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Mir, redux

HuskyNan

HuskyNan

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Sorry if this was discussed elsewhere.

One of the sportscasters said during the game that Geno has been very happy with Mir’s practices and that he’d like to find more minutes for her. That made me 😀. Mir adds a new wrinkle for opponents. She’s always looking for her shot but hasn’t had enough playing time to smooth out the rough spots. More minutes could only benefit her, and the team, as she develops her game. She may pick up some of Nika’s minutes in the BEast tourney as Geno will not play Nika too much until she’s 100%.

If Mir becomes another viable option for Geno, if someone has an off night, Geno could possibly have another player to sub in. Mir is an unknown that the other guys probably haven’t seen on tape or prepared for. That makes UConn a little more dangerous, hence the 😀

Full disclosure, I’m a big Mir fan. There’s something about this kid that I like. Reminds me of a Kalana Greene, an underrated Husky that I thought never got her due.
 
Mir has a lot of potential and natural talent so I could not understand why she wasn't getting more minutes. It is nice to hear that Geno has been very happy with Mir's practices and that he'd like to find more minutes for her.
 
Mir's playing time has been severely limited because (for most of the season) she was "not getting it" in terms of understanding the offensive and defensive systems. Geno has shown over the years that he will not tolerate that, no matter how athletically talented a player is: just ask Charde, Mikayla Coombs, Gabby Williams as a freshman, and Aubrey. Even Napheesa lost her starting job as a freshman for this reason.

I think Geno is right to do that -- his systems at both ends of the court are not going to work if players are out of position or make the wrong reads. He has never held the view that the system should defer to a talented athlete, and you can't expect him to start thinking that way now.

But most (not all) players eventually learn what they need to know, and from the announcer's comment attributed to Geno, it sounds as if Mir is doing that. I agree that if that happens, she can become a major asset. I think she is even more athletic than Aubrey and perhaps comparable to Gabby.
 
HuskyNan said:
Sorry if this was discussed elsewhere.

One of the sportscasters said during the game that Geno has been very happy with Mir’s practices and that he’d like to find more minutes for her. That made me 😀. Mir adds a new wrinkle for opponents. She’s always looking for her shot but hasn’t had enough playing time to smooth out the rough spots. More minutes could only benefit her, and the team, as she develops her game. She may pick up some of Nika’s minutes in the BEast tourney as Geno will not play Nika too much until she’s 100%.

If Mir becomes another viable option for Geno, if someone has an off night, Geno could possibly have another player to sub in. Mir is an unknown that the other guys probably haven’t seen on tape or prepared for. That makes UConn a little more dangerous, hence the 😀

Full disclosure, I’m a big Mir fan. There’s something about this kid that I like. Reminds me of a Kalana Greene, an underrated Husky that I thought never got her due.
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Like the Kalana Green comparison; quick, athletic, hops and agility. With time could be a defensive stopper and always good for a swift unexpected bucket. Beautiful spontaneous smile.
 
Man she got straight into Farley's head today. The camera focused on some neat in-bounds hand fighting when she first came in that lead to Farley's intentional foul a possession or two later and Mir picking herself up with a huge grin on her face. It was fun to watch.
 
.-.
RedStickHusky said:
Man she got straight into Farley's head today. The camera focused on some neat in-bounds hand fighting when she first came in that lead to Farley's intentional foul a possession or two later and Mir picking herself up with a huge grin on her face. It was fun to watch.
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Huge smile is the only smile that Mir has.
 
I would think if Mir was going to get some of Nika's minutes she would have to use her outside shooting ability. I would hope that she had an outside shot in HS because if her entire offense is driving the lane then our opponents will just keep trying to stop her, resulting in possible charges. I am not saying that she needs to put up any 3s but at least be able to hit mid range jumpers.
But if she isn't playing Nika's minutes, nevermind.
 
She’s still a bit of a “grenade” to me, but highly athletic. I think when the UConn offense starts to click for her she will be a great addition off the bench. Love her attitude and she’s not afraid of anything.
 
.-.
Her big disadvantage has been that she is not a wing. That makes her an undersized post way down in the depth chart behind Liv, Alija and Audrey, with Anna also capable of playing the four. It also hasn’t helped that Geno has used four guards in the starting lineup, plus the fact that Alija is such a valuable asset. There just hasn’t been a place for her in that rotation. If Nika can’t play, Anna will get those minutes.
 
