Grades for UConn after the first quarter

[UConn82]

Well, it is exam time; therefore, given that I have been teaching (including a bit at UConn after I finished my studies) for more decades than I care to remember, I thought I would give the UConn team and players their first-quarter grades.

Grades are based on getting us to the goal: cutting down the net. Nothing else (except playing clean and no injuries) matters.

Overall grade: A. In my judgment (and what do I know? ), we are nicely on track to achieve the goal. In my judgment, if we have no major injuries and we bring our "A" game in the FF, we will cut down the nets.

Lou: A. Overall game is so much improved. She is now the rebounding Samuelson! Better defense, just more aggressive. She is the leader. She was annoyed about the third quarter against Seton Hall. Good. She watched the ND FF game 10 times, including with Kobe. Very good!

Pheesa: A-. More aggressive on defense and offense. Better rebounding. Only negative is her free throw shooting, which I expect will mean revert, i.e., get better.

Crystal Dangerfield: A-. She runs the team with authority and controlled aggressiveness. Only negative is a bit more turnovers this year. She is shooting lights out.

CW: A+. Is she really a freshman? She may be, all in, the best player on the team in terms of what she can do under pressure. She has more gears than anyone I have seen in a long time. OK, OK, her defense is not very good. But Shea will teach her. Do you think she even thought about defense in high school?

Meg: B. I am waiting for her breakout game: 25+ points, etc. Her offensive rebounding, when she does it, is excellent. She has so much upside.

ONO: B-. I mean the kid had a dreadful knee injury and probably is not yet 100% physically. Great, great upside. Loves to compete. Playing against ND -- what, me worry? No way, coach. Everyone likes her.

Bench: Not relevant to cutting down the net, except they can give our starters needed rest against the weak conference teams. Maybe, just maybe Touley can heal enough to help. We can hope.

I am optimistic. I think the results in late March and early April are dependent on the team's psychology. If we go in with earned confidence (and some swagger), and bring our "A" game, we will win. Period. If not, the last two years have shown what can happen.

We shall see.

If BYer's don't condemn my post , I will post grades after mid-year.

Thoughts?

 

[Zanzman]

Average a double double and get an A- glad you were not my teacher ....... we know who the teachers pet is

 

[UConn82]

Someone commented to Geno that Stewie had a double double, and he said something to the effect, "Well, she should have a double double by halftime, each game." I go with Geno. Pheesa is so good her double double is expected!

 

[eebmg]

I think your grading is fair. Grades should be 'curved' to potential. I would add a B for Kyla based on what her ceiling is and how she filled in for Meg.

 

[Zanzman]

So you expect less from Kyla so give a better grade really

 

[eebmg]

So you expect less from Kyla so give a better grade really

Yes.

 

[Bama fan]

Well, it is exam time; therefore, given that I have been teaching (including a bit at UConn after I finished my studies) for more decades than I care to remember, I thought I would give the UConn team and players their first-quarter grades.

Grades are based on getting us to the goal: cutting down the net. Nothing else (except playing clean and no injuries) matters.

Overall grade: A. In my judgment (and what do I know? ), we are nicely on track to achieve the goal. In my judgment, if we have no major injuries and we bring our "A" game in the FF, we will cut down the nets.

Lou: A. Overall game is so much improved. She is now the rebounding Samuelson! Better defense, just more aggressive. She is the leader. She was annoyed about the third quarter against Seton Hall. Good. She watched the ND FF game 10 times, including with Kobe. Very good!

Pheesa: A-. More aggressive on defense and offense. Better rebounding. Only negative is her free throw shooting, which I expect will mean revert, i.e., get better.

Crystal Dangerfield: A-. She runs the team with authority and controlled aggressiveness. Only negative is a bit more turnovers this year. She is shooting lights out.

CW: A+. Is she really a freshman? She may be, all in, the best player on the team in terms of what she can do under pressure. She has more gears than anyone I have seen in a long time. OK, OK, her defense is not very good. But Shea will teach her. Do you think she even thought about defense in high school?

