Jana's New Adventure as a Husky

[Mandoo]

I think you’re right. This is one of the adjustments she’ll have to get used to, since on the Egyptian teams the guards were not adept at passing into the paint. In order to get the ball at all, Jana typically had to come out to get a pass and then drive or shoot from there. Receiving the ball in the low post may feel like a luxury and a new challenge for her.

Of course, her high school experience also means she’s gotten good at driving the lane, rather like Aaliyah became in her last two seasons. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a C who could do this well. And there’s something especially intimidating about trying to guard someone that big who moves that well with the ball. Stewie and Rebecca had this ability too. I can’t think of anyone else.

Jana's aggressiveness will serve her very, very well. Judging from the tapes I've seen, she's really mobile, sure footed, and has a flexible body capable of deceptive motion. The nays will be vastly surmounted by what I expect to be a very good start to her years in Storrs. Oh, yes. I like what I see.

 

[CL82]

Would sitting on the bench watching a season of games help Jana as she embarks on her Husky play? Of course there is also game review, film and observing practice. She's a big brain. I can't wait. Will there be some lows along with the highs. Yes, sure, unless you are the Nat'l POY.

Based on what she was doing with the Egyptian U19 team last summer, I think people may be very pleasantly surprised by her play.

 

[yhun89]

Heck, I always thought stretch-4 meant a 4 who could shoot from long and therefore would "stretch" the floor. But I never really knew.

Stretch four is basically someone who plays in the PF position who can shoot farther from the basket than the typical range for a forward, thereby brining defense out with them and un-crowding the paint. Jana is a stretch 4/ Center player.

Dorka was our most recent stretch 4.

 

[yhun89]

It’s 3x3: Egypt v USA: 2022 FIBA U18 3x3

18-7 USA. Sarah had 0 points; Jana had 1 point. KK Arnold had 7 points. Mikayla Williams had 8 points. Boxscore

Jana also played in the 5x5 that year (replays available): Egypt - FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 - FIBA.basketball

Oh geez. It doesn’t seem anyone was on their game. But it does look like Jana has come a long way from one bad performance.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Based on what she was doing with the Egyptian U19 team last summer, I think people may be very pleasantly surprised by her play.

Exactly. Back yard pundits better stop the negativity and save a mountain of embarassment. Frankly, I don't get it. A few years back we had a small group of nattering nabobs of negativity, but they drifted off or fell silent. That was good.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Stretch four is basically someone who plays in the PF position who can shoot farther from the basket than the typical range for a forward, thereby brining defense out with them and un-crowding the paint. Jana is a stretch 4/ Center player.

Dorka was our most recent stretch 4.

Ha!

 

[CL82]

Exactly. Back yard pundits better stop the negativity and save a mountain of embarassment. Frankly, I don't get it. A few years back we had a small group of nattering nabobs of negativity, but they drifted off or fell silent. That was good.

Liked for "nattering knobs of negativity."

(Your old.)

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Liked for "nattering knobs of negativity."

(Your old.)

With age comes wisdom.

 

[KCD]

Heck, I always thought stretch-4 meant a 4 who could shoot from long and therefore would "stretch" the floor. But I never really knew.

This is exactly what the term stretch-4 refers to. A 4 was always considered a power forward and not necessarily a good long range shooter. A good example of an early stretch-4 in the NBA was Dirk Nowitzki. Unless it has morphed into some other meaning over the years.

 

[Bone Dog]

This is exactly what the term stretch-4 refers to. A 4 was always considered a power forward and not necessarily a good long range shooter. A good example of an early stretch-4 in the NBA was Dirk Nowitzki. Unless it has morphed into some other meaning over the years.

Nowitzki is such a good example, by this definition. A skinny 7 footer with a great perimeter game including a favorite fadeaway who also rebounded well, he played a role that would be played also by KD, who had better handles. Dirk wasn’t quite strong enough to play the 5 at Dallas and may only have done so for one or two seasons.

Larry Bird was maybe the best of all stretch 4s since he brought excellent passing and shooting skills to the position. Were Magic or Lebron really stretch-4s by this definition? Big enough to play the 4 but with muscular guard skills and perimeter shooting?

If I define it this way, I wonder how many stretch-4s there have actually been in the women’s game. You can see the pressure on all the bigs who get to the W to develop perimeter shooting skills. This is a key element of how coaches in the W think of the pro game. But in WCBB have there been many who already had that skill set? Stewie, obviously. Maybe Katie Lou as well. No one from the great SC teams of the last few years. No one from LSU or ND. Anyone from Stanford? Brink developed a fine midrange game in her final season and could hit the 3 as well, though she didn’t have the handles you’d expect from a 4. Would she count?

