KK or Kayleigh, who's your guess?

[CL82]

One recurring theme in Geno’s remarks before every season is that you can only “earn” anything — minutes, starting spots, etc. — in practice. Various players have said similar things over the years too. Neither Ash nor KK can have earned anything for this year in last season.

Agree with the principal, but I think it doesn't take into account that KK and Shade are known quantities that understand Geno's fairly complex "read and react" system. To an extent, they don't need to "earn" the coaches' trust because they've already earned it over two seasons, playing significant roles. That said, I fully agree that minutes are earned during practice, and the best players will play, but given their considerable headstart in experience, it is highly unlikely that anyone just coming into the system could surplant them.

(Different circumstance from Williams, who is coming in averaging a double double in a position that was a noted vulnerability last year.)

 

[CL82]

With the abundance of talent on this team there will be alot of substitutions and play time sharing. Remember they didnt come to sit they came to be developed and play. Therefore it really doesnt matter who starts. What matters is how they fit in to UConns team chemistry and if they can execute.

Agree. I think we already have a good idea of who the starters are. To me the more interesting question is who is the first off the bench. Geno as long said he wants that first sub to "make the team better" so it'll be interesting to me to see who he feels feels that "spark plug" or maybe "fifth gear" role.

 

[oldude]

Agree with the principal, but I think it doesn't take into account that KK and Shade are known quantities, that understand Gino's fairly complex "reading and react" system. To an extent, they don't need to "earn" the coaches trust because they've already earned it over two seasons, playing significant roles. That said, I fully agree that minutes are earned during practice, and the best players will play, but given their considerable headstart in experience, it is highly unlikely that anyone just coming into the system could surplant them.

(Different circumstance from Williams, who is coming in averaging a double double in a position that was a noted vulnerability last year.)

I would suggest a slight modification to the idea that, “minutes are earned during practice.” I think it’s clear that players earn the opportunity to play during practice. But their actual performance in games determines whether they continue to play meaningful minutes in games or not.

Ultimately, Geno needs to trust the players he puts in games to perform in high pressure situations. That only occurs if they perform in games once they are given the opportunity.

 

[Bigboote]

Agree. I think we already have a good idea of who the starters are. To me the more interesting question is who is the first off the bench. Geno as long said he wants that first sub to "make the team better" so it'll be interesting to me to see who he feels feels that "spark plug" or maybe "fifth gear" role.

We’ll have to see how they gel, but Kayleigh and either Blanca or Morgan could fill the disrupters role that KK and Ashlynn filled last year. If Allie finds her shot, she could be the instant floor-spreading offense that’s sometimes needed.

 

[CL82]

We’ll have to see how they gel, but Kayleigh and either Blanca or Morgan could fill the disrupters role that KK and Ashlynn filled last year. If Allie finds her shot, she could be the instant floor-spreading offense that’s sometimes needed.

Agree. I think Kayleigh is our backup point guard. So her primary function will be to rest KK or give her a chance to sit if she is in foul trouble. But yeah Blanca, Morgan, Allie, Kelis or Carol could all end up filling that role. It will be interesting to see who emerges.

By the way, that doesn't mean that the others aren't going to see playing time. This is just a particular niche for a player to kick the offense into a higher gear when the defense is already tired from dealing with the starters.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Duo? UConn had no less than 5 players on their team who played pg in HS, and were capable of initiating the offense this past season, 6 if you count Sarah. The others were Paige, Kaitlyn, KK, Ash & Allie. For opposing teams it was “death by a thousand point guards.” 😎

Hey Olddude, I guess I was not clear about my post. For all meaningful games Kaitlyn started at PG and then was replaced by KK. They were the point guard "DUO". Geno knew when one was tired or not firing on all cylinders. Those two were the "Dynamic Duo of PGs."
They ran the point 90% of the time. UConn's point guard was always fresh because they had TWO quality point guards (interchangeable) in those tough games. ND did not. SC did not. Besides UConn --who did?
KK and K9 will be the DUO this year IMHO. The other 7 or 8 point guards on the team will be on the bench or playing SF or SG.

