Napheesa, the next Morgan Tuck?

[Wbbfan1]

Napheesa's play in the NCAA Tournament indicates that she's ready to start from day one next year. On both ends of the court she knew what to do and wasn't relying totally on her natural basketball talents/instincts. I was amazed at the difference in her level of play over the last 10 games the team played. Katie Lou had a similar growth but she did it earlier and it resulted in her gaining the starting position for the last half of the season. I'm sure that made Napheesa work harder in practice. Both will be All Americans before they graduate.

 

[wbfree]

Napheesa's play in the NCAA Tournament indicates that she's ready to start from day one next year. On both ends of the court she knew what to do and wasn't relying totally on her natural basketball talents/instincts. I was amazed at the difference in her level of play over the last 10 games the team played. Katie Lou had a similar growth but she did it earlier and it resulted in her gaining the starting position for the last half of the season. I'm sure that made Napheesa work harder in practice. Both will be All Americans before they graduate.

I think in preseason she said she never lifted weights before. It showed at times this year. If she gets stronger, she will be a terrific player. She'll probably start start at center or the four us next year.

 

[Charliebball]

Before the Texas game I was watching her in warmups. She easily and gracefully drained 9 in a row from 3, and after that miss drained another four 3s before working on mid-range. She has got the shot, she just needs the confidence and green light to use it. I love the way she runs and her beautiful smile - she and Lou are quite the pair (see the photos from Indy)

You know it!!! If you watch video of her shooting in high school games you see that she has a great touch from the three point line....I dare say she may be a better three point shooter then Morgan by the time she graduates.... of all the returning players she may very well have the most upside potential offensively and defensively

 

[Charliebball]

If we're lucky enough to have another Morgan, I'm voting for the in-c0ming freshman Kyla Irwin. Kyla physically resembles Tuck, and they are the same height. Neither budges when established under the basket. Irwin is an exceptional 3-point shooter, an adequate ball handler, an outstanding defender. She has excellent court vision and passes well. IMO, Kyla is the catch of the day among the less heralded players in next year's class.

From your lips to God's ears!!!!!!!!

 

[HoopsFan21]

You know it!!! If you watch video of her shooting in high school games you see that she has a great touch from the three point line....I dare say she may be a better three point shooter then Morgan by the time she graduates.... of all the returning players she may very well have the most upside potential offensively and defensively

Morgan's three ball showed up when it mattered. So she shot 20-something percent against the Memphises and Tulsas of league play. When it was time to shoot 3s against South Carolina, Texas, or Oregon State it was all business. Plus she put in some more gym time with Stewie just practicing shooting during the tourney.

 

[mdakota]

I thought she played great in the Tourney... I think she already emulates Morgan, with her driving ability and similar post moves... She's a little more athletic... She needs to work on her outside shot and decision making.... She'll definitely be an AA by the time she graduates Woot

 

[Charliebball]

Morgan's three ball showed up when it mattered. So she shot 20-something percent against the Memphises and Tulsas of league play. When it was time to shoot 3s against South Carolina, Texas, or Oregon State it was all business. Plus she put in some more gym time with Stewie just practicing shooting during the tourney.

Agreed...........she was always Ms. Clutch...........not putting her shot down at all.........just saying that in the long run, Ms. Collier may even be better as far as her outside shot goes.........don't know if NC will ever develop the wonderful inside footwork that helped Morgan make it look so easy

 

[Waquoit]

Morgan Tuck wasn't Morgan Tuck as a freshman. Collier showed great poise in the tourney. Look at Nurse in the tournament this year. Solid as a rock. Last year, not so much. I'm confident Napheesa will make a similar leap.

