In her last year, Paige says: NO MORE PASSIVE PAIGE | Page 2 | The Boneyard

In her last year, Paige says: NO MORE PASSIVE PAIGE

The deacon said:
I'm with you, Alydar, on your entire post except that Paige's career scoring average in her four Final Four games is 15.8. That's just not what a truly great player produces.

I believe it's big-game, Maya-type killer scoring that we Paige fans have so long wanted. She's done it all, except that, so far... big games by her might well have helped the Huskies defeat Arizona in '21, SC in '22 and Iowa in April.
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Maya didn't lead her team to a title in her freshman year either.

Big game? Go re-watch the 2022 and 2023 E8 games. Her OT performance vs NCSt is unmatched in UConn "big game" history.
 
Alydar said:
Maya didn't lead her team to a title in her freshman year either.

Big game? Go re-watch the 2022 and 2023 E8 games. Her OT performance vs NCSt is unmatched in UConn "big game" history.
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Agreed, Alydar. Coming from a big-time Paige fan, I was thrilled watching her take down NC State in that Elite 8 game. Still, Maya did play a big role in back-to-back title runs.

Comparing Paige's credentials vs. Maya's is not a winning battle, Alydar, at least at the moment.

I was simply stating that, in her four most important games, Paige has not played big-time basketball. I believe the point of this thread is that we all hope she will do that in '24-25.
 
The deacon said:
Agreed, Alydar. Coming from a big-time Paige fan, I was thrilled watching her take down NC State in that Elite 8 game. Still, Maya did play a big role in back-to-back title runs.

Comparing Paige's credentials vs. Maya's is not a winning battle, Alydar, at least at the moment.

I was simply stating that, in her four most important games, Paige has not played big-time basketball. I believe the point of this thread is that we all hope she will do that in '24-25.
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Maya had Charles on both her title teams. Bueckers has yet to play a season with a player of Charles' level.

Titles are won by teams. All the FF teams can defend and they all can slow down their opponent's star. Often, the big player in the big game is someone other than the star who rises to the occasion. In 2016 Stewart was named the MOP but even she said that the star of the game was Jefferson. Morris was the reason LSU beat Iowa. When SCar knocked off UConn their guard made more 3's than she had all season.

Clark lost both of her biggest games. It wasn't her fault though.
 
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The deacon said:
Agreed, Alydar. Coming from a big-time Paige fan, I was thrilled watching her take down NC State in that Elite 8 game. Still, Maya did play a big role in back-to-back title runs.

Comparing Paige's credentials vs. Maya's is not a winning battle, Alydar, at least at the moment.

I was simply stating that, in her four most important games, Paige has not played big-time basketball. I believe the point of this thread is that we all hope she will do that in '24-25.
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I don't agree with the context of your post at all. While agree with you Maya is ahead but your comment of Paige not playing "big time" basketball in the 4 most important games imo is over-the-top. First off she has been to only 3 Final Fours. So you are including the game they beat Stanford, the Defending champ?

Also, as a Paige fan that you say you are, you feel it an appropriate comparison that during Maya's 2 Title years she had in one title with 1st team a/a Reeve (when Maya was a soph) and had Tina who was top ten that year - Tina's jr year. Then in Maya's jr year, she played alongside the NPOY, Tina Charles. So, as a Paige fan, you feel it unnecessary to point this out but rather make a point that Paige hasn't been big time in the most important games (whatever the definition of "big time means in your pov)?

So, for example, as a Paige fan that you are, when Paige leads her team in points and assists in the game in which as the leader she knocks off the defending champ from the prior year in which thta team changes their defense a lot to account for her; but yet in your view that’s isn't big time?
 
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HopJim said:
I can't believe Paige will become much more aggressive than what we have seen in the past. To me, the more compelling change is that she will not have to play power forward this year. Paige more than held her own against taller players but she has the strength and skills to dominate against most guards. With more height this year at most positions, this could be a very special Huskie team.
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If Geno decides He wants to maximize the teams offensive firepower, that probably means that Paige is still technically playing the four. We are a guard heavy team, so Paige at power forward creates an another guard slot effectively. Of course, if Strong is as good as advertised and adapts quickly to high major basketball, she could take the four position, and Paige could move to swingman.

