Huskies Have A Little Break: What Needs To Change Before Texas?

[kidfrom360]

After this weekend, this week long break couldn’t come at a better time IMHO. These young women learned a lot about their team in light of the news with Azzi and Caroline and had to adjust in order to compete. It was not the prettiest basketball we know that they are capable of playing, but we leave the Cayman Islands 1-1 with some insights and A LOT to figure out and work on moving forward. The good news is that we have only played 6 games and have a lot more season to get back to what we all know to be UCONN WBB and I believe we can do it.

With that said the next test that the Huskies have is on 12/3 against Texas. I would like to see the following improved this week as we prepare for that game:

1. More help from the team in regards to scoring. Paige cannot do it all on her own and similar to LLS last season, if teams begin to realize that she is the only scoring threat, they will begin to just double team her and we can’t afford that.

2. Consistent rotations. I understand Geno and staff and trying to play with multiple lineups to see who gels and what works, but with the lack of consistency, I think it’s having an opposite effect and causing us to look out of sorts.

3. Defensive intensity. After the NC State Loss and heading into Maryland, our defense looked excellent. What happened? This weekend it almost seemed as if everyone forgot how to rotate, switch, hedge, box out, etc. And even at times looked confused on which man to guard. In both UCLA and Kansas guards did whatever they wanted and that needs to change.

4. More Q. Q is a fearless shooter. Yes, there are some things she needs to work in terms of her ball handling and decision making but she is just a freshman and will figure it out over time. However, the girl can shoot and has shown a lot of confidence when she is out there. With Azzi out and no known timeline on Caroline or how often she will have these unfortunate episodes, it is essential to get Q out there to help spread the floor as she can knock down those three’s.

5. Start Amari. I know you all might think I am crazy for this, but we have a BIG issue. Literally. I think why we were as successful as we were last year was because of the Dorka presence with AE. Aubrey should most definitely be in the starting lineup as she provides that energy and athleticism that we desperately need. But she is not big enough to help clog up that paint that the combination of Dorka and AE did last year. We know that Amari is not going to give us a double double, but you can’t teach height and she is 6’6” and long and will disrupt guards shots in the paint and what other teams bigs can do, I.e. betts. Ice will get better but she proved this weekend that she can’t guard the bigs like we need her to right now.

6. Starting lineup. Paige at the one. Q, the two. Aubrey the 3, AE at 4 and Amari at the
5.

I will be traveling to watch them play next week in Texas for my bday, so really hoping that I can manifest these changes heading into that game. As always, would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!

 

[uconnfan68]

I thought you didn't want to leave Paige on an island.

 

[Gordo]

After this weekend, this week long break couldn’t come at a better time IMHO. These young women learned a lot about their team in light of the news with Azzi and Caroline and had to adjust in order to compete. It was not the prettiest basketball we know that they are capable of playing, but we leave the Cayman Islands 1-1 with some insights and A LOT to figure out and work on moving forward. The good news is that we have only played 6 games and have a lot more season to get back to what we all know to be UCONN WBB and I believe we can do it.

With that said the next test that the Huskies have is on 12/3 against Texas. I would like to see the following improved this week as we prepare for that game:

1. More help from the team in regards to scoring. Paige cannot do it all on her own and similar to LLS last season, if teams begin to realize that she is the only scoring threat, they will begin to just double team her and we can’t afford that.

2. Consistent rotations. I understand Geno and staff and trying to play with multiple lineups to see who gels and what works, but with the lack of consistency, I think it’s having an opposite effect and causing us to look out of sorts.

3. Defensive intensity. After the NC State Loss and heading into Maryland, our defense looked excellent. What happened? This weekend it almost seemed as if everyone forgot how to rotate, switch, hedge, box out, etc. And even at times looked confused on which man to guard. In both UCLA and Kansas guards did whatever they wanted and that needs to change.

4. More Q. Q is a fearless shooter. Yes, there are some things she needs to work in terms of her ball handling and decision making but she is just a freshman and will figure it out over time. However, the girl can shoot and has shown a lot of confidence when she is out there. With Azzi out and no known timeline on Caroline or how often she will have these unfortunate episodes, it is essential to get Q out there to help spread the floor as she can knock down those three’s.

5. Start Amari. I know you all might think I am crazy for this, but we have a BIG issue. Literally. I think why we were as successful as we were last year was because of the Dorka presence with AE. Aubrey should most definitely be in the starting lineup as she provides that energy and athleticism that we desperately need. But she is not big enough to help clog up that paint that the combination of Dorka and AE did last year. We know that Amari is not going to give us a double double, but you can’t teach height and she is 6’6” and long and will disrupt guards shots in the paint and what other teams bigs can do, I.e. betts. Ice will get better but she proved this weekend that she can’t guard the bigs like we need her to right now.

