Geno should borrow from Pat Riley’s playbook

[Carnac]

I will not be surprised if -- that's my way of saying I fully expect -- Azzi and Caroline each to average close to 20 pts/game. They have the skills and the chutzpah to do it. If we get 8 from Nika, 10 from Lou, and 14 each from Dorka and Aaliyah then we're in business.

No mention of the freshmen. Right now there’s no way to know how much (if any) help either of them will be this season. I can’t put my finger on it, and I have nothing tangible to substantiate my feeling that Brady will play a large part in the team’s success this year. I’m not saying that Patterson won’t, just that Brady will.

Geno will play the hand that he has been dealt. Right now he has two aces and an eight, but the game has just started. Plenty of time to draw more cards. Practice begins in about 53 days. The coaches and players all know what this team must do collectively and individually to achieve the success they desire.

With the lineup of top-ranked teams on their preseason schedule, UConn won’t have to wait long to see who and what they have. Adversity either builds character or reveals it. For the second year in a row, this program has been hit hard by the injury bug. Last year they met that challenge head on and was very successful.

They didn’t win the grand prize, but they were one of the last two teams standing. So they’ve seen this movie before. Except for the 3 incoming players, everyone knows what they have to do. Geno won’t have to preach to them or warn them. There’s no substitute for experience. They’ve already experienced what’s coming. I think they’ll be ready.

 

[Bone Dog]

No mention of the freshmen. Right now there’s no way to know how much (if any) help either of them will be this season. I can’t put my finger on it, and I have nothing tangible to substantiate my feeling that Brady will play a large part in the team’s success this year. I’m not saying that Patterson won’t, just that Brady will.

One reason you might expect great things from Ice is because Geno has said things to this effect about her. After watching the FIBA games, I'm very optimistic about her. When she tore down rebounds and fired off outlet passes without taking a dribble, I ws hooked.

I find it hard to believe Ayanna won't have something important to contribute. She's an athlete, like Aubrey, so even if she's not a D1 level scorer yet, she will be a force somewhere on the court.

Practice begins in about 53 days.

Ugh! Is it really that many?

 

[hoophuskee]

The competitive landscape has also changed. I think that there has been more dispersal of talent (for both players and coaches), and the competition has improved.

What sort of stinks is that the Huskies have run into an incredible amount of bad luck. If not for such bad luck we would be acknowledging that the competitive landscape has changed other than UCONN. I agree though the landscape has changed with better coaching along with players more easily available to transfer, along with players staying extra years. But UCONN has had a cumulative effect of bad luck that under normal circumstances there probably would have more title(s).

1 Sept 2017-Charli Collier decommits from UCONN late in the process because of a disastrous hurricane. Many targets gone/ already involved with other schools this late.
2 2017-2018 Stevens declares for WNBA draft.
3 Mar- 2020 Megan Walker a junior First Team All-American leaves for WNBA draft. How many jr 1st team A/A's leave other programs?
4-- 2021-2022 I know the negative posters will have a problem with this and they will throw in something like the November game- but anyhow- UCONN if "near healthy" would have had a legit shot to win the championship. All credit goes ot SC, but "bad luck for UCONN" is the point.

And it's been in each successive year. And now this year.

Without these successive issues year-over-year - maybe the landscape would have had little effect on UCONN even if cut in half. .

 

[Scoe]

Pat Riley I’m sure would’ve quit mid season last year when things were looking bleak citing health concerns as a cop out as he did when his teams weren’t looking great. Perhaps he would’ve sent a fax in the middle of the night saying he took a job at an SEC school. Yes I’m a bitter Knicks fan.

 

[hoophuskee]

Pat Riley I’m sure would’ve quit mid season last year when things were looking bleak citing health concerns as a cop out as he did when his teams weren’t looking great. Perhaps he would’ve sent a fax in the middle of the night saying he took a job at an SEC school. Yes I’m a bitter Knicks fan.

Hahahahahaha I love it!!!!!

 

[Carnac]

One reason you might expect great things from Ice is because Geno has said things to this effect about her. After watching the FIBA games, I'm very optimistic about her. When she tore down rebounds and fired off outlet passes without taking a dribble, I ws hooked.

I find it hard to believe Ayanna won't have something important to contribute. She's an athlete, like Aubrey, so even if she's not a D1 level scorer yet, she will be a force somewhere on the court.


Ugh! Is it really that many?

One thing we MUST acknowledge is that she IS NOT a magician!! No top hat, no cape, no pulling rabbits out of a hat. She does NOT do disappearing acts. She DOES NOT disappear in BIG games. Cathedral Catholic High School played some BIG games her sophomore, junior and senior year, especially during the post-season. She showed up and played BIG in every game.

I'll bet my turban she does the same thing for Geno and her teammates. It's said that a great predictor of future behavior is past behavior. A BIG game is a BIG game regardless of the stage. I can't wait for her to have her break-out game. When she does (and she will), I hope it's against a top 10 team. Ice is special!!!

 

[baggerbob]

Both Napheesa Collier (2016-17, 2018-19) AND Katie Lou Samuelson (2016-17) averaged over 20ppg in a season. They both were above 20ppg during the 2016-17 season with Pheesa averaging 20.4ppg and KLS averaging 20.2ppg when they were both sophomores. And that’s after they averaged 6.8ppg and 11pm, respectively, the prior (their freshman) season.

And they didn't win the championship. You don't need someone to average 20 points per game.
Balance is better, having a team where many positions can score.