Courtney Eckmark

[RI Husky]

What are peoples feelings about Courtney Ekmark's progress this season. She had a rough start with injury her first year and came with potential as a sharpshooter. She has good court sense, average speed and athleticism but her shooting hasn't materialized. Does she just lack confidence to take enough shots? Can she be counted on to fill in in tough games for starting guards?

 

[Huskies Rule]

From Tierney to Saniya to Stewie, I love each and every kid on this team. I'm proud of all of them; they have worked so hard every day to provide us fans with so much excitement and pride in being Huskies. I will not speak ill of any of them. But in trying to fairly and objectively comment here, based upon the play I have seen thus far this year, Courtney does not possess "average speed and athleticism" nor could she "fill in in tough games for starting guards." Not yet, at least.

Having said that, performing as best she can, Courtney has achieved a helluva lot at UConn. I see her as our "Rudy," in over her head a bit, but giving everything she has, every second she's on the floor, always fighting and hustling while those she's up against are mostly quicker. Always the supportive, cheering teammate. Always positive.

Very few kids are blessed with the incredible skills of a Moriah or a Stewie. Many have hastily cut and run (Edwards, Boykin) when confronted with the realities of UConn, unwilling or unable to face the challenges and difficulties of fighting for and earning playing time at the best WCBB program in the nation. BUT NOT COURTNEY. She stayed and fought; she has a ton of heart; I respect all she has done. When she does get her minutes, she always tries to make the most of it, constantly hustling, passing to an open teammate, playing defense as stoutly as she is able.

I think Courtney is making the most of her abilities and of a unique opportunity. One day she will proudly look back as a National Championship winner, able to say that she competed, every day, with the best players on the greatest team in the country. And that's pretty special. As is Courtney, in her own special way.

 

[uconnever]

i was down on her last year. this year she has progressed i think. she isnt athletic but i believe she can contribute next year if she improves a little more because she seems to have a good shot and high basketball IQ. We will def need her next year.

 

[hoophuskee]

What are peoples feelings about Courtney Ekmark's progress this season. She had a rough start with injury her first year and came with potential as a sharpshooter. She has good court sense, average speed and athleticism but her shooting hasn't materialized. Does she just lack confidence to take enough shots? Can she be counted on to fill in in tough games for starting guards?

Courtney is a good player. She can compete vs top teams. UCONN's team is dominant. Obviously, she is not dominant. Her shot will come along if she is taking 3-5 three's per game. That's not going to happen - at least for this year. The other players are better either overall offensively or much better defensively or both. She would be fine next year coming off the bench. Though next year we are going to lose some games. Unlike the last three where we lost one game - it was "unacceptable" to lose that ONE game. Next year different story. . .

 

[HuskiesU]

Courtney just needs more time and I'll see her as a contributer because when she's in the game she does play hard plays smart and free but it's her aggression to shoot the ball passing on open shots I've seen some games she passed up on. She'll be fine hope she finds a way to gain more confidence in herself. She has a WNBA body now just put the talent with that and anything can happen

 

[Kmoney]

She has really improved this year. I think she is trying to show leadership when she is playing. That will help her next year when Saniya, Gabby and her will be the most experienced players. Her game has shown steady improvement. I don't have a feel for if she will keep improving or she is reaching her peak. If she keeps improving, she will be a key contributor next year.

 

[DGHuskyFan]

I am also a huge fan of the team and all the players who work so incredibly hard. Watch closely and you can see that she is a very smart and fundamentally sound sound player. On many many D1 teams she is a starter.
Athletically-wise, though, the 1 - 8 UCONN players ahead of her are superior. I don't see how that changes in the future.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

In the preseason the team was very clear that Courtney had made incredible progress with her game. She's in the same boat as Butler, both having lost a lot of time due to injury, need to build their confidence, and there aren't a lot of minutes to go around. As for her shooting, she seems to be trying to fit into the UConn pass-first mold, which is cutting back on her shots. She plays hard when she is in, she just hasn't had enough minutes to get into a flow.

I expect her to make a big jump in minutes next year, likely being one of the first players off of the bench. She'll get there.

 

[cabbie191]

I also think she looks much better on the court this year compared to last season. While she isn't as graceful as Moriah and others, she is running the floor more smoothly - the rust of her injury is worn off, if you will.

She is solid enough that she can substitute for the starters without fear of the wheels falling off the bus, and that in itself is valuable. It allows the starters to get to the post season relatively rested - though I think that if our players averaged 35 minutes a game for the season they would still do well in the tournaments.

Last point - we should never underestimate the value of non-starters to their contributions in practice.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Courtney helps balance the team... a team of Superstars/All-Americans is a recipe for disaster

 

[Gus Mahler]

From Tierney to Saniya to Stewie, I love each and every kid on this team. I'm proud of all of them; they have worked so hard every day to provide us fans with so much excitement and pride in being Huskies. I will not speak ill of any of them. But in trying to fairly and objectively comment here, based upon the play I have seen thus far this year, Courtney does not possess "average speed and athleticism" nor could she "fill in in tough games for starting guards." Not yet, at least.

Having said that, performing as best she can, Courtney has achieved a helluva lot at UConn. I see her as our "Rudy," in over her head a bit, but giving everything she has, every second she's on the floor, always fighting and hustling while those she's up against are mostly quicker. Always the supportive, cheering teammate. Always positive.

