KK or Kayleigh, who's your guess?

[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.

 

[Bone Dog]

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.

I’m an a fan of Jana. I saw great potential in her before she got to Storrs. But that injury really set her back a lot. I’m sure she will battle for her spot. But it’s hard to imagine a trajectory on which she wins a starting spot from Serah this season. She will be in the front court rotation for sure.

 

[oldude]

I’m an a fan of Jana. I saw great potential in her before she got to Storrs. But that injury really set her back a lot. I’m sure she will battle for her spot. But it’s hard to imagine a trajectory on which she wins a starting spot from Serah this season. She will be in the front court rotation for sure.

There’s another option that Geno will undoubtedly consider. That would be a dominant front court with Jana, Serah, Sarah, Azzi & KK. Think back to the dominance of Kara & Rebecca or Stewie & Steph as examples when UConn road a set of “twin towers” to national championships.

 

[Bone Dog]

There’s another option that Geno will undoubtedly consider. That would be a dominant front court with Jana, Serah, Sarah, Azzi & KK. Think back to the dominance of Kara & Rebecca or Stewie & Steph as examples when UConn road a set of “twin towers” to national championships.

I just don’t see that as more than a midgame substitution lineup, not the regular starting lineup. It would just be giving up too much quickness, which looks to be this team’s superpower.

 

[MooseJaw]

While not in the discussion for starter, don't be surprised if Morgan gets more PT than we might expect. Geno loves what she brings to the court. She is a disrupter and facilitator, both sides of Geno's spectrum. If she has confidence in her shot, she will get minutes.

 

[Cuango]

While Serah is indeed a defensive big, she’s also an offensive one as well. I think it’s very possible that she will be among the top tier of UConn bigs when she finishes this season. Not the best, but up there close to the best. Of course, she will only have one season but I’m pretty sure she’s going to make the most of it!

 

[Bone Dog]

While Serah is indeed a defensive big, she’s also an offensive one as well. I think it’s very possible that she will be among the top tier of UConn bigs when she finishes this season. Not the best, but up there close to the best. Of course, she will only have one season but I’m pretty sure she’s going to make the most of it!

I think you’re right about this, and by the end of next season we’ll be sorry that she was at UConn for only one season. But you’ve got me thinking who were the UConn bigs Serah might we’d up being compared to. Here’s a ‘partial’ list:

• Rebecca and Kara of course,
• Tina
• Jess Sheperd, Azura. Kylie McLaren.
• Mama Stef.
• Stewie of course, who was probably the GOAT among the bigs.
• Liv, Aaliyah, Dorka.

And she could also be compared to the smaller players who roamed the paint over the years in hybrid roles, like Phee and Gabby and, of course, Sarah who could end up being remembered as another GOAT.

I wonder if Jess might be the player Serah’s game is most similar to.

 

[Dogstar]

I think you’re right about this, and by the end of next season we’ll be sorry that she was at UConn for only one season. But you’ve got me thinking who were the UConn bigs Serah might we’d up being compared to. Here’s a ‘partial’ list:

• Rebecca and Kara of course,
• Tina
• Jess Sheperd, Azura. Kylie McLaren.
• Mama Stef.
• Stewie of course, who was probably the GOAT among the bigs.
• Liv, Aaliyah, Dorka.

And she could also be compared to the smaller players who roamed the paint over the years in hybrid roles, like Phee and Gabby and, of course, Sarah who could end up being remembered as another GOAT.

I wonder if Jess might be the player Serah’s game is most similar to.

I may be wrong but Didn't Jess play at ND?

 

[PacoSwede]

jessica moore?

 

[Bone Dog]

jessica moore?

Yes. Thank you. I confused the names. Just working from a fading memory here.

 

[and one]

KK.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I think you’re right about this, and by the end of next season we’ll be sorry that she was at UConn for only one season. But you’ve got me thinking who were the UConn bigs Serah might we’d up being compared to. Here’s a ‘partial’ list:

• Rebecca and Kara of course,
• Tina
• Jess Sheperd, Azura. Kylie McLaren.
• Mama Stef.
• Stewie of course, who was probably the GOAT among the bigs.
• Liv, Aaliyah, Dorka.

And she could also be compared to the smaller players who roamed the paint over the years in hybrid roles, like Phee and Gabby and, of course, Sarah who could end up being remembered as another GOAT.

I wonder if Jess might be the player Serah’s game is most similar to.

I think your subconscious is hiding what your mind is looking for.

It is able to do that because there is no direct UConn player analog to Serah, Blanca (maybe there is according to an eyewitness observer in Italy) and especially Sarah.

But there is a collective (senior version) trio, with whom the current trio can probably collectively favorably compare to.

The thought occurred to me before, but for mojo reasons…