"Great Expectations" & Lou's game

[oldude]

Every WBB player that comes to UConn soon understands the weight of great expectations that accompany her decision. Those expectations emanate from the media, a devoted fan base, a coach and staff driven to succeed and maybe, most importantly, from deep inside the player herself.

Three years ago, when UConn received a coveted commitment from Katie Lou Samuelson, the #1 player in America, it immediately generated great joy in “Huskyland” followed by great expectations. Lou was the youngest sister of the incredibly talented Samuelson sisters. All the sisters had nice all-around games but most impressive was their deadly ability to shoot the basketball. Their father has often been credited with teaching the girls how to shoot, but I believe it has more to do with their mother. It seems like the Samuelson girls came out the womb knowing how to shoot a basketball.

During her freshmen season, after a few bumps, Lou settled into the starting lineup along with the most successful team in UConn’s history and had a wonderful freshman season. With Stewie, Tuck & Mo operating inside, Lou’s primary role was to spot up at the arc and bury 3-pt shots. During the last part of the season, Lou average almost 20 points per game in that role.

With the graduation of the Big 3, much more was expected of Lou this season. Geno posed the question to her, “Do you want to be a great shooter or a great basketball player?” knowing full well that she would choose the latter. During the 1st half of the season Lou appeared to fulfill that commitment showing the ability to hit jump shots, drive the lane and post up smaller defenders. She improved her defense, passing and even pulled down a rebound every now and then. There was talk by many, myself included, of NPOY. Some even suggested that Lou would be the next Stewie.

Over the past month or so, Lou has battled through some health issues, smothering defenses, fatigue and a prolonged shooting slump. She is being sped up by defenders causing her to lose that split second to line up her shot and shoot in rhythm, a critical component for any great shooter. In retrospect, some of the expectations that many of us had for Lou appear to have been overly optimistic, or at least premature.

I believe Lou will eventually become a great all-around basketball player, but if UConn is to win their 12th national championship this year, the Huskies need Lou to be primarily a great shooter and scorer. When Lou is burying 3-pt shots, everybody on the team feeds off her success and emotion.

I went back and looked at the 1st Tulane game. UConn was muddling along with a 10 pt lead or so and then Lou exploded for 32 pts in the 2nd & 3rd qtrs and the Huskies buried the Green Wave by 44. Contrast that performance with Saturday’s game at Tulane when Lou and the team struggled. Lou also sank MD with her offense. A great 2nd half by Lou helped the Huskies to pull away from TX and she schooled Jackie Young in the 2nd half against ND.

I personally don’t really care if Lou garners another rebound for the rest of the season. I’m confident Gabby and Pheesa will secure more than their share. UConn needs Lou to bury 3’s and score. I’m certain that Geno and his staff will work tirelessly to get Lou open shots and get her on track. It’s going to be a challenge until Kia gets back to provide leadership and to help spread the floor with her ability to shoot the 3, but hopefully by tournament time, Lou is “money” from the arc.

Lou has been through the mill this season, getting bumped and battered by opponents. She has dealt with, nausea, prolonged illness and fatigue. Hopefully Lou will be able to emerge successfully from the challenges of this season. As Charles Dickens wrote in Great Expectations, “I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.”

 

[Roundball fan]

I think most of the boneyard can see Lou is beaten down and tired. I have confidence that Geno and staff will do every thing they can to get Lou back on track and healthier for the up coming tournaments. The last couple of years he could rest players more this time of year, Geno is going to have to find a way to get all the starters a little rest. Come NCAA tournament time it will be good have a week between games. Kia having 2 weeks off might be a blessing in disguise, we are going to have to play more bench to give starters a little rest and Dangerfield will get plenty of experience.

 

[oldude]

I think most of the boneyard can see Lou is beaten down and tired. I have confidence that Geno and staff will do every thing they can to get Lou back on track and healthier for the up coming tournaments. The last couple of years he could rest players more this time of year, Geno is going to have to find a way to get all the starters a little rest. Come NCAA tournament time it will be good have a week between games. Kia having 2 weeks off might be a blessing in disguise, we are going to have to play more bench to give starters a little rest and Dangerfield will get plenty of experience.

