Evina Finishes Rehab Thread morphed into another Who Starts Next Year Thread

[Argonaut]

 

[Carnac]

Interesting that there are some posters here that seriously suggest that Westbrook, despite the fact that she has been cleared to play with no restrictions, has 2 years of play at the elite level (top15 D1) under her belt, come off the bench this year because she’s not good enough to start for this team. SMH.

 

[Carnac]

She is 2 years older and better from that time, she put those numbers while playing on a dysfunctional team, an unimaginative coach, and in the best conference in the country. She is as good a scorer as ANYONE in the country, she will put up HUGE numbers this year!

I totally agree. Some want to continue to hold her feet to the fire for what she did 2 seasons ago for a program that you very accurately described, assuming she can’t/won’t do any better here and should come off the bench. She’s 2 years older, more mature, understands the game better, will be playing with different teammates, in a different system for a different coach, with different demands and expectations. And let’s not forget, those two years were in the
P-5 SEC Conference, not the weaker AAC.

We’ve got some great talent coming in this year. She'll be surrounded by much better talent than she was at TN, and will be vigorously challenged for a starting role. If Evina is in fact forced to come off the bench, that means UConn will have an awesome starting 5, and should go through their schedule like a hot knife through butter, and be a lock for a #1 seed. Westbrook will be the oldest player on the team, she'll turn 22 on Sept 28.

She hasn’t forgotten how to play. She scored a career high of 29 points against Stanford on 12/18/18. Geno is expecting her to be a team leader this year. I think she’s up for the challenge. The tea leaves I read says she starts.

It’s scary to think how good Geno’s starting 5 will be if she doesn’t.

 

[BBallF]

I totally agree. Some want to continue to hold her feet to the fire for what she did 2 seasons ago for a program that you very accurately described, assuming she can’t/won’t do any better here. She’s 2 years older, more mature, understands the game better, will be playing with different teammates, in a different system for a different coach, with different demands and expectations. And let’s not forget, those two years were P-5 SEC experience, not the AAC.

We’ve got some great talent coming in this year. Westbrook will be the oldest player on the team. She hasn’t forgotten how to play. Geno is expecting her to be a team leader this year. I think she’s up for the challenge.

Let's say she "only" puts up the same numbers this year that she put up two years ago at Tennessee. That would be 15 ppg and 5 apg which means that she accounts for no less than 25 ppg for the team. The team averaged 79 mpg last year so she would be responsible for about 32% of the team's points if we averaged the same per game this year. Meg was 20 ppg and 3 apg so it is essentially an even replacement on points. However, look at the rest of the team. CW and Liv are a year older, Anna and Aubrey are experienced players now and we have Paige, Edwards, Mir, Nika and Piath. The point is that Evina's 25 points of offense are a huge plus factor for this team since we will be making up for MW's points through these other players as well. But let's forget about that perspective and simply look at the video clips. You see a basketball player pure and simple who can both pass and score with a very quick release and great anticipation of the play on offense. She has been undervalued in this thread and others principally because we haven't seen her play in our uniform. Well, watch her in these clips. It may be subtle because she seems so effortless, but she looks like an AA to me.

 

[hoophuskee]

I totally agree. Some want to continue to hold her feet to the fire for what she did 2 seasons ago for a program that you very accurately described, assuming she can’t/won’t do any better here. She’s 2 years older, more mature, understands the game better, will be playing with different teammates, in a different system for a different coach, with different demands and expectations. And let’s not forget, those two years were P-5 SEC experience, not the AAC.

We’ve got some great talent coming in this year. Westbrook will be the oldest player on the team. She hasn’t forgotten how to play. Geno is expecting her to be a team leader this year. I think she’s up for the challenge.

Being cleared to play and starting can be 2 different things. For the record I have Evina as 1st or 2nd team A/A if she is as good pg and a good defender as others have indicated. I know she will be a good wing. I can understand though showing caution too. She hasn't played organized ball in a long time.

 

[Go/huskies]

I totally agree. Some want to continue to hold her feet to the fire for what she did 2 seasons ago for a program that you very accurately described, assuming she can’t/won’t do any better here and should come off the bench. She’s 2 years older, more mature, understands the game better, will be playing with different teammates, in a different system for a different coach, with different demands and expectations. And let’s not forget, those two years were P-5 SEC experience, not the AAC.

