Long Article on Caroline Ducharme from Mike Anthony

[jazz]

For some UConn fans Muhl will never earn their respect. She could score 20 a night and people would still be looking to cut her minutes or replace her with someone else. I don't get it. Like what does she have to do to be worthy?

just tune out those idiots. NM has proven to be a very capable player as a freshman when most on this site thought she would not be. she just looked at everybody who doubted her and said:

'Piss off, Im a very good player, Im not slow as many (and you know who you are so don't hide!) would say, I can and will hit the three as many say I cant, and I do a lot of things people dont give me credit for like my defence and passing (well at least until GA said something, then you all loved me!). I do need to work on my layups and that is on my list for next year!'

One person (who shall be nameless) said she wasnt any better than Molly Bent along with a lot of other demeaning posts...yeah ok....

the biggest thing i like about her, is that the game wasnt too big for her despite all the negativity...she showed everybody she belongs.

Since GA put her in as a starter, the naysayers on this board went into hiding!

 

[jazz]

I don't think we can look at last year in an attempt to determine minutes this year nor can we predict how the freshmen will adapt.
Nika and Azzi play different positions. Azzi's minutes will come from E and CW. Paige or E can take over the point when Nika needs a break.
E particularly will see fewer minutes because there is competition at the 4 where she filled in admirably last year.
Geno has already stated that unless she improves, O will see her 'touches' reduced to Aaliyah.
That comment was made before the commitment of Dorka.

But the bottom line is this; playing time is determined by how well you play defense.

if she hits the three and can play better D than CW, then CW sits....

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Geno "loves" Nika as he sees a lot of himself in her!
His roots going back to Italy and Nika's going back to Croatia, the European mind-set/values that a person born and raised in the good old USA isn't raised with!
So just as CD2 had Geno's respect and admiration and started, Nika will start because Geno trusts her to give 110% every minute, not that other UCONN players don't but Nika's values are different!
IMHO, the 5 starters for the 1st 4 or 5 games will be:
Paige Bueckers SG
Nika Muhl PG
Christyn Williams SF
Aaliyah Edwards PF
Dorka Juhasz C
The 1st players off the bench will be:
Olivia Nelson-Ododa C and Azzi Fudd G ( Azzi will still average 28 to 30 minutes a game)
Remember though Geno really doesn't have Positions they are interchangeable parts to the puzzle!
As the season progresses I wouldn't be surprised to see Evina Westbrook, Azzi, and ONO, starting!

Geno emigrated when he was seven years old to Norristown, PA (northern suburb of Philadelphia) with his family. Philly toughness combined with his folks' traditions - appears to be an outstanding combination for the greatest women's college basketball coach ever!!!
I believe the starting lineup will stabilize at the Louisville HOF game in December, and developing mismatches with Geno's "positionless" basketball will be the key to the 2022 run to the National Championship.
I hope to see them again at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse in the coming year. They will be amazing to watch, and I am not concerned about who is playing when, as I believe no one will be able to get within ten points of them in the last two minutes of any game - including Stanford and South Carolina, who are good but not great. These Huskies will be great come tournament time. Go Huskies! Stay healthy!

 

[Alydar]

I think you’ve got it backward. If Azzi starts over CW it almost surely means that CW is playing horribly.
So, no, I don’t root for Azzi to start over CW or EW.

It most certainly does not mean that.

 

[Vowelguy]

It most certainly does not mean that.

Ok show me an example of a UConn player losing her starting spot to a frosh.

 

[Geew1992]

This is the first time I've heard of Christyn getting demoted.

You’ve missed numerous threads

 

[Drew8]

Nika muhl fans seem to be emotional, tough and stubborn. I cheer for her too.

 

[Alydar]

Ok show me an example of a UConn player losing her starting spot to a frosh.

That's not what you said.

In essense you said that if Williams isn't as good as Fudd then she stinks.