 

[oldude]

Hey Olddude, I guess I was not clear about my post. For all meaningful games Kaitlyn started at PG and then was replaced by KK. They were the point guard "DUO". Geno knew when one was tired or not firing on all cylinders. Those two were the "Dynamic Duo of PGs."
They ran the point 90% of the time. UConn's point guard was always fresh because they had TWO quality point guards in those tough games. ND did not. SC did not. Besides UConn --who did?
KK and K9 will be the DUO this year IMHO. The other 7 or 8 point guards on the team will be on the bench or playing SF or SG.

Here’s the thing. On UConn WBB multiple players handle the ball, pass and cut. Geno will run his offense through any number of players on the court at anytime. That’s what makes UConn nearly impossible to defend.

The traditional concept of having a single point guard on the floor to initiate the offense most of the time, doesn’t really apply to the Huskies. UConn is all about exploiting matchups, however that manifests itself. They do it better than any other team in college basketball.

 

[Bone Dog]

Agree with the principal, but I think it doesn't take into account that KK and Shade are known quantities that understand Geno's fairly complex "read and react" system. To an extent, they don't need to "earn" the coaches' trust because they've already earned it over two seasons, playing significant roles. That said, I fully agree that minutes are earned during practice, and the best players will play, but given their considerable headstart in experience, it is highly unlikely that anyone just coming into the system could surplant them.

(Different circumstance from Williams, who is coming in averaging a double double in a position that was a noted vulnerability last year.)

I agree with everything you’re thinking here as well as your forecasts of who the starters will be. But I think my earlier post did account for KK and Ash’s experience with the read and react system. This gives them a competitive advantage in practice which is where they’ll earn playing time. But it’s not a ‘get out of jail free card’ or an inside track.

I realize I’m splitting the proverbial hair, but the point about earning minutes in current practices rather than in previous seasons is an important one for a few reasons, not least of which is team morale. Everyone starts the season with the same shot at earning minutes based on what they’re doing now in competition with current teammates. And if they don’t win the competition and don’t start or get major minutes they’ll understand exactly why this happened and what they might do to change it in subsequent practices.

And I think I agree with your suggestion that Serah is likely to start. It’s not special circumstances because of what she did at Wisconsin or because we have a perceived weakness in the frontcourt. We are simply expressing confidence in the supposition that she’ll win a starting spot and our confidence is based on the talent and skills she’s demonstrated elsewhere. But if Jana or Ice can outplay her in practice, they’ll win the starting spot. If she can’t shut down their offense and if they can shut down hers, she won’t start over one of them regardless of what she accomplished elsewhere. I just don’t think that will happen.

I’d say the same thing about Sarah or Azzi and would have said it about Paige. I don’t believe anyone is going to out-compete Sarah. But if they could, they’d play ahead of her. Clearly Geno takes chemistry into consideration too and not just scoring or defending head to head, but this is part and parcel of the read and react system.

Geno actually made a joke about this in a presser during Paige’s sophomore year when she was trying to come back from injury. When someone asked if she’d start right away he said, “Of course, she’ll have to earn her playing time,” and then started laughing. It turns out she didn’t start right away and had to ease her way back into game competition. But it was obvious to everyone that Geno was simply getting her ready to start in the tournament. He knew even then that the team couldn’t go far without her and I’m sure all her teammates knew it too. There were no hard feelings.


Edited to add: I agree with @oldude that performance in games counts too. The pressure of games is a factor in the competitive assessments Geno makes. In that sense, I’d almost say that games are an extension of practice.

And I’d agree with @CL82 that we mainly know who will start and the first off the bench is interesting question. I’d phrase this a little differently as, we have a good idea who the main 7 or 8 will be, though exactly which 5 are on the floor at the opening tip is less clear to me. The constant for me is Sarah and Serah and Azzi. But those other two spot seem to me up for grabs among 4 or 5 tremendous players. If he wants to go small play KK together with Kayleigh they might start. And if he wants to go big he might feature Blanca at the tip. And if he thinks more perimeter shooting will matter in a particular game then Ash might get the nod.

