Just a thought

[meyers7]

I bring this up almost every year. Because pretty much every year this happens. When school is out and players don't have a fixed schedule, some dorms are closed? cafeterias are closed? etc. They occasionally (not every year) are a little off. Things seem to "get back to normal" when the spring semester starts.

Just a thought to keep in the back or your mind when you see some unusual things happening with this team. Unfortunately, if that's the case, we got a couple more weeks before the semester starts. Luckily, we're back into the AAC now.

 

[oldude]

I bring this up almost every year. Because pretty much every year this happens. When school is out and players don't have a fixed schedule, some dorms are closed? cafeterias are closed? etc. They occasionally (not every year) are a little off. Things seem to "get back to normal" when the spring semester starts.

Just a thought to keep in the back or your mind when you see some unusual things happening with this team. Unfortunately, if that's the case, we got a couple more weeks before the semester starts. Luckily, we're back into the AAC now.

The good news is that sometime during the winter break there’s probably a meal or two at Kathy and Geno’s house.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I bring this up almost every year. Because pretty much every year this happens. When school is out and players don't have a fixed schedule, some dorms are closed? cafeterias are closed? etc. They occasionally (not every year) are a little off. Things seem to "get back to normal" when the spring semester starts.

Just a thought to keep in the back or your mind when you see some unusual things happening with this team. Unfortunately, if that's the case, we got a couple more weeks before the semester starts. Luckily, we're back into the AAC now.

That's a HUGE winter break! UConn's last day of finals for the fall semester is December 16th but the new semester does not begin until Jan 22nd. Another thing I found odd: the last day of finals is a Sunday. LINK

 

[HuskyNan]

I usually post every January that this is a tough time for players. They’re living in a hotel because the dorms are closed, are probably bored most of the time, schedules are irregular, and the inevitable flu or cold is going around. I stopped posting because people are stuck on their own agendas. They don’t care that Geno says the players are human like any others or that they’re young and the freshmen are starting to hit the wall. Most UConn WTF games are January-early February

 

[Puppy Love]

I usually post every January that this is a tough time for players. They’re living in a hotel because the dorms are closed, are probably bored. OST of the time, schedules are irregular, and the inevitable flu or cold is going around. I stopped posting because people are stuck on their own agendas. They don’t care that Geno says the players are human like any others or that they’re young and the freshmen are starting to hit the wall. Most UConn WTF games are January-early February

Is that ‘Wednesday-Thursday-Friday’?

 

[CocoHusky]

It's not always bad things that happen during winter break. Winter break of her Sophomore year Moriah Jefferson went into the gym and developed a reliable 3pt shot which propelled her from being a liability that defenses could sag off into one that where it was costly to sag off or go under the high ball screams.
Moriah would lead the team in 3Pt FG % for her junior and senior campaigns. Remarkable thing about her junior campaign was that % wise she actually out shot KML.

 

[oldude]

It's not always bad things that happen during winter break. Winter break of her Sophomore year Moriah Jefferson went into the gym and developed a reliable 3pt shot which propelled her from being a liability that defenses could sag off into one that where it was costly to sag off or go under the high ball screams.
Moriah would lead the team in 3Pt FG % for her junior and senior campaigns. Remarkable thing about her junior campaign was that % wise she actually out shot KML.

I keep waiting for a similar evolution in Megan who I watched play several times in HS. While Megan was never a great long-range shooter in HS she could catch fire, knocking down 4-5 bombs in a row.

I believe she’s working hard on her shot because she’s all over the place with it right now. Sometimes she short arms it. Sometimes it’s too flat. But sometimes it’s a thing of beauty. Once she finds the consistency she’s looking for, she will remind everyone why she was the HS NPOY.

 

[Biff]

I keep waiting for a similar evolution in Megan who I watched play several times in HS. While Megan was never a great long-range shooter in HS she could catch fire, knocking down 4-5 bombs in a row.

I believe she’s working hard on her shot because she’s all over the place with it right now. Sometimes she short arms it. Sometimes it’s too flat. But sometimes it’s a thing of beauty. Once she finds the consistency she’s looking for, she will remind everyone why she was the HS NPOY.

