Forwards & centers

[Conndog]

Losing Paige is bad, but the team seems to be still loaded at guard. At the forward and center position, I’m less certain we have the strong bangers needed to beat a team like South Carolina and neutralize Boston. Maybe I’m focusing too much on Boston- she’s so strong and relentless. Do we even need to become a team of bangers?
Dorka always seemed more a finesse type player to me. Especially since she is returning from the broken wrist, will she mix it up down low and provide muscle? Geno likes the high-low combo- with Liv and Aaliyah, one was up high and the other was down low. Aaliyah doesn’t flourish as well up high in my opinion, so I think Dorka should be up high, but that means Dorka isn’t down low.
Can Amari become a banger or a force down low near the basket? It seemed she like being up high and shooting from there. The opportunity is there for her to really contribute.
I think Patterson will be a stud and a rebounding force. But she’s a freshman along with Ice. Still, if she comes into the game, maybe to spell relief for a few minutes, I think she will hold her own pretty well.
Am I worrying about nothing? Does UConn need someone to become their own version of Boston? I remember that fantastic tournament game when Louisville beat unbeatable Baylor and Brittany Griner. Best game I ever saw. Maybe UConn is good enough with enough weapons to beat South Carolina even with Boston.

 

[cometjo]

Does any team have the players to neutralize Boston? I'd say not...just like no one can neutralize Page. You can only hope that everything you have, added together, can beat everything they have, added together. Since that amounts to not just individual skill but team play and matchups, we really can't know until they play. (Thats why we have games!)

 

[eebmg]

Does any team have the players to neutralize Boston? I'd say not...just like no one can neutralize Page. You can only hope that everything you have, added together, can beat everything they have, added together. Since that amounts to not just individual skill but team play and matchups, we really can't know until they play. (Thats why we have games!)

Agreed. Boston more than held her own against some of the Elite WNBA players recently. Cant worry that we have no single player in the post that can match up favorably. Got to beat them in other ways

 

[Stymie]

Does any team have the players to neutralize Boston? I'd say not...just like no one can neutralize Page. You can only hope that everything you have, added together, can beat everything they have, added together. Since that amounts to not just individual skill but team play and matchups, we really can't know until they play. (Thats why we have games!)

Yes.
But before I speculate;
Let’s see UCONN neutralize Morrow before we move on to Boston.

 

[Galaxyshooter]

Losing Paige is bad, but the team seems to be still loaded at guard. At the forward and center position, I’m less certain we have the strong bangers needed to beat a team like South Carolina and neutralize Boston. Maybe I’m focusing too much on Boston- she’s so strong and relentless. Do we even need to become a team of bangers?
Dorka always seemed more a finesse type player to me. Especially since she is returning from the broken wrist, will she mix it up down low and provide muscle? Geno likes the high-low combo- with Liv and Aaliyah, one was up high and the other was down low. Aaliyah doesn’t flourish as well up high in my opinion, so I think Dorka should be up high, but that means Dorka isn’t down low.
Can Amari become a banger or a force down low near the basket? It seemed she like being up high and shooting from there. The opportunity is there for her to really contribute.
I think Patterson will be a stud and a rebounding force. But she’s a freshman along with Ice. Still, if she comes into the game, maybe to spell relief for a few minutes, I think she will hold her own pretty well.
Am I worrying about nothing? Does UConn need someone to become their own version of Boston? I remember that fantastic tournament game when Louisville beat unbeatable Baylor and Brittany Griner. Best game I ever saw. Maybe UConn is good enough with enough weapons to beat South Carolina even with Boston.

I think we have the team to beat SC in both games last year we were very competitive and those rebounds were due to missed shots that we should have made. SC loves to play slow physical half and only run off of turnovers they create. With our guards and shooters, we should play our game, not theirs. I would love to us make our shots and run them up and down the floor, Boston is a great player but she's dominant in the half-court game let's see try and keep up with our speed. We should play to our strengths and not to our opponents. But we'd better make sure we're making shots or it could be a long game against SC

 

[GEAinAustin]

Stymie, great point. Don't understand the underestimating of Patterson's talent. She will be playing much more than a few minutes as some suggest.

