Kara Wolters criticism

[hayman522]

Certainly, SC has a great defense, that gives scorers problems, as your above stats clearly point out. However, you mentioned Hull who you say was just OK--she ended up with 16 points against SC, and in the SEC championship game, you failed to mention that Howard and Edwards of KY went for 18 and 27 respectively, and even Burrell of TN in her game against SC whom you mentioned, scored 14 points. Hailey Van Lith in the semi against SC ended up with 9 or 10--admittedly not stellar, but that was 7 or 8 points more than CW. So even those who you are mentioning as having very mediocre games against SC, fared far better than CW's 2 points. BTW, Hailey Van Lith is only a sophomore, not a senior like CW, playing in her last collegiate game.

As I pointed out, Kara Wolters was unaware of Liv's injury so I'm not critiquing Wolter's assessment of Liv's play against SC. Personally, having seen virtually the same SC team play against UConn last year with UConn winning, I do not see appreciable talent level differences between the two teams. What i saw was the noticeable difference in hustle and desire in their players and in some of ours, and I strongly feel that was what Kara was alluding to in her commentary... You have to go all out in a championship game--certainly some did but quite honestly some did not...

The real problem is that several times I saw Liv and Aiyleah at the top of the key with nobody guarding them this left the other 3 UConn guards being guarded by 5 people. This resulted in no room for the guards to manuever or rebound. When your bigs are not scoring threats and there is only 2 scoring threats on the floor it makes it easy for the other team to defend. UConn problem is that their bigs are not scoring threats which means your guards have to do all the scoring. You have to have balanced scoring if your guards are having an off night you need to be able to score inside!

 

[hayman522]

Why only two posts playing 99% of all minutes all season long? They won't get hurt while several players are dealing with injuries. Develop Piath and Amari with many minutes all season long. No, lets wait until the NCAA championship game and insert an under developed Amari. Not fully developing all of your personnel just in case is riverboat gambling.

Totally agree has been a pattern of Genos for many years.

 

[hayman522]

I 100% agree with Kara and don’t think it’s off limits to criticize a performance. ONO gets a bit of a pass for the injury, but we needed more from her. Williams completely disappeared, which was honestly highlights the inconsistency trademark of her career. She’d have some fantastic games and some less than memorable. In a NC game, we needed our leading scorer, to score. Not rocket science.

The whole team needed to play better, not just the seniors. Trying to blame the defense of Bueckers is laughable. Could she have been better? Yes. But she’s coming off of knee surgery, how quick laterally can you expect her to be?

Williams was a senior, a top 15 all time career scorer, 4 year starter, and our most experienced player. We really needed her to step up and be that second offensive option, especially knowing Fudd was sick.

This senior class has contributed greatly to our success, and we are certainly going to look back and realize how impactful they were. But I’m excited to see the next crop of players, and see if they have that killer instinct on the biggest stage, which was missing from this particular class.

They obviously were not 100 % healthy for this game I noticed it immediately in the first 5 minutes. They looked tired/injured a step slow. When you have Fudd sick, Evina, and Ono injured they had almost no chance. South Carolina went through the whole year relatively healthy can you imagine if 3 of their starting 5 were at about 80% would have affected them as well!

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Jaundice

I am going to try to avoid the personal attacks and sarcasm and deal with your arguments:

1. Played to the best of her ability...Christyn was the #1 recruit in her class based on HS
and AAU ball. True, people can make a mistake but her record prior to college was surely more consistent.
#1's are expected to perform at a high level...It may be unfair to expect that from a student athlete, but there it is...More was expected and often ...perhaps sometimes is fairer, that didn't happen.
I'm sure many observers are wondering if it just wasn't the right coach, the right program. That's a possibility too...Sue and Diana thought she would thrive at the next level...I'm sure whomever drafts her, fervently hopes that that is the case...and if so...we'll know a whole lot more what's in her head.

2."Meet your standards," If she met yours, that's just fine. Geno was hoping and had need of scoring from the 2 guard position and he didn't get it...I thought he showed unusual (misguided) loyalty by letting her start the 2nd half...I know a whole lot of coaches would have sat her for the rest of the game...The idea is to win...And she wasn't playing winning BB that night.

These are reasonable objective statements..Kara's were also. .If she doesn't perform more consistently in the pros, she'll be cut in a week...It's eat or be eaten out there..

