In Defense of Nika Muhl

[CocoHusky]

Here are some positives about Nika.

• She plays with high energy
• She is tenacious on defense
• Can make good passes
• Brings the ball up quickly and enables our team to attack before the opponent gets into defensive position

she needs to work on

• Take more open shots and make them
• Foul less and turn over the ball less
• Become an offensive threat so defense cannot sag, clog the lane, and make it hard for the post players to score
• Set more screens and cut backdoor or get open for a mid-range shot or trey
• Use strength to post up occasionally against shorter players

in summary, Nika needs to round out her game. Crystal Dangerfield was reluctant to shoot early in her career. She became a much better player when her 3 point shots became really good.

I am a Nika fan and I wish her well. Go Nika!

Agree fully @Topdawg with the exception of the the characterization of Crystal as a reluctant shooter. In Crystal's first game in a UCONN uniform (FSU) she took as many shots (6) as any UCONN guard. In her second game against Baylor Crystal lead UCONN in FGA with 14.

 

[Bigboote]

You’re allowed to shoot inside the arc, too. It might help Nika’s confidence to get some garbage points from rebounds, steal the ball for a layup, or drive the damn lane. Caroline is the only one that will do it.

She drove the lane in the half court twice last night. On one occasion she had a wide-open look that she bungled, in the other it was contested, but she still should have made it. Since she's generally the primary line of defense against the fast break, she really can't get putbacks from offensive rebounds.

I'm surprised by all the posts today bemoaning her not shooting, since she took seven shots last night.

 

[BBallF]

I'm sorry but a PG in the current women's game on a top 5 or top 10 team has to be able to knock down 3s and has to at least be a threat to do so. At 15%, that just isn't very threatening. I was shocked at how little she improved over the summer all around but mostly in her shooting. You would think that there would be a shooting coach/ trainer/ friend with a few hundred shots a day and a new ability to pull up and/or finish at the rim. She has none of that.

She said recently in an interview, as you know, that she didn't have to score because there were other people to do that. That is shortsighted. The PG position is ordinarily at the top of the key which is prime 3 country and being a threat there helps the whole team not just by scoring but by preventing the other team from playing against us 5-4.

She is tough, defends exceptionally well, has good speed and vision, takes charge and has all the valued intangible qualities. Right now, we are not a good shooting and scoring team and some 3s or short jumpers in the lane from our PG are really needed. I think everyone has to realize that they have to get out of their comfort zone now, practice those new things and play harder and differently than they did with Paige.

 

[jchusky]

if other team's don't bother to cover you and you are getting open looks and you hesitate to shoot then the other team is basically on a power play to use a hockey term. 5 on 4 is not going to get you wins.

 

[genzhusk]

She shot 34.4% last year, not a bad percentage at all

Nika Mühl - Women's Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Nika Mühl (10) Guard - CAREER STATS CAREER HONORS 2024 AP All-America Honorable Mention 2024 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team 2024 All-BIG EAST Second Team 2023 ...

uconnhuskies.com

yeah that is definitely more accurate. i figure some mental gymnastics are in play to cherry pick stats to get the above 38%. regardless both 38% and 34% are great and good, respectively. we need either of them desperately!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

She can score. She's just better in an uptempo offense. Europeans rarely have shot clock issues. They run. The girl can giddy up! I would tell her to attack on even on a semi break. Let the other team collect some of her fouls. If we rebounded better/cleaner and got the ball out with PASSES versus dribbling up and settling for running offense in the half court...that would solve some of the offensive woes. At a minimum...get you more game possessions which you need with so many shooters sidelined.

Don't know how many times I've seen her pushing the ball and half the team is behind her. This group lacks team speed so they have to use the pass to move the defense and less dribbling. Long quick passes are the enemy of defenses. This team does not have a MoJeff that can shred a defender off the dribble and get all the way to the rim...consistently. We aren't getting a lot of teams in foul trouble this year because so much of the offense is outside the paint.

Everyone keeps wondering what's up with Edwards. She wants to run ...not play 3/4s of the possessions in the half court. Her rhythm is broken.

 

[BobbyJ]

I'm sorry but a PG in the current women's game on a top 5 or top 10 team has to be able to knock down 3s and has to at least be a threat to do so. At 15%, that just isn't very threatening. I was shocked at how little she improved over the summer all around but mostly in her shooting. You would think that there would be a shooting coach/ trainer/ friend with a few hundred shots a day and a new ability to pull up and/or finish at the rim. She has none of that.