Very good point on rest. Last season, even after she broke into the starting lineup, Lou seldom played more than about 25 minutes per game. This season, particularly in big games she's pushing 40 minutes per game.

 

[Bigboote]

Rest is that much more difficult with Kia in a boot.

 

[Los24]

You make great points and I think it highlights how important Lou's scoring is and what she brings that does not show up on the stats. Normally getting the best defender, spreading the floor, keeps the offensive going when we hit flat spots, etc... In the Tulane game, Gabby made a nice move and did the Tuck reverse lap up. Lou's defender (Morgan) hesitated to leave Lou to help even though Gabby clearly beat her defender, she moved towards Gabby but paused because she did not want to leave Lou.

I hope that this is just a mini slump like most players run into throughout their career, and is leveraged for growth in working through the struggles. I tell you what, even though her shot is struggling, she still impacts the game and everyone of her points were needed on Saturday.

 

[JoePgh]

I think that Geno's giving Lou a somewhat hard time about her rebounding is a good move from a psychological standpoint. It's a lot better than saying, "Shoot better!" Rebounding (and especially rebounding effort) is a lot easier to control than shooting accuracy. And if Lou focuses on her rebounding, it gets her in the game and gets her scoring opportunities that do not depend on the 3-point gods favoring her shot that day. If her 3-point slump is partly attributable to overthinking (as is probable), then focusing her attention on other parts of the game will help to relieve that problem.

By the way, I'm a bit surprised that no one has noted Lou's great play at the end of the Tulane game to grab a loose ball and make a difficult layup. UConn might not have won the game without the play, particularly since it looked like a turnover was about to occur when Gabby released the pass.

Her high-low layup against Kaela Davis in the second half of the South Carolina game was also a great play. It's also a great sign that she is not letting her shooting slump affect her contribution to the rest of the offense.

 

[Sonny44]

I think most of the boneyard can see Lou is beaten down and tired. I have confidence that Geno and staff will do every thing they can to get Lou back on track and healthier for the up coming tournaments. The last couple of years he could rest players more this time of year, Geno is going to have to find a way to get all the starters a little rest. Come NCAA tournament time it will be good have a week between games. Kia having 2 weeks off might be a blessing in disguise, we are going to have to play more bench to give starters a little rest and Dangerfield will get plenty of experience.

Here's the "Tired" excuse again. If indeed they need rest it's not from playing two 40 minute games a week which amounts to less than an hour and a half a week. If Geno thought they are "tired" he might consider reducing the five 3 hour practices which amount to 15 hours a week. Virtually all UCONN players have said the practices are way more grueling than the games.

Also, the other teams have to play the same 40 minutes so why aren't they tired? If the answer is that they are deeper and sub more then when they do we are playing against second level talent, which should be a big advantage for us.

Again, I'm not buying the "tired" argument.

 

[Bajan Best]

As Dawn Staley recently said let the fans be fans and the coach be coaches.. KLS needs to listen to her coaches and develop what ever skill set they are encouraging her to develop because they have the big picture in mind. They are enough capable three point shooters on this team.. UCONN's offense is designed to create open shots so as long as the players on the court are confident, with ball movement they Will be no lack of opportunity for anyone to score depending on the match-ups on any given night. No player makes shots every night, as long as it is good shots they are taking and playing within the offense Geno will be pleased and so will I..

 

[oldude]

I think that Geno's giving Lou a somewhat hard time about her rebounding is a good move from a psychological standpoint. It's a lot better than saying, "Shoot better!" Rebounding (and especially rebounding effort) is a lot easier to control than shooting accuracy. And if Lou focuses on her rebounding, it gets her in the game and gets her scoring opportunities that do not depend on the 3-point gods favoring her shot that day. If her 3-point slump is partly attributable to overthinking (as is probable), then focusing her attention on other parts of the game will help to relieve that problem.

