Geno discusses the depth in the Post and how Piath in particular may surprise.

[eebmg]

Enigmatic and thought provoking article. Geno talks very highly of Piath in particular but is complementary of Amari as well.

Will UConn's depth hinder player development? - by Daniel Connolly - UConn WBB Weekly (substack.com)


Now, Gabriel is beginning to look like the player the Huskies recruited.

“She’s 6-[5], she runs, she’s got great feet and she wants to be good,” he said. “She’s starting to get it, starting to understand it. So, she’s nowhere near 100 percent but as she gets better every week and every month from that surgery, she’s gonna help us a lot.”

“That’s why we recruited her,” Auriemma added. “None of it was there last year. No. I saw it in high school. Last year, I think she was just shell-shocked the whole year, but now I see it. I really like her.”

“She’s got a world of potential upside,” Auriemma said. “She’s long — she’s way longer than anybody we have — and her feet, she’s got great feet. She’s quick. She uses her length. She just hasn’t really blossomed into wanting to use it and knowing how to use it.”

And Amari may be getting the hang of it but

“Amari might be the best-skilled big kid we’ve had in a long time,” he said. “She’s 6-5 and long and skilled. But I think climate change moves faster than she does sometimes. So once we get Amari going — which the last couple of days, I’ve seen the change — that kid is skilled as hell.”

DeBerry might even be better than Auriemma anticipated.

“More skilled than I thought — and I thought she was skilled — but more skilled than I thought,” he said. “Around the basket, shooting it, just really knows how to play and really skilled. I’ve been so impressed. But like I said, gotta get her up to college speed.”

 

[D J B]

Enigmatic and thought provoking article. Geno talks very highly of Piath in particular but is complementary of Amari as well.

Will UConn's depth hinder player development? - by Daniel Connolly - UConn WBB Weekly (substack.com)


Now, Gabriel is beginning to look like the player the Huskies recruited.

“She’s 6-[5], she runs, she’s got great feet and she wants to be good,” he said. “She’s starting to get it, starting to understand it. So, she’s nowhere near 100 percent but as she gets better every week and every month from that surgery, she’s gonna help us a lot.”

“That’s why we recruited her,” Auriemma added. “None of it was there last year. No. I saw it in high school. Last year, I think she was just shell-shocked the whole year, but now I see it. I really like her.”

“She’s got a world of potential upside,” Auriemma said. “She’s long — she’s way longer than anybody we have — and her feet, she’s got great feet. She’s quick. She uses her length. She just hasn’t really blossomed into wanting to use it and knowing how to use it.”

And Amari may be getting the hang of it but

“Amari might be the best-skilled big kid we’ve had in a long time,” he said. “She’s 6-5 and long and skilled. But I think climate change moves faster than she does sometimes. So once we get Amari going — which the last couple of days, I’ve seen the change — that kid is skilled as hell.”

DeBerry might even be better than Auriemma anticipated.

“More skilled than I thought — and I thought she was skilled — but more skilled than I thought,” he said. “Around the basket, shooting it, just really knows how to play and really skilled. I’ve been so impressed. But like I said, gotta get her up to college speed.”

Great read. Thanks for posting.

 

[CL82]

I liked this tidbit:

“She’s been in America now a year and a half total, probably. She still hasn’t fouled anybody, according to her. You show it to her on film, she says it was doctored.” — Geno Auriemma on Nika Mühl

 

[oldude]

“I think the player of the week this past week was Piath.”

That’s pretty high praise when you consider who she was on the court with.

 

[eebmg]

“I think the player of the week this past week was Piath.”

That’s pretty high praise when you consider who she was on the court with.

Just get her ready for SC twin towers and I am fine.

 

[HuskylnSC]

A player, who most consider the 4th best post, was player of the week? Is that good news or bad news? I'm ah thinking it very good news.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Just get her ready for SC twin towers and I am fine.

I think the triplets (Ono, Dorka, AE) are enough to hold twin towers while our guards run over theirs. But if Piath is in the mix that is great. I love to watch her run and move. It sounds like Piath may have moved up on the depth chart.