This is a guess at this point, but I think the game plan for this year is going to emphasize offense, rather than defense. That doesn't mean that Geno will abandon his trademark aggressive defense, but it acknowledges the fact that defense takes longer for players to develop than offense, and we are a very young team. I think the game plan may be to force opponents into a track meet and try to keep up with us. Look for us to play Geno's preferred four out style in the half court, but to emphasize fast breaks and quick baskets, at least initially.

As the team develops, we have the depth to play aggressive defense because we will have a lot of fouls to give but, initially I expect our games to be up and down the court quickly, almost like an All-Star game. That's just my guess based purely upon player personnel. We will see how accurate it turns out to be.
 
CL82 said:
If Geno decides He wants to maximize the teams offensive firepower, that probably means that Paige is still technically playing the four. We are a guard heavy team, so Paige at power forward creates an another guard slot effectively. Of course, if Strong is as good as advertised and adapts quickly to high major basketball, she could take the four position, and Paige could move to swingman.

This is a guess at this point, but I think the game plan for this year is going to emphasize offense, rather than defense. That doesn't mean that Geno will abandon his trademark aggressive defense, but it acknowledges the fact that defense takes longer for players to develop than offense, and we are a very young team. I think the game plan may be to force opponents into a track meet and try to keep up with us. Look for us to play Geno's preferred four out style in the half court, but to emphasize fast breaks and quick baskets, at least initially.

As the team develops, we have the depth to play aggressive defense because we will have a lot of fouls to give but, initially I expect our games to be up and down the court quickly, almost like an All-Star game. That's just my guess based purely upon player personnel. We will see how accurate it turns out to be.
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Paige is the most talented guard in the NCAA and playing her at the 4 out of necessity sort of worked because she is who she is. However, she should get the heck out of there just as quick as she can. Imagine if we could have actually recruited a talented big during Gabby Williams tenure and she had developed her guard game. Paige has got the game. Let her play it.
 
DEpup said:
It would be really great to see Paige display an inner Maya Moore and score some points right out the gate. I long for the days when UConn teams had true killer instincts and their opponents were just broken before half time.
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In interviews, Maya liked to say that her job was to get her team an early lead. There were many games in which she outscored the opponent at the first TV timeout.

In the 2014 World Cup championship game in Istanbul, Maya had a huge scoring spurt early on. After that, Spain played us even, but Maya had given us a big enough lead that we maintained a comfortable lead. Of course, Maya was the MOP/MVP.
 
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CL82 said:
This is a guess at this point, but I think the game plan for this year is going to emphasize offense, rather than defense. That doesn't mean that Geno will abandon his trademark aggressive defense, but it acknowledges the fact that defense takes longer for players to develop than offense, and we are a very young team. I think the game plan may be to force opponents into a track meet and try to keep up with us. Look for us to play Geno's preferred four out style in the half court, but to emphasize fast breaks and quick baskets, at least initially.
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From what I've seen, we've still got agressive defense despite being young.

KK is fast, although foul prone, but gives most players a hard time with her ability to keep up with them on the court.

Ash is excellent at man to man defense, and hardly fouls. Good, clean defense.

Paige is leading UCONN in blocks, and her wingspan and IQ when it comes to anticipating passes and shots allows her to steal and block the ball multiple times a game.

Reportedly, Mo and Allie were some of their team's best defenders. However, the highlights mainly showed their offensive skills so it's hard to tell. During the Jordan Classic though, I did notice Morgan's defense seemed to be giving perimeter shooters a hard time, especially because of her length.

Kaitlyn is also a good defender, similar to KK in terms of speed, but without fouls. I watched her at Princeton and she gave 5-star players like Harmoni Turner (Harvard) absolute hell.

Sarah's highlights and recent games show her ability to block the ball and anticipate shots under the basket.

Aubrey is a great defender as well, stole the ball often and was always on her opponents' heels. Great on the fast break steal.
 
