Geno Comments on Piath Gabriel, and ...

[JoePgh]

The following quote is from a new article in the Hartford Courant which is mostly about Paige Bueckers and the pressures that will be on her:

“She adds a presence in the lane that nobody in America has almost, a big six-[five] kid that can take up space,” Auriemma said. “What about the other stuff? The other stuff doesn’t exist. But you’re thinking, ‘what happens if she gets that, then you’ve got something really, really good.’ So you’re taking the chance, but a really good chance because the kid is competitive, she wants to be good. She works hard, she runs up and down the floor.”

So I guess she will be a project. We definitely shouldn't expect big things in her freshman year. But the quote above could almost apply word-for-word to Stef Dolson when she arrived on campus. and she turned out OK. If the athletic ability and internal motivation is there, rawness is a surmountable problem, especially in the hands of a position coach like CD.

As I said, the article is mostly about Paige and the expectations that are placed on players like DT, Stewie, and Maya who come into UConn with enormous expectations on their shoulders. I thought it was interesting that Geno said that DT and Stewie handled that in the way you would expect, letting it get the best of them at some point in their freshman years. But Maya was a different case:

"Maya is the only freshman who came here [snaps his finger], ‘Got this.’ ... First day of practice, you knew: best player in the country. She hadn’t even practiced yet."

 

[bluedevil]

I remember a game in high school that was televised and Maya had 38 by halftime...she was awesome....

 

[pvdoggy]

The following quote is from a new article in the Hartford Courant which is mostly about Paige Bueckers and the pressures that will be on her:

“She adds a presence in the lane that nobody in America has almost, a big six-[five] kid that can take up space,” Auriemma said. “What about the other stuff? The other stuff doesn’t exist. But you’re thinking, ‘what happens if she gets that, then you’ve got something really, really good.’ So you’re taking the chance, but a really good chance because the kid is competitive, she wants to be good. She works hard, she runs up and down the floor.”

So I guess she will be a project. We definitely shouldn't expect big things in her freshman year. But the quote above could almost apply word-for-word to Stef Dolson when she arrived on campus. and she turned out OK. If the athletic ability and internal motivation is there, rawness is a surmountable problem, especially in the hands of a position coach like CD.

I doubt Stef was ever a project. She was a pretty highly ranked player coming out of high school.

 

[Zorro]

If memory serves, she was ranked 39.

 

[Mdoggie]

The following quote is from a new article in the Hartford Courant which is mostly about Paige Bueckers and the pressures that will be on her:

“She adds a presence in the lane that nobody in America has almost, a big six-[five] kid that can take up space,” Auriemma said. “What about the other stuff? The other stuff doesn’t exist. But you’re thinking, ‘what happens if she gets that, then you’ve got something really, really good.’ So you’re taking the chance, but a really good chance because the kid is competitive, she wants to be good. She works hard, she runs up and down the floor.”

So I guess she will be a project. We definitely shouldn't expect big things in her freshman year. But the quote above could almost apply word-for-word to Stef Dolson when she arrived on campus. and she turned out OK. If the athletic ability and internal motivation is there, rawness is a surmountable problem, especially in the hands of a position coach like CD.

As I said, the article is mostly about Paige and the expectations that are placed on players like DT, Stewie, and Maya who come into UConn with enormous expectations on their shoulders. I thought it was interesting that Geno said that DT and Stewie handled that in the way you would expect, letting it get the best of them at some point in their freshman years. But Maya was a different case:

"Maya is the only freshman who came here [snaps his finger], ‘Got this.’ ... First day of practice, you knew: best player in the country. She hadn’t even practiced yet."

I will bet dollars to donuts that even though we shouldnt expect much, next years form and chatroom will be filled with people criticizing PG and saying obvious things like "she needs to box out" "she needs to keep the ball high" etc etc etc......good grief. Mark my word.

 

[ThisJustIn]

I guess you have to define "project." Was Kara a project? Jess? Stef? What were the expectations coming in from "the world"? What did they, as individuals, have to do to transform themselves into something MORE than was recruited? What did the coaches have to do.

