Long Article on Caroline Ducharme from Mike Anthony

[wolfe613]

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

unless you're telling me Dorka is the 4th who has yet to play a single minute with this Uconn roster then they do not have 4

 

[Heytherego]

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.

Even Geno said he didn’t plan to start Paige at first. He wanted her coming off the bench, but she was too good not to have starting. If anyone is that good, I think they’ll start. As others have said next year is going to be a much more difficult path for a non returning starter to come and start. I don’t think anyone is going to be miles above our previous starters. And honestly I’d rather have the more experienced players start, and a freshman spark come off the bench. Nothing wrong with that and I think it’s a lot less pressure.

 

[Vowelguy]

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.

lol. So now my examples are "too old."
Yet you've yet to provide one example of a starter losing her spot to a frosh when playing decently.

And now you try to switch the debate to minutes. No. This was about starting.

Geno adjusts minutes; rarely starters.

 

[UConnCat]

Even Geno said he didn’t plan to start Paige at first. He wanted her coming off the bench, but she was too good not to have starting.

Geno never said that.

 

[DaBball]

Geno never said that.

Auriemma's original thought was to bring Bueckers off the bench

Apr. 1—SAN ANTONIO — Before Paige Bueckers arrived at UConn, coach Geno Auriemma actually thought of bringing the incoming star freshman guard off the bench. "I thought back to when Maya (Moore) was a...

sports.yahoo.com

Freshman sensation Paige Bueckers proved she was UConn's best player in first 2 weeks with the team

It didn't take long after she first joined the Huskies for Paige Bueckers to prove she was worth all the hype, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said.

www.insider.com

 

[UConnCat]

Auriemma's original thought was to bring Bueckers off the bench

Apr. 1—SAN ANTONIO — Before Paige Bueckers arrived at UConn, coach Geno Auriemma actually thought of bringing the incoming star freshman guard off the bench. "I thought back to when Maya (Moore) was a...

sports.yahoo.com

Freshman sensation Paige Bueckers proved she was UConn's best player in first 2 weeks with the team

It didn't take long after she first joined the Huskies for Paige Bueckers to prove she was worth all the hype, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said.

www.insider.com

Alright. I was thinking about AFTER she arrived on campus at which time he knew she was the best player on the team.

Not for nothin', Geno knew it before she arrived on campus.

 

[MooseJaw]

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.

If CW starts next season like she finished this past season the Azzi instead of CW will be no more than an after thought. She finished as a lock down defender and is good for scoring 16-20 points a game. In what world is that player put out to pasture. If CW comes back without improvement she will still be an AA candidate, I fully expect her to come back even better than last season. She may have reduced minutes but it looks like everyone's minutes will be different than in the past season. At this point the only player that puts CW on the bench is CW, as Geno often says I don't determine who plays, it's the players who do. The coach just interprets what they show him.

 

[Wilderness]

Alright. I was thinking about AFTER she arrived on campus at which time he knew she was the best player on the team.

Not for nothin', Geno knew it before she arrived on campus.

"Once practice started and once we were together for about a week and I saw the way (Bueckers) handled herself, the way she handled the things that were being thrown at her, how she managed being in that situation among players she just barely knew ... that's when it kind of went out the window.

"That's when I said, 'I didn't expect this to happen this soon.' I knew it would happen at some point, I just didn't expect it to be that quickly and that evident."

 

[MSGRET]

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!

This is one of those times that I wished that I still lived in Indiana. But, I can't stand the four season's, Winter is too cold, Spring has too many tornado's. Summer is too humid and I get eaten alive by mosquito's. Last is Fall with the beautiful, but it can't make up it's mind on if it's going to be a nice or horrendous day. So I will stay here in Vegas where I can watch and enjoy the game on TV.

 

[pvdoggy]

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..........

You should let @oldude know so he can start saving money for his infamous pizza bets

 

[Heytherego]

Alright. I was thinking about AFTER she arrived on campus at which time he knew she was the best player on the team.

