Looking forward to next season.

[UConnCat]

Wish list for next season:

Paige: full recovery from her surgery and ready to roll. There won't be any rushing her back (surgery was early August 2022) so she'll need to shake off rust. I don't doubt she'll be ready to go and, as she says, better than ever.

Aaliyah: More of the same. She was terrific this season. I'd like to see her expand the range on her jumper to maybe beyond the 3-point line. Probably asking too much though I expect it will happen when she starts playing professionally.

Azzi: get healthy and hopefully a healthy knee will allow her to be more aggressive and confident than she was yesterday. I was surprised by how tentative she played in yesterday's game. She wasn't alone, for sure. Don't be just a jump shooter; take the ball to the basket and get to the free throw line.

Caroline: would love to see the neck/head issues behind her. We all would love for her to return to the player she was during that incredible stretch as a freshman. Let's hope we get to see that Caroline again.

Nika: fewer minutes and work on her shooting. She carried an incredible load this season and she won't have to do that next season. She had a terrific season and I expect her to be even better next season.

Aubrey: I hope she returns. She had some incredible games this season. More of the same. No more back spasms.

Ice: Can not wait to finally see her on the floor. Looking forward to that lefty jumper.

Ayanna: Improve the fitness and become quicker. That will help defensively. Spend the off-season working on scoring around the basket.

Amari and Ines: not sure what to say.

KK, Ashlyn, Qadence and Jana: come in ready to work hard and take advantage of any and all opportunities. I think they're all going to be very good players though they (hopefully) won't be needed to do too much as freshmen.

 

[sun]

I expect Paige to become the leader of next year's team.
I hope that Paige & others don't get too discouraged by the NCAA officiating this year that allowed Azzi & Lou to get injured by the allowing rough play with impunity.
When the game is played too rough it makes it look like some players are being allowed to become head hunters on the court & that the NCAA & officials are powerless to prevent it.
One way to deal with it is for UConn is have more scoring depth than necessary, especially at the guard position where the injuries seem to occur.

The team performance this year shows that UConn players need to work on increasing their speed, ball handling abilities & perhaps more screens & better passing schemes.

I'm looking forward to seeing UConn hire a new assistant coach or two due to the new NCAA staffing regulation allowing it.
If UConn can afford to send the team on a trip to Europe then they should be able to afford some additional coaches to help teach the players better skills & at a faster rate.
With today's more competitive sports climate the team can't afford to wait years for players to be ready to play at a higher level.
Chances to play a NC game shouldn't be taken for granted & UConn needs to be better prepared or they risk gaining a reputation for being paper tigers under tournament pressure.

 

[SARG 2011]

 

[nutmegger]

Why shouldn't we expect McDonalds All Americans to come in and have an impact as freshmen and especially as sophomores? Where would the UConn men's team be without Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan?

Because Amari DeBerry and Ayanna Patterson were both McDonald's All-Americans.

 

[Lawrence]

despite the bad luck, injuries, and personal tragedies, this was a great team, one of my favorites, ever. I look forward to next year. I will miss Dorka and Lou. Best of luck to them.

 

[PJCLaw]

I trust Geno will try to schedule a homecoming game for Paige and if this happens, pretty sure the contingent of Husky fans from WI will be joining you.

And in a few years you can come to KK’s game in WI, assuming her time at UConn works out as we hope!

He already has. Minny is on next year's schedule.

 

[PJCLaw]

Does Caitlin Clark or Maddy Siegrist have an extra COVID year they want to spend here?

Caitlin is only a junior.

 

[PJCLaw]

I expect Paige to become the leader of next year's team.
I hope that Paige & others don't get too discouraged by the NCAA officiating this year that allowed Azzi & Lou to get injured by the allowing rough play with impunity.
When the game is played too rough it makes it look like some players are being allowed to become head hunters on the court & that the NCAA & officials are powerless to prevent it.
One way to deal with it is for UConn is have more scoring depth than necessary, especially at the guard position where the injuries seem to occur.