To me, a project is someone who has a diamond inside them that no one else sees but the coaches or themselves.

 

[oldude]

If Gabriel can learn some basic post defense and grab a few rebounds, she could be a very adequate backup for Liv next year. Right now, Aubrey appears to be Liv’s backup. As everyone knows, you can’t teach height.

 

[DEpup]

I think this is turning into the perfect recruiting class. A couple immediate stars and then a couple role players who will develop through the years.

 

[BobbyJ]

If Gabriel can learn some basic post defense and grab a few rebounds, she could be a very adequate backup for Liv next year. Right now, Aubrey appears to be Liv’s backup. As everyone knows, you can’t teach height.

I would guess that Auriemma might be satisfied if she could do a reasonable backup impersonation of Butler for a year or two. Anything better and he might be ecstatic.

 

[Zorro]

I don't think we will be at a rebounding disadvantage next year against anyone, no matter which Huskies are on the floor. As for Piath, Geno has indicated that, while she has good defensive instincts and abilities, she needs some considerable work on her offensive moves. That sounds like a project. But leave us not quibble over semantics.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

If Gabriel can learn some basic post defense and grab a few rebounds, she could be a very adequate backup for Liv next year. Right now, Aubrey appears to be Liv’s backup. As everyone knows, you can’t teach height.

Minutes are going to scarce for a couple guys next year.

 

[oldude]

Minutes are going to scarce for a couple guys next year.

No doubt. But if UConn is facing a team with a Big post, and Liv gets in foul trouble or just needs a break, it would be nice if UConn had the option of bringing a physical 6’5” post off the bench.

 

[Teacherdeb]

I guess you have to define "project." Was Kara a project? Jess? Stef? What were the expectations coming in from "the world"? What did they, as individuals, have to do to transform themselves into something MORE than was recruited? What did the coaches have to do.

To me, a project is someone who has a diamond inside them that no one else sees but the coaches or themselves.

Kara was very much considered a project. I remember seeing her at a game when she was still in high school, and she was really heavy. I think she worked on losing weight over the summer and kept slimming down. Steph too had to work on her fitness.
Now listening to Megan talk about the difference 15 lbs made in her game, it’s really shows how optimum fitness impacts skill.

 

[JoePgh]

I guess you have to define "project." Was Kara a project? Jess? Stef? What were the expectations coming in from "the world"? What did they, as individuals, have to do to transform themselves into something MORE than was recruited? What did the coaches have to do.

To me, a project is someone who has a diamond inside them that no one else sees but the coaches or themselves.

I don't know much about Kara Wolters or Jessica Moore, but I do recall reading that Kara was not heavily recruited even though she was 6-7. (Seems inconceivable in today's environment.) I can't imagine that anyone (including her) thought that she could become NPOY or be drafted in the first round of the WNBA draft.

I know more about Stef, since I was following UConn basketball closely from the day (Christmas Day of her junior year of high school) that she called Geno to commit, to the day she graduated. She repeatedly said that she had no idea that she could be as good as she was becoming at UConn. She was totally coachable, and even in her freshman year Geno was surprised at how quickly she was becoming better -- by the day, not by the week. Geno famously said that if all his players were like Stef, he would coach until he was 80.

If Piath proves to be as coachable as Stef was, neither Geno nor CD will be put off by how much she has to learn. But no one should expect immediate productivity, or substantial freshman year minutes. (Stef got mucho minutes as a freshman, and in fact she started every game as I call. But that was because there was simply no one else -- not the case next year.)

 

[Jingo]

I remember a game in high school that was televised and Maya had 38 by halftime...she was awesome....

I remember a game in high school, where Maya's Georgia team lost a close game to Tina Charles Christ the King team in the Nike TOC. Jill Cook - Sue Bird's mentor - told me [afterwards] about this "unbelieveable" kid from Georgia. I was surprised that CK had a close game [at all] bcuz they were so loaded that year. Lo and behold, Tina and Maya both wound up on the same college team, eh?

