Dorka?

[Alydar]

WBCA definitely does have this limit of not more than three players from same team on any one AA team. Whether by practice or rule the BE appears to have the same restriction.
My prediction was that Dorka would start along side ONO not that she would replace her in the starting line up. Dorka is almost the perfect 4 and fit for the UCONN because of mainly these attributes: Her ability to score from beyond the arc to the rim. Her mobility & movement without the basketball. Her legit post size to bang and finish through contact. Her experience =3 full season of playing in the Big 10. Ohio State does not run the same system as UCONN ( Kevin is not that smart). Although Kevin came up under Muffet he tends to favor offensive sets that feature his best players (isolation) over motion or read and react. If the two players are indeed competing for the same spot I don't believe it is time in the UCONN offense that will be the deciding factor it's the overall skill set. ONO's advantage is her ability to facilitate the offense from the high post as a terrific passer and her shot blocking. I agree with your assessment that if the two players were starting from the same point Dorka would be ahead. To put it another way Dorka has the resume to provide much of what UCONN has been lacking from that position for the past 3 full seasons now.

"My prediction was that Dorka would start along side ONO not that she would replace her in the starting line up. Dorka is almost the perfect 4 and fit for the UCONN because of mainly these attributes: Her ability to score from beyond the arc to the rim. Her mobility & movement without the basketball. Her legit post size to bang and finish through contact."

If she starts over Edwards then UConn's success is assured. Edwards isn't the outside shooter that Juhasz is but she can guard 1-5 on the perimeter. But if Juhasz has the same motor as Edwards and is as tenacious inside then the future is bright.

 

[MSGRET]

I'm thinking things will shake out by half-time of the Louisville game at Mohegan Sun Arena [UCONN's third 'home' court] with a 10-0 run to finish the half.....

Check in with me at about 3;55 P.M. on 12/19/2021. I will be replaying the first half (several times of all their runs) to see how the run started [most likely consecutive defensive stops], and enjoying it to about when the fourth quarter starts. Then play the second half in fast forward mode until I see the Geno interviews.

My prediction: UCONN 99 - Louisville 79. Hopefully this gives me "Early Bird Points."

Bad Ass of the game: Paige Bueckers, 32 points 7 of 9 from 3 pt range.

Kinda early for the Prognosticators Predictions and there are no "Early Bird Points", but if you remind me after the posting of the Louisville game Prognostications I'll make sure it gets recorded.

 

[DefenseBB]

She's a player like KLS, pad the stats against the lesser teams while not getting it done against the better teams. That's not good enough this year.

Hey now! Leave KLS out of this! She was 1st All-American as a Sophomore and Junior plus AAC Player of the the year, something Liv has yet to achieve.
For my two bickering comrades I offer a third perspective:
I lived during the week for 3 season in Baltimore before COVID hit and went to the UM games and did see Dorka play 2 games against Shakira Austin. In 2019-20 at Maryland, Dorka outplayed Austin 12 pts to 4 and 8 reb to 9 for Austin. In the 2nd game, evenly matched Dorka 14-9 vs. Shakira 15-7. In the B10 Tourny, they met in the final Dorka 20-5; Shakira 14-8. This was their Soph year and Dorka earned 1st team B10. In 2018-19, both Freshman, they met against each other only once in Maryland with Dorka dominating 18-10 vs. 0-6.
Liv was Big East Co-Defensive Player of the year but yet didn’t earn 1st Big East- a complete joke!
That said, that Liv was on the Leslie watch list as late as she was, was also suspect as her play was not elite enough.
Look, Liv is unbelievably athletic and we have seen lesser players at UConn earn more and it is my hope that Liv will shine this year. However Dorka is by far, the more accomplished player, offensively, defensively and on her National team play. This is not a knock on the #5 Hoopgurlz prospect, but a testament on how good Dorka is. She more accomplished than Evina was when she arrived in Storrs.
Where Liv has the decided advantage is knowing the system, knowing her teammates and what to expect. She and Dorka should be able to push each other to shine.
Dorka will play significant minutes and if Liv doesn’t improve her previous play, Dorka will play more.
I am clearly rooting for both and think they will do well together but don’t sell Dorka short. That is not disrespecting Liv.
Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.

 

[DefenseBB]

If she starts over Edwards then UConn's success is assured. Edwards isn't the outside shooter that Juhasz is but she can guard 1-5 on the perimeter. But if Juhasz has the same motor as Edwards and is as tenacious inside then the future is bright.
Um, Dorka shot .203 from 3 pt last year so I don’t think Dorka has a good outside shooting game but is phenomenal in the paint…To be fair Edwards knows her game and didn’t take ANY 3 point shots!

