Frontcourt Strength

[Bills Fan]

Excellent analysis. The other possibility is that Aaliyah simply steps up her game a notch -- who knew there were any more notches? -- and does for the front court what Paige is likely to do for the backcourt. Aaliyah is strong enough to play 35 mins/g at full power. We don't need her to be a shot blocker. But if she makes herself unstoppable on offense, and Ice Aubrey Ayanna Amari rotate through the 4-5 to help her with defense, we'll be fine. This is what I suspect is the likeliest scenario.

My only concern regarding Liya is fouls. We need her on the court , in competitive games, 35 minutes.

 

[Tonyc]

Reading all the posts it comes down to IF UConn is healthy look out. Amari in HS played against a very weak conference. She should be ready this season and maybe not in November but at some point she will be ready and that will be exactly what we need to get over the top.

 

[Bone Dog]

The game has changed and Geno realizes he has to change with it and that means recruiting some bigs and I don't mean 6'3" bigs. Pay attention to the height that LSU, Sanford and South Carolina have been bringing in

I’m intrigued, though I don’t know who you’re replying to. 2 questions:

1. Has the game changed? Rebecca played next to Kara in a twin towers set. That’s 6’4” and 6’7” in the mid-90s. Stanford also put twin towers on the floor in those days. I remember Jane Apelt.

2. Exactly what height is LSU bringing in? Surely you don’t mean Del Rosario. A slow-footed freshman with no shooting touch. How does she compare to Amari? I think I’d take Amari over her any day. A better shooter, a good rebounder, and excellent rim protector. It’s also worth pointing out that last year, on the FIBA USA team, Ice overshadowed Rosario. I’d put Aaliyah and Ice up against Reese and Rosario without hesitation. And that’s not even counting what Ayanna Aubrey and Amari bring.

SC isn’t bringing in anyone new, are they? I like Cardozo’s skill set and think she’ll shine this year. But beyond her, they’re just a bunch of strong 6’1” or 6’2” kids. I think SC will be formidable, because of their athleticism. But it’s worth remembering that Aaliyah Dorka and Aubrey played Boston Saxton and Cardozo pretty much even up.

UCLA will be interesting to watch. Can Betts find her dominant game with the help of Osborne and Rice? This is what she lacked at Stanford. Though she was also rightly overshadowed by Brink, who set a very high standard.

I’ve said many times that height isn’t enough by itself. Strength and footwork matter more. This is what the current crop of great post players all have — our Aaliyah, Brink, Reese, Holmes just to name a few. The downside of really tall players is that they can be slow-footed. Betts suffers from this, as does Rosario. But Cardozo does not.

 

[Jim R]

I’m intrigued, though I don’t know who you’re replying to. 2 questions:

1. Has the game changed? Rebecca played next to Kara in a twin towers set. That’s 6’4” and 6’7” in the mid-90s. Stanford also put twin towers on the floor in those days. I remember Jane Apelt.

2. Exactly what height is LSU bringing in? Surely you don’t mean Del Rosario. A slow-footed freshman with no shooting touch. How does she compare to Amari? I think I’d take Amari over her any day. A better shooter, a good rebounder, and excellent rim protector. It’s also worth pointing out that last year, on the FIBA USA team, Ice overshadowed Rosario. I’d put Aaliyah and Ice up against Reese and Rosario without hesitation. And that’s not even counting what Ayanna Aubrey and Amari bring.

SC isn’t bringing in anyone new, are they? I like Cardozo’s skill set and think she’ll shine this year. But beyond her, they’re just a bunch of strong 6’1” or 6’2” kids. I think SC will be formidable, because of their athleticism. But it’s worth remembering that Aaliyah Dorka and Aubrey played Boston Saxton and Cardozo pretty much even up.

UCLA will be interesting to watch. Can Betts find her dominant game with the help of Osborne and Rice? This is what she lacked at Stanford. Though she was also rightly overshadowed by Brink, who set a very high standard.

