Katie Lou is lousy on defense....Wrong..!!

[DavidinNaples]

I keep hearing what a bad a defender Katie Lou Samuelson is for UConn. So I re-watched the 1st half of the Lubbock game to confirm what a defensive liability she is...
I watched just her, not the ball. Here's what I found out:

1. Katie started and played 8 minutes total in the first quarter. She started and played 6 minutes in the 2nd quarter. 14 minutes total.
2. She guarded #23, occasionally #24 and #14. Once she switched and picked up #2.
3. The players she was guarding took a combined 3 shots, in 14 minutes.
4. With her long arms, KLS denies the ball to her player quite well. I counted 7 touches of the ball.
5. Of the 3 shots taken against her, 2 missed and she blocked the 3rd.
6. The players she guarded scored 0 points in the 1st half. Zero, zilch, nada.
7. KLS was fouled twice getting defensive rebounds and had a steal.

I'm NOT saying Katie Lou is Kelly Faris re-incarnated... But until she truly sucks on defense, can we stop saying she is a lousy defender?

Go KLS..!!
Go Huskies..!!

P.S. - Geno is NOT down on her. He just feels she can get better and better. Like most Freshman. “And she is still nowhere near where we need her to be, on the defensive end or finding the place that we want her to play at. She has a long way to go. But compared to most freshmen that I see coming out of high school, she is ahead of them.”

 

[HoopsFan21]

Who said she's a liability on defense? I mean besides herself and Geno? Maybe we should wait until they play a real game before we judge?

 

[triaddukefan]

How much can you really judge based off a game vs Lubbock Christian ? Are they a Division II school? NAIA ?

 

[vtcwbuff]

Making a judgement about a player's ability based on one exhibition game is ridiculous. However, Auriemma has never had a freshman that didn't suck on defense. Just ask him.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Making a judgement about a player's ability based on one exhibition game is ridiculous. However, Auriemma has never had a freshman that didn't suck on defense. Just ask him.

Making a judgement about a player BEFORE one game is even more ridiculous...!!
Agree Geno always thinks freshman need to improve on defense, see above quote.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

How much can you really judge based off a game vs Lubbock Christian ? Are they a Division II school? NAIA ?

Division II, just moved up from NAIA a year ago.

 

[CocoHusky]

David maybe we can get one of the moderators to remove the word "suck" from the title of the thread so we can have an honest dialogue. That word has baggage with it and I don't recall anyone using that word or the word lousy for that matter.
Your observations are completely accurate I simply disagree on your conclusion and we are not on the same page contextually.
Context: KLS defensive limitations have always been in the context of being a perimeter defender. (During the game I noticed an additional defensive liability but more on that in a minute.). The additional context is more important and that is UCONN perimeter defender.
From my observations her defensive limitations are physical and technique related. Only the latter is reasonably correctable. KLS is a tall ( 6'3") long striding gifted offensive player. Unfortunately in this context( perimeter defense) she lacks the lateral quickness and foot speed to defend on the perimeter at UCONN level. The lack of foot speed was evident when she got caught from behind and got her shot block on what should have been a clean break away layup. Faris has been gone from UCONN for 3 years now and I agree that she did set the standard for lateral quickness and perimeter defense. Would you at least agree that among all the current UCONN players desiring to be perimeter defenders that KLS has the most room for improvement?

That other limitation: Three times during the first half of the game KLS positioned herself (great technique) to get a defensive rebound near the basket. Twice the defender went over her back and got a foul called. What surprised me both times is how easily KLS was displaced from the great position she had established by a much smaller defender. This speaks to her lower & upper body strength with will and needs to get better. I am not saying KLS should be able to adsorb someone going over her back, I am saying she needs to be able to hold her ground a little better because she is not always going to get that call especially against a smaller defender.

 

[UcMiami]

David - thank you for the research - I watched the game and came away quite impressed with Lou's defense having seen a number of posts referring to her defense as being the liability that would keep her on the bench at Uconn. I then came back to the board and saw numerous posts again addressing her poor defense, lack of rebounding, etc. which made me doubt my own eyes. One thing you failed to mention is that in that first half she committed no fouls herself while drawing two, and as you say, getting her fingers on the ball seven times. Her length is an asset that allows her to play a little off her man which compensates for less than lightening first defensive step.

Coco - not sure which opponents went over her back, but Lubbock is not actually height challenged as their numerous blocks in the game attest. The whole idea of rebounding is to box out so an opponent has to go through you to get a rebound, something that Lou did twice - and a foul and the ball is a better result than a simple rebound in general. I would also not consider Lou as having been 'chased down' on her layup attempt - they were pretty much parallel heading down the floor and it looked at first sight as if she had been fouled.