Not for nothin', Geno knew it before she arrived on campus.

But what is the point you’re trying to make??

 

[Heytherego]

If CW starts next season like she finished this past season the Azzi instead of CW will be no more than an after thought. She finished as a lock down defender and is good for scoring 16-20 points a game. In what world is that player put out to pasture. If CW comes back without improvement she will still be an AA candidate, I fully expect her to come back even better than last season. She may have reduced minutes but it looks like everyone's minutes will be different than in the past season. At this point the only player that puts CW on the bench is CW, as Geno often says I don't determine who plays, it's the players who do. The coach just interprets what they show him.

Yeah I don’t understand why others think a talented returning senior is going to be benched. She averaged the second most minutes, has started the past 3 years and by the end of the season was playing like an All American. She’s only going to get better, especially surrounded by the players she is. We shouldn’t be undervaluing a player averaging 16 ppg on 48% to go along with 4 rpg 2 apg and is the teams go to defender. And also experience is invaluable!!
I have definitely been a CW doubter and still think she needs to be more consistent and at times doesn’t play up to her potential, but I think she’s earned some respect. As you said, the only person who puts her on the bench is herself and for that to happen she would have to be injured or have a substantial unrealistic decline in production.

 

[hoophuskee]

If CW starts next season like she finished this past season the Azzi instead of CW will be no more than an after thought. She finished as a lock down defender and is good for scoring 16-20 points a game. In what world is that player put out to pasture. If CW comes back without improvement she will still be an AA candidate, I fully expect her to come back even better than last season. She may have reduced minutes but it looks like everyone's minutes will be different than in the past season. At this point the only player that puts CW on the bench is CW, as Geno often says I don't determine who plays, it's the players who do. The coach just interprets what they show him.

What's wrong with Paige, Azzi and CWill as a possibility for starters at the 1/2/3 spot and have Nika come off the bench? CWill was the "sf" last year when Nika started. So no different role for her. And Paige is a legit pg and Azzi will be fine there as well.

I agree though- CW is going to start.

 

[MooseJaw]

What's wrong with Paige, Azzi and CWill as a possibility for starters at the 1/2/3 spot and have Nika come off the bench? CWill was the "sf" last year when Nika started. So no different role for her. And Paige is a legit pg and Azzi will be fine there as well.

I agree though- CW is going to start.

I'm on board with your 1-2-3 starters, it will be exciting.

 

[MSGRET]

I believe that Geno will begin the season with the following starting 5, Paige, Nika, CW, Evina, and Ono. He will also do some liberal subbing compared to what has happening over the past 4 years.

 

[seeya27]

I no longer live in CT and don't subscribe to the Post. Was there any mention of her brother, who also plays high level mbb and UConn is recruiting?

 

[OviedoFLHusky]

I no longer live in CT and don't subscribe to the Post. Was there any mention of her brother, who also plays high level mbb and UConn is recruiting?

There were three mentions of her brother in the article:

"She [Caroline] improved as a player, though, often working out with her younger brother, Reid Ducharme, who, coincidentally is being recruited by Dan Hurley’s UConn men’s team."

"Reid is through his sophomore year at Noble, but he is transferring to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire for his junior season. New UConn men's assistant coach Luke Murray has been the main contact lately in the recruitment of Reid, a 6-6 guard."

"They [the Ducharme parents] like to say Caroline is bound for the WNBA, Reid is bound for the NBA, and Ashley [a sister] will wind up as their agent or general manager."

 

[jdote33]

I watched the Omni Elite Classic , and Azzi looked great. Physically she looked great. She made some, missed some but overall looked so fluid. I know the point has been made but her feel is underrated and she seems more like a 1 or 2 than a 2 or 3. Ducharme had a bit of a rough outing but u can see her talent. Definitely a legit 6'2 and used her length defensively well. Offensively she sort of struggled with her balance and got blocked a couple of times but I feel like that could've been a rythme thing

 

[Alydar]

lol. So now my examples are "too old."
Yet you've yet to provide one example of a starter losing her spot to a frosh when playing decently.

