Georgetown Postgame Thread

[ABCDFE]

2nd half:

We just can’t shoot from 3 point land with any consistency. The shots are there game in and game out; we just can’t make them. The most common factor with this unfortunately is CW. She is a shooting guard and needs to score and shoot a good percentage from 3 on a consistent basis for us to beat top level teams. We can’t have our shooting guard missing 8 or 9 threes in a row (all 5 in the second half and most are wide and I mean wide open!). That is really hard to do! This is going to be our Achilles heel.

Just don’t know what the heck we are going to get from CW on any given night with regard to 3 point shooting. My guess is that it will not be good. This is probably my biggest disappointment so far this year. We need her to shoot well and she just can’t do it! She at least took it to the rim with some success and had some assists as well. I thought this part of her game was ok. Padded her stats with some easy fast breaks layins later on.

Now if CW would have hit at least one of her 3 missed wide open 3 pointers in the third, we would have had a 24 pt quarter, not to mention the missed foul on NM which could have been another 2.

NM – nice smooth 3 pointer which ideally CW would have hit a moment before but instead threw up a brick. Nice perimeter defense in the early 3rd! That is how you move your feet and keep the player in front of you, knowing where your help is and the baseline is.

Nice drive and kick to an open CW for yet another wide-open miss (3X in the 3rd for CW!). Another great drive and dish to EW then to AG for the ‘and one’. Great finish from AG. Then a terrific overplay for the steal and could have had her first made lay-up of the year if not for the foul… Later on, she was fouled on the missed layup. Player hit her arm from what I saw but not called.

Showed nice feet and anticipation in the 3rd. Had a possession where she was all over the place on defense. Nice work! I felt like she grew up a bit during the game. Her scoring could have been better if not for the breakout foul called and then the non-call which was a foul.

Nice 2nd half until she had the couple turnovers trying to make things happen. Through one up at the end of the shot clock – I’m not blaming her for the airball as I don’t think she would have taken it otherwise. Got happy feet later on.

I like her confidence though and hopefully she gets better at when to push, who to pass (or not pass) it to on the break and when to penetrate and when not to. Gaps close maybe a bit quicker here than overseas…

Has a long wind-up kind of shot– surprising for a guard. Can’t argue with the results. 2-5 from 3 pt land is good.

Some may not like NM as much as I do, but I think she is going to be a good option off the bench. Time will tell if she can do that with the talent we have coming in next year. She has some skills no doubt in my mind and she will get better. GT is not a good team but NM was solid in her 3rd game with meaningful minutes and no injury. She is not a superstar but a role player and will be good at that if given the opportunity.

AG - nice sequence with the offensive board for a 2nd chance opportunity after the EW miss. Later she has a nice drive and dish to Liv. This possession was all AG! Then she overplays, gives up the lane and GT scores 2 right back. Then did it again a couple of possessions later. Incredibly poor defense by AG. I’m starting to notice this from AG more and more; she has to know when a player can get around her when she is face guarding her so far away from the basket. This seems to happen 2-3 times a game.

Nice post up to draw the foul. I meant to mention this before, she shoots a lot of FTs which is another measure of how active she is. Had 10 in this game. This also gets the opposition in foul trouble and gives us a chance to score easy points. Relentless nature. I really like her game.

Went after yet another wide-open missed 3 pointer by CW the way D. Rodman used to. Almost had it. It thought she drew the offensive foul later on and then got the offensive rebound and put back. Another possession that was all AG.

She got about 5 offensive rebounds in this game and it is my belief that the second attempt is all about the offensive rebound no matter who scores thereafter.

AE– some good moments with help defense, blocks and rebounds. Not only is she big and physical, but she has really quick feet. At some point, this is going to manifest itself into production on the offensive and defensive end. She could grow into a force over the next 2 months. Geno working on the high low with AE and Liv -needs more work…

I think with CWill the the “ifs” about her game are just that “if”. She is who she is. Immense potential but mentally or ability wise is not consistent.