I'd like to see her make it...and at some point, explain why her college career was so up and down

'These are reasonable objective statements..Kara's were also. .If she doesn't perform more consistently in the pros, she'll be cut in a week...

she'll be cut in a week.
umm, u sure u want to leave this out there?
on the udder hand, im more than happy to leave this out there,
Kara Wolters WNBA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

 

[uconnfan68]

The real problem is that several times I saw Liv and Aiyleah at the top of the key with nobody guarding them this left the other 3 UConn guards being guarded by 5 people. This resulted in no room for the guards to manuever or rebound. When your bigs are not scoring threats and there is only 2 scoring threats on the floor it makes it easy for the other team to defend. UConn problem is that their bigs are not scoring threats which means your guards have to do all the scoring. You have to have balanced scoring if your guards are having an off night you need to be able to score inside!

They (Liv and AE) didn’t hear me yelling to shoot all game long.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Kara Wolters is a BB ANALYST and even though she bleeds UCONN Blue she is honest and calls it as she sees it!
She didn't sugarcoat anything I give her big credit for doing so!
Even though the team overachieved past the injuries and illnesses there were certain happenings that were a trouble spot for the team!

 

[Bricklayer]

i really try to judge people against their individual abilities and not against the abilities that i want, hope or need from them, even if, as in this case, they have been players in an elite collegiate program for four years. cw can be one of the most athletic and dynamic shooting guards in college basketball, on offense and on defense, but, for whatever reason, she took the night off - i was really surprised and disappointed, as i expected a big game from her. on the other hand, ono has had success because she is tall, not because she is a overly gifted athlete or basketball player, so she has had issues when matched against players who are equally tall and especially against those who are talented players, such as boston - especially with her re-injury, i am not surprised by the results of her efforts. best of luck to the both of them, have fun in the wnba, and thank you !!!

 

[Alydar]

Probably because PG is not and may never be a regular player at the UConn level, and DeBerry, as Geno mentioned, wasn't ready. He's said before he's not willing to put players, particularly freshmen out there to make their bad habits permanent. DeBerry is very talented but anyone who watched her in high school knew there were motor and effort issues. She needs a different mindset and Geno sounds confident that will come.

As for her minutes in the SC game, well, it was the title game and he was desperate. I think desperation played into her court time at Georgia Tech as well.

I'm wondering if he pointed out to her that the 2 incoming freshmen were both talented and motivated.

 

[tchalla1]

The real problem is that several times I saw Liv and Aiyleah at the top of the key with nobody guarding them this left the other 3 UConn guards being guarded by 5 people. This resulted in no room for the guards to manuever or rebound. When your bigs are not scoring threats and there is only 2 scoring threats on the floor it makes it easy for the other team to defend. UConn problem is that their bigs are not scoring threats which means your guards have to do all the scoring. You have to have balanced scoring if your guards are having an off night you need to be able to score inside!

Thoroughly agree with your assessment--unfortunately, the one-dimensional shortcomings of our bigs finally caught up with us. Hopefully, this dilemma resolved next season with the arrival of Ice and Ayanna, and the offensive abilities of Amari given more opportunity...

 

[bob15]

'These are reasonable objective statements..Kara's were also. .If she doesn't perform more consistently in the pros, she'll be cut in a week...

she'll be cut in a week.
umm, u sure u want to leave this out there?
on the udder hand, im more than happy to leave this out there,
Kara Wolters WNBA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

So what is your point about KW? Maybe you should include here ABL stats too: About Kara - Kara Wolters And she left the pros to start a family.....hence the short career.

Are you upset because she spoke the truth? Look at the stats of CW and you will see an unfortunate trend: when playing talented teams, her shooting is somewhat awful. And if you deeper, most games that she struggled with the 2, her 3 pt shooting was even worse with many games at 0% ( 8 games in both 2020/21 & 2021/22 seasons).

Shooting percentage highlights from the past 2 years:

2021/22:
Stanford: 23%
NC: 40%
UCF: 33%
Mercer: 35%
Marq: 30%
Tenn: 18%
Lou: 36%
UCLA: 31%
GT: 31%
ND: 25%
SC (1 st game): 30%
USF: 37%

2020/21
AZ: 41%
STJ: 35%
Marq: 25%
GTWN: 45%
SH: 0%
SC: 27%
Ark: 41%
GTWN: 38%
Prov: 0%
Dep: 38%
Crei: 38%

You can get upset and not believe what she said, but look at the facts and you will see KW is 100% right.

