Megan Walker OMG

[tower1]

What a bunch of idiots, this team is killing their opponents and all some people do is talk about Megan not shooting good, our next superstar. Remember our girls read this board too!

 

[CTisballers]

Repost this thread about 10-20 games in.
Only 2 games in let her get her rhythm and adjust to college basketball

 

[NewCorn]

Love the athleticism but at you said she missed the shot. MW low shooting percentage from high school was something a few of us commented on even before she signed. I remain optimistic but Megan has got to hit more shots and so does the entire UCONN bench. Minus Azura & including Megan the bench is 2 for 21 so far on the season.

It seems that most freshmen shoot at a lower percentage than they did in high school although it's the same ball and the same basket. They just have so much more to think about in the fast-paced and complex college offenses. Also, most of them are learning defense for the first time.

 

[CocoHusky]

It seems that most freshmen shoot at a lower percentage than they did in high school although it's the same ball and the same basket. They just have so much more to think about in the fast-paced and complex college offenses. Also, most of them are learning defense for the first time.

Just got done watching the all access and Geno's show and Geno was raving how well Megan was shooting in practice so I don't know what to make of it.

 

[BroadwayVa]

The game at the college level is much faster then the underclassman are used to. I believe in Megans case shes rushing her shot a little bit. A little maybe out of control which relates to trying to do things to fast. Once she settles down she will be fine. She will learn that shes alot quicker then most players on the floor and needs to rely on her poise and she will be fine. Playing in games like these, tuff games against top teams will teach her that.

Right now for Megan, everything is going fast. When that happens your brain speeds up and sometimes you rush. As you pointed out --she needs to slow a bit in everything except defense, which with Cal was better than good As always; I like the way you think!

 

[NewCorn]

On the newest Geno show around the 10:38 mark, Geno says in casual conversation that MW can really shoot. It is frustrating for us fans (and obviously herself) that it really has not translated to the games yet but I am confident it will in time. The rest of her game is clearly top level so we just need to be patient. Not sure what to make of the other 3 yet. I think AEH has a little more confidence than the others. She had a really nice pass play that took a little guts. Really surprised Mikayla seems to be really swimming upstream so much.

I can't put my finger on it, but there is something about Mikayla, perhaps her energy or body language, that tells me she is going to be a solid backup to Danger next year.

 

[BroadwayVa]

If Moriah Jefferson was the Ferrari, Crystal Dangerfield the Lamborghini, and Gabby Williams the Corvette...Megan's the modern muscle car (a Mustang or Camaro, say). Nowadays those cars are a lot closer to sports cars than they used to be.

Like the muscle cars, Megan might not be quite as speedy as the guards or Gabby, but potentially makes up for it with broader usability.

Enough with the silly analogies, though. Basically I'm saying that as Megan catches up to the thought-speed of the college game, and as her shot gets hopefully that much more reliable, she's going to be a very potent player indeed.

Don't stop! analogies of this nature are what our young women need. Keep it up..

 

[NewCorn]

What a bunch of idiots, this team is killing their opponents and all some people do is talk about Megan not shooting good, our next superstar. Remember our girls read this board too!

We all seem like idiots when we openly express our emotions of the moments, but we are actually just basketball fans.

 

[BostonCanuck]

If Moriah Jefferson was the Ferrari, Crystal Dangerfield the Lamborghini, and Gabby Williams the Corvette...Megan's the modern muscle car (a Mustang or Camaro, say).

Nice analogy. Two games in, and what really strikes me is Megan's athleticism, which was on full display on that late drive to the hoop where she unfortunately missed the layup. She may well be the second-best natural athlete on the team. Superb body control, and that's what all the great ones seem to possess. I can see why Geno likes her so much, and I expect we'll see a solid freshman campaign from this one, followed by a massive sophomore leap!

 

[CocoHusky]

What a bunch of idiots, this team is killing their opponents and all some people do is talk about Megan not shooting good, our next superstar. Remember our girls read this board too!

