DePaul Postgame Thread

[Charliebball]

Agree on Blanca's ceiling but concerned that she exceled in the "pro" leagues based more on her exceptional athleticism than her basketball skills. With games like DePaul and Xavier less valuable than some UConn practices, have tried to watch top games, particularly living in SC, from the SEC. Many of the Top 10-15 teams like South Carolina have very aggressive players with the maturity to offset Blanca's speed and quickness. Find Blanca to be one of the most enjoyable players to watch and a great addition to the UConn bench. Just not as excited as some when Blanca beats up on players several inches smaller that do not compare skill wise to what she will face at the end of the year.

Not sure what skills you think she's missing other than a consistent outside shot......I haven't seen too many other players with the ability to finish off the dribble in traffic as Blanca and her defensive anticipation is also first rate....

 

[Bone Dog]

Agree on Blanca's ceiling but concerned that she exceled in the "pro" leagues based more on her exceptional athleticism than her basketball skills.

I think I understand your concern here. It's hard to put one's finger on Blanca's 'skills.' What leaps to the eye -- and maybe distracts -- is her great athleticism. In this respect, she reminds me a bit of Aubrey whose athleticism often stood in for skills. the comparison might go like this:

• They both run the floor superbly, though Blanca has similar speed on a larger frame.
• Both are very effective defenders on the perimeter, though Blanca may be a better post defender because of her size. Blanca seems to be a better shot blocker.
• Aubrey may haven a better rebounder at both ends -- she knew how to hunt the ball.
• They are both adept at picking pockets and starting a run out.
• Aubrey was excellent at finishing in transition, but less confident finishing at the rim in the half court offense. Blanca by contrast has no hesitation about attacking the rim either in transition or in the half court.
• Blanca seems to have found a 3 pt shot sooner than many of us expected, and Aubrey only shot 3s reluctantly.
• Blanca has an array of spin moves, though perhaps not as many ways of shielding the ball on layups.
• Neither of them are great in the midrange, though Blanca seems a little better.

If I take this set of skills, and assuming my assessments are fair and accurate, I think Blanca stacks up very well against the athletes she'll encounter at SC, USC or UCLA. I'm not going to compare her to Latson or Leger-Walker or any of the speedy guards she might encounter. It makes more sense to imagine how she might do against players like Kennedy Smith, Jazzy Davidson, Gianna Kneepkens, Angela Dugalic, Gabriela Jaquez, Timea Gardner, Joyce Edwards, Agot Makeer, or even Olivia Olson or Syla Swords on Michigan. She is at least as quick and athletic as anyone on this list. She may not be stronger than Dugalic or Edwards or maybe Smith. Her offensive skills are better than most of them, though perhaps not Swords, Kneepkens or Davidson. Her defensive skills are still developing, but seem on a par or better compared to this entire list. Perhaps Smith might be a slightly better defender than Blanca. By the time March rolls around, this might be a very different calculus. Those head-to-head competitions will be really fascinating to see play out.

 

[Bald Husky]

Watching Blanca reminds me of a superstar in the making. She has the tools, and once she is totally acclimated to the Huskies system and the butterflies are gone she may be on the same trajectory of Sarah Strong. I could be wrong, or am I? Either way, she will be Sarahs running mate next year, so when next year comes, we have to figure out who will be the third member of the Big 3? At the end of this season, we may know, but then again, we have a dynamic Center and Guard arriving also. There hasn't been this much competition among the troops for a very long time, maybe ever. It's getting fun, so let's enjoy it, I will.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Hear ye, hear ye: I am barely able to form a sentence, so in order to preserve what's left of my sanity I will not be responding to Question Marks. Nothing personal. The second time I see a post of mine I'm thinking "Did I write that?"

 

[YKCornelius]

Not sure what skills you think she's missing other than a consistent outside shot......I haven't seen too many other players with the ability to finish off the dribble in traffic as Blanca and her defensive anticipation is also first rate....

Charliebball, please explain why your comment that Blanca is missing "a consistent outside shot".

62.5% from behind the arc (10 for 16) and 56.5 overall FG% through seven games seems pretty consistent to me. And those figures include not even attempting a three in the DePaul blowout, so it is really across only six games.

