Geno on Blanca

[Vowelguy]

I know a lot of Americans that failed English class 😉

I assume she’s taking not a Spanish “language” class but a class about Spanish/Latin America taught in Spanish —eg, I took a Spanish literature class. Anyone who was native/fluent would’ve had an advantage over the rest of us, who were simultaneously trying to translate unfamiliar words/phrases and then trying to understand themes.

 

[HuskyNan]

I assume she’s taking not a Spanish “language” class but a class about Spanish/Latin America taught in Spanish —eg, I took a Spanish literature class. Anyone who was native/fluent would’ve had an advantage over the rest of us, who were simultaneously trying to translate unfamiliar words/phrases and then trying to understand themes.

It was just a lame joke

 

[Dogstar]

Playing under control is a core concept of the UConn Way. Will Blanca get it? I think so, but she won't be trusted in a pinch until she does.

I think so too...she was the only player with zero TOs today and her 2nd game this year with zero TOs, she had 5 TOs in the OSU game and hasn't had more thn 2 TOs per game since. Had a steady game with 4 assists, 4 rebs and 2 steals. She's not on the same street as Sarah, but she's approaching her area code. GO BLANCA!

 

[boontonbomber]

A couple of good points here and I'll add just one. As much as I'd like to see BQ continue to make 3s at her current pace, I'm not sure she can maintain this level of accuracy long term for a fundamental reason. In another post I mentioned that I'd like to see her get hooked up with a good shooting instructor during the offseason to develop a 2-3 dribble pull up J that would be very effective because of her ability to get to the rim. I also think it would do wonders for her catch and release 3s. She's what I call an "arm shooter'. She uses arm motion to propel her shot as opposed to Fudd who uses minimal arm motion and more of a wrist/hand controlled release which is much more consistent and sustainable over the course of a season/career. The rest of her game is pretty much what I expected from her Campobasso videos.

When you can shoot you can shoot, and Blanca can shoot. Don't care about mechanics. When she wants to shoot a pull-up jumper she will, because she can shoot( and pass, and rebound, and play defense, and....). She has such effortless ability that she may get bored with the college game in a couple of years. I think Sarah is already bored at times( the turnovers).

 

[KCD]

Blanca has already made great strides of improvement since the beginning of the season. With her athletism, IQ, quickness, speed, the talents that she clearly already has, she is going to be a great one and probably one of the legends. She reminds me of a bigger version of Gabby Williams. The senior year Gabby who could shoot, was a beast on defense, always led the press, etc. Gabby was a better rebounder, etc. But the coaches have time to work on things that need work. Anyway, for me this a huge compliment because Gabby is one of my all-time favorites. Gabby always gave her all and always made something happen. Blanca seems like that.

 

[oldude]

Blanca has already made great strides of improvement since the beginning of the season. With her athletism, IQ, quickness, speed, the talents that she clearly already has, she is going to be a great one and probably one of the legends. She reminds me of a bigger version of Gabby Williams. The senior year Gabby who could shoot, was a beast on defense, always led the press, etc. Gabby was a better rebounder, etc. But the coaches have time to work on things that need work. Anyway, for me this a huge compliment because Gabby is one of my all-time favorites. Gabby always gave her all and always made something happen. Blanca seems like that.

A couple of areas of improvement or perhaps initial misunderstanding involve Blanca’s outside shooting and hustle. Early on, when Blanca signed with UConn, her shooting was considered a work in progress and some pundits indicated that she didn’t always “play hard.”

A couple months into the season, Blanca leads the Huskies in 3-pt shooting percentage at .533 and there is absolutely no question concerning her “motor” which appears to be set permanently in 3rd gear.

I don’t know whether the UConn coaches have had an impact in either area or it was all Blanca. Her shooting stroke from the arc is simple with a quick release. Obviously, she has the benefit of being surrounded by great shooters and passers, so she has the opportunity to frequently find space at the arc and her teammates will get her the basketball.

As for hustle, if anything the coaches have tried to slow her down so that Blanca doesn’t go charging down the court like a freight train about to derail. While there is still room for improvement, I agree that Blanca’s future is extremely bright.

 

[BRS24]

A couple of areas of improvement or perhaps initial misunderstanding involve Blanca’s outside shooting and hustle. Early on, when Blanca signed with UConn, her shooting was considered a work in progress and some pundits indicated that she didn’t always “play hard.”

A couple months into the season, Blanca leads the Huskies in 3-pt shooting percentage at .533 and there is absolutely no question concerning her “motor” which appears to be set permanently in 3rd gear.

