Courtney Ekmark

[pinotbear]

Or were you just talking about off the bench? I'm confused...

exactly,, sara - I was referring to "bench strength" for 3-point shooting, because that's an area where I think Courtney could contribute.

Of course, I didn't make that particularly clear in my first post...

 

[HuskiesU]

I hope Ekmark doesn't redshirt and I doubt she will cuz she has the confident attitude like Nurse and Gabby that she knows she can contribute to this team. I wanna see her in action. So do you guys think she'll be back for the Depaul or UCLA game?? I'll be at those games

 

[Icebear]

Hitting the wine again, Pinot.

 

[watanabe]

h...Geno has the luxury of bringing in Kia, "the human eraser",

I know there were a lot of other words in this post, but this really stood out. Don't mean to change the subject, but Stokes has become a force of nature. Her value to the team right now is higher than another three point shooter. She singlehandedly changed the game last night. The fear on the GB players was palpable after she devestaed them inside. GAME CHANGER.

 

[Geno-ista]

Here is how I see Courtney being a real contributor for UConn. We have Stewie who can really score in a variety of ways...you can't afford to not play her and if possible might as well double up on her and yes...you have to play her physically or she will just absolutely ruin you day. Then you have Morgan Tuck, who gets stronger in the post day by day...she needs to soften up her touch and not overpower the ball...and she can step out for a three, her shot hasn't been there this year, but it will come around as she has historically been a good three point shooter...In time, I think she will be great to take over Dolson's role of hitting the foul line extension shot. Let's not forget that she won the Nike all-star three point contest. You can't leave Tuck alone or she will do a lot of damage in the post and you have to follow he out to the three point line if she flashes outward. Then there is Moriah Jefferson...who in addition to being a thief...she is lightning fast and will make you pay if you try and play her close...so, now she is working on her three point shot and by the way she is shooting about 41 % right now... If we can get her to take a few more it will cause defenses to have nightmares...can't guard her close she will leave you with broken ankles and you can't leave her alone or she will hurt you from three. Now, let's talk about Kia Nurse...Geno likes her so much that for the last two games he didn't take her out for the first 30 minutes of each game. And, what does she do...she goes and wins the MVP of the tournament as a freshman. Considering that she beat out two players who will arguably be in the conversation for POY (Stewie and KML) that is pretty incredible... So in addition to being a stat stuffer just how good is she from three point land? Hmmmm, well... 8 for 19 or 42 % isn't bad. Then there is lights out KML...C'mon, she is other worldly when it comes to shooting threes...she is currently shooting over 60 percent...ridiculous if you ask me. She is only 10 threes from breaking Maya's UConn three-point record and 17 away from breaking the infallible DT's... She is without a doubt the indisputable best three point shooter in the country right now. Finally, enter Courtney, who many think will replace KML as a three point specialist...when other teams are substituting their 6th, 7th and 8th player off the bench...Geno has the luxury of bringing in Kia, "the human eraser", Gabby Williams whose athleticism is off the charts and whose upside is impossible to calculate at this time and Courtney. Can you just see it raining threes from Moriah, Stewie, Nurse, Tuck and KML...then you bring in the subs and Courtney keeps the rain falling...it could be a thing of beauty. Courtney from one side, KML from the other...opposing teams chasing our three point shooters who start throwing the ball inside to Kia, Tuck and / or Stewie. I think this year gets better and better as we go along...and come March and April this team is going to be fun to watch.

Way too much logic and well supported opinions for my taste! great piece Mr C!

 

[sarals24]

exactly,, sara - I was referring to "bench strength" for 3-point shooting, because that's an area where I think Courtney could contribute.

Of course, I didn't make that particularly clear in my first post...

Gotcha! I was reading quickly and didn't quite get it...

 

[Geno-ista]

We always have had that super star defensive specialist- Ashley Battle, Kalena Greene, and Kelly to name a few. We have had very few or starters or regulars that were extremely weak on defense. Geno usually is willing to keep one on the floor if that person is negating the opposing team's key scorer or one of them. When I watched Ekmark in the open practice, she looked almost as week as Chong. So Geno has to sub in the chess pieces correctly- and it seams to be coming together!

 

[Kibitzer]

Amazingly, KML's 61.5% clip from three is only 6th in the country. Oregon State's terrific sophomore Sydney Wiese is at 71%.

Goes to show the benefits of a rigid personal physical conditioning program.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

Amazingly, KML's 61.5% clip from three is only 6th in the country. Oregon State's terrific sophomore Sydney Wiese is at 71%.

