Frontcourt Strength

[AzzisBraids]

Here's my assessment:

Aubrey Griffin: The 6 foot 1 energizer bunny who never quits, led the team in effort and wrecks things on defense. She has worked on her shooting in the off-season and she will most likely play the 3 this year. She will want WNBA teams to know her name and she will fit the bill.

Caroline Ducharme: With Nika, Azzi and most importantly, Paige healthy (along with KK, Ashlynn and Qadence waiting) I suspect they will deploy Caroline at the 3, more in the post or in mix match situations to exploit her versatility. She did well in the post when she was there and with a healed hip, I like her there. Just hope they keep her head protected.

Aaliyah Edwards: She was UConn's most consistent player last year and from the elbow, in the paint, off the drive, she was a monster. She will show off her passing skills this year with Ice nearby and I expect her to have another breakout.

Ice Brady: The most intriguing of this group that we haven't seen yet. She's 6 foot 3 1/2, long and strong, she has a pro-built body and will make it very tough for opposing teams. She has a face up jumper but posts-up on every play. Excited to finally see her and with Nika/Paige and Azzi she will benefit from elite passing.

Ayanna will make strides, Amari grew an inch, and sad to see Jana out but now that there's no Aliyah Boston roaming around I think UConn has a great group to contend with the elite guards they have.

 

[oldude]

There’s a lot to like about UConn’s stable of frontcourt players. But I can’t help lamenting the loss of Jana for this coming season. At a minimum, she would have been part of the regular rotation, with an outside chance of being UConn’s starting center by Tournament time. Her skill set is similar to Stewie’s.

Oh well, let’s hope Jana comes back with a vengeance next season. In the meantime, you have to play the cards you’ve been dealt, and UConn has a pretty good hand to play this season.

 

[JellyBean]

I keep hoping and praying that Amari is 100% healthy and has that "I want to dominate" mindset and just comes out balling this year. At 6'6" OMG. The possibilities are off the charts!

The lost of Jana hurts because we all wanted to see her play and her brief summer ball games gave us a window of what a talented young lady she is going to be for the program. Now we just have to sit and wait until next year or the following year to see her at full strength. Just depends on how quickly she recovers.

The rest of the frontcourt, so many options. I just hope that Caroline is able to play. She gives us options on the wing. Q is going to be special because she plays without fear. Ayanna. Like Amari, I think Ayanna is going to have a breakout year. She is strong, athletic, and I believe ready to add to the program.

The rest of the team, with so much versatility, just makes us that stronger and more dangerous.

 

[Huskee11]

The loss of Jana weighs heavy, she looks like the real deal.

But still plenty of reason for optimism and Ice could be the one that gets us over the top. If not her, there will be at least one or two others on the roster who will exceed expectations.

With the backcourt we have we don`t need the front court to be great, but they do need to be very good and able to at least be competitive against teams like LSU, South Carolina and UCLA.

I would caution that optimism for this or practically any other basketball team is never higher than on or around October 1.

 

[Bone Dog]

These speculations suit my thinking. Lots of question marks in the front court but like the old magic 8 ball, “signs point to yes.” To get down to specifics,

Aubrey should be even awesomer this season than last. She doesn’t need to reinvent herself to be a draft pick. She’s already working on her perimeter shooting, but her slashing is just too good

Caroline playing up to potential without injury should be awesome too

Aaliyah can hardly get more awesome than she already is, but I suspect she’ll find a way

Amari has played a mix of tough D mixed with occasional ‘deer in the headlights’ O. We all hold out hope that her listless stretches have been the result of back pain. A healthy energetic Amari would be something to see. I can hardly wait

Ayanna had flashes of brilliance last season especially on D and could put her game together this season. If she can play with Aubrey-like energy, every other team better look out

Ice — I think she will be a revelation

Qadence, slotted as a wing/shooter, but I suspect she’ll find her way into the frontcourt with those long legs and arms, slashing, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds. No way she spends a year practicing with Aubrey and Caroline and watching them play without picking up a little inspiration

Jana — omg! We lost so much this season and she’ll have to wait just a little longer to show us how amazing she can be playing with a great supporting cast. Yes, she is reminiscent of Stewie. Maybe not as quick or deadly from the perimeter, but really strong and tenacious. It’s hard to imagine a current player anywhere in D1 with more potential.

