Fort Hays State Postgame Thread

[Linart]

27 bench points--now that's a change from last year!

 

[Bigboote]

Question: I didn't see Caroline, although I assume she was there. Did anyone see if she's still wearing earplugs?

 

[huskeynut]

Question: I didn't see Caroline, although I assume she was there. Did anyone see if she's still wearing earplugs?

She was on the bench in team sweats. I didn't notice any earplugs.

 

[CL82]

Am I the only one who thinks that Ziebell looks like one of the Mabrey sisters at Notre Dame?

No! My wife and I were talking about that during the game!

 

[Urshurak]

Am I the only one who thinks that Ziebell looks like one of the Mabrey sisters at Notre Dame?

I would have to see her flop to make a final conclusion.

 

[RoadMaster]

 

[PJCLaw]

Loved what I saw from Strong, Chen, and Shade today. Paige is just amazing. Our post play will be something missing all year. Jana will need time to adjust to the US game, (ie Nika). Ice remains a conundrum. Another forward who wants to shoot from the outside. Paige maybe going back to playing as a forward if the bigs can’t produce

It's so refreshing to read your positive thoughts about the post players before the first regular season game...Sheesh!!

 

[MooseJaw]

Loved what I saw from Strong, Chen, and Shade today. Paige is just amazing. Our post play will be something missing all year. Jana will need time to adjust to the US game, (ie Nika). Ice remains a conundrum. Another forward who wants to shoot from the outside. Paige maybe going back to playing as a forward if the bigs can’t produce

Really? We must have completely different ways to interpret what we saw today. I saw what is to be the beginning of a very good line up for our bigs. Ask any and all teams if they would take our line-up of bigs Saraha, Janna, Ice and Aayanna and trade us theirs. The trade offers would be near unanimous. By mid-season we will be running over most if not all our opposition. Of course this is just my opinion, and as such it is beyond contestation.

 

[JoePgh]

I attended the game in person, and I agree with most of what has been written here. Here are some random observations that I don't think anyone else has offered:

1. The new scoreboards at Gampel are amazing -- I huge video screen of the game in the middle, and a fairly complete box score for each team on either side. But you have to search to find the game score when it isn't being shown on the gamecast.
2. No one commented on the defense, which looked to be in much better order than the offense. Fort Hays wasn't having any luck getting inside, except for offensive rebounds, of which they had 11 (too many).
3. Despite the problems with scoring in the paint, the box score (available at uconnhuskies.com) shows a 42-18 advantage for UConn in points in the paint. Watching the game live, it seemed as if UConn was taking nothing but jump shots, but perhaps that was a false impression. I wouldn't be surprised if UConn's guards had most of the paint points on short jump shots.
4. Paige was 12-for-14 in shooting, and I believe that she made her first 12 shots and missed her last two. Several of her shots would make Jayson Tatum proud if he had made them.
5. Overall, UConn shot 50% (37-74) and help Fort Hays to 29% (18-62). Fifty percent shooting isn't bad for the first game.
6. UConn took 35 3-point shots and made 13 (37%), which are Celtics-like numbers. Even with that good-but-not-great shooting percentage on 3's, the score certainly piled up when they starting going in during the second quarter.
7. Further regarding 3-point shooting, Allie was 2-for-10 and Sarah was 1-for-6. So if you exclude those two nervous freshmen from the total, the remainder of the team shot 10-for-19, over 50%. When those two frosh get their nerves under control and Azzi returns, UConn could start shooting over 40% from 3 on high-volume shooting. It will take a lot of paint points by opponents to overcome that.
8. Regarding Ice, I did not like the fact that UConn's first two shots of the game were jump shot attempts by Ice from outside the paint. I think Geno corrected that at the next timeout, because she did not keep doing that. BUT, UConn got exactly 2 points from its center position: Ice was 0-5 and Jana scored just one field goal on a putback. Neither of them attempted a free throw. In fact, UConn had only 2 free throw attempts for the entire game (both by Qadence late in the game), which reflects the absence of inside offense.
9. Regarding Jana, I would say that she has been badly over-hyped based on this game. She did show herself to be a strong rebounder (9 rebounds in 11 minutes, including 4 offensive rebounds), but she only took one shot. As another poster mentioned, numerous post entry passes were stolen because neither Jana nor Ice sealed off their defenders before the pass came to them. Moreover, Jana's fouling proclivity (4 fouls in 11 minutes of playing time) is an urgent problem that needs to be fixed for UConn to have an adequate presence in the paint.
10. Qadence may be a more critical player than we thought. She was 4-for-8 and 2-for-5 from 3, and got 5 rebounds. She did not seem to be out of position or out of sync with her teammates at any time.
11. Ashlynn played like a senior for all of her 32 minutes. It would have been nice to see KK as well, but Ashlynn is certainly solid at that off-guard position. She had 15 points on 6-11 shooting (3 of 6 from 3), and a team-high 4 steals.
12. Kaitlyn Chen is going to be the point guard on this team, and she is perfectly suited to the role. She had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists vs. 3 turnovers (on those post entry passes that were stolen) in a team-high 35 minutes. A concern is that she and Ice both had 4 fouls.
13. Sarah has NOT been over-hyped. She played calmly and steadily. Apart from her 3-point shooting malaise, she played a strong (no pun intended) 28 minutes with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists vs. 1 turnover, and 2 steals.