 

[tower1]

Does any team have the players to neutralize Boston? I'd say not...just like no one can neutralize Page. You can only hope that everything you have, added together, can beat everything they have, added together. Since that amounts to not just individual skill but team play and matchups, we really can't know until they play. (Thats why we have games!)

We keep focusing on Boston, But it was our guards that didn't help us and didn't score. I loved our seniors but they let us down on that championship game.

 

[Bone Dog]

Yes.
But before I speculate;
Let’s see UCONN neutralize Morrow before we move on to Boston.

I totally agree about this. Morrow and Boston are the sort of players who are going to get a double-double against you no matter what. But I don’t think the key is to neutralize them, unless we mean by that not letting their effort beat you. I still remember the Celtics strategy against Michael Jordan early in his career. They’d let him have a big scoring night, maybe as high as 50, and still beat Chicago. They made his big night irrelevant.

Against Morrow, who dominated us in the first game and almost beat us but for Caroline’s last second heroics, the key in the second game was not to send her to the free throw line. We focused on denial and boxing out and didn’t try to block her shot. This has the added benefit of keeping our bigs out of foul trouble. She till got her points and rebounds — had what the stats would call a good game but she was a non-factor and we won easily.

Obviously containing Boston in this same way will be much more challenging. But the key elements are similar: box out especially on offensive rebounds, attempt to deny her the ball in the low post, and don’t focus on blocking her shot. Defending her is mainly about the work you do before she gets the ball. But she’s a very clever veteran and knows how to win the battle for position. Fortunately we won’t be sending freshmen against her. She’ll get a double double no matter what we do. But we’re focusing more on shutting down everyone else, and I think we can do that.

 

[Billineckz]

Lol, no-wins against the Gamecocks. They better focus on winning the BE.

 

[Bone Dog]

And by the way, I’ve thought this for awhile in regards to SC. Aaliyah Ice Ayanna represent some very strong women occupying the 4/5, rather stronger than who SC has other than Boston. They’ve thrived by outmuscling opponents, but I don’t think they can outmuscle us. Saxton is a very good 4, strong and quick, but she’s not stronger and quicker than Aaliyah and certainly not then Ayanna. If Dorka Amari and Ice can platoon effectively against Boston, Aaliyah Ayanna and Aubrey can do a number on Saxton.

I’m not worried about Amihere or Cardoso, since neither of them seems capable of pushing against our posts, and our wings are big enough to deal with Amihere. And a twin towers approach with Boston and Cardoso playing together will probably weaken their lineup to the extent they lose Saxton’s quickness. If we neutralize Saxton, and contain Boston, I think we pose a lot of problems to their perimeter defense, much more than they pose for us.

But as soon as we go down this road, you can see how important it is for the freshmen to come along quickly. If they do, however, I like our chances against SC.

 

[LoboDays]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The difference between this team being a good (UCONN) team (Elite Eight maybe Final Four) and a great (legit shot at the NC) team all depends on the 2 incoming freshmen. They must become important pieces of the puzzle by tournament time. If it’s just Dorka and AE, it won’t matter what other players step up.

 

[cancontent]

And by the way, I’ve thought this for awhile in regards to SC. Aaliyah Ice Ayanna represent some very strong women occupying the 4/5, rather stronger than who SC has other than Boston. They’ve thrived by outmuscling opponents, but I don’t think they can outmuscle us. Saxton is a very good 4, strong and quick, but she’s not stronger and quicker than Aaliyah and certainly not then Ayanna. If Dorka Amari and Ice can platoon effectively against Boston, Aaliyah Ayanna and Aubrey can do a number on Saxton.

I’m not worried about Amihere or Cardoso, since neither of them seems capable of pushing against our posts, and our wings are big enough to deal with Amihere. And a twin towers approach with Boston and Cardoso playing together will probably weaken their lineup to the extent they lose Saxton’s quickness. If we neutralize Saxton, and contain Boston, I think we pose a lot of problems to their perimeter defense, much more than they pose for us.

But as soon as we go down this road, you can see how important it is for the freshmen to come along quickly. If they do, however, I like our chances against SC.

