Husky Offense This Season

[hoophuskee]

Actually that was CD who came up with the gem. Lou did ok with 5, but Karlie had 12 boards. I'm sure that Geno and CD will be reminding Lou to hit the boards this year, given that Morgan and Stewie are gone.

Thanks I missed this before I posted.

 

[hoophuskee]

I get it---you are skeptical!
Willnet was ok, not great. I prefer to compare Butler to Steff as a Frosh.
No one will clobber you--
Maybe is understood as maybe--that is what an OPINION says--maybe they will be this or that.

No issues here--keep on keeping on.. I really don't see us disagreeing---

I hope NB brings it-- and is just awesome and we can have that big we need. I'd love it to see a rebounding machine and a combo scorer/passer -- not even but close to one from this kid. Love it. love it. love it!!!!!!!!

 

[SCGamecock]

Neither of them better than Mitchell on offense and definately not on defense. Sessions also better on D.

As good as Sessions was on defense she was even better at being a liability on offense. Coates and Wilson played double teams all last year because our opponents knew Sessions and Dozier weren't scoring threats.

Cuevas, Gray and Davis are scoring threats so Wilson and Coates should have much more space down low.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I thought you were non-insulting but aggravated with me for criticizing NB. It's hard to tell when someone is joking. Anyhow below is the the link in which Chris Dailey says "we didn't get the rebounding Samuelson." It's near the bottom. Further, if someone can provide a postgame -- you'll see Geno and CD talk about her- CD mentions that they didn't get the rebounder and then I specifically remember Geno say "No. . . We did not."

The Geno quote is not there but the CD is. This is the 2/27 game - so you can see even at the end of the year they were harping on her rebounding because she is soft. There is a reason why the coaches spoke of her rebounding because it was.

UConn, Samuelson To Take On USF

My expectation of NB has diminished. Simple as that. I hope you, Blair and others are right. We could use a very good big. And I just want to reiterate for anyone else that read- I'm not saying NB stinks. And frankly - if NB is Will Crockett - defense and rebound - imo that would be terrific for this team.

And I'm with you on KLS. I think she is an all-american candidate. I believe she has a feel for the game like Larry Bird. Just hoping she can remain healthy throughout her career. I think we're an E8 team if healthy with possibility of more depending on the E8 game matchup and potentially other games matchups.

A couple of posters provided the Video-s to which you referred. About Katie Lou not being the rebounding sister.
I guess I have always been a KLS lover, probably because Uconn will need a high level scorer, that I only remember when Geno said
I got the BEST Samuelson sister. I always believed he did. Karlie and Bonnie spent their first 2 or 3 years standing outside of the arc and throwing them up. Bonnie in her Sr Year became a pretty good defender. Hey getting a Samuelson sister is a plus for any team.

About the "Joke" --I guess you didn't see me smiling when I wrote it! You are correct it's hard to know if it's an insult or joke just by reading the written word.

Butler will have to produce this year for Uconn to be successful. It doesn't cost a cent to believe (maybe fantasful) Natalie will be super great this year.

 

[calpedaler]

Over the course of the 2016 season Karlie averaged 3.5 rebounds in about 30 minutes per game; Lou averaged 3.35 in about 23 minutes per game. Maybe UConn did get the rebounding Samuelson.

 

[Tonyc]

The concern is we dont know what to expect from this years team. The talent is there the question marks leave us to wonder and some doubts for some fans as to what to expect. One thing UConn has always been is a team. They play as a team. It may take a few games for this team to gell but they will play as a team. However they can out talent many of the teams they face until they pull it together. This season may be a work in progress. This team is not flawless they will make mistakes unlike last years team whos those mistakes were backed up by MoJeff Tuck and Stewie. Again we can not compare this team to last years team but we can look at players individually and what they can contribute.

There are alot of posts about Natalie. I dont care if she was Georgetowns go to player or not she put up the numbers. At UConn she will be part of the team. She will not be the go to player in every game but she is a threat to score from 15 ft in and opponents will have to guard her. She is also taller then most post players in WCBB and taller then most posts we will face on our schedule. It will be interesting on how opponents defend her because she can pass over most opponenets posts and shoot over them. She can rebound score shoot the 15 footer and make foul shots. At 6'5 she can hold down the middle. She will be fine.

