KML opinion piece

[PalPa]

I did not see any facts posted here relative weight and condition. Just a lot of opinions from uninformed posters. I don't understand why all these folks get their jollies by throwing barbs at a young woman. Instead of shouting hooray because you are allowed to do so, you should be ashamed for having done it.

 

[UConnChapette]

Your reference to the Summitt I suppose underscores your feelings, however factually unsupported. If you have eyes to see, you know Kaleena has gained weight. Whether it is muscle, something else which cannot be mentioned, or a combination of both, when you put that together with Geno saying she has lost a step, it becomes a performance issue. She would not be the first athlete who overtrained and lost quickness if that is what is going on. Of course detractors will detract and those who prefer their view rosey will counter-attack. But we have prided ourselves here at the Boneyard at being able to have contrary opinions without getting snarkey with each other.

I am frankly surprised to see us at odds on this. Equating this discussion with homophobic smears about BG is startling to me.

Please do not presume what I should and should not be at odds with. I am offended by anything I see as unfair treatment and criticism, particularly when it comes to what a person is and how they look. My sense of being offended is not ranked based on the subject at hand.

This thread is at risk of turning ugly very quickly. I am doing my part by "stepping away from the keyboard" before I find myself sent to BY Siberia.

This is my last post on this subject.

 

[Stinger92860]

Ok, people, here's a couple tips:

1) KML is not a guard, she's a forward. Who replaced her in the lineup ? Tuck. Is she a guard ? No.

2) I watched the Stanford game, and of all the problems noted, KML getting beat off the dribble by guards was not one that I noted

3) Beyond the fact that KML is not a guard, when none of the actual guards on the team seemed capable of slowing down Stanford's guards, why would you think a forward would be ?

Please stop the amateur analysis of her body / conditioning / body type / etc. Its ridiculous.

With all respect, I do not see her as a true forward. If you want to say she is a 2/3 then I agree. You may view tuck as a 3/4, maybe a stretch 4.

 

[The Smart One]

And just how do you know that she is not at HER ideal weight? Are you, perhaps, a professional trainer? (The people she has been working with are.) Jes wondrin.

an ideal weight for a basketball player of her position. She isnt a banger and plays the perimer offensively and defensively quickness and jump shots trumps everything. There is no way you can say with a straight face that she is faster right now or jumps higher right now than if she were at a more appropriate weight... maybe it doesnt effect her much at all, shes still a great player but it does effect her at least a little bit.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Weight and its consequences for people are touchy issues and many of us develop attitudes and sensitivities about it.

Two years ago I weighed 178. Today I weigh 226. I can get no good advice about that weight gain. Two years ago I had to start taking a pill (no, jokers, not a sugar, placebo pill) which has a potential side effect of weight gain, but that is not saying the pill is the culprit.

My mother, dear kind lady that she was, had an absolute phobia about weight gain and was uncharitably harsh in her judgment of overweight people. In her later years, as dementia started to assert itself, she would say things to or about people in social situations that were appalling.

I have a daughter who is obese. She has lost, under medical supervision, 80 pounds in 5 months and she still has a long way to go. Two other daughters have very healthy BMIs. Weight and its causes are, in part at least, a mystery.

Now I, like Chapette, am done with this thread.

 

[vtcwbuff]

The key phrase here is "factually supported". Not sure who has the facts to prove Kaleena is "out of shape" or is carrying more than her ideal body weight or her BMI is too high. If you or anyone else has such proof, feel free to present it then we will have FACTS to support the discussion.. I dare say that young woman is carrying more muscle and is far better conditioned than 95% of the posters here.

And "flaws in performance"? A missed read on defense? A pass out of bounds? A missed wide open layup? A blown inbounds play? Poor shot selection. All a flaw in performance. When it starts getting to a players perceived body weight or other image issues, to me that goes too far.

The only fact we know is that shortly after the Stanford game it was revealed she had flu like symptoms. And then she did not play in the game SIX DAYS LATER because of the flu. When was the last time any one here had the flu? Not a cold...the flu? I remember three years ago. I was feeling weak, tired and listless for a few days before that flu truck ran me over. Once that happened I could barely move....my TOES hurt.

Women have a hard time dealing with body image issues. We are constantly flooded by social media and advertising extolling beauty and thinness. I don't think Kaleena is worried about what any of us anonymous posters think of her body type. My concern is more with the constant message that gets sent that compounds the media message that you have to look a certain way to be acceptable in the eyes of others and if you aren't, it is fair game to be critical no matter who that person is.

Honestly, I don't see all that much difference here with comments about Kaleena's perceived weight issue from the comments about Brittany Griner's deep voice and unfeminine ways that lead to some nasty and unpleasant comments about her. I am offended by both.

I used to love to spend time here. Not so much anymore. I am beginning to feel like this community is one I am not so proud to be a part of. In many ways it is becoming more like the Summitt. I don't mean it in the way you may think I mean it but I will leave it at that.

It's too bad that female wcbb players are too delicate to have their weight posted like most athletes.

