Just watched all of game 2 - some thoughts...

[EricLA]

It's an exhibition game and obviously things to work on very early in the season. But a bunch of things stood out to me...

• The camera work and quality was excellent. Kudos to whoever organized that so we could enjoy an exhibition game in a foreign country.
• Would like to see this team press A LOT. They have the numbers and athleticism.
• Some really good ball movement and passing - also moving without the ball to get open.
• There will be NO lack of hustle or taking plays off this season by anyone on the team.
• The team missed some bunnies after some nice offense was run - obviously a bit rusty and lacking cohesion (NOT a criticism - it's game 2 of exhibition season - just an observation).
• Defensively as well - need to get better about help side defense. Again something that will come in time as chemistry and familiarity grows.
• Not surprisingly, the chemistry between Nika, Liya, Azzi and Aubrey is quite good even this early in pre-season
• A lot of defense WITH fouling. Need to clean that up.
• UCONN fans watching are SO knowledgeable. Pretty active in cheering etc. but also when someone was playing really well and then got subbed for - gave them a nice round of applause. They SEE all of that. I'm sure the players appreciated the support.
• The all star team lacked any real shooters or scorers, but they did play solid defense that made the team work hard on offense. Q3 they made a bunch of 3's including some bankers. They looked better in half 2 and drained a TON of 3's...

Some individual observations (starters listed first)

• Aubrey - really hoping she puts it ALL together this year consistently. She can be really good. Probably the most impressive player on the fast break grabbing tough passes in traffic and scoring in traffic. Notwithstanding who "scored", she impressed me the most of anyone for her all around game on offense and defense.
• Azzi - shot was off in the 1st half, but I ALWAYS expect any shot she takes to go in. Seemed to "only" be a spot up 3-point shooter this game, but if that's what defenses give her, better for UCONN.
• Nika - things run really smoothly when she's on the floor. Had some nice high-low post passes especially to Liya. And she sees the floor so well. Loved seeing her PUMPED after making an assist - reminds me of her comment that "when i score, 1 person is happy. when I assist, 2 people are happy". Drained a few wide open 3's. Great to see her looking for her shot when it's there.
• Qadence - long and lanky. Going to be a matchup problem for guards or wings. Didn't show much scoring prowess, till Q4, but I saw she was the leading scorer in game 3 so good for her!!
• Liya - looks to have picked up where she left off last season. Missed some bunnies, but gets great position in the post. One play she absolutely steamrolled an opponent and I actually laughed out loud - thinking "how was that not a foul"??
• Ashlynn - strong and intense. And physical. Reminds me a bit of a very young Shea Ralph. Does a bit of everything.
• Ice - runs the floor very well and is active. She moves better than most players of her size. But does need some conditioning. IMHO I'd like to see her spend more time in the post and less time roaming around the perimeter. She did post up a few times, got great position, backed her defender down, and scored. More please!
• KK - sheesh - how was this kid not ranked 2 or 3 in her class??? Got some steals that I don't think most other players could have gotten. Her eye-hand coordination to steal without fouling was impressive. HOWEVER she's a much better scoring guard than point guard (in this game anyway). Several ill-timed passes that just missed the teammate.
• Ines - plays like she belongs. But on a team filled with great guards... gonna be hard for her to carve out consistent PT.

Bottom line a nice effort against an overmatched team. Everyone played, everyone got devent minutes, everyone contributed, no one was injured. Can't ask for any more than that!!

 

[hoopsnloops32]

It's an exhibition game and obviously things to work on very early in the season. But a bunch of things stood out to me...