CW's stats

 

[BRS24]

Totally agree has been a pattern of Genos for many years.

Geno doesn't play who isn't ready, who hasn't grasped the defensive sets, who doesn't practice hard. I believe he's said in the past that he will not award mediocrity. A few days ago he made comments about Amari and I was thinking, perhaps she came in with the mindset that she would be below ONO, AE, and DJ on the depth chart so maybe she didn't think she had to prepare as much? Geno likes her, likes her attitude, but outside of some regular season PT and that one appearance in the NC, he's not gonna award PT to someone that isn't prepared. Other coaches might have a lower bar, or a need to play undeveloped frosh, thus why you see them get PT.

 

[meyers7]

Wise man once said, with respect to opinions, "There are no such things as stupid opinions. Only stupid people who think opinions are stupid."

As we're "same team," better I think to simply "disagree" and move on.

I'd say he's not too wise. I've heard lots of stupid opinions in my life. We see them on here everyday. Hell I've had some myself. To think they don't exist is.....well, stupid.

Like the people who say "there are no stupid questions". Yes there are, tons of them.

 

[Eagle4]

Let’s face facts; while everyone here is a fan of UConn WBB, there’s simply a dichotomy on this board between folks who “love our girls,” regardless of results, and, on the other hand, folks who love them but also consider results. And neither can understand the other’s outlook, so threads like this will continue to flare whenever we fans have to deal with a disappointing outcome.

Right on target!!!

 

[meyers7]

That game started like this getting blown out inserted Azura came back then sat her to start the 2nd half, gave up the lead then lost. This thought is not mine it was very common at the time. Were ahead because they came back from 10 down with sub Azura leading the way. Had all the momentum which stopped at the start of the 2nd half. This was also the FF of officiating malfeasance.

I know. That's why it was so frustrating, that so many people had the same stupid idea. And it keeps being brought up. I can see being caught up in the moment. But with time to reflect, you'd think people could/would understand why it would be stupid to go away from something that had worked so well all year.

 

[Beemer]

For me Chrystin Williams has always been frustrating to watch. She's had games where she's been a great player and then gone for long stretches when she played but you wouldn't know it if you hadn't been watching. I had very high hopes for her after her freshman year, I thought she would continue to grow as a player but that didn't happen. I really hope she can overcome her inconsistency, she'll have to if she wants a pro career.

 

[Tufkas]

I'd say he's not too wise. I've heard lots of stupid opinions in my life. We see them on here everyday. Hell I've had some myself. To think they don't exist is.....well, stupid.

Like the people who say "there are no stupid questions". Yes there are, tons of them.

"He really seems to care. About what I have no idea."

Reference the top post on this board from the mod, entitled, "Boneyard Rules, Game Replays & Links to Boneyard lessons"

Second bullet: "No name-calling or other personal attacks. It seems like this shouldn't have to be a rule."

Exercise in futility here...

 

[BBallF]

You can't coach away fatigue, or an intestinal virus, or a groin pull, or a fractured and dislocated wrist. Even the players who were giving it their all, like Evina, just didn't have enough gas in the tank. Again I will point out that we had an emotional double overtime game on Monday night, took a flight Tuesday afternoon, had 2 days of practice, played and beat the defending champs on Friday, and then played the best and biggest team in the country on Sunday. SC had a laugher in the Elite 8, had an extra days rest, had a easier game in the FF, and were bigger and stronger. You could just watch the first 5 minutes and realize that we were spent. Could we have beaten SC? Yes, but not on Sunday night. We needed our A game, Azzi getting about 15, Evina hitting 3s, CW getting 15, and Paige having a mid 20s game. It was a matter of energy and being rested. It wasn't happening. Geno is the coach and will be in the future. I'm not ready to fire him because he only got to the Championship and didn't win. I mean, the bar is pretty high here, ya think?

 

[TeamFirst!]

These players got to the finals and people still rip CW apart. She won a national award and will be one of the top guards picked. She was our leading scorer. Lots of players have a bad game against top competition. Lots and lots of players. It's like great hitters in baseball hit less than .200 against a Nolan Ryan or Degrom. It happens and if you watch the game CW was definitely giving it her all.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Paige in particular was worn down. I've noticed from coaching many years that the thinner kids are often the ones impacted most by multiple games in a row.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

So what is your point about KW? Maybe you should include here ABL stats too: About Kara - Kara Wolters And she left the pros to start a family.....hence the short career.

