How Coach Geno Auriemma plans to delegate the point guard position

[Bone Dog]

One thing that is not being emphasized enough IMO is that Nika is a born leader who would run through a brick wall for this team if she had to.

I don't disagree with anything you say here -- it's right on the money.

But this image of running through a brick wall for the team isn't really what a leader does. Getting the team to run through a brick wall, that's what a leader does. It's also what Paige could get her teams at Hopkins and here to do... eventually. I'm not sure Nika is at this point yet. But maybe she'll get there this year. She'll give her all for the team -- who could doubt it? -- and she just needs to become the person the team can rally around in the key moments.

 

[npignatjr]

Reading a few comments first, Nika also lost many games, actually starting during the 2021 NCAA tournament. Second wait until the season starts, take the time research games from last year, Azzi from then was a hesitant ball handler, not a good defender, she hasn't played a full season in over 3 years.

 

[Alydar]

Isn't Paige a PG and also our best offensive player? Why is it such a breakthrough thought for Azzi to be our PG?

I think Fudd is the best 2 and Bueckers the best 1. Fudd is the No 2 pg and Bueckers is the No 2 two.

I don't think Geno wants Fudd chasing quick tiny point guards around for 30+ min/game all season. Until the tournaments I expect to see Muhl play long minutes. Geno has 3 outstanding perimeter shooters and he can play all 3 at once (and will) but it's far more likely he will rotate them to play roughly 30 min. and Muhl will play pg when any of them sit.

 

[GEAinAustin]

According to Geno he has 4 outstanding shooters. Fudd, Ducharme, Senechal and Griffin.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I think Fudd is the best 2 and Bueckers the best 1. Fudd is the No 2 pg and Bueckers is the No 2 two.

I don't think Geno wants Fudd chasing quick tiny point guards around for 30+ min/game all season. Until the tournaments I expect to see Muhl play long minutes. Geno has 3 outstanding perimeter shooters and he can play all 3 at once (and will) but it's far more likely he will rotate them to play roughly 30 min. and Muhl will play pg when any of them sit.

I don't disagree with this overall. I do see Nika getting a lot of playing time against Big East opponents especially. It keeps everyone fresh and we should only play Azzi/Caroline/Lou the 30 minute plus games when we need to. And I do see the utility of having Nika guard Rori Harmon. That should be a battle. I don't see Nika stopping Rori but I definitely see Rori as an even bigger problem against other players. Harmon is unique and that Texas team just revolves around her offensively.

 

[TeamFirst!]

The key to beating Texas is outside shooting. We need to be able to hit our 3's.

 

[Alydar]

When I think of Texas it's the 50 pt beating UConn put on them in Albany in the S16. Texas was missing a player or two and UConn was on fire offensively. Vic is a great coach but he is best at defense and defenses usually don't gel until later in the season. I'm hoping for UConn's offense to outscore Texas by a lot.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Texas beat a great Stanford team early in the year last year. They will be a challenge for sure this year.

 

[Cuango]

Azzi at PG makes the entire team better, in a way similar to what Paige did for the team. She can penetrate AND make the shot. She could learn a lot from watching how Rori Harmon takes the ball from a deep position and maneuvers off the dribble to either open up a teammate or get off that pull up jumper. She will have picks set for her and she will be the prime mover of the offense. Everything opens up offensively with Azzi at PG and she doesn't hurt us on defense.

All of this may be true. Azzi may be able to do most of the things Paige can do but we don’t really know that for sure. Of course, I hope she can play better than Paige but how about we wait and see before we anoint her as the next great point guard? I’ll be more than satisfied for her to be the next great shooting guard, which is imo much more of a sure thing.

 

[Zarathustra]

The key to beating Texas is outside shooting. We need to be able to hit our 3's.

I agree that hitting 3's is the key. The other two keys are getting the ball
up the court against the Texas defense ( Rori Harmon, and others), and
matching up well / boxing out their bigs ( including the new 6'4" transfer
from Oregon State ). This is a very doable win, but it will be a "given" in
my mind when the game clock goes to 0:00. Get those pronostication
scores ready!!

 

[Skeets]

Paige was "exhausted" and that's why she hurt her knee in ND game?
Your story lines to big up Nika are getting more reckless!
Geno Auriemma coach teams NEVER struggle against against just token pressure.

