Kyla = TEAM

[oldude]

A fellow BY’er once remarked that they were worried that Kyla might hurt herself because she cheered so hard for her teammates. Kyla’s commitment to her team is unquestioned. From the moment she first arrived on campus, Kyla has worked diligently to do anything and everything to help her team succeed. A lot of superstars have passed through the doors at UConn. Their names hang along with the HOH in recognition of their incredible achievements. But UConn WBB has never been all about superstars. Megan Gardler, Maria Conlon, Saniya Chong and many others all contributed to great UConn teams by doing all the little things that translate into greatness for their team.

The conventional wisdom on Kyla is that she is an incredibly smart basketball player, that lacked the athleticism to be a key contributor at UConn. I confess that I was one of the people who held that belief. For three years, that wisdom has generally held true. But something remarkable occurred last night. After Liv had received some kind of cut that required bandaging, it appeared as if the refs would not allow Geno to put Liv back in the game immediately, so he waved at Kyla to replace Liv in the lineup. Kyla ripped off her sweats and ran out on the floor.

What happened next was wonderful. Kyla proceeded to have maybe the best 24 minutes of her life. She set picks, boxed out, took charges. Kyla filled up the stat sheet: 13 pts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks. She made all her shots, including 2 from the arc. In fact, Kyla hasn’t missed a shot from the field so far this season. Clearly, Kyla is not going to spend her senior year in college just cheering for her teammates and playing mop up minutes. IMO, she’s earned Geno’s trust and will be part of the regular rotation going forward.

For UConn WBB, winning championships, setting records and earning AA honors are often the noteworthy achievements that we all tend to focus on. But Geno has always commented that his most important goal is to assure that the players he brings in achieve their potential. I think we are witnessing that with Kyla, and it is a beautiful thing to see. After the game Kyla commented, “I’m so happy that now I have this expectation that I’m going to come off the bench and do something.” Kyla has spent much of her first three years at UConn jumping up and cheering for her UConn teammates. Now I think we can all jump up and cheer for Kyla.

 

[Kaizen]

Kyla has very high basketball IQ.
She can pass, she can score, she can rebound and she can block the ball.
She is completely different player than last year.

 

[Siestakeyfan]

An EXCELLENT game for Kyla !!

 

[hoopsfan22]

Now you guys know why she is my favorite player on this team.

 

[oldude]

One of the things I like best about Kyla is that she is a relentless screener for her teammates. While she’s not quite up there with Steph when it comes to flattening opponents blindsided by a pick, Kyla has leveled several opponents through the years. With more PT on the horizon for Kyla I am really looking forward to several more bone jarring screens this season.

 

[bluedevil]

Wish Molly would come along too but alas she is stuck in the mud...

 

[oldude]

Wish Molly would come along too but alas she is stuck in the mud...

Molly has actually received some meaningful PT during the 1st half of each of the last 2 games as Geno appears to be intent on trying to build some depth. In order for Molly to firmly establish herself as part of the regular rotation she has to be confident enough to shoot the ball from the arc when she’s open.

 

[JavaMan]

A fellow BY’er once remarked that they were worried that Kyla might hurt herself because she cheered so hard for her teammates. Kyla’s commitment to her team is unquestioned. From the moment she first arrived on campus, Kyla has worked diligently to do anything and everything to help her team succeed. A lot of superstars have passed through the doors at UConn. Their names hang along with the HOH in recognition of their incredible achievements. But UConn WBB has never been all about superstars. Megan Gardler, Maria Conlon, Saniya Chong and many others all contributed to great UConn teams by doing all the little things that translate into greatness for their team.

The conventional wisdom on Kyla is that she is an incredibly smart basketball player, that lacked the athleticism to be a key contributor at UConn. I confess that I was one of the people who held that belief. For three years, that wisdom has generally held true. But something remarkable occurred last night. After Liv had received some kind of cut that required bandaging, it appeared as if the refs would not allow Geno to put Liv back in the game immediately, so he waved at Kyla to replace Liv in the lineup. Kyla ripped off her sweats and ran out on the floor.

What happened next was wonderful. Kyla proceeded to have maybe the best 24 minutes of her life. She set picks, boxed out, took charges. Kyla filled up the stat sheet: 13 pts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks. She made all her shots, including 2 from the arc. In fact, Kyla hasn’t missed a shot from the field so far this season. Clearly, Kyla is not going to spend her senior year in college just cheering for her teammates and playing mop up minutes. IMO, she’s earned Geno’s trust and will be part of the regular rotation going forward.