Meg: B. I am waiting for her breakout game: 25+ points, etc. Her offensive rebounding, when she does it, is excellent. She has so much upside.

ONO: B-. I mean the kid had a dreadful knee injury and probably is not yet 100% physically. Great, great upside. Loves to compete. Playing against ND -- what, me worry? No way, coach. Everyone likes her.

Bench: Not relevant to cutting down the net, except they can give our starters needed rest against the weak conference teams. Maybe, just maybe Touley can heal enough to help. We can hope.

I am optimistic. I think the results in late March and early April are dependent on the team's psychology. If we go in with earned confidence (and some swagger), and bring our "A" game, we will win. Period. If not, the last two years have shown what can happen.

We shall see.

If BYer's don't condemn my post , I will post grades after mid-year.

Thoughts?

Don't let 'condemnation " stand in your way. Some will disagree with many perhaps all, of your points. But others will generally agree. You can't please everyone. Do your best and hope for a fair evaluation.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Someone commented to Geno that Stewie had a double double, and he said something to the effect, "Well, she should have a double double by halftime, each game." I go with Geno. Pheesa is so good her double double is expected!

While Geno is considered a teacher he is also quick with quips either funny or sarcastic or meant to give credit ot to stir up a player's lagging efforts.

With your grading system? An over all grade of A for the team? In early November the consensus was that Uconn wouldn't get by ND and may have difficulty with Doug's team.
If going from near zero expectation to whooping upon on the current best of the best doesn't deserve an APLUS--what does? Remember all of the (your students) players are not AA's (take that anyway you want)
It is easy to teach exceptional students and easy to coach DT or CW. The what separates teacher from and educator is how well those typically at the bottom excel.

THANKS FOR STIRRING THE POT.

The bench gets a B plus for again exceeding expectations, and they shall be better.

Megan deserves a B Plus only because she has A plus plus within her.
I agree with Pheesa and Danger they haven't reached their best performances. KLS deserves and A for preformance and guidance of the younger guys.

 

[HuskyNan]

Megan deserves a B Plus only because she has A plus plus within her.

I disagree. This is Megan's stats from last year:
43.0% FG percentage, 35.3% from the three, 71.4% on free throws, 0.8 assists per game, 6th in rebounding

This year:
54.0% FG percentage, 40.0% from three (and taking more shots), 83.3% on free throws, 2.3 assists per game, 3rd in rebounding

All this improvement while being far more active on defense and playing really tough in the paint. Watch the ND game and key in on Meg - she bodied Shepard up to the point Shepard was about 4 feet from the basket much of the time.

I love Meg's improvement this year. She's taken a giant step in her development which is a road that will take her 4 years to complete. Anyone expecting her to be a "finished product" 38 games into her career has unreasonable expectations.

 

[BobbyJ]

You're a pretty soft grader. CW has had 9 tests, played defense at a D+ level and gets a overall grade of A+?? Wish you'd been around for my classes. I mean I never thought about math..... ever. With that excuse available you could've really helped me out.

 

[Grad1990]

IMHO a little Harsh. While well intentioned I feel your observations lack perspective vis-à-vis other players, other teams and the overall playing field.

UConn is, unexpected for many, the best of their three last teams, the clear best team in WCBB, and will not be seriously tested until the Final Four (If at all).

UConn would not be the team they are without CD (so she gets an A+) and in my opinion is the glue that holds the team together and is the team's most valuable player.

Similar situation with Pheesa; it is mainly because she is so dangerous inside that UConn has so many scoring opportunities on the outside. And, as another poster noted, she averages double digits on the Boards. (I wonder if there are any shorter players in WCBB than her with a double digit average).

Lou is a star. CW is an undeniable star in the making. And Ono is going to be a beast!!! Mikayla has a lot of talent.....is not yet a huge scoring threat, but is clearly a favorite to fill a starting position next year.

