ESPN's Michelle Smith Says....... | The Boneyard

ESPN's Michelle Smith Says.......

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There's been a lot of back and forth, all interesting, about our play and what led to the loss Monday night against Stanford. ESPN's Michelle Smith I think hit on the most important point that will be difficult to over come by coaching alone. This is one of five things she hit on:

4. Connecticut needs a leader to step up
When Stanford was mounting a comeback from 10 points down with 6:32 to play, the Huskies were failing to build on leads -- and making mistakes to boot. There didn't seem to be a player on the floor to pull the team together and regroup. Stewart has been able to be the goofy youngster for two years, and that time is now over. Moriah Jefferson is naturally quiet and finding her way on the floor, and Mosqueda-Lewis has never really had to play this role. Who steps up?

I have trouble right now seeing who that will be? My only hope is that it will be someone, in some way to become our court leader.





 
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Just my gut, and with no real knowledge of her ability to do so, but my feeling is Kia Nurse.
You know, she may only be a freshman, but from what I've seen I have to agree completely with you. Seeing her this summer she definitely impresses. Love her tenacity and demeanor.
 
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There's been a lot of back and forth, all interesting, about our play and what led to the loss Monday night against Stanford. ESPN's Michelle Smith I think hit on the most important point that will be difficult to over come by coaching alone. This is one of five things she hit on:

4. Connecticut needs a leader to step up
When Stanford was mounting a comeback from 10 points down with 6:32 to play, the Huskies were failing to build on leads -- and making mistakes to boot. There didn't seem to be a player on the floor to pull the team together and regroup. Stewart has been able to be the goofy youngster for two years, and that time is now over. Moriah Jefferson is naturally quiet and finding her way on the floor, and Mosqueda-Lewis has never really had to play this role. Who steps up?

I have trouble right now seeing who that will be? My only hope is that it will be someone, in some way to become our court leader.


This has been my thoughts since the end of last year. During the summer I asked about what Stewart needed to work on. The consensus was ball-handling. Perhaps. But I had something else in mind. In mho she needed to make the players around her better. Stephanie and Bria played that role and freed her up to roam around. Given her talent she will get her 20+, but we will not win the big ones until she makes plays for others. Even when she is doubled, she has to find a way to get someone an easy basket. KML will have to stop playing 2nd fiddle to Stewart and make it her team. I see her as deferring too much. Regardless of what the statistics say, until Jefferson makes timely big shots/drives, others will gamble on her. And she might not be verbal enough. Stokes cannot because both KML and Stewart speak of her as the one to prove herself; and, star players can be touchy- even at Uconn. Tuck would be my pick, but she needs to be on the floor rather then coming off the bench. The same might be said of Nurse. In the latter case, she would have to start over Chong. If Chong gets her shooting and coast-to-coast driving together (pre-Uconn) she could be the Bria replacement- forcing Nurse to come off the bench for her and Jeffereson. I any regards, if our interior play falls- even a third from last year, we better start giving those freshmen a ton of playing time. Because we are a guard oriented team.

 

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I tend toward Tuck, too. And yes, I think this is a real issue. Group dynamics can make it very difficult for a freshman to be a leader.
 

VAMike23

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From what the coaches said in the recent past, and from what the Horde has also written on the subject (IIRC), it sounded like Moriah had taken over the reins.

Late in the game, especially, it didn't seem like we had the leadership that I thought we had. Or at least no one asserted it in a way that was needed.
 

meyers7

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From what the coaches said in the recent past, and from what the Horde has also written on the subject (IIRC), it sounded like Moriah had taken over the reins.

Late in the game, especially, it didn't seem like we had the leadership that I thought we had. Or at least no one asserted it in a way that was needed.
I agree, it had been kind of reported that Jefferson was taking the reins, didn't really see that Monday night. Tuck has been the captain of a couple USA teams in the past. They've looked at her as a leader. But it is tough being the leader coming off the bench (Tuck and Nurse).

This will be something they will have to figure out or we could have trouble in close games (however few that might be).
 
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Team dynamics IS the problem. The talent is there. The coaching is there. They simply didn't play as a team. I think Kia Nurse as the leader is exactly the opposite of what the team needs. Why our juniors and seniors are not clicking is baffling.
 
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Morgan Tuck is most likely to be the team's rock, IMO; I think she's their most even-keeled player. In the Stanford game she was well on her way to being that "take over the game" player in OT, scoring UConn's first 5 points on consecutive possessions. Unfortunately foul trouble took her out of it immediately after.

But if you recall, even as a freshman there were times when she was the one who made the right contribution at the right time. Or in the case of the game against Baylor, she was the only one with the gumption to attack the Griner-controlled paint. She even succeeded a bit at it. ;)

I think that when she works out the rust from her game, we'll see some proper and effective leadership from her quarter. Breanna Stewart is our most talented player, but for now I don't think she's ideally suited to "lead" in every sense of the word.
 
