How will Sarah do as a freshman?

[BBallF]

From what I have seen, she can play all 5 positions if she had to. She has great ball handling skills, can pull up, shoot the 3, pass and drive. No ceiling.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

If you are going to cast the shadow of #1 recruits who came to UConn and how they performed in their freshman year, you should include everyone one of those #1 recruits. You will find that they did depend primarily on roster composition and how they adjusted to GA and the coaches, including style of play.....of course, beyond their own specific personalities. Most of them did well and most became starters as the year moved on, unless they were injured (e.g. Azzi Fudd) or the roster was loaded in their position.

Given the evident skill set and size of Ms. Strong, she does have an open berth to compete for with likely Ayanna Paterson. Because of her shooting range and passing skills, she may eventually have an advantage over Ayanna but the two together would allow good and flexible coverage of a post position (PF) - she could even be deployed on the wing against big teams. How her skill set that one can see is very good is deployed by her with confidence will determine how she is used.

If her passing skills are anywhere near as good as Gabby Williams, which could go with Paige's, you would likely see the best of UConn's movement patterns continued at a high level. This, to go with her rebounding potential, would help elevate the team on areas missed this past year because of injuries.

And, if all the injured players come in full health and play at the level they were capable of, UConn would be a more complete and flexible team able to counter any roster combination they will face.

UConn will be more motivated to win every game they play next year and if Ms. Strong delivers enough of what has been advertised, it would give them a good margin of error......that might see season-end without a loss.

Keeping fingers crossed, especially for the return of Azzi and Caroline to their full potential and for Jana to finally have a chance to show the kind of player she is (if you believe the coach).

 

[Zonepress]

I haven't watched hours of Sarah playing basketball but from what I have seen she is the first player in a long while that can be a spot up shooter from 3pt range. She is smooth and can shoot that range with very little effort. She is also taller than many other options UConn has on the wings and that will also be a plus.

What does she need to work on prior to next season in my opinion? Her conditioning and her strength in general. She currently has the conditioning level you would expect for a high school player but to contribute for UConn she will need to be in college shape and expect she will by November.

Strength is there
Im
Sure conditioning will be
And yes she shoots effortlessly from 3
And im
Convinced she will
Score in the post as well!’

 

[msf22b]

I think the presence of Bueckers will be such a blessing for Sarah. Paige will take the heat from the media, she’s a proven bucket getter, and can make those big plays in big moments. It gives Sarah the space to be incredibly effective without the pressures freshman like Juju and Hidalgo experienced this year. Our roster is stacked on paper, but very inexperienced when you factor in all of the time missed with injuries. There’s opportunity there for her to claim lots of plying time, and even fight to be our 2nd or 3rd option. To me it’s a great space for her to be as a freshman, and likely step into a leadership role alongside hopefully a healthy fudd as a sophomore.

Juju and Hidalgo did pretty well, the last time I looked...pressure and all

 

[Blond D.]

Its really hard to say who will start but if everyone is healthy we have
Paige
Azzi
Caroline
KK
Shade and
Aubrey who are proven starters.

Then we have Ice, Q and Ayanna who we pretty much know their skill set but have only had one year. Will they improve over the summer now that they know what its like and what they need to improve on?

And last we have
Jana
Morgan
Allie and
Sarah who come with high recommendations but who we havent seen play against college talent.

Its really hard to say who will emerge as our starting 5.

 

[BBallF]

Do not be surprised if you see Sarah in the starting lineup at some point during the season if not in the opener.

 

[hoophuskee]

Juju and Hidalgo did pretty well, the last time I looked...pressure and all

Last time I looked our number 1 player is returning in which she made less heralded freshmen this past year shine in big moments, and will probably be much better support for our current #1 recruit than your Juju and Hidalgo had.

 

[hoophuskee]

Do not be surprised if you see Sarah in the starting lineup at some point during the season if not in the opener.

She may not start game 1, but I'd be extremely suprised that she isn't starting when our 1st game vs a tough team begins.
All the players (projected at 4/5) that either played or were hurt have not had a season they would be penciled/locked in. Sarah's strengths are more impactful. IMO I can't see them risking a game just to make a point that you don't start freshmen even if they are much superior. IMO that philosophy has long since passed.

 

[JoePgh]

She may not start game 1, but I'd be extremely suprised that she isn't starting when our 1st game vs a tough team begins.
All the players (projected at 4/5) that either played or were hurt have not had a season they would be penciled/locked in. Sarah's strengths are more impactful. IMO I can't see them risking a game just to make a point that you don't start freshmen even if they are much superior. IMO that philosophy has long since passed.

Not that Geno ever had that philosophy. Paige started from Day 1, as did Katie Lou Samuelson, Stef Dolson, Renee Montgomery, and many others.

 

[msf22b]

Last time I looked our number 1 player is returning in which she made less heralded freshmen this past year shine in big moments, and will probably be much better support for our current #1 recruit than your Juju and Hidalgo had.

