I'm just not so sure now......

[doggydaddy]

I've been a big proponent of the theory that Geno will start Doty. And she did start today.

A couple of reason that I felt Geno would start Doty was two-fold.

1. Geno didn't want Doty to warm up and then sit down.
2. Doty has been a starter her entire career.
3. Geno usually doesn't start freshmen unless there is an injury (like with Hartley).

Now, after seeing Stewart 3 times, two live from up close and once in HD on an excellent broadcast by SNY, I am not only a strong advocate for starting Stewart along with Dolson, Hartley, Faris and Lewis but I'm thinking Geno will do it as well.

I think the change in Geno's mind is based on his seeing how dominant Stewart is and how important it is to be able to always have a true 4 on the court and someone as good as Stewart is just icing on the cake. Another reason would be how important it is to have Dolson and Stewart on the court at the same time. Their chemistry was obvious. Also, Caroline came off the bench in the last exhibition game and semed fine.

So....we will see once Hartley comes back. I'm looking forward to seeing UConn at 100%.

 

[speedoo]

Yeah, I am having a lot of trouble visualizing Stewart not starting. For all the reasons you mentioned DD plus her defense is just devastating both in the full court press and in the half court.

 

[doggydaddy]

Yeah, I am having a lot of trouble visualizing Stewart not starting. For all the reasons you mentioned DD plus her defense is just devastating both in the full court press and in the half court.

How the heck did I leave out her game changing defense? Great call.

I've seen a lot of video and internet broadcasts of Stewart. She is better than I thought after now seeing her in person and on a large HD screen. And that is saying something.

 

[Fiftyish]

Like you said, we won't know Geno's plan until Hartley is back to full strength. Can't argue with your comments regarding Stewart but I still think when Hartley is back that CD will start. She may only last until the first time out but she will start. I base my opinion on Geno's past history with Dee and Maya and how he played Pam Weber. Either way Stewart will impact the game.

 

[johnnyc]

21 points in 23 minutes. What did Geno say after the game....she is not a shooter she is a scorer?. Something like that. Now you factor in her defense.....we shall see.

 

[alexrgct]

Stewart, in addition to having the length, ball skills, and diversity we knew about, seems stronger and tougher than one might have thought she would be out of the gate. I think the Stef/Breanna combo was really effective and one that will cause huge problems inside the arc. Meanwhile, Bria and KML are terrific outside shooters and Kelly is a top notch passer. Certainly, that's a devastating lineup.

Having said that, Caroline did look faster and more confident in her legs than a year ago. However, Geno mentioned in the All-Access show that he expects Caroline is simply going to have her ups and downs over the course of a season. Given this, he may be more inclined to go with a lineup he feels will have more ohysical consistency. I do think having Caroline in a young second unit with, say, Mo, Banks, Tuck, and Kiah could be very valuable.

 

[Phil]

Moore scored 21 in her debut, but she did it in 20 minutes, so Geno can use this to push Stewart

 

[Tonyc]

Caroline history dictates not alot of playtime. If Geno plays her for long minutes early on, he may not have those minutes late in the season when he will need her. Bria and Caroline at the guards would be impressive if healthly, but theyre both coming back from injuries. This team can put up alot of points and alot of points in a very short time, which is a luxary. So my feeling is both will play and get minutes but when UConn has a big lead Geno will rest them . One thing we dont need late in the season is both CD and Bria down and only MJ and BB running the point. An injury, or foul trouble and all of a sudden this team dosnt have a leader on the floor. We need everybody healthly late in the season.

 

[UcMiami]

Good points all.
I do think one line-up he may be considering is replacing KML with Hartley when she is back to full strength. KML is obviously great and this would not be a demotion in his eyes, he loves having instant offense coming off the bench and she would play the same number of minutes. BH and KML both provide some of the same offensive options. I agree that having a true '4' is a good idea.
I loved his quote about everyone coming in and saying they want to start and he says - no problem, I'll pull you at the first time-out and then get you back in for a bit of garbage time: or, you can start on the bench and maybe play 30+ minutes - choice is yours!

 

[UConn990411]

Now, after seeing Stewart 3 times, two live from up close and once in HD on an excellent broadcast by SNY, I am not only a strong advocate for starting Stewart along with Dolson, Hartley, Faris and Lewis but I'm thinking Geno will do it as well.

Another factor to consider, even though it may not be as important, is that Stewart gives both the starting lineup and the bench far better balance.

Assuming Hartley is healthy and Doty is still starting, Geno will have to find a way to get Stewart, Tuck and Stokes minutes at PF and C coming off the bench. Only Jefferson and Banks would be available in reserve at the PG, SG and SF positions. By comparison, if Stewart started, Geno would essentially have a second line (PG: Jefferson, SG: Doty, G/F: Banks, PF: Tuck, C: Stokes) to sub as he pleases.

In addition, I would like to see UConn get back to playing a more balanced starting lineup. They've played predominantly small ball the past four seasons (Maya and Faris starting at the 4) because of they've had to, but they now have the personnel to play more traditional lineups (i.e. Stewart at PF)...without sacrificing any speed, athleticism, skill, shooting, passing, etc.

This really has less to do with Doty, and more to do with Stewart being so overwhelmingly good. I know Geno loves to have a great player coming off the bench, but he might find that it's too hard to wait even five minutes to bring her onto the court.

