Natalie Butler will be the 5th starter...don't doubt me on this..!

[DavidinNaples]

No offense, but whenever ANYONE says, "don't doubt me on this," that is generally the moment that doubt begins to creep into my mind. I do not know who the fifth starter will be, although, as was the case last season, the starting five on opening night will likely not be the starting five a few games into the season. In my opinion, the two most improved players on next year's team will be Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, both of whom will profit greatly from making the Freshman to Sophomore transition. I would be entirely unsurprised to see Gabby emerge as a starter, with Natalie being used in a role similar to Kiah Stokes last season. Furthermore, I have a feeling that one of the incoming Freshmen, most likely Napheesa, will prove very difficult to keep on the bench. The ONLY thing that looks pretty certain at this point is the cast of four returning starters.

The headline was a JOKE..!! Geez...no offense, but can't you read?

"I thought maybe we could all use a break from Caitlyn, Brittany & Glory, UNC, soccer, annulments & horse racing and get back to discussing something basketball related, like starting line ups…. And yes, the headline is a joke. Feel free to disagree, argue, malign, pout or even quit the BY if you think I’m wrong. Happens all the time"

The purpose of the OP was to get back to discussing basketball in this boring off season. 4,000 reads and 90 responses later, goal accomplished...at least for the moment...

 

[Bgillon]

I concede the point
View attachment 9775

Very gracious of you. This is a good example of how good this board and our bloggers are compared to other boards.

 

[CocoHusky]

The headline was a JOKE..!! Geez...no offense, but can't you read?

"I thought maybe we could all use a break from Caitlyn, Brittany & Glory, UNC, soccer, annulments & horse racing and get back to discussing something basketball related, like starting line ups…. And yes, the headline is a joke. Feel free to disagree, argue, malign, pout or even quit the BY if you think I’m wrong. Happens all the time"

The purpose of the OP was to get back to discussing basketball in this boring off season. 4,000 reads and 90 responses later, goal accomplished...at least for the moment...

Equal offense to both you and Big. I took the original posting and Big's response as jokes's -so there!

 

[UcMiami]

Is it over-simplifying things to say that Butler would take defensive pressure off of Stewie and Morgan? If opponents have to play one v. one defense across the front, it's lights out. Even in a zone, that front makes it difficult for a defense to collapse down low. What am I missing here?

Absolutely agree that Butler relieves Stewart (andTuck) in post defense just as Stokes did last year - and that is a very good thing. What I do not like that much with Stewart, Tuck, Butler playing together on defense is against teams like ND or Dayton that tend to play 3 guard offense - watching Stewart/Tuck chase around the perimeter smaller faster quicker guards is not a pretty picture, and Butler getting out on screens is probably worse.

Uconn has played more zone defense in recent years, and probably would do a lot more with those three in the game together, but I believe Geno's preferred defense remains man-to-man.

 

[Kibitzer]

watching Stewart/Tuck chase around the perimeter smaller faster quicker guards is not a pretty picture,

All guards are smaller than Stewie, few are faster or quicker, which is why Geno has her hassle those itty-bitty guards all over the court.

 

[Tonyc]

This is going to be one of the Greatest Rosters ever assembled. I think Butler starts however Lou Collier Williams and Chong all will get plenty of minutes. There is no competition for UConn this year. UConn will not have any close games, barring injuries. This team will be as powerful or more powerful then last years team and a lot of that is due our experience. NPOY will be between Stewie Mojeff and Tuck.

Ever year we talk about who we lost and how we will replace them. This year is no different. However Geno always finds a way to make his teams better and this season is no exception. One thing keep in mind is UConn graduates Mojeff and Stewie so it is very important to build chemistry cohesiveness and continuity with the players who will be replacing them. One thing UConn has maintained is a great nucleus to which Geno is able to replace players with players year in and year out. Therefore everybody on the roster will need playtime whether the plan is to start next season or come off the bench because they will all be needed to step up and be ready for battle with no hiccups. So gaining experience is essential and you get experience from playing in real games.

To say this team is loaded is an understatement. This team is overflowing with talent and ability. What they need is development and confidence and as far as playtime goes I don't think that's a problem. There will be plenty of minutes for everybody. UConns leads will be so big that Geno will play non starters to get them ready for next season and to avoid injuries to this years starters and to get next years roster ready for next season. So I don't see playtime a problem. I would think in the second half of the season we will have a good idea of who will start the following year and who will come off the bench. Hey UConn is gonna win big every game. Count on it. Look at the transfers, look at what UConn did last season and taking into consideration that Stewie Mojeff and Tuck are the 3 top players in WCBB who is gonna come close to UConn???

