How I changed since the start of this season

[Coach]

ok. I admit it. In preseason, while looking at the schedule I was worried. We just lost 3 seniors. We have a young team. What can we expect from the freshmen? We didn't have any traditional "Bigs".

I was looking at a potentional 2-3 start. Did I say I was worried?

No way could I have expected the tremendous jump from Gabby, Lou and Pheesa. Or the continued growth from Kia. Saniya after a year with her injury really got closer to the player I was expecting to see 3 1/2 years ago. Crystal is exciting to watch but still have freshmen moments (although not as much).


I love the way they play and unfortunately I am now spoiled. The best part is we're not done yet!

 

[Nuyoika]

ok. I admit it. In preseason, while looking at the schedule I was worried. We just lost 3 seniors. We have a young team. What can we expect from the freshmen? We didn't have any traditional "Bigs".

I was looking at a potentional 2-3 start. Did I say I was worried?

No way could I have expected the tremendous jump from Gabby, Lou and Pheesa. Or the continued growth from Kia. Saniya after a year with her injury really got closer to the player I was expecting to see 3 1/2 years ago. Crystal is exciting to watch but still have freshmen moments (although not as much).


I love the way they play and unfortunately I am now spoiled. The best part is we're not done yet!

It's ok.... I am just as ashamed... I expected a 5 loss season.

 

[Huskee11]

I`m trying to remember what I was thinking 5 or 6 months ago. Or 5 or 6 minutes ago, for that matter.

One thing I know I was fretting about was the health of the team. Lou`s foot, Napheesa`s torn labrum in hip and surgery in April, Saniya`s IT band, Crystal`s shoulder - concern that they would not be ready physically to meet the demands of the tough early OOC schedule. We are inundated with article after article now, but at the time I was searching all over for some word as to how they were progressing. Found very little.

Then, how do the pieces fit together. Kia was the constant, Lou a returning starter, everyone else the variables. If you look at threads from back then, I`m sure you would see proposed starting lineups that seem odd with the benefit of hindsight. I think I had either Napheesa or Gabby coming off the bench, and Crystal moving to the starting point guard position after a month or so.

I assumed they would lose a few and after all the recent titles, figured that making it to the Final Four would be a great accomplishment.

There was an exhibition game at Gampel against IUP, and I left thinking hey, these guys look good! Maybe it was just the competition? A close call at FSU, an amazing fourth quarter performance against Baylor, blowouts with Dayton and DePaul, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that this team had been grossly underestimated. By me, by almost everyone.

And of course, the expectations have now ramped up - human nature, right?

 

[Sonny44]

I predicted 2 - 3 losses, but typical late UCONN run to the FF, and then anything can happen. Now they have 0 losses and only one thing can happen. Boy, do I love to be wrong sometimes.