I Need More Nika

[AgStatesman]

I was in the camp that Nika's playing time was going to decrease dramatically. Now that the time is here, I don't like it one bit. She has an energy and chip on her shoulder that is infectious. Even is she isn't scoring, her intangibles make having her playing so worth it. Nika played 13 minutes the other night while Paige played 40 and Evina played 38. I'd love to see Paige average 35 or so and Evina the same. That would give Nika a shot at playing a little over 20 a night. I cannot stress enough how big a shift this is for me. I thought Nika was going to be expendable with the incoming freshmen and I could not have been more wrong.

 

[RedStickHusky]

I'm not drawing any lines in the sand after one game and an exhibition but I'm solidly in "show me" mode wrt Nika at this point. Not sure what she gives on the offensive end other than over-dribbling and poor shooting. I like her energy but she's got to do better with the minutes she gets to get more,

 

[hoophuskee]

I'm not drawing any lines in the sand after one game and an exhibition but I'm solidly in "show me" mode wrt Nika at this point. Not sure what she gives on the offensive end other than over-dribbling and poor shooting. I like her energy but she's got to do better with the minutes she gets to get more,

She was a 37.3% shooter from 3 last year once she got her feet wet and before her tourney injuries. Shooting 37.3% from 3 is not poor. If it was, she wouldn't have played as much imo. Now her shooting in Game 1 - absolutely poor as was her D imo. As a result, you don't play her as much in these circumstances.

 

[Cuango]

Nika is facing up to the cold reality that comes with an increased talent pool. Her play from last year (which she is currently struggling to match) may not be good enough this season. It’s brutal, but the talent level has gone up precipitously and she is going to have to raise her game in order to keep her minutes.

 

[diggerfoot]

Muhl’s assist per 40 was actually the highest of any UConn guard, including Bueckers, with zero turnovers. Her defense was not poor in my eyes, fitting into the flow of team defense, getting beat better you might say, for the couple of times that happened. In any case it was significantly better than the newcomers, which is understandable for the first game.

She was not utilized in her best capacity, slowing down whoever was bringing the ball up. I’m not faulting this, for the same reason I’m not faulting using a 9 player rotation when the freshman did not perform well. Plus, Arkansas had too many capable ball handlers anyways, probably making Muhl’s asset impossible.

This was the first building block of the season. At this point it is fair to say that Fudd is not Faris nor Nurse, the two players who were tenacious defenders from their very first games. It could be, however, that Fudd will prove to be a Jefferson, someone who blossoms into becoming a terrific defender.

In any case, I do agree with the original point, no one else on the team has as much energy and personality to infect the others. How much this is really needed versus developing the newcomers or keeping our impressive starting five in the game is one of the many tough decisions facing Auriemma. His track record is pretty good.

 

[#12in21]

Perhaps Saylor's announcement of leaving the team or finding herself way down the bench, whatever the reason, Nika didn't appear to me to have her usual energizer bunny look when in the game. I thought she would be fed by the energy of her first appearance at the XL center, but she appeared if anything, for Nika, subdued. Her shots were definitely not falling but I thought there were hints of how she positively effected team play around her, which was her strength last year.

Despite being presumably fully healthy, and in light of Geno's recent reiterations about her being unequalled in the effort she puts in and the unique intangibles she brings to this roster - coming in 4th off the bench after the role she played last year had to be a bit disheartening. I know it was only one game and Geno obviously wanted to get the new players real playing time but despite her stated willingness to play whatever role she can to best serve the team being the last player in, at least to me, would feel somewhat disheartening.

 

[Bald Husky]

This comment could go two different ways, so here goes. Based on the performance by Paige, and the inability of the Bigs to get anything done without fouling, I think Nika should start in place of AE against Minnesota. We have seen now how aggressive Paige can be when she wants to score, and when Nika started last year is when Paige began to show what an unbelievable player she could be. Right off the bat let Paige be free to look for her shot, let Nika jump on their best guard to disrupt their playmaking, and lets see if ONO has improved enough to be out their by herself. I've said it before that everyone who deserves it will get quality minutes wether they start or not. Lets just see if this makes a difference, with Nika energizing the team from the beginning. Its worth a try, so lets find out before we have to face SC.

