Ice will be better than Morrow. Skill set is better. Jumper, high post game etc etc…. You shall see. Ice has the potential to be a UConn great! She is built for this.
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Solid take. That would be one heck of a combo and definitely one combo we would love to have for the team. I think once Ice gets use to the pace and physical level of play at the college level, she is going to be special.
Because I haven’t seen her play against Division 1 level talent yet. I take into account that most of players she played with and against ARE NOT Division 1 level talent. I want/need to see what she can do playing against players as talented as she is, and in most cases older that she is. It doesn’t take real cream long to rise to the top. We all have high expectations of our incoming freshmen.
I’ve seen the video of her game against LJCDS (Breya Cunningham and Jada Williams) last year. A close game decided in the final seconds. Watkins basically carried her team to the win on both ends of the court. Undoubtedly a Div 1 talent. I think she’s 6’1 or 6’2” but plays much larger.
Some players have "can't miss" written all over them. Ice is one of those players. I'm not concerned if she will "get it", she will and soon. There is no doubt in my mind that Ice Brady is the real deal.
One of the best coaches pronouncements of all times. It's right up there with Denny Green's "They were who we thought they were".
Count me in, too!
I wasn’t talking about the size of the schools but of the players. It’s clear that, like many other prep schools, LJCDS recruits for their sports teams and invests heavily in them. I don’t think CCHS does either one, though I could be misinformed on this.
I agree, Brady typically beat everyone down the floor and had great post position with her defender on her back waiting for the ball. I was impressed with her defense also. She was hedging like it was second nature. And during one game, they were playing her and del Rosario together and she was switching 1-4 without an issue (not necessarily the same level of competition as D1, but no slouche's either). She showed quick hands and quick feet.
The same reason I was skeptical of Paige!! Remember, I’m from Missouri. Show me!! Show you can do the things at THIS level that you did in high school. Until I see her unpack her bags and have success against D1 opponents, I’m not convienced.
Yeah, Paige has set the bar for UCONN freshmen ridiculously high.
I have some of the wait and see burden of proof with regards to Ayanna, but mostly regarding her ability to score down low. I consider good rebounding and defense to be traits I am already convinced about, but based on the clips I have seen, it appears to me that when Ayanna scores around the basket it is usually a jump-shot where she rises above both smaller and less athletic defenders. She hasn't really developed much variety or moves partly because she hasn't had to. She just overpowers players inside.
i agree on Boston vs Ice. Morrow, is a different case. Everything for me depends on seeing ICE in action on the floor. I thought Morrow was a "deceptive" player, in every meaning of the word. She got away, in the game with Uconn, with more than Edwards. If she hadn't Her success could have been less. She is a physical power, with a great shot in close.
I think everyone learned how successful Freshmen could be. But Uconn has had very very successful freshmen over the years. Of all the years I 've spent on court side at Uconn and watching on TV, this past season, for me, was exceptional. Freshmen and Sophomores led the way. Without them, I'm on fairly firm ground with, it may not have ended so well--yes, even losing an NC can be an exceptional season.
This is not 100 percent accurate, for sure. I believed for many decades that top players play well at most levels. Paige, Azzi, Caroline and Uconn historic greats have proven that. Some that don't probably shouldn't have been considered (harsh, huh?). Right now, I'm believing Uconn kids for 9 or so players are in that "can play anywhere" category, while healthy.
It's only a dream when it doesn't come true. OPPORTUNITY is knocking!!
“I want to do what it takes, whatever the role the coaches have for me that will help us win championships is what I’ll do,” Brady said. “Whether it’s getting all the rebounds, making good passes, scoring in the post, I’ll do whatever it takes.” - Ice Brady.
How can you not root and cheer for a player with that attitude? I'm telling you, I like this young lady. I don't think she'll disappoint.
I've said it many times, and I'll say it again.........she takes a no no sense approach to playing and learning the game. She plays under control,
and she plays with a sense of urgency. I'm very interested to see her development by mid January (14-15 games). The training wheels should have come off by then as the game should have slowed down and her sea legs are steady and firm beneath her.
There are HS conferences and AAU conferences and there are those that play the best most of the season. All experiences aren't equal. Brady hasn't seen it all but she is no novice to big time BB. How well did she do this summer, did she hide, foul a lot, not take shots? That is one of my indicators--Uconn's kids that play internationally pre Uconn and excelled mostly were standouts.“The number one thing is the level of intensity. When I had my first individual workout with CD I learned very quickly that things here are faster, more intense, more elite than anything I’ve done.” ~ Ice Brady.
Her comment mirrors EXACTLY those that Crystal Dangerfield given during an interview after the second day of official practice her freshman year. Crystal said (I'm paraphrasing) "of all the junior high, high school and AAU basketball games and practices I've ever participated in, NOTHING has prepared me for what I've gone through these first two days of practice."
Lots of adjustments for freshmen to make at this level. The most notable is the difference in the speed of the game at the ELITE college level, and the size and quickness of other players. It's an adjustment every freshman makes. Some like Paige and Maya make it very quickly. Everything I've seen and read about Brady tells me she's special. From what I can see, she takes a serious no non sense approach to playing and improving her game. I believe Brady could become one of the predominate post players in the country by her junior year.
Don't hold me to this, but I think once she gets her sea legs, and the game slows down for her, she could possibly become our Aliyah Boston.
I’ve commented on this before. When we played them in Chicago, she got away with a lot and Aaliyah and the other bigs were dinged with touch fouls all game long. It was a different story in Storrs. She got more balanced officiating and it affected her game. She still had a good game, but she wasn’t a decisive factor, no longer an unstoppable force as in the previous game.
