Geno: "The next two years could be something really special"

[Wonkster]

There is one giant roadblock - Britney Griner, and a strong supporting cast. If UConn beats everyone except Baylor, would that be considered special?

If UConn can beat Baylor in the Finals, that definitely would be very special.

The Final Four comes after mid-February when UConn hosts Baylor. By that time the team will likely have jelled pretty well. It'd be a different story if Baylor came up here in early December.

I'm betting UConn has enough post strength to give Griner more than she can handle in either game.

 

[Wonkster]

Not a great choice when she has as far as I know zero international experience.

Uh, doggy didn't say she'd be great, he simply said he'd like to see her take the job!

 

[Waquoit]

Not a great choice when she has as far as I know zero international experience.

She did win an Olympic gold medal as a player.

 

[Scotter]

I knew that, but experience as a player nearly 3o years ago isn't really the type of experience I was talking about.

She did win an Olympic gold medal as a player.

 

[John Fryer]

This is going to be an interesting match-up....

Brittany Griner 6'8" SR vs Stefanie Dolson 6'5" JR (+1 Baylor)
Brooklyn Pope 6'1" SR vs Breanna Stewart 6'4" FR (+1 UConn)
Sune Akbuke 6'4" SO vs Kiah Stokes 6'3" SO (+1 UConn)
Kristina Higgins 6'5" FR vs Heather Buck 6'3" RS SR (+1 UConn)
Destiny Williams 6'1" RS SR vs Morgan Tuck 6'2" FR (+1 Baylor)
Jordan Madden 6'0" SR vs Kelly Faris 5'11" SR (even)
Alexis Prince 6'1" FR vs Caroline Doty 5'10" RS SR (+1 UConn)
Niya Johnson 5'8" FR vs Moriah Jefferson 5'7" FR (+1 UConn)
Odyssey Simms 5'9" JR vs Bria Hartley 5'9" (no way 5' 7") JR (+1 Baylor)
Makenzie Robertson 5'10" JR vs Brianna Banks 5'9" SO (+1 UConn)

Mariah Chandler 6'2" RS JR

Chardonae Fugua 6'0" FR (+1 Baylor) Total (+2 UConn)

Mariah Chandler 6'2" RS JR

IMO, in the Destiny Williams vs. Morgan Tuck matchup, +1 for UConn. (At worst it should be even.)
We have two AAs in the Odyssey Simms vs. Bria Hartley match up, even.
Lastly, in the Alexis Prince vs. Caroline Doty match up, at best even, for us, if Caroline's health holds up. (At worse +1 for Baylor.)

Peace,

John Fryer

 

[ladybears4eva]

But what would the Brazilians think of her wardrobe..?

I'm sure they'd appreciate her colorful wardrobe

 

[ladybears4eva]

Too bad we only play five at a time

 

[alexrgct]

I knew that, but experience as a player nearly 3o years ago isn't really the type of experience I was talking about.

Not to mention that no Eastern Bloc countries participated. Just wasn't a very deep field. The experience wouldn't be very applicable.

 

[cferraro04]

John this was completely hypothetical...first off the match-ups were made by size and somehow in my cutting and pasting I inadvertently eliminated Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis...don't really know how it happened but if you add her in...then it goes to a +2 UConn...but, again the numbers were just me horsing around with match-ups...in order to demonstrate how even these two teams really are. My premise was that the game will be a barn-burner... There are a few variables that are hard to qualify. The first, of course, is Brittany Griner...she is very difficult to nullify and it is possible that she can't be. Then there is Odyssey Simms who in my opinion is the lynch pin to the team... If you stop Odyssey then Baylor loses...she is the glue... Baylor has a supporting cast and a lot of senior leadership in Brooklyn Pope, Destiny Williams, Madden and Hayden...they have players coming off of injury that can help and they have some incoming freshmen that may be able to contribute. UConn has a lot of player who may turn the corner as far as improving, namely, Brianna Banks, Kiah Stokes, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and maybe even Stefanie Dolson (she could have a much improved year...given the attention Morgan and Breanna Stewart will garner leaving Stefanie free to wreck havoc in the paint). Our incoming freshman will give us size, scoring and depth... I believe we may have two All Americans this year...with one or two more knocking on the door... This game will be most interesting...and, whoever wins the regular season match-up will not be guaranteed to win the match-up during the NCAA tournament.

 

[cferraro04]

I have to try this again...after somehow losing Kaleena during the cut and paste process...no comparison can be complete without her...the match-ups listed are hypothetical and based on class and size...not how they will actually be matched-up. Furthermore, the comparison doesn't even attempt to take into account the intangible variables, and the individual talent gaps that exists at certain positions. The central premise is that these teams are evenly matched and it will be a barn burner of a game with interesting match-ups.

