Based on her numbers and level of competition, I think it is reasonable to consider her roughly equivalent to KK and Ash overall, but with the advantage of more experience.
I suspect experience is mainly what Geno wants from her: a steady hand. She’s not likely to make bad plays under pressure, she’ll know the value of effort and how to direct it. Plus the fact that her experience with Carla’s style of play probably means it won’t take her long to get up to speed with Geno’s.
Outside of Paige and Azzi (if healthy), on the perimeter we have a ton of candidates who appear to be close in terms of ability chasing for playing time.
The hallmark of UConn basketball is playing as a unit: getting to your spots on time, passing crisply, shooting with confidence, switching on D, reading the opponent, etc. I always assume the ones who get this soonest are the ones who play most. It was really visible early last season who among the freshmen had figured that out and who looked lost on the court. By March, KK and Ash got it, and Ice by the very end too. Q might have been beginning to get it at the end. This group plus Paige and Azzi and Jana will get the nod initially.
This is also the group Kaitlyn will be competing with for minutes. I think she’ll have succeeded before the end of December. It helps me to think about Kaitlyn’s prospects by framing them in relation to her teammates. She’ll be competing primarily with KK, but I also hope she’ll think of herself as helping KK sharpen her own shot-making in practice. This is the last remaking piece of the puzzle for KK.
I hope one or two of those make a big leap and truly stand out from the rest of the pack, whoever that might be.
Those two are Ice and Q. KK and Ash have already arrived, as far as I can tell. The rest are either already seasoned veteran or new to the system. Q looks the most interesting to me given how high the ceiling seems for her. By next March, I hope she find herself on the floor 10-12 minutes per game.
Part of Ice’s task is playing against Jana in practice, helping her sharpen low post skills and working on her own, and generally introducing her to the nuances of Geno’s high-low game. This is where Ice’s Great Leap Forward will come from. Jana is the future of the frontcourt, and in teaching it to her, Ice will solidify her own role in the present.
Kaitlyn Ice and Q are the new pieces we’ll see in November and December. They will be able to show us something new and exciting I doubt we’ll see Kaitlyn and KK on the floor together. And when we do see Kaitlyn on the floor, whenever that happens, I hope she really shines.
Exactly.