Fair points, but I wouldn't overlook them getting better over the offseason to be more physical. Coach Staley has been on record that Cardoso was a fair bit behind what they would have liked when she joined the team. Her off-season with South Carolina and time with the Brazilian team this summer should be taken into consideration.

The question mark on Amihere is how she'll adjust to NCAA play after coming back from worlds I believe. She wasn't available for the GloblJam event but is expected to play for Canada Basketball this month. The official roster for Canada has yet to be announced so time will tell.

 

[Carnac]

And by the way, I’ve thought this for awhile in regards to SC. Aaliyah Ice Ayanna represent some very strong women occupying the 4/5, rather stronger than who SC has other than Boston. They’ve thrived by outmuscling opponents, but I don’t think they can outmuscle us. Saxton is a very good 4, strong and quick, but she’s not stronger and quicker than Aaliyah and certainly not then Ayanna. If Dorka Amari and Ice can platoon effectively against Boston, Aaliyah Ayanna and Aubrey can do a number on Saxton.

I’m not worried about Amihere or Cardoso, since neither of them seems capable of pushing against our posts, and our wings are big enough to deal with Amihere. And a twin towers approach with Boston and Cardoso playing together will probably weaken their lineup to the extent they lose Saxton’s quickness. If we neutralize Saxton, and contain Boston, I think we pose a lot of problems to their perimeter defense, much more than they pose for us.

But as soon as we go down this road, you can see how important it is for the freshmen to come along quickly. If they do, however, I like our chances against SC.

An excellent observation Bone Dog!!! I agree completely. If Ice Brady matures by early February like I think she will, she may be able to keep Boston from having a big game against us by simply boxing her out on the defensive end. Keep her out of the paint. Keep her from getting offensive rebounds/put backs that she has become so adept at. Keep Boston off the glass and you have a good chance at beating them. Boston has become a double-double machine. Keep a body on Boston without fouling her. Not an easy assignment. Boston is relentless. Also not a bad idea to go right at her early in the game to try and get her in foul trouble. Disrupt her rhythm, timing and effectiveness and you have a good chance of beating the Gamecocks.

 

[Billineckz]

And by the way, I’ve thought this for awhile in regards to SC. Aaliyah Ice Ayanna represent some very strong women occupying the 4/5, rather stronger than who SC has other than Boston. They’ve thrived by outmuscling opponents, but I don’t think they can outmuscle us. Saxton is a very good 4, strong and quick, but she’s not stronger and quicker than Aaliyah and certainly not then Ayanna. If Dorka Amari and Ice can platoon effectively against Boston, Aaliyah Ayanna and Aubrey can do a number on Saxton.

I’m not worried about Amihere or Cardoso, since neither of them seems capable of pushing against our posts, and our wings are big enough to deal with Amihere. And a twin towers approach with Boston and Cardoso playing together will probably weaken their lineup to the extent they lose Saxton’s quickness. If we neutralize Saxton, and contain Boston, I think we pose a lot of problems to their perimeter defense, much more than they pose for us.

But as soon as we go down this road, you can see how important it is for the freshmen to come along quickly. If they do, however, I like our chances against SC.

LOL, my goodness that's hilarious. There are grown women playing bully ball at SC son.

 

[Billineckz]

An excellent observation Bone Dog!!! I agree completely. If Ice Brady matures by early February like I think she will, she may be able to keep Boston from having a big game against us by simply boxing her out on the defensive end. Keep her out of the paint. Keep her from getting offensive rebounds/put backs that she has become so adept at. Keep Boston off the glass and you have a good chance at beating them. Boston has become a double-double machine. Keep a body on Boston without fouling her. Not an easy assignment. Boston is relentless. Also not a bad idea to go right at her early in the game to try and get her in foul trouble. Disrupt her rhythm, timing and effectiveness and you have a good chance of beating the Gamecocks.

Wow, LOL. A freshman huh.

 

[Zarathustra]

Yes.
But before I speculate;
Let’s see UCONN neutralize Morrow before we move on to Boston.

I recall we beat Ms. Morrow and DePaul last year, twice. Did I miss another
DePaul game? (tongue in cheek). What I most recall is Caroline "executing" the play
that Geno drew up for the team, was it 1.6 or 1.8 seconds on the clock??
GO HUSKIES!!