The team performance this year shows that UConn players need to work on increasing their speed, ball handling abilities & perhaps more screens & better passing schemes.

I'm looking forward to seeing UConn hire a new assistant coach or two due to the new NCAA staffing regulation allowing it.
If UConn can afford to send the team on a trip to Europe then they should be able to afford some additional coaches to help teach the players better skills & at a faster rate.
With today's more competitive sports climate the team can't afford to wait years for players to be ready to play at a higher level.
Chances to play a NC game shouldn't be taken for granted & UConn needs to be better prepared or they risk gaining a reputation for being paper tigers under tournament pressure.

They are scheduled to go to Croatia this summer and will play 4 games.

 

[IamSidkin]

Let's be real people. This year is SC tournament to lose. The rest are playing for second place. I would have been mad or pissed if we were heavily favorite to win it all and lose to OSU.
I think we will be heavily favorite to win it all with the core of group that are coming back including a great freshman class. So Im excited and looking forward to next season.

Thanks Dorkas and Lou!! You kept our tradition of winning going this year. You'll be missed

 

[eggfit]

Of course, it remains to be seen what will happen next year, but I just have to give one shout out to Nika Muhl, for taking on the leadership role this year. Nobody else on that team even came close to having her dribbling capability. She was directing all the traffic for nearly 40 minutes every game. It's understandable that turnovers will happen when you are trying to thread the needle for the ENTIRE game. Without her this year, I doubt UConn would have won half of those games. And sure, everyone else did what they do best, but to me Nika was the MVP of this team, with AE a close second, and Lou and Dorka a close third. (With all due respect to CD and AG, who had their physical issues, but gave it everything they had.) I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I can't wait to see a healthy Paige and Nika and Azzi on the same court at the same time next year. I could see Geno, after one more crack at it in 2023-24, retiring after a victorious championship run. Many thanks to all involved - coaches and players, and trainers and doctors - for giving us such a terrific season.

 

[CTFIRERETIRED]

Why can’t we go into a season without always claiming we will be dominant, we will win the NC, etc? Many Huskies fans are just not paying attention to the fact that there are now multiple title contenders, a plethora of outstanding players ( who would have predicted a freshmen front court player would outplay our bigs today?), and many good coaches. We love our players, but they are no more special than all the players on others teams who are chasing the same dreams and are beloved by their fans. There is no aura of invincibility or exceptionalism, we are a great program among an increasing number of great and good programs. You heard Geno say how hard it is to win in the tournament. Can’t we just cheer on the team and hope for the best and not make silly proclamations of greatness and guaranteed championships?

EXACTLY.
This is not the 1990s, where there was 2 dominant programs (UC & TENN). Today you've got any number of programs. Recruiting has changed, the caliber of talent has changed, coaching has changed. Will we ever see an era like the DT, SB, SC, era? To put it in some sort of perspective, like the UCLA men's program of the middle 60's into the middle 70's, when the NCAA tournament was jokingly called the "UCLA INVITATIONAL", UC dominated women's basketball from the early 2000's into the mid 2000s.
That era is done. ACCEPT IT. Will they fall off the map? Unlike UCLA, that answer is NO. HOWEVER, when Geno retires, like everything else, things will change.
My advice is; ENJOY what we have now, because it's not going to last forever.

 

[Jokerman619]

Yes. Next year will be the year of the Husky. They will regain thier dominant ways. And untill then I will watch my Las Vegas Aces, win another Wnba title. Yes. All have a great summer.

 

[maple]

Everywhere I have gone these past few days, it seems, there is a TV on somewhere reminding me that UConn lost, how meaningful it was, etc etc. Truth be told, it makes me angry!

I hope (and suspect) that the team is seeing all this too and will channel all of this into next season’s success. I pray for no injuries because I want to see a lot of talking heads eat crow next year.

 

[Blakeon18]

Looking forward: sure am!

