Cool Paige Stat (small sample size)

[Gurleyman]

Since the Tennessee game, Paige is shooting 76 percent from the floor when UConn is trailing in the second half or OT (19-25). That includes 3-4 yesterday, 7-9 against SC, 8-11 against Arkansas, and 1-1 against Seton Hall.

 

[Carnac]

“Buckets” came in with a lot of fanfare and notoriety. Even more than Taurasi or Maya Moore, thanks to social media. She has over 6 million followers and counting. UConn Nation loves her. Her coaches and teammates love her. She’s fun to be with on and off the court.

When posters commented on her skills and leadership qualities this past summer, I chose to wait and see how she adjusted to play at the elite level UConn plays at before I anointed her. Well color me convinced!!! I was very impressed after the UMass Lowell game, but like Skip Bayless always says, I needed to see more. After 4 more games against Seton Hall, Creighton, Xavier and Villanova, I was thoroughly convinced that she was in fact the ”real deal”, and as good as advertised.

The two things that have impressed me most about Paige over the course of the season is:
1. She’s a gamer. She shows up for their games, especially the BIG ones (no magic tricks). The Baylor game was for the tournament regional final. By far the biggest game of her college career so far. The lights were not too bright for her. She led her team with 28 points. We needed every point.
2. She quickly became a team leader. She came in and left her celebrity at the door. They accepted her, and they follow her. Evina, Christyn and ONO are upperclassmen team leaders because of expectation. Their tenure and experience demands it. Paige is a leader because of her moxie, affections personality and skill set. She can bring it. Her teammates follow her. That is the mark of a true leader. We are blessed to her and the rest of the players on this team.

The interesting thing about Paige is watching her grow and “matriculate” through her senior year. It’s hard to fathom but she will have a sophomore leap. It's hard to believe that she can/will play any better in the coming years than she does now. This is the worst she’ll play while she’s here. That's bad news for the rest of WCBB. Paige is (to borrow a line from Kia Nurse's father) "a nasty piece of business", and UConn is quickly re-establishing their former status of being bad for WBB. Isn't it great.

Note - A shout out to Aaliyah Edwards. Shows up for every game (no magic tricks), plays hard, is very good around the basket, usually hits her free throws and plays with no fear. You know exactly what you're going to get from her, just like Crystal Dangerfield last year. We don't win last night without her!! Notice how the momentum of the game changed when she went to the bench with foul trouble? No way I could write this comment and not mention Aaliyah and give her - her props!

In my humble opinion, Edwards should start from this point forward through her senior year. Give her starter's minutes, she'll give you a double double most nights.

 

[Linart]

I certainly hope she stays through her senior year. You know the WNBA scouts are already drooling over her. I find it disturbing that women are leaving early for the WNBA just like the men have been doing. The reasoning was that the woman would never do that because the WNBA doesn't pay all that much. But there's money overseas.

 

[Essexdave]

Since the Tennessee game, Paige is shooting 76 percent from the floor when UConn is trailing in the second half or OT (19-25). That includes 3-4 yesterday, 7-9 against SC, 8-11 against Arkansas, and 1-1 against Seton Hall.

What an interesting stat. How’d u do that.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Does the BY think there is any such thing as a "clutch gene"?
Like a nature vs nurture discussion in Heredity and Genetics class. Is being clutch a learned behavior or an inherited trait.
Whatever it is, she's an assassin. Like Geno says, she has a sense of timing, as to when the team needs her to score.
She's a ballplayer, so she's had practice in big situations, or as Maddog would say, "a big spot".
Think of somebody like Dak Prescott, a quality, talented young player, who has arguably never done anything in a big spot. (Pros, I'm sure he did at Mississippi St)

 

[Gurleyman]

What an interesting stat. How’d u do that.

Used the play by play in the box scores on the UConn site. I got to thinking that she didn’t cool off yesterday until we had a working margin, and had a feeling it would be something like that (we trailed the whole half against AK when she was on fire, and were behind in the third and then down the stretch against SC).

She was 0-5 on those against Tennessee (she made one when it was tied and then of course a big one up 2), but we will call that a test run while she was working out the kinks.

 

[bluedevil]

IDK..Did Clutch Cargo have kids?

 

[bluedevil]

I certainly hope she stays through her senior year. You know the WNBA scouts are already drooling over her. I find it disturbing that women are leaving early for the WNBA just like the men have been doing. The reasoning was that the woman would never do that because the WNBA doesn't pay all that much. But there's money overseas.

Hard to argue with money..

 

[CL82]

IDK..Did Clutch Cargo have kids?

Spinner's relationship to him was left undefined.

(FWIW, that show creeped me out. Still does.)

 

[Steve UConn72]

IDK..Did Clutch Cargo have kids?

Whoa! Showing your age much? That cartoon came out in 1959.

 

[Essexdave]

Used the play by play in the box scores on the UConn site. I got to thinking that she didn’t cool off yesterday until we had a working margin, and had a feeling it would be something like that (we trailed the whole half against AK when she was on fire, and were behind in the third and then down the stretch against SC).

She was 0-5 on those against Tennessee (she made one when it was tied and then of course a big one up 2), but we will call that a test run while she was working out the kinks.

I thought it might be from the play by play but that’s a lot of work thanks.