I think the inside offense is the only major concern from this exhibition. Hopefully Ayanna and Morgan can be back soon to help with that; they are probably more important to the team at this point than Azzi or KK.

 

[ConnManFan]

I tend to look at these games more critically than most. I keep asking myself, "why did Paige miss two shots?"

 

[jabstep]

Agree. Brady wasn't used much in post ups last year, Edwards handled 90% of them. And El Alfy has never had to or learned the footwork. Her HS aged club teams allowed her to basically cruise around the perimeter to get the ball because they had no capable passers. Best hope would be Strong but she's more valuable at the high post with options. UConn had better score a lot in transition or make a lot of 3s.

When Azzi is back they will have the shooters and I could see them playing Paige at the 4 again in a 4 guard offense.

 

[augustaTC]

Am I the only one who thinks that Ziebell looks like one of the Mabrey sisters at Notre Dame?

Except in the area of cheap shots.

 

[oldude]

Ho-Hum……

 

[Bigboote]

Really? We must have completely different ways to interpret what we saw today. I saw what is to be the beginning of a very good line up for our bigs. Ask any and all teams if they would take our line-up of bigs Saraha, Janna, Ice and Aayanna and trade us theirs. The trade offers would be near unanimous. By mid-season we will be running over most if not all our opposition. Of course this is just my opinion, and as such it is beyond contestation.

Thanks for a dose of realism. This was the first college game for Sarah and Jana, plus Jana is coming off a serious injury. Let's not forget that in addition to Geno, UConn has Chris Dailey and Jamelle Elliott to coach the bigs. Chris may be the best x's and o's bigs coach around, and Jamelle the toughest. Ice and Sarah are both very good passers -- As JoePgh said, Ice and Jana need to better seal off their defenders, then the entry passes will be there all game. A couple of passes from the guards were also ill-timed or -executed.

We'll all be oohing and aahing over the bigs 10 games into the season.

 

[huskeynut]

Sarah, Jana and Ice will be just fine. Those who are being hyper critical need to take a chill pill.

It takes time for post players to develop. Ice is in her second season playing. She will improve. Jana and Sarah are both "rookies" in the their first year of college ball.

