Husky Hoopla: Projected Starting 5 - another opinion

[Sluconn Husky]

I think you can draw a very good case that Paige won't start at the beginning of the year. That would put her in the company of Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Shea Ralph, and many others. Either way, she will play a lot of minutes.

Friendly wager?

 

[JoePgh]

If Westbrook doesn’t start, who will guard Jackson if UConn meets Miss State in game number 2? Wouldn’t be Griffin if she’s expected to play the 4.

Where is it written (particularly in Geno's book of basketball) that a player must play the same "position" on defense that she does on offense? Remember that Gabby Williams was a front court player on offense, but often guarded on the perimeter on defense. Kelly Faris was typically a guard or wing on offense, but sometimes guarded the opponent's forward if she was a scoring threat (e.g., when they played Maryland with Alyssa Thomas). The same thing could be done with either Aubrey or Evina (which is not to say that will actually happen).

Having different roles on offense and defense is a part of position-less basketball.

 

[Zinethar]

While I agree that we don't know how Paige will play against college players because it is far different from High School I would like to point out that she has a lot of experience with the USA teams (U18, U17 etc.). Those teams often played against college kids or even professionals from other countries. She does have a different kind of experience that hopefully will bode her well.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

If I'm not mistaken Geno said a while back that Paige's HS team ran an offense similar to UCONN's!
So it's not a complete surprise or huge learning curve if she started.
IMHO Geno and staff will coach this season out of their comfort zone! They have 7 NEW players (including Evina) 8 or 9 extremely athletic! So I see Geno having different personal on the court together.
Remember when often injured Caroline Doty was a junior/senior started at PG/SG she played the 1st 5-6 minutes than turned it over to one of the other G's who watched the pace of the game! Geno is intensely loyal and even though Evina hasn't played games for 2 years he will want to start her experience for several minutes to get the team in the right frame of mind!
So with all that being said my starting 5 will be:
PG Paige
SG Evina
SF CW
PF Anna
C ONO
Aubrey 1st off the bench (ENERGIZER BUNNY)
Edwards next off the bench, (ENFORCER)
Nika PG sub
Mir really athletic see how she improves for playing time
Hopefully there will be NO serious sickness or injuries!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm not confident I can pick the starting 5 this season, but I'll offer a few thoughts:

--It's not as important who starts as who gets meaningful minutes, especially in tough games. Recall that Morgan Valley, Brittany Hunter, and Caroline Doty, late in their careers, started games but didn't play many minutes due to injury. In contrast, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis didn't start as a freshman, but typically played the rest of each half after she came in off the bench--and she led the team in scoring.

--Geno tends to start upperclassmen, everything being equal, and rarely demotes a former starter to a non-starting role. This bodes well for Anna.

--As has been noted, some of the greatest UConn players ever didn't start as freshmen until injuries to teammates (Shea Ralph for Diana and Kalana Greene for Maya, for example) gave them opportunities.

--Geno has started some freshmen when they were the best options at their positions. I think Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles, Caroline Doty, Stef Dolson, Bria Hartley, and Christyn Williams all basically started from Day 1.

--In Evina's case, her physical status early on may determine how much she plays, including whether or not she starts.

--Last year, we were confident that Crystal, Megan, Christyn, and Olivia would be starters, but most of us had trouble finding a single player who would be the 5th starter. I thought it could be Aubrey, while others thought it would be Kyla, Batouly, or Molly. Some, though not many, thought it would be Anna. In essence, there was a dearth of good options. All of them were unproven or needed to improve substantially. This year is very different. Almost all of us agree that Christyn, Liv, and Anna--the 3 remaining starters--will keep their starting spots. When asking, "Who will fill the remaining 2 spots?" we offer 4 or 5 options, all of which look pretty good: Evina started 2 years for Tennessee, Aubrey was an impact player last year and is now "100 times better," Paige is the most heralded freshman anywhere since Stewie, Aaliyah has played internationally at the highest level and is likely our best option at power forward, and Nika is a tough 19 year-old with years of playing in a pro league under her belt. This year, there seems to be an abundance of options, not a dearth. I really, really like our top 8!