 

[phil sampieri]

It's too bad that female wcbb players are too delicate to have their weight posted like most athletes.

This is the first post on this subject that mad me laugh.Are you sure you are not from another planet ? LOL

 

[Zorro]

an ideal weight for a basketball player of her position. She isnt a banger and plays the perimer offensively and defensively quickness and jump shots trumps everything. There is no way you can say with a straight face that she is faster right now or jumps higher right now than if she were at a more appropriate weight... maybe it doesnt effect her much at all, shes still a great player but it does effect her at least a little bit.

OK, we will just have to agree to disagree. You think that you know more about Kaleena's physical condition than she and the staff do. I disagree. 10-4

 

[Icebear]

an ideal weight for a basketball player of her position. She isnt a banger and plays the perimer offensively and defensively quickness and jump shots trumps everything. There is no way you can say with a straight face that she is faster right now or jumps higher right now than if she were at a more appropriate weight... maybe it doesnt effect her much at all, shes still a great player but it does effect her at least a little bit.

She was very much a banger during the tournament last year.

 

[Bgillon]

Your reference to the Summitt I suppose underscores your feelings, however factually unsupported. If you have eyes to see, you know Kaleena has gained weight. Whether it is muscle, something else which cannot be mentioned, or a combination of both, when you put that together with Geno saying she has lost a step, it becomes a performance issue. She would not be the first athlete who overtrained and lost quickness if that is what is going on. Of course detractors will detract and those who prefer their view rosey will counter-attack. But we have prided ourselves here at the Boneyard at being able to have contrary opinions without getting snarkey with each other.

I am frankly surprised to see us at odds on this. Equating this discussion with homophobic smears about BG is startling to me.

I am disappointed about our inability to discuss KML without the PC police. Geno has said 2 things about her recently; she has lost a step and when she is in the game he cannot press the other team. For the poster who only wants us to use facts, that those were his comments is factual. I believe some of the negative comments stem from the fact that other posters to refuse to even acknowledge that opposing observations might be right.

 

[HuskyNan]

It's too bad that female wcbb players are too delicate to have their weight posted like most athletes.

USA Basketball has no problem posting weights.

2013 U19 Roster

 

[HuskyNan]

I am disappointed about our inability to discuss KML without the PC police. Geno has said 2 things about her recently; she has lost a step and when she is in the game he cannot press the other team. For the poster who only wants us to use facts, that those were his comments is factual. I believe some of the negative comments stem from the fact that other posters to refuse to even acknowledge that opposing observations might be right.

You ARE able discuss KML. You aren't able to discuss her without someone disagreeing with you. Such is life on the Internet.

 

[Adesmar123]

You aren't able to discuss her without someone disagreeing with you.

Nan, what can we do to correct that?

 

[Zorro]

Geno HAS said these things. Whether they are factual or motivational or a combo of both one can never be sure. (It is doubtful that he really, really thought that Kalana could not guard a chair, or that Saniya's defense cost the Huskies 30 points. Or that Bria was the primary defender of both baskets, theirs and ours.) Even if he was, for once, dead serious, one has to wonder, however, what you imagine yourself to be accomplishing by your continuing critical (and uninformed) posts about her supposed lack of conditioning.

 

[HuskyNan]

Nan, what can we do to correct that?

Nothing is wrong with two people of opposing opinions discussing a topic, so there's nothing that needs to be corrected. In fact, there's a lot right with it since it encourages discussion and, hopefully, a more in depth analysis of certain subjects. The key is to be respectful of opposing opinions.

 

[Adesmar123]

Nan I apologize, I forgot to turn on the sarcasm quotes.

 

[phil sampieri]

I am disappointed about our inability to discuss KML without the PC police. Geno has said 2 things about her recently; she has lost a step and when she is in the game he cannot press the other team. For the poster who only wants us to use facts, that those were his comments is factual. I believe some of the negative comments stem from the fact that other posters to refuse to even acknowledge that opposing observations might be right.

None of you who getg it. It's not the critisism of her ability to guard someone quicker than her or quotes from Geno. It is the unsensitive constant comments about her weight that bothers me anf like Rady I become embarassed by some of that insensitivity.

 

[HuskyNan]

Nan I apologize, I forgot to turn on the sarcasm quotes.

My bad, sarcasm meter isn't working today.

 

[watanabe]

None of you who getg it. It's not the critisism of her ability to guard someone quicker than her or quotes from Geno. It is the unsensitive constant comments about her weight that bothers me anf like Rady I become embarassed by some of that insensitivity.

It all seems pretty sensitive to me. Just makes no sense.

 

[ctkaiser]

Ok, people, here's a couple tips:

1) KML is not a guard, she's a forward. Who replaced her in the lineup ? Tuck. Is she a guard ? No.

2) I watched the Stanford game, and of all the problems noted, KML getting beat off the dribble by guards was not one that I noted

3) Beyond the fact that KML is not a guard, when none of the actual guards on the team seemed capable of slowing down Stanford's guards, why would you think a forward would be ?