And now you try to switch the debate to minutes. No. This was about starting.

Geno adjusts minutes; rarely starters.

I wasn't the one who made the original comment. I had no POV to defend and yet you answered my question with another question. And you right about the minutes thing.

I think our discussion started when you commented that unless she was terrible Williams would start. I disagree. She can play like she did most of last season, which was far from terrible, and still lose her starting position. But if she plays like she did at the end of the season she will be an AA. The competition this summer/fall is going to be intense.

I looked back over the last few years what it shows is that Geno had 5 regular starters since 2017 and the 5th starter fill-ins were consistent. In the last 2 seasons his loyalty has been to 4 starters and the 5th has varied throughout the season, in part due to injuries. Does Geno start Muhl, who lost her starting slot to injury but who started the most games, or Edwards, who was playing like an AA by late last season? Or all-everything Fudd?

I don't see any of the freshmen getting many minutes with the exception of Fudd, who I believe Geno said was more fundamentally prepared coming in in all phases of the game than Maya Moore was in 2007. He said that Moore was his best freshman as far as "getting it" from day one. If that is even close to correct then the team and the coaches will know it by July, just like last season and the arrival of Bueckers. I really don't know or really care if she starts or not. I'm nearly as certain about her as I was about Bueckers and she will be a major player by January. By the end of 2023 they will be saying that UConn has the best backcourt in women's basketball anywhere in the world. How's that for over-exuberance?

 

[Bald Husky]

I believe that next years first game starting line-up will be the same that started our first tournament game this past season. Paige, Nika, Christyn, Evina, and Olivia. Now, I'm saying FIRST game. Geno will do his experimenting with different line-ups, finding matchups that work, and ruling out those that don't. I don't believe he will demote any player right off the bat until another proves that they are better, or have better chemistry with the other players on the court. It would be disrespectful for them to be moved down without playing a single minute, and I think Geno wants the others to prove to him that a change is warranted. IMHO, there will be changes eventually to the starting line-up, but as always, Geno will make the decision if someone else deserves to push out a veteran starter.

 

[Bald Husky]

Sorry MSGRET, didn't notice that you also posted that the starting line-up wouldn't change to begin with. I think thats the way it should be.

 

[MSGRET]

Sorry MSGRET, didn't notice that you also posted that the starting line-up wouldn't change to begin with. I think thats the way it should be.

No need to apologize, you posted prior to reading all of the posts. I've done it many times, especially if the thread has multiple pages and I started out on page one when I commented, only to find out a few pages later that someone has stated the same thing. S... Happens as the saying goes.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I wasn't the one who made the original comment. I had no POV to defend and yet you answered my question with another question. And you right about the minutes thing.

I think our discussion started when you commented that unless she was terrible Williams would start. I disagree. She can play like she did most of last season, which was far from terrible, and still lose her starting position. But if she plays like she did at the end of the season she will be an AA. The competition this summer/fall is going to be intense.

I looked back over the last few years what it shows is that Geno had 5 regular starters since 2017 and the 5th starter fill-ins were consistent. In the last 2 seasons his loyalty has been to 4 starters and the 5th has varied throughout the season, in part due to injuries. Does Geno start Muhl, who lost her starting slot to injury but who started the most games, or Edwards, who was playing like an AA by late last season? Or all-everything Fudd?

I don't see any of the freshmen getting many minutes with the exception of Fudd, who I believe Geno said was more fundamentally prepared coming in in all phases of the game than Maya Moore was in 2007. He said that Moore was his best freshman as far as "getting it" from day one. If that is even close to correct then the team and the coaches will know it by July, just like last season and the arrival of Bueckers. I really don't know or really care if she starts or not. I'm nearly as certain about her as I was about Bueckers and she will be a major player by January. By the end of 2023 they will be saying that UConn has the best backcourt in women's basketball anywhere in the world. How's that for over-exuberance?