 

[CL82]

This gives them a competitive advantage in practice which is where they’ll earn playing time.

Their knowledge of Geno's system has a far bigger impact in games. They need to be able to see plays developing and know what to do. That's not an easy skill, as we've heard from standouts in the WNBA, such as Napheesa Collier. In fact, it is probably the central factor that differentiates former Connecticut players from other players in the WNBA.

None of that means that players are automatically granted playing time via seniority. It just means that it takes time to fully understand Geno's system and implement it in real time during a game. So, far more often than not players with more experience will outplay new players on the court, all else being equal.

Honestly, I don't think we significantly disagree. We just have a little different weighting system on the impact of experience on play.

 

[MooseJaw]

Hey Olddude, I guess I was not clear about my post. For all meaningful games Kaitlyn started at PG and then was replaced by KK. They were the point guard "DUO". Geno knew when one was tired or not firing on all cylinders. Those two were the "Dynamic Duo of PGs."
They ran the point 90% of the time. UConn's point guard was always fresh because they had TWO quality point guards (interchangeable) in those tough games. ND did not. SC did not. Besides UConn --who did?
KK and K9 will be the DUO this year IMHO. The other 7 or 8 point guards on the team will be on the bench or playing SF or SG.

In position name yes, in reality the team ran thru Paige, she was the point of attack, she ran the team. Call the others whatever you want, Paige was the point guard and the best at it in the country.

 

[Bone Dog]

Honestly, I don't think we significantly disagree. We just have a little different weighting system on the impact of experience on play.

I agree that we don’t really disagree. In fact, I think we weigh experience (especially in terms of chemistry) very much in the same way.

 

[Bone Dog]

In position name yes, in reality the team ran thru Paige, she was the point of attack, she ran the team. Call the others whatever you want, Paige was the point guard and the best at it in the country.

The only reason I would not call Paige a PG in last seasons team is because she was not restricted to typical PG defensive responsibilities. Yes, on offense the ball almost always passed through her hands, and she often brought the ball up the court. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what a PG does. One example: the PG is responsible for maintaining court balance to prevent the opponent’s fast breaks, and is usually the last line of defense in such cases. Paige did not often do this. And a sign of it is all the blocks and defensive rebounds she got. This is not typical of a PG.

All this really means is that Geno doesn’t depend on the traditional role of PG. KK and Kaitlyn were usually the first back in transition defense, which is typical of a PG. and they often brought ball up and initiated the offense. But they didn’t always manage ball distribution in the half court offense. Paige had a much bigger role in this aspect of the position, as did Sarah.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Who's starting maybe over-rated!
Remember Caroline Doty started every game her Senior year but only played the beginning 5 minutes of each half then sat! For a total of ten minutes. Geno trusted her to get the team off to a good start!

 

[RoadWarrior]

Among the many things that I look forward to seeing (e.g., playing time distribution) when the season gets underway is the percentage of time a small ball versus a bigger line-up is employed. I know that Geno used the small ball line-up effectively to counteract the height of larger teams and often to have the team's best five players on the floor. Still, I am very curious to see how frequently three players will be on the floor who are under six feet tall, as many have suggested with KK, Azzi, and Ash on the floor together when there are many more viable and healthy post options this year, rather than last year.

 

[Bone Dog]

Still, I am very curious to see how frequently three players will be on the floor who are under six feet tall, as many have suggested with KK, Azzi, and Ash on the floor together

This is a fascinating question. Tall is important, no doubt. But quickness and intensity sometime matters more, I suspect. A speedy 5’9” may be more valuable than slower 6’1” in some game situations. I have a feeling this is a tension Geno will be grappling with all season. I expect we’ll see a lot of experimentation with precisely this.

