Fort Hays State Postgame Thread

[Linart]

Does anyone know if WAX (channel 1166 on Comcast) is going to be carrying any more of the games? Their picture quality was excellent. On the other hand, UConn+ alternated between blank screen and fuzzy picture.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

If the game against Boston were actually the championship game. I would play a 4 guard lineup. With strong at the center. I am dead serious. Those are the 5 players most ready to play college basketball right now.

KK
Shade
Chen
Paige
Strong

Fortunately, we have three months to figure out the rotation. And for some of the bigs to develop.

It does make me a bit concerned that 6 players were not available for this game. We can make all of our plans about this player coming back and this player coming back. But that is assuming 100% health for every other player on the team. Teams just generally don’t get healthier when the real games start.

I thought Allie and Q also played well.

 

[Bone Dog]

I thought Allie and Q also played well.

Me too. They both made mistakes, but they also did great things. Allie is clearly a gamer. She kept shooting through it all. So did Q. There’s a lot of pressure on kids in a game like this, even a sophomore like Q. They’re eager to make an impression, to show they belong on the floor. And when everything is still a bit ragged it takes courage to take chances, to go for a steal or make a risky pass or hoist up a 3.

I loved that moment when Q slashed like Aubrey to the rim and scored.

And to change the subject slightly, in one transition play, Kaitlyn hit Sarah with a pass at the perimeter, but she gave it to her too soon. She was still a few steps from where she could spot up for a 3 without dribbling. Rather than hoist a deep 3, Sarah passed the ball. It was a missed opportunity. The thing is, when I saw it my first thought was “Kaitlyn and Sarah are going to hit that play a lot this season.” The machinery is all present. It just needs a little tweaking. It’s wonderful to catch a glimpse of the greatness to come.

 

[yhun89]

Me too. They both made mistakes, but they also did great things. Allie is clearly a gamer. She kept shooting through it all. So did Q. There’s a lot of pressure on kids in a game like this, even a sophomore like Q. They’re eager to make an impression, to show they belong on the floor. And when everything is still a bit ragged it takes courage to take chances, to go for a steal or make a risky pass or hoist up a 3.

I loved that moment when Q slashed like Aubrey to the rim and scored.

And to change the subject slightly, in one transition play, Kaitlyn hit Sarah with a pass at the perimeter, but she gave it to her too soon. She was still a few steps from where she could spot up for a 3 without dribbling. Rather than hoist a deep 3, Sarah passed the ball. It was a missed opportunity. The thing is, when I saw that play my first thought was “Kaitlyn and Sarah are going to hit that play a lot this season.” The machinery is all present. It just needs a little tweaking. It’s wonderful to catch a glimpse of the greatness to come.

Q becoming a slasher is huge. Big step up and puts her length to good use.

Once Allie's 3's start falling, we're gonna be lethal on the perimeter. All her shot were pretty good looks, with the exception of 1-2 of them. Sarah too had some good shots not falling.

I think the best thing about Allie is the confidence. You don't need to yell at her to take more shots or to stop being timid. She'll shoot that ball even if it airballs the first 2 times.

 

[hoophuskee]

In Geno’s press conference before the game, he talked about the importance of post play, pointing out that every one of his championship teams had either one or two dominant post players, sometimes three. That puts some incredible pressure on Sarah, who is not really a dominant post in the classical sense, but a product of the modern game. Of course Paige can play the four ( she did in today’s game), but IMO that is a move of desperation instead of a proven winning formula. She should be playing her normal position, where she can control the game on both sides of the ball.

There was no dominant post player was in DT's 02-03 and 03-04 run. The 99-00 team didn’t have dominant post play. As far as Sarah - of course there is pressure on her. But she won't have to be the number 1 option. Or probably not even the #2 option once Azzi comes back.

And in his postgame after this game did you hear it? He said "I'd like to have more inside scoring" then he went on to say if his team is to take that many shots from the outside then "so be it". He's not saying "We MUST have a dominant post inside scorer." He imo is saying we can use "some." And your point about Sarah he sort of backs up when he says "He can get off a shot any time he wants. with those 2."

He has a unique team. and you saw with your own eyes how well Iowa has done these past two years, and you saw Iowa came close to South Carolian last year, why do you think this can't be replicated but only better with an Azzi/Paige/and what appears to be Sarah led team in which UOCNN can potentially win? You saw what Azzi did her 1st six games in her soph year. You saw her match Clark and you saw SOCar having such difficulties with Clark. SO why do you think that Paige combined with Azzi won't be much greater than what Clark brought on her own? Never mind then we add in Sarah who is on some preseason award lists. This is potentuially a much stronger team than Iowa. A team thta came close last year and the year before beat an time-post centric team.

