Morgan Cheli | The Boneyard

Morgan Cheli

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I was just watching this video (she had triple double) , and got excited to see Morgan play next year. She was a big boost her freshman year against USC and she was playing out of position. Her potential is extremely high.
 
Very little details have been released about Morgan's injury recovery. Heading into last season I think most suspected she might not be available from the start, but would be early in the season. The idea that she would miss the season seemed very unlikely at that point. I don't know why, but it raises at least concerns over how much to count on her this year.

In a way the indirect signs, however, seem positive, and what I mean by that is what didn't happen in the portal. Not only did we not get a big in the portal, but it doesn't look like we even pursued one. Apparently Geno is OK with a roster of 12 that has only one natural 4 on it, with two leaving in Ayanna and Ice.

The optimistic interpretation is that Morgan and Olivia are the answers to that situation, when Sarah is not on the floor. Geno might use a 5 at the 4 (Olivia) or a 3 at the 4 (Morgan), and he must feel good about those options or he would have pursued a 4 in the portal IMO.

Compared to my expectations, Morgan's first year was about average. Her numbers were not stellar, but she did seem to be a glue type player that compliments the other players on the floor, and this year her versatility is a tremendous asset coming off the bench since she literally can play 4 positions. In addition to possibly earning playing time at those positions she is also injury insurance at all four. Perhaps a reason Geno is content with 12.
 
oldhusky said:
she did seem to be a glue type player that compliments the other players on the floor, and this year her versatility is a tremendous asset coming off the bench since she literally can play 4 positions.
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I have often wondered what Morgan’s best role is. That complementarity is her old PG habits showing through. She’s very alert to what her teammates are doing. At Mitty HS she also often mixed it up in the paint, scrapped for O-boards, looked for defensive boards and even got blocks and steals down there too.

This profile is familiar to us from Caroline, who had similar size and craftiness. Neither of them is really big enough to roughhouse in the lowpost with the really big kids or quick enough to run with the little guards. But they could get good work done because of their craftiness. Geno has had other Swiss-army-knife types before, though several of them were smaller, quicker and stronger. Aubrey and Gabby come to mind, but also Phee and Maya, even Dee. Look at these players too narrowly and they seem mostly to fit at the wing. But they’re all much more capable than that position would be able to make use of. They play bigger than their actual height because of their minds as much as their muscles. This is Geno’s genius, to give kids like this much more latitude. Dawn is another coach who understands this same thing.

I also think the ceiling is high for Morgan. And I worry about her recovery too. It would make me very happy to see her make a full comeback and have a chance to realize her formidable potential. I also go back in my mind to that game against LuHi when she engineered a dazzling victory against a national powerhouse. And she did it against a big team even though Mitty had no typical bigs, just her and McKenna Woliczko.
 
She was a rotation player from the start with UConn and not surprisingly, showed a level of court awareness that was remarkable given that she was only a first year. Looked like a veteran out there and the stage was not too big for her.

Her negatives were a propensity to pick up cheap reach in fouls and a frustrating unwillingness to shoot the ball that got worse as the season progressed.

The expectations for her should be high if she is healthy, but it is natural to be concerned about that since she has been out for over a year. Also, I recall Geno sounding optimistic about her anticipated return towards the end of calendar 2025 and that didn't pan out, obviously. So what happened there, we never really heard.

We don't really know if Geno was comfortable staying out of the portal, or if nothing connected. And UConn may add someone yet, some chatter about Marine Dursus although she is a guard.
 
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Morgan proved she deserved minutes with her hard-nosed play as a freshman.......she's smart, tough and has a decent outside shot that should get better.......the only question is whether she can stay healthy enough to be a major contributor next season.......that's why I was so interested in UConn recruiting an additional forward in the transfer portal to add to the rotation.........since that now seems unlikely, I sure hope she is ready to roll in the Fall.....
 
oldhusky said:
Compared to my expectations, Morgan's first year was about average. Her numbers were not stellar, but she did seem to be a glue type player that compliments the other players on the floor, and this year her versatility is a tremendous asset coming off the bench since she literally can play 4 positions. In addition to possibly earning playing time at those positions she is also injury insurance at all four. Perhaps a reason Geno is content with 12.
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I’m not sure what you were expecting but can I guess that points per game was part of it? Yes, Morgan averaged a modest 2.5 ppg. I’m making another guess that she, like many freshmen, deferred to the upperclassmen and Paige on scoring. She did surprise everyone on the Boneyard by averaging 37.0% on three point attempts and 39.1% overall. I’m pretty sure Geno will be on her about taking open shots this season.

Morgan was terrific on defense for such a young player and averaged an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0 to 1 (for those who are unfamiliar with this term, it means Morgan had 2 assists for every turnover she made). In 318 minutes, Morgan had only 15 turnovers. That’s pretty darn good. She also played with energy and brought a spark off the bench, something that doesn’t show up in a box score.

There’s a reason so many people were high on Morgan and so crushed when she was hurt. I’m really looking forward to seeing her play this coming season
 
reelfan said:
She is a major question mark given NO playing time and NO reports of healing or scrimmage play.
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There have been videos posted here of her playing in non-contact scrimmages

Article is subscription only but here’s a screenshot of the headline

IMG_5049.jpeg
 
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reelfan said:
She is a major question mark given NO playing time and NO reports of healing or scrimmage play.
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I’m pretty sure these enthusiastic projections, which I share, are all based on her being healthy. Imo, she has already shown that (if healthy) she will likely be a big asset for this team. She is essentially a big wing with a point guard’s mentality. What’s not to like? I am very excited about her potential return to 100% as she is one of my favorites on this team.
 
