Kiah and Morgan

[Billybonggg]

Kiah's leading in blocks despite limited minutes. Morgan's numbers are okay too. Our depth is better this year than it has been.

 

[Husky68]

I get the feeling that most posters are a little disappointed in Kiah so far this year - not that she isn't playing well, but that they were expecting even more. And of the three freshman Morgan is the least 'noticeable' in her contribution. My take:
I think the two players, the team, and the coaches haven't quite figured out how these two players fit into the offense. All the other players have pretty clearly defined roles that play to their strengths and especially the other two post players (Stef and Stew) but watching Kiah and Morgan on offense in games they and their teammates seem to be a little unsure - Morgan, is she supposed to spot up for three, post low, play the high post, slash to the basket? Kiah - the same except instead of the three, the elbow or baseline 15 footer. And where should the other players be getting them the ball. Just seems to be a little confused at the moment, and I hope the roles develop over the next month.
This is not meant to be a criticism of the players as I think they are contributing a lot to the team, just not as much as they should be able to.
I did find it interesting in the second half against Colgate when Uconn went to a small line-up that Tuck was the 'center' on the team for a extended run.

I feel most posters are a little disappointed that this post was made about a team averaging 90 points a game and a couple of players who are doing well for a player returning from injury and a player with a hand full of college games. "disappointed", "least 'noticeable'", "little unsure", "little confused", "just not as much" - give me a break.

 

[pinotbear]

Tina-level talent?

I don't think so.
Tina is probably the best C in UConn history. Not many like her.

Tina was the all-time leader in points and rebounds, was she not? Dolson is in the conversation as one of the best handful of posts in the country. And, we're expecting a sophmore, six games into the season to exhibit "Tina-level talent", and to "easily outperform" Stef? And, we're disappointed that she hasn't? Aye-yi-yi!

 

[Bigpetunia]

"Disappointed" is not a word that I'd use with respect to either player. I have previously posted, however, that I would like to see Kiah play less tentatively, to use her physical gifts in a more aggressive manner. This is something that will come with confidence, and she'll only get that if she earns more minutes on the floor. I find it interesting that Tina's name has been invoked in this discussion...Kiah is going to be quite good, but is not, and, in fairness, will never be a player of that extraordinarily lofty caliber. But, having said that, there are some comparisons that I do think are pertinent. Tina certainly played somewhat tentatively in her first two years, notwithstanding her scoring, and, over time, Geno and CD turned her into a ferocious presence in the paint, blocking out, rebounding aggressively, using her physical gifts to maximum advantage. If they can get that job done with Kiah, she's going to reward us all with the true level of performance of which she's capable. I'm optimistic. As for Morgan, on what basis should there be any room for complaint? Pretty impressive for a Freshman!

 

[asuwish]

I get the feeling that most posters are a little disappointed in Kiah so far this year - not that she isn't playing well, but that they were expecting even more. And of the three freshman Morgan is the least 'noticeable' in her contribution. My take:
I think the two players, the team, and the coaches haven't quite figured out how these two players fit into the offense. All the other players have pretty clearly defined roles that play to their strengths and especially the other two post players (Stef and Stew) but watching Kiah and Morgan on offense in games they and their teammates seem to be a little unsure - Morgan, is she supposed to spot up for three, post low, play the high post, slash to the basket? Kiah - the same except instead of the three, the elbow or baseline 15 footer. And where should the other players be getting them the ball. Just seems to be a little confused at the moment, and I hope the roles develop over the next month.
This is not meant to be a criticism of the players as I think they are contributing a lot to the team, just not as much as they should be able to.
I did find it interesting in the second half against Colgate when Uconn went to a small line-up that Tuck was the 'center' on the team for a extended run.

Disappointed, how about very happy to have this type of size and skill come of the bench. What team are you watching? Everything you wondered about their roles is EXACTLY what Geno wants, it's playing more that that will get there teammates to take advantage of what they offer. They have been given roles and they are fitting the roles exactly as I think Geno thought they would. Last year as I believe Geno said, Kiah needed time to get use to this level of intensity, something she probably didn't have in Iowa. Kiah IS more confident on both ends of the floor. Were you expecting Rebecca Lobo to channel out her this year? It did take Tina, and Steph for that matter until they were junior to accept what kind of effort Geno wanted from them if they wanted to be great which translates to Go hard every second!
As for Tuck, she has been everything as advertised. Big, strong with 3pt range (remember she won the 3 point contest at the McDonald's game) she can defend, post up, drive, and pass. She is like Williams, Jones, or Cash when they were freshmen, maybe better. Don't compare her to when they were seniors. Her teammates are not use to a 3pt shooting power forward, but they will be, and like Kiah when they do Uconn will be awesome!
Stewart's play maybe clouding everyone's timetable for player to develop. She has a bunch of gold medals from international play and is just not the normal freshman.

 

[UcMiami]

OK - this certainly got people's juices flowing and I agree that 'disappointed' in the OP was perhaps not the right word to use. I didn't feel comfortable using it initially either but couldn't think of a better word. We have very high expectations for all our players and perhaps the two who haven't exceeded those expectations would have been a better phrase. But I would like to get response to my main point in the OP that:
It seems to me when watching the offensive flow when Kiah or Morgan are in the game that they, the team, and the coaches haven't quite figured out their roles in the offense. A lot of their points come on offensive rebounds or broken plays. I totally agree that they are both very valuable to the team and are contributing well - I just see some 'uncertainty' in the way the offense runs with them. And I sense a certain amount of uncertainty in their own play on offense.
This is compared to Stef and Stew who are very sure of their roles and with whom the team and coaches seem very comfortable. And I am actually thinking that the fault lies more in the coaches having failed to clearly define their roles than in the players not performing them - Geno and his assistants generally are very good at this.

 

[cohenzone]

Kiah is playing behind a couple of ought to be AAs in Dolson and Stewart. She is a role player on this team, and won't get the minutes in general to stick out because of who else plays her position and the need to have them on the floor. When she comes in, she does the most critical things for her to do - rebound, defend, set screens, make the good pass - and score a little. She is probably option 5 for scoring when she comes in given who else is on the floor. Could she be option 1 or 2 the way SD is? I don't think she is being asked to play that role, but who knows.

Tuck, well, she is just a very good basketball player who fits right in as a freshman. She would start at 99.9% of other programs. She is still learning, but she already knows a lot.