 

[psconn]

I'm not confident I can pick the starting 5 this season, but I'll offer a few thoughts:

--It's not as important who starts as who gets meaningful minutes, especially in tough games. Recall that Morgan Valley, Brittany Hunter, and Caroline Doty, late in their careers, started games but didn't play many minutes due to injury. In contrast, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis didn't start as a freshman, but typically played the rest of each half after she came in off the bench--and she led the team in scoring.

--Geno tends to start upperclassmen, everything being equal, and rarely demotes a former starter to a non-starting role. This bodes well for Anna.

--As has been noted, some of the greatest UConn players ever didn't start as freshmen until injuries to teammates (Shea Ralph for Diana and Kalana Greene for Maya, for example) gave them opportunities.

--Geno has started some freshmen when they were the best options at their positions. I think Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles, Caroline Doty, Stef Dolson, Bria Hartley, and Christyn Williams all basically started from Day 1.

--In Evina's case, her physical status early on may determine how much she plays, including whether or not she starts.

--Last year, we were confident that Crystal, Megan, Christyn, and Olivia would be starters, but most of us had trouble finding a single player who would be the 5th starter. I thought it could be Aubrey, while others thought it would be Kyla, Batouly, or Molly. Some, though not many, thought it would be Anna. In essence, there was a dearth of good options. All of them were unproven or needed to improve substantially. This year is very different. Almost all of us agree that Christyn, Liv, and Anna--the 3 remaining starters--will keep their starting spots. When asking, "Who will fill the remaining 2 spots?" we offer 4 or 5 options, all of which look pretty good: Evina started 2 years for Tennessee, Aubrey was an impact player last year and is now "100 times better," Paige is the most heralded freshman anywhere since Stewie, Aaliyah has played internationally at the highest level and is likely our best option at power forward, and Nika is a tough 19 year-old with years of playing in a pro league under her belt. This year, there seems to be an abundance of options, not a dearth. I really, really like our top 8!

The only way it's not the 5 returners starting on opening day is if Evina isn't physically ready!
I say this with the absolute certainty that comes from a dearth of info and a recognition that there are no consequences for being wrong.

 

[oldhusky]

I'm not confident I can pick the starting 5 this season, but I'll offer a few thoughts:

--It's not as important who starts as who gets meaningful minutes, especially in tough games. Recall that Morgan Valley, Brittany Hunter, and Caroline Doty, late in their careers, started games but didn't play many minutes due to injury. In contrast, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis didn't start as a freshman, but typically played the rest of each half after she came in off the bench--and she led the team in scoring.

--Geno tends to start upperclassmen, everything being equal, and rarely demotes a former starter to a non-starting role. This bodes well for Anna.

--As has been noted, some of the greatest UConn players ever didn't start as freshmen until injuries to teammates (Shea Ralph for Diana and Kalana Greene for Maya, for example) gave them opportunities.

--Geno has started some freshmen when they were the best options at their positions. I think Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles, Caroline Doty, Stef Dolson, Bria Hartley, and Christyn Williams all basically started from Day 1.

--In Evina's case, her physical status early on may determine how much she plays, including whether or not she starts.

--Last year, we were confident that Crystal, Megan, Christyn, and Olivia would be starters, but most of us had trouble finding a single player who would be the 5th starter. I thought it could be Aubrey, while others thought it would be Kyla, Batouly, or Molly. Some, though not many, thought it would be Anna. In essence, there was a dearth of good options. All of them were unproven or needed to improve substantially. This year is very different. Almost all of us agree that Christyn, Liv, and Anna--the 3 remaining starters--will keep their starting spots. When asking, "Who will fill the remaining 2 spots?" we offer 4 or 5 options, all of which look pretty good: Evina started 2 years for Tennessee, Aubrey was an impact player last year and is now "100 times better," Paige is the most heralded freshman anywhere since Stewie, Aaliyah has played internationally at the highest level and is likely our best option at power forward, and Nika is a tough 19 year-old with years of playing in a pro league under her belt. This year, there seems to be an abundance of options, not a dearth. I really, really like our top 8!

This was a very good post that I will take exception just to one part of one comment. With regards to it doesn't matter who starts, as to who gets meaning-full minutes, for Nika I don't think that is true. If Evina plays many minutes at all at PG, or starts there, then Nika becomes a minor player. Instead of the backup point guard she becomes the third string point guard. Paige and Evina are more versatile in terms of playing other positions, Nika less so.

