Lou?Lou?

['nuff sed]

I was going to say the same things. Lou's being physically defended (nothing new), but she's also mixing it up more inside. But she's looking tired to me.

Remember a month ago when she was getting every rebound in sight? That's not happening now. Her shot is off (that one today where she missed the rim but hit the backboard is something I never thought I'd see her do). She's not getting to some balls she would have several weeks ago. Those all point to tired legs to me. Maybe she should play 20 minutes a game for a week or two, leave all the inside pounding to Napheesa and Megan, who's becoming much more comfortable banging lately. Kyla is looking more comfortable and can spell Pheesa and Megan and/or add another physical presence if necessary.

Enough with the tired legs —- even if true —- you want to rework the entire offense for that ?!

It’s a different role for her this year —- she has to do more.

Holes in the game are being exposed with how defenses are working her.

You guys wanna put her on a POY list ? —- I mean you’ve already built her a statue, —- she need to do deliver.

Unless she is playing hurt - but I don’t see it.

Top 10’s do that. AA’s do that.

It’s not a criticism - it just comes with the AA tag

Sorry- that’s just life.

 

[Bigboote]

Enough with the tired legs —- even if true —- you want to rework the entire offense for that ?!

How is spelling her for half of 3-4 games "rework(ing) the entire offense?"

Jeff Walz sat Asia Durr the game before the UConn game, and that seemed to work out pretty well. Sometimes rest works. Whether that's the case with Lou, we really don't know, but it doesn't seem implausible to me..

 

[bballnut90]

People here are being pretty harsh on her considering she's likely going to graduate as a 3x 1st Team All-American, something only Stewart and Moore accomplished at Connecticut.

The problem is she isn't a strong 1 on 1 player and UCONN doesn't have the team chemistry and players to create great looks for her like they've been able to the past 2 years. You lost the team's best playmaker in Williams along with a constant screener in Nurse, so as a result you don't get the same bevy of open looks for perimeter players. Their replacements, C. Williams and Walker, each average under 2 assists per game and quite frankly don't work nearly as hard off the ball as Nurse and G. Williams do. UCONN's big 3 are all strong passers but they don't have the vision and playmaking ability that Williams did, so the offense struggles.

I'm not really sure what's the best way to work around the limitations of the team, but I don't think turning KLS into a playmaker is the best solution.

 

[Centerstream]

She hasn't seen anything yet. If she can't play and score through this contact just wait until the WNBA gets a hold of her. This is nothing, not to mention the speed of the game in the W.

Could care less about her WBNA play, most of us care more about her senior college season but thanks for your opinion.

 

[Centerstream]

People here are being pretty harsh on her considering she's likely going to graduate as a 3x 1st Team All-American, something only Stewart and Moore accomplished at Connecticut.

I really hate to say it but I don't think that Lou is deserving of a 3rd AA award unless she returns to her AA form before the USC East game and keeps it. I would like it if she got #3 but since her "shooting slump" began I would think that the voters would tend to not give it to her.

 

[ghost]

she appears worn out, or possibly playing hurt. Wish I could remember specifically but wasnt there a game where she took a pretty good shot to the head?

 

[paisan]

Maybe Geno should adjust his game plan to the skills of the team instead of trying to adjust his team to his game plan. Or maybe he has tried and they just can’t.
Love Lou , but she has been awful the last several games. Don’t see the benefit to her or the team by playing her so many minutes. She is tired or hurting or both.
This could have been a great opportunity to get Liv a lot of playing time, but he keeps yanking her?
She missed a bunny, all of the starters missed quite a few.
I agree with the poster who said thy all look confused coaches and players.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I agree with Geno and what we believe has nothing to do with how she plays!!!

???

 

[MSGRET]

People here are being pretty harsh on her considering she's likely going to graduate as a 3x 1st Team All-American, something only Stewart and Moore accomplished at Connecticut.

The problem is she isn't a strong 1 on 1 player and UCONN doesn't have the team chemistry and players to create great looks for her like they've been able to the past 2 years. You lost the team's best playmaker in Williams along with a constant screener in Nurse, so as a result you don't get the same bevy of open looks for perimeter players. Their replacements, C. Williams and Walker, each average under 2 assists per game and quite frankly don't work nearly as hard off the ball as Nurse and G. Williams do. UCONN's big 3 are all strong passers but they don't have the vision and playmaking ability that Williams did, so the offense struggles.