For UConn WBB, winning championships, setting records and earning AA honors are often the noteworthy achievements that we all tend to focus on. But Geno has always commented that his most important goal is to assure that the players he brings in achieve their potential. I think we are witnessing that with Kyla, and it is a beautiful thing to see. After the game Kyla commented, “I’m so happy that now I have this expectation that I’m going to come off the bench and do something.” Kyla has spent much of her first three years at UConn jumping up and cheering for her UConn teammates. Now I think we can all jump up and cheer for Kyla.

This post has just earned @oldude the new "Boneyard Pulitizer of the Day Award" for a vibrint, insightful and enjoyable post. Congrats! And thank you, Sir.

 

[Dokey]

Molly has actually received some meaningful PT during the 1st half of each of the last 2 games as Geno appears to be intent on trying to build some depth. In order for Molly to firmly establish herself as part of the regular rotation she has to be confident enough to shoot the ball from the arc when she’s open.

Please note that Molly’s hand was heavily bandaged.

 

[BroadwayVa]

A fellow BY’er once remarked that they were worried that Kyla might hurt herself because she cheered so hard for her teammates. Kyla’s commitment to her team is unquestioned. From the moment she first arrived on campus, Kyla has worked diligently to do anything and everything to help her team succeed. A lot of superstars have passed through the doors at UConn. Their names hang along with the HOH in recognition of their incredible achievements. But UConn WBB has never been all about superstars. Megan Gardler, Maria Conlon, Saniya Chong and many others all contributed to great UConn teams by doing all the little things that translate into greatness for their team.

The conventional wisdom on Kyla is that she is an incredibly smart basketball player, that lacked the athleticism to be a key contributor at UConn. I confess that I was one of the people who held that belief. For three years, that wisdom has generally held true. But something remarkable occurred last night. After Liv had received some kind of cut that required bandaging, it appeared as if the refs would not allow Geno to put Liv back in the game immediately, so he waved at Kyla to replace Liv in the lineup. Kyla ripped off her sweats and ran out on the floor.

What happened next was wonderful. Kyla proceeded to have maybe the best 24 minutes of her life. She set picks, boxed out, took charges. Kyla filled up the stat sheet: 13 pts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks. She made all her shots, including 2 from the arc. In fact, Kyla hasn’t missed a shot from the field so far this season. Clearly, Kyla is not going to spend her senior year in college just cheering for her teammates and playing mop up minutes. IMO, she’s earned Geno’s trust and will be part of the regular rotation going forward.

For UConn WBB, winning championships, setting records and earning AA honors are often the noteworthy achievements that we all tend to focus on. But Geno has always commented that his most important goal is to assure that the players he brings in achieve their potential. I think we are witnessing that with Kyla, and it is a beautiful thing to see. After the game Kyla commented, “I’m so happy that now I have this expectation that I’m going to come off the bench and do something.” Kyla has spent much of her first three years at UConn jumping up and cheering for her UConn teammates. Now I think we can all jump up and cheer for Kyla.

This whole pieces speaks for me too--and for my view of Kyla then and now. I can't jump in to loudly with ONE game. I hope and pray she will exercise her abilities to their maximum for her on to Mid April.
I too hope she will be THAT player off the bench.
About Geno givin her the nod---view that part of the game again. He Looked around and finally with Kyla sitting there behind him, being pushed by the Ref to getting it going, pointed to Kyla. She exceeded his and our expectation by many miles. You are right Kyla is now and has always been a GREAT TEAMMATE.

 

[cohenzone]

I think that Geno himself thought (thinks?) she wasn’t athletically up to at least better competition. Many of us, including me, have been impressed by her contributions when she’s had more than a few minutes at the end. I’d like to see her get a few more minutes in the flow of the game. Her 3 point stroke seems worthy of having some plays designed for her. She seems to find a way to score when she has the chance and to enough other things that the team doesn’t suffer when she’s on the floor.

 

[TheGOAT23]

Kyla set a MASSIVE screen last night in one sequence. Ouch!! Every time she shoots the ball, I yell, “CASH”! She’s the ultimate team player and on occasions she will let her teammates know where to go on the floor.

