Courtney

[Storrsbred]

Wondered how fans think she is coming along? Is it too early after her injury to expect to see glimpses of the player we all want her to be? Does anyone who saw her in high school think her running gate has changed since her injury? I have noticed she runs and moves very flat footed, which seems to limit her reaction speed.
Hope it is just rust and learning the offense and not something more lasting. She seems to have great fundamentals, for example, always boxing out no matter where on the court she is when the shot goes up. Looking forward to seeing her progress this year.

 

[jcoton56]

She clearly needs minutes at game pace, always looks a step or two late or behind the action. Worried for her.

 

[jsloanjr]

Not worried at all, she is a hustler and she will rebuild her game mode she lost while out.........She will be fine........Now, if we can get #12 playing like she did last night, we will be just fine, as well........

 

[Wbbfan1]

In 10 minutes of play against Temple the only stat Courtney had was 0-1 on Free throws. No rebounds,assists or shot attempts.

 

[jcoton56]

Not worried at all, she is a hustler and she will rebuild her game mode she lost while out....She will be fine...Now, if we can get #12 playing like she did last night, we will be just fine, as well...

I really, really hope you are right

 

[HoopsFan21]

She's a shooter. She needs to stop being scared of missing. Second game in a row where she had time and space to shoot and she passed.

 

[JoePgh]

She's a shooter. She needs to stop being scared of missing. Second game in a row where she had time and space to shoot and she passed.

I will speculate that Geno has told her that the first thing she has to prove is that she can work within the offense and see her teammates and use them. He knows that she can crank up 3's; she doesn't need to prove that.

 

[HGN]

It will all start in practice for Courtney.........She just needs to hustle in practice and get some game minutes on the court. She just needs to get her confidence and her conditioning back. Then she'll be ready to go. It takes time.

She will be fine.

 

[hjoerring]

She may not be able to play at this level. I would be surprised if she stays for 4 years.

She is still a freshman and have not played, really, since her junior year. Add to this her injury which kept her off the floor. Although the same could be said for Gabby who has more to offer in my view. Interestingly, she questioned her readiness to play at this level- pace, in an interview posted on the net. As for a transfer, I hope not because everybody needn't be a star or an AA. If she is happy I'm happy. This is a young woman who committed to play here as a soph. Let her find a role and contribute.

 

[Farney]

She's lost a bit of her speed (relative obviously) since HS which seems to coincide with the muscle she gained as a senior. Hopefully a full year with UConn strength and conditioning will get some of her quickness back.

 

[ChicagoGG]

It will all start in practice for Courtney....She just needs to hustle in practice and get some game minutes on the court. She just needs to get her confidence and her conditioning back. Then she'll be ready to go. It takes time.

She will be fine.

+1

 

[RockyMTblue2]

It is too early. However, I do not think Geno said go out there, get into the flow, but don't shoot - pass it off. The failure to take the open shot (and not in favor of a better one - which is not the case) is destructive of offensive flow and often will require a "reset".

 

[meyers7]

I'm not worried about her at all at this point. She's way behind the curve right now, being injured as a FR. She's still finding her way. I won't even really look at her, and what she might be able to contribute, until next year. A lot of players don't show much their FR years unless they are upper echelon players. Add to that being injured for quite awhile. She'll need the summer to really get back to where we can see what she can contribute. She'll be playing catch up this year.

I'm not really expecting anything this year, but I'm not writing her off either. We'll see what she brings next year. Then we'll see what she's really got.

 

[Bgillon]

I am surprised by her lack of shooting the ball. She is a shooter so that makes me wonder where she is in her development to play at this level. Notice I said in her development, I am not making any judgment about her ability to develop and be a contributor to UCONN. Just surprised so far.

 

[dualskeptic]

From what I've observed so far, I don't think she's as fast or athletic as her teammates. She'll need to play hard, but she'll also need to play smart by consistently initiating and anticipating and exploiting events and movement patterns moment to moment during a practice or game. Self-confidence can be earned in this way.

