Does UConn Need a Low-Post "Banger"?

[Charliebball]

Couple of comments starting with the title of the post which is really a false straw man. By characterizing the need as a low post banger that sort of implies that this is the only need-banging in the low post. I would characterize the need this way: UCONN needs a skilled post player with the basketball skill level to be a part of the regular rotation or start with a bigger body than we currently have on the roster. I'm deliberately not specifying a height because if the player happens to be like Morgan Tuck at 6'2" I'd be over joyed! It is important to frame things this way because if I'm looking for just a banger then we could simply pack all that weight back on Piath and throw her down there in the post. It also would rule out a player like Dorka for filling the need but we both know that banging in the low post is not a Dorka strength.

Regarding your numbered points.
1) South Carolina lost two games this season so they can be beat and while Boston might be a generational talent we cannot concede defending her or attempting to slow her down. A bigger body will be useful in this regard.
2) Brink and Cunnane are entirely different body types that Boston-A bigger body will be useful in slowing them down also.
3) Firmly disagree with that first sentence but seeing as Liv is a few short weeks from graduation I spare her another detailed critique.
4) On the current roster AE is best equipped for banging but I agree she needs help.

I'm hopeful that Brady will be a substantial physical presence inside next season.........she's slimmed down some over the past year which has improved her quickness but she appears bigger and most likely stronger than any current UConn player

 

[LwrcasefaN]

You don't go to the foul line much if you don't go to the rack much. You have to draw contact by taking it at them.

Paige should have taken 10 FTs alone with all that contact on the dribble. And I no longer know what a travel is after this game.

 

[bballnut90]

Did UConn lose that game more because of Boston's play or because of Henderson who scored 26 points and the SC defense against the UConn guards............? If UConn was healthy and they could have freed Bueckers and Fudd to take uncontested threes who knows what would have happened......

IMO they won due to defense and rebounding. UCONN's guards never got clean looks and SC just pummeled UCONN on the glass. Edwards actually did a great job on Boston in my opinion in terms of preventing her from getting good low post position but they couldn't keep her off the glass. Henderson was huge, especially in the 1st and 4th, but SC's ability to get twice as many rebounds and keeping UCONN out of any rhythm offensively is why they won the game.

For UCONN to beat this SC team next year they'll need to do a better job on the glass and find a way to score against their defense.

 

[CocoHusky]

I can understand your point of view, and I appreciate your detailed response, but if you are looking for a player like Morgan Tuck, then what is your issue with Aaliyah Edwards? I think they are very similar, and that AE has a chance to be as good as Morgan by the time she graduates. For one thing, she is faster than Morgan and can defend on the perimeter better than Morgan. At this point, she doesn't have the rebounding and boxing-out skills that Tuck had, but she may develop them in the next two years.

Morgan was out with an injury in her sophomore year, so a direct comparison is difficult, but I suspect that if she had played, sophomore Morgan would not have been notably better than sophomore AE was in the second half of the season. If senior Morgan were playing in Sunday night's game instead of AE, it would not have changed the outcome of the game.

Morgan Tuck is my favorite UCONN player EVER so you are definitely underselling here! Freshman Morgan Tuck has the defensive versatility to be Dolson backup at center and the ability to be able to switch to the perimeter and guard Jewel Lloyd as a freshman in the National Championship game while a very good player Kiah Stokes was relegated to the bench.
As a Junior/Senior Tuck became a stretch 4, center and absolutely shut down Coates. I have no issue with AE but she is no Morgan Tuck. If senior Morgan tuck was playing last night she would have been assigned to guard Boston and UCONN might not have won but they would have had a far better chance because Tuck would have been drawing Boston away from the basket as she did Ruth Hamblin of Oregon State.

 

[Notyetready]

Recruiting to stop one player who has one year left is not a winning strategy. Besides, Boston was contained fairly well in that game. Henderson is the one who beat us. One can certainly argue that containing Boston had a lot to do with that. I would like to see a rematch with Dorka available, Liv not injured, Azzi not sick and Evina not hobbling for a half. Having a Banger wouldn’t have helped all that much.