 

[JellyBean]

Body language. Saw a lot in that game against Arkansas besides the on the court action.

 

[RedStickHusky]

This comment could go two different ways, so here goes. Based on the performance by Paige, and the inability of the Bigs to get anything done without fouling, I think Nika should start in place of AE against Minnesota. We have seen now how aggressive Paige can be when she wants to score, and when Nika started last year is when Paige began to show what an unbelievable player she could be. Right off the bat let Paige be free to look for her shot, let Nika jump on their best guard to disrupt their playmaking, and lets see if ONO has improved enough to be out their by herself. I've said it before that everyone who deserves it will get quality minutes wether they start or not. Lets just see if this makes a difference, with Nika energizing the team from the beginning. Its worth a try, so lets find out before we have to face SC.

One of my favorite Marines (generally an oxymoron but there are exceptions) used to say that lessons learned work best if you're going back to someplace you've already been. Unless Minnesota is going to play a lot of 5 guard offense, I wouldn't expect Geno to be overreacting to anything from the Arkansas game. Just on the basis of them being a b10 school, I'd expect batter matchups for our bigs, although I could be wildly off-base with that assumption. He's obviously going to keep working in Azzi, Caroline and Dorka. As for Liv improving enough to be by herself... that's no way to run a high-low.

 

[diggerfoot]

Perhaps Saylor's announcement of leaving the team or finding herself way down the bench, whatever the reason, Nika didn't appear to me to have her usual energizer bunny look when in the game. I thought she would be fed by the energy of her first appearance at the XL center, but she appeared if anything, for Nika, subdued. Her shots were definitely not falling but I thought there were hints of how she positively effected team play around her, which was her strength last year.

Despite being presumably fully healthy, and in light of Geno's recent reiterations about her being unequalled in the effort she puts in and the unique intangibles she brings to this roster - coming in 4th off the bench after the role she played last year had to be a bit disheartening. I know it was only one game and Geno obviously wanted to get the new players real playing time but despite her stated willingness to play whatever role she can to best serve the team being the last player in, at least to me, would feel somewhat disheartening.

Even though Muhl was the last substitution she ended up with the second most minutes, just ahead of Juhasz but significantly less than Fudd. Yet she also performed better than Fudd except only for shooting.

Pure conjecture, but I would interpret this to mean that Auriemma indeed still values Muhl’s contributions over other reserves, but he sees great potential in the newcomers and wants to develop them for the big time by the end of the year.

Plus the game was never really in doubt beyond the first Arkansas run to close the gap to four in the first half, and that was when the newcomers were being tested before Muhl came in. Perhaps if the game started out tight, rather than our starting five dominating from the start, Muhl might have received more minutes.

It seems to me that right now Muhl is caught in the middle. She is not part of the starting five that was so impressive, nor is she a newcomer in the most need of minutes to improve.

 

[Huskee11]

Here is something that I think has been overlooked. Maybe it is a factor, maybe not.

For most of the team - all except Christyn and Olivia, actually, since Aubrey was out - it was the first time playing as a Husky in front of a UConn crowd. And it numbered almost 10,000.

This includes Nika, Paige, Aaliyah, Dorka, Evina, Caroline, and Azzi.

And while Dorka and Evina have played in front of large crowds, what is the biggest crowd any of the others have played in front of? Sure it can pump you up, but the first time playing in front of a crowd like that can be daunting as well.

Obviously it didn`t negatively impact Paige or Evina, but when you throw in that it was the first game of the season, the butterflies had to be more like bats. Saylor leaving could not have helped the energy either.

I think Nika will carve her role out as the season moves forward. Aaliyah is a terrific player but she is not the best defensive option against smaller, quicker lineups. And I don`t think that Paige, Christyn and Evina will be logging the minutes they logged Sunday every time out.

Let`s get a few more games in before we jump to conclusions.

I, for one, am happy to see that she appears to be healthy and moving well.

 

[RedStickHusky]

It seems to me that right now Muhl is caught in the middle. She is not part of the starting five that was so impressive, nor is she a newcomer in the most need of minutes to improve.

I like this take but I still feel like we're giving up offense for Nika's 'intangibles'.

 

[Happydad745]

Once again, too many judgements are being made with little information available. By Christmas, we will have a pretty good idea about who is doing their job and who is riding the bench and why.

