Lesson of last two seasons

[paisan]

For me the biggest lesson was just how irreplaceable Stewie is. For four seasons every time there was an important game or the game was on the line...she came through. She never lost her composure and she was as tough as could be .she always made the shot, the block, or the pass needed. As much as we had high hopes none of the players for the last two seasons have come close. For myself, I believe she is the best ever, so I guess it was unfair of me to expect any of the current group to compare. Just sayin it took me awhile to appreciate how special she was.

 

[augustaTC]

She was a stupendous player for the Huskies - much the same as Dee and Maya were, and then some. As noted, when needed, she did whatever it took. Until another player like Stewie shows up in Storrs (very unlikely, at least in my lifetime!) and has the supporting players she needs around her, we won't see the numbers & streaks and NCs like we did then. Those are years to cherish and appreciate. Not only for how special Stewie was, but also, I think, how great the last two years' team have performed without her (and Mo and Tuck of course).

 

[Carnac]

She was a stupendous player for the Huskies - much the same as Dee and Maya were, and then some. As noted, when needed, she did whatever it took. Until another player like Stewie shows up in Storrs (very unlikely, at least in my lifetime!) and has the supporting players she needs around her, we won't see the numbers & streaks and NCs like we did then. Those are years to cherish and appreciate. Not only for how special Stewie was, but also, I think, how great the last two years' team have performed without her (and Mo and Tuck of course).

Yes!! It was a perfect storm. A storm as you say we may never see again.

 

[Monte]

Your statements are not a lesson.....they are based on a circumstance: a great player is gone.

 

[hugefan]

This comment has nothing to do with Stewie as I love her, but some seem to forget who she played with and that there were games when other Huskies carried the load. For example, semi game against OSU, most considered that game the final as they were a better team than Syracuse, Stewie sat the bench in the first half in foul trouble and we trashed OSU. Game was over by the half.
Each and every year is different, let’s not forget that.

 

[RogueDave]

Through the years I have always believed Uconn women's program was built on a system that put a premium on developing talented players teaching them how to play great team basketball.

At times we have had superstar player or players that would win regardless of the competions players or team play...

This year Notre Dame did what we are usually able to do...out play the other teams...what they did was amazing considering the injuries...

Going forward I see an opportunity for the program, an adjustment really to include recruiting players capable of creating their own shot via dribble drive to the basket...

It is a team dimension our game has not had in awhile...Tiffany Hayes came to mind as someone who could consistently go by anyone...

 

[hugefan]

Again enough with the freaking injuries who were all sitting on NDs bench and they had a 7 player rotation. We had 3 of our main players in foul trouble who btws 2 never got into foul trouble. We still had the shot to win the game and yet the crying about their ACLS who had no affect on their season if you consider their 2 transfers keeps on going as if Muffet herself were posting on this board. Probably is.

 

[huskyrob1]

For me the biggest lesson was just how irreplaceable Stewie is. For four seasons every time there was an important game or the game was on the line...she came through. She never lost her composure and she was as tough as could be .she always made the shot, the block, or the pass needed. As much as we had high hopes none of the players for the last two seasons have come close. For myself, I believe she is the best ever, so I guess it was unfair of me to expect any of the current group to compare. Just sayin it took me awhile to appreciate how special she was.

I think the kid we have coming in this fall is the best high school player since Stewie, and she will be wearing a UConn uniform.

 

[Jim R]

"For myself, I believe she is the best ever, so I guess it was unfair of me to expect any of the current group to compare." Would agree. Dee & Maya were both fearless, and clutch, but, Stewie, in addition to that, could affect the game in more than a couple of ways, simply due to her talent, coupled with her length. As Justinesguy mentioned elsewhere, ND is going to be the darling of the media next year - and, good for them. While it hurts many of the Boneyard faithful, let them have their "day in the sun." Can you imagine what it must feel like to be the bridesmaid time after time? And, in most cases, eliminated by our Huskies.
Look, if nothing else, Geno is a competitor. Don't know if he thinks the last two championships slipped away, but, its got to bother him to get so close, and leave empt handed. And, if nothing else, perhaps its convinced he and the staff, that while shooters and talented "swing" players are important, its tough to win without height. After a well deserved rest, don't you think he's looking forward to the opportunity next year, to prove the "doubters" wrong? (Yes, there are doubters - remember, we win because we have the best talent, not necessarily the coaching) And, while I don't doubt Muffet's ability to "coach 'em up", NDs always been a step slow, and still is. And, their bread and butter continues to be the "drive and one" - we simply need to do a better job of defending it. Keep them off the line, and the game is ours.
Next year will be enjoyable, and expect we'll have another FF appointment, this one in Tampa Bay.

