Edwards Next Pheesa? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Edwards Next Pheesa?

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The games I saw last year Aubrey couldn't hit a shot from 8 feet that well.
 

oldude

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She really wasn't though! Griffin played a total of 75 games in her high school career(missed sophomore season due to ACL), she ONLY made a total of 48 3pt shots, that is .64 3pt makes/game.
I can’t speak to what type of 3-pt shooter Aubrey was throughout her HS career, but I watched her last 4 games in HS, in person, including the NY State Championship FF & the Federation Cup Tournament, against the best teams in the state of NY. In those 4 games, Aubrey lit it up with 30+ in each game, scoring from everywhere, including beyond the arc.

I kept a running box score for Aubrey for each of those games and then posted her totals on the Boneyard. Off the top of my head, Aubrey probably knocked down 2-3 x 3-pt shots per game. I’m sure the posts are sitting around somewhere in the BY’s archives.
 
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I can’t speak to what type of 3-pt shooter Aubrey was throughout her HS career, but I watched her last 4 games in HS, in person, including the NY State Championship FF & the Federation Cup Tournament, against the best teams in the state of NY. In those 4 games, Aubrey lit it up with 30+ in each game, scoring from everywhere, including beyond the arc.

I kept a running box score for Aubrey for each of those games and then posted her totals on the Boneyard. Off the top of my head, Aubrey probably knocked down 2-3 x 3-pt shots per game. I’m sure the posts are sitting around somewhere in the BY’s archives.

That's amazing, she is a very good player, but a 4 game stretch is not a very big sample size. The fact still remains that according to her stats Griffin was NOT a great 3 point shooter in high school and she made all of 1 3pt shot so far in college.
 

oldude

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That's amazing, she is a very good player, but a 4 game stretch is not a very big sample size. The fact still remains that according to her stats Griffin was NOT a great 3 point shooter in high school and she made all of 1 3pt shot so far in college.
My point was simply that at the end of her HS career, against top competition, Aubrey displayed an ability to knock down shots from the arc. Remember that Aubrey only got serious about basketball later on, towards HS. Before that she played soccer. Like all young players, it took time for her game to develop. I’m sure she will develop further under Geno and his staff. It will be interesting to see if she gains more confidence this season in her ability to step out to the arc and knock down shots at the college level.
 

eebmg

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I think Aubrey's main issue was that she never really got on top of the offensive schemes and positioning. I think it is safe to say that she she should be much ,more comfortable and familiar and will show off her offensive skills.
 

donalddoowop

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That's amazing, she is a very good player, but a 4 game stretch is not a very big sample size. The fact still remains that according to her stats Griffin was NOT a great 3 point shooter in high school and she made all of 1 3pt shot so far in college.
How many did she take? How many times does someone have to say that she stated she was told to focus on defense, rebounding, and driving to the basket? It has been stated here a number of times.
 
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Aaliyah should be another great one...BUT, do not forget Anna, for I feel that she will bloom even further this year. She should be WNBA material. I hope she stays for the full 4 years. Anna could surprise many around the country, but not me. Geno has an unreal mix of kids.
All his doing and he should continue to be praised. The UConn women's games should give homebound Americans a boost during this horrible pandemic.
Gotta’ agree, Anna will be most impressive this season. She was quite remarkable as a frosh, and has invaluable professional experience!
 
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How many did she take? How many times does someone have to say that she stated she was told to focus on defense, rebounding, and driving to the basket? It has been stated here a number of times.

She was 1 of 10! She was told to play to her strengths, obviously 3pt shooting is not one of her strengths, which is my point!
 
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The games I saw last year Aubrey couldn't hit a shot from 8 feet that well.

Early in the season the announcers reported during in-game commentary that Geno had told Griffin that she had the green light to drive rebound and shoot 3's. That she didn't try or make many doesn't change the fact that Geno/CD thought her shot was good enough to use.
 

Carnac

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Except the Seton Hall game. If we can get that Aubrey to show up for every game then we're good!

I don’t know about everyone else, but THATS the Aubrey Griffin I’m looking for and hoping to see in every game this season. I respect everyone’s thoughts and concerns expressed here about Aubrey’s past.

This season, we’re looking forward to 19 year old Aubrey who is a sophomore, has a full season of experience under her belt, and will enter the season knowing the plays, and knowing what she’s doing. She will enter the season knowing what to expect. What she did or didn’t do in the past will not help/hurt us this year. She’s older wiser, and has some new teammates. This is a different team. Geno’s expectations for her this season will be different.

Her focus and attention should be locked on to what’s in front of her. She can’t do anything about the results of last year. She can impact the results and success the team can have THIS season. Geno has said she’s 100 times better than she was last year. That’s good enough for me.

He has seen her, we haven’t. We either take him at his word or we don’t. She knows what she’s doing now, and is more aggressive. That spells trouble for their opponents. She’ll also be allowed to shoot more this season. She was not asked or expected to score last year. She was always on the floor with 4 other players that could.

Today, all we can go on is her play from last year, and Geno’s observations so far this season. Let’s revisit this at the Christmas break and analyze her performance in games played up to that point.
 
