Gabby Williams

[xHunt3r]

and a bad move imho... all of the freshmen should have been playing... just for the experience down the road.

The "veteran" players don't have any/much close game experience... let alone the freshman. UConn blew everyone out since the start of the 47 game win streak, no game was closer then 11 points. If anything, the starting 5 needed a close game more then any freshman...

 

[asuwish]

No, not in this case. Put newbies in when the game is on the line? Bad idea from the standpoint of what it could do mentally to the freshmen. Better to leave the upperclassmen in

If the freshman didn't practice well then fine don't play them! If that's not the case then the if you think having them play when the game is on the line will mentally break them then he's recruiting the wrong players. 18 years old and playing Div 1 basketball means you've probably played in a close game before, and you better have some toughness to your character. They say the best thing about freshman is they become sophomores. It means they have played a lot of minutes and have begun to learn from those on court mistakes that you can't make if your not on the court. Does Geno hold them out of the next big game because they don't have experience in big games? If you think the worst thing that could have happened in the 2nd game of the year is they lose, well they did. Uconn fans view the regular season as a warm up for the real season (Hint: the 6 games in March) Putting Gabby Williams in for Chong to see if she could stop one of the Stanford guards may or may not have helped, but you can't know this if you don't put her in for a few minutes. This team is actually somewhat inexperienced. Tuck really only had a freshman year, For the most part Chong was not played during important minutes, and unless he had to Geno didn't play Stokes at crunch time.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Geno's rotation was fine last night. We played all the players that should be playing. We simply just have to execute a little better at key moments. As I stated in my other thread, we should have gone to zone more and probably went to Chong more for shots because she and Stewart were the only ones who were making shots.

 

[Aluminny69]

perspective -- this makes the whole bssketball season potentially more interesting and exciting to everyone except UConn. hopefully translates into more viewers, game attendance, etc.

I agree 100%. As I posted at the end of the game thread, this season just got really interesting. I was not exactly looking forward to UConn winning every game by double digits, wire to wire. that's just not very interesting. Now, we might have some parity. And that's good for WCBB.

 

[Geno-ista]

If the freshman didn't practice well then fine don't play them! If that's not the case then the if you think having them play when the game is on the line will mentally break them then he's recruiting the wrong players. 18 years old and playing Div 1 basketball means you've probably played in a close game before, and you better have some toughness to your character. They say the best thing about freshman is they become sophomores. It means they have played a lot of minutes and have begun to learn from those on court mistakes that you can't make if your not on the court. Does Geno hold them out of the next big game because they don't have experience in big games? If you think the worst thing that could have happened in the 2nd game of the year is they lose, well they did. Uconn fans view the regular season as a warm up for the real season (Hint: the 6 games in March) Putting Gabby Williams in for Chong to see if she could stop one of the Stanford guards may or may not have helped, but you can't know this if you don't put her in for a few minutes. This team is actually somewhat inexperienced. Tuck really only had a freshman year, For the most part Chong was not played during important minutes, and unless he had to Geno didn't play Stokes at crunch time.

Taking Chong out to play Gabby. She scored 18 pts. KML didn't get to double digits. If Geno thought it was a good thing to do to help us win, I would think he would have done it. I'm told our read & react motion offense is not the easiest thing to learn quickly. Silly fouls, poor free throw shooting, playing a quality team with a great game plan, on the other coast against an opponent with great guard play and young raw talent up front that played with a lot of heart and drained their threes and pull up jumpers, and easy lay ups to the hoop.
I don't think Gabby would have turned the tide last night. Or she would have been in I'm sure of it.

 

[RadyLady]

Well, this game has certainly brought the posters out of the woodwork. Lots of unfamiliar names posting now. Here's hoping they stay active.