And Aubrey, she is awesome on the boards and a difference maker in defense. I hope she is able to fully recover from her surgery. UConn will be much better with a healthy Aubrey.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Skill wise I think UCONN is off balance. And by that I mean...their most plentiful skill is guard play. Lots of different combinations. Last night...you had Evina playing the 4. That's unfair to Evina and a misuse of her skillset and energy. Asking a 2 guard to play some point guard or wing...is a reasonable ask. When you ask guards to play in the paint and lead you in rebounds ...that is not sustainable. Nika was the top rebounder the game before last...and last night...it was Paige and Evina. That works with a less physical team, but not an athletic team on a mission to eat your lunch. I'll say this again...asking LIV to play against 5s for 4 years was a waste of her talent. And AE, started slow, but for all the physicality in this tournament she more than held her own. If you can't play inside out or draw defenders...don't expect your shooters to get a lot of clean looks or have to use a lot of energy to get open. Good news. It's not the hardest fix. And..the solution may already be on the roster in Amari and/or Piath. I don't know because...you really can't tell where a player is....until they play regularly other than the last 3 minutes of a game. I had no idea Kiah Stokes was so good until she was on her way out the door. This coaching staff knows what they need to do.

 

[Zarathustra]

I agree that this is not merely a queston of " how to beat South Carolina ", but that has
to be on the radar. I would vote "Yes" = look for a Big Post player
for back up and insurance.
Dorka would be my starter and Amari DeBerry first in the post, if
she develops over the summer. I just watched three H.S. clips of Ace
Brady and found each one of those reassuring. = Nice Young Lady!
Ayanna Patterson will be very good but she is not 6'5" despite her
jumping skill. So. Why not !! We have Aaliyah and Aubrey will be
back, but ... I will wait to see what Geno does, if anything, in the
Portal. Go Huskies!

 

[DrummerDee]

In the portal from Oregon State. Not a banger, but looks good.

Kennedy Brown - Duke Blue Devils Center - ESPN

View the profile of Duke Blue Devils Center Kennedy Brown on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

www.espn.com

 

[reelfan]

A banger that scores would be at the top of my list.

 

[Boreifs]

A banger that scores would be at the top of my list.

Name one. They don’t grow on trees. There is no one who can stop Boston one on one. This thread feels like a Basketball fantasy league conversation. People, we have six posts on next year’s roster already.

 

[SLY63]

Just go get a couple of those young ladies from Central Florida and the "banger" and rebounding issues will be solved...hehe

This might have been a sarcastic post, but it got me thinking about UCF, how SC came out and 'bangers'. I think it comes down to an aggressive approach to the game. SC had it the minute the ball was tipped, UCF has it (without a banger), Morrow has it, Stef had it, Nika has it. Liv definitely didn't have it. Could we instill it in AE, Dorka or the frosh?

 

[Centerstream]

You don't go to the foul line much if you don't go to the rack much. You have to draw contact by taking it at them.

Which has nothing to do with the subject of my post.

 

[BobbyJ]

Which has nothing to do with the subject of my post.

You complained about the discrepancy in foul shots. I gave you the reason for it. Don't you understand it?

 

[Khal Drogo]

Name one. They don’t grow on trees. There is no one who can stop Boston one on one. This thread feels like a Basketball fantasy league conversation. People, we have six posts on next year’s roster already.

Maybe you play SC with three forwards instead of three guards.

 

[Centerstream]

You complained about the discrepancy in foul shots. I gave you the reason for it. Don't you understand it?

I was not complaining, I was stating a fact as it related to the scoring. There was a huge discrepancy in the number of FTAs and the difference in the FTs made was basically the MOV. That was my point.
I wonder if any previous NC games had such a discrepancy? But that's a discussion for a different day.

