Front court

[boontonbomber]

I sure hope Edwards' father doesn't find you.

How did Rice do against top 5 teams? There was only one, Scar, and she didn't have the same success in that game as she did bottom-feeding in the rest of D1.

LSU has no one to match Bueckers, Fudd or Edwards. Griffin will be fine vs Rice. And while UConn can matchup with anyone, no one will come close to matching their synergy. This isn't a one on offense nor is it a straight man to man defense. U

There are far more questions in Baton Rouge than in Storrs. Conn's success over the years has largely been due to teamwork. LSU has added talent and could have three new starters.

I sure hope Edwards' father doesn't find you.

How did Rice do against top 5 teams? There was only one, Scar, and she didn't have the same success in that game as she did bottom-feeding in the rest of D1.

LSU has no one to match Bueckers, Fudd or Edwards. Griffin will be fine vs Rice. And while UConn can matchup with anyone, no one will come close to matching their synergy. This isn't a one on offense nor is it a straight man to man defense. U

There are far more questions in Baton Rouge than in Storrs. Conn's success over the years has largely been due to teamwork. LSU has added talent and could have three new starters.

I am not a fan of Reese ; far from it. Aaliyah has been my favorite player since she first stepped on the floor. But Reese was almost a consensus 1st team AA, so she must have shown somebody something. My comment had partially to do with the different types of players they are. Aaliyah's game speaks for itself. Anyway, my original comments had to do with UConn's young front players not having shown much game yet. Aaliyah will need help,especially on the defense. Maybe Amari, Patterson, and Brady will come around and help. If they do, with the proven scorers they have,UConn, finally once again, will be the team to beat. They aren't yet.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

So with Jana gone… how does our front court look like? Jana’s injury hurts the depth and size of our front court. Lack of size will be an issue if we don’t get another big for this szn. Ice and Aaliyah will have to be great for us and Amari and Ayanna too.

Who cares? With Paige back, Caroline 100%, Azzi 100%, and a great freshman class, UConn will dominate.

 

[boscolino]

Hopefully Amari will develop her game. Otherwise if one of the bigs (Edwards, Brady or Patterson) get injured.......we are in trouble.
And Ducharme remains a very fragile kid.

 

[MilfordHusky]

While I disagree with very little that has been said in these posts, I wonder how many teams will have a taller frontline than UConn. While others likely have more in depth knowledge of this coming year's competition, I can only think of a few in season games where the other team will have bigs as good as UConn's. Yes, while there are 1-2 teams whose height could make them difficult to play in the playoffs, UConn should have advantages at every other position. While I always feel more height is better, Huskies are well positioned for the coming year. We likely have discussed this point more than it deserves.

Good point! Last year's South Carolina team was excellent, especially on the boards. Though they didn't all play at the same time, having Boston, Cardoso, Amihere, Saxton, Feagin, Watkins, and Kitts was an anomaly. I'm not sure when we will see a roster that big. It was a bit of an anomaly.

 

[Bone Dog]

Good point! Last year's South Carolina team was excellent, especially on the boards. Though they didn't all play at the same time, having Boston, Cardoso, Amihere, Saxton, Feagin, Watkins, and Kitts was an anomaly. I'm not sure when we will see a roster that big. It was a bit of an anomaly.

All true. That was a unique team. And they were beatable, as events showed, and as we showed, too.

Also interesting that Dawn was able to recruit that many bigs. The received wisdom is that once you have a couple, it’s harder to get more because of the rotation logjam. But Dawn managed it really well.

On a related note, it’s really easy to forget that the NC game was played between two relatively small teams. Iowa was essentially Czinano and 4 littles. LSU wasn’t much different. And yet they each fought past bigger more favored teams to get there.

 

[Alydar]

All true. That was a unique team. And they were beatable, as events showed, and as we showed, too.

Also interesting that Dawn was able to recruit that many bigs. The received wisdom is that once you have a couple, it’s harder to get more because of the rotation logjam. But Dawn managed it really well.

On a related note, it’s really easy to forget that the NC game was played between two relatively small teams. Iowa was essentially Czinano and 4 littles. LSU wasn’t much different. And yet they each fought past bigger more favored teams to get there.

I'm curious to know who was both bigger and more favored? Certainly SCar. Who else?

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm curious to know who was both bigger and more favored? Certainly SCar. Who else?

Am I misremembering or wasn’t VPI favored over LSU?

 

[Notyetready]

We haven't seen Ice play against college defenders yet but one thing to remember when talking about size in the post is that height isn't everything. Ice is big even though shorter than some centers, she has some weight and strength. I don't see a lot of people pushing her out of the way to get a rebound. And if they try to charge her-- oops. Ice, I think, is going to surprise people. Even though only a rookie, her size will help her make a big impact on the court.

 

[Alydar]

Am I misremembering or wasn’t VPI favored over LSU?

I'm not sure but I don't remember them been significantly bigger. They started Kitley 6'6, Soule(5'11) and three guards against LSU. Here's a link to their roster for this year.