 

[oldude]

If she starts over Edwards then UConn's success is assured. Edwards isn't the outside shooter that Juhasz is but she can guard 1-5 on the perimeter. But if Juhasz has the same motor as Edwards and is as tenacious inside then the future is bright.
Um, Dorka shot .203 from 3 pt last year so I don’t think Dorka has a good outside shooting game but is phenomenal in the paint…To be fair Edwards knows her game and didn’t take ANY 3 point shots!

Many of us are hoping that Dorka finds her 3-pt shot from her soph season at tOSU when she hit approximately 40% of her shots from the arc. We’ll see. Her shooting motion from the arc is a bit unconventional, which may account for the inconsistency.

 

[CocoHusky]

Hey now! Leave KLS out of this! She was 1st All-American as a Sophomore and Junior plus AAC Player of the the year, something Liv has yet to achieve.
For my two bickering comrades I offer a third perspective:
I lived during the week for 3 season in Baltimore before COVID hit and went to the UM games and did see Dorka play 2 games against Shakira Austin. In 2019-20 at Maryland, Dorka outplayed Austin 12 pts to 4 and 8 reb to 9 for Austin. In the 2nd game, evenly matched Dorka 14-9 vs. Shakira 15-7. In the B10 Tourny, they met in the final Dorka 20-5; Shakira 14-8. This was their Soph year and Dorka earned 1st team B10. In 2018-19, both Freshman, they met against each other only once in Maryland with Dorka dominating 18-10 vs. 0-6.
Liv was Big East Co-Defensive Player of the year but yet didn’t earn 1st Big East- a complete joke!
That said, that Liv was on the Leslie watch list as late as she was, was also suspect as her play was not elite enough.
Look, Liv is unbelievably athletic and we have seen lesser players at UConn earn more and it is my hope that Liv will shine this year. However Dorka is by far, the more accomplished player, offensively, defensively and on her National team play. This is not a knock on the #5 Hoopgurlz prospect, but a testament on how good Dorka is. She more accomplished than Evina was when she arrived in Storrs.
Where Liv has the decided advantage is knowing the system, knowing her teammates and what to expect. She and Dorka should be able to push each other to shine.
Dorka will play significant minutes and if Liv doesn’t improve her previous play, Dorka will play more.
I am clearly rooting for both and think they will do well together but don’t sell Dorka short. That is not disrespecting Liv.
Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.

A third perspective sounds like something proposed so as not to pick a side. You bring up some very interesting and relevant points. A counter point: In fairness, Liv also spent time with US national team and I view this as a far bigger accomplishment than Dorka's time with her national team. US is number 1 in FIBA rankings and Hungary is 28th.

 

[Stymie]

In all fairness, relying on Dorka to hit threes for her to prove her value is kinda like relying on Paige to rebound.
We have other players slotted to fulfill that function.

 

[Waquoit]

In all fairness, relying on Dorka to hit threes for her to prove her value is kinda like relying on Paige to rebound.

She needs to provide the threat, though. Letting the other team defend 5 on 4 hurt the team last year.

 

[Stymie]

Don’t think Aayliah’s presence on the court ever hampered UCONN’s play.
And she never shot a three.

 

[Plebe]

There were 7 teams from the Big10 in the NCAA tournament. 6 had better overall records than tOSU. MSU at 8-7 in conference, 15-9 overall was basically a tossup with tOSU’s 9-7 in conference, 13-7 overall. tOSU may have been selected for the tournament had they been eligible, but I wouldn’t venture that it was “clearly” the case.

Ohio State would have easily been in the tournament if eligible, probably around a 5 or 6 seed.

They had wins over Maryland, Indiana and Michigan, and two wins over Iowa. They did have 2 bad losses to Penn State and Wisconsin, but there is no way a team with that resume of quality wins gets left out of the tournament.

 

[Purchase1]

The thing I’m most curious about is if Dorka can find her outside stroke again! I think that opens things up for us big in that we could possibly play Liv Aaliyah and Dorka together against some of the bigger teams we face. I’m curious to see how geno utilizes our bigs this season.

 

[JoePgh]

She needs to provide the threat, though. Letting the other team defend 5 on 4 hurt the team last year.

I've noticed that you have a consistent tendency to throw out negative one-sentence comments without any supporting evidence.