 

[Happydad745]

Is UConn looking specifically for player(s) they need to beat SC and Stanford next year? I hope so.

 

[mudcat]

I can understand your point of view, and I appreciate your detailed response, but if you are looking for a player like Morgan Tuck, then what is your issue with Aaliyah Edwards? I think they are very similar, and that AE has a chance to be as good as Morgan by the time she graduates. For one thing, she is faster than Morgan and can defend on the perimeter better than Morgan. At this point, she doesn't have the rebounding and boxing-out skills that Tuck had, but she may develop them in the next two years.

Morgan was out with an injury in her sophomore year, so a direct comparison is difficult, but I suspect that if she had played, sophomore Morgan would not have been notably better than sophomore AE was in the second half of the season. If senior Morgan were playing in Sunday night's game instead of AE, it would not have changed the outcome of the game.

Morgan had noticeably better post skills than AE, had a much better outside shot, and played equally good defense without fouling. None of this is to denigrate AE, Morgan Tuck was a hell of a player; limited only by her gimpy knees.

 

[sweetspot]

Definitely—-yes. The SC team we see today is just the beginning of what is to come in the Women’s game. Just like the men’s game, it will become a battle of the titans. Whoever wins that battle, cuts down the nets. It has become a more physical game. Teams with hopes of a NC, need to compete at that level.

The titans in basketball increasingly want to play like Chet Holmgreen at Gonzaga or Cameron Brink at Stanford. Teams want to spread to score while still challenging with length inside on defense.

That’s what makes Boston so unique — she can dominate in an old school way. But I predict there will be fewer Bostons in the next 10 years than there were over the 10 years before she arrived.

 

[f1f1ferrari]

I agree that this is not merely a queston of " how to beat South Carolina ", but that has
to be on the radar. I would vote "Yes" = look for a Big Post player
for back up and insurance.
Dorka would be my starter and Amari DeBerry first in the post, if
she develops over the summer. I just watched three H.S. clips of Ace
Brady and found each one of those reassuring. = Nice Young Lady!
Ayanna Patterson will be very good but she is not 6'5" despite her
jumping skill. So. Why not !! We have Aaliyah and Aubrey will be
back, but ... I will wait to see what Geno does, if anything, in the
Portal. Go Huskies!

Jamelle Elliott wasn't 6'5" either - didn't stop her from banging in the paint. Yes, players are far more athletic now than back in Jamelle's day, but from what I've seen, Ayanna is tough as nails and I think she'll do quite alright.

 

[Shenandoah]

Does Stacy Hansmeyer have a covid year left? LOL!

 

[JJTB]

Engstler…..attitude, athletic, skilled and a nice player! Her type would be a great fit.

 

[jeff30189]

If you think about it the solution might already be on the roster. AE might not be a pure post player, but she's an aggressive and productive offensive rebounder. If she makes another leap forward and focuses on being that low-post banger, who's to say she can't hold her own vs. more or less everyone except Boston? Keep in mind that Charles Barkley is 6'4" and he dominated the boards through determination, positioning and just wanting it more than anyone else.

Dorka is a great rebounder, but she's more of a high-post which doesn't help vs. Boston. If one of the incoming frosh can be a reliable 10-15 low post banger, I'm not sure there's a problem on the boards.

The real question is a 1-game per year issue: how do you negate Boston's ability to be a nightly 20/20 menace? Maybe the answer is not to answer brute force with brute force.

 

[Florida Fan]

Stef was not just a good passer but phenomenal passer, one of the best bigs. I personally think Stef was better than Liv. Just my opinion.

Of course she was; and Stef had an outside shot.

 

[southofnorth]

Stef was not just a good passer but phenomenal passer, one of the best bigs. I personally think Stef was better than Liv. Just my opinion.

Agreed. The fact that Geno once said if he could coach 10 Stefanie Dolsons every year he’d coach forever is all the proof I need that Stef was one of the greatest post players in UConn history.