6. Starting lineup. Paige at the one. Q, the two. Aubrey the 3, AE at 4 and Amari at the
5.

I will be traveling to watch them play next week in Texas for my bday, so really hoping that I can manifest these changes heading into that game. As always, would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!

Yes, a little bit crazy, but early Happy B-Day anyway.

We definitely need someone who can consistently hit the outside shot besides Paige. Q certainly could be the answer! And, since we don't have any BIG including Edwards playing very well, perhaps starting Amari would at least shut those up who think she can actually do something. She hasn't so far. I'll be happy to eat crow if and when she does. I don't want to see her at the top of the key, I want her in the low post fighting for the ball and scoring hopefully easy baskets. On defense I want to see her defending the rim, blocking shots and fiercely grabbing rebounds. That's what it will take to truly help this team and at 6'6 that's what she should be doing.

 

[and one]

We need a set starting five for sure. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Amari could step in and be a force in the paint? The reality is that she languishes on the bench because she doesn't impress in practice and what playing time she gets is underwhelming. If you must start a big along side AE, Ice would be the better choice. If you really want to start Amari, give her 30 minutes on the floor and see how that experiment works out, do it against a BE bottom feeder, not Texas. I just don't know what she has done to earn a starter role.

 

[Blakeon18]

Well...it is an 'interesting' starting 5.
Not enough ball-handlers...repeat...not enough ball-handlers.

 

[BRS24]

We need a set starting five for sure. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Amari could step in and be a force in the paint? The reality is that she languishes on the bench because she doesn't impress in practice and what playing time she gets is underwhelming. If you must start a big along side AE, Ice would be the better choice. If you really want to start Amari, give her 30 minutes on the floor and see how that experiment works out, do it against a BE bottom feeder, not Texas. I just don't know what she has done to earn a starter role.

Hold this thought. I went back thru some data I was tracking since 2020, and due to the myriad of lineup changes over the last 3+ seasons, I'm now going to venture to a season or two prior to 2020 and see what I can find. I have some opinions, however will dig a little to see if they hold true.

 

[dtbtbtb]

I would still start Ice with AE and have Amari be the first big of the bench but Ice sure needs to learn how to box out for rebounds. She is not a leaper and getting 1 rebound in the game yesterday (in 17 min. of game time) is not a good stat for a big.

 

[Gordo]

We need a set starting five for sure.

Pretty hard to do so when you don't know from game to game what players are going to be available.

 

[hoophuskee]

2. Consistent rotations. I understand Geno and staff and trying to play with multiple lineups to see who gels and what works, but with the lack of consistency, I think it’s having an opposite effect and causing us to look out of sorts.

3. Defensive intensity. After the NC State Loss and heading into Maryland, our defense looked excellent. What happened? This weekend it almost seemed as if everyone forgot how to rotate, switch, hedge, box out, etc. And even at times looked confused on which man to guard. In both UCLA and Kansas guards did whatever they wanted and that needs to change.

5. Start Amari. I know you all might think I am crazy for this, but we have a BIG issue. Literally. I think why we were as successful as we were last year was because of the Dorka presence with AE. Aubrey should most definitely be in the starting lineup as she provides that energy and athleticism that we desperately need. But she is not big enough to help clog up that paint that the combination of Dorka and AE did last year. We know that Amari is not going to give us a double double, but you can’t teach height and she is 6’6” and long and will disrupt guards shots in the paint and what other teams bigs can do, I.e. betts. Ice will get better but she proved this weekend that she can’t guard the bigs like we need her to right now.

Just having some fun with this post Unless Amari proves herself in practices she shouldn't play anything close you suggest. You might not be able to teach size but nor can you teach physical strength during a game. And since when does strength not matter?
(if she can't beat out Ice -- what are you expecting when she goes against good teams?) - Anyhow, Your points about "You want consistent rotations." "You want Defensive intensity." Then you say you want Amari to play 30???? ---- She picked up 2 fouls in five minutes was pushed under the basket and you want to slap in the face every UCONN player that is outplaying her just because you think she can block a few shots despite being pushed under the basket? IMO at the 1:06-1:10 minute mark of the movie The Rock Sean Connery makes a remark that suits the Amari clamoring for minutes - ."This is an act of lunacy, General, sir." I deleted the YouTube from here due to certain issues but you get the point.

And as far as your wanting to play Wargames with the roster and blow up the roster, imo a far better alternative is available than trying to win a war with one quick nuclear strike. Rather just wait for health to come back such as with Patterson. SO play a nice patient game of chess instead without the massive over-reaction. Let's choose not to play this strange game of upheaval that you
propose.

 

[Gordo]

I would still start Ice with AE and have Amari be the first big of the bench but Ice sure needs to learn how to box out for rebounds. She is not a leaper and getting 1 rebound in the game yesterday (in 17 min. of game time) is not a good stat for a big.

