How Jana El Alfy is adapting to new role as starter

[Nolefan]

She just needs to keep it simple, she's doing so much thinking and dribbling. Catch ball, lay ball up, block shot, run back, hedge, don't foul. That it's, it's easier said than done but I think she needs to focus on defense.

At 6-5, she has 6 blocks for the season, tying Paige and way below Sarah. Elite teams have players averaging close to these totals a night. She's young and will figure it out but if she's going to foul, at least foul on trying to block a shot. After the boneyard hyped her up all summer as the next Stewie, I don't really know what to make of what I'm seeing.

Who’s averaging 6 blocks per game ?

 

[sun]

Who’s averaging 6 blocks per game ?

Blocks per game leaders from the NCAA website: Position, games, total blocks, blocks per game.
Blocks per game is only an average so some games can be higher & other games can be lower.

1	Sedona Prince	TCU	Sr.	6-7	C	14	52	3.71
2	Kate Koval	Notre Dame	Fr.	6-5	F	11	38	3.45
3	Makayla Timpson	Florida St.	Sr.	6-2	F	14	45	3.21
4	Serah Williams	Wisconsin	Jr.	6-4	F	14	39	2.79
5	Anastasiia Boldyreva	Middle Tenn.	Sr.	6-6	C	14	38	2.71
6	Anna Miller	Drake	Sr.	6-3	F	13	35	2.69
7	Ashley Sofilkanich	Bucknell	So.	6-3	F	12	32	2.67
8	Teonni Key	Kentucky	Jr.	6-4	F	13	34	2.62
-	Clara Strack	Kentucky	So.	6-5	C	13	34	2.62
10	Khadija Faye	Pittsburgh	Sr.	6-4	C	13	31	2.38

 

[uconnfan68]

One thing that gets in the way of Jana’s consistency, I suspect, is conditioning. This looks like it’s a work in progress and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her running the court better at the end of January than she is now. Also, and this is trivial but may be indicative, in her two starts she lost both opening tips to smaller players. She barely jumped each time. What I’m getting at is she may not be comfortable jumping yet.

Once Jana is fully comfortable running and jumping we may see much better consistency in her play.

Samson Johnson gets beat too. It’s not how high, or even how quick you jump, it’s how you anticipate and react.

 

[Bone Dog]

Samson Johnson gets beat too. It’s not how high, or even how quick you jump, it’s how you anticipate and react.

There’s definitely a skill involved in timing the jump. But it looks to me like Jana isn’t even really jumping at all.

 

[hookshot]

That may be true but why should UConn ignore their inside game if Jana shows she can be a legit scoring threat? I'm talking about her taking 10-15 shots a game........ easy baskets are always a good thing and the odds of making a shot five feet from the basket are far greater than those taken from 22.2 feet away.........I simply don't think that UConn's outside shooting can be counted on alone to win four or five straight games against the best defensive teams in the country....

Depends who is taking the shots doesn't it ?

 

[DefenseBB]

This sounds familiar. If she develops as I hope she does, and brings the ferocity, we’ll all be calling her ‘Big Nika.’

Wait, weren’t you the poster espousing how Jana and Stewie had similar tools? And then a bunch of others all jumped aboard that absurd observation by liking it. Stewie did not need to “develop” as much as hone her tremendous skills. Geno prodded Stewie to contribute every night like he is doing here. Hopefully Jana responds.

Jana needs to show her back to the basket skills and avoid all the silly fouls to warrant continued playing time. She is showing glimpses but as Geno stated, “prove it every time”. Jana IS NOT like Stewie and we can only hope she develops into a nice solid contributor both offensively and defensively who can rebound and make the opposing team defend her.

Short of that occurring we will have many players in roles out of their natural positions. That has hurt this team from achieving the lofty goal of title #12.

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.

While optimistic, it is not a foregone conclusion. I am rooting for her!

 

[Charliebball]

Depends who is taking the shots doesn't it ?

yes, and how hot that shooter is during a game...........it stands to reason that a layup is going to be a higher percentage shot than a three pointer all things being equal........that's why posts and big forwards often shoot at a higher percentage than three point shooters.....

