Georgetown Pre-Game Media (merged thread)

[psconn]

That's gotta be a real moment when you're working out with someone just below their All-American/HWoH banner.

 

[Conndog]

More video and pictures of Tina with the team:

I didn't see Caroline out on the floor, but she may have been there and was just out of picture frame

 

[Argonaut]

 

[Argonaut]

 

[Carnac]

Wonder if Napheesa's husband is available. Probably charges a lot.

I think he'd give Geno/UConn the "family" discount. He's married to Napheesa now so he IS family. Whatever he charges, Amari is worth it!!!

 

[gold2323]

More video of Tina practicing with the team. Looks like AP and CD are still out but that is unconfirmed:

Amari looks like the real thing….I hope she gets it together so much talent there to extract.

 

[Carnac]

Amari is still an enigma to me. Did UConn recruit her knowing she couldn't make it through a practice? Well that issue should have been over about this time last year. Is it over? She's a great kid and her teammates love her. When she does get in a game she has moments when she looks so skillful. Just running down the court she can look so fluidly athletic. I don't know why she is not contributing more, but I do know I'm still rooting for her to get there.

As I said in another thread, because I didn't see the growth and development I expected to see in Amari her sophomore year (that sophomore leap), I think that perhaps a different approach is in order. Time to bring in a professional "post-player" trainer this summer to work with her 1-on-1. Whatever they did this past summer did not work.

The session should be for at least 2 weeks (or longer.....maybe a month?). An experienced professional knows how to bring Amari up to speed and develop the skills she needs to be productive, which would allow her to elevate herself and her game into the 5-7 player rotation for next year.

There will be an opening. Dorka leaves after this year. Isuneh "Ice" Brady will be a red-shirt freshman, and Jana El-Alfie will be a true freshman. Neither of whom will have played one second of WCBB come that first game in November. Geno could really use an experienced post player next year. I don't see him trying to bring one in from the portal.

Amari will be the only returning post player with any prior experience. It was reported that Amari had some serious stamina challenges last year. It was said that at times she had difficulty finishing practice. Those challenges also need to be addressed over the summer months to ensure they ARE NOT an issue next season. UConn's strength and conditioning coach can fix that. Geno recruited her. He signed her. He owes it to her to invest in her and do everything he can to aid in her growth and development during her 4 years here.

 

[HuskyNan]

Nika said CD was on Tina to run harder in practice, lol.

 

[Carnac]

Geno talking about his time away and grief of losing his mother:

Here is a cleaner version of the article that's much easier to read.

Georgetown Preview: Geno opens up about his mother's death, health issues and absences over the last month

The Huskies coach spoke about his absence and why the last month was so difficult for him.

uconnwbbweekly.substack.com

 

[Argonaut]

 

[SVCBeercats]

 

[SVCBeercats]

 

[SVCBeercats]

 

[rt bb fan]

Amari is still an enigma to me. Did UConn recruit her knowing she couldn't make it through a practice? Well that issue should have been over about this time last year. Is it over? She's a great kid and her teammates love her. When she does get in a game she has moments when she looks so skillful. Just running down the court she can look so fluidly athletic. I don't know why she is not contributing more, but I do know I'm still rooting for her to get there.

When Stef Dolson came to Uconn she had conditioning issues. But she worked hard mentally and physically to become the player she needed to be. But Stef had a high Basketball Iq to overcome her deficiencies. Not sure Amari has bb IQ

 

[BobbyJ]

As I said in another thread, because I didn't see the growth and development I expected to see in Amari her sophomore year (that sophomore leap), I think that perhaps a different approach is in order. Time to bring in a professional "post-player" trainer this summer to work with her 1-on-1. Whatever they did this past summer did not work.

The session should be for at least 2 weeks (or longer.....maybe a month?). An experienced professional knows how to bring Amari up to speed and develop the skills she needs to be productive, which would allow her to elevate herself and her game into the 5-7 player rotation for next year.

There will be an opening. Dorka leaves after this year. Isuneh "Ice" Brady will be a red-shirt freshman, and Jana El-Alfie will be a true freshman. Neither of whom will have played one second of WCBB come that first game in November. Geno could really use an experienced post player next year. I don't see him trying to bring one in from the portal.

Amari will be the only returning post player with any prior experience. It was reported that Amari had some serious stamina challenges last year. It was said that at times she had difficulty finishing practice. Those challenges also need to be addressed over the summer months to ensure they ARE NOT an issue next season. UConn's strength and conditioning coach can fix that. Geno recruited her. He signed her. He owes it to her to invest in her and do everything he can to aid in her growth and development during her 4 years here.

Regarding your last couple of sentences, I wouldn’t pin it all on Auriemma and the staff. That’s what she was supposed to be on campus all summer for. It’s got to come from the gut of the kid. You can lead a horse to water but……..

 

[MilfordHusky]

Aliyah Boston got better after working with Tim Duncan. I think Liya and Amari could benefit from a little tutelage.

 

[Scud49]

I'd like to see Geno take it a step further and either have a former UConn post player come in during the summer and work with Amari every day for 2 weeks, or have a professional BIG man coach/trainer come in and work with her.

I think she would learn more from a professional trainer than a player because of a trainer's experience of working with numerous players like Amari that is at the place she is right now. They understand where she is, and where she needs to get to in the time frame they have to work with her...................whatever that time frame is.....a week, 2 weeks, a month. Then her position coach could take over from there.