Ice's inability to score or as you point out rebound for a so-called BIG makes me seriously question putting her in the starting lineup. Lets give Amari a serious shot at it.

 

[Zonepress]

After this weekend, this week long break couldn’t come at a better time IMHO. These young women learned a lot about their team in light of the news with Azzi and Caroline and had to adjust in order to compete. It was not the prettiest basketball we know that they are capable of playing, but we leave the Cayman Islands 1-1 with some insights and A LOT to figure out and work on moving forward. The good news is that we have only played 6 games and have a lot more season to get back to what we all know to be UCONN WBB and I believe we can do it.

With that said the next test that the Huskies have is on 12/3 against Texas. I would like to see the following improved this week as we prepare for that game:

1. More help from the team in regards to scoring. Paige cannot do it all on her own and similar to LLS last season, if teams begin to realize that she is the only scoring threat, they will begin to just double team her and we can’t afford that.

2. Consistent rotations. I understand Geno and staff and trying to play with multiple lineups to see who gels and what works, but with the lack of consistency, I think it’s having an opposite effect and causing us to look out of sorts.

3. Defensive intensity. After the NC State Loss and heading into Maryland, our defense looked excellent. What happened? This weekend it almost seemed as if everyone forgot how to rotate, switch, hedge, box out, etc. And even at times looked confused on which man to guard. In both UCLA and Kansas guards did whatever they wanted and that needs to change.

4. More Q. Q is a fearless shooter. Yes, there are some things she needs to work in terms of her ball handling and decision making but she is just a freshman and will figure it out over time. However, the girl can shoot and has shown a lot of confidence when she is out there. With Azzi out and no known timeline on Caroline or how often she will have these unfortunate episodes, it is essential to get Q out there to help spread the floor as she can knock down those three’s.

5. Start Amari. I know you all might think I am crazy for this, but we have a BIG issue. Literally. I think why we were as successful as we were last year was because of the Dorka presence with AE. Aubrey should most definitely be in the starting lineup as she provides that energy and athleticism that we desperately need. But she is not big enough to help clog up that paint that the combination of Dorka and AE did last year. We know that Amari is not going to give us a double double, but you can’t teach height and she is 6’6” and long and will disrupt guards shots in the paint and what other teams bigs can do, I.e. betts. Ice will get better but she proved this weekend that she can’t guard the bigs like we need her to right now.

6. Starting lineup. Paige at the one. Q, the two. Aubrey the 3, AE at 4 and Amari at the
5.

I will be traveling to watch them play next week in Texas for my bday, so really hoping that I can manifest these changes heading into that game. As always, would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!

Not sure if you actually watch the games

Re;2 when you have 7 maybe 8 players what is a consistent rotation fouls, the other teams strengths
And who is playing well will dictate who plsys
Re;3 the defensive intensity against UCLA was very good team and the wide-open threes that everyone complains about is the result of having to double team on a 6-7 player which created kick out threes
Well, there were some missed assignments against Kansas. Let’s see I remember page stealing the ball and going length of court, and then stealing it again passing off her lap, and I think Aubrey Griffin took one coast-to-coast after a steel.
some of the younger players were out of position butto say they’re not playing with intensity is simply not true THE OTHER TEAMS HAVE GOOD PLAYERS TOO!!’
4-while q will eventually be a good player
In the last 3 games she has not shot the ball well at
All and like most bb players coming out of high school, defense is a challenge and her play on the defensive end is not at the level of the rest
Of the team the coach obviously recognizes her three-point shooting ability and has been giving her some minutes
5-all I will say regarding number five if you could have possibly watch the game

 

[Gordo]

Just having some fun with this post Unless Amari proves herself in practices she shouldn't play anything close you suggest. You might not be able to teach size but nor can you teach physical strength during a game. And since when does strength not matter?
(if she can't beat out Ice -- what are you expecting when she goes against good teams?) - Anyhow, Your points about "You want consistent rotations." "You want Defensive intensity." Then you say you want Amari to play 30???? ---- She picked up 2 fouls in five minutes was pushed under the basket and you want to slap in the face every UCONN player that is outplaying her just because you think she can block a few shots despite being pushed under the basket? IMO at the 1:06-1:10 minute mark of the movie The Rock Sean Connery makes a remark that suits the Amari clamoring for minutes - ."This is an act of lunacy, General, sir." I deleted the YouTube from here due to certain issues but you get the point.

And as far as your wanting to play Wargames with the roster and blow up the roster, imo a far better alternative is available than trying to win a war with one quick nuclear strike. Rather just wait for health to come back such as with Patterson. SO play a nice patient game of chess instead without the massive over-reaction. Let's choose not to play this strange game of upheaval that you
propose.

We might be waiting a long time for Patterson, and she didn't exactly set the world on fire last season either.