I’ve said many times that height isn’t enough by itself. Strength and footwork matter more. This is what the current crop of great post players all have — our Aaliyah, Brink, Reese, Holmes just to name a few. The downside of really tall players is that they can be slow-footed. Betts suffers from this, as does Rosario. But Cardozo does not.

Good overview.....except SC ...from the portal Staley snagged junior college player of the year, 6'5" Sakima Walker. The difference is, Geno's gameplan/strategy, doesn't depend on bigs win games, Staley's does.

 

[Alydar]

01-04??? That was twenty years ago. And do you really think that Uconn would have won those championship games without Stewart? How quickly we forget her greatness.

Stewart played form 2012-2016.


I keep reading how El Alfy was going to be a rotation player. She looked good in a FIBA Euro tournament for pre-college age players. The competition may not have even been as good as UConn faced in their Euro exhibitions. How can anyone think that she was going to fit right into the rotation?

UConn has size. Brady at 6'3 is more of a 5 than either El Alfy (6'5) or DeBerry(6'6). Inches is not the same as size.

Someone also stated that UConn needs an inside monster scorer. Edwards has been around a 60% shooter for three years.

Another poster said that Geno needs to recruit some 6'5 players. First, being 6'5+ and having the skills and talent to play at UConn makes for a very short list. Geno got 6'5 Butler to transfer from GTwn and while she was good enough to lead the country in rebounding her hands weren't good enough (or strong enough) to successfully play UConn's style.

I think Brady and Patterson will quiet most of the "not big enough" posters.

 

[hoophuskee]

I re-read my post and did not feel that any part of it was sarcastic. As for Rebecca Lobo, I watched every game she played on tv, saw her play in person and had the pleasure of meeting her personally. I can only attest to her greatness but the fact that she played prior to Breanna does not make her a better player. Statistics do not lie and if you don't want to accept them that is your privilege.

What? I don't know where you are coming from with this.. I'm guessing that you are referring to my sarcasm? Is that whay you are implying? You know you did talk down with your comments "How quickly we forget . . ." and "Pay attention . . .".

The point is you brought up Lobo from years prior. Why could you bring up Lobo from an earlier era but I can't bring up DT from a more recent era?

And what is it about Lobo that made you think I suggested she was better than Stewart?

 

[Bone Dog]

.

I agree, though I had some confidence Jana could have played herself into the rotation by March. She has a couple of important skills: ball handling, outside shooting, and real tenacity as a rebounder. The questions I had were about her ability to pass and cut at the level Geno’s system requires.

I also suspect Ice already has those skills.

 

[Alydar]

I agree, though I had some confidence Jana could have played herself into the rotation by March. She has a couple of important skills: ball handling, outside shooting, and real tenacity as a rebounder. The questions I had were about her ability to pass and cut at the level Geno’s system requires.

I also suspect Ice already has those skills.

I watched El Alfy too. I liked what I saw but they were against players much smaller and less skilled than the front courts of the top D1 teams and the Egyptian offense was designed to get her the ball. Plus, she's more of a stretch 4 than a post.
Personally I have no problem with UConn playing 4's and living without a 5. Juhasz and Edwards are an example. I thought that the Juhasz, Edwards, ONO rotation in 2022 worked well and UConn's frontcourt this coming season is deeper, stronger and more skilled.

 

[DEpup]

I think that is motion offense in the modern era with 2 4s rather than a 4 and 5. Stewie and Tuck were both 4s. Is Dolson the last starting true 5 and even she can operate a bit on the perimeter.

 

[Bone Dog]

I watched El Alfy too. I liked what I saw but they were against players much smaller and less skilled than the front courts of the top D1 teams and the Egyptian offense was designed to get her the ball. Plus, she's more of a stretch 4 than a post.
Personally I have no problem with UConn playing 4's and living without a 5. Juhasz and Edwards are an example. I thought that the Juhasz, Edwards, ONO rotation in 2022 worked well and UConn's frontcourt this coming season is deeper, stronger and more skilled.

The Egyptian offense was entirely about getting Jana the ball. The problem for them was the guards just weren’t really competitive even in that league. I really wonder what it will be like for Jana when the UConn backcourt gives her a clean lane.