I believe Fudd will be more prepared than Maya, as her BFF Paige has been in constant communication with her and will continue same, as she rehabs from ankle surgery. Azzi will also help the recovery process with postive encouragement and focusing on the prize awaiting them in March (& April) - the 12th NC and first for them....

 

[Mdoggie]

I have an opinion also.

 

[cohenzone]

Haven’t a clue who will start. But as far as Muhl goes, and saying she’s a liability on O who teams don’t need to worry about. well, she might not be quite the defender as Kelly Faris, but she ain’t bad and she’s already a better ball handler and shooter. But it’s a different team. Paige was at least as good as billed. If Fudd is likewise, she’s going to see lots of time at the expense of one of last year’s starters. Anna leaving reduced the choices some.

 

[wolfe613]

I believe Fudd will be more prepared than Maya, as her BFF Paige has been in constant communication with her and will continue same, as she rehabs from ankle surgery. Azzi will also help the recovery process with postive encouragement and focusing on the prize awaiting them in March (& April) - the 12th NC and first for them....

you can't determine if someone will be more prepared just cause of skype conversations, I'm sure every incoming freshman in America asks what it's like to ppl that are already at the current school to know what to expect

 

[nuna23]

the starter normally should be paige Cw nika liv aliyah Edwards nika is the best defender Cw and paige are the best and we should play with 2 bigs ,evina remplace cw azzi r paige dorka edwards amari liv and after that may be the best aubrey Caroline saylor mir not foe 2mn they should play more .....

 

[The CDR-Ret]

you can't determine if someone will be more prepared just cause of skype conversations, I'm sure every incoming freshman in America asks what it's like to ppl that are already at the current school to know what to expect

Not basing my opinion on skype, but nearly beating Steph Curry in three point contests, being the High School Gatoraide Player of the Year as a Sophomore (beating out Paige Bueckers as a Junior), and training with Paige over the past few years, combined with Geno's assessment (has the most weight) that Azzi was better prepared than Maya in 2007 could "be a thing!" I think Geno would be the opinion that matters most here....

Maya led all scoring by her third game with UCONN which happened to be Stanford in November of 2007 (Virgin Islands as a neutral site).

 

[wolfe613]

Not basing my opinion on skype, but nearly beating Steph Curry in three point contests, being the High School Gatoraide Player of the Year as a Sophomore (beating out Paige Bueckers as a Junior), and training with Paige over the past few years, combined with Geno's assessment (has the most weight) that Azzi was better prepared than Maya in 2007 could "be a thing!" I think Geno would be the opinion that matters most here....

Maya led all scoring by the third game which happened to be Stanford in November of 2007.

I didn't bring up anything Geno said, I brought up the part that "she will be more ready because she talks to Paige" again most players across the country are probably doing the same to players who are already at their respected school

 

[The CDR-Ret]

In case anyone needs more data on Azzi Fudd, here is the last available data on USA Basketball, with her as the youngest player on the U17 team:

USA Basketball Statistics​

TEAM

G/S

MIN/AVG

FGM-FGA

PCT

3PM-3PA

PCT

FTM-FTA

PCT

REB/AVG

PTS/AVG

AST

TO

BLK

STL

2018 U17

7/7

167/23.9

27- 53

.509

9- 16

.563

5- 5

1.000

27/ 3.9

68/ 9.7

14

6

2

5

So USA Basketball selecting Fudd without a High School Senior Year of "work" is not a "stretch" as I think a 56.3% accuracy from beyond the arc is pretty good in International competition. Also, Geno's eyeballs might have some basis for his expectations as Azzi has also arrived for UCONN's first summer session over the past week....
Having someone [Azzi] to compete against for 3 point accuracy may also improve Paige's 3 point accuracy as well [PB ened the season at 46.4% and somewhere around 6th in the nation and was NPOY]