Who are the “players?”
1. Collier, Samuelson, and Dangerfield are three of the best if not the best in the WCB. What follows is speculation since the other players are more unknowns then knowns.
2. Walker, in my mind, has shown a little promise for a #1. She did not play like any of the other #1s UCONN has recruited. BUT … there is hope. Gabby, MoJet, Tuck, Greene, Collier, and few other really good players averaged only 1 or 2 minutes more than Walker as freshmen. So I think she will be a player this coming season. Fingers crossed.
3. Camara is expected to be good but based on what? Has she really shown to be a starter? Perhaps she will play more to the expected level when playing with Phee, Lou, and Danger. She will be really needed early in the season.
4. Wow! Only five players. Well that leaves the freshmen to save the day. ONO and Williams will have to hit the floor running for UCONN to have any kind of season. If anything they are needed for solid backups. ONO may backup Camara and Collier. Williams may backup Dangerfield and possibly Samuelson. She can rebound … at least in high school see did. Sorry Walker no rest for you! OK, we will send ONO in for you as well.
5. Coombs is a possibility for 12-15 minutes per game if she is over her illness/disorder and it had affected her game last year. She is a solid maybe.
6. I don’t see any help from Bent, Gordon, and Irwin. It would have to be a complete metamorphosis for them to help. Kyla is a wonderful energy player. A team player she is. Bent, God love her, tries so hard but something does not click in the game. Gordon is a mystery to me.
So for me the starters in game one will be Collier, Samuelson, Dangerfield, Walker, and Camara. The bench will be Williams, ONO and maybe Coombs. It is the seven player rotation which is better than the six player rotation.
The starters on February 1 are Collier, Samuelson, Dangerfield, ONO, Walker. The bench will be Camara and Williams and maybe Coombs.
What do they do on offense without Gabby at the high post? Do they put somebody else there or run other stuff? Passing out of the high post has been really productive.
Well UCONN will be relatively small with players being 5’5”, 6’1”, 6’1”, 6’2” and 6’3”. In Feb swapping a 6’2” for a 6’4”. I think they will have to rely on the three point shot greatly which may be the reason why we see a video of Collier draining threes. With my starting lineup they could have four three point shooters; Lou, Phee, Danger, and Walker with Williams of the bench. They may use double cut screens to free a shooter. But this usually requires a forward to provide the pass to the open shooter. The double cut screen is really hard to defend. They have to modify their motion offense to take advantage of their personnel. I don’t see Camara as a scoring threat. So Collier will be receiving the attention of the bigs. She will have to take them outside and hopefully be a three point threat to spread the floor and allow for quick cuts to the basket and drives by Dangerfield, Samuelson, Walker, and Williams. All of whom are more than capable getting to the hoop while the big covers Collier. A lot depends on how well Walker and Camara will have improved. The development of the freshmen is the key to a great season. No pressure kids!
Nurse took away the other team’s best offensive player. Who becomes the defensive stopper?
Go back to CONN’s 2016-17 team which had no Big, just speed and quickness and a swarming defense. I’m thinking back to past? However, Camara is not all that fast and quick. So this is why I see ONO starting in February. She provides height, speed, quickness, and hops.
