Mir McClean......

[ju6381]

at what point in the game? I watched towards the end before she was removed and did not see it. I have seen Uconn player camping out on the wing w/o moving many many times.

I just re-watched and it wasn't the whole possession like I remembered but it wasn't a good look.

 

[Zorro]

Mir is obviously a marvelous athlete. Geno wants to make her into a marvelous basketball player. I would not bet against him.

 

[DEpup]

For me, I think Mir is going through a lot of what Aubrey did early last year. Unfortunate for Mir there is more talent on the team this year.

Both Mir and Aubrey are such great athletes that they got through highschool on the athleticism and instinct. Now Mir is at UConn and Geno expects his players to actually play "organized" all around basketball and contribute to what the team is trying to accomplish collectively.

A few times I've seen Mir get the ball and just run to the rim to force a shot whether it was available or not instead of passing out of it. I've also seen her not be where she needed to be on defense. One time today Anna ended up getting a foul because Mir was lost on defense and didn't rotate over.

In summation, Mir is a great athlete from the neck down and now she needs to work the muscle between the ears to learn the plays and she'll be golden. It's only game 4... A lot of pretty good UConn players started out pretty clueless as freshman. I mean she didn't even get the benefit of summer practices. Somehow I remember someone with the nickname Gabulous who played mostly 4th quarter minutes her freshman year and she turned out pretty good. Patience folks.

 

[bluedevil]

Most of the time not that well

I can do better.

 

[Viet Vet]

Not most of the 4th quarter, she went in at the 7:31 mark and out at 2:15. Just sayin

5:16 is most of 10:00. And Jordy is right. Had nothing to do with four frosh on the floor. It was message time.

 

[trb123]

She will be OK eventually. If she does not, please remember that playing for more than 5 minutes on the UConn Husky team is not for everyone.

 

[CL82]

the Sage of Storrs.

I feel like this needs to be a word that starts with ”st”. Maybe the Steward of Storrs?

There has to be a better one.

The Star of Storrs?

 

[donalddoowop]

Pretty sure it was because he would’ve had 4 freshman on the floor. Well that’s what Megan commented

There would have been five freshmen on the floor.

 

[hoophuskee]

Well during games like this is where she will learn.

No. I don't agree with this one bit as it pertains to UCONN. Both of the great coaches-- Geno and Jim C use/used "the bench" as a learning tool - a lot.

If a player keeps doing the same thing wrong over-and-over for example-- how is it that the only way to get through to them is to keep playing them? You mean every coach that has ever used "a benching" as "motivation" to stop doing something has been wrong?

 

[CTisballers]

No. I don't agree with this one bit as it pertains to UCONN. Both of the great coaches-- Geno and Jim C use/used "the bench" as a learning tool - a lot.

If a player keeps doing the same thing wrong over-and-over for example-- how is it that the only to get through to them is to keep playing them? You mean every coach that has ever used "a benching" has been wrong?

She will learn from film and learning from her mistakes if she don’t get it in the mid or end of the season yes it’s a problem but it’s her 4th dame game. And what mistakes did she make that Paige or any other freshman didn’t make?? This team as a whole still makes mistakes hoophuskee

 

[hoophuskee]

She will learn from film and learning from her mistakes if she don’t get it in the mid or end of the season yes it’s a problem but it’s her 4th dame game. And what mistakes did she make that Paige or any other freshman didn’t make?? This team as a whole still makes mistakes hoophuskee

What does the 4th damn game have anything to do with it when you go over in practices what needs to be done?

You are comparing Paige to Mir? You think both should be treated the same?

I guess you didn't see the Husky Dynasty 1995 on SNY when Geno spoke of Sales vs the other players? Rizzotti was mentioning how they nicknamed Sales as "Precious." Geno explained why-- he summed it up by saying to paraphrase - "she can do things you can't. She is going to bail you out." And you think Jim Calhoun treated "Donyell Marshall" the same as the 9th player on the bench?