• The camera work and quality was excellent. Kudos to whoever organized that so we could enjoy an exhibition game in a foreign country.
• Would like to see this team press A LOT. They have the numbers and athleticism.
• Some really good ball movement and passing - also moving without the ball to get open.
• There will be NO lack of hustle or taking plays off this season by anyone on the team.
• The team missed some bunnies after some nice offense was run - obviously a bit rusty and lacking cohesion (NOT a criticism - it's game 2 of exhibition season - just an observation).
• Defensively as well - need to get better about help side defense. Again something that will come in time as chemistry and familiarity grows.
• Not surprisingly, the chemistry between Nika, Liya, Azzi and Aubrey is quite good even this early in pre-season
• UOCNN fans watching are SO knowledgeable. Pretty active in cheering etc. but also when someone was playing really well and then got subbed for - gave them a nice round of applause. They SEE all of that. I'm sure the players appreciated the support.
• The all star team lacked any real shooters or scorers, but they did play solid defense that made the team work hard on offense. Q3 they made a bunch of 3's including some bankers. They looked better in half 2.

Some individual observations (starters listed first)

• Aubrey - really hoping she puts it ALL together this year consistently. She can be really good. Probably the most impressive player on the fast break grabbing tough passes in traffic and scoring in traffic. Notwithstanding who "scored", she impressed me the most of anyone for her all around game on offense and defense.
• Azzi - shot was off, but I ALWAYS expect any shot she takes to go in. Seemed to "only" be a spot up 3-point shooter this game, but if that's what defenses give her, better for UCONN.
• Nika - things run really smoothly when she's on the floor. Had some nice high-low post passes especially to Liya. And she sees the floor so well. Loved seeing her PUMPED after making an assist - reminds me of her comment that "when i score, 1 person is happy. when I assist, 2 people are happy". Drained a few wide open 3's. Great to see her looking for her shot when it's there.
• Qadence - long and lanky. Going to be a matchup problem for guards or wings. Didn't show much scoring prowess, but I saw she was the leading scorer in game 3 so good for her!!
• Liya - looks to have picked up where she left off last season. Missed some bunnies, but gets great position in the post. One play she absolutely steamrolled an opponent and I actually laughed out loud - thinking "how was that not a foul"??
• Ashlynn - strong and intense. And physical. Reminds me a bit of a very young Shea Ralph. Does a bit of everything.
• Ice - runs the floor very well and is active. She moves better than most players of her size. But does need some conditioning. IMHO I'd like to see her spend more time in the post and less time roaming around the perimeter. She did post up a few times, got great position, backed her defender down, and scored. More please!
• KK - sheesh - how was this kid not ranked 2 or 3 in her class??? Got some steals that I don't think most other players could have gotten. Her eye-hand coordination to steal without fouling was impressive. HOWEVER she's a much better scoring guard than point guard (in this game anyway). Several ill-timed passes that just missed the teammate.
• Ines - plays like she belongs. But on a team filled with great guards... gonna be hard for her to carve out consistent PT.

Bottom line a nice effort against an overmatched team. Everyone played, everyone got devent minutes, everyone contributed, no one was injured. Can't ask for any more than that!!

I think Ice was just cleared for 5 v 5 a few weeks ago after being out from injury the last year so I think we can give her conditioning and apprehension to bang down low a bit a break. Glad she got to play here so the first few games for November aren't such a shock to the system.

 

[EricLA]

I think Ice was just cleared for 5 v 5 a few weeks ago after being out from injury the last year so I think we can give her conditioning and apprehension to bang down low a bit a break. Glad she got to play here so the first few games for November aren't such a shock to the system.

Of course. I did not mean it as a "criticism" of her - rather just an observation of things she (they) possibly need to work on. And of course it's one exhibition game, early in the season, so really it was just great to see them all play, all look good, and all contribute.

 

[Bone Dog]

I wonder if the scariest thing for the new kids isn't really to play with the veterans. The fear of letting them down, or finding they're not really "in the same league" can be daunting. Regardless of the competition, these games must have helped with that. Each one of them got to see how they measure up with their own teammates.

 

[Galaxyshooter]

It's an exhibition game and obviously things to work on very early in the season. But a bunch of things stood out to me...