Sorry, Mir fans, but she got the minutes she got today because 1) the game was a blowout; 2) Nika was out of the game with her injury; 3) Anna was on a "pitch count" for playing time; and Liv was being rested in the 2nd half. All of these things combined, opened up playing time in the 4th qtr. Like most of you, I love her smile and seemingly positive attitude, but if all players were healthy, whose minutes would she be taking?

When asked by a team of unfamiliar, national outlet broadcasters about all of the players, I'm sure Geno found something good to say about all the players. I'm not saying his praise of Mir's recent practices was incorrect just that at this late point in the season her finally "getting it" doesn't, in and of itself, mean she is going to play more. She is basically a shorter Aubrey with very similar skills. If she, and for that matter AG, want more playing time they need to show an ability to knock down the 15 ft. jumper, much like Gabby did. If Mir thinks court time is difficult to earn this year, just wait until next year when the battle for minutes will be far more difficult.

And to FriedaFriend, who believes Mir was the Badass of the game today, if you are not related to, or a lifelong friend of Mir's, I have to say ..................................... WHAT??????????
 
Bills Fan said:
Sorry, Mir fans, but she got the minutes she got today because 1) the game was a blowout; 2) Nika was out of the game with her injury; 3) Anna was on a "pitch count" for playing time; and Liv was being rested in the 2nd half. All of these things combined, opened up playing time in the 4th qtr. Like most of you, I love her smile and seemingly positive attitude, but if all players were healthy, whose minutes would she be taking?

When asked by a team of unfamiliar, national outlet broadcasters about all of the players, I'm sure Geno found something good to say about all the players. I'm not saying his praise of Mir's recent practices was incorrect just that at this late point in the season her finally "getting it" doesn't, in and of itself, mean she is going to play more. She is basically a shorter Aubrey with very similar skills. If she, and for that matter AG, want more playing time they need to show an ability to knock down the 15 ft. jumper, much like Gabby did. If Mir thinks court time is difficult to earn this year, just wait until next year when the battle for minutes will be far more difficult.

And to FriedaFriend, who believes Mir was the Badass of the game today, if you are not related to, or a lifelong friend of Mir's, I have to say ..................................... WHAT??????????
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Be careful Bills Fan - Remember !! "Peace and Love" at ALL TIMES !!! (we don't want to upset anyone !!)
1615077919862.png
 
JoePgh said:
Mir's playing time has been severely limited because (for most of the season) she was "not getting it" in terms of understanding the offensive and defensive systems. Geno has shown over the years that he will not tolerate that, no matter how athletically talented a player is: just ask Charde, Mikayla Coombs, Gabby Williams as a freshman, and Aubrey. Even Napheesa lost her starting job as a freshman for this reason.

I think Geno is right to do that -- his systems at both ends of the court are not going to work if players are out of position or make the wrong reads. He has never held the view that the system should defer to a talented athlete, and you can't expect him to start thinking that way now.

But most (not all) players eventually learn what they need to know, and from the announcer's comment attributed to Geno, it sounds as if Mir is doing that. I agree that if that happens, she can become a major asset. I think she is even more athletic than Aubrey and perhaps comparable to Gabby.
Expand ...
JoePgh said:
I think she is even more athletic than Aubrey and perhaps comparable to Gabby.
Expand ...
Not more athletic than Aubrey but a much more capable shooter. Mir's disadvantage has been the success of Griffin's D and her energy, though whenever McLean got some time she looked good. Hard to dismiss Aubrey's future on offense entirely, but she frequently seems out of control going to the basket and hapless from the perimeter. Going forward, I think Mir may have more upside.
 
Bills Fan said:
Sorry, Mir fans, but she got the minutes she got today because 1) the game was a blowout; 2) Nika was out of the game with her injury; 3) Anna was on a "pitch count" for playing time; and Liv was being rested in the 2nd half. All of these things combined, opened up playing time in the 4th qtr. Like most of you, I love her smile and seemingly positive attitude, but if all players were healthy, whose minutes would she be taking?

