That I will certainly agree with you on, but we should also keep in perspective that Saniya's "rough patch" still has pretty smooth parts to the road even when compared against some of the top players in the country.
Great stuff Dobbs. Chong would look even better if you took her very low TOs (3 in 74 minutes during this stretch) into account.
I also think it is the same thing pretty much every freshman goes through when they get to Uconn. A learning curve. You start the season knowing very little of the nuances of the Uconn system and 'winging it'. You are often in the wrong position running the wrong direction but you are playing on instinct and when all else fails you head to the hoop or you shoot your J. Then as you learn more you start thinking more and are more often in the right position and running in the right direction, but now, because of the thinking, you may be just a half beat slow, and that gets you thinking even more. And then at some point late in the season or even over the summer it all sort of clicks and the instinctive part of the game comes back but now you are in the right spot by instinct and running the right direction naturally. It certainly happened with Stewart and Jefferson and Tuck last season and surprise surprise it is happening for Chong this season. She isn't playing badly, she is still getting steals and assists, still playing pretty well on defense, and the team doesn't need more right now, so she has time to get that instinctive action back into her game.
Sorry, can't do that, it would show up the elite guards of WCBB too much and put Saniya on a pedestal of superstardom.
I think you put the finger on the "freshman phenomenon" that is torqued to an extremely high level at UConn. A freshman begins learning the UConn system from the start but it's a long process and no one is expected to get everything at the beginning. So they can wing it on instinct, and certain things like taking a 3 too early in the possession are forgiven more because the player is young and learning. But by this time of year with tourney action approaching, the coaches are expecting the freshmen to know the major basics of how to operate in the UConn system, and along with the strains of travel and a longer season the player is also beginning to feel the pressure of being closely judged and having always to make the right move. And that's tough and can indeed lead to freeze ups.
No, just saying that as rough patches go it ain't all that bad. Or should I say wasn't, after today ...
It follows on "she wants to do all those things," which is likely referring to all the parts of the game she knows she can contribute in, the assists, nail some 3s, an occasional block, a steal (though none yesterday), and basically solid defense and learning how to switch off.
I'm venting at previous posts and so don't take this as a response to this particular remark. You can't just take statistics out of context and apply them to suit your point. When did they happen and under what circumstances. Who was out on the court. If it's the end of the game and the game is already decided, maybe a certain player is playing against bench warmers who haven't played but a moment or two all year and prone to making mistakes. You could take a few minutes here and a few minutes there and make someone Michael Jordan or Larry Bird and conversely you can make a superior player to be a scrub based on those moments when they make a bonehead play which happens at some point to everyone. Geno has a pretty good handle on what he wants and EXPECTS from certain players, based on what their ABILITIES are. If you are a walk on he probably has a little less expectation but even those kids might get an earful under certain circumstances. Welcome to the real world.
Not sure that Russell is the best example of a player who has had enough minutes to adjust to college play capably, although the Vol posters here seem to have a rosier view of her season so far. And as David said, "Especially as played by UConn." 19 minutes a game is a solid chunk of time, but a lot more is expected of UConn players than your average college team, and Husky freshmen not named Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore have generally struggled t0 pull together a basic core of skills to perform well on offense and defense. In a lot of ways, it's not so much the amount of minutes involved as the fact that it takes more than 4 or 5 months for the required instincts and energy level to kick in, at least well enough to satisfy Geno that the freshman is really getting it.
Cam....IMO there is no way the minutes she has played at UConn compare in any way to the minutes she played in high school. Not in the number of them, the opponents she was playing or the role she was asked to play by the coach. Opponents in college are faster, bigger, tougher, etc... The game is faster, more athletic... She is adjusting, but it will take more time. I felt, due to injuries, she was asked to play more than she might have w/ everyone healthy. I also think she has done a "fine" job. Not great or spectacular, but good enough considering she is a freshman. Her role at UConn is very different than it was at Ossining, where she did everything but sell programs. We disagree, but no worries, plenty of good basketball ahead for both Saniya and UConn.