Paige is both a player and a coach. It is very hard for her to not assist her teammates whenever possible. She is the player every teammate would like on their team because simply by her talent and floor generalship she, like all the GOAT's, inspires others to play their best. Like DT, I hope PB stays in basketball for at least another 20 years serving as an ambassador of elite level basketball.
 
yhun89 said:
From what I've seen, we've still got agressive defense despite being young.

KK is fast, although foul prone, but gives most players a hard time with her ability to keep up with them on the court.

Ash is excellent at man to man defense, and hardly fouls. Good, clean defense.

Paige is leading UCONN in blocks, and her wingspan and IQ when it comes to anticipating passes and shots allows her to steal and block the ball multiple times a game.

Reportedly, Mo and Allie were some of their team's best defenders. However, the highlights mainly showed their offensive skills so it's hard to tell. During the Jordan Classic though, I did notice Morgan's defense seemed to be giving perimeter shooters a hard time, especially because of her length.

Kaitlyn is also a good defender, similar to KK in terms of speed, but without fouls. I watched her at Princeton and she gave 5-star players like Harmoni Turner (Harvard) absolute hell.

Sarah's highlights and recent games show her ability to block the ball and anticipate shots under the basket.

Aubrey is a great defender as well, stole the ball often and was always on her opponents' heels. Great on the fast break steal.
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+1
If a team has a lot of strong quick and athletic players then great defense is largely a matter of effort. Last season UConn developed into a very good but under-manned defensive team. The depth of the roster right now tells me that Geno is going to play very aggressive defense. Not necessarily a press but putting pressure on the ball to force the offense to react to the defense. That requires a lot of subbing out players, something UConn hasn't had for the last 2 years.
If the 1st year players can get into the rotation then UConn could have one of their best scoring teams ever. They would have at least 5 elite 3pt shooters and several inside scorers. Scoring will not be a problem, however players who are defensive liabilities will not see a lot of floor time. (I don't think they will have any defensive liabilities)
 
I say this a lot but it is my opinion. I'd like to see Paige at the 3 so she can be point forward and facilitate in the half court without being forced to bring the ball up all the time. She can still use the front court skills from last year in the paint but not be forced to guard and bang the big trees.

The more I see Strong, I'd like to see her at the 4. She has the skill and muscle to really play out and bang down low. That to me is the perfect 4 in a motion offense.

And then as far as Chen, Kk, Ash, and Azzi. I'd say, whoever is healthy and looks the best in practice starts the next game... that instills a need to perform in order to start.... Geno would also have the luxury of deciding based on opponent and keep the pressure on defense since that represents 20 fouls to give in the backcourt without a dip in skill. Knowing Azzi is still coming back off injury.
 
When you play with a whole roster of players that were HS All Americans it's hard not to give the ball to the person with the best look. Paige plays exceptional team ball and I would hate to see that change since she could have many more seasoned targets on her team this year. Her biggest contribution will be her leadership but she can be counted on in the clutch too. Should be a great year for UConn and Paige.
 
Rowdy831 said:
When you play with a whole roster of players that were HS All Americans it's hard not to give the ball to the person with the best look. Paige plays exceptional team ball and I would hate to see that change since she could have many more seasoned targets on her team this year. Her biggest contribution will be her leadership but she can be counted on in the clutch too. Should be a great year for UConn and Paige.
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In HS those AA's knew that even when they had an iffy shot it was still a better chance than any of their teammates. I see a lot of very skilled freshmen who miss seeing wide open team mates because all they knew in HS was to score. Not Bueckers. Even in HS she would see any team mate who got open. Fortunately she played on a team with lots of talented players. They were undefeated in her last 2 years. Geno and her HS coach both urged her to shoot more and for all the fans who say the same thing she has averaged 20/game so she is shooting.
 
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Alydar said:
In HS those AA's knew that even when they had an iffy shot it was still a better chance than any of their teammates. I see a lot of very skilled freshmen who miss seeing wide open team mates because all they knew in HS was to score. Not Bueckers. Even in HS she would see any team mate who got open. Fortunately she played on a team with lots of talented players. They were undefeated in her last 2 years. Geno and her HS coach both urged her to shoot more and for all the fans who say the same thing she has averaged 20/game so she is shooting.
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And we've a;lso seen many H/S games that there are players open for a reason because the opposing team would rather have the superstar pass the ball out on the permieter to an open player rather than the superstar taking the shot.
 
