Deep Dive on Piath on the court by Connolly

[CocoHusky]

We get that. We’re doing a little daydreaming. What’s the harm? Not everyone needs their hopes doused with a cold pail of water.

Obviously I under achieved. My aim was not with a cold pail of water it was with a flame thrower and a large dose of realism.

 

[CocoHusky]

That’s fine, but I don’t get the point of continuing to point out all of Piath’s perceived weaknesses by some here on the BY. She’s a project. No one is suggesting anything different. But she is a 6’5” project who can run the court, has a great attitude and by all indications is working very hard to improve.

Geno recruited Piath, as did several other big time programs including Louisville. As a UConn fan, I am rooting for her to succeed, as I would for anyone.

Just as I don't get your point about a "project" being able to contribute in games against SC and Stanford.

 

[oldude]

Just as I don't get your point about a "project" being able to contribute in games against SC and Stanford.

Geno and Jamelle might disagree with you.

 

[jazz]

This discussion about Piath got me thinking of this guy that transferred to my HS when i was a freshie. He was 6'11 and im not sure he ever played ball before. At our BB camp in June, in one on one drills, I just went around him to the bucket for the easiest two you could ever ask for. His defense was watching me score on him. I didn't need any fakes and I didn't need to shoot an outside shot. Just go by him.

Lost track of him over the summer but heard he was playing a lot in his part of town. Hard to keep a 6'11 guy a secret. Fast forward to October try-outs and this dude wasn't so easy to score on anymore. I went by him easy enough but he learned to shadow me and threw my layup in the stands. Now I needed to give him a fake or two and maybe incorporate an outside jumper. It made it a lot tougher. He ended up averaging 11 blocks a game that year. He couldn't score and did everything wrong, but he could rebound (sometime) and block shots.

Piath isn't 6'11 but she is also a hell of a lot better than this guy was and has a lot more time to develop. I'm hopeful in about 10 mos she can make a (small) contribution. I'm not holding my breathe, but I don't see why she can make some improvement and at least play some defense and get some rebounds, picks, blocks, etc. Maybe not against the best teams in the country but who knows....

 

[CocoHusky]

This discussion about Piath got me thinking of this guy that transferred to my HS when i was a freshie. He was 6'11 and im not sure he ever played ball before. At our BB camp in June, in one on one drills, I just went around him to the bucket for the easiest two you could ever ask for. His defense was watching me score on him. I didn't need any fakes and I didn't need to shoot an outside shot. Just go by him.

Lost track of him over the summer but heard he was playing a lot in his part of town. Hard to keep a 6'11 guy a secret. Fast forward to October try-outs and this dude wasn't so easy to score on anymore. I went by him easy enough but he learned to shadow me and threw my layup in the stands. Now I needed to give him a fake or two and maybe incorporate an outside jumper. It made it a lot tougher. He ended up averaging 11 blocks a game that year. He couldn't score and did everything wrong, but he could rebound (sometime) and block shots.

Piath isn't 6'11 but she is also a hell of a lot better than this guy was and has a lot more time to develop. I'm hopeful in about 10 mos she can make a (small) contribution. I'm not holding my breathe, but I don't see why she can make some improvement and at least play some defense and get some rebounds, picks, blocks, etc. Maybe not against the best teams in the country but who knows....

You don't have to hold your breath as the article points out Piath has improved and she will continue to do so because that's the history of this coaching staff. What I'm suggesting is baby steps such as Piath moving up in the post rotation before being able to plunge in the deep end of the pool and play "against the best teams in the country".

 

[Huskee11]

Sometimes you just need a big body out there to keep the opponent`s 5 from totally dominating inside.

Natalie Butler was much maligned during her stay at UConn but she was instrumental in some big wins in the 2016-2017 season - certainly Baylor, but Maryland and Texas as well. She didn`t score much in those games but she did rebound and she helped neutralize the size disadvantage we faced. Kalani Brown was a nonfactor in that Baylor game.

Coming off the bench, you don`t have to be "better" than the opponent, but you do have to be good enough to keep the team from being overmatched and dominated in that aspect of the game, and hope that the team outperforms in other aspects.

Unlike 2016-2017, when Natalie was our only big off the bench, we will have much more depth next season and thereafter, especially if Dorka stays for two years. So Piath will need to work hard to create a role.

Natalie was also a much different player than Piath. Natalie was not nearly as athletic but was more skilled and had already played a pretty impressive season of Division I basketball at Georgetown. She appeared to have bad hands but that was likely an injury issue.

Piath seems much more athletic although despite her size, from her limited court time she doesn`t yet appear to be a "banger" inside. Surprisingly, she seems to move around kind of gingerly for someone her size.

I am rooting for her as well but I think she needs to put the work in at becoming a physical presence off the bench who can play physical post defense without fouling, box out, rebound, set some screens, and block a shot or two. If she can outrun her opponent and get some layups in transition, that`s a bonus. But scoring points shouldn`t be an issue with this team for the foreseeable future.

As they say, if you aren`t moving forward you are moving backward. She appears to have a decent potential upside. But potential doesn`t feed the bulldog. If she has the inner desire to put the time in and improve, we will see evidence of that next season. If not, we will see that too.

 

[Gus Mahler]

From experience I know that combo isn’t readily available in NH during the summer. I wish her well.

Wonder if big brother could help some.

 

[oldude]

Wonder if big brother could help some.

Wenyen has bounced around some between KY, the D-League and a cup of coffee with several pro teams. Right now he’s getting paid an NBA salary with the N.O. Pelicans. Not bad for a kid from civil war torn Sudan.

 

[Gus Mahler]

One thing to keep in mind is that PG has four more years of eligibility. After her fourth year, she might scan the landscape and decide that it is in her long-term best interest financially to get a master's degree all or mostly paid for before she leaves. With enough "baby steps" she might be a contributor by then.