It was Lurker night last night

 

[asuwish]

Taking Chong out to play Gabby. She scored 18 pts. KML didn't get to double digits. If Geno thought it was a good thing to do to help us win, I would think he would have done it. I'm told our read & react motion offense is not the easiest thing to learn quickly. Silly fouls, poor free throw shooting, playing a quality team with a great game plan, on the other coast against an opponent with great guard play and young raw talent up front that played with a lot of heart and drained their threes and pull up jumpers, and easy lay ups to the hoop.
I don't think Gabby would have turned the tide last night. Or she would have been in I'm sure of it.

Forget everything else about the game. You say you don't think Gabby would have turned the tide or she would have been in your sure of it. That is a really foolish statement because my main point was that neither you or Geno have ANY idea if she could have made a difference because she never played.

 

[Icebear]

Forget everything else about the game. You say you don't think Gabby would have turned the tide or she would have been in your sure of it. That is a really foolish statement because my main point was that neither you or Geno have ANY idea if she could have made a difference because she never played.

Actually, Geno has a very good idea. He sees them all in practice everyday. You play as you practice despite Allen Iverson's sentiments.

 

[dbmill]

Are you saying that in a close game like this, in a hostile environment, against a good team that's on a roll, you would go with an inexperienced, unproven freshman to help pull you out? Really?

Agreed. Geno doesn't yet have confidence in Ekmark, Williams and Edwards at this point to stick them into a situation like that, at least not yet. He has never stuck an untried, untested player that he does not trust in a situation like that over all these years, and I quite expect he never will. Geno is quite predictable in that way. Stripes with Geno are earned in practice and through good play in less competitive games. Eventually these players earn tougher assignments, but not until they have earned some trust with Geno.

 

[RadyLady]

If the freshman didn't practice well then fine don't play them! If that's not the case then the if you think having them play when the game is on the line will mentally break them then he's recruiting the wrong players. 18 years old and playing Div 1 basketball means you've probably played in a close game before, and you better have some toughness to your character. They say the best thing about freshman is they become sophomores. It means they have played a lot of minutes and have begun to learn from those on court mistakes that you can't make if your not on the court. Does Geno hold them out of the next big game because they don't have experience in big games? If you think the worst thing that could have happened in the 2nd game of the year is they lose, well they did. Uconn fans view the regular season as a warm up for the real season (Hint: the 6 games in March) Putting Gabby Williams in for Chong to see if she could stop one of the Stanford guards may or may not have helped, but you can't know this if you don't put her in for a few minutes. This team is actually somewhat inexperienced. Tuck really only had a freshman year, For the most part Chong was not played during important minutes, and unless he had to Geno didn't play Stokes at crunch time.

I've seen nothing from Gabby Williams so far that suggests she was ready for a game like last night's. Putting kids in situations they're not ready for doesn't help the players or the team.

She's a great athlete with a lot of skill, but she's also coming off 2 ACL surgeries and has a lot of catching up to do on top of adjusting to the college game. I see a role for her in March and April but not this soon after all she's been through.

What Cat said.

What I will add is what someone said in a later post, and that is Geno knows what he will get out of players because he and the other coaches constantly evaluate players in practice. That is why he has had so much success. Putting in experienced players last night didn't get us the win. Putting in inexperienced player would not have made a difference, and perhaps would add insecurities - perhaps.

This is how he has played his bench since I started watching this team, some 25 or so years ago. Did you ever notice that when the bench players come in, the score rarely goes up (f0r us) and the differential between us and the opposing team gets closer? I know we want to see these freshmen in action, and we will when they are ready. And, if we are lucky, it will be in a contested game.

 

[Zorro]

Ekmark really isn't a guard and Williams isn't being used as one. By all accounts Edwards isn't ready to use in a game like that. It's a weird situation when most of your tougher games are the beginning of the season. No way to ease the freshmen into things against weaker competition.

The Notre Dame game will be real interesting.

Agree. Except that the only games that really matter are at the end of the season. There will be plenty of time to ease the frosh in.

 

[chrissaran]

How do you know what Gabby would have done since she didn't get the chance. I didn't know you were clairvoyant.

