Newest Husky Ines Bettencourt [Merged thread]

[Bone Dog]

I'm guessing that it would be hard to keep Caroline out of the starting lineup and we have two good PG's on the bench to start that year. If we don't press with the starters, we could with a smaller second unit that had Nika and KK in at the same time with say Ashlyn at the 3.

And imagine the difficulties we’ll have with the front court rotation. Amari Ice Aaliyah Delaney will share the 5, and Aaliyah Ayanna Qadence Candace Caroline will share the 4.

Picture a pressing unit of Nika Ashlynn with Qadence or Caroline at mid court harrying the guards, and Aaliyah and Ayanna waiting for them in the paint. I suspect a lot of teams won’t want to face that.

 

[Mdoggie]

And imagine the difficulties we’ll have with the front court rotation. Amari Ice Aaliyah Delaney will share the 5, and Aaliyah Ayanna Qadence Candace Caroline will share the 4.

Picture a pressing unit of Nika Ashlynn with Qadence or Caroline at mid court harrying the guards, and Aaliyah and Ayanna waiting for them in the paint. I suspect a lot of teams won’t want to face that.

Delaney? Did I miss a commitment?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Great news!
I'd be interested to find out if Geno went to Portugal to scout talent, then talked to Ines and her family then offered the scholarship.
Going by the video Ines has some game to her! The question is how long it takes to catch her up.
How do the 2 Guards coming in next year feel about an extra player on the roster at their position!
All minor, she'll fill a big void in the roster.

Exactly. What system does he have in place that scouts for him, and comes up with talent from a remote island controlled by Portugal, and a guard from Croatia? There must be something in place that integrates with his coaching/scouting staff.

Something's going on that's a big change from the past.

 

[Inthepaint]

Sometime I would like to see all the international players—Aaliyah, Dorka, Lou, Nika, and Inês—on the court together.

Oh, fear not, I’m sure we will at some point.
Geno will be wracking his brain to come up with answers to questions this season. Some we don’t even know yet.
The various injuries and illnesses last year required constant adjustments and all kinds of combinations on the court.
Paige’s season ending ACL was like a boot in the stomach. We wanted so much to see what her return to top form would be like, and how the departure of Liv, Christyn,and Evina would push her and others into true leadership roles.
With her sitting on the sidelines, and the addition of unknown factors like Aubrey’s return, Lou, Ines, Ayanna & Ice…well once again it will be nothing if not interesting

 

[Bone Dog]

Delaney? Did I miss a commitment?

Nope. I forgot to take off my turban.

 

[eebmg]

Exactly. What system does he have in place that scouts for him, and comes up with talent from a remote island controlled by Portugal, and a guard from Croatia? There must be something in place that integrates with his coaching/scouting staff.

Something's going on that's a big change from the past.

Jose Fernandez's rolodex. I think Jose is trying to go the more traditional American route lately.

 

[AmeriConn]

Isn’t there a large Portuguese population in the CT-MA area? Perhaps Ines has family here?

 

[Bone Dog]

Isn’t there a large Portuguese population in the Ct-MA area? Perhaps Ines has family here?

There is, but I hadn’t heard of any connection.

 

[Mdoggie]

Nope. I forgot to take off my turban.

Stepping on Carnacs toes?

 

[Cedar]

Isn’t there a large Portuguese population in the CT-MA area? Perhaps Ines has family here?

There is a large Portuguese population in and around New Bedford, MA. There are also robust Portuguese and Brazilian communities in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. I haven‘t heard about Ines having a family connection in the U.S.

 

[Cedar]

Like many BYers, I am very happy that Geno has added Ines to the team. A question that lingers in my mind is whether Geno and his staff were looking for another guard for this season after Lou Lopez Senechal joined the team, but prior to Paige’s injury?

The best time to buy an insurance policy is before disaster strikes, not after. It’s better to be proactive rather than reactive. It seems that there was a lot of scrambling to find a backup PG after Paige tore her ACL.

Prior to Paige’s ACL injury, the coaching staff knew that she had a history of injuries, some of which required surgery. They also knew that other teams would be targeting her, which I think is a major reason why they told her to bulk up in the weight room. They also knew that Azzi had been affected by a foot injury and that Nika had missed some games last season.

Was the plan for another point guard developed only after Paige was lost for the season, or was the coaching staff doing some contingency planning before her ACL injury?

