Natalie Butler

[dtbtbtb]

We'll need Nat to make huge strides for next season. Hopefully she works her body during the summer similarly to what Dolson did...

 

[bballnut90]

The problem next year is not when Butler is playing. But when she hits the bench who plays the post?

Go to a smaller lineup and utilize Tuck, Williams, and Collier as posts. UCONN has a lot of tweener players (in that they have size or post skills but aren't a true low post player) that can fill the void. Williams is a ferocious rebounder, Collier plays hard and Tuck is a big body and one of the best finishers around the basket. There's no Stewart/Dolson type of presence, but many of UCONN's title teams didn't have a big physical low post player.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Natalie just needs to play good solid defense and rebound and not foul! Although, SC is a terrible FT shooting team.

Ironically South Carolina outshot the Huskies from the free throw line, at least percentage wise.

 

[UConnFranklin]

Natalie has the potential to be a very good player. Good touch around the basket, good mid-range shot, always holds the ball high, good passer. However, she needs to develop better footwork. She's slow to move and react to situations. Her large body frame is not the problem, that's good for her position. But she is physically soft. She does need more weight training to become "leaner and meaner" and more muscular definition. This will allow her to be quicker to respond to situations. She also needs more playing time to develop her confidence. She stills appears a bit lost out there. All this will come as she matures and develops. Give her time. She has all the tools. I would have like to have seen her play against SC. I wonder how she would have fared against some quality bigs.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

Not so optimistic on Butler but hopeful. East Carolina game she really looked out of it. When a tree like her gets the rebound don't bring it down where everyone get grab hold of the rock, keep it high, move your body , look for an outlet. Her hand/eye needs a lot of work and she needs to work on skills so she develops soft hands. Stand opposite a wall and pass the ball (hard) off the wall a thousand times and she'll see the hands start to develop. Foot speed is something else she needs to work on. Weights? Not so sure that's the whole answer as I think she needs focus on some other skills before putting on muscle. That's why the good lord gave some a wide butt - to stick into someone to gain space... Agree she's a project like Wolters, Dolson to some degree.

 

[carpe diem]

I think the biggest single factor is, as commented above, that she is liked and supported by the other players. She is now "one of them" and withing that shell of acceptance I think she will develop to her potential. We just need to be patient. Ligament injuries notoriously take a long time to fully heal, impacting her confidence in catching and holding on to the ball. I am sure she will improve because she likes belonging on the team, and that requires continued maximum effort to retain acceptance.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Not so optimistic on Butler but hopeful. East Carolina game she really looked out of it. When a tree like her gets the rebound don't bring it down where everyone get grab hold of the rock, keep it high, move your body , look for an outlet. Her hand/eye needs a lot of work and she needs to work on skills so she develops soft hands. Stand opposite a wall and pass the ball (hard) off the wall a thousand times and she'll see the hands start to develop. Foot speed is something else she needs to work on. Weights? Not so sure that's the whole answer as I think she needs focus on some other skills before putting on muscle. That's why the good lord gave some a wide butt - to stick into someone to gain space... Agree she's a project like Wolters, Dolson to some degree.

Now that I didn't know. Learn something every day on this board.

 

[Blueballer]

Now that I didn't know. Learn something every day on this board.

Amazing isn't it?

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I remember the pre-season and all the talk coming from the coaching staff and players and writers were "wait till the season starts you won't believe how good Natalie Butler is." Quick feet, soft hands, good speed end-to-end, Good inside moves but also has a sweet shot from 12'-15', etc. Then she hurt her thumb and got operated on and recovery was delayed, and Natalie had to start back at square one and is now in the pre-season mode once again! It screwed her game, both physically & mentally, so we're not seeing the pre-injury Natalie yet! I really think if she were never hurt we'd be awed by her "game" now!

 

[Blueballer]

I remember the pre-season and all the talk coming from the coaching staff and players and writers were "wait till the season starts you won't believe how good Natalie Butler is." Quick feet, soft hands, good speed end-to-end, Good inside moves but also has a sweet shot from 12'-15', etc. Then she hurt her thumb and got operated on and recovery was delayed, and Natalie had to start back at square one and is now in the pre-season mode once again! It screwed her game, both physically & mentally, so we're not seeing the pre-injury Natalie yet! I really think if she were never hurt we'd be awed by her "game" now!