For other players among the top 8, your comment is true. Aubrey and Aaliyah will fight for the starter at PF, but regardless both will get significant minutes, as Aaliyah will also be needed as the backup center. At the wings, if Christyn and Anna start and Evina comes off the bench, Evina will still get backup minutes at both positions, or the same is true for Anna if Evina beats her out at SF.

So even though Evina could play PG and play it effectively, for the team as assembled, Geno's best use of her to give relevance to the top 8 players he seems to have confidence in, would be to concentrate her minutes at SG and SF regardless of whether she starts or comes off the bench.

 

[JonathanXIV]

The only way it's not the 5 returners starting on opening day is if Evina isn't physically ready!
I say this with the absolute certainty that comes from a dearth of info and a recognition that there are no consequences for being wrong.

Five returning starters? I think two of last year's starters are playing in the WNBA.

 

[Jingo]

No one seems to be discussing one of the major problems of last year's team, the fact that Liv [and Ania] were open a lot but didn't get the ball, courtesy of you-know-who. Hopefully, with Paige and/or Nika on the floor, this problem will be resolved. If so, our team's prospects will be much brighter, eh?

 

[Littlemin]

This was a very good post that I will take exception just to one part of one comment. With regards to it doesn't matter who starts, as to who gets meaning-full minutes, for Nika I don't think that is true. If Evina plays many minutes at all at PG, or starts there, then Nika becomes a minor player. Instead of the backup point guard she becomes the third string point guard. Paige and Evina are more versatile in terms of playing other positions, Nika less so.

For other players among the top 8, your comment is true. Aubrey and Aaliyah will fight for the starter at PF, but regardless both will get significant minutes, as Aaliyah will also be needed as the backup center. At the wings, if Christyn and Anna start and Evina comes off the bench, Evina will still get backup minutes at both positions, or the same is true for Anna if Evina beats her out at SF.

So even though Evina could play PG and play it effectively, for the team as assembled, Geno's best use of her to give relevance to the top 8 players he seems to have confidence in, would be to concentrate her minutes at SG and SF regardless of whether she starts or comes off the bench.

Muhl’s defense, passing ability but especially her toughness will lead to her being on the court way more than many of the projections. I read the same opinions about Makurat and they proved to be wrong. And Bueckers and Westbrook’s versatility will make it much easier for Auriemma and Dailey to find Muhl minutes. And don’t underestimate the need for her toughness, mental and physical, it is something Uconn has missed for the last few years. One of the intangibles that becomes very contagious. And from all reports she is one talented, fearless, tough as nails, winning player.

 

[oldhusky]

No one seems to be discussing one of the major problems of last year's team, the fact that Liv [and Ania] were open a lot but didn't get the ball, courtesy of you-know-who. Hopefully, with Paige and/or Nika on the floor, this problem will be resolved. If so, our team's prospects will be much brighter, eh?

Last year's ball-handling numbers for the team were not bad, but I also thought by Uconn standards it was mediocre, and Anna was the only player who was in my opinion a creative and very good instinctive passer, relative to her position. Both Paige and Nika are that, even for the point guard position. Paige might play a little off the ball if in with Nika, and we add Evina who played point guard at Tennessee, and I think Aaliyah may be pretty good there as well. I seem to recall Christyn said something about the ball moving very well this year with more open looks for shooters like her. This year we bring lots of passing back into the equation, and next year it will be the year we add incredible shooting.

 

[BBallF]

Rocky, at this point, I'm all tapped out. I'm done trying to figure out who the 5 players Geno is going to use next weekend. Half the BY wants Evina to start, the other half wants Paige to start. Each side can present a credible argument to support their case. They are BOTH going to get MAJOR minutes. As long as there is a "beat down" of their opponent some where between the tip and the buzzer, I'm good.

We don't know who is doing what in practice day to day, who is raising/or has risen above everyone else in the last week. Evina may have been penciled in at pg when practice began, and maybe Paige has come in and learned the system enough to convince Geno that she should start. Geno may put Evina on a "pitch count" with respect to minutes played. I don't know. I'm out of envelopes, and my turban keeps falling off.