 

[Alydar]

Who starts in the backcourt is far from settled. In fact who starts anywhere is unknown since Bueckers could conceivably end up at the wing. Seniors start because they are better, not due to some loyalty. Out-performing a senior, with 3 years of UConn coaching/training is a tall task for a freshman. But would Bueckers have started over Williams last season if it had come down to that? Many say that Fudd is at least as talented and productive as Bueckers.
The question gets complicated when you have to not only analyze each players skills but also have to see which combinations work better than others. The possibilities are endless given the depth and breadth of the talent this year. It's not my decision so I just get to watch and critique.

 

[Littlemin]

Who starts in the backcourt is far from settled. In fact who starts anywhere is unknown since Bueckers could conceivably end up at the wing. Seniors start because they are better, not due to some loyalty. Out-performing a senior, with 3 years of UConn coaching/training is a tall task for a freshman. But would Bueckers have started over Williams last season if it had come down to that? Many say that Fudd is at least as talented and productive as Bueckers.
The question gets complicated when you have to not only analyze each players skills but also have to see which combinations work better than others. The possibilities are endless given the depth and breadth of the talent this year. It's not my decision so I just get to watch and critique.

Agree, one other point, many posters put all their emphasis on offense when commenting, while the coaching staff obviously looks at playing time from a much broader angle; in point of fact offense quite possibly comes in third to defense and team chemistry.

 

[BostonBay]

Azzi & Paige have great chemistry. Hard to replicate that on the court. They know each other' games so well. So, Azzi will probably start w/Paige to take advantage of their relationship. This is not a knock on Nika. I think her game is well-suited for a 6th man role anyway - bring instant energy & intensity off the bench.

 

[Boreifs]

So you too are ready to send Christyn Williams out to pasture in her senior year? I don't think so.

Azzi and Paige are both generational players who could be the starting guards on the Olympic team for years. Being replaced by either of them hardly rates a “put out to pasture” metaphor.

 

[Charliebball]

I think Geno is going to have to really consider going ten deep next season on a regular basis............last season PB averaged 36 mpg, CW 34 mpg and EW 30 mpg.............with this kind of depth there's little reason for any player to be logging over 30 minutes per game..........

 

[bluedevil]

This is the first time I've heard of Christyn getting demoted.

It should be the last time.

 

[Drew8]

I think the rotation will start out similar to the end of last year. Thier was no glaring weakness that needed to be filled. Some complained of a lack of outside shooters and dominant go-to post play. The four newcomers would have to earn their way up the ranks with great play and keeping up the great defence.

 

[hoophuskee]

I’m ecstatic that we have Ducharme. She’s a terrific fit for what Geno wants to do.

He has 3 players that can play quality pg now with Nika, Paige and Azzi. Make no mistake Paige and Azzi can easily play pg. It’s not just Nika. As a result, the 1/2/3 combo of Paige/Azzi and Ducharme regarding future scoring capabilities could be amazing. And by Paige’s junior year she should be able to also play SF -meaning that Nika will remain a terrific glue player even if Ducharme, Paige and Azzi are tremendous.

In regards to Ducharme- Geno prefers offense – and she is a natural 2/3. I know some refuse to believe that he prefers offense – but listen to the podcast that UconnCat had provided a while back (link below). (and he played Anna over Griff for a reason. Nor did he start Griffin this year even though he was smaller at PF without her.) He says the following from the podcast:

“The game has changed so much that if you can’t shoot the ball then you can’t play basketball the way the game is played today.”

Geno on Slappin' Glass Podcast

For those that want defense/defense/defense – at least to this point- that’s not Geno. I’m bias – Geno coaches to the style (offense) I love. Not a fan of “grind” basketball. And Ducharme seems to have the potential makings of a free-flowing scorer.

I don’t expect she’ll get many minutes her frosh year - but interested to see if the extended 3pt line will affect her shot. If she can’t hit her outside shot- then she’s going to struggle to play (she can still play as a niche player but ofc we would love to see much greater than niche.). If she can hit the 3 and attack the basket with success which it seems she likes to do—then she’ll become tremendous. I love that she is coming to UCONN.