 

[Carnac]

Enigmatic and thought provoking article. Geno talks very highly of Piath in particular but is complementary of Amari as well.

Will UConn's depth hinder player development? - by Daniel Connolly - UConn WBB Weekly (substack.com)


Now, Gabriel is beginning to look like the player the Huskies recruited.

“She’s 6-[5], she runs, she’s got great feet and she wants to be good,” he said. “She’s starting to get it, starting to understand it. So, she’s nowhere near 100 percent but as she gets better every week and every month from that surgery, she’s gonna help us a lot.”

“That’s why we recruited her,” Auriemma added. “None of it was there last year. No. I saw it in high school. Last year, I think she was just shell-shocked the whole year, but now I see it. I really like her.”

“She’s got a world of potential upside,” Auriemma said. “She’s long — she’s way longer than anybody we have — and her feet, she’s got great feet. She’s quick. She uses her length. She just hasn’t really blossomed into wanting to use it and knowing how to use it.”

And Amari may be getting the hang of it but

“Amari might be the best-skilled big kid we’ve had in a long time,” he said. “She’s 6-5 and long and skilled. But I think climate change moves faster than she does sometimes. So once we get Amari going — which the last couple of days, I’ve seen the change — that kid is skilled as hell.”

DeBerry might even be better than Auriemma anticipated.

“More skilled than I thought — and I thought she was skilled — but more skilled than I thought,” he said. “Around the basket, shooting it, just really knows how to play and really skilled. I’ve been so impressed. But like I said, gotta get her up to college speed.”

Thanks for posting this eebmg. This is the update on Gabriel that we’ve been waiting for. Her name was seldom mentioned this summer. I really like what he said about Amari. ONO is going to hand her the baton after this season as she leaves for graduation. DeBerry is expected to be our starting 5 her last 3 years. It sounds like she’ll be ready.

If Gabriel can make enough progress this year to give Geno just 10-12 ”meaningful“ minutes, that would be great. Right now, he doesn’t need any more than that from her. Like DeBerry, next year is when she’s really going to be needed. There are so many players to watch grow and develop on this team. Who will make the BIGGEST personal leap this year? Everyone on the team is a candidate.

 

[eebmg]

Thanks for posting this eebmg. This is the update on Gabriel that we’ve been waiting for. Her name was seldom mentioned this summer. I really like what he said about Amari. ONO is going to hand her the baton after this season as she leaves for graduation. DeBerry is expected to be our starting 5 her last 3 years. It sounds like she’ll be ready.

If Gabriel can make enough progress this year to give Geno just 10-12 ”meaningful“ minutes, that would be great. Right now, he doesn’t need any more than that from her. Like DeBerry, next year is when she’s really going to be needed. There are so many players to watch grow and develop on this team. Who will make the BIGGEST personal leap this year? Everyone on the team is a candidate.

I would not write in DeBerry as the starter next 3 years just yet. I think Dorka will stay 2 years to get the full benefit of the UConn Reputation for professional ball (WNBA or International) and Piath and DeBerry may be equal competitors going forward. Let the Hunger Husky Games begin.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Thanks for posting this eebmg. This is the update on Gabriel that we’ve been waiting for. Her name was seldom mentioned this summer. I really like what he said about Amari. ONO is going to hand her the baton after this season as she leaves for graduation. DeBerry is expected to be our starting 5 her last 3 years. It sounds like she’ll be ready.

If Gabriel can make enough progress this year to give Geno just 10-12 ”meaningful“ minutes, that would be great. Right now, he doesn’t need any more than that from her. Like DeBerry, next year is when she’s really going to be needed. There are so many players to watch grow and develop on this team. Who will make the BIGGEST personal leap this year? Everyone on the team is a candidate.

What was the surgery? And she's still recovering from it? Sounds serious.

 

[CocoHusky]

Geno and the staff just can't seem to win here!

"While that depth will be an important factor this season, it could also have an unintended consequence by limiting the development of some young players."