Are you upset because she spoke the truth? Look at the stats of CW and you will see an unfortunate trend: when playing talented teams, her shooting is somewhat awful. And if you deeper, most games that she struggled with the 2, her 3 pt shooting was even worse with many games at 0% ( 8 games in both 2020/21 & 2021/22 seasons).

Shooting percentage highlights from the past 2 years:

2021/22:
Stanford: 23%
NC: 40%
UCF: 33%
Mercer: 35%
Marq: 30%
Tenn: 18%
Lou: 36%
UCLA: 31%
GT: 31%
ND: 25%
SC (1 st game): 30%
USF: 37%

2020/21
AZ: 41%
STJ: 35%
Marq: 25%
GTWN: 45%
SH: 0%
SC: 27%
Ark: 41%
GTWN: 38%
Prov: 0%
Dep: 38%
Crei: 38%

You can get upset and not believe what she said, but look at the facts and you will see KW is 100% right.

CW's stats

nice try.
fail.
u know why? u know why? cuz the link u provided sez so. have sum!
UConn Huskies Basketball - Huskies News, Scores, Stats, Rumors & More | ESPN
team leaders for the season.

Points Per Game​

Christyn WilliamsG #13​

14.2
MIN33.8
FG%45.4

Field Goal Percentage​

Christyn Williams Stats, News, Bio | ESPN

Christyn WilliamsG #13​

45.4
MIN33.8
PPG14.2
Christyn Williams Stats, News, Bio | ESPN
that would be for this past season, the one where we played, and fans were blessed with the opportunity to watch, until the very last moment of the very last game. we fans won, big time.
and speaking of big, ur linksite put the data in very big letters, to make it easier for the blind to see. grab ur specs.

 

[BigU]

Please stop with all the negativity!! CW seems to be a terrific young person with a big heart. I enjoyed watching her and the entire team work hard all season to get to the NC. Throughout the tournament they just fought and fought. Could she have played better in the NC game yes, could the rest of the team yes! But give it a rest they literally looked exhausted and SC played tough. No need to rip CW or any of them to shreds. I wish her and ONO and E all the best and thank them for all they have contributed!!

 

[bob15]

nice try.
fail.
u know why? u know why? cuz the link u provided sez so. have sum!
UConn Huskies Basketball - Huskies News, Scores, Stats, Rumors & More | ESPN
team leaders for the season.

Points Per Game​

Christyn WilliamsG #13​

14.2
MIN33.8
FG%45.4

Field Goal Percentage​

Christyn Williams Stats, News, Bio | ESPN

Christyn WilliamsG #13​

45.4
MIN33.8
PPG14.2
Christyn Williams Stats, News, Bio | ESPN
that would be for this past season, the one where we played, and fans were blessed with the opportunity to watch, until the very last moment of the very last game. we fans won, big time.
and speaking of big, ur linksite put the data in very big letters, to make it easier for the blind to see. grab ur specs.

Try looking at the FG percentage numbers I posted....CW had issues shooting when playing top teams. Lesser quality teams she shot well. That is fact. She was a great teammate, but shooting 30% (and worse for 3 pointers) against top teams isn't all that great and when they really needed a great game at the NC, sorry to say, she became a ghost.

Try looking back throughout her career on the link I posted and you might understand why KW said what she did. There is a drop-down menu to view all years, game-by game

 

[meyers7]

"He really seems to care. About what I have no idea."

Reference the top post on this board from the mod, entitled, "Boneyard Rules, Game Replays & Links to Boneyard lessons"

Second bullet: "No name-calling or other personal attacks. It seems like this shouldn't have to be a rule."

Exercise in futility here...

Who have I called a name????

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Liv also had to contend with an apparent groin issue which wasn't revealed until after the game. Wolters likely didn't know about it during this show. Liv was much better in the first meeting in the Bahamas.

Unfortunately, CW struggled all year against the better teams UConn faced; a problem for multiple years actually.

ONO struggled against better teams as well. I couldn't tell the difference between ONO's performance during the NC game, and other games against top teams. As Kara said, UConn really missed Dorka. And they threw in DeBerry who hasn't played a meaningful minute the entire season.

 

[HopJim]

This thread had degenerated into a critique of players. How many times can we comment on whether Kara is correct or has a right to offer her opinion on UConn or the players? If there was ever a thread that deserved to be shut down, this is it!