 

[oldhusky]

I think Jana changes quite a few things. Ideally I hoped both Ice and Jana would be rotation ready at the 5 and they would share the minutes there regardless of who started. In that scenario Amari might have been on the outside looking in again, but with Jana's injury she is probably back in the mix, at least potentially. I had little expectations for her after last season, but retain some hope because I didn't know she was also playing hurt with an injury that had to be addressed this off season.

Still because we lost one of the two top C candidates, and can't be sure how good Ice or Amari will be, the probability of Aaliyah playing quite a bit at the 5, and Aubrey a lot at the 4 has increased. I had hoped Aaliyah could stay at her more natural position this season, but now both Ice and Amari need to be very good to keep that from happening.

Aubrey showed she could be good on the wing, but it was largely out of necessity due to injuries. She was actually better as a 4 her first two years, in fact was a superstar substitute there. Before Jana's injury I thought Aaliyah could stay put at the 4, consume most of the minutes there, and be backed by Aubrey a proven star sub, who could also have time to be star backup at the 3. In that scenario Ayanna might have had a minor role as plan B if Aaliyah or Aubrey got injured. Ayanna didn't have Aubrey competing much for her minutes last year, but this year she will, and thus far Aubrey is way ahead of her.

If Aaliyah winds up starting at the 5, Aubrey probably is the starting 4. That is a very good 4/5 competition against most teams, but against the best of the best it would be undersized, and I believe Aaliyah is a significantly better 4 than 5. It also would mean that Aubrey out of necessity might have to play close to all of her minutes at the 4, just like she pretty much had to play the 3 due to injuries last year. That leaves us far more exposed and thinner at the 3.

We still have enough talented players to cover all the positions well someway, but the importance of Ice, Amari and Ayanna reaching their potential is suddenly much more important. The ideal best case scenario has probably been taken off the table for three years in a row due to injuries causing players to miss the whole year, (Aubrey, then Paige and Ice, and now Jana). It is what it is, but unlike many contenders, we have shown the ability to remain a top contender despite a flood of injuries , and prior to LSU's haul in the portal and Jana's injury, we were a clear cut #1, and remain a strong #2 in most preseason polls.

 

[msf22b]

I read much of the above as pie in the sky.
The UConn front court is small
and does not have a monster scorer.

I adore Caroline but fret about her head issues
We're one or two incidents away before she'll have to give up competitive sports

Aaliyah's terrif and could even be better than next season...Ice is an unknown as are all rookies.
Aubrey also is capable, huge on defense but offensively is up and down. I'm not getting into Amari optimism despite her size and potential.

One could say, with all the backcourt scoring, who needs a big scoring forecourt...ok, not unreasonable.

The forecourt is not an area of strength; almost weakness; certainly a question mark.

 

[Bald Husky]

Any frontcourt would look weak compared to our backcourt. Even without Jana, I believe we will be fine, very fine in the frontcourt.

 

[sun]

Ice & Edwards are versatile enough scorers to allow Amari to get PT & to be productive at what she does best.
Their relationship on the court will be a symbiosis.
If Amari isn't ready then it will be hilarious to watch Geno eat his hat!

 

[Next 12]

I am not into who is a 3 or 4 pr 5. I am not into any negative thoughts.I go by what I feel about the players and their past performances. GENO is the secret to Uconn's success. Whatever hand Geno is dealt, he responds to the situation and devises a plan that works. As I have stated many times, irregardless of contrary opinions, Uconn will win the BE. Uconn will win the N.C. Geno will be the coach of the year and finally our future is assured for the next 3 years. The players on this roster will compete with any team out there and prevail. Because of Geno, he takes a GOOD player and makes them a GREAT player. His past records proves that. This year will be a year to remember. Geno will never eat his hat. GO GENO!!! GO TEAM!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!

 

[Bone Dog]

I read much of the above as pie in the sky.
The UConn front court is small
and does not have a monster scorer.

I adore Caroline but fret about her head issues
We're one or two incidents away before she'll have to give up competitive sports

Aaliyah's terrif and could even be better than next season...Ice is an unknown as are all rookies.
Aubrey also is capable, huge on defense but offensively is up and down. I'm not getting into Amari optimism despite her size and potential.