This statement is so absurd it hurts my head.
1) Dorka specifically came to UCONN to improve her development in preparation for the WNBA
2) Young or old it is not as if these UCONN players are going to go somewhere else and be better developed.
3) Piath for example (just an example people don't start getting at me) could go up the street from her house at UNH and average 35+ minutes per game for the next 4 years and she will not be as developed as she going to be after spending the next year at UCONN.
4) Dorka and Liv are both seniors and could both be off to the WNBA next season

Some have spent the last few years lamenting Geno's recruiting misses especially for the post position and now that he appears to have added some depth some of those same people see a different new problem.

 

[CocoHusky]

What was the surgery? And she's still recovering from it? Sounds serious.

"Sophomore Piath Gabriel recently had stomach surgery to correct a genetic issue, Auriemma said."

 

[donalddoowop]

I have always thought Piath had a chance to be a very important player for UConn. She has the size and and speed but lacked experience. When the experience comes I believe she will be all Geno expects her to be.. Three years ago who would have thought UConn would have four quality 6'5" or taller players. Looking at pictures, Ono looks to be at least 6,6". Also, UConn has a 6,4" and 6'3" player coming in next season. Wow! Add the quality of guards and wings the team already has and possibly Rice, UConn fans should be looking forward to highly successful seasons for years. I hope us older guys are still around to experience it, and there are quite a few of us.

 

[Ozimoto]

Geno and the staff just can't seem to win here!

"While that depth will be an important factor this season, it could also have an unintended consequence by limiting the development of some young players."

This statement is so absurd it hurts my head.
1) Dorka specifically came to UCONN to improve her development in preparation for the WNBA
2) Young or old it is not as if these UCONN players are going to go somewhere else and be better developed.
3) Piath for example (just an example people don't start getting at me) could go up the street from her house at UNH and average 35+ minutes per game for the next 4 years and she will not be as developed as she going to be after spending the next year at UCONN.
4) Dorka and Liv are both seniors and could both be off to the WNBA next season

Some have spent the last few years lamenting Geno's recruiting misses especially for the post position and now that he appears to have added some depth some of those same people see a different new problem.

We all know that no good deed goes unpunished so this isn't all that surprising.

 

[f1f1ferrari]

I have always thought Piath had a chance to be a very important player for UConn. She has the size and and speed but lacked experience. When the experience comes I believe she will be all Geno expects her to be.. Three years ago who would have thought UConn would have four quality 6'5" or taller players. Looking at pictures, Ono looks to be at least 6,6". Also, UConn has a 6,4" and 6'3" player coming in next season. Wow! Add the quality of guards and wings the team already has and possibly Rice, UConn fans should be looking forward to highly successful seasons for years. I hope us older guys are still around to experience it, and there are quite a few of us.

I was going through the rosters on the UConn website, going back to the 2000-2001 season, and since, this season appears to be the first one that has no players listed under 5'10". Could this be the tallest team we've had?

 

[CocoHusky]

I was going through the rosters on the UConn website, going back to the 2000-2001 season, and since, this season appears to be the first one that has no players listed under 5'10". Could this be the tallest team we've had?

I don think it is possible to determine the tallest UCONN team ever unless we know how tall Bria Hartley was/is. Then there is KML who actually shrunk during her time at UCONN which height do we use for her?

 

[f1f1ferrari]

I don think it is possible to determine the tallest UCONN team ever unless we know how tall Bria Hartley was/is. Then there is KML who actually shrunk during her time at UCONN which height do we use for her?

Actually, I wonder if anyone who's ever been on the team has ever had their actual height listed

 

[EricLA]

Geno and the staff just can't seem to win here!

"While that depth will be an important factor this season, it could also have an unintended consequence by limiting the development of some young players."