She said recently in an interview, as you know, that she didn't have to score because there were other people to do that. That is shortsighted. The PG position is ordinarily at the top of the key which is prime 3 country and being a threat there helps the whole team not just by scoring but by preventing the other team from playing against us 5-4.

She is tough, defends exceptionally well, has good speed and vision, takes charge and has all the valued intangible qualities. Right now, we are not a good shooting and scoring team and some 3s or short jumpers in the lane from our PG are really needed. I think everyone has to realize that they have to get out of their comfort zone now, practice those new things and play harder and differently than they did with Paige.

What I've been saying for a long time. People think kids wake up one morning when they're 12 and miraculously start shooting like Fudd or Mosqueda-Lewis. Really good shooters learn the mechanics and footwork and work at it. They're not born that way.

 

[Monte]

Nika has to work to get back her shooting touch. Like almost all endeavors, you can make yourself more successful at any task with PRACTICE. I have seen so many players: young pre-teen kids, high school players and those in college make themselves better shooters with hard work. Yes, you can make yourself a better shooter by adjusting your mentality, working harder in team practice, AND most of all by putting in extra time and commitment. I , and I am sure some you have seen players who want to become better shooters stay on the court AFTER team practice and shoot, shoot, and shoot. Some come to the gym when there is no practice and shoot some more.
If you set your mind up to improve at something, you CAN do it.

 

[hoophuskee]

yeah that is definitely more accurate. i figure some mental gymnastics are in play to cherry pick stats to get the above 38%. regardless both 38% and 34% are great and good, respectively. we need either of them desperately!

Appreciate your posts. Don’t take this the wrong way but this is why I created this thread. I don’t agree with your pov and those that feel as you do when it came to Nika last year. IMO if you ignore the stats I put up you’re just in major denial.

All of a sudden she gets awarded significant minutes and on that day it's a miracle she starts to hit shots from 3? Then when she gets hurt she starts missing shots again and that’s called "mental gymnastics" to provide that as a reason that the injury affected her shot? Huh?????

Freshmen get a break nearly all the time from us when they start to get their feet wet when we analyze on here- yet all of sudden we can’t do that for Nika?

SO Carolyn Ducharme is now referred to as the leading scorer and that is okay because we disregard her early season not playing much even though CWill has a higher average? Yet when Muhl didn't play much we are supposed to use the stats while injured against her?

We can agree to disagree. I created this thread because I disagree with posters such as yourself that have minimized the fact that she was a good shooter in 2021. (ie. My ttile -- In Defense of Nika Muhl).

With respect fellow husky fan, I think you're wrong using statistical data when Muhl was hurt and getting her feet wet vs when Auriemma put her in the lineup and gave her significant minutes. These are 16 game stats that can’t be ignored. The factors being both hurt and getting her feet wet are far, far, far less relevant as is using Ducharme’s scoring average (prior to Paige and Azzi being hurt) as having any relevance. It’s not “mental gymnastics” – it’s “logic.”

 

[Skeets]

I'm a huge Nika fan, but she may benefit from hanging out with RJ Cole and watching some of his games.

 

[BRS24]

If one compares our PGs, therein lies the challenge. Paige, a gifted PG who sees the floor like no one else on the team, and anticipates next moves, provided a significant percentage of our points. Nika is not a prolific scorer, however is doing well with distributing the ball and not focusing on scoring. The challenge with Paige is that she was filling more than one role, whereas Nika may only be tasked in filling one and doing it well.

 

[HopJim]

The question isn’t “can she shoot?” but “will she shoot?”. When the team is desperate for scoring and Nika is wide open, she will not shoot the ball. She’s very quick, but she passes rather than look for an open lane to the basket although those are in short supply due to the lack of 3 point shooting.

A good guard can pass the ball, a great guard initiates the offense - driving into the zone and dishing to the open player, finding open players when Liv is double-teamed (Dorka, anyone?) and getting the ball to her before the defense can shift. A great guard knows when to shoot the ball rather than pass it. And a great guard can read the defense and know where the weak spots are.

Nika is a good guard and at times a very good guard. But maybe she needs to slow down a little without losing her aggressiveness, then she can learn how to read defenses better and know where the ball should be going before the defense has time to set up. Still only a sophomore, Nika has time and she’s another one that will benefit when Paige is back to help mentor her friend.

You point out a glaring issue that others often forget - will she drive? While reluctant to shoot, she is even more hesitant to drive to the basket, a skill as you point out opens the floor for everyone else.

 

[eebmg]

You point out a glaring issue that others often forget - will she drive? While reluctant to shoot, she is even more hesitant to drive to the basket, a skill as you point out opens the floor for everyone else.