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HuskyNan said:
I’m not sure what you were expecting but can I guess that points per game was part of it? Yes, Morgan averaged a modest 2.5 ppg. I’m making another guess that she, like many freshmen, deferred to the upperclassmen and Paige on scoring. She did surprise everyone on the Boneyard by averaging 37.0% on three point attempts and 39.1% overall. I’m pretty sure Geno will be on her about taking open shots this season.

Morgan was terrific on defense for such a young player and averaged an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0 to 1 (for those who are unfamiliar with this term, it means Morgan had 2 assists for every turnover she made). In 318 minutes, Morgan had only 15 turnovers. That’s pretty darn good. She also played with energy and brought a spark off the bench, something that doesn’t show up in a box score.

There’s a reason so many people were high on Morgan and so crushed when she was hurt. I’m really looking forward to seeing her play this coming season
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The good news is while her PER and Box/Plus Minus were just ok (by Uconn standards) she was good at the ball handling stats and a pretty good rebounder for a 3, great for a guard and maybe a little below average if she had to play the 4.

What held back her overall ratings was both low volume and low efficiency scoring on offense, and too many fouls on defense. I also think that despite the fouls she was probably considered pretty good on position defense which isn't reflected in most stats. The areas where she was relatively weak are ones where players frequently show improvement with experience, and I expect that from Morgan too.

She showed the potential to be a valuable member of a very good rotation her first year, but IMO she was not there yet, but could be in the future, and even though I and others were looking for a 4 pickup in the portal, Geno apparently didn't pursue one, and that might be because he is confident in Morgan and Olivia being able to cover that apparent hole in the roster.
 
oldhusky said:
The good news is while her PER and Box/Plus Minus were just ok (by Uconn standards) she was good at the ball handling stats and a pretty good rebounder for a 3, great for a guard and maybe a little below average if she had to play the 4.

What held back her overall ratings was both low volume and low efficiency scoring on offense, and too many fouls on defense. I also think that despite the fouls she was probably considered pretty good on position defense which isn't reflected in most stats. The areas where she was relatively weak are ones where players frequently show improvement with experience, and I expect that from Morgan too.

She showed the potential to be a valuable member of a very good rotation her first year, but IMO she was not there yet, but could be in the future, and even though I and others were looking for a 4 pickup in the portal, Geno apparently didn't pursue one, and that might be because he is confident in Morgan and Olivia being able to cover that apparent hole in the roster.
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It’s hard to improve when injured only 24 games into the season. Hopefully she’s recovered and can enjoy the rest of her career
 
Huskee11 said:
She was a rotation player from the start with UConn and not surprisingly, showed a level of court awareness that was remarkable given that she was only a first year. Looked like a veteran out there and the stage was not too big for her.

Her negatives were a propensity to pick up cheap reach in fouls and a frustrating unwillingness to shoot the ball that got worse as the season progressed.

The expectations for her should be high if she is healthy, but it is natural to be concerned about that since she has been out for over a year. Also, I recall Geno sounding optimistic about her anticipated return towards the end of calendar 2025 and that didn't pan out, obviously. So what happened there, we never really heard.

We don't really know if Geno was comfortable staying out of the portal, or if nothing connected. And UConn may add someone yet, some chatter about Marine Dursus although she is a guard.
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While I agree on all these points, they don't factor in the injury Morgan was dealing with. As the problems progressed, she lost some speed and quickness and we did see a tendancy to reach in while on defense. As typical with a foot or ankle injury, she appeared to have issues setting her feet and shot less. I would be thrilled to see Morgan play at the level we saw in the beginning of her frosh year - good outside shooter, solid rebounder, able to guard both bigs and guards. Unlike some where we are focused on "potential," we know what Morgan can do.
 
HopJim said:
While I agree on all these points, they don't factor in the injury Morgan was dealing with. As the problems progressed, she lost some speed and quickness and we did see a tendancy to reach in while on defense. As typical with a foot or ankle injury, she appeared to have issues setting her feet and shot less. I would be thrilled to see Morgan play at the level we saw in the beginning of her frosh year - good outside shooter, solid rebounder, able to guard both bigs and guards. Unlike some where we are focused on "potential," we know what Morgan can do.
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I’m hopeful on Morgan, just as I was that Aubrey would fully regain her exceptional athleticism once she returned to the lineup. But Morgan and Aubrey’s injuries are both part of a series of injuries that appear chronic in nature. Initially, I would just like to see Morgan get to the point where she could actually play in a game without reinjuring herself. If she passes that hurdle then I think we can all begin to hope that she can return to the level of performance that she initially showed as a freshman.
 
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When Geno is next available for press… I hope someone asks him about Cheli. She practiced some. UConn didn’t seem that interested in the portal. I’m wondering if Cheli is a factor? Maybe she was pretty impressive in those practices?

I hope someone asks about her.
 
Stagnant said:
When Geno is next available for press… I hope someone asks him about Cheli. She practiced some. UConn didn’t seem that interested in the portal. I’m wondering if Cheli is a factor? Maybe she was pretty impressive in those practices?

I hope someone asks about her.
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Based on her performance and intensity as a Freshman she will certainly be a factor!
 
We can only hope that Morgan is 100% healthy. She was showing potential during her freshmen season. So much depends on her health and what she does over the off season. We saw some of the practice videos and she was getting some reps but we don't know of it was a controlled practice setting, where she is limited to certain things and movement. Or if it was a free flowing practice where there is full contact and actual game like experience. So many questions.
 
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