Front court

[Bald Husky]

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.

Don't forget, Ice has been practicing against Aaliyah. You can't get much better competition than that. I think she will be an important and successful player for us this season.

 

[Geew1992]

It seems amari is still on campus

 

[visitingcock]

I interpret his statement as a reminder to some posters who aren’t mentioning Amari when discussing front court depth

 

[Geew1992]

Ummm…. No. I’m pointing that she’s on campus. Others are home. Looks like she may be working on her game

 

[uconnfan68]

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.

No one moved Adama. Strength is key.

 

[Bone Dog]

Strength is key.

Absolutely!

I suspect the games Aneesah least looked forward to last season were the one's against Aaliyah, just because here was someone stronger and taller than her. If Ice is as strong as I suspect she is, I have a feeling Angel and Aneesah are going to dread going up against the Huskies front court.

 

[visitingcock]

Absolutely!

I suspect the games Aneesah least looked forward to last season were the one's against Aaliyah, just because here was someone stronger and taller than her. If Ice is as strong as I suspect she is, I have a feeling Angel and Aneesah are going to dread going up against the Huskies front court.

If they play, it will be deeeep in the tournament and nobody on either team will dread anything about such a matchup

 

[southofnorth]

No one moved Adama. Strength is key.

I’d say Aliyah Boston is another great example of strength being key. Even against players with similar heights, her strength was overwhelming. Aaliyah Edwards is a great example of strength, too. If any of UConn’s other bigs (looking at y’all, Ayanna and Ice) have similar strength then UConn’s front court will be able to compete with players that have a few inches on them.

 

[Blond D.]

Great rebounding is a combination of things. Quickness, aggression, strength, a sixth sense of where the ball is going to come down and timing your jump to high point the ball. Some people got it and some don't. Height helps too.

 

[Rowdy831]

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.

UCONN has 14 players on their roster and all of them are top level players according to their recruiting ranking. They have 3 solid All American level players and the two time defensive player of the year in their conference. Then you have three other post players on the bench, Caroline, and a couple first year guards. Geno not only will win with this group but wouldn't surprise me if he ran the table with them.

Post players aren't that important when you have the other pieces UCONN has on the court. I would expect them to run with 3 guards all the time and when they pressure they very well could go with 4 plus Edwards. This team will be pushing the ball and playing extremely fast and that is not the offense that will have two post players on the court together. In other words they will be fine.

 

[JellyBean]

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.

Great point. Ice could be all we need in the post. Heck even Ayanna could be all we need in the post. Same with Amari. We know we have Aaliyah and hopefully she continues her upward progression and All-American type play this season. I think we our front court is going to be just fine.

 

[SportsFan92]

Geno has always said it’s a guard game. Great guards will carry u as far as they can play. Ohio state won last year in the sweet 16 cause they could press which they did most of the game. They turned us over so much in that game it took away UCONNs offense. Trust me Bigs don’t want to run all game long. The strength will be the guard play and how they can turn other teams over. Defense wins games. No other team in the nation will have a tandem of Paige and Azzi. Add in Edwards and so much depth at the guard position and so many players that can handle the ball will help this team in so many ways. Yes losing Jana was huge but remember injures happen so frequently and u hate to see it but there are several top teams out there who are one or 2 players who could experience season ending injures could be a disaster. ( and no I don’t wish that on any team.. I’m just stating the obvious) Let’s hope we don’t experience anymore injuries. It’s a long season and we all know conference play is a grind night in and night out. Is it October yet? Look forward to seeing this team play and get better as the season goes and be one of the favorites to cut down the nets in April. Go Huskies!!

 

[TCC Kid]

It was always my belief that Ice Brady would be a major contributor to the team this year...........without Jana she becomes that much more important.......I also expect Ayanna to make great strides this year and combined with Aaliya I think the frontcourt will still be in very good hands.........anything Amari can contribute will also help to make up for Jana's absence.......I sure hope Paige and Azzi tread lightly before the start of the season..............

How much do you think Geno was "relying" on Jana for this season. An untested in Div 1 BB, new to the system, I'm not sure how much "good" experience she has had--my point?
She is a loss, any kid is a loss, but how huge is that loss?
Uconn must play with those Geno now has. A nice Dorka would do wonders for this teams spirit. If Talent wins games, Uconn shall win.
Another Charlie thought---Ayanna getting more PT can't hurt. The odd thing about more PT is, it often makes a less player, better, more knowledgeable about the game. I think one Boneyyard pundit once said: You learn principles in practice, the game is learned playing the game--who said that Charile??

