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Message: [QUOTE="Carnac, post: 2131410, member: 5798"] There was a lot of "buzz" and anticipation about Dangerfield's arrival on campus. She was highly touted. [U]Recognized as the best guard in her class[/U], and number three overall, behind [B]Lauren Cox[/B] (Baylor) and [B]Joyner Holmes[/B] (Texas). During the summer, several boneyard posters predicted/anticipated that she could possibly break into the starting line up sometime during the second half of the season. Obviously, they had no way of knowing [B]Saniya Chong[/B] was going to make her break through, and become the permanent 5th cog in the starting rotation, thereby leaving Crystal on the outside looking in. The breakout game she had against [B]Baylor[/B] couldn't have come at a better time. Her 19 point debut was a thing of beauty. She also had 5 assists - 4 rebounds and only 1 turnover in 30 minutes of play. As I recall, Gabby got into early foul trouble in the first quarter, and sat out most of the first half. As I reviewed the box score of that game, I noticed an oddity. Gabby had 14 points, but not a single rebound (Collier had 11). Without Crystal's 19 points, UConn does not win this game. On the next Geno Auriemma Show, a clip was shown of Geno telling Crystal to "[I]Win the game of us Crystal, win the game for us[/I]". He knew she was hot, scoring at will, and he desperately needed her to continue her unbridled assault on Baylor. The BIG 3 (Samuelson, Williams & Collier) only accounted for 40 points that game. He needed additional production from somebody else, she came through for him. During those 30 minutes, Dangerfield showed her team, coaches and the world (nationally televised game) what she could do. We all became [U]instant[/U] Dangerfield fans. Giddy over the fact that we had found our point guard for the next 4 years. Unfortunately, her 30 minutes of fame was short lived, as she fell back to earth encountering problems of inconsistency, power shortages (effort in practice), and other frailties that all freshmen encounter that first year, as they make the transition from high school to division 1 college competition. During a mid-season interview, Dangerfield said that [U][B]nothing[/B][/U] she did or experienced in high school or AAU competition (remember she convalesced during the summer after a minor surgery), prepared her for what she had to go through those first few weeks of official practice at UConn. Her struggles continued into the second half of the season. She slowly continued to get better and showed flashes of brilliance and the ability to make pin-point "no-look" passes to wide open teammates with ease. She made her greatest strides when she replaced Nurse in the starting lineup for 5 games, as Kia rehabed her foot injury. Crystal settled down and settled in, knowing Geno was not going to pull her if she made a mistake. Those 4-5 games were a blessing in disguise for her. Those games propelled her to a place where Geno could now trust her in BIG games, or during crunch time. I had no expectations for Dangerfield this year. She was a freshmen. I know that Geno does not normally depend on freshmen to come in and make a significant impact that first year. I assumed that she would get enough playing time to allow her to make that sophomore leap by the end of this year as expected, nothing more. I expected the usual amount of turnovers, missed shots, missed assignments, bad decisions on the fly, and a little bewilderment at times during a game, since this was her first rodeo. I anticipated more input and production from Molly Bent that would have softened the expectations from Dangerfield. There were times when Dangerous looked like a deer in the headlights. Then there were times when she looked in total control. I remember when she made a defender actually stumbled to the floor trying to guard her. Crystal blew by her and scored. The good thing is, she'll be a "[I]seasoned[/I]" sophomore next year, and it will show. I remember what Gabby said just before the beginning of official practice her sophomore year. She said "I'm ready this year". She said now, she knew what she was doing, and what was coming. I remember her saying that she wasn't ready to play during that Stanford loss. That Stanford game in November of 2014 was the 2nd game of the season for UConn. Crystal will no doubt have a "sophomore revelation" at some point during the summer. The light will come on, and she'll get it!!!! The worst is over. She'll be ready when formal practice begins in October, and ready to help her team win games in the pursuit of winning another national championship. She may be Geno's 6th man again next year. I know Crystal will be great, and do some great things on the court before she leaves in 3 years. I was perfectly willing to allow her to get her sea-legs. Everyone does not attain them in the same number of days/games. We can all recount that "[I]prodigy[/I]" freshman or two, than came in and started right away, as the transition for them was immediate and seamless. I'll bet Crystal has got some slick moves and no look passes that she kept under wraps this year. I can't wait to see them. [/QUOTE]

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