By the way, I'm a bit surprised that no one has noted Lou's great play at the end of the Tulane game to grab a loose ball and make a difficult layup. UConn might not have won the game without the play, particularly since it looked like a turnover was about to occur when Gabby released the pass.

Her high-low layup against Kaela Davis in the second half of the South Carolina game was also a great play. It's also a great sign that she is not letting her shooting slump affect her contribution to the rest of the offense.

Excellent points. The shot late in the game vs Tulane was huge, particularly after the ball was stripped from Pheesa in what initially looked like a Husky turnover.

 

[oldude]

Here's the "Tired" excuse again. If indeed they need rest it's not from playing two 40 minute games a week which amounts to less than an hour and a half a week. If Geno thought they are "tired" he might consider reducing the five 3 hour practices which amount to 15 hours a week. Virtually all UCONN players have said the practices are way more grueling than the games.

Also, the other teams have to play the same 40 minutes so why aren't they tired? If the answer is that they are deeper and sub more then when they do we are playing against second level talent, which should be a big advantage for us.

Again, I'm not buying the "tired" argument.

Geno has been giving the team more time off. After the SC game they had 2 days off to focus on academics and get some rest.

 

[donalddoowop]

Is she going through any more than B. Stewart went through? Uconn needs KLS to do more than score. She needs to rebound also. What happens when Gabby or Napheesa are on the bench? Then there would be only one rebounder on the floor. That won't win games. Uconn needs KLS to display her full game. It is tournament time and in previous years Uconn's level of play is raised come March. That won't happen unless all the players are displaying more than one aspect of their game. Rebounding is critical. Just ask SC that got out rebounded by MU yesterday. Accepting less than the player's best is not something that Geno will allow. He complains about KLS's lack of rebounding. Stewart played outside a lot but still got her rebounds. The tallest starter with her talent, should get more rebounds than she does.

 

[oldude]

Is she going through any more than B. Stewart went through? Uconn needs KLS to do more than score. She needs to rebound also. What happens when Gabby or Napheesa are on the bench? Then there would be only one rebounder on the floor. That won't win games. Uconn needs KLS to display her full game. It is tournament time and in previous years Uconn's level of play is raised come March. That won't happen unless all the players are displaying more than one aspect of their game. Rebounding is critical. Just ask SC that got out rebounded by MU yesterday. Accepting less than the player's best is not something that Geno will allow. He complains about KLS's lack of rebounding. Stewart played outside a lot but still got her rebounds. The tallest starter with her talent, should get more rebounds than she does.

I agree with your post, but just as Kia was trying to do too much at the start of the season, until Geno admonished her that she "didn't need to do everything", I think Lou and the team would benefit from lowering the heavy burden of expectations that Lou seems to place on herself.

 

[TitleTown]

As Dawn Staley recently said let the fans be fans and the coach be coaches.. KLS needs to listen to her coaches and develop what ever skill set they are encouraging her to develop because they have the big picture in mind. They are enough capable three point shooters on this team.. UCONN's offense is designed to create open shots so as long as the players on the court are confident, with ball movement they Will be no lack of opportunity for anyone to score depending on the match-ups on any given night. No player makes shots every night, as long as it is good shots they are taking and playing within the offense Geno will be pleased and so will I..

The problem that has arisen with the injury to Nurse and Samuelson struggling a little bit is that UConn becomes a little one dimensional. With Nurse out and Samuelson struggling, the only legitimate threat from the outside is Chong, and she only attempts 2.8 3pt fgs per game. This forces UConn to score the ball inside. This allows opposing defenses to pack the paint and double down with little worry of leaving jump shooters open on the outside. There is no doubt that Samuelson will work herself out of her shooting slump and when she does, I expect the UConn offense as a whole will look a lot better.

 

[donalddoowop]

I agree with your post, but just as Kia was trying to do too much at the start of the season, until Geno admonished her that she "didn't need to do everything", I think Lou and the team would benefit from lowering the heavy burden of expectations that Lou seems to place on herself.

