EricLA
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- Joined
- Aug 24, 2011
- Messages
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Obviously I'm not. 
Well, I was for the night - didn't post last night after the game because I wanted to let the magnitude of what we saw sink in.
First, 100 is a nice round number, and as Geno said, this team took the torch...took the last baton in the relay... and crossed the finish line. What a remarkable achievement for the UCONN program and all the past/present players who took part in this extraordinary achievement.
On to the game. First, the reffing was just foul. My parents who were at the game noted that Coates fouled at almost every opportunity, and they (my parents) almost lost their minds on several occasions when her fouls were not called. The old adage for the game for other teams - foul ALL the time cuz the refs won't call everything was certainly on display.
Aside from that - for the most part I thought SC played very well. Aside from some ill advised shots towards the end of the game, they did literally everything they could. They gave UCONN their absolute best shot and still came up short. I thought UCONN's defense on Wilson in the 2nd half was masterful. They basically said to SC "Wilson will not beat us. If you have someone else who can, go for it". They did not.
On a night when KLS was not on point, and Kia was injured, and Collier fouled out on a TERRIBLE call (the defender not only was moving, but was inside the restricted zone), we still managed to win by double digits over a likely final 4 team.
Gabby was not only the Bad-ass of the game, she was far and away the best player on the court by a country mile (and that's not taking anything away from the rest of the UCONN team - Gabby was just that good). It wasn't just her offense. It was her passing, her ball handling, her FT shooting, her DEFENSE - literally everything. Ok so 5 TO's not the greatest, but other than that she was extraordinary.
Collier played her usual composed and efficient game. She was a rock. I love how she can finish with both hands easily. 18 points and 9 rebounds is exactly what they needed from her and she delivered in spades.
As I watched Saniya, the word that came to mind is "fearless". She was aggressive, took open shots when she was open, played wonderful defense, and was a rock for the rest of the team. I absolutely LOVE this kid's game this year and am thrilled she's blossomed into the player we all hoped she'd be.
As Geno said, Crystal had a special game. She was great in the Baylor game and great again last night. Now if we could just move the NCAA's to May LOL. Great stuff by Geno. And he was very frank about his frustration with her. He was patient with her in the beginning of the year, but realized she was content to coast. He does not want her to coast. He wants her to reach her potential, and the dog house she's been in for the better part of the past month is directly a result of her lackluster play. Having said that, if she plays like she did last night for the rest of the year, it will be VERY hard to take her off the court.
Butler is a warrior. She went in for about 2 minutes, battled hard, and then when Collier fouled out, went right back in and battled some more. She is what she is and I thought she played great for what we needed from her. 7 important minutes. She knows her role and played it very well.
This team has met every single challenge. They have beaten 6 teams currently ranked in the top 10. Maryland, Florida State, Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas and South Carolina all gave their best shots and came up short. This might be the greatest coaching job Geno and the staff have ever done. We all know what we lost to graduation last year. But what we discovered is truly a bunch of diamonds. So happy for this team!!!
Well, I was for the night - didn't post last night after the game because I wanted to let the magnitude of what we saw sink in. First, 100 is a nice round number, and as Geno said, this team took the torch...took the last baton in the relay... and crossed the finish line. What a remarkable achievement for the UCONN program and all the past/present players who took part in this extraordinary achievement.
On to the game. First, the reffing was just foul. My parents who were at the game noted that Coates fouled at almost every opportunity, and they (my parents) almost lost their minds on several occasions when her fouls were not called. The old adage for the game for other teams - foul ALL the time cuz the refs won't call everything was certainly on display.
Aside from that - for the most part I thought SC played very well. Aside from some ill advised shots towards the end of the game, they did literally everything they could. They gave UCONN their absolute best shot and still came up short. I thought UCONN's defense on Wilson in the 2nd half was masterful. They basically said to SC "Wilson will not beat us. If you have someone else who can, go for it". They did not.
On a night when KLS was not on point, and Kia was injured, and Collier fouled out on a TERRIBLE call (the defender not only was moving, but was inside the restricted zone), we still managed to win by double digits over a likely final 4 team.
Gabby was not only the Bad-ass of the game, she was far and away the best player on the court by a country mile (and that's not taking anything away from the rest of the UCONN team - Gabby was just that good). It wasn't just her offense. It was her passing, her ball handling, her FT shooting, her DEFENSE - literally everything. Ok so 5 TO's not the greatest, but other than that she was extraordinary.
Collier played her usual composed and efficient game. She was a rock. I love how she can finish with both hands easily. 18 points and 9 rebounds is exactly what they needed from her and she delivered in spades.
As I watched Saniya, the word that came to mind is "fearless". She was aggressive, took open shots when she was open, played wonderful defense, and was a rock for the rest of the team. I absolutely LOVE this kid's game this year and am thrilled she's blossomed into the player we all hoped she'd be.
As Geno said, Crystal had a special game. She was great in the Baylor game and great again last night. Now if we could just move the NCAA's to May LOL. Great stuff by Geno. And he was very frank about his frustration with her. He was patient with her in the beginning of the year, but realized she was content to coast. He does not want her to coast. He wants her to reach her potential, and the dog house she's been in for the better part of the past month is directly a result of her lackluster play. Having said that, if she plays like she did last night for the rest of the year, it will be VERY hard to take her off the court.
Butler is a warrior. She went in for about 2 minutes, battled hard, and then when Collier fouled out, went right back in and battled some more. She is what she is and I thought she played great for what we needed from her. 7 important minutes. She knows her role and played it very well.
This team has met every single challenge. They have beaten 6 teams currently ranked in the top 10. Maryland, Florida State, Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas and South Carolina all gave their best shots and came up short. This might be the greatest coaching job Geno and the staff have ever done. We all know what we lost to graduation last year. But what we discovered is truly a bunch of diamonds. So happy for this team!!!
