Georgetown Pre-Game Media (merged thread) | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Georgetown Pre-Game Media (merged thread)

RockyMTblue2 said:
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.
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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.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
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.
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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
 
Carnac said:
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.
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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……..
 
Carnac said:
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.
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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.
 
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BobbyJ said:
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……..
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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.
 
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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.
 
Carnac said:
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.
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Carnac said:
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.
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Carnac said:
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.
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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.
 
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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.
 
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HuskyNan said:
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.
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Nan, I have the patience of Job. :) I'm not one who complains about her not getting enough playing time. I'm happy when she does.
If Geno does not play her, I understand there is a reason why.
 
With the discussion of tutoring seeming to focus on Amari, I'm noy sure if the person who could benefit the most wouldn't be Ayanna. Amari has tools, but is neither quick nor physical. Whatever tutoring that takes place is dependent on what that player has to work with.

Looking at our other young bigs, Ice was coming to us as a fairly developed big as far as her offensive game was concerned. She has a number of go to low post moves, plays under control and adds a mid-range jumper to the mix. Ayanna is the better pure athlete by far, but has relied on her athletic ability alone to score inside. She didn't need to worry about creating space, having go to and counter moves, using hesitation etc., she just gets the ball goes up and frequently at this level gets blocked.

What worked in HS doesn't here, she needs to expand her game and play more under control. Everything seems rushed and sometimes she is out of control. Having said those things, I think she more than anyone would benefit from a good post tutor. Amari could too, but her tools and abilities are different, and Ayanna is so raw and yet with so much potential, that I think working with a talented big would help her even more than Amari.
 
Argonaut said:
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I love this kid because of her intensity and scrappy play that reminds me of my favorite Husky Jen Rizzotti, but I particularly love watching her in interviews, because she never gives "canned" responses. She actually listens to the question and responds accordingly. She actually has short conversations with the media people and says what she really thinks. It's so refreshing compared to the majority of college players, who sound like they're giving pre-programmed responses.
 
f1f1ferrari said:
I love this kid because of her intensity and scrappy play that reminds me of my favorite Husky Jen Rizzotti, but I particularly love watching her in interviews, because she never gives "canned" responses. She actually listens to the question and responds accordingly. She actually has short conversations with the media people and says what she really thinks. It's so refreshing compared to the majority of college players, who sound like they're giving pre-programmed responses.
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Agreed! Nika is very emotional and has a great smile.
 
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f1f1ferrari said:
I love this kid because of her intensity and scrappy play that reminds me of my favorite Husky Jen Rizzotti, but I particularly love watching her in interviews, because she never gives "canned" responses. She actually listens to the question and responds accordingly. She actually has short conversations with the media people and says what she really thinks. It's so refreshing compared to the majority of college players, who sound like they're giving pre-programmed responses.
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I love it when Nika is one of the interviews as well. She is always at ease and, as you said, responds to each question in a very open and honest way. She is like an open book, nothing guarded or pat in her responses. The reporters, I would guess enjoy interviewing her as well.

Other than a slight accent and the occasional query as to the meaning of a phrase she is unfamiliar with, you really wouldn't know English is not her native language. Her level of fluency is such that she is 'thinking in English' as there is no perceptible time lapse between question and response where she is translating in her head.

Once again apparent from her responses, she obviously loves and respects Geno. I believe that is reciprocal, even though she may at times continue to drive him crazy. I think being coached by him was a key factor in her choosing to come to Uconn. So happy she is here. Love watching her play and truly enjoy hearing her interviews.
 
Carnac said:
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.
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Agree with most of your assessments regarding DeBerry, her potential and UConn's needs. Would suggest a sports psychologist as well as a trainer. Amari appears hesitant to initiate or take contact, not a good tendency if you are 6'5" and play the post. Unlike Patterson, who needs to learn to play under control, Amari needs to take her regulator off and play physically, fully using her gifts.
 
f1f1ferrari said:
I love this kid because of her intensity and scrappy play that reminds me of my favorite Husky Jen Rizzotti, but I particularly love watching her in interviews, because she never gives "canned" responses. She actually listens to the question and responds accordingly. She actually has short conversations with the media people and says what she really thinks. It's so refreshing compared to the majority of college players, who sound like they're giving pre-programmed responses.
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Totally agree with the Nika comments. She is just a very very special young lady. Her smile, as mentioned, is wonderful...expresses so much.
 
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