Virginia Tech Hokies Women's Basketball Roster | ESPN

 

[JonathanXIV]

Yeh, but they have Angel again, and UConn doesn't have anyone like her. Only 6'3", but so quick and anticipates so well. Which of our young bigs have shown anything yet? I'll be thrilled when I see it.

You don't think Edwards is comparable to Reese? Respectfully disagree. She can compete with Reese.

 

[wingsfan055]

Bigs isn't just about size. You need athletic Bigs who can move well. Iowa and LSU probably had the best combo of skill, size, athleticism and speed by the end of the year.

By the end of the year, otoh, UCONN was very slow. You could clearly see that in the Sweet 16 game where they could barely get the ball over half court.

My biggest concern going into the year is will all the players coming back from injuries have that quickness and athleticism back.

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm not sure but I don't remember them been significantly bigger. They started Kitley 6'6, Soule(5'11) and three guards against LSU. Here's a link to their roster for this year.

Virginia Tech Hokies Women's Basketball Roster | ESPN

Yes, but other than Amoore, their guards were ~6’0”. And Gregg was 6’2”. It’s only a matter of a couple inches here and there, but they were bigger at every position except pg.

 

[PacoSwede]

H...

The unit that may give LSU the most trouble could be a small ball lineup: Paige Azzi Aubrey Caroline and Aaliyah. We can go big too. Ultimately, we may be too fast for LSU and too strong. Also, I suspect that in a neutral court Morrow will be in foul trouble much if the game.

you apparently feel that the team' leader -- along with paige -- record-holding-assists sparkplug and two-time league defender of the year is irrelevant.

that is interesting. never mind that she has contributed more to huskies' success than caroline or azzi, sadly both saddled with major injury, of course, but particularly in carol's case their futures looks very iffy.

overall, your posts are enjoyable and sensible, but that paragraph puzzles me.

 

[JoePgh]

Before Jana was injured, I posted in another thread that I would be surprised if she (then presumed healthy) got more minutes in 2023-24 than Ayanna. Now we'll never know, but if Ayanna gets past (or has gotten past) her mostly mental issues from last year, I still think she has a greater chance to make an impact than even a healthy Jana would have. If Ayanna went up for a 50-50 rebound against a healthy Jana, my money would be on Ayanna to bring it down, despite her lesser height.

That's because Ayanna has strength, speed, and "hops" (leaping ability). Even last year, she was rarely if ever out-muscled or out-jumped for a rebound. Her issues were all in the category of marshalling her athletic skills into effective basketball play: positioning, knowing when to pass out to a perimeter shooter, avoiding fouls.

Since Jana's injury, I'm sure it has crossed Ayanna's mind that the way is open for her to get a lot more minutes than she might have gotten otherwise. It is up to her (with significant help from Jamelle and CD) to take advantage of this newly opened opportunity.

 

[Alydar]

Patterson didn't enter the dunking contest last year at first night. Geno said it was due to injury and now we hear she had her knee scoped. Patterson & Deberry both had off-season surgeries and there is real reason to be optimistic.

 

[Bone Dog]

you apparently feel that the team' leader -- along with paige -- record-holding-assists sparkplug and two-time league defender of the year is irrelevant.

that is interesting. never mind that she has contributed more to huskies' success than caroline or azzi, sadly both saddled with major injury, of course, but particularly in carol's case their futures looks very iffy.

overall, your posts are enjoyable and sensible, but that paragraph puzzles me.

I think you’ve missed the context of my point. We will play various lineups all season and switch between several in individual games. In the hypothetical game I’ve imagined against LSU here, the stretches in which we play small ball may be the most difficult for them to cope with. I gave one example of such a lineup. You should feel free to offer others.

We might want to distinguish two types of small ball lineup: a transition/pressing lineup and a perimeter shooting lineup. The first might well feature Nika and Aubrey, the second might feature Paige Azzi and Caroline.

I hope this clears things up.

And just for good measure, in the tall ball lineup we might run against LSU, if they have Angel and Aneesah on the floor, I expect Geno to play Aaliyah and Ice. But if Rosario is in the game, he might want to have Amari on the floor. And in the first lineup, we might wonder who would play the wing. It could be Caroline or Aubrey or Q. In either of these lineups, I’d expect to see Paige and Azzi, who are likely to be the most constant elements in all lineups.

 

[Cuango]

I think you’ve missed the context of my point. We will play various lineups all season and switch between several in individual games. In the hypothetical game I’ve imagined against LSU here, the stretches in which we play small ball may be the most difficult for them to cope with. I gave one example of such a lineup. You should feel free to offer others.

We might want to distinguish two types of small ball lineup: a transition/pressing lineup and a perimeter shooting lineup. The first might well feature Nika and Aubrey, the second might feature Paige Azzi and Caroline.

I hope this clears things up.

And just for good measure, in the tall ball lineup we might run against LSU, if they have Angel and Aneesah on the floor, I expect Geno to play Aaliyah and Ice. But if Rosario is in the game, he might want to have Amari on the floor. And in the first lineup, we might wonder who would play the wing. It could be Caroline or Aubrey or Q. In either of these lineups, I’d expect to see Paige and Azzi, who are likely to be the most constant elements in all lineups.