 

[Charliebball]

If UConn shoots really well from the outside and plays solid positional team defense they can beat South Carolina, Boston or no Boston.........

 

[Inthepaint]

Lol, no-wins against the Gamecocks. They better focus on winning the BE.

I only see one game on the schedule versus South Carolina.
Another game is possible in the NCAA tourney.
That leaves 30+ games to establish an offensive AND a defensive regimen with this radically different roster. Figuring out a game plan to beat Seton Hall or Xavier doesn’t sound as sexy as SC or Louisville, but THAT’S where we’ll develop the consistency and confidence to sit on the porch with the big dogs.
There is , as many here have correctly pointed out, some folks who will have to put the ball in the basket a bit more often and some new faces which will have to do so as well.
But let’s not forget that losing Paige’s defensive ability leaves as much of a hole as her passing and scoring prowess.
Say what you like about ONO, but she was a headache in the lane.
Evina was a grade A pest and Christyn could lock down her woman.
We know that Caroline and Azzi CAN get it done on D, but WILL they?
I would bet that Geno will be spending a great deal of time and energy stressing the UCONN formula for winning basketball .
Every point you keep off the scoreboard for the other team is at least as important as the one you put up there yourself.
How many times have we heard him say “ Great offense starts with great defense”?
It’s not a cliche, he REALLY means it.
I wanna see Lou2, Ines, Ice, Ayanna, and everybody else picking up on that notion.
I’ll take 35 64-42 wins this season.
Don’t need 90-87 losses.
When and if we get to face off with SC in the FF or NC game let’s have a group of seasoned, confident, AGGRESSIVE Huskies with the chops and ability to make as much trouble for their offense as we can.
Let’s actually practice our best transitional game.

 

[cancontent]

LOL, my goodness that's hilarious. There are grown women playing bully ball at SC son.

Save the condescending tone for a different board. It's possible to disagree with a tone of respect.

Wow, LOL. A freshman huh.

I recall Boston being pretty dominant as a freshman. I also recall Aaliyah Edwards being competitive with her as a freshman when Boston was a sophomore in their loss to UConn. Anything is possible as Kevin Garnett says.

 

[HopJim]

Agreed. Boston more than held her own against some of the Elite WNBA players recently. Cant worry that we have no single player in the post that can match up favorably. Got to beat them in other ways

eebmg, good job netting it out. While few (any?) have the strength to match up with Boston, when UConn has kept SC guards from driving, boxed out, and efficiently ran their motion offense, Huskies did well. Unfortunately, we have had multiple injuries each time we played them, an issue even without Paige I believe we can overcome this year.

 

[Billineckz]

---

---

Save the condescending tone for a different board. It's possible to disagree with a tone of respect.

I recall Boston being pretty dominant as a freshman. I also recall Aaliyah Edwards being competitive with her as a freshman when Boston was a sophomore in their loss to UConn. Anything is possible as Kevin Garnett says.

Awwww C'mon. The writer's comment was Hilarious IMO!! Interpret mine it anyway you like, just plain funny to me. Judge and Jury huh. There's a Thousand other posts from people you might want to pin as well. Take your time.

 

[Next 12]

Everyone has put up a plethora of well thought out scenarios for UCONN to get through the season until they can gel as a team. My take is that we have something the other teams don't have and that is our history. As I have previously stated, I am not as well versed in the language of basketball knowledge as most of the posters. What I post is the intrinsic side of the game, The cohesion and fluidity of the players interacting with each other. I have watched many games when the so called star of the team will act recklessly and drive to the basket and make a wasted shot. Or throw up bombs from way out past the line just to get the shot. UCONN plays a TEAM game and it has proven very successful over the years. To sum up my post, ANY TEAM can be beaten on any given day including South Carolina and I live in SC.