I agree with your overall "team" grade of A. They get the A+ when Megan finds herself and becomes comfortable in her role....which will happen!!!!

This team doesn't work without the individual components (position skill, chemistry & fit)....all of the players make their team mates better.

 

[Sifaka]

I'll take a slightly different approach—one that got me in trouble with registrar at Sacred Heart in Fairfield when I taught there many decades ago. Teachers do not award grades. They record them. In a classroom setting, the goal is learning. Think of learning as improvement. The student who knows the most on both the first and last day of classes may have learned little, and thus the teacher records (or should record) a low grade.

By the necessarily subjective yardstick of improvement, most team members have made good to excellent progress. I would record a B+ or A- for the team, so far.
Continued improvement should earn a better grade. This being a game, not a classroom, the absolute measure is wins and losses. By that standard, the ladies have earned an A to this point.

Comments and brickbats invited.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I disagree. This is Megan's stats from last year: 43.0% FG%, 35.3% FG% from the perimeter, 71.4% free throw %, 0.8 assists per game, 6th in rebounding

This year: 54.0% FG%, 40.0% from three (and taking more shots), 83.3% free throw %, 2.3 assists per game, 3rd in rebounding

All this improvement while being far more active on defense and playing really tough in the paint. Watch the ND game and key in on Meg - she bodied Shepard up to the point Shepard was about 4 feet from the basket much of the time.

I love Meg's improvement this year. She's taken a giant step in her development, which is a road that will take her 4 years to complete. Anyone expecting her to be a "finished product" 38 games into her career has unreasonable expectations.

Disagreement is good! It is the propeller that pulls the By along. But you provided no grade.
Megan Walker has a huge fan in me She was a truly good/exceptional player in HS. As such expectations from her Va fans are a bit higher.
What should she have been given as a grade?
Emotionally I would assign her an A, heck even last year she'd have been given a B Plus by me. The problem with assigning an A or A plus to Megan what then do you assign to CW or ONO both of who exceeded their grade level in performances. Unfortunately, my grading is subjective and that is not always numerically sound although it is often used.
With Ms Walker, as in CW and ONO, her potential at Uconn is wide open. I'm a Meg Walker Fan.

 

[HopJim]

Love the ND win and overall start but have to give the team an "incomplete." Two reasons:
1. Unlike past seasons, Huskies have had few big tests. For some reason ND was unprepared but I don't expect this to happen again. Most of the wins have been against second tier schools so we don't have a full picture of team (although I like what I see a lot).
Part 2 of this theme is UConn has not faced a team like Baylor with a huge frontcourt. Love Megan's and other's grit down low but wonder how they will do against some of the big bodies coming up.
2. We have not had a game where the bench needed to step up. ONO did well against ND but there hasn't been a game where fouls or injuries caused a critical need. While I have been impressed by Kyla's recent starts, opinions vary on her skills against top talent. At times, she appears to be one of the smartest players in terms of always being in the right position. At other times just doesn't seem to have the physical skills to match up against top players. I am in the camp that UConn can't afford players that can't or won't shoot so don't see any consistent guard choices. Wondering other than ONO where help will come from if (and when) needed.
Yes, I know you can only rate what you see so this has clearly been an "A" start.

 

[HuskyNan]

Disagreement is good! It is the propeller that pulls the By along. But you provided no grade.
Megan Walker has a huge fan in me She was a truly good/exceptional player in HS. As such expectations from her Va fans are a bit higher.
What should she have been given as a grade?
Emotionally I would assign her an A, heck even last year she'd have been given a B Plus by me. The problem with assigning an A or A plus to Megan what then do you assign to CW or ONO both of who exceeded their grade level in performances. Unfortunately, my grading is subjective and that is not always numerically sound although it is often used.
With Ms Walker, as in CW and ONO, her potential at Uconn is wide open. I'm a Meg Walker Fan.

