Geno Auriemma: UConn Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference (Seton Hall)

[D J B]

 

[EricLA]

Geno had a sentence in there where he talked about having a lot of highly rated players who aren't playing well together. He mentioned kids wanting to take 3 point shots, but the problem is he has 1 kid who can hit 3 point shots (Azzi is out).

I think this is part of the problem, at least this year. We have so many highly ranked kids from HS, but maybe they are the wrong kids. We used to make fun of schools like Tennessee who would load up on highly ranked kids but their teams lacked chemistry, cohesion, and an ability to put the ball in the basket.

Geno said that if you have so few outside threats, teams can and will figure out how to bottle up the lanes, slashers won't be able to get to the basket, and post players will struggle to score.

Maybe he needs to focus less on athletes and more on scorers. Mir, Aubrey, Christyn, Nika, and Ayanna (coming next year) are all athletes who struggle with shooting the ball. Maybe he needs to focus on some lower ranked kids who specialize in shooting.

 

[eebmg]

Just edit from 2 minutes to 3 minutes when he talks about Paige if you don't want agita.

 

[CL82]

I think people want the UConn woman’s basketball team to be like Venis, springing forth flawlessly formed from the clamshell of the preseason. Unfortunately, that’s not reality.

We are a very young team and will it take some time for the players to grow into their best selves and for all the pieces to fit. I would suggest people worry less about winning ugly, because winning ugly may be our best outcome right now.

Give Auriemma and the staff some time to figure out how to maximize the pieces. I think we will be pretty goodbye the end of the year, and that is what matters. Whether we will be “national championship good“ is some thing we will have to wait and see.

 

[sun]

I think this is part of the problem, at least this year. We have so many highly ranked kids from HS, but maybe they are the wrong kids.

That's a possibility. Some players are being signed 2 years before their HS graduation while they're still growing.
How are colleges supposed to predict their BB potential & physical growth that many years ahead of when they're going to become upper classmen?
And then add international students to the mix.
That may be where UConn can make more use of the transfer portal in the future to find the missing pieces.

 

[BobbyJ]

That's a possibility. Some players are being signed 2 years before their HS graduation while they're still growing.
How are colleges supposed to predict their BB potential & physical growth that many years ahead of when they're going to become upper classmen?
And then add international students to the mix.
That may be where UConn can make more use of the transfer portal in the future to find the missing pieces.

There are no kids anywhere getting signed before the November of their senior HS year. They are only being recruited.

 

[LoTrader]

I really enjoy Geno's post game interviews. I didn't see the game, but I always get a nice summary of what did happen, and what did not happen when catching his post game interviews. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Carnac]

I really enjoy Geno's post game interviews. I didn't see the game, but I always get a nice summary of what did happen, and what did not happen when catching his post game interviews. Thanks for sharing.

IF you don't see the game, just come here and read the post game comments. Those posts and observations will tell you EXACTLY what happened. Those comments are given straight and unfiltered.

 

[hoophuskee]

Maybe he needs to focus less on athletes and more on scorers.

I think you mean "shooters" and not only "scorers." And he has recruited what he thought to be "shooters."

Last year Walker left him before the year started and Makurat was hurt. As a result he expected Makurat to play for at least 3 years. She played for 1 and 1/4.

Not sure how UCONN could have anticipated that CWill wasn't that much of a shooter. Walker turned out to be terrific her jr year. CWill being the number 1 recruit as a guard, we'd have thought she would be "very good" by now.

The season is still young but last year Nika did shoot pretty good once she got her feet under her and before her late season injuries. As a result you'd expect this year she'd be better.

This current freshmen class he recruited what was thought to be 3 shooters; Azzi, CD, and Saylor. One left. One is hurt. And the other just needs time. .

***This year maybe pushing back the 3pt line has hurt. - I don't know that for sure though.

 

[TRest]

I think you mean "shooters" and not only "scorers." And he has recruited what he thought to be "shooters."

Last year Walker left him before the year started and Makurat was hurt. As a result he expected Makurat to play for at least 3 years. She played for 1 and 1/4.

Not sure how UCONN could have anticipated that CWill wasn't that much of a shooter. Walker turned out to be terrific her jr year. CWill being the number 1 recruit as a guard, we'd have thought she would be "very good" by now.

The season is still young but last year Nika did shoot pretty good once she got her feet under her and before her late season injuries. As a result you'd expect this year she'd be better.

This current freshmen class he recruited what was thought to be 3 shooters; Azzi, CD, and Saylor. One left. One is hurt. And the other just needs time. .

***This year maybe pushing back the 3pt line has hurt. - I don't know that for sure though.

A lot of kids can shoot 3's in the high school setting because there is little chance the opponents can bother their shot. I recall watching CD's highlight videos where she just bombs away at will.

