Couple of thoughts after the game

[Icebear]

The other thing that is remarkable about Stef is that despite her bigger than life personality she is completely willing to suppress personal numbers and goals to the benefit of teammates and more importantly team. More than anything else that character trait is the mark of why she lead the team last year to the NC and why her numbers are different this year. She does whatever is necessary and whatever Geno and staff asks of her. That is the mark of a true team player and AA.

 

[boontonbomber]

If you really honestly think that those numbers reflect what Stef Dolson is to this team, then I feel you are very sadly mistaken. You can't take a person out of a game and magically play that same game over so as to prove point A or point B but there is absolutely no question of how essential Stef IS and HAS BEEN to this team over the past couple of years. I've been known to get upset with her for a "bonehead play" on occasion but I think she is a piece of the UConn puzzle that I think no one who loves the Huskies would ever not want to have on that court in crunch time. She's a great leader, a great hustler and an inspiration, particularly based on how she performed through horrific pain during the Huskies run to their National Championship last year. The girls in the locker room know it and the coaching staff knows it and there are many many Huskie fans that know it, though you're obviously not one of them. I remember (being an old man) of players who were astonished watching trainers taping up Mickey Mantle with yards and yards of guaze and bandages, how he'd be able to go out and perform at the extraordinarily high level that he did, game in and game out, when obviously in so much pain and how it inspired them. Ditto for Stef!

i agree with your most of what you say. the only reason i threw in a comment in this thread was because of your assertion that they could not have won the championship last year without stef. there i disagreed with you. i think they would have won the last 4 games without her, including the nd game, where, in spite of her 5 blocks, i don't think that she was a big factor. many think that her meer presence is so very huge that they don't win without her. that's pretty hard to measure, and i just don't buy that. rather than my downplaying stef's contributions, i really just felt that the rest of that team was so strong that they could have won without her.

 

[Icebear]

i agree with your most of what you say. the only reason i threw in a comment in this thread was because of your assertion that they could not have won the championship last year without stef. there i disagreed with you. i think they would have won the last 4 games without her, including the nd game, where, in spite of her 5 blocks, i don't think that she was a big factor. many think that her meer presence is so very huge that they don't win without her. that's pretty hard to measure, and i just don't buy that. rather than my downplaying stef's contributions, i really just felt that the rest of that team was so strong that they could have won without her.

I think you are completely wrong on that. Our offense would have ground to a halt.

 

[DobbsRover2]

The other thing that is remarkable about Stef is that despite her bigger than life personality she is completely willing to suppress personal numbers to the benefit of teammates and more importantly team. More than anything else that character is the mark of why she lead the team last year to the NCAA and why her numbers are different this. She does whatever is necessary and whatever Geno and staff asks of her. That is the mark of a true team player and AA.

And also, in her limited state last year, she was smart enough to recognize what she could do to help her team and to not to extend herself past a point that could really aggravate her injuries. So she took only 4 shots in the ND game, just the ones that were pretty much gimmes. She got some blocks, assists, and rebounds, set picks, and played strong defense, all the stuff that was vital for UConn. Yeah, she had some TOs, but anyone trying to play with lower leg stress fractures and plantar fasciitis is going to find it a little tough to throw a smooth pass or secure a rebound from a grasping defender. A team takes the good and the bad in those situations, but the results were mainly good, and there's no what-if about whether UConn won the NC.

 

[boontonbomber]

I think you are completely wrong on that. Our offense would have ground to a halt.

are you saying that you think uconn would have lost that nd game?

 

[DobbsRover2]

I'm just wondering if UConn really needed Geno this year. I mean, they're winning games at a 37.8 margin clip, so do you think they could have won the 24 games without him? He's pretty short, hasn't scored a point all year, and admits he doesn't feel good more than two days a month, so is he essential? Maybe UConn just need Stewie and Bria and the gang to go out on the floor for a done deal.

What-ifs and could-ifs really are for wankers and those who like to get blue in the face. What happened, happened. What didn't happen, didn't happen.

 

[Icebear]

are you saying that you think uconn would have lost that nd game?

Yes, most likely the would have.

 

[Phil]

I'm just wondering if UConn really needed Geno this year. I mean, they're winning games at a 37.8 margin clip, so do you think they could have won the 24 games without him? He's pretty short, hasn't scored a point all year, and admits he doesn't feel good more than two days a month, so is he essential? Maybe UConn just need Stewie and Bria and the gang to go out on the floor for a done deal.

What-ifs and could-ifs really are for wankers and those who like to get blue in the face. What happened, happened. What didn't happen, didn't happen.

I think it was Bird who mentioned that the 2002 team didn't really need Geno. I'm now wondering if she was hoping for a reaction, but IIRC, they just moved on.

 

[Buzzyboy]

The other thing that is remarkable about Stef is that despite her bigger than life personality she is completely willing to suppress personal numbers to the benefit of teammates and more importantly team. More than anything else that character is the mark of why she lead the team last year to the NCAA and why her numbers are different this. She does whatever is necessary and whatever Geno and staff asks of her. That is the mark of a true team player and AA.

So True!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Buzzyboy]

Kib - by current criteria both Stef and Bria have made the wall and the jerseys go up on senior night. KML made the wall last year along with Stef so that will happen on her senior night and one has to believe Stewie earns it this year. I do believe that 4 of the five starters are worthy of selection this year and I suspect three get onto the 10 player squad - the two seniors and Stewart. The reason I say 4 of 5 is that Kaleena missed so many games and struggled when she returned that she is only starting now to play up to that level. She has a month to impress and I think she will, but at this moment in time she hasn't done enough this year to justify AA selection.

You're so right. It'd be quite hard to have Kaleena make it due to her lost time and her stats, which don't quite show who she is. I can't see how Stef doesn't make it as just about everyone knows that she is the best center in the country though her stats don't necessarily blow you away. Bria struggled a bit early and she's coming off a year where she struggled mightily. From UConn's perspective, she deserves raves for her grit and determination and the way she's turned things around. The past couple of weeks or more, she's been sensational but it is enough???? Breanna is such a lock that it's not even funny. She's everybody's All-American. So, I'm saying yes for Breanna and Stef and possibly Bria, as well but definitely no Kaleena this year.