Geno has his starting 5, or does he??

[BroadwayVa]

The Core four did their thing and Walker was the Walker I hoped to see.
Anna M. was good, was bigger than I thought, but not the "game changer" however this is her first game in front of Husky fans. She did always look liked she belonged and has no fear of playing at this level.
The Most IMpressive award goes to Molly and Kayla---good games, both drilled one 3. Both played with the confidence I hoped for
Geno has a lot of work to get them ready for Cal. Evina will be would be a welcome asset to go along with the core 4.
88 to 30---fantastic score.
That's my less than intelligent thoughts on the game. How did YOU see it??

 

[sdhoops]

Wow, that's a lot of pressure to expect Anna to come in and be the next DT, Maya, etc. It's only an exhibition. Time will tell!

 

[lanieer]

The Most IMpressive award goes to Molly and Kayla---good games, both drilled one 3. Both played with the confidence I hoped for
Geno has a lot of work to get them ready for Cal. Evina will be would be a welcome asset to go along with the core 4.
88 to 30---fantastic score.
That's my less than intelligent thoughts on the game. How did YOU see it??

Hopefully you don’t think that Molly Bent will be a starter. She came in during garbage time and hit a couple of 3’s against Jefferson.

 

[JordyG]

Wow, that's a lot of pressure to expect Anna to come in and be the next DT, Maya, etc. It's only an exhibition. Time will tell!

I don't see anywhere (or anyone on the BY for that matter) that expects AM to be a DT or a Maya. I think we all just want her to be the best AM she can be. That said, she's going to have to pick up on her outside shooting for UConn to be an FF candidate this year. There's plenty of time for that.

As for the game, it was frankly much what I expected. Meg looks in terrific shape and she made layups (hooray). Liv made her only mid range shot, and that made me extremely happy. What made me happier were her 2 fouls, both of which could be amended. AM has a nice euro step, a wide body, and she isn't afraid to bang inside. She looked off balance on many of her outside shots though. CD still looks like her legs aren't quite underneath her, but that will come. CW was consistent, and a dog inside and out. No, my biggest pleasure today was Audrey, who is also a dog. Nice long arms, aggressive inside, quick off of her feet, tough off the dribble. I don't think she took one outside shot, and she passed on some easy looks. Overall, I like what I see, and I want to see more.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Hopefully you don’t think that Molly Bent will be a starter. She came in during garbage time and hit a couple of 3’s against Jefferson.

Do I hope MOLLY and IRWIN will be STARTER's --hell yes! They both have the potential to excel that far. Will they? This is there last chance to do it. I hope they do. I wouldn't bet 1000 bucks either way. Emotionally, I'd love to see them do it. Yet, this was a comment on an exhibition game, not the NC.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Hopefully you don’t think that Molly Bent will be a starter. She came in during garbage time and hit a couple of 3’s against Jefferson.

While the whole game was garbage time Molly was first off the bench and performed well through out the game from 1st qtr to the final buzzer.

 

[huskeynut]

Unless Evina gets her waiver on appeal, I see Anna as the 5th starter. She already has a good grasp of how the offense works. She can drive, rebound and play defense. She is a big 6' 2" with a strong body. Not worried by her 0-5 on 3's. That will come.

Overall, the offense had a good flow for the first exhibition game. Passing was crisper than I expected. This team loves to run and is capable of running many teams off the court. Half court looked good. Good defensive pressure.

Megan seems to have slimmed down a bit. She showed good quickness and speed. Olivia looked very good. Very confident down low. Real good defense and rebounding. Chrystin was herself with a good all-around game. CD is not quite there yet but she will be.

Aubrey was a surprise. Long and lanky with good speed and she can jump. She's not afraid to get in there and mix it up. I love her defensive stance.

Aubrey, Kyla, Evilyn and Molly are going to get minutes.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I don't see anywhere (or anyone on the BY for that matter) that expects AM to be a DT or a Maya. I think we all just want her to be the best AM she can be. That said, she's going to have to pick up on her outside shooting for UConn to be an FF candidate this year. There's plenty of time for that.

As for the game, it was frankly much what I expected. Meg looks in terrific shape and she made layups (hooray). Liv made her only mid range shot, and that made me extremely happy. What made me happier were her 2 fouls, both of which could be amended. AM has a nice euro step, a wide body, and she isn't afraid to bang inside. She looked off balance on many of her outside shots though. CD still looks like her legs aren't quite underneath her, but that will come. CW was consistent, and a dog inside and out. No, my biggest pleasure today was Audrey, who is also a dog. Nice long arms, aggressive inside, quick off of her feet, tough off the dribble. I don't think she took one outside shot, and she passed on some easy looks. Overall, I like what I see, and I want to see more.

I agree on ONO and Ania and Aubrey. Geno and Chris have done a great job on ONO. Her tendency won't end soon for her it a reflex action, not something she thinks about. That's good and that's bad.

 

[Kaizen]

Hopefully you don’t think that Molly Bent will be a starter. She came in during garbage time and hit a couple of 3’s against Jefferson.