 

[Rowdy831]

Jana learns. In the game last weekend she made a post move that started too low and she ended up under the basket with really no angle to make a shot. The next time she posted up about 5 feet higher and her move ended up right she needed to be. To me that learning only happens when you are on the floor for a lot of minutes.

I still think they need to be able to go with Jana and Ice against a few teams out there so the rest of the schedule will be interesting.

 

[AzzisBraids]

Blocks per game leaders from the NCAA website: Position, games, total blocks, blocks per game.
Blocks per game is only an average so some games can be higher & other games can be lower.

1	Sedona Prince	TCU	Sr.	6-7	C	14	52	3.71
2	Kate Koval	Notre Dame	Fr.	6-5	F	11	38	3.45
3	Makayla Timpson	Florida St.	Sr.	6-2	F	14	45	3.21
4	Serah Williams	Wisconsin	Jr.	6-4	F	14	39	2.79
5	Anastasiia Boldyreva	Middle Tenn.	Sr.	6-6	C	14	38	2.71
6	Anna Miller	Drake	Sr.	6-3	F	13	35	2.69
7	Ashley Sofilkanich	Bucknell	So.	6-3	F	12	32	2.67
8	Teonni Key	Kentucky	Jr.	6-4	F	13	34	2.62
-	Clara Strack	Kentucky	So.	6-5	C	13	34	2.62
10	Khadija Faye	Pittsburgh	Sr.	6-4	C	13	31	2.38

Thanks for this! in my OP I mentioned that some have close to these totals a night. My point was almost all of these players has had a single game that equals or is close to the season total of our tallest post player. That's not shady or smacktalking, that's just data and facts.

 

[hookshot]

Jana learns. In the game last weekend she made a post move that started too low and she ended up under the basket with really no angle to make a shot. The next time she posted up about 5 feet higher and her move ended up right she needed to be. To me that learning only happens when you are on the floor for a lot of minutes.

I still think they need to be able to go with Jana and Ice against a few teams out there so the rest of the schedule will be interesting.

yes, and how hot that shooter is during a game...........it stands to reason that a layup is going to be a higher percentage shot than a three pointer all things being equal........that's why posts and big forwards often shoot at a higher percentage than three point shooters.....

I was being a bit tounge in cheek; right now I'll take Paige at 15 feet versus Jana at 5 feet. I think we just don't know how well Jana will do at this level, but can only assume that she will get better as she gets more comfortable with playing time.

 

[hookshot]

Jana learns. In the game last weekend she made a post move that started too low and she ended up under the basket with really no angle to make a shot. The next time she posted up about 5 feet higher and her move ended up right she needed to be. To me that learning only happens when you are on the floor for a lot of minutes.

I still think they need to be able to go with Jana and Ice against a few teams out there so the rest of the schedule will be interesting.

Hasn't she been on the floor lots of minutes in earlier experiences at somewhat high levels. I feel like I learned what you're describing as a kid in my backyard taking hundreds of hook shots a day. I'm hoping it is just a case of big stage yips, and a need to calm down a bit.

 

[Charliebball]

Hasn't she been on the floor lots of minutes in earlier experiences at somewhat high levels. I feel like I learned what you're describing as a kid in my backyard taking hundreds of hook shots a day. I'm hoping it is just a case of big stage yips, and a need to calm down a bit.

I think she is used to being the star of the team and never had to consider the idea that if she screwed up once or twice in a game she could and would be subbed out......that certainly can cause the yips.......

 

[AzzisBraids]

I think she is used to being the star of the team and never had to consider the idea that if she screwed up once or twice in a game she could and would be subbed out......that certainly can cause the yips.......

I don't buy this at all. UConn teams are a roster of all star high school talent. Every player on this roster was the star of their team. Mistakes are one thing but compounding mistakes with mistakes and not being a defensive factor.

The rest of this Big East slate will be telling. With their size they should be able to dominate, if they don't then all bets are on Aubrey Griffin, Sarah and Cheli in the post.