 

[Bigpetunia]

I am surprised by her lack of shooting the ball. She is a shooter so that makes me wonder where she is in her development to play at this level. Notice I said in her development, I am not making any judgment about her ability to develop and be a contributor to UCONN. Just surprised so far.

I agree. She generally hasn't had all that many open looks, but, considering the talent at her position on this team, and considering the major commitments coming in behind her, one has to think that her only realistic pathway to being a contributor who earns meaningful future minutes is by becoming a reliable perimeter shooter. Right now, as a nervous, non-confident, and inexperienced Freshman, she obviously cannot be expected to get to that point in a hurry. But, by next season, she'll have to step up in that direction to really become any kind of a factor. We'll all be pulling for her!

 

[pvdoggy]

She looks slow in high school, she still looks slow at UConn (not sure if it is because the month off on the bench). Her shot has not been all that good, even when wide open and when she is not too hesitant to take it. Geno has said

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/gen...f-best-shooters-ever-seen-on-any-level.61170/

but I have not seen any evidence of that. May be she will find her shooting touch again, may be not.

 

[rugbymate]

She definitely has the heart...one can tell that she is trying very hard. However, UCONN's pace of play this year seems fast even by their standards and significantly different than Courtney's experience. Playing time will certainly help her get to the right spots. Given her reported basketball IQ, hopefully she'll learn to get ahead of the pace and that's when the game comes to her. One doesn't have to be fast to add value( remember Larry Bird? )

 

[sawxfan23]

I love the way Ekmark plays in that she hustles, boxes out hard, and knows the fundamentals of the game. However, the one thing that worries me about her is her athleticism. I am just not sure she is a good enough athlete to play at this level.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I have mentioned this in the past. Courtneys St Marys HS team won the mythical HS championship back in 12/13 season.
CE was a junior that year. All of the talented players graduated after that season, except CE.
Here are the averages for all of those players now in their sophomore year in college.
Shipla Tummala/Harvard 4.7ppg
Chantal Osahar/Washington 4.8ppg
Brandee Walton/New Mexico State 1.3ppg
Danielle Williams/Michigan 1.3ppg
Dominique Williams/UCLA 0.2ppg

None of these players have "yet" to turn out close to what one might expect from an undefeated National Champion.
Compare these to the National Championship players from the KML Mater Dei teams.
KML/UConn 13.6ppg this year and 17.6ppg her sophomore year
Alexys Vaioletama/USC 12.8ppg this year and 4.8ppg her sophomore year
Jordan Adams/USC RS Sophomore this year 6.2ppg
Kiki Alofaituli/USC senior who has left USC for personal reasons 4.8ppg last year as a junior.

I dont know if Ms Ekmark will be much different than her former teammates at St. Marys have shown so far.

 

[WildEagle]

I have not seen her play before this year but she looks slow and clumsy. Could be the injury and possibly that is slowing her down but she just looks over matched at this time.

 

[ballhawk]

I expected her to be contributing much more at this stage of the season. Relative to the rest of the team and her opposition she is slow and she continues to get beaten on defense. She hardly ever shoots and her stat line borders on non-existent. I think she really tries but I'm beginning to wonder if she can make it. Given the recruits coming in next year Courtney will need a quantum leap in improvement if she is to see any real playing time.

 

[BigBird]

I'm pulling for this kid. That creates a bias as regards the future. That confessed, I think she'll be OK, and make a major contribution before she's done. She's got heart, and she dearly wants to be at UConn. Who can't respect that?

 

[Geno-ista]

I spent 10 minutes with CE and her parents at First night her Sr year in HS. They are a remarkable family. I fall into the "ballhawk" category above, and am rooting for her like Big Bird. I am hoping she can get that three going on, and hopefully become like a Mel Thomas, or Maybrey from ND, off the bench. With the 3 thorobreds coming in next year, and Gabby's emergence, and so much young established talent coming back, I am not overly optimistic about CE becoming a major contributor. I think KLS may grab KML's spot and never look back. I hope my gut is wrong-

 

[uconnever]

I read a lot about her before her arrival here and she seems like a great kid. A a uconn kid, however I think her ceiling is Meghan Gardner at best. After watching her play, I believe that she Lacks things that are unattainable for her.