Kelly

[nan linds]

Haven't heard that she is hurt so wonder why she does not play, I am getting the feeling that Coach does not like former UConns or that her style is so out of sync with what they have learned that the situation is poor. What think ye all?

 

[psconn]

So far Kelly has simply played her way onto the bench. The WNBA is a different world from college. She plays good defense, but not the stellar, shutdown D we saw at UConn because everyone on the court is more capable, faster and/or bigger than in college. I suspect it's her effort at practice and in games that has kept her around. It sure hasn't been her stats.

 

[VAUConnFan]

The big surprise for me has been Renee's minutes.

Since you asked for an opinion about Kelly, my feeling is that her offense does not command enough respect from opposing defenses to allow the Sun to space the floor; Much more critical now that Chiney, so far, has only shown effectiveness from inside 10 feet and needs room to operate. As the season progresses, I can see Coach Donovan using Ms Faris at critical junctures when defensive stops are essential; Offense to defense type situations.

Ms Faris averaged a tad over 14 minutes a game last season for a team that has, this year, added Alex Bentley, Allyssa Thomas, Katie Douglas, and Danielle McCray. From where is Coach Donovan going to find minutes to dole out to Kelly Faris when she has already taken Kelly's 14 minutes from last year and redistributed them.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Haven't heard that she is hurt so wonder why she does not play, I am getting the feeling that Coach does not like former UConns or that her style is so out of sync with what they have learned that the situation is poor. What think ye all?

How can a coach not like Tina Charles? Kalana Greene started 31 of 34 games, Renee started 18 games before tweaking her ankle in June, Kelly averaged 14 minutes a game last season. So, the stats do not support any claim of Coach Donovan not liking former UConn players. It is just as easy to cut players one does not like than to keep them on the roster and not play them.

As far as style being out of sync, that claim cannot be dismissed entirely because players do thrive and wither under certain circumstances. Most basketball players, though, adapt. Hopefully, you have attended a few WNBA games and have gotten to see up and close and personally how incredibly skilled all the players are.

 

[pvdoggy]

At the professional level, it seems that you have to be very athletic, or very skilled, or both. Kelly is a good system player
in college, but she is neither of those in the pros. Don't think she will have a good pro career.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I was more surprised that Donovon kept Kelly over KG. IMHO KG has more offensive moves and contributed more to the Sun than Kelly has. Not saying Kelly is not a good player but KG can do more. Unless Kelly can latch on to another team this will be her last year in the WNBA. She may not last the season with the Sun.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I was more surprised that Donovon kept Kelly over KG. IMHO KG has more offensive moves and contributed more to the Sun than Kelly has. Not saying Kelly is not a good player but KG can do more. Unless Kelly can latch on to another team this will be her last year in the WNBA. She may not last the season with the Sun.

It, likely, came down to a choice between KG and KF. It is also likely that KG's 26 minutes per game were going to be significantly reduced this season. With KG in her prime, it was not going to be easy for her to be demoted to the bench and to accept a reduced role, or for Coach Donovan to implement the change while KG was still on the team.

 

[hoophuskee]

Kelly needs a post in which the post is consistently double-teamed or the defense sags.

 

[hjoerring]

At the professional level, it seems that you have to be very athletitheyc, or very skilled, or both. Kelly is a good system player
in college, but she is neither of those in the pros. Don't think she will have a good pro career.

Totally agree. You need a lot more then great fundamentals to make it in the WNBA. I seriously doubt that her defense is so great that a team can carry a player for such singular purposes. I cannot see her in the WNBA. She might find it more productive to go oversea and work on a offensive game. Lets face it, for most of her carrier at Uconn defenses gave her room to operate. It was not her ofense that killed opponents. Renee is more a puzzle. I would have thought she would be one of the top pg/combo guards of her class. Instead, she is fastly becoming a role player, and Donovan cannot be blamed for it. That situation saddens me a bit.