I’m a huge tennis fan and I remember that Nick Kyrgios has all this potential and a reporter kept asking Nadal what do you think if Nick can get tgr. Nadal says we’ve been talking about ifs and hypotheticals for years now. At some point there needs to be proof in the pudding.

 

[eebmg]

Don't know if there was a lack of confidence dribbling and going left but there were countless opportunities from the wing going into the paint for short jumpers. When tried, Westbrook and even McLean got good looks.

Actually, I think the lack of penetration is a major issue and it does seem there is a lack of confidence challenging the defense. Other than Paige and Evina, I do not see our players trying to probe into spaces between players, get them occupied and than pass out of it. CW in particular does not seem to engage unless the defense is so out of position it is a no brainer.

 

[Bama fan]

This is a really tough year for everyone. Just ask yourself where this year ranks in your life. I’ve put on weight, haven’t seen my son in person in over a year, haven’t gone on vacation or out to eat in almost a year and I’m cranky as all hell. It’s a wonder my wife doesn’t shoot me to put me out of my misery as well as hers.

Perhaps she is unaware of that option? Hope she does not read the BY!

 

[BBallF]

I rewatched the game this morning paying close attention to the half court offense. Hoyas were using a 1-2-2 zone and packing the lane. The standard offense against that is a 2-1-2 with an overload meaning that your bring the ball to one side so you have 4 players against 3 on the strong side. For most of the time we ran a 1-3-1 set in which the high post player is supposed to turn, look for a flashing player underneath or start a drive move and dish as the weak side player cuts in back of the defender or that high post player stops and takes a 12 foot pull up. When Liv got the ball at the high post she actually took a step back not forward putting her past or near the 3 point line and taking her out of position for a rebound. While her numbers were good yesterday in terms of FG% she missed all of her 3s against Tennessee. In short, she should be on the low block most of the time and the player on the high post should be one who can dribble, drive, or shoot a pull up.
CW is shooting 57% from 2 point land this season but 30% from 3 point land. Although Evina is 40% from 3 point land( which is equal to 60% from 2 point land in terms of points) she is an astounding 75% from 2 point land. The obvious conclusion- EW and CW ( and others) need more shots from inside the arc and that's one of the primary results that the zone offense should get as its goal for this team. If they pack the paint, we try to compress it more, going old school and looking for closer shots. This will also open up the 3 ball more fully with greater spacing. Geno has admitted you have to make 3s in order to win these days. However, just shooting 3s is usually a losing formula unless your team has solid proficiency there.We are going to see a lot of zone this year and it takes patience to break it but the weakness is always in the middle which I don't think we effectively have been exploiting thus far this year.

 

[HopJim]

2nd half:

We just can’t shoot from 3 point land with any consistency. The shots are there game in and game out; we just can’t make them. The most common factor with this unfortunately is CW. She is a shooting guard and needs to score and shoot a good percentage from 3 on a consistent basis for us to beat top level teams. We can’t have our shooting guard missing 8 or 9 threes in a row (all 5 in the second half and most are wide and I mean wide open!). That is really hard to do! This is going to be our Achilles heel.

Just don’t know what the heck we are going to get from CW on any given night with regard to 3 point shooting. My guess is that it will not be good. This is probably my biggest disappointment so far this year. We need her to shoot well and she just can’t do it! She at least took it to the rim with some success and had some assists as well. I thought this part of her game was ok. Padded her stats with some easy fast breaks layins later on.

Now if CW would have hit at least one of her 3 missed wide open 3 pointers in the third, we would have had a 24 pt quarter, not to mention the missed foul on NM which could have been another 2.

NM – nice smooth 3 pointer which ideally CW would have hit a moment before but instead threw up a brick. Nice perimeter defense in the early 3rd! That is how you move your feet and keep the player in front of you, knowing where your help is and the baseline is.