What about Dorka? She could hit the 3 but didn’t have the face-up game you’d expect from a 4. Maybe she was more of a stretch-5? Aaliyah had all the skills of a 4 and could play the 5 but didn’t really have developed perimeter shooting. Ice might have some of those skills — we may find out this season — and is more of a 4 than a 5. Sarah may a great example of a stretch-4 with her excellent perimeter shooting and passing skills.

This leaves us with Jana. She has good handles and can shoot 3s. She can rebound, drive the lane and the baseline, and run the floor. But she also has back to the basket skills and is a rim protector. This sounds like she’s both a stretch-4 and a stretch-5. Of course, we don’t know if these skills will translate to D1 WCBB. But if they do, we may have to call her both, which puts her in Stewie territory, at least in terms of the range of her skills. It also means Geno will have a stretch-4 and a stretch-5 he can put on the floor at the same time. Combine that with a stretch-3 and a stretch-2 in Paige and Morgan and he’ll have a lot of interesting possibilities.

 

[huskeynut]

Look back to the 4 year run of consecutive championships. There is the possible key to what Geno may run next season.

Geno moved the entire offense up to run from the foul line to almost half court. What this did was leave the entire baseline to foul line wide open. In this condensed area, crisp passing, continual movement, solid screens allowed for wide open back door cuts and layups.

With time, the 24 - 25 team could run this type of offense. Since no one else has run this type of offense in a long while, opponents would be scrambling to figure out how to defense it.

 

[PacoSwede]

this thread allegedly about jana has greatly morphed and lately has been about 'bigs' -- or the frontcourt in general. there are some competing perspectives, for sure.

i want to bring up a thought that has basically been ignored in a barrage of comments about players' prospects on the offense.

but, ummm, seems to me a much bigger factor for having more size in the frontcourt is the boon it would be to uconn's defense, including rebounding -- which of course helps offense too.

the team doesn't need more size to score. the talent to score is clearly there with this team regardless of player's height. it can make a huge difference on defense, though.

but it doesn't happen magically. it takes time to learn the right chemistry with teammates and familiarity with the husky approach with switching assignments, etc. plus, individual players need to have their skills improved to do the job, regardless on their innate ability.

and i've seen zippo commentary about the projected frontcourt's defensive potential and the impacts on the uconn title run. ... any ideas?

BTW, what's with the commentary about morgan? sure, she's apparently versatile and could play 3 or 4, but to me she is obviously a point guard, an outstanding one (a rare commodity) and should be viewed primarily as such even though she's taller than the usual points. is anti-tall pg bias afoot?

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[Bone Dog]

BTW, what's with the commentary about morgan? sure, she's apparently versatile and could play 3 or 4, but to me she is obviously a point guard, an outstanding one (a rare commodity) and should be viewed primarily as such even though she's taller than the usual points. is anti-tall pg bias afoot?

I’d love to see Morgan get a chance at pg. but with Paige KK and Kaitlyn in n front of her, I suspect her destiny for next season is at the 3-4. Maybe the following season?

 

[yhun89]

this thread allegedly about jana has greatly morphed and lately has been about 'bigs' -- or the frontcourt in general. there are some competing perspectives, for sure.

i want to bring up a thought that has basically been ignored in a barrage of comments about players' prospects on the offense.

but, ummm, seems to me a much bigger factor for having more size in the frontcourt is the boon it would be to uconn's defense, including rebounding -- which of course helps offense too.

the team doesn't need more size to score. the talent to score is clearly there with this team regardless of player's height. it can make a huge difference on defense, though.

but it doesn't happen magically. it takes time to learn the right chemistry with teammates and familiarity with the husky approach with switching assignments, etc. plus, individual players need to have their skills improved to do the job, regardless on their innate ability.

and i've seen zippo commentary about the projected frontcourt's defensive potential and the impacts on the uconn title run. ... any ideas?

BTW, what's with the commentary about morgan? sure, she's apparently versatile and could play 3 or 4, but to me she is obviously a point guard, an outstanding one (a rare commodity) and should be viewed primarily as such even though she's taller than the usual points. is anti-tall pg bias afoot?