 

[lanieer]

Agreed with most responses here. Kelly has to prove when given a chance that she can score. There are no "specialists" in the WNBA. There are great players that can defend and score. Kelly was actually drafted higher than she should have been because she was a UConn player. I loved her at UConn but this is the WNBA and not college. Every year there is more talent to contend with. Unless she gets a chance and can jump in and have a few good games she will end up as Ann Strother did. You have to play both sides of the ball. I fully expect that she will be fighting for a spot next year for any team. I think they should have kept Kalana Greene but I'm assuming her friendship with Tina Charles may have put her in the expendable category. I'm a huge UConn fan and season ticket holder but also a Sun fan because of my location. Now that Kelly is no longer in college I see her as the 11th and 12th girl on the bench that jumps in when the score is a blow out. I saw her in the first exibition and saw her not be able to control the ball and bad decision making with 4 turnovers. Obviously the Sun see an upside to her that they want to maintain her but she could also turn into the Heather Buck of the Sun.

 

[JoePgh]

I think it is the fact that KG is a mature player who has presumably demonstrated all that she will be in the WNBA, whereas Kelly is a developing player at that level with some significant remaining upside, that caused the Sun to keep Kelly over KG. I don't think KG's frienship with Tina had anything to do with it (the same applies to Renee Montgomery).

Kelly apparently had a tough year overseas, first recovering from the injury in the last ND game and then with illness. Her jump shot does not look as if it has recovered the accuracy that it had in her senior year. If it does, then she will be an adequate offensive player even in the WNBA.

There is redemption for these kinds of players in the WNBA. Allie Hightower was a bit player in her rookie year and was an all-star last year. Allie Quigley (who I hope will forgive my disparaging comments about her a few days ago) now appears to be Chicago's first guard off the bench at least until Prince returns -- finally, in her 6th year, after barely appearing in games in her first several seasons.

It seems that this board is eager to give up on Kelly, which I find hard to believe after watching her for four years. I think posters here are also eager to give up on Ann Donovan, although I agree that her career as the Sun's head coach is on thinner ice than Kelly's. (If the Sun start out 5-12 or worse, she will be gone in mid-year, as would be appropriate.) But I certainly remember many posters disparaging Thibault when he failed to win a championship, and a few calling for his head before the Sun in fact axed him. Of course, none of those posters has to be accountable for those recommendations -- that's why they (i.e., we) are just posters and not basketball executives.

 

[xHunt3r]

Kelly obviously needed time to develop her offensive game coming out of college. She showed her senior year the potential to develop into a reliable shooter. Injury hampered that development last year. While she is not getting game time, I'm sure she is working just as hard as any else outside of actual games to get better. I think she should be given more time to see if she can get there, and it looks like that is what Sun are doing by keeping her on the roster.

 

[svetbird]

I sadly think the game has passed Ann Donovan by. I hope she dose not take Kelly with her. She has not been the same since leaving the storm. Just terrible records.

 

[svetbird]

you would think since they have lost every game they would let Kelly play a little! what they are doing is not working. Let someone with a great work ethic play the results cant get worse. I hope they lose Friday though since I am driving in from Rochester NY to see Sue and my Storm Play!

 

[Striper69]

I think they'll win against Seattle. Seattle is having real problems adjusting to playing withut Tina Thompson. Too bad Sue Bird couldn't play last year.
The Sun were in the game late but some calls went against them or weren't called and that didn't help.

I bet Kelly gets in the next game.

 

[lanieer]

Look this is the WNBA with premier players that score and defend. Kelly unfortunately like Barbara Turner, Ann Strother, Meghan simmons played sparingly. Kelly may have a career as a Turkish pro or an Israeli professional but in order for her to have a US Pro career she must learn to score. It is not Ann Donovan's fault in this case. The reason that the Sun stink is because of the poor decisions made by their GM including wasting a high draft pick only because someone played at UConn. They are a disaster giving up Lindsey Whalen for a draft pick and hiring a retread coach. I highly doubt that Faris will make a career in this league. Every year there are another 20 elite players and the ones that don't fight for there job drop to the bottom. I watched Faris today sitting on the bench in some warm up outfit and she just looked depressed to me. I think she looked lost.

 

[lanieer]

Not sure where all the hatred comes from because someone that if the Sun did not employ would even have a job. I loved Faris at UConn but she's getting paid now as a professional. At least she is getting a paycheck for the summer.

 

[Icebear]

I watched Faris today sitting on the bench in some warm up outfit and she just looked depressed to me. I think she looked lost.

That is what happens when fierce competitors sit.