 

[FanSince17]

I think I understand your concern here. It's hard to put one's finger on Blanca's 'skills.' What leaps to the eye -- and maybe distracts -- is her great athleticism. In this respect, she reminds me a bit of Aubrey whose athleticism often stood in for skills. the comparison might go like this:

• They both run the floor superbly, though Blanca has similar speed on a larger frame.
• Both are very effective defenders on the perimeter, though Blanca may be a better post defender because of her size. Blanca seems to be a better shot blocker.
• Aubrey may haven a better rebounder at both ends -- she knew how to hunt the ball.
• They are both adept at picking pockets and starting a run out.
• Aubrey was excellent at finishing in transition, but less confident finishing at the rim in the half court offense. Blanca by contrast has no hesitation about attacking the rim either in transition or in the half court.
• Blanca seems to have found a 3 pt shot sooner than many of us expected, and Aubrey only shot 3s reluctantly.
• Blanca has an array of spin moves, though perhaps not as many ways of shielding the ball on layups.
• Neither of them are great in the midrange, though Blanca seems a little better.

If I take this set of skills, and assuming my assessments are fair and accurate, I think Blanca stacks up very well against the athletes she'll encounter at SC, USC or UCLA. I'm not going to compare her to Latson or Leger-Walker or any of the speedy guards she might encounter. It makes more sense to imagine how she might do against players like Kennedy Smith, Jazzy Davidson, Gianna Kneepkens, Angela Dugalic, Gabriela Jaquez, Timea Gardner, Joyce Edwards, Agot Makeer, or even Olivia Olson or Syla Swords on Michigan. She is at least as quick and athletic as anyone on this list. She may not be stronger than Dugalic or Edwards or maybe Smith. Her offensive skills are better than most of them, though perhaps not Swords, Kneepkens or Davidson. Her defensive skills are still developing, but seem on a par or better compared to this entire list. Perhaps Smith might be a slightly better defender than Blanca. By the time March rolls around, this might be a very different calculus. Those head-to-head competitions will be really fascinating to see play out.

Of course, we may be watching something people haven't seen before. Help me out since I'm only a Fan Since17- any UConn players she reminds you of? Cash, Williams, Jones.
Aubrey is a much better rebounder than Blanca IMO. Before she went out for the last time, Geno had her as the 5 in our small lineup. IMO the most important stat for teams is # of possessions. It's basically scoring X the teams shooting percentage every time you gain a possessions. Add it to scoring stats. Therefore, ? value of players like KK, Ash, Aubrey, Nika, Kelly. Soon to be Blanca!

 

[oldude]

Not sure what skills you think she's missing other than a consistent outside shot......I haven't seen too many other players with the ability to finish off the dribble in traffic as Blanca and her defensive anticipation is also first rate....

Consistent outside shot you say? Blanca is currently shooting .565 from the floor while leading the team in 3-pt shooting at .625! 🤩

 

[Charliebball]

Charliebball, please explain why your comment that Blanca is missing "a consistent outside shot".

62.5% from behind the arc (10 for 16) and 56.5 overall FG% through seven games seems pretty consistent to me. And those figures include not even attempting a three in the DePaul blowout, so it is really across only six games.

I'm basing that on all of her games I watched from Italy where her three-point shooting was far more "hit or miss"........ I assumed that it would take some time for her to improve her three-point and midrange shooting..........let's see how she does as the season progresses ........ I'd be more than thrilled to be proven wrong.....

 

[fomalhaut]

Only negative I have is 10 missed FT’s. Yikes! Bet somewhere down the line those 10 points would come in handy….

The last three game the FT attempts have gone up and the FT percentage down.

 

[Ron and Vida]

Some postgame thoughts on the DePaul game.

• Congratulations to Sue, who’s #10 jersey was retired today by UConn. Check out Wikipedia which chronicles Sue’s incredible achievements from her days at Christ the King, UConn, Seattle, Europe and USA Basketball. She will undoubtedly go down as one of the very best pg’s in the history of WBB.
• The Huskies storm out of the gate in most games. Today against an overmatched DePaul team was no different. But in building a 28-9 1st qtr lead, UConn actually forced more turnovers (10) then shots allowed (9). 😮
• When Azzi’s “in the zone” her 3-pt shot is both inevitable and a thing of beauty!
• Ash is UConn’s Energizer Bunny. She hustles all over the court on defense and moves constantly without the ball on offense. But my favorite Ash thing is when she flies in from nowhere to snag a rebound among the trees, often on the offensive end, thereby extending a UConn possession.
• KK is among the nation’s leaders in A/TO ration. Today she had 7 assists and 0 turnovers. 🤩
• Kayleigh really appears to be settling into her role at UConn. She is yet another relentless Husky defender and her ability to run the offense whenever she subs in for KK is exceptional.
• Sarah continues to play her brilliantly complete brand of basketball. Today she had 20 pts on 7/9 shooting, along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Her no look pass from underneath the basket to Ash in the corner for a 3 was ridiculous!!!
• While UConn’s rotation looks to be solidifying, imo, the one spot that remains a question is center. Serah hasn’t taken ownership of it yet. Jana is solid and more physical. Blanca would be an undersized option, but she continues to impress. Time will tell.
• As a team the Huskies shot better from the arc than they shot overall, 67% to 63%, and they shot even worse from the FT line, 61%??? Go figure.
• I’ll be out of pocket next Saturday, so thanks again in advance to one of my fellow BY’ers for starting the USC postgame thread.