So does Butler start? I think so. Does that take pressure off Lou? I think so. Will Lou get a lot of playtime. From what Ive heard and seen if she performs like she did in AAU ball she is the next star at UConn. I really don't think it matters all that much who the 5th starter is, because UConn is so much better then any other team in WCBB its almost unfair. Geno will continue to mix and match players based on game situations so when Geno feels his underclassman are ready he will give them more playtime. Stewie Mojeff and Tuck will be at a different level then any other players in WCBB. Heck imo they are better then a lot of pros. That alone will guarantee UConn another NC and undefeated season. All this barring injuries.

 

[EricSD]

Great post by Tony. I thought Cat's comments were interesting in that she said starting Butler would make for horrible spacing, but I thought putting Stokes on the floor with Mo, KML, Morgan and Stewie was often our best team last year so i'm not sure why there would be a spacing issue if we "replaced" Stokes with Butler.

And Tony's right - losing possibly the best college player ever in Stewie and the best college PG ever in Jefferson is HUGE. The following season will be the best shot other teams have of dethroning UCONN. In order to plan for the future, Nurse and Chong will need to get even more comfortable at running the team at the 1 since as much as I love Dangerfield, planning on her being the starting PG from day 1 is dangerous (no pun intended).

Also as Tony said, when we lose players to graduation, the following season there is an adjustment. IMHO losing Stokes and KML is easier to replace than losing Dolson and Hartley, and what Dolson brought was the most difficult of all 4 to replace...

I think this is one of the seasons where the starting 5 is just so incredibly good that Geno will really have the time and ability to develop the 4 newbies and bring them along at their own pace. With the sheer depth of talent, I think it will be hard for Ekmark or Boykin to earn PT this year - but that depends partly on how healthy Boykin is (she has a nagging injury of some kind I believe) and how hard Ekmark worked on her fitness and her game over the summer.

I really think our team will consist of the 5 starters and 3 subs in "big" games (Moriah, Kia, Morgan, Stewie, and then Natalie, KLS, Napheesa, and Saniya). Unless Ekmark shows some marked improvement, I think Geno will use her the least of the remaining 2 since I Boykin has more potential and will be more "needed" down the road. And of course, the 2 walk ons will continue to be terrific teammates and will get minutes in the last 4-6 minutes of games...

 

[Bigpetunia]

The headline was a JOKE..!! Geez...no offense, but can't you read?

Oh, my....Well, first off, allow me to thank you for your kind and solicitous inquiry regarding my ability/inability to read the mother tongue, though I'm not certain how my skills (or lack thereof) in that area are called into question by my response to your post. However, for purposes of clarity, I, particularly at my age and stage, boast a serious predilection for diversions. Although I take a back seat to no one when it comes to the ardency of my support for UConn Women's Basketball, I sign onto the Boneyard (with some regularity) for NO other purpose but to mess around. Because they are ultimately so hopelessly inconsequential, I regard ALL of the postings that I read, and ALL that I personally offer, as jokes, particularly those musings about what the Coach will or will not do regarding his lineup preferences. So, yes, if it makes you feel better, I did not take your original post seriously, nor should you take any of mine.

 

[Bgillon]

Eric, you left Gabby out! Shame on you. You are benched for the remainder of this half.

 

[meyers7]

Call it what you want but I'm pretty confident that we are going see aggressive guard play to deny long shots and to funnel penetration to bigs. A zone concept protects Natalie and let's us exploit our height advantage.

How about we call it what it is? Either man to man or a 2-3 zone. (Although Geno has played a 3-2 (or 1-2-2) zone on occasion recently.) He really hasn't even gone box and 1, let alone a triangle and 2.

 

[meyers7]

Personally. I don't think UCONN will have a 5th starter this year. I've heard rumors (and you know rumors always come true as soon as they are denied), that the NCAA is going to make a rule that UCONN can only have 4 players on court at a time. Norman Dale got away with it, so I wouldn't put it past the NCAA. So all this talk about who's gonna be the 5th starter is mute.

 

[rugbymate]

The key to Butler's playing time and effectiveness ( at least for the upcoming season) will be if she can hit the mid range jumper from the post and be an adequate passer,,,in other words, Dolsonesque. Those skills would draw out the opponents big to defend leaving plenty of space for Stewie and Tuck to create low post baskets and create open lanes for Mo and Kia to drive to the hoop. That's the 100 point a game scenario.
If Butler seems more effective in the low post, and IMO she will be, then we'll probably see the outside shot become somewhat more important and see Gabby's minutes increase given her success in the low post. Also, that is the scenario where Lou can be helpful with her 3-ball skills.
Geno has an embarrassment of flexibility with this team and we'll probably see a number of different offensive sets before the right combo is found. In any event, IMO we will see lots of minutes from Lou, Collier and , if healthy, Boykin.
Honestly, I can't remember ever being so excited about an upcoming season so thanks to David to getting us thinking about it.