Katie Lou will receive alot of attention from defenses. I expect alot of pick and rolls, screens set, and drives to the basket because thats where she has the advantage. She will rebound and I say that because Im sure Geno and CD know thats one thing she needed to work on this summer. So that should not be a problem.

Saniya imo will start at the point. She is the quickest player on the team and can drive to the basket. Expect opponents to sluff off her and Geno to have plays that open up the middle for her to drive and score. She can play in big moments and make big plays. One thing she can do is score. On defense we will need to double down not only for our guards but for everybody. Last season we had Stewie who covered up many of the defensive faults and who allowed everybody else to over play because she was always there. No team has that kind of player. She was a luxury that we may not see for along time. So this year we will go back to playing BB the way it is supposed to be player and that is help help on defense.

Kia will share the PG position with Saniya and Crystal. Those 3 by mid season will be very very good and fighting for playtime. The competition at the guard position this season will make them all better and change the look UConn has had in the past. Gabby and Collier will are great athletes and team players. They will play their games and get their points and rebounds. They will make some great plays during the game.

This is a really really good team and many of our doubts come from how great and overpowering last years team was. A team like that comes around every 10 years. We dont know what to expect this year but I can promise you we will be top 4. I can also tell you that when we beat Baylor many fans will think we are the best team in the country and if we should lose to Baylor some fans will think we are dead this season. lol Thats what fans do. Im excited for this season. There will be alot of surprises as we watch this team take on its own identity.

 

[cbraarj]

As good as Sessions was on defense she was even better at being a liability on offense. Coates and Wilson played double teams all last year because our opponents knew Sessions and Dozier weren't scoring threats.

Cuevas, Gray and Davis are scoring threats so Wilson and Coates should have much more space down low.

They should have more room but defense wins NCs.

 

[SCGamecock]

They should have more room but defense wins NCs.

If there's anything Dawn knows how to teach its defense.

Davis and Gray didn't transfer to SC over the summer, they've been in our system for a year plus now. They should know how we play defense at South Carolina by this point.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Over the course of the 2016 season Karlie averaged 3.5 rebounds in about 30 minutes per game; Lou averaged 3.35 in about 23 minutes per game. Maybe UConn did get the rebounding Samuelson.

Your stats are greaT!!!---Just watching the games , after the middle of the year, Katie LOU played nearly every facet of the game good, better, great. If you do the math---3.35/23 times 30---it comes out to 4.3695 rebound is 30 minutes for Katie Lou. I guess Geno's videos on she wasn't the best rebounding Sister--were motivational..
This was a Freshman, nice kid, not trying to show up the Seniors, and a bit in awe of Stewie and Tuck---once she got her SEA legs--and some confidence (Geno's motivation) played pretty darn good. If fully healthy--this season--she'll be awesome.

THANKS....

 

[BroadwayVa]

The concern is we dont know what to expect from this years team. The talent is there the question marks leave us to wonder and some doubts for some fans as to what to expect. One thing UConn has always been is a team. They play as a team. It may take a few games for this team to gell but they will play as a team. However they can out talent many of the teams they face until they pull it together. This season may be a work in progress. This team is not flawless they will make mistakes unlike last years team whos those mistakes were backed up by MoJeff Tuck and Stewie. Again we can not compare this team to last years team but we can look at players individually and what they can contribute.

There are alot of posts about Natalie. I dont care if she was Georgetowns go to player or not she put up the numbers. At UConn she will be part of the team. She will not be the go to player in every game but she is a threat to score from 15 ft in and opponents will have to guard her. She is also taller then most post players in WCBB and taller then most posts we will face on our schedule. It will be interesting on how opponents defend her because she can pass over most opponenets posts and shoot over them. She can rebound score shoot the 15 footer and make foul shots. At 6'5 she can hold down the middle. She will be fine.

Katie Lou will receive alot of attention from defenses. I expect alot of pick and rolls, screens set, and drives to the basket because thats where she has the advantage. She will rebound and I say that because Im sure Geno and CD know thats one thing she needed to work on this summer. So that should not be a problem.

Saniya imo will start at the point. She is the quickest player on the team and can drive to the basket. Expect opponents to sluff off her and Geno to have plays that open up the middle for her to drive and score. She can play in big moments and make big plays. One thing she can do is score. On defense we will need to double down not only for our guards but for everybody. Last season we had Stewie who covered up many of the defensive faults and who allowed everybody else to over play because she was always there. No team has that kind of player. She was a luxury that we may not see for along time. So this year we will go back to playing BB the way it is supposed to be player and that is help help on defense.