If you aren't going to give your superstar(s) leeway - gradually they aren't going to come. I think Geno has it down how to attract superstars. He has a model that they apparently love. He doesn't play a deep bench (I think he would like to but that's another point/topic) - that's been his model too. Thus I think we can say he expects his role players to do something very, very specific. He even said what he is doing for Griffin on offense. For example, if Paige fires up some contested outside shots in a row - Geno will be okay with those mistakes in some manner. But he won't be okay (has a shorter leash) if Aubrey fired up the same outside shots. He has a specific role for her that he specifically designed for her. He probably has the same thing with Mir offensively and defensively.

 

[Zanzman]

I can do better.

Not a high bar

 

[CTisballers]

What does the 4th damn game have anything to do with it when you go over in practices what needs to be done?

You are comparing Paige to Mir? You think both should be treated the same?

I guess you didn't see the Husky Dynasty 1995 on SNY when Geno spoke of Sales vs the other players? Rizzotti was mentioning how they nicknamed Sales as "Precious." Geno explained why-- he summed it up by saying to paraphrase - "she can do things you can't. She is going to bail you out." And you think Jim Calhoun treated "Donyell Marshall" the same as the 9th player on the bench?

If you aren't going to give your superstar(s) leeway - gradually they aren't going to come. I think Geno has it down how to attract superstars. He has a model that they apparently love. He doesn't play a deep bench (I think he would like to but that's another point/topic) - that's been his model too. Thus I think we can say he expects his role players to do something very, very specific. He even said what he is doing for Griffin on offense. For example, if Paige fires up some contested outside shots in a row - Geno will be okay with those mistakes in some manner. But he won't be okay (has a shorter leash) if Aubrey fired up the same outside shots. He has a specific role for her that he specifically designed for her. He probably has the same thing with Mir offensively and defensively.

This isn’t 1995 no more and her 4th game has a lot to do with it especially with no preseason games and less practice. And I’m not comparing Mir to Paige I’m comparing her to everyone else mistakes on the team. And taking a player out like that isn’t the answer. All it does is hurt confidence and make player want to transfer. Only thing I seen Mir do wrong if force a couple shots the last game but she scores off offensive rebounds and hustle plays. And I know he don’t play a deep bench but he played this girl the first game and she had 10p and 6r in 11 min. Next game 5 and 4 minutes then you completely don’t play her is just strange to me. She’s played better then all the fresh except Paige and Edwards. Me writing back to you because this is my own opinion and how I see the game being played is she needs to be in the rotation. I think because he don’t play a deep bench hurt us in some big time games that we lost in the past. But you have your view and I have mines. No need to get upset at me gheesh

 

[hoophuskee]

This isn’t 1995 no more and her 4th game has a lot to do with it especially with no preseason games and less practice. And I’m not comparing Mir to Paige I’m comparing her to everyone else mistakes on the team. And taking a player out like that isn’t the answer. All it does is hurt confidence and make player want to transfer. Only thing I seen Mir do wrong if force a couple shots the last game but she scores off offensive rebounds and hustle plays. And I know he don’t play a deep bench but he played this girl the first game and she had 10p and 6r in 11 min. Next game 5 and 4 minutes then you completely don’t play her is just strange to me. She’s played better then all the fresh except Paige and Edwards. Me writing back to you because this is my own opinion and how I see the game being played is she needs to be in the rotation. I think because he don’t play a deep bench hurt us in some big time games that we lost in the past. But you have your view and I have mines. No need to get upset at me gheesh

I wasn't upset. I am not upset.

You realize it's okay for us to disagree right? I just think you're wrong on nearly everything. Can you tell me why you think I was upset though? How can I express on this type of site a point that I disagree with another poster and make it a point that I, or anyone else that argues, is not mad? Did you think because I used the word "damn?" Well YOU used it. So I was just replying with that word in kind. If you could use it, can't I also use it?