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Saniya...

I would not r/o Chong, but her play would have to continue at a certain level. Keep in mind that Stephanie came to the role- not with a whip, but a smile (perhaps both- who knows); Bria was a reluctant one- but, she stepped up and was the first to gather them around on the court. Perhaps Tuck can grab the range- even from the bench.
 
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I think Moriah is the one to say " this is what we are going to do". She is the director. I tried to break down the components of leadership so I could make sense of it in my head. In addition to being vocal and taking charge, Stef kept everyone loose. She also developed skill at passing and screening that made the most of the other's skills. She was also irreverent and upbeat. There is no shortage of people who can take charge due to the kind of players we select. I think it will be the person, not necessarily rah-rah, that does the dirty work. When we see who sets up screens to free others up, makes those perfect passes for an open hoop, and organizes the others so that they look like they have a clue, we will know. Also, there will emerge from this loss someone who will refuse to allow any crowd, person, or circumstance to take away the power to overcome. I believe it will be a show of grit and determination that is for the each individual on the team to succeed. Personally, I believe it might be Morgan that has the skills and qualities. Kiah can lead by intimidation if she will get her nasty on. K has already shown that she can take a game over by physical play and shooting. I think Gabby may be both physical and irreverent, but too much new stuff right now. Same with a lot of the freshmen. They have what it takes when the time comes, but it is too soon for them to be "leader". Contributors first, then leaders. Kia seems to have an air that screams " you will not beat me", but she is still on a steep learning curve right now. Moriah has that same intensity. I felt that it was the other part we miss. Who is talking people around screens? Who is setting up a team mate for an open shot?

People know who maximizes the group's ability. At work, we all know the leader in our midst. When I think of Stef, I think about the passes and the screens. She did not do those by rote. If she gave up her body for a screen or placed the pass, she was directing the activity to score via another person. And that person had better of made the most of it!

That is my two cents.
 

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I also think the Leader that will take charge is Morgan Tuck...........She is the only one that has demonstrated the 'willingness' and 'personality' to take on the responsibility. Plus , one other factor that must not be overlooked is Respect. A Leader must be Respected by those they lead. And it appears that Morgan is WELL RESPECTED by the coaching staff and by her teammates.

Even though Tuck is not starting , I believe she will be on the floor at critical times during the game. She brings stability , scoring , rebounding , and Leadership.

While on the floor , she will represent Geno well.

JMHO.
 

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The leader of this team will be Breanna Stewart. She is the best player and this is now her team. She is the one who has spoken of winning 4 national championships and has the most at stake. All of the players want to win, but only one is being talked about in terms of her place in the sport. That's Breanna. Her words in the post game press conference were heartfelt, honest and completely on point. She understands what must happen and it's now on her to get her teammates to make that happen. She can not do it alone.

Now that I've decided who will fill Dolson's role as leader of the team, I'd like to figure out who will fill Dolson's role as serial, bone-crushing screener. Unfortunately, that will be a much more difficult job. Based on the poor job done by Tuck and Stokes the other night, I fear the next great screener is ineligible to play this year. That's a problem.
 
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This is an excellent discussion. The team seems to missing this element right now. The team leader needs to be a starter. Stewie could be it, but her nature seems to speak against that. Kiah needs direction. Chong seems too tentative, Perhaps Tuck or MoJett, but neither seems to be ready to step up to that level. If I had a choice, I'd select MoJett cause she is so dang committed. I personally think here skills need to be honed a bit though. I watched her last year and thought she cowed Chong a bit while they were competing for time. A leader needs to be compassionate as well as committed. A team is only as good as the sum of its parts.
I'm not convinced Tuck is a leader.
 
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The leader of this team will be Breanna Stewart. She is the best player and this is now her team. She is the one who has spoken of winning 4 national championships and has the most at stake. All of the players want to win, but only one is being talked about in terms of her place in the sport. That's Breanna. Her words in the post game press conference were heartfelt, honest and completely on point. She understands what must happen and it's now on her to get her teammates to make that happen. She can not do it alone.

Now that I've decided who will fill Dolson's role as leader of the team, I'd like to figure out who will fill Dolson's role as serial, bone-crushing screener. Unfortunately, that will be a much more difficult job. Based on the poor job done by Tuck and Stokes the other night, I fear the next great screener is ineligible to play this year. That's a problem.
Agree. It's really gotta be your best player. The fact that some are suggesting the leadership void will be filled by a freshman (Kia) just emphasizes how big that void is. Geno used to say the stars are the ones who step forward and make the play to win the game. Nobody stepped forward against Stanford, or even looked remotely interested in being "the one." I think it has to be Breanna. She said the other day she's comfortable with this being "her team." I really think it's on her to step up now. I think she will but, if she doesn't, then we're in trouble.
 