All six of those with a higher percentage have no more than 21 attempts to KML's 39. Could impact success

 

[Sluconn Husky]

All six of those with a higher percentage have no more than 21 attempts to KML's 39. Could impact success

Yes, I understand that.

 

[pinotbear]

Hitting the wine again, Pinot.

Hitting it still, Padre!

 

[Zorro]

Since Courtney's problem is a foot problem, that means that not only can she not practice for 4-6 weels. she also can't run, and so is bound to suffer some de-training effects. Might take a while for her to get back into game shape.

 

[stamfordhusky]

There is a lot of good information in this thread on the subject of the medical hardship waiver. Just to summarize:

1. As Biff said, a player normally has five years to play four seasons of a sport. She can always sit out a year without any waiver or paperwork - as long as there has been no game time played. This applied to both Jess Moore and Heather Buck, which is why it is irrelevant as to whether Buck's mono required her to sit out a full year. (I doubt it did.)

2. If a player has an injury, she can apply for a medical hardship waiver if several conditions are met:
. . . . . A. She didn't play in more than 30% of the scheduled games (regular season plus allowance for one league tournament game). Rounding is done in the player's favor.
. . . . . B. She didn't play at all in the second half.
. . . . . C. The injury must "result in incapacity to compete for the remainder of the playing season". There may be some wiggle room for the doctors but it can't just be a situation where the player can play but maybe not as well.
. . . . . D. The waiver request must be signed and certified by the team's physician with the reason why the injury was incapacitating for the entire season.
. . . . . E. The request also must be accompanied by medical evidence such as MRI's, X-rays, etc.

3. The waiver request is reviewed/approved by the league in most cases, although there could be situations where the NCAA might get involved.

There have been some situations over time where a bogus request was denied. Also just my opinion, but I doubt that the great majority of physicians are going to certify a totally bogus injury. A big of exaggeration perhaps, but I doubt if they would certify it as season-ending if a player could return in mid-January. There could be some legal issues that go beyond NCAA rules violations in certain cases.

 

[Geosfun]

great stuff. thanks everybody!

 

[hjoerring]

Why would they red shirt her or what would the advantage be for her. She needs to get on the court. Everyone talks about her as a 3point shooter, but our team has never been about recruiting specialists of the sort. Unless she has a lot more to bring to the table she will be sitting imo. Nor will it help her next year given the people here and those coming. I hope she can get better soon and fight for playing time with those from her class. Perhaps all you 3points specialists know more then you are giving away, but unless she can help us keep quick guards in front of us, I see a long learning curve ahead- nothing to be negative about, but nothing to be overexcited about.

 

[iamcbs]

Amazingly, KML's 61.5% clip from three is only 6th in the country. Oregon State's terrific sophomore Sydney Wiese is at 71%.

In March KML will still be shooting 3's at an over 50% clip, which is her norm. I doubt Sydney Wiese will keep up!

 

[EricLA]

Why would they red shirt her or what would the advantage be for her. She needs to get on the court. Everyone talks about her as a 3point shooter, but our team has never been about recruiting specialists of the sort. Unless she has a lot more to bring to the table she will be sitting imo. Nor will it help her next year given the people here and those coming. I hope she can get better soon and fight for playing time with those from her class. Perhaps all you 3points specialists know more then you are giving away, but unless she can help us keep quick guards in front of us, I see a long learning curve ahead- nothing to be negative about, but nothing to be overexcited about.

I mention the redshirting because with a foot injury, she's unable to improve her fitness, which is one thing that is required to play at UCONN. If she's still "high school slow" come January and February, she will not only be a defensive liability on the court but also will struggle to be able to get open to get her shot off.

Because (IMHO) I see her as a solid reserve, an extra year would give her even more time to get into the best UCONN shape possible and work on her game to be able to better fight for PT. The way Williams has been playing, it's possible that Courtney maybe 9th on the depth chart when she comes back (Chong, Stokes and Williams ahead of her). That means limited PT and opportunities to grow this season.

I do agree it's unlikely she will redshirt, but really for any player, an extra year is terrific. How thrilled are we that we have Tuck for 3 more years now?!

 

[OldAlum]

I would suspect she is continuing to do her conditioning in a pool.

 

[meyers7]

I would suspect she is continuing to do her conditioning in a pool.

Actually it was reported she was.

 

[Farney]

Ekmark hoping to be back in a couple weeks.

http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2014/12/uconns-ekmark-anxious-to-return-to-court.html

 

[winlots]

CFER: great stuff; I love optimism and you make some powerful points. (And, hey, if you want to send me one of those refrigerators up here in Alaska, I'm buyin' " )