I’m also with you about playing two 4s. Just look at the teams that made the Sweet Sixteen last year. Two teams featured 5s, the rest relied on 4s. This hasn’t been the “age of the 5s” in a while.

 

[Huskee11]

Personally I have no problem with UConn playing 4's and living without a 5. Juhasz and Edwards are an example. I thought that the Juhasz, Edwards, ONO rotation in 2022 worked well and UConn's frontcourt this coming season is deeper, stronger and more skilled.

I hope you are correct. As good as Edwards was last season, she should be even better.

But we are replacing a WNBA all-rookie first teamer with a redshirt first year with zero game experience coming off of a significant injury, a junior coming off of back surgery who has yet to hit her stride, and a sophomore also coming off of surgery who struggled with consistency. So we shall see.

Having said that, I am with you on Brady, very high expectations. Not much tape though.

Hard to argue Juhasz is a 4 when she started at the 5 in the WNBA.

I think you are underestimating El Alfy. She would have made a difference. If nothing else, her three point shooting would have opened things up. Maybe Brady or even DeBerry can fill that void. Edwards is working on that as well.

 

[Bone Dog]

Having said that, I am with you on Brady, very high expectations. Not much tape though.

I know. It's bedeviling. The FIBA games showed that she's a force underneath as a rebounder and has a quick outlet pass. But beyond that, it's guesswork.

 

[Bone Dog]

What I particularly like about Ice (and Jana) is that their handles are good enough to drive the lane or the baseline. This is what Aaliyah has too. As I recall, Aaliyah even played point forward in HS. When someone that large gets moving in one direction, the little folk tend to just get out the way.

 

[hoophuskee]

I watched El Alfy too. I liked what I saw but they were against players much smaller and less skilled than the front courts of the top D1 teams and the Egyptian offense was designed to get her the ball. Plus, she's more of a stretch 4 than a post.
Personally I have no problem with UConn playing 4's and living without a 5. Juhasz and Edwards are an example. I thought that the Juhasz, Edwards, ONO rotation in 2022 worked well and UConn's frontcourt this coming season is deeper, stronger and more skilled.

Our semantics of what we feel as a 5 vs 4 might be miniscule. My definition is that there is no such thing as not having a 5. If you are defending an opposing team's center, then you are a 5. On Offense, I'd be shocked if she wasn';t used as both inside/out. She isn't as quick as Liv, so if she can't play some good inside offense then she'd be pretty useless vs small teams like Nova.

 

[Bone Dog]

I suspect the 4-5 distinction is mainly about whether someone is an intimidator in the lane. 4s tend to be more offense minded. Amari, for example, is an eraser in the paint. Aaliyah Ice Ayanna Aubrey and Caroline can block shots, too. be sure. But they don't deter guards from attempting to come into the lane b their mere presence. Amari does. I haven't seen enough from Jana on D too. know how she'll be next year. She does have rather long arms.

 

[Alydar]

I hope you are correct. As good as Edwards was last season, she should be even better.

But we are replacing a WNBA all-rookie first teamer with a redshirt first year with zero game experience coming off of a significant injury, a junior coming off of back surgery who has yet to hit her stride, and a sophomore also coming off of surgery who struggled with consistency. So we shall see.

Having said that, I am with you on Brady, very high expectations. Not much tape though.

Hard to argue Juhasz is a 4 when she started at the 5 in the WNBA.

I think you are underestimating El Alfy. She would have made a difference. If nothing else, her three point shooting would have opened things up. Maybe Brady or even DeBerry can fill that void. Edwards is working on that as well.

We are replacing a 2nd round draft pick. I'm very happy that Juhasz has been "discovered" in the W but despite being a 2 time all B1G 1st team member the media mostly ignored her. I think the media does a generally poor job covering foreign players.
Instead of worrying about players returning from injuries I rejoice. The time to worry is when the injury happens, not when it's been healed. I expect both Brady and Patterson will show us why they were top 5 recruits.