A significant part of that in order to get to where we want to go...#12...will be our inside game.
We will have one...count 'em one... proven college player whom I would call an inside player...a great one....Aaliyah.
Caroline and Aubrey can do some wonderful things inside and out. Against teams with elite
paint folks their relative lack of height can be a problem.

We will win lots of games....even in our 'bad' seasons we do that....but I think to win the last one we will need at least one...preferably
two of our players who have not yet proven their abilities in college.

Redshirt soph: Ice
Junior; Amari
Soph;Ayanna
Frosh: Jana...Qadence maybe [more an Aubrey type}

We don't need them all in the regular rotation...not enough room given our guard depth.
But we need a couple.

Hoping for serious development of skills...whether in the rotation or just garbage time showing Geno they are ready for
more.

November 2023: which of these will be in the rotation from the git-go?

I still think that if Geno finds an inside player in the portal who in his view would help our #12
chances, he should pursue her.

 

[BRS24]

This is in no way a scientific analysis, however the thought of having combos of Azzi, Nika, Paige, Inês, Kamorea, and Ashlynn will be interesting to watch. Add in Caroline, Aubrey, Ice and Qadence as possible "wings", and the flexibility of lineups is enthralling.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I’m not sure how you can suggest that UConn got caught “flat-footed” when it comes to transfers. While it’s true that Geno doesn’t radically disrupt his roster by bringing in 3-4 transfers per year, as others have done, in the past several years he’s brought in Evina, Dorka & Lou, all of whom were significant additions to the team.

This is what I was referring to:

“It’s a weird thing in the portal,” Auriemma said Thursday (June 12,2022 article). “If a kid goes in the portal and doesn’t know where they’re going and they’re going to be recruited, then you’ve got to go through the whole recruiting process again. If a kid goes in the portal and two days later they sign with somebody, then you know they’ve been recruited all year long and somebody’s been cheating their ass off. So by the time you get to this point, there’s really not a whole lot of really good players available....To our detriment, probably, we’re not one of those schools that has one coach dedicated to the portal and calling AAU coaches around the country saying, ‘Hey, is your kid happy? Do they want to transfer?’” Auriemma said. “We’re not in that world. We don’t operate like that. So the transfer portal for us is, generally speaking, something that happens when kids graduate — in Lou’s case, in Dorka’s case — and they’re looking for another opportunity to go do something different..."

Here’s what UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said about transfer portal, scheduling

The UConn women’s basketball team's 2022-23 schedule is complete and the roster is probably set, too.

www.ctinsider.com

 

[hoopsnloops32]

EXACTLY.
This is not the 1990s, where there was 2 dominant programs (UC & TENN). Today you've got any number of programs. Recruiting has changed, the caliber of talent has changed, coaching has changed. Will we ever see an era like the DT, SB, SC, era? To put it in some sort of perspective, like the UCLA men's program of the middle 60's into the middle 70's, when the NCAA tournament was jokingly called the "UCLA INVITATIONAL", UC dominated women's basketball from the early 2000's into the mid 2000s.
That era is done. ACCEPT IT. Will they fall off the map? Unlike UCLA, that answer is NO. HOWEVER, when Geno retires, like everything else, things will change.
My advice is; ENJOY what we have now, because it's not going to last forever.

Because this isn't true. There is one dominant team this year that people took against the field this year. We are still very much in this Era of 1 team dominating the field.

 

[UConnCat]

This is what I was referring to:

“It’s a weird thing in the portal,” Auriemma said Thursday (June 12,2022 article). “If a kid goes in the portal and doesn’t know where they’re going and they’re going to be recruited, then you’ve got to go through the whole recruiting process again. If a kid goes in the portal and two days later they sign with somebody, then you know they’ve been recruited all year long and somebody’s been cheating their ass off. So by the time you get to this point, there’s really not a whole lot of really good players available....To our detriment, probably, we’re not one of those schools that has one coach dedicated to the portal and calling AAU coaches around the country saying, ‘Hey, is your kid happy? Do they want to transfer?’” Auriemma said. “We’re not in that world. We don’t operate like that. So the transfer portal for us is, generally speaking, something that happens when kids graduate — in Lou’s case, in Dorka’s case — and they’re looking for another opportunity to go do something different..."

