Front court

[wbbhoops278]

+1 with this comment. The posters on here clamoring for another Big, unless they want for injury, they are massively underrrating how great Paige and Azzi will be if healthy (how they positivley impact the game for all players including Bigs.). Bigs are teh only type of player that makes others better. Guiards do too. And UCONN has two supreme Guard players.

The quality of basketball players win games. Not size.

A healthy Paige and Azzi will be much, much better than these posters give them projected credit for.

Obviously if you don't have size, it's going to be tough to win long-term against really good competition. I agree with the spirit though and think there is a point of diminishing return when it comes to size. I would maybe say that balance is the actual key. IMO, South Carolina wins 3 championships in a row blowing everyone out if they have even one really talented outside shooting guard. Obviously they were still an exceptional team, but I think they could have had a bit more of a dynasty with that type of player. Cooke is just too inconsistent of a shooter. I hated watching how teams played defense because the games were painful, but they had a crazy talented frontcourt and no one to make outside shots, so it's tough to fault other teams for giving it their best chance.

 

[sun]

Amari has shown flashes of her talent.
Against Seton Hall she scored 13 points, had 8 RB's, 2 assists & 2 blocks in 21 minutes.
She was one of only 7 that played in that game for UConn & they scored a season high 103 points.

University of Connecticut Athletics

University of Connecticut Athletics

uconnhuskies.com

 

[Bone Dog]

IMO, South Carolina wins 3 championships in a row blowing everyone out if they have even one really talented outside shooting guard.

Turn this thought around and consider the magnitude of the mistake Boston made in turning Geno down. Had she come to UConn, she’d likely have won 4 NCs.

 

[hoophuskee]

Obviously if you don't have size, it's going to be tough to win long-term against really good competition. I agree with the spirit though and think there is a point of diminishing return when it comes to size. I would maybe say that balance is the actual key. IMO, South Carolina wins 3 championships in a row blowing everyone out if they have even one really talented outside shooting guard. Obviously they were still an exceptional team, but I think they could have had a bit more of a dynasty with that type of player. Cooke is just too inconsistent of a shooter. I hated watching how teams played defense because the games were painful, but they had a crazy talented frontcourt and no one to make outside shots, so it's tough to fault other teams for giving it their best chance.

And South Carolina proved that not having another guard made it tough winning it all long term. And I understand the spirit but they won 1 title by beating a UCONN team with no Dorka, an injured Liv, missing Griffin the whole year, no Azzi and Paige only coming back late with not much time for team to fully mesh yet the lead was cut to 7. How much more help did they need to win their 1 title?

As for your 3-title claim, there is no way they were going to blow out for 3 years a healthy UCONN team in past years. The more-the-than-likely result, if not for the injuries and adding just 1 player to UCONN each year like what you are doing for SC, then it would have been a better probability for a Paige-led dynasty. Not SC.

Let's look at Paige's frosh year. Walker left unexpectedly; a 1st team All-American. Makurat was basically nothing the whole year (prior year she averaged 26.5 mpg for a team ranked 5th). And during the NCAA's UCONN's starting pg got hurt. With all this, UCONN still made it to the Final Four with basically a perimeter team. The same perimeter team with a health Muhl beat South Carolina that same season. With all what UConn was missing - it still came down to the perimeter play of UCONN beat the Post play of South Carolina.

It's why I say - there is a massive underrating of guard play. Especially super great guard play.
The quality of basketball players win games. Not size.


I agree balance is best. But if we’re going to get into “What IF’s” then that pushes everything to UCONN. South Carolina deserved their 1 title, no doubt. But any additional “whatifs” imo is very hollow to SC in comparison vs UCONN.

 

[Florida Fan]

I believe she will be. Her and Amari had surgery once the season was over. I'm thinking neither were all that healthy.

Amari has to suck it up. Or get splinters.

 

[Geew1992]

Amari has to suck it up. Or get splinters.

Seriously… she had a herniated disc… I did too. Not easy to just “suck up”

 

[Alydar]

Seriously… she had a herniated disc… I did too. Not easy to just “suck up”

When I was younger back surgery was a last resort because loss of pain came with loss of movement. Today's athletes come back and star. Tiger Woods and Griffin had spinal fusions. Griffin had her best season and Woods won the Masters. Having watched Griffin last season and knowing about Deberry's surgery only increases my optimism that she could be finally be able to practice and train enough to contribute.