 

[BobbyJ]

I suspect the 4-5 distinction is mainly about whether someone is an intimidator in the lane. 4s tend to be more offense minded. Amari, for example, is an eraser in the paint. Aaliyah Ice Ayanna Aubrey and Caroline can block shots, too. be sure. But they don't deter guards from attempting to come into the lane b their mere presence. Amari does. I haven't seen enough from Jana on D too. know how she'll be next year. She does have rather long arms.

DeBerry is an eraser in the paint? She played 8 mpg, almost all in blowouts against the end of benchers, and averaged a block every other game. She’s a real intimidator. Probably ready for Betts.

 

[Steelerone]

What? I don't know where you are coming from with this.. I'm guessing that you are referring to my sarcasm? Is that whay you are implying? You know you did talk down with your comments "How quickly we forget . . ." and "Pay attention . . .".

The point is you brought up Lobo from years prior. Why could you bring up Lobo from an earlier era but I can't bring up DT from a more recent era?

And what is it about Lobo that made you think I suggested she was better than Stewart?

Number 1, I do not talk down to people. Number 2, I feel like at this point we are two dogs chasing their tails. Have a nice day and let's root for our husky women and pray they don't incur any injuries.

 

[oldhusky]

The Egyptian offense was entirely about getting Jana the ball. The problem for them was the guards just weren’t really competitive even in that league. I really wonder what it will be like for Jana when the UConn backcourt gives her a clean lane.

I’m also with you about playing two 4s. Just look at the teams that made the Sweet Sixteen last year. Two teams featured 5s, the rest relied on 4s. This hasn’t been the “age of the 5s” in a while.

Yea I thought the Egyptian guards were actually terrible at getting Jana the ball in an advantageous position. She was the number 1 option by a mile just because of the talent difference, but her teammates didn't make it easier for her. Getting Jana the ball often meant she had to come outside to take it, and then show her ballhandling skills taking it to the basket.

The transition to Uconn's offense could be pretty easy for Jana. Instead of incompetent guards that don't know how to run an offense, you have not one but two great passers in Nika and Paige, three great perimeter shooters to spread the floor with Paige, Azzi, and Caroline, and another inside scoring threat in Aaliyah to draw attention away from her.

Yes the opponents will be much much better, but she will have way more room to operate inside, and players who know how to get her the ball there. Her Egyptian teammates really didn't help her dominate her team's scoring, she had to do most of it on her own, largely because the rest of the team didn't really have anybody else to score. The goal may have been to get Jana the ball where she needed it, but that roster didn't have the ability to pull that off IMO.

I don't know who would have been better this year if both were healthy, Ice or Jana? I considered their prospects to be roughly equal, figuring if Jana was a US player she would have been ranked at roughly Ice or Ayanna's level.

 

[Alydar]

DeBerry is an eraser in the paint? She played 8 mpg, almost all in blowouts against the end of benchers, and averaged a block every other game. She’s a real intimidator. Probably ready for Betts.

How many blocks did Betts get last year? In her 16 min she averaged 0.9 blocks per game. I agree about DeBerry but Betts has as much to prove as DeBerry.

 

[Bone Dog]

DeBerry is an eraser in the paint? She played 8 mpg, almost all in blowouts against the end of benchers, and averaged a block every other game. She’s a real intimidator. Probably ready for Betts.

Yes, Amari has a lot to prove. I didn’t mean to compare her to Betts, as prior posts should have made clear. I was thinking of her in comparison to Rosario, who also has a lot to prove.

Betts is probably ready to start at UCLA, while Amari isn’t ready to start at UConn. I’m just hoping she’s ready to make it into the rotation. The one advantage Amari has is that she runs the floor reasonably well, while Betts is lumbering in her best moments. This may limit her minutes at UCLA. Rosario has a similar problem.

One thing I loved about Dorka is that she runs the floor really well. She also regularly dove after loose balls. You have to love a big who will get after it like that.

A side note: Boston was slow footed as a freshman and Dawn got on her case about this. She made huge improvements in her court speed over the next two years. This is something bigs can address if they’re willing to work at it.