This is going to be an interesting match-up....

Brittany Griner 6'8" SR vs Stefanie Dolson 6'5" JR (+1 Baylor)
Brooklyn Pope 6'1" SR vs Breanna Stewart 6'4" FR (+1 UConn)
Sune Akbuke 6'4" SO vs Kiah Stokes 6'3" SO (+1 UConn)
Kristina Higgins 6'5" FR vs Heather Buck 6'3" RS SR (+1 UConn)
Destiny Williams 6'1" RS SR vs Morgan Tuck 6'2" FR (+1 Baylor)
Jordan Madden 6'0" SR vs Kelly Faris 5'11" SR (even)
Alexis Prince 6'1" FR vs Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis SO (+1 UConn)
Niya Johnson 5'8" FR vs Moriah Jefferson 5'7" FR (+1 UConn)
Odyssey Simms 5'9" JR vs Bria Hartley 5'9" (no way 5' 7") JR (+1 Baylor)
Makenzie Robertson 5'10" JR vs Brianna Banks 5'9" SO (+1 UConn)
Mariah Chandler 6'2" RS JR vs Caroline Doty 5'10" RS SR (+1 UConn)

Chardonae Fugua 6'0" FR (+1 Baylor)

Total (+3 UConn)

 

[Tonyc]

JMO Breannas Defense will be able to stop alot of penetration, dribble drives and outside shooting. Can Breanna slow Simms down. Absolutely. Her wing span is huge, as is her quicknness and reaction to plays . With Stef Kiah or Heather underneath Breanna will be able to double up on Simms or any other key player on defense. The kid is a phenom and hasnt stepped on the college court yet?????? Mind boggleing simply mind boggleing. She will bring an entirely different aspect to the game with the players surrounding her

 

[bruinbball]

IMO, Geno enlists Kelly to focus on Odyssey next year. We now have some size and depth to battle Baylor inside. I think Geno goes to his most trusted defender to shut down their most dangerous player. Odyssey will still get a few, but making it difficult will be in UConn's favor.

 

[OneTrickPony]

This is going to be an interesting match-up....

Destiny Williams 6'1" RS SR vs Morgan Tuck 6'2" FR (+1 Baylor)
Odyssey Simms 5'9" JR vs Bria Hartley 5'9" (no way 5' 7") JR (+1 Baylor)

I think you might be surprised with Morgan Tuck, and you can't live on the difference between Bria and Odyssey.

 

[doggydaddy]

IMO, Geno enlists Kelly to focus on Odyssey next year. We now have some size and depth to battle Baylor inside. I think Geno goes to his most trusted defender to shut down their most dangerous player. Odyssey will still get a few, but making it difficult will be in UConn's favor.

I agree 100 percent. Last year Kelly had to take on either Pope or Williams. This year UConn has some added size allowing Faris to focus on Sims. She could slow Sims down.

 

[doggydaddy]

I think you might be surprised with Morgan Tuck, and you can't live on the difference between Bria and Odyssey.

I agree here! I would call them both even in this hypothetical guessing game.

 

[OneTrickPony]

I agree 100 percent. Last year Kelly had to take on either Pope or Williams. This year UConn has some added size allowing Faris to focus on Sims. She could slow Sims down.

And we can match the power forward rotation of Williams/Pope with players better than either of them...should be interesting!

 

[VAMike23]

IMO, Geno enlists Kelly to focus on Odyssey next year. We now have some size and depth to battle Baylor inside. I think Geno goes to his most trusted defender to shut down their most dangerous player. Odyssey will still get a few, but making it difficult will be in UConn's favor.

Agree - this has been one of the biggest reasons that I've been looking fwd to having Bre at the forward spot. Not just for Sims, but for Diggins or whoever else the opponent has on the perimeter.

Kelly is excellent at blocking out and works her a*s off no matter who/where she is guarding, but she is going to be of most value to us as a shutdown corner, so to speak. Plus this will help A) give her more opportunities to rebound in space, and B) give her a head start on the break.

 

[VAMike23]

It will also be a really good thing for us to be playing Baylor on Feb 18 rather than, say, Dec 18.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Agree - this has been one of the biggest reasons that I've been looking fwd to having Bre at the forward spot. Not just for Sims, but for Diggins or whoever else the opponent has on the perimeter.

Kelly is excellent at blocking out and works her a*s off no matter who/where she is guarding, but she is going to be of most value to us as a shutdown corner, so to speak. Plus this will help A) give her more opportunities to rebound in space, and B) give her a head start on the break.

I think this year Kelly is key to our defensive flexibility and her WNBA stock should rise as a result...