 

[Vowelguy]

That's not what you said.

In essense you said that if Williams isn't as good as Fudd then she stinks.

No. I said CW will not lose her starting spot, regardless of Fudd, unless she is terrible.

the idea that “fudd is better so she will start” has been disproven time and again by Geno.

Otherwise Kesha Maya Diana would’ve started.

 

[Geew1992]

It should be the last time.

pretty sure it won’t be

 

[Alydar]

No. I said CW will not lose her starting spot, regardless of Fudd, unless she is terrible.

the idea that “fudd is better so she will start” has been disproven time and again by Geno.

Otherwise Kesha Maya Diana would’ve started.

OK, Give us a couple examples of Geno starting the worse of 2 players? Fudd may or may not be the better player in November. The way Williams played at the end of the season was outstanding, AA level.

What makes me laugh is that while most here would agree that Geno awards minutes based on performance in practice no one here ever sees a practice.

 

[HuskylnSC]

On the 21-22 team, as currently constituted, there is only one pure point guard. She has the trust of the coaching staff and great on and off court relationships with all of the 20-21 players (Paige calls her 'my twin'). Paige is a master improvisational passer with great court vision who dazzles us with 3/4 court assists, who plays better in the half court as an off the ball 2/3 wing. She can also play the point when needed. Evina is rock steady solid defender who scores clutch baskets and who is suited to the 2/3 wing position. She an experienced point guard but not her natural position. Even in high school where Azzi could play the point, she too is better suited to play off the ball as a 2/3 wing. Nika is the engine that makes the team go and I am excited to see what Nika 2.0 brings to the table.

 

[Papa33]

. . . .
What makes me laugh is that while most here would agree that Geno awards minutes based on performance in practice no one here ever sees a practice.

And that is a essential or even crucial to making informed assessments—not to mention assertions—about who starts, who is awarded playing time, who will lead the team in points, etc. And without that day-to-day information (evidence?) about practice performance, how can we be so sure about much of anything? Yet many fans insist on speculating as though they were fully informed. I think a little more caution and fewer absolute claim are often in order.

 

[Vowelguy]

OK, Give us a couple examples of Geno starting the worse of 2 players?

Sales
Shea
Diana
Maya
All were better than starters. None started.

waiting for counterexamples

 

[Alydar]

Sales
Shea
Diana
Maya
All were better than starters. None started.

waiting for counterexamples

So no one in the last 10 years. And at least with Maya and Taurasi they got starter minutes and they were the ones on the court late in tight games.

As much as I admired Bueckers and knew she would get major minutes I didn't think Geno would start her at first. Fudd has a much tougher battle for minutes but I think we will see Bueckers, part deux.

 

[JoePgh]

Sales
Shea
Diana
Maya
All were better than starters. None started.

waiting for counterexamples

To that list you could add Caroline Doty starting as a fifth year senior over Bria Hartley (even though Bria got most of the minutes), and also Moriah not starting as a freshman despite being the most talented point guard on the team. KML would be yet another example of a very talented freshman who did not start.

It's not simply a matter of being respectful and loyal to seniors who have given their heart and soul to the program for three or four years, although that is a significant factor. It's also the fact that freshmen, even if they are supremely talented, are not as skilled in the UConn offensive and defensive systems as more experienced players. That is particularly an issue for point guards.

Does anyone doubt that if Crystal had been a returning senior in 2020-21, she would have started over Paige?

 

[Boreifs]

Thanks for this. I think you are exactly right on this point. It is definitely not a knock on Paige. She is a great passer, but not a point. Sometimes we forget how complicated the point position. At UConn we should remember the two great points we had recently, MoJeff and Crystal Dangerfield, were not good points until at least part way through their sophomore year. I think we don't give Nika enough credit.

I definitely agree. Having both Paige and Azzi as the wings with a true point guard like Nika would be a devastatingly efficient offense. Both of them can come off curls armed with a three pointer, pull up and great passing instincts. One couldn’t possibly double either of them when they are on the floor together.

