Husky Practice

[Alydar]

Cleveland is most noted for the wedges he designed.

 

[Alydar]

I used to play at Lisbon. Painted houses for dad and at 4:00 zoomed over to get 9 holes in before dark. Mismatched clubs and no instruction, but loved it to pieces. Drove by it the other day and you’d never know there was a course there.

In the early 70's I would go there in the morning and they had a play-all-day deal for $4.00 during the week. I'd rent a mismatched set for $2.00 more and play 27 in the morning and 18 in the afternoon before the leagues showed up. When I ran out of balls I'd take a walk into the bushes, find a half dozen playable balls and keep playing.

 

[JordyG]

Shooting off the dribble is not exactly a trivia basketball skill to become proficient at.
In her two season at UCONN thus far Nika has attempted 225 FGA of which 8 were what we would refer to as mid range= Not layups nor 3pt FG attempts.

As I said many times. Especially the fact that proficiency at the pull up game doesn't come over night, and I just don't see her being Steve Nash during this or any of her remaining seasons. At this point, as I said before, I'd just like to see her shoot over screens and be more consistent with her layups. Give the defense a little something more to think about.

 

[Bone Dog]

As I said many times. Especially the fact that proficiency at the pull up game doesn't come over night, and I just don't see her being Steve Nash during this or any of her remaining seasons. At this point, as I said before, I'd just like to see her shoot over screens and be more consistent with her layups. Give the defense a little something more to think about.

Two half court skills I consider essential for a point guard beyond passing are finishing drives at the rim and a midrange jump shot. Ideally this jump shot would come after a dribble or two or maybe a jabstep. It’s possible to play pg without these skills, but effective passing will be greatly reduced.

For example, flashing through the lane can force perimeter defenders to help post defenders, thereby leaving a perimeter shooter open. But this only works if opposing teams consider you a threat to score, or at least to launch a credible shot. If they don’t, this becomes a fruitless exercise.

Another value of occasionally attempting to score off a drive is the much greater likelihood of getting fouled and going to the line. An effective pg should ideally be a good free throw shooter, and should be adept at creating foul so as to get opposing bigs in foul trouble.

These are all skills that Paige and Azzi display in abundance. Even Ines showed these skills in high school. A guard who lacks these skills could be a useful 2, if they can shoot effectively from the perimeter. They might also be able to contribute at the 3 if they are strong enough to box out in the paint and fight for rebounds.

 

[JordyG]

Two half court skills I consider essential for a point guard beyond passing are finishing drives at the rim and a midrange jump shot. Ideally this jump shot would come after a dribble or two or maybe a jabstep. It’s possible to play pg without these skills, but effective passing will be greatly reduced.

For example, flashing through the lane can force perimeter defenders to help post defenders, thereby leaving a perimeter shooter open. But this only works if opposing teams consider you a threat to score, or at least to launch a credible shot. If they don’t, this becomes a fruitless exercise.

Another value of occasionally attempting to score off a drive is the much greater likelihood of getting fouled and going to the line. An effective pg should ideally be a good free throw shooter, and should be adept at creating foul so as to get opposing bigs in foul trouble.

These are all skills that Paige and Azzi display in abundance. Even Ines showed these skills in high school. A guard who lacks these skills could be a useful 2, if they can shoot effectively from the perimeter. They might also be able to contribute at the 3 if they are strong enough to box out in the paint and fight for rebounds.

All things I've said about Nika many times over the course of the last year. Indeed, I was one of the very first to note Nika's aversion to pull ups, especially in the chats. I also noted the many advantages you've stated above in using a good pull up and finishing at the rim. I stopped saying these things simply because I started to sound as if I were whining, and even I grew tired of it.

 

[uconnfan68]

More likely a new set of Callaway.

Cleveland is part of Srixon now.

 

[CocoHusky]

All things I've said about Nika many times over the course of the last year. Indeed, I was one of the very first to note Nika's aversion to pull ups, especially in the chats. I also noted the many advantages you've stated above in using a good pull up and finishing at the rim. I stopped saying these things simply because I started to sound as if I were whining, and even I grew tired of it.

You are not whining and you should not have grown tired so easily because those that don't know the importance of it will consider you getting tired a victory.

 

[Bone Dog]

Again, just thinking about the Stewie/Dolson team and how quick the ball movement in the half court offense was. They would also pass into the paint with no fear of getting double teamed there. They could always pass out, or go to the rim, or look for an interior pass. It was like clockwork, no confusion or dead ends, no picking up the dribble in the lane and looking for a bailout in a panic while 3 seconds tick away. Everyone was on the same page.

