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Message: [QUOTE="CocoHusky, post: 4103651, member: 5823"] Actually we have ample evidence that just one sub 40% shooter can have a dramatic effect on offensive efficiency and the way opposing defense play in Freshman and 1/2 of Sophomore season Moriah Jefferson, Freshman Kelly Faris and Mikayla Coombs two full season at UCONN. Jefferson because she was a facilitator and a defensive dynamo like some are incorrectly asserting Nika to be, is perhaps the best example. Freshman Jefferson shot 42% overall and 27% from deep. Despite that she became a starter as a sophomore and her shooting woes continued until Christmas of that season. This caused defense to deliberately sag of Jefferson and why wouldn't they when the alternatives were Stewie, KML, and Bria Hartley, & Dolson. If you go back and check the BY archives there were many calls for freshman Saniya Chong to replace Jefferson in the starting line up much the same way I'm advocating for Azzi ahead of Nika now. Stanford was the only team to execute that strategy ( sag off Jefferson) successfully (beat UCONN) but many other teams tried it. Coombs is the next best example. UCONN desperately needed a 3 guard to be part of the rotation to go along with Crystal and Kia Nurse then Crystal and Christyn. Coombs was not up to the task sooting less than 30% and that resulted in Kia, Crystal and Christyn all averaging well over 30 minutes per game across those two season. Also in the immortal words of that great Philadelphian Rasheed Wallace-the ball don't lie. That is significant because when you put a weak shooter on the floor it actually remarkable how many times the ball ends up in that non-shooters hands especially when the shot clock is pressing. BTW I agree with you about Azzi defensive struggles but I see no evidence that she has not fully grasped the UCONN "offensive" system. Quite the opposite-Azzi seems to always in the right positions to start the sets, knows that she needs to space the floor in transition by sprinting to a corner and her movements are decisive=exactly the opposite of what she is doing on the defensive end of the floor. [/QUOTE]

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