Megan Walker | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Megan Walker

Scoop said:
There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that we (fans) don't know anything about. Natalie Butler was dealing with some "personal" issues during her time here that may or may not have contributed to her play. We never knew or heard about those challenges, nor should we have. They were personal. I'm not making excuses for Megan or any of the other freshmen. Just reminding everyone that this is 2018. This group of freshmen are coming along in a different time and era as that of their predecessors.

New level, new challenges. Every player responds differently at their own pace. Remember, this time last year, the light had not come on for Crystal yet. No doubt these freshmen are experiencing a much different college experience that we did back in our day. Geno has his 7 players he's going to go with in the tourney. Let's take a look at where the current freshmen are later in the year (November) at the start of the pre-conference portion of the season. Hopefully we'll all be pleasantly surprised at their growth and development to that point. :cool:
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Scoop this was beautifully stated.
I agree completely.
I would just hope that some here because of their intense caring for this team, it's players and culture, don't expect every player to live up to their expectations in terms of awards they will ultimately earn or when, or if at all.
As you said so well, each individual responds at their own pace. Let MW have and find hers. The pressure she probably is placing on herself to live up to the expectations might be greater than anyone else. Sometimes this can get in the way and for some even slow down the process.
While there are many examples of the light going on, and the enormous success Geno, CD and the coaches have had, nothing is ever guaranteed.
Bronx23
 
my2cents said:
AH, lets see....Napheesa Collier and Lou became AAs their sophomore years. Geno doesn't develop top players that he recruits is so wrong that it doesn't even deserve a reply.
Megan Walker will be more than a impact player at UCONN.
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Scoop said:
There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that we (fans) don't know anything about. Natalie Butler was dealing with some "personal" issues during her time here that may or may not have contributed to her play. We never knew or heard about those challenges, nor should we have. They were personal. I'm not making excuses for Megan or any of the other freshmen. Just reminding everyone that this is 2018. This group of freshmen are coming along in a different time and era as that of their predecessors.

New level, new challenges. Every player responds differently at their own pace. Remember, this time last year, the light had not come on for Crystal yet. No doubt these freshmen are experiencing a much different college experience than we did back in our day. Geno has his 7 players he's going to go with in the tourney. Let's take a look at where the current freshmen are later in the year (November) at the start of the pre-conference portion of the season. Hopefully we'll all be pleasantly surprised at their growth and development to that point. :cool:
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I know I was clueless in my freshman year, and I did not carry the hopes and dreams of the Boneyard on my shoulders. I just had to go to class, and screwed that up many times. These kids are under great pressure, and they have a great opportunity. Not everyone will thrive in that milieu. Next year the sky's the limit!
 
scubadog said:
Geno also tried turning Charde Houston into a post player, which didn't work well. I remember seeing her as a quick h.s. guard. Suddenly she was bulking up and playing the frontcourt . I never did understand that. But that's awhile ago.
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Who was the better option in the post during those years? I think Houston was Auriemma's best option in the post and that's why he went with her.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
I just want to go on record, as I sometimes do, to say I have not read this thread and have no intention of doing so. Meg has my best wishes and firm support to become all that she can be in the greatest place to become that.
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You have missed some brilliant,enlightening,electrifying commentary. And a lot of hooey. And some really well thought out posts that managed to deal with actual basketball related stuff. And one fellow who was having a reallybadawfulmeanterrible day. Get some of that brown elixir you were talking about last night and sit back and go for a ride reading this thread front to back! :rolleyes:
 
Bama fan said:
I know I was clueless in my freshman year, and I did not carry the hopes and dreams of the Boneyard on my shoulders. I just had to go to class, and screwed that up many times. These kids are under great pressure, and they have a great opportunity. Not everyone will thrive in that milieu. Next year the sky's the limit!
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Some of us had crap for brains when we were 18. I know I did. I had a totally different agenda at 18, than I did at 25. By then, I had become a military veteran and a college graduate. Needless to say, the landscape looked a lot different by then. Most of us can't remember (clearly) back that far, too long ago. Too many trials and tribulations in our everyday lives between then and now.

We didn't have the duties and responsibilities then that we have now. We think like the mature, rational and experienced adults we are, and sometimes wonder why the kids of today can't see things as we do. It's as plain as the nose on their face. They have many things (and access to things and information) we did not have growing up.............computers, cell phones, the Internet, etc.

Experience!!! There's no substitute for it. That's why we would not make the same mistakes an 18 year old would. Needless to say, our value system was much different back then, as was our air of invincibility. We hardly ever got sick, and nothing hurt (aches, pains, joints, etc.). We had ALL of our hair back then too. ;) Those where the days. If only we knew then what we know NOW!!! :)
 
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In the UCONN program, the impactfulness of a player is largely determined by the player herself. You earn minutes if you practice well. The more minutes you earn, the more meaningful those minutes become, and the more potential there is that you can make an impact. The system is entirely merits based, independent of your ranking. MW is the number one recruit in her class. To argue that she has not been impactful so far because she has not been needed to be impactful seems to me to turn logical thinking on its head.

Geno himself has expressed his frustration with the benchers on multiple occasions, and at least on one occasion explicitly refuted the idea that he did not need a deeper bench; in fact, he stated quite the opposite: he needed the bench to contribute. If MW had earn Geno's trust, I could easily have imagined that he would have inserted her earlier in many games and for longer stretches of time, but he elected not to do so. In one blow out game, he even went so far as to not play her at all to send a message.

