Geno's Frustration

[RoadMaster]

Geno opens up about frustration over injuries: "It just kills me"

The Huskies have now dealt with back-breaking injuries for three consecutive seasons.

www.uconnwbbweekly.com

 

[Aluminny69]

Don't forget that Lou was playing injured, enough to miss the entire WNBA season. When was she first injured? Ealier in the season than we thought.

 

[Huskee11]

What makes this situation even more concerning is that this stuff is bleeding into next season as well. Next season is one big question mark at this point. Partly due to injuries, partly due to who decides to take additional eligibility.

Azzi may not be ready to go at the beginning of next season. Caroline`s future has got to be in doubt at this point. Paige may or may not return. The other three seniors are probably gone after this year, I would not assume any of them will be back. We are presumably still in the hunt for the number one recruit for 2024, but who knows.

So lots of uncertainty but worst case scenario we could be looking at an incredibly young (though talented) team at the start of next season with very little depth. Amari, Ines, Ayanna (another question mark!), and seven other first or second year players.

Geno will likely need to hit the portal for experience and roster depth to avoid getting caught thin. We had fourteen back in June and here we are.

 

[and one]

Perche co si as someone once said. So maybe a NC is more than we can expect. Who knows, maybe we can surprise. Either way we have a whole season to see how well the players still standing can rise to the occasion, how the freshman develop, how Geno figures things out on the fly. That will be fun to watch.

 

[BB Dawg]

Don't forget that Lou was playing injured, enough to miss the entire WNBA season. When was she first injured? Ealier in the season than we thought.

She was injured in final game I believe. She did not have surgery. But this year I felt Dallas sandbagged her and just had her practice - Trying to get a better draft pick?

 

[Bald Husky]

She was injured in final game I believe. She did not have surgery. But this year I felt Dallas sandbagged her and just had her practice - Trying to get a better draft pick?

I believe Lou did have surgery per the request of the Dallas organization. They wanted a player that was 100% ready to go, and the best for her and the team was for her to correct her problem now instead of later.

 

[Aluminny69]

Feels like Deja Vu all over again.

 

[JellyBean]

I am pretty sure Coach is frustrated on many levels, as we all are. I am pretty sure Coach saw things in summer & fall practice as well as during the overseas trip that gave him and the coaching staff a lot of hope and possibilities. As fans, we saw the potential based on what we saw on paper with the roster as well as what we heard about how things were progressing with the team and who stood out during practice sessions and the overseas trip.

Then injuries hit and you kind of take a step back, and at least for me, and look at this whole thing from a different angle. You stop thinking or caring about who starts or who is the point guard. Who is effective at this spot or with this rotation. You start thinking about these players and their mental health. You start thinking about just getting through the season. The games, who we play, and if we won or loss matter less. These players mental health matter and I know the players are in great hands with Coach G, the coaching staff, and the whole UConn family. Just get through the season with no major injuries & just help and support each other.

 

[Bone Dog]

I hate to say it but I hold my breath for Paige every game. Against MD, once she took over in the second half, on one brilliant drive she stepped on someone’s piece of equipment (a camera I think) that was left on the floor too close to the basket. My heart skipped a beat. It’s like, “this kid just can’t get a break.” But it seemed to be nothing. And then in the Kansas game she seemed to be limping after a steal and score and all those fears returned. I so want her to have the great season she deserves.

 

[oldude]

Misery loves company. As I watched the game between ND & TN a few days ago, I was struck by the fact that both teams have already been devastated by injuries early in the season, just like UConn. The LV’s are playing without two key starters: Key (no pun intended) and Jackson. The Irish are also missing two key starters along with a key reserve: Miles, Citron & Prosper.

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of basketball, and as the game continues to get faster and more physical, injuries to WBB players are reaching epidemic proportions. Teams do what they can to improve overall strength and conditioning. But the female body is just not meant for the kind of physical stress of playing basketball at the highest level.

 

[fireford]

Injuries are indeed a rough part of the game as we've seen over the last three seasons. The men's team is also starting to get a taste of the same thing. Castle has been out and reports are that some of their other key players are playing through injuries.
So then you have the difficult decision of sitting out for big games and hurting your teams chances of winning those games or continuing to play through the injuries and making them worse. When players are competitive, sitting when they don't feel they like they absolutely have to and feeling like if their team may lose a big game because they didn't play makes the decision that much more difficult. Especially when the team is short handed and you feel you're needed even more.
Seems a lot of injuries to the women's team tend to be a carry over from the prior season where circumstances forced them to play through things that are now taking their toll.

 

[Rowdy831]

Uconn always has great players available and the coaches need to figure out how to get their best. So far they lost Azzi who was expected to contribute quite a bit but the losses are more on poor shooting by the stars that are playing. They obviously are short of what they expected but by no means is that an excuse to not be a top 5 team and make a good run in March.

 

[MooseJaw]

Misery loves company. As I watched the game between ND & TN a few days ago, I was struck by the fact that both teams have already been devastated by injuries early in the season, just like UConn. The LV’s are playing without two key starters: Key (no pun intended) and Jackson. The Irish are also missing two key starters along with a key reserve: Miles, Citron & Prosper.

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of basketball, and as the game continues to get faster and more physical, injuries to WBB players are reaching epidemic proportions. Teams do what they can to improve overall strength and conditioning. But the female body is just not meant for the kind of physical stress of playing basketball at the highest level.