 

[RadyLady]

How do you know what Gabby would have done since she didn't get the chance. I didn't know you were clairvoyant.

Perhaps it's time to simply agree to disagree here.

 

[uconnfan68]

How did that work out for you?

 

[uconnfan68]

The "veteran" players don't have any/much close game experience... let alone the freshman. UConn blew everyone out since the start of the 47 game win streak, no game was closer then 11 points. If anything, the starting 5 needed a close game more then any freshman...

We were up by 9 early in the 1st half. You mean to say he couldn't chance playing a top recruit for 30 seconds? Maybe we should get used to walkons. It was the 2nd game of the year, not the national championship. You're either building for the tournament or you're not. We're apparently not building.

 

[HuskiesU]

I tell you what Gabby being out there wouldn't do them any worse than Uconn did playing defense. Definitely know she could of help with rebounding. And matter of fact if the whole team made bad decisions all game what's the difference of having the frosh in. They might of helped

 

[hoophuskee]

There is no way I'd have played Gabby unless she showed me something in practices. You owe to the sr's an jr's and to the entire team to play what you feel are the best players and to try to win the game. I can only assume Gabby isn't doing it practices.

IMO sometimes fans get too infatuated with athleticism and "bench play." Last year was a 6 player team. Just because someone is athletic doesn't mean they can play defense. And imo it's a myth that soemhow giving your worst players more time somehow makes your team better. Thatkind of trap are usally for those that think a tema is "bench or bust." Again - last year's team dispelled that myth.

Another myth is- when you lose "anything would have been better to try." This is classic "don't reward your best players in practice" type of attitude - long-term-- word will get around that the caoch isn't being fair - then your recruiting will suffer.

 

[uconnfan68]

There is no way I'd have played Gabby unless she showed me something in practices. You owe to the sr's an jr's and to the entire team to play what you feel are the best players and to try to win the game. I can only assume Gabby isn't doing it practices.

IMO sometimes fans get too infatuated with athleticism and "bench play." Last year was a 6 player team. Just because someone is athletic doesn't mean they can play defense. And imo it's a myth that soemhow giving your worst players more time somehow makes your team better. Thatkind of trap are usally for those that think a tema is "bench or bust." Again - last year's team dispelled that myth.

Another myth is- when you lose "anything would have been better to try." This is classic "don't reward your best players in practice" type of attitude - long-term-- word will get around that the caoch isn't being fair - then your recruiting will suffer.

I think part of Geno's problem is that his expectations are just too damn high. This isn't the world championship national team, and you aren't even playing a league game, let alone an NCAA tourney game. You are playing for EXPERIENCE against a good opponent. This was a lost opportunity in my opinion.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think part of Geno's problem is that his expectations are just too damn high. This isn't the world championship national team, and you aren't even playing a league game, let alone an NCAA tourney game. You are playing for EXPERIENCE against a good opponent. This was a lost opportunity in my opinion.

Well we can agree to disagree. I respect your opinion. But I don't see what Geno has done as "a problem" I remember as kid - I envied UCLA. Do you remember Bill Walton's great game I think vs Lousiville in the Finals? It was perfection. Now I ahve it here. I see teams that beat us - the same way teams way back then would do when they beat UCLA. I don't see that as a problem at all. Further when we lose- there is no such thing as a blowout. Teams have to fight and claw - as a gerenal rule - to beat UCONN. SO I don't see "the problem here."

 

[CaliHuskyFan]

It was Lurker night last night

Do you perceive that as a problem? Do you not want to see the board and fan base grow? I can't see much advantage of an insular posting community. I say, "welcome Uconn fans and new posters! Bring on intelligent differences of opinions and positive fan support. Go Huskies!

 

[hjoerring]

Tara also hasn't won a title in 20 years, so I'm willing to give Geno the benefit of ht the gamethe doubt at this point. With 9 titles under his belt, he must have some idea what he's doing out there. This was not the time to get freshmen experience. If they were getting blown out, then sure, go for it, but not in a game that was winnable.

