Kutztown Postgame Thread

[TeamFirst!]

I agree on Lou and it was easy to see she knows how to score. She's an experienced goto college scorer and displayed her ability to score a variety of ways. She makes great decisions with the ball and is an unselfish scorer. She's a winning player. Her size helps her some as well as her experience and scorer's aptitude. She's a proven 3 point shooter and with Azzi also having that ability it's a choose your poison situation. That 3 point shooting is going to enable this team to at least have a chance to beat any team. For example, if we make our 3's against SC, why can't we win that game? Ayanna is going to help us rebound. We aren't going to be favored to win against top 4 competition but we do have a good shot. It's amazing what a plus 40% team 3 point shooting percentage can do for a team, especially a team that doesn't turn over the ball much.

 

[huskeynut]

UConn women's basketball is back!!!!!!!!!!!

This season, unlike many before, has a multitude of questions surrounding it. Even though it was an exhibition game, many questions started to be answered.

Make no mistake, Nika is the PG and leader of the team. She is the energizer bunny the team needs.

Lou Lopez-Senechal is the real deal. Her stroke is so consistent. She sees the floor. She has a complete package of 3 pointers, mid-range jumper and can drive to the hoop. She is not going to spend much time on the bench.

Azzi - hopefully we are starting to see the Azzi all predicted. She is injury free and that is a big plus. Her stroke is so nice to watch.

Dorka looks completely recovered from the broken wrist. She moved well with and without the ball. We saw the three pointer today along with good play down low.

Aaliyah - she looked very good. Rebounding, stealing passes, a the mid range jumper.

Ayanna - oh yea!!!!!! She will be a force to be dealt with this season. She is very athletic, strong and plays without fear. Monster addition to the frontline.

Ines - I like what I saw. The girl can play. She will get minutes no doubt.

Aubrey - so glad to see her back and healthy. She is going to be a handful to defend. Her defense will most likely be stellar.

Amari - realistically, she may have good skils but she is at the end of the bench. The edge and energy needed is not there.

 

[eebmg]

I think we have a point guard!!!
Nika's stat line:
7 pts on 2/4 shooting & 2/2 FT
8 rebounds
11 assists
2 blocks
5 steals
3 turnovers
2 personal fouls

Unofficially, I also had Nika drawing 5 pf's on Kutzdown defenders.

2 of her 3 TO's were in the weird spurt in the 4th Q. when the ball had oil lathered

 

[Rb335]

Agree with the praise of Lou being a veteran presence and having a go to scorer mentality. I really liked how she was aggressive on that end, and looked like the most dynamic scorer. Azzi lit it up from 3, which was super fun to watch. I’m interested to see how her game expands this season, because an off shooting night could spell trouble. Also will she be able to generate 10 3 point attempts per game against top 25 competition? Either way, I sense she will be our best player.

I think we’ll look much better with Caroline added to the rotation. She’s another scorer and player with length defensively. It was a concern that our rotation of 7 today featured a couple players who aren’t great offensively. Caroline returning will make it look a lot prettier, IMO.

Overall a fun first glimpse into this new team. I expect it to be a year where we continue to get better as the season progresses.

 

[Scud49]

Three - remember who Geno selected to finish off the Blue Demons - Sweet Caroline!

I'll never forget that moment - and it could happen again. Looks like lots of crunch time options now.

 

[HuskyNan]

I am really looking forward to the Aubrey/Dorka/Ayanna/Aaliyah platoon of forwards against some of the teams on the schedule.

Amari needs to get into the regular rotation once she sorts through whatever her issue is. She could be a potent weapon at the wing.

 

[Centerstream]

I think we have a point guard!!!
Nika's stat line:
7 pts on 2/4 shooting & 2/2 FT
8 rebounds
11 assists
2 blocks
5 steals
3 turnovers
2 personal fouls

Unofficially, I also had Nika drawing 5 pf's on Kutzdown defenders.

And the 2 fouls occurred early in the 1st quarter.