One observation in favor of the littles is the final four games. Against UCLA, the small lineup posed significant problems for their taller, slower lineups. Against SC, the quickness advantage was not nearly as pronounced which meant Geno had to respond when Dauda entered the game to counter her rebounding.

 

[MooseJaw]

The only reason I would not call Paige a PG in last seasons team is because she was not restricted to typical PG defensive responsibilities. Yes, on offense the ball almost always passed through her hands, and she often brought the ball up the court. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what a PG does. One example: the PG is responsible for maintaining court balance to prevent the opponent’s fast breaks, and is usually the last line of defense in such cases. Paige did not often do this. And a sign of it is all the blocks and defensive rebounds she got. This is not typical of a PG.

All this really means is that Geno doesn’t depend on the traditional role of PG. KK and Kaitlyn were usually the first back in transition defense, which is typical of a PG. and they often brought ball up and initiated the offense. But they didn’t always manage ball distribution in the half court offense. Paige had a much bigger role in this aspect of the position, as did Sarah.

I agree, she did all we said and more than a typical point guard. We end up with a point guard who did point guard duties and much more. Whatever else she did was a big bonus for our Huskies and was recognized as the best in the country at point guard.
We end up picking apart tiny things that Paige did or didn't do, I would rather ask what other point guard was capable of doing what Paige did as our point. My answer is no one. I go as far as saying In all my years as a fan of UCONN's WBB Paige is in the top three most complete players I have seen.

 

[Bone Dog]

she did all we said and more than a typical point guard. We end up with a point guard who did point guard duties and much more.

Sorry to quibble, because I agree in spirit. But my point is that Paige was not asked to do everything a traditional PG does. On defense she was much more like a wing or a forward. This means she was not responsible for maintaining court balance on offense or defense. This freed her to set up on the wing on offense and to defend the baseline and close out on shooters at the wings as well as block shots in the paint. Naturally her offensive movements often entailed that she was not the one who chased down fast breaks. If you only look at the offensive side in isolation, she sort of resembles a PG, though even there she doesn’t restrict herself to PG responsibilities.

Don’t get me wrong. Paige did much more for the team than a mere PG could ever do. Making her play the traditional role would have limited her contribution too much.

 

[Skeets]

Here’s the thing. On UConn WBB multiple players handle the ball, pass and cut. Geno will run his offense through any number of players on the court at anytime. That’s what makes UConn nearly impossible to defend.

The traditional concept of having a single point guard on the floor to initiate the offense most of the time, doesn’t really apply to the Huskies. UConn is all about exploiting matchups, however that manifests itself. They do it better than any other team in college basketball.

What you say is true, but there were precious few minutes, virtually none, when neither KK nor Chen wasn't on the floor. Did they always bring the ball up court? No, the player in the best position to get the ball up quickly brought the ball up court. That doesn't mean they were the PG.

 

[oldude]

What you say is true, but there were precious few minutes, virtually none, when neither KK nor Chen wasn't on the floor. Did they always bring the ball up court? No, the player in the best position to get the ball up quickly brought the ball up court. That doesn't mean they were the PG.

I think the focus on a “PG” at UConn obscures the sophistication and strategy that makes the Huskies offense the very best in WBB. Initially, UConn is looking to score in transition, before the defense is set up. This involves whoever has the ball passing ahead or putting the ball on the floor with everyone else running the court.

Once the defense is set, UConn spreads the floor and initiates their “symphony of ball and player movement” that seeks to create open looks from the arc, backdoor cuts or one on one mismatches. While the Huskies occasionally run a specific play for someone to get a shot, their half court offense is basically a “read and react” system where everyone has the opportunity and responsibility to make plays.

Often it can be as simple as running a 2-player pick and roll, which Paige and Sarah executed to perfection all season long. On occasion, Geno will call a specific play, as he did in the Elite 8 game by running an “elevator screen” to get Azzi one more good look to get her going shooting the basketball. As far as I can recall, it was the only time all season that UConn ran that play.