Is this the return of the "Our Girls" syndrome?

 

[bags27]

Can we please find the thread from 2 years ago at this time in which someone "analyzed" Lou's jumper and claimed that she had changed in since high school?

 

[CocoHusky]

Can we please find the thread from 2 years ago at this time in which someone "analyzed" Lou's jumper and claimed that she had changed in since high school?

KLS and Shooting

 

[bags27]

KLS and Shooting

sort of like us parents bringing out embarrassing pictures of our kids and showing them to their dates, huh? Maybe there should be a (very short) statute of limitation on certain threads?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Just got done watching the all access and Geno's show and Geno was raving how well Megan was shooting in practice so I don't know what to make of it.

My take is that Geno was being straight with CD and the TV audience. I think Meg and everyone else on the bench is pressing in games. In practice, it's easier for her to get into the flow. I'm not sure I like Meg shooting a lot of threes, but inside 15' I think she will be solid.

 

[Carnac]

OK, so Megan shot 1 for 9. But what about that explosive drive when she got to the rim? (OK, so she missed that shot too. So what.) No one on UConn can do that except for Gabby. And Gabby is Gabby.

Megan seems to need to work on her shot. OK, she will. I think she is going to be really, really great.

What do BYer's think?

Well since you asked.......................I think her development is going to go in the same direction and speed as Dangerfield's went a year ago. Crystal was forced into being Geno's 6th man, playing a lot of minutes last year because of Geno's lack of depth and experience on his bench. Crystal was forced to adapt to this level and style of play as fast as she could. She did the best she could, but for some, it was not good enough. They expressed doubts in their comments that perhaps Dangerfield was not the player she was purported to be.....................................because she was playing like a freshman, and making errors in judgment in games and a system that had yet to slow down for her.

She had her breakout game against Baylor in only her second game of the year. She was not able to match that performance again, although some thought she should have. Geno has said time and again that most freshmen are not ready to come in and play immediately and consistently at this level. For most, it takes a year or more before they "get it". This is why I'm willing to just watch, observe and enjoy his freshmen play when they're on the floor without criticizing them. Like it or not, they're freshmen, and they're going to play like it.

Lest I remind you what Gabby said about her feelings during the Stanford game her freshman year. Keep in mind that Gabby is an All-American, but she said she was not ready to play in that game (and the coaches probably knew it, and she didn't). Gabby would go on to grow into the player she is today. Let's give Megan that same opportunity. We all know that nothing good happens when we rush.

Crystal struggled all last year as she tried to come up to speed on playing in Geno's system. Some forget that his is not a system that is not learned in a week or two. I remember what Dangerfield said last year, about two weeks after official practice had begun. She said that nothing she had done or experienced in HS or AAU, prepared her for what she was experiencing in Geno's practices.

Fast forward to today. Look how well Crystal is playing now. She is now Geno's new point guard, and has become his new floor general. He mentioned in the All-access show on Friday that Crystal can do things no one else on the team can do. After a year of learning the offense and figuring out what she was suppose/expected to do, now she's ready.

You can't cook a 1 minute egg in 30 seconds and expect it to come out right. Megan Walker is now in the same boat that Dangerfield was this time last year. Megan is a freshman. I expect her to play like one. I have no expectations for her this year other than to get a little better everyday. Watch and learn when she's on the bench. If she makes that sophomore leap later this year, great. But I'm not expecting it. I have patience.

I'll enjoy watching her grow and mature at the same pace Crystal did, knowing that there's a real good chance that this time next season, she will be in exactly the same place Crystal is now. We've got to give her that time to grow and adapt to her new surroundings and environment. In time, Megan will be the player we all want and expect her to be. The player she came to UConn to become. I like the statement one of the players (Lexie or Andra) made during one of the post games shows yesterday. It sounded like she said Geno is a thing, not a myth.