Kia Nurse

[Henry]

I love Kia as a player and a leader. Her shooting has been erratic and I thought I saw something in her shot. She tends to shoot the ball from the palm of her hand instead of her fingertips. Has anyone else noticed this and I wondered whether correcting this would help her shot become more consistent.

 

[phil sampieri]

I love Kia as a player and a leader. Her shooting has been erratic and I thought I saw something in her shot. She tends to shoot the ball from the palm of her hand instead of her fingertips. Has anyone else noticed this and I wondered whether correcting this would help her shot become more consistent.

Great post. YCes she does.

 

[Scud49]

Good observation, I'll have to watch for that. Sounds like more of a "shot put" style perhaps.

I have noticed she often has a flat trajectory to her shot, especially as compared to a Stewie or Lou arc.

 

[bags27]

If this is true, wondering whether it's not part of a larger issue, since she tends to "blow" layups by banking them too hard. This could all be stress related, not staying within oneself and in the flow, but tensing up and forgetting form. Perhaps Kia needs some "mindfulness/imagery" work.

 

[Dougie]

I love Kia as a player and a leader. Her shooting has been erratic and I thought I saw something in her shot. She tends to shoot the ball from the palm of her hand instead of her fingertips. Has anyone else noticed this and I wondered whether correcting this would help her shot become more consistent.

Personally, I would not mess with Kia's shot. We've suggested this for other players in the past. I'll look a little closer the next few games to see if I notice anything different, but if there is I would think that the coaching staff would be working with her on this.

I think that Kia's shooting woes (and I believe that they're temporary), are a function of the looks she's getting. With Stevie being double teamed, Moriah penetrating and Morgan doing a little bit of everything, Kia got cleaner, more open looks. So it's possible that she's rushing her shots a little and that they're coming off her hand a little differently.

We know she's not a prototypical one on one player and relies more on points in transition and open jumpers. Kia is one of the most confident players I've ever seen so I don't think it's a head thing. I'm sure her shot will be coming around but I wouldn't start tampering with it a thing this point.

 

[UcMiami]

Dougie - I don't think it is a standard 'head thing' but I do think Kia gets into an 'intensity' trap from time to time that is 'head' related. She is I think playing much better than people give her credit for but the most obvious part of her game is her shooting, and when a shot is off it is what people remember most. But she is sort of like the freshman Moriah, if fast isn't working, try going faster - for Kia, if this level of intensity isn't working, try being more intense!

I also think each new year is harder for guards than post players to adjust to. We saw with Moriah that November and December were tough from a shooting perspective, and the same was true with players like Bria. Figuring out when it is appropriate to take your shot vs. passing is a bigger issue with perimeter players and that indecision messes with accuracy. For post players it is simpler - when they get an entry pass and are open they shoot, when they are not in good position, they pass back out. When the wing player gets that pass out, do they immediately shoot, or do they continue with trying to get it back in again. Each year is different as the team works on their rhythm, and the guards/wings are the ones making those choices.

 

[EricLA]

Just as a side note in talking about Kia... My dad was actually at the game (I watched it on a poor feed from watchespn). He said of all the players on the court, he was most impressed with Kia, and that includes Crystal's amazing performance. I asked him why and he said "her defense was otherworldly".

Mulkey wondered why her bigs got so few shots. Anyone think Kia had something to do with that? She played hard D on the ball to deny passes to the post. To me, she is similar to a guard version of Morgan Tuck. She's not "great" at any one thing, but very good at everything she needs to do as a guard.

 

[BobbyJ]

Nurse will probably always be a below average shooter because of her mechanics. Two things are obvious. One, she learned to shoot AT the rim and no one taught her to shoot up and out OVER the front of the rim. Secondly, she was never taught how to shoot on the move and off the dribble. She needs to learn how to, off the dribble, transfer her motion from forward to up quickly without drifting into the defender and use extension to get her shot off in traffic. The lack of these mechanics has made her strictly a stand still or spot up shooter and unable to create her own shots. She's a good athlete and could probably pick these up in a month or two with a quality shooting coach in the off season. I'm kind of surprised Auriemma doesn't use one with some these kids.

 

[CocoHusky]

Nurse will probably always be a below average shooter because of her mechanics. Two things are obvious. One, she learned to shoot AT the rim and no one taught her to shoot up and out OVER the front of the rim. Secondly, she was never taught how to shoot on the move and off the dribble. She needs to learn how to, off the dribble, transfer her motion from forward to up quickly without drifting into the defender and use extension to get her shot off in traffic. The lack of these mechanics has made her strictly a stand still or spot up shooter and unable to create her own shots. She's a good athlete and could probably pick these up in a month or two with a quality shooting coach in the off season. I'm kind of surprised Auriemma doesn't use one with some these kids.

Small sample size and over analysis IMO. Shooting mechanics are not something that a College Junior should be fussing with. Kia shot over 40% on threes as a Freshmen. I'm concerned because on many of her missed shots she is wide open, but I'm not panicked. Also don't underestimate the amount of energy Kia is spending defending also. She nicked Wallace physically and mentally pretty well in the 3 and 4th quarters during Baylor game.

 

[oldude]

Small sample size and over analysis IMO. Shooting mechanics are not something that a College Junior should be fussing with. Kia shot over 40% on threes as a Freshmen. I'm concerned because on many of her missed shots she is wide open, but I'm not panicked. Also don't underestimate the amount of energy Kia is spending defending also. She nicked Wallace physically and mentally pretty well in the 3 and 4th quarters during Baylor game.

Kia is a natural 2 guard who is trying to run the point and score more at the same time. Too much on her plate. Once Danger settles in to the PG role, I believe Kia will settle in to her natural role as a 2 guard at UConn and her play will improve.

 

[BobbyJ]

Small sample size and over analysis IMO. Shooting mechanics are not something that a College Junior should be fussing with. Kia shot over 40% on threes as a Freshmen. I'm concerned because on many of her missed shots she is wide open, but I'm not panicked. Also don't underestimate the amount of energy Kia is spending defending also. She nicked Wallace physically and mentally pretty well in the 3 and 4th quarters during Baylor game.

That's why she's missing wide open shots and why she isn't shooting 40% since that freshman season. Lack of mechanics to fall back on.