Freshmen Scouting Report From Christyn

[RockyMTblue2]

It's fun to get her views on the frosh. Here's a couple:

Paige Bueckers: “Paige is really good. She’s special...First of all, she’s a very consistent shooter and she can see the floor really well. She’s one of those passers that it shocks you because you didn’t even see them open and she saw them and then it’s an open shot. She’s a floor general. I’m really excited to play alongside her. Like today, we did transition drills and I love it. I’m running and she just throws the ball. I love it.” A shooter seeing the possibilities!

Aaliyah Edwards: “Aaliyah is very tough. Extremely tough. Someone that we need down there on the post...She’s very versatile. She’s kind of like Phee (Napheesa Collier). She can play on the outside as well but on the inside is where she flourishes more. She’s very tough. She’s a competitor so she competes. On the defensive end, she’s very mature for her age. It’s like she’s done this before. I know she’s played with Canada before. You can tell just by the way she talks and her leadership skills. She brings a lot to the table.”

okay, 1 more -it's short. Nika Muhl: “Nika’s passes are crazy good.”

Geno's freshmen fueled by competitive fire

The next generation of Huskies have impressed their coach and teammates so far.

connecticut.rivals.com

 

[Carnac]

It's fun to get her views on the frosh. Here's a couple:

Paige Bueckers: “Paige is really good. She’s special...First of all, she’s a very consistent shooter and she can see the floor really well. She’s one of those passers that it shocks you because you didn’t even see them open and she saw them and then it’s an open shot. She’s a floor general. I’m really excited to play alongside her. Like today, we did transition drills and I love it. I’m running and she just throws the ball. I love it.” A shooter seeing the possibilities!

Aaliyah Edwards: “Aaliyah is very tough. Extremely tough. Someone that we need down there on the post...She’s very versatile. She’s kind of like Phee (Napheesa Collier). She can play on the outside as well but on the inside is where she flourishes more. She’s very tough. She’s a competitor so she competes. On the defensive end, she’s very mature for her age. It’s like she’s done this before. I know she’s played with Canada before. You can tell just by the way she talks and her leadership skills. She brings a lot to the table.”

okay, 1 more -it's short. Nika Muhl: “Nika’s passes are crazy good.”

Geno's freshmen fueled by competitive fire

The next generation of Huskies have impressed their coach and teammates so far.

connecticut.rivals.com

This report is music to my ears. Christyn said that Aliyah was "tough" 3 times. Very tough, extremely tough and very tough again. And this coming from an upperclassman that has seen "tough" the last two years, and recognizes it when she sees it. She’s a competitor so she competes. On the defensive end, she’s very mature for her age. It’s like she’s done this before. Uhhh.....yeah?!?

I'm going to go out on a limb again and predict that - that "toughness" and maturity will earn her a lot of time between the lines this year.

 

[soxfan23]

It's fun to get her views on the frosh. Here's a couple:


Aaliyah Edwards: “Aaliyah is very tough. Extremely tough. Someone that we need down there on the post...She’s very versatile. She’s kind of like Phee (Napheesa Collier). She can play on the outside as well but on the inside is where she flourishes more. She’s very tough. She’s a competitor so she competes. On the defensive end, she’s very mature for her age. It’s like she’s done this before. I know she’s played with Canada before. You can tell just by the way she talks and her leadership skills. She brings a lot to the table.”

Geno's freshmen fueled by competitive fire

The next generation of Huskies have impressed their coach and teammates so far.

connecticut.rivals.com

More evidence that Edwards will play the 4 at UConn, I remember when I said this months ago and everybody but a few told me I was crazy because she was listed as a "wing" on the roster. I also remember making the comparison to Collier and labeled Edwards as Pheesa 2.0.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Make sure you read the article. Christyn's scouting report extends to Mir, Piath and Autumn! Can't wait to see them in real game action.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Comparing Aaliyah to Phee is very exciting!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I like this--togetherness!

“The freshmen travel in a pack, the six of them,” Evina Westbrook said. “If you see one of them, you’re going to see the five coming not too far behind.”

 

[Carnac]

Comparing Aaliyah to Phee is very exciting!

And if accurate, should be of some concern to opposing coaches.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Make sure you read the article. Christyn's scouting report extends to Mir, Piath and Autumn! Can't wait to see them in real game action.

Autumn, our under-the-radar walk-on, can shoot "lights-out."

 

[soxfan23]

Comparing Aaliyah to Phee is very exciting!

I am not sure Edwards will ever be as efficient or as prolific a scorer as Phee, but IMHO she will be close. She will be as good or maybe a little better defensively and rebounding as Phee was!

