Defensive play - Nika | The Boneyard

Defensive play - Nika

Muhl’s insertion into the starting lineup was the springboard for the transformation of the team into the hard nosed group they are presently. Exhibit A was the scrum where Bueckers hustled to save a ball she had deflected from going out of bounds followed by Ono and then Muhl diving on the floor for the ball. All this while up 25-30 points. Great stuff!!
 
HuskyNan said:
Nika was all over Jordan King in the first quarter. As a result, Marquette’s offense was disorganized and rushing to score one on one. She was a one woman wrecking crew. Great stuff from the freshman
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She doesn't seem quick or fast enough to that impactful, but she is. Definitely no MoJeff. I think it's a combo of quick hands and great anticipation. Being tough as a dollar steak and super-aggressive doesn't hurt.
 
psconn said:
She doesn't seem quick or fast enough to that impactful but she is. Definitely no MoJeff. I think it's a combo of quick hands and great anticipation. Being tough as a dollar steak and super-aggressive doesn't hurt.
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Many of the very best defensive players in the history of the Association weren't speedsters. Paul George, Gary Payton, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Marc Gosol, Sidney Moncrief, Mehta World Peace. The list is long. What they had was good foot movement, quick hands, great anticipation, and the desire to be very good indeed.
 
psconn said:
She doesn't seem quick or fast enough to that impactful, but she is. Definitely no MoJeff. I think it's a combo of quick hands and great anticipation. Being tough as a dollar steak and super-aggressive doesn't hurt.
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What I forgot to add was these players also studied their opponents very closely and became aware of their tendencies. As Nika ages she'll take advantage of video more.
 
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Littlemin said:
Muhl’s insertion into the starting lineup was the springboard for the transformation of the team into the hard nosed group they are presently. Exhibit A was the scrum where Bueckers hustled to save a ball she had deflected from going out of bounds followed by Ono and then Muhl diving on the floor for the ball. All this while up 25-30 points. Great stuff!!
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And Nika was all the way on the other side of the court when Paige tipped that ball.
 
Nika just makes the ball handler nuts. She is so agonizingly annoying they lose their cool. She is not really fast, but her hands are quick, she is determined , and absolutely fearless. She gets knocked over backwards several times a game and pops back up like Tigger. As the striped character sang, Everyone el-lus is jealous because Nika's a wonderful thing!
 
JordyG said:
Many of the very best defensive players in the history of the Association weren't speedsters. Paul George, Gary Payton, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Marc Gosol, Sidney Moncrief, Mehta World Peace. The list is long. What they had was good foot movement, quick hands, great anticipation, and the desire to be very good indeed.
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I wonder how many folks are aware that Larry Bird actually made a few all-defensive teams.
 
She is also learning, even over these three games she became more selective as to when she poked for the steal so she reduced the times her player blew by her when she missed the poke. And her other hand placement is more subtle so she didn't get called for the hand check foul 30 feet from the basket.
 
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This is truly a TRANSFORMATIVE freshman class at UCONN.
Obviously Bueckers.
But Edward's is a future All Ametican candidate.
Muhl is great leader, smart tough as heck Impact 4 year starter type player.
Mir has gobs of potential. I think she will be important contributor for her entire UCONN career.
Path is a project but one with potential. Can't teach what she has heightened and athleticism.
 
Nika is a catalyst for so many good things for this team. I feel she has been key to the emergence of the relentless disruptive team defense that the team has been playing. Her motor and persistence has been infectious and the whole team seems to have enthusiastically reclaimed the defensive intensity that has always been a key feature of our most successful teams in the past. I also think, even though on many plays her touches on offense appear to be merely to initiate the offense or make quick pass offs, the offensive flow is much better with her on the floor. She is constantly setting screens, moving, cutting and boxing out to either get, or more often enable a teammate space to get, an offensive rebound. She's never the focus on either end but greatly impacts the game in many different ways. I suspect she is also as big a piece as anyone in the great chemistry this team has both on and of the court. I admittedly love this kid's play, but also truly believe that she has been and will continue to be a key piece in our team's success this season and the ones to come.
 