I guess what I am saying is that I don’t really like the term PG when it comes to UConn WBB. It’s a term that is hardly ever used in men’s professional basketball and it will soon be retired in women’s professional basketball as well. The very best teams have 5 players on the court who can all handle the basketball, pass it, shoot it and initiate the offense. When it comes to women’s college basketball, nobody does offense better than UConn.

 

[JoePgh]

Granting that there is some fuzziness in the definition of roles, especially with UConn's "read and react" offense, it's still possible and really necessary to use rough position designations to have a meaningful discussion about UConn's depth chart or who may/may not be on the court together. I understand that, during practices, the players are often divided into "forwards" and "guards", recognizing that some "3" players such as Caroline, Blanca, and Morgan can fill either role, at least potentially.

I think it's clear that six players (Serah, Jana, Gandy, Sarah, Ice, and Ayanna) are clearly "forwards" and will always play in that role. They will be evaluated on rebounding, foul avoidance, and in-the-paint scoring, and only secondarily on passing or perimeter shooting. They will defend "bigs" on the other team.

It's equally clear that six other players will be "guards" (KK, Kayleigh, Kelis, Azzi, Ashlynn, and Allie -- I.e., 3 "K"'s and 3 "A"'s) will nearly always play on the perimeter. They will be evaluated on ball handling, passing / court vision, penetration off the dribble, 3-point and mid-range shooting, and only secondarily on rebounding. They will defend the opponent's perimeter players.

That leaves the three players named in the first paragraph above without a clearly defined role, and their evaluation criteria will vary based on their talents:

• Caroline will earn her minutes (many or few) based mostly on her perimeter shooting and her ability to make smart cuts to the hoop.
• Blanca will earn minutes with her speed, defense, rebounding, and penetration.
• Morgan will earn minutes through passing / court vision, aggressive defense, and ball handling.

My hunch is that by January, Morgan may caucus more with the "guards" than with the "forwards". If she is consistently as good as she was before her injury, and if she avoids fouls (!!!), she may be the best ball distributor on the team, and she may take minutes from the so-called point guards (the "K"'s). In the most optimistic case, I can imagine her as the starting "PG" by March or April.

 

[Bone Dog]

It's equally clear that six other players will be "guards" (KK, Kayleigh, Kelis, Azzi, Ashlynn, and Allie -- I.e., 3 "K"'s and 3 "A"'s) will nearly always play on the perimeter. They will be evaluated on ball handling, passing / court vision, penetration off the dribble, 3-point and mid-range shooting, and only secondarily on rebounding. They will defend the opponent's perimeter players.

Good overview of the situation. And it’s made me think about Ash in particular. She’s in an odd situation too, just like Carol Blanca and Morgan. She has a lot of tweener skills.

She’s a great perimeter shooter, maybe the best on the team, or close to it. She’s a capable ball handler, though I don’t think she’s cut out to be a PG. For someone only 5’10”, she contests a lot of rebounds on both ends. She could probably help break most presses, but I’d rather leave that to KK Kayleigh Azzi and Sarah. She can finish in transition and has a dynamite midrange jumper, though she’s not as acrobatic as some when it comes to creating her shot.

Most of all, Ash has a fierce personality, a can-do personality. She plays to win and it’s infectious. This tells me Geno is likely to find opportunities for her simply to have her on the floor, even if it’s not exactly as a guard.

 

[Charliebball]

This is a fascinating question. Tall is important, no doubt. But quickness and intensity sometime matters more, I suspect. A speedy 5’9” may be more valuable than slower 6’1” in some game situations. I have a feeling this is a tension Geno will be grappling with all season. I expect we’ll see a lot of experimentation with precisely this.

One observation in favor of the littles is the final four games. Against UCLA, the small lineup posed significant problems for their taller, slower lineups. Against SC, the quickness advantage was not nearly as pronounced which meant Geno had to respond when Dauda entered the game to counter her rebounding.

the beauty of this year's team is they can play Serah along with four smaller, quicker players, achieving the best of both worlds....