I agree.

 

[Bajan Best]

The problem that has arisen with the injury to Nurse and Samuelson struggling a little bit is that UConn becomes a little one dimensional. With Nurse out and Samuelson struggling, the only legitimate threat from the outside is Chong, and she only attempts 2.8 3pt fgs per game. This forces UConn to score the ball inside. This allows opposing defenses to pack the paint and double down with little worry of leaving jump shooters open on the outside. There is no doubt that Samuelson will work herself out of her shooting slump and when she does, I expect the UConn offense as a whole will look a lot better.

One dimensional?
the most versatile team in WBB I"m sorry to disagree
basketball is about matchups they were some games where chong attempted way more than three because that is what the defense was allowing, NApheesa, Crystal, Chong, Nurse even KI can shoot the three
Tulane game was Probably the first this year where the emphasis was to pack the paint, Collier and Gabby as undersized post players have been seeing single coverage all season so I"m not surprised it caught them off guard a bit, but i"m sure that will be addressed come next game

 

[Jeff H]

I agree that Lou is in a bit of a shooting slump, but slumps happen to everyone and I'l bet she comes out of it soon. She still leads the team in scoring and according to the Tulane write up on the UConn site she scored 15 straight points in the second half. Not a lot of players can do something like that in a tough game. Although I think she'll become a better rebounder as time goes on I agree that it's not really a big issue right now. What I really know is I'm glad we have her and our opponents don't.

 

[rugbymate]

As Dawn Staley recently said let the fans be fans and the coach be coaches.. KLS needs to listen to her coaches and develop what ever skill set they are encouraging her to develop because they have the big picture in mind. They are enough capable three point shooters on this team.. UCONN's offense is designed to create open shots so as long as the players on the court are confident, with ball movement they Will be no lack of opportunity for anyone to score depending on the match-ups on any given night. No player makes shots every night, as long as it is good shots they are taking and playing within the offense Geno will be pleased and so will I..

Agreed...Lou came to UCONN to become a great overall player and not just to become a great shooter

 

[Tenspro2002]

I’m certain that Geno and his staff will work tirelessly to get Lou open shots and get her on track.

Thank you for correctly using the phrase "on track" instead of "untracked", which is a nonsense bastardization of the former.

 

[bizarro aj]

I know most of you think that athletes should never get sick but kls has been battling the flu for the past couple weeks. I know people here in ct that have been fighting the bug for over a month now. These games are meaningless until the ncaa tourney starts. We only need the team healthy for 6 games.

 

[ricky]

Is she going through any more than B. Stewart went through? Uconn needs KLS to do more than score. She needs to rebound also. What happens when Gabby or Napheesa are on the bench? Then there would be only one rebounder on the floor. That won't win games. Uconn needs KLS to display her full game. It is tournament time and in previous years Uconn's level of play is raised come March. That won't happen unless all the players are displaying more than one aspect of their game. Rebounding is critical. Just ask SC that got out rebounded by MU yesterday. Accepting less than the player's best is not something that Geno will allow. He complains about KLS's lack of rebounding. Stewart played outside a lot but still got her rebounds. The tallest starter with her talent, should get more rebounds than she does.

Good point because offensive rebounds are especially critical. We will need two and three of these in a row to win a championship. All hands on deck.

 

[TitleTown]

One dimensional?
the most versatile team in WBB I"m sorry to disagree
basketball is about matchups they were some games where chong attempted way more than three because that is what the defense was allowing, NApheesa, Crystal, Chong, Nurse even KI can shoot the three
Tulane game was Probably the first this year where the emphasis was to pack the paint, Collier and Gabby as undersized post players have been seeing single coverage all season so I"m not surprised it caught them off guard a bit, but i"m sure that will be addressed come next game

No, Napheesa(34% and 11 3ptfgs), Crystal(30% and 16 3ptfgs), and Irwin(25% and 3 3ptfgs) are not bona-fide 3 pt shooters! Can they knock down an occasional trey? Sure, but they are not good 3pt shooters. Nurse is not playing now so I don't understand how she is relevant in this discussion. Of course Tulane was the first game where an opposition packed the paint because it was the first game without Nurse and right now UConn is struggling to make teams pay from the outside. I also am sure it will be addressed and that Samuelson will get back too shooting like herself but right now they are struggling a little bit.