As you said when Ash flies in from nowhere to snag a rebound it’s a thing of beauty and excitement

 

[Bone Dog]

any UConn players she reminds you of? Cash, Williams, Jones.

Geno says she reminds him of Svet. I can totally see that, especially in terms of her energy and hyper-confidence. I chose Aubrey because of the overlaps in their skills. But in terms of confidence, Blanca is not really like Aubrey, who could often seem diffident on the court.

And a postscript on the skills question: Blanca has good handles. Her turnovers don't tend to come from mishandling or from opponents taking the ball off her dribble. They mainly seem to come from overly optimistic passes. This is very correctable.

 

[fomalhaut]

I haven't looked at any stats, but your comparison got me thinking. KK has been known to pick up fouls often, so how does HH compare? And I wonder how many of the fouls are while going for a steal (rhetorical)?
But I am guessing that HH doesn't "commit" as many fouls because, well, she is HH.

I know that's not the way the game is called, but to my eye a considerable percentage of steals are fouls (everybody, not Hidalgo specifically).

 

[Charliebball]

Geno says she reminds him of Svet. I can totally see that, especially in terms of her energy and hyper-confidence. I chose Aubrey because of the overlaps in their skills. But in terms of confidence, Blanca is not really like Aubrey, who could often seem diffident on the court.

And a postscript on the skills question: Blanca has good handles. Her turnovers don't tend to come from mishandling or from opponents taking the ball off her dribble. They mainly seem to come from overly optimistic passes. This is very correctable.

Like that beautiful long bounce pass she made for an assist the other day.....it was one of those....NO....NO....YES!! passes...

 

[oldude]

I haven't looked at any stats, but your comparison got me thinking. KK has been known to pick up fouls often, so how does HH compare? And I wonder how many of the fouls are while going for a steal (rhetorical)?
But I am guessing that HH doesn't "commit" as many fouls because, well, she is HH.

Well, you would be incorrect. KK has 16 pf’s this season. HH leads the Irish with 21 including one DQ.

 

[DefenseBB]

I’ll answer that. KK has been far more consistent than HH, particularly when it comes to “pg” responsibilities. HH has 39 assists and 26 turnovers, for an A/TO ratio of 1.5. She is a high volume shooter currently at 48% from the floor and only 20% from 3-pt.

Now let’s take a look at KK. She also has 39 assists, but only 8 turnovers, putting her among the nation’s leaders in A/TO ratio of 4.85. KK is currently shooting 55% from the floor & 28% from 3-pt.

HH can play great at times. She does lead the nation in steals with 44 to KK’s 23. But she can also start pressing by forcing shots and turning over the ball. As for HH’s 16 steals, along with 44 pts, they came against 1-7 Akron, currently ranked 304th by RPI. For my money, I want KK running the point.

As you know, I like to quibble with your "interesting takes". Defensively, KK is GREAT but still behind HH. 48% shooting from the floor is really good for a guard. The 20% from 3 pt land? Brutal but then again, you have to consider the cast around her-she HAS NO ONE.

I know they don't keep the stats on how many forced turnovers you create vs. just the ones you get but HH creates havoc with the other teams guards.

Keep in mind I AM NOT AN HH FAN AT ALL but I think your assessment is biased as a huge UConn fan. KK A/TO ratio is off the charts this year and her shot is much improved (Higher arc on the shot). Given how strong that guard class of 2023 was (Booker, Watkins, Hildago, Mikayla Williams. Zoey Brooks, Taliah Scott) KK is proving she belongs near the top of that group (maybe 4th after this year) but still behind Juju, Madison and the aforementioned HH (and yes it loathes me to say it but it is true).