Context means nothing! You sir, have committed the unpardonable sin of presenting a lineup that not only leaves Nika out but presumes to imply that any lineup without her as PG, could conceivably be more effective! This is heresy and must be quashed immediately!

 

[Skeets]

Patterson didn't enter the dunking contest last year at first night. Geno said it was due to injury and now we hear she had her knee scoped. Patterson & Deberry both had off-season surgeries and there is real reason to be optimistic.

I was there and I thought at the time that it was a little strange. Which huskies have had no surgeries over their HS/college careers? Got to be a short list, Muhl and Edwards. Caroline didn't have surgery, but one more clunk on the head and it could be devastating. Ines? Anyone else?

 

[Blond D.]

you apparently feel that the team' leader -- along with paige -- record-holding-assists sparkplug and two-time league defender of the year is irrelevant.

that is interesting. never mind that she has contributed more to huskies' success than caroline or azzi, sadly both saddled with major injury, of course, but particularly in carol's case their futures looks very iffy.

overall, your posts are enjoyable and sensible, but that paragraph puzzles me.

I'm with you 100% PacoSwede. Nika WILL start and Carolyn will come off the bench.

 

[Bone Dog]

Context means nothing! You sir, have committed the unpardonable sin of presenting a lineup that not only leaves Nika out but presumes to imply that any lineup without her as PG, could conceivably be more effective! This is heresy and must be quashed immediately!

“Burn him!”

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I was there and I thought at the time that it was a little strange. Which huskies have had no surgeries over their HS/college careers? Got to be a short list, Muhl and Edwards. Caroline didn't have surgery, but one more clunk on the head and it could be devastating. Ines? Anyone else?

Skeets- - If I'm not mistaken, Caroline had knee surgery and shoulder surgery in HS and hip surgery at UCONN and had several bouts with concussion protecal!

 

[PacoSwede]

Context means nothing! You sir, have committed the unpardonable sin of presenting a lineup that not only leaves Nika out but presumes to imply that any lineup without her as PG, could conceivably be more effective! This is heresy and must be quashed immediately!

not at all.

when we know that caroline can consistently play at her best, and aubrey is more reliable on the offensive end, and azzi is finally fully healthy and sheds her timid approach and becomes the alpha dog she can -- rather should -- be, than we'd surely find fine multiple lineups sans nika.

but since we're not sure if those things will come about, it's foolish to think of nika as just a nice, minor role player, who is good to have around but doesn't contribute all that much to uconn's success.

 

[oldhusky]

Patterson didn't enter the dunking contest last year at first night. Geno said it was due to injury and now we hear she had her knee scoped. Patterson & Deberry both had off-season surgeries and there is real reason to be optimistic.

That was quite surprising at First Night and perhaps indicative of Ayanna having knee problems during the season we were not fully aware of. Given her obvious physical skills heading into last season I thought at worst, she would be a very good rebounder and shot blocker, but her offense might be pretty raw.

The later was true, but surprisingly her numbers for the season per minute etc, on rebounding and blocked shots were nothing special at all, and way short of what I might have expected. In addition her numbers got worse not better overall as the season wore on, which would be pretty unusual for an extremely physical gifted but raw player, facing a major change in competition.

Not participating in the First Night dunk contest, less than impressive rebounding and shot blocking numbers, and decreasing production over the season, certainly adds support to a theory she may have been having far more serious issues with her knee than the fans were aware of.

If that is the case, then whatever procedure she did have done can be encouraging for her future since there could be a good reason she did not meet expectations last year. Maybe Amari's situation is somewhat similar, but she has had two seasons that didn't seem to match her high school expectations, and I don't have any idea if her issues that were addressed this off-season bothered her in both years or not.

 

[Geew1992]

I was there and I thought at the time that it was a little strange. Which huskies have had no surgeries over their HS/college careers? Got to be a short list, Muhl and Edwards. Caroline didn't have surgery, but one more clunk on the head and it could be devastating. Ines? Anyone else?

Caroline def had surgery in high school and at Uconn. She had hip surgery at Uconn

 

[Geew1992]

That was quite surprising at First Night and perhaps indicative of Ayanna having knee problems during the season we were not fully aware of. Given her obvious physical skills heading into last season I thought at worst, she would be a very good rebounder and shot blocker, but her offense might be pretty raw.

The later was true, but surprisingly her numbers for the season per minute etc, on rebounding and blocked shots were nothing special at all, and way short of what I might have expected. In addition her numbers got worse not better overall as the season wore on, which would be pretty unusual for an extremely physical gifted but raw player, facing a major change in competition.

Not participating in the First Night dunk contest, less than impressive rebounding and shot blocking numbers, and decreasing production over the season, certainly adds support to a theory she may have been having far more serious issues with her knee than the fans were aware of.

If that is the case, then whatever procedure she did have done can be encouraging for her future since there could be a good reason she did not meet expectations last year. Maybe Amari's situation is somewhat similar, but she has had two seasons that didn't seem to match her high school expectations, and I don't have any idea if her issues that were addressed this off-season bothered her in both years or not.

Amari had back surgery. There is no doubt that problem was there for a while and def effected her game