Very few kids are blessed with the incredible skills of a Moriah or a Stewie. Many have hastily cut and run (Edwards, Boykin) when confronted with the realities of UConn, unwilling or unable to face the challenges and difficulties of fighting for and earning playing time at the best WCBB program in the nation. BUT NOT COURTNEY. She stayed and fought; she has a ton of heart; I respect all she has done. When she does get her minutes, she always tries to make the most of it, constantly hustling, passing to an open teammate, playing defense as stoutly as she is able.

I think Courtney is making the most of her abilities and of a unique opportunity. One day she will proudly look back as a National Championship winner, able to say that she competed, every day, with the best players on the greatest team in the country. And that's pretty special. As is Courtney, in her own special way.

Nice post ya did there.

 

[carpe diem]

The problem is twofold: Only 5 can play at the same time, and there are a number of fantastic players ahead of her to fill the 5 spots. She can be very good, with great practices, and still have limited playing time because of who is ahead of her on the depth chart. Unlike the last two on the depth chart, whom we all root for to score, her upside potential remains an unknown to us fans. All we know for sure is that there are 8 great players ahead of her and therefore she has limited playing time. She has definitely improved from last year where her foot speed allowed for shots other UCONN players would not allow, but how good can she be will have to wait until we see more of her in games.

 

[TitleTown]

I think that Ekmark is challenged most by the speed and athleticism of elite D1 basketball. She may lack the God given gifts of some but makes up for it with hustle and a great "basketball IQ". She is a good shooter and IMHO needs to be more selfish and look for her shot more often.

 

[VA Huskie]

I remember her being a top 20-25 recruit when she was a junior in HS. She decided not to play her senior year, to focus on developing her game and doing other stuff. Her HS coach said UCONN fans would love her. Compared her to Kelly Ferris - I think in terms of how hard she worked. Based on all that, she hasn't contributed as much as I expected. Maybe she'll develop into an off the bench 3point shooter in her final 2 seasons. I expect her maturity will be important in the coming years.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

While in HS and her "at home" year I saw videos of her playing AAU BB and she looked fantastic! She came into UCONN with the same rep of KML & KLS as great shooters. Then she missed her freshman early season with the foot injury and her return & this year she has no confidence in her shot and has turned into a "Heather Buck" type of player that only does what she has high confidence doing!
Hopefully next season she'll blossom back into that previous shooting mode!

 

[hoophuskee]

IMO when she comes into these games - she is told her priorities are to get the ball inside and not look to take the 1st quick-shot available - work the ball inside. I think she took a shot this year in a blowout with someone hanging on her and Geno immediately pulled her (though it could have been because her defense in transition on that play was weak too or both.). IMO Geno has made it clear - if she wants to play- her priority in halfcourt sets is to look to get the ball inside. The guards and wings can fire up a shot nearly anytime they want. Therefore even though she is open, the coaches don't want the 1st shot available early in the shot clock in halfcourt sets. They don't look upon her as a scorer (there is a difference between a scorer and shooter) so why have her take quick shots in halfcourt sets?

Next year she has a huge opportunity for very good minutes.

 

[Biff]

Next year she has a huge opportunity for very good minutes.

I really think this is true. There are lots of variables but if she continues to improve as she has she could get solid minutes.

 

[iamcbs]

It's really difficult to properly assess a player who gets so little playing time. Very few players men's or women's have the ability to come off the bench cold and display dazzling offensive prowess. Courtney has sacrificed and endured. As on Poster above stated so well, when others for a variety of reason chose to leave, she stays and competes her ass off, she plays hard when she gets her opportunities and is a great teammate. Only 5 players at a time can be on the court and she has 3 AA's playing ahead of her on a team that's won 2 Natty's and 60 consecutive games, she the National HS POY on front of her as well and she's only a sophomore coming off an injury that limited her last year. Is she the 2nd coming of DT3, of course not! She'll be fine and a meaningful contributor during her career.

 

[bags27]

The guard situation next year is promising but unsettled. We can't count on Chrystal early in the year to start, and both Kia and Saniya are up-and-down as scorers. It's intriguing to think of Lou at the top of the key, but she won't set up there all the time. Gabby may well come back in the fall with a richer game that includes more guard play. The sleeper is Molly: she's a year older (and more mature) than her class, her improvement trajectory has so far been extraordinary, and she's incredibly smart on and off the court. She will get the system right away and will challenge Courtney and maybe even others, but Courtney should a chance at more playing time in this initially unsettled period.

 

[alexrgct]

I published on the BY some faux midesason awards with KLS Aand Courtney being the most rooted for, and that still stands in my view. They're both great kids who give Geno eeverything he wants and the media everything they want. Fans want to see the two of them blossom, and it's a matter of time. They are paying dues now and going through a rigorous maturation process. Ekmark is mature and poised and will leave Storrs a valued contributor to a program with plural NCs to her credit. And not too many folks will be happier for anyone other than her...except maybe KLS.

 

[trb123]

Courtney is the Tahira Williams of her batch. Those who want to take a stroll down memory lane can click on the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08araton.html?_r=0

Both girls are filling a similar role in the team. I wish we had a Cassie Kerns on the bench as well.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I would add that Courtney has shown herself to be a very good passer.

 

[Kaizen]

I would add that Courtney has shown herself to be a very good passer.

She has an excellent ball handling ability.....

 

[HuskyZee]

I would add that Courtney has shown herself to be a very good passer.

I have the same observation and I am so glad to see RI Husky started this thread. Courtney has improved quite a bit since last year. While giving her time to play in several earlier games, her three points shot percentage was quite good. She even pulled down few defensive rebounds. I believe that she could provide some stability when we are short handed.

 

[Geno-ista]

I would add that Courtney has shown herself to be a very good passer.

She has made a lot of excellent passes into the post.