Imagine Kevin McHale teaching his up and under moves until it becomes second nature to her.....with her length and natural agility, that could be the "awakening" of an unstoppable giant basketball player within.

 

[Carnac]

Regarding your last couple of sentences, I wouldn’t pin it all on Auriemma and the staff. That’s what she was supposed to be on campus all summer for. It’s got to come from the gut of the kid. You can lead a horse to water but……..

Agree with your last statement. Just make sure the water is out there!!! Somebody has got to be there working with her. She can't work out by herself. She needs a trainer, coach, former player....somebody. I'm pretty sure she's willing to put in the time and effort to improve if someone will work with her. I respect the fact that YOU wouldn't pin it all on Geno, but I would and did. Geno has resources available to him that she does not.

If I'm a coach, and I recruit a kid, any kid, It's my duty and responsivity to that kid to do everything I can to help that kid develop into the best player and person he/she can be. Geno always says he absolutely WILL NOT allow any player that plays for him to cheat their potential. There's an old saying.................don't talk about it, BE about it. Don't talk and wish (lament) about how you wish or hope Amari or any player improves. DO SOMETHING to help her improve.

 

[uconnfan68]

More video of Tina practicing with the team. Looks like AP and CD are still out but that is unconfirmed:

Any chance she can use Amari’s minutes?

 

[DEpup]

I'm not sure this is a basketball thing... She has great bball instincts because she shows that she can run things from the high post.

I think it might be between the ears and fitness/conditioning thing when it comes to Amari.

 

[Crossover]

As I said in another thread, because I didn't see the growth and development I expected to see in Amari her sophomore year (that sophomore leap), I think that perhaps a different approach is in order. Time to bring in a professional "post-player" trainer this summer to work with her 1-on-1. Whatever they did this past summer did not work.

The session should be for at least 2 weeks (or longer.....maybe a month?). An experienced professional knows how to bring Amari up to speed and develop the skills she needs to be productive, which would allow her to elevate herself and her game into the 5-7 player rotation for next year.

There will be an opening. Dorka leaves after this year. Isuneh "Ice" Brady will be a red-shirt freshman, and Jana El-Alfie will be a true freshman. Neither of whom will have played one second of WCBB come that first game in November. Geno could really use an experienced post player next year. I don't see him trying to bring one in from the portal.

Amari will be the only returning post player with any prior experience. It was reported that Amari had some serious stamina challenges last year. It was said that at times she had difficulty finishing practice. Those challenges also need to be addressed over the summer months to ensure they ARE NOT an issue next season. UConn's strength and conditioning coach can fix that. Geno recruited her. He signed her. He owes it to her to invest in her and do everything he can to aid in her growth and development during her 4 years here.

Ummm, CD and Jamelle are "professional post-player trainers". But perhaps what you are pressing for is that a current post-player be brought in to train Amari over the summer. If so, are you proposing that said player skip the WNBA season? And then there is the more fundamental flaw in your proposal. Being able to perform and being able to coach up others are very different skill sets.

 

[HuskyNan]

Amari is a sophomore with limited playing time. She’s not the first Husky to be in this situation - learning how to make the jump from high school to college. Patience, guys.

 

[BobbyJ]

Agree with your last statement. Just make sure the water is out there!!! Somebody has got to be there working with her. She can't work out by herself. She needs a trainer, coach, former player....somebody. I'm pretty sure she's willing to put in the time and effort to improve if someone will work with her. I respect the fact that YOU wouldn't pin it all on Geno, but I would and did. Geno has resources available to him that she does not.

If I'm a coach, and I recruit a kid, any kid, It's my duty and responsivity to that kid to do everything I can to help that kid develop into the best player and person he/she can be. Geno always says he absolutely WILL NOT allow any player that plays for him to cheat their potential. There's an old saying.................don't talk about it, BE about it. Don't talk and wish (lament) about how you wish or hope Amari or any player improves. DO SOMETHING to help her improve.

All college and pro coaches, even the mediocre ones have end of season evaluations and goal talks with their players. I have no doubt that GA, in his discussions with DeBerry, offered her all the help and instruction he could within NCAA regulations. That was the point of her staying on campus for a chunk of the summer. I’ve said several times before about other kids that they should be seeking out any competent instruction they can find to reach their goals. Many kids from UConn and other schools do just that. And some don’t. It’s called learning to take responsibility for yourself. Look at how Edwards managed to turn her game around in one offseason and she didn’t stay on campus. She found a way. At some point it may come down to either the ability or upside just isn’t there or the kid doesn’t want it bad enough. We’ll see what DeBerry does about it.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Carnac]

Crossover, there is no perhaps. I was very clear in my narrative. "Time to bring in a professional "post-player" trainer this summer to work with her 1-on-1. I said: She needs a trainer, coach, former player....somebody. I didn't limit my suggestion to one person.

If CD or Jemelle can/will do the training that she needs to have, fine. I said "A FORMER" player. I DID NOT say or suggest a current player.
You're reading between the lines here. No, I would not propose any player skip the WNBA season to tutor her. I never said or intimated that. If you read it that way, you read it wrong.

I don't agree with your assessment that my proposal is flawed. If a professional basketball development coach/trainer is brought in that is experienced, qualified, and has a solid reputation of working successfully with post players, how is that flawed? Everything I said was just one fan's opinion., and a suggestion from way out in left field. I called it the way I see it. IMO she needs to work on her fundamentals and technique. How she does it, when she does it, where she does it and who she does it with is up to her or Geno.

I'm just an interested fan from afar that would very much like to see her improve her game this year, and even more next year.