There's just no end to your brilliant insights.

 

[NVUConnFan]

Yeah, I agree. I'm a big time "Big Nat" fan (if I can coin a nickname for Natalie Butler). She is as much a "project" as Kara Wolters and look how she turned out! I'm going with Big Nat for the time being, future injuries not withstanding...knock on wood.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I remember the pre-season and all the talk coming from the coaching staff and players and writers were "wait till the season starts you won't believe how good Natalie Butler is." Quick feet, soft hands, good speed end-to-end, Good inside moves but also has a sweet shot from 12'-15', etc. Then she hurt her thumb and got operated on and recovery was delayed, and Natalie had to start back at square one and is now in the pre-season mode once again! It screwed her game, both physically & mentally, so we're not seeing the pre-injury Natalie yet! I really think if she were never hurt we'd be awed by her "game" now!

I don't know about "awed" but I don't think you'd have found some people "poo pooing" about her abilities or diminishing her potential growth. The hands of an interior player are a big part of who they are and what they do. Insofar as scoring or rebounding, what's that much more important than her hands to grip or rip the ball and of course, her potential shooting abilities. I do think she'll be a significant contributor before her UConn career is over and we might see that evolving sooner rather than later.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Yeah, I agree. I'm a big time "Big Nat" fan (if I can coin a nickname for Natalie Butler). She is as much a "project" as Kara Wolters and look how she turned out! I'm going with Big Nat for the time being, future injuries not withstanding...knock on wood.

I think she's far less of a project than was Kara. From reports I've heard, her mobility has always been ahead of where Kara was when she first came to Storrs. My understanding is her mobility coming on campus exceeded that of Stef Dolson, as well. We know how those two turned out, don't we!

 

[iri10]

Her mobility is not that bad for a pure center (though a bit more can never hurt a player, of course). She'll never run the hardwood like Kiah Stokes, but she has enough to do what she has to do. The biggest source of slowness is mental, IMO. Between the long absence, the season-shortening injury, and other factors, her on-court instincts are not yet finely tuned. Plus she doesn't have a great deal of versatility in her low post offensive toolbox yet. All this leads to hesitation which makes her look a lot slower than she actually is.

But the indications are that she's a tremendously hard worker, and probably also a smart human being. I feel confident that she'll start figuring it out eventually.

 

[bags27]

As the season evolved with Napheesa starting, Geno saw that the lane was too clogged for Stewie to do her thing. Replacing Naphessa with Lou opened things up a whole lot (witness the spread offense against SC). And with Gabby coming off the bench with her extraordinary speed and agility, the emphasis this year on both offense and defense is attack, attack, attack. Natalie doesn't quite fit that mentality. Next year, he'll redesign things a bit, Natalie will have a summer to get her game back, and then she'll be a big part of it, IMO.

 

[Harry Mangurian]

Hasn't she been hitting the weights for the last 18 months during her red shirt time ? I love her enthusiasm and was excited to see she was transfering to UConn. Her stats as a freshman at Georgetown were very impressive, but " you're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy " !

After some solid games of rebounding, passing and shooting, I was at the ECU game and it was certainly not her best showing. Timing just seemed a little off. I dont want to compare her to other Husky greats. It is not fair to saddle her with any expectations. She has the potential and opportunity to be a solid contributor, and at some point we are going to need her to play quality minutes in a big game.

agree.............I am sure the staff has had her doing whatever is necessary over the last year and a half. Sometimes it does not work.