No one is saying a single game answers questions about players - but a number of people are making pronouncements about the same players based on the same. This is just an attempt to challenge, based on detailed analysis, the preconceptions of others.

 

[mrmojack]

I think most Freshman come to Uconn in need of improving their defense up to Uconn standards.
They will all learn on the fly. It takes time and hard work to improve and learn the proper
defensive techniques. Uconn teaches good defense and the Freshman will learn the Uconn way.
Just give them some time.

 

[magic]

I could

View attachment 11010

I keep hearing what a bad a defender Katie Lou Samuelson is for UConn. So I re-watched the 1st half of the Lubbock game to confirm what a defensive liability she is...
I watched just her, not the ball. Here's what I found out:

1. Katie started and played 8 minutes total in the first quarter. She started and played 6 minutes in the 2nd quarter. 14 minutes total.
2. She guarded #23, occasionally #24 and #14. Once she switched and picked up #2.
3. The players she was guarding took a combined 3 shots, in 14 minutes.
4. With her long arms, KLS denies the ball to her player quite well. I counted 7 touches of the ball.
5. Of the 3 shots taken against her, 2 missed and she blocked the 3rd.
6. The players she guarded scored 0 points in the 1st half. Zero, zilch, nada.
7. KLS was fouled twice getting defensive rebounds and had a steal.

I'm NOT saying Katie Lou is Kelly Faris re-incarnated... But until she truly sucks on defense, can we stop saying she is a lousy defender?

Go KLS..!!
Go Huskies..!!

P.S. - Geno is NOT down on her. He just feels she can get better and better. Like most Freshman. “And she is still nowhere near where we need her to be, on the defensive end or finding the place that we want her to play at. She has a long way to go. But compared to most freshmen that I see coming out of high school, she is ahead of them.”

I couldn't agree more !

 

[VAMike23]

I think most Freshman come to Uconn in need of improving their defense up to Uconn standards. They will all learn on the fly. It takes time and hard work to improve and learn the proper defensive techniques. Uconn teaches good defense and the Freshman will learn the Uconn way. Just give them some time.

Agree --

Which made Kelly Faris all that much more impressive...outstanding defensively even as a frosh! And Tiff Hayes was no slouch in her first year either.

Those two could really get after it on the perimeter and on the boards (KF especially) as well. And Kelly could even handle most power forwards pretty well in the post -- what a defender.

 

[Kibitzer]

I doubt that Lou can defend as well as Stewie, Moriah, Kia, or Gabby. Certainly not yet.

But I also believe that many negative judgments about her defensive shortcomings (before seeing her play in a UConn uniform against anybody!) are a good example of what I call an Internet Legend. Somebody posts it and others accept it like Holy Writ and repeat it over and over with no substantive evidence to verify it.

Let's watch a few real games and see how she adapts to Geno's rigid standards, OK?

 

[chrissaran]

DavidinNaples, I agree. She's not Kelly Faris, but then Kelly Faris was and is no Katie Lou on the offensive side of the ball. If you've watched any of Katie Lou's interviews she always says she needs to get stronger and she needs to be a better defender. She'll get there, although not all the way there this year or even next. She has the want to and that's what you need to do it.

 

[JoePgh]

Being statistically effective against Lubbock Christian shooters is not the standard that Lou will have to meet to earn a starting spot or significant minutes.

Think about whom she will have to defend if she is the starting small forward. On December 5 she will have to chase Michaela Mabrey around all of Muffitt's screens and curls. On December 28 she will have to defend Kiah Gillespie. By February 8 she may have to handle A'ja Wilson. In the tournament she may face Diamond Deshields. Not much resemblance to Lubbock Christian.

A minimum requirement is that she must not give up more points to those opponents than she scores. Based on what we saw in Monday's game, do you think that she can satisfy that requirement? I have my doubts.

I think it is more likely that Gabby or Napheesa can be coached enough to provide adequate offense from that position than that Lou can learn to play defense at the required level.

 

[CocoHusky]

I doubt that Lou can defend as well as Stewie, Moriah, Kia, or Gabby. Certainly not yet.

But I also believe that many negative judgments about her defensive shortcomings (before seeing her play in a UConn uniform against anybody!) are a good example of what I call an Internet Legend. Somebody posts it and others accept it like Holy Writ and repeat it over and over with no substantive evidence to verify it.

Let's watch a few real games and see how she adapts to Geno's rigid standards, OK?

Kib, KLS has been on national/international stage or more than a minute now. She is a 5 time USA Basketball Gold Medalist. Thanks to Youtube and streaming there is a significant body of her work to evaluate and project how she would perform in a UCONN uniform. The evaluations & projections as always are subjective so I don't believe it is so much "internet legend" or the need of some to deem every UCONN recruit near perfect and unworthy or critique. This is a valid difference of opinions. The last perfect player played in the one game I happen to miss and I'm pretty sure Geno was not coaching, but Kim Mulkey might have been.

