DePaul Postgame Thread

[phil sampieri]

Did anyone notice when Morrow and Lopez got into snd Lopez told her go you know what and Morrow on just one instance bumped Edwards going down court. Message don’t piss Edwards off

 

[HuskyNan]

Official stats

 

[Huskiefan23]

I know that DePaul is not a top tier team, however a lot of positives from the game. In my mind, AE laid claim to Big East player of the year award. The 3 that came in off the bench all contributed in their own way. Nika had an off game but didn't seem to hurt the Huskies all that much. Aubrey did Aubrey kind of things, things that other players just can't replicate. Dorka was solid as always and Lou is Lou.

I think the Big easy poty award comes down to how the stars play in the uconn villanova game

 

[DEpup]

Edwards has become UConn's version of Naz Hillman but with a better outside shot........by the time she graduates she's going to be WNBA ready

I would say she's becoming a version of Tina Charles. Tina didn't do the outside shooting until she became a pro.

 

[LarryLegend]

honestly dont know how Nika does it. She never appears to be tired and takes some nasty falls.

Deberry past few games is making me believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny

 

[Lynx23]

All-American Aaliyah Edwards was dominant tonight. Physically tough, high energy, almost Maya-like. Best player on the floor, which is becoming a regular thing.

Lou shot 50% from the arc and just about 50% overall--as usual.

Dorka scored, rebounded, and blocked shots. One board short of a double-double.

Aubrey ran by people. She gets to the basket so easily. She has a unique glide mode. Double-double.

Nika had double-figures in assists again, still leading the nation by a wide margin.

All THREE of the bench player contributed. Amari looks lax at time, but she makes some nice plays and can score. Yanna looked rested and less rushed. She ran down an DePaul player and caused a missed layup--a block or intimidation by the sound of a locomotive? Ines is looking more comfortable and scored back-to-back baskets.

I hope Jana had fun. This is a great group to be part of.

Aubrey reminds me of Andre Jackson on the men's side.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Aneesah Morrow is a wonderful BB player and I wish we had her on our team.

I'm still surprised people think Morrow is UConn caliber. She forces one bad shot after another and displays questionable body language. I don't find her to be a team player.

Beyond that, she's shooting about 35% the last month and a half.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[jaydee602]

Another fun game to watch. Wanted Dorka to come back in for one more rebound. Of course I was rooting for Nika to get 2 more rebounds to get a double double without even scoring a point (of course I really wanted her to score!). I'm really loving this group!

The way this season is going, Dorka would have returned for one more rebounded & sprained her ankle! Can't blame Geno for being overly cautious.

 

[HuskyNan]

I'm still surprised people think Morrow is UConn caliber. She forces one bad shot after another and displays questionable body language. I don't find her to be a team player.

Beyond that, she's shooting about 35% the last month and a half.

DePaul has superstar-itis. The team keeps waiting for Morrow, or Darrione Rogers, to bail them out and when Morrow is bottled up, they don’t know what to do.

As for Morrow, don’t forget she’s only a sophomore. Last year she surprised people but this year defenses are geared to stopping her. She still has to learn how to pass out of double teams, roll to the basket, and get the ball back for a bucket. Right now, she forces it up and looks for a foul. She’ll learn

 

[Next 12]

I'm still surprised people think Morrow is UConn caliber. She forces one bad shot after another and displays questionable body language. I don't find her to be a team player.

Beyond that, she's shooting about 35% the last month and a half.

Granted that's the way she is now. If she played for GENO , she would not do what she has to do because of the team she is on now. GENO would corral her excesses and make her more team orientated. I guess I was addressing her rebounding ability which UCONN has finally attained this year. GENO would make her a complete player in the UCONN style. GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[Huskee11]

Very cold, clammy, un-Egyptian like weather in Connecticut today but a pretty decent crowd made it to Gampel nonetheless.

Jana was introduced to the crowd in the first half and got a warm reception. Also a great roar when Ayanna came into the game.

