't double team any player. I love KK but she helps the team much more coming off the bench with that spark she brings. That's what made her so special last year. Let Kayleigh start it makes us a better team.
 
tower1 said:
Not true, They need all 5 players to be able to score so that they can't double team any player. I love KK but she helps the team much more coming off the bench with that spark she brings. That's what made her so special last year. Let Kayleigh start it makes us a better team.
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How so ?
 
tower1 said:
Not true, They need all 5 players to be able to score so that they can't double team any player. I love KK but she helps the team much more coming off the bench with that spark she brings. That's what made her so special last year. Let Kayleigh start it makes us a better team.
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Paraphrasing: coach has said if you don't attempt to take advantage of opportunities i.e.. open shots or continuously missing opportunities then its playing 4 on 5. Still, IMHO it is a little premature at this point
 
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tower1 said:
Not true, They need all 5 players to be able to score so that they can't double team any player. I love KK but she helps the team much more coming off the bench with that spark she brings. That's what made her so special last year. Let Kayleigh start it makes us a better team.
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What about Ashlynn? As a starter this season, she has not been a consistent scorer but her other attributes have kept her in a starting role. I will concede that Ashlynn's starting role may be in jeopardy due to how Blanca progresses. But I also believe that Geno would rather start these two "veteran" players over the two newcomers...just because.
 
bayern7 said:
I’m a bit bias because KK is not of my fave all time UConn players purely due to her personality and spirit. So I agree with the other posters that this seems a bit nit picky and premature given that we’re only a few games in to the season.

Also agree that she’s not doing those things as much because there are several players ahead of her on the “bucket getting” list. That said I think I can appreciate what you’re saying through the lens of her development and prospects at the next level.

think KK has a pretty high ceiling as an athlete, but in order for her to play in the league at her position, she would need to at least show she’s a reliable shooter and maybe add a floater or some other type of shot creation besides just driving to the bucket.

That said I have faith that if she wants to develop she will. Look at a player like Napheesa, she was not known as a shooter during her time at UConn (because she was not required to do so and probably hadn’t developed that side of her game) and look at how she’s grown since joining the league.

She’s now a reliable threat from deep. So all that’s to say, KK can still develop, she can still add facets to her game. Right now I think KK is most concerned with winning, with doing what the team needs, what the coaches ask of her. And as a huge fan of both UConn and KK, that’s plenty of contribution for me.
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I’m a bit bias because KK is not of my fave all time UConn players purely due to her personality and spirit.

WOW!!...didn't see tht one coming!
SMH
 
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tower1 said:
Not true, They need all 5 players to be able to score so that they can't double team any player. I love KK but she helps the team much more coming off the bench with that spark she brings. That's what made her so special last year. Let Kayleigh start it makes us a better team.
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Defense wins championships. KK might be the best defender on the team. She is definitely the fastest.

Her offense will come.
 
tower1 said:
Not true, They need all 5 players to be able to score so that they can't double team any player. I love KK but she helps the team much more coming off the bench with that spark she brings. That's what made her so special last year. Let Kayleigh start it makes us a better team.
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KK sets the tempo better at this point
 
KK is fine. Yes, she’s missed a few layups. Surprising, as she is normally deadly with her lightning fast drives, which coincidentally, often come at very opportune moments when there is a lull in scoring and seem (to me anyway) to get the rest of the team pumped up and back on track! No concern here! She is a keeper!
 
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