This past year we saw players such as Juju, Hidalgo, and Booker perform extremely well as frosh. Even if Sarah isn’t what they were but it appears she’ll be somewhat close, right? Are you saying if one of these players near their level was the 3rd option that you would exclude UCONN from winning a title because none of the 3 were a “domnant post?”

And even in Geno's s postgame - isn't he speaking extremely high of his expectations of Sarah regardng her talent and instincts? Why make a big deal of "the pressure" when last year you saw other frosh perform as their #1 catalyst and do it extremely well? It wasn't just 1; it was 3. Why can't Sarah perform near as well as the #3 catalyst? She doesn't "have to be the 3 from last year." But Paige and Azzi would make it easier for her to at a certain high level even if she isn't close to for example to Juju. Great players make others better. So, now all of sudden Paige won't make Sarah much better? And then throw in Azzi, she won't help a ton either? Option 3 is a helluva lot easier to perform vs option 1.

 

[Tonyc]

When your learning something new it takes time. That's part of the learning process. An ole pro once told me "when you learn something new it takes time to adjust to it and your going to get worse, or take a step back before you can take a step forward. In other words he said your going to get worse before you get better. Keep practicing until you get it. I asked him how long will it take. He said as long as you dont quit it will take as long as it takes." Good Advice that I never forgot.

 

[sun]

I thought that Paige set a good quick pace when bringing the ball up with Chen, and they had good chemistry together.
Paige also made some great quarterback passes upcourt.
But what made me chuckle were the missed bunnies that continue to plague the team.
Sarah can shoot 3's but her & others aren't the most relaible at making bunnies.
Like Geno said post game, the team shot more 3's than he would have liked.
Against elite teams that could be the difference between feast or famine & determine the outcome.
UCoon will need to improve their inside scoring.

 

[Dugway]

I didn’t see the game, tried, but the constant stutters from the stream buffering was simply too much for me to deal with. All I know is from the various different posts, box scores, and limited highlights. I understand that the game was pre-season and not even an official game, sounds like the first quarter was extremely sloppy, probably even the entire game was, however in the end UConn won by forty, against a D2 school who likely played very well given who\what they are.

So, question from someone who didn’t watch. Hypothetically, if it had been Bueckers who was held out from playing as opposed to Arnold, would UConn have really struggled, proving that they are basically Paige plus a supporting class who are for all practical purposes not significantly more talented than their opposition? Or, would the remaining teammates still have beaten the crap out of Fort Hays State; as sloppy as they likely played, is our team really very, very talented? Going forward, should Bueckers roll an ankle similar to KK's injury and unavailable for a single game against someone like say, Iowa State, are we still going to be solid?

 

[yhun89]

I didn’t see the game, tried, but the constant stutters from the stream buffering was simply too much for me to deal with. All I know is from the various different posts, box scores, and limited highlights. I understand that the game was pre-season and not even an official game, sounds like the first quarter was extremely sloppy, probably even the entire game was, however in the end UConn won by forty, against a D2 school who likely played very well given who\what they are.

So, question from someone who didn’t watch. Hypothetically, if it had been Bueckers who was held out from playing as opposed to Arnold, would UConn have really struggled, proving that they are basically Paige plus a supporting class who are for all practical purposes not significantly more talented than their opposition? Or, would the remaining teammates still have beaten the crap out of Fort Hays State; as sloppy as they likely played, is our team really very, very talented? Going forward, should Bueckers roll an ankle similar to KK's injury and unavailable for a single game against someone like say, Iowa State, are we still going to be solid?

I still think we would've won, maybe not by as much. There's a steep learning curve for this team.

Had KK been on, the perimeter defense probably would've been much better. She's scrappy and quick, and can shift around and switch onto guards fast. With Chen pressuring the ball handler at the half court, and KK preparing to take on whoever the ball gets passed to, we could've seen a much different defensive set up at the very least. Ash had to lay off the tight D because of those early fouls but she looked a lot more aggressive.

Offense wise, it would've suffered, but not enough to lose. Ash would've done her thing, but a lot more contested without Paige on the floor drawing defense. Sarah and Chen's offense is coming along nicely, Sarah passed up on some solid looks to pass it, I assume her offensive decision making will improve as time goes on.

Against any ranked team, without PB as it stands, we're likely losing (given where the team is now.) as the chemistry isn't there yet. Lucky for us, our big games aren't till December, a good amount of time to test the waters and for people to learn their position and role.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Q becoming a slasher is huge. Big step up and puts her length to good use.