I have seen two games at Gampel in three days and I can`t say enough about the defensive effort UConn is giving. They can be in any game including South Carolina with that defensive effort.

Other impressions:

Both Aaliyah and Dorka both outplayed Morrow, and by a lot. Heck, Amari didn`t fare too bad either.

Aubrey Griffin seemed out of sync early but wow that changed in a hurry. She is a unique player and can take it to the hoop like no one else I have seen currently playing college basketball. Makes everyone on defense seem like they are standing still.

If we hit our shots better in the first half Nika would have had at least 15 assists.

Lou is so great! I hope she gets a shot in the WNBA. She is just a scorer, a big time player. By the way, that contact in the second quarter with her and Morrow seemed way more than "incidental" when watching it in person. That was scary.

I liked how all of our bench players played. Ines is playing faster than she did earlier in the season. Amari is showing signs - she still does inexplicable things which seem to be due to lack of focus, or maybe nerves - but she may get there yet. Ayanna is also a work in process but the talent and effort is there.

Watching Doug Bruno is worth the price of admission. Tonight if he wasn`t angry at his players, he was angry at the referees. Exasperation personified.

I always worry when DePaul comes to town, and afterwards wonder why I was worrying. (I know, close call last year in Chicago.) This is not a vintage DePaul team. They are undisciplined and play weak defense even by DePaul standards. They miss Held and Morris.

We will need to cut down on the turnovers. The game seemed sloppy at the start. The turnovers seem to be mostly from mental lapses of one sort or another - lazy passes, passes to players who are guarded, low percentage passes. Correctible. I think. I hope.

Another game with players crashing to the floor left and right. I spend half the game holding my breath. I wish the game was less physical.

Now onto Tennessee and we seem to be in good shape for the shape we are in!

 

[cohenzone]

Smackdown from start to finish. Couldn't be more happy with how the team played.

• Aaliyah and Aubrey with double-doubles. And Liya outplayed Morrow by a lot. AA!!!
• Lou - the only player who hit a 3-pointer. LOVE LOVE LOVE her.
• Dorka 1 board away from a double-double
• Nika back to her double digit assists (had 4 TO's sin Q1 but cleaned it up nicely by the end of the game)
• This is the kind of game i'd like to see from Aubrey every time out. She CAN play great defense AND score. She is SPECIAL!
• Who was that new kid? Ayanna Patterson - we missed you!! What a nice up and under!
• Some solid play by DeBerry and Bettencourt

And OMG welcome Jana!

Hope this team brings a lot of what we saw to Knoxville for a Thursday night smackdown...!!!

You obviously don’t live in Chicago. His camps are legendary and he habitually schedules the second toughest schedule in the nation. If you ever saw the campus that he has to work with, you would never ever badmouth his program. The men haven’t been relevant for 30 years; his program makes the tournament every year and would have this year without the injuries suffered.

Sorry if people don’t like it. He seems like a great guy, but his program is rarely relevant nationally, usually plays a style that good programs have little problem handling and he doesn’t seem to adapt. His camp might be top notch and do a lot for kids. I’m all for it. It has zero to with coaching competitive D1 hoops I don’t judge if it’s better or worse that a lot of schools don’t demand as much of the ladies’ teams as they do the men, but I guarantee you that DePaul gives Bruno more leeway than it does the men coaches. Arguably the men’s coaches generally face tougher competition overall. UConn men’s fans grumble about Hurley because they have lost early in the NCAA pointing to it as not acceptable. And the administration looks at such things. Bruno’s DePaul makes some NCAAs, they are not close to being a threat to ever win it. I made a simple statement. He is overrated compared to coaches at other programs and is never on the chopping block . Maybe that’s a better way for college sports, it also a fact. Harry Peretta was a legend who was given miles more rope than they would give any Villanova men’s team coach. If you want to have a serious discussion about how “big time” programs have different expectations for female hoops from male (changing at some schools) let‘s do it. A “dislike” is a cop out, which I appreciate you didn’t do. I never use the thumb’s down.