 

[CocoHusky]

Wonder if big brother could help some.

Piath also has a very capable big sister who played collegiately at DePaul and then BC and played high level prep ball in NJ.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I have high hopes for Piath. Not All-American hopes. But hopes for the game when she comes and just does everything right for 15 minutes and Coach says, "We wouldn't have won today if not for her." That 10,000 watt smile lighting up as she experiences a Paige like moment when the whole team is hugging and jumping up and she is being celebrated and celebrator. Those are the moments you remember as a player and I really want her to experience.

 

[BobbyJ]

Wonder if big brother could help some.

Good question but I wonder how much he's around NH in the summer. A lot of guys who've had a taste of NBA life usually pursue a slightly more active lifestyle in the offseason. And your question reminds of another kid who's development isn't really on a fast track. With two older studs for brothers and a NBA coaching dad, how is it that Griffin still isn't able to take 2-3 dribbles into a pull up jumper? Not to be a little harsh but if these kids really want it, they have to go out and get it.

 

[AmeriConn]

I wish Piath well and hopes she proves me wrong. Daniel used the word if too many times in reference to Piath to realistically generate any hope that Piath will be a UCONN contributor soon. My perspective has not been changed since she signed with UCONN. That perspective is that Piath got started too late (15 Year old) in basketball did not play in a competitive enough HS or AAU basketball to make an impact at UCONN. Additionally UCONN WBB does not have the luxury of waiting for a player to develop when teams like SC, Stanford, Maryland and Louisville are tooling up with front court players that are in the same class as Piath but significantly more skilled and contributing now.

I agree. It’s seems like such a small return for a big investment. I don’t understand the thinking, but what do I know.

I hope Piath is able to contribute in a relatively short amount of time.

 

[CocoHusky]

We are communicating just fine my memory is just not what it used to be. I had erroneously stated that Mir played the 4 exclusively this year and that is not correct. In crunch time at Arkansas ( 4th quarter UCONN down by 10) Geno rolled out a lineup of ( Nika, Paige, CW, Evina and Mir). Mir was essentially playing the 5 in that lineup and those were probably her most effective minutes of the season because UCONN was able to cut the lead from 10 down to 2.

 

[AmeriConn]

I often wonder which players, in the off season, really take the initiative to work on the weaknesses in their game.

 

[jazz]

You don't have to hold your breath as the article points out Piath has improved and she will continue to do so because that's the history of this coaching staff. What I'm suggesting is baby steps such as Piath moving up in the post rotation before being able to plunge in the deep end of the pool and play "against the best teams in the country".

that is what i am saying too.

no doubt piath will improve and i hope it will be enough by next march to give us a few minutes if needed against some of the better teams in the country and do the things i said i am hopeful she can do by then. In speaking of what I am hopeful of, I'm most skeptical with her defensive awareness and being able to handle a post move and/or a couple of fakes.

 

[Cornell Lt]

Piath will be just fine. She will fill a need at some point, there is too much athleticism there to ignore. The UConn coaching staff can do amazing things for players, especially if the player truly wants to learn, which Jamelle said Piath wants to do.

 

[eebmg]

I often wonder which players, in the off season, really take the initiative to work on the weaknesses in their game.

I actually wonder how much supervision the players get in the off season to work on their weaknesses. The Paige Buecker's/ Azzi Fudds seem to have world class trainers helping them (not sure how that works but I assume close monitoring off their progress and probably in coordination with the UConn coaching? What is allowed? Any insight would be great

 

[jazz]

paith just needs to get in the backyard and play one on one with some tough homie who is close to her size. no ambulance no foul. a few months of that should help her understand how to position her body on defense and be more aware of what the offensive player is trying to do.

 

[CocoHusky]

I actually wonder how much supervision the players get in the off season to work on their weaknesses. The Paige Buecker's/ Azzi Fudds seem to have world class trainers helping them (not sure how that works and monitoring their progress and probably in coordination with the UConn coaching? What is allowed? Any insight would be great

The short answer is that unless the players are enrolled in classes and on campus no coaching supervision is allowed.
Exception were made last year due to COVID for athletic trainers to observe workout via zoom. When the players leave campus they are given a workout routine to follow. Upon their return to campus players must complete a conditioning test prior to starting workouts.

 

[BobbyJ]

I often wonder which players, in the off season, really take the initiative to work on the weaknesses in their game.

IMO, very few know how to. The coaches identify those weaknesses for them before they leave campus. But that's where initiative comes in. If they don't go out and find someone who can show them how to attack those weaknesses, they come back to campus and start scrimmaging with those bad habits still ingrained. And come November they look basically the same as last season.

 

[eebmg]

The short answer is that unless the players are enrolled in classes and on campus no coaching supervision is allowed.
Exception were made last year due to COVID for athletic trainers to observe workout via zoom. When the players leave campus they are given a workout routine to follow. Upon their return to campus players must complete a conditioning test prior to starting workouts.

Thanks. But I would think alot of players would then benefit with summer classes just to get a leg up on the competition?? Maybe not this COVID season where getting back to home and family is so important but normal years?

 

[CocoHusky]

Thanks. But I would think alot of players would then benefit with summer classes just to get a leg up on the competition?? Maybe not this COVID season where getting back to home and family is so important but normal years?

One of the two summer session is usually mandatory for all UCONN WBB players. I don't know what will happen this summer. UCONN also has traditionally benefitted from USA basketball in the summer months where the instruction and level of competition is exceptional for those lucky enough to be invited to try out.

 

[Boreifs]

Why do you think there is a strong possibility? All Big-10 players as sophomores are drafted high when they graduate and she is ready now to make an impact in Euroball. I would be flabbergasted if she stayed for two years.