It’s official - Ayanna out for the season

[Dillon77]

Is there a better way to deal with orthopedic vulnerabilities? Playing less, more time in the pool less time on the floor? There was quite a lot of info on Azzi's two knee operations in high school. A compilation of players at all colleges lost for the season or longer would be helpful. Then fans would know if it's business as usual for women's college basketball or are we particularly snake bit?

Playing different sports so you don't have overuse of certain muscles/joints/tendons?

Just a perusing of headlines and I notice that a lot of these injuries affect players who are in hoops and soccer, two sports in which you can practically play year round.

Plus, there's increasing momentum to varying practices from high intensity to lower intensity and mixing up activities.

Plus, there is -- as @cancontent said, the genetic factor, which can override virtually any planning if not known.
And, of course, there are the games themselves...stuff happens, from twisted ankles to people falling and rolling into ones knees to an inadvertent elbow into someone's head.

But for now, best of luck to Ayanna with the surgery and my continued concern and prayers for Caroline's head/neck issues.

 

[Baroloboy]

Best wishes to Ayanna on speedy recovery for next season. UConn can now lock in their rotation moving forward.
Bueckers
Muhl
Arnold
Shade

Edwards
Brady
Griffin
Samuels

That is not a bad 8 player rotation going forward. UConn should be able to compete with most teams if Bueckers is the center piece.

It’s totally unfair to Ice. She is just a freshman+. Having said that she has to look in the mirror and say to herself “ready or not I’m the next woman up” That’s what really good players do.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I hate to hear this for her and the program. Injuries happen but each season seems worse than the last.

 

[Bigboote]

Well that stinks on ice. I hope this surgery clears it all up.

Like many above, I've had patellar tendinitis. Mine was long-standing (poor student), but I was lucky that PT took care of it once I saw an orthopaedist. I was able to get 25 years of really good running in until arthritis put a stop to that.

 

[my2cents]

Didn't she already have surgery on it last April or May?

I guess that didn't work, my original point becomes more valid.

 

[Boreifs]

At some point, we need to stop accepting the 'they've been injured since High School' excuse. If that were the case, the responsible thing for the team to do would have been to deal with it last year.

The athlete has the final say, just like any patient. Would you want surgery done without your consent?!

 

[Huskiefan78]

The athlete has the final say, just like any patient. Would you want surgery done without your consent?!

Is it not a trainer and coaches job to protect the athlete from themselves at times? I mean imagine all the concussions that would be played through if not...

 

[stamfordhusky]

At some point, we need to stop accepting the 'they've been injured since High School' excuse. If that were the case, the responsible thing for the team to do would have been to deal with it last year.

Coming from someone who has none of the medical information is probably not a doctor, it is absurd for you to make such a speculation.

 

[Huskiefan78]

But Patterson had a surgical procedure in the spring. No acknowledgement that that procedure failed? What was it, and what went wrong?

Very, very good point imo.

 

[DefenseBB]

If wasn’t evident before, now it is even more imperative that Geno and staff find a way to coach up Amari to contribute meaningful minutes. I mean I see other more heralded teams than ours utilizing players with lesser skills (Utah, NC State, Iowa, Texas and USC) than Amari so our highly compensated staff should be able to do something…

 

[cancontent]

4 players on bench. This team has the worst injury luck of any team, any sport, in history. At least for consecutive years.

Also, Caroline is not a question mark in my book, maybe it is "officially."

"Any team, any sport, in history"? That's a stretch.

Yes this is a bad stretch but there have been way worse that have happened to teams in the history of sport.

 

[JellyBean]

My heart goes out to Ayanna. I am just hoping for a solid recovery for her.

 

[Nolefan]

So she had this issue since high school .. seems like we are recruiting a lot of walking wounded out of high school ..

 

[LarryLegend]

"Any team, any sport, in history"? That's a stretch.

Yes this is a bad stretch but there have been way worse that have happened to teams in the history of sport.

people keep saying that

 

[Blueballer]

So she had this issue since high school .. seems like we are recruiting a lot of walking wounded out of high school ..

In every case the injuries have cropped up after we offered a scholly. Now you can be a dirtbag coach and pull back the offer after the injury (And some do) but I'm glad we don't.

 

[Skeets]

The bottom line is that the buck stops with the head coach.
The coach decides which recruits receive offers & which don't based on all of the information at his disposal.
The coach can influence training methods & who serves on the staff.
If fans can't pinpoint the solution then they can certainly expect the head coach to pinpoint the problem.
The team is a reflection of the head coach & their salarly is commensurate with their level of responsibilty, acumen & the expectations of the team's success rate.
To Geno's credit, at least he increased the roster size this year to help offset all of these concurrent injuries.

I disagree. I am sure Geno relies on the medical staff, the trainers, coaches, parents, and the players themselves. Yes, Geno is where the buck stops, but that doesn't mean he calls all the shots. He is not a medical doctor. Unfair to lay all of the problems the last 3 seasons on Geno. Life sometimes sucks, is that Geno's fault? You seem to think so. I am of the opinion that Geno goes to the correct lengths to protect the health of his players. (Although I would not have Paige in the game in the last 1.5 minutes when her knee buckled and fractured. Yes, a freak accident, but not an accident one ever had sitting on the bench.)

 

[Skeets]

OK, here's a post likely to get deleted. It might come off as sexist, but I'm a huge UConn WBB fan (wanted to say that before I get a time out). News flash: boys are different than girls. For the last 20+ years girls have been pushed, trained, and played year round just as hard, or maybe even harder than the guys. This needs to be thought out, not in college but starting around the 6th grade, or so. It has to be recognized that girls, on average and in general, are more susceptible to injuries, especially knee injuries, and coach and train them accordingly. They are not guys and never will be. Girls should not be pushed, trained, and played year round like guys. Even some guys can't handle that.