I wonder if we will see a lineup with Paige, Azzi/Ash, Sarah, Ice, Jana? That would be a tough matchup for most teams but of course would possibly be vulnerable to speed.
 
Cuango said:
I wonder if we will see a lineup with Paige, Azzi/Ash, Sarah, Ice, Jana? That would be a tough matchup for most teams but of course would possibly be vulnerable to speed.
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Bueckers is fast. Hidalgo is quicker but not faster. I can see the possibility of that 5 against SCar or any opponent with depth. Strong's outside game allows that and I expect a big season for Brady.
I'd look for those three to be rotated much like Geno rotated ONO, Edwards and Juhasz. I expect Patterson to be 100% and she offers rebounding plus speed.
Right now UConn has one sure thing and 13 others. By Thanksgiving those 13 may no longer be unproven and words like "super team" may start appearing.
 
Alydar said:
Bueckers is fast. Hidalgo is quicker but not faster. I can see the possibility of that 5 against SCar or any opponent with depth. Strong's outside game allows that and I expect a big season for Brady.
I'd look for those three to be rotated much like Geno rotated ONO, Edwards and Juhasz. I expect Patterson to be 100% and she offers rebounding plus speed.
Right now UConn has one sure thing and 13 others. By Thanksgiving those 13 may no longer be unproven and words like "super team" may start appearing.
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I often wonder about the Triple Big lineup that is rarely seen anymore. MBB classic lineup of old featured a C, F and SF Such as the Brady-Ice-Strong possibility. Nowadays, the wing seems to have replaced the second forward position. The wing is generally a guard. Perhaps a tall 6-1 or even 6-2 guard but with more guard speed, quickness and skills ( offensively and defensively) than a a classic forward.
Can Strong be a Wing in a big lineup with her ability to hit the three? I could see it though the question of defensive speed and quickness to cover more guard-like wings does arise.

It will be interesting to see if Geno employs such a lineup.
 
Alydar said:
Bueckers is fast. Hidalgo is quicker but not faster. I can see the possibility of that 5 against SCar or any opponent with depth. Strong's outside game allows that and I expect a big season for Brady.
I'd look for those three to be rotated much like Geno rotated ONO, Edwards and Juhasz. I expect Patterson to be 100% and she offers rebounding plus speed.
Right now UConn has one sure thing and 13 others. By Thanksgiving those 13 may no longer be unproven and words like "super team" may start appearing.
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Geno said that Hildago's success against Connecticut last year was because the team did not implement the coaching plan against her. He said that when they did, they were successful, but they abandoned it.
 
Cuango said:
I wonder if we will see a lineup with Paige, Azzi/Ash, Sarah, Ice, Jana? That would be a tough matchup for most teams but of course would possibly be vulnerable to speed.
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We could see near anything. I'd lean toward we won't see it much if at all. First off, UCONN prefers to run. The big lineup won't get up the floor very well. It's built for halfcourt. Second, it also won't provide much ball pressure on Defense. therefore opposing team has opportunity to keep tempo closer at their pace. Third, in addition to speed, this team using the 3 Bigs at once lacks quickness meaning teams that have 3 very good outside shooters will have possibility of getting open perimeter shots every time down the floor, Fourth, UCONN already has many extremely tough matchups for opposing teams to have to defend and can probably do the above three better which I believe is the preference.


I think for this Big 3 to happen and play at once other that either experimentation or a rare game, Jana, Sarah, and Ice would have to show they are much better than anyone of the many other guards and small forwards. Running the basketball is most important. Giving Paige and Azzi an open floor with the threat of another lethal guard/forward is more optimal imo because that style allows for more shots at the basket. The team that has more talent overall you'd like to see them take as many shots as they can unless their inside is where their talent is an extreme advantage. The extreme advantage though is with Paige/Azzi getting them out on the open floor making as many shots and creating as many aggressive efficient passes as possible. Factoring in experience as well, I think other Guards/Wings for this particular team allows them to get out more in the open floor which imo is more preferable.
 
