In DEFENSE of Liv

[browns]

Some talk about Liv coming off the bench..Well I'm thrilled with Dorka coming here but can she play defense as well as liv? People say she hasn't shown up in big games..maybe her first 2 years but that's not true this year.She more than held her own against Boston and completly shut down Amihere and against Baylor with 8 boards and 4 assists Uconn would not have won without her battling Egbor and Smith.Nika sets the tone defensively but Liv is the backbone of it with her blocks and length.What happened against Arizona when she should have dominated I don't really know but the whole year she's been playing well.Sure it looks great with Dorka,AE,CW ,Paige and Azzi but as well as that looks offensively if they don't play defense then they will be just like the Maryland teams we have seen the last 15 years and what have they won

 

[my2cents]

She is an offensive liability that moving forward will not be tolerated.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Liv was a significant contributor to the success of this team in 2020-21. She was playing super down the stretch, especially on defense. The BY is going haywire over her performance against AZ. Defense was a huge reason for the team's improvement over the course of the season. As Geno says over and over, the offense gets a big boost when the defense plays well.
I'm a supporter of the notion that Nika provided the D a spark. Liv played a huge part in it. As the ball was pressured better, passing lanes were contested, screens were negated with aggressive switching, and the posts were having to come further out on the floor and they were fronted, and Liv played her role to a T, sliding over and blocking shots and contesting.
We have to remember: some players are more effective as starters and some can excel coming off the bench. The Celtics started Don Nelson and brought Hondo Havlicek off the bench in the late-60's. They started Cornbread Maxwell and brought Kevin McHale off the bench in the early 80's.

 

[Kmoney]

She is an offensive liability that moving forward will not be tolerated.

That’s harsh. She’s the best passing big girl on the team. She’s a good screener. She’s a good outlet. She’s good in the high post. What she is not good at is free throws and being strong around the basket. Both weaknesses can be corrected.

 

[chrissaran]

When have you ever seen UConn not play defense? It was their offense, inconsistent, that hurt their chances to win the NC. Against Arizona 59 points, and against Baylor 69 points. It wasn't the defense. Also, Geno is a better coach than Brenda.

 

[LoboDays]

The problem with determining who will start for this team has to be determined at practice because everyone looks like an all American against 90% of the teams on their schedule. With this roster, the question is which 5 players give them the best chance at winning the NC. With this wealth of talent, many combinations should be tried. I’d start the very first practice by saying: “Show me who wants to play with Paige.”

 

[chrissaran]

After 3 years she's still not strong around the basket. How long is it going to take for her to get stronger around the basket? She has one year. It should have been this year.

 

[my2cents]

Geno pretty much said the same thing I said the other day. He also said that she needs to improve what you stated. With the offensive firepower he is bringing in, players that the other teams don't need to cover, clogging the lane and movement, will not see much playing time.

 

[Discograd]

That’s harsh. She’s the best passing big girl on the team. She’s a good screener. She’s a good outlet. She’s good in the high post. What she is not good at is free throws and being strong around the basket. Both weaknesses can be corrected.

Unfortunately that weakness should have shown some signs of improvement by now. It has not.

 

[huskiemaniac]

We ALL want Liv's down-low game to evolve! The addition of DJ should be seen as a compliment to, not a replacement of, imo. Next season, Geno will have options he hasn't had in years.

 

[Blue Ghost]

She played well on defense. But on offense, too many misses under the basket, poor free throw shooting and too many missed outside shots. She needs to work hard on her offense and add more strength to her game especially when facing bigs who are physical.

 

[cbraarj]

That’s harsh. She’s the best passing big girl on the team. She’s a good screener. She’s a good outlet. She’s good in the high post. What she is not good at is free throws and being strong around the basket. Both weaknesses can be corrected.

Common now you know if it's not fixed after 3 years it probably won't be.

 

[topogigio]

When you look at Stanford and their bigs, it was imperative that the Huskies added more skill to their post!

 

[donalddoowop]

Common now you know if it's not fixed after 3 years it probably won't be.

Not true.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Of all the things about UConn WBB that are taboo to talk about/criticize, the BY doesn't seem to have trouble doing the same with Liv.
Established BY knowledge seems to suggest that an NC caliber team has to have 5 scorers on the floor. I disagree.
How many scorers did AZ have? They put a vice grip on us defensively and McDonald went off. That's what happened. Some on the BY suggest we played good defense against AZ because we held them to whatever 59 points. I disagree.
Coach has to stop tinkering and put Liv on the block where she belongs. She can flash different places and come high for pick and rolls. Someone that can shoot from the FT line should be the high post. Gabby hurt us there too.
BTW funny how the best WCBB program in history has not replaced Liv in the lineup for 3 years. How could that be? Short answer: because she helps us!

 

[Dokey]

She, sadly, remains weakest element.

 

[Jingo]

Some talk about Liv coming off the bench..Well I'm thrilled with Dorka coming here but can she play defense as well as liv? People say she hasn't shown up in big games..maybe her first 2 years but that's not true this year.She more than held her own against Boston and completly shut down Amihere and against Baylor with 8 boards and 4 assists Uconn would not have won without her battling Egbor and Smith.Nika sets the tone defensively but Liv is the backbone of it with her blocks and length.What happened against Arizona when she should have dominated I don't really know but the whole year she's been playing well.Sure it looks great with Dorka,AE,CW ,Paige and Azzi but as well as that looks offensively if they don't play defense then they will be just like the Maryland teams we have seen the last 15 years and what have they won

Yes and the two monster blocks in the 4th quarter vs TN turned the game around. There is NO CHANCE she's not a starter next season, as it should be!