 

[gandydancer]

I don't think there's any way KML doesn't start every game, barring injuries, the rest of her career . I can see Doty starting every game except Baylor, where starting Stewart would be a surprise and a necessity. After beating Baylor during the season, he starts Doty in the NCAA finals.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I just can't imagine having BS on the bench when a full court press is in effect, or, for that matter, anytime a game is in question.

 

[RadyLady]

You know, there is a great deal of talk about how Kaleena was such a spark off the bench in her Freshman year, instant offense at the first break, the perfect 6th man option. I would entertain that Breanna would also be a 6th man zinger, not only as instant offense, but also as instant and intimidating defense.

Keep the upper classmen starters (when Bria gets back), then sit Caroline, slide Kelly over to the 2 and bring in Breanna

 

[Shenandoah]

Moore scored 21 in her debut, but she did it in 20 minutes, so Geno can use this to push Stewart

From what I've seen and heard, Stewart doesnt need anyone to push her, any harder than she pushes herself...

 

[01Neaggrad02]

What is the debate? KML should be a starter. Did you see how she started the game on Sunday. Three, Three, Three, seriously... some of you want to put her back to the bench. For crying out loud let her start and deflate some of the other teams.
Bria should probably be the starting point guard when she is healthy.
Stef should be the starting center.
I think it would be hard to say Kelly should not start.
Caroline has earned and deserves the start. Caroline is an X factor. We do not know how long she will be able to play in each game... why not start her and then sub for her?

While Stewie was amazing she would do well coming off the bench, it will give her a different perspective and will help boost the team with instant offense and defense. Next year when Kelly and Caroline are gone, it is easy to see Stewie starting along with a Jefferson. But for now....... for this year... those two players deserve the start. If it is something like in 2000 when Geno replaced a starter like Paige and Stacey because of work ethic I have no issue with it... but KML SHOULD START

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I repeat...a game on the line, or a full court press, BS needs to be on the floor. I could care less who starts.

 

[speedoo]

What is the debate? KML should be a starter. Did you see how she started the game on Sunday. Three, Three, Three, seriously... some of you want to put her back to the bench. For crying out loud let her start and deflate some of the other teams.
Bria should probably be the starting point guard when she is healthy.
Stef should be the starting center.
I think it would be hard to say Kelly should not start.
Caroline has earned and deserves the start. Caroline is an X factor. We do not know how long she will be able to play in each game... why not start her and then sub for her?

While Stewie was amazing she would do well coming off the bench, it will give her a different perspective and will help boost the team with instant offense and defense. Next year when Kelly and Caroline are gone, it is easy to see Stewie starting along with a Jefferson. But for now....... for this year... those two players deserve the start. If it is something like in 2000 when Geno replaced a starter like Paige and Stacey because of work ethic I have no issue with it... but KML SHOULD START

Paige and Stacey did not lose their starting positions due to work ethic. They were replaced by much better freshmen, named Swin Cash and Tamika Williams.. Plus Kelly Schumacher was a much better center than Paige was. Paige and Stacey showed tremendous leadership from the bench as juniors and especially as seniors in the 2000 NC run.

 

[Shenandoah]

Having Breanna and Stefanie in the game together gives us a balance across the front line, that we didn't have the last couple of years. When Stefanie gets into foul trouble, it's because she is the only legit big out there, and is getting both double teamed AND beat up. With Bre, teams can't double down on Stef, and leave Breanna or one of the other shooters free. That leaves Stef free to pass the ball, which she does extremely well.

 

[wire chief]

If her health holds up, the fith year PG starts. Period.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I just don't understand, with this team, why who "starts" is important.

 

[speedoo]

I just don't understand, with this team, why who "starts" is important.

Normally I agree that who starts is unimportant, But I have to make an exception in the case of Stewart.

Why? Because with her devastating defense, she can set the tone for a game in the first five minutes, before the opposing team settles in to the game. I just think her defense can be a much bigger factor in the first five minutes of a game than at any other time.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Normally I agree that who starts is unimportant, But I have to make an exception in the case of Stewart.

Why? Because with her devastating defense, she can set the tone for a game in the first five minutes, before the opposing team settles in to the game. I just think her defense can be a much bigger factor in the first five minutes of a game than at any other time.

Especially with a full court press.

 

[VAMike23]

I just don't understand, with this team, why who "starts" is important.

I agree that it's not all that important. However, I do like having KML start because I think her 3-pt shot is better when she has a chance to get a rhythm going and get into the game flow right away. She can certainly shoot well off the bench, but she also has cold shooting days. Starting helps this a little bit, it seems to me.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

This team is dfferent in that there are so much talent available. Hence, what the floor needs determines playing time, as I see it...defense, offense, speed, rebounding.

 

[EricLA]

At this point I have no idea. I was one of those who thought Caroline would start until she graduated. And I think Geno places a lot of importance on how well she runs the team and her steadying influence. Of course CoC was overmatched. I think we will learn a lot after the aTm game. Then we play Wake, Marist followed by #21 Purdue.

I want to see Caroline start the entire year partly because she's worked so damn hard and she's so easy to root for. But I realize she may not be part of our "best" team on the court. IMHO, Geno's preference will be to have Bria play the 2, so he would generally want Caroline or Moriah in there as the 1 in big games.

But I also agree Bree is too talented NOT to play. She really changes UCONN's look on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Go-go-gadget for sure... She's often looked like the best player on the court during the 1st 3 games, and given how talented we are, that's really saying something...