 

[Charliebball]

I think this is turning into the perfect recruiting class. A couple immediate stars and then a couple role players who will develop through the years.

almost perfect....................let's see if NM, MM and AE have been working on their outside shooting.............

 

[Crossover]

almost perfect....................let's see if NM, MM and AE have been working on their outside shooting.............

I'm not worried about Nika. My guess is that her 3-ball improvement will mirror Crystal's.

 

[CocoHusky]

The following quote is from a new article in the Hartford Courant which is mostly about Paige Bueckers and the pressures that will be on her:

“She adds a presence in the lane that nobody in America has almost, a big six-[five] kid that can take up space,” Auriemma said. “What about the other stuff? The other stuff doesn’t exist. But you’re thinking, ‘what happens if she gets that, then you’ve got something really, really good.’ So you’re taking the chance, but a really good chance because the kid is competitive, she wants to be good. She works hard, she runs up and down the floor.”

So I guess she will be a project. We definitely shouldn't expect big things in her freshman year. But the quote above could almost apply word-for-word to Stef Dolson when she arrived on campus. and she turned out OK. If the athletic ability and internal motivation is there, rawness is a surmountable problem, especially in the hands of a position coach like CD.

As I said, the article is mostly about Paige and the expectations that are placed on players like DT, Stewie, and Maya who come into UConn with enormous expectations on their shoulders. I thought it was interesting that Geno said that DT and Stewie handled that in the way you would expect, letting it get the best of them at some point in their freshman years. But Maya was a different case:

"Maya is the only freshman who came here [snaps his finger], ‘Got this.’ ... First day of practice, you knew: best player in the country. She hadn’t even practiced yet."

A couple of stark differences though. Dolson scored 12 points and eight rebounds in the McDonald's All-American Game as a HS senior. I doubt very much that Piath will be invited to play in that game next year.
Dolson was not raw in that "other stuff" Geno is talking about. Dolson was not flashy or fast but she was definitely skilled offensively. Dolson also had to step into an abyss (starting position) created by the graduation of a POY in Tina Charles. Piath is being asked to be a backup to ONO for at least two years.
With the collection of talent on the roster Geno simply does not have time for "projects". IMO Piath is going to be asked to run with the big dogs on day one. How quickly she picks up that "other stuff" will determine how much she plays, not if she plays.

 

[HopJim]

I don't think we will be at a rebounding disadvantage next year against anyone, no matter which Huskies are on the floor. As for Piath, Geno has indicated that, while she has good defensive instincts and abilities, she needs some considerable work on her offensive moves. That sounds like a project. But leave us not quibble over semantics.

Sounds a bit like Stokes. If so, I'll take it!

 

[Geew1992]

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[meyers7]

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Yea, I imagine Geno and Co are getting around this week to the recruits. UCONN players have exams this week, so I doubt they are practicing every day.

 

[CL82]

I will bet dollars to donuts that even though we shouldnt expect much, next years form and chatroom will be filled with people criticizing PG and saying obvious things like "she needs to box out" "she needs to keep the ball high" etc etc etc......good grief. Mark my word.

Money in the bank my friend... well unless she actually boxes out and keeps the ball high, then it will be something else.

 

[oldude]

Money in the bank my friend... well unless she actually boxes out and keeps the ball high, then it will be something else.

How about, “she needs to develop a hook shot.”

 

[CocoHusky]

I will bet dollars to donuts that even though we shouldnt expect much, next years form and chatroom will be filled with people criticizing PG and saying obvious things like "she needs to box out" "she needs to keep the ball high" etc etc etc......good grief. Mark my word.

UCONN WBB recruit=high expectations. If/when that changes we're in real trouble.

 

[victor64]

Correct me if I am wrong but I think when Teaira McCowan enrolled at Mississippi State, expectations initially were low. Her height was the major appeal. Vic Shaeffer and has his staff worked with with her relentlessly to develop her into the player she is today.

Will this happen with Paith? The ingredients are there. It is just a matter of whether she has the patience to endure the hardship. Great players struggle at UConn initially (with Maya being the exception). So if she embraces the struggle, she will be great--eventually.