 

[HopJim]

I agree that Lou is in a bit of a shooting slump, but slumps happen to everyone and I'l bet she comes out of it soon. She still leads the team in scoring and according to the Tulane write up on the UConn site she scored 15 straight points in the second half. Not a lot of players can do something like that in a tough game. Although I think she'll become a better rebounder as time goes on I agree that it's not really a big issue right now. What I really know is I'm glad we have her and our opponents don't.

Lou is essentially a guard-rarely does this position get many offensive rebounds since normally shooting from key or further out. Could she get 1-2 more a game-sure, but would not make a material difference in total scheme. She is taking a beating going through the lane. With Kia, she gets a lot of passes on cuts and scores a large % of her points on 10 foot shots. For some reason, Danger doesn't get her the ball, particularly when in set offense.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Every WBB player that comes to UConn soon understands the weight of great expectations that accompany her decision. Those expectations emanate from the media, a devoted fan base, a coach and staff driven to succeed and maybe, most importantly, from deep inside the player herself.

Three years ago, when UConn received a coveted commitment from Katie Lou Samuelson, the #1 player in America, it immediately generated great joy in “Huskyland” followed by great expectations. Lou was the youngest sister of the incredibly talented Samuelson sisters. All the sisters had nice all-around games but most impressive was their deadly ability to shoot the basketball. Their father has often been credited with teaching the girls how to shoot, but I believe it has more to do with their mother. It seems like the Samuelson girls came out the womb knowing how to shoot a basketball.

During her freshmen season, after a few bumps, Lou settled into the starting lineup along with the most successful team in UConn’s history and had a wonderful freshman season. With Stewie, Tuck & Mo operating inside, Lou’s primary role was to spot up at the arc and bury 3-pt shots. During the last part of the season, Lou average almost 20 points per game in that role.

With the graduation of the Big 3, much more was expected of Lou this season. Geno posed the question to her, “Do you want to be a great shooter or a great basketball player?” knowing full well that she would choose the latter. During the 1st half of the season Lou appeared to fulfill that commitment showing the ability to hit jump shots, drive the lane and post up smaller defenders. She improved her defense, passing and even pulled down a rebound every now and then. There was talk by many, myself included, of NPOY. Some even suggested that Lou would be the next Stewie.

Over the past month or so, Lou has battled through some health issues, smothering defenses, fatigue and a prolonged shooting slump. She is being sped up by defenders causing her to lose that split second to line up her shot and shoot in rhythm, a critical component for any great shooter. In retrospect, some of the expectations that many of us had for Lou appear to have been overly optimistic, or at least premature.

I believe Lou will eventually become a great all-around basketball player, but if UConn is to win their 12th national championship this year, the Huskies need Lou to be primarily a great shooter and scorer. When Lou is burying 3-pt shots, everybody on the team feeds off her success and emotion.

I went back and looked at the 1st Tulane game. UConn was muddling along with a 10 pt lead or so and then Lou exploded for 32 pts in the 2nd & 3rd qtrs and the Huskies buried the Green Wave by 44. Contrast that performance with Saturday’s game at Tulane when Lou and the team struggled. Lou also sank MD with her offense. A great 2nd half by Lou helped the Huskies to pull away from TX and she schooled Jackie Young in the 2nd half against ND.

I personally don’t really care if Lou garners another rebound for the rest of the season. I’m confident Gabby and Pheesa will secure more than their share. UConn needs Lou to bury 3’s and score. I’m certain that Geno and his staff will work tirelessly to get Lou open shots and get her on track. It’s going to be a challenge until Kia gets back to provide leadership and to help spread the floor with her ability to shoot the 3, but hopefully by tournament time, Lou is “money” from the arc.