 

[oldhusky]

I think there are several things you can look at to find rays of hope in Amari's game, but thus far she has offset that with significant negatives, often times related to those positives. Take blocks for example, she has an excellent rate of blocks per minute, but also a terrible rate of fouls per minute. It is the relationship of one to the other that is most important, so she effectively has turned a potential strength into more of a neutral because of her excessive fouling.

The same is true on passing. In her statistics and by just observation you can tell she has passing skills, but she neutralizes that potential asset with way way to many turnovers at the same time.

One of the men practice players said she was a great shooter. That may be but it hasn't happened in her limited game time as she hangs out around the three point line and doesn't even try to score around the basket at 6-6.

It is easy to see how Amari was a highly ranked prospect. At first glance a 6-6 shot blocker, with shooting and passing skills makes quite an impression. If I remember right, however, her ranking dropped from around 5 or so down to 15. Over time the weaknesses became more apparent as well. For her size she was not a very good rebounder and rarely got easy points inside, along with too many fouls and turnovers.

The good news is some of those things are fixable, and a certain level of improvement in my opinion is a reasonable expectation. We also don't know how much Amari was affected by playing with an injury last year, maybe that was a significant factor. But at this point I just hope she can be a pretty good sub and warrant being part of a rotation. Better court sense and decision making could go a long way to getting more out of her talents IMO. Hoping it happens!

 

[oldude]

With Jana out for the year, Amari is the only true C on the team. While players like Aaliyah, Ice, Ayanna and Aubrey are capable of battling with opposing Bigs in the paint, UConn’s road to #12 gets a whole lot easier if Amari can provide quality minutes against true Bigs like Cardosa, Brink, etc.

Amari has shown flashes of talent that get all of us excited about her potential. Every UConn fan wants to see Amari become the player we all hoped she would be when she was recruited. It’s now or never. Fingers crossed!!!

 

[Huskee11]

I am a season ticket holder at both locations and from my perspective, thus far Amari hasn`t passed the eye test. She does have skills but she is too methodical, to put it politely. The game is moving at a pace that she has difficulty keeping up with and at an intensity level that she has trouble matching. That seems to me to be what has held her back.

Maybe the back has a lot to do with that. OTOH it might just be how she is wired. I`m hoping that following the surgery she is now able to move at the pace you need to at this level. We shall soon see.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think there are several things you can look at to find rays of hope in Amari's game, but thus far she has offset that with significant negatives, often times related to those positives. Take blocks for example, she has an excellent rate of blocks per minute, but also a terrible rate of fouls per minute. It is the relationship of one to the other that is most important, so she effectively has turned a potential strength into more of a neutral because of her excessive fouling.

The same is true on passing. In her statistics and by just observation you can tell she has passing skills, but she neutralizes that potential asset with way way to many turnovers at the same time.

One of the men practice players said she was a great shooter. That may be but it hasn't happened in her limited game time as she hangs out around the three point line and doesn't even try to score around the basket at 6-6.

It is easy to see how Amari was a highly ranked prospect. At first glance a 6-6 shot blocker, with shooting and passing skills makes quite an impression. If I remember right, however, her ranking dropped from around 5 or so down to 15. Over time the weaknesses became more apparent as well. For her size she was not a very good rebounder and rarely got easy points inside, along with too many fouls and turnovers.

The good news is some of those things are fixable, and a certain level of improvement in my opinion is a reasonable expectation. We also don't know how much Amari was affected by playing with an injury last year, maybe that was a significant factor. But at this point I just hope she can be a pretty good sub and warrant being part of a rotation. Better court sense and decision making could go a long way to getting more out of her talents IMO. Hoping it happens!

That's my thinking too. Part of her problem is that she hasn't really had a chance to develop UConn-style discipline in practices. Geno used to joke that she hated practice and would tell him it would all work out in games. Well, she was wrong about that. But I also suspect her lingering back injury was the real reason she was less than eager about practice, and also why she was so slow to develop. If she can recover full mobility without pain and discovers a new joy in practice, perhaps she can achieve the level of integration into the system and the energy it requires to be a regular rotation player. In effect, she would be like a freshman, just learning the discipline being a Husky demands.