 

[Skeets]

Good overview of the situation. And it’s made me think about Ash in particular. She’s in an odd situation too, just like Carol Blanca and Morgan. She has a lot of tweener skills.

She’s a great perimeter shooter, maybe the best on the team, or close to it. She’s a capable ball handler, though I don’t think she’s cut out to be a PG. For someone only 5’10”, she contests a lot of rebounds on both ends. She could probably help break most presses, but I’d rather leave that to KK Kayleigh Azzi and Sarah. She can finish in transition and has a dynamite midrange jumper, though she’s not as acrobatic as some when it comes to creating her shot.

Most of all, Ash has a fierce personality, a can-do personality. She plays to win and it’s infectious. This tells me Geno is likely to find opportunities for her simply to have her on the floor, even if it’s not exactly as a guard.

Ash gets more than her share of rebounds because she's a tough kid and not afraid to stick her nose in the fray with the bigs. Ever see a little dog confront a bigger dog? The little dog doesn't know he's little.

 

[Bald Husky]

This team will have so many options that it can be tough to manage. First of all, he won't be going nuts trying to figure out who will start. As long as these players are healthy and playing well in practice, Geno will start Sarah (duh), Azzi (double duh), and Serah, the defensive Big he has been waiting for since Liv. Ashlyn and KK are vets that have been through the injury wars, starting and coming off the bench. They will start, and they deserve the honor. Now, the rotation is what he will get headaches over, with so many really great players, but this is where practice becomes most important. This is where the chemistry will need to be determined, this is where the players will decide who is #1 off the bench, and who is #10. The players I mentioned as starters are there because they have been playing together(except for Serah), so they already have the needed chemistry. Now, Genos job is to integrate the other vets, and the newbies to see who can work with who. We know how this works, but because of the intensity that these practices will produce, small injuries may occur, but because of the talent that is spread among the others, we don't know who will be standing in November and who will be sitting. We do have an idea who will be the top two off the bench, but do they work well with the starters, and who else can play with them? This will be fun for us early on, as every player is really good, so every time a new player comes in, we will look for something really good to happen. No longer "send in the scrubs", because there are none. This will be fun when our opponents see that the team may get even better as new players come in, with no drop in intensity or talent. Gosh, this will be fun, and I just can't wait. Go Huskies.

 

[oldude]

This team will have so many options that it can be tough to manage. First of all, he won't be going nuts trying to figure out who will start. As long as these players are healthy and playing well in practice, Geno will start Sarah (duh), Azzi (double duh), and Serah, the defensive Big he has been waiting for since Liv. Ashlyn and KK are vets that have been through the injury wars, starting and coming off the bench. They will start, and they deserve the honor. Now, the rotation is what he will get headaches over, with so many really great players, but this is where practice becomes most important. This is where the chemistry will need to be determined, this is where the players will decide who is #1 off the bench, and who is #10. The players I mentioned as starters are there because they have been playing together(except for Serah), so they already have the needed chemistry. Now, Genos job is to integrate the other vets, and the newbies to see who can work with who. We know how this works, but because of the intensity that these practices will produce, small injuries may occur, but because of the talent that is spread among the others, we don't know who will be standing in November and who will be sitting. We do have an idea who will be the top two off the bench, but do they work well with the starters, and who else can play with them? This will be fun for us early on, as every player is really good, so every time a new player comes in, we will look for something really good to happen. No longer "send in the scrubs", because there are none. This will be fun when our opponents see that the team may get even better as new players come in, with no drop in intensity or talent. Gosh, this will be fun, and I just can't wait. Go Huskies.

Your analysis of who will start is perfectly logical. But there are 10 really good players that are going to work very hard to prove you wrong. I see 2 other potential starters. Jana had and has a huge upside. She started most of last season. I don’t think she’s going to give up her starting spot without a battle.

The other potential starter is my X-factor. Blanca is a veteran of the European professional league and possibly the most athletic and dynamic player on UConn’s roster. She is another player who might just force her way into the starting lineup.

Whatever happens, this coming season is going to be a lot of fun for UConn WBB fans.