Lou has been through the mill this season, getting bumped and battered by opponents. She has dealt with, nausea, prolonged illness and fatigue. Hopefully Lou will be able to emerge successfully from the challenges of this season. As Charles Dickens wrote in Great Expectations, “I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.”

While most of what you write is essentially true and not disputable--you damaged my opportunity to partake of my favorite indoor sport (that will show you how old I am) nit-picking. But as an expert in that field I can always find a nit to pick.

Katie Lou Samuelson--shall get extremely better in all aspect of the WBB game--have no doubt. To day as she stand there recovering from abuse after abuse, physical and mental--she is a premiere WBB College player with few peers. To think she can get better -opens the mind to mind boggling basketball yet to come.
Many many players before they came to Connecticut were hyped by the media and a bit by Geno and too many never lived up to the hype--recently some have been identified on the BY---nuff sez. When one arrives with bands playing in my head as I read the media expectation before they put on a uniform--I'm not a believer--. Katie Lou Samuelson this year has proven to be all the hyped up media could say --and then some by miles and miles---she has been the SAVIOR in a number of games--her performances have been suggested to be akin to that of the highly vaunted and respected Diana T. (I like Samuelson-because i can spell it).
So no more about her lackings, failures, expectation--let us accept Katie Lou Samuelson as the best Basketball player of all the Samuelsons--including mom and Dad..

 

[oldude]

I watched the Tulane game again today. During the 4th qtr the Huskies were doing everything they could to get Lou open shots. She did hit a couple 3's in the 2nd half, along with a couple tough bank shots and she got fouled and got to the line.

One sequence in particular stood out where Lou was guarded by Morgan and curled across the low post and then up beyond the arc at the top of the key, running Morgan through a succession of 3 separate screens by her teammates until she got the ball for an uncontested shot at the arc which she missed.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Lou is essentially a guard-rarely does this position get many offensive rebounds since normally shooting from key or further out. Could she get 1-2 more a game-sure, but would not make a material difference in total scheme. She is taking a beating going through the lane. With Kia, she gets a lot of passes on cuts and scores a large % of her points on 10 foot shots. For some reason, Danger doesn't get her the ball, particularly when in set offense.

I think that Geno's giving Lou a somewhat hard time about her rebounding is a good move from a psychological standpoint. It's a lot better than saying, "Shoot better!" Rebounding (and especially rebounding effort) is a lot easier to control than shooting accuracy. And if Lou focuses on her rebounding, it gets her in the game and gets her scoring opportunities that do not depend on the 3-point gods favoring her shot that day. If her 3-point slump is partly attributable to overthinking (as is probable), then focusing her attention on other parts of the game will help to relieve that problem.

By the way, I'm a bit surprised that no one has noted Lou's great play at the end of the Tulane game to grab a loose ball and make a difficult layup. UConn might not have won the game without the play, particularly since it looked like a turnover was about to occur when Gabby released the pass.

Her high-low layup against Kaela Davis in the second half of the South Carolina game was also a great play. It's also a great sign that she is not letting her shooting slump affect her contribution to the rest of the offense.

five ft Five inches Vs six ft ----Six feet can see over 5 10 more readily than 5/5.. The passes to Gabby and Precious are under the defense--the passes to KLS and Butler need to be at high chest/face level to catch and shoot. Geno has to know this--and has to know that Gabby has to feed KLS and Butler to be more effective---and if Kia ever returns this year--Kia will be more effective to KLS--Danger will be more effective to Napheesa/Gabby.

Highlighted above: Great paragraph. I saw that and went WOW!! And with the excitement of almost losing--I forgot it--but that was super great the layup---also the a drive under the basket into a crowd that ended in foul shots was a superb move. Katie is not without loads of abilities and potentials--she shows more and more every game.
Geno is right --if what you are doing isn't working --work on what you can do to help the team!! The scoring shall come..