Georgetown Postgame Thread

[Florida Fan]

Yes I agree how far UConn goes this year is up to Liv .. I would MUCH rather see Liv take 19 shots than CW. Liv is 4th in the country in FG%, eh?

Okay, but better shots, close in or 15 footers.

 

[cabbie191]

But suppose you were a scout...from somewhere on the backside of Mars...knew nothing much about this year's team...what kind of a report would you submit after watching this game?

Now, I'm certainly not a rocket scientist but I'm thinking two divergent ways in response to this:

1) I think if I'm from Mars, I've probably never seen basketball before and wouldn't know what to make of what I am observing. Heck, I'm probably more interested in those green things the aliens call trees.

2) But if I'm wrong on #1 and women's basketball is as passionately followed on Mars as it is in Connecticut, then I'm wondering what I need to do to get Geno to expand his recruiting horizon. Croatia and Poland no longer seem so far removed from Gampel.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

 

[Martin]

Without a doubt, the team is tired; mentally and physically...And they haven't practiced for a while and it shows...and they're young...remember the Freshman wall? Not permitted this year.

But suppose you were a scout...from somewhere on the backside of Mars...knew nothing much about this year's team...what kind of a report would you submit after watching this game?

Mediocre shooting percentage, especially from the outside, Bueckers excepted, Williams hit a few early, then wore out her welcome, going 3 for 9.

At times (against the zone), passed the ball around the perimeter like it was a hot potato reminiscent of Holly's, UTenn offense...and as the shot clock wound down. a poor pass (often intercepted) or a failed long range shot.

Front court players invariably in poor position and not very helpful to the offense.

Georgetown is not a very good team, with only 1, maybe 1 and a half real ballers...and UConn pressed them on D to good effect...but its a real question whether they can be as effective in this respect against a good team.

I had been led to believe that a UConn team would appear as a superlatively coached, team that runs a coherent offense and exploits its opponents weaknesses... Except for their effective pressing, none of this was apparent. Offense featured poor shooting and a lack of strong playmaking.

Conclusion: Not a really good team. A sweet 16 or possibly an elite 8 team...unlikely higher.

I don’t disagree w your points. I do think PB5 is the difference maker this team right now needs. She’s the difference between Sweet 16 and FF. And anything can happen at a FF.

 

[Martin]

So concert reviewers give a grade to the guy who rolled out the piano now???

This was a cringe worthy analogy for Geno. Was he talking about the non-starters or the equipment managers?

 

[my2cents]

So are you saying "We don't need more COWBELL" because you don't like the sound?

We need the sweet sound of swishing.

 

[msf22b]

This was a cringe worthy analogy for Geno. Was he talking about the non-starters or the equipment managers?

The stage hands at Carnegie Hall make twice as much (or more) than the musicians.

 

[Jingo]

Conclusion: Not a really good team. A sweet 16 or possibly an elite 8 team...unlikely higher.

I think we have excellent team - capable of winning the NC - as long as we are not hamstrung by CW taking 19 shots!!! There is not a better starting five in the country than NM, PB, EW, AE & ONO, eh? and added to the starters is a very strong bench of Aubrey, Mir, CW & Ania [if available]
Geno can weave his magic by, IMO, getting more scoring from his hi-lo combo of ONO&AE .. AND .. by getting better defense and more rebounding by providing more minutes for Aubrey&Mir.

 

[Biff]

Now, I'm certainly not a rocket scientist but I'm thinking two divergent ways in response to this:

1) I think if I'm from Mars, I've probably never seen basketball before and wouldn't know what to make of what I am observing. Heck, I'm probably more interested in those green things the aliens call trees.

2) But if I'm wrong on #1 and women's basketball is as passionately followed on Mars as it is in Connecticut, then I'm wondering what I need to do to get Geno to expand his recruiting horizon. Croatia and Poland no longer seem so far removed from Gampel.

 

[Bald Husky]

We need to have someone on our squad to "explain" to opponents that beat up on Paige the error of their ways. Nothing nasty but a a subtle reminder to the offender. The officials are sometimes so busy that they miss these wayward women. We would be helping them to amend their habits.