Nice drive and kick to an open CW for yet another wide-open miss (3X in the 3rd for CW!). Another great drive and dish to EW then to AG for the ‘and one’. Great finish from AG. Then a terrific overplay for the steal and could have had her first made lay-up of the year if not for the foul… Later on, she was fouled on the missed layup. Player hit her arm from what I saw but not called.

Showed nice feet and anticipation in the 3rd. Had a possession where she was all over the place on defense. Nice work! I felt like she grew up a bit during the game. Her scoring could have been better if not for the breakout foul called and then the non-call which was a foul.

Nice 2nd half until she had the couple turnovers trying to make things happen. Through one up at the end of the shot clock – I’m not blaming her for the airball as I don’t think she would have taken it otherwise. Got happy feet later on.

I like her confidence though and hopefully she gets better at when to push, who to pass (or not pass) it to on the break and when to penetrate and when not to. Gaps close maybe a bit quicker here than overseas…

Has a long wind-up kind of shot– surprising for a guard. Can’t argue with the results. 2-5 from 3 pt land is good.

Some may not like NM as much as I do, but I think she is going to be a good option off the bench. Time will tell if she can do that with the talent we have coming in next year. She has some skills no doubt in my mind and she will get better. GT is not a good team but NM was solid in her 3rd game with meaningful minutes and no injury. She is not a superstar but a role player and will be good at that if given the opportunity.

AG - nice sequence with the offensive board for a 2nd chance opportunity after the EW miss. Later she has a nice drive and dish to Liv. This possession was all AG! Then she overplays, gives up the lane and GT scores 2 right back. Then did it again a couple of possessions later. Incredibly poor defense by AG. I’m starting to notice this from AG more and more; she has to know when a player can get around her when she is face guarding her so far away from the basket. This seems to happen 2-3 times a game.

Nice post up to draw the foul. I meant to mention this before, she shoots a lot of FTs which is another measure of how active she is. Had 10 in this game. This also gets the opposition in foul trouble and gives us a chance to score easy points. Relentless nature. I really like her game.

Went after yet another wide-open missed 3 pointer by CW the way D. Rodman used to. Almost had it. It thought she drew the offensive foul later on and then got the offensive rebound and put back. Another possession that was all AG.

She got about 5 offensive rebounds in this game and it is my belief that the second attempt is all about the offensive rebound no matter who scores thereafter.

AE– some good moments with help defense, blocks and rebounds. Not only is she big and physical, but she has really quick feet. At some point, this is going to manifest itself into production on the offensive and defensive end. She could grow into a force over the next 2 months. Geno working on the high low with AE and Liv -needs more work…

One of the few points not mentioned: Aubrey has had two consecutive games getting killed by offensive rebounds. Rewatched both the TN and Georgetown games and particularly in the first half of TN game, AG was pushed so far under basket she was not in position to box out. Hopefully this is a trend the coaches pick up on. Aubrey can jump but is thin and doesn't always hold her position.

 

[HopJim]

Actually, I think the lack of penetration is a major issue and it does seem there is a lack of confidence challenging the defense. Other than Paige and Evina, I do not see our players trying to probe into spaces between players, get them occupied and than pass out of it. CW in particular does not seem to engage unless the defense is so out of position it is a no brainer.

We have been having this conversation for two years. Most teams pack the inside and overload on whoever the hot shooter is. Opinions vary on the solution.

 

[jazz]

One of the few points not mentioned: Aubrey has had two consecutive games getting killed by offensive rebounds. Rewatched both the TN and Georgetown games and particularly in the first half of TN game, AG was pushed so far under basket she was not in position to box out. Hopefully this is a trend the coaches pick up on. Aubrey can jump but is thin and doesn't always hold her position.

Yes, for some odd reason she seems to be better at offensive rebounding than defensive rebounding.