I'm not really sure what's the best way to work around the limitations of the team, but I don't think turning KLS into a playmaker is the best solution.

I agree with your statements, considering that who we lost year to graduation. This what we lost; Points 1,397 a 38 points per game average (PGA), Rebounds 658 a 18 PGA, Assists 347 a 9.5 PGA, Steals 160 a 4.4 PGA, Blocks 110 a 2.9 PGA, and 2884 minutes played a 78.7 PGA. Also consider that Azure averaged 20.4 minutes a game as the 6th woman off the bench vs Kayla's 12.8 and the point production for Azure was 14.3 and Kayla is 1.8. The bench is averaging 8.3 points a game total a PGA of six points less than Azure alone.

 

[Plebe]

People here are being pretty harsh on her considering she's likely going to graduate as a 3x 1st Team All-American, something only Stewart and Moore accomplished at Connecticut.

3x? I'm not one to join the criticism club, but I'd be willing to bet that if the season were to end today, KLS would not be on 1st team, and probably not even on 2nd team. I'm not certain she'd even make 3rd team.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Maybe Geno should adjust his game plan to the skills of the team instead of trying to adjust his team to his game plan. Or maybe he has tried and they just can’t.
Love Lou , but she has been awful the last several games. Don’t see the benefit to her or the team by playing her so many minutes. She is tired or hurting or both.
This could have been a great opportunity to get Liv a lot of playing time, but he keeps yanking her?
She missed a bunny, all of the starters missed quite a few.
I agree with the poster who said thy all look confused coaches and players.

Agreed. Lou played all forty minutes today, and my reaction to that stat is, why? For some reason, the head coach always seems reluctant to sit Lou, even when the situation really does call for it. He should have done it for a stretch late in last year's semi-final in Columbus when she had four fouls, and he certainly should have done it today with her struggles being so evident.

 

[Jumpy Radar]

Teams have figured her out and we as a team have no answer. Lou is not a playmaker. Day one when she reports to a WNBA team, the emphasis will be how to get her open looks. Period. 15 years later. Same. She needs to move WITHOUT the ball, sharply and quickly and we need to break the defense down, force the defense to help and find Katie open for spot up shots. And all will be right in the world. When she dribbles at the top of the offense, I want to throw my TV out the window.

This is when UCONN is at their very best, and yes this type of offense would help Lou recover from her shooting slump. The problem here is that CD does not always dribble penetrate to draw the defense to her and then dish to an open Lou or another teammate. Instead CD will take Stephen Curry like three pointers which usually result in a missed shot. But as you said, Lou has to move better without the ball, and also find other ways to be productive when her shot is off. But this has been said of her since she came to UCONN. She has improved a lot. But the key to this offense goes through the play of the PG which should facilitate the offense by setting up teammates for open or easy baskets. This doesn't happen enough with this years version of the Huskies.

 

[Sam.the.Man]

She's an All-American and we need her at the top of her game to win a title.

CORRECTION" She WAS an All-American, sadly she isn't one currently. She came out at the beginning of this season for some reason thinking she could fire off shots like Steph Curry. Wrong! And whoever encouraged her to do that should be fired and/or banned from her life. Lou is (was) a great 3pt. shooter when she properly sets her feet, squares her shoulders and shoots in rhythm. It was as simple as that, she basically didn't miss when following that routine.

As a sophomore, she could drive to the basket (especially with her left hand) when on rare occasion a teammate set a pick at the elbow. Not so much last year, and non-existant this season. Last season she began shooting jump shots from just inside the head of the key with very good success. Early this season she was also consistant with this, BUT her posture when she dribbles is now terrible and she's floating awkwardly left or right on those shots.

This is so sad, my heart hurts for her! She will eventually get it all back, but that probably won't be until she's playing in the WNBA or internationally.

 

[Ron and Vida]

I was going to say the same things. Lou's being physically defended (nothing new), but she's also mixing it up more inside. But she's looking tired to me.