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I would hope Breanna could be the leader. In the preseason I thought KML was stepping up, but that obviously didn't happen at Stanford. Of course the other part is that the other players need to be willing to accept and follow that leader.
 

Gate81

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I would hope Breanna could be the leader. In the preseason I thought KML was stepping up, but that obviously didn't happen at Stanford. Of course the other part is that the other players need to be willing to accept and follow that leader.
it's also a matter of maturity. Chiney became the leader at Stanford in her junior year - once her sister was gone, SHE decided she needed to do it. Stewart's comments imply she's getting there - maybe this was the wakeup call for her personal leadership too.
 
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I agree, it had been kind of reported that Jefferson was taking the reins, didn't really see that Monday night. Tuck has been the captain of a couple USA teams in the past. They've looked at her as a leader. But it is tough being the leader coming off the bench (Tuck and Nurse).

This will be something they will have to figure out or we could have trouble in close games (however few that might be).
What's amazing to me is that it was noted in the follow up to the game, that it's been forever since UConn has won an overtime game against anyone. I know there's been very few games that went into extra sessions because of UConn's dominance but it does appear that when UConn is off a little and goes into overtime, that they don't do well or make plays. Very worrisome!
 

meyers7

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The leader of this team will be Breanna Stewart. She is the best player and this is now her team. She is the one who has spoken of winning 4 national championships and has the most at stake. All of the players want to win, but only one is being talked about in terms of her place in the sport. That's Breanna. Her words in the post game press conference were heartfelt, honest and completely on point. She understands what must happen and it's now on her to get her teammates to make that happen. She can not do it alone.
Don't know if I agree with that. On the USA U19 team, Tuck was the captain, although Stewart was the star. Stewart might be "the face" of UCONN, but I think eventually Tuck will be the captain/leader.

However, at the Post Univ. preseason game, KML was the one who went out for the pregame brief from the refs. So I assume she is the captain this year.
 
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The leader of this team will be Breanna Stewart. She is the best player and this is now her team. She is the one who has spoken of winning 4 national championships and has the most at stake. All of the players want to win, but only one is being talked about in terms of her place in the sport. That's Breanna. Her words in the post game press conference were heartfelt, honest and completely on point. She understands what must happen and it's now on her to get her teammates to make that happen. She can not do it alone.

Now that I've decided who will fill Dolson's role as leader of the team, I'd like to figure out who will fill Dolson's role as serial, bone-crushing screener. Unfortunately, that will be a much more difficult job. Based on thetewart poor job done by Tuck and Stokes the other night, I fear the next great screener is ineligible to play this year. That's a problem.

I'm not in agreement about Stewart. The leader need not be the best player. If so, Dolson should have been better then Stewart last year. I don't see her as having the glue factor. Her words to the press often read as coming unfiltered from the coaching staff and she seems too often to inadvertently place blame elsewhere (of course when you are scoring 20+, it's easy to do). Dolson was also goofy, but serious on the court and nurturing- so was Bria. Tuck and Jefferson will do it. It is too much for KML- she has said so. Perhaps if Kiah had the opportunity to play more during 3 years, we would not be having this discussion.
 

UConnCat

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Don't know if I agree with that. On the USA U19 team, Tuck was the captain, although Stewart was the star. Stewart might be "the face" of UCONN, but I think eventually Tuck will be the captain/leader.

However, at the Post Univ. preseason game, KML was the one who went out for the pregame brief from the refs. So I assume she is the captain this year.

I don't question that Morgan was more mature than Breanna back in their U-19 days. Circumstances are different now. Being the star of the U-19 team is not the same as being the biggest star in WCBB, the POY, the 2-time FF MVP and the one collegiate player who spent part of her fall with some of the best players and best leaders in all of women's basketball. It's time for Breanna to emerge as the leader of this team. I think she understands that.
 

UConnCat

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I'm not in agreement about Stewart. The leader need not be the best player. If so, Dolson should have been better then Stewart last year. I don't see her as having the glue factor. Her words to the press often read as coming unfiltered from the coaching staff and she seems too often to inadvertently place blame elsewhere (of course when you are scoring 20+, it's easy to do). Dolson was also goofy, but serious on the court and nurturing- so was Bria. Tuck and Jefferson will do it. It is too much for KML- she has said so. Perhaps if Kiah had the opportunity to play more during 3 years, we would not be having this discussion.

I didn't say the leader needs to be the best player. The fact that she is the best player in the game is one of the reasons why she should emerge as the leader of this team.

Please provide an example where Breanna placed blame for losing elsewhere?
 
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