For the record I give Edwards the Badass and people can dislike it all they want.

 

[#12in21]

Yes, she admits it although tonight’s game was a good example of why it’s a smart idea.

I think Nika may have a black eye tomorrow. She got whacked in the face and the right side was red and puffy.

That was a good look on Nika freshman year. It would send a message to Tennessee on Thursday that we are a tough bunch. Tonight's game once again showed we can give as much as we take in terms of physicality. We have a tough group of players.

 

[choochoo]

I have a new nick name for Morrow, Elbows!

 

[choochoo]

From the Magnificent Seven , we have morphed into the Effulgent Eight. All the ladies played well, and everyone got a respite. Good win and I did not see any injuries! I think I did see a "frick you" come from the mouth of our sweet Lou Two, too.

yes you did ,I saw it also.

 

[Redux]

Doug Bruno ... angry at the referees

If the refs had called fouls the way Doug seemed to want them to, he would have had three players fouled out 15 minutes into the game. And probably two bench payers in trouble. I don't think there's any comparison between the teams: DePaul tended toward indiscriminate and not all that effective brawling while UConn pushed the envelope to the extent the refs allowed in a very focused, controlled and largely unemotional way. That's an oversimplification, bit of hyperbole (one of my several regrettable flaws), but descriptive.

The refs were consistent, except that they called a couple of close ones at key times just to keep control. You can't be 100% consistent, you've got to pick some spots to rein in. Those couple of calls did go UConn's way, luck of the draw.

 

[Boreifs]

Sorry if people don’t like it. He seems like a great guy, but his program is rarely relevant nationally, usually plays a style that good programs have little problem handling and he doesn’t seem to adapt. His camp might be top notch and do a lot for kids. I’m all for it. It has zero to with coaching competitive D1 hoops I don’t judge if it’s better or worse that a lot of schools don’t demand as much of the ladies’ teams as they do the men, but I guarantee you that DePaul gives Bruno more leeway than it does the men coaches. Arguably the men’s coaches generally face tougher competition overall. UConn men’s fans grumble about Hurley because they have lost early in the NCAA pointing to it as not acceptable. And the administration looks at such things. Bruno’s DePaul makes some NCAAs, they are not close to being a threat to ever win it. I made a simple statement. He is overrated compared to coaches at other programs and is never on the chopping block . Maybe that’s a better way for college sports, it also a fact. Harry Peretta was a legend who was given miles more rope than they would give any Villanova men’s team coach. If you want to have a serious discussion about how “big time” programs have different expectations for female hoops from male (changing at some schools) let‘s do it. A “dislike” is a cop out, which I appreciate you didn’t do. I never use the thumb’s down.

For the record I give Edwards the Badass and people can dislike it all they want.

So, pick out a comparable program (urban campus, non power five, women’s ) and tell me who has outperformed him. I can’t think of one school that even comes close to his success. Your criticism is, in my opinion, totally without foundation, unless you start naming coaches who have done better in the same circumstance.

 

[my2cents]

Everyone played really well.

 

[Blond D.]

The bigger concern for me about Nika is her TOs. She's averaging nearly 4 per game since Thanksgiving, and those would haunt the Huskies vs. SC.

A lot of those turn overs are account of the person shes passing to didnt go get the ball. Or there was a miscommunication. Being the point guard and being in charge of bringing the ball down is gonna make you more susceptible to turnovers.

 

[#12in21]

That was a good look on Nika freshman year. It would send a message to Tennessee on Thursday that we are a tough bunch. Tonight's game once again showed we can give as much as we take in terms of physicality. We have a tough group of players.

 

[MSGRET]

I know that DePaul is not a top tier team, however a lot of positives from the game. In my mind, AE laid claim to Big East player of the year award. The 3 that came in off the bench all contributed in their own way. Nika had an off game but didn't seem to hurt the Huskies all that much. Aubrey did Aubrey kind of things, things that other players just can't replicate. Dorka was solid as always and Lou is Lou.