Once Allie's 3's start falling, we're gonna be lethal on the perimeter. All her shot were pretty good looks, with the exception of 1-2 of them. Sarah too had some good shots not falling.

I think the best thing about Allie is the confidence. You don't need to yell at her to take more shots or to stop being timid. She'll shoot that ball even if it airballs the first 2 times.

Allie had 8 pts, 2 rb’s, and 2 assists, if I was scoring correctly. She also plays taller than 6ft. Q had 12 or 14 pts I think. I was bummed that Morgan is hurt.

 

[hoophuskee]

I didn’t see the game, tried, but the constant stutters from the stream buffering was simply too much for me to deal with. All I know is from the various different posts, box scores, and limited highlights. I understand that the game was pre-season and not even an official game, sounds like the first quarter was extremely sloppy, probably even the entire game was, however in the end UConn won by forty, against a D2 school who likely played very well given who\what they are.

So, question from someone who didn’t watch. Hypothetically, if it had been Bueckers who was held out from playing as opposed to Arnold, would UConn have really struggled, proving that they are basically Paige plus a supporting class who are for all practical purposes not significantly more talented than their opposition? Or, would the remaining teammates still have beaten the crap out of Fort Hays State; as sloppy as they likely played, is our team really very, very talented? Going forward, should Bueckers roll an ankle similar to KK's injury and unavailable for a single game against someone like say, Iowa State, are we still going to be solid?

Why the question? How good was Iowa without Clark? UCONN had KK, Azzi, Megan, Ayanna, Caroline, and Aubrey out, and now you want to pull Paige too? They would have one senrior who hasn't played one game prior to this for UCONN. And the rest are all freshmen and sophomores.

*If KK was in her defnese owuld have probably caused some havoc.

The entire game wasn't sloppy. What makes you say that? They had 4 turnovers the 1st qtr abd twlvle 8 the rest of teh game. They had 15 points 1st qtr but 74 the rest of the way. This is "sloppy?" Averaging near 25 points per qtr wiht 2/3 trunovers per qtr and this is "sloppy?" The Divsion 2 team was playing against mostly frosh and soph and a sr whose 1st game was yesterday and you are proposing to remove UCONN's best and most experienced player along knowing 6 others are out and you are trying to draw a poitn "what if no Paige?" huh?

 

[UcMiami]

Doesn’t seem too bad. Coach said she was in and out of practice. Said she’d be back the earliest of the injured bunch.

It is a bit worrying though, as I believe her hamstring has done this multiple times throughout her HS career. Might not see much of her this year.

Geno actually said she has had quad, hamstring, and groin issues since arriving on campus in June - nothing serious but all a pain in the ___, so to speak. Just can't seem to get all together.

 

[Bone Dog]

Lots of angst about post play and it makes sense. How do we replace Aaliyah? We don’t have any obviously pro-ready post players. But I also think Sarah will go along way to providing a lot of the things Aaliyah did: post defense, high hedge defense, rebounding, a sure handed big to help break the press, and excellent midrange and perimeter scoring. She may not be quite as good as Aaliyah was at some of these things last season. But I expect she’ll prove to be comparable to freshman Aaliyah or better. Just her perimeter shooting is likely to be better.

One thing I’ll miss is Aaliyah’s ability to drive the lane or the baseline. Theres something inspiring about someone that big moving that quickly with the ball. I haven’t seen Sarah do that yet. And Aaliyah could get out in the break like very few bigs can. Sarah showed us a bit of that on one steal.

Will freshman Sarah be as good as senior Aaliyah? Maybe not. But I think she’ll go a long way to filling that void. The real question is whether Ice and Jana will be able not just to replace something but to add something we didn’t have last season, a big to play next to Sarah and be even “bigger”? I’m really looking forward to finding out.

 

[ochoopsfan]

You have to go back to the 2015-16 season to find UConn only having 2 FT's in the entire game. It was done twice back then vs Fla St and USF. 42 points in the paint by UConn and no trips to FT line until 4th qtr. ?

 

[huskiemaniac]

Amazing to finally kick off the new season. 6 of 14 players out injured, feels like the last few years. The team will look increasingly better as the roster returns and the chemistry builds.

This is Paige’s team. She looks primed for first team AA and potentially NPOY. No surprises there, but she looked even better?!

Was surprised to see us not shoot a free throw until very late in the game. And I thought there were too many 3s taken vs attacking the basket.