 

[reno tony]

If we are going to judge her skills on one half of an exhibition game then she definitely can't shoot the three.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I thought Lou's footwork was off at least a few times, but she did use her length well. She needs to improve and will improve. Things will get tougher against elite team with better athletes. She said that she and Napheesa were jacked up. When Lou settles in, she'll nail 3-4 in a row from distance and we'll be swooning.

 

[Biff]

When Lou settles in, she'll nail 3-4 in a row from distance and we'll be swooning.

Actually, we'll be "LOOOUUU"ing.

 

[Kibitzer]

Being statistically effective against Lubbock Christian shooters is not the standard that Lou will have to meet to earn a starting spot or significant minutes.

Agree.

Think about whom she will have to defend if she is the starting small forward. On December 5 she will have to chase Michaela Mabrey around all of Muffitt's screens and curls. On December 28 she will have to defend Kiah Gillespie. By February 8 she may have to handle A'ja Wilson. In the tournament she may face Diamond Deshields. Not much resemblance to Lubbock Christian.

Respectfully disagree, mainly because nothing dictates that she must guard her counterpart (i.e., small forward in your example). Perhaps Geno tells her to guard, say, Reimer in the ND game and has Kia guard Mabrey.

It is difficult for me to disagree even slightly with one of the most astute and respected Boneyard posters. Please read my comments in red and take them under advisement. Thanks.

 

[UcMiami]

I doubt that Lou can defend as well as Stewie, Moriah, Kia, or Gabby. Certainly not yet.

But I also believe that many negative judgments about her defensive shortcomings (before seeing her play in a UConn uniform against anybody!) are a good example of what I call an Internet Legend. Somebody posts it and others accept it like Holy Writ and repeat it over and over with no substantive evidence to verify it.

Let's watch a few real games and see how she adapts to Geno's rigid standards, OK?

Well said - and it is also an internet truism that every great offensive player struggles defensively. Said of the current POV in the WNBA, and DT, and ___.

And yes I watched a lot of her USA games and what stood out was her offense because she was typically the USA top scorer, but she was not slacking on defense either, though it certainly didn't stand out like her offense.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Being statistically effective against Lubbock Christian shooters is not the standard that Lou will have to meet to earn a starting spot or significant minutes.

Think about whom she will have to defend if she is the starting small forward. On December 5 she will have to chase Michaela Mabrey around all of Muffitt's screens and curls. On December 28 she will have to defend Kiah Gillespie. By February 8 she may have to handle A'ja Wilson. In the tournament she may face Diamond Deshields. Not much resemblance to Lubbock Christian.

A minimum requirement is that she must not give up more points to those opponents than she scores. Based on what we saw in Monday's game, do you think that she can satisfy that requirement? I have my doubts.

I think it is more likely that Gabby or Napheesa can be coached enough to provide adequate offense from that position than that Lou can learn to play defense at the required level.

Is Napheesa considered a stellar defensive player???? Is that you making an assumption based on WHAT????

 

[MilfordHusky]

Actually, we'll be "LOOOUUU"ing.

Looouuuing? I thought they were mooing.

 

[jdubct]

From what's been written, KLS is a better (possibly significantly better) defensive player than KML was as a freshman. With further experience and conditioning she has the potential to be a much better defensive player. What is predictable as others have noted in this and other threads is that she will be a major offensive force. Meanwhile let's enjoy her enthusiasm, her dedication and development of her basketball skills.
s'

 

[BroadwayVa]

Making a judgement about a player's ability based on one exhibition game is ridiculous. However, Auriemma has never had a freshman that didn't suck on defense. Just ask him.

Like Gabbys terrific performance you cannot, or should not just a player on one game. But it may be an indicator.
I too watched KLS's defense--she switched pretty good. Sometimes was a bit confused. One one she isn't so great. A smaller player posted her up under basket and scored on her---

Is Napheesa considered a stellar defensive player???? Is that you making an assumption based on WHAT????

any of the those on last years team (except Ekmark) last year that player would not have scored.
However, she is NOT a liability. Obviously GENO thinks highly of KLS--34 minutes says I like this kid.
Also --what most of us have forgotten---KLS did not play all summer or even have UConn summer unofficial games with Stewie she lost a bit there.

 

[BroadwayVa]

It is difficult for me to disagree even slightly with one of the most astute and respected Boneyard posters. Please read my comments in red and take them under advisement. Thanks.

That was SOOOOOO nasty!!!