Is Nika Maria Conlon redux ? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Is Nika Maria Conlon redux ?

Zorro said:
It is unfortunate that all a lot of fans seem to remember about Maria is that 1) she was a pretty good 3 point shooter and 2) she was short and slow. As I recall, she was also one helluva passer and extremely savvy and unflappable. Just wanted to get that in.
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And she was the one who took the free throws for any technical fouls. That speaks to both her ability to make the shot and her ability to handle the pressure of having to do so.
 
The idea that Nika has come out of nowhere in the past 2 weeks is hogwash. Last fall Geno said that AE and Nika were both playing like upperclassmen in practice. He has known what she is capable of for some time.

yes she got off to a slow start. Let’s see season delayed by several weeks bc of CV, injury, and yes oh my gosh maybe some nerves.
 
CL82 said:
Jen Renzotti has been my comparison. I love the intensity. She will soon be the UConn player that opposing fans love to hate.
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Three weeks ago I would have scoffed at the comparison but now I think is right on the money.
 
Maria was a very good shooter, opened up the court and played well under pressure. The things Geno said were said after she became a starter and in the same vein as Rebecca being the worst center in America.
 
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No matter who she brings to mind, she brings the intensity.
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Waquoit said:
I cannot disagree with this more. The cream would have risen. She had a late start due to the foot injury.
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"I cannot disagree with this more" in reference to a golden opportunity is such an emphatic/dogmatic statement I wonder if we are projecting two different things. I agree that the cream would have risen and before the year was over Muhl's ability would have been evident. But would she have cracked the starting line-up without a golden opportunity? That necessarily means that her fate was within her control alone.

Muhl was never going to take ONO's, Bueckers or Westbrook's spot in the starting line-up. Those are givens. If Makurat performed like she did towards the end of last year Muhl would not be usurping that spot. The offense still ran well with Makurat in there, besides the fact that we now know that, like Muhl, Makurat was dealing with an injury, only Makurat's is worse. An uninjured Makurat performing like the end of last year was not going to lose her starting spot to a freshman. The fact that she did not perform as well and had an injury was an opportunity to fast track Muhl as a starter.

If Williams plays up to her potential there is no way she loses her starting spot. Even though she is erratic that spot still appears safe even now. If it's not safe, that's still an opportunity that is not within Muhl's control. So we are talking about only one starting spot really available.

We then have to factor in Edwards and Griffin, who received opportunities to start before Muhl. Had Griffin not been injured after Bueckers came back would that fifth spot been open to Muhl? That injury was not within Muhl's control.

Maybe I am wrong but I interpret a statement like "I could not disagree more" to mean that what happens to others is irrelevant, Muhl was going to crack the starting line-up even without injuries and/or erratic play from four other players. You can say that about Bueckers. I think such a claim about Muhl requires a little more humility.
 
slepers said:
When all is said and done nika will be much closer to Jen R than Maria. Her shot will improve and she is a bulldog.
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I agree. CD sees her far more than any of us in practice and she made the Jennifer Rizzotti comparison. Probably not that good, I get it, but when we already have a pretty good comparison regarding her traits, why do we have to find some other player to compare that has little in common with Nika. The best comparison has already been made. I'm sure CD is not elevating Nika to JR's level, rather she is implying that she sees many similar traits in her. I don't think Maria or Molly remind me of Nika at all.
 
JRRRJ said:
No.

Strongly influenced by having seen the Jan '95 UC-TN game recently, I claim that her play strongly resembles that of Ms. Rizzoti.
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What a great comparison. I do not recall Jen as a freshman.
 
diggerfoot said:
If Makurat performed like

If Williams plays
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diggerfoot said:
Had Griffin not been injured
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if, if, if

If Rizzotti were on this team, Nika would not have started.
If CW, AM, and EW replicated the Harlem Globetrotters, Nika would not have started.
If this were 2002, Nika would not have started. Neither would Paige.

I dont understand how all these IFs prove any particular point.

And this of course leaves aside the issue of whether starting is important. It's not. If a player plays well in practice, she will get playing time. Nika did that in the fall as Geno noted. Then she was injured.
 
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Vowelguy said:
I dont understand how all these IFs prove any particular point.
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I know from previous topics that there is something about me that rubs you the wrong way and goes beyond rational discussion, so I’ll pass on explaining.
 
Geez...a couple of weeks ago she was Molly Bent according to some of the posters. I think she has a huge upside as a passer and should continue to improve as an outside shooter and defender. I'd be amazed if she doesn't surpass Conlon's statistical numbers.
 
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I get why posters have to compare Nika to past players/ stars. I just don't see it as worth all this effort.

Let Nika be Nika. She's tough, scrappy and a royal pain in the butt on defense. She can dish just as well as Paige. She'll pick your pocket for a steal and crash the boards for a rebound. She brings the ball up the court like a heat seeking missile. The purpose is to get the ball in the hoop with the assist and/ or the score. She is relentless. She has no fear. And she's Paige's sister and running mate!!!!!!!!

She may have a little bit of several former greats in her. But she's Nika. And I don't see her coming out of the starting lineup.
 
I think if you are comparing Nika to the role Maria played with her relationship to Paige as Maria's relationship to DT then yes. Maria did the PG dirty work and had great humility to let DT be DT. I see Nika doing that for Paige.

Now from a game point of view, they are really different. Nika has a lot of emotion with scrappy defense. Maria was steely and so far a more reliable shooter.

Nika is bigger than Jen Riz but I think of a healthy Doty when I watch Nika. The intensity.
 
CTrefugee said:
Competent, steady. Brings it every game. A perfect complement to Paige.

Nika is faster and might be a better defender (I don't recall Maria's defense).
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It is not even close...Nika is a hundred times better than Maria......No disrespect to Maria but it is what it is.......In every possible way.

Did Maria even play 30 seconds a game her freshman and sophomore year? Much less start.

Bottom line is Nika looks like a big time player....

Again no disrespect to Maria because she did compliment DEE her junior and senior years....But Nika can be a star right out of the gate...
 
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huskeynut said:
I get why posters have to compare Nika to past players/ stars.
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Muhl appears to be a pretty unique player in that she is obviously more interested in defending and passing then scoring. I said early, really before I had even seen her play, that her toughness, which I knew about only by reputation, was something that very well could be an ultra important addition to the program. It certainly is looking that way, and Edwards also needs to be acknowledged for providing the same quality. The added bonus of Muhl‘s presence allows Bueckers to play largely off the ball and hunt shots which is something the team absolutely needs.
 
CL82 said:
Jen Renzotti has been my comparison. I love the intensity. She will soon be the UConn player that opposing fans love to hate.
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I agree, except with this caveat-Tell Nika to find another career and don't go into coaching after playing professionally.. :rolleyes:
 
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