• The camera work and quality was excellent. Kudos to whoever organized that so we could enjoy an exhibition game in a foreign country.
• Would like to see this team press A LOT. They have the numbers and athleticism.
• Some really good ball movement and passing - also moving without the ball to get open.
• There will be NO lack of hustle or taking plays off this season by anyone on the team.
• The team missed some bunnies after some nice offense was run - obviously a bit rusty and lacking cohesion (NOT a criticism - it's game 2 of exhibition season - just an observation).
• Defensively as well - need to get better about help side defense. Again something that will come in time as chemistry and familiarity grows.
• Not surprisingly, the chemistry between Nika, Liya, Azzi and Aubrey is quite good even this early in pre-season
• A lot of defense WITH fouling. Need to clean that up.
• UCONN fans watching are SO knowledgeable. Pretty active in cheering etc. but also when someone was playing really well and then got subbed for - gave them a nice round of applause. They SEE all of that. I'm sure the players appreciated the support.
• The all star team lacked any real shooters or scorers, but they did play solid defense that made the team work hard on offense. Q3 they made a bunch of 3's including some bankers. They looked better in half 2 and drained a TON of 3's...

Some individual observations (starters listed first)

• Aubrey - really hoping she puts it ALL together this year consistently. She can be really good. Probably the most impressive player on the fast break grabbing tough passes in traffic and scoring in traffic. Notwithstanding who "scored", she impressed me the most of anyone for her all around game on offense and defense.
• Azzi - shot was off in the 1st half, but I ALWAYS expect any shot she takes to go in. Seemed to "only" be a spot up 3-point shooter this game, but if that's what defenses give her, better for UCONN.
• Nika - things run really smoothly when she's on the floor. Had some nice high-low post passes especially to Liya. And she sees the floor so well. Loved seeing her PUMPED after making an assist - reminds me of her comment that "when i score, 1 person is happy. when I assist, 2 people are happy". Drained a few wide open 3's. Great to see her looking for her shot when it's there.
• Qadence - long and lanky. Going to be a matchup problem for guards or wings. Didn't show much scoring prowess, till Q4, but I saw she was the leading scorer in game 3 so good for her!!
• Liya - looks to have picked up where she left off last season. Missed some bunnies, but gets great position in the post. One play she absolutely steamrolled an opponent and I actually laughed out loud - thinking "how was that not a foul"??
• Ashlynn - strong and intense. And physical. Reminds me a bit of a very young Shea Ralph. Does a bit of everything.
• Ice - runs the floor very well and is active. She moves better than most players of her size. But does need some conditioning. IMHO I'd like to see her spend more time in the post and less time roaming around the perimeter. She did post up a few times, got great position, backed her defender down, and scored. More please!
• KK - sheesh - how was this kid not ranked 2 or 3 in her class??? Got some steals that I don't think most other players could have gotten. Her eye-hand coordination to steal without fouling was impressive. HOWEVER she's a much better scoring guard than point guard (in this game anyway). Several ill-timed passes that just missed the teammate.
• Ines - plays like she belongs. But on a team filled with great guards... gonna be hard for her to carve out consistent PT.

Bottom line a nice effort against an overmatched team. Everyone played, everyone got devent minutes, everyone contributed, no one was injured. Can't ask for any more than that!!

great observations...As I watched noticed a few things about Uconn that will make them very dangerous this coming season. First, everyone plays defense and is very active. Second everyone hit the boards and rebounds including the guards. Third everyone except AE is capable and unafraid to shoot and make the 3. And lastly, the freshmen will be a problem for other teams this year and I've given them a group name the 3 H's Qadence has heart and is unafraid she's Aubrey with confidence Shade is all hustle and plays 100 percent every play and KK is just plain hungry she wants it bad and gets after it. The 3 freshmen aka Heart, Hustle, and Hungry...should be a great year for Uconn I wonder what will they look like with Paige, Patterson, and Amari in the mix they can all average 20 min and play all out, correct me if I'm wrong but what other team has this much depth?

