Katie Lou

[Wolfdog]

KLS is tough! She is a graduate of Mater Dei HS, which is a member of the powerful and super-competitive Trinity League. It is a Christian league here in the Los Angeles area that probably accounts for the majority of Championship in SoCal across all team sports. No matter how they pushed and grabbed her, she took it right back to them. She will learn to lower her center of gravity and move her feet soon enough. She still doesn't like bumping against those big, physical post players like Turner and Nelson, but Geno, CD and Marisa will get her.

 

[msf22b]

I'll bash Doris. Towards the end of the game, she said, "This is a very talented, very deep Notre Dame team. But UConn is going to walk out of here with a win."

Huh? It's as if UConn got lucky, as if they didn't deserve it. I'm really tired of her constant cheerleading for Connecticut to lose.

Sorry to jump in a day late on this:
But though I didn't like the call (he was sick and voiceless though)...
I don't think in context that statement was anything but a complement.
Notre Dame is "talented and very deep" and despite that, the UConn 7, kept them under control and kept the crowd out of it.
Doris was pretty complimentary throughout and especially when the game was falling apart for the Irish.

 

[PhillyCoach]

MilfHusky-
<<Geno said they have had to "Beat the California out of her." Lou has always been a tough kid....>>
You'd be tough, too, if you had two older sisters tenderizing you on the way to the hoop for ten years. She probably got into California dream'n, only when the bigguns went of to Pinetree City.
***********************

We may have entered into the Wonderful World of (great) interchangeable parts this year. Except for the cosmetic positioning of buns, (no, not those buns... keep it clean!)(Should have said hair style.) .... it is, sometimes difficult to distinguish one from another on the TV screen.
Except for the extremists... 5 and 51, the team sometimes becomes an indistinguishable whirling, darting, multi-positioning swirl of talent. Fake right and pass left, twitch for an up shot & drive to finish w/ either hand, and a GabPhee (mind-reading) pass ending in a pirouette to the hoop. The Team Work-Work Team at work.
"What hath Geno wrought?"... Interchangeability!
Only the Philly Shadow knows what is next.

Hey TroyHouse - I know from which you speak. Many times I am squinting and looking for a uniform # because I can't tell Kia from Gabby or Pheese. But the best line or the best WORD you used was Interchangeability. Let's add this to the long, long list of Geno's requirements to be a UConn player. As we know, to be interchangeable one has to have multiple skills. It works so well with their switch defense. All five starters can pop out for a 3. Running the floor, everyone in motion offense, and darting out into the passing lane for steals are all there. IMHO this is what many posters mean when they state that Geno "develops his players better than any other coach." It is required that every player develops a new skill every year --and some top players develop multiple skills throughout the season. Look at GAbby, Pheese, and Lou. (I know other coaches want new skills developed too, however, UConn seems to get the job done at a more productive level.)
Anyway, I wanted to point out that your recognition of "interchangeability" caught my eye. Your insight gives me another view of the complexity, depth and breadth of UConn's coaching philosophy. Thanks.

 

[Wolfdog]

Speaking of interchangeability, team defense on switches involving KLS or Natalie with Crystal or Saniya need to improve. Natalie seems to instantly forget she just switched off of a 6'3" big who in now being defended by a 5'4" guard. She needs to smother the shorter player to prevent the entry pass. I think KLS acts like she's finally done with the big and doesn't want to switch back. KLS is not yet comfortable banging with the wide bodies. This is less noticeable when the starters are all on the court. The starters seem to quickly look to adjust players to a more appropriate match-up, and the size differences are not that great between them. Kia will quickly ask Napheesa or Gabby to switch, or Gabby and Napheesa will initiate the switch on their own. ND targeted this mismatch almost immediately when Crystal came into the game. Crystal will have to improve her footwork to front the bigs, but a quick switch is the best solution.

 

[MilfordHusky]

ND was guarding Lou very tightly 25ft from the basket. By just standing on the perimeter, Lou opened up the lane for either Gabby or Collier, whoever had the best mismatch. Even by doing nothing, her mere presence on the court had a positive effect on the game.

The Kaleena Effect.

 

[MilfordHusky]

KLS is tough! She is a graduate of Mater Dei HS, which is a member of the powerful and super-competitive Trinity League. It is a Christian league here in the Los Angeles area that probably accounts for the majority of Championship in SoCal across all team sports. No matter how they pushed and grabbed her, she took it right back to them. She will learn to lower her center of gravity and move her feet soon enough. She still doesn't like bumping against those big, physical post players like Turner and Nelson, but Geno, CD and Marisa will get her.

Both Maya and Stewie didn't like the physical play early on, but they learned.

 

[ochoopsfan]

KLS is tough! She is a graduate of Mater Dei HS, which is a member of the powerful and super-competitive Trinity League. It is a Christian league here in the Los Angeles area that probably accounts for the majority of Championship in SoCal across all team sports. No matter how they pushed and grabbed her, she took it right back to them. She will learn to lower her center of gravity and move her feet soon enough. She still doesn't like bumping against those big, physical post players like Turner and Nelson, but Geno, CD and Marisa will get her.

Just a side note on Lous HS team. Mater Dei.
They are a shell of the old team. Lous last season there(14-15 season) they were 31-3
They are now 4-4 and only scored 27 points tonight in a loss(they also lost last week and only scored 28 points).
Some of the girls who played with Lou as freshmen havent developed as I thought they might, or probably the coaches thought.
They next go to the Nike Tournament in Arizona. I havent seen the brackets but I hope they arent in the top bracket.

 

[willtalk]

I remember when there were threads comparing MLS with KML. I suppose now UConn fans can recognize that the only similarity between them was they were both really good 3pt shooters. I, for one, am not surprised at how she is playing. She had real good handles when I saw her play.

I also think that Geno meant the " beat the California out of her " as a joke. She is the player she is primarily because she played in California. There are plenty of excellent teams from other states, but no state has as many top level teams as California year after year. The only state that comes close is Texas. There were plenty of teams in Calif. to " ruff her up on the court." Just getting a team out of her section in the playoffs was an accomplishment. Since they have instituted the open division making it through the State playoffs is almost akin to winning the Nike Tournament in Arizona.

 

[CajunHusky]

that Geno meant the " beat the California out of her " as a joke.

I believe the exact quote is "knock the California out of her" .... it may be semantics but I think the difference is significant. I believe the change occured with some quoter on some anti Geno blog trying to overtly put Geno in a bad light without actually saying it.

It is sort of like the stuff circulating not too long ago that Geno refused to acknowledge the National Anthem and was therefore anti American. What he actually said then in that article was the National Anthem was great but that he wished that instead of having a singer they just played the Anthem and everyone in attendance sing it.

 

[UcMiami]

Just a side note on Lous HS team. Mater Dei.
They are a shell of the old team. Lous last season there(14-15 season) they were 31-3
They are now 4-4 and only scored 27 points tonight in a loss(they also lost last week and only scored 28 points).
Some of the girls who played with Lou as freshmen havent developed as I thought they might, or probably the coaches thought.
They next go to the Nike Tournament in Arizona. I havent seen the brackets but I hope they arent in the top bracket.

They ran out of Samuelson's of both varieties - the rebounding ones and the scoring ones!

 

[Bliss]

Lou going to the hoop in HS View attachment 17496

Did she dunk in high school?

 

[ochoopsfan]

Did she dunk in high school?

No.
I would still be in intensive care if she did.