 

[southofnorth]

Curious to know what others would think of something like this:

Try a few schemes where Christyn Williams plays at the high post. She could either take the ft line jumper (midrange—seems more in her wheelhouse than the 3pt shot), attack the basket (again, more in her wheelhouse), or pass. Essentially playing a similar role (on offense) to what Gabby played.

Don’t recall many (if any) sets like this, but I’m curious to know what others would think about this.

 

[oldhusky]

Regarding 3's and outside shooting, it was (by Uconn standards) a weakness last year. Compared to an average team we were not bad, but we are usually much better than that. Worse the team percentage was lifted by Paige alone. As a point guard her only options to pass to for perimeter threes was Christyn, Evina and Nika, all mediocre 3 pt threats.

If you are an opposing coach, one of those players taking a three is something you can live with. Denying the bigs inside, Paige from everywhere, and offensive put backs from players like Aubrey and Mir are far higher priorities.

The difference is this year we were bringing in great three point shooters in Azzi and Caroline, both of which IMO project as 40+ three point shooters. This year was supposed to be significantly better, not because of internal improvement by existing players, but by some of Nika, Evina and Christyn's minutes being replaced by mostly Azzi but also some Caroline.

Azzi is out and Caroline is not playing much. Until that changes the outside shooting weakness will remain. Azzi if healthy, I presume would earn significant minutes based on her overall play, Caroline looks like she needs to perform in her very limited minutes, a couple of games in a row, before she will even be given an opportunity to show what she could do with more time.

We can't necessarily do it now with Azzi out, and Caroline not earning Geno's trust, but if and when both of those things change, I think Geno has to take a serious look at different lineup combinations. Having two out of three of Christyn, Evina, and Nika on the floor at the same time means there is only one serious three point threat on the floor, and if Nika is subbing for Paige playing with Christyn and Evina there is not even one.

If Azzi is at least comparable overall with Christyn or Evina, then the team fit would probably be better with one of those two coming off the bench, and Caroline at least earning some regular minutes with the second unit. They have to earn their playing time, but the team weakness continues until they do.

 

[JellyBean]

Love it! Awesome interview. Anytime coach Geno can throw in a quote from the Great Mike Tyson, that is an awesome interview. The rest of the interview, if the players are putting in the work with shooting three-point shots and they are getting the Green Light to shoot, I am good with those players shooting. Shooting is about rhythm and confidence. I worry about players like, Caroline, and how her confidence might be shaken. We saw what happened with Anna (MaKurat) and her shooting confidence. My mindset as a former player and now high school coach is, as long as it is shot you have practiced and shot decently, let it fly. Just don't jack up a shot just because. But if it is a good shot and within range. I am good.

 

[hoophuskee]

Regarding 3's and outside shooting, it was (by Uconn standards) a weakness last year. Compared to an average team we were not bad, but we are usually much better than that. Worse the team percentage was lifted by Paige alone. As a point guard her only options to pass to for perimeter threes was Christyn, Evina and Nika, all mediocre 3 pt threats.

If you are an opposing coach, one of those players taking a three is something you can live with. Denying the bigs inside, Paige from everywhere, and offensive put backs from players like Aubrey and Mir are far higher priorities.

The difference is this year we were bringing in great three point shooters in Azzi and Caroline, both of which IMO project as 40+ three point shooters. This year was supposed to be significantly better, not because of internal improvement by existing players, but by some of Nika, Evina and Christyn's minutes being replaced by mostly Azzi but also some Caroline.

Azzi is out and Caroline is not playing much. Until that changes the outside shooting weakness will remain. Azzi if healthy, I presume would earn significant minutes based on her overall play, Caroline looks like she needs to perform in her very limited minutes, a couple of games in a row, before she will even be given an opportunity to show what she could do with more time.

We can't necessarily do it now with Azzi out, and Caroline not earning Geno's trust, but if and when both of those things change, I think Geno has to take a serious look at different lineup combinations. Having two out of three of Christyn, Evina, and Nika on the floor at the same time means there is only one serious three point threat on the floor, and if Nika is subbing for Paige playing with Christyn and Evina there is not even one.

If Azzi is at least comparable overall with Christyn or Evina, then the team fit would probably be better with one of those two coming off the bench, and Caroline at least earning some regular minutes with the second unit. They have to earn their playing time, but the team weakness continues until they do.

As I stated earlier. This team needs Azzi Fudd. She has to defend too.

This team needs Azzi Fudd.

Until then - UCONN is like last year- which is still good - but . . .

 

[CL82]

Love it! Awesome interview. Anytime coach Geno can throw in a quote from the Great Mike Tyson, that is an awesome interview. The rest of the interview, if the players are putting in the work with shooting three-point shots and they are getting the Green Light to shoot, I am good with those players shooting. Shooting is about rhythm and confidence. I worry about players like, Caroline, and how her confidence might be shaken. We saw what happened with Anna (MaKurat) and her shooting confidence. My mindset as a former player and now high school coach is, as long as it is shot you have practiced and shot decently, let it fly. Just don't jack up a shot just because. But if it is a good shot and within range. I am good.