I don't agree with assigning grades. Grades imply that something has been completed (a project, a test, a semester, etc) and the women's basketball season is still a work in progress even if the Fall schoolwork is done. Geno typically starts teaching the young guys offense (it's easier) and works on the defense as the season progresses. Giving grades, an exercise of which I'm dubious in the first place, is pretty much meaningless at this point since the team is still a work in progress.

 

[CocoHusky]

Love the ND win and overall start but have to give the team an "incomplete." Two reasons:
1. Unlike past seasons, Huskies have had few big tests. For some reason ND was unprepared but I don't expect this to happen again. Most of the wins have been against second tier schools so we don't have a full picture of team (although I like what I see a lot).
Part 2 of this theme is UConn has not faced a team like Baylor with a huge frontcourt. Love Megan's and other's grit down low but wonder how they will do against some of the big bodies coming up.
2. We have not had a game where the bench needed to step up. ONO did well against ND but there hasn't been a game where fouls or injuries caused a critical need. While I have been impressed by Kyla's recent starts, opinions vary on her skills against top talent. At times, she appears to be one of the smartest players in terms of always being in the right position. At other times just doesn't seem to have the physical skills to match up against top players. I am in the camp that UConn can't afford players that can't or won't shoot so don't see any consistent guard choices. Wondering other than ONO where help will come from if (and when) needed.
Yes, I know you can only rate what you see so this has clearly been an "A" start.

If ND was "unprepared" why should UCONN get a bad grade?
These grades are for the first quarter, Baylor is not in the first quarter.
BTW I disagree that ND was not prepared. Minus the Arike antics, that first half of basketball, in fact the first 3 quarters, was among the highest quality WBB basketball I have seen. ND was very very good for 3/4 of the game, UCONN was better wire to wire=A+

 

[CocoHusky]

I don't agree with assigning grades. Grades imply that something has been completed (a project, a test, a semester, etc) and the women's basketball season is still a work in progress even if the Fall schoolwork is done. Geno typically starts teaching the young guys offense (it's easier) and works on the defense as the season progresses. Giving grades, an exercise of which I'm dubious in the first place, is pretty much meaningless at this point since the team is still a work in progress.

I grew up as the 4th of 4 children. All three of my brothers are brainiacs and I kept hearing from teachers how great things were expected of me as Jack/Paul/Phil's younger sister. I imagine that's how Meg & Christyn must feel. My sympathies are with them; I know that people have their preconceptions and no matter what they accomplish on their own, they'll always be compared against their "elders". It's never quite good enough, eh girls?

These grades are for first completed 1/4 of the season which included a major test @ND. Meg & Christyn strike me as the type that looked forward to the test because it is their chance to show off how much they have learned. I was lucky enough to raise a couple of kids that took that kind of approach both in the class room and on the court.

 

[Mlb0814]

Disagreement is good! It is the propeller that pulls the By along. But you provided no grade.
Megan Walker has a huge fan in me She was a truly good/exceptional player in HS. As such expectations from her Va fans are a bit higher.
What should she have been given as a grade?
Emotionally I would assign her an A, heck even last year she'd have been given a B Plus by me. The problem with assigning an A or A plus to Megan what then do you assign to CW or ONO both of who exceeded their grade level in performances. Unfortunately, my grading is subjective and that is not always numerically sound although it is often used.
With Ms Walker, as in CW and ONO, her potential at UConn is wide open. I'm a Meg Walker Fan.

As a special ed teacher, I see that what it fair is not always equal. Looking at potential and current progress, you shouldn't compare one player's grade to another as each brings something very different to the table. Thanks for making my lunch student free AND UConn full!

 

[BroadwayVa]

I don't agree with assigning grades. Grades imply that something has been completed (a project, a test, a semester, etc) and the women's basketball season is still a work in progress even if the Fall schoolwork is done. Geno typically starts teaching the young guys offense (it's easier) and works on the defense as the season progresses. Giving grades, an exercise of which I'm dubious in the first place, is pretty much meaningless at this point since the team is still a work in progress.