Please stop the amateur analysis of her body / conditioning / body type / etc. Its ridiculous.

Let's be honest this UConn team will be playing a lot of zone this year and they should learn to play it better than they did against Stanford. By the way it might be easier to list the players that did not have the Stanford guards blow by them. Also note those two guards are exceptional players. I would rather play the season with KML then without her.

 

[Geno-ista]

I did not read the article and I don't know the reason, but didn't Geno say a few days ago that KML has lost a step ?

He mentioned that at the open practice Thursday after the Stanford game.

 

[Geno-ista]

No one complained about KML's physical make up first game back last year vs Duke- 6 or 7 threes! Singlehanded lye won the game. She was our 6 gm NCAA Tmt MVP last year- no doubt ! Let's give this and her some time- and stop talking about her body. I'm a father with two daughters, and these threads are in poor taste. We lost one game on the road with a very new and younger team that made a million horrible decisions and plays on both ends of the court.

 

[Rb335]

She fell in love with the 3 point shot ? 10 for 13 ? she should have drove to the basket instead.Her game hasn't expanded ? she's regresswed ? MVP last year playoffs, great in semis and finals, and she regressed ? I really hope you are trying tostir the pot by continuing this rediculous assault on the best 3 point shooter in America. Do you realize , because of the threat of her shooting the 3 she helps open the lanes for cutters. By the way she shoots better mthan 40 % now and once shot 50% for a whole season. Try thinking before you post.

She did fall in love with the 3 point shot against UC Davis. 13 attempts from behind the arc and none from inside made me think, "hey, she is on fire from three, but she doesn't look aggressive on offense to get in the lane and get to the line." I think that was an issue maya had at one point, or a small criticism in her game.

I would argue that her game hasn't expanded because tell me one thing she is better at now than she was as a sophomore, when she was an AA. You could argue rebounding, but otherwise, or in terms of offensive production, I think her game has regressed or stayed the same. It's debatable, but I don't think she is exponentially better than she was then. She doesn't seem to have the quickness to take guards off the dribble, or the repertoire or post moves necessary to take them to the block. Her defense hasn't been up to speed, at least this season and part of last and many said she was a liability out there on the defensive end.

I agree, she is the best 3 point shooter in the country and should be taking the outside shot. Trust me, I understand well that just having her on the floor means they have a scoring threat at all times. Yes, I understand that having her outside the arc forces defenses to expand and creates more room in the post. There is nobody else on this team that I would rather take a 3 point shot. However, when she doesn't look to be more dynamic on offense, I could argue that she becomes an easier cover, especially on a team that struggles to screen for her. Any top talent team can cover her with a quicker player when she just lurks around the arc. Her motion needs to increase and her looks will come as a result.

I am not personally attacking her. I understand that boneyard fellows have a maternal and paternal instinct for players. I do too. I have watched every game since the 93 season. However, I think stating personal opinions based on in game observations are completely understandable. I'm sorry if I offended you, and I'm sorry our opinions differ.

However, after watching stanford, I would be saying as a WNBA GM, if a player like samuelson, not even on the radar of top 25 in the country could shut her down so easily, why couldn't any WNBA player do the same. Her ability to shoot will never diminish, but I am looking for her to expand her game this year and step into a leadership role. At this point, she should be commanding the ball, much like stewie. Teams now know her strengths and know them well. I have confidence that she will respond and react. Thats what good players do, and thats why I don't think she will have another game like this. But if she doesn't respond and react, it could be an up and down season for sure.

 

[Rb335]

I've read your post twice and I'm still not sure what you think about KML's game.
The negative:
"Her game hasn't expanded since she was a sophomore"
"I would argue that it has almost regressed since then."
"I think its apparent that she has lost a step"
The positive: "She is an extreme talent and I can't imagine her having too many more games like Stanford this season.
I'm having trouble reconciling her "regression" and "lost step" with "extreme talent" and "not imagining her having too many more games like Stanford this season." If in fact she has lost a step and her game is regressing than wouldn't you expect more subpar games like the one against Stanford ?

My point being, because she is an exceptional talent, I don't think it will take long for her to realize her mistakes against Stanford and make the appropriate adjustments. I do think she has lost a step, and I think her offensive game has regressed. As a soph she was the number one option, and last year she was number 4 at times. I think its just taking her time to transition back into being a 1st or 2nd option. I don't think her game is continuing to regress, but I think the scope of her game has. I think this game is exactly what she, and most of the team, needed. Time to adjust and move forward. I have confidence she will do just that.

 

[ballhawk]

I believe many BYers are conflating conditioning with quickness. She played 45 minutes against Stanford. No one else on Uconn did. Kaleena is in condition. Geno said she can't get to her spots as quickly. I don't believe he would have said this if sickness were the reason. I have no idea why she seems slower. If the problem is fixable I'm sure Kaleena has the dedication and determination to fix it. KML played like an AA in last year's playoffs. I don't see why she can't return to that level. All of the criticism is the result of one game. I would cut her some slack, let some more of the season play out before we attack her for her perceived deficiencies.