We’ve got some great talent coming in this year. Westbrook will be the oldest player on the team. She hasn’t forgotten how to play. Geno is expecting her to be a team leader this year. I think she’s up for the challenge. I predict she starts.

I think we’ll see big things from Westbrook. I really like that she has be identified as the team leader and has taken steps to show that leadership off the court before even playing a game for UConn. She would be my pick if we have an All American this year, and she’s also my pick for feel good/comeback story of the year.

 

[Alydar]

Interesting that there are some posters here that seriously suggest that Westbrook, despite the fact that she has been cleared to play with no restrictions, has 2 years of play at the elite level (top15 D1) under her belt, come off the bench this year because she’s not good enough to start for this team. SMH.

I'm not sure what "good enough" has to do with who starts?

Right now there are 9 other players who can play without restrictions so that isn't relevant. She certainly has 2 years of experience and while I agree that she played with other elite talent I question whether that group played at an elite level. Take a look at the 2019 LV's and tell me who else on that team would start for UConn?
It's more likely she starts but IMO Bueckers is already a better pg and Williams/Makurat have the benefit of a year playing together in games.
The decision as to who starts will have more to do with the 5 players on the court who perform best as a team, not as simply as deciding who are the best players. Again, I say it's more likely than not she starts but that is more due to Geno's history than her talent level.

 

[BBallF]

I'm not sure what "good enough" has to do with who starts?

Right now there are 9 other players who can play without restrictions so that isn't relevant. She certainly has 2 years of experience and while I agree that she played with other elite talent I question whether that group played at an elite level. Take a look at the 2019 LV's and tell me who else on that team would start for UConn?
It's more likely she starts but IMO Bueckers is already a better pg and Williams/Makurat have the benefit of a year playing together in games.
The decision as to who starts will have more to do with the 5 players on the court who perform best as a team, not as simply as deciding who are the best players. Again, I say it's more likely than not she starts but that is more due to Geno's history than her talent level.

Evina is a senior in age this year and therefore 3 years older than Paige. I don't agree that Paige is "already a better PG than Evina". I don't know what the proof for that is. How do you compare a high school player against high school aged competition with a college player whom you have never seen play in a UCONN uniform? Evina averaged 15 and 5 for an SEC middle team against the best in league competition in the country. Comparing late films this year of Paige against Evina's current clips, Evina is stronger and a very solid passer and is also a more complete offensive player than Paige right now. She is also more experienced. There are very few freshmen at UCONN who played liked upper classmen, with the exception of Maya, in Geno's own words, and the others went through a growth process. Even the GOAT did. I think she starts because she is that good and that team chemistry( a short phrase for perform best as a team) is not static. As a coach, you make the team chemistry fit your best player(s). You create and choose the offense and defense with them in mind because they are playing as well as giving due consideration to your other players. For example, how do we not press next year with our depth and the likes of Mir, Edwards and Paige as subs and Aubrey and ONO as starters plus our other depth. Evina is not going to start because of Geno's history. She is going to start because she will be one of our best, if not the best player and that is how you win. If there was lousy chemistry with DT would she sit? No, you find the other players to play with her that create good chemistry and your best team with her which by definition becomes your best team. Evina also spent a year on the bench. She saw the system everyday. As I have said repeatedly, Evina is being consistently undervalued because we never saw her play in our system for our coaches. Finally, I admit that I want you to be wrong about Paige v. Evina. That is because if you are right, Evina is not what many of us think she is, and our team is therefore not as good as we think it is going to be.