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there’s highlights of Morgan playing in other positions. She has a nice spot up jumper near the basket. She can extend to the 3, and with her height she’s tougher to guard out there. She can rebound fairly well for a guard when necessary. She’s a great PG, yes. But she doesn’t need to be viewed as just a PG. by the looks of her off season training, she’s working on being a 2-3 on the floor.

As for FC defense, a lot is unknown. We’ve got nothing to really go off of because Ice is the only one who’s played recently out of all of our FC players.

 

[Alydar]

this thread allegedly about jana has greatly morphed and lately has been about 'bigs' -- or the frontcourt in general. there are some competing perspectives, for sure.

i want to bring up a thought that has basically been ignored in a barrage of comments about players' prospects on the offense.

but, ummm, seems to me a much bigger factor for having more size in the frontcourt is the boon it would be to uconn's defense, including rebounding -- which of course helps offense too.

the team doesn't need more size to score. the talent to score is clearly there with this team regardless of player's height. it can make a huge difference on defense, though.

but it doesn't happen magically. it takes time to learn the right chemistry with teammates and familiarity with the husky approach with switching assignments, etc. plus, individual players need to have their skills improved to do the job, regardless on their innate ability.

and i've seen zippo commentary about the projected frontcourt's defensive potential and the impacts on the uconn title run. ... any ideas?

BTW, what's with the commentary about morgan? sure, she's apparently versatile and could play 3 or 4, but to me she is obviously a point guard, an outstanding one (a rare commodity) and should be viewed primarily as such even though she's taller than the usual points. is anti-tall pg bias afoot?

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UConn is no different from a lot of the top teams. USC has 6 freshmen and 2 transfers who are expected to play big roles. NDame has Koval coming in and Miles returning (hopefully).

Defenses do need many hours of practice together but UConn's offense will cover for them until they learn each other. Their depth alone will mean that fresh legs are always on the court.

As for Cheli playing pg, I know she played their last season for the first time but that was by default. Is Geno going to start Bueckers at the wing and entrust Chli with running the team on the floor? I sure hope she's that good but I'd be shocked to see it. It's nice to have 2 or 3 players on the court together with pg skills though. Slotting players into position numbers this season may be impossible. So many multi-skilled players.

 

[Bone Dog]

I don’t think there’s quite so much mystery about the defense and the position assignments. Geno has 5 returning players with substantial experience of his defense: Paige KK Ash Ice and Q. This points to a typical 3 guard offense with KK and Paige sharing the pg duties. And he’s got 2 more returning from injury — Azzi who has most of two seasons experience, and Jana who has six months or more of practice experience. This core seven will play a lot in November as the new kids gradually fit themselves in and the other veterans gradually return from injury. Paige Ash KK Ice and Jana are my prediction for opening day starters. Q and maybe Azzi plus Sarah Morgan Allie and Kaitlyn will get minutes initially as they prove themselves. The rest of the rotations and assignments will work themselves out in time.

From my perspective the important thing, and the primary challenge concerns Jana. How will she fit in? How long will it take her to get up to D1 speed of play? How well will her existing skills translate to D1 competition? My guess is that Geno will try to settle all of these questions right away by playing her as much as possible early in the season. This is why she’ll start in front of Q and the others in November.

 

[Hayven]

I’m not going to expect a great year from her. I learned my lesson from Ice. But, if she and Ice can contribute to around 18-20 points per game, I think that will be solid enough.

 

[JellyBean]

If Jana can put together 5-7 points a night and grab 6-8 boards a game and develop into a decent rim protector, 1-3 blocks a game, she is going to have a wonderful season and career here at UConn. The key will be how she handles everything and right now, nobody knows until the first game of the season.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’m not going to expect a great year from her. I learned my lesson from Ice. But, if she and Ice can contribute to around 18-20 points per game, I think that will be solid enough.

This is also why some of us are expecting a sophomore leap from Ice. As so many have observed, it tends to take longer for bigs to find themselves in D1 level competition than for guards. Jana’s first year will also undoubtedly be a “work in progress.”

Personally, I expect Jana to flounder initially and to depend on the 4 playing next to her for a lot of support, whether that’s Ice or Sarah or Paige or Morgan or Aubrey or Ayanna. The key is that she’ll have a lot of support.

 

[yhun89]

I’m not going to expect a great year from her. I learned my lesson from Ice. But, if she and Ice can contribute to around 18-20 points per game, I think that will be solid enough.