That is the half court game I want to see this year.

 

[Mdoggie]

Cleveland is most noted for the wedges he designed.

He did say his short game was his best.

 

[oldhusky]

Two half court skills I consider essential for a point guard beyond passing are finishing drives at the rim and a midrange jump shot. Ideally this jump shot would come after a dribble or two or maybe a jabstep. It’s possible to play pg without these skills, but effective passing will be greatly reduced.

For example, flashing through the lane can force perimeter defenders to help post defenders, thereby leaving a perimeter shooter open. But this only works if opposing teams consider you a threat to score, or at least to launch a credible shot. If they don’t, this becomes a fruitless exercise.

Another value of occasionally attempting to score off a drive is the much greater likelihood of getting fouled and going to the line. An effective pg should ideally be a good free throw shooter, and should be adept at creating foul so as to get opposing bigs in foul trouble.

These are all skills that Paige and Azzi display in abundance. Even Ines showed these skills in high school. A guard who lacks these skills could be a useful 2, if they can shoot effectively from the perimeter. They might also be able to contribute at the 3 if they are strong enough to box out in the paint and fight for rebounds.

These are all good points. I think in terms of passing ability and instincts, Nika is on a par with Paige. The huge difference is in the abilities Paige has that Nika does not, as you mention. A great point guard that gets a ton of assists has to do it largely by penetrating and making the defense react. Hanging around the perimeter and making a sound passes when someone gets open might result in decent assist numbers and lower turnovers, but to be among the leaders in assists you have to make things happen.

So far Nika has not taken that step, but Geno has pointed out she can get into the lane pretty easily. It is not clear how much of her reluctance is self-imposed and how much is per Geno's instructions. What I suspect is that if Geno gave her the green light, and even encouraged her to penetrate, several things would happen.

IMO she would have plenty of great passes to interior players for easy point-blank shots and quite a few open looks from outside from our talented 3pt shooters. What would probably come with it, however, could be more turnovers than Geno could live with, and a relatively poor ability to finish herself.

As Bone dog has pointed out Paige has a great ability to finish at the rim, and a pull-up jumper. She has to be stopped from getting to the rim, opening up great passing opportunities. Nika who has similar passing abilities will not see as many open passing opportunities because she can be played for the pass, don't help off your man, make her show she can finish etc.

I have no idea how much progress she can make in those areas, but feel it is a shame that her passing talents go largely to waste because of the other downsides to her driving. If her % finishing on her own could reach a passable level, and the turnovers just a little higher than Geno is used to, I would like to see Geno turn her loose a little because the other players would benefit. If it turns out the downside is too great, then she resumes her role as a defensive specialist who pretty much just shoots open threes.

It would also help Nika's game if there was a concerted effort to pick up the pace and fast break more. For several years we have been an average team on pace, only really pushing it off turnovers. As the presumably starting point guard as opposed to part of the mix, there might be an effort to tilt the style more towards her strengths a little, perhaps potentially aided by a deeper bench allowing more regular rest and more breaking and pressing.

 

[Bone Dog]

It is not clear how much of her reluctance is self-imposed and how much is per Geno's instructions.

This is a good question. I can remember a couple of games in the second half of last season in which they ran a play to get Nika an open midrange jump shot. Liv or Aaliyah would set a screen at the foul line and Nika took a pass, dribbled twice and fired. Her shooting form looked like a "work in progress," but it was clear this was a project that was getting some attention in practice even last spring. She probably needs to work on the basic form of a jump shot -- she has a good standing set shot -- the footwork, bringing the ball up above her head, the stroke, releasing at the top of the jump, and so on. But these are all things that improve with practice. Make a few of those early in the season and her confidence will surely skyrocket... as will Geno's.

 

[Going4Natty]

In the early 70's I would go there in the morning and they had a play-all-day deal for $4.00 during the week. I'd rent a mismatched set for $2.00 more and play 27 in the morning and 18 in the afternoon before the leagues showed up. When I ran out of balls I'd take a walk into the bushes, find a half dozen playable balls and keep playing.

Ahhh, the life! excuse me I just went off on a day dream. I'm back now.

 

[The deacon]

I think in terms of passing ability and instincts, Nika is on a par with Paige.

Oldhuskie, I read through the rest of your post and agree with virtually all of it, but you lost me with that first comment. Nika has the passing ability and instincts of Paige? Pardon, but in her dreams!