 

[CocoHusky]

Um, first of all, 3.8 points over 21.7 minutes is around 6 points over 32 minutes, not an unreasonable mpg for a starting PG, if Muhl were to start as such. Considering the nature of the @Bone Dog critique, if you add in one midrange jumper per game you have about 8 points per game. You provided some evidence in support of his “soft peddling” even as you obviously thought you were ripping it to shreds.
But my issue is with using “soft peddling” as a pejorative for a fan. Aside from the bandwagon variety, soft peddling is in the inherent nature of a fan. We are supposed to believe in and have hope in our team, even against the odds. It is also natural to extend that hope towards the individual players as well as the team as a whole.
I do not fault the content of your critique against Muhl, the past problems she has experienced with scoring, but the harshness and lack of faith, hope, belief in a UConn player. Perhaps you should be reminded that you displayed this very harshness and lack of hope in regards to Muhl’s defense. That was not a good look then and did not age well.
On second thought, maybe you should keep up this harshness for Muhl, it seems to work well for her. Just don’t worry yourself over fans acting like fans, that would not be good for your brain health.

My brain health is just fine and when it come to my fandom for UCONN women's basketball it actually improves when I'm proven to be wrong. This happens more often than both you and I can collectively remember. My brain health will never allow me to continuously hope and have faith in someone or something improving while evidence to the contrary continues to accumulate.

Speaking of evidence allow me to liberally borrow from @HuskyNan fabulous post in that other thread about Nika being the most important player. Nika has actually had 7 games last season in which she played more than 32 minutes. In those 7 games she scored a total of 44 points which supports your liner contention=6.3 PPG. Your contention is however unreasonable in several different ways.
1) On A roster that features a healthy Paige, Azzi and Caroline, Nika is never going to average 32 minutes per games. Those minutes NIka got in these games were the result of injuries and not the result of superior play as many fans here readily reciite.
2) In several of your other post you indicated a great deal of understanding of the PG position as it applies to UCONN -much respect and agreement n that regard. For the UCONN starting PG to average 6.3 PPG while playing 32 MPG would be a low water mark for the history of the program. In fact...
3) Forget about the PG position 6.3 PPG is not a reasonable scoring expectation for a UCONN (starter or bench) player at any position in 32 MPG. There were two bench players Dorka & Caroline who averaged fewer MPG than Nika did last season yet put up scoring averages significantly higher almost 2X.
4) You mention the mid range and the potential of Nika making one to up her scoring average ( This is what peaks my frustration)
In over 1200 minutes of court time including 33 games started Nika has attempted 8 shots that were from the mid range. I find this most unreasonable-but will continue to hope it changes.

 

[CocoHusky]

A) Those that can shoot do. If you can't shoot or you are unwilling to shoot you shouldn't be out there.
Agree 100%. Now I need to see evidence that Mühl either can't or won't shoot.

Copied from a @HuskyNan post in a different Thread>>>>>

I’m not sure what your definition of “picking it up” means in regards to three point shooting. Nika is hesitant to shoot and that was apparent throughout the season. Yes, there were 6 games mid season where she averaged almost 7 shots a game but there were many more where she has 1 or no shots all game.

I didn’t see the mid-range game either as 63% of Nika’s shots were three point attempts and the majority of the other shots were layups off steals or run outs.

My issue with Nika’s scoring is that there were many games this past season where the team was desperate for points but she just didn’t shoot. It appears to me she simply doesn’t have a scorer’s approach to the game, she is a pass-first guard. Geno telling her she needs to be more of a scoring threat publicly is great but there is no chance he hasn’t said it before, especially when the team was struggling offensively. Why do people think she can change who she is and how she’s played her entire life over one summer?

I absolutely hope that Geno can use his motivational magic and turn Nika into someone that can at least take 8-10 shots a game. I think Nika is important to the team’s psyche, an intangible that gives the team it’s energy. How wonderful it would be to see her become a more complete player and I’m rooting for her to do so. But as someone who’s tried to convince herself that I’m capable of giving up chocolate for the sake of my waistline for decades now, I’m leery of someone changing who they are.

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[CocoHusky]

Exactly. What system does he have in place that scouts for him, and comes up with talent from a remote island controlled by Portugal, and a guard from Croatia? There must be something in place that integrates with his coaching/scouting staff.
Something's going on that's a big change from the past.

