Frontcourt Strength

[boscolino]

Aaliyah and Ice must stay healthy. Ayanna is a raw talent. Jana is out. Caroline is so fragile. Amari.....? Hoping she will get tired to sit on the bench

 

[Cuango]

Expected back January (maybe) coming off major knee surgery in April, possibly ACL though from the moment it happened no one has talked about the nature of the injury. Maybe because Niele refused to rule her out for the NCAA tournament before the brackets were released, coming clean now would expose her mild gamesmanship with the committee. If it were an ACL tear, they knew shortly after it happened.

Wow! That does change things considerably! I wonder where I got the idea she would be ready for the season opener? I guess we’re gonna see if the rave reviews of Hidalgo were legit!

 

[sun]

For Amari to dominate would be nothing short of a miracle.

IMO Amarie doesn't really need to dominate, she only needs to be able to contribute & to hold her own.
When she's in the game she has a job to do to help neutralize her opponet so that her + & - column remains relatively equal & enough so that she's not a liability.
She a cog in a machine & can be an important part of the puzzle.
That doesn't mean that she needs to dominate or become a super star or do anything that she's not capable of.
She only needs to complement her teammates with her play on the court.
As long as she can hold her own then she'll be contributing to the team's overall effort.
As long as she can be dominant over some of her teammates by performing some duties better than they can when others need to come out of the game then she'll get some playing time.

 

[Cuango]

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.

I’ll be ecstatic if she can provide 12-20 minutes of solid backup play! She doesn’t have to “dominate” just “maintain” without actively hurting us. If she can do that, she will be a big help for this team! Furthermore, if she can give us a solid contribution this year, even if it’s just “maintaining” while AE & Ice get some rest, then it leads to the hopeful expectation that next year she might actually be a force to be reckoned with! That, to me, is the real importance of her (Amari) actually getting consistent playing time this season!
I really have no expectation that she will be the difference between us winning a title or not, (Though that would be a welcome surprise) but rather that she gets on the road to fulfilling the potential that prompted Geno to recruit her in the first place. Her time is running out, but she still has the opportunity to make her mark here at UConn. She just needs to get on the path! If she can just stay on the floor and limit her mistakes, then by the end of the season, perhaps she could be a difference maker this year!
I know I’m pulling for her!

 

[Cuango]

Cuango- - Paige Bueckers was told it would take 12+ months to recover enough to return to play this season!
Miles got hurt end of Feb. or beginning of March so she's been rehabbing just over 7 months!
She could be back the end of 2023 -2024 season or possibly next year!

Thanks for the info. I guess I was never really sure which injury she had. So she had an acl tear? It’s funny, I looked all over for info about her injury, and even now, virtually every report I could find was “a knee injury”! Three different times I clicked on “0livia Miles acl?” and it took me to another player instead! Aliyah Moore, Stephanie Soares & one other player came up instead of Miles. The reports that were specific to Miles merely had “knee injury”. Anyway, I guess I can assume acl. None of my business of course, just curious that everyone else I looked up said specifically acl. The redirections to other players were weird though.

 

[BobbyJ]

Thanks for the info. I guess I was never really sure which injury she had. So she had an acl tear? It’s funny, I looked all over for info about her injury, and even now, virtually every report I could find was “a knee injury”! Three different times I clicked on “0livia Miles acl?” and it took me to another player instead! Aliyah Moore, Stephanie Soares & one other player came up instead of Miles. The reports that were specific to Miles merely had “knee injury”. Anyway, I guess I can assume acl. None of my business of course, just curious that everyone else I looked up said specifically acl. The redirections to other players were weird though.

See post #42 for some context on why you couldn't find out her injury status at the time. Or now.

 

[Alydar]

Expected back January (maybe) coming off major knee surgery in April, possibly ACL though from the moment it happened no one has talked about the nature of the injury. Maybe because Niele refused to rule her out for the NCAA tournament before the brackets were released, coming clean now would expose her mild gamesmanship with the committee. If it were an ACL tear, they knew shortly after it happened.