 

[ucbart]

While Stewie is a once in a generation player, I think we missed Moriah Jefferson just as much, if not more. Kia, while an amazing player who I loved, doesn't have the type of game that she can create her own shot. And Crystal while a great PG, was very inexperienced. I think having a great PG, who is a junior next season, will be very beneficial to us.....especially one who can create her own shot.

I was sitting right on the floor of that FF debacle. ND had two guards who could drive and either draw a foul or make a shot, we didn't. Game over.

 

[DEpup]

Then welcome Chrystin Williams! She can create her own shot!

 

[the Q]

Then welcome Chrystin Williams! She can create her own shot!

I think this is the message.

That and you can't let girls 50 pounds heavier than you beat you in transition.

And, clearly the FF is going to be called far looser than any other games up to that point in the season. if that's an E8 game uconn wins going away because ND is in a ton of foul trouble. But it also means Geno needs to add some serious size to combat the new physical play allowed at that point.

 

[Conndog]

I was going to say Moriah Jefferson too but as much for her defense. She just smothered her opponent when defending, and I don't think ND's guard would have made the winning shot if she had Moriah guarding her.

 

[Tenspro2002]

We need players who can execute when we have to go to a Plan B.

The whole "practice until we can't get it wrong" is great for when we can use Plan A to pound inferior teams into oblivion. But it also creates players who are too rigid and don't know how to improvise and take over a game.

Two years in a row we've wilted on the biggest stage when confronted with a plucky opponent who knew how to take away Plan A.

 

[Longtime fan]

I think the kid we have coming in this fall is the best high school player since Stewie, and she will be wearing a UConn uniform.

All of this discussion makes me think of that great piece by the Everly Brothers...." ...dream, dream, dream...."

 

[BostonFan]

While Stewie is a once in a generation player, I think we missed Moriah Jefferson just as much, if not more. Kia, while an amazing player who I loved, doesn't have the type of game that she can create her own shot. And Crystal while a great PG, was very inexperienced. I think having a great PG, who is a junior next season, will be very beneficial to us.....especially one who can create her own shot.

I was sitting right on the floor of that FF debacle. ND had two guards who could drive and either draw a foul or make a shot, we didn't. Game over.

I was going to post the same thing. MJ could break down any defense & she could also knock down shots. She was also a pest on defense. CD has shown flashes, but she is too inconsistent & was totally outplayed in the FF game. She just cant break down a good defense, which is disappointing considering the hype out of high school. Ditto for Chong the year before. Replace CD & Chong with MJ & we win the last 2 titles. Replace Stewie for Lou the last 2 seasons, I'm still not sure we win the title either year.

Geno decided he was going to play a fast-moving, passing, perimeter type of offense the last few years, versus pounding the ball inside for points consistently. Thats fine, but the key to that approach is having very good point-guard play that can penetrate & create space for others. I think Geno underestimated how good MJ was & assumed she could be replaced.

 

[HuskyNan]

I was going to post the same thing. MJ could break down any defense & she could also knock down shots. She was also a pest on defense. CD has shown flashes, but she is too inconsistent & was totally outplayed in the FF game. She just cant break down a good defense, which is disappointing considering the hype out of high school. Ditto for Chung the year before. Replace CD & Chung with MJ & we win the last 2 titles. Replace Stewie for Lou the last 2 seasons, I'm still not sure we win the title either year.

Geno decided he was going to play a fast-moving, passing, perimeter type of offense the last few years, versus pounding the ball inside for points consistently. Thats fine, but the key to that approach is having very good point-guard play that can penetrate & create space for others. I think Geno underestimated how good MJ was & assumed she could be replaced.

If you're going to trash the UConn players, at least spell their names correctly.

 

[paisan]

Then welcome Chrystin Williams! She can create her own shot!

But is she 6 4 with a 7 ft arm span , shoot the 3 , block shots, pass, rebound, dribble drive, and command the entire attention of the opponent.