 

[Skeets]

It’s a little early to decide next year’s lineup. As good as Kayleigh has been, I would not assume she steps into the starting lineup as a shooting guard. Allie, Jovana & Kelis will all have something to say about that.

Hmm, there is also a kid named Shade who will be the shooting guard, in my opinion.

 

[JRRRJ]

Not sure what skills you think she's missing other than a consistent outside shot......I haven't seen too many other players with the ability to finish off the dribble in traffic as Blanca and her defensive anticipation is also first rate....

Did you know that Blanca has the team's best 3FG percentage at 62.5%? 2nd best is 53.4%, third is 44.8%, both of which are fabulous. She just doesn't take many of them because she apparently prefers to go inside.

 

[oldude]

Hmm, there is also a kid named Shade who will be the shooting guard, in my opinion.

I assumed Ash continues to start. The suggestion I responded to was that Kayleigh would start next year in place of Azzi who will be on to the W. I see that as a 4-way battle between Kayleigh, Allie, Kelis and Jovana.

 

[oldude]

Did you know that Blanca has the team's best 3FG percentage at 62.5%? 2nd best is 53.4%, third is 44.8%, bot of which are fabulous. She just doesn't take many of them because she apparently prefers to go inside.

Check out posts #105 & #107 from this thread…… 😉

 

[BBallF]

That's true but maybe it was because no one on Uconn could stop her from scoring..she didn't need to try for steals because she was completely dominating both games no matter who was on her including Nika and Paige
I personally don't like her but to say KK is a better defensive player than HH is just wrong..Hilldago was DPOY in the ACC and came in second to Lauren Betts for NDPOY

Ok. I will amend to say that KK is one of the best PG defenders in the country. That's it though. I still like her better on this team as a defender than HH. She may have been the number two best defender in the country last year by vote but her team lost in the Sweet 16 with the #3 WNBA draft pick in Sonia Citron (who I think was the better defender) a second team All American in Olivia Miles and a first teamer in herself. So how her second best in the country defense translated into her team's success is not exactly indisputable to put it mildly. That to me is the line of demarcation. At least #1 (Betts) got her team to the FF.

 

[Charliebball]

Did you know that Blanca has the team's best 3FG percentage at 62.5%? 2nd best is 53.4%, third is 44.8%, bot of which are fabulous. She just doesn't take many of them because she apparently prefers to go inside.

check my earlier reply......

 

[mainerhuski]

She’s not likely to make a difference or play in meaningful games this year, but I love to see Ayanna looking a little better every time out.

I think that Ayanna is in great shape and is making very few mistakes. She may be soaking up some of the Serah/Jana minutes.

 

[Skeets]

Of course, we may be watching something people haven't seen before. Help me out since I'm only a Fan Since17- any UConn players she reminds you of? Cash, Williams, Jones.
Aubrey is a much better rebounder than Blanca IMO. Before she went out for the last time, Geno had her as the 5 in our small lineup. IMO the most important stat for teams is # of possessions. It's basically scoring X the teams shooting percentage every time you gain a possessions. Add it to scoring stats. Therefore, ? value of players like KK, Ash, Aubrey, Nika, Kelly. Soon to be Blanca!

Maybe Svet, Geno thinks so too. I think Svet was a little bit more ready to be a major part of the program in her freshman year, but Blanca is close. Plus, Svet had one of my favorite quotes (said in a cute Russian accent) "basketball is an easy game, coach makes it hard".

 

[BBallF]

I assumed Ash continues to start. The suggestion I responded to was that Kayleigh would start next year in place of Azzi who will be on to the W. I see that as a 4-way battle between Kayleigh, Allie, Kelis and Jovana.

How about Jana or Olivia starts at the 5, Sarah at the 4, Blanca at the 3, Ash at the 2 and KK at the point? Then Kayleigh, Kelis or Jovava replaces KK, Kayleigh, Jovana or Kelis replaces Ash, Allie replaces Blanca, Olivia and Jana interchange, and Sarah .... here we go again with the combinations.

 

[oldude]

How about Jana or Olivia starts at the 5, Sarah at the 4, Blanca at the 3, Ash at the 2 and KK at the point? Then Kayleigh, Kelis or Jovava replaces KK, Kayleigh, Jovana or Kelis replaces Ash, Allie replaces Blanca, Olivia and Jana interchange, and Sarah .... here we go again with the combinations.

Lots of options. That’s why Geno earns the big bucks.