A ND fan posted that Niele described it as the same injury she had. That would make it an ACL.

 

[Alydar]

But there are many players who have returned from torn ACLs in 6–8 months. Many.

Funny how different posts are when it's a non-UConn player. Bueckers will have had 15 months of rehab and there are fans who think that's too soon.

 

[Alydar]

Paige seems to have grown an inch!!! I thought she was always listed as 5’11”.

Bueckers' high school coach said she was 6' in her junior year. The listings on college rosters are notoriously wrong. DeBerry was listed as 6'5 and now she is 6'6. She didn't grow an suddenly grow and inch. Arnold is now 5'9 when she was 5'7 on some lists. 6'4 Tina Charles is really 6'3. UConn lines up for the national anthem by height. For there entire UConn careers Gabby Williams was listed as 5'11 while Nurse was 6' but Williams always lined up as being taller than Nurse. Brady lists at 6'3 but I've read 6'4 too.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Thanks for the info. I guess I was never really sure which injury she had. So she had an acl tear? It’s funny, I looked all over for info about her injury, and even now, virtually every report I could find was “a knee injury”! Three different times I clicked on “0livia Miles acl?” and it took me to another player instead! Aliyah Moore, Stephanie Soares & one other player came up instead of Miles. The reports that were specific to Miles merely had “knee injury”. Anyway, I guess I can assume acl. None of my business of course, just curious that everyone else I looked up said specifically acl. The redirections to other players were weird though.

Cuango- - - Just my opinion, but I think it was a BAD ACL (if that's possible) and ND doesn't want it to alert the opposition how long she'll be out!
I wouldn't bet the farm on my opinion just got a feeling!

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

But there are many players who have returned from torn ACLs in 6–8 months. Many.

stamfordhusky- - Yes that's true but I'm just mentioning what Paige's Doctors said to her!

 

[Cuango]

Height is a lot like money.
Money isn't everything but it sure helps to have some.
One minute highilights of Lauren Betts when she won Pac 12 Freshman of the Week.

No question Betts changes UCLA’ chances in a huge way but I’ll have to see it to believe it when it comes to them (UCLA) being one of the elite teams. Yes, she elevates their front court into the lead in the Pac 12 but they still imo have to show they can take full advantage of that.
Their back court, though highly rated with Rice and Osborne, don’t shoot all that well (Osborne, their star fifth year senior doesn’t even shoot 40% overall and only shot 29% from three last season while Rice, though admittedly a star recruit, shoots 41% & 22%) and I would never think of Close in a discussion of the best coaches in the country. Perhaps those two will suddenly become Paige and Azzi and Close will finally come into her own, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

 

[huskeynut]

It's still pre-season. All opinions have some credibility.

So here's some food for thought. LSU - Mulkey uses the portal again. Garners two big names - Van Lith and Morrow. Now can Reese, van Lith and Morrow share the court and play nice? I'm not so sure.

UCLA gets Betts. How good is she? Are we hearing more hype from the "experts?"

South Carolina - Dawn lost a lot. Can she regroup and challenge for the top spot? I actually think she can and will.

Iowa - lost a ton with 2 players graduating. Does Iowa have the post presence to take the heat off of Clark? Does Iowa have another outside shooter to compliment Clark?

Ohio State - can they repeat their run? Will their pressure defense keep them going or will teams be ready and negate it? I think a lot of teams will be ready for them.

Now for UConn. Some may not like what I say. The question looms about Paige and Azzi and Caroline. The word is they are healthy. But 2 years of injuries to all three have to leave questions about their durability. Freshman class, with talent, are still freshman. How will they adapt to the college game? Our front court is being questioned as to whether they can compete with bigger teams.

Every team that is considered a legit contender is a new team. Personnel changes always affect the team chemistry. How does this shake out? Injuries are going to occur.