 

[Mdoggie]

More evidence that Edwards will play the 4 at UConn, I remember when I said this months ago and everybody but a few told me I was crazy because she was listed as a "wing" on the roster. I also remember making the comparison to Collier and labeled Edwards as Pheesa 2.0.

2.0 means she is better than Pheesa.... NOT!
How bout Pheesa .50

 

[HopJim]

Autumn, our under-the-radar walk-on, can shoot "lights-out."

Appears that this will be the first year in a while where the walk on(s) are competing for playing time rather than simply going into blow outs. Exciting.

 

[HopJim]

I like how many of the reports about the frosh mention their physical presence. Typically, freshmen show off their skills but don't have the UConn ready fitness to maximize their performance. Would be interesting to see frosh reactions when they meet the returning team - pictures of Anna and others show them to be jacked/in excellent shape.

 

[CL82]

I think that Muhl is underappreciated on this board. She gets lost in all the Westbrook or Paige talk.

 

[Steelerone]

Wish I could go to sleep tonight and wake up on the day of our first game. By the way, not too much has been said about Mir. I think that before the season is over she is going to open some eyes.

 

[MSGRET]

Wish I could go to sleep tonight and wake up on the day of our first game. By the way, not too much has been said about Mir. I think that before the season is over she is going to open some eyes.

I believe all of the freshman are going to open some eyes this year. I think that this maybe one of the top freshman classes to come to UConn in a very long time. From what CW is saying even the walk on is tough and can shoot lights out. I can't remember when the upper class leaders were so giddy about a freshman like this. I hope they all get some PT and get to contribute towards a 12th NC.

 

[hoopsfan22]

And if accurate, should be of some concern to opposing coaches.

Our league is garbage. They all know they are going to lose every game by 30+. The more things change the more they stay the same. It's just unfortunate that we have 20 rubbish games instead of 16. At least in the AAC we had a little more flexibility and could schedule four more better teams OOC.

 

[MSGRET]

Our league is garbage. They all know they are going to lose every game by 30+. The more things change the more they stay the same. It's just unfortunate that we have 20 rubbish games instead of 16. At least in the AAC we had a little more flexibility and could schedule four more better teams OOC.

I believe that the Big East is rated above the Big 12 at #5 and by the end of the season may be rated even higher. You look at the SEC and B1G and they aren't powerhouses like the ACC and PAC12. Depaul and Marquette could be in the Top 25 along with UConn.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I believe that the Big East is rated above the Big 12 at #5 and by the end of the season may be rated even higher. You look at the SEC and B1G and they aren't powerhouses like the ACC and PAC12. Depaul and Marquette could be in the Top 25 along with UConn.

Yeah I think of DePaul as the USF equivalent. A well coached team that occasionally will make some noise, but otherwise a team that UConn will steamroll nine times out of ten. I just wonder do the four extra conference games against slightly better competition offset the four OOC games we used to be able to schedule? I don't know the answer to this one. Maybe it's a wash.

 

[MSGRET]

Yeah I think of DePaul as the USF equivalent. A well coached team that occasionally will make some noise, but otherwise a team that UConn will steamroll nine times out of ten. I just wonder do the four extra conference games against slightly better competition offset the four OOC games we used to be able to schedule? I don't know the answer to this one. Maybe it's a wash.

Baylor has a much weaker schedule than UConn. Besides playing Texas twice who else is going to give them a challenge in the Big 12? We will still most likely have at least two top 5 teams and an additional 2 to 6 top 25 games played this season.

 

[Alydar]

DePaul would be middle of the pack in the B1G. And there are a lot of the teams between 50-80 that will move up just because they get beat by UConn twice a year.
The BE is a major move up from the AAC as far as UConn's SOS is concerned.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Our league is garbage. They all know they are going to lose every game by 30+. The more things change the more they stay the same. It's just unfortunate that we have 20 rubbish games instead of 16. At least in the AAC we had a little more flexibility and could schedule four more better teams OOC.

Really, how many conferences are better? Maybe three? Four? Definitely not the Big 12. I’m pretty sure we would go undefeated in the Big 10. Face it, there aren’t a lot of better options.

 

[hoophuskee]

Appears that this will be the first year in a while where the walk on(s) are competing for playing time rather than simply going into blow outs. Exciting.

I doubt it.

 

[HuskylnSC]

More evidence that Edwards will play the 4 at UConn, I remember when I said this months ago and everybody but a few told me I was crazy because she was listed as a "wing" on the roster. I also remember making the comparison to Collier and labeled Edwards as Pheesa 2.0.

Not everybody called you crazy. I've consistently named her as the 5th starter. She brings a mature approach to the one spot where we don't have a proven athlete, the power 4. Anna and Aubrey can play the 4 but only Aaliyah IS a power 4. Her only issue that I can think of is the typical issue of winning the coach's trust.

