Kia Explained

[RockyMTblue2]

Despite personal milestone, Nurse at her best in support role for UConn women's basketball

I think this is new.

“It depends where you are mentally and physically and those kind of things,” Nurse said. “The pace of play I am playing at right now is something that if I can maintain it every single day in practice so it becomes the norm, that would be a very good thing”

Samuelson said. “We all look at her and know what we’re going to get. We know she is going to be that person we can depend on to do the little things, so many things that you just don’t see in the stat sheets. She has really been huge for us.”

 

[BroadwayVa]

Despite personal milestone, Nurse at her best in support role for UConn women's basketball

I think this is new.

“It depends where you are mentally and physically and those kind of things,” Nurse said. “The pace of play I am playing at right now is something that if I can maintain it every single day in practice so it becomes the norm, that would be a very good thing”

Samuelson said. “We all look at her and know what we’re going to get. We know she is going to be that person we can depend on to do the little things, so many things that you just don’t see in the stat sheets. She has really been huge for us.”

Kia once the darling of the By is now sadly being found in the shadows of klS, Gabby, Napheesa--but--when the GOING GET TOUGH---THAT'S WHEN KIA IS AT HER BEST!! ECU 's slambam pushem hitem bangem defense--was taking it's toll on Uconn's big 3--Kia steps up and drains --what 3 3's?? That put ECU finally in the rear view mirror. I watch Kia in most games --when Molly and Butler aren't on the floor--they are my focus--but Kia does so many thing to make it easier for KLS, Gabby, Napeesa to score or rebound. Often the Defense forgets Kia--bad choice!! She then drills those 3's.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

IMO, toughness is the key to what makes Kia so effective. I've noticed that when teams get physical with UConn, especially when they are beating up on Lou and getting away with it, she laces on her skates and lets someone have it...usually a hard, but reasonable foul. Nothing nasty, heinous, intended to cause injury, or that will draw a flagrant, just dishing out a little tit-for-tat. She'll blast right through a screen, drive to the hoop with a little more gusto than needed, fight a little harder (or longer) than necessary for a loose ball...then she walks away from the wreckage with this gee-I'm-sorry-about-that strut, looking like a cat that just ate the canary.

From a personality standpoint, I think she's the closest to DT that this team has ever seen. She's got a good bit of hockey in her, and I LIKE it. This team is SOOOOO nice, and then there is the glimmer of Kia's alter ego in her grin.

Gotta love it.

 

[BostonCanuck]

IMO, toughness is the key to what makes Kia so effective. I've noticed that when teams get physical with UConn, especially when they are beating up on Lou and getting away with it, she laces on her skates and lets someone have it...usually a hard, but reasonable foul. Nothing nasty, heinous, intended to cause injury, or that will draw a flagrant, just dishing out a little tit-for-tat. She'll blast right through a screen, drive to the hoop with a little more gusto than needed, fight a little harder (or longer) than necessary for a loose ball...then she walks away from the wreckage with this gee-I'm-sorry-about-that strut, looking like a cat that just ate the canary.

From a personality standpoint, I think she's the closest to DT that this team has ever seen. She's got a good bit of hockey in her, and I LIKE it. This team is SOOOOO nice, and then there is the glimmer of Kia's alter ego in her grin.

Gotta love it.

Great post, HardHat. The toughness factor and hockey analogy I spot on. Had never thought to compare her to the GOAT, but I'm liking the thesis of Kia as lot like DT, minus the genius level in offensive skill and body control of course.

 

[rugbymate]

IMO, toughness is the key to what makes Kia so effective. I've noticed that when teams get physical with UConn, especially when they are beating up on Lou and getting away with it, she laces on her skates and lets someone have it...usually a hard, but reasonable foul. Nothing nasty, heinous, intended to cause injury, or that will draw a flagrant, just dishing out a little tit-for-tat. She'll blast right through a screen, drive to the hoop with a little more gusto than needed, fight a little harder (or longer) than necessary for a loose ball...then she walks away from the wreckage with this gee-I'm-sorry-about-that strut, looking like a cat that just ate the canary.

From a personality standpoint, I think she's the closest to DT that this team has ever seen. She's got a good bit of hockey in her, and I LIKE it. This team is SOOOOO nice, and then there is the glimmer of Kia's alter ego in her grin.

Gotta love it.