Boy I would love more off games like she had tonight 10 assists, should have been at least 15, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, plus most likely a nice shiner tomorrow.

 

[cohenzone]

So, pick out a comparable program (urban campus, non power five, women’s ) and tell me who has outperformed him. I can’t think of one school that even comes close to his success. Your criticism is, in my opinion, totally without foundation, unless you start naming coaches who have done better in the same circumstance.

See, you are picking out the drawbacks and not the opportunities. Obviously it started at a different time, but UConn was hardly a program anyone in their right mind would pick as the place where the most dominant team in female hoops history would spring up. In the boondocks, no history, going into a league with few teams having any national success.

Do good players exist in Chicago hs hoops? Other urban areas where kids might not be troubled by an urban environment (Chicago is a pretty terrific city, could be used as a selling point). Chance to compete against UConn. The bottom half of most P5 leagues have historically not been very good.

More to my point, the DePaul men’s program exists in exactly the same situation that you say Bruno is stuck with. Same city , same league, everything The administration is not satisfied with making the NCAA sometimes or once in a while beating ”better” teams more often than the women’s program does. Prove he doesn’t get more leeway than the men’s coach. It’s a different standard. Not saying it’s worse, just different. Bruno competes in the world he competes in. The record is okay, but he doesn’t adjust to give his teams much chance to upset better teams. DePaul’s mens coaches would never survive.

 

[Monte]

I still feel this way about Lou........She is the best outside shooter on the team. This being so, think the rest of the team has to set her up more for shots.

 

[Blue Huskie]

Doug Bruno most overrated coach this side of Andy Landers. If he’d been coaching a men’s program he would’ve been gone years ago. Pulls an upset once in a blue moon.

Absurd observation. So you must feel the same way about Harry Perretta who coached at Nova for 42 years. Some of these coaches are great teachers and game strategists but they just don't get the very best players year in and year out. I always wondered how Harry or Doug (Or many others) would have done had they the same talent pool that Geno has had. I don't think that's diminishing Geno because in College you have to be able to do it all to win it all (And recruiting is a vital part of that).

 

[Redux]

Boy I would love more off games like [Nika] had tonight

We can preach all we want, but the sinners need to repent.

In addition two the non-stat leadership I have talked about, I'd add that the assists drastically under-describe Nika's passing effectiveness. She's like a chess player: many of the moves are not checks but they improve the attack profile, the overall strength of the team's offensive posture (not to mention the missed easy baskets, the "shouda been" assists).

The only negative I'm willing to hear a case for are the turnovers. There are going to be turnovers with the aggressiveness, so I discount a lot of them. But she thinks ahead and sometimes is not totally into the moment, and she either over-rates her own passing pace on the ball or underestimates defensive scope of action in response. She can throw hard and accurately but the pace sometimes isn't there.

Great as she is, she's got room for improvement, which is a good thing, looking forward.

 

[eggfit]

The one good thing about only having 7-8 players, is that the starting five are getting plenty of court time and beginning to really read each other's minds. Tonight all the gears were in sync. Everyone knew who was cutting and who was passing. And just having Nika race and race and race the ball down the court every single time, you can see how that wears the opposition down. And our bigs are getting much more aggressive each game. And Lou and Aubrey continue do all the right things in the most poetic way. And the fact that they all are like mosquitos on defense, literally smothering the competition, I shake my head in admiration. Congratulations to the coaching staff for all their hard work, too, in carving out this spectacle. Tonight was absolutely awesome!!!

 

[VA Huskie]

See, you are picking out the drawbacks and not the opportunities. Obviously it started at a different time, but UConn was hardly a program anyone in their right mind would pick as the place where the most dominant team in female hoops history would spring up. In the boondocks, no history, going into a league with few teams having any national success.