It’s clear our guard play is our strength, our interior game looked pretty weak. Ice physically looked better, but her play didn’t appear any better. Strong will be a major factor all season. Jana looked a bit lost.

Lots of potential for improvement. And I think having just Azzi and KK back will make a massive difference.

As will Aubrey and yana…

 

[hoophuskee]

Lots of angst about post play and it makes sense. How do we replace Aaliyah? We don’t have any obviously pro-ready post players. But I also think Sarah will go along way to providing a lot of the things Aaliyah did: post defense, high hedge defense, rebounding, a sure handed big to help break the press, and excellent midrange and perimeter scoring. She may not be quite as good as Aaliyah was at some of these things last season. But I expect she’ll prove to be comparable to freshman Aaliyah or better. Just her perimeter shooting is likely to be better.

One thing I’ll miss is Aaliyah’s ability to drive the lane or the baseline. Theres something inspiring about someone that big moving that quickly with the ball. I haven’t seen Sarah do that yet. And Aaliyah could get out in the break like very few bigs can. Sarah showed us a bit of that on one steal.

Will freshman Sarah be as good as senior Aaliyah? Maybe not. But I think she’ll go a long way to filling that void. The real question is whether Ice and Jana will be able not just to replace something but to add something we didn’t have last season, a big to play next to Sarah and be even “bigger”? I’m really looking forward to finding out.

Sarah is also a superior passer than AE. So while not as "athletically quick" as AE, by being a much better passer she is just as dangerous if not more because of her passing once she puts the ball on the floor. Though probably as a frosh not the finisher. Though AE also wasn't immune to missing bunnies.

 

[Dugway]

Why the question? Because it is an honest scenario that could occur. I’ve seen sprained ankles. I've seen bereavement leaves when a player was at a grandparent’s funeral. I’ve seen them miss a game to two due to COVID. I’ve seen them catch an elbow in the nose! I’ve seen jammed thumbs and fingers. You have seen hundreds of these scenarios just as well. This is not a secret or impossibility.

How good was Iowa without Clark? I don’t know. I think by in large, Iowa was lucky enough not to have too many games without her. But that doesn’t mean a darn thing; statistically, there are a portion of the players on every team that will be unavailable for a game or two at some point.

UCONN had KK, Azzi, Megan, Ayanna, Caroline, and Aubrey out, and now you want to pull Paige too? They would have one senrior who hasn't played one game prior to this for UCONN. And the rest are all freshmen and sophomores. Yes. Pretty much the exact question I was asking. Depending upon what part of the season this hypothetical might occur, in responding you might predict that we would have some or all of those players available. I personally think we would still be pretty darn good, even without Bueckers. Two days ago, this forum went from the highest of highs, to yesterday after the game where many have projected a lot of angst!

The entire game wasn't sloppy. What makes you say that? Because I didn’t see the game and have read a whole bunch of gloom and doom posts. It is because I didn’t see it that I included the word “probably”. I know for a fact that it was a preseason exhibition, with a bunch of Freshmen and Sophomores playing; are you suggesting that they appeared to have played in top form? Or, having not seen the game was "probably sloppy" a realistic guess of yesterday's preseason play?

…you are proposing to remove UCONN's best and most experienced player along knowing 6 others are out and you are trying to draw a poitn "what if no Paige?" huh? Yup, my question exactly! You could have answered and said, ‘if we don’t have those players, and no PB, playing the way we played yesterday, we would get creamed against the entire Big East.’ Or, you could have answered, ‘regardless of their absence, we would still dominate the Big East, and I’d expect that we will have most if not all of those players active anyway. With or without Bueckers, we are a force to reckon with! All of the way through to the Championship Game!’

hoophuskee, you are very knowledgeable and make informative posts. I’d appreciate your honest assessment of the team, one way or the other. You don’t need to be defensive about the question.

 

[oldude]

Will freshman Sarah be as good as senior Aaliyah?

Here's a better question. Will freshman Sarah be as good or better than freshman Aaliyah? While Aaliyah had her moments as a freshman, she often played like a bull in a China Shop, constantly getting into foul trouble as she would run down the court not looking ahead, running over defenders who simply stood in front of her. She also turned the ball over frequently.

At this point Sarah is a better shooter, passer, ball handler and perimeter defender than Aaliyah was as a freshman and probably also as a senior. I would give Aaliyah the edge in rebounding and post defense. I love Aaliyah, but Sarah is the real deal, and she will only get better.