Yes but none of our guards really drive the ball (except paige which I might argue could do it more if she wanted) which is really weird. No matter what team other than UConn I watch at just about any level, there seem to be at least a few players who drive to the basket even if just to draw a foul. Now that is not a style I particularly like but is often needed when things break down. I wonder if our practice approach on team play reduces our players desire (ability?) to drive to the basket (especially early in the clock). I assume that should be practiced in individual practices but maybe is not encouraged?

That is one reason Caroline is so refreshing. She has really aggressive drives to the post and diversity in scoring at all levels.

 

[hoophuskee]

You point out a glaring issue that others often forget - will she drive? While reluctant to shoot, she is even more hesitant to drive to the basket, a skill as you point out opens the floor for everyone else.

She can't drive when the paint is being packed because they don't have outside shooting to open up the lane. Good- well-coached basketball teams are not going to let a more predominant passing player that isn't that quick to get in the lane unless she is being extremely tightly guarded. And UCONN's offense is not built on one-on-one basketball.

To further that, she isn't that quick and because she has been so awful shooting form the outside, how is she going to penetrate in a favorable manner in which she has a step on the defender when the defender more likely quicker than her, is sagging?

To further that, she is short, not that athletic and doesn't have a jumpshot (so she can't elevate over the defender. She has more of a set shot so even smaller players can affect her shot. Forget about posting which someone mentioned.). So she is going to struggle getting off an efficient high percentage shot with a congested lane.

While she can do it, forcing a shot in the lane for someone as small as she is without the athletic ability and her strength is much more of a passer than scorer, is among some of the worst options UCONN can have.

She will drive more though when the lane opens up. As a result, Paige/Azzi will be a huge help for her. But she can't be 3-20 from 3.

 

[BBallF]

What I've been saying for a long time. People think kids wake up one morning when they're 12 and miraculously start shooting like Fudd or Mosqueda-Lewis. Really good shooters learn the mechanics and footwork and work at it. They're not born that way.

100%. If your mechanics and footwork are good, and hers are not bad, it is a matter of repetition, muscle memory, eye hand coordination and training. Everybody has to score on this team as currently constituted.

 

[Topdawg]

Agree fully @Topdawg with the exception of the the characterization of Crystal as a reluctant shooter. In Crystal's first game in a UCONN uniform (FSU) she took as many shots (6) as any UCONN guard. In her second game against Baylor Crystal lead UCONN in FGA with 14.

Thank you CocoHusky. Nothing like facts to correct impressions that are clouded by time.

 

[Zarathustra]

I'm all for everything you said except she should limit herself from driving the lane in halfcourt sets. She doesn't have a jump shot and is not that quick and is not tall. But I'm with you- it doesn't mean she should never do it. Though that might take experience to know when to penetrate.

Against different competition, in Europe against other teams in various
leagues, Nika did all of these things ( 3 pointers, mid range jumpers, driving
the lane, and
more than adequate rebounding /considering height ). The competition
is different, the stakes are higher, and the pressure must intense!.
She is and will continue to be a great back up to Paige. See some of
the old FIBA NIKA MUHL highlight tapes. Also check out her little
sister, Hana Muhl, who is going to Illinois next year.

 

[genzhusk]

i

Appreciate your posts. Don’t take this the wrong way but this is why I created this thread. I don’t agree with your pov and those that feel as you do when it came to Nika last year. IMO if you ignore the stats I put up you’re just in major denial.

All of a sudden she gets awarded significant minutes and on that day it's a miracle she starts to hit shots from 3? Then when she gets hurt she starts missing shots again and that’s called "mental gymnastics" to provide that as a reason that the injury affected her shot? Huh?????

Freshmen get a break nearly all the time from us when they start to get their feet wet when we analyze on here- yet all of sudden we can’t do that for Nika?

SO Carolyn Ducharme is now referred to as the leading scorer and that is okay because we disregard her early season not playing much even though CWill has a higher average? Yet when Muhl didn't play much we are supposed to use the stats while injured against her?

We can agree to disagree. I created this thread because I disagree with posters such as yourself that have minimized the fact that she was a good shooter in 2021. (ie. My ttile -- In Defense of Nika Muhl).