I have often wondered but never actually heard the answer to a question: Does UConn staff coach shooting form? Do they have an expert or some teaching techniques to evaluate and work on any flaw or inconsistency in a players shooting form?

Based on what I have seen my guess would be no, but I really don't know. To me Megan has a bad release that needs to be corrected for her consistency to improve. While shooting the way she is presently I think she can have games where she finds the range and hits a high percentage of outside shots but the way she is releasing the ball makes me feel she will always have some really bad streaks in any outside shot.

 

[Longtime fan]

I have often wondered but never actually heard the answer to a question: Does UConn staff coach shooting form? Do they have an expert or some teaching techniques to evaluate and work on any flaw or inconsistency in a players shooting form?

Based on what I have seen my guess would be no, but I really don't know. To me Megan has a bad release that needs to be corrected for her consistency to improve. While shooting the way she is presently I think she can have games where she finds the range and hits a high percentage of outside shots but the way she is releasing the ball makes me feel she will always have some really bad streaks in any outside shot.

Not to beat a dead horse, but you will never find ( at this level ) a more hopeless shooting form than that of Mikayla Coombs. Notice she doesn't attempt outside shots any longer. She played 1.5 quarters against Houston and , though the stats say she took ( and missed ) two shots, I have no recollection of them. But I am sure they were not from any distance. My conclusion is that UCONN does not have such an expert.....or we would see some change. But logic says; they try to teach everything and correct all flaws. So who knows? Tis a puzzlement.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Geno said right now the only thing the players do is eat and sleep.

 

[CocoHusky]

I have often wondered but never actually heard the answer to a question: Does UConn staff coach shooting form? Do they have an expert or some teaching techniques to evaluate and work on any flaw or inconsistency in a players shooting form?
Based on what I have seen my guess would be no, but I really don't know. To me Megan has a bad release that needs to be corrected for her consistency to improve. While shooting the way she is presently I think she can have games where she finds the range and hits a high percentage of outside shots but the way she is releasing the ball makes me feel she will always have some really bad streaks in any outside shot.

The UCONN staff most definitely has coaches with enough expertise to teach proper shooting form. That coaching though is probably limited to "tweaks" vs "rebuilding". Players that would require a rebuild are factor into the recruiting evaluation/decisions. Molly Bent has been tweaking her shot since she got to UCONN and Kia Nurse was tweaked into being #6 in the nation in 3Pt shooting by the time she was a senior. We talked about Megan Walker shooting stroke before she got to UCONN, IMO she falls into the category of tweak not rebuild. Mikayla though as @Longtime fan just pointed out needs a major rebuild.

 

[Jmsdawg]

I have often wondered but never actually heard the answer to a question: Does UConn staff coach shooting form? Do they have an expert or some teaching techniques to evaluate and work on any flaw or inconsistency in a players shooting form?

Based on what I have seen my guess would be no, but I really don't know. To me Megan has a bad release that needs to be corrected for her consistency to improve. While shooting the way she is presently I think she can have games where she finds the range and hits a high percentage of outside shots but the way she is releasing the ball makes me feel she will always have some really bad streaks in any outside shot.

Some of the weirdest shot I ever saw came from guys who shot a high percentage. If they got to their spot the ball usually went in and we all wondered how did that guy hit that shot! Looked awkward but it was their stroke.

 

[BobbyJ]

I have often wondered but never actually heard the answer to a question: Does UConn staff coach shooting form? Do they have an expert or some teaching techniques to evaluate and work on any flaw or inconsistency in a players shooting form?

Based on what I have seen my guess would be no, but I really don't know. To me Megan has a bad release that needs to be corrected for her consistency to improve. While shooting the way she is presently I think she can have games where she finds the range and hits a high percentage of outside shots but the way she is releasing the ball makes me feel she will always have some really bad streaks in any outside shot.