 

[EricLA]

And we can match the power forward rotation of Williams/Pope with players better than either of them...should be interesting!

Not necessarily. First, the players being compared to them are younger. Pope and Williams are seniors and both are 5th year i think since they had to sit out a year.

UCONN - Doty, Hartley, Faris, KML, Dolson
Baylor - Simms, Madden, Hayden, Williams, Griner

Baylor's top players off the bench will likely be Pope, Washington, Chandler, and Prince.
UCONN's top players off the bench will likely be Stokes, Jefferson, Tuck and Stewart.

From an age and experience perspective, Baylor is very senior heavy and has the edge there. A lot will depend on just how well the UCONN freshmen acclimate and how quickly they elevate their games. As great as KML was last year, there were games where her shot was off and where she disappeared offensively. Freshmen usually hit a wall in January so a lot depends on just how "good" they are their first year. It's gonna be a great game.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Not necessarily. First, the players being compared to them are younger. Pope and Williams are seniors and both are 5th year i think since they had to sit out a year.

Not necessarily of course...the game will have to be played, I suspect.

Pope is more experienced than Tuck, but she hasn't shown me anything like the range and consistency I've seen from Morgan. I really like Morgan in this matchup...but let's see what happens.

Williams had a break out year last year statistically, and I thought she was much more confident and consistent than she was the year prior. However, I do factor in the Griner effect of constantly drawing help defenders that she gets the benefit of...add that to Breanna Stewart's talent, length and pretty extraordinary experience for a freshman; and you won't surprise me if she outplays Destiny even with Griner sharing the paint.

No guarantees, but the matchups are a world of difference from last year, and that was a close game!

 

[baggerbob]

Some of the things Breanna brings which might cause problems. 1) on defensive rebounds she will look for outlet, and if not there will bring it up the floor. 2) She doesn't have to play in the post on offense, can hit 3, which will open up offense for guards. Has shown on national teams doesn't care whether starts,just helps teams to win. Working with Geno all year, by the time the tournament comes along, I expect her to be a much better player.

 

[alexrgct]

Geno has never lost in the national championship game. Neither has Kim, albeit with far fewer opportunities. It is, in my estimation, an inevitability that either Kim will be 2-1 or Geno 7-1 at season's end. Geno will have the most total talent. Kim will have one of the most dominant players in the history of the college game. How will Geno use his depth? After missing the Olympics and being injured for part of the summer, how much of a chance to get better will Griner have had? How reliable will the incoming freshmen be for both teams, especially UConn? How reliable will UConn need them to be? Was Baylor really only five points better at home than UConn last year? Empirically, that's what happened, but had UConn and Baylor played 10 games, what would Baylors average margin of victory have been? A lot of questions regarding the two teams. And thank goodness there are, as otherwise this season doesn't project to have a ton of suspense.

 

[UCONNfan1]

Something to consider when UConn plays Baylor. We have alot of great players with height. Griner can not get in foul trouble so I expect her to intimadate or try to intimadate UConn players. If she gets in foul trouble UConn will run away with it. If the refs protect her UConn will have problems. If the game is called like it should, UConn will win. This season UConn can really slow down Baylor with its defense. This year we will get to the line.

Do you ever recall Griner getting into foul trouble? I don't. Maybe her freshman year. She's so tall that she has no reason to foul. She doesn't even need to leave her feet to block even 6'5" players. All she needs to do is stand her ground. IMHO, if Geno's game plan to win is to get Griner in foul trouble, he will be in for a long night.

I'm always curious about the confidence level of UCONN fans sometimes. I get, like Geno says, that the next 2 years could be special. I get the sense that he REALLY wants Stef and Bria to win a NC this year. From what I can recall as to who leaves and who each team has coming back, it should be UCONN and Baylor, with Duke 3rd, then everyone else a distant 4th and beyond. Does Duke get Wells back this year? Is she actually coming back? She was not allowed to play on the team last year for issues not related to academics - it was some sort of team violation or something.

But Baylor pretty much returns everyone. I just don't have a feeling for how much an impact the freshmen will have come February and/or April if/when we play Baylor in the NCAA's. I think the Duke game will be really interesting too. I believe we are better by a somewhat wide margin, but that they are easily the 3rd best team in the nation on paper.

Anyhoo I'm not picking on Tonyc, I like the confidence. I think we have a great chance to beat Baylor and win it all, but I think Baylor is every bit as confident as we are.

 

[Harry Mangurian]

Anyone want to bet a breakfast at The Shack in East Lyme.
I say UCONN wins the first time they meet BAYLOR any time after 1 Jan.
By then, the frosh will be integrated with the team. I will give you 5 points.