 

[Longtime fan]

I'm sorry to go out on a limb and disagree with the Boneyard honcho, but I think Jana's loss is a big one and no shots at her defense make me alter my opinion on that. If, (short word but big in meaning), her defense is not up to UCONN standards in July, that give a HOF quality coaching staff a few months to improve it. And, BTW, I see Jana's impressive aggressive play as helping her improve any defensive shortcomings some posters perceive. I feel pretty confident that Geno's comments on Jana's level of play, trump any negative personal opinions coming from this Board.

Why do I think this season-ending injury could be very impactful? Well, with the writers and actors strike coupled with the usual poor summer offerings of the networks, I have dusted off my stash of last year's games. One front court (FC) concern, I don't think has been corrected; Amari has lots of skills but rebounding and holding her own in the paint were weaknesses that both seemed to be most affected by her frail body. She makes Liv, look like she was a body builder and Amari has had two years in the system to improve on her strength so I doubt it has been corrected in the last few month. She lost multiple rebounds in each game that she played due to not being strong enough to hold on to the ball.

A secondary cause of my FC concern is Ayanna's almost complete lack of offensive skills. I know we often talk about UCONN' s numerous misses on bunny shots, but I couldn't believe how badly AP missed from 2 feet in, including some airballs. She also was a foul looking for a place to happen.

So to sum up, I saw Jana and ICE splitting the primary minutes at the #5, with Amari relieving for less than 10 minutes per game=so a big loss at the #5. I see Aaliyah as playing up to AA standards at the #4 and, if needed, giving a few minutes at the #5. Aubrey will get her share of time at the #4 and probably a few minutes at the #3. The wildcard in our FC is Ayanna. My hope is that she had the FR jitters last year and plays up to her preseason hype last year. She is too good and athletic to not show significant improvement this year!

I realize that this focuses on the weakness aspects in our FC, but I still believe we have the capability to both run the table and bring home NC # 12 this year. My issue is that losing Jana makes both of those more difficult but I think we will overcome any negatives with a backcourt which is clearly the best, by far, in WCBB and a FC that can compete with the best.

I agree with everything you said.

 

[Longtime fan]

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.

I think some of us are just demoralized. Paige has been seriously injured for each of the last two years. We can't imagine her having a healthy season. Azzi was out for most of that time, as well. Caroline has been dysfunctional due to head injuries. And now we lose a bright young star who has been getting accustomed to UCONN, and is gone before we see her. And the team hasn't even played a demo game in Croatia yet. So, we are over the edge ( some of us ).

 

[Alydar]

I'm confident that by September all the recovering injured will be clear to play 5 on 5. Two months of that should take care of their mental issues. My concern is the mental state of many fans who clearly haven't got over the injuries. Any player is one good head smack away from ending his or her career. Same with knee injuries. They are all at risk. I also believe that a crowd can have an effect on a team during a game, both for good or bad. If there is a collective gasp every time someone goes to the floor the team will start to think they really are made of fragile glass.

 

[Cornell Lt]

No matter the combination of players on the court, Uconn will lead the nation in scoring this upcoming season.

 

[Bone Dog]

No matter the combination of players on the court, Uconn will lead the nation in scoring this upcoming season.

This is what I keep thinking, too. So many different combinations that can score.

With all the perimeter shooters and with Aaliyah dominating in both post positions, it will be difficult to double team anyone. This will be the perfect opportunity for the new kids to find their comfort level on the court in game action. If Ice can develop her game early on, then Ayanna, and maybe Amari, and if we run a transition game sometimes, Q can take her cue from watching how Caroline plays, and KK and Ashlynn should be really scrappy helping to run a press with Aubrey — what incredible experiences for all of them.

But just playing the 6 core veterans for 20 or so minutes/g — that will be a formidable squad with nothing like it anywhere else in D1. We beat Stanford in the final four two years ago with a squad like this. Sure, we lost Liv and Christyn and Evina from that team, but we’ll have Aubrey and Caroline back along with a really improved Nika. That team healthy might have won the NC game, and I think we showed it last season when a depleted version of it (no Paige or Azzi or Caroline in the backcourt, only Lou and Nika and Inês) almost beat SC in the regular season. This year’s incarnation of that squad looks like world beaters to me.

I’m so confident of what the veterans can do that I feel free to imagine how wonderful our bench will be. That’s how good this team will be.

 

[jdote33]

Wasn't sure where to put this but just looking back Aubrey has an amazing season last year. I remember early on she really stood out. I think it may have been the NC State game where she had this amazing sequence of back to back steals and fast break opportunities. When I checked the stats it does seem that she may have hit a rough patch or some type of slump starting in the middle of February. I'm not sure if she reinjured her back or what happened but she wasn't quite as productive. But progressing into this upcoming season she is one of like 3 big x factors. Her defensive versatility, athleticism, and length are pretty unique on this team. She probably has pro aspirations as well. Thats y I really wouldn't mind if she started. It would be a tall task on some nights, guarding 4s but that's her versatility.

