Kutztown Postgame Thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Kutztown Postgame Thread

Hayven said:
It’s a D2 opponent so I’m not going to say this team will win the natty. I was really impressed with Lou. Hopefully she keeps it up all season. When Caroline returns, UConn will be deadly from beyond the arc. I think we should call them the splash sisters. It was nice to see Aubrey and Dorka back on the court. Hopefully Aubrey’s offense returns as she gets more playing time. Ayanna impressed me as well. Seems to have worked herself into the rotation based upon her hustle. Hopefully her works on her offense and foot work on the block.
Azzi will need to mix up her game. I was expecting her to take the reigns but she seemed to be hesitant to establish herself.
Nika will need to play smarter. Seems like she hasn’t worked on balancing her tough play without fouling. That can be a problem.
But overall. I’m glad it’s finally basketball season
Expand ...
I believe Nika had 2 fouls early in the 1st quarter and played 20+ minutes without getting a 3rd.
 
This I don't get. Why would a stiff neck linger for months? What is the cause? Must be a neck muscle strain.

 
I would challenge Geno to pay Amari at the low post to develop aggressive play. There may be a time that Geno will need points from Amari, and that time is not now, nor will Amari be able to produce those points.
As we all know, the light did not go on for Tina until late in her second year.
 
Rixxx said:
I would challenge Geno to pay Amari at the low post to develop aggressive play. There may be a time that Geno will need points from Amari, and that time is not now, nor will Amari be able to produce those points.
As we all know, the light did not go on for Tina until late in her second year.
Expand ...
Tina was National Freshman of the Year. She was always good but she became unstoppable late in her junior year
 
.-.
Rixxx said:
I would challenge Geno to pay Amari at the low post to develop aggressive play. There may be a time that Geno will need points from Amari, and that time is not now, nor will Amari be able to produce those points.
As we all know, the light did not go on for Tina until late in her second year.
Expand ...
Unfortaantley UCONN is trying to win now which means you can't afford to take away minutes from palyers that you know are better in the hope and prayer that someone might be better which results in sacrficing games along with that hope.

It's not fair to the other players that came to UCONN and that are better.
 
You mean this Tina Charles

'Appeared in 36 games while making 32 starts...named as the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year...ranked second on the team with 12.7 ppg...notched double-figure points in 23 games, including five 20-point plus scoring efforts...tallied a UConn freshman record 11 double-doubles...her team-best 81 blocks broke the UConn freshman record and ranks as the seventh highest total in the program[apos]s history... UConn freshman record with 296 rebounds....34 points at South Florida (2/20) marked the largest total ever by a UConn freshman'. (from her Uconn 2009-10 roster page)
 
Rixxx said:
I would challenge Geno to pay Amari at the low post to develop aggressive play. There may be a time that Geno will need points from Amari, and that time is not now, nor will Amari be able to produce those points.
As we all know, the light did not go on for Tina until late in her second year.
Expand ...
I have been one of Amari’s biggest boosters since she announced her decision to attend UConn. I had really hoped that after spending all summer in Storrs working on her game and fitness, Amari would be ready to play meaningful minutes this season as Dorka’s backup. While there’s still time for Amari to become that player, I am sorry to say that I didn’t see anything today that indicated she was ready for that responsibility just yet.
 
JoePgh said:
Lou had some sort of leg injury late in the game -- either knee or ankle. Probably ankle. She limped off and then stayed on the bench, but she didn't go to the locker room. I am thinking (hoping) that it minor.
Expand ...
I think/hope it was cramps.
 
.-.
I wonder who else gets the pressers. Lou and Nika.
 
eebmg said:
and Tina never lacked intensity
Expand ...
Tina was an Honorable Mention A/A her frosh year. She held her own if I recall vs the big LSU Center Fowles in her 1st matchup.

So in a funny way you can say more minutes hurt her in their 2nd matchup in which Fowles destroyed her. J/k. :)

That's why nothing can be guaranteed and as a result saying "let's play this player because they will be better for the NCAA Tourney" - it's a flawed observation.
 
Can't wait to see Geno play small ball when he has a chance. Can you just imagine Azzi, Caroline, Lou and Nika on the court at the same time. Nika would just love it having 3 capable 3 point shooters on the outside while having either Dorka or AE down low.;)
 
I like what I saw today because it is enjoyable to watch them play. Factor in that it was Kutztown,everyone seemed to excell. All of the new players for me appeared to fit right in and made a real contribution. Glad to see it. I am looking forward to seeing them play this season and tested by the likes of Texas and South Carolina.
 