I don’t know whether the UConn coaches have had an impact in either area or it was all Blanca. Her shooting stroke from the arc is simple with a quick release. Obviously, she has the benefit of being surrounded by great shooters and passers, so she has the opportunity to frequently find space at the arc and her teammates will get her the basketball.

As for hustle, if anything the coaches have tried to slow her down so that Blanca doesn’t go charging down the court like a freight train about to derail. While there is still room for improvement, I agree that Blanca’s future is extremely bright.

Perhaps a different environment, expectations, coaching style all contribute to who/what folks thought Blanca was vs what we are seeing on the court. No matter the reason, she's an exciting player to watch.

 

[Bone Dog]

Perhaps a different environment, expectations, coaching style all contribute to who/what folks thought Blanca was vs what we are seeing on the court. No matter the reason, she's an exciting player to watch.

My thoughts exactly. I’d also add that last summer in reviewing video of Blanca’s Italian games as well as an exhibition tournament involving other high school recruits, I noticed that she played differently — understood her role differently — when she was playing with other high school players as opposed to playing with the generally older professional players. In a younger group, she sometimes seemed to hang back to leave room for teammates. With the older pros, she seemed to go all out all the time, including thrilling bursts of energy.

Blanca fits herself to the moment very well, and she seems to be getting better at reading the moment every game.

 

[Dogstar]

A couple of areas of improvement or perhaps initial misunderstanding involve Blanca’s outside shooting and hustle. Early on, when Blanca signed with UConn, her shooting was considered a work in progress and some pundits indicated that she didn’t always “play hard.”

A couple months into the season, Blanca leads the Huskies in 3-pt shooting percentage at .533 and there is absolutely no question concerning her “motor” which appears to be set permanently in 3rd gear.

I don’t know whether the UConn coaches have had an impact in either area or it was all Blanca. Her shooting stroke from the arc is simple with a quick release. Obviously, she has the benefit of being surrounded by great shooters and passers, so she has the opportunity to frequently find space at the arc and her teammates will get her the basketball.

As for hustle, if anything the coaches have tried to slow her down so that Blanca doesn’t go charging down the court like a freight train about to derail. While there is still room for improvement, I agree that Blanca’s future is extremely bright.

And Best of all...She's only a freshman!

 

[Bone Dog]

When you can shoot you can shoot, and Blanca can shoot. Don't care about mechanics. When she wants to shoot a pull-up jumper she will, because she can shoot( and pass, and rebound, and play defense, and....). She has such effortless ability that she may get bored with the college game in a couple of years. I think Sarah is already bored at times( the turnovers).

I’d only add, about that pull-up jumper which Blanca doesn’t appear to have yet — yes, she can develop one, probably pretty quickly. But she didn’t come to Storrs already having worked that into her game seamlessly. I only mention this in regard to the natural comparison to Maya. The simple fact is Maya arrived with that dazzling pull-up jumper already fully developed. She already possessed a fully stocked offensive arsenal on day 1. I have a feeling Blanca will get there soon enough, but if and when she does, there will still be reason to tip our hats to Maya, a GOAT among GOATs.

 

[sun]

This year's team wouldn't be nearly as complete as it is without Blanca.
She's the savior or what some would call a white knight.
She's making things possible by adding a dimension that if she were missing, some games might become much more of a struggle.
She's the missing link. and what I would have expected from the Luthuanian prospect Juste Jocyte if she had elected to come to UConn.
Juste never materialized but Blanca sure did instead.

 

[HuskylnSC]

A couple of good points here and I'll add just one. As much as I'd like to see BQ continue to make 3s at her current pace, I'm not sure she can maintain this level of accuracy long term for a fundamental reason. In another post I mentioned that I'd like to see her get hooked up with a good shooting instructor during the offseason to develop a 2-3 dribble pull up J that would be very effective because of her ability to get to the rim. I also think it would do wonders for her catch and release 3s. She's what I call an "arm shooter'. She uses arm motion to propel her shot as opposed to Fudd who uses minimal arm motion and more of a wrist/hand controlled release which is much more consistent and sustainable over the course of a season/career. The rest of her game is pretty much what I expected from her Campobasso videos.

Agree that her form is horrible. Sometimes I'm stunned to see her shot go in (Just like sometimes I'm stunned to see Azzi miss). Like you, I'm a big believer in solid fundamentals. But I would bet that in her 4 years of professional play someone has worked with her to develop a good stroke, and I would bet with disastrous results. Sometimes you just have to admire raw athletic ability.