 

[Alydar]

Evina is a senior in age this year and therefore 3 years older than Paige. I don't agree that Paige is "already a better PG than Evina". I don't know what the proof for that is. How do you compare a high school player against high school aged competition with a college player whom you have never seen play in a UCONN uniform? Evina averaged 15 and 5 for an SEC middle team against the best in league competition in the country. Comparing late films this year of Paige against Evina's current clips, Evina is stronger and a very solid passer and is also a more complete offensive player than Paige right now. She is also more experienced. There are very few freshmen at UCONN who played liked upper classmen, with the exception of Maya, in Geno's own words, and the others went through a growth process. Even the GOAT did. I think she starts because she is that good and that team chemistry( a short phrase for perform best as a team) is not static. As a coach, you make the team chemistry fit your best player(s). You create and choose the offense and defense with them in mind because they are playing as well as giving due consideration to your other players. For example, how do we not press next year with our depth and the likes of Mir, Edwards and Paige as subs and Aubrey and ONO as starters plus our other depth. Evina is not going to start because of Geno's history. She is going to start because she will be one of our best, if not the best player and that is how you win. If there was lousy chemistry with DT would she sit? No, you find the other players to play with her that create good chemistry and your best team with her which by definition becomes your best team. Evina also spent a year on the bench. She saw the system everyday. As I have said repeatedly, Evina is being consistently undervalued because we never saw her play in our system for our coaches. Finally, I admit that I want you to be wrong about Paige v. Evina. That is because if you are right, Evina is not what many of us think she is, and our team is therefore not as good as we think it is going to be.

I agree that it's problematic to try and compare a high school player's performance with a player who has played 2 years of college ball and who is 3 years older. But I do. There you have it. I think Bueckers will be the best player on the court for UConn from day 1, even if she doesn't start in game 1. Bueckers was the best player on the U19 team a year ago, a team that had players on the roster with college experience while Bueckers still had a year of HS left. Bueckers has pro skills right now. All she lacks is 20 lbs. of muscle.

Don't think I don't like Westbrook. I think she's an outstanding talent. I wouldn't be shocked if both Bueckers and Westbrook started. She does need to show me though. I've seen maybe a dozen of her Tenn games. She was no more memorable than her team mates except that she wasn't afraid to shoot like most of them were.

And what Geno said was that Maya was the only one who "got it" from day 1 of practice. Taurasi hated practice as a freshman. I'll go out on a limb and say that Bueckers will love practice. If Geno asked she's mop the floor when practice was done. History be damned, she is that good. And if Bueckers starts then Westbrook needs to bump a player with actual experience playing for UConn.

 

[Alydar]

I admit that I want you to be wrong about Paige v. Evina. That is because if you are right, Evina is not what many of us think she is, and our team is therefore not as good as we think it is going to be.

If I am right it will have no effect on how good Westbrook is, rather it will open your eyes to how good Bueckers IS. My hopes are that Westbrook is as good as you say. Bueckers will still be better.

Look over at the mens side. Lots of high school players have skipped college and gone straight to the pros. No one thinks that's odd. They put in the work and were ready. Bueckers has the skills to go pro, just not the body .... yet.

 

[CocoHusky]

Interesting that there are some posters here that seriously suggest that Westbrook, despite the fact that she has been cleared to play with no restrictions, has 2 years of play at the elite level (top15 D1) under her belt, come off the bench this year because she’s not good enough to start for this team. SMH.

I'm SMH also. The video although very good to see is of a pickup game in the park probably in her neighborhood so I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Being cleared to play with no restrictions is a great milestone but not definitive proof that she will return to pre-surgery(2X) form. At no time was Evina Westbrook ever "a elite level (top15 D1)"performer. In fact, Evina may not have been among the top 15 players in the SEC in her best season (18-19)
2019 SEC Women's Basketball Awards announced
Evina may very well start on this UCONN team but let's not get carried away. She will have plenty of competition for that starting position regardless if she is a 1-Paige, a 2-Christyn or a 3-Anna & Aubrey.
You can often spot an elite player by looking at the resume. That resume shouldn't have 20 losses on it after only 2 full seasons of college basketball.

 

[donalddoowop]

I'm SMH also. The video although very good to see is of a pickup game in the park probably in her neighborhood so I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Being cleared to play with no restrictions is a great milestone but not definitive proof that she will return to pre-surgery(2X) form. At no time was Evina Westbrook ever "a elite level (top15 D1)"performer. In fact, Evina may not have been among the top 15 players in the SEC in her best season (18-19)
2019 SEC Women's Basketball Awards announced
Evina may very well start on this UCONN team but let's not get carried away. She will have plenty of competition for that starting position regardless if she is a 1-Paige, a 2-Christyn or a 3-Anna & Aubrey.
You can often spot an elite player by looking at the resume. That resume shouldn't have 20 losses on it after only 2 full seasons of college basketball.