 

[jazz]

I rewatched the game this morning paying close attention to the half court offense. Hoyas were using a 1-2-2 zone and packing the lane. The standard offense against that is a 2-1-2 with an overload meaning that your bring the ball to one side so you have 4 players against 3 on the strong side. For most of the time we ran a 1-3-1 set in which the high post player is supposed to turn, look for a flashing player underneath or start a drive move and dish as the weak side player cuts in back of the defender or that high post player stops and takes a 12 foot pull up. When Liv got the ball at the high post she actually took a step back not forward putting her past or near the 3 point line and taking her out of position for a rebound. While her numbers were good yesterday in terms of FG% she missed all of her 3s against Tennessee. In short, she should be on the low block most of the time and the player on the high post should be one who can dribble, drive, or shoot a pull up.
CW is shooting 57% from 2 point land this season but 30% from 3 point land. Although Evina is 40% from 3 point land( which is equal to 60% from 2 point land in terms of points) she is an astounding 75% from 2 point land. The obvious conclusion- EW and CW ( and others) need more shots from inside the arc and that's one of the primary results that the zone offense should get as its goal for this team. If they pack the paint, we try to compress it more, going old school and looking for closer shots. This will also open up the 3 ball more fully with greater spacing. Geno has admitted you have to make 3s in order to win these days. However, just shooting 3s is usually a losing formula unless your team has solid proficiency there.We are going to see a lot of zone this year and it takes patience to break it but the weakness is always in the middle which I don't think we effectively have been exploiting thus far this year.

IMHO, they are getting wide open threes that they can make but just don't seem to be able to get it done this year. I'm beginning to think that CW is needs less time and a little movement prior to the three to get herself in rhythm. I think the threes will start to fall at some point. They have to don't they? But I hear ya, more pull up twos would help too.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I think that question has a simple answer. For the entire game, Georgetown played a zone defense which was obviously designed to make it as difficult as possible to get the ball into the low post. Whenever Olivia tried to make herself available for an entry pass to the low post, she was at least double teamed and even triple teamed.

My first response to a packed zone is to take advantage of the free throw line which is wide open. A slash from an offside wing to the free throw should result in an open two. This will force the packed zone to come up and opens a high low option. Instead of one open pass to a dominant low post you now do that with two passes With two posts (i.e. Aaliyah and Ono) swing the ball as the off post comes up looking for the pass. No open pass rotate back to the other side and the posts see-saw until the zone becomes disjointed giving the desired opening. Last resort is the disjointed zone gives an open 3. it just a mobile variation of the old overload.

 

[jazz]

I think with CWill the the “ifs” about her game are just that “if”. She is who she is. Immense potential but mentally or ability wise is not consistent.

I’m a huge tennis fan and I remember that Nick Kyrgios has all this potential and a reporter kept asking Nadal what do you think if Nick can get tgr. Nadal says we’ve been talking about ifs and hypotheticals for years now. At some point there needs to be proof in the pudding.

I hear ya ABC, I'm starting to lose the positive vibes for CW too. I think she needs a little movement before her shot to get into rhythm. She is just too wide open. But as Parcells used to say, 'you are what you are' and right now CW is a poor and inconsistent 3 pt shooter at the shooting guard position. This is a position that should be killing the open 3s we have. It was painful to see her miss time and time again.

 

[HuskylnSC]

One of the few points not mentioned: Aubrey has had two consecutive games getting killed by offensive rebounds. Rewatched both the TN and Georgetown games and particularly in the first half of TN game, AG was pushed so far under basket she was not in position to box out. Hopefully this is a trend the coaches pick up on. Aubrey can jump but is thin and doesn't always hold her position.

The smaller player usually has to fight back by taking the opponents thigh. If she does that she has a better chance to neutralize the size and block out. Aubrey's posture is usually straight up with a narrow stance. Terrible for blocking out.