Here’s what UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said about transfer portal, scheduling

The UConn women’s basketball team's 2022-23 schedule is complete and the roster is probably set, too.

www.ctinsider.com

Wait, that's flat-footed to you? Sounds like a deliberate, conscious decision by Geno on how to handle the portal in a way that he thinks is best for his program. You may not like it or agree with it but it's hardly flat-footed.

BTW, I guarantee you the UConn coaches know which players are in the portal as quickly as anyone else. They're not reaching out to kids who aren't yet in the portal and that's as it should be.

 

[Shenandoah]

I have no idea about the men's team, I will not watch any MBB game. Period. In the last 5 years or so, name a freshman or sophomore not named Paige, Azzi and to some extent (freshman) Caroline, that have had a serious impact on the court? And to expect that to change soon, well, I will happily be waiting...

Oh, I don't know, but I think that Cotie McMahon from Ohio State, a Freshman forward, who scored 23 with 5 rebounds and 2 steals against us, in the Sweet 26, had an impact. Just off the top of my head.

 

[mhshuskies]

Post game Dorka said when the game started going against them, they were looking for some one to take control, but no one did. Will Paige be that person next year? Would Azzi have been that person if she had been playing more of the season? Do they need some more nasty to take charge when needed?

 

[Centerstream]

Oh, I don't know, but I think that Cotie McMahon from Ohio State, a Freshman forward, who scored 23 with 5 rebounds and 2 steals against us, in the Sweet 26, had an impact. Just off the top of my head.

Ummm, I am only talking about the Huskies...which I believe this thread was/is discussing.

 

[Carnac]

Why can’t we go into a season without always claiming we will be dominant, we will win the NC, etc? Many Huskies fans are just not paying attention to the fact that there are now multiple title contenders, a plethora of outstanding players ( who would have predicted a freshmen front court player would outplay our bigs today?), and many good coaches. We love our players, but they are no more special than all the players on others teams who are chasing the same dreams and are beloved by their fans. There is no aura of invincibility or exceptionalism, we are a great program among an increasing number of great and good programs. You heard Geno say how hard it is to win in the tournament. Can’t we just cheer on the team and hope for the best and not make silly proclamations of greatness and guaranteed championships?

IMO, We can't go into a season without predicting dominance and superiority because of our recent success in winning NCs. Six NCs in the last fourteen years. It's become habit-forming. We're spoiled. As long as Geno is here, UConn Nation still believes he can deliver a championship. It's been 8 years (2016) since UConn cut the nets down. One need only look at the women's games the past week to see the truth in your observations. There is an increasing number of great programs, and very good upcoming programs, none of whom are afraid or intimidated by UConn. There is no aura of invincibility or exceptionalism. Touche.

 

[tower1]

Two straight injury-riddled seasons makes this two-year “slump” seem flukey.

So much returning talent next year. Easy to-five preseason pick.

We will be on top next year because we have Arnold and Shade coming in and we have BECKERS back. We will have guards that can dribble and handle the pressure. And we will have Ice which is a tough girl with Jenna.

 

[Carnac]

Had a few hours to lick my wounds from yesterday’s game. So it’s way past time to turn my attention to next year’s team.

I’m going to start out with what will be the first of many posts and threads on next year’s starting 5, by going out on a limb quite a bit. Assuming everyone is healthy , after a few games to sort things out, here is the starting 5 that will carry UConn to the championship in 2023-24:

• Paige
• Azzi
• Aaliyah
• Jana
• KK

OD, you're going to get A LOT of push-back with this line-up from the natives. You know we're going to spend 5-6 months debating the starting line-up. I'd be OK with these 5. IMO, each of these players brings something to the table no other player on the team can.