Come on Coco. You can't blame those twenty losses on Evina. In fact, she did a lot to keep them from losing more. She may not be elite yet, but she has the potential to become elite. Some had her ranked higher than Walker as a high school senior and I think she will accomplish as much as Walker did in college. That means she will reach AA status. I watched her quite often playing for UT and wondered just how good she would have been playing for UConn. Well, unless she gets injured or the next two seasons are cancelled,, we will find out .

 

[DEpup]

I'm SMH also. The video although very good to see is of a pickup game in the park probably in her neighborhood so I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Being cleared to play with no restrictions is a great milestone but not definitive proof that she will return to pre-surgery(2X) form. At no time was Evina Westbrook ever "a elite level (top15 D1)"performer. In fact, Evina may not have been among the top 15 players in the SEC in her best season (18-19)
2019 SEC Women's Basketball Awards announced
Evina may very well start on this UCONN team but let's not get carried away. She will have plenty of competition for that starting position regardless if she is a 1-Paige, a 2-Christyn or a 3-Anna & Aubrey.
You can often spot an elite player by looking at the resume. That resume shouldn't have 20 losses on it after only 2 full seasons of college basketball.

That was uncalled for. You can't hang all the problems at Tennessee around her neck. If I remember correctly, that team had problems before she got there and the coach got fired.

 

[BBallF]

If I am right it will have no effect on how good Westbrook is, rather it will open your eyes to how good Bueckers IS. My hopes are that Westbrook is as good as you say. Bueckers will still be better.

Look over at the mens side. Lots of high school players have skipped college and gone straight to the pros. No one thinks that's odd. They put in the work and were ready. Bueckers has the skills to go pro, just not the body .... yet.

My eyes are wide open about her. That is why I am registering a note of patience and temperance just as Geno has. There are literally thousands of players who had the skills but not the bodies to play in the NBA and therefore couldn't. The body( physical strength) is exactly the issue here and you cannot separate one from the other. I also think it is simply incorrect to analogize men coming out of high school( they still have to wait a year now) to women. None of the noteworthy men had anything less than pro bodies. Lebron was a physical freak of nature, Moses Malone was too, Kobe was 6'7" and the list goes on and on. Paige will not be playing against players one year older but rather 3 years older who have 3 years of experience, college skills improvement, conditioning, body development, and growth. The skills alone are just aren't enough in the women's game. Maybe she will have the best skills on the team from day one but the "best player" as you say? Because it is more than just skills, I think not. I still think she is sixth man for all the reasons cited in several prior posts.

 

[HuskylnSC]

For all freshmen the jump from high school/AAU ball to UConn's OOC schedule is this; take the best player you've played against in the last 12 months and now you are playing against a team where every player is faster, stronger, more experienced than that best player of the last 12 months. That is part of what 'Maya got'. She was humble enough to know that more was required of her from the beginning. Freshmen who think they are going to perform at their high school level will have to reassess their expectations of effort required. I believe of the 5 incoming freshmen, the ones have the least problem making the adjustments are Aaliyah because of her time on the Canadian national team and perhaps Nika.

 

[CocoHusky]

Come on Coco. You can't blame those twenty losses on Evina. In fact, she did a lot to keep them from losing more. She may not be elite yet, but she has the potential to become elite. Some had her ranked higher than Walker as a high school senior and I think she will accomplish as much as Walker did in college. That means she will reach AA status. I watched her quite often playing for UT and wondered just how good she would have been playing for UConn. Well, unless she gets injured or the next two seasons are cancelled,, we will find out .

That was uncalled for. You can't hang all the problems at Tennessee around her neck. If I remember correctly, that team had problems before she got there and the coach got fired.