Kia will share the PG position with Saniya and Crystal. Those 3 by mid season will be very very good and fighting for playtime. The competition at the guard position this season will make them all better and change the look UConn has had in the past. Gabby and Collier will are great athletes and team players. They will play their games and get their points and rebounds. They will make some great plays during the game.

This is a really really good team and many of our doubts come from how great and overpowering last years team was. A team like that comes around every 10 years. We dont know what to expect this year but I can promise you we will be top 4. I can also tell you that when we beat Baylor many fans will think we are the best team in the country and if we should lose to Baylor some fans will think we are dead this season. lol Thats what fans do. Im excited for this season. There will be alot of surprises as we watch this team take on its own identity.

A BELIEVER!!! hal a LOU ya!! We haven't been saved--but maybe we won't have to be saved. Thank you TonyC for the bright and sunny side of UConn WBB this year. Only Chicken little saw a sky falling, that wasn't.

If Saniya is healthy and her HS shooting touch returns, as seen in the Stanford game, Uconn shall be in great shape--does not mean to not expect a loss--that may happen--but nothing matters other than getting to the NCAA's and beyond..

 

[BroadwayVa]

As good as Sessions was on defense she was even better at being a liability on offense. Coates and Wilson played double teams all last year because our opponents knew Sessions and Dozier weren't scoring threats.

Cuevas, Gray and Davis are scoring threats so Wilson and Coates should have much more space down low.

I'm not sure about Gray---Cuevas, played out of control and had a shot that seemed to fade with a bit of pressure. Dawn pulled her often in big games- put her in and pulled her again-is that the stuff I'm smoking??

 

[BroadwayVa]

If Willnet played like that all the time. She could have been an AA IMO.

Willnet came to Uconn from a pretty impressive HS BB program. She showed flashes of greatness then dropped back into average.
My best memory of her was against Bales of Duke--in the opening seconds of that game Will scored on Bales 2 or 3 times in a row, out hustled her and pushed her around (no neat trick --Bales out weighed her by 30 or 50).

An aside note: When I said : Diggins didn't have to--. It's a pet peeve of mine. No one HAS to do anything except die--you don't even HAVE to pay taxes (consequences--unless you lost a billion then you are allowed to take a bit every year by the code)

 

[SCGamecock]

I'm not sure about Gray---Cuevas, played out of control and had a shot that seemed to fade with a bit of pressure. Dawn pulled her often in big games- put her in and pulled her again-is that the stuff I'm smoking??

Broadway-- What about Gray are you not sure about? That she's a scoring threat? She scored over 1,000 points in just two years at UNC and was a 1st team All-ACC player. She can score.

Cuevas' problem is consistency, which she improved on later in the season. She's a capable scorer as well. You can't leave her open like you'd leave Sessions open.. she's a better shooter and can beat you off the dribble. Sessions didn't have nearly the offensive arsenal that Cuevas has. Cuevas was often inserted into games for her spark, which she provides well., she oftentimes jumpstarted the team offensively and defensively but Sessions was a steady senior. Dawn always leans on her upperclassmen.

 

[Buzzyboy]

As the summer heat dissipates, and we turn to fall, a young man's fancy turns to WCBB.

This site has been full of interest in next year's recruits and the clear expectation that our next NC is just around the corner (2018). Some have started to speculate on the purported strength of this year's team, particularly on the defensive end. The outlook there is good. We have athletic and ferocious rebounders and defenders in Napheesa, Gabby, and Kia. Lou will add some D, too, and I expect Kyla to be a big help. But what about the offense?

Last season the Big 3+Kia contributed around 55 points/game. When Lou started hitting her shots, the five starters became unbeatable—by wide margins. Whatever others chipped in was welcome but not decisive. So where are the points coming from this year? No one knows for sure.

Most of the offensive production should come from Lou. Can she approach Bre's average of almost 20 points/game? Yes—IF she shoots more often closer to the rim where the high percentage shots come. Lou must drive to the basket, take short jumpers, put in some defensive rebounds, AND score from the perimeter. Kia will give the team a reliable 10 for a total of 30 points. Collier and Gabby contributed seven and nine respectively last year; this year we'll hope to get more like 10 from each (total of 50 points from 4 starters). Depending on her health, Saniya might also score 10 per, and let's assume that Crystal gets about the same (last year the guards scored about 20+ per); total is up to 70. I'm going to pencil in 10 from Kyla, too, so we're up to 80. Except for Butler, who got almost 6 last season, that's it.