Here's my opinion. Young girls need to be carefully managed and coached through high school hopefully injury free. Allowing them to grow into mature women and stronger women in college. Pushing too early does them a huge disservice.

OK, start the rock throwing (if I'm still here).

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Boreifs]

Is it not a trainer and coaches job to protect the athlete from themselves at times? I mean imagine all the concussions that would be played through if not...

A concussion is not surgery. There is a protocol that has to be followed, just as there is for virtually every injury to the bone or muscle. Surgery, though, must always remain the final decision of the patient. There are no exceptions, other than life saving procedures when someone is not conscious. I fail to understand how anyone could argue that point.

 

[cancontent]

OK, here's a post likely to get deleted. It might come off as sexist, but I'm a huge UConn WBB fan (wanted to say that before I get a time out). News flash: boys are different than girls. For the last 20+ years girls have been pushed, trained, and played year round just as hard, or maybe even harder than the guys. This needs to be thought out, not in college but starting around the 6th grade, or so. It has to be recognized that girls, on average and in general, are more susceptible to injuries, especially knee injuries, and coach and train them accordingly. They are not guys and never will be. Girls should not be pushed, trained, and played year round like guys. Even some guys can't handle that.

Here's my opinion. Young girls need to be carefully managed and coached through high school hopefully injury free. Allowing them to grow into mature women and stronger women in college. Pushing too early does them a huge disservice.

OK, start the rock throwing (if I'm still here).

In how you phrased this, you're partially correct.

It's well documented that the physical build of women makes them more prone to certain types of injuries (e.g. ACL, knee issues, etc.). No one on the board would disagree as this topic comes up for discussion every year. It's also well documented that adolescents, male and female, are over training and specializing in sports as a whole.

This isn't an issue solely in NCAAW. Look at the several of the recent NBA draft picks who have struggled to be healthy like Zion Williamson, or Chet Holmgren who blew out his knee soon after he was drafted.

Where I disagree is the tone as it comes across as if women are weaker and need to be eased into competitive sports. This is a challenge for both genders.

 

[DennieEddy]

UCONN needs to find some new orthopedic doctors.

Are you one?

 

[Skeets]

In how you phrased this, you're partially correct.

It's well documented that the physical build of women makes them more prone to certain types of injuries (e.g. ACL, knee issues, etc.). No one on the board would disagree as this topic comes up for discussion every year. It's also well documented that adolescents, male and female, are over training and specializing in sports as a whole.

This isn't an issue solely in NCAAW. Look at the several of the recent NBA draft picks who have struggled to be healthy like Zion Williamson, or Chet Holmgren who blew out his knee soon after he was drafted.

Where I disagree is the tone as it comes across as if women are weaker and need to be eased into competitive sports. This is a challenge for both genders.

I haven't fallen through yet so lets keep stomping on the thin ice. Another shocker, women ARE weaker. No one in their right mind would suggest that it's ok for men and women to play physical, competitive sports like football basketball, soccer, hockey, etc. together. Why? Because men are bigger and stronger than women. Have you seen the videos of the UConn male practice players? They go to great lengths to avoid all contact with the women. Why is that? Of course it's to avoid injuries because the guys are bigger and stronger. I bet there's plenty of contact when it's girl on girl where the risk of injury is less.

If any of the above is true, why would you train and coach girls as if they are just like guys? Maybe they are not just like guys.

 

[uconnever]

If I was in charge, someone would take the fall for all of the injuries. I would have held out begrudgingly until this year when we had a lot of injuries again. It may not be fair, but something needs to change. I find it hard to believe we’ve had this much bad luck and I’m not gonna say how, but there’s one BIG way this is hurting us and it’s not losing games. You can’t keep doing the same thing and having the same results and saying everything is ok because it’s not and it’s doing damage that the program under Geno may never recover from. Someone has to make the hard decision.

 

[cancontent]

I haven't fallen through yet so lets keep stomping on the thin ice. Another shocker, women ARE weaker. No one in their right mind would suggest that it's ok for men and women to play physical, competitive sports like football basketball, soccer, hockey, etc. together. Why? Because men are bigger and stronger than women. Have you seen the videos of the UConn male practice players? They go to great lengths to avoid all contact with the women. Why is that? Of course it's to avoid injuries because the guys are bigger and stronger. I bet there's plenty of contact when it's girl on girl where the risk of injury is less.

If any of the above is true, why would you train and coach girls as if they are just like guys? Maybe they are not just like guys.

You don't but it doesn't mean girls and women can't train hard. Things may have to be done differently with respect to movement but it's totally possible. If it wasn't you wouldn't see the female athletes we do across all sports from basketball, wrestling, weightlifting, gymnastics, hockey, etc. It's totally possible.

And to your point about male practice players, I would disagree about avoiding contact. The point of male practice players is to provide the team a chance to play against more physical competition. They do not shy away from contact one bit. If male players avoided contact, what would be the point of having them in the first place? What is seen in a 30 second video is a snippet of what's actually happening.

 

[HuskyNan]

If I was in charge, someone would take the fall for all of the injuries. I would have held out begrudgingly until this year when we had a lot of injuries again. It may not be fair, but something needs to change. I find it hard to believe we’ve had this much bad luck and I’m not gonna say how, but there’s one BIG way this is hurting us and it’s not losing games. You can’t keep doing the same thing and having the same results and saying everything is ok because it’s not and it’s doing damage that the program under Geno may never recover from. Someone has to make the hard decision.

So who takes the fall for Jana’s Achilles injury while she was playing in Europe for the Egyptian team? Should Geno have told sophomore high schooler Ayanna how to train? Azzi came to UConn with a lingering injury - is that UConn’s fault too?