 

[Bigboote]

This game was a blast to watch.

After some stumbles out of the gate, they played as a cohesive unit. Any doubts anyone had about Lou (I was one of them till a couple of weeks ago) should be dispelled.

Dorka looks fully adjusted to the UConn game -- some of her bounce passes were classic.

Aubrey -- what a quick first step, plus she was everywhere, as we'd all hoped. As Geno said, people don't know how much UConn missed her last year.

Ayanna is just as advertised -- strong, uber-athletic, has a lot to learn about the game and using her talents. I for one thought Ines looked pretty good. She seemed a little tentative when she first went in, but that pass to Ayanna toward the end is just what I was looking for. Amari to me still looked to me like she still doesn't fully understand the system.

Aaliyah looked way more comfortable today than she did early last year. I'm not convinced that Azzi and Nika were fully healthy all last year, and they really showed us something today. If we can expect this from them much of the year, we're in for an enjoyable ride.

 

[#12in21]

Everybody looked good. Our starters all put up great numbers and Aubrey played with absolutely no tentativeness. Nika picked up to fouls relatively early but stayed clean the rest of the way while still playing tight on D, getting the steals and fighting for rebounds. Azzi couldn't miss once she warmed up. Dorka and Aaliyah came ready to play this season. Lou is everything we expected and more.Ayanna is going to be a force. Once Ines finds her comfort level she is going to be solid as well. And we had no Caroline today! Really looking forward to Thursday!

 

[HuskyNan]

And the 2 fouls occurred early in the 1st quarter.

3 fouls in the first quarter. But, it’s the first game and everyone needed to find their rhythm.

 

[oldude]

So here's a question for the BY. As good as Lou looked today, once Caroline is back healthy, who starts?

 

[Centerstream]

It seems that Amari is playing like she is between a rock and a hard place...she is trying a little too hard when she gets in, trying to make highlight quality plays and when it doesn't work out, she becomes tentative. I hope she figures out a solution pretty quickly.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[UConnCat]

 

[eebmg]

So what is the UConn record for 3pt makes in a game by a player. Lou made 10 (The other Lou ) I think that tied the record??

 

[UConnCat]

 

[UConnCat]

 

[Centerstream]

3 fouls in the first quarter. But, it’s the first game and everyone needed to find their rhythm.

I was referring to Nika...she only had 2 the whole game, right?

 

[UConnCat]

 

[eebmg]

Can't wait for the full post game pressers to be available

 

[UConnCat]

 

[Bigboote]

So here's a question for the BY. As good as Lou looked today, once Caroline is back healthy, who starts?

Before today, I would have said Caroline hands down. After today, no idea, and I don't know that it makes a difference. I do think Caroline plays better defense, so that might be the deciding factor in who starts.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[Centerstream]

So what is the UConn record for 3pt makes in a game by a player. Lou made 10 (The other Lou ) I think that tied the record??

However Katie Lou didn't miss any of her 3s.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Ynez looks athletic. I think she's going to be needed this year. She may be a significant contributor before we are done.

As often was the case in high school, Ayanna had trouble finishing at the rim but she was a real force as a rebounder. My guess is she ends up our best rebounder overall as she is going to get PT. She reminds me of some of the really tough teams we played against like that Florida team last year ( maybe South Florida? ) where the entire team was all over us defensively. Ayanna is strong and fast and she can jump. And she gives it her all. She has all the makings of a great rebounder.

I'm impressed with Aubrey's defense. She can help us more at the 3 though than down low (I think ). With Lou and Azzi, we may not need another scorer in the back court. I sense that Lou can give us 30 plus minutes a game with no problem also. She conserves her energy well.

I thought Nika had a solid game. I do wonder how she seems to be constantly under the rim for rebounds when she's our point guard but it hasn't hurt us yet. She seemed to be making a concerted effort for some offense. Overall, a major plus. She is going to be needed for sure.

I'm surprised we didn't see Azzi much at all at PG. It would seem that is part of the plan. We will see.