 

[BostonBay]

Nika will be bringing energy minutes off the bench. She'll be a key performer.

 

[soxfan23]

Not everybody called you crazy. I've consistently named her as the 5th starter. She brings a mature approach to the one spot where we don't have a proven athlete, the power 4. Anna and Aubrey can play the 4 but only Aaliyah IS a power 4. Her only issue that I can think of is the typical issue of winning the coach's trust.

I agree, I don't think she will start at the beginning of the season, but come Big East and NCAA tournament time she will be starting at the 4.

 

[mbr33ct]

Our league is garbage. They all know they are going to lose every game by 30+. The more things change the more they stay the same. It's just unfortunate that we have 20 rubbish games instead of 16. At least in the AAC we had a little more flexibility and could schedule four more better teams OOC.

You want to see garbage, just compare the two conferences, from last year (AAC and BE). The BE had 6 teams with an RPI below 100. Butler just missed at 102. With the AAC, take UConn out of the equation and you have 3 teams with an RPI under 100...with rest garbage.

I'll gladly take them additional 4 games in the BE, chances are those teams will also carry an RPI of under 100. Last year UConn's OOC schedule included Cal (RPI 124), Vandy (RPI 127) and yes should I say ND (RPI 121). Not all UConn's OOC teams carry RPI's under 100.

 

[oldhusky]

You want to see garbage, just compare the two conferences, from last year (AAC and BE). The BE had 6 teams with an RPI below 100. Butler just missed at 102. With the AAC, take UConn out of the equation and you have 3 teams with an RPI under 100...with rest garbage.

I'll gladly take them additional 4 games in the BE, chances are those teams will also carry an RPI of under 100. Last year UConn's OOC schedule included Cal (RPI 124), Vandy (RPI 127) and yes should I say ND (RPI 121). Not all UConn's OOC teams carry RPI's under 100.

View attachment 59334

Agree with this but wanted to add a few thoughts. It is consistent with the above but Uconn's OOC schedule was usually split between maybe 3-5 of the very best teams in the country, and a number of teams that were fairly good but not a serious threat. The later group was probably better than the "average" AAC team, but compared to the big east, not so much. So we will be replacing the second tier of our OOC schedule with a better conference schedule of roughly the same level.

That assumes that we keep the 3-5 games against the best of the best, and the extra 4 conference games come at the expense of more the filler part of the OOC schedule than the marquee games. I think that is reasonable and what will happen.

So top tier games about the same, four more better conference opponents instead of the second tier OOC games, which is pretty close, and a substantially better conference schedule, resulting in a SOS overall increase.

As for so called boring blowout games, in years where there is little interest in the tail end of the bench that might be true. When our team has a deep an interesting bench (for at least the next few years) for many fans that is not the case. If we wound up with largely an 8 player rotation, and making a few assumptions, I for one would look forward to seeing more of perhaps Mir, Piath and Autumn in a blowout.

And finally the Big East is a geographical and recruiting advantage compared to the AAC Also Uconn in the Big East lifts the status of the conference overall, and the other conference teams can probably recruit at a little higher level as a result. the same in reverse for the AAC The other teams in the conference Uconn joins get a little better, and the other teams in the conference they leave get a little worse.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not everybody called you crazy. I've consistently named her as the 5th starter. She brings a mature approach to the one spot where we don't have a proven athlete, the power 4. Anna and Aubrey can play the 4 but only Aaliyah IS a power 4. Her only issue that I can think of is the typical issue of winning the coach's trust.

There were a lot of posters who thought she could play the 4. We tend to remember the few who argue with us directly. That sort of "exaggerates" the numbers we may think.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

2.0 means she is better than Pheesa.... NOT!
How bout Pheesa .50

How about Pheesa 0.9944? That would work for me.... But would prefer the ORIGINAL Aaliyah, who has more vowels that Vanna White normally flips....

 

[HuskylnSC]

There were a lot of posters who thought she could play the 4. We tend to remember the few who argue with us directly. That sort of "exaggerates" the numbers we may think.

I think all of us saw the lady as a '4'. My comment was directed at those who said it would take at least half the year for her to start or play significant minutes. In the current poll only 8.8% of voters feel she will be a started. I believe in the very versatile mix and match lineups available, Aaliyah is the only one to bring the physicality to play alongside Ono. Although I do rate Anna as the strongest of the wings and Aubrey's quickness and leaping ability will be serviceable as a '4', they won't dominate at the position like Aaliyah. The only caveat to my thinking is that it appears that Aaliyah may also be the only one who can give Olivia 10 minutes of rest she will need.