Reckless? Oh yeah, I'm completely off the wall, unlike you. In my opinion Paige was exhausted. Right at the end of the game her legs buckled and she went down. I didn't say "struggled". I said even token pressure will speed up a PG getting worn out. But you can substitute words into my post any way you like.

 

[ballerfan]

I think Azzi will go down as one of the greatest ever to play for UConn.

But as Geno said, she going to have to play a lot better this year. She is known for her great 3p shooting (though Paige’s 3p percentage as a freshman, 46.7, was higher than Azzi’s last year, 43), but she really needs to be more like a Sue Bird 3p shooter. And she is going to have to do that with a lot more defensive pressure. Unlike last year, teams are not going to let her stand alone at the line waiting for the ball. Without Paige, teams know she is the best player on the floor. Azzi needs to find her own shots, and she has to get better at defense.

It’s really hard to know how good of a PG Azzi will be, as she was hindered last year with a foot injury. In some ways Nika is a better PG than Azzi (some people will strongly disagree with that statement, but Nika’s ball handling, passing, and aggressiveness can, though not always, be impressive). Azzi is often timid and not a natural leader (per Geno). Now that she is fully healthy (I think she is), I hope to see her display better court vision, better passing, and a better capacity to run the offense. I truly believe she has the talent to do so and the ability to be this year’s best PG.

Again some people will strongly disagree with this, but if Nika makes notable progress in shooting, she could be the team’s best PG (obviously not including Paige). Even so, she won’t be as good of a player as Azzi.

I don’t know how things are going at practice, so everything I just said might be irrelevant. My last thought is that whoever plays PG is a lot less important than Azzi making a sophomore jump. If she can replace Paige in some important ways (midrange and driving to the basket, for example, pushing her FG percent from last year’s 45 to Paige’s 54), then UConn can be a final four team. If not, well, other players are going to have to have an incredible season.

 

[cgshuskie]

Ballerfan you got it right on! I agree with you assessment of Azzi and Nika. Nika's newly developed offense will be the key. If she can score (midrange and driving) the balance will be reached and Azzi can play her game. She needs open shot opp's. She is not a dog.

 

[GEAinAustin]

I live in Austin and follow UT sports closely. The women's basketball team will be a good matchup, but early in the season and traveling 2,000 miles in a hostile atmosphere will be too much for Texas. This U Conn team is too deep and talented. Muhl has always had problems keeping talented guards in front of her, so look for Auriemma to rotate coverage with alot of aubrey involved.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Did what we have last year with Azzi as the shooting guard really work all that well? We ran screens for her and double screens for her and she ran around a lot but still struggled to get open shots. Other teams are keying on her 3 point shot and efending it. She said something to the effect the other day that Geno told her to think score first but if she can't score penetrate and get others open for passes. Her entire childhood was spent in that mode. That is her game. Get to the basket or get to the pull up or shoot the 3. If other opportunities are better pass. That is the difference between this being a Final 8 team or a Final 4 team.

Lou is a solid shooting guard and Caroline can contribute so much offense with her movement. All the pieces fall together well with Azzi at point.

 

[ballerfan]

Did what we have last year with Azzi as the shooting guard really work all that well?

Sometimes. Azzi is streaky. She can be 6 for 9 at the 3 one game and 2 for 11 another.

We ran screens for her and double screens for her and she ran around a lot but still struggled to get open shots.

I hope this is related to her foot injury, but I understand what you mean.

Other teams are keying on her 3 point shot and efending it.

It’s only going to get worse this year. With Paige out and no longer drawing attention, with the seniors gone, and with Azzi now a sophomore and generally considered the best player left on UConn, teams will be all over her. Unfortunately she has not shown the ability that Paige has to read defenses and make her own shots. That has to change. Being a year older I hope will help her be less nervous on the floor.

She said something to the effect the other day that Geno told her to think score first but if she can't score penetrate and get others open for passes. Her entire childhood was spent in that mode. That is her game. Get to the basket or get to the pull up or shoot the 3. If other opportunities are better pass. That is the difference between this being a Final 8 team or a Final 4 team.

Lou is a solid shooting guard and Caroline can contribute so much offense with her movement. All the pieces fall together well with Azzi at point.

I hope Azzi becomes a great PG and all the pieces fall together. But we have not seen her be that PG yet at UConn, so we’ll have to wait to find out.

P.S. I feel optimistic that Lou is going to be great.