 

[and one]

Pretty hard to do so when you don't know from game to game what players are going to be available.

Well there is that Gordo. My plan is to assume there will be no more injuries, irrational as that may be.

 

[hoophuskee]

We might be waiting a long time for Patterson, and she didn't exactly set the world on fire last season either.

Geno did say she is close.

And she was ahead of Amari last year.

 

[Gordo]

Geno did say she is close.

And she was ahead of Amari last year.

Everybody is ahead of Amari except maybe Ines.

 

[BRS24]

Geno did say she is close.

And she was ahead of Amari last year.

Per recap in article about this weekend, "Patterson, a sophomore forward, had surgical procedure on her knee in June. (Patterson) had some issues coming out of high school and it's just might have been in a game last year or something she, you know, aggravated (her knee) again,” Auriemma said. “We’ve tried a whole bunch of different things and she's not, you know, she's not responded consistently like we had hoped from a medical standpoint. So there really is no timeline.”

In addition to the announcement of Fudd's injury, the trip didn't get off to a good start: "UConn was supposed to arrive in the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, but the team's charter plane had mechanical issues and never got off the ground."

 

[boscolino]

To be effective AE has to play together with another big. She is a PF.

 

[omshanti]

the starters c

Just having some fun with this post Unless Amari proves herself in practices she shouldn't play anything close you suggest. You might not be able to teach size but nor can you teach physical strength during a game. And since when does strength not matter?
(if she can't beat out Ice -- what are you expecting when she goes against good teams?) - Anyhow, Your points about "You want consistent rotations." "You want Defensive intensity." Then you say you want Amari to play 30???? ---- She picked up 2 fouls in five minutes was pushed under the basket and you want to slap in the face every UCONN player that is outplaying her just because you think she can block a few shots despite being pushed under the basket? IMO at the 1:06-1:10 minute mark of the movie The Rock Sean Connery makes a remark that suits the Amari clamoring for minutes - ."This is an act of lunacy, General, sir." I deleted the YouTube from here due to certain issues but you get the point.

And as far as your wanting to play Wargames with the roster and blow up the roster, imo a far better alternative is available than trying to win a war with one quick nuclear strike. Rather just wait for health to come back such as with Patterson. SO play a nice patient game of chess instead without the massive over-reaction. Let's choose not to play this strange game of upheaval that you
propose.

paige got two quick fouls yesterday in the first six minutes of the game. Just saying.

I’d go with Bueckers, Muhl, Griffin, Amari and Edwards. When Caroline started she got pulled early in the first quarter. The freshmen need to continue to get their feet wet. Geno has been starting different freshmen hoping for someone to step up. KK is not a great choice with Nika and Paige.

Both Amari and Ice are coming into the season post surgery so I give them both grace here. Nobody knows what their level of comfort is, physically or mentally. Seems like Caroline has the sympathetic of fans yet others coming back don’t. Just my observation.

 

[Gordo]

To be effective AE has to play together with another big. She is a PF.

There's no argument there, the question IS what BIG do we play? Do we actually have one that can get the job done?

 

[Gordo]

Seems like Caroline has the sympathetic of fans yet others coming back don’t. Just my observation.

Caroline has the sympathy of many (not all) fans because we know what skills and talents she at least had. She's demonstrated them to us when healthy and has won ball games. Others coming back (unnamed?) most likely have not ... at least not at the level Caroline has. We pray for her return to All American potential ... soon.

 

[omshanti]

Caroline has the sympathy of many (not all) fans because we know what skills and talents she at least had. She's demonstrated them to us when healthy and has won ball games. Others coming back (unnamed?) most likely have not ... at least not at the level Caroline has. We pray for her return to All American potential ... soon.

I hope and pray for her health also, as I do all the players. I guess I don’t understand lack of sympathy and understanding for others. It’s unfortunate that any kid is injured, not just a star.…

 

[Gordo]

I hope and pray for her health also, as I do all the players. I guess I don’t understand lack of sympathy and understanding for others. It’s unfortunate that any kid is injured, not just a star.…

Why do you continue with the negativity regarding Caroline. Do your homework and research what she has done in the past for us. Why do you think Geno was starting her? He knows what she has in there somewhere. Again, you have not named the players you feel the fan base has no sympathy for. Kind of difficult to respond without that information! And please stop calling these young women kids. It's insulting to them!

 

[sun]

I'm concerend about Edwards playing a little too agressively, especially on offense.
Maybe she's frustrated by the injuries & feels that she needs to make up for the lack of scorers.
She's hitting the floor hard & missing shots.
IMO being overly aggressive probably isn't the best way to become a 1st team AA & the refs will notice it too.

 

[hoophuskee]

the starters c

paige got two quick fouls yesterday in the first six minutes of the game. Just saying.

I

Just saying "what?"