Minutes, Starting, etc

[MilfordHusky]

Compared to the challenge Geno faces this summer this should be child's play. It's one thing to try to figure out how to find enough minutes for Faris, Doty, Jefferson, Stewart, Stokes, etc. and who to sit in their place. Another challenge entirely when the names involved are Bird, Catchings, Parker, Taurasi, Charles, Fowles, Augustus, etc. Poor poor Geno.

Is it a no-win situation or a no-lose situation? I'd like to bring in Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore, Swin Cash, Lindsay Whalen, and Angel McCoughtry off the bench. My coaching advice to them would be simple: "Kill!"

 

[slimmer56]

The notion that Kelly Faris will not play as many minutes this year is ludicrous. Perhaps they did not see the game she played against ND in the semi-final game. She was everywhere, refusing to lose, rebounding, and covering about 3 of ND'S players. Then, to top it all off she steps to the line, and calmly makes free throws when I cannot even take a breath. She was the STAR of that game. She knows more about fundamentals, and the game of bball than her teamates, and they look for and lean to her in crunchtime. Remember the play at the end of the half against Kentucky. The bomb from Tiff to Kelly. Who called that play and FINISHED that play. No...if anything, Kelly gets more minutes this year. She may even lead the team in minutes played.
Also, a couple words about Caroline Doty. First of all Geno loves her. She knows what Geno wants. She anticipates well, and plays great help defense. I think she is going to have the best season of her career. I hope so, she deserves it, bigtime.
Oh... someone correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Caroline start at guard with Renee at the point when she was a freshman ?

 

[Fightin Choke]

Oh... someone correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Caroline start at guard with Renee at the point when she was a freshman ?

I agree with you completely concerning Faris. And you are correct about Doty. She blew out her knee half way through her freshman season and Tiff ended up getting her starts in her absence.

 

[pppggg]

How many minutes Doty gets remains to be seen. Depends on her mobility. Unlike serveral "fans"on the board, I, for one am routing for her.

However, there is ZERO, REPEAT ZERO chance Faris gets less minutes than last year, unless they are really shelling people or she is injured. Anyone who thinks an incoming freshman takes minutes away from her has not been paying attention to the Huskies and Geno.

What kind of recruiting could he do if word got around that when the next superstar came to UCON, you would lose your starting spot?

 

[alexrgct]

How many minutes Doty gets remains to be seen. Depends on her mobility. Unlike serveral "fans"on the board, I, for one am routing for her.

However, there is ZERO, REPEAT ZERO chance Faris gets less minutes than last year, unless they are really shelling people or she is injured. Anyone who thinks an incoming freshman takes minutes away from her has not been paying attention to the Huskies and Geno.

What kind of recruiting could he do if word got around that when the next superstar came to UCON, you would lose your starting spot?

Kelly Faris will start every game next year barring injury. However, there is no such thing as "your" starting spot on a championship-caliber team. That kind of thinking fosters a culture of laziness and entitlement. It's just an incredibly poor way to manage a team. Good luck trying to recruit elite players by telling them, "Even if you're manifestly better and a better fit on the rotation than established players, you'll be stuck behind those established players until they graduate or get injured."

 

[Vowelguy]

Why I think Faris will play fewer minutes next year:
(1) The team has more depth. Most returning players will play slightly less.
(2) Faris is perhaps the most physical, intense player. It would seem reasonable to give her a lighter load so she's less beat up late in the season.
(3) While probably the #1 defender, she slips from the 5th best scorer last year to probably the 7th or 8th best this coming year. If the team needs offense, there are more options.

It's unfortunate that some folks seem to think saying someone will get fewer minutes is the biggest insult of all time.

Faris will start and she's a really good player. But the team should have more options, so she'll play less.

 

[Vowelguy]

How many minutes Doty gets remains to be seen. Depends on her mobility. Unlike serveral "fans"on the board, I, for one am routing for her.

Who's not rooting for Doty? She appears to be one of the most liked Huskies on this team, if not ever.

 

[slimmer56]

Kelly Faris is far from being our no 1 offensive threat, but I do believe she is the nastiest, in your shirt, lock down defender we have. I am biased, but she may be the best overall defender in the country. Everybody can't hit 3's, and score in double figures every night, someone has to play real fundamentally sound bball, defense, rebounding, steals, and passing.

Watch the games this year and watch how many times, on the pick and roll, Kelly ends up with the assist. Her and Stef are masters of it !

 

[msf22b]

Where do you think a team of Moriah, Brianna, Morgan, Bree and Kiah would be ranked?

And the possible answer is #1 and herein lies the dilemma.

 

[alexrgct]

Kelly Faris is far from being our no 1 offensive threat, but I do believe she is the nastiest, in your shirt, lock down defender we have. I am biased, but she may be the best overall defender in the country. Everybody can't hit 3's, and score in double figures every night, someone has to play real fundamentally sound bball, defense, rebounding, steals, and passing.

Watch the games this year and watch how many times, on the pick and roll, Kelly ends up with the assist. Her and Stef are masters of it !

Pound-for-pound/inch-for-inch, perhaps, but no one is close to being as disruptive a defender as Brittney Griner.

Agree that Kelly will be extremely valuable, especially with the loss of Tiffany Hayes. Tiffany had her ups and downs, but she just brought it in terms of effort and defensive intensity every night. Kelly's going to need to fill that void.

 

[bruinbball]

Pound-for-pound/inch-for-inch, perhaps, but no one is close to being as disruptive a defender as Brittney Griner.

Agree that Kelly will be extremely valuable, especially with the loss of Tiffany Hayes. Tiffany had her ups and downs, but she just brought it in terms of effort and defensive intensity every night. Kelly's going to need to fill that void.