Great post...she's like an enforcer but with great basketball skills...kind of reminds me of KC Jones

 

[StephStorrs]

Kia might not always get the praise at the end of the game. She might not always have hot hands that night, she might not always shine as a star on the team. She might not always drop 30+ like she did against DePaul or in the Pan-Am games. But I truly think that the one thing Kia will always do is make her teammates better, help her team run as smoothly as she can, and celebrate the accomplishments of her teammates just as much as she celebrates her own accomplishments. A lot of people worried early in the season when she struggled, trying to be a 3-in-1 of the players that graduated and then some, but she has found her stride and her place. She's shooting, according to the article, 44% from 3-point land. 85% from the foul line. She's averaging 3.9 assists her game. She's made a number of clutch shots, and when they need her to come through for them, she does. Will she be a star? Likely not. But will she be remembered as a teammate who always went as hard as she could, always tried her best to make her team better, always expected as much from herself as she did from them? I think so.

To me, Kia's toughness and leadership are invaluable. She does so many things that don't show up on the stat sheet, and given the praise that her teammates have given her this year on her leadership and ability to be a steady presence for them, she's doing things in practice that we'll never see.

I'm interested to see how her skills translate to the next level. I'm not sure what the general consensus is on the BY regarding her future either in the WNBA or international professional play, but I'm excited. (Also rooting to see her back on Team Canada in Tokyo in 2020!)

 

[Zorro]

Sa her daddy said, "a nasty bit of goods"!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

"She's a nasty piece of business." Kia Nurse joins big brother Darnell with a championship victory

 

[CocoHusky]

Interesting:
"While Samuelson, Napheesa Collier, and Gabby Williams have emerged as All-American candidates, the Hamilton, Ontario, native goes along a bit more quietly doing what she does to help her teammates."
If Gabby, Napheesa, & KLS make all-American that brings up an interesting trivia question:

What UCONN player has had the most teammates named AA while playing at UCONN?


* Sorry for the clumsy wording but "while" is important. Example: Moriah Jefferson and Kelly Faris were teammates in 12-13 season but Moriah was not named AA until after Kelly had graduated.

Guesses?

 

[huskyd]

I use Kia to gauge the strength of hands on the team. Once Nurse latches onto a ball that ball isn't going anywhere. My enduring memory was last season when an opposing player grabbed a ball Kia had secured, and Nurse literally ripped the player's arm out of its socket. Ouch.

 

[Carnac]

Just a little side note (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I believe Kia is the only player to start and play in all 93 games of this current win streak. Talk about dependability and resilience. I can't remember her missing any games because of injury. This has to be a team record, since it is the longest in program history. Another small insignificant feather in Kia's cap.

 

[Lynx23]

Just a little side note (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I believe Kia is the only player to start and play in all 93 games of this current win streak. Talk about dependability and resilience. I can't remember her missing any games because of injury. This has to be a team record, since it is the longest in program history. Another small insignificant feather in Kia's cap.

I don't think she started the past two Senior Night games, obviously deferring to a Senior, but that's through no fault of her own. She hasn't missed a game and has started all but two (Senior Night?) since the Stanford loss so she actually might be the only player to have played in each and every game of the win streak. Not sure about Gabby but there's one else that comes to mind. I don't believe Tierney has played in every game and Saniya was injured for a while. It's quite possible that, when all is said and done, Kia will have sole ownership of a WCBB record that may never be broken. Actually, she probably already does and it just continues. Somebody might want to take the time to see about Gabby as far as actually playing in all 93 games, starting aside.

 

[Carnac]

I don't think she started the past two Senior Night games, obviously deferring to a Senior, but that's through no fault of her own. She hasn't missed a game and has started all but two (Senior Night?) since the Stanford loss so she actually might be the only player to have played in each and every game of the win streak. Not sure about Gabby but there's one else that comes to mind. I don't believe Tierney has played in every game and Saniya was injured for a while. It's quite possible that, when all is said and done, Kia will have sole ownership of a WCBB record that may never be broken. Actually, she probably already does and it just continues. Somebody might want to take the time to see about Gabby as far as actually playing in all 93 games, starting aside.

Thanks, I forgot about senior night(s). I believe you're right. I don't know if Gabby has missed any games during the streak. We know Chong has missed games due to her injury, and Lawlor is on the end of the bench. There have been some big tight games Geno could not put her in. I just suggested that Kia started them all, but as you say, Senior night broke the starting streak, but she did play in that game.

 

[Lynx23]

According to Wikipedia, Gabby played in 38 games in 2014-2015 when UCONN went 38-1, and in all 38 games in 2015-2016 when the UCONN record was 38-0. So she's right up there with Kia for the most part. The question is, if she did miss one game the year before last, was it before of after the onset of the streak?

 

[JoePgh]

According to Wikipedia, Gabby played in 38 games in 2014-2015 when UCONN went 38-1, and in all 38 games in 2015-2016 when the UCONN record was 38-0. So she's right up there with Kia for the most part. The question is, if she did miss one game the year before last, was it before of after the onset of the streak?