Excellent question. I don't know how UConn handles this either but from what I see I'd have to agree that they don't have anyone improving player's shooting skill. It seems that their best shooters coming in are their best going out with the exception of Nurse who improved her 3 point shot over time. It's probably the toughest skill to develop. Some kids have a natural feel for touch and depth perception but many don't. There's a sequence of mechanics that can look somewhat different from kid to kid that the best shooters share. The good and bad habits are ingrained in most at an early age and it's really tough to get rid of the bad. But they can be fixed somewhat during HS and college if the kid will put in the time with a good shooting coach. If I were a college coach, one of my assistants would be the most qualified shooting instructor I could find. There's probably a few schools that at least have a volunteer type that works with their kids in the off season as that's the best time to put in the reps needed. Walker has good form, the problem is that her upper body works against her lower body because the sequence doesn't start with her lower legs, causing the inconsistent arc. A good shooting coach could probably straighten her out in a few weeks. Coombs would probably take a full summer but would still be inconsistent although greatly improved. Just my opinions.

 

[Charliebball]

I keep waiting for a similar evolution in Megan who I watched play several times in HS. While Megan was never a great long-range shooter in HS she could catch fire, knocking down 4-5 bombs in a row.

I believe she’s working hard on her shot because she’s all over the place with it right now. Sometimes she short arms it. Sometimes it’s too flat. But sometimes it’s a thing of beauty. Once she finds the consistency she’s looking for, she will remind everyone why she was the HS NPOY.

I've noted before that I don't think she consistently puts enough arc on her shots so there is less room for error.........

 

[Charliebball]

Excellent question. I don't know how UConn handles this either but from what I see I'd have to agree that they don't have anyone improving player's shooting skill. It seems that their best shooters coming in are their best going out with the exception of Nurse who improved her 3 point shot over time. It's probably the toughest skill to develop. Some kids have a natural feel for touch and depth perception but many don't. There's a sequence of mechanics that can look somewhat different from kid to kid that the best shooters share. The good and bad habits are ingrained in most at an early age and it's really tough to get rid of the bad. But they can be fixed somewhat during HS and college if the kid will put in the time with a good shooting coach. If I were a college coach, one of my assistants would be the most qualified shooting instructor I could find. There's probably a few schools that at least have a volunteer type that works with their kids in the off season as that's the best time to put in the reps needed. Walker has good form, the problem is that her upper body works against her lower body because the sequence doesn't start with her lower legs, causing the inconsistent arc. A good shooting coach could probably straighten her out in a few weeks. Coombs would probably take a full summer but would still be inconsistent although greatly improved. Just my opinions.

well there's an easy fix...............just spend a couple of days with this guy next summer...................he really needs to update his bio as he's worked with a bunch of the current 76ers and players from other NBA and college teams..................BTW .............he's also just hired a female assistant coach for his team which was known as Philadelphia U and is now Thomas Jefferson U.................my daughter made 75 straight free throws in a row at one of his classes after less then ten minutes of tutoring and went from a 50% foul shooter to a 74% foul shooter her next season, while her three point shooting went up from 25% to 34% the same season

COACH HERB MAGEE
As he continues with his 50th season of coaching, Herb Magee has built Philadelphia University men’s basketball into one of the top programs in the Division II landscape. The winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA history and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Magee owns a career record wins of over 1,000! Dubbed “The Shot Doctor”, Magee frequently works with NBA players on the art of the jump shot, including 2006 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Charles Barkley, Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic, and Evan Turner of the Philadelphia 76ers. He continues to make his mark in the world of professional basketball.

 

[CocoHusky]

Excellent question. I don't know how UConn handles this either but from what I see I'd have to agree that they don't have anyone improving player's shooting skill. It seems that their best shooters coming in are their best going out with the exception of Nurse who improved her 3 point shot over time. It's probably the toughest skill to develop. Some kids have a natural feel for touch and depth perception but many don't. There's a sequence of mechanics that can look somewhat different from kid to kid that the best shooters share. The good and bad habits are ingrained in most at an early age and it's really tough to get rid of the bad. But they can be fixed somewhat during HS and college if the kid will put in the time with a good shooting coach. If I were a college coach, one of my assistants would be the most qualified shooting instructor I could find. There's probably a few schools that at least have a volunteer type that works with their kids in the off season as that's the best time to put in the reps needed. Walker has good form, the problem is that her upper body works against her lower body because the sequence doesn't start with her lower legs, causing the inconsistent arc. A good shooting coach could probably straighten her out in a few weeks. Coombs would probably take a full summer but would still be inconsistent although greatly improved. Just my opinions.

