Geno’s comments on who will play Saturday

[sun]

I don't disagree with your statements, but I was commenting on a few BY'ers who believe (without any proof) that she would be the next great center at UConn. I have many years coaching experience and have commented that players who were similar to the (described/displayed) behaviors of Amari never become the Shea's/Kelly's/Nika's (effort) or the Maya's/Stewie's/Paige's (stone-cold winners and leaders). This has upset a few folks. I very well could be wrong, and will admit it if I am. That said, I have seen nothing yet to change my views. None of this means that she isn't a great person or teammate.

I guess my point is that it's Jana's injury that affected UConn's depth & not Amari's progress or lack of.
It's important to indentify why the front court appears to lack depth.
Amari may be behind schedule this year due to her surgery but she's been able to learn by watching Liv & Dorka play over the past 2 years.
Some of it must have sunk in, like tuning on a light switch.
Amari showed some improvement last year.

 

[Jewels]

I guess my point is that it's Jana's injury that affected UConn's depth & not Amari's progress or lack of.
It's important to indentify why the front court appears to lack depth.
Amari may be behind schedule this year due to her surgery but she's been able to learn by watching Liv & Dorka play over the past 2 years.
Some of it must have sunk in, like tuning on a light switch.
Amari showed some improvement last year.

Geno has commented many times that "if you haven't gotten it by your sophomore year" it is unlikely you ever will. Hopefully it was her back injury that has held her back!

 

[Geew1992]

Geno has commented many times that "if you haven't gotten it by your sophomore year" it is unlikely you ever will. Hopefully it was her back injury that has held her back!

She had more than just a back injury. She has spoken about her anxiety as well.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Amari admits that she didn't focus her freshman year, because she thought she wouldn't play. She took things more seriously her sophomore year, but had mental health issues plus back problems. There is potential there. I wish her the best! I'd love to see her reach her potential. Her teammates love her, and she loves them back.

 

[The deacon]

A lot of Carolyn's problems werent MORE concussions but symptoms of her first. All kinds of things cant trigger a relapse like bright lights, sudden movements, stress, and those are just a few. My boyfriend (when I was in high school) got a concussion from playing football and it lasted a long time even when he was deemed recovered. All kinds of things triggered dizziness, disorientation, upset stomach, and even double vision. He eventually got past it after a year.

Who is Carolyn?

 

[Gordo]

Once you have one severe concussion you are way more prone to getting more. Listening to her comments during the latest interview I am a little surprised she is still playing. I do hope her season is injury free just so she can stop thinking so much about it. I like her game and she certainly could be a very important role player on this team.

If Caroline is healthy and can stay healthy, she'll be far more than a "role player" on this team!

 

[AmeriConn]

Wait, so Ducharme went 8/9 from three in an intrasquad scrimmage and 9/11 in a scrimmage against Syracuse? 85%?

No worries, it’s a long season. Plenty of time for improvement.

 

[DEpup]

I don't see why Caroline can't be similar to Chris Paul on the Warriors. She comes off the bench for the guards, continues the scoring, and ends the game with the same minutes as Nika, Paige, and Azzi. If Cris Paul can do it, Caroline can too.

 

[LarryLegend]

I didn't get the impression that Geno was being negative about Amari.
He basically said that she was coming along & displaying all the skills, just not all at the same time & on a consistent basis.
However she ends up performing before the year is over, it will still be 100% more than Jana.
And I doubt that even Geno wants Amari to break her neck during practice.

If Geno has a better option then he'll send in someone else.
At least if you don't have too high expections for Amari then she won't disappoint you.
But as long as you only expect her to perform okay then she just may surprise you.
It's only WCBB & not like Amari will be playing in the WNBA or the Olympics.
She's just trying to get her college degree & contribute in any way that she can.

seems like dramatically lower expectations given that this was a very highly ranked recruit.

 

[sun]

seems like dramatically lower expectations given that this was a very highly ranked recruit.

I think Amari's PT depends on how much that Geno wants to push the starters throughout the season.
Amari & other subs can develop confidence by playing more in games that could be blow outs but don't need to be won by 20-40 points when 10-20 points should be good enough.
How much does UConn need to blow teams out by?
The schedule alternates between tough games & much easier games anyway.
So for those who aren't starters, they just need to come in & try to maintain the lead by playing their positions & making contributions.
Not everyone needs to be a superstar, each just needs to learn how to fit into their role on the team without making glaring errors that cause turnovers or fouls - to be a competent player.
It's only Amari's level of competence that's been in dispute, & that can be improved with confidence, practice & opportunities
Geno can only choose whether to play her or someone else, it's his choice based on the team's needs.

 

[Geew1992]

I don't see why Caroline can't be similar to Chris Paul on the Warriors. She comes off the bench for the guards, continues the scoring, and ends the game with the same minutes as Nika, Paige, and Azzi. If Cris Paul can do it, Caroline can too.

Well… coming off the bench, yes. As a guard no. Not unless her ball handling skills have improved

 

[MSGRET]

I don't see why Caroline can't be similar to Chris Paul on the Warriors. She comes off the bench for the guards, continues the scoring, and ends the game with the same minutes as Nika, Paige, and Azzi. If Cris Paul can do it, Caroline can too.

I actually believe that she is a three that can also play as a guard if needed. She would be great playing the three because it would still force the opposing three out on the perimeter and opening up the play around the basket for Aaliyah and Ice to do their damage.

 

[DEpup]

Well… coming off the bench, yes. As a guard no. Not unless her ball handling skills have improved

Semantics... she is best at the 3 so do you want to call her the G/F designation that KLS used?

 

[Blond D.]

Who is Carolyn?

well excuse the heck outa me CAROLINE!!!!

 

[Gordo]

well excuse the heck outa me CAROLINE!!!!

It's called showing respect for the player by at least taking the time to spell her name correctly.

 

[Gordo]

Well… coming off the bench, yes. As a guard no. Not unless her ball handling skills have improved

When you can do the things a healthy Caroline can do offensively, why is it necessary that she have superior ball handling skills?

 

[Geew1992]

When you can do the things a healthy Caroline can do offensively, why is it necessary that she have superior ball handling skills?

I did not superior. And as a guard you need to handle the ball

 

[Gordo]

I did not superior. And as a guard you need to handle the ball

As a player period you need to be able to handle the ball. She does that well enough whether she's playing a guard position, forward, high post, etc. You are simply being very negative towards a player we need very badly if we're going to make a run at the NC.

 

[rubymae4]

If I'm not mistaken, Caroline has left more than a couple of games after receiving contact to her upper body/head over the course of the last two seasons. On the other hand, many WBB players have played their whole collegiate career with out once getting hit in some manner that required them to go into concussion protocol. This is the point of my earlier post.

I think it is more than you don’t notice the other players getting hit in the head because they don’t have Caroline’s injury history. Everyone is definitely getting hit in the head throughout the course of the game. Lots we still don’t understand about concussions and what makes someone more prone to them.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Geno says that Ayanna MAY play on Wednesday. Fingers crossed.