We will all have a better idea by the end of December.

 

[Alydar]

In terms of experience UConn is way ahead of the other top teams. SCar lost practically it's entire starting team. LSU is likely starting two transfers and maybe a freshman. Betts is new at UCLA and they need her to dominate and for their guards to learn to shoot.
UConn has a core of Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards, Muhl, Griffin, Ducharme who may have missed time but who have been playing together for years. They all have high BB IQ's, play unselfishly and understand Geno's system. There are also a bunch of talented newcomers who will contribute but none are being counted on to play major roles. This is a team that with some luck can be undefeated. Yes, we all know that things can change, and games have to be played and won, but it's plain that this team is special.

 

[hoophuskee]

When Uconn started into it's prime our frontcourt was the tallest in the country with Rebecca Lobo and others. We continued with athletic 6'2", 6'3:, frontcourt for several years. At that time the majority of other teams were operating under the same guidelines. Then along came Stewie and four championships later we stopped with the bigs while teams like South Carolina, Stanford and Baylor stepped up their recruitment. In women's basketball 6'3" is no longer a "big", just like 6' is no longer a "big" in men's basketball.

I don't agree with your context at all. The teams 01-02 through 03-04 were not tall. Why include Lobo but exclude DT lead teams?

The main takeaway from your point imo is having a superstar or many all-Americans. Lobo and Stweart were superstars. UCONN had none last year (Fudd was not the same).

The prior year the number 1 player for UCONN was Paige (hurt most of the year) but didn't have a Rizzotti type for example (I didn't follow Lobo team much that year but her 2nd player was Rizzotti. I love CWill but imo a big difference between the 2 though I admit I saw very little of the games. Though the games I saw UCONN was wrecking ball and ofc the Finals. I find it hard to believe CWill comparatively was Rizzotti). Stewart always had All-American surrounding her. Paige did not have that her 1st two years.

So the players you reference - there has to be context. included.

.

 

[hoophuskee]

IMO Amarie doesn't really need to dominate, she only needs to be able to contribute & to hold her own.
When she's in the game she has a job to do to help neutralize her opponet so that her + & - column remains relatively equal & enough so that she's not a liability.
She a cog in a machine & can be an important part of the puzzle.
That doesn't mean that she needs to dominate or become a super star or do anything that she's not capable of.
She only needs to complement her teammates with her play on the court.
As long as she can hold her own then she'll be contributing to the team's overall effort.
As long as she can be dominant over some of her teammates by performing some duties better than they can when others need to come out of the game then she'll get some playing time.

The same can be said about her teammates on the behcn getting time over Amari.

 

[sun]

The University of Colorado has 5 players listed at 6'3", 3 G's listed at 6'1" & 2 G's listed at 6"0" out of a total of 16 on the roster.
They're playing against LSU on Nov. 6th in Las Vegas.

 

[Bone Dog]

South Carolina - Dawn lost a lot. Can she regroup and challenge for the top spot? I actually think she can and will.

I like your entire comment. But this item called for a response. Dawn lost her entire starting squad. But she had a really stocked bench last season, too. I think SC was lucky the whole squad opted for the draft. Otherwise they might have lost a lot of that bench to the portal.

We often said that due to injuries last season we had a #1 team sitting on the bench. But that was almost true of SC without the injuries. I think Dawn certainly had a top-10 team on her bench, maybe even a top-5. That’s the team she’s returning this season.

I fully expect SC to go undefeated in the SEC this season.

 

[Cuango]

It's still pre-season. All opinions have some credibility.

So here's some food for thought. LSU - Mulkey uses the portal again. Garners two big names - Van Lith and Morrow. Now can Reese, van Lith and Morrow share the court and play nice? I'm not so sure.

UCLA gets Betts. How good is she? Are we hearing more hype from the "experts?"

South Carolina - Dawn lost a lot. Can she regroup and challenge for the top spot? I actually think she can and will.