When asked by a team of unfamiliar, national outlet broadcasters about all of the players, I'm sure Geno found something good to say about all the players. I'm not saying his praise of Mir's recent practices was incorrect just that at this late point in the season her finally "getting it" doesn't, in and of itself, mean she is going to play more. She is basically a shorter Aubrey with very similar skills. If she, and for that matter AG, want more playing time they need to show an ability to knock down the 15 ft. jumper, much like Gabby did. If Mir thinks court time is difficult to earn this year, just wait until next year when the battle for minutes will be far more difficult.

And to FriedaFriend, who believes Mir was the Badass of the game today, if you are not related to, or a lifelong friend of Mir's, I have to say ..................................... WHAT??????????
Expand ...

Lest you forget that Nika made the most of the minutes she only got because Paige was injured and worked her way into the starting lineup.

It doesn’t matter why you get the minutes, it matters what you do with them — and Mir did pretty okay with what she was given today.
 
huskyd said:
Not more athletic than Aubrey but a much more capable shooter. Mir's disadvantage has been the success of Griffin's D and her energy, though whenever McLean got some time she looked good. Hard to dismiss Aubrey's future on offense entirely, but she frequently seems out of control going to the basket and hapless from the perimeter. Going forward, I think Mir may have more upside.
Expand ...
1615078715580.png
 
.-.
Centerstream said:
I would think if Mir was going to get some of Nika's minutes she would have to use her outside shooting ability. I would hope that she had an outside shot in HS because if her entire offense is driving the lane then our opponents will just keep trying to stop her, resulting in possible charges. I am not saying that she needs to put up any 3s but at least be able to hit mid range jumpers.
But if she isn't playing Nika's minutes, nevermind.
Expand ...

Sometimes all it takes is a pesky gnat to start a stampede. She will get some of those minutes but not the same role on the offensive end at least not yet. She could be an effective perimeter defender right now however and that helps. McClean's skills are offensive rebounding and steals, both of which provide extra possessions. She's also pretty good in transition whenever UConn plays a team that tries to run with them.
 
HuskyNan said:
Sorry if this was discussed elsewhere.

One of the sportscasters said during the game that Geno has been very happy with Mir’s practices and that he’d like to find more minutes for her. That made me 😀. Mir adds a new wrinkle for opponents. She’s always looking for her shot but hasn’t had enough playing time to smooth out the rough spots. More minutes could only benefit her, and the team, as she develops her game. She may pick up some of Nika’s minutes in the BEast tourney as Geno will not play Nika too much until she’s 100%.

If Mir becomes another viable option for Geno, if someone has an off night, Geno could possibly have another player to sub in. Mir is an unknown that the other guys probably haven’t seen on tape or prepared for. That makes UConn a little more dangerous, hence the 😀

Full disclosure, I’m a big Mir fan. There’s something about this kid that I like. Reminds me of a Kalana Greene, an underrated Husky that I thought never got her due.
Expand ...
Geno did play Mir in the backcourt some today, that was good to see. Really don't know if she might have played some point in HS. She is quick and aggressive much like Nika. She, Griffin and Bueckers would be a handful for opposing teams. If she can get more minutes watch out!
 
Mir is not a great outside shooter, but an on-balance pull-up from 5-15' should be in her wheelhouse, based on what I saw in high school.
 
Bills Fan said:
Like most of you, I love her smile and seemingly positive attitude, but if all players were healthy, whose minutes would she be taking?

When asked by a team of unfamiliar, national outlet broadcasters about all of the players, I'm sure Geno found something good to say about all the players. I'm not saying his praise of Mir's recent practices was incorrect just that at this late point in the season her finally "getting it" doesn't, in and of itself, mean she is going to play more. She is basically a shorter Aubrey with very similar skills. If she, and for that matter AG, want more playing time they need to show an ability to knock down the 15 ft. jumper, much like Gabby did. If Mir thinks court time is difficult to earn this year, just wait until next year when the battle for minutes will be far more difficult.

And to FriedaFriend, who believes Mir was the Badass of the game today, if you are not related to, or a lifelong friend of Mir's, I have to say ..................................... WHAT??????????
Expand ...
Whose minutes would she take? As I said in my OP, if someone has an off night, she could take their minutes.