I agree with all except your last sentence. IMO, Male or female, some bodies may or not be ready for one sport or another, but a blanket statement saying categorically that "the female body is just not meant for the kind of physical stress of playing basketball at the highest level" is disingenuous. Many high-level female basketball players play entire careers without serious injuries, keeping in mind that basketball in a contact sport. And as such, hard physical play male or female may lead to injury.

 

[SEbluebood]

Add LSU to the injury misery list as they have lost a starter to a season ending injury. Sad to see all of these injuries!

 

[Linart]

We're worse off than any of those because this has been going on for THREE years. We seem to have an excessive number of starters who have been lost for an entire season: Jana, Paige, Azzi, Aubrey and possibly Caroline as well. Not to mention injuries that came at the most inopportune time, like Dorka with her wrist prior to the Final Four. Plus a myriad of lesser injuries which, at one point, forced us to reschedule a game because we didn't have 7 scholarship players. Maybe there are other teams that were forced to cancel a game because of not having enough players (COVID year excepted) but I haven't heard of them.

 

[oldude]

I agree with all except your last sentence. IMO, Male or female, some bodies may or not be ready for one sport or another, but a blanket statement saying categorically that "the female body is just not meant for the kind of physical stress of playing basketball at the highest level" is disingenuous. Many high-level female basketball players play entire careers without serious injuries, keeping in mind that basketball in a contact sport. And as such, hard physical play male or female may lead to injury.

OK here’s the data. Women are more likely to suffer injuries to their shoulders, ankles, calves and knees than men. Women are 3x more likely to suffer ACL tears than men. Over the past 10 years, ACL tears among women athletes have increased by 59%.

Bone density in women is lower than in men. As a result women are far more likely than men to suffer bone fractures. As much as I wish it weren’t true, serious injuries to women athletes in physical sports like basketball are on the rise, with no end in sight.

 

[hoophuskee]

Add LSU to the injury misery list as they have lost a starter to a season ending injury. Sad to see all of these injuries!

They lost "one starter" and that equates to what UCONN has gone through?

 

[SEbluebood]

They lost "one starter" and that equates to what UCONN has gone through?

Where did I say that in my post? Previous posters mentioned injuries at other schools like ND and TN. I simply added LSU to the list of schools with injuries and expressed remorse for all the injured players? Not sure how you interpreted that as equating that with what UConn has gone through. Maybe it’s time to replace your secret decoder ring!!!!

 

[jabstep]

The way Paige is playing so far this year, giving it everything she has for herself and her team, it may be too much. When she drives to the right of the basket for shots she ends up on the floor 80% of the time. You can land and hurt yourself in many ways. She may be better served to shoot pull-up jumpers and 3-pointers. Is she playing too many minutes in back-to-back games this early? I think so. We don't have the talent with all of the injuries we have to Azzi, Caroline, Jana, and Ayanna to play the toughest schedule in WCBB. Play all of our players such as Amari and the freshmen and maybe expect some more losses. The final goal should be March Madness. Just my opinion.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Don't forget that Lou was playing injured, enough to miss the entire WNBA season. When was she first injured? Ealier in the season than we thought.

Although everyone is quick to say that these are all just freak injuries, there have been far too many over far too many years to just dismiss them as "freaks". Medical personnel should look very carefully to see if the team is doing anything differently in practice, in weight training, in the off-season. Something is very wrong. Real investigation by medical specialists is warranted.

 

[topogigio]

Although everyone is quick to say that these are all just freak injuries, there have been far too many over far too many years to just dismiss them as "freaks". Medical personnel should look very carefully to see if the team is doing anything differently in practice, in weight training, in the off-season. Something is very wrong. Real investigation by medical specialists is warranted.

Well worth a look see!

 

[reelfan]

As Geno recognizes and has mentioned many times, it's a new day in WBB. Don't understand his reluctance to welcome transfers.

 

[oldude]

As Geno recognizes and has mentioned many times, it's a new day in WBB. Don't understand his reluctance to welcome transfers.

Reluctance?

Natalie, Azura, Batouly, Evelyn, Evina, Dorka, Lou??????

 

[BRS24]

As Geno recognizes and has mentioned many times, it's a new day in WBB. Don't understand his reluctance to welcome transfers.

IMHO it's not a reluctance to welcome transfers, as much as it's an evaluation to see how they will fit, whether one grad year, or multiple undergrad years. If a transfer comes in after more than one year at a school, there's a learning curve as to how UConn approaches everything - practices, games, travel, etc. Evina, Dorka, and Lou all fit in seamlessly and adopted whatever role was asked of them, and we were incredibly lucky to watch them in a UConn jersey.

When coaches look at the list of transfers, questions of why are they leaving, how did they perform at their school, what are they looking for at a new school, are there any issues/baggage that they are carrying, all come up. If a player is unrealistic at their original school, that probably won't change at a new one. That's not to say that an unhappy player at a school would not fit in at UConn, however over the past few years, by our view on the outside, the teams have been very close. One ripple to that, and poof.

Geno doesn't make promises to any player, whether a recruit or a transfer. There are plenty of players who want/need a promise, and that's not his style. It seems that he and the staff are very cautious on adding players this way, and I don't think he'd ever have multiple transfers in, as other schools have done for this season. During the height of the transfer portal window in the spring, this is what Geno was looking at (by class), and that looked pretty darn good.

Jana's injury happened after the portal, and Ayanna, Caroline & Azzi's issues occurred after the season started, so there'd be no way fix it with a transfer.