Jury's out and your answer is not exactly responsive to my post.
If your point is that Page's presence assists the development of frosh...Absolutely, I agree.

But Juju and Hidalgo did more than shine...they were immediate stars with or without (seemingly without) a mentor figure.

 

[huskyblooz]

Not impressed by the highlights I've seen. I dont know the level of play that Grace Christian played.
Like watching DeBerry's HS games. Dominating a 5'7"Center does nothing.
But, part of me thinks she could be Courtney Paris with a perimeter game.

Hopefully, she takes advantage of the perfect opportunity.

 

[BBallF]

Not impressed by the highlights I've seen. I dont know the level of play that Grace Christian played.
Like watching DeBerry's HS games. Dominating a 5'7"Center does nothing.
But, part of me thinks she could be Courtney Paris with a perimeter game.

Hopefully, she takes advantage of the perfect opportunity.

She has 3 components to her game that I have seen that make her special. One is her size coupled with mobility. Two, she has guard skills in her handle and passing ability. Three is her range, which includes drives, pull ups and 3s. She will be a very, very difficult player to cover for a big. If a smaller player goes on her, she can post up and her stature makes her very difficult for a smaller player to defend. If you watch her closely, you will see that she plays the UCONN way. Very unselfish and a basketball player for sure. I understand what you are trying to say with Courtney Paris with a perimeter game but the handle, the mobility and the collection of shots have to be added to make that analogy accurate.

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

Literally no expectations. I love what Sarah said about wanting to just help the team win in any way and doing whatever the coaches ask of her. That's the answer of a true champion. Sarah is not interested in individual accomplishments at all, if she were, she would be a Blue Devil rather than a Huskie.

With that being said, Sarah shouldn't feel any pressure to be "the savior" of this program because Uconn does not need a savior, they just need healthy bodies ready to come in games on demand. If we get Beers from Oregon State, I can soundly leave boneyard for the next 6 months. jk, I love our little family here.

 

[Blacketh’D]

She’ll be good. End of story

 

[hoophuskee]

Jury's out and your answer is not exactly responsive to my post.
If your point is that Page's presence assists the development of frosh...Absolutely, I agree.

But Juju and Hidalgo did more than shine...they were immediate stars with or without (seemingly without) a mentor figure.

So what? Why would anyone care who has a mentor or doesn't? This thread is about what Sarah will do.

Several on this board have been critical of Geno/UCONN for not winning it all since Stewie.
Complaining about his coaching.
And disappointed that Sarah is only "6'2."

So with all this that basically comes down to winning, so why would anyone care of the stats your Juju or Hidalgo put up vs UCONN having a more balanced offense in which Sarah plays extremely well in which UCONN wins more? Sarah more than likely is going to win more and go farther in the NCAA Tourney than Juju or Hidalgo this upcoming year. That's much more important than the better individual stats that other opposing players might achieve.


Bottomline is who cares if Juju and Hidalgo compile big stats and play vey well, vs Sarah playing “good enough” more than likely being the 2nd lead player while beating Juju and Hidalgo?

 

[Skeets]

Sarah need not start on day one, but I hope she earns that role shortly thereafter. We really are likely to have only one player back at the season's onset,from the extensive injury list. Jana should be full healthy. And she has not played one second at this level. Azzi won't be ready until late January? I have no belief Caroline will play a full season again ( she may be fully recovered, but if she gets hit one time , by one ball, she could be gone ); Aubrey got injured late and will return late ( end of February?). Patterson didn't show much the season she arrived. Due to injury? So let's not get all goo-goo eyed at next year's roster, until players are back on the court at full strength. And until then, we have three incoming freshmen, Jana, three fine looking sophomores, and Paige. We may have help in the wings, but not at the beginning.

Wow, such insight. I am impressed.

 

[BRS24]

I haven't watched hours of Sarah playing basketball but from what I have seen she is the first player in a long while that can be a spot up shooter from 3pt range. She is smooth and can shoot that range with very little effort. She is also taller than many other options UConn has on the wings and that will also be a plus.

What does she need to work on prior to next season in my opinion? Her conditioning and her strength in general. She currently has the conditioning level you would expect for a high school player but to contribute for UConn she will need to be in college shape and expect she will by November.

Per the article on ESPN -

She vividly remembers discussing her development needs with the UConn staff during recruiting to ultimately help reach her potential.​

​

"I can remember Geno [and assistant coaches Jamelle Elliott and Morgan Valley] coming to this little gym in 10th grade," she said. "UConn kept it real. They would tell me what I need to work on -- they would just tell me I need to get in better shape and now they've noticed a difference. Some coaches would be like, 'You're so good,' and obviously I know I'm not ready to be at the college level [currently]. I just like that they kept it honest."​

 

[HuskyNan]

I have seen several people who assume Jana will be starting at center. Upon what information is that based? She has not played a single second of Division 1 basketball. And how many of us regard some Egyptian league as a standard of excellence? Most of us didn't even know they played BB in Egypt. I hope you are right, and that she is brilliant. She will have to be because South Carolina already has an athlete on campus who they are touting as the next Boston ( 6'6' "with feet of a ballerina and hands of a coal miner " ). So we are likely outclassed no matter who we play at center. It is demoralizing.