Best case scenario: 80 points/game. (This assumes health and few fouls because the bench is non-existent—and no Polly at the Buzzer.) With the predictably stingy defense, UConn should do very well. Only Lou will feel the weight of scoring expectations in my scenario, the others just need to get a consistent handful of points to get to 80.

Couple strong D with steady O and you get DO; the Huskies may do it again. I feel better already.

I think that KLS is an appreciably better outside shooter that Bre was (is) though she's also going to need to get easy points from inside including put back baskets. I think Napheesa improving from last year and becoming more of an offensive threat is going to help balance UConn's attack more and make life easier for KLS.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Broadway-- What about Gray are you not sure about? That she's a scoring threat? She scored over 1,000 points in just two years at UNC and was a 1st team All-ACC player. She can score.

Cuevas' problem is consistency, which she improved on later in the season. She's a capable scorer as well. You can't leave her open like you'd leave Sessions open.. she's a better shooter and can beat you off the dribble. Sessions didn't have nearly the offensive arsenal that Cuevas has. Cuevas was often inserted into games for her spark, which she provides well., she oftentimes jumpstarted the team offensively and defensively but Sessions was a steady senior. Dawn always leans on her upperclassmen.

Good to great coaches use their fall back position as Seniors. It sounds like we see Cuevas pretty much the same.

 

[donalddoowop]

Broadway-- What about Gray are you not sure about? That she's a scoring threat? She scored over 1,000 points in just two years at UNC and was a 1st team All-ACC player. She can score.

Cuevas' problem is consistency, which she improved on later in the season. She's a capable scorer as well. You can't leave her open like you'd leave Sessions open.. she's a better shooter and can beat you off the dribble. Sessions didn't have nearly the offensive arsenal that Cuevas has. Cuevas was often inserted into games for her spark, which she provides well., she oftentimes jumpstarted the team offensively and defensively but Sessions was a steady senior. Dawn always leans on her upperclassmen.

If SC's transfers play as well as you expect them to play and are good offensively, SC will be very hard to beat. Add offensive help to Wilson and Coates and that spells trouble for many other teams. However, in order for SC to be an elite team, Coates will have to improve her overall game. At times last season and in the FIBA game against Canada, her play was disappointing. She can't disappear in the big games. (UCONN /NCAA Tournament)

 

[SCGamecock]

If SC's transfers play as well as you expect them to play and are good offensively, SC will be very hard to beat. Add offensive help to Wilson and Coates and that spells trouble for many other teams. However, in order for SC to be an elite team, Coates will have to improve her overall game. At times last season and in the FIBA game against Canada, her play was disappointing. She can't disappear in the big games. (UCONN /NCAA Tournament)

I agree with every word you said. We need Coates to be dominant every night. Very few people can beat her in the paint when she's determined to not let them.

I would like to see her add a hook shot or a short jumper to her attack. That'll do a lot for her mobility down low. She's so good on the blocks that she doesn't have to do much else, but it would be nice if she did.

 

[Ozimoto]

At this point I don't have a clue how UCONN's offense will be. I do know it will be fun seeing how the team develops as the season goes on. No guarantees this year.

 

[Nuyoika]

Hate to be a jerk but I am way more concerned about the defense... Our defense contributes just as much to our offense as anything.

 

[Ozimoto]

Hate to be a jerk but I am way more concerned about the defense... Our defense contributes just as much to our offense as anything.

Quite so.

 

[JordyG]

If SC's transfers play as well as you expect them to play and are good offensively, SC will be very hard to beat. Add offensive help to Wilson and Coates and that spells trouble for many other teams. However, in order for SC to be an elite team, Coates will have to improve her overall game. At times last season and in the FIBA game against Canada, her play was disappointing. She can't disappear in the big games. (UCONN /NCAA Tournament)

In my mind, Dawn has the team to beat this year. Hands down.

 

[Shorty Dee]

Geno normally plays 7 players, but looking at this team he could play 9. All 9 players will be required to score and defend. The offense is hard to predict now, but Lou; Kia; Gabby and Napheesa will be required to contribute more.