It's time again - let's see who you think will start!

[Conndog]

If you are trying to maximize the minutes for 4 players to cover 3 positions, so you don't have to use a 5th much, you only have one sub available for 3 positions. After the first substitution it is still one sub for 3 positions, but the available substitute is the first taken out who is catching her breath.

Substituting more than one at a time is impossible without increasing the minutes of the 5th or 6th option. It is very restricting and can even minimize the ability of a coach to do strategic substitutions, because the bigger issue is managing the minutes. Now if Ines does well enough that you don't mind her taking minutes from Azzi, Caroline, Nika or Lou that is not an issue. Or the same thing with Aubrey or Ayanna playing the 3 well enough that it's ok for their time there to eat into the main four's minutes.

If you want to minimize minutes from the 5th or 6th small options, and get as many as possible from your best 4 your hands are pretty much tied. We have very good talent in our top 4 for positions 1-3, but limited flexibility unless Ines, Aubrey, or Ayanna are good enough to take minutes from the top 4. If that happens the flexibility managing minutes returns. I hope it does, but while potential seems to be there, I think the jury is still out on who the 5th and 6th options will be and how good they will be. I think Aubrey has already proved herself to be a very good 4, and I fully expect Ayanna at the 4 to be excellent as well. For the sake of this discussion the question is how good either will be at the 3.

Are you talking about guards only? If discussion is about all 5 starters whoever they are, why couldn’t you bring in a new guard (say Lou for Nika) and at same time bring in a new forward/center (say Ice for Aaliyah)? If two starters are having bad games or pick up too many fouls, you’d want subs coming in for them.

 

[Bills Fan]

I can't argue that to date, Amari has not shown the desire, hustle or intensity that is necessary to play and achieve success in this program. I also agree those traits can't be taught. You either have them or you don't. Paige Bueckers, Aneesah Morrow, NaLyssa Smith, Rhyne Howard and Skylar Diggins-Smith are but a few examples of players that have a high motor and play with the insatiable desire to win.

Geno has said many times that "if a player doesn't get "IT" by their sophomore year, they never will." (Tina Charles was an exception to this theory). This is the beginning of Amari's sophomore year. She's at the fork in the road so to speak. No doubt Geno, Jamelle Elliott (her position coach) and her teammates have been in her ear in an attempt to trigger the internal switch inside of her allowing her to play up to her potential this year. I'm hoping she has matured enough over the last year to realize the dynamics that kept her on the bench last year when her presence on the court was needed, especially during the times when player depth was at its lowest.

Amari can be as good as SHE wants to be, but SHE has to want to and begin to practice and play like it. She must realize that the road (at UConn) to potential greatness and being in the top 7-8 player rotation begins in practice. How you practice is how you play. Geno said many times last year that Amari was not a good practice player and displayed indifference in becoming one. That indifference kept her on the bench. If you want to play, you must first gain Geno's trust. You do that in practice.

My narrative expressed my hope and optimism that after being in the program for 16 months and languishing on the bench last year, Amari begins the year with a new attitude and resolve and is now ready to assume her place on the team as a every game rotation player and contributor. When you associate, you assimilate. I'm hoping that being around other teammates that DO have high motors and a desire to play and be a meaningful contributor to this team will motivate Amari to realize the posture she had in high school will not fly here. Amari is on the team. We'll see if she wants to be "part of the team" or not this year. The choice is hers. In the mean time, I'm rooting and cheering for her like crazy. I have nothing to lose by doing so. I see Amari's glass as half-full, not half empty. You see it differently and that's OK. I'm sitting on the front row of her cheering section with over-sized pom-poms and a box of popcorn. So................Go Amari.

Carnac, as always, you make some great points. I think we are both in the cheering Amari to succeed group. We just get there a little differently. You are seeing the 16 oz glass filled up to the 8 oz line and wanting her to fill the last 8 oz. I am looking at the empty 8 oz and wanting her to fill the glass up. In both cases, I think we would like to see it up to at least 14oz by the end of this year and it's up to her to do that.

 

[Carnac]

Again, I agree that to date, she has shown us nothing in terms of intestinal fortitude. I agree that she MUST change her approach to playing the game and more importantly to playing at UConn. Up to now, she got by on her size and her coaches willing to play her in spite of the size of her motor. She has a golden opportunity. I would really like to see take FULL advantage of it. All we can do as fans is hope for the best and sit back and watch with our fingers crossed.

Two post players that come to mind that (in my opinion) started off slow, but matured and advanced through their program to graduate and be drafted into the WNBA. Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun) and A'ja Wilson (LV Aces). Both of these players made the cut on their respective teams and are integral members of their teams. I'm not say it will happen, but that it can happen. We'll know which fork in the road she takes by December 1st. The dye will be cast by then. Just a "gut" feeling, but I'm betting she wants to play and has had enough of sitting on the bench cheerleading.

 

[oldhusky]

Are you talking about guards only? If discussion is about all 5 starters whoever they are, why couldn’t you bring in a new guard (say Lou for Nika) and at same time bring in a new forward/center (say Ice for Aaliyah)? If two starters are having bad games or pick up too many fouls, you’d want subs coming in for them.

Yes I was talking about the guards, or position 1-3. There are all kinds of substitutions that can take place with the bigs, or the 4 and 5 position.

 

[MSGRET]

“Winning a lot of games” is not a strategy.
It is a result of strategy.
Paige going down two years ago against ND in the last minutes of a game when up by 20 and last year’s difficulty (extenuating circumstances) to field capable combinations to cover the 200 minutes necessary to play a game -TO ME- mandates an adjustment.
UCONN needs to have as many players as possible READY to contribute meaningful minutes against top flight competition.
This team has the talent- top to bottom to have everyone eat.
Very tough out of conference schedule.
I’d say there should be tons of “ development opportunities” against 2nd tier Big East teams.
Beating BE teams by 40-50 points has no value.
It will not (IMHO) enhance UCONN’s tourney seeding.
So what is the value?

Two years ago Paige was a Freshman and earned all of POY awards that she was eligible to win. It was last year that she went down in waning minutes of the ND game.

Geno will not play a person that does not show up for practice and do the things he wants to see performed. If they don't do it practice, they don't play. That's why UConn has 14 straight Final Fours, hasn't lost back to back games since the early 90's, and went 170 straight Conference games without a loss. Last but not least UConn went 350 games without a loss to a team that was not ranked, almost 9 years.