I think highly of MW's talents; she was not ranked number one for no reason. With the kind of coaching that is available to her at UCONN, her potential is literally limitless. What she does with that potential and how she impacts the team rest largely in her own hands.
 
scubadog said:
Geno also tried turning Charde Houston into a post player, which didn't work well. I remember seeing her as a quick h.s. guard. Suddenly she was bulking up and playing the frontcourt . I never did understand that. But that's awhile ago.
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Geno also tried Gabby as a post a player and that... well that turned out pretty well didn't it?
 
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Look at Crystal from Freshmen to Sophomore year. We love MW and we bet she takes the same leap as CD.
On a side note, I wish Geno would just let her play 20 minutes a game,
Especially in the blow-outs. Just MHO.
 
CL82 said:
Geno also tried Gabby as a post a player and that... well that turned out pretty well didn't it?
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Well, that goes without saying at this point. I was just saying that it has been tried before, and it hasn't always worked out. Name me another player Gabby's size that has been successful in the post ? She is an extraordinary athlete.
 
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scubadog said:
Well, that goes without saying at this point. I was just saying that it has been tried before, and it hasn't always worked out. Name me another player Gabby's size that has been successful in the post ? She is an extraordinary athlete.
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An absolute pleasure to watch play. She's something special, for sure.
 
JRRRJ said:
Barbara Turner
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Rewatched 2005 huskies vs ND last evening at Gampel. Remember being at that game. End of home winning streak. I don't think BT was taller than 5'10. Beginning of the 4 lean years. Strange team makeup, something I could never understand.
 
CL82 said:
Geno also tried Gabby as a post a player and that... well that turned out pretty well didn't it?
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If you remember, Gabby did not have a jump shot her first year. Her free throw shooting was dismal. The only option (offensively) open to them was for her to drive to the basket for layups and bunnies, which she did, and became quite good at as the season wore on. I remember her FT shooting improved quite a bit the next year. She has related often that she was not ready to play in a game (Stanford 2014) of that magnitude. I recall that Tuck and Nurse fouled out of that game, and Stokes had 4 fouls. Gabby and fellow freshman Sadie Edwards did not play.
 
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JRRRJ said:
You only mentioned someone Gabby's size who was successful in the post.

BTW, Barbara was listed as a F/G for the 2003 Pan American Games team. Can't find any detail on her HS career.
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You're right , it was bad wording on my part. The real point I was trying to discuss, was guards being converted to a post, as in Charde Houston. I saw her play guard in hs., and always had the impression that Geno and Charde were frustrated with each other. Thanks for the link. Saw BT play many times . She always seemed shorter than 6'0.
 
CL82 said:
I think it is a confidence thing. Fear of making a mistake. I'll tell you she looked terrific on that drive to the basket, didn't she?
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Did anyone else hear her WTIC interview after the AAC tournament game against Cincinnati (or was it Tulane)? At the end, she said something to the effect that she was really happy to be playing at UConn. It made me think that she was putting it all together -- and I thought it reflected a certain ingenuous charm (as well as a harbinger of the good yet to come with her).
 
JRRRJ said:
You only mentioned someone Gabby's size who was successful in the post.

BTW, Barbara was listed as a F/G for the 2003 Pan American Games team. Can't find any detail on her HS career.
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From the UConn media guide:

"A two-time All-American from East Technical High School under head coach William Stovall...named a 2002 First Team All-American by USA TODAY, WBCA, and Parade Magazine...also named a First Team McDonald’s All-American and played in the inaugural High School All-American game...2002 Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year and Ms. Ohio Basketball...2002 Naismith Player of the Year finalist...averaged 23.5 points per game, 17.6 rebounds per game, 10.2 assists per game and 4.6 blocks per game as a senior leading East Tech to the 2002 state title...the state title was the first ever by a Cleveland Municipal school...named the 2002 Ohio Division II State Tournament MVP."
 
scubadog said:
Geno also tried turning Charde Houston into a post player, which didn't work well. I remember seeing her as a quick h.s. guard. Suddenly she was bulking up and playing the frontcourt . I never did understand that. But that's awhile ago.
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I thought Strother had Jess Moore, Wil Crockett and Brittany Hunter in the post when she played at UConn.
 
hart2hart said:
Look at Crystal from Freshmen to Sophomore year. We love MW and we bet she takes the same leap as CD.
On a side note, I wish Geno would just let her play 20 minutes a game,
Especially in the blow-outs. Just MHO.
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Thanks hart2hart. Unfortunately, school's out. It's not about developing Megan or anyone else at this point of the season. It's tournament time. It's now about the next 6 games..........period!!! Geno cannot be concerned about playing time, hurt feelings or anything of that nature. It's about the team winning the next 6 games and nothing else! ALL of the players understand this. Morale will not be a problem. No one in this group of players is selfish. EVERYONE wants to win the championship. EVERY member on the team has a part to play. Every player knows their role, and will fulfill it.

Geno will go into battle with 7 players, Megan being one of them. The rest of the team will become cheerleaders. They will be engaged in the game as if they were on the floor. How much Megan plays depends on the score, the frequency of the starters needing a blow (or gets in foul trouble), and how well Gabby holds up. Megan will be the 7th man after Azura Stevens. We ALL expect Walker to make the same sophomore leap that Dangerfield made. :)
 
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