 

[Buzzyboy]

A couple of thoughts here -
I really don't think that Butler is particularly heavy - some folks just aren't quick, folks, and exercise, etc., won't change that a whole lot. Don't know that Nat falls into the "slow" category, but, you can't teach "quick". You can teach recognition, judgement, but not neuron speed. Plus, some folks just have a big frame - no matter what you do, they'll never be built to do certain things as well as some other kids.
Coaches can encourage, lead, direct - but, they don't have a magic wand. Geno/CD didn't change Dolson: Dolson changed Dolson. Geno/CD may have provided the plan & support, but, if Stef didn't want to do it, and put the work in, then, nothing happens. It depends more on the player than the coach & staff.
I think Nat will improve because she wants to. Think about what she's gone through, giving up being a "big frog in a decent-sized pond" to come to UConn. She's fought through that transition, and then dealt with a frustrating injury. She's got the guts and the drive. She needs patience, and we need to extend the same to her.

Stef wasn't very quick at all but spending a lot of time in the gym and losing weight, she got appreciably quicker though it's obvious quickness would never be considered a big attribute of hers. Improvement is what we'd like pertaining to Natalie and I'm sure she'll succeed in that area.

 

[BigBird]

I am a Nat fan too. But she plays so flat-footed. This is not unusual for a big just out of high school. But it seems a little odd that in her third year at the college level this bad habit hasn't been adjusted out by her coaches yet. As Stewie proves with every game, a big with long arms who can elevate will get rebounds that others won't. Natalie has major BB assets, but she needs to use them all, and more often. Jump, Nat... JUMP! You can be great.

 

[PhillyCoach]

When Natalie played at Georgetown she had 35 minutes or so each game to get used to Big East speed of play. If in her first 5-10 minutes of play she was slow to react or was not in the flow --she had 25 minutes or more to find the groove. Unlike GAbby, Nat seems to be a slow starter (similar to lots of bigs.) Last year as a practice player she had time to work on the same skill over and over and find a groove. Many people & players saw the talent and flow. Then Bingo--injury. She loses a lot of that groove and then when she is put into a game she has to rev up to speed in minutes. Not Big East Speed, but UConn speed & precision. Half a step short, pressure & indecision make life difficult. IMHO fast starting is not in her DNA, however, if she has time to adjust she would rise to the occasion. I don't care what conference you are in---if you average a double-double and can play 35 minutes a game, then there is talent involved.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Geno stays with the starters most of the night. Gabby will be the main sub and probably get 18-20 minutes. Collier gets 10-12 minutes. Chong could get 0 to 5 minutes. Based on big game trust - Butler will not get in the game at all.
Big games--big minutes for the starters. Lou's spot is where the most sub action takes place(that seems obvious) and Tuck could get a breather from Gabby most likely. If close, Stewie and Mo go 38 to 40 minutes.

Your S.C. pre-game calls were incredibly accurate, Coach. Nice job.

Moriah, Stewie, Morgan (and Kia) were outstanding. I was, however, very disappointed that Gabby didn't get the praise she had earned for her fabulous play. She rebounded (10!) fearlessly in the paint against the much taller SC bigs, played great defense, and brought her special kind of energy to the game.

I guess a kid can get overlooked when her teammates are the two best WCBB players in the country. But Gabby's game has shown tremendous improvement from last year, (especially that sweet mid-range jumper) and watching her rip all those defensive boards away from SC's 6'4" assembly line was just beautifully.

 

[Monte]

Natalie is a good player with a great attitude. She brings some important skills to UConn, most notably taking up a lot of space, horizontally and vertically. She snags a lot of rebounds, more because of height than hops. She has a nice touch to her shot and makes dazzling home run outlet passes.

Boneyard expectations were unrealistically high (remember all those "fifth starter?" threads?) since they were based almost entirely on her Georgetown stats -- scant personal viewing. Nat almost forces Geno to go to a zone defense since her slow lateral movement does not permit her to participate in the standard man-to-man with five defenders constantly switching. She (like most mere mortals) is by no means comparable to Stokes, who set the bar so amazingly high.

I view Natalie as a player who will contribute to team success but only in limited situations. And from off the bench for the foreseeable future.

I think your last paragraph tells it all.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Geno stays with the starters most of the night. Gabby will be the main sub and probably get 18-20 minutes. Collier gets 10-12 minutes. Chong couldC get 0 to 5 minutes. Based on big game trust - Butler will not get in the game at all.
Big games--big minutes for the starters. Lou's spot is where the most sub action takes place(that seems obvious) and Tuck could get a breather from Gabby most likely. If close, Stewie and Mo go 38 to 40 minutes.