 

[Bone Dog]

Wasn't sure where to put this but just looking back Aubrey has an amazing season last year. I remember early on she really stood out. I think it may have been the NC State game where she had this amazing sequence of back to back steals and fast break opportunities. When I checked the stats it does seem that she may have hit a rough patch or some type of slump starting in the middle of February. I'm not sure if she reinjured her back or what happened but she wasn't quite as productive. But progressing into this upcoming season she is one of like 3 big x factors. Her defensive versatility, athleticism, and length are pretty unique on this team. She probably has pro aspirations as well. Thats y I really wouldn't mind if she started. It would be a tall task on some nights, guarding 4s but that's her versatility.

I think Aubrey can be used to guard 4s occasionally. There’s little she can’t do. I’m not as convinced that she’s at her best when starting, but that’s certainly a role she can play as well as anyone. And you’re right that the NC St game showed this. One thing I don’t think Aubrey is good at is playing 30 mins/g. I think you could see how that wore her down as the season dragged on.

The only game last season where she really struggled was against ND. With their big lineup, Aubrey was smaller than everyone but Miles (or Mabrey), and when Azzi went down we lost too much emotional steam. Also, their ball handlers are too good to expect to be able to rely on a transition game. This left a half court offense and once ND packed the paint with 3 bigs and Citron, there was no room for Aubrey’s slashing game.

ND will still be able to run a formidable lineup this season. They will be the tallest team in D1 and have several effective ball handlers. Watson, Marshall, Westbeld are solid post players, and Prosper and Citron bring size and speed to the lineup. Last season, Ivie figured out how to make the best use of Ebo, a large, slow and really strong presence in the paint, and she’ll be missed. But they are not smaller for losing her. Put Citron at pg (I’m not recommending this, just making a point) and ND could have a lineup of 6’1”, 6’2”, 6’3”, 6’4”, and 6’5” — and it wouldn’t be a slow lineup, which is usually the problem with big lineups.

Against a team like ND we’d have to open up the paint with perimeter shooting. And we have the shooters to do it. That’s when Aubrey could be useful in the half court offense. I suspect if Miles comes back, we won’t be able to get much transition scoring because her ball handling is too good, and Citron is no slouch either, and I’m not even thinking of Hidalgo yet. So, to win, we’ll need to beat them in the half court. Nika and Aubrey will be key to that effort, controlling Miles or Citron on defense.

 

[Next 12]

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 are so negative about Uconn's team this year. To me 6' to 6'2" is big. Aubrey plays like she is 6'4". So I will state that Aubrey. Caroline and Paige will do fine in that position. What Uconn lacks in your opinion is more than made up with our defense and scoring capabilities from multiple players, Azzi .Ashlynn, Morgan and Nika handing out assists big time. GO TEAM!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!

 

[Alydar]

I think Aubrey can be used to guard 4s occasionally. There’s little she can’t do. I’m not as convinced that she’s at her best when starting, but that’s certainly a role she can play as well as anyone. And you’re right that the NC St game showed this. One thing I don’t think Aubrey is good at is playing 30 mins/g. I think you could see how that wore her down as the season dragged on.

The only game last season where she really struggled was against ND. With their big lineup, Aubrey was smaller than everyone but Miles (or Mabrey), and when Azzi went down we lost too much emotional steam. Also, their ball handlers are too good to expect to be able to rely on a transition game. This left a half court offense and once ND packed the paint with 3 bigs and Citron, there was no room for Aubrey’s slashing game.

ND will still be able to run a formidable lineup this season. They will be the tallest team in D1 and have several effective ball handlers. Watson, Marshall, Westbeld are solid post players, and Prosper and Citron bring size and speed to the lineup. Last season, Ivie figured out how to make the best use of Ebo, a large, slow and really strong presence in the paint, and she’ll be missed. But they are not smaller for losing her. Put Citron at pg (I’m not recommending this, just making a point) and ND could have a lineup of 6’1”, 6’2”, 6’3”, 6’4”, and 6’5” — and it wouldn’t be a slow lineup, which is usually the problem with big lineups.

Against a team like ND we’d have to open up the paint with perimeter shooting. And we have the shooters to do it. That’s when Aubrey could be useful in the half court offense. I suspect if Miles comes back, we won’t be able to get much transition scoring because her ball handling is too good, and Citron is no slouch either, and I’m not even thinking of Hidalgo yet. So, to win, we’ll need to beat them in the half court. Nika and Aubrey will be key to that effort, controlling Miles or Citron on defense.