 

[BBallF]

My first response to a packed zone is to take advantage of the free throw line which is wide open. A slash from an offside wing to the free throw should result in an open two. This will force the packed zone to come up and opens a high low option. Instead of one open pass to a dominant low post you now do that with two passes With two posts (i.e. Aaliyah and Ono) swing the ball as the off post comes up looking for the pass. No open pass rotate back to the other side and the posts see-saw until the zone becomes disjointed giving the desired opening. Last resort is the disjointed zone gives an open 3. it just a mobile variation of the old overload.

Agree. I know this may be controversial but I think the slashing player to the high post should be CW. She has a great one dribble pull up. The old overload still works and will again. I think the problem has been execution. 3s in rhythm always seem to have a higher percentage of makes. There is no thought to the shot and the muscles have been working in movement so there is less tightness in the body. I use the analogy of a golf shot after you had to wait 5 minutes to hit. Tight muscles are non-working muscles.

 

[Martin]

only tried 3 to shoot.

Three games in five days, down 2 players, especially their best player and coming off an emotional win over UT.

This is why I thought the fullcourt press decision was a further injury risk. Wasn’t necessary against Georgetown.

 

[AmeriConn]

You don’t have to be diplomatic. We are an entitled (you word) spoiled ( my word) fan base. I would have to challenge that word “unrealistic’. It is not unrealistic to expect Geno’players to show growth and improvement over a season and as they progress from freshman to seniors. Player improvement has been the foundation of this program.

Preach on brother.

 

[Vowelguy]

This is why I thought the fullcourt press decision was a further injury risk. Wasn’t necessary against Georgetown.

The half court offense was not good. You press to try to generate scoring in other ways.

 

[MooseJaw]

True. But they also added Edwards, a sorely needed, and talented, post.

Plus this years team, when healthy, has better quality depth.

Last years team had more experience than this years, but that’s the only advantage I see.

Edwards is an upgrade with talent, remember there was no backup last year, I do like Edwards and would like her more if she were to leave her feet going after rebounds instead of waiting for them to fall into her hands. This trait is not unique to Edwards unfortunately most on the team seem to be earth bound when rebounding. Yes they do get rebounds with good positioning just think how many more they could get if they really went up for them.
Experience, gotta love it. The thing being that last years experience did come with a lot of talent. I can not give Crystal enough credit she was exceptional, while I thought Megan was a selfish player she had obvious talent and was better than this years 3.

 

[Martin]

I’m no expert but the Huskies having problems with their half course offense against the zone defense has been a persistent issue for a while

When say a while do you mean 8 games or a few years?

 

[Vowelguy]

Yes, 3 frosh ,plus a soph, played lots of minutes. People here ,and Geno, need to calm down. He's looked a bit hyper on the sidelines since the season started. Age? Pandemic?

His 4 returning players have a total of 6 years of experience playing for him. 7 pkayers are new.
this is surely the least experienced team he has coached
Lots and lots to teach

 

[MooseJaw]

This is a really tough year for everyone. Just ask yourself where this year ranks in your life. I’ve put on weight, haven’t seen my son in person in over a year, haven’t gone on vacation or out to eat in almost a year and I’m cranky as all hell. It’s a wonder my wife doesn’t shoot me to put me out of my misery as well as hers.

Agree 100% if things continue I will have to find someone to re-introduce me to my feet. I wish I my wife just considered me cranky, she is threating to put a shock collar on me to keep me from barking. Just the 2 of us in the house, I have been keeping my ammo locked up since I read your post. Thanks for the shoot me part, I owe you one.

 

[donalddoowop]

I think your assessment of Olivia and CW as very good college players but also as just role players is not only inaccurate but contradictory. On any given night they can lead the team stat-wise and with attitude and effort. They are relied upon so much more than role players and are critical to the team's success.
You can have the opinion that Paige and Evina are better players without minimizing the talents and contributions of the other two.

Very, very well said.