 

[Billineckz]

I only see one game on the schedule versus South Carolina.
Another game is possible in the NCAA tourney.
That leaves 30+ games to establish an offensive AND a defensive regimen with this radically different roster. Figuring out a game plan to beat Seton Hall or Xavier doesn’t sound as sexy as SC or Louisville, but THAT’S where we’ll develop the consistency and confidence to sit on the porch with the big dogs.
There is , as many here have correctly pointed out, some folks who will have to put the ball in the basket a bit more often and some new faces which will have to do so as well.
But let’s not forget that losing Paige’s defensive ability leaves as much of a hole as her passing and scoring prowess.
Say what you like about ONO, but she was a headache in the lane.
Evina was a grade A pest and Christyn could lock down her woman.
We know that Caroline and Azzi CAN get it done on D, but WILL they?
I would bet that Geno will be spending a great deal of time and energy stressing the UCONN formula for winning basketball .
Every point you keep off the scoreboard for the other team is at least as important as the one you put up there yourself.
How many times have we heard him say “ Great offense starts with great defense”?
It’s not a cliche, he REALLY means it.
I wanna see Lou2, Ines, Ice, Ayanna, and everybody else picking up on that notion.
I’ll take 35 64-42 wins this season.
Don’t need 90-87 losses.
When and if we get to face off with SC in the FF or NC game let’s have a group of seasoned, confident, AGGRESSIVE Huskies with the chops and ability to make as much trouble for their offense as we can.
Let’s actually practice our best transitional game.

UConn has a rough road (way before SC), especially missing PB. People on here dwelling on SC all the time seems foolhardy. Again, it's no-wins happening there. Get past Creighton and Villanova. The Big Girl games early will change peoples perception here - Guaranteed.

 

[Carnac]

Wow, LOL. A freshman huh.

Yes. Don't under estimate Brady. As another poster remarked, Brady just might be the BIG East Conference freshman of the year.......
if she plays her cards right. She has the size to play with Boston. Whether she can stay with her and move her around (block her out/keep her away from rebounding positions) in the paint is another matter. It's not easy to keep a player bent on rebounding from doing so for 40 minutes. It's lots of work. Constant body contact......pushing and shoving with no let up on both ends of the court. It's a battle of wills.
The Chicago Bulls Dennis Rodman had one job to do. He was not going to let anyone keep him from doing it.

Rodman, a 5 time NBA champion and NBA Hall of Famer (2011) is known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history". The best because he wanted to be, and he focused/worked on it every night.

Rodman was an incredible rebounder and a post defender of great repute. Rodman won seven rebounding titles notable during the era of Charles Barkley, and 7 footers Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. I'm not comparing Brady to Rodman, just making the point that it can be done. Rodman was only 6'7". The same height as Wes Unseld (The chairman of the boards) Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. The 1 inch she gives up to Boston is negligible. Brady like Amari DeBerry can be as good as she wants to be. Brady however comes in with a different approach than DeBerry.

 

[Carnac]

I only see one game on the schedule versus South Carolina.
Another game is possible in the NCAA tourney.
That leaves 30+ games to establish an offensive AND a defensive regimen with this radically different roster. Figuring out a game plan to beat Seton Hall or Xavier doesn’t sound as sexy as SC or Louisville, but THAT’S where we’ll develop the consistency and confidence to sit on the porch with the big dogs.
There is , as many here have correctly pointed out, some folks who will have to put the ball in the basket a bit more often and some new faces which will have to do so as well.
But let’s not forget that losing Paige’s defensive ability leaves as much of a hole as her passing and scoring prowess.
Say what you like about ONO, but she was a headache in the lane.
Evina was a grade A pest and Christyn could lock down her woman.
We know that Caroline and Azzi CAN get it done on D, but WILL they?
I would bet that Geno will be spending a great deal of time and energy stressing the UCONN formula for winning basketball .
Every point you keep off the scoreboard for the other team is at least as important as the one you put up there yourself.
How many times have we heard him say “ Great offense starts with great defense”?
It’s not a cliche, he REALLY means it.
I wanna see Lou2, Ines, Ice, Ayanna, and everybody else picking up on that notion.
I’ll take 35 64-42 wins this season.
Don’t need 90-87 losses.
When and if we get to face off with SC in the FF or NC game let’s have a group of seasoned, confident, AGGRESSIVE Huskies with the chops and ability to make as much trouble for their offense as we can.
Let’s actually practice our best transitional game.

Two thumbs up ITP. Well said.