 

[svetbird]

Not sure where all the hatred comes from because someone that if the Sun did not employ would even have a job. I loved Faris at UConn but she's getting paid now as a professional. At least she is getting a paycheck for the summer.

I am not sure it is hate. A lot of us questioned if Kelly would make the WNBA. I love her and would like to see her get more playing time. What I question is Ann as a coach period. I would try anything at this point to get a spark. having a player on your roster that never gets playing time if you are up a lot or down a lot is bad coaching. Not at all Ann's worst mistake but I don't get it at all. Kelly whatever her faults as a WNBA player will never lack for heart or effort. Something that no team who cant buy a win has enough of.

 

[TheTruthBelow]

Donovan has only had two losing seasons as a head coach: last year and in 2000 with the expansion Indiana Fever, her first head coaching job. Since then, she has reached the Finals with Charlotte, won a title with Seattle, and won 22 games and reached the ECF with New York in 2010. I doubt she has forgot so soon how to successfully coach a team.

If Kelly plays, someone else has to sit. A seven-player rotation on the perimeter would be excessive. Obviously, based on what she's seen in practice, Donovan has decided Kelly is the odd woman out right now. But I suspect that if Kelly plays well in practice, and some of the perimeter players continue to struggle (mainly McCray), she will soon get a chance to play.

 

[pap49cba]

Kelly did not play again tonight against the Sky.

 

[bruinbball]

In the three games Kelly started before her injury last year, she shot 60% fg, 50% 3fg, FOR 5.3 PPG and 5.6 rebounds per game. Did she take a lot of shots? No. Did she take bad shots? No. Her total output last year is still better than the team averages this year. So please don't tell me she has poor offensive skills that couldn't help improve what has been accomplished by the team so far this year.

 

[JoePgh]

Because of her injury and illness over the winter, I don't think Kelly is back yet to where she was last year. That seemed to be the case in the one exhibition game that I watched. She missed all of her shots, and I don't think that would have happened in her senior year at UConn or even last year. She also had several uncharacteristic turnovers.

I think she is still climbing back to the level she was at in her senior year. If and when she returns to that level, she is good enough to play in the WNBA.

 

[hjoerring]

I am not sure it is hate. A lot of us questioned if Kelly would make the WNBA. I love her and would like to see her get more playing time. What I question is Ann as a coach period. I would try anything at this point to get a spark. having a player on your roster that never gets playing time if you are up a lot or down a lot is bad coaching. Not at all Ann's worst mistake but I don't get it at all. Kelly whatever her faults as a WNBA player will never lack for heart or effort. Something that no team who cant buy a win has enough of.

Interesting comment about playing time. We are letting our judgement about Kelly the Uconn star clouds our judgement about Kelly the WNBA player. There are more competent players sitting on benches and outside the league then Kelly. Should Geno have handed over the ball to Chong and Banks when we were mowing down teams in the AAC? Perhaps give the walk-ons much more playing time so they would develop. Kelly cannot deliver- it's not about confidence. It's about getting a person coach to work out with you on aspects of the game. Perhaps she is doing so already, as a lot of players do. Ann Strother (who I liked) didn't make it in the WNBA because she couldn't beat anyone off the dribble and the game had changed- players were too quick and physical. For a guard, it's ball handling and shooting.

One interesting data that is often glossed over here is players in the WNBA by schools. Uconn leads although I think we have a few players that are fastly approaching the senior class. But what has interested me is that a school like Duke is not too far behind. A first glance hypothesis might be that the talented players who end up at Duke manages to get their skills develop in the pro despite the ollege coaching (if we accept the claim that Duke players leave the same way they entered), but it could also be that Uconn does such a good job with lesser talent and the system makes players look much better then they would be in another system calling for individual talent sets. A player like Kelly went in the first round while Tiffany had to sweat it out, even though she was way more talented. Had Tiffany ceased control of her role- even symbolically, she would have shined, even win a championship her senior year?

 

[Striper69]

I think most of you are overreacting here.

The Sun were in both of the last two games. It's not like they were beaten by forty points or something like that.

They're a team that has to have time to play together and has several rookies getting used to pro ball.

The Sun should have an easier time of it against Seattle and Kelly will get more playing time. She's part of a team and not everyone can start.