I'd definitely agree that, with improvement in the areas we all have been discussing, she'd have more opportunities to find open teammates, thus benefiting the team.

 

[JordyG]

You are not whining and you should not have grown tired so easily because those that don't know the importance of it will consider you getting tired a victory.

You're correct. But I also stated at one point in the season that it may be perceived, by others as well as myself, as wasted effort, and that from that point on during the season I would only encourage her to do whatever it takes to win. Once the season was over I then stated a bunch of things that I thought she should do to improve her game, what effect these improvements would have on her and the team, and then I was done. At this point, when it comes to this board, I really only comment when I think I have something to contribute rather than merely having something to say.

 

[MSGRET]

I just love all these Nika haters, she can't do this, she can't do that, jada, jada, jada. Geno has stated many times in the past two years that the team is much better with her on the floor. So I'm going to go with the person that has led UConn with the help of CD to winning 11 NC's in lieu of listening to the whiners.

Yes Geno has insisted that Nika become more of an all around player, but stated it more because of the loss of Paige. She has also stated that she needs to improve her short range shooting for the betterment of the team, because of the loss of Paige.

I do believe that this team would not have gotten as far as they did without Nika being part of the UConn team, over the past two years.

 

[hoopsdiva]

We don't need Nika to replace Paige's shooting in the backcourt. We need Azzi and Caroline to do that. We need Nika to replace Paige's ball movement and keep one defender (even if it's the opponent's weakest perimeter defender) occupied so that Azzi and Caroline don't get double teamed all the time.

 

[Bone Dog]

I just love all these Nika haters, she can't do this, she can't do that, jada, jada, jada. Geno has stated many times in the past two years that the team is much better with her on the floor. So I'm going to go with the person that has led UConn with the help of CD to winning 11 NC's in lieu of listening to the whiners.

Yes Geno has insisted that Nika become more of an all around player, but stated it more because of the loss of Paige. She has also stated that she needs to improve her short range shooting for the betterment of the team, because of the loss of Paige.

I do believe that this team would not have gotten as far as they did without Nika being part of the UConn team, over the past two years.

I’m not on the same page with you, @MSGRET. I only talk about point guards and the skills they need to succeed. I don’t care for all the posts pretending Nika has these skills — that’s Nika-hating. Folks say that because they don’t believe she can improve. I believe in her.

And I think you’ve misunderstood what Geno meant when he said the team is better with Nika on the floor. This was always a trade off, since he knew the team could become flat and listless, and she brought some spark. But the cost was that we lost some offensive potential. Geno’s been very clear about this in word and deed. Benching her in the 4th quarter of big games is as clear as he can be on this topic.

Nika’s biggest fans — like me — want to see her on the floor at the end of big games. But for the last two seasons, Geno has seemed not to value her spark enough to put her in at those moments. The best team we can field would be the one with Nika — armed with new offensive skills — on the floor at the end. Short of that, I’ll be sad to see her on the bench when our best team is out there.

 

[CocoHusky]

I just love all these Nika haters, she can't do this, she can't do that, jada, jada, jada. Geno has stated many times in the past two years that the team is much better with her on the floor. So I'm going to go with the person that has led UConn with the help of CD to winning 11 NC's in lieu of listening to the whiners.

Yes Geno has insisted that Nika become more of an all around player, but stated it more because of the loss of Paige. She has also stated that she needs to improve her short range shooting for the betterment of the team, because of the loss of Paige.

I do believe that this team would not have gotten as far as they did without Nika being part of the UConn team, over the past two years.

Fact Check:

1) Geno has never stated that UCONN is a "much better team" with Nika on the floor. That just does make sense because in addition to being the worse shooter among the regular rotation players Nika is the backup PG behind Paige so that would mean the team plays better without Paige as the PG? But I can see why you would want to interpret things that way.

2) The calls by Geno for Nika to become a better shooter began in the pre-season of Nika's Freshman year as I recently posted.
If you are referring to the most recent public calls by Geno for Nika to improve offensively those calls began in a Mike Anthony article from June 22nd 2022- see link below.

Why talk with UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has Nika Muhl thinking about offense

UConn women's basketball guard Nika Mühl is focused on developing her offensive game this summer after talking with coach Geno Auriemma.

www.newstimes.com

Since Paige Bueckers tore her ACL on August 3rd of 2022 Geno must have pulled an @Carnac in asking Nika to improve because of the a future "loss of Paige" ?