 

[Geew1992]

great observations...As I watched noticed a few things about Uconn that will make them very dangerous this coming season. First, everyone plays defense and is very active. Second everyone hit the boards and rebounds including the guards. Third everyone except AE is capable and unafraid to shoot and make the 3. And lastly, the freshmen will be a problem for other teams this year and I've given them a group name the 3 H's Qadence has heart and is unafraid she's Aubrey with confidence Shade is all hustle and plays 100 percent every play and KK is just plain hungry she wants it bad and gets after it. The 3 freshmen aka Heart, Hustle, and Hungry...should be a great year for Uconn I wonder what will they look like with Paige, Patterson, and Amari in the mix they can all average 20 min and play all out, correct me if I'm wrong but what other team has this much depth?

I disagree with this. AE has been working on her outside shot. And I'm pretty confident she will shoot and make quite a few 3s.

 

[Galaxyshooter]

I disagree with this. AE has been working on her outside shot. And I'm pretty confident she will shoot and make quite a few 3s.

We shall see..If AE turns into a 3-point shooter at the expense of her low post-game, Geno will sit her down bcuz she's the only proven low post threat we have, elbow jumpers are ok but we have enough 3-point shooters already unlike Ice who as a first-year player has shown she can hit the 3 that's not Aliyah's game she's probably developing it now so she can compete in the W where she will be an undersized forward and will need a jump shot when they take her low post game away and don't close out on her when she's open for a jumper. But, I hope I'm wrong because if she's an effective 3- point shooter then Uconn will be even more indefensible..but from my observations, she's been chiefly inside even tho she did hit a 3 in the second game of the European tour.

 

[Geew1992]

We shall see..If AE turns into a 3-point shooter at the expense of her low post-game, Geno will sit her down bcuz she's the only proven low post threat we have, elbow jumpers are ok but we have enough 3-point shooters already unlike Ice who as a first-year player has shown she can hit the 3 that's not Aliyah's game she's probably developing it now so she can compete in the W where she will be an undersized forward and will need a jump shot when they take her low post game away and don't close out on her when she's open for a jumper. But, I hope I'm wrong because if she's an effective 3- point shooter then Uconn will be even more indefensible..but from my observations, she's been chiefly inside even tho she did hit a 3 in the second game of the European tour.

I don't think will be a 3 point shooter. I think she will be a threat that defenses will have to guard.

 

[and one]

All good observations @EricLA .

Aubrey has had a long and bumpy journey as a Husky and I'm hoping this year she stays healthy and her exceptional athleticism translates to having a terrific season. When all is said and done I suspect she'll be a better pro than a college player.

There is no need for AE to be shooting a lot of threes. I would like to see her getting out on the perimeter at times to pull the opposing big out of the paint and open space near the basket. If she can make some threes to keep her defender honest, all the better.

I love the depth of quality players we appear to have. I have, however, learned over the years that exhibition games tell you little about how a team will do against quality opponents. But it sure is nice to be talking about actual basketball games for a short while.

 

[VA Huskie]

We shall see..If AE turns into a 3-point shooter at the expense of her low post-game, Geno will sit her down bcuz she's the only proven low post threat we have, elbow jumpers are ok but we have enough 3-point shooters already unlike Ice who as a first-year player has shown she can hit the 3 that's not Aliyah's game she's probably developing it now so she can compete in the W where she will be an undersized forward and will need a jump shot when they take her low post game away and don't close out on her when she's open for a jumper. But, I hope I'm wrong because if she's an effective 3- point shooter then Uconn will be even more indefensible..but from my observations, she's been chiefly inside even tho she did hit a 3 in the second game of the European tour.

I expect AE to shoot some 3’s, in part to help prepare her for the next level. She’s not big enough to be a 5 in the W. Look at how Nephesa has grown her game as a pro.

 

[Bone Dog]

Aaliyah hit a couple of threes already in these games.

 

[Bigboote]

Regarding Edwards and shooting threes: If UConn plays a lot of four-out, she may be at the three-point line some. I favor a horn set or some other way to have two bigs (or moderately bigs) playing high-low. I think Edwards and Brady could have many field days doing that.