One could say, with all the backcourt scoring, who needs a big scoring forecourt...ok, not unreasonable.

The forecourt is not an area of strength; almost weakness; certainly a question mark.

It could be pie in the sky, but you may have gone too far in the other direction in this assessment. Yes, there are precisely four competitive teams in the country significantly taller than our front court, SC, ND, Tennessee and UCLA. We matchup really well with pretty much any other front court in D1. Of these, only SC and ND have proven they can dominate. As for Tennessee and UCLA, we'll have to see how Key comes back from her health problems and whether Betts can improve her foot speed. And of this group, only SC, ND and UCLA have a back court in any way comparable to Paige and Co.

So, yes, there are challenges here. And that's what's makes a season fun.

 

[CL82]

Ice — I think she will be a revelation

 

[hoophuskee]

I read much of the above as pie in the sky.
The UConn front court is small
and does not have a monster scorer.

I adore Caroline but fret about her head issues
We're one or two incidents away before she'll have to give up competitive sports

Aaliyah's terrif and could even be better than next season...Ice is an unknown as are all rookies.
Aubrey also is capable, huge on defense but offensively is up and down. I'm not getting into Amari optimism despite her size and potential.

One could say, with all the backcourt scoring, who needs a big scoring forecourt...ok, not unreasonable.

The forecourt is not an area of strength; almost weakness; certainly a question mark.

I think your tone here is a bit extreme but the bold seems to suggest UCONN is okay.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I don't think we really have to worry about who's playing the #1, #2, #3, #4, & #5, as Geno's system really doesn't use normal positions!
Once the game starts it's a motion offense where each player can be a passer, shooter, drive, etc
They will rotate all over the court driving opponents crazy trying to cover the bigs with their G's and our G's with their bigs!

 

[DrummerDee]

It could be pie in the sky, but you may have gone too far in the other direction in this assessment. Yes, there are precisely four competitive teams in the country significantly taller than our front court, SC, ND, Tennessee and UCLA. We matchup really well with pretty much any other front court in D1. Of these, only SC and ND have proven they can dominate. As for Tennessee and UCLA, we'll have to see how Key comes back from her health problems and whether Betts can improve her foot speed. And of this group, only SC, ND and UCLA have a back court in any way comparable to Paige and Co.

So, yes, there are challenges here. And that's what's makes a season fun.

Texas...Texas has 3@6'4", 1@6'5", and 1@6'8".

 

[hoophuskee]

I am not into who is a 3 or 4 pr 5. I am not into any negative thoughts.I go by what I feel about the players and their past performances. GENO is the secret to Uconn's success. Whatever hand Geno is dealt, he responds to the situation and devises a plan that works. As I have stated many times, irregardless of contrary opinions, Uconn will win the BE. Uconn will win the N.C. Geno will be the coach of the year and finally our future is assured for the next 3 years. The players on this roster will compete with any team out there and prevail. Because of Geno, he takes a GOOD player and makes them a GREAT player. His past records proves that. This year will be a year to remember. Geno will never eat his hat. GO GENO!!! GO TEAM!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!

I love this tone. Of course unsure about winning a title because the NCAA sets up the Tourney so the best doesn't always win, But as a counter; Geno is great, and if healthy (along with the team) Paige is great, and Azzi probably great, then there is no rational reason to expect that the frontcourt overall can't be at least "decent" considering they have an ALL-American caliber player in Edwards.

Not saying UCONN is going to go undefeated in which the frontcourt gets beat the most, but overall if healthy they have more than enough in the frontcourt for UCONN to be extremely formidable vs any opponent.

 

[Cuango]

I read much of the above as pie in the sky.
The UConn front court is small
and does not have a monster scorer.

I adore Caroline but fret about her head issues
We're one or two incidents away before she'll have to give up competitive sports

Aaliyah's terrif and could even be better than next season...Ice is an unknown as are all rookies.
Aubrey also is capable, huge on defense but offensively is up and down. I'm not getting into Amari optimism despite her size and potential.

One could say, with all the backcourt scoring, who needs a big scoring forecourt...ok, not unreasonable.

The forecourt is not an area of strength; almost weakness; certainly a question mark.