 

[Boreifs]

My first response to a packed zone is to take advantage of the free throw line which is wide open. A slash from an offside wing to the free throw should result in an open two. This will force the packed zone to come up and opens a high low option. Instead of one open pass to a dominant low post you now do that with two passes With two posts (i.e. Aaliyah and Ono) swing the ball as the off post comes up looking for the pass. No open pass rotate back to the other side and the posts see-saw until the zone becomes disjointed giving the desired opening. Last resort is the disjointed zone gives an open 3. it just a mobile variation of the old overload.

Overload one side and have the point guard penetrate the middle. It creates a four on three scenario that allows a good passing team to always have an open shot. Of course, those open shots need to go in.

 

[jazz]

The half court offense was not good. You press to try to generate scoring in other ways.

and it can be very effective with long, quick athletic types in the game like AG and Mir. I thought AE did a nice job on some traps as well.

 

[Majic Hands]

UCONN added 4 Freshman and a transfer to the rotation of two returning players this season. Somehow the expectation is to look like a clear cut favorite without even having a half a season (10 games) under their belts. I thought Geno and many others were a bit to harsh in their assessment after this game.
We've had four starting lineups in 10 games....That's great for continuity. ??

The ladies just had their first plane road trip and it happened to be against a program rivalry. I would guess team emotions are super high afterwards, especially with a young team that doesn't know any better. Mix in the fact that you only get one practice to prepare with a new starting lineup and rotations because you have two players in your top 8 rotation out. By no means am I saying there isn't room for judgement but at some point we have to let these ladies grow into their roles and understanding of who they are.

Having fun watching my UCONN

Tried to like your post 3 times but it doesn't work like that.

I tend to lose my mind watching the girls play. Then, I remember their kids. Having said that when those kids are Juniors and Seniors at UConn I actually expect to see a level of consistent play that our two Juniors haven't acquired as of yet.

Having said that. The Insanity the kids are having to cope with will be reflected in their on cort performance. It just has to. Thankfully all teams are coping with the same. I'm beginning to wonder if the strain of dealing with all the non basketball stuff is wearing on Geno.

Expect that who ever wins this year's Championship may possibly be the weakest team to win it all in a very long time.

My personal opinion is that the current UConn roster would be playing "pretty" ball if this was a typical year but it is what it is.

 

[Cuango]

Isn't that is what they are playing, college ball? If both are very good college players why would you complain? Usually, role players are good players, not very good. They are two talented players who are evidently playing in an offensive system that does not fit their skills. I see post on weaker teams that have more moves than ONO and they execute them a lot easier than she does. To me that is coaching. No jump hook, just the same three moves. The last two UConn teams have had trouble running the read and react system with much efficiency. If this team can't run it then, why not adjust?

While she is clearly not a dominant post player, I think it is a little unfair to reduce her to “three moves”. She has become a much better player and (I believe) will continue to improve through her senior year. She has become at least somewhat of a threat to shoot (and hit) the three and has become a real threat to hit the 12-17 foot jumper, she is much more of a rim protector, her leadership has improved, and she is a much better passer. As for Christyn, imo she could vastly improve her game simply by falling out of love with the three pointer. She is not (and imo will likely never be) a good three point shooter! Her game is driving to the basket and pull up 8-15 footers. I was shocked that Geno allowed her to shoot 12 three pointers vs Georgetown! Finally, I think this screwed up season has seriously harmed the overall development of this team. Furthermore, although that is likely true for all the other teams as well, I think it has particularly harmed UConn in the sense that their superiority is based on being a fine-tuned machine (and better players and coaches) and the stop and start uncertainty of this season as well as the large number of freshmen has affected them to a greater degree than other teams. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

 

[bkart1978]

ONO has already improved this season in terms of taking contact and getting to the foul line or finishing for the and-one. She's maybe getting blocked a little more often, but I honestly don't remember the last game where she faded away on a shot near the basket, which she just wasn't hitting at a high enough clip. I think that was a big adjustment which led to her improved numbers since the first couple games of the season.