Who are you saying that opponents didn't have to defend last year? Aaliyah? She posed a significant offensive threat in the paint -- she didn't need to shoot 3's to occupy one or sometimes two defenders. I expect that she will do the same in the upcoming season.

If you are saying that opponents could ignore Liv last year when she was more than a few feet from the basket, I would agree that her mid-range jump shot needs to improve if she really wants to have a primary role as a high-post distributor. But even Liv doesn't have to worry about a 3-point shot. I think each of her (very few) 3-point attempts last year was a mistake.

 

[Stymie]

I’ll tell you what.
If Dorka can run the court like Aaliyah did last year when she was in, I won’t care if she doesn’t shoot any threes either.

 

[Waquoit]

I've noticed that you have a consistent tendency to throw out negative one-sentence comments without any supporting evidence.

I give plenty of evidence. I have to be careful because when I do I get both barrels from the "our girls" crowd.

So what you're telling me that you didn't notice all the times when Ono got the ball outside, the well coached teams just backed off and let her shoot? I hadn't seen anything like since Debbie Baer was the point guard.

 

[Jingo]

I give plenty of evidence. I have to be careful because when I do I get both barrels from the "our girls" crowd.

So what you're telling me that you didn't notice all the times when Ono got the ball outside, the well coached teams just backed off and let her shoot? I hadn't seen anything like since Debbie Baer was the point guard.

Besides leading the team in rebounds, blocked shots & intimidation, Liv was also one of the team leaders in assists, dropping many more dimes-per-game than, for example, CW who played far more minutes.
No, the teams were NOT well coached who just backed off and let her pass, eh?

 

[Gabbyfan]

there is a lot of tension between some boneyarders over the Dorka vs. Liv situation. There are plenty of fans who want to give Liv first shot because of her tenure with the team and that she is a senior. Other fans appear to be excited by the newcomer transfer Dorka who has a good resume and plenty of accolades from Geno in her early interactions with the team and coaches. I am one of the Dorka fans, but I would love to see Liv have her best season this coming year with Dorka just adding to the team effort and when Liv does have a bad day, we won't lose anything with her sitting on the bench. What could be better than that?

 

[CocoHusky]

there is a lot of tension between some boneyarders over the Dorka vs. Liv situation. There are plenty of fans who want to give Liv first shot because of her tenure with the team and that she is a senior. Other fans appear to be excited by the newcomer transfer Dorka who has a good resume and plenty of accolades from Geno in her early interactions with the team and coaches. I am one of the Dorka fans, but I would love to see Liv have her best season this coming year with Dorka just adding to the team effort and when Liv does have a bad day, we won't lose anything with her sitting on the bench. What could be better than that?

Dorka vs Liv or Dorka starting instead of Liv or Dorka backing up Liv is and have always been false narratives. The reality is UCONN has needed more productivity from the post position for 3 years now. Productivity from Dorka, Liv and Aaliyah is mandatory this season if UCONN is to advance beyond a FF appearance. The narrative is false because it doesn’t matter who starts or finishes. Liv may improve and have a great senior season. Aaliyah may take the traditional sophomore leap. Dorka could come in and surprise. I’m sure us BY fans will continue to bicker because we all have our favorites and nothing better to do. What we néed to remember is this: which ever player provides the productivity the other two are going to be just as happy.

 

[CocoHusky]

Besides leading the team in rebounds, blocked shots & intimidation, Liv was also one of the team leaders in assists, dropping many more dimes-per-game than, for example, CW who played far more minutes.
No, the teams were NOT well coached who just backed off and let her pass, eh?

Intimidation is not a real stat. If intimidation were a real stat the Paige would surely be the team leader in that stat. Liv has not had an intimidating moment in a meaning game since she swatted the shot of one of them ND Mabrey triplets when Liv was a freshman. That was 3 years ago.
You bring up a very valid point regarding “well coached” teams backing off of Liv. The specific game you need look at is TN. I understand you point to call TN well coached is kind of silly. In that game when Liv caught the ball above the arc all the TN players backed off her and dared her to shoot. She did shoot and she missed, shot again and missed, shot again and missed & shot again and missed = 0 for 4. That part about her dishing out assist was not evident on this day either. In 31 mins Liv dished out 1 assist. When you do go back and verify what I have written here also pay particular attention to the time remaining on the shot clock when Liv was launching those shots. As a former coach surely you will come to realize that Liv played a great part in putting that game at risk even considering how poorly coached TN was.