For what it’s worth there was nothing that Caroline did, or did not do, that wasn’t entirely consistent with being a freshman. She’s going to have a game where fans will say “the light came on“, but really is her incremental improvement becoming noticeable.

Once we have consistent outside shooting, other than Paige (and maybe that’s Caroline, maybe it’s Evina, heck, maybe it’s Dorka but hopefully it’s all three) the floor will open up and Christyn will drive to the hoop pretty much at will. The additional space down low will give Aaliyah more room to operate raising her percentage in the paint and Liv will have more important short jumpers.

We are a lot closer than many people think to being a very good team.

 

[JellyBean]

Curious to know what others would think of something like this:

Try a few schemes where Christyn Williams plays at the high post. She could either take the ft line jumper (midrange—seems more in her wheelhouse than the 3pt shot), attack the basket (again, more in her wheelhouse), or pass. Essentially playing a similar role (on offense) to what Gabby played.

Don’t recall many (if any) sets like this, but I’m curious to know what others would think about.

I think it goes back to what coach Geno said in the interview, certain skill set require certain personnel on the floor at certain times. Could Caroline Ducharme pull off playing in those spots? No doubt. Just a matter of personnel on the floor. I don't see it happening with the current starting rotation just because of the skill set on the floor at the time. And then when whomever comes in as the 6th player off the bench, Dorka or Azzi (when healthy), for example, that could impact action on the floor again based on who came in for whom and where they feel comfortable on the floor.

 

[JellyBean]

For what it’s worth there was nothing that Caroline did, or did not do, that wasn’t entirely consistent with being a freshman. She’s going to have a game where fans will say “the light came on“, but really is her incremental improvement becoming noticeable.

Once we have consistent outside shooting, other than Paige (and maybe that’s Caroline, maybe it’s Evina, heck, maybe it’s Dorka but hopefully it’s all three) the floor will open up and Christyn will drive to the hoop pretty much at will. The additional space down low will give Aaliyah more room to operate raising her percentage in the paint and Liv will have more important short jumpers.

We are a lot closer than many people think to being a very good team.

Great points.

 

[sun]

There are no kids anywhere getting signed before the November of their senior HS year. They are only being recruited.

KK Arnold signed a National Letter of Intent and she doesn't graduate until 2023.
The article states that UConn made her an offer this past summer but it was kept secret.
She's in the class of 2023, not 2022.

One of the top 2023 recruits in the country, Germantown's Kamorea 'KK' Arnold announces her college commitment

The 5-foot-10 point guard had narrowed her choices to 12 schools before announcing her commitment to UConn on Monday at Germantown High School.

www.jsonline.com

 

[AmeriConn]

Geno had a sentence in there where he talked about having a lot of highly rated players who aren't playing well together. He mentioned kids wanting to take 3 point shots, but the problem is he has 1 kid who can hit 3 point shots (Azzi is out).

I think this is part of the problem, at least this year. We have so many highly ranked kids from HS, but maybe they are the wrong kids. We used to make fun of schools like Tennessee who would load up on highly ranked kids but their teams lacked chemistry, cohesion, and an ability to put the ball in the basket.

Geno said that if you have so few outside threats, teams can and will figure out how to bottle up the lanes, slashers won't be able to get to the basket, and post players will struggle to score.

Maybe he needs to focus less on athletes and more on scorers. Mir, Aubrey, Christyn, Nika, and Ayanna (coming next year) are all athletes who struggle with shooting the ball. Maybe he needs to focus on some lower ranked kids who specialize in shooting.

Well said. Get hungry ball players who can shoot. Who cares if they're not in the top 20!

 

[sun]

There are no kids anywhere getting signed before the November of their senior HS year. They are only being recruited.

Then you missed my point that kids are being selected 2 years in advance of graduation.
Has UConn selected her 2 years in advance or not?

 

[BobbyJ]

KK Arnold signed a National Letter of Intent and she doesn't graduate until 2023.
The article states that UConn made her an offer this past summer but it was kept secret.
She's in the class of 2023, not 2022.

One of the top 2023 recruits in the country, Germantown's Kamorea 'KK' Arnold announces her college commitment

The 5-foot-10 point guard had narrowed her choices to 12 schools before announcing her commitment to UConn on Monday at Germantown High School.

www.jsonline.com

She signed nothing. She verbally committed to UConn which means nothing until she signs in Nov. 2022. Go read the NCAA rules.

 

[BobbyJ]

Then you missed my point that kids are being selected 2 years in advance of graduation.
Has UConn selected her 2 years in advance or not?

Kids aren’t being “selected”. It’s not a draft. Schools recruit kids they have interest in and may or may not offer them a scholarship prior to Nov. of their senior HS year. Neither side is obligated until a Letter of Intent is signed at that time. Nobody can sign prior to that date.

 

[Biff]