 

[bballnut90]

While Stewie is a once in a generation player, I think we missed Moriah Jefferson just as much, if not more. Kia, while an amazing player who I loved, doesn't have the type of game that she can create her own shot. And Crystal while a great PG, was very inexperienced. I think having a great PG, who is a junior next season, will be very beneficial to us.....especially one who can create her own shot.

I was sitting right on the floor of that FF debacle. ND had two guards who could drive and either draw a foul or make a shot, we didn't. Game over.

I think Jefferson is sorely underrated as a collegiate player due to being overshadowed by Stewart. When you stack up her accomplishments and numbers next to Bird's, there's no question IMO that Jefferson was the superior collegiate player. She could pretty much score at will but never forced the issue. She did everything well and quietly led three of the most dominant teams of all time. FWIW, she should have won MOP in 2015, too.

Losing those 2 players was massive. Both players could put UCONN on their back in any given moment. For better or worse, UCONN's system seems to have turned even more passing oriented than before. Almost all buckets are assisted and are scored within the flow of the offense. As a result, the team plays darn good basketball most of the time, but they've looked lost when their offense hits a rut, or other teams are able to slow them down. There really isn't a bailout player. The other 3 Final Four teams all had bailout players who could create their own offense if they were in a rut. Whether it was Durr from the perimeter, Arike/Vivians off the dribble, or McCowan cleaning up every offensive rebound, they had bailout players. I don't think a bailout player is required to win a championship, but I do think having someone who you know you can count on in crunch time makes a HUGe difference, as we saw this year.

 

[Florida Fan]

For me the biggest lesson was just how irreplaceable Stewie is. For four seasons every time there was an important game or the game was on the line...she came through. She never lost her composure and she was as tough as could be .she always made the shot, the block, or the pass needed. As much as we had high hopes none of the players for the last two seasons have come close. For myself, I believe she is the best ever, so I guess it was unfair of me to expect any of the current group to compare. Just sayin it took me awhile to appreciate how special she was.

Waiting for the next Stewie, or Maya doesn't help us for next year. I was content to let Z be our next superstar. That was not to be. Brunelle's signing with ND was expected, she joining the log jam in South Bend. Luckily, those prospects can't all start at once. I'm looking at ONO for a late-season impact. Her 98 rating stated that she is an "explosive leaper." That has to help Pheesa and Lou and a revitalized Megan. When KML and LOU were number one recruits, they blossomed in Storrs. Gabby and Pheesa were icings on the cake. Let ND wallow in their promoted expectations, I'm betting on our healed nucleus and the frosh now destined for meaningful minutes.

 

[CocoHusky]

“Sometimes you have to be exposed to this and fail when it's all on you,” he said after the Huskies' 91-89 loss in overtime on Friday. “It's a great learning tool. But I'm a pretty smart guy. I don't need to learn this (expletive) two years in a row.”
Geno
UConn women's basketball, Geno Auriemma come to grips with consecutive NCAA setbacks

 

[Charliebball]

“Sometimes you have to be exposed to this and fail when it's all on you,” he said after the Huskies' 91-89 loss in overtime on Friday. “It's a great learning tool. But I'm a pretty smart guy. I don't need to learn this (expletive) two years in a row.”
Geno
UConn women's basketball, Geno Auriemma come to grips with consecutive NCAA setbacks

there's a possibility he may not have to worry about it next year............

 

[mbr33ct]

How do we know Stewie's last 2 NC wins were not for the reason of Nurse and Gabby?

 

[paisan]

How do we know Stewie's last 2 NC wins were not for the reason of Nurse and Gabby?

Because Kia and Gabby lost w/o Stewie

 

[Reypl21]

How do we know Stewie's last 2 NC wins were not for the reason of Nurse and Gabby?

The 2015 title you could say Nurse had an impact. I remember her hitting a big 3 in the second half. Gabby didn't impact that game. The 2016 game....

 

[Roger G]

Remember, Chrystal had shin splints. Otherwise, she is perfectly capable of penetrating a defense as she showed over and over during the year and even some the previous year. What we really need is a Tina Charles, physical force inside. She was as important to the two titles she won as any player ever was on any UConn team, other than Diana Taurasi her Senior year. (Underrated!)