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Wasn't Ania 0 for America until she became the best trey-maker on the club?

What does that have do with anything? It makes absolutely ZERO sense equating Makurat's struggles over her first half dozen games to Griffen's struggles over an ENTIRE season! Griffen had plenty of opportunities to prove she was a solid 3 pt shooter, and she didn't do it!
 

MilfordHusky

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I saw Aubrey in a tourney at Paul VI in Fairfax, VA. Ossining eventually lost a high-scoring game against a very good team from Maryland. Aubrey hit multiple threes and scored about 38. In a 5-minute stretch, she had jumpers, layups, steals, blocks, and rebounds, looking very much like Maya Moore.
 
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I saw Aubrey in a tourney at Paul VI in Fairfax, VA. Ossining eventually lost a high-scoring game against a very good team from Maryland. Aubrey hit multiple threes and scored about 38. In a 5-minute stretch, she had jumpers, layups, steals, blocks, and rebounds, looking very much like Maya Moore.
Now that's what i m talkin' about!
 

Carnac

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Leading scorer this year?

Way too early to tell. We don’t know who Geno’s starting 5 will be that should get a lion’s share of the minutes. One or two players may emerge at the start of the season that will be “go to” shooters. Plays will be run for them. Aubrey could be one, or not. There are several candidates at this time. We’ll know after 5-6 games.
 
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As with most threads on the Boneyard, this one quickly transitioned from is "Edwards the Next Pheesa?" to what kind of sophomore leap will Aubrey make. While I am as interested in the answer to that question as anyone, I would like to attempt to steer the thread back to the original topic.

When Napheesa was a Freshman, she showed glimpses of the future. We saw what would later become her patented up and under move and the ability to handle the basketball. Besides having Stewart, Tuck and Williams ahead her on the depth chart, her primary challenge was adapting to the mental aspect of the college game, particularly at UCONN. I am very interested in how Edwards handles this transition. I think that with the advent of many more reps in her Freshman year, as Geno referenced, both her transition and impact may be far greater than Napheesa. That's not to imply that her college career will be better but to suggest that her initial entry and importance to the this team may be greater. Finally, I suspect that Edwards exposure to older players and higher-level international competition than Napheesa at a comparable age will translate to more confidence as well.

As former self-appointed President of the Napheesa Collier fan club and current self-appointed President of the Aaliyah Edwards fan club, I can't wait for the season to begin!
 
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That's amazing, she is a very good player, but a 4 game stretch is not a very big sample size. The fact still remains that according to her stats Griffin was NOT a great 3 point shooter in high school and she made all of 1 3pt shot so far in college.
I seriously doubt that she was tasted with shooting 3s, and shooting from where ever; the team had others for such purposes. Also, why would a player of her caliber be shooting 3s in HS? when she can reek havoc by doing other things. Was Pheesa a 3pt shooter at Uconn-- I think she took some her senior year but, her shooting 3s would not have helped the team??
 
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Her development would go even more quickly if Piath can be an effective sub at the five, thus giving her virtually all her time at the four (sharing with Aubrey, perhaps).
Going one step further, could this actually be the year where we see a 10-person rotation? Nika and Mir are getting plenty of love from their teammates.
Right with you on that, Jordy. It looks like the days of watching two or three players run onto the court with a minute and a half left in the game are over. Hopefully (by all appearances) when we see the subs coming in this year we will be seeing a minimal drop off in talent.
 
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Regarding Aubrey and many others, fitting into a system that puts so much emphasis on efficient scoring, with many other good options, sometimes creates a player that is thinking too much, and not reacting instinctively. For many in high school, they were the offense, and had pretty much a green light to score however they could.

Here Geno is not looking so much for a volume scorer with mediocre percentages. That player might have been able to get a low 40's two point shot on demand in high school, but that shot is discouraged here, as would be say a 30% three point shot. They become hesitant and have to relearn what a good shot in this system is. In time they become more comfortable with those decisions, and may add ways to score that they didn't use in high school.

In Aubrey's case I don't know what the upside is, but despite her lack of traditional shooting last year, the athletic ability alone made her a good scorer (not shooter) in our system. Just with offensive rebounds, fast breaks, and slashes to the hoop her volume and efficiency were actually pretty good.

Gabby didn't have many offensive weapons but she and Geno found a way to make her effective there. Napheesa might have been borderline on her three point shot, where on many teams the coach might say fire away, but on a team looking for 50% plus 2pt shots, and 35% plus three pointers, she might not have been good enough from there for Uconn standards.

The good news is Aubrey is not a weak offensive player now, although some think of her that way because of a lack of perimeter game thus far. I am reminded that in the Bulls second three peat, once a shot left a Bull's player's hand the best offensive player on the floor was not Jordon or Pippin, but in fact Dennis Rodman.

Aubrey is a good garbage type scorer now, who appears to have enough different ways to score, that if those develop to Uconn efficiency standards (a pretty high bar), maybe she could be an elite scorer. Team wise, however, there are plenty of other good scoring options, so that would be a tremendous blessing if it happens, but she should get significant minutes for the rest of her Uconn career even if it doesn't.
 

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