 

[Kibitzer]

So all this talk about who's gonna be the 5th starter is mute.

Ahem.

Moot. Hardly mute, especially here on the Boneyard.

 

[meyers7]

Ahem.

Moot, hardly mute.

No, I meant mute.

 

[CL82]

Fair enough, Meyers. I can't see a box and 1 with our personnel. You are right that the 2-3 is more likely. A lot more, now that I think about it.

 

[VAMike23]

How about we call it what it is? Either man to man or a 2-3 zone. (Although Geno has played a 3-2 (or 1-2-2) zone on occasion recently.) He really hasn't even gone box and 1, let alone a triangle and 2.

Interestingly, he did go the 'other way' for long stretches when Stokes was on the floor - Kiah (1) was in tight around the rim essentially playing that zone while the other (4) played in a match-up zone that looked more like a man-to-man, since UCONN defenders were playing people tight and following them around. Hard to describe that part of the defense as 4-on-5 because Stokes always had a bead on somebody in the lane. Sort of the anti- box-and-1. Not a classic zone by any stretch, though Geno did use that defense at times as well.

I'm not saying this was the defense whenever Stokes was in the game, but it was employed quite a bit (only with Stokes)

 

[cbraarj]

Last year, before the season began, I caught a lot of flack right here on the Boneyard, for posting: "Morgan Tuck is too good to not start."

So she started 38 or 39 games, all victories and an NC.

I will now double down, so to speak. For the upcoming season, I believe that:

"Katy Lou Samuelson is too good to not start" (at least 35 games)​

I agree with you about KLS!I think she is a better overall player than KML at this stage of their careers!Kalenna was a better 3pt shooter but Lou has a better handle,can drive to the basket with either hand,quicker in transition and is 4 inches taller!I also think that Collier is to good not to start! What a luxury Geno and CD will have this year!

 

[Kaizen]

Butler reminds me of Tuck in the beginning of last year.

We all know Tuck will be good, but do not know she is so good... thanks God

 

[Rixxx]

I agree with you about KLS!I think she is a better overall player than KML at this stage of their careers!Kalenna was a better 3pt shooter but Lou has a better handle,can drive to the basket with either hand,quicker in transition and is 4 inches taller!I also think that Collier is to good not to start! What a luxury Geno and CD will have this year!

I agree cbra, I have been giving Collier love on several threads. She is an outstanding talent, who I think will be pushing for PT.

 

[cbraarj]

While I'm enthusiastically anticipating what Natalie, Napheesa and Katie Lou will bring to the team next year, after reading all the insightful (yet mostly speculative) comments I'm already starting to feel bad for Saniya, Gabby, Ek and Boykin (Especially Gabby, who provided so many exciting moments last year.) Unless Geno goes deeper into his bench than I'm accustomed to seeing him do, OR unless Saniya, Gabby and Courtney return this year with improved skillsets which they didn't possess last year, OR unless Natalie and the freshmen don't live up to their advanced billing, I fear we're going to have some very unhappy campers seeking playing time.
[Saniya will still get her minutes by being the default 3rd guard]

IMO this team is as deep as the 2001 team was before Shea and Svet were injured.With Gabby and the 3 freshmen(if they start Butler)would make it 4 options off the bench!IMO Boykin is going to surprise everyone.She was injured last year but played for USA basketball before that and her play resembled like Aisha Jones.IMO Courtney Eckmark will make the biggest improvement of the returning players.She was out with an injury and it slowed her progress.As far as the 3rd guard IMO it will be KLS.Moriah and Kia are the starting guards and Lou will play the 2 like KML did.This is MoJeffs team with Nurse taking over next year mentoring Dangerfield!

 

[2Husky]

I agree with the OP. both about the number of off topic threads, but more importantly about Butler starting. i think she has the advantage because she is the only true center, has a year of practice at UConn (and the coaches have complimented her work ethic in her year off), and has a year of D1 experience where she performed at a high level. I think her passing game is the biggest question in terms of her keeping the job, and playing a lot of meaningful minutes.