The inside game willl develop over time. This team is still getting to know each other. And there are still 3 players coming back from injuries that need to be integrated back into the flow.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Ball movement must have been a preseason emphasis. It was very good. Sometimes people just assume that a player is a center based on height. I base it on skillset and innate tendencies (which may have to be undone...not easy). I say this because while Ice and Jana are tall, their tendencies from what I have seen are more that of a power or small forward as opposed to a back to the basket and seal center. So, give them a minute. It's a different feel altogether. I actually expected Jana to court with foul trouble early. She's very aggressive and needs to adjust her (horizontal) force. I liked all the different lineups which I think should be prioritized in any exhibition game. I didn't see anything alarming or unexpected at this stage of the season.

 

[Boreifs]

I attended the game in person, and I agree with most of what has been written here. Here are some random observations that I don't think anyone else has offered:

1. The new scoreboards at Gampel are amazing -- I huge video screen of the game in the middle, and a fairly complete box score for each team on either side. But you have to search to find the game score when it isn't being shown on the gamecast.
2. No one commented on the defense, which looked to be in much better order than the offense. Fort Hays wasn't having any luck getting inside, except for offensive rebounds, of which they had 11 (too many).
3. Despite the problems with scoring in the paint, the box score (available at uconnhuskies.com) shows a 42-18 advantage for UConn in points in the paint. Watching the game live, it seemed as if UConn was taking nothing but jump shots, but perhaps that was a false impression. I wouldn't be surprised if UConn's guards had most of the paint points on short jump shots.
4. Paige was 12-for-14 in shooting, and I believe that she made her first 12 shots and missed her last two. Several of her shots would make Jayson Tatum proud if he had made them.
5. Overall, UConn shot 50% (37-74) and help Fort Hays to 29% (18-62). Fifty percent shooting isn't bad for the first game.
6. UConn took 35 3-point shots and made 13 (37%), which are Celtics-like numbers. Even with that good-but-not-great shooting percentage on 3's, the score certainly piled up when they starting going in during the second quarter.
7. Further regarding 3-point shooting, Allie was 2-for-10 and Sarah was 1-for-6. So if you exclude those two nervous freshmen from the total, the remainder of the team shot 10-for-19, over 50%. When those two frosh get their nerves under control and Azzi returns, UConn could start shooting over 40% from 3 on high-volume shooting. It will take a lot of paint points by opponents to overcome that.
8. Regarding Ice, I did not like the fact that UConn's first two shots of the game were jump shot attempts by Ice from outside the paint. I think Geno corrected that at the next timeout, because she did not keep doing that. BUT, UConn got exactly 2 points from its center position: Ice was 0-5 and Jana scored just one field goal on a putback. Neither of them attempted a free throw. In fact, UConn had only 2 free throw attempts for the entire game (both by Qadence late in the game), which reflects the absence of inside offense.
9. Regarding Jana, I would say that she has been badly over-hyped based on this game. She did show herself to be a strong rebounder (9 rebounds in 11 minutes, including 4 offensive rebounds), but she only took one shot. As another poster mentioned, numerous post entry passes were stolen because neither Jana nor Ice sealed off their defenders before the pass came to them. Moreover, Jana's fouling proclivity (4 fouls in 11 minutes of playing time) is an urgent problem that needs to be fixed for UConn to have an adequate presence in the paint.
10. Qadence may be a more critical player than we thought. She was 4-for-8 and 2-for-5 from 3, and got 5 rebounds. She did not seem to be out of position or out of sync with her teammates at any time.
11. Ashlynn played like a senior for all of her 32 minutes. It would have been nice to see KK as well, but Ashlynn is certainly solid at that off-guard position. She had 15 points on 6-11 shooting (3 of 6 from 3), and a team-high 4 steals.
12. Kaitlyn Chen is going to be the point guard on this team, and she is perfectly suited to the role. She had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists vs. 3 turnovers (on those post entry passes that were stolen) in a team-high 35 minutes. A concern is that she and Ice both had 4 fouls.
13. Sarah has NOT been over-hyped. She played calmly and steadily. Apart from her 3-point shooting malaise, she played a strong (no pun intended) 28 minutes with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists vs. 1 turnover, and 2 steals.