Although ranked lower than Evina, Rennia Davis was the same HS class as Evina and Evina's teammate for two season on the Lady Vols. Rennia didn't seem to have any trouble achieving her potential and had a superior season compared to Evina in 18-19. Potential unrealized is just that. Five players (Carter, Evans, Sabally, McDonald, & Onyenwere) from that 2017 HS class who were all ranked lower than Evina have already achieved AA status. I also watched Evina very closely when she was playing at TN. I saw a good player, at times very good, but never elite. Evina did not excel at crunch time, was an undisciplined perimeter defender. Crunch time for TN was trying to beat unranked Alabama. Crunch time at UCONN will be trying to take down a top 5 team.

 

[donalddoowop]

Although ranked lower than Evina, Rennia Davis was the same HS class as Evina and Evina's teammate for two season on the Lady Vols. Rennia didn't seem to have any trouble achieving her potential and had a superior season compared to Evina in 18-19. Potential unrealized is just that. Five players (Carter, Evans, Sabally, McDonald, & Onyenwere) from that 2017 HS class who were all ranked lower than Evina have already achieved AA status. I also watched Evina very closely when she was playing at TN. I saw a good player, at times very good, but never elite. Evina did not excel at crunch time, was an undisciplined perimeter defender. Crunch time for TN was trying to beat unranked Alabama. Crunch time at UCONN will be trying to take down a top 5 team.

It worked for Walker who did very little at crunch time, taking down a top five team, and she still made AA. Davis has not made one AA team in three seasons. Playing at UT, imo, hindered that. If Evina does not excel at UConn it will surprise me in a big way, unless she is hampered by injuries.

 

[BBallF]

Just to be sure, I just watched some games with Evina at Tennessee. The game against Stanford in December, 2017, while she was a freshman ( Vols were 12-0 and ranked 7th at the time) was very telling. She was the second leading scorer with 17 but she did something in one play that Megan Walker never did even though she was a first team AA. Evina shot a true blue pull up, hang in the air, jump shot from the right elbow, a shot Megan never had. It was not a push shot on the way up but rather an authentic J. That can be an unstoppable shot off the dribble especially when you have a strong drive move like Evina has because the defender has to respect that. An unhappy player does not play well and there apparently were things alluded to while she was at Tennessee we will never know. She is here now and we keep on talking about either Evina or Paige at PG but Evina can be a great 2 also so I see her on the court with Paige a lot this year because, if healthy, she is the most complete offensive player on the team and that will be a dynamic duo for any team to contend with.

 

[Alydar]

My eyes are wide open about her. That is why I am registering a note of patience and temperance just as Geno has. There are literally thousands of players who had the skills but not the bodies to play in the NBA and therefore couldn't. The body( physical strength) is exactly the issue here and you cannot separate one from the other. I also think it is simply incorrect to analogize men coming out of high school( they still have to wait a year now) to women. None of the noteworthy men had anything less than pro bodies. Lebron was a physical freak of nature, Moses Malone was too, Kobe was 6'7" and the list goes on and on. Paige will not be playing against players one year older but rather 3 years older who have 3 years of experience, college skills improvement, conditioning, body development, and growth. The skills alone are just aren't enough in the women's game. Maybe she will have the best skills on the team from day one but the "best player" as you say? Because it is more than just skills, I think not. I still think she is sixth man for all the reasons cited in several prior posts.

For all freshmen the jump from high school/AAU ball to UConn's OOC schedule is this; take the best player you've played against in the last 12 months and now you are playing against a team where every player is faster, stronger, more experienced than that best player of the last 12 months. That is part of what 'Maya got'. She was humble enough to know that more was required of her from the beginning. Freshmen who think they are going to perform at their high school level will have to reassess their expectations of effort required. I believe of the 5 incoming freshmen, the ones have the least problem making the adjustments are Aaliyah because of her time on the Canadian national team and perhaps Nika.

"take the best player you've played against in the last 12 months and now you are playing against a team where every player is faster, stronger, more experienced than that best player of the last 12 months."

That is simply not true. I think my case was proven last summer at the U19 games. Check out the makeup of that team and their college class.