As to the rest of your post...........................WHAT??????????? (Obnoxious, isn’t it? A reason for disagreeing followed by civil discourse might have been better)
 
.-.
HuskyNan said:
Whose minutes would she take? As I said in my OP, if someone has an off night, she could take their minutes.

As to the rest of your post...........................WHAT??????????? (Obnoxious, isn’t it? A reason for disagreeing followed by civil discourse might have been better)
Expand ...

Ditto what Nan said. And for those Mir detractors, remember that last year she was ranked in most rankings as one of the top scholastic players in the country. This kid was not an after-thought. Coach Geno recruited a highly sought player. Whatever was keeping her from minutes, the team needs her now, and she's coming through.
 
I like Mir a lot but I don't see the Kalana Greene comparison. I think more Gabby-like. I don't think Mir has the -guard-like open-court play that Greene had. For example, I missed most of today, but has there been one time this year that Mir has shown that when she catches a pass beyond 25+ feet from the basket that she can put the ball on the floor and make a pass creating for others? I think 10-15 feet after she catches a pass she can do- but a guard like KG - you could pass her that ball at 25 + feet or even on a fastbreak near halfcourt court and she could do a drive-and-dish. I just don’t think she has those passing guards skills yet to be a Kalana-type.

IMO what's hurt her this year is the UCONN guards overall haven’t been as good shooting the ball as we're normally accustomed to-which means the defenses sag. Normally, other years she could be a highly valued weapon in haflcourt because “she would have space to operate” imo. And if the defenses sag - how is she going to score with so much size and athleticism vs the elite teams? She can score vs the Big East and small teams like Arkansas. So for now and up until 1 round or two in Tourney you can put her anywhere and she’ll probably be effective enough.

Prior to this point, I just figured that if Geno ever did start to play her more it would mean that in practices she probably figured out how to score more efficiently in the inside when she goes against Griff, Edwards, Liv and Piath. Apparently she hadn’t but maybe we’ll see for ourselves going forward.

If he plays her- great. And I know she can do well enough vs the B.E. and round 1 or 2. But I think her game needs the perimeter players to knock down perimeter shots to open the lane for her. Anna can be very big for her in this regard imo. Mir seems to have an incredible electric 1st step when she faces the basket. And if she shows she can hit 15-foot jump shots - the better too. She could be terrific. IMO she needs an open lane- not congested though. Otherwise she is very limited as of this year unless something has recently changed in her game.
 
Fan, I am NOT a Mir detractor-my point was that she got her 11 minutes due to the listed items. I also pointed out how difficult minutes will be to get next year. I guess I find it hard to understand how this is wrong. It's a matter of the quality/size and skills of the incoming recruiting class not a negative comment about Mir.

Sorry about the nature of my Badass comment, but I really am incredulous about Mir being considered for that designation but I could have handled that better. However, it was not me who threw the term obnoxious into the thread.
 
1st half minutes are important for bench players. Even if it's the last minute of 1Q. How much harm could she do?
But then when she gets called upon next she's ready to go. ... Now with Muhl questionable and Makurat limited, you may have to rely on a kid that had only got mop-up time the last month? ... if she's not good enough to play in blowouts, how can you expect her to play important minutes?
 
HuskyNan said:
Sorry if this was discussed elsewhere.

One of the sportscasters said during the game that Geno has been very happy with Mir’s practices and that he’d like to find more minutes for her. That made me 😀. Mir adds a new wrinkle for opponents. She’s always looking for her shot but hasn’t had enough playing time to smooth out the rough spots. More minutes could only benefit her, and the team, as she develops her game. She may pick up some of Nika’s minutes in the BEast tourney as Geno will not play Nika too much until she’s 100%.

If Mir becomes another viable option for Geno, if someone has an off night, Geno could possibly have another player to sub in. Mir is an unknown that the other guys probably haven’t seen on tape or prepared for. That makes UConn a little more dangerous, hence the 😀

Full disclosure, I’m a big Mir fan. There’s something about this kid that I like. Reminds me of a Kalana Greene, an underrated Husky that I thought never got her due.
Expand ...
Pulling for Mir; you are right about the surprise element she brings off the bench.
 
.-.
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