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Message: [QUOTE="RockyMTblue2, post: 2423768, member: 250"] “We’re trying to get an identity for this team,” Auriemma said. “We’re trying to [find] kind of a pattern and you have to start doing things a certain way, and the more you do those things a certain way then it becomes who you are. The first half of the Stanford game I thought we really created a lot of opportunities for ourselves and [B]our defense was the deciding factor [/B]in that entire first half. I thought we did the exact same thing in the first half of this game and then we did the same things in the third quarter. [B]We want to establish that as our identity, that we feed off of our defense.”[/B] [URL="http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-sp-uconn-women-1118-story.html"]UConn Wins Home Opener 82-47 Over California[/URL] Hell, that has been the mantra of play-by-play and color people forever it seems. Now, on the Geno show Geno all but mocked the notion that defense is paramount in the segment where he talked about how he use to subscribe to that and the first week of practice would be all defense (and by the end of the week people were so badly beat up they couldn't play). He said its called basketball because the game is to put the ball in the basket. In All Access and his show he was emphasizing offensive skills, quicker recognition and crisper passing. At one point with the team gathered around he said he wanted this years team to be quicker. Well, this can be harmonized. UConn's offense, or any team's, should be better when your opponent is still half up on your defensive end. Turn overs make for easy baskets and increase pressure on the other team, leading to more mistakes by them and opportunities for you. AND, this team already plays great defense, so, of course, he's trying to increase the game spread aand UConn's chances of ultimate success by refining an offense. You'd think the offensive chemistry was pretty set, but both Kia and Katie Lou say it is a work in progress, with Z and Meg to integrate at least, and good as she is, CD's inclinations and moves are not well know to the Core 4. With Katie Lou out for perhaps several games, Z's integration becomes more crucial. And that is not all on Z. The 4 have to work at her integration too. Tomorrow they have an opportunity to move that along. [/QUOTE]

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