 

[Papa33]

Dorka vs Liv or Dorka starting instead of Liv or Dorka backing up Liv is and have always been false narratives. The reality is UCONN has needed more productivity from the post position for 3 years now. Productivity from Dorka, Liv and Aaliyah is mandatory this season if UCONN is to advance beyond a FF appearance. The narrative is false because it doesn’t matter who starts or finishes. Liv may improve and have a great senior season. Aaliyah may take the traditional sophomore leap. Dorka could come in and surprise. I’m sure us BY fans will continue to bicker because we all have our favorites and nothing better to do. What we néed to remember is this: which ever player provides the productivity the other two are going to be just as happy.

This is a balanced, and reasoned argument. For my taste in analysis (as opposed to edgy speculation about something that might happen or evolve in the future). I like the use of "may," rather than assumptions that something "will" happen. None of us can witness what Geno and Chris D see every day in drills and practices, and what they see and analyze determines who starts, gets serious playing time, and who can be depended on in tense competitive moments. The coaches decide; we mostly uninformed fans can only guess and speculate. I would wish for less speculation and unsupported conclusions. Yes, I know, it's "fun" to play coach, and it's sometimes entertaining, but, really, we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously.

 

[Jingo]

Intimidation is not a real stat. If intimidation were a real stat the Paige would surely be the team leader in that stat. Liv has not had an intimidating moment in a meaning game since she swatted the shot of one of them ND Mabrey triplets when Liv was a freshman. That was 3 years ago.
You bring up a very valid point regarding “well coached” teams backing off of Liv. The specific game you need look at is TN. I understand you point to call TN well coached is kind of silly. In that game when Liv caught the ball above the arc all the TN players backed off her and dared her to shoot. She did shoot and she missed, shot again and missed, shot again and missed & shot again and missed = 0 for 4. That part about her dishing out assist was not evident on this day either. In 31 mins Liv dished out 1 assist. When you do go back and verify what I have written here also pay particular attention to the time remaining on the shot clock when Liv was launching those shots. As a former coach surely you will come to realize that Liv played a great part in putting that game at risk even considering how poorly coached TN was.

I believe it was the TN game where Liv had two monster blocks in the fourth quarter to spearhead the victory, eh?
"Intimidation" is her name!

 

[ccwarrior]

I could care less about her 3-point shot %. We need some toughness and nastiness (in the best possible meaning). I get why folks support Liv because she seems like a great person, but let’s be honest - she has not been the great/consistent player that her HS ranking suggested.

 

[CocoHusky]

I believe it was the TN game where Liv had two monster blocks in the fourth quarter to spearhead the victory, eh?
"Intimidation" is her name!

TN was also the game where Liv was decisively outplayed by Tamari Key-not exactly and all American candidate. Not only did Liv fail to move Key from the low post she also failed to clear her from being deeply imbedded in her head for the second year in a row along with her teamamte KK. In two season Liv is shooting 5 of 15 against TN -not exactly intimidating. Keep digging eh....

 

[stamfordhusky]

Ohio State would have easily been in the tournament if eligible, probably around a 5 or 6 seed.

They had wins over Maryland, Indiana and Michigan, and two wins over Iowa. They did have 2 bad losses to Penn State and Wisconsin, but there is no way a team with that resume of quality wins gets left out of the tournament.

Yes, there is no question at all they would have been selected. In addition to the good wins you mention, they also had a #18 NET ranking. There is no chance at all that a team with a good record, a strong schedule, and a high NET ranking is going to be left out. Not a chance.

 

[Jingo]

TN was also the game where Liv was decisively outplayed by Tamari Key-not exactly and all American candidate. Not only did Liv fail to move Key from the low post she also failed to clear her from being deeply imbedded in her head for the second year in a row along with her teamamte KK. In two season Liv is shooting 5 of 15 against TN -not exactly intimidating. Keep digging eh....

The Huskies held TN to twelve 4th-quarter points and rallied from four points down entering the final quarter to win by six. Liv's spectacular shot-blocking and great rebounding [12] against a very tall TN squad were mainly responsible for the defensive excellence and subsequent come-from-behind victory down in Knoxville, eh?

 

[CocoHusky]

The Huskies held TN to twelve 4th-quarter points and rallied from four points down entering the final quarter to win by six. Liv's spectacular shot-blocking and great rebounding [12] against a very tall TN squad were mainly responsible for the defensive excellence and subsequent come-from-behind victory down in Knoxville, eh?

Liv actually had 11 rebounds in TN not 12.