Nah, a score of 90 in attributes doesn't even get you on Geno's radar. 100 in basketball skill & 100 in attributes might. When we can agree that Mikayla fell far short in UCONN required basketball skills hopefully you will see why attributes was not a factor.
I like Mikayla a lot, but her shot was so fundamentally flawed that it’s difficult to imagine that she would ever be able to fix it. While she might have been very good at 90% of what she did, the fact that she was such an ineffective shooter undermined UConn’s entire offensive concept of spreading the floor, moving the ball and getting the best shot. Teams could basically back off Mikayla and play 5 on 4.
No doubt Faris was a good player. I never said she wasn't. I will accept that Faris was a good passer. I was wrong to say she wasn't. But you should check out the season stats for her years at UConn (though 2012-13's full season stats PDF is a dead link; so going through that year would be tedious). A bio page is basically highlights of each season. Of course it doesn't list her turnovers any more than it lists her fouls or missed shots. He junior year was by far her best with a 2.11 A:TO (2012-13's big east stats have her listed with 66a/37to or about 1.78 A:TO), but even Saniya Chong managed a 3.33 A:TO (140a/42to) ratio her senior year. If we're purely going off of number of assists as a measure of how great a passer was, then I guess KLS wasn't very good because she only had 132 her senior (although she did miss a few games/ only played in 34 games and averaged about 3.88 assists per game, so that number probably could have been closer to 150 in the end).
You must be working on Mikayla's appeal.
Ha ha true but very much not our persona this season per Geno. We are going to be like an NBA all star game this season. Should be fun to watch.
I can't even believe we are having this discussion regarding Mikayla and have dragged Kelly's name into this.
I have a long history with kids in the 18 to 30 year range. I'm no expert that's a certainty. But in my less than stellar experience says: Physical traits learned as children are difficult to change but they can be changed depending on the attitude and desire to change is with the young person. So, while Coombs may have a flaw "outside" shot (I " " that because it's not her total shooting). She is young and still malleable.
You are right. I didn't intend to infer that ALL guards or even many had problems with shots as a Frosh or soph.
And had health issues along the way as minimal as that way was. She was a good kid with an good attitude--whether she could ever become a great Uconn kid is moot she's gone.
I can agree with your final sentence. She was a good kid that worked well. Not getting a waiver to her or any kid is basically wrong. If the intent is to minimize transfers--that ship sailed and sunk.
Kelly did not have to compete with any of those players. Hartley, Jefferson, Banks and KML all came after her and Hartley and KML specifically did the things Kelly didn’t do—provide offense. Jefferson didn’t figure it out until her sophomore year. Banks never got it at UConn, and Doty was injured/never herself after her injuries so I would hardly say Faris had to compete with her for playing time. Mikayla mainly competed with Azure Stevens and Megan Walker and then Williams and ONO for her playing time. She didn’t get it done, but then again Faris never had a major injury/illness keep her out like Coombs did.
“We appreciate Mikayla for her effort and for being a great teammate the last two seasons,” Auriemma said in a statement. “We wish Mikayla and her family the best as she continues her college career.”You must be working on Mikayla's appeal.
Are you kidding me - one great game?
www.courant.com
On that one great game Geno spoke wonderfully of her--then she never really followed up on that. And Geno spoke of that often. Diggins for the most part owned Kelly, as a defender she didn't do well with Diggy Baby. In the one game i SEE in my minds eye and saw a month or so ago on Youtube, Diggins stuffed kelly at least twice and Kelly could not return the favor. As kelly and diggins enter the College basket all pundits spoke of Kelly being Uconn equal to Diggins, that never happened and I'm am not a Diggins fan.Are you kidding me - one great game?
From UConn’s Kelly Faris Has Been There Before
At the 2010 Final Four, she did not score a point as a reserve, but she played at least 25 minutes in both games and so reliably delivered rebounds, assists and steals that Auriemma called her “probably the most impactful player in the tournament” other than [Maya] Moore.
Last season, Auriemma said that Faris “would never play a bad game” at Connecticut, given her sober resourcefulness. Her value was evident Tuesday in a 75-40 rout of Duke in the final of the Philadelphia Regional. Faris committed 5 turnovers but remained sufficiently composed to deliver 8 rebounds, 6 points, 6 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.
The article was written before the end of Kelly’s sophomore year and she only got better. She was a All American, for heaven’s sake. Your post renders any other evaluation of a player as suspect. Good thing Geno can spot talent.
UConn’s Geno Auriemma To Kelly Faris’ Parents: Thank You
In the hours after UConn’s astonishing second-half purge of Duke on Monday, Kelly Faris experienced a meteoric rise that would elate any political candidate. Thing is, Faris isn’t runni…
Merry Christmas to you also. Someone been sippin on the adult eggnog a little early I see.
Hate to quibble but it was 3 consecutive offensive rebounds. ND had cut the lead to 6, Stewie missed a jumper Faris rebounded and kicked to Hartley for a 3. Bria missed and Faris rebounded the miss. Dolson was fouled and went to the line made first missed the second resulting in another Faris rebound. It broke ND's back!
That box score also reminds me how much of a beast Stewwie was even by the end of her freshman year: 29 points in 29 minutes, along with 4 blocks and 4-5 from outside. Got me a bit wistful... Ah, good times...
Imagine if Kyla had Kelly’s athleticism....