How Jana El Alfy is adapting to new role as starter

[Cuango]

I believe UCONN would have won at least one title if not for the injuties. Period.
Don't believe to add in any other caveats.
Geno said the same thing too that he believes he would have won if not for all the injuries. I don't recall him adding in any caveats other than injuries as well. Though I don't have the quote he said I belive it was 2 years ago. Those can beleive as they wish.
And all UCONN fans hope for a championship(s) too. How they win is of little concern for most fans.

J

I believe UCONN would have won at least one title if not for the injuties. Period.
Don't believe to add in any other caveats.
Geno said the same thing too that he believes he would have won if not for all the injuries. I don't recall him adding in any caveats other than injuries as well. Though I don't have the quote he said I belive it was 2 years ago. Those can beleive as they wish.
And all UCONN fans hope for a championship(s) too. How they win is of little concern for most fans.

I’m thinking at least two!

 

[Bone Dog]

Not giving up on them though, note Cardoso, Betts and Prince all did very little as freshmen.

Just nitpicking here, not rejecting your larger point. But Cardoso had an excellent freshman year at Syracuse, averaging 13.6 ppg, 8 rpg, and 2.7 blocks. She also ran the floor very well for a 6’7” player. Foul trouble was her main weakness.

 

[AzzisBraids]

Just nitpicking here, not rejecting your larger point. But Cardoso had an excellent freshman year at Syracuse, averaging 13.6 ppg, 8 rpg, and 2.7 blocks. She also ran the floor very well for a 6’7” player. Foul trouble was her main weakness.

Great point, she was acc freshman and defensive player of the year. Betts averaged 9.7 minutes a game in her freshman year then transferred and set records, Prince was playing at Texas in her first of many schools and broke her leg.

Centers do need time to adjust to college, I get that as a global point in the OP but I am just not seeing this aggressive post player that has been purported since she stepped on-campus. I'd almost prefer her to bully her way around. Villanova will be telling, they have 1 player over 6'3 on the roster and she's a freshman. We should dominate inside and by we, I mean El Alfy.

 

[uconn_nyc]

Simply put, you need a strong post presence to win a title. No team has won a title without a strong inside presence.Even Diana had Jessica Moore and Ann Strouther (though many conveniently forget them in the narrative). We too will need Jana to develop and evolve to compete with UCLA, ND, SoCal and SCar.

Right. Diana had Willnett Crockett as well!

 

[HopJim]

If you look at South Carolina and other top 10 competition for the title, this year most of those teams have athletic 5's and quick guards. if you project the pros and cons against these teams, UConn performs better with the smaller lineup. Unless Jana can consistently stop guards from driving by her, bigs from drawing fouls, make her own foul shots, and outrebound her competition, she will likely continue to start but play a lesser role. Solid potential for the future, but as a frosh coming back from a major injury and adjusting to a new country and style of play, some seem to be setting an unrealistic bar for her to reach this year.

 

[Charliebball]

If you look at South Carolina and other top 10 competition for the title, this year most of those teams have athletic 5's and quick guards. if you project the pros and cons against these teams, UConn performs better with the smaller lineup. Unless Jana can consistently stop guards from driving by her, bigs from drawing fouls, make her own foul shots, and outrebound her competition, she will likely continue to start but play a lesser role. Solid potential for the future, but as a frosh coming back from a major injury and adjusting to a new country and style of play, some seem to be setting an unrealistic bar for her to reach this year.

In addition to their back court quickness, South Carolina's small inline up often includes two extremely athletic 6'3' players and an athletic 6'2" player........they've got three 6'5" players sitting on the bench for most of the game.......not easy to deal with unless Aubrey is her old self.......

 

[BRS24]

“My game has changed,” El Alfy said Wednesday reflecting on the first two months of her collegiate career. “I'm stronger under the rim and with the pace of the game, I feel like I’m faster. Focusing on both ends of the floor was a huge thing. But being surrounded by people that have confidence in you and always push you to get better every day is just amazing”