 

[JellyBean]

It's an exhibition game and obviously things to work on very early in the season. But a bunch of things stood out to me...

• The camera work and quality was excellent. Kudos to whoever organized that so we could enjoy an exhibition game in a foreign country.
• Would like to see this team press A LOT. They have the numbers and athleticism.
• Some really good ball movement and passing - also moving without the ball to get open.
• There will be NO lack of hustle or taking plays off this season by anyone on the team.
• The team missed some bunnies after some nice offense was run - obviously a bit rusty and lacking cohesion (NOT a criticism - it's game 2 of exhibition season - just an observation).
• Defensively as well - need to get better about help side defense. Again something that will come in time as chemistry and familiarity grows.
• Not surprisingly, the chemistry between Nika, Liya, Azzi and Aubrey is quite good even this early in pre-season
• A lot of defense WITH fouling. Need to clean that up.
• UCONN fans watching are SO knowledgeable. Pretty active in cheering etc. but also when someone was playing really well and then got subbed for - gave them a nice round of applause. They SEE all of that. I'm sure the players appreciated the support.
• The all star team lacked any real shooters or scorers, but they did play solid defense that made the team work hard on offense. Q3 they made a bunch of 3's including some bankers. They looked better in half 2 and drained a TON of 3's...

Some individual observations (starters listed first)

• Aubrey - really hoping she puts it ALL together this year consistently. She can be really good. Probably the most impressive player on the fast break grabbing tough passes in traffic and scoring in traffic. Notwithstanding who "scored", she impressed me the most of anyone for her all around game on offense and defense.
• Azzi - shot was off in the 1st half, but I ALWAYS expect any shot she takes to go in. Seemed to "only" be a spot up 3-point shooter this game, but if that's what defenses give her, better for UCONN.
• Nika - things run really smoothly when she's on the floor. Had some nice high-low post passes especially to Liya. And she sees the floor so well. Loved seeing her PUMPED after making an assist - reminds me of her comment that "when i score, 1 person is happy. when I assist, 2 people are happy". Drained a few wide open 3's. Great to see her looking for her shot when it's there.
• Qadence - long and lanky. Going to be a matchup problem for guards or wings. Didn't show much scoring prowess, till Q4, but I saw she was the leading scorer in game 3 so good for her!!
• Liya - looks to have picked up where she left off last season. Missed some bunnies, but gets great position in the post. One play she absolutely steamrolled an opponent and I actually laughed out loud - thinking "how was that not a foul"??
• Ashlynn - strong and intense. And physical. Reminds me a bit of a very young Shea Ralph. Does a bit of everything.
• Ice - runs the floor very well and is active. She moves better than most players of her size. But does need some conditioning. IMHO I'd like to see her spend more time in the post and less time roaming around the perimeter. She did post up a few times, got great position, backed her defender down, and scored. More please!
• KK - sheesh - how was this kid not ranked 2 or 3 in her class??? Got some steals that I don't think most other players could have gotten. Her eye-hand coordination to steal without fouling was impressive. HOWEVER she's a much better scoring guard than point guard (in this game anyway). Several ill-timed passes that just missed the teammate.
• Ines - plays like she belongs. But on a team filled with great guards... gonna be hard for her to carve out consistent PT.

Bottom line a nice effort against an overmatched team. Everyone played, everyone got devent minutes, everyone contributed, no one was injured. Can't ask for any more than that!!

Solid breakdown, especially about the players and the defensive analysis. I could see the team pressing more and getting into the "40 Minutes" of Hell mindset. If we get into the halfcourt stuff, a lot is going to depend on how many reps players get, their Bball IQ, and how/what type of offensive system the team is going to run.

 

[HopJim]

Of course. I did not mean it as a "criticism" of her - rather just an observation of things she (they) possibly need to work on. And of course it's one exhibition game, early in the season, so really it was just great to see them all play, all look good, and all contribute.