 

[Fightin Choke]

Waiting for the next Stewie, or Maya doesn't help us for next year. I was content to let Z be our next superstar. That was not to be. Brunelle's signing with ND was expected, she joining the log jam in South Bend. Luckily, those prospects can't all start at once. I'm looking at ONO for a late-season impact. Her 98 rating stated that she is an "explosive leaper." That has to help Pheesa and Lou and a revitalized Megan. When KML and LOU were number one recruits, they blossomed in Storrs. Gabby and Pheesa were icings on the cake. Let ND wallow in their promoted expectations, I'm betting on our healed nucleus and the frosh now destined for meaningful minutes.

There's really no log jam. Sure, Notre Dame has no starting spots open this coming year, but Sam will be enjoying her senior year of high school then. When Sam joins the Irish, the team will not be overpopulated:

Senior (1): Jackie Young
Junior (1): Dani Patterson
Sophomore (5): RS sophomore Mikayla Vaughn, Katlyn Gilbert, Jordan Nixon, Abby Prohaska, Danielle Cosgrove
Freshman (2 thus far): Anaya Peoples, Sam Brunelle

So far that's only 9 players, and even if Muffet were to add two more recruits in the 2019 class, that would only be 11 players. The Huskies have 11 this season and they are entertaining the possibility of adding two more through graduate transfer. Notre Dame comes into the present season with 7 returning players and 4 freshman, which is also only 11 players.

 

[Charliebball]

There's really no log jam. Sure, Notre Dame has no starting spots open this coming year, but Sam will be enjoying her senior year of high school then. When Sam joins the Irish, the team will not be overpopulated:

Senior (1): Jackie Young
Junior (1): Dani Patterson
Sophomore (5): RS sophomore Mikayla Vaughn, Katlyn Gilbert, Jordan Nixon, Abby Prohaska, Danielle Cosgrove
Freshman (2 thus far): Anaya Peoples, Sam Brunelle

So far that's only 9 players, and even if Muffet were to add two more recruits in the 2019 class, that would only be 11 players. The Huskies have 11 this season and they are entertaining the possibility of adding two more through graduate transfer. Notre Dame comes into the present season with 7 returning players and 4 freshman, which is also only 11 players.

Hey Choke........according to the folks on your board, ND has Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and even '21 Azzi Fudd already lined up.............while I'm not buying that wishful line of thinking.........what exactly would you tell Gilbert, Prohaska, Nixon and Peoples to do.............collect dust?

 

[Fightin Choke]

Hey Choke...according to the folks on your board, ND has Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and even '21 Azzi Fudd already lined up...while I'm not buying that wishful line of thinking....what exactly would you tell Gilbert, Prohaska, Nixon and Peoples to do...collect dust?

Clearly Notre Dame needs to have extra scholarships to accommodate all those recruits, but reading on this board, I realized that Notre Dame is allowed to skirt the rules, so that shouldn't pose much of a problem. As for playing time, Fudd won't arrive until Gilbert, Prohaska, and Nixon are seniors, so Peoples (as a junior) is the only one that really has to worry about her. I imagine it will all work out in the end. I'm just happy that the Irish will get all the good recruits for a change. I heard that Muffet was getting bullseyes sewn on the back of the women's game jerseys to make it easier for opponents to target them. Oh the burden of being the National Champion!

 

[Charliebball]

Clearly Notre Dame needs to have extra scholarships to accommodate all those recruits, but reading on this board, I realized that Notre Dame is allowed to skirt the rules, so that shouldn't pose much of a problem. As for playing time, Fudd won't arrive until Gilbert, Prohaska, and Nixon are seniors, so Peoples (as a junior) is the only one that really has to worry about her. I imagine it will all work out in the end. I'm just happy that the Irish will get all the good recruits for a change. I heard that Muffet was getting bullseyes sewn on the back of the women's game jerseys to make it easier for opponents to target them. Oh the burden of being the National Champion!

Come on now, let's not over exaggerate...............the NCAA only bends the rules for you guys on transfers and team fouls..............and if you think this board is the only one that throws that wild idea around you need to go look at your other competitor's boards.............if the transfer rules aren't changed this year just wait for the chorus of ND favoritism when the NCAA turns down it's first request for immediate playing time for a Florida State or Louisville transfer............. that bulls eye really can be a burden...........in a way it's refreshing to watch somebody else carry the heavy weight of expectations................if you guys get knocked out in the semi-finals I guess all that ND positivity will be for naught...............heck Fudd might be wearing a UConn or Oregon shirt before you know it!!! .........