For those who are fans of the NHL will often hear the expression "sandpaper", which are the guys who do the dirty work that doesn't always show up in the box score but are huge contributors to the team's success. "They went out and got some sandpaper before the pkayoffs". Muhl and Edwards are the most coarse variety of sandpaper you can ever get.
 
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So-

When Nika struggled and was 0-late December/early January, I knew we must've been missing something because in the very first game against UMASS-Lowell, she was the first sub off the bench. Our team transformation squarely rests on that Arkansas game, where she, IMO, really broke out. In that game we saw flashes and it's just carried over for the rest of the season. She has a toughness, grit, and zero ***** given attitude that we haven't had in a UCONN uniform in yearsssssssssssss. We haven't had a player in a long time where all the fans from our rivals just don't like. Sure, they'd dread when Stewie was on the floor, but how can you not like her as a person? But Nika, she just might be that player.....and I love it. Nika, along with Paige and Alliyah, just have enough of a chip on their shoulder. This freshman class has blown me away, honestly. I knew they'd be good, but not this good.
 
If you notice now that when she pokes the ball away from the player, she doesn't pursue unless she has a chance to get it before the opponent can recover. She actually backs away to create space so the player cannot get by her. In the past she either goes forward, or gets too close, letting the player recover and run right by her. Reading that back it may be confusing, but I think you get the point. Great coaching, slightly tuning down her aggressiveness, and teaching the finer points of defense, and cutting down her fouling in the process. She is vital to our success.
 
Geno referred to her as one of the top 3 toughest players to wear the uniform. Yep right there next to Jennifer and Jamelle.

Wait till her offensive skills jump over the Summer...Hanging out with Paige and Azzi will do that to a player...
 
Absolute joy to watch.

Like the Energizer Bunny, she just keeps going and going.

So grateful - and surprised - she was able to return after what looked like a gruesome injury on Saturday.

Agree with the others who say the team is different with Nika - she adds a tenacity that can't be taught.
 
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HuskyNan said:
Nika was all over Jordan King in the first quarter. As a result, Marquette’s offense was disorganized and rushing to score one on one. She was a one woman wrecking crew. Great stuff from the freshman
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I think it's funny how opponent guards are starting to learn, you have to turn you back to Muhl as you bring the ball into the front court. You can't dribble while facing her.

She may not have the quickest feet (not that she's slow), but she has some of the quickest hands I've seen on UCONN.
 
MilfordHusky said:
The FS1 announcer called her "a 3-point specialist." Ok, be honest--who saw that coming? :)
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Muhl doesn't need to be a "specialist". UCONN will have a couple of them over the next few years. But if she could shoot a few here and there like Rizzotti or Conlon that would be fantastic.
 
JordyG said:
Many of the very best defensive players in the history of the Association weren't speedsters. Paul George, Gary Payton, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Marc Gosol, Sidney Moncrief, Mehta World Peace. The list is long. What they had was good foot movement, quick hands, great anticipation, and the desire to be very good indeed.
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I would add Dennis Rodman and Bill Russell, neither of whom were speedsters either, with the additional characteristic that they were great students of the game and the opposing players. For them defense, including defensive rebounding, was also about positioning. Bill Russell said he "got" most of his rebounds before the ball even hit the rim and there was that great scene in The Last Dance where you saw Rodman studying ball flight and bounces off the rim from various players and also the moves of the player he was going to be guarding. One thing about Nika is that she waits for the crossover from the opposing PG and frequently times the deflection perfectly. You knew she was going to pick her pocket last night and it could not have come at a better time. What an incredible transformation this year for a young woman thousands of miles away from home and for our team.
 
Bama fan said:
Nika just makes the ball handler nuts. She is so agonizingly annoying they lose their cool. She is not really fast, but her hands are quick, she is determined , and absolutely fearless. She gets knocked over backwards several times a game and pops back up like Tigger. As the striped character sang, Everyone el-lus is jealous because Nika's a wonderful thing!
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Annoying as a gnat to her opponent!
 
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