.-.
MSGRET said:
Can't wait to see Geno play small ball when he has a chance. Can you just imagine Azzi, Caroline, Lou and Nika on the court at the same time. Nika would just love it having 3 capable 3 point shooters on the outside while having either Dorka or AE down low.;)
Expand ...
Play a 4 corner offense with Ayanna under the basket. if she's one on one with anyone she's going to get the bulk of the rebounds.
 
eebmg said:
Wow. Alot of fun pieces. Nika looks like the floor general we need. Azzi is just superhuman from 3. I hope she does a few more drive by's and mid-range. All it takes is one bad shooting night. Lou is fantastic in all facets of the game and very under control. Ayanna and Aaliyah bring alot of energy and Aaliyah had a few real nice moves on offense as well. Inez should get bad ass for that behind the back pass. :D

But what struck my eyes was Geno being very positive on the sidelines. He has said he really likes this group. They listen and he was giving sideline instruction to just about all the players.
Expand ...
So was Paige
 
Conndog said:
Caroline, of course!
Expand ...
I agree. For now, Caroline has an extra year of knowledge in the UConn system & she is a slightly better defender. If she is healthy & available, she starts.

However, Lou seriously impressed today and you can tell she was the perfect transfer portal pickup for us. Just wow. The offseason praise for Lou from the coaching staff/players was very accurate and clearly warranted. I’m already wishing she could stay another year!

Also, I don’t really think it matters all that much in the long run who starts anyways. I expect them both to be on the court when it matters most.
 
.-.
I was at the game, it was a lot of fun. Decent crowd, considering it was an exhibition and it was a beautiful Sunday in Connecticut. The weather here the last few days has been unseasonably warm and it has been delightful.

Well, the game was not so much fun early on when the defense wasn`t quite right, but after that it seemed like all Kutztown could do (for the most part) was shoot over us. And they made some, more power to them. They do have some good shooters.

But the one who really blew me away was Lou. She is as advertised! What a player. The offensive flow was very good, but when it got out of whack she showed that she can create her own shot and save the possession. She can score in a multitude of ways. I guess had heard that so I knew it going in, but wow it was on full display. She is a playa.

Ayanna is a sight to behold. She is so strong looking. And finesse is not a word I would use to describe her game. She works like crazy out there and is relentless. She will definitely contribute.

It took Azzi a bit of time to find the groove, but once she did it was sweet! I credit Nika for helping get her started, she found her a couple of times in transition - it was clear she was looking for her - and Azzi was off to the races after that.

Great game from Dorka. She is a very gifted player, both inside and outside. I did not see any lingering effects.

Aubrey as well. She looked good. Took a bad fall in the first half - hold your breath time - but got right up and played on. Whew. My concern with her (besides health) was how would she look in the half court offense and I thought she did fine. On one play she made a wonderful drive to the hoop coming around from the right side of the court. That was sweet.

Nika is the team leader. She looks different - as Oldude noted, a lot of the players look leaner and that was what struck me about Nika when I first saw her - not that she was ever out of shape - but she is the consummate team player and she looked great out there. And she got to the line and knocked down a few free throws, how about that. She has upped her game since last season.

Anyhow, it was fun. I came early and stayed late. I saw Paige interacting with some of the young fans before the game, she is such a delight and people just gravitate to her. And after the game, Nika was interacting with a lot of our young fans, taking pictures and just exuding warmth and kindness. It was heartwarming, even for a grumpy old guy like me.
 
JoePgh said:
Lou had some sort of leg injury late in the game -- either knee or ankle. Probably ankle. She limped off and then stayed on the bench, but she didn't go to the locker room. I am thinking (hoping) that it minor.
Expand ...
Maybe a leg cramp? I hope.
 
I'm only going to say something about one player:

When Alliyah Edwards was a freshman, she never looked that poised on the FT line, going 3-3, she never looked that poised on an 18' jumper, and she would've travelled on that pump fake and drive to the opposite side of the basket for a layup.

I feel like she's sort of gotten lost in the post-game comments, but what I saw from her today is the makings of a consistent and legitimate force in the low post. I really hope she puts it all together this year, because she could be unstoppable.
 
oldude said:
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.
Expand ...
This is Nika being Nika. Another year as best defensive player in Women's BB in 22-23. Starting or coming off the bench, we will Nika at her best and as a bonus , more scoring. This game really impressed me, even if it was Kutztown, it was look at what we can do, with everyone contributing. GO HUSKIES!!!
 
ucbart said:
I'm only going to say something about one player:

When Alliyah Edwards was a freshman, she never looked that poised on the FT line, going 3-3, she never looked that poised on an 18' jumper, and she would've travelled on that pump fake and drive to the opposite side of the basket for a layup.

I feel like she's sort of gotten lost in the post-game comments, but what I saw from her today is the makings of a consistent and legitimate force in the low post. I really hope she puts it all together this year, because she could be unstoppable.
Expand ...
I think Aaliyah has refined her shooting and FT's and one drive in particular where she faked left with a slight shoulder twitch and went hard right is something she did not have. And she is just as disruptive on defense as she has ever been But she may suffer a bit by being compared to Ayanna's physical gifts which are surreal.
 
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,306
Messages
4,562,404
Members
10,458
Latest member
caw2


Top Bottom