With respect fellow husky fan, I think you're wrong using statistical data when Muhl was hurt and getting her feet wet vs when Auriemma put her in the lineup and gave her significant minutes. These are 16 game stats that can’t be ignored. The factors being both hurt and getting her feet wet are far, far, far less relevant as is using Ducharme’s scoring average (prior to Paige and Azzi being hurt) as having any relevance. It’s not “mental gymnastics” – it’s “logic.”

i said 34% is good. “posters such as yourself that have minimized the fact that she was a good shooter.” again, i said 34% was good. so i believe you are mistaken that i am minimizing that she was good a season ago? irregardless of her % last year, she needs to shoot the ball now. even if she thinks she’s gonna miss (3-20 this year). at the very least we can agree that she should shoot more now when left wide open, especially when we’re missing the likes of PG, CW, and Azzi???

 

[CocoHusky]

i

i said 34% is good. “posters such as yourself that have minimized the fact that she was a good shooter.” again, i said 34% was good. so i believe you are mistaken that i am minimizing that she was good a season ago? irregardless of her % last year, she needs to shoot the ball now. even if she thinks she’s gonna miss (3-20 this year). at the very least we can agree that she should shoot more now when left wide open, especially when we’re missing the likes of PG, CW, and Azzi???

Nika is shooting 3 for 20=15% from deep this season & 27 % overall . The vast majority of her deep shots have been wide open shots and you want Nika to shoot more? I think the UCONN opponents want the same thing you do.
Rx. 1) Nika needs to shoot more accurately
2) Nika needs to shoot closer to the basket. 20 of her 30 FG attempts have been from deep. Mix in mid range and layups.
3) Once she accomplishes # 1 and 2 Nika needs to shoot more often to keep the defense from sagging on to other UCONN players.

 

[phil sampieri]

Geno played Kelly Ferris for defense, rebounds and passing, not a lot of scoring, and the fans loved her. When the team wins, the fans love all of the players. Not every player is a major scorer, but, they contribute.

Ok Kelly was a way better defender,way better rebounder, a better passer and penetrator and fair from 3.I love the intensity but she is
a good 10 minute sub unless in a blowout.

 

[Postie]

Here are some positives about Nika.

• She plays with high energy
• She is tenacious on defense
• Can make good passes
• Brings the ball up quickly and enables our team to attack before the opponent gets into defensive position

she needs to work on

• Take more open shots and make them
• Foul less and turn over the ball less
• Become an offensive threat so defense cannot sag, clog the lane, and make it hard for the post players to score
• Set more screens and cut backdoor or get open for a mid-range shot or trey
• Use strength to post up occasionally against shorter players

in summary, Nika needs to round out her game. Crystal Dangerfield was reluctant to shoot early in her career. She became a much better player when her 3 point shots became really good.

I am a Nika fan and I wish her well. Go Nika!

All players have to work in their weaknesses not their strengths.She should be putting up 300 everyday after practice.There is a video of Geno getting in KLS telling her so what you can make threes can you play defense get rebounds create turnovers!

 

[Longtime fan]

The elephant in the room is not Nika not scoring or not shooting well as that was never the player she was. It is Evina and Dorka not contributing much in the way of scoring, rebounding and facilitating. That is what was expected of them.

Good point. And Nika can hit threes. We have seen it ( last year, when healthy ). But she has other responsibilities as the sole point guard. And it is the others who are failing. Caroline missed 8 of 9 from the arc. And the one she hit was on a lucky bounce ( not " nothing but net."). Westbrook disappeared, and Dorka just can't be relied upon ( to hold on and control a loose ball or top make a shot). Even Olivia missed the 12 footer she had drained consistently against Xavier. At this moment, something is " wrong." And it won't get corrected just because Azzi starts playing or Paige gets closer to returning. At the moment, the chemistry isn't there. This just isn't a team running on all cylinders ...physical or mental.

 

[NU2BY]

@Longtime fan - Correction, Caroline missed 7 out of 8 from the arc, and the one she made counted the same whether it swished or not. What about the 9 out of 13 two pointers she scored, isn't that worthy praise instead of bashing her for poor 3pt performance? She scored nearly 38% of UConn's points in the game. Just imagine where we'd be without her.

 

[NU2BY]

Good point. And Nika can hit threes. We have seen it ( last year, when healthy ). But she has other responsibilities as the sole point guard. And it is the others who are failing. Caroline missed 8 of 9 from the arc. And the one she hit was on a lucky bounce ( not " nothing but net."). Westbrook disappeared, and Dorka just can't be relied upon ( to hold on and control a loose ball or top make a shot). Even Olivia missed the 12 footer she had drained consistently against Xavier. At this moment, something is " wrong." And it won't get corrected just because Azzi starts playing or Paige gets closer to returning. At the moment, the chemistry isn't there. This just isn't a team running on all cylinders ...physical or mental.