Reading the conversation I started thinking it seemed like many people felt Kiah would start this past year because she could most closely fill in the role Dolson vacated. Of course that didn't last too long, and the team was arguably more successful after the change. Now many people think KLS is a natural KML replacement (2 out of 3 letters?), but putting in Butler would make the team more similar to the 2014 team, which was arguably better than the 2015 team (undefeated after all). I'm just trying to say that I don't think plugging a player into a vacancy to attempt to fill the same role is what is going to be most successful approach, and the starters and play style should be chosen to maximize the team.

I think KLS can thrive as a game changer off the bench, it will be less pressure for her and she can still get plenty of time. Plus she can do so much that she can fill in at a variety of positions. The good thing is all the players have a chance to earn (or lose) minutes and a starting spot everyday at practice.

 

[cbraarj]

How about we call it what it is? Either man to man or a 2-3 zone. (Although Geno has played a 3-2 (or 1-2-2) zone on occasion recently.) He really hasn't even gone box and 1, let alone a triangle and 2.

In the half court they seem to play man to man or a match up zone.They also play them both depending on their makes and misses just to confuse the other team because the match up zone looks like a man defense.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

As far as the 3rd guard IMO it will be KLS.Moriah and Kia are the starting guards and Lou will play the 2 like KML did.

When did KML play the 2-spot? I don't recall that ever. Not that the coaching staff is all that concerned with position labels, but I don't think you could get them to agree that KML was a guard or played a guard position. Maybe--maybe--KLS with her edge in ball-handling and quickness could play alongside Jefferson on the offensive end though I think Nurse will get most of those minutes. A more likely scenario, imo, is Lou moving around, looking for screens and lanes to cut into without the ball.

Incidentally, a group of the returning starters plus Williams would be tons of fun. They were together for a stretch in a game against Tulsa last year and they created complete havoc with their quickness and activity level.

 

[cbraarj]

When did KML play the 2-spot? I don't recall that ever. Not that the coaching staff is all that concerned with position labels, but I don't think you could get them to agree that KML was a guard or played a guard position. Maybe--maybe--KLS with her edge in ball-handling and quickness could play alongside Jefferson on the offensive end though I think Nurse will get most of those minutes. A more likely scenario, imo, is Lou moving around, looking for screens and lanes to cut into without the ball.

Incidentally, a group of the returning starters plus Williams would be tons of fun. They were together for a stretch in a game against Tulsa last year and they created complete havoc with their quickness and activity level.

A few times when Stokes came in and they only played 6 players in the close games.In NC Gabby played forward for her 6 minutes and I don't think The starting guards played 40minutes each!

 

[johnnyc]

No, I meant mute.

 

[Gus Mahler]

A few times when Stokes came in and they only played 6 players in the close games.In NC Gabby played forward for her 6 minutes and I don't think The starting guards played 40minutes each!

She played the two A LOT in '13-'14 when Stokes was in and they went to the big lineup. Not as much last year, but still more than a little. She was at the two a lot in the Texas game.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

She played the two A LOT in '13-'14 when Stokes was in and they went to the big lineup. Not as much last year, but still more than a little. She was at the two a lot in the Texas game.

If you watch those games though she wasn't really playing guard like what one would normally consider a guard role. It was still the same role in the Princeton offense, scanning for open spots, passing and moving. It was almost as if UConn went with a one-guard offense.

 

[EricSD]

When did KML play the 2-spot? I don't recall that ever. Not that the coaching staff is all that concerned with position labels, but I don't think you could get them to agree that KML was a guard or played a guard position. Maybe--maybe--KLS with her edge in ball-handling and quickness could play alongside Jefferson on the offensive end though I think Nurse will get most of those minutes. A more likely scenario, imo, is Lou moving around, looking for screens and lanes to cut into without the ball.

Incidentally, a group of the returning starters plus Williams would be tons of fun. They were together for a stretch in a game against Tulsa last year and they created complete havoc with their quickness and activity level.

Didn't KML play the 2 the year before? When Geno would put the twin towers out there - Stef, Kiah, Stewie, KML and then one of the guards - Bria or Moriah...?

 

[Gus Mahler]

If you watch those games though she wasn't really playing guard like what one would normally consider a guard role. It was still the same role in the Princeton offense, scanning for open spots, passing and moving. It was almost as if UConn went with a one-guard offense.

Actually I did watch those games. You make a good point, it often appeared to be essentially a one-guard offense. But it seems to me she would still be considered the two. On defense, K had to play the other team's two. Some of this might be semantics.

 

[blkkirk]

I think people forget how clutch KML has been the last two years in big games and in big moments. KLS has very big shoes to fill. Better yet, our team will have have to fill the void of KML taking and making big shots. Plenty of players to do it but in my opinion she carried the brunt of the load. No doubt we will be stacked next year. By the end of he season we are likely to be off the charts good.