Agree that Ice is not running at her full in season speed but if I was the competition, would be getting concerned. If she can be doing all that she is doing now, watch out as the season progresses.

 

[TCC Kid]

It's an exhibition game and obviously things to work on very early in the season. But a bunch of things stood out to me...

• The camera work and quality was excellent. Kudos to whoever organized that so we could enjoy an exhibition game in a foreign country.
• Would like to see this team press A LOT. They have the numbers and athleticism.
• Some really good ball movement and passing - also moving without the ball to get open.
• There will be NO lack of hustle or taking plays off this season by anyone on the team.
• The team missed some bunnies after some nice offense was run - obviously a bit rusty and lacking cohesion (NOT a criticism - it's game 2 of exhibition season - just an observation).
• Defensively as well - need to get better about help side defense. Again something that will come in time as chemistry and familiarity grows.
• Not surprisingly, the chemistry between Nika, Liya, Azzi and Aubrey is quite good even this early in pre-season
• A lot of defense WITH fouling. Need to clean that up.
• UCONN fans watching are SO knowledgeable. Pretty active in cheering etc. but also when someone was playing really well and then got subbed for - gave them a nice round of applause. They SEE all of that. I'm sure the players appreciated the support.
• The all star team lacked any real shooters or scorers, but they did play solid defense that made the team work hard on offense. Q3 they made a bunch of 3's including some bankers. They looked better in half 2 and drained a TON of 3's...

Some individual observations (starters listed first)

• Aubrey - really hoping she puts it ALL together this year consistently. She can be really good. Probably the most impressive player on the fast break grabbing tough passes in traffic and scoring in traffic. Notwithstanding who "scored", she impressed me the most of anyone for her all around game on offense and defense.
• Azzi - shot was off in the 1st half, but I ALWAYS expect any shot she takes to go in. Seemed to "only" be a spot up 3-point shooter this game, but if that's what defenses give her, better for UCONN.
• Nika - things run really smoothly when she's on the floor. Had some nice high-low post passes especially to Liya. And she sees the floor so well. Loved seeing her PUMPED after making an assist - reminds me of her comment that "when i score, 1 person is happy. when I assist, 2 people are happy". Drained a few wide open 3's. Great to see her looking for her shot when it's there.
• Qadence - long and lanky. Going to be a matchup problem for guards or wings. Didn't show much scoring prowess, till Q4, but I saw she was the leading scorer in game 3 so good for her!!
• Liya - looks to have picked up where she left off last season. Missed some bunnies, but gets great position in the post. One play she absolutely steamrolled an opponent and I actually laughed out loud - thinking "how was that not a foul"??
• Ashlynn - strong and intense. And physical. Reminds me a bit of a very young Shea Ralph. Does a bit of everything.
• Ice - runs the floor very well and is active. She moves better than most players of her size. But does need some conditioning. IMHO I'd like to see her spend more time in the post and less time roaming around the perimeter. She did post up a few times, got great position, backed her defender down, and scored. More please!
• KK - sheesh - how was this kid not ranked 2 or 3 in her class??? Got some steals that I don't think most other players could have gotten. Her eye-hand coordination to steal without fouling was impressive. HOWEVER she's a much better scoring guard than point guard (in this game anyway). Several ill-timed passes that just missed the teammate.
• Ines - plays like she belongs. But on a team filled with great guards... gonna be hard for her to carve out consistent PT.

Bottom line a nice effort against an overmatched team. Everyone played, everyone got devent minutes, everyone contributed, no one was injured. Can't ask for any more than that!!

Defense! Exhibition game 2--far from the season, far from chemistry deep in the roster. I was impressed with the number of interceptions, hands onballs, anticipation steals, It would appear Paige has had an influence.
If they are anywhere near this on Defense in January--They are on their way. The Fire power is there, no doubt. With this kind of defense--they can't miss. Poor Mulkey, poor Mulkey--she was already to polish that cup.