 

[Huskee11]

There are at least four other teammates who are very capable of driving to the hoop and drawing the defense to them. That is a great situation for a knock down three point shooter to be in. Kyla needs a bit of time to get her shot off but her mechanics are solid and she is obviously capable of hitting the open three.

Drew a couple of charges, passed the ball great with 5 first half assists, screens well, knows where to be and what to do. There is a role for her out there. I couldn`t be happier for her.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Great Post... Thanks @oldude

I have always enjoyed watching my fellow "Keystone Stater" ... her sheer joy displayed by being a UCONN Husky Women's Basketball Team Member warms my heart. She knows her role, and she does everything she can to help the TEAM be successful!

GO Huskeys!!!

 

[Longtime fan]

A fellow BY’er once remarked that they were worried that Kyla might hurt herself because she cheered so hard for her teammates. Kyla’s commitment to her team is unquestioned. From the moment she first arrived on campus, Kyla has worked diligently to do anything and everything to help her team succeed. A lot of superstars have passed through the doors at UConn. Their names hang along with the HOH in recognition of their incredible achievements. But UConn WBB has never been all about superstars. Megan Gardler, Maria Conlon, Saniya Chong and many others all contributed to great UConn teams by doing all the little things that translate into greatness for their team.

The conventional wisdom on Kyla is that she is an incredibly smart basketball player, that lacked the athleticism to be a key contributor at UConn. I confess that I was one of the people who held that belief. For three years, that wisdom has generally held true. But something remarkable occurred last night. After Liv had received some kind of cut that required bandaging, it appeared as if the refs would not allow Geno to put Liv back in the game immediately, so he waved at Kyla to replace Liv in the lineup. Kyla ripped off her sweats and ran out on the floor.

What happened next was wonderful. Kyla proceeded to have maybe the best 24 minutes of her life. She set picks, boxed out, took charges. Kyla filled up the stat sheet: 13 pts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks. She made all her shots, including 2 from the arc. In fact, Kyla hasn’t missed a shot from the field so far this season. Clearly, Kyla is not going to spend her senior year in college just cheering for her teammates and playing mop up minutes. IMO, she’s earned Geno’s trust and will be part of the regular rotation going forward.

For UConn WBB, winning championships, setting records and earning AA honors are often the noteworthy achievements that we all tend to focus on. But Geno has always commented that his most important goal is to assure that the players he brings in achieve their potential. I think we are witnessing that with Kyla, and it is a beautiful thing to see. After the game Kyla commented, “I’m so happy that now I have this expectation that I’m going to come off the bench and do something.” Kyla has spent much of her first three years at UConn jumping up and cheering for her UConn teammates. Now I think we can all jump up and cheer for Kyla.

Well said. She absolutely earned the trust of coach, if she didn't already have it. She is clearly the first person off the bench , after the starting six. She blossomed in every aspect of her game. Those two behind the back, bounce passes for assists were pure gold.

 

[Ozimoto]

She did look a little surprised when Geno called her number to go in, but she sure knew what to do when she was in the game.

 

[Lawrence]

A fellow BY’er once remarked that they were worried that Kyla might hurt herself because she cheered so hard for her teammates. Kyla’s commitment to her team is unquestioned. From the moment she first arrived on campus, Kyla has worked diligently to do anything and everything to help her team succeed. A lot of superstars have passed through the doors at UConn. Their names hang along with the HOH in recognition of their incredible achievements. But UConn WBB has never been all about superstars. Megan Gardler, Maria Conlon, Saniya Chong and many others all contributed to great UConn teams by doing all the little things that translate into greatness for their team.

The conventional wisdom on Kyla is that she is an incredibly smart basketball player, that lacked the athleticism to be a key contributor at UConn. I confess that I was one of the people who held that belief. For three years, that wisdom has generally held true. But something remarkable occurred last night. After Liv had received some kind of cut that required bandaging, it appeared as if the refs would not allow Geno to put Liv back in the game immediately, so he waved at Kyla to replace Liv in the lineup. Kyla ripped off her sweats and ran out on the floor.

What happened next was wonderful. Kyla proceeded to have maybe the best 24 minutes of her life. She set picks, boxed out, took charges. Kyla filled up the stat sheet: 13 pts, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks. She made all her shots, including 2 from the arc. In fact, Kyla hasn’t missed a shot from the field so far this season. Clearly, Kyla is not going to spend her senior year in college just cheering for her teammates and playing mop up minutes. IMO, she’s earned Geno’s trust and will be part of the regular rotation going forward.