Since Saylor isn't getting any work, bring her in as an enforcer.

 

[dtbtbtb]

IMO the scout on this team is not complicated...cover Paige tightly wherever she is on the court (box and 1), pack the lane and let anyone else not called Paige shoot from mid range and even better from 3.
When you are on offense, slow the game down to not allow UConn fast breaks. Go hard to the offensive boards. Control tempo of the game.

 

[hoophuskee]

When has one player won a championship? Greatness, imho is making teammates look good also, like DT. Paige has that ability, let her be Paige. Don’t turn her into Allen Iverson. Paige has passing abilities the likes of which I’ve never seen. Don’t make her one dimensional. The only way to win a title this year is by playing team ball. PB can average 30 pts a game, but 21 pts with 10 assists makes the team better. I think Geno realizes this.
I am a 76ers fan. A friend of mine asked if I would trade Ben Simmons for Bradley Beal of the Wizards. Bradley Beal is an unstoppable 3 level scorer. The answer is no, because Ben Simmons, who can’t shoot a lick, gets teammates the ball in rhythm, which makes shooting percentages higher, his penetration down the the lane leads to easy lay ups for other players. He is an all star who can’t shoot but coaches love him.
PB is Ben Simmons with a Larry Bird like Jumper! Well, better than Bird. Let her orchestrate! It’s her greatest strength.

I don’t agree with your perception of being the dominant player and associate that with one dimensional nor your question about "1 player" as having real meaning. Referring to a team as a one-man-team is highly subjective. Also, you can have a dominant player and others are fine as support in which when needed one player picks up add'l scoring as needed. But my question is why did you pick Iverson as an offensive player and not for example be LeBron James in terms of efficiency? You picked one of the worst possible number 1 options in terms of efficiency. The one player you are referencing isn't what Paige is doing at all. Paige is efficient. Iverson never was close to it. Paige's current efficiency - EFG% is 65%. Iverson’s best was .488.

And then as I said one player can get hot at particular times. Or imo - I believe using Paige as a dominant scoring weapon - can possibly force the other teams to do something extreme which then opens up the game more for the others. For example SC stuck in a man-to-man. Maybe next time you force them into a box-and-one. A box-and-one potentially frees up the other 4 more. Then you see Paige's assist numbers jump, or her pass leads to a 2nd or 3rd for a quality shot and score.

And how much help did Melo get when he led his team to title? He was regarded as a one-man wrecking crew. What about Kemba Walker did for UCONN? For example you can even look at the UCONN - Butler finals. Didn’t need a lot of points in the title game. The point is – you don’t have to be “great” – you can be “good enough” and still win it all. Was the S.C. team that won a title a “great team?” There are different ways to win - which is the beauty of the sport. And the thing is - if looking at Kemba and Melo- Paige is greater than either relatively speaking. So why can’t Paige do what Melo and Kemba did? And she’s potentially “greater.”

 

[Jingo]

Since Saylor isn't getting any work, bring her in as an enforcer.

In addition to being an 'enforcer', bring Saylor in as a 3-point shooter and rebounder - she has a quick release and is not afraid to shoot..

 

[msf22b]

Listening to Geno's postgame, I was struck by his remark about CW when asked if has spoken to her...
He said that he had spoken to her for an hour before the Pirate game and the result...zero points wasn't great...maybe better not to talk to them at all...Let them work it out by themselves...

I remember a bunch of years ago when Stewie had a bagel in the Baylor game and Geno took her out and sat her..he said the same thing...

I was younger then...but leapt to the kid's defense...It was his job to figure it out...to come forth with the magical salve...what kind of a coach is he?

Today, it seems more reasonable...he noted that the kids had other people to speak to...probably better

 

[Bald Husky]

In addition to being an 'enforcer', bring Saylor in as a 3-point shooter and rebounder - she has a quick release and is not afraid to shoot..