At this point, I don't care who starts. Paige, Aaliyah and Nika are all going to get major minutes. RIGHT NOW, I care more about the cohesion of the 5 players on the floor at any given time. I want to see a crisp and efficient offense and a lock down "in your face" defense regardless of who is on the floor.

I want 2 convincing (30+pts) wins next weekend. I don't care how they do it!! A convincing win over No. 6 Miss St. would be much more impressive, as Quinnipiac is an unranked mid-major. The good thing is we'll have two games to review and look at the play of every player that we may have missed watching it live.

Totally agree. I would just add one thing that I want to see. A full court pressing defense used regularly but not constantly with Mir and Aubrey on the court at some point in time together with either Nika or Paige as one of the two guards or both and Aaliyah as a back defender. Everyone is concentrating on Paige as part of our offense but Geno loves defense and saw what it did to turn around our team last year and he recruited the above four freshmen who are not being given enough BY attention as defenders. I want to see what they can do on D. You want to win by 30? A good way is to prevent the opponent from getting the ball past half court without a turnover.

 

[MD#12Fan]

This was a very good post that I will take exception just to one part of one comment. With regards to it doesn't matter who starts, as to who gets meaning-full minutes, for Nika I don't think that is true. If Evina plays many minutes at all at PG, or starts there, then Nika becomes a minor player. Instead of the backup point guard she becomes the third string point guard. Paige and Evina are more versatile in terms of playing other positions, Nika less so.

For other players among the top 8, your comment is true. Aubrey and Aaliyah will fight for the starter at PF, but regardless both will get significant minutes, as Aaliyah will also be needed as the backup center. At the wings, if Christyn and Anna start and Evina comes off the bench, Evina will still get backup minutes at both positions, or the same is true for Anna if Evina beats her out at SF.

So even though Evina could play PG and play it effectively, for the team as assembled, Geno's best use of her to give relevance to the top 8 players he seems to have confidence in, would be to concentrate her minutes at SG and SF regardless of whether she starts or comes off the bench.

IMO your post is too authoritative. Not enough data to make so many assertions. Do you have a Bill Belichick borrowed camera or something? Come on, you only make yourself irrelevant by being so assertive.
One of the thrills, besides just watching a UConn WCBB game on Saturday, will be actually seeing with our own eyes what right now for ALL of us is just a figment of our imaginations.

 

[psconn]

Five returning starters? I think two of last year's starters are playing in the WNBA.

The "the five returners starting" is what I said, as in the 5 players who were on last year's roster. You turned that into "five returning starters"... creative, but a waste of some good snark. That's ok, its preseason for posters also.

 

[JonathanXIV]

The "the five returners starting" is what I said, as in the 5 players who were on last year's roster. You turned that into "five returning starters"... creative, but a waste of some good snark. That's ok, its preseason for posters also.

Wasn't trying to be snarky, just trying to understand your post. Obviously I misread it. My bad.

 

[JonathanXIV]

No one seems to be discussing one of the major problems of last year's team, the fact that Liv [and Ania] were open a lot but didn't get the ball, courtesy of you-know-who. Hopefully, with Paige and/or Nika on the floor, this problem will be resolved. If so, our team's prospects will be much brighter, eh?

"You know who?" Really, all of UConn's ball movement problems were due to one player? Not likely.

 

[DEpup]

No one seems to be discussing one of the major problems of last year's team, the fact that Liv [and Ania] were open a lot but didn't get the ball, courtesy of you-know-who. Hopefully, with Paige and/or Nika on the floor, this problem will be resolved. If so, our team's prospects will be much brighter, eh?

I'm glad you brought this up. Megan Walker could put some points on the board and do acceptable rebounding but passing and defense were never her strengths. And it was even exacerbated by her noticeable lack of passing towards Anna when she was open. With respect to Liv, I'm just not sure she had anough skill and confidence to get the ball into her. It's unfortunate that like Azure she never reached her max as a complete player. It's hard to say this since she was the top scorer but I think she was often the number one reason that the ball got stuck most of the time....I'm sure she tells herself that COVID was the reason for her wnba season but I would offer another reason, lack of being a complete player....I'll now duck for the incoming.