Remember a month ago when she was getting every rebound in sight? That's not happening now. Her shot is off (that one today where she missed the rim but hit the backboard is something I never thought I'd see her do). She's not getting to some balls she would have several weeks ago. Those all point to tired legs to me. Maybe she should play 20 minutes a game for a week or two, leave all the inside pounding to Napheesa and Megan, who's becoming much more comfortable banging lately. Kyla is looking more comfortable and can spell Pheesa and Megan and/or add another physical presence if necessary.

She looks physically and especially mentally drained.
Do I recall this correctly that Moriah once was in a similar state and went home during the Christmas break and came back rejuvenated ?
So Lou can't do that right now but what might help is for her BY family support her right now when she needs our support

 

[msf22b]

I hate to blame the players

What has changed from last year that might explain the team's
slump and some regression in our star's performances?...

The only thing I can think of is the rather more extreme than noted coaching disruptions.

Marissa left, Shea was otherwise occupied for some time
Jasmine was new and wasn't a direct replacement for Marissa, even Sarah Darras is in a new role.

During the summer (when I first brought up this concern), it was suggested that Geno and CD could take care of everything... Well, maybe not.

I've been on this bandwagon for some time with little to no response.
But it's really hard to understand the manner in which the team is playing.

I just don't think it's on the players.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Not specific to Lou, but this is not an elite team right now. Forget dominant, we don't even look like we belong with the top 4-6 teams in WCBB this year.

We haven't had a truly impressive performance since the Notre Dame game. That's two months of mediocre basketball, with no signs of turning anything around. And unlike, say, 2004, which also was fairly inconsistent throughout the year, there doesn't appear to be a transcendent talent with the physical or mental capacity to put the team on her back (I suppose Lou's shortcomings are relevant here).

 

[Undercovervol]

I think KLS has a ton of pressure on her to perform on both offense and defense, and right now that has taken a toll on her game. I've always thought of KLS as a classic catch and shoot shooter, like Klay Thompson. That means she needs to catch the ball when she's open and shoot it, whether coming off a screen or by dish and shoot penetration. That means she needs to receive the ball like a post player on offense. The problem for UConn, though, is that besides Dangerfield, they don't have a great penetrator to the basket, and as others have noted, Danger shoots probably more than she should (although she simply has to score for UConn to beat elite teams.) Adding a driving game to KLS's game is fine, but that takes a ton of energy. It takes a lot of effort to get to the hole, effort she might need to save for defense if she's going to play for 40 mins, particularly because she doesn't have the greatest physical prowess. No hate to her, but she's no Maya Moore athletically. She really shouldn't try and create her own shot; I don't think that type of game is in her wheelhouse, and all it does is wear her down. She's better served to either post up and turn around and shoot, or just stay on the perimeter on offense. I've also noticed that physical play really wears down KLS. She's prone to get frustrated when she's face guarded, and she's not above "drawing" (flopping) a charge for a foul.

 

[MD#12Fan]

She looks physically and especially mentally drained.
Do I recall this correctly that Moriah once was in a similar state and went home during the Christmas break and came back rejuvenated ?
So Lou can't do that right now but what might help is for her BY family support her right now when she needs our support

Wouldn’t you consider constructive criticism to be support? That’s the best I can offer under the circumstances.

 

[southofnorth]

More wear and tear on her body is my guess. She’s been more physical and gotten bumped around a lot more now that teams are paying more attention to her and she’s posting up more. I would also say that without shots falling she’s had to drive more and that means more mileage on her (similar to the start of her freshman year except she’s actually driving and trying to find other ways to score).

 

[RogueDave]

Katie Lou is having a challenging Senior Year like Ann Strother did, having to be a post player, having to play out of position for the team, having to be the vocal leader and keep everyone else up when things get tough, physically being beatup in the post play, lots of no calls, trying to keep contributing in ways she used too, trying to do more defensively, rebounding, she does not have the team makeup to put her in a position of success this season, teams key on her to shut her down, even Dee had this happen Senior year for sometime as well, the pressure she is putting on herself is incredible, this happens...Yet she doesn’t ever give up...She is a Husky...Couldn’t be prouder...

Does she have anyone else in her corner on this forum?

 

['nuff sed]

How is spelling her for half of 3-4 games "rework(ing) the entire offense?"

Jeff Walz sat Asia Durr the game before the UConn game, and that seemed to work out pretty well. Sometimes rest works. Whether that's the case with Lou, we really don't know, but it doesn't seem implausible to me..

