Kelly-The Swiss Army Knife

[MilfordHusky]

How many All-Americans does Kelly have to shut down while putting up ridiculous numbers (points and rebounds and assists and steals) before she gets All-American status? I hope Pam Ward is wrong and that Kelly will get her due this year.

Agreed. Kelly shut down another AA player. She may not have the offensive stats of others, but her impact on the game is huge. "All she does is win."

 

[UcMiami]

There was a time when I wouldn't agree with that statement. For the first two years of her UConn career, she struggled quite a bit on the offensive end of the court. Her shot really wasn't there! She only scored on fast break opportunities or putbacks but seldom with a jumpshot. Her defensive intensity and rebounding were there from day one. I wouldn't call her an offensive weapon now but she surely isn't the liability she was in those first couple of years. Then teams would just play off her and put a lot more pressure on the remaining four Huskies. Even then, she compensated with outstanding hustle and her Charlie Hustle defensive style. She is one of the hardest nosed kids that will ever step on the court in Storrs or anywhere for that matter and she is truly someone who inspires her team with her energy and her will to make a difference while she's on the court.

Some people have already overlooked her first half tonight when she was more than a little sloppy with the ball and had three turnovers. It's so easy to forget that or even forgive that because she plays every play like it's her last. The second half she really booted herself up and got to every loose ball with it seeming like every loose ball just kept finding her. I liked the entire teams energy in the second half and their grit. Maybe she was the inspiration for it but Stewart was marvelous and though her stats as usual didn't show it, I continue to see Doty as a very significant part of what's right about this team. They always seem to play more under control and less sloppily when she's in the lineup. When she was in the first half lineup was when they were less prone to turn the ball over. The second half of the game was prime UConn Huskie basketball and I hope they continue to evolve and just get bettere and better.

Totally agree on your Doty comment.
On Kelly's first half - defensively she was fierce and I believe she was second on the team in points in the first half too. Yes - she had the two turnovers in the first half (I think the third was in the second half), but I thought she played pretty well in both halves. Certainly the second half was spectacular, but it helped her that the rest of the team picked up their games as well.
Bria is not getting a whole lot of love but she tied her career high I think with the 9 assists - she played some beautiful basketball.

 

[Dove]

LAte in the game, at the free throw line, she had demon eyes. She never turns them off.

 

[MilfordHusky]

LAte in the game, at the free throw line, she had demon eyes. She never turns them off.

I thought she had Blue Devil eyes.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I have a feeling that tonight's game will forever be known as "The Kelly Faris Game."

 

[rocky rococo]

Being the Swiss Army Knife means boxing out bigger, faster players; drawing fouls ; being the first to loose balls. I saw Kelly do all those things in one less than four minute stretch in the second half. Does that make Pam Ward wrong? I don't think so. She speaks very fluent Conventional Wisdom, and that's the language in which things like AA designations are decided. It's not a Swiss Army Knife-friendly language. How many players have ever been named AAs because they were the ones most likely to get to loose balls first?

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Being the Swiss Army Knife means boxing out bigger, faster players; drawing fouls ; being the first to loose balls. I saw Kelly do all those things in one less than four minute stretch in the second half. Does that make Pam Ward wrong? I don't think so. She speaks very fluent Conventional Wisdom, and that's the language in which things like AA designations are decided. It's not a Swiss Army Knife-friendly language. How many players have ever been named AAs because they were the ones most likely to get to loose balls first?

I thought being a Swiss Army Knife meant you had ALL the tools. Makes me wonder, what do others think it means?

 

[Gurleyman]

I thought being a Swiss Army Knife meant you had ALL the tools. Makes me wonder, what do others think it means?

I'd say it means having a versatile tool that can serve any number of functions.

But you could perhaps extend the metaphor and say that if you know that all you want is a knife (i.e. scoring), there are better ones in the kitchen cupboards. But if you don't know for sure what you'll need at any moment, a Swiss Army Knife is incredibly handy and will almost always get the job done.

 

[Dove]

Kelly took Dook for a ride on the Faris Wheel last night.

 

[MilfordHusky]

She is a Swiss Army Knife--on the cutting edge of defense. Soon to be cutting down nets.