ND could have a lineup of 6’1”, 6’2”, 6’3”, 6’4”, and 6’5”

Which of the five would start for UConn?

 

[Carnac]

I'm thinking starting 5 will be Paige, Azzi, Muhl, Griffin, and Edwards

Griffin has the athleticism to "play big" a la Gabby Williams (just not to the same extent).

Ducharme will be first off the bench and can spell either the guards or forwards with her versatility.

Right now....those are MY starting five in that first game. Of course, things may change as the season progresses. They all have something in common, do you see it?


They're all "seasoned" veterans. Except for Azzi who is a Junior, the rest of them have 3+ years of experience in the program.

 

[Bone Dog]

Which of the five would start for UConn?

From that group for ND, I think 6'1" and 6'3" could start for UConn, and maybe also 6'2". I'm not making a comparison. Just trying to see a significant rival with clear eyes.

PS: that's Citron, Westbeld, and (maybe) Prosper.

 

[Alydar]

From that group for ND, I think 6'1" and 6'3" could start for UConn, and maybe also 6'2". I'm not making a comparison. Just trying to see a significant rival with clear eyes.

PS: that's Citron, Westbeld, and (maybe) Prosper.

NDame is a significant rival. But I think you see them with eyes half open while you are seeing UConn with eyes half shut. The Irish may be tall but they do not play big. Brady/Edwards/Patterson will dominate them inside, in part because NDame's entire defense will focus on Bueckers & Fudd.

In my opinion, Bueckers, Fudd and Edwards would start for NDame this year if they transferred and could play. In fact, they would start for any team in the country.

 

[Bone Dog]

NDame is a significant rival. But I think you see them with eyes half open while you are seeing UConn with eyes half shut. The Irish may be tall but they do not play big. Brady/Edwards/Patterson will dominate them inside, in part because NDame's entire defense will focus on Bueckers & Fudd.

In my opinion, Bueckers, Fudd and Edwards would start for NDame this year if they transferred and could play. In fact, they would start for any team in the country.

They played plenty big against us last season, with Ebo Watson Westbeld and Marshal. Now, mind you, I recognize that if Azzi hadn’t been injured and we’d had two perimeter shooters along with Lou, there might well have been more room for Aubrey to work her magic in the lane. But if the primary scorers are Lou and Aaliyah, that’s not enough to open it up against ND.

If we meet them again this season, with Paige Azzi Caroline firing on all cylinders, I expect things to go rather differently in the lane and on the perimeter. Then Aubrey and Aaliyah, and maybe even Ice, will make some hay down in the post.

Don’t worry, I have both eyes all the way open.

 

[SportsFan92]

It astounds me how so many people are negive. This team is far better then last year. They were 1 win away from making it to a final four. No doubt they would have taken care of Virgina Tech. They lost to OHIO State due to lack of guard play to handle the press. The turnovers killed us. LSU won not because of Reese but the role players who shot lights out and had the games of there lives. If they didn’t shoot they way they did Iowa would have won hands down. No one this season has a tandem of Paige & Azzi. Edwards is one of the best forwards in the nation, can play center if needed. Aubrey is the most athletic player in the nation in my opinion . No one knows how Jana would have done, she has never played a single college game. We have 3 of the best players in the nation. Only threat is LSU. I’m not sold on them yet. Come mid season we will be polished, so much depth at the guard position, so many that can handle the ball. This will be a team that can press all game if needed.. it’s a guards game. We all need to relax not panic.. yes Jana is a loss but to expect a freshmen to carry a team inside is just wrong. If we stay healthy and no other top team experiences injuries to top players like we have the past 2 seasons we run away with #12. It’s a very long season for every top team ..some top teams are one season ending injury away from a disaster. U never want to see anyone get injured..sadly it’s part of the game. The top 2 teams are LSU, UCONN then everyone else!! Trust in Geno and the process!

 

[boontonbomber]

You are so negative about Uconn's team this year. To me 6' to 6'2" is big. Aubrey plays like she is 6'4". So I will state that Aubrey. Caroline and Paige will do fine in that position. What Uconn lacks in your opinion is more than made up with our defense and scoring capabilities from multiple players, Azzi .Ashlynn, Morgan and Nika handing out assists big time. GO TEAM!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!

My comments were about the front court players, not the team. Aaliyah needs help. That's not negative,that's reality.Sorry 6', 6'2" is not big.

 

[Cblair13]

Does anybody know an update on Ice? If she’s ready to play or not?