Bueckers, Clark, Brink 2024
Belibi, Boston 2023
Egbo, Hillmon-Baker, Howard, Joens, 2022

I see 4 players who are 2 years ahead of Bueckers and a couple of NPOY candidates on that roster. And yet it was Bueckers who won MVP and looked absolutely like the best player on the court. And if you question the level of play I suggest you watch the U19 game vs Australia.

Most HS talent, especially guards, enter college as a rough cut, lots of talent but lacking all the fine points. Bueckers comes in as a polished product. And the scary thing is that she isn't done getting better.

 

[CocoHusky]

So

It worked for Walker who did very little at crunch time, taking down a top five team, and she still made AA. Davis has not made one AA team in three seasons. Playing at UT, imo, hindered that. If Evina does not excel at UConn it will surprise me in a big way, unless she is hampered by injuries.

How did Megan make out when she went head to head against Rennia Davis?
I agree playing at TN would hinder most but Davis is on a rather good arc despite that. She was 2nd Team all SEC as a Sophomore (Evina was not). Davis was 1st Team all SEC and honorable mention AP AA as a Junior while Evina was sitting out. I think Davis was WNBA eligible in 2020 and would have presented a tough choice for many GMs if that choice was between her and Megan Walker. Davis is projected to be among the top 5 picks in the 2021 WNBA draft.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think two things. Many on this board are vastly undervaluing Paige because they are looking at past number ones with little regard to how well she was junior vs senior. Many are just too focused on using that number 1 recruit these last two-three years as a point of reference rather than look what happens when as a junior and you are among top 2 or 3 players. As a result, Paige is a better pg than Evina more than likely. --


But on the flipside I see no reason to expect Paige to be better than Evina as an overall player. Paige’s 3pt shot is highly suspect. Look at the AAU games. She shot poorly from 3 and/or she didn't take many shots beucase she wasn't as confident. I can’t expect a "Maya-like freshman year." On the flip side I do expect her to be a terrific pg right from the start is wrong. Players like DT, Maya, Stew and Tina Charles all had terrific freshman years. And there have be freshmen pg's at UCONN that started and had good years and Paige is even more heralded than any of them.

I am not expecting "Maya" but on the flip-side I am not expecting huge struggles unless you compare her to 1st team all-American players. She didn't get to be MVP as a junior and all these accolades this past year for nothing. Anyhow, imo the best lineup will be with Paige and Evina on the floor together. Both can play pg (I assume from others that Evina is good as a pg) and both can play off the ball. And I'll reiterate what nearly everyone is saying -- extremely extremely extremely doubtful Paige is the best player on this team for an entire season. I can't see that.

 

[donalddoowop]

So

How did Megan make out when she went head to head against Rennia Davis?
I agree playing at TN would hinder most but Davis is on a rather good arc despite that. She was 2nd Team all SEC as a Sophomore (Evina was not). Davis was 1st Team all SEC and honorable mention AP AA as a Junior while Evina was sitting out. I think Davis was WNBA eligible in 2020 and would have presented a tough choice for many GMs if that choice was between her and Megan Walker. Davis is projected to be among the top 5 picks in the 2021 WNBA draft.

Rennia is a very good player and, imo, would have been an AA her sophomore and junior seasons if she played under a better coach. She has really good offensive skills but her defense needs a lot of work, like most UT players. She was satisfied at UT while Westbrook was not. That could have made a big difference in their achievements.

 

[CocoHusky]

Paige’s 3pt shot is highly suspect. Look at the AAU games. She shot poorly from 3 and/or she didn't take many shots beucase she wasn't as confident.

Paige Bueckers?

 

[Alydar]

I think two things. Many on this board are vastly undervaluing Paige because they are looking at past number ones with little regard to how well she was junior vs senior. Many are just too focused on using that number 1 recruit these last two-three years as a point of reference rather than look what happens when as a junior and you are among top 2 or 3 players. As a result, Paige is a better pg than Evina more than likely. --


But on the flipside I see no reason to expect Paige to be better than Evina as an overall player. Paige’s 3pt shot is highly suspect. Look at the AAU games. She shot poorly from 3 and/or she didn't take many shots beucase she wasn't as confident. I can’t expect a "Maya-like freshman year." On the flip side I do expect her to be a terrific pg right from the start is wrong. Players like DT, Maya, Stew and Tina Charles all had terrific freshman years. And there have be freshmen pg's at UCONN that started and had good years and Paige is even more heralded than any of them.