Not really a big change from the past. All the respected recruiting services Blue Star, ESPN, ProspectsNation have always had international components. The best international prospect know the system and how to get seen by US college coaches. Keep in mind that UCONN was relatively late in the Nika recruitment as she already had offers and was contemplating Louisville and Baylor? before UCONN got involved. Beyond UCONN it is not uncommon to find half of DI rosters made up of international players- Jose down at USF is an example of that. UCONN went over a decade without adding an significant international player between Svet and Kia Nurse.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Not really a big change from the past. All the respected recruiting services Blue Star, ESPN, ProspectsNation have always had international components. The best international prospect know the system and how to get seen by US college coaches. Keep in mind that UCONN was relatively late in the Nika recruitment as she already had offers and was contemplating Louisville and Baylor? before UCONN got involved. Beyond UCONN it is not uncommon to find half of DI rosters made up of international players- Jose down at USF is an example of that. UCONN went over a decade without adding an significant international player between Svet and Kia Nurse.

Her name escapes me now, but I belief it was an independent agent (US living in Europe) who brought Nika to UConn's attention.

 

[PacoSwede]

.....
She is a fierce defender but is not as aggressive attacking the net. Drive to the basket, get fouled - she doesn’t even have to shoot. But make something happen!

she's done that very consistently for two years now. ... have you not noticed that the team performs better with nika playing. she obviously provides some serious contribution -- a missing ingredient regardless of what it is -- beyond points.

we all would like to see nika be a scoring machine, yet she makes the team better, even with this personal flaw in her game.

,,, kinda like kelly faris.

 

[Stymie]

This keeps coming up — the problem isn’t with Nika’s scoring. If she gives us 6-8 points/g, that’s plenty. The issue is what sort of point these are. Shooting 3s and hitting layups on run-outs is fine, but if she’s playing point she needs to be able to score in the lane occasionally.

Currently she has no midrange, pull-up, step back jump shot, and seems unwilling to attempt a contested layup. Passing off the dribble, flashing through the lane, is just a lot more effective if she’s a threat to score in there, too. And it’s not just at UConn — she didn’t have these skills in Europe either.

These are essential tools for a point guard. KK and Ines already have these skills. I hope Nika plays Ines one-on-one a little bit everyday for the next few months. She could improve Ines’s D and Ines can help her improve her O.

To me , Nika’s “challenge” is not to get 2 fouls sometimes within a two minute span or have 2/3 mid second quarter.

 

[Bone Dog]

kinda like kelly faris.

If only Nika's scoring were like Kelly's, I think we'd all be thrilled.

 

[eebmg]

If only Nika's scoring were like Kelly's, I think we'd all be thrilled.

If I recall, Kelly needed time to mature on the offensive end.

 

[Majic Hands]

Yep. A Nika fan here. Sports enthusiast are always talking about intangibles. Statically a player does "X", their numbers are "X", But some players bring something to the team that make the "Team" better. Yea, the intangibles. Nika brings/has those elusive things that makes her teammates better. Intangibles.

Having covered the obvious . . .

Would I like to see Nika take a step inside the Arc, square up and take the shot a couple times every quarter?
Drive down the lane and actually attempt to score a couple times a quarter? Anytime, a defender is 2 steps away, square up and take the shot?
Well! Da!
We all have ideas, thought that will help our favorite team better. This is one of mine.

Looking forward to seeing what develops this season.

 

[cgshuskie]

I'll go with Bone Dog's first comment. Ines will help Nika and Nika will help
Ines!

 

[CocoHusky]

she's done that very consistently for two years now. ... have you not noticed that the team performs better with nika playing. she obviously provides some serious contribution -- a missing ingredient regardless of what it is -- beyond points.

we all would like to see nika be a scoring machine, yet she makes the team better, even with this personal flaw in her game.
,,, kinda like kelly faris.

Is there really any statistical evidence of this-beyond the eye test? Something like a points per possession for UCONN and the opposition with and without Nika in the game.
Logically on offense it does not make sense that the team would perform better with Nika in the game because she is statistically the worst shooter among the players that are in the regular rotation. That low FG shooting percentage also restricts NIka to playing PG exclusively- which means under normal circumstances you are taking Paige out to put Nika in. So that would mean the team performs better without Paige? Defensively Geno has stated on multiple occasional that UCONN is a different team with Nika in there. Different is not the same as better and yet another statistical indicator is that Nika's minutes decreased as the NCAA tournament came around-at a time when Nika was at her healthiest all season long.