Iowa - lost a ton with 2 players graduating. Does Iowa have the post presence to take the heat off of Clark? Does Iowa have another outside shooter to compliment Clark?

Ohio State - can they repeat their run? Will their pressure defense keep them going or will teams be ready and negate it? I think a lot of teams will be ready for them.

Now for UConn. Some may not like what I say. The question looms about Paige and Azzi and Caroline. The word is they are healthy. But 2 years of injuries to all three have to leave questions about their durability. Freshman class, with talent, are still freshman. How will they adapt to the college game? Our front court is being questioned as to whether they can compete with bigger teams.

Every team that is considered a legit contender is a new team. Personnel changes always affect the team chemistry. How does this shake out? Injuries are going to occur.

We will all have a better idea by the end of December.

Did you actually hear something about Caroline? I listened to all the interviews and never heard a word about her!

 

[darrell]

Bueckers' high school coach said she was 6' in her junior year. The listings on college rosters are notoriously wrong. DeBerry was listed as 6'5 and now she is 6'6. She didn't grow an suddenly grow and inch. Arnold is now 5'9 when she was 5'7 on some lists. 6'4 Tina Charles is really 6'3. UConn lines up for the national anthem by height. For there entire UConn careers Gabby Williams was listed as 5'11 while Nurse was 6' but Williams always lined up as being taller than Nurse. Brady lists at 6'3 but I've read 6'4 too.

I’ve seen Qadence listed as 6’2-6’3 prior to arriving on campus, now she’s listed as 6’0. I’m pretty sure she has more than an inch on Nika (who’s listed as 5’11).

 

[Alydar]

The same can be said about her teammates on the behcn getting time over Amari.

Amari is a natural shotblocker. She's the type that can discourage driving guards from even trying. She also has a good 3pt shot. And the rest of the bench has things that make them contributors. Geno said today tha people assume he only uses 6 players and they forget that there were years he used 10. He thinks this could be one of those years. There are no placeholders on UConn, you either do something or you sit. And the freshmen coming in in the last few years seem to accept that.

 

[Skeets]

I’ve seen Qadence listed as 6’2-6’3 prior to arriving on campus, now she’s listed as 6’0. I’m pretty sure she has more than an inch on Nika (who’s listed as 5’11).

A lot depends on the Afro Puffs.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’ve seen Qadence listed as 6’2-6’3 prior to arriving on campus, now she’s listed as 6’0. I’m pretty sure she has more than an inch on Nika (who’s listed as 5’11).

I’ve wondered about this too. She’s at least 6’0”. But is she taller than this? It would be interesting to see her standing next to Aubrey or Caroline or Ayanna.

However tall Qadence actually is, she is quite lanky with long arms. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has the wingspan typical of someone who’s 6’4”. It only remains to see what she does with these physical gifts.

 

[Bigboote]

I’ve seen Qadence listed as 6’2-6’3 prior to arriving on campus, now she’s listed as 6’0. I’m pretty sure she has more than an inch on Nika (who’s listed as 5’11).

Natasha Cloud and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough were both listed as 6-0 from their freshman years in college till maybe two years ago. Now they’re both 5-9, although announcers still talk about Cloud as a “big guard”.

 

[wingsfan055]

It's still pre-season. All opinions have some credibility.

So here's some food for thought. LSU - Mulkey uses the portal again. Garners two big names - Van Lith and Morrow. Now can Reese, van Lith and Morrow share the court and play nice? I'm not so sure.

UCLA gets Betts. How good is she? Are we hearing more hype from the "experts?"

South Carolina - Dawn lost a lot. Can she regroup and challenge for the top spot? I actually think she can and will.

Iowa - lost a ton with 2 players graduating. Does Iowa have the post presence to take the heat off of Clark? Does Iowa have another outside shooter to compliment Clark?

Ohio State - can they repeat their run? Will their pressure defense keep them going or will teams be ready and negate it? I think a lot of teams will be ready for them.