I think you mean Kyla, she does hit some 3's not Molly.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Wow, that's a lot of pressure to expect Anna to come in and be the next DT, Maya, etc. It's only an exhibition. Time will tell!

Hey as a PRO Ania can handle it. But look again at the posting not one word about DT or Maya. Those apparently were in your mind as you saw her. Great.
Now, last year at this time---I actually compared CW with DT. I'm not unhappy I did.
If you think Ania read my posting think again, If however she does--she won't be unhappy because SHE BELONGS on this team. She could be more of a Sveta---and Yes this limb I'm on has written on it:
ANIA sHALL BE THE SECOND COMING OF SVETLANA. Who knows she may be or maybe not. I chose the former.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I think you mean Kyla, she does hit some 3's not Molly.

Thanks K you know I have trouble with English after all I was born speaking it but never learned to write it. Thanks again.

 

[Shorty Dee]

If Evina's appeal is denied, then I think Ania will be the 5th starter. Even though Molly was the first off the bench today, in future games I think Aubrey might be the first off the bench (six man).

 

[Monte]

As usual, these exhibitions are like playing a high school team. The only player who impressed me was Walker.

 

[JordyG]

I agree on ONO and Ania and Aubrey. Geno and Chris have done a great job on ONO. Her tendency won't end soon for her it a reflex action, not something she thinks about. That's good and that's bad.

What hurt Liv on the inside was, at this early point in time, the ball movement in the quarter court wasn't particularly crisp at times, and they missed a lot of inside stuff, even though some of the cuts were hard. They were also often late or forced stuff inside. There were some periods where they looked smooth, but inconsistently so. This will change as time goes on.

 

[bmayuc]

A couple player thoughts

Dangerfield, Walker, Williams are exactly what we thought, with the one interesting development is Walker (finally) committing to improving her body. She looks much quicker to the ball and was a beast all game.

ONO is a completely different player. At her absolute worst, she is going to be a bigger and slightly more athletic version of Kiah Stokes - she's easily an all-conference 1st teamer and I was just really impressed by her rapid improvement.

Anna Makurat - You never quite know what you are getting with freshmen, but you could tell she had played high level basketball before. She showed high poise, great offensive skill and finishing ability, particularly for her size - she is all of 6'1 - and if reports of her being a strong shooter are true, even though she missed all 5 of her treys tonight you can mark her down for 10-15 ppg just on finishing and shooting. She's a great great 4 year program player. Plays like a senior.

Audrey Griffin - YIKES - She is a bouncy and twitchy athlete at a long 6'1. Clearly has no clue what she is doing on offense at the moment, constantly got caught between a 12 foot jumper and a weird careening move toward the hoop, but once Geno helps her find her role, she could easily be Gabby Williams #2, just taller and rangier. If she can just lock down on defense and grab offensive rebounds this year she'll be a big contributor.

Bent, Irwin, Adebayo - I mean they are solid program players. If they can combine to give us 20-30 minutes of solid play, hit their open shots, and just hold their own we will be in a good spot.

 

[Carnac]

First of all, I throughly enjoyed this game. I'm not going to throw any darts or spears at anyone. I just sat back and enjoyed the game for game's sake. It was an exhibition game against a vastly inferior opponent. For the first game of the season, this was not bad. Basically an organized scrimmage with refs and a crowd.

It's too early to draw any conclusions. I always like to wait until I see at least 5 games before I begin to draw any conclusions. Five games give me a fair sample size to draw from. Let's see what they do Wednesday against Trevecca.

I was most impressed with Anna and ONO today. ONO 2.0 had a double double today (16/11) with 4 blocks. Something I said during the summer that she could/should do EVERY game. She looked a lot more comfortable out there today. The more she plays, the sooner the game will slow down for her.

Aubrey looked OK, but I need to see more from her. But what little I saw, I liked. I'm expecting BIG things from her this season, as much as you can expect from a freshman that at this point in the young season, has no clue what she's doing yet. One thing I was able to see was her athleticism. That was easy to see. She's fluid and smooth. Once she figures things out, she going to be "nice."

"Megatron" (Megan Walker) is going to be HUGE for us this year. 28 points today in a near perfect performance. Megan gave us exactly what I expected from her entering her 3rd season. She played within the flow of the game, and let the game come to her. Much different from her first few games as a freshman. She's matured. Just like Aubrey will in time, but over the course of the next 2 years, not right away.

Crystal and Christyn are going to give us more of what we saw from them last year. I know what we're going to get from them. Dangerous (Dangerfield) is the floor general, and Geno is the puppeteer. Pulling the right strings at the proper time, making it all come together, and making it look easy.

I had never seen Anna. Did you notice her running the fast break to begin the game, and how she was able to get to the basket? After a few games, I think Anna will be fine. Remember, this is all new to her. New country, new team, new teammates, new coach, different style of play than she's use to etc. Give her time to settle down and settle in. From what I saw today, Anna should be a starter for awhile until/unless someone else steps up. She'll fit. She'll be OK.