Our front court is far from being a weakness! Obviously, with the injury to ElAlfy it is not as strong as it might have been but we have a likely All American in Edwards, a veteran force in Aubrey, who is likely to have her best year ever, and a highly touted post player in Brady who, before being injured last season, had impressed Geno enough that he did something he rarely does; announced that he was expecting great things from her during training camp. Now, a year later, she is fully recovered, stronger and more mature than before, are we to believe she is any less than she was last year? To the contrary, she will likely be better!
We also have Yanna, who should be much improved from last season. If she is, and all else goes well, we are going to have some serious muscle in that front court! Sure, we’re not the tallest team but at least we will no longer be pushed around!
Everyone is worried about Caroline! I am too! However, she really has not been a factor for a long time now. I prefer to hope she is able to finally play injury free this sesaon. Is that likely? Perhaps not, but it is possible! If she does, however, she will raise this team from very good to almost unbeatable.
As for Amari, I look at her as being similar (at a lower level) to Caroline. We already have a very good team, consensus#2, and if she can contribute 12-20 minutes consistently, we will be something beyond “very good”!
Finally, we have our rookie, Qadence! Hard to put expectations on her but she can shoot, and along with KK & Ashlynn, provide depth we did not have last year! Yes, we have some question marks in our front court but remember this, if all goes well, and we can have a healthy year, we are at least as good as anyone in the country! Add to that the fact that we have Paige and the best coach, and I’m thinking we have a pretty good shot at #12!

 

[Bone Dog]

Texas...Texas has 3@6'4", 1@6'5", and 1@6'8".

Indeed, though perhaps we shouldn’t count the freshman Herron just yet. But that does indeed leave Muhammad Jones and Faye. Jones is a proven scorer and defender, though her health has been a problem throughout her career. Faye is a decent sub with weak defense who can give 5-10 mins/g without hurting the team. Muhammad is the wildcard in this group, since she has tons of potential if she can stay out of foul trouble.

Of course, the core talents at Texas are Harmon and Moore. If they can stay healthy, Texas is competitive. But notice that they are not tall — 5’6” and 6’2”. This is no longer a case of UConn being outclassed by taller teams, since the players who matter at Texas are not really taller than our frontcourt.

The thing is, Moore is really strong, like our Aaliyah, and has excellent skills on O and D. In the frontcourt, strength often matters more than height. I wonder if Ayanna will be able to stay with her this time around. If she can, then we’re really looking at Ice Aubrey and Aaliyah matching up against Jones Mwenentanda and Muhammad. Jones could be a handful if she’s healthy. I think we win the rest of this matchup pretty easily. I’ll take those odds.

As for the backcourt, do we think Harmon Gonzalez and Holle can outplay Paige Azzi Nika and KK? I don’t, even though Rory can be a handful.

All in all it should be an excellent game.

 

[hoophuskee]

Texas...Texas has 3@6'4", 1@6'5", and 1@6'8".

What does this mean?

Is the object of the game to have the tallest team or score the most points?

 

[Skeets]

Texas...Texas has 3@6'4", 1@6'5", and 1@6'8".

Everything is bigger in Texas.

 

[Next 12]

Texas...Texas has 3@6'4", 1@6'5", and 1@6'8".

OK, they are tall. BUT, can they play? S. Carolina had Aja Wilson and Alaina Coates, and we beat them. It's not how tall you are, it's can you handle Uconn's stifling defense and pass orientated offense along with their 3-point shooters. I have NO fear that Uconn will be lacking in any game they play this year. We have a team that has no weaknesses and it will show itself in the first 5 games. Geno is the master of Women's BB. GO HUSKIES!!!!

 

[jabstep]

I think we start if healthy Nika, Paige, Azzi, Aubrey and Aaliyah.
Ice is backup for Aaliyah in case of early foul trouble. Ayanna is backup for Aubrey.
KK is first guard off the bench for Paige, Azzi and Nika.
That is 8 girl rotation. All others will have to show they want on the court.
We could play big with Amari, Aaliyah and Ice if necessary. Lots of options for Geno. He will figure it out I have no doubt. Go Huskies!!!!!!

 

[Bone Dog]

All others will have to show they want on the court.

I'm pretty sure Ashlynn will show that very clearly. My prediction is Ashlynn will not be denied.

 

[darrell]

 

[Bald Husky]

Glad to see that Nika is smiling. I think her picture last year scared opponents before they hit the floor. LOL.
All of them came out very nice.