For UConn WBB, winning championships, setting records and earning AA honors are often the noteworthy achievements that we all tend to focus on. But Geno has always commented that his most important goal is to assure that the players he brings in achieve their potential. I think we are witnessing that with Kyla, and it is a beautiful thing to see. After the game Kyla commented, “I’m so happy that now I have this expectation that I’m going to come off the bench and do something.” Kyla has spent much of her first three years at UConn jumping up and cheering for her UConn teammates. Now I think we can all jump up and cheer for Kyla.

This is great for Kyla. She has arrived...

 

[oldude]

Geno on Kyla in his post game presser:

“She works so hard. She’s a great teammate. I like to see those kids get rewarded.”

 

[ABCDFE]

The main thing with Kyla is she goes in the game with a purpose. Her shot looks really good mechanically and she doesn’t hesitate to shoot now. Lastly her passing is as crisp as a guard. She now brings something where other good teams can’t leave her wide open which makes the offense flow much better. Defensively she will compete but against good players most likely won’t be sufficient, but more pros than cons this year when out. On the floor. Extremely proud of the way she has grown as a player.

 

[eebmg]

She did look a little surprised when Geno called her number to go in, but she sure knew what to do when she was in the game.

Geno looked more surprised.

 

[eebmg]

Well said. She absolutely earned the trust of coach, if she didn't already have it. She is clearly the first person off the bench , after the starting six. She blossomed in every aspect of her game. Those two behind the back, bounce passes for assists were pure gold.

The first one was very very good but the second to Christyn was truly unbelievable. The angle and speed together.

Sue Bird taking notes.

 

[msf22b]

Amazing, that now in her 4th year in the program, Kyla has put all the pieces together.
I'm not sure to what we might ascribe it to. But I'll give it a try.

Last season (it was last season wasn't it?) she returned to campus with a new svelte bod.
But truthfully, not much changed playing wise.

Sometimes, it just takes time to adjust to one's new quickness, agility, and increased athleticism and figure out how to integrate these new physical advances into one's game.

Then too, she may have spent the summer practicing her shots.

We always knew that her BB IQ and was high and pedigree impressive.
She, by now, has assimilated a complete understanding of Geno's system, four years of being yelled at, given repeated notes, cajoled.

Put it all together: a super bright mind, increased mobility, confidence in her shots, confidence and familiarity in the system...and understanding of her role.

It's really terrif when such an event happens before our eyes.
Kyla's transformation puts a wonderful new spin on the season.

 

[warbler1055]

I feel really upbeat after reading this thread started by the wonderful oldude's opening post. There is of course the Lyla great performance, but to have so many others recognized it and be happy for her makes me feel there is hope for our community!!! Alas the Washington zoo depressing story keeps going on!!!

 

[oldude]

I just watched the game replay focusing on Kyla. When Kyla entered the game, UConn was up 13-9. During the period of time she was in the game UConn outscored UVA 29-7 effectively putting the game away. On just about every single offensive or defensive possession, Kyla did something to contribute: play tough defense, screen for a teammate, dive on the floor for a lose ball, make a pass, draw a foul, keep a play alive by getting her hand on a rebound. Honestly, I thought Kyla was the best player on the court the first time I watched the game. After watching it a second time, I now believe Kyla was spectacular.

 

[Bama fan]

I just watched the game replay focusing on Kyla. When Kyla entered the game, UConn was up 13-9. During the period of time she was in the game UConn outscored UVA 29-7 effectively putting the game away. On just about every single offensive or defensive possession, Kyla did something to contribute: play tough defense, screen for a teammate, dive on the floor for a lose ball, make a pass, draw a foul, keep a play alive by getting her hand on a rebound. Honestly, I thought Kyla was the best player on the court the first time I watched the game. After watching it a second time, I now believe Kyla was spectacular.

She was a joy to watch in the game. All aspects of her game shown brightly. But I was even more impressed with her post game interview. She was positively ebullient. And so aware of her role as a team mate. When she spoke, she was praising her team, the coaches, and the years of learning that led to the performance of her career. Humble and happy, she is just a fine young woman. And an exemplar of the UConn women's basketball tradition. And lastly, she got a boost in for her pal Molly. "Molly always finds me". Her interview was the brightest spot of the day for me.