This obsession people have with 6-6 players is becoming ridiculous. Kamala Cardoso is a unicorn - she’s tall and she has elite skills. Players like her are rare. She succeeds not because of her height (that’s an insulting assessment of her) but because she’s been coached how to use her skill and her height within South Carolina’s system that most benefits the team

However, UConn has played - and beaten - teams with 6-6 players this year alone. USC has 6-6 Clarice Akunwafo (did you even notice her on the court?), Duke had 6-6 Kennedy Brown and 6-5 Camila Emsbo (Aaliyah ate them alive), Jackson State had 6-6 Angel Jackson and 6-5 Laila Walker (ditto Aaliyah)…there are others I’m not bothering to look up.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s not the big girls that have caused the most problems for UConn, it’s quick guards that are three level scorers that have caused the most pain. Yes, the Huskies need to get more rebounds but with a short bench, Geno had the team run back to get the defense set rather than send players to the boards. With more big bodies to bang for rebounds next season, rebounding numbers will improve without Geno’s bringing in a giant to patrol the paint

 

[BBallF]

An important element under the boards is depth. Without depth you have foul trouble issues and fatigue, which causes mental mistakes as well. I could tell after watching Liyah for 4 years when she was tired because it inevitably was coupled with a mental error. It is a very tough game these days underneath and to get banged around for almost the entire game takes its toll. We have Sarah, Ice, Ayanna and Jana this year and eventually Aubrey. I would not be surprised if we added a big just because we have had an almost biblical run of bad luck with injuries and now have 2 open slots but I would also not be surprised if we didn't add anyone.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I think the presence of Bueckers will be such a blessing for Sarah. Paige will take the heat from the media, she’s a proven bucket getter, and can make those big plays in big moments. It gives Sarah the space to be incredibly effective without the pressures freshman like Juju and Hidalgo experienced this year. Our roster is stacked on paper, but very inexperienced when you factor in all of the time missed with injuries. There’s opportunity there for her to claim lots of plying time, and even fight to be our 2nd or 3rd option. To me it’s a great space for her to be as a freshman, and likely step into a leadership role alongside hopefully a healthy fudd as a sophomore.

The presence of Sarah will also be a blessing for Paige. There will now be a huge threat for threes in addition to Paige and Ashlyn, which will cause the opposing team to spread out to defend, leaving gaps for drives to the basket, or for passes back out to the perimeter for high-percentage threes. Great synergy to come!

 

[BBallF]

The presence of Sarah will also be a blessing for Paige. There will now be a huge threat for threes in addition to Paige and Ashlyn, which will cause the opposing team to spread out to defend, leaving gaps for drives to the basket, or for passes back out to the perimeter for high-percentage threes. Great synergy to come!

The thing about Sarah is that you have to defend the 3 on her. If she takes a big outside with her it changes the dynamic underneath.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not impressed by the highlights I've seen. I dont know the level of play that Grace Christian played.
Like watching DeBerry's HS games. Dominating a 5'7"Center does nothing.
But, part of me thinks she could be Courtney Paris with a perimeter game.

Hopefully, she takes advantage of the perfect opportunity.

You haven’t seen all the highlights. In this video she was head-to-head vs 6’3 Joyce Edwards currently ranked #3 overall recruit. In this game- Sarah got 31 points and 17 rebounds while Joyce got 27 and 9 in which Sarah won. Notice what a beautiful touch she on the perimeter. She’s sticking 3pointers at 6’2; shooting lie she’s 5’10 guard. Then look at the play with about 2:20 left in the video in which she is going inside in which Joyce is defending her. Even against a taller freakish athlete in Joyce, didn’t she make the move look awfully easy?

That’s the point with her, everything looks so easy and she is so fluid yet powerful in her way.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not impressed by the highlights I've seen. I dont know the level of play that Grace Christian played.
Like watching DeBerry's HS games. Dominating a 5'7"Center does nothing.
But, part of me thinks she could be Courtney Paris with a perimeter game.

Hopefully, she takes advantage of the perfect opportunity.

And on this video she goes head to head with number 32 ranked recruit 6’5 Blanca Thomas. In this game Sarah got 30 points and 20 rebounds. In the 2nd half of the video she scores inside more. And one play Blanca is trying to guard her- - look at the video with 3:09 left the move and the spin in the lane with ease and quick feet that Sarah puts on the 6’5 player.

So, she had 2 power games vs high quality recruits with size taller than Sarah and one of those a bit of a freakish athlete a bit taller than Sarah in which she scored a combined 61 points and had 37 rebounds. What more should we be expecting in order to be impressed? It shouldn’t be “Brianna Stewart or bust.”

 

[ktuck911]

I think Sarah will blend right in with Aaliyah moving on... Extremely talented frontcourt player, high basketball IQ... and a REBOUNDER... which we need badly... She'll be fine in year 1.