I think the inside offense is the only major concern from this exhibition. Hopefully Ayanna and Morgan can be back soon to help with that; they are probably more important to the team at this point than Azzi or KK.

Your last point is spot on. They really need Ayanna and Morgan to be healthy. That gives them a very talented backup at the four and 15 fouls at the five, which they will need.

 

[hoophuskee]

Ball movement must have been a preseason emphasis. It was very good. Sometimes people just assume that a player is a center based on height. I base it on skillset and innate tendencies (which may have to be undone...not easy). I say this because while Ice and Jana are tall, but their tendencies from what I have seen are more that of a power or small forward as opposed to a back to the basket and seal center. So, give them a minute. It's a different feel altogether. I actually expected Jana to court with foul trouble early. She's very aggressive and needs to adjust her (horizontal) force. I liked all the different lineups which I think should be prioritized in any exhibition game. I didn't see anything alarming or unexpected at this stage of the season.

Jana looks like a center. Definitely no way a SF.

 

[Zonepress]

I find the hyper critical comments about the post players to be quite foolish
As I see the games live with some reasonably good seats, it allows one to follow a player and not necessarily follow the ball
Re JAE rebounding was very good, and she worked very hard defensively
He put back on offensive rebound was good to see
Having not played in a competitive basketball game in a few years, I thought her performance was reasonably good, considering the circumstances
Re ice : she has obviously dropped quite a few pounds, and it was obvious by the way she ran the floor.. significantly better than last year
Additionally, she moved much better defensively than last year, especially on switches with players away from the basket
Apparently in evaluating the performance, many posters seem to think that it’s only about how many points scores
The team doesn’t need the center position to be great just to be steady and not make big mistakes

A few other random thoughts
Sara, Strong’s basketball, IQ and feel for the game is as good as I’ve ever seen or a freshman
Her ability to guard people in space at her size is very impressive
Never gets out of position, defensively and has very quick hands
There was a High screen in the second half
In which she stepped back, instead of rolling to the basket, and was wide-open for the three and knocked it gown
She and page can run that anytime they want
, I was beyond impressed with her

Kaitlyn Chen is as I remember her from the game with a Princeton a few years ago
Seems to be more effective as an off guard, and not as a point guard

Allie Z I think will have to improve defensively to get major minutes
Got beat a number of times off the dribble
But seems to be very good at finding the open space on the floor for the wide-open three
I suspect she will make it better percentage going forward

For all those bemoaning that the team did not play well
Would you have thought differently in the first half they made five or six more open3’s
And last, but not least page is beyond extraordinary
She didn’t even break a sweat today

 

[Monte]

I know it's only 1 game, and an exhibition game, at that, but I see the 2 most improved players being Shade and Q. I liked the way both of them moved around the court. Last year, it seemed that those two just stood in the corner most of the time, waiting for a pass.
I liked the way both of them ran or drove to the basket.

 

[my2cents]

Agree. Brady wasn't used much in post ups last year, Edwards handled 90% of them. And El Alfy has never had to or learned the footwork. Her HS aged club teams allowed her to basically cruise around the perimeter to get the ball because they had no capable passers. Best hope would be Strong but she's more valuable at the high post with options. UConn had better score a lot in transition or make a lot of 3s.

Low post scoring is becoming a thing of the past in basketball, at all levels. Our team seems to be pretty well positioned to take advantage of this trend.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Jana looks like a center. Definitely no way a SF.

Jana...power forward. Ice...small forward. I was being lazy.

 

[Boreifs]

Very interesting stat. Ash has played 1178 minutes of college basketball; Azzi has played 1181.

 

[Majic Hands]

I would have to see her flop to make a final conclusion.

Are you saying she might look like the flop sisters?

 

[ConnecticutBB]

Question: I didn't see Caroline, although I assume she was there. Did anyone see if she's still wearing earplugs?

Bright orange ear plugs…