I think Ice showed great signs at the end of the season. For some reason, she seems to thrive when there's a ton of pressure on her, something I wouldn't expect from a freshman. She's starting to nail the jump shot down, and her range is extending towards the 3 little by little. That post up she did against Stuelke is also a great sign.

 

[CL82]

This is also why some of us are expecting a sophomore leap from Ice. As so many have observed, it tends to take longer for bigs to find themselves in D1 level competition than for guards. Jana’s first year will also undoubtedly be a “work in progress.”

Personally, I expect Jana to flounder initially and to depend on the 4 playing next to her for a lot of support, whether that’s Ice or Sarah or Paige or Morgan or Aubrey or Ayanna. The key is that she’ll have a lot of support.

I think your view of a traditional four and five camped out in the paint is outdated in modern basketball. Certainly, we haven't seen that in Storrs in decades.

I think it's reasonable to anticipate a sophomore jump for Ice. With a year of playing experience under her belt, she knows what she does well and what she needs to work on. She looked better in the postseason, which would seem to bode well for her making a decent sophomore jump.

For what it's worth, I could envision a scenario with both Ice and Jana and the floor together, but if that were to happen I would expect Jana to be the five and Ice to be more of a stretch 4, particularly given her shooting range.

 

[Bone Dog]

If Jana can put together 5-7 points a night and grab 6-8 boards a game and develop into a decent rim protector, 1-3 blocks a game, she is going to have a wonderful season and career here at UConn.

What gets me about these numbers is that they are roughly equivalent to Liv’s senior year numbers. If Jana does this it will be a good year indeed. I jest, of course, since in that season Liv was sharing minutes and opportunities with Dorka and Aaliyah. Naturally her numbers declined a little from the previous season. But it also suggests what playing next to serious front court talent might mean for Jana.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think your view of a traditional four and five camped out in the paint is outdated in modern basketball. Certainly, we haven't seen that in Storrs in decades.

How is this my view? I expect we’ll see plenty of the high low pairings on offense of the Liv/Dorka-Aailiyah years. In defense we’ll also see lots switching 1 through 5 and bigs coming out for high hedges. As I’ve pointed out before, Jana has top-of-the-key offensive skills already, as do Sarah Morgan and Ice. And all the bigs have the needed defensive potential. I also think we’ll see lots of 4-out sets and even some 5-out sets. We will have the personnel for these too.

My view is and has long been that we’ll see remarkable roster flexibility next season. If Paige KK Ash Ice and Jana start in November, that will only superficially resemble some traditional alignment. And I full expect that lineup to give way to even more flexible units as the freshmen get up to speed and the injured return.

I’m mainly surprised at how so many think of starting lineups only in end-of-season terms. This is interesting and important to fans. But the players also think a lot about how the lineups shake out early and mid season. That is, the season matters a lot to them and how and when they play game by game. This team has a lot of new and refurbished moving parts and it will take some time for Geno to sort it all out — that is, to teach them how to play Husky basketball together.

 

[CL82]

How is this my view?

You articulated it in your post? But feel free to substitute the word "the" for the word "your" if the latter upsets you.

 

[Bone Dog]

You articulated it in your post? But feel free to substitute the word "the" for the word "your" if the latter upsets you.

In which of the many posts I’ve foolishly and obsessively written on this question? I’ve begun to forget that they’re only all present in my fevered brain. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[CL82]

In which of the many posts I’ve foolishly and obsessively written on this question? I’ve begun to forget that they’re only all present in my fevered brain. Thanks for the reminder.

The one I quoted?

Lol, relax. Posting on a message board is a conversation not a monologue. The whole point of it is to have an exchange of viewpoints. If you don't want people to comment on your posts, just type them up in Word and save them so you can periodically lovingly gaze at them.

 

[Bone Dog]

The one I quoted?

D'oh! I finally see it. Right in front of my face . I said "playing next to." I merely meant 'next to' in the lineup, not on the floor. Sloppy shorthand, it's my curse. Rest assured I am both in agreement with you about the style of play we're likely to see, and grateful that you noticed my miscue.

 

[CL82]

. Rest assured I am both in agreement with you about the style of play we're likely to see, and grateful that you noticed my miscue.

I'll sleep better tonight knowing that.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I’m not sure exactly what to expect from Jana, but I can see Kaitlyn, KK, and especially Paige driving and dishing. If she can make layups, the Great Pyramid will score.

 

[reelfan]

This seems to be going into the weeds.