I grew up as the 4th of 4 children. All three of my brothers are brainiacs and I kept hearing from teachers how great things were expected of me as Jack/Paul/Phil's younger sister. I imagine that's how Meg & Christyn must feel. My sympathies are with them; I know that people have their preconceptions and no matter what they accomplish on their own, they'll always be compared against their "elders". It's never quite good enough, eh girls?

While I think at this point of the year grades are meaningless it was bit fun to participate in the adventure.
I and my spouse too were the youngest of 4. My sister was Valdectiorian for Thomaston HS. My daughters Saluatorians of Tolland HS, and Antilies HS so I was bracketed by academically intelligent women, not to mention the spouse who passed along her academically superior genes.
A Catholic education in the deep dark days seemed to indicated acquesience ie deferring to the upper classes. So we tend to gravitate toward the youngers and know about how they hold back in defference.
My 8 girls and spouse have hardly felt it was never enough. Success followed them from an early age. There are a number of professions and self own business attesting to them not holding anything back. Don't get into a basketball game with them unless you are near a blood bank.

 

[huskyd]

I wonder again if all this isn't premature: UConn hasn't won anything yet (except the #1 ranking). IMO we're one serious set-back from losing whatever advantage we have. Not a loss, but an injury to our extremely thin roster. Whatever grade players have earned, it won't matter if they're sitting on the bench.
Also, like to second Coco's assertion that most of the Husky/Irish game was of very high quality, especially for so early in the season. No one is playing great b'ball like these two teams. (The TN/TX game was a case in point: terrible.)

 

[Charliebball]

B+

 

[BroadwayVa]

As a special ed teacher, I see that what it fair is not always equal. Looking at potential and current progress, you shouldn't compare one player's grade to another as each brings something very different to the table. Thanks for making my lunch student free AND UConn full!

What is equal is not always fair. Fair is subjective and is viewed from many points of view that holds true for EQUAL. While it may not fair to compare one of anyone to another that is life. As we move through life we are being judged, graded if you will, by perceptions or images. For me to throw in the comparison with CW or ONO to MW may not be fair to you it has merit. To Judge ONO or CW against KLS, Danger, Napheesa is poor judgment In any case those 3 mentioned are exceeding current expectations and are the fair haired women of Uconn fans--we love them. Does a subjective grade given in an OPINION driven blog truly have any meaning?? It is just for fun. CW shall always think she is great. Megan will know she must work to impress Geno, ONO she's working hard.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I wonder again if all this isn't premature: UConn hasn't won anything yet (except the #1 ranking). IMO we're one serious set-back from losing whatever advantage we have. Not a loss, but an injury to our extremely thin roster. Whatever grade players have earned, it won't matter if they're sitting on the bench.
Also, like to second Coco's assertion that most of the Husky/Irish game was of very high quality, especially for so early in the season. No one is playing great b'ball like these two teams. (The TN/TX game was a case in point: terrible.)

Premature? It has no meaning (grading) what so ever.

 

[hoopsfan22]

A+ for Katie Lou. She is the leader of this team, and you saw that Saturday when Geno put her back out there late in the game to settle things down and she immediately rattled off 7 or 8 points to end Seton Hall's comeback hopes.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I don't agree with assigning grades. Grades imply that something has been completed (a project, a test, a semester, etc) and the women's basketball season is still a work in progress even if the Fall schoolwork is done. Geno typically starts teaching the young guys offense (it's easier) and works on the defense as the season progresses. Giving grades, an exercise of which I'm dubious in the first place, is pretty much meaningless at this point since the team is still a work in progress.

I agree! Assigning grades at ANY point of the year for individual players is meaningless nothing of merit can come from this grading. Then there is; if the Player sees this grading it can be insulting and could be damaging. (that last sentence while true, IMO, is not meant to disparage the originator of this thread--it is of course second guessing.)