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Message: [QUOTE="asuwish, post: 3936864, member: 1320"] It used to be Geno’s teams were better conditioned, better athletes, and better talent. We had DT and you don’t, or Maya, or Stewie. Remember crushing Miss St and Oregon just a few years ago. Those coaches told their players if you want to win you have to play like them. Perfect example was Miss St the very next year. Those days are over. Playing a starting five with one big, wing, and guard sub, only in case of foul trouble might not get the job done. Based on their depth I believe there are a big 3 the next few years. Us, South Carolina, and Stanford. Tara seems to have figured it out. She plays 11 players all year long. Yup give your 2nd best player a rest and in comes your 11th best player for 2 min. If every player plays in every game even in the first half they build confidence and the trust of teammates, and yes they are both happy on the inside as well as outwardly. Tara loses 3 players and has 4 good ones, 2 of them top 20 recruits. They come at you in waves of fresh talented players. I know certain games you may not go that deep, but Uconn in the Big East should provide plenty of opportunities to play lots of players. If Uconn gets a serious injury or foul trouble players need to believe there coaches and teammates truly trust them. South Carolina returns 7 of its 8 top players and has 4 top 25 recruits including 3 that maybe good or better than what is already there. Think Dawn is going to sit these guys? Think again! No such thing as real foul trouble for those teams. Then there is Uconn. We return 9 top players. We basically play 7 OR 8. Geno doesn’t play down the rotation unless it’s the end of the game in a blow out and then the players look sloppy and out of sync. Next year we have 14 scholarship players, who if they get a few minutes every game could, if needed because of injury or foul trouble be trusted to hold their own in big games or times when the game isn’t already decided. Yes, no team plays 14 players but what they all are worthy. Even Piath, who many think is a project is working her but off to get better and what if she makes a big leap? She is tall and big and strong and against the likes of Baylor and SC maybe a good option to bang on the boards with 5 fouls to give. I know it would be a big leap to take one of our current starters out for her, but we won’t know what she will bring until she gets a chance to show it ion the court. I think next year Azzi joins the 3 seniors and Edwards I the starting lineup. You could have a second unit of Amari, Nika, Aubrey, Anna, with either Mir (HS AA), Caroline (HS AA), Saylor, and Piath? That team could compete in the Big East! All of them could start or get minutes on D1 team. Remember, the season is a marathon not a sprint. For Uconn the season really comes down to 6 games at the end. Having starters playing less minutes (see Stanford) can help when you need the finishing kick at the end. Tara played 11 in the final 4 so her new philosophy will keep getting her recruits, and she probably won’t wait another 29 years between titles (though it would be cool to see someone trying to coach in her mid-90’s. Geno has started recruiting outside the US, and has been trying to get more depth. Getting more depth should be used to wear down opponents , like how we did it with the 2000 team (our deepest talent ever and the next few years we may match it), not to just have it because inevitably HS AA will leave because they don’t play. The gap has closed and we are no longer that superior in talent. I believe Uconn SC and Stanford will however be loaded with players who bring many talents, but if there coaching staff’s rollout 11 12 or 13 against our 7 or 8, even with what many will say are 2 generational talents I think adding banners will not be a given! It seems many seniors are taking advantage of the extra year and coming back giving many coaches more depth than they normally have as well very experienced players who can handle pressure. This makes more teams compeditive. I firmly believe that if Mir or Aubrey went to Arizona (you know the team that just beat us, both get 20min a game (and not just because of style of play), but because they are as talented as most players on that roster with the exception of a certain PG, who’s name I prefer not to mention lol! I would be interested to see how many minutes each member of last year’s HS McDonalds AA team played this year and where Mir ranked. I know some people will say well they don’t have great offensive games. Well, how many points did Anna or Nika score? Even Evina and Oliva had uneven scoring outputs. Could it be our starters actually get tired logging massive minutes and often pick up cheap fouls for not being as fresh as the other team’s players? They contribute in other ways. Use our depth with the likes of Mir and Aubrey’s athletic D, Nika aggressive style, and Evina’s length to hound difficult players to guard. This keeps Christyn out of foul trouble and fresher on the offensive end. Use ALL our different types of players to wear down the other team, and we will be in very good shape to make another Final Four hopefully this time with better results! [/QUOTE]

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