Do good players exist in Chicago hs hoops? Other urban areas where kids might not be troubled by an urban environment (Chicago is a pretty terrific city, could be used as a selling point). Chance to compete against UConn. The bottom half of most P5 leagues have historically not been very good.

More to my point, the DePaul men’s program exists in exactly the same situation that you say Bruno is stuck with. Same city , same league, everything The administration is not satisfied with making the NCAA sometimes or once in a while beating ”better” teams more often than the women’s program does. Prove he doesn’t get more leeway than the men’s coach. It’s a different standard. Not saying it’s worse, just different. Bruno competes in the world he competes in. The record is okay, but he doesn’t adjust to give his teams much chance to upset better teams. DePaul’s mens coaches would never survive.

I don’t think you answered boreifs question.

 

[cohenzone]

Absurd observation. So you must feel the same way about Harry Perretta who coached at Nova for 42 years. Some of these coaches are great teachers and game strategists but they just don't get the very best players year in and year out. I always wondered how Harry or Doug (Or many others) would have done had they the same talent pool that Geno has had. I don't think that's diminishing Geno because in College you have to be able to do it all to win it all (And recruiting is a vital part of that).

I swear people don’t read. I said I’m not saying it’s better or worse, just fact that schools like DePaul and Villanova give far more leeway to women’s coaches than men’s coaches. Perretta is a perfect example. Do you really think that Jay Wright could‘ve lasted more than 5 years if every year he played a style that left his team better than the lower tier of the BE but rarely challenging the best teams, and pretty much never getting beyond round 1 or 2 of the Dance or not making it at all even with a winning record? Harry, same style over the years. , no real change in national potential. Good hs women’s hoops area to recruit from: same league as UConn and for years also ND and Rutgers to offer as opponents. Harry I actually think gave his kids a better chance to spring upsets than does Doug because his style could mess them up, way more than DePaul’s attempt to outscore really good teams.

Andy Landers lasted forever, often had very good recruits but only in a blue moon did he really challenge Tennessee or threaten to win it all. UGA was not so gracious to coaches in its men’s program, I think it’s absurd to think most schools have same expectation of their women’s head coaches as they do the men. The test is how they compete in their arena. Maybe the survival of coaches like Harry and Doug is a far better thing than the firing of male program coaches who might actually have better records than either of them, but the fact remains that neither changed their styles over the years and neither style gave their teams much of a chance to be either nationally competitive or even realistically win their leagues. If you notice, GA has won big; NC or not and with all sorts of teams, even early on when great players weren’t lining up to come to UConn. Meaning he is adaptable. As are most good coaches based on who is on the roster.

 

[Rb335]

See, you are picking out the drawbacks and not the opportunities. Obviously it started at a different time, but UConn was hardly a program anyone in their right mind would pick as the place where the most dominant team in female hoops history would spring up. In the boondocks, no history, going into a league with few teams having any national success.

Do good players exist in Chicago hs hoops? Other urban areas where kids might not be troubled by an urban environment (Chicago is a pretty terrific city, could be used as a selling point). Chance to compete against UConn. The bottom half of most P5 leagues have historically not been very good.

More to my point, the DePaul men’s program exists in exactly the same situation that you say Bruno is stuck with. Same city , same league, everything The administration is not satisfied with making the NCAA sometimes or once in a while beating ”better” teams more often than the women’s program does. Prove he doesn’t get more leeway than the men’s coach. It’s a different standard. Not saying it’s worse, just different. Bruno competes in the world he competes in. The record is okay, but he doesn’t adjust to give his teams much chance to upset better teams. DePaul’s mens coaches would never survive.

Yeah, he’s only made the ncaa tournament 24 times, winning at least one game in the tournament in 13 of those appearances, and basically sweeping the regular season and big east tournament titles when Uconn was in the AAC.

I wouldn’t say he’s the best coach out there, but he’s no slouch. His biggest weakness has seemed to be recruiting, but has carved out great success getting those second/third tier type recruits with the ability to shoot.