Early Season Thoughts

[Bronxjeff]

Wow what a terrific post and fabulous following responses!

So far this year's team defense has been remarkable even for the Huskies - elegant.
The thread of conversation, emboldens me though to throw out a controversial defense inspired question: did Geno intentionally throw the Stamford game last year? Was he so frustrated with the cardinal's guards beating us off the dribble that he lost to teach our guards and the team a lesson. It seemed like we had the game in hand and the solution in place with Kia Stokes in the post in the second half and he pulled her despite the success.

I ask as another testa dura Italian boy, and remember another time last year when he said post game that he would rather lose than watch them play he didn't like.

If he did of course it did work out as he hoped...

 

[UcMiami]

1 - when comparing Bird with anyone, it is important to look at the total package. IIRC, Bird was a significant offensive threat when needed, as well as a heck of a point guard.

It is actually an interesting comparison between Mo and Sue in scoring - discounting freshman year (Sue injured, Mo not starting):
Sophomore:
Sue - 10.9 ppg at .502/.497
Mo - 10.0 ppg at .575/.418
Junior:
Sue - 10.9 ppg at .443/.432
Mo - 12.4 ppg at .587/.496
Pretty comparable, though Sue has the signature 'Bird at the Buzzer' moment and might have been a better clutch shooter (hard to quantify that.)
The rest of the stats (using per-game as Sue played 37/34 games and Mo played 40/39)
Sophomore:
Sue - Assists 4.32, TO 2.16, A/TO 2.0, Steals 1.86, Rebounds 2.5
Mo - Assists 4.88, TO 1.65, A/TO 3.0, Steals 2.65, Rebounds 3.4
Junior:
Sue - Assists 4.97, TO 2.59, A/TO 1.9, Steals 1.85, Rebounds 2.6
Mo - Assists 4.90, TO 1.59, A/TO 3.1, Steals 2.56, Rebounds 2.9

The numbers that jump out are the TO, A/TO, and Steals, but of course as any 5'7"ish player will tell you, the really telling stat for Moriah is her cumulative blocks for the two years where she blows little Miss Bird completely away - Moriah block total = 14 vs. also ran Sue's total 5

All in all, two fabulous players that we have been privileged to watch. And two great women off the court as well. Different eras, different teammates, same kind of results!

PS - Moriah's signature moment for me was that SC game last year - a statement game by her, and her ticket to the wall!

 

[UcMiami]

The thread of conversation, emboldens me though to throw out a controversial defense inspired question: did Geno intentionally throw the Stamford game last year? Was he so frustrated with the cardinal's guards beating us off the dribble that he lost to teach our guards and the team a lesson. It seemed like we had the game in hand and the solution in place with Kia Stokes in the post in the second half and he pulled her despite the success.

I ask as another testa dura Italian boy, and remember another time last year when he said post game that he would rather lose than watch them play he didn't like.

If he did of course it did work out as he hoped...

Are you accusing Geno of having a bit of another Italian's bloodlines in his makeup? I refer of course to Signor Niccolò Machiavelli!

In truth, I doubt it. But I certainly don't think he greatly minded. It proved useful. (He too has a learning curve at the start of each season, finding what combinations work and don't and how players have changed and who new players fit in.)

 

[Fightin Choke]

By the way, a shout out to CocoHusky and SLUConn in particular for what they bring to the Boneyard.

Great observations. And I absolutely agree with your praise for Coco and SLU. Very knowledgeable and fair posters. While this site has a large number of posters like that, there is always room for more!

 

[TWG236]

I have to agree with Bronxjeff and repeat this is one of the best post's that I have read in a long time. The Sue vs Mo question will depend on each fan's perception of their individual play. But who ever is the so called "best", the other is a fraction of an inch behind them. It has been a pleasure to witness both careers. As far as Williams vs Butler starting, both have different attributes that would indicate they should be the starter over the other. I love Gabby's speed and athleticism, but as stated earlier you can't teach height. As with Dolson, Butler would allow a rotation of Stewie, Morgan and herself to move to the high post and pass to either of the other two. I wouldn't judge Gabby just on this game, everyone but Stewie played at hyper speed. There are not a lot of teams out there that are going to be able to play like that against us. In closing I would really like to thank Diggerfoot and the rest of you for his insightfully read. No better knowledgeable fans out there then you all.