Here are some quick points - from my prior post to you-- First- I put "Donyell Marshall" in quotes meaning "any superstar" vs a bench player you can use. If you think any top team in the modern era treats their superstar the same as their bench player- I think that is so wrong. Secondly- you mentioned Mir being pulled vs Paige not being pulled. That's a comparison between one player being pulled vs another not. Third, Geno and Jim Calhoun - all-time great coaches - don't agree with your philosophy of not using the benching as a tool to use. They use it/ have used it. I think benching can be a good tool to utilize too, thus I don't agree with your comment of "all it does . . ." No-- it's not "All it does . . ." Sometimes, the player can get motivated to perform better the next time they play vs letting them play and have little repercussions for making the same mistake. Fourth, some posters have talked about how she doesn't know positioning on the floor. And if you didn't see the play in which she literally gave up when she was guarding the Seton Hall pg- then I don't know what to say. You want to use points per minute as some type of barometer-- since when does that matter over blowing defensive assignments or not being in the right place? Geno refers to that as "being lost" or he says the player (s) "picks and chooses . . ."

And when you said "she played better" - Who said she played better? You only want to use "points scored per minute" as the barometer? SO, you just want to ignore Genos' comments about her game? Sure - he could be wrong. But If you listened to his postgame (you can go on youtube) he basically said "she was lost." So you want to ignore that comment? And you want to ignore the philosophies of two super-great coaches when it comes to benching? That's why I said above I disagree with nearly everything you've said. If you can't respect the value of benching sometimes whether it is game 1 or game 4 or game 6 etc (whether perceived as deserved or not) then anything pertaining to this subject I think you are way wrong. That's my opinion. But I'm not mad.

 

[my2cents]

I remember the last time a freshman's minutes were discussed so much was Megan Walker, and she was the number one recruit in the country. It will all work out.

 

[oldhusky]

I remember the last time a freshman's minutes were discussed so much was Megan Walker, and she was the number one recruit in the country. It will all work out.

I would like to dissect the "it will all work out" comment. In some ways I agree, I believe Mir will learn and progress, and become a much better player. I also believe she will become a player that would be a major contributor on most teams, but in terms of her playing time, it still might not happen even if she is playing at a high level.

Uconn is not typical. This team appears to have a very strong top 8. Geno frequently doesn't use a regular rotation that goes past that. Right now Mir is number 9 in an 8 player rotation. I hope that Mir does well enough to convince Geno to go to 9 and maybe press more. Next year I hope he goes to at least 10 and presses most of the game.

The main point is Geno can have every position covered for the whole game with a very good player, without having to go past 8. With Nika injured he could have moved Mir into the rotation, but instead, preferred to stretch a largely 7 player rotation instead.

To make it a rotation of 9, Mir needs to reach the level of Anna, Evina, Aaliyah, or Aubrey. She needs to give him a reason to play her even when he has those players available. It is not like last year where she could probably easily advance past say Kyla or Molly for playing time. Next year is likely harder, not easier, even for a player who progresses nicely.

 

[Centerstream]

I thought that Mir McLean was out Among Us looking for the Imposter, Mir McClean.

 

[Cuango]

Mir will play regular minutes when she begins to demonstrate that she is trying to implement the lessons he is imparting in practice. That is clearly not happening now. What success she has had is largely due to her incredible athleticism rather than any knowledge she has picked up in practice. If her successes were a product of her operating within the system he is teaching, her minutes would be increasing. Until she plays as part of the team she will continue to see her minutes decline. I’m sure Geno would see anything else as actually harmful to Mir’s progress as a basketball player and also as harmful to the whole team’s progress as well. Jmo but he does have 11 national championships and has successfully brought the best out of many players who were more or less in the same boat as Mir. I hope she will recognize that he is only doing what he believes will help her achieve maximum success as a college and ultimately a professional basketball player.

 

[ccwarrior]

Mir did something in the last game I have never seen at UConn and it was right in front of Geno. During a play she just stood on the wing, hands on hips., never moved.

CW on the wing or in the corner, quite a bit actually.

 

[soxfan23]

Seems like many don't understand why Mir is not getting major minutes so I decided to break down her tape for last game to highlight a few of the reasons.

1:16:54 Terrible help defense, half hearted swipe instead of taking charge
1:17:15 Switches and then just leaves her man to dribble to the lane uncontested
1:18:23 Again, weak help defense in stopping penetration
1:18:33 Lost on offense, sets a half hearted screen
1:20:06 Beaten baseline by very slow player
1:21:30 Beaten baseline again, fortunately the player she was guarding traveled
1:22:55 Is late on help defense which leads to a foul and an and 1 for Xavier

She also committed 2 offensive fouls(1 over the back and 1 moving screen), but I think Coach Auriemma can live with those, it is the failure to execute of the defensive end which is really hurting McClean's playing time right now.

