I thought Patterson gave UConn some pretty good minutes off the bench

[maple]

yes but that's how you learn, from mistakes in game. But if someone makes a mistake once and they don't see the floor again for 20 games how is someone suppose to improve?

If your team is playing a close game and you are consistently hurting them more than helping, you’re not playing because of a single mistake one time. You’re not playing because you can’t be counted on to provide decent minutes.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ayanna started the season strong but faded a bit after New Year’s. It’s not unusual for freshmen to hit the wall as the travel, class work, and physical play begin to take a toll. Hopefully today was the start of her second wind.

 

[Glenn]

Our bench has actually played pretty well the last 5 or so games. Yes, they are not as productive as the starters, but they shouldn't be. And their skill set is not on the scoring side, but they have held their own. CD was right playing them more. The short bench is a decision now, unlike when we were actually shorthanded

 

[Dogstar]

Ayanna was the most energetic player in blue. She banged with Morrow, blocked a shot, got tough rebounds, and made a bucket on her only shot. She helped us get over the hump. I hope to see more of that!

Wish I could give this 10 likes

 

[Fore!]

The problem at the moment is she never considers creating a shot or taking a shot. She doesn't want to dribble or move with the ball. I'm with you. She needs to be told " take some damn shots !"

Given what she has demonstrated on the offensive end to date (except for 1 game where she made a few nice baseline jumpers) I cringe whenever she gets the ball in her hands.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ayanna's best game before today may have been against Maryland. I think it's situational for her. In high school, she was usually the tallest, strongest kid on the court by a wide margin. At UConn, she's by no means the tallest kid in any game, but she is as strong as anyone she meets.

In games against teams without a lot of really tall kids, I think it's easier for her to see how to use her strength, and the Maryland game was a case of this. They aren't a really tall team, so she wasn't paralyzed by fear of getting blocked (which leads to excessive shot-fakes) and can just go right up with the ball on putbacks.

DePaul is another team like this, and it has the ironic advantage that Ayanna gets matched up against another strong kid, Morrow. I think this is the sort of challenge she thrives on, muscling up against strong opposition. She got a monster block against Morrow (and another against someone else) and tore a few decisive rebounds away from DePaul, and the putback was awesome. This was a glimpse of the player she will become, and is an experience I think she can build on.

 

[JBK]

Patterson and Ines both had quality minutes today. Between them and Caroline, maybe we’re actually going to be able to rely on the bench to help out in the upcoming games. And hopefully Azzi will be part of that reliable bench next weekend.

Azzi - part of the bench. If she is healthy she will be starting . Period
She is the NPOY talent that we need right now. Last year Paige did not come off the bench when she was cleared. Let’s make sure we are crystal clear.
Azzi is not CD

 

[Dogstar]

The problem at the moment is she never considers creating a shot or taking a shot. She doesn't want to dribble or move with the ball. I'm with you. She needs to be told " take some damn shots !"

I thk tht it's common with some first year players, for some it's a huge jump from high school to the precision and physical banging in D1, and the fear of making a mistake and being sent to the bench (where they aren't used to being) makes them defer to the upper class. I remember yelling at my TV for Tina Charles to be more aggressive, I thk she's getting the idea of whts really expected of her, it took Nika 3 years to learn to stop with the silly fouls, AP will be ok once she knows her role, calms down , and adjust to the flow of the game, the fact tht Geno trusts her b4 DeBerry tells me alot, the pressure of attending and playing for UConn is tough, kinda like going from the Girl Scouts to the Navy Seals training, it's not for the weak.

 

[CL82]

Burpees all afternoon? Is he going to make her eat Taco Bell?

 

[mordecai]

Patterson and Bettencort both gave what was needed of them yesterday, especially Patterson.. Hopefully this will translate into more playing time for both of them..

 

[ucbart]

it's amazing what happens when bench players are given an opportunity isn't it? If only that was done earlier

I don't like comments like this.

In the games she was a DNP, we were STRUGGLING to score. Ayanna is very limited offensively, so in those games, we were essentially playing 4 on 5 on offense. She played in this game because her physicality and athleticism matched up very well with the DePaul front court.

 

[CL82]

Lol, I know, but thank you.

 

[BRS24]

One of the other positives of AP's play yesterday is that the coaches now have actual scenarios to show her in the game film, to let her better understand the pros/cons of any particular play. Sometimes you can't "see" it without seeing it.

 

[SEbluebood]

Azzi - part of the bench. If she is healthy she will be starting . Period
She is the NPOY talent that we need right now. Last year Paige did not come off the bench when she was cleared. Let’s make sure we are crystal clear.
Azzi is not CD

If you are implying that Azzi will start the first game back, I beg to differ. But time , hopefully, will tell! Many people are assuming her return will only bring good things, and I hope they are right. But if other players start to hesitate to shoot or start to overly rely on Azzi, that could be a negative. Either way, I just hope we get to see her on the court and how things play out from there.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

If you are implying that Azzi will start the first game back, I beg to differ. But time , hopefully, will tell! Many people are assuming her return will only bring good things, and I hope they are right. But if other players start to hesitate to shoot or start to overly rely on Azzi, that could be a negative. Either way, I just hope we get to see her on the court and how things play out from there.

Players already hesitate to shoot!

 

[oldhusky]

Burpees all afternoon? Is he going to make her eat Taco Bell?

I don't know but doing burpees after Taco Bell could be explosive!

 

[Gus Mahler]

I think on a nice play per minutes played basis, Ayanna was outstanding yesterday. And that put back was exhilarating!

 

[YKCornelius]

Azzi - part of the bench. If she is healthy she will be starting . Period
She is the NPOY talent that we need right now. Last year Paige did not come off the bench when she was cleared. Let’s make sure we are crystal clear.
Azzi is not CD

In that case, let's make sure we are crystal clear about the facts as well. Last year when Paige was cleared to return, she did indeed come off the bench in her first game back (St John's at the XL). Given the fact that Azzi came off the bench in each of her first two games back from injury this year, the precedent has clearly been sent by Geno and staff to bring Azzi off the bench the first game.

 

[HuskyNan]

From a couple weeks ago

 

[meyers7]

Patterson did a nice job against DePaul. Very happy for her. Hope to see her build on this game. Having a strong, athletic, defender/rebounder off the bench will help a lot.

 

[Huskie02]

yes but that's how you learn, from mistakes in game. But if someone makes a mistake once and they don't see the floor again for 20 games how is someone suppose to improve?

Agree I think it’s the best she has looked all season.

 

[Longtime fan]

Patterson did a nice job against DePaul. Very happy for her. Hope to see her build on this game. Having a strong, athletic, defender/rebounder off the bench will help a lot.

It might be nice to give both Dorka and Edwards a substantial rest against Xavier. Same for Nikka.

 

[HopJim]

While at times she still looks lost on offense and seems to focus more on getting out of the way than adding value. On defense, where she has been a fouling machine, this was one of the first times where the game slowed down for her and she realized she could be good by just doing the simple things like keeping her hands straight up while guarding, cutting off the driver, and keeping her physical position for rebounding. Overall, Patterson added value in a game where one or two extra possessions were significant. Nice job by the frosh.