Keep in mind though that this is the age of specialization right down to the personal trainers. Most of, if not all these kids have a personal trainer that they are working with on aspects of basketball outside of the program. I agree it should be done but college practice time is limited to so many hours per week which is just enough time to tweak unless you want to forsake everything else.

 

[oldude]

I've noted before that I don't think she consistently puts enough arc on her shots so there is less room for error....

But sometimes she does. It’s hard to be a consistent shooter when your shot has multiple trajectories. I have no doubt she’s working on it. Hopefully it all clicks sooner rather than later.

 

[BobbyJ]

Keep in mind though that this is the age of specialization right down to the personal trainers. Most off if not all these kids have a personal trainer that they are working with on aspects of basketball outside of the program. I agree it should be done but college practice time is limited to so many hours per week which is just enough time to tweak unless you want to forsake everything else.

Oh yes, I agree about the time limits facing the teams. That’s why I specified the off season as the best time for the work needed. I’m not really sold on the personal trainer craze though. There’s been a lot of great, highly skilled players that are in the HOF that never had a PT. And a lot of physical specimens who go through college careers never being a real factor because they had mediocre skills. I just think that UConn provides enough conditioning and that I’d be spending my off season building my game.

 

[BobbyJ]

well there's an easy fix.....just spend a couple of days with this guy next summer....he really needs to update his bio as he's worked with a bunch of the current 76ers and players from other NBA and college teams...BTW ...he's also just hired a female assistant coach for his team which was known as Philadelphia U and is now Thomas Jefferson U.......my daughter made 75 straight free throws in a row at one of his classes after less then ten minutes of tutoring and went from a 50% foul shooter to a 74% foul shooter her next season, while her three point shooting went up from 25% to 34% the same season

COACH HERB MAGEE
As he continues with his 50th season of coaching, Herb Magee has built Philadelphia University men’s basketball into one of the top programs in the Division II landscape. The winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA history and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Magee owns a career record wins of over 1,000! Dubbed “The Shot Doctor”, Magee frequently works with NBA players on the art of the jump shot, including 2006 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Charles Barkley, Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic, and Evan Turner of the Philadelphia 76ers. He continues to make his mark in the world of professional basketball.

Absolutely. As a kid without much money, I would’ve pedaled a bike to Philly to work with him. Whatever it took.

 

[Jaybird65]

The players are able to stay in their on-campus apartments during the break & the training table/cafeteria in the Werth Basketball Center provides their three squares a day when they are not traveling. Housing & meals are not an issue for them.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I keep waiting for a similar evolution in Megan who I watched play several times in HS. While Megan was never a great long-range shooter in HS she could catch fire, knocking down 4-5 bombs in a row.

I believe she’s working hard on her shot because she’s all over the place with it right now. Sometimes she short arms it. Sometimes it’s too flat. But sometimes it’s a thing of beauty. Once she finds the consistency she’s looking for, she will remind everyone why she was the HS NPOY.

She also has a big windup, which takes time.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I bring this up almost every year. Because pretty much every year this happens. When school is out and players don't have a fixed schedule, some dorms are closed? cafeterias are closed? etc. They occasionally (not every year) are a little off. Things seem to "get back to normal" when the spring semester starts.

Just a thought to keep in the back or your mind when you see some unusual things happening with this team. Unfortunately, if that's the case, we got a couple more weeks before the semester starts. Luckily, we're back into the AAC now.

Kid wakes up at 8, goes to the dining hall or team meal, chills with teammates, walks to the gym for treatment and prepares for shoot-around practice, lunch, back to room to listen to music, BS with teammates, school work, emailing, etc, back to the gym for practice, dinner with the team, some pin ball or video games, go to a movie.... Damn- how do they do it’s? They’re having the time of their lives!!

 

[meyers7]

Kid wakes up at 8, goes to the dining hall or team meal, chills with teammates, walks to the gym for treatment and prepares for shoot-around practice, lunch, back to room to listen to music, BS with teammates, school work, emailing, etc, back to the gym for practice, dinner with the team, some pin ball or video games, go to a movie.... Damn- how do they do it’s? They’re having the time of their lives!!

Seems like something you know quite a bit about.