Correction, Caroline missed 7 out of 8 from the arc, and the one she made counted the same whether it swished or not. What about the 9 out of 13 two pointers she scored, isn't that worthy praise instead of bashing her for poor 3pt performance? She scored nearly 38% of UConn's points in the game. Just imagine where we'd be without her.

 

[Bigboote]

Nika is shooting 3 for 20=15% from deep this season & 27 % overall . The vast majority of her deep shots have been wide open shots and you want Nika to shoot more? I think the UCONN opponents want the same thing you do.
Rx. 1) Nika needs to shoot more accurately
2) Nika needs to shoot closer to the basket. 20 of her 30 FG attempts have been from deep. Mix in mid range and layups.
3) Once she accomplishes # 1 and 2 Nika needs to shoot more often to keep the defense from sagging on to other UCONN players.

I don't generally agree with you about Nika, Coco, but I agree with this 100%.

There's been such an emphasis on three-pointers, so many people (including players and coaches) forget about developing the 10-15 footer. Grace Berger immediately comes to mind as someone whose success depends largely on the short-midrange jumper.

 

[#12in21]

Not a big fan of Geno's Oregon post game presser. He, as some have pointed out, fell on the sword saying this is the worst coaching of his career. But the tone said to me that those were more words for the press than his actual belief. When he in essence said that 'the guard play sucked and the reason for that was none of the good guards are playing', that rung truer to me to what he was actually feeling at the moment. I get he was frustrated by how the team performed, but rather than showing frustration that his players didn't show up and play like he knows they are capable, he in his statements, indicated he doesn't feel they are capable. I just hope his private communications individually and at practices express more disappointment and are aimed at motivating improvement than reinforcing that he has given up on some of them and at best they are pacesetters until he 'gets his real team back'.

I fully accept that Paige and Christyn have shown they are the best guards on the team, Azzi potentially may be up there as well but so far she hasn't played enough at this level to say that. If Geno had said 'our best guards weren't playing in Oregon' no argument but he said 'our good guards weren't playing'. Both Evina and Nika have shown in the past that they have real value to the team, they have contributed and have worked their butts off to do so, so I hope what Geno said publicly at the presser is not his true feelings about them at this time and certainly how they are experiencing their relationship with him and the team. I most definitely have not given up on either of them and believe they will bounce back from a bad game. My hope is that Geno believes that as well, if not he may be right about his comment about the coaching.

 

[BobbyJ]

Not a big fan of Geno's Oregon post game presser. He, as some have pointed out, fell on the sword saying this is the worst coaching of his career. But the tone said to me that those were more words for the press than his actual belief. When he in essence said that 'the guard play sucked and the reason for that was none of the good guards are playing', that rung truer to me to what he was actually feeling at the moment. I get he was frustrated by how the team performed, but rather than showing frustration that his players didn't show up and play like he knows they are capable, he in his statements, indicated he doesn't feel they are capable. I just hope his private communications individually and at practices express more disappointment and are aimed at motivating improvement than reinforcing that he has given up on some of them and at best they are pacesetters until he 'gets his real team back'.

I fully accept that Paige and Christyn have shown they are the best guards on the team, Azzi potentially may be up there as well but so far she hasn't played enough at this level to say that. If Geno had said 'our best guards weren't playing in Oregon' no argument but he said 'our good guards weren't playing'. Both Evina and Nika have shown in the past that they have real value to the team, they have contributed and have worked their butts off to do so, so I hope what Geno said publicly at the presser is not his true feelings about them at this time and certainly how they are experiencing their relationship with him and the team. I most definitely have not given up on either of them and believe they will bounce back from a bad game. My hope is that Geno believes that as well, if not he may be right about his comment about the coaching.

Of course it's for the media. That's just how he operates. With his ego he's not going to admit to any shortcomings in coaching. Instead of keeping some of this stuff inhouse, he tosses it out to the media knowing he can use them to send his messages. I think it's more for public consumption than for the players. But that's all this is, nothing new.

 

[Longtime fan]

@Longtime fan - Correction, Caroline missed 7 out of 8 from the arc, and the one she made counted the same whether it swished or not. What about the 9 out of 13 two pointers she scored, isn't that worthy praise instead of bashing her for poor 3pt performance? She scored nearly 38% of UConn's points in the game. Just imagine where we'd be without her.

Telling facts is not " bashing."

 

[eebmg]

Telling facts is not " bashing."

Selecting which facts are more important is subjective.

 

[NU2BY]

Telling facts is not " bashing."

Well, which "fact" did you actually get correct? Putting down one player in an attempt to make another look better is, in fact, bashing.