Stanford obviously thought the game was winable with playing their bench. Give me another excuse other then the tired- #championships, practice, etc. We need not oppose experince with talent, but Gabby is a (pt)guard/forward- she is quick enough to do somethings. She would not be the first freshman to play in a game. In fact, we got killed by another on the boards.

 

[hoophuskee]

Stanford obviously thought the game was winable with playing their bench. Give me another excuse other then the tired- #championships, practice, etc. We need not oppose experince with talent, but Gabby is a (pt)guard/forward- she is quick enough to do somethings. She would not be the first freshman to play in a game. In fact, we got killed by another on the boards.

I don;t agree the points made - especially practice - "are tired." To me they are spot on. Thus if you disagree with that basic premise then we have an issue how the game should be played, who should play, in which we'll never agree. So every time I don't see Gabby on the court "I know" it's because she isn't getting it done in practice and it's imo the right answer that warrants her lack of time.

 

[Pete]

Maybe going undefeated actually means more to Geno than he lets on and that's why he keeps to the small rotations in meaningless games. I also thought Williams should have played. I see Coaches start the year with a big rotation and reduces it as the year goes on. Then when it is NCAA time they are down to between 7 or 9 player rotation. UCONN only has so many of these games before the AAC starts, I think we should make the most of them to help develop the players

 

[Icebear]

How do you know what Gabby would have done since she didn't get the chance. I didn't know you were clairvoyant.

Again, Geno knows. We have no clue. Geno and staff see her everyday in practice. The evaluate and discuss the players. They have time, information, and insight behind their decisions. And they know both their short term goals for the players and the team while trying to win. A month from now or in two weeks against ND those may be different. Trust the process.

Gabby may well be quick enough. What do you or I know about her understanding of the defensive rotations. Her speed and jumping ability are great but what about her lateral speed. She is still in the process over recovering her confidence and Stanford was a very physical game maybe the staff felt they didn't want that risk. We just don't know. Second guessing is meaningless without more knowledge.

 

[hoophuskee]

Maybe going undefeated actually means more to Geno than he lets on and that's why he keeps to the small rotations in meaningless games. I also thought Williams should have played. I see Coaches start the year with a big rotation and reduces it as the year goes on. Then when it is NCAA time they are down to between 7 or 9 player rotation. UCONN only has so many of these games before the AAC starts, I think we should make the most of them to help develop the players

Were you posting this last year when UCONN went undefeated? You think it's fair to the kids that play best in practices that they should sit for a lesser player and then maybe watch the game "blowup and lose" before their eyes as they were on the bench in hopes that by the end of the season the lesser players will make a positive impact in the NCAA's? You could be right-- all I'm saying is a nine champion coach evaluates talent and has a system that is "Wooden-like" with success. If he thinks he blundered after-the-fact - great. If he doesn't see it - and UCONN doesn't win a title - there will be a critique - maybe you nailed it. But I don't think the way you are portraying this is fair because- .

You are portraying this "maybe it means more to Geno to be undefeated"- I think it means more to Geno to TRY TO WIN every game WHILE USING playing time as a motivation for the remaining kids on the bench. Indirectly you are correct - he wants to win every game ie go undefeated. But I think it means that he doesn't want to give-away games with the hopes that the kids he gives 5 plu minutes to MIGHT be able to be effective in March/April. There is no assurance that Gabby would be better in March/April if Geno gave her 5+ minutes in this game.

Years ago on the men's side there was a 7foot German center that JC rarely played. On a WTIC show not sure if a fan asked or the issue came up and Calhoun said 'I could develop him or try to win." He went on to say he thought most fans would want him to try to win.

Tell me- Stanford-- did tara blunder by not running this offense at the start of last year? Their guards and wings might have been a lot better- right? I don't think so- just wondering what you think after watching this game. I hope the answer won't be "I don't know...."