 

[Boreifs]

To that list you could add Caroline Doty starting as a fifth year senior over Bria Hartley (even though Bria got most of the minutes), and also Moriah not starting as a freshman despite being the most talented point guard on the team. KML would be yet another example of a very talented freshman who did not start.

It's not simply a matter of being respectful and loyal to seniors who have given their heart and soul to the program for three or four years, although that is a significant factor. It's also the fact that freshmen, even if they are supremely talented, are not as skilled in the UConn offensive and defensive systems as more experienced players. That is particularly an issue for point guards.

Does anyone doubt that if Crystal had been a returning senior in 2020-21, she would have started over Paige?

She would have started over someone else. Paige was POY as a Freshman.

 

[Cornell Lt]

It isn't who starts that matters, it's who's on the court at the end of the completive games that matters

 

[oldhusky]

I definitely agree. Having both Paige and Azzi as the wings with a true point guard like Nika would be a devastatingly efficient offense. Both of them can come off curls armed with a three pointer, pull up and great passing instincts. One couldn’t possibly double either of them when they are on the floor together.

If I had to pick a starting lineup I was rooting for, this would probably be it. Nika as a pure point guard with modest scoring and shooting abilities, but great passing ability that works best with very good three point shooters at the wing positions. Of all the options there Christyn and Evina are the "relative" weak links on perimeter shooting. I am not saying they are weak, just mediocre at 3's. Nika teamed with those two would probably not be very effective, but in some combination with two from Paige, Azzi, and Carolyn probably would be.

I always felt the move to have Nika at the point when teamed with Paige was based on several things. Paige could be great at either role, but when she is a point guard with Christyn and Evina she does not have a great shooter to pass to, and the best 3pt shooter (Paige) has the ball in her hands making it hard to free her up for a 3pointer herself.

Then when Nika was in with Paige at first she was hanging out in the corner, and being a spot up 3point shooter is certainly not her strength, same for Christyn and Evina. When Paige was moved off the ball, at least Nika had one great shooter to pass to.

This year who-ever the point guard is on the first or second unit, they will sometimes have Azzi and Carolyn to pass to in addition to Paige when she is off the ball with Nika. When Paige and Nika are together it works better with Nika at the point. That is not because Nika is the better point guard, but because Paige is much better than Nika as a shooting guard. Both are great passers, Paige can be great at positions 1-3, while Nika is more just a point guard.

For all these starter and position battles, how players work effectively with certain pairings may wind up being a decisive factor if the level of play is close. Last year's team added passing (Paige, Nika, and Evina) but was short by Uconn standards of very good three point shooters. This year we add (Azzi, Carolyn, and Saylor) for those traits, and now have the ability to mix and match those traits in many ways. In the close battles it may not be who is the better player, or who is a senior or incumbent starter, but rather who compliments the other players on the court the best, and Geno will need training camp to sort that out.

 

[wolfe613]

Geno emigrated when he was seven years old to Norristown, PA (northern suburb of Philadelphia) with his family. Philly toughness combined with his folks' traditions - appears to be an outstanding combination for the greatest women's college basketball coach ever!!!
I believe the starting lineup will stabilize at the Louisville HOF game in December, and developing mismatches with Geno's "positionless" basketball will be the key to the 2022 run to the National Championship.
I hope to see them again at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse in the coming year. They will be amazing to watch, and I am not concerned about who is playing when, as I believe no one will be able to get within ten points of them in the last two minutes of any game - including Stanford and South Carolina, who are good but not great. These Huskies will be great come tournament time. Go Huskies! Stay healthy!

sorry to break this to you but Stanford and South Carolina are great teams that not only have talent but have way more experience than Uconn

 

[Boreifs]

sorry to break this to you but Stanford and South Carolina are great teams that not only have talent but have way more experience than Uconn

UConn has four seniors. How do SC and Stanford have way more experience?