 

[diggerfoot]

I like this take but I still feel like we're giving up offense for Nika's 'intangibles'.

A game where Muhl shot 0-3 supports this idea. It was also a game where every single starter shot over 50%, pretty darn impressive, and the best shooter percentage and volume wise would otherwise have been the best facilitator.

Muhl having the best assists per 40 stat out of all the guards, with zero turnovers, is based on much less minutes than the starters and could be discounted because of that, but that is not an intangible stat. Does anyone doubt that Muhl would have been OK facilitating an offense, and racking up the assists, when everyone you are playing with is shooting over 50%?

We agree with the strategy and value of getting the newcomers in there. Perhaps when developed the newcomers will be more valuable than Muhl’s tangibles and intangibles, but she indeed has some solid tangibles.

 

[Biff]

Once again, too many judgements are being made with little information available. By Christmas, we will have a pretty good idea about who is doing their job and who is riding the bench and why.

Yes by Christmas we will know a great deal more. But keep in mind that making too many judgements with too little information is a 24/7 12 month a year thing here on the boneyard.

 

[eebmg]

Once again, too many judgements are being made with little information available. By Christmas, we will have a pretty good idea about who is doing their job and who is riding the bench and why.

and then we can really ramp up the discussions.

 

[RedStickHusky]

making too many judgements with too little information

Sine Qua Non

 

[MilfordHusky]

In terms of minutes, I think that we'll rout Minnesota, with Paige playing 25 or so minutes. The next game is likely against USF, who were edged by Tennessee in an ugly game last with. With 3 games in 3 days, I think Geno rests the starters in games 1 and 2. I can see Paige playing 25, 30, and 40 over that span.

 

[browns]

This comment could go two different ways, so here goes. Based on the performance by Paige, and the inability of the Bigs to get anything done without fouling, I think Nika should start in place of AE against Minnesota. We have seen now how aggressive Paige can be when she wants to score, and when Nika started last year is when Paige began to show what an unbelievable player she could be. Right off the bat let Paige be free to look for her shot, let Nika jump on their best guard to disrupt their playmaking, and lets see if ONO has improved enough to be out their by herself. I've said it before that everyone who deserves it will get quality minutes wether they start or not. Lets just see if this makes a difference, with Nika energizing the team from the beginning. Its worth a try, so lets find out before we have to face SC.

I agree

 

[LoboDays]

Nika is a positive force on this team. I hope she gets some serious minutes. She would help her case if her shots at least hit the rim.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Nika is my cowbell.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I love Nika! She's got to play better. If she's coming off the bench, she has to give the team something. We saw last year some of the things she can contribute. In college hoops, players don't need subs to give them rest. There are enough stoppages and 40 minutes is not that long. Subs have to give the team something that is lacking on the floor or at least something that needs improvement. Sunday, she needed to help the team get some stops against their dribble-drive. She couldn't help in that regard. That was priority one. She is never going to be anything but a 5th option offensively and when she's left alone she should have the skills to convert. She's got to play better!

 

[Heytherego]

In terms of minutes, I think that we'll rout Minnesota, with Paige playing 25 or so minutes. The next game is likely against USF, who were edged by Tennessee in an ugly game last with. With 3 games in 3 days, I think Geno rests the starters in games 1 and 2. I can see Paige playing 25, 30, and 40 over that span.

Yes agreed. I think we’ll see a lot more of Nika and the freshmen at the Battle for Atlantis tournament. From there hopefully we’ll all have more play to gather judgements from.

 

[BostonBay]

Nika is a good 6th or 7th player off the bench for defensive intensity. She doesnt necessarily has to score but she's seems uncertain on when to shoot and when to pass. I'd like to see her shoot more, as I think she can easily get open shots with Paige out there. If I recall correctly, last game she beat her defender off the dribble, could have easily taken it to the hoop (and draw a foul) or taken a very short-jumper, but instead threw the pass out wildly to the 3-point line. She could really benefit from developing a mid-range jumper.

 

[Jim]

Last year Nika didn't start at the beginning of the season. She had to find her role on that team. And she did well once she found it. This year's team is not the same as last year's team. Now Nika needs to find her role on this team. I think she will. There has only been one game. I expect to see more of her this weekend when the team is expected to play three games in three days.