Coach----you were right on--like you just saw the game (which you didn't) . Natalie is a good ball player---she can't jump, is a wide body, can shoot well from the foul line, and closer in, not a good defender of size players. Her limitation are not small. Can she do better?? I hope.
A month ago after the MD game NAN took me to task for hoping Butler would get in the game --to which I replied with lots of "crazy facts" and to sum it up NAN was right.
You are RIGHT too Geno does not trust her in big games. Chong isn't up to speed for big fast games.
Collier nor Gabby cannot replace Tuck neither can defend truly bigs (Wilson and her cell mate), nor Jones from MD, and Uconn (at this time ) has no one coming in to fill that void. Wilson attacked and scored (rather) easily on Stewie--who will defend Wilson and Turner next year? Not Natalie, at least not the Nat we have seen so far.

Katie Lou in my (now more humbled opinion(NAN) has the greatest potential, talent, skills, athletism to fill Stewies void--and hopefully will break out of her cocoon prior to the NCAA's.

 

[BobbyJ]

If my advice mattered, which it doesn't, I would suggest to the UConn staff that they have Samuelson spend every possible bit of time between now and season's end having Tuck tutor her in every phase of post play. Both defense and offense. With confidence and serious drill work in there, she could supply a decent amount of Stewart's production next year. Certainly not replace her but at least assume some of Stewart's role at her position. Obviously, the best scenario would be Tuck returning to play with her and continue the education. But get Samuelson as much help now as possible. Tuck has a wealth of experience to pass along.

 

[JoePgh]

Collier nor Gabby cannot replace Tuck neither can defend truly bigs (Wilson and her cell mate), nor Jones from MD, and Uconn (at this time ) has no one coming in to fill that void. Wilson attacked and scored (rather) easily on Stewie--who will defend Wilson and Turner next year? Not Natalie, at least not the Nat we have seen so far.

Katie Lou in my (now more humbled opinion(NAN) has the greatest potential, talent, skills, athletism to fill Stewies void--and hopefully will break out of her cocoon prior to the NCAA's.

Assuming that Morgan is not on the roster when UConn plays South Carolina next year, and also ASSUMING that UConn plays a man-to-man defense (which is open to question), then I would expect that Butler will guard Coates and either Napheesa or KLS will guard Wilson. I would also expect that both Wilson and Coates will score more points than they did last Monday night, and that the game will be a lot closer.

Coates is a player quite similar to Butler, and with some seasoning, Butler should be able to defend her adequately (but not shut her down as was done on Monday night). Napheesa and/or KLS should be able to defend Wilson better than probably anyone in the SEC (who does Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi State, or Texas A&M have that can guard Wilson?), but Wilson will still get her 20 points.

Even next year, unless Davis and Gray can change the dynamic of the Gamecocks, the issue will be that they won't have enough outside firepower to prevent UConn's defense from sagging and helping enough to limit the threat from Wilson and Coates.

You mentioned Turner and Brionna Jones. I think Napheesa will probably get those assignments, with some help from Butler. They, too, will get their points, so the outcome of the game will be decided on the perimeter. I think UConn will have some losses next year to top 5 teams such as SC, ND, Baylor, and Maryland, but probably not to all of them. I think all of them would probably rather face each other in the tournament than face UConn.

All this could change if Kyla Irwin proves to be an amazingly skilled freshman. The probability of that is less than 10%, but it is not zero.

 

[CocoHusky]

If my advice mattered, which it doesn't, I would suggest to the UConn staff that they have Samuelson spend every possible bit of time between now and season's end having Tuck tutor her in every phase of post play. Both defense and offense. With confidence and serious drill work in there, she could supply a decent amount of Stewart's production next year. Certainly not replace her but at least assume some of Stewart's role at her position. Obviously, the best scenario would be Tuck returning to play with her and continue the education. But get Samuelson as much help now as possible. Tuck has a wealth of experience to pass along.

KLS as a full time post player is a bad idea because she is just not strong enough to defend down there.