 

[Charliebball]

How much do you think Geno was "relying" on Jana for this season. An untested in Div 1 BB, new to the system, I'm not sure how much "good" experience she has had--my point?
She is a loss, any kid is a loss, but how huge is that loss?
Uconn must play with those Geno now has. A nice Dorka would do wonders for this teams spirit. If Talent wins games, Uconn shall win.
Another Charlie thought---Ayanna getting more PT can't hurt. The odd thing about more PT is, it often makes a less player, better, more knowledgeable about the game. I think one Boneyyard pundit once said: You learn principles in practice, the game is learned playing the game--who said that Charile??

I genuinely thought that Jana would play an important role for UConn this season, taking up some of the scoring slack that was lost with Dorka's move to the WNBA............having a 6'4" player who has a well-rounded offensive game also frees up other players to do their thing too..........I expect Ice to do the same thing and Ayanna will be called on to fulfill an important two-way role up front.......I think we haven't seen her "A" game yet but if she gets a decent amount of court time, she may really blossom........

 

[Tonyc]

Just a few things. Our underclassman have great potential and talent but lack college experience. Geno will work them into the lineup as he sees fit. Amari coming back from an injury at 6'6 needs playtime and if she can play underneath on defense and work as an intimidator that will be huge. Patterson had the opportunity and gained experience last season off the bench. We will see how that plays out this season. Winning is going to come down to defense and rebounding.

UConn will rely on Paige Azzi Caroline Aaliyah Griff and Nika. They are proven and have played together which translates into chemistry. Many other ranked teams will lack team chemistry because they have not played together. Thats what having players who come in from the portal and underclassman without experience do. I expect Caroline to shine this season and shine big. Everybody elses playtime will depend on what Geno sees. Lets face it we have a great lineup that can put up alot of points at a very high percentage. Opponents will have to be able to defend that.

All this talk about LSU. Many posts Ive read from SEC posters feel LSU should be ranked behind SC and possibly Tenn. What does that tell ya? LSU with Reese and Morrow appear to have 2 great rebounders but neither is a consistent outside shooter. Haley is a good outside shooter however teams can pressure her into taking poor shots.

UConn may be ranked number 2 preseason which Im not fond of but will give them something to shoot for and Geno will have them shooting with double barrel shot guns with their lineup. This years UConn lineup could just be one of the greatest of all time.

 

[Inthepaint]

Thinking WAY outside the box!!

 

[sun]

It's fairly simple, the higher the shooting efficiency of the remaining players the less that Jana will be missed.
When it comes to rebounding, it depends on how the ball bounces.
But if UConn can make a high percentage of its shots then there won't be as many loose rebounds up for grabs.
Quickness can also be as important as height with both rebounding & playing defense.

I'd like to remain positive.
Imagine if Samuels becomes the team's best shooting asset by making the highest percentage of her shots on a regular basis with a hot hand, then Jana won't be missed very much because the ball will be going into the net.
The same with KK, Shade, Ice, Carol or Aubrey.
If they can make their shots then the score will take care of itself.

 

[Bone Dog]

I genuinely thought that Jana would play an important role for UConn this season, taking up some of the scoring slack that was lost with Dorka's move to the WNBA............having a 6'4" player who has a well-rounded offensive game also frees up other players to do their thing too..........I expect Ice to do the same thing and Ayanna will be called on to fulfill an important two-way role up front.......I think we haven't seen her "A" game yet but if she gets a decent amount of court time, she may really blossom........

I did too. I saw what @HuskyNan pointed out awhile back, that her defense wasn’t good enough yet for her to start or get major minutes. But I still liked to imagine that she could get up to speed on defense by the end of January.

And every year I tell myself Amari will pull it all together and become a formidable rim protector. This is the year for Amari!!

And this year I’m confident we’ll see a new more confident Ayanna. And a dynamic and fiercely competitive Inês. And Ashlynn KK and Q will find a way to contribute.