 

[DEpup]

Muhl’s defense, passing ability but especially her toughness will lead to her being on the court way more than many of the projections. I read the same opinions about Makurat and they proved to be wrong. And Bueckers and Westbrook’s versatility will make it much easier for Auriemma and Dailey to find Muhl minutes. And don’t underestimate the need for her toughness, mental and physical, it is something Uconn has missed for the last few years. One of the intangibles that becomes very contagious. And from all reports she is one talented, fearless, tough as nails, winning player.

There is a thought in my mind that Geno could sit down with Evina and they could strategize something like we need you to start the game running the offense since you have experience, age, and more knowledge of our offense. In the first 5 minutes you set the tone, settle folks down, and allow the kids to watch to get ready.

Your knee isn't 100% so then we'll sub you out for Paige and after a rest we'll get you back in mostly off the ball where you can do a lot of damage and is your ultimate WNBA position anyway which will keep you, Chrystin, and Anna able to press all game.

Just a thought.

 

[Jingo]

I'm glad you brought this up. Megan Walker could put some points on the board and do acceptable rebounding but passing and defense were never her strengths. And it was even exacerbated by her noticeable lack of passing towards Anna when she was open. With respect to Liv, I'm just not sure she had anough skill and confidence to get the ball into her. It's unfortunate that like Azure she never reached her max as a complete player. It's hard to say this since she was the top scorer but I think she was often the number one reason that the ball got stuck most of the time....I'm sure she tells herself that COVID was the reason for her wnba season but I would offer another reason, lack of being a complete player....I'll now duck for the incoming.

DEpup .. Your analysis is spot on and I appreciate your candor, the fact that you "tell it like it is/was"
This year, with two "pass first/shoot second" point guards, plus Ania, I predict that Liv will have a breakout season and be a unanimous All-American!

 

[Alydar]

Bobby, no one said you are or should be afraid to express your opinion. That's what this forum is for. Sometimes others are going to disagree with your take, that's just the way it is. This is one of those times. I'm not going to get into the "semantics" (assumptions) back and forth with you on this.

Until she has played a game, and you have something TANGIBLE" to point to support your argument, it's an assumption. Show me something right now that proves or supports your take. you can't. She has done some wonderful things against high school competition. She's done nothing against college level players, some who are older, more experienced, BIGGER and faster than she is.

I understand and respect your point of view, I just can't go along with it until I see her play against 1-2 top 10 teams. She'll have 6-7 games under her belt by the Christmas break. Using those games, if you still want to say that she is the best player on the team, you'll have something to use to PROVE your point. Something we can all see and say yea, or nay. Right now, it's mere speculation. I know you don't agree with that. What she did in HS DOES NOT carry over to college, you know that. She's got to put some stats and numbers in the record (game) book first. She comes here with a clean slate, just like every other freshman before her. Right now, her stat line is zeros across the board.

Not completely true. On the U17 and U19 teams she played with several team mates who had completed a year of college and she still had another year of HS. And she didn't play a role, she started, ahead of older and more experienced players. And she won the U19 MVP on a team that included Boston, Howard, Jones, Cooke.
So yes, she has zero college game experience. But in an open competition for a position on USA teams she beat out a lot of older and more experienced players for a starting position.

 

[Jingo]

There is a thought in my mind that Geno could sit down with Evina and they could strategize something like we need you to start the game running the offense since you have experience, age, and more knowledge of our offense. In the first 5 minutes you set the tone, settle folks down, and allow the kids to watch to get ready.

Your knee isn't 100% so then we'll sub you out for Paige and after a rest we'll get you back in mostly off the ball where you can do a lot of damage and is your ultimate WNBA position anyway which will keep you, Chrystin, and Anna able to press all game.

Just a thought.

I foresee Aubrey&Mir doing the most damage at the top of the press w Liv being the 'ultimate' rim protector [as good as Bre?] Interesting to think bout who would play the back of the press?

 

[BBallF]

I foresee Aubrey&Mir doing the most damage at the top of the press w Liv being the 'ultimate' rim protector [as good as Bre?] Interesting to think bout who would play the back of the press?