 

[Charliebball]

I don't buy this at all. UConn teams are a roster of all star high school talent. Every player on this roster was the star of their team. Mistakes are one thing but compounding mistakes with mistakes and not being a defensive factor.

The rest of this Big East slate will be telling. With their size they should be able to dominate, if they don't then all bets are on Aubrey Griffin, Sarah and Cheli in the post.

How many college games has Jana played so far in her career? How many players have flown half way around the world to play basketball at UConn? How many players has Geno said would be the top recruit in the country if she lived here? That's a lot to take in for a freshman............my bet is, that if she's given the minutes, she will be a much-improved player by March.......

 

[Bone Dog]

In previous seasons, Geno has regularly played a 6’5” post next to a 6’3” forward — Liv and Aaliyah, or Dorka and Aaliyah. Once Dorka left, Geno was unable to replace her and Aaliyah became the default post player with no other big next to her.

This season, I began by thinking the default lineup would be Jana and Ice until Sarah was ready. How wrong I was. Instead, we see Geno starting Jana or Ice next to Sarah, which looks inevitable. But by the second half, Jana and Ice are no longer on the floor. Now the emphasis is almost entirely on Sarah, and we seem to have no serious expectation that Jana or Ice will be able to anchor the team. There will even be lineups with Sarah as the only big, maybe with Morgan next to her, but just as often it’s Paige next to her.

Maybe once Aubrey returns, the default lineup will be Sarah with a revolving door of Aubrey-Morgan-Ice-Jana-Paige as the frontcourt. The days of Liv-Aaliyah or Dorka-Aaliyah have not returned yet. Will they be back in time for march? Maybe. But I’m less optimistic about this than I was a few months ago.

 

[HopJim]

I am neither positive nor negative regarding Jana other than the concern that most of the positive posters focus on her "potential" versus performance. I agree that she has the physical attributes to be a high-level performer but its rare a frosh coming off a major injury excels. Perhaps we need to focus on what is needed this year and what skills Jana will bring to UConn in the future. Fortunately, UConn and Geno is in the somewhat rare for UConn position of having several options.

 

[Zarathustra]

And yet, the hope must be that, by the end of the season, she will have progressed to be at least in some small way, exactly that! It is clear that since Stewie left, the main impediment (next to injuries) to winning #12 has been our inability to field a competitive big in the middle! Is it possible that we could have won had we been healthy even without a strong presence in the middle? Perhaps so, but it is abundantly clear that even with the ridiculous amount of talent on this roster, we will always be a better team when we have a competitive post to battle the Betts, Watkins, and Iriafens in the middle! Do I expect Jana to be that by the end of the season? You bet I do! Not as “Wonder Woman” but certainly capable to make things difficult for any post we meet in the tournament! Jana does not need to dominate, or even play even! (Although that would be nice) What I am hoping for (what I am convinced she can do) is that she will be able to defend and rebound, with a little opportunistic scoring thrown in as a bonus. That, is what I (and I believe, most UConn fans) are hoping for! I am convinced that Geno too is hoping for this! To not attempt to develop a big with the obvious potential that Jana clearly has, would be coaching malpractice!

CUANGO, This post reminded me of the change of this whole line
of thought (in this thread) if Ms. Boston had gone to UCONN rather than that other
school.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

Between them, Ice and Jana are scoring over 10 points and just under 9 rebounds per game in 34 minutes between them. That's not "little".

So their combined average of 10 points per game is basically against teams that can't stay on the floor with us. And have you analyzed against whom they have averaged that 10 points per game against? Here are perhaps the four (4) most important games of the 14 played so far this season:

Against North Carolina they played a combined total of 37 minutes and they scored 9 points between them.
Against Notre Dame they played a combined total of 37 minutes and they scored 8 points between them.
Against Iowa State they played a combined total of 40 minutes and they scored 5 points between them.
Against USC they played a combined total of 19 minutes. Only Jana scored, 2 points.