These are all dreams, I know. But they don’t all have to come true for us to run the table. It’ll just be a little easier if some of them come true. Because the fact is the veteran core is the best in the land. We only need a few solid supporting players to step up. I’m a believer.

And I agree with @Tonyc that LSU shouldn’t be favored even to win the SEC. Their fans are managing expectations, which is perfectly reasonable. But compare that to us here. We’re not in managing expectations mode because of what a sober assessment of UConn’s chances tells us. SC and Tennessee will be tough games for LSU and I expect they will not prevail over them.

 

[Longtime fan]

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.

I think we will be less good than we wold have been. Edwards is terrific, but overworked. Ice remains a project, whose initial focus will be on how she holds up recovering from serious surgery. Amari>. You expect what from her? And Ayanna showed mostly freshman terror when on the court. In other words, I would be shocked if either Amari or Ayanna are anything more than occasional replacement players in routs and games against Kutztown State. And yet, if UCONN is going to be anything more than a really good team, one of them must emerge as a star. Losing Jana is a bigger blow than we can imagine, because we never saw her play. If all the other top teams ( eg LSU ) get through the season healthy, our title dreams will remain just that. Sorry. I am demoralized by this horrible setback.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Just a few things. Our underclassman have great potential and talent but lack college experience. Geno will work them into the lineup as he sees fit. Amari coming back from an injury at 6'6 needs playtime and if she can play underneath on defense and work as an intimidator that will be huge. Patterson had the opportunity and gained experience last season off the bench. We will see how that plays out this season. Winning is going to come down to defense and rebounding.

UConn will rely on Paige Azzi Caroline Aaliyah Griff and Nika. They are proven and have played together which translates into chemistry. Many other ranked teams will lack team chemistry because they have not played together. Thats what having players who come in from the portal and underclassman without experience do. I expect Caroline to shine this season and shine big. Everybody elses playtime will depend on what Geno sees. Lets face it we have a great lineup that can put up alot of points at a very high percentage. Opponents will have to be able to defend that.

All this talk about LSU. Many posts Ive read from SEC posters feel LSU should be ranked behind SC and possibly Tenn. What does that tell ya? LSU with Reese and Morrow appear to have 2 great rebounders but neither is a consistent outside shooter. Haley is a good outside shooter however teams can pressure her into taking poor shots.

UConn may be ranked number 2 preseason which Im not fond of but will give them something to shoot for and Geno will have them shooting with double barrel shot guns with their lineup. This years UConn lineup could just be one of the greatest of all time.

UCONN has the best roster in the country next year (provided they stay healthy) and should be the clear favorite to win with Paige, Fudd and Edwards.

I think you have another group of teams fairly capable of getting to a final four and competing for a title but still no one can match UCONN's roster if they remain intact entering NCAA's. Yes the loss of Alfay is very unfortunate but she isn't going to be what keeps UCONN from winning it all.

As far as LSU, realistically they are probably 3rd or 4th in their conference. Take off the celebrity blinders people are putting with Hailey Van Lith/Morrow who are inefficient players who play no defense, SC/TN have better overall rosters and X's O's coaching than LSU who lucked out a lot last year with their mini run in the NCAAT. You could make a strong case even Miss St/Ole Miss sneaking in at that 3rd spot potentially with what they have. I still anticipate the gap between SC and TN with the rest of the SEC will be significant. LSU is probably a 2nd round/sweet 16 team at best next season. No one can replace Morris/Ladazhia who made the team.

I'll be interested if Cori can get UCLA to the promise land (Final four). This is her opportunity to finally get it done with the addition of Betts and lots of great young talents.

Also don't sleep on Utah who has been on the brink of getting to that next level.

 

[HuskyNan]

Re: the doom and gloom posts - it’s like people have never seen Paige play.

The best UConn teams have had three dominant players - Rebecca/Kara/Nykesha, Maya/Tina/Renee, Breanna/Moriah/Kaleena, for example- surrounded by talented role players that kept the wheels on the machine greased. Then there are the Taurasi years where one generational player carried a supporting roster to championships.

This year, if healthy (knock on wood), Geno has a generational player in Paige and two other dominant players in Aaliyah and Azzi. There’s also a talented bunch of role players that don’t need to carry the team or be able to do it all to win, just contribute what they do the best.

I like the Huskies’ chances this year.