I am not expecting "Maya" but on the flip-side I am not expecting huge struggles unless you compare her to 1st team all-American players. She didn't get to be MVP as a junior and all these accolades this past year for nothing. Anyhow, imo the best lineup will be with Paige and Evina on the floor together. Both can play pg (I assume from others that Evina is good as a pg) and both can play off the ball. And I'll reiterate what nearly everyone is saying -- extremely extremely extremely doubtful Paige is the best player on this team for an entire season. I can't see that.

Paige’s 3pt shot is highly suspect. Look at the AAU games. She shot poorly from 3 and/or she didn't take many shots beucase she wasn't as confident.

You make good points but this is simply wrong. If you watch AAU it must have been prior years because she played USA & 3X3 most of last summer. Bueckers is a complete shooter. She'll be a 40% 3 pt shooter without being even one of the top 3 in attempts. She really never shot a lot of 3's I think because she enjoyed penetrating and passing to open team mates more. In videos I've seen in practice she is like 1 made 3 out of 25 behind Fudd who is considered an outstanding 3 pt shooter.
And don't worry about her confidence. She's good and she knows she's good. I've seen her miss shots and an occasional defensive lapse but I've never seen her sweat or be even a little intimidated. A money player, through and through. She's one of those rare people who seems to enjoy pressure. I used to play golf with a guy like that.

 

[BBallF]

I think two things. Many on this board are vastly undervaluing Paige because they are looking at past number ones with little regard to how well she was junior vs senior. Many are just too focused on using that number 1 recruit these last two-three years as a point of reference rather than look what happens when as a junior and you are among top 2 or 3 players. As a result, Paige is a better pg than Evina more than likely. --


But on the flipside I see no reason to expect Paige to be better than Evina as an overall player. Paige’s 3pt shot is highly suspect. Look at the AAU games. She shot poorly from 3 and/or she didn't take many shots beucase she wasn't as confident. I can’t expect a "Maya-like freshman year." On the flip side I do expect her to be a terrific pg right from the start is wrong. Players like DT, Maya, Stew and Tina Charles all had terrific freshman years. And there have be freshmen pg's at UCONN that started and had good years and Paige is even more heralded than any of them.

I am not expecting "Maya" but on the flip-side I am not expecting huge struggles unless you compare her to 1st team all-American players. She didn't get to be MVP as a junior and all these accolades this past year for nothing. Anyhow, imo the best lineup will be with Paige and Evina on the floor together. Both can play pg (I assume from others that Evina is good as a pg) and both can play off the ball. And I'll reiterate what nearly everyone is saying -- extremely extremely extremely doubtful Paige is the best player on this team for an entire season. I can't see that.

As usual, you make very thoughtful and precise points. To the extent that seeing #1 recruits CW and MW underperform effected anyone's judgment about Paige, without watching her in the abundant videos available, that is an obvious mistake because she is very special. It's the same mistake in a different form that is being made by judging Evina by her Tennessee games. The problem here is we are all trying to project. Will Aubrey be stronger and have more of an offensive game? Will Evina have no signs of rust from her layoff and surgeries? Will Paige adapt immediately or go through an Anna like freshman funk? Will CW get her shot back and have a Meg body transformation? Will Anna finish her drives this year? Will Liv be able to make moves both to the left and right under the basket? Will someone be able shoot a 10 foot pull up jumper off the dribble? I also agree with you that Paige is not the complete college player...yet. There is an issue with her three ball, her physicality and because of that her defense. I also don't think it will matter, except on defense, because I believe like you that we will see a lot of Paige and Evina on the court at the same time because Evina has the all around offensive game that will flourish with Paige and also Anna throwing transition passes to her even more so than CW benefitted last year. Perhaps we are looking at this all wrong and should be thinking more about 2 and 3 or even 4 player combinations in certain situations than trying to project individual player improvements and starting challenges like Paige v. Evina or Aubrey v. Edwards. We have a embarrassment of riches this year and that's why this topic and its tangents are endless. Poor Zika