I agree completely, but Genos not giving her any PT. If he has any hope of using her, they must include her in the next 4 days of practice. He has nothing to lose, cause who know when, or if, Anna is coming back. Still don't know what is actually wrong with her leg. If he doesn't use Saylor, give her some gloves.

 

[Ozimoto]

It's pretty apparent to me that this is just going to be one grind of a season. Just win the next game and things will be OK. Doesn't matter if you win by 50 or win by 5 as long as it's a "W" and not an "L" and I'm OK with that.

Oh, and just maybe the Big East is a little bit better than we all thought at the beginning of the season. A lot of the teams seem to be fundamentally sound and play pretty good defense, though some are scoring challenged, to say the least.

 

[FridaFriend]

Earlier in this thread it was asked whether one player could carry a team to an NCAA championship. Sheryl Swoopes scored 47 points to lead her Texas Tech team in 1993 to a 84-82 win over Ohio State. She averaged over 35 points per game in the tournament.

 

[BBallF]

I'm not tearing down her success..............I'm putting it in context.

I get that. We are all concerned about CW though. If you listened to Geno's post game interview he talked about how we need a second scoring threat after Paige. He is trying to fill that need with CW. My point is that if she takes 19 shots in a later round NCAA game and looks to shoot and score first with every possession and forces shots it will not be good for us. She is not a higher percentage 3 point shooter and should concentrate on her strengths, look to help the team in other ways, including passing, as should everyone on the team. As I have said repeatedly, her shooting issue doesn't go away with a good shooting game. However, we need a second scorer to get where we want to go. I was hoping it would be Evina, but I don't think she can physically do it this year. Anna is out so CW is the remaining choice.

 

[freshler40]

Just a few here as all the technical stuff will be covered time and again. That and the thread heading in other directions.
Did announcer man put the maloocchio (maloik) on UConn early in the game? Asked announcer woman do you think UConn is the best passing team in the nation. The team then proceeded to have a terrible passing game. 16 turnovers and most of them were on errant passes ; ( Although Paige did get her pocket picked on the first play of the game. Tonight was another example of UConn getting the best out of opponents efforts.

Nice to see CW making shots but maybe taking too many. She was always in good position for rebounds tonight and is strong for her size, nice job there.


I think as I said above UConn is circled on every opponents calendar. For many that is a recruiting tool, your going to play UConn. We're on the same Paige though, I got a good chuckle tonight with Geno's post game interview when they rolled the ball rack by behind him stacked with NIKE balls.


First Eric no attack and I say that on most my replies because I mean it and the printed word does not always come across as polite as the spoken. On most teams the open man takes the shot. The clock winding down it is the one that can create their own (PB). Tonight I have to say @JordyG hit nothing but net.



For my complaint department tonight I would like to see Evina taking more mid range jumpers she is very good at those. That and the officials to stop calling a jump ball after AE comes down with a rebound and gets swatted by multiple defenders before one can get a hand on the ball and they call it a tie up / jump.

We do have a target on our back being so highly rated and TV games. This is great for all teams that are competitive and recruit actively across the country. Does anybody here have a sense of how many teams in our conference are on local, regional or national TV by group. It sure is fun to see the number of national brands that have locked on to the Huskies along with our standard local advertisers. This bodes well for our recruiting future.

In the shooting area, yes, all of our players are deferring much to much during these games. Enough! your all good shooters or you wouldn't be at UConn. Relax and shoot, we have great rebounders especially with Griffin, Mir and Edwards on the floor. These rebounds need to read where the shot is coming from and often time get on the far side of the rim. Many missed shots wind up there. Get there!

 

[tower1]

This time of this season with all the craziness, it's win and advance!!!

Glad to see CW with a good, solid game.

When do you say it's enough she is hurting the team with all her misses ? I feel bad for her because she is such a sweet kid but she is taking to many shot that turn out to be turnovers . She could be so good as she has shown in spurts but then she just waits for the game to come to her and doesn't hustle after the ball.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Well, Nika does a little more than just roll out the piano. She also sings 'back-up', plays the tambourine and cowbell as well!