1. The assumption I am making is if she were indeed hurt her minutes would be limited.

2. If it’s tired legs or whatever,, at this point in the season she has to work more, not less. They are plying for March.

3. Shooters have to keep shooting until they work it out. Can’t shoot if you’re not in. I give her credit for still scoring while the shots aren’t dropping though. She’s gutting it out and that’s encourging.

With no injuries, play her 40 and hope she works it out.

Besides, her at where she is right now is better than anything off the bench.

 

[earl the pearl]

I love Lou. She plays with an enormous amount of heart. She always goes at 100%. They are all (with the exception of Collier) in a funk. They should be ready for March.

 

['nuff sed]

I hate to blame the players

What has changed from last year that might explain the team's
slump and some regression in our star's performances?...

The only thing I can think of is the rather more extreme than noted coaching disruptions.

Marissa left, Shea was otherwise occupied for some time
Jasmine was new and wasn't a direct replacement for Marissa, even Sarah Darras is in a new role.

During the summer (when I first brought up this concern), it was suggested that Geno and CD could take care of everything... Well, maybe not.

I've been on this bandwagon for some time with little to no response.
But it's really hard to understand the manner in which the team is playing.

I just don't think it's on the players.

I think it’s ALL on the players.

Now we’re gonn insult the coaching staff—- what ? Now they’re only good when they have the talent ???

 

['nuff sed]

I love Lou. She plays with an enormous amount of heart. She always goes at 100%. They are all (with the exception of Collier) in a funk. They should be ready for March.

Monroe or Washington ?

 

[earl the pearl]

Monroe or Washington ?

Monroe

 

[msf22b]

I think it’s ALL on the players.

Now we’re gonn insult the coaching staff—- what ? Now they’re only good when they have the talent ???

I went out of my way to not insult anyone
I merely suggested that changes might beget changes.

 

[cferraro04]

Lou is in a slump...a really funky slump but that is all it is. She will snap out of it and all of a sudden she will go 6 - 8 from three and folks will forget all about this slump. The problem Lou is facing is mental now...notice that she didn't even want to shoot the three in the second half. Dangerfield has developed a sweet stroke. Pheesa is the best player on the team...and is a double / double machine. Megan Walker is coming into her own...albeit a little too slow for me. I keep thinking c'mon Megan you were the number one player coming out of high school and you are a sophomore now....it is time to stop deferring to others and start asserting yourself more. Crystal is really in a slump more so than Samuelson...as Samuelson still finds a way to be productive. Crystal has resigned herself to a roll far less than the one she stepped into during the Notre Dame game. Our bench is still a nothing burger...glimpses of what is to come from Odoto, somewhat safe minutes from Kyre and a total mystery what to expect from Michayla from one day to the next. Molly Bent has come up MIA the last couple of games. Botouly I have to assume is one of those players that whatever you get depends on how her knees are doing from game to game. We have been on the road...and the Notre Dame game aside, we haven't exactly reacted too well to playing on the road. I think this team is fragile...it is a mental thing...that is behind this recent "funk"...it is going to require some magic from the staff to get these kids out of it. Time is running down...tick, tock.

 

[bballnut90]

3x? I'm not one to join the criticism club, but I'd be willing to bet that if the season were to end today, KLS would not be on 1st team, and probably not even on 2nd team. I'm not certain she'd even make 3rd team.

Fair enough. I'd probably put her on 2nd team right now. Still a lot of season to be played and she could work her way up to 1st team with a strong finish.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

Katie Lou is having a challenging Senior Year like Ann Strother did, having to be a post player, having to play out of position for the team, having to be the vocal leader and keep everyone else up when things get tough, physically being beatup in the post play, lots of no calls, trying to keep contributing in ways she used too, trying to do more defensively, rebounding, she does not have the team makeup to put her in a position of success this season, teams key on her to shut her down, even Dee had this happen Senior year for sometime as well, the pressure she is putting on herself is incredible, this happens...Yet she doesn’t ever give up...She is a Husky...Couldn’t be prouder...

Does she have anyone else in her corner on this forum?

ME. Most here are nuts.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

I think it’s ALL on the players.

Now we’re gonn insult the coaching staff—- what ? Now they’re only good when they have the talent ???

Don't you know when a team wins it is because of the players but when they lose it is the coaches fault. It is this way in every sport.