This statement is so absurd it hurts my head.
1) Dorka specifically came to UCONN to improve her development in preparation for the WNBA
2) Young or old it is not as if these UCONN players are going to go somewhere else and be better developed.
3) Piath for example (just an example people don't start getting at me) could go up the street from her house at UNH and average 35+ minutes per game for the next 4 years and she will not be as developed as she going to be after spending the next year at UCONN.
4) Dorka and Liv are both seniors and could both be off to the WNBA next season

Some have spent the last few years lamenting Geno's recruiting misses especially for the post position and now that he appears to have added some depth some of those same people see a different new problem.

I don't have anything to add to your comments or all the quotes in the tread (all great stuff) except to say that maybe the subject header of the article was meant to be a bit controversial or incendiary to encourage click bait?

Either way I'd take it slightly a step further and say it's almost a case of irresponsible journalism. There have been a couple of times in UCONN's past where they have had an embarrassment of riches. Has it EVER hurt the development of ANY player? If it hasn't, then why put those comments out there in the first place? That's why I said it's irresponsible.

I will admit he has some great quotes in there from Geno - and I could not be more excited for this season. I especially loved the comments on Piath and Amari. I know realistically they probably won't get much in the way of meaningful minutes (ie. minutes in big games), but if Geno's comments are accurate and not hyperbole, Piath and Amari may well be on their way to be ready when called on in big moments - if not this season, definitely next season.

One last side note - I was able to watch all the U19 games this past summer with Team USA and Azzi/Amari. I've mentioned Azzi in other threads, but regarding Amari - she was at the bottom of the depth chart, but when she did get in, showed good fundamentals. She has some skills and abilities in her tool box, but most of all I felt she lacked intensity and a sense of urgency. I am hopeful that as she gains skills, knowledge, confidence, and goes all in with effort in learning what coach is teaching, she has a LOT of upside...

 

[southofnorth]

I liked this tidbit:

“She’s been in America now a year and a half total, probably. She still hasn’t fouled anybody, according to her. You show it to her on film, she says it was doctored.” — Geno Auriemma on Nika Mühl

Must be trying to emulate Sue Bird

 

[oldhusky]

I feel like I might be in the middle ground on this issue. Regarding bigs like Piath and Amari, there were a couple of recent years where they would have been thrown into the rotation whether they were ready or not, because we were lacking talented bigs. Now it is the other extreme, instead of developing via playing time their progress is largely limited to practice.

Those practices though are very good development, because they are practicing against other very good players. The beneficiaries are not just players hoping to break into the rotation, but players who will get minutes as well.

Liv gets to go against Dorka and visa versa every day in practice. That is beneficial for both players, even more so since Liv has sometimes come up short when she faces a top flight C. Not long ago her practice competition was Kyla Irwin, now it is Dorka, Amari and Piath. All the bigs should benefit.

Playing time is another issue. 3rd and 4th options at any position are not likely to get meaningfull minutes without a significant injury, even if they develop to pretty good players. In my opinion player development is a by product of practice and games. A good player on a bad team might get better because of game competition, but not have anybody to push them in practice. A good player on a great and very deep team at their position, may get little development in games, but face great competition every day in practice. Of course if you break into the rotation on a great deep team you get both of those.

 

[MooseJaw]

I would not write in DeBerry as the starter next 3 years just yet. I think Dorka will stay 2 years to get the full benefit of the UConn Reputation for professional ball (WNBA or International) and Piath and DeBerry may be equal competitors going forward. Let the Hunger Husky Games begin.

It would be great if Dorka were to stay for 2 years, however I would be flummoxed if she stays for year 2. She already has a list of accomplishments from her time in the big 10. One year at UCONN will be plenty to boost what may be future pro plans, barring injury. If she has the goods they will be on display this coming season. She may stay we don't know, she may not even know at this time. If she shines this season what could she possibly gain by staying for year 2, if her future is as a pro?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

It would be great if Dorka were to stay for 2 years, however I would be flummoxed if she stays for year 2. She already has a list of accomplishments from her time in the big 10. One year at UCONN will be plenty to boost what may be future pro plans, barring injury. If she has the goods they will be on display this coming season. She may stay we don't know, she may not even know at this time. If she shines this season what could she possibly gain by staying for year 2, if her future is as a pro?