The need for Nika to become a better offensive player were early in her UCONN tenure, has persisted, and has NOTHING to do with Paige . Nika began her UCONN tenure by making only 1 of her first 14 shots ( 8 of 14 were missed layups). The posters and supporters of the program (which includes Geno) that are pointing this out are not doing so because they hate Nika. We are doing this because it is necessary for the team to be more successful and we will continue to do so until the improvement is made. So please stop with the name calling and research your facts more carefully.

 

[MSGRET]

Fact Check:

1) Geno has never stated that UCONN is a "much better team" with Nika on the floor. That just does make sense because in addition to being the worse shooter among the regular rotation players Nika is the backup PG behind Paige so that would mean the team plays better without Paige as the PG? But I can see why you would want to interpret things that way.

2) The calls by Geno for Nika to become a better shooter began in the pre-season of Nika's Freshman year as I recently posted.
If you are referring to the most recent public calls by Geno for Nika to improve offensively those calls began in a Mike Anthony article from June 22nd 2022- see link below.

Why talk with UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has Nika Muhl thinking about offense

UConn women's basketball guard Nika Mühl is focused on developing her offensive game this summer after talking with coach Geno Auriemma.

www.newstimes.com

Since Paige Bueckers tore her ACL on August 3rd of 2022 Geno must have pulled an @Carnac in asking Nika to improve because of the a future "loss of Paige" ?

The need for Nika to become a better offensive player were early in her UCONN tenure, has persisted, and has NOTHING to do with Paige . Nika began her UCONN tenure by making only 1 of her first 14 shots ( 8 of 14 were missed layups). The posters and supporters of the program (which includes Geno) that are pointing this out are not doing so because they hate Nika. We are doing this because it is necessary for the team to be more successful and we will continue to do so until the improvement is made. So please stop with the name calling and research your facts more carefully.

Why don't you do your own research because Geno stated more than once that UConn is a better team with Nika on the floor because of her energy and defense. Just because you don't like Nika and always put her down doesn't make your statements true.

 

[JordyG]

We don't need Nika to replace Paige's shooting in the backcourt. We need Azzi and Caroline to do that. We need Nika to replace Paige's ball movement and keep one defender (even if it's the opponent's weakest perimeter defender) occupied so that Azzi and Caroline don't get double teamed all the time.

Yes and no. That was me in the January chats screaming for Nika to shoot her open pull ups. That was me stating in the forum that I didn't think she'd shot more than 2 or 3 pull ups all year. No, she doesn't have be Paige at the 2nd level. She does however have to take the shot and make a few. As I stated in February, just the threat of a pullup frees up her 1st level shots from the arc, opens up the lane for pocket passes, post entries, kickouts, and lay ups, and prevents the defense from clogging the middle on UConn's forwards. Double teaming of UConn's other guards. Why double team a player when you can play a zone, a box and one, a diamond and one, and other more effective "junk" defenses against a star player. Ask Jewel Loyd about Geno's defensive plans against her. By the way, one of Nika greatest strengths is ball movement, so there's no real need for improvement there.

 

[BobbyJ]

Fact Check:

1) Geno has never stated that UCONN is a "much better team" with Nika on the floor. That just does make sense because in addition to being the worse shooter among the regular rotation players Nika is the backup PG behind Paige so that would mean the team plays better without Paige as the PG? But I can see why you would want to interpret things that way.

2) The calls by Geno for Nika to become a better shooter began in the pre-season of Nika's Freshman year as I recently posted.
If you are referring to the most recent public calls by Geno for Nika to improve offensively those calls began in a Mike Anthony article from June 22nd 2022- see link below.

Why talk with UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has Nika Muhl thinking about offense

UConn women's basketball guard Nika Mühl is focused on developing her offensive game this summer after talking with coach Geno Auriemma.

www.newstimes.com

Since Paige Bueckers tore her ACL on August 3rd of 2022 Geno must have pulled an @Carnac in asking Nika to improve because of the a future "loss of Paige" ?

The need for Nika to become a better offensive player were early in her UCONN tenure, has persisted, and has NOTHING to do with Paige . Nika began her UCONN tenure by making only 1 of her first 14 shots ( 8 of 14 were missed layups). The posters and supporters of the program (which includes Geno) that are pointing this out are not doing so because they hate Nika. We are doing this because it is necessary for the team to be more successful and we will continue to do so until the improvement is made. So please stop with the name calling and research your facts more carefully.

You just had to mess up this fan favorite storyline with facts didn't you?

 

[JordyG]

Why don't you do your own research because Geno stated more than once that UConn is a better team with Nika on the floor because of her energy and defense. Just because you don't like Nika and always put her down doesn't make your statements true.