 

[hart2hart]

I really like Mir and am in agreement with Oldude on her. She yes has a lot to focus on but as Geno stated recently as her practicing is getting better she will earn more minutes. We need each and every player to improve, some more than others. Let’s all be cheerleaders for all the players not just a few. She might even surprise some of you as she earns more minutes of playing time. We need each and everyone of these amazing gals. Top to bottom.

 

[jazz]

MM thrives in chaos BB - like pick-up games on the playground. She is used to being able to out-athleticize anybody so she can just use her instincts to get rebounds and score. She doesn't really have any instincts for defense, especially in space. She is used to just hanging around and then when she get's beat, she can simply recover or outjump the other player and get the block.

I'm not sure what kind of coaching she had in HS and I don't like throwing shade on people, but she reminds me of a street player who has never had an ounce of coaching - lost in the concept of offensive plays and being precise and timely with what she is doing and then she has no feel for what is going around her on defense. Help defense is an oddity for her. Structured BB is a struggle for her.

I am also a bit worried that when she sits for most of the game, she kind of drifts out mentally and then is a bit out of sync mentally when she has a chance to play. More so than anybody, she needs to be mentally ready to go and locked in. I don't think she has the discipline to do this at the moment. To be fair, it is hard to do when you are used to playing the entire game.

I was more hopeful before, but at this point she is Denis Rodman on the boards and a bit lost on everything else. She is a liability to be honest.

But, remember the days when it took most freshman an entire year to get it??? With Covid, I'm not sure that MM even had a proper offseason to get acclimated and she needed it as much or more than anybody.

She is a conundrum in that she makes a visual impact straight away when she enters and then when you watch closely, she is not doing her job and hurting the team. It may take a while but I still hope at some point this year, she can give us a dozen good minutes.

Again, her biggest issue is getting use to structured BB.

I'm pulling for her...that athleticism is special! She has a knack for knowing where the ball is going off the rim and getting the rebound. Fun to watch in that regard.

 

[oldude]

MM thrives in chaos BB - like pick-up games on the playground. She is used to being able to out-athleticize anybody so she can just use her instincts to get rebounds and score. She doesn't really have any instincts for defense, especially in space. She is used to just hanging around and then when she get's beat, she can simply recover or outjump the other player and get the block.

I'm not sure what kind of coaching she had in HS and I don't like throwing shade on people, but she reminds me of a street player who has never had an ounce of coaching - lost in the concept of offensive plays and being precise and timely with what she is doing and then she has no feel for what is going around her on defense. Help defense is an oddity for her. Structured BB is a struggle for her.

I am also a bit worried that when she sits for most of the game, she kind of drifts out mentally and then is a bit out of sync mentally when she has a chance to play. More so than anybody, she needs to be mentally ready to go and locked in. I don't think she has the discipline to do this at the moment. To be fair, it is hard to do when you are used to playing the entire game.

I was more hopeful before, but at this point she is Denis Rodman on the boards and a bit lost on everything else. She is a liability to be honest.

But, remember the days when it took most freshman an entire year to get it??? With Covid, I'm not sure that MM even had a proper offseason to get acclimated and she needed it as much or more than anybody.

She is a conundrum in that she makes a visual impact straight away when she enters and then when you watch closely, she is not doing her job and hurting the team. It may take a while but I still hope at some point this year, she can give us a dozen good minutes.

Again, her biggest issue is getting use to structured BB.

I'm pulling for her...that athleticism is special! She has a knack for knowing where the ball is going off the rim and getting the rebound. Fun to watch in that regard.

One other point about Mir. Unlike most top HS players, she did not play basketball year round. She was also a track star in HS. So while other kids were playing AAU ball in the spring, Mir was burning up the track.

 

[jazz]

One other point about Mir. Unlike most top HS players, she did not play basketball year round. She was also a track star in HS. So while other kids were playing AAU ball in the spring, Mir was burning up the track.

Great point oldude. She reminds me of a great athlete learning how to play organised BB. Hopefully she gets there because she is a lot of fun to watch!