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hoophuskee said:
We could see near anything. I'd lean toward we won't see it much if at all. First off, UCONN prefers to run. The big lineup won't get up the floor very well. It's built for halfcourt. Second, it also won't provide much ball pressure on Defense. therefore opposing team has opportunity to keep tempo closer at their pace. Third, in addition to speed, this team using the 3 Bigs at once lacks quickness meaning teams that have 3 very good outside shooters will have possibility of getting open perimeter shots every time down the floor, Fourth, UCONN already has many extremely tough matchups for opposing teams to have to defend and can probably do the above three better which I believe is the preference.


I think for this Big 3 to happen and play at once other that either experimentation or a rare game, Jana, Sarah, and Ice would have to show they are much better than anyone of the many other guards and small forwards. Running the basketball is most important. Giving Paige and Azzi an open floor with the threat of another lethal guard/forward is more optimal imo because that style allows for more shots at the basket. The team that has more talent overall you'd like to see them take as many shots as they can unless their inside is where their talent is an extreme advantage. The extreme advantage though is with Paige/Azzi getting them out on the open floor making as many shots and creating as many aggressive efficient passes as possible. Factoring in experience as well, I think other Guards/Wings for this particular team allows them to get out more in the open floor which imo is more preferable.
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Aubrey/Carol is the wing answer when they return
 
Paige playing as she did last year is just fine. She stepped up when needed and was a coach-like figure throughout the season, making those around her more effective. Rarely do one person teams win it all and with Paige, Huskies have the right balance. Too many forget that last year, at times Paige played a power forward role and should return to more of a guard position. With more height this year, Huskies will have more options, in particular an inside/outside game which is ideal for Paige's skills.
 
hoophuskee said:
We could see near anything. I'd lean toward we won't see it much if at all. First off, UCONN prefers to run. The big lineup won't get up the floor very well. It's built for halfcourt. Second, it also won't provide much ball pressure on Defense. therefore opposing team has opportunity to keep tempo closer at their pace. Third, in addition to speed, this team using the 3 Bigs at once lacks quickness meaning teams that have 3 very good outside shooters will have possibility of getting open perimeter shots every time down the floor, Fourth, UCONN already has many extremely tough matchups for opposing teams to have to defend and can probably do the above three better which I believe is the preference.


I think for this Big 3 to happen and play at once other that either experimentation or a rare game, Jana, Sarah, and Ice would have to show they are much better than anyone of the many other guards and small forwards. Running the basketball is most important. Giving Paige and Azzi an open floor with the threat of another lethal guard/forward is more optimal imo because that style allows for more shots at the basket. The team that has more talent overall you'd like to see them take as many shots as they can unless their inside is where their talent is an extreme advantage. The extreme advantage though is with Paige/Azzi getting them out on the open floor making as many shots and creating as many aggressive efficient passes as possible. Factoring in experience as well, I think other Guards/Wings for this particular team allows them to get out more in the open floor which imo is more preferable.
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I think you’re onto something here. 3 bigs on the floor at once is likely slow, relatively speaking. I expect some sort of 2 big rotation at first with Jana Ice and Sarah, and Ayanna will work her way in there in time.

I can picture a tremendous rotation once Azzi is back with six shooters rotating through 3 positions. [see what I did there with six-shooters?]. And half of our shooters are already pretty tall. And with Kaitlyn and KK on hand, Paige doesn’t have to focus so much on game management and “holding back.” If all goes well, KK will pick up this skill from playing with and against Kaitlyn.
 
Recent sightings suggest that it is now peripatetic Paige.
 
Alydar said:
Bueckers is fast. Hidalgo is quicker but not faster. I can see the possibility of that 5 against SCar or any opponent with depth. Strong's outside game allows that and I expect a big season for Brady.
I'd look for those three to be rotated much like Geno rotated ONO, Edwards and Juhasz. I expect Patterson to be 100% and she offers rebounding plus speed.
Right now UConn has one sure thing and 13 others. By Thanksgiving those 13 may no longer be unproven and words like "super team" may start appearing.
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Nice to mention Ms. Patterson..... She could surprise a lot of us... At least I hope so!
 
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