Now for UConn. Some may not like what I say. The question looms about Paige and Azzi and Caroline. The word is they are healthy. But 2 years of injuries to all three have to leave questions about their durability. Freshman class, with talent, are still freshman. How will they adapt to the college game? Our front court is being questioned as to whether they can compete with bigger teams.

Every team that is considered a legit contender is a new team. Personnel changes always affect the team chemistry. How does this shake out? Injuries are going to occur.

We will all have a better idea by the end of December.

Dont forget UConn lost Lou as well. A big loss. Let's face it. She carried the team, with AE, for much of the season. Without her, the team probably loses at least a couple more games. Then her body gave out at the end of the year which clearly impacted her productivity. UConn has a LOT of uncertainty right now (sorry to add some rain to this thread).

 

[Alydar]

Dont forget UConn lost Lou as well. A big loss. Let's face it. She carried the team, with AE, for much of the season. Without her, the team probably loses at least a couple more games. Then her body gave out at the end of the year which clearly impacted her productivity. UConn has a LOT of uncertainty right now (sorry to add some rain to this thread).

Less than most of the other contenders. Senechal was a savior last year. But a healthy Bueckers and Fudd takes care of that loss. UConn is talent-rich at the guard.
SCar lost their entire front line and their frontcourt 6th man. And SCar's offense needs a dominant front line. Where does the offense come from?
I think Dawn will have another great season but there are far more unanswered questions in Columbia than in Storrs, even though ESPN doesn't agree.

 

[hoophuskee]

Amari is a natural shotblocker. She's the type that can discourage driving guards from even trying. She also has a good 3pt shot. And the rest of the bench has things that make them contributors. Geno said today tha people assume he only uses 6 players and they forget that there were years he used 10. He thinks this could be one of those years. There are no placeholders on UConn, you either do something or you sit. And the freshmen coming in in the last few years seem to accept that.

Too many factors this year. Sure, he could have 10. He could also have many blowouts that he normally plays 10 because its rare anyone is close. That's possible. part of his issue o having a short bench the last several years is that he hasn't had several All-American’s that are good enough to know vs 90% of your opponents, you have near nil chance to lose.

This year I could see 10 because he might want to protect Paige, Azzi, and Caroline. But the more healthy they are, the less likely you go 10 in big games that are tight.

UCONN's #1 strength is that they potentially have 2 POY candidates. They have 2 other players (Edwards and Ducharme) that can play at A/A level. Then they have two very elite defenders. It's hard to break in with many other players when you have this much experience and talent - if healthy.

 

[Cuango]

Dont forget UConn lost Lou as well. A big loss. Let's face it. She carried the team, with AE, for much of the season. Without her, the team probably loses at least a couple more games. Then her body gave out at the end of the year which clearly impacted her productivity. UConn has a LOT of uncertainty right now (sorry to add some rain to this thread).

Not sure where you’re seeing all these “ucertainties“? From where I sit, it looks like we have the best available roster in years, with every single player (with the exception of Jana) expected to be fully healthy by November! As for me, that makes it pretty “certain” that we’re ready to kick a** and take names this season.
Every team has the possibility of bad things happening to them. I don’t think we are any more or less likely to experience ill fortune than anyone else. I think we are in a very good place right now and pray that that continues throughout the year.

 

[jdote33]

Does this year's team have a big that will be a defensive anchor/bring toughness. I think Dorka and ONO were unbelievable at this. They blocked shots, talked trash and played hard every game. I could see Amari doing that as well but I don't think she will get an opportunity.

 

[hoophuskee]

Does this year's team have a big that will be a defensive anchor/bring toughness. I think Dorka and ONO were unbelievable at this. They blocked shots, talked trash and played hard every game. I could see Amari doing that as well but I don't think she will get an opportunity.

IMO other than blocking shots, I beleive Edwards is a tremendous defensive anchor.