I foresee that also. I see AE at the very back of the press at times spelling Liv and at the half court line at others with a ball handling guard such as Paige, Nika or Evina.

 

[Alydar]

Something tells me that the Quin game will be the all-time most analyzed game.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Rocky, at this point, I'm all tapped out. I'm done trying to figure out who the 5 players Geno is going to use next weekend. Half the BY wants Evina to start, the other half wants Paige to start. Each side can present a credible argument to support their case. They are BOTH going to get MAJOR minutes. As long as there is a "beat down" of their opponent some where between the tip and the buzzer, I'm good.

We don't know who is doing what in practice day to day, who is raising/or has risen above everyone else in the last week. Evina may have been penciled in at pg when practice began, and maybe Paige has come in and learned the system enough to convince Geno that she should start. Geno may put Evina on a "pitch count" with respect to minutes played. I don't know. I'm out of envelopes, and my turban keeps falling off.

At this point, I don't care who starts. Paige, Aaliyah and Nika are all going to get major minutes. RIGHT NOW, I care more about the cohesion of the 5 players on the floor at any given time. I want to see a crisp and efficient offense and a lock down "in your face" defense regardless of who is on the floor.

I want 2 convincing (30+pts) wins next weekend. I don't care how they do it!! A convincing win over No. 6 Miss St. would be much more impressive, as Quinnipiac is an unranked mid-major. The good thing is we'll have two games to review and look at the play of every player that we may have missed watching it live.

I personally think that based on what I've heard regarding Paige, that she has the ability to come into almost any scenario with almost any team and in very short order, she'll be running the team in a very cohesive fashion ... her instincts along with her skills and her court vision are through the roof based on everything I've heard and seen and other than a little familiarization with her teammates (which I'm inclined to think she's already done), she'll be running on all cylinders right away .... There's concern, based on what Geno's said as to whether Evina will be 100% anytime soon so it may be that she'd more likely be coming off the bench ... obviously that's just speculation but we'll know very soon, won't we????

 

[Buzzyboy]

No one seems to be discussing one of the major problems of last year's team, the fact that Liv [and Ania] were open a lot but didn't get the ball, courtesy of you-know-who. Hopefully, with Paige and/or Nika on the floor, this problem will be resolved. If so, our team's prospects will be much brighter, eh?

I think it's quite possible that Evina may be playing very little point guard and instead either the 2 or 3 position ... she didn't play last year and prior to that she had some serious turnover numbers which suggests that she shouldn't be the primary ball handler running the Huskies offense .... Not when there's an extraordinarily gifted point guard (Paige) along with another (Nika) available and very, very capable .... Again, there's only one person who ends up making the lineup card and that's Geno .... I have never seen Evina play so I'm obviously depending on some second hand info from a couple of years back but I thought I'd throw my two cents around ....

 

[Buzzyboy]

DEpup .. Your analysis is spot on and I appreciate your candor, the fact that you "tell it like it is/was"
This year, with two "pass first/shoot second" point guards, plus Ania, I predict that Liv will have a breakout season and be a unanimous All-American!

I like the sound of that ....

 

[Jingo]

I foresee that also. I see AE at the very back of the press at times spelling Liv and at the half court line at others with a ball handling guard such as Paige, Nika or Evina.

I agree .. good thinking!

 

[BBallF]

Muhl’s defense, passing ability but especially her toughness will lead to her being on the court way more than many of the projections. I read the same opinions about Makurat and they proved to be wrong. And Bueckers and Westbrook’s versatility will make it much easier for Auriemma and Dailey to find Muhl minutes. And don’t underestimate the need for her toughness, mental and physical, it is something Uconn has missed for the last few years. One of the intangibles that becomes very contagious. And from all reports she is one talented, fearless, tough as nails, winning player.

That's right, Nika at the point means that Paige or Evina can slide over to the 2 spot which gives you a second passer and scorer there. Nika can also shoot and drive and dish as well. Her defense ( in the videos it shows good anticipation) is another reason I hope for a full court press with regularity. I don't see AM out there for her defense on the press, not with the really good and quick defenders on the bench like Nika, AE, and Mir( also very overlooked on the BY for her defense). Should be fun on Saturday. Lots of weapons this year and lots of combinations.