 

[CocoHusky]

If only Nika's scoring were like Kelly's, I think we'd all be thrilled.

If I recall, Kelly needed time to mature on the offensive end.

You are comparing apples to cumquats here. Kelly Faris was not a PG. As a freshman the need for her to be a scoring threat was basically ZERO because she had Maya the Magnificent, Tina Charles, the incomparable Caroline Doty and the never reluctant to hoist up shots Tiffany Hayes and Kalana Greene as teammates. Kelly did manage to score 4.1 PPG as a Freshman though.

 

[Bone Dog]

That low FG shooting percentage also restricts NIka to playing PG

From your lips to God's ear. She sure as, er... heck can't be a "shooting guard."

That said, used judiciously, she can turn an opponent's gameplay on its ear -- lots of ear-based metaphors today -- like in the Tennessee game last spring. The 3rd quarter was Nika at her best, and Tennessee never recovered from it. I think every BYer should be required to watch it again, just to be reminded of what's good and bad about her game.

But once Paige went down, we all realized Nika was going to have to play a lot more, and with her offensive limitations, it really looked like it was going to be a drag on our ambitions. And that's not even taking into consideration the prospect of injuries to other guards. Injury free, we'd still have a non-shooting pg running our half court offense for 20+ mins/g. But if Azzi or Caroline miss a couple games, can we really have a pg who doesn't take any shots -- except the occasional 3pt mortar shot, essentially a standing set shot with the ball released more or less from her waist -- and play her 35+ mins/g???

That's not the profile of a NC contender. This is why so many of us began to wish with all our might that Nika might finally develop better offense. And a midrange game can't consist of standing set shots. Scoring off the dribble would be necessary. So the steepness of the curve we were looking at seemed daunting. And, remember, she needs to do this even if we manage to escape the injury bug.

Enter Ines Bettencourt, and suddenly there's joy in Mudville again. A pg who scores off the dribble, who draws fouls, makes free throws. Of course, she's not going to start or even play more than 10-15 mins/g. But she takes the pressure off Azzi Lou and Caroline not to get injured, and means that for at least sometime we can have a pg other than Azzi who can score off the dribble. Out of Azzi's 35 mins, maybe less than 10 of them can be at the point, freeing her to be the deadliest 2 in the country, and Lou and Caroline can be the deadliest 2/3 in the country, and Aubrey and Ayanna might not have to play the 3 at all, or at least very little.

Now let me get back to wishing with all my heart that Nika improves her scoring -- Channel your inner Kelly Faris, Nika!

And yes, the analogy to Kelly is not perfect. She wasn't really ever a pg. It keeps coming up because they're both great defenders. But Kelly managed to find all sort of ways to score to round out an awesome set of defensive skills.

 

[Skeets]

Um, first of all, 3.8 points over 21.7 minutes is around 6 points over 32 minutes, not an unreasonable mpg for a starting PG, if Muhl were to start as such. Considering the nature of the @Bone Dog critique, if you add in one midrange jumper per game you have about 8 points per game. You provided some evidence in support of his “soft peddling” even as you obviously thought you were ripping it to shreds.

But my issue is with using “soft peddling” as a pejorative for a fan. Aside from the bandwagon variety, soft peddling is in the inherent nature of a fan. We are supposed to believe in and have hope in our team, even against the odds. It is also natural to extend that hope towards the individual players as well as the team as a whole.

I do not fault the content of your critique against Muhl, the past problems she has experienced with scoring, but the harshness and lack of faith, hope, belief in a UConn player. Perhaps you should be reminded that you displayed this very harshness and lack of hope in regards to Muhl’s defense. That was not a good look then and did not age well.

On second thought, maybe you should keep up this harshness for Muhl, it seems to work well for her. Just don’t worry yourself over fans acting like fans, that would not be good for your brain health.

You said everything I wished I had said. Coco, Deacon, et.al. (you know who you are) are giving Nika the ONO treatment. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now. Maybe Geno is all screwed up when he says the team executes better when Nika is on the floor. Someone should email him and tell him that learned experts on the BY disagree.