No guarantees, but she did say this over the summer:


Juhász has two years of eligibility remaining: Her senior season and the bonus COVID year. She came to UConn with the intention using both but also wants to keep her options open.


“When I transferred, I’m definitely looking forward to having that two years,” she said. “It’s gonna be one by one. We’ll see how obviously this year goes but I’m definitely not looking forward to just use one year, I’m definitely looking forward to use two.

 

[Carnac]

I would not write in DeBerry as the starter next 3 years just yet. I think Dorka will stay 2 years to get the full benefit of the UConn Reputation for professional ball (WNBA or International) and Piath and DeBerry may be equal competitors going forward. Let the Hunger Husky Games begin.

Looking into the future...I see (anticipate) that DeBerry makes a big enough sophomore leap to leave Geno no choice but to start her, allowing him to use Dorka's talents else where. We'll see.

 

[Carnac]

I feel like I might be in the middle ground on this issue. Regarding bigs like Piath and Amari, there were a couple of recent years where they would have been thrown into the rotation whether they were ready or not, because we were lacking talented bigs. Now it is the other extreme, instead of developing via playing time their progress is largely limited to practice.

Those practices though are very good development, because they are practicing against other very good players. The beneficiaries are not just players hoping to break into the rotation, but players who will get minutes as well.

Liv gets to go against Dorka and visa versa every day in practice. That is beneficial for both players, even more so since Liv has sometimes come up short when she faces a top flight C. Not long ago her practice competition was Kyla Irwin, now it is Dorka, Amari and Piath. All the bigs should benefit.

Playing time is another issue. 3rd and 4th options at any position are not likely to get meaningfull minutes without a significant injury, even if they develop to pretty good players. In my opinion player development is a by product of practice and games. A good player on a bad team might get better because of game competition, but not have anybody to push them in practice. A good player on a great and very deep team at their position, may get little development in games, but face great competition every day in practice. Of course if you break into the rotation on a great deep team you get both of those everyday.

oldhuskie, you mentioned something that has been lost on most of us. Olivia will go against a post player her own size everyday in practice all year. All of the BIGS have to benefit from having different players their same size to go up against. I thought about what Geno said about Piath. If she has begun to turn the corner on her development, it's very possible that she could turn out to be a dark horse, in that a player that has HUGE upside and potential that few if any saw early on.

Jonquel Jones (Big Slim) was named the WNBA MVP this year. She's from Freeport in the Bahamas. She went to Riverdale Baptist School in upper Marlboro Maryland. She was the the class of 2012 (Stewart,Tuck and Jefferson's class) She was ranked # 17, and signed with Clemson.

She transferred to George Washington after her freshman year. She blossomed during her time at GW. Enough to get drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the 1st round (6th overall). I'm not saying it WILL happen like this for Piath, only that it can. Jones traversed a road less traveled to get to where she is.

I think Piath will get better coaching at UConn, and play against better competition. No one thought Jones would grow and develop into the player she became at GW. Did Geno find a hidden treasure? He saw something. It will be interesting to watch Piath's growth and development the next 3 years.

 

[Carnac]

It would be great if Dorka were to stay for 2 years, however I would be flummoxed if she stays for year 2. She already has a list of accomplishments from her time in the big 10. One year at UCONN will be plenty to boost what may be future pro plans, barring injury. If she has the goods they will be on display this coming season. She may stay we don't know, she may not even know at this time. If she shines this season what could she possibly gain by staying for year 2, if her future is as a pro?

Morgan Tuck said she was coming back for her 4th year. Azura' Stevens initially said she was here for two years. Megan Walker left a year early. Things change, circumstances change, players outlook change. Let's wait and see what Dorka decides to do at the end of the season.
This is October. Let's see if she still feels that way come April. If she has the kind of season I think she will, I agree that she would have nothing to gain by staying that extra year.

If she does decide to stay, she shouldn't suffer any lost wages from the WNBA or European leagues with the potential NIL endorsement money she can make.