 

[cbraarj]

Not true.

She still shoots from her shoulders or chin underneath and that's why smaller players can defend her. At her height that release should be close to the bottom of the box. She doesn't even have a jump hook that would help her tremendously. UConn needs a consistent post presence and hopefully she does but I don't think she will. We'll see.

 

[tchalla1]

Some talk about Liv coming off the bench..Well I'm thrilled with Dorka coming here but can she play defense as well as liv? People say she hasn't shown up in big games..maybe her first 2 years but that's not true this year.She more than held her own against Boston and completly shut down Amihere and against Baylor with 8 boards and 4 assists Uconn would not have won without her battling Egbor and Smith.Nika sets the tone defensively but Liv is the backbone of it with her blocks and length.What happened against Arizona when she should have dominated I don't really know but the whole year she's been playing well.Sure it looks great with Dorka,AE,CW ,Paige and Azzi but as well as that looks offensively if they don't play defense then they will be just like the Maryland teams we have seen the last 15 years and what have they won

Thanks for your thoughts about Liv--like all of our young women on the team, they are quality kids who deserve balanced perspectives. Yes, Liv certainly contributes with defense and rebounding but no starter at an elite program can expect to remain a starter and play considerable minutes and score 1 point in a semi. That can't happen. I think from what Geno is doing and saying, it is quite evident that Liv without a real upgrade to her offense, will become the defensive specialist, much like Kiah Stokes became. She will still contribute as Kiah did but in a different, specialized way. Make no mistake--this move by Geno is not to meant to compliment, not to substitute intermittently, or to be interchangeable on his 4/5s, but to REPLACE. Geno realized that he had a sizable, noncompetitive hole in his lineup and in order to win a championship, he's seeking to fill it... I think he just did.

 

[Heytherego]

Let’s give the Liv hate a break, it’s on every thread. It is what it is. She’s become an excellent defensive player and her offense we all agree could be better. There will be other options next year to help her out and hopefully help her improve. I’ve just had enough with the hate she gets. She’s been a key factor in some games when everyone else has gone away. And yeah okay it’s the Big East, well we still needed her help to win those games.
And to those saying she’s going to get replaced. That is so off and makes me question if you even follow this program. Could she potentially come off the bench Sure. Is she likely to still have major contributions (defensive or otherwise) Yep. Geno is not going to toss this kid to the side, sorry not how it works.

 

[cbraarj]

Not true.

She still shoots from her shoulders or chin underneath and that's why smaller players can defend her. At her height that release should be close to the bottom of the box. She doesn't even have a jump hook that would help her tremendously. UConn needs a consistent post presence and hopefully she does but I don't think she will. We'll see

 

[HuskyNan]

Geno values 1. Effort and 2. Consistency. I believe Liv has always played hard but the level of her play has been uneven. Geno expects more from his upperclassmen

 

[tchalla1]

Geno values 1. Effort and 2. Consistency. I believe Liv has always played hard but the level of her play has been uneven. Geno expects more from his upperclassmen

Absolutely.

 

[hoophuskee]

It's completely irrelevant who starts.

However with the new transfer, this has made UCONN stronger. And I haven't looked at videos yet but some darn knowledgeable people on here seem enthused and UCONN taking her and she was a very good performer in the B1G adds up to a player that will help UCONN.

And what if she is better than Liv? Then she should get more minutes. And what if Edwards is better? Then Edwards should get more minutes. And during blowouts you could try many things - but if it's shown overall that Dorka and Edwards are better scorers in the post than Liv, then why would you play Liv in the low post vs the elite teams if you are playing high-low when during the season it's shown you have better options?

And I think the coach has made it clear he can't have the same Liv next year. If you disagree - okay. But the fact is - he is saying she better be better. I agree - she better be better. Nothing wrong with saying that.

 

[Rb335]

Do I think this board has been notoriously harsh against ONO? Yes. But I completely understand where it comes from. She was the highest rated true center to commit to the huskies since arguably Tina Charles. (Dolson/Stokes weren't as highly touted, Stewart was more of a versatile 4, and Tuck/Gabby/Collier were all more mobile posts/forwards) At one point, Olivia was the #1 high school prospect, and I believe she wound up #5 by ESPN.

She was a really great defender as a sophomore, as our guards "couldn't guard a chair." She had a lot of opportunities to save plays with a defensive block. She again was a steady defender this year, with less gaudy numbers by virtue of better perimeter defenders. But her offense really made a small jump from year 1 to 2, and basically plateaued. I think a lot of folks, including myself, had big expectations for her to finally give us a big inside presence. She just hasn't been able to do that, except against AAC/Big East teams.

I understand the frustration, and I sense Geno has a bit of it himself. His comments about her makes me believe he knows what she is capable of, and we still need her to win a NC. But he now also has the alternative options to use when she isn't doing her part. I think having those options is great, because you can't always put all of your eggs in one basket.