 

[Zanzman]

So a street baller
Dennis Rodman
Great athlete just learning the games she reminds you of an awful lot

 

[Jibariqua]

One other point about Mir. Unlike most top HS players, she did not play basketball year round. She was also a track star in HS. So while other kids were playing AAU ball in the spring, Mir was burning up the track.

Mir played in the EYBL for Team Takeover. I don’t remember her being on Roland Park’s track team, but she was on the Volleyball team.

 

[jazz]

Mir played in the EYBL for Team Takeover. I don’t remember her being on Roland Park’s track team, but she was on the Volleyball team.

I can image her being a great spiker in VB, even if she is only 5'11 and not the 6'2 that usually great spikers tend to be.

 

[Carnac]

Mir is a freshman!! Geno sez every year that it takes most freshmen coming into the program a FULL YEAR to learn the system and to become comfortable playing at the "elite" level UConn plays on. Some freshmen are able to come in and adapt all most immediately. Paige and Aaliyah are examples of that dynamic. They have shown the ability to raise their level of play and understanding which allows them to be functional in Geno's system NOW!!

Where would this team be today without Paige and Aaliyah? Be happy we have them. Let Mir learn at her own pace. The coaches know how to bring freshmen along. I'm anticipating on her making that sophomore leap next year, and really helping the team then. Whatever we get from her now is gravy because she does not know the system yet, similar to Aubrey last year.

Everyone IS NOT the same. Some students can do trigonometry and calculus in their sleep, while others struggle with it. I follow Geno's line of thinking. If HE says it usually takes a year, that's what I go with. Everyone does not come in with the same BB IQ. Some players had better coaching and development than others. Mir will be fine if given time to develop.

We've only played 6 games. As Geno also said, you really can't tell what you have based on practices. You really don't know until you play games. That's where the rubber meets the road. Even though some freshmen may come in with a boat load of awards and accolades, I don't expect anything from them their freshman year. Most of the time, Geno does not depend on true freshmen coming in and needing to play them right away. Lately he has because of player defections and recruiting slumps, he's had to throw some freshmen into the fire right away.

Christyn and ONO had to start as freshmen and Paige this year. The slump is over, and it appears the ship has been righted. I really think we go in to Waco next Thursday and leave with a win. Last year was last year. Kim has a good team this year, but it's not as dominate as last year's. It won't be easy, it never is. We're not looking for "easy", just personal and team growth and development and a better understanding of Geno's system. It will be 40 minutes of intense basketball you won't want to miss. It will be played with a very short bench, 3 deep (Nika, Aaliyah and Aubrey) at best. Baylor can be beaten, and UConn can do it. This game will be the best team the other has played, even though Baylor has already lost a game to Arkansas 83-78 on Dec 6. I think we're better than Arkansas who is currently ranked 10th nationally.

 

[jazz]

So a street baller
Dennis Rodman
Great athlete just learning the games she reminds you of an awful lot

Yes and also if you don't mind the analogy often used for players that are a bit of a project...she is like a hump of clay that needs to be molded.

I think you might red-shirt her if circumstances were different. Jessica Moore was a medical redshirt her freshman year and looked lost in the few minutes she did play. But she played a huge role in championships later in her career. She was a great athlete as well learning how to play organised BB and a favorite of mine. I loved her game!!

Maybe Jessica would have looked lost too if she played her entire freshman year....who knows...

 

[HopJim]

Yes and also if you don't mind the analogy often used for players that are a bit of a project...she is like a hump of clay that needs to be molded.

I think you might red-shirt her if circumstances were different. Jessica Moore was a medical redshirt her freshman year and looked lost in the few minutes she did play. But she played a huge role in championships later in her career. She was a great athlete as well learning how to play organised BB and a favorite of mine. I loved her game!!

Maybe Jessica would have looked lost too if she played her entire freshman year....who knows...

I love watching Mir play and hope your comparison to Moore comes true. The question is whether Mir has the skills but is inconsistent or a project (i.e. needs to develop new, unproven skills). UConn has some of the best coaching in the US and inconsistent players typically develop. While there may have been exceptions, UConn is always competing for championships and projects typically don't get the time they need to move to the next level.