I agree with you on the Griner comment. No one defensively has more impact on the game today - maybe ever. But, maybe I am misunderstanding, to say that Tiffany brought it in terms of effort and defensive intensity and KELLY will need to fill that void, that to me seems a bit misplaced. It implies that Kelly has not done that. Kelly has always brought it with max effort - especially on the defensive end. To say she is the one that will need to fill Tiff's void is wrong and I know you know this as well. That's why I am baffled by that comment. Kelly will do what she has always and hopefully have a bit more offensive firepower. Hopefully it will be a similar repeat of how Kalana's offensive game picked up her senior year.

 

[alexrgct]

I agree with you on the Griner comment. No one defensively has more impact on the game today - maybe ever. But, maybe I am misunderstanding, to say that Tiffany brought it in terms of effort and defensive intensity and KELLY will need to fill that void, that to me seems a bit misplaced. It implies that Kelly has not done that. Kelly has always brought it with max effort - especially on the defensive end. To say she is the one that will need to fill Tiff's void is wrong and I know you know this as well. That's why I am baffled by that comment. Kelly will do what she has always and hopefully have a bit more offensive firepower. Hopefully it will be a similar repeat of how Kalana's offensive game picked up her senior year.

Agree that both Tiff and Kelly did, but Kelly will probably play more of Tiff's position on D with the improvement and influx of other interior defenders (Kiah, Morgan, Breanna).

 

[doggydaddy]

Why I think Faris will play fewer minutes next year:
(1) The team has more depth. Most returning players will play slightly less.
(2) Faris is perhaps the most physical, intense player. It would seem reasonable to give her a lighter load so she's less beat up late in the season.
(3) While probably the #1 defender, she slips from the 5th best scorer last year to probably the 7th or 8th best this coming year. If the team needs offense, there are more options.

It's unfortunate that some folks seem to think saying someone will get fewer minutes is the biggest insult of all time.

Faris will start and she's a really good player. But the team should have more options, so she'll play less.

You've moved the goal posts. Your original post, unless I missread it, was about the minutes against the top opponents and not over the season. Now you are talking about minutes during the season. So, your #1, 2, and even 3 in some cases has nothing to do with the minutes against top competition.

A lineup of Faris, Lewis, Dolson, Hartley and Stewart can score plenty, even if Faris is not hitting her shots. But Faris showed improvement last year in scoring, but she lead the team in assists and her defensive presence will have her playing as many minutes as last year against top competition.

I totally agree that her overall minutes will go down based on your first 2 reasons.

 

[bruinbball]

Agree that both Tiff and Kelly did, but Kelly will probably play more of Tiff's position on D with the improvement and influx of other interior defenders (Kiah, Morgan, Breanna).

Very true. While Kelly held her own while playing out of position on defense most of last year, I think the game will be a little easier for her out front. She will be in more passing lanes and disrupting ball handlers . While everyone is salivating over the interior depth (rightfully so, which will be a HUGE bonus!), I am salivating at the difficulty most guards will have with our improved depth. With Faris, MoJeff, Bria, an improved Brianna and the toughness of Doty, I love what our front court should be able to do against the opposition.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Elsewhere on this Board, I have playfully offered to wager anyone that Kelly will be the player with the most total minutes this year, though I have to agree that Bria will make it close. But for anyone who thinks our impressive incoming class will result in fewer minutes for Kelly, all I can say is you just don't understand (in my opinion) how Geno thinks. Geno wants players out there, first and foremost, in whom he has unshakeable trust. Kelly is first on the list this year, and she, I predict, will be the de facto team leader that we didn't have last year in the first post-Maya season. She is all grit, and will put the team on her back like never before....betcha!

 

[MilfordHusky]

In short, I think some key players may play fewer minutes than last year. This is not a bad thing.

Let's separate it into (1) all games and (2) competitive games.

In noncompetitive games, I expect that the increased depth may mean slightly less PT for Bria, Stef, Kelly, and Kaleena. They will certainly get enough minutes to stay sharp, and others will get enough to show what they can do and to learn.

In competitive games, if some of the frosh and Kiah are ready, I like the idea of spelling Bria, Stef, Kelly, and Kaleena. If they play 35+ minutes, thay may be gassed. I'd rather see them play 30 minutes if the underclassmen can come in and give us intensity and quality minutes. And I really think they can do it.

Think about Bria, who may be our best player. In the last 5 minutes of a tight game, I'd rather see her energetic and shooting with a relaxed form rather than being a half step slow on defense or her jumper coming up a bit short.

 

[Vowelguy]

In competitive games, if some of the frosh and Kiah are ready ....

If we don't get a minimum of 35 mins, and preferably 45+ from the frosh, I don't see us winning an NC.

 

[doggydaddy]

If we don't get a minimum of 35 mins, and preferably 45+ from the frosh, I don't see us winning an NC.

In competative games? I think 35+ is a lock.

Stewart is that good. I can see 25-30 just for her.

But I don't agree that 35-45+ is necessary to win a championship.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think that Breanna will be like Kaleena was. Geno put Kaleena in about 5 minutes into the game and left her in. He noted that he has trouble taking her out because good things happen when she is on the floor.

Just hypothetically--suppose that Breanna is fabulous and Morgan and Moriah are not ready for big games--if Breanna gets 25+ minutes and the others get 0, I still like our chances. The returners are very, very good.

Ok, here's an admittedly wild thought:

Breanna wins the BE 6th Man award.

And she wins the BE POY award as well.

Regarding the BE FOW awards, Rebecca had the record at 7. Maya extended it to 10. Kaleena tied the old record of 7 (not a normal freshman, for sure). What's the over/under on number of weeks for Breanna? I guess 10, which is crazy.

Or maybe she gets competition from MoTuck and MoJeff. What's the over/under on number of weeks that a non-UConn player wins FOW--2?