 

[The deacon]

With Jana out for the year, Amari is the only true C on the team. While players like Aaliyah, Ice, Ayanna and Aubrey are capable of battling with opposing Bigs in the paint, UConn’s road to #12 gets a whole lot easier if Amari can provide quality minutes against true Bigs like Cardosa, Brink, etc.

Amari has shown flashes of talent that get all of us excited about her potential. Every UConn fan wants to see Amari become the player we all hoped she would be when she was recruited. It’s now or never. Fingers crossed!!!

My fingers are crossed, too, Oldude, and I like your post, but I'd prefer it be said 'it's soon or never.' She does have two seasons ahead of her, and sometimes players finally arrive as seniors. This year would be great, but she might not be an impact player until next year. Like you and everyone else here, we're hoping for 'now.'

 

[BobbyJ]

I am a season ticket holder at both locations and from my perspective, thus far Amari hasn`t passed the eye test. She does have skills but she is too methodical, to put it politely. The game is moving at a pace that she has difficulty keeping up with and at an intensity level that she has trouble matching. That seems to me to be what has held her back.

Maybe the back has a lot to do with that. OTOH it might just be how she is wired. I`m hoping that following the surgery she is now able to move at the pace you need to at this level. We shall soon see.

Your first paragraph shows that you get it. As a sophomore in HS she was the same size she is now. And she has played the same way from HS and the Philly Belles in AAU through the USA teams where she was last off the bench. Nothing has changed since she got to UConn. She is what she is, a good teammate with some limitations.

 

[oldude]

My fingers are crossed, too, Oldude, and I like your post, but I'd prefer it be said 'it's soon or never.' She does have two seasons ahead of her, and sometimes players finally arrive as seniors. This year would be great, but she might not be an impact player until next year. Like you and everyone else here, we're hoping for 'now.'

Well, Kiah Stokes emerged about midway through her junior season. Before that she was a fumble fingered Big who couldn’t hold onto a rebound or make a layup. Once she finally got it, Kiah was a rebounding and defensive beast, and an invaluable 6th man off the bench. Hoping to see something like that from Amari. If she can just give the Huskies 10-15 solid mpg off the bench it’ll be huge.

 

[sun]

Admittedly Amari is an enigma because how she plays is like a riddle.
I think we'd all like to see her play down low & score by receiving passes out of the reach of defenders like a traditional center would.
But she doesn't seem to have been expected or taught to play that way by the UConn staff.
It seems that she never really got a chance to develop any offensive chemistry with the other players.
She must have a repertoire of shots & moves that we don't know about that she practices regularly.
Like baby hooks, turn around shots & jumpers from inside the key that would largely be unstoppable if she would use them, but that would require a game plan that expects her to attempt those types of plays by receiving passes inside, down low or on the elbow.
I don't think that it's all her fault because maybe the staff doesn't expect her to score, because Edwards is expected to make the scoring moves & plays.
But if Edwards needs to leave the game then it would be helpful if Amari could step it up, if that's what Geno instructs her to do.
We can't expect her to do what she's not told to do.
If the staff expects Edwards to be available most of the time & not play in tandem with Amari, then maybe that's why she doesn't play down low & try to score around the basket.
Maybe if asked Amari could tell us if she's been instructed to play high & on the periphery, & to make passes & assists instead of receiving passes in a position to score.
Maybe we're expecting her to do some things that Geno doesn't expect or instruct her to do because he wants others to do it.
Maybe that's why she only needs to complement the others by sticking to the offensive role that she's been instucted to play.
It would be nice if UConn had a stonger inside game besides Edwards.
Maybe Paige will experiment more with her passing & tell Amari what to do to make her more effective.

 

[Bone Dog]

It would be nice if UConn had a stonger inside game besides Edwards.

Here's to hoping Ice can supply it.