Only two (2) of the above four (4) games have much meaning, and only those four (4) games have much meaning above the remaining 10 to date.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

First, there is quite a difference between practice/conditioning and actual game intensity. A medical release says nothing about the mind set of the individual. I would use Azzi as an prime example of this. Why is she not 100% right now? I am sure Aubrey has been released as well, but is still not ready mentally or we would see her already. And, finally, Jana is one of the hardest workers in practice and has played in enough games to be fit, but still hesitates on occasion to go full out - perhaps thinking of that achilles tear. Give them a break!

I am more than willing to give them a break based on most, not all, of your reasoning. I just don't want to constantly hear "rust" and "conditioning" excuses. And actually, there isn't quite a difference between practice/conditioning ... not if you are attempting to break into the starting lineup or get more minutes. You work your butt off trying to show the coaches you are ready and worthy.

 

[packwrap]

I like this discussion.

Since I am usually devil's advocate on the frontcourt, I'll talk about small ball.

Even against Marquette we saw several small front courts.

Morgan/Sarah
Paige/Sarah
Allie/Morgan

Sarah just so great to watch. Only 12 games in and she now switches effortlessly in the offense between forward and center depending who her front court partner is. (And wow how'bout her leading the fast break with dime to KK! And then the conversion deep underneath on the great pass from Q!)

If we went back to Paige at 4 and Sarah at 5, suddenly we are getting 40 pts and 15 rebounds from our frontcourt.

Fill in with 3 guards say: Shade, Chen/KK and Azzi and there's 30 points from back court. Aubrey and Morgan then make versatile reserves.

I now share the concern that Jana and Ice may not be ready this year at center for the last 3 NCAA games. Not giving up on them though, note Cardoso, Betts and Prince all did very little as freshmen. Centers take a while to develop.

Jana and Ice should keep getting minutes and reps in BE games. I hope I am wrong and all of a sudden things click. I like that Jana had many post opportunities against Marquette.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

For the record, I don't have anything against Jana or Ice. Could they do things better than they are currently doing them? Yes, of course, everyone on the team could. That wasn't my point and instead of jumping in on something I post without going back and reading where it all started from is very short sided. I expect Jana to be a "Wonder Woman" while wearing a UConn jersey, I'm just not sure when that will be.

 

[JoePgh]

Geno was quoted yesterday in the Hartford Courant as saying (approximately his words) that "right now, our best lineup is a smaller lineup with Sarah and four guards, but we're going to need more size against some of the teams that we will play, so we have to get Jana and Ice ready for that."

So I think he basically agreed with most of the posts in this thread: Jana and Ice need to be developed, and that needs to happen in this season, but right now they are not as good as the smaller players who could be playing their minutes.

Moving Jana into the starting lineup over Ice is the first move in that direction. Jana's scoring production against Marquette suggests to me that she will continue to increase her minutes in future Big East games, mostly at Ice's expense. And I think we may see more minutes where the two of them play together. But if any Big East game is in doubt, or if a deficit needs to be made up, then you will see Sarah and the guards until the crisis has passed.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

It is not necessary to take up the entire thread to make your point. I think we heard you the first time. I suspect you are not even in the majority with your opinion.

Wow! That's a rather RUDE comment. If you don't like the discussion a member is having with another, simply ignore it and move on. I doubt your opinion on the subject is in the majority either. Just sayin'.

 

[oldhusky]

I think the jury is still out with Jana and will be for awhile. My take heading into this season was that for all the talented players we had for the perimeter, we had major questions upfront. I thought we needed two freshmen to be very good starters in their first year, because although that is asking a lot of them, we didn't have any proven high level players at the 4 or 5, or at least up to Uconn's usual high standards.

Ice and Ayanna both had injury issues and their first year was on balance more disappointing than encouraging IMO. Yes they might be expected to improve, but rightly or wrongly, my view was we needed to be better than either of them to compete with the best contenders upfront. Paige was an option at the 4, but it was not ideal, and Aubrey who certainly is proven and a very good 4, would not be ready until midyear.

Now Sarah has more than exceeded expectations, Aubrey will presumably give us another top 4 very soon, and we will have to see how Jana progresses, but I think we still need her to be the answer at the 5. Three very good bigs, complemented by a little of Ice, and an occasional touch of Paige at the 4, and we can be as good as anybody, hopefully Jana gets there in time.