 

[GEAinAustin]

Team First, again agree totally. Auriemma wants Azzi to mirror how Paige operated, impossible to duplicate, but the position plays to her strengths. As the off guard, she would face double coverage and zone schemes, forcing U Conn to be creative and work harder to get her shots. At the pt., defenders would have to pick their poison with 4 other scoring options. Auriemma expects a speed and efficiency to the offense .

 

[Bald Husky]

All our scenarios have been about what players can produce the best offense. What about defense, who is going to slow down our opponents' guards, and who will take on their best shooters? Nika will start, not because of her offence, but we need the BE DPOY on the floor for this purpose. We need our experienced players to start, and after that, Geno will make his moves. We all have favorite players, but we need last years vets to set the tone for the game, with defensive pressure to maybe get a few transition baskets going. We can't forget, we thrive on transition, and that only occurs with good defense. All the good players will play, so it is up to Geno to bring them in at the right time, and he will. Go Huskies.

 

[CTBballfan243]

We’re Doomed I tell ya, Doomed.

 

[TCC Kid]

Thinking out loud?
How about putting things out there he wants out there?
Never a stream of consciousness riff- always a purpose.

I understand the worry about wearing Azzi out if she has to play too many minutes. It may not be a matter of which position she plays but simply how long she’s on the court.

Anyway, I get this worry, even if it isn’t well founded. Who wouldn’t feel this way after watching Paige go down twice? I’ve watched the ND game a few times and it doesn’t exactly look like she’s tired at the end. But she did get roughed up a bit during the game, taking a few hard fouls. A notable one in the second half involved diving for a loose ball and hitting Maya Dotson’s knee with her neck.

It wasn’t a dirty play by Dotson or anything like that. But Paige really threw herself into the middle of things in this game on several occasions. Before she collapsed at the end, I remember wondering if this level of intensity was sustainable across an entire season.

I don’t know if this is a valid concern to apply to Azzi, or if 35 mins is too much for her to be on the court. But I totally understand it. For Caroline too.

Irrational? Absolutely not! Experience teaches well. A statistics/probability seems to bear out what you say. Some more structurally constructed players can play 40 each evening with no adverse effect. Some with thin frames may not take on 40 minutes well. So, along with you ---I worry.

 

[TCC Kid]

One other thing about how some folks don't like to see changes outside of their familiar comfort zone.
Some will say that so & so was recruited as a PG, or another was a PG in high school.
Many major league baseball players were shortstops in high school, yet end up playing many different positions once they get drafted into the major leagues including the outfield.
It's the same with high school quarterbacks when they get to college.
Many end up playing other positions in order to stay on the field and to get PT.
They do whatever is asked of them whether it's to catch passes, become a running back or play defense.
These are athletes and BB players, and they'll happily do whatever Geno wants them to do.
He's the wizard behind the curtain that's trying to work everything out for the best.
We're all going to need to be patient to see how the changes will work out over the course of the entire season.
It's not magic, it's all about team & player growth & necessity.
That's Geno's job, he's like a farmer that's growing talent and there's a little bit of a drought of experience.

I'm one that doesn't buy---the lack of experience of this team. Geno has had teams with less an done more. The experience the new kids, transfers and freshmen/sophs had last season was exceptional in the annals of Uconn Wbb. You can't buy the experience Caroline and Azzi got for free last season, Dorka, never saw the intensity she found last season in Ohio, Everyone on that team --when Paige finally ended her season--everyone gained experience, including the Old Pro himself, Geno. He entered an unwanted sphere of experience when Paige was fully side-lined. He played FRESHMEN, out of necessity, not desire and they proved their worth. They are now Sophs, with experience. What has yet to be prove is: Will 5th year Lou have Div 1 level experience. DT and Maya and many others have proven--FRESHMEN can be difference makers--will Ayanna or ICE be of DT or Maya type players--Geno knows now, we'll find out soon.

 

[hoophuskee]

All our scenarios have been about what players can produce the best offense. What about defense, who is going to slow down our opponents' guards, and who will take on their best shooters? Nika will start, not because of her offence, but we need the BE DPOY on the floor for this purpose. We need our experienced players to start, and after that, Geno will make his moves. We all have favorite players, but we need last years vets to set the tone for the game, with defensive pressure to maybe get a few transition baskets going. We can't forget, we thrive on transition, and that only occurs with good defense. All the good players will play, so it is up to Geno to bring them in at the right time, and he will. Go Huskies.

One word most important and that's "balance."