 

[hoophuskee]

Here's a better question. Will freshman Sarah be as good or better than freshman Aaliyah? While Aaliyah had her moments as a freshman, she often played like a bull in a China Shop, constantly getting into foul trouble as she would run down the court not looking ahead, running over defenders who simply stood in front of her. She also turned the ball over frequently.

At this point Sarah is a better shooter, passer, ball handler and perimeter defender than Aaliyah was as a freshman and probably also as a senior. I would give Aaliyah the edge in rebounding and post defense. I love Aaliyah, but Sarah is the real deal, and she will only get better.

By end of seasom Sarah might be near equal to peak AE.

 

[DEpup]

So I've had bball on the TV today and I'm feeling a lot better about our exhibition game... There has been some equally sloppy play by everyone and these are games with sort of barely division 1 programs. At least our game was against a really good division 2.

No one and I mean no one has yet played anywhere close to Paige level from yesterday.

 

[UcMiami]

Here's a better question. Will freshman Sarah be as good or better than freshman Aaliyah? While Aaliyah had her moments as a freshman, she often played like a bull in a China Shop, constantly getting into foul trouble as she would run down the court not looking ahead, running over defenders who simply stood in front of her. She also turned the ball over frequently.

At this point Sarah is a better shooter, passer, ball handler and perimeter defender than Aaliyah was as a freshman and probably also as a senior. I would give Aaliyah the edge in rebounding and post defense. I love Aaliyah, but Sarah is the real deal, and she will only get better.

Yeah, I actually think Jana's play sort of reminds me of freshman Aaliyah's international background otherwise known as 'bull in a china shop' style - in fact Ice probably is the closest to Aaliyah physically, especially with the work she obviously put in on the weights.

 

[Bone Dog]

Yeah, I actually think Jana's play sort of reminds me of freshman Aaliyah's international background otherwise known as 'bull in a china shop' style - in fact Ice probably is the closest to Aaliyah physically, especially with the work she obviously put in on the weights.

Didn't Geno once say of Aaliyah that she gets two fouls called on her just walking into the building?

 

[RoadMaster]

 

[Boreifs]

There was no dominant post player was in DT's 02-03 and 03-04 run. The 99-00 team didn’t have dominant post play. As far as Sarah - of course there is pressure on her. But she won't have to be the number 1 option. Or probably not even the #2 option once Azzi comes back.

And in his postgame after this game did you hear it? He said "I'd like to have more inside scoring" then he went on to say if his team is to take that many shots from the outside then "so be it". He's not saying "We MUST have a dominant post inside scorer." He imo is saying we can use "some." And your point about Sarah he sort of backs up when he says "He can get off a shot any time he wants. with those 2."

He has a unique team. and you saw with your own eyes how well Iowa has done these past two years, and you saw Iowa came close to South Carolian last year, why do you think this can't be replicated but only better with an Azzi/Paige/and what appears to be Sarah led team in which UOCNN can potentially win? You saw what Azzi did her 1st six games in her soph year. You saw her match Clark and you saw SOCar having such difficulties with Clark. SO why do you think that Paige combined with Azzi won't be much greater than what Clark brought on her own? Never mind then we add in Sarah who is on some preseason award lists. This is potentuially a much stronger team than Iowa. A team thta came close last year and the year before beat an time-post centric team.

This past year we saw players such as Juju, Hidalgo, and Booker perform extremely well as frosh. Even if Sarah isn’t what they were but it appears she’ll be somewhat close, right? Are you saying if one of these players near their level was the 3rd option that you would exclude UCONN from winning a title because none of the 3 were a “domnant post?”

And even in Geno's s postgame - isn't he speaking extremely high of his expectations of Sarah regardng her talent and instincts? Why make a big deal of "the pressure" when last year you saw other frosh perform as their #1 catalyst and do it extremely well? It wasn't just 1; it was 3. Why can't Sarah perform near as well as the #3 catalyst? She doesn't "have to be the 3 from last year." But Paige and Azzi would make it easier for her to at a certain high level even if she isn't close to for example to Juju. Great players make others better. So, now all of sudden Paige won't make Sarah much better? And then throw in Azzi, she won't help a ton either? Option 3 is a helluva lot easier to perform vs option 1.

I was repeating what Geno said; discuss it with him.

 

[hoophuskee]

I was repeating what Geno said; discuss it with him.

I dont need to discuiss it with him. He said he was fine with the team shooting as many 3's/or from outside and not that concerned. Maybe you should lsiten to all he says rather than whta you want to hear? Can you indeitfy in his post game that he feels this season is going to be a long one after he said he would be okay if they shot as much form the outsude as they had?