Gabby did not play in the loss to Stanford, because Geno did not trust her to play in that close game, which would have been the second game of her college career. So she has played in every game of the winning streak.

But unlike Kia, she did not START very many of those games until this year, whereas Kia has started every one of those games except for the Senior Nights and maybe one or two other games. I seem to recall a home game against Cincinnati in which Geno started a lineup of all bench players. She probably didn't start that game.

 

[psconn]

"She's a nasty piece of business." Kia Nurse joins big brother Darnell with a championship victory

Nice work pulling this article up.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

IMO, toughness is the key to what makes Kia so effective. I've noticed that when teams get physical with UConn, especially when they are beating up on Lou and getting away with it, she laces on her skates and lets someone have it...usually a hard, but reasonable foul. Nothing nasty, heinous, intended to cause injury, or that will draw a flagrant, just dishing out a little tit-for-tat. She'll blast right through a screen, drive to the hoop with a little more gusto than needed, fight a little harder (or longer) than necessary for a loose ball...then she walks away from the wreckage with this gee-I'm-sorry-about-that strut, looking like a cat that just ate the canary.

From a personality standpoint, I think she's the closest to DT that this team has ever seen. She's got a good bit of hockey in her, and I LIKE it. This team is SOOOOO nice, and then there is the glimmer of Kia's alter ego in her grin.

Gotta love it.

HardHatGuy#2- - - Right on the $! She's the hockey inforcer protecting her "little chicks"!
I love to watch her play. She's just got enough meanness to make it very interesting!
She really ENJOYS her role this year compared to the last several seasons!
At the beginning of the season she couldn't make up her mind what her role should be on the team. But as the games went on she settled into this comfortable niche!
Now she's more relaxed and her game just flows!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Gabby did not play in the loss to Stanford, because Geno did not trust her to play in that close game, which would have been the second game of her college career. So she has played in every game of the winning streak.

But unlike Kia, she did not START very many of those games until this year, whereas Kia has started every one of those games except for the Senior Nights and maybe one or two other games. I seem to recall a home game against Cincinnati in which Geno started a lineup of all bench players. She probably didn't start that game.

Gabby has won every game in which she has played--all 95. Kia has won every game in which she has started--all 94. Both are remarkable stats. Kia will finish as one of the all-time leaders in minutes played for UConn.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Nice work pulling this article up.

Search term Kia Nurse nasty piece of business ... up it pops at the head of the list

 

[drweo]

In addition to all of her great qualities already praised in this thread, Kia is, IMO, the best spokesperson on the team. It's always a pleasure to listen to her in the post-game interviews, and her responses are always clear, articulate, and thoughtful. She will make a great coach if she chooses that route, but whatever she does after her playing days, she will be a tremendous communicator.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The 1000 point milestone. A nice little review. NOTEBOOK: UConn women's basketball player Nurse hustles into 1,000-point club

 

[Lynx23]

The 1000 point milestone. A nice little review. NOTEBOOK: UConn women's basketball player Nurse hustles into 1,000-point club

An "intangible" that's definitely tangible: my favorite lines from the article:

Samuelson and Collier took shots to the face. Nurse was tied up by an East Carolina player and then sent her flying to the floor as the jump ball call was made.

(Notably, the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers tweeted congratulations to Nurse, presumably over her reaching 1,000 points and not the hit. Nurse’s brother Darnell plays for the Oilers).

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Nurse was tied up by an East Carolina player and then sent her flying to the floor as the jump ball call was made.

Yup, like a body slam take down. My favorite moment for sure. Loved it.

 

[hoophuskee]

Kia is awesome. Take a look at her numbers now vs Bria Hartely's numbers from 11-12. They are on par. Kia Nurse is an a/a caliber player.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Kia's the team's de facto point guard right now, and I just LOVE watching her bring the ball up the court. Her experience and poise inspire such confidence from her team mates. You can see that they trust her implicitly.

Like all the great ones, she has a swag that is uniquely hers. Ain't no one on the opposing team gonna mess with Kia! I was going to say that she may not be a flashy speed gun like a MoJet or the Real Danger, but after that driving spin move to the basket for two on Tuesday, I won't go there.

 

[JoePgh]

I think the comparison between Kia and Bria Hartley is a good one. Kia is and will be at about the same level in the program as Bria -- a very solid starter and a "sometime" scorer, but not one of the all-time greats. I don't expect to see her name on the wall (whereas I would expect to see KLS and Napheesa there, and POSSIBLY Gabby).

She is certainly an absolutely essential piece of this year's team. Her productivity from the 3-point line is something that I never expected to see.