I was also impressed with what I saw from Molly and Kayla. They look like they can help us this year. I didn't see enough of Evelyn Adebayo, so I'll have to reserve judgement on her just yet. I'll look at a replay of this game to see what I missed the first time. Can't wait for Wednesday when another "wide-eyed" Division 2 team comes to visit. Should be fun.

 

[Carnac]

Wow, that's a lot of pressure to expect Anna to come in and be the next DT, Maya, etc. It's only an exhibition. Time will tell!

We need to let Anna come in and just be Anna. She's got 4 years to develop. Let's not rush things. As I said in another comment, everything here is new to her. Let her settle in and adjust to life in the United States and adjust to college life with new teammates and new coaches and a much different style of play. No worries. After I saw her for 5 minutes, my first thought was: "Oh crap, we got one". Anna is going to be fine.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Molly had one three, and Kyla was 3 for 3 on her 3FGs today.

 

[Kaizen]

"Megatron" (Megan Walker) is going to be HUGE for us this year. 28 points today in a near perfect performance. Megan gave us exactly what I expected from her entering her 3rd season. .

Megan played only 25 mins and has 28 pts. This is almost DT, Maya and Stewart level.
Although this is an exhibition game but she is huge and our top scorer this year.

 

[Carnac]

Megan played only 25 mins and has 28 pts. This is almost DT, Maya and Stewart level.
Although this is an exhibition game but she is huge and our top scorer this year.

Megan is aggressive and will shoot the ball. Make no mistake about that. She's not bashful about taking a shot, especially when she has an "open" look.

 

[Dokey]

Unless Evina gets her waiver on appeal, I see Anna as the 5th starter. She already has a good grasp of how the offense works. She can drive, rebound and play defense. She is a big 6' 2" with a strong body. Not worried by her 0-5 on 3's. That will come.

Overall, the offense had a good flow for the first exhibition game. Passing was crisper than I expected. This team loves to run and is capable of running many teams off the court. Half court looked good. Good defensive pressure.

Megan seems to have slimmed down a bit. She showed good quickness and speed. Olivia looked very good. Very confident down low. Real good defense and rebounding. Chrystin was herself with a good all-around game. CD is not quite there yet but she will be.

Aubrey was a surprise. Long and lanky with good speed and she can jump. She's not afraid to get in there and mix it up. I love her defensive stance.

Aubrey, Kyla, Evilyn and Molly are going to get minutes.

With you 100%.

 

[sdhoops]

One thing that I didn't get to say earlier was that Griffin reminds me so much of Ashley Battle. Jefferson U had a shot clock violation on the first possession they had after Griffin checked in along with Bent. The team has a defensive stopper! Maybe I'm wrong, but I really looked at where she was defensively. To clarify my initial post on Anna, the original poster said something about game changer. It's an exhibition game and expecting a freshman to come in and drop 50 is just crazy, IMO. But that's just me!

 

[oldude]

Sorry guys, but I only saw 4 starters today. Anna & Aubrey both did some really nice things, but there were lapses from both as well. To be honest, beyond the 4 starters, the player that had the best all around game was Kyla. Some good and bad from Evelyn as well.

I sure would like to see this team with Evina as the 5th starter and the aforementioned players providing some excellent depth off the bench along with Molly and Touly, if her body will ever permit her to play consistently.

 

[OldAlum]

Just got back from the game. Always fun to see the new kids and speculate about how things will develop. Also fabulous to see Stewie and Kaleena enjoying the game. (And Kara too!)

I was actually more impressed with Griffin than Makurat for a first game. Kind of expected Anna to be more comfortable with her experience but I thought she was pressing and trying things that werent there early on. Aubrey had some indecision as you would expect, but I was impressed with her motor and thought she was better than I expected at this point.

Ono looked like she was trying very hard to stay within herself and not commit dumb fouls. Lots to be happy with her play. I was impressed with CDs effort on defense and her overall game. CW also looked like she did in her better games last year - we just need to hope she has figured out how to stay at that level. Of course Walker was excellent and just blew things open in the second quarter. Again we hope for consistency and I think she will deliver.

Molly looked decisive and confident. She was intense on defense! If she can maintain that she can provide some real help. Kyla was solid and plays to her strengths well.

Adebayo looked the most lost of the new players to me. It didnt help that feeding the ball inside was not a strength today. I dont think she played with CD, and that might help her - as well as more game time.

And I think the team will be shooting a lot of free throws in practice!

 

[Alydar]

I'll wait till the Cal game to comment on their play but I am preasantly surprised by Makurat's size. Both today and last week in the Geno pre-game interview posted elsewhere she looks both taller and much bigger than Walker, who is listed at 6'1". I guess I'm used to 6' HS players who are really 5'10"ish. Makurat looks big enough to play low post. (not saying she can, just that she has the size).

Griffin looked much like Geno described. (I am trying really hard but I don't know what I'm doing) With that wingspan she looks like she's holding 2 tennis rackets on defense.

I'm now convinced that there is NC potential. Now all they have to do is work their tails off.