 

[tony yusef]

Collier's skill set is so varied that with this coaching staff the sky is the limit, look at all she showed in her freshman year. On a senior driven championship team Collier was still able to carve out her own niche and contribute to this train.
She has great hands and feet, she's long and athletic, she is sneaky quick. She has shown she can beat you off the dribble or post you up, her outside shot was inconsistent but her form suggest that will change in time. She is a natural rebounder and will leave UConn as one of it's greatest glass cleaners. She's also tough as nails with a great smile..
There is a lot for Geno and his staff to work with and it will be a pleasure seeing this unfold.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm penciling in Napheesa for the conference Most Improved Player award. She is a very hard worker. I expect a huge sophomore leap for her.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I'm penciling in Napheesa for the conference Most Improved Player award. She is a very hard worker. I expect a huge sophomore leap for her.

I'm with you on that. I think next year's team is going to be better than people think. Maybe not as dominant as we had the past couple of years where you could tell Stewie and Mo how much you want to win by, but in the returnees we have hard workers that are relatively young and have plenty of raw talent. Oh yeah, and they are taught by the best coaching staff in America. I think Kia and Gabby are next year's "senior" leaders. They have the work ethic, personality, and commitment to the team concept to do it. I really like the determination of the team to prove that even though the big 3 have departed it will be business as usual at UConn. KLS made a comment about it after the title game, and you know Kia and Gabby are thinking it too.

 

[BobbyJ]

Collier's skill set is so varied that with this coaching staff the sky is the limit, look at all she showed in her freshman year. On a senior driven championship team Collier was still able to carve out her own niche and contribute to this train.
She has great hands and feet, she's long and athletic, she is sneaky quick. She has shown she can beat you off the dribble or post you up, her outside shot was inconsistent but her form suggest that will change in time. She is a natural rebounder and will leave UConn as one of it's greatest glass cleaners. She's also tough as nails with a great smile..
There is a lot for Geno and his staff to work with and it will be a pleasure seeing this unfold.

She'll get the same post moves tutorial that Williams got this past summer. When she learns to drop step, spin, and make those half hooks she'll be dangerous.

 

[DataNerd]

I've loved Pheesa's play since day one (and Gabby's, and MoJeff's...). Few frosh arrive knowing anything about defense or rebounding, but she's been as much of a rebound magnet and a ball thief as Gabby. JRRRJ thanklessly publishes game statistics and "equalizes" them on a per-40-minutes basis. The data are rich and insightful. On that per-40-minute basis for full-season:

- Boards (total): Nat 13; Pheesa, Gabby, and Stewie each averaged 12; Morgan 8.5
- Blocks: Stewie 4.7, Pheesa 2.9, Nat 2.6, Gabby 0.7, Morgan 0.5
- Steals: Gabby 4.1, Morgan 3.3, Pheesa 3.1, Stewie 2.5, Nat 1.6 (Mo 3.3)
- Points: Stewie 27, Morgan 20, Gabby 19, Pheesa 16, Nat 13

Stats tend to drop in tournaments due to the competition, which happened this year too, but Pheesa scored 6 more points, and Morgan 4 more per game, and Natalie had 1.3 more blocks per game during The Dance.

There are lots of caveats around such stats, e.g., garbage time vs minutes that mattered, but with Napheesa, Gabby, and Natalie (who has much upside), I'm feeling we're OK with Morgan's departure as much as we'll miss her.

 

[BroadwayVa]

That's good to hear, about her outside shots.

Geno reported, albeit with a bit of frustration, that after practices Collier would drain 3 after 3 but apparently was shy of using it in a game.
I've loved everything Collier since last year's USA games--the kid can score and has little fear. Her UConn teammates call her the Ball Magnet because she rebounds so well.
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If I were to anoint anyone next year's Morgan Tuck--it would be Gabby. Why? She scores and has had little trouble scoring and she can defend taller players. I suppose Collier can do the same--just hasn't had the PT to showcase her wares. OK--pick either one or both for the Morgan Tuck 2017 award...

 

[Sonny44]

I think that if she can get stronger and get more confidence she can be the biggest factor in keeping UCONN in the top five or six. Possibly A 10-20% CHANCE OF WINNING OUR LAST GAME.