With all respect Sarge, I agree with the first part of your statement, not the second. @CocoHusky, as I, have been very critical of Nika, but to say either of us don't like her is a bridge too far.

 

[BobbyJ]

Why don't you do your own research because Geno stated more than once that UConn is a better team with Nika on the floor because of her energy and defense. Just because you don't like Nika and always put her down doesn't make your statements true.

Different. He said different. Different does not mean the same as better.

UConn is a ‘different basketball team’ with Nika Muhl, whose status remains uncertain

Muhl hasn’t played since injuring her ankle in an NCAA first-round win over High Point...

www.ctpost.com

 

[MSGRET]

With all respect Sarge, I agree with the first part of your statement, not the second. @CocoHusky, as I, have been very critical of Nika, but to say either of us don't like her is a bridge too far.

I apologize, I may have gone a bridge too far, but I'm tired of people with the negative vibes about her, her defense is intense as well as her energy. She has said that her shooting needs to improve and is working on it. She may have flaws, but Geno still played her because of the stuff she brings to the team. They make it sound like she shouldn't even be on the team unless it's to warm up the bench.

 

[JordyG]

I apologize, I may have gone a bridge too far, but I'm tired of people with the negative vibes about her, her defense is intense as well as her energy. She has said that her shooting needs to improve and is working on it. She may have flaws, but Geno still played her because of the stuff she brings to the team. They make it sound like she shouldn't even be on the team unless it's to warm up the bench.

I get it. But that's on them. One of the reasons I stopped was it felt like beating a dead horse. Clearly she wasn't going to suddenly become Steve Nash or Kobie with her pull up overnight, so why continue? I'll say it for the hundredth time, for this year I'd be more than please to see her consistently shoot over high screens and finish her layups. Attempting the occasional pull up is gravy for me.

 

[CocoHusky]

Why don't you do your own research because Geno stated more than once that UConn is a better team with Nika on the floor because of her energy and defense. Just because you don't like Nika and always put her down doesn't make your statements true.

I did do my research. You claim that Geno said it several times. Cite 1 place where Geno said this?
Just one, otherwise I have to assume your are making it up and you already know how much I hate liars.
Also see @BobbyJ post 233.

 

[Skeets]

I apologize, I may have gone a bridge too far, but I'm tired of people with the negative vibes about her, her defense is intense as well as her energy. She has said that her shooting needs to improve and is working on it. She may have flaws, but Geno still played her because of the stuff she brings to the team. They make it sound like she shouldn't even be on the team unless it's to warm up the bench.

Sarge, I'm tired too. I am perplexed why a UConn player gets so much animosity from UConn "Fans". Nika does what she does. Can she be better, yes of course, but the hatred on the BY is rarely seen. This surpasses what went on with Liv for 4 years. I said this before and I'll say it again, they should start their own thread: "Nika isn't good enough" where they could all hang out and others (such as yours truly) can easily bypass. Neither you nor I will get many thumbs up from... well, they know who they are.

 

[CocoHusky]

Sarge, I'm tired too. I am perplexed why a UConn player gets so much animosity from UConn "Fans". Nika does what she does. Can she be better, yes of course, but the hatred on the BY is rarely seen. This surpasses what went on with Liv for 4 years. I said this before and I'll say it again, they should start their own thread: "Nika isn't good enough" where they could all hang out and others (such as yours truly) can easily bypass. Neither you nor I will get many thumbs up from... well, they know who they are.

You are probably perplexed because you perceive valid critique as hate and animosity.
"They know who they are" is reminiscent of what Pat Summit once said of "perceived" UCONN recruiting violation -"they know what they did". Your perceptions are not reality and neither were Pat's.

 

[hoophuskee]

Different. He said different. Different does not mean the same as better.

UConn is a ‘different basketball team’ with Nika Muhl, whose status remains uncertain

Muhl hasn’t played since injuring her ankle in an NCAA first-round win over High Point...

www.ctpost.com

I'm not going to address this past year -- but are you suggesting that UCONN was not a a better team with Nika on the floor in the 2nd half of her freshman year?

She definitely made the team better her freshmen year.

 

[BobbyJ]

I'm not going to address this past year -- but are you suggesting that UCONN was not a a better team with Nika on the floor in the 2nd half of her freshman year?

She definitely made the team better her freshmen year.

I didn’t suggest anything. I merely pointed out what Auriemma did and didn’t say. I’m not a fan of people inserting their own words to make their argument.