 

[MSGRET]

Paige and Nika are saying that "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" to the rest of the Big East and beyond.

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) drum Cover by Sina with Milena

She might look slightly bored but that's just Milena's way of hiding her excitement to be on board again, proving that she is the one and only Queen of Cowbe...

youtu.be

 

[Calbysdad]

No doubt about it. Aubrey Griffin is "The Best Overall ATHLETE" on this team, bar none. Not saying she is the best basketball player on the team, which we all know she is not. But for what Aubrey brings to this team, especially being that "Spark Plug" off the bench, night in and night out, being "Consistent" is what this teams to be extremely successful in the Post-Season this year. [Yes, everyone [Coco Husky, Jordy, olddude, etc] all know that AG is my favorite UCONN Player, BUT, with ZERO bias, I too believe that Aubrey will be the KEY to taking this team to the Promised Land this season, most likely coming off the bench and playing allot of minutes. {PS - That smooth stroke that she showed on that 3 Pointer is EXACTLY how she shot when she was the State Player of the Year at Ossining High School}

I do agree the AG is insanely athletic but...bar none? I don't think we've seen enough of Mir to make that definitive. Every time I see Mir play, I am awed at her athleticism - especially her "quick twitch" speed.

 

[Phillyconn]

I don’t agree with your perception of being the dominant player and associate that with one dimensional nor your question about "1 player" as having real meaning. Referring to a team as a one-man-team is highly subjective. Also, you can have a dominant player and others are fine as support in which when needed one player picks up add'l scoring as needed. But my question is why did you pick Iverson as an offensive player and not for example be LeBron James in terms of efficiency? You picked one of the worst possible number 1 options in terms of efficiency. The one player you are referencing isn't what Paige is doing at all. Paige is efficient. Iverson never was close to it. Paige's current efficiency - EFG% is 65%. Iverson’s best was .488.

And then as I said one player can get hot at particular times. Or imo - I believe using Paige as a dominant scoring weapon - can possibly force the other teams to do something extreme which then opens up the game more for the others. For example SC stuck in a man-to-man. Maybe next time you force them into a box-and-one. A box-and-one potentially frees up the other 4 more. Then you see Paige's assist numbers jump, or her pass leads to a 2nd or 3rd for a quality shot and score.

And how much help did Melo get when he led his team to title? He was regarded as a one-man wrecking crew. What about Kemba Walker did for UCONN? For example you can even look at the UCONN - Butler finals. Didn’t need a lot of points in the title game. The point is – you don’t have to be “great” – you can be “good enough” and still win it all. Was the S.C. team that won a title a “great team?” There are different ways to win - which is the beauty of the sport. And the thing is - if looking at Kemba and Melo- Paige is greater than either relatively speaking. So why can’t Paige do what Melo and Kemba did? And she’s potentially “greater.”

First of all, I wasn’t talking efficiency when referencing AI. I was talking ball dominance and shot volume. PB, is not AI because she looks to get teammates involved. She is a Lebron type player, with a much better jump shot. Don’t change her into a AI type.

I think we are better when PB distributes the ball, getting her teammates into the game. Then scores at will when needed. Defense is better, Offense has a better flow. More scorers on the team, less attention to PB.

Melo had plenty of help. Warrick and McNamara to name a few. He hit the big shots when he had to. Plus he had nowhere near the pressure on him that PB has. Kemba was a one man wrecking crew. But he had Napier, Lamb and Oriakhi to name a few. Napier terrorized the opposing guards on defense. Lamb was a problem for opposing teams. Oriakhi rebounded and played D. Neither player wins a tiltle without significant contributions from their teammates. Carmelo played selfish as a pro, as did AI that’s why they never won a title. Kemba probably won’t either. Both look to shoot 1st 2nd and 3rd. Poor passing skills. To me PB is Lebron like, (much, much better shooter) don’t make her like Melo or AI. She may be the best passer ever when all is said and done. Lebron can average 30 a game but he chooses to make his teammates better.