Newest Husky Ines Bettencourt [Merged thread]

[Skeets]

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

New Bedford and the fishing fleet is mostly Portuguese. There must be a distant relative in there somewhere....

 

[Zarathustra]

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

I thought I also saw the friendly hand of Jose Fernandez (USF) in the total smoothness of this
transition for INES. Was it going to be one or two years at the Florida JUCO and then on
to USF?? It's nice to have friends like Jose. Good luck in the AAC, Jose!

 

[Zarathustra]

New Bedford and the fishing fleet is mostly Portuguese. There must be a distant relative in there somewhere....

I used to live on the outer Cape (Cape Cod). There was a core population of Provincetown
fishermen and ladies whose families were from the Azores. Nice Folks!

 

[StarMan]

Welcome Inês!

 

[Zarathustra]

I just finished watching the entire Portugal v Bulgaria U 18 " B " game on YouTube.
FIBA U18 Women's European Championships 2022 Division B. INES with 20 points,
steals, transition baskets, and smooth passes. If you have the time
it was (IMO)better than the highlight tape = it shows Ines in the flow of action.
Some of it reminded me of Aubrey Griffin against Seton Hall. Ines might be
shorter but she still gets the lay up on the transition plays, intercepts the pass that
INES does not allow her opponent to receive, and the perpetual motion. Inez
also is the point person on the defensive (against the PG). I also again saw
her hitting her "open" 3-point shot (Bulgaria left the 3-point line undefended).
The final score was 65 to 48. Bulgaria was a weak sister, but the game was
a good example of how the Portuguese style of play will make for a, somewhat,
easier transition for the Ines. I might watch the Portugal match against
North Macedonia... Ines had 22 points in that game. I'm retired, can't you tell!

 

[The deacon]

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.

Thank you, Skeets, for elevating me to Coco's standard of posting...

I'm not sure what the ONO treatment is, but I'm guessing you mean when someone on the BY writes something less than a sterling appraisal of a player's performance?

If that's the case, then, as long as you threw me into the mix here, I'll offer a follow up to PacoSwede #191 and Coco #197's about how Nika's presence on the court impacts the Huskies' fortunes. Feel free to dispute the numbers that are readily available on the UConn website:

You might recall I wrote somewhere back in the dusty BY archives from the '21-22 season that, for a stretch of about 12-14 games (I didn't track the whole season), Nika had by far the worse +/- stat for those who were in the regular rotation. You're certainly welcome to go back and check yourself by referring to the PDFs of each game's box score. Shoot me down if you must for not going back to track those numbers again, but I'd bet you recall when I made that point back in late winter.

You can argue that stat has little meaning... well, if you'll convince me that how many points a team scores compared with how many its opponents scores has little meaning, then I'll agree with you.

The point, as it should be, is that Nika needs to pick up her offensive production to be assured a place in the regular rotation. I'm hoping along with everyone else here that'll happen. She does provide, as PacoSwede said, a 'missing ingredient' that is precious to the Huskies' cause.

In the meantime, a warm welcome to Ines.

 

[Majic Hands]

Ines, welcome to the US, NCAA, and UConn.
Know that Coach & staff think enough of you and your game to invite you to Stores.
Just do the best you can. Provide effort in everything you do at UConn.

Yep. Ines there are some amazing women that have come before you. Welcome to the family, ignore some of us cranky curmudgeon's here in the BY. Doing your best will bring you fans. For example, this player is the only player I have linked in my bookmarks. Briana Pulido


Have Fun!

 

[HuskyNan]

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.

no one is saying Nika isn’t important to the team so save the umbrage. Some of us are saying her hesitance to shoot is detrimental to the team. Do you remember last year’s games when the team went into extended scoring droughts? It was the bulk of the games so you must have seen it. Opponents were leaving Nika wide open wherever she was on the floor because they knew she wouldn’t shoot. some of us are saying that’s how she plays and are leery of those declared Nika had some sort revelation over the summer that will turn her into someone we’ve never seen before.

You can love a player and hope for her to grow as a player without having unrealistic expectations that she will become someone new in a matter of months.

 

[HuskyNan]

Sportiva full game. Ines is #8 with the white tee under her jersey

 

[HopJim]

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

With the exception of small section of New Bedford, MA, most of the portuguese speakers in New England are Brazilian.

 

[CocoHusky]

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.

Before I email Geno again- I'm sure he can use a good belly laugh - where was Geno ever quoted as saying the team executes "better" when Nika is in the game? Here is my source:

 

[Skeets]

Thank you, Skeets, for elevating me to Coco's standard of posting...

I'm not sure what the ONO treatment is, but I'm guessing you mean when someone on the BY writes something less than a sterling appraisal of a player's performance?

If that's the case, then, as long as you threw me into the mix here, I'll offer a follow up to PacoSwede #191 and Coco #197's about how Nika's presence on the court impacts the Huskies' fortunes. Feel free to dispute the numbers that are readily available on the UConn website:

You might recall I wrote somewhere back in the dusty BY archives from the '21-22 season that, for a stretch of about 12-14 games (I didn't track the whole season), Nika had by far the worse +/- stat for those who were in the regular rotation. You're certainly welcome to go back and check yourself by referring to the PDFs of each game's box score. Shoot me down if you must for not going back to track those numbers again, but I'd bet you recall when I made that point back in late winter.

You can argue that stat has little meaning... well, if you'll convince me that how many points a team scores compared with how many its opponents scores has little meaning, then I'll agree with you.

The point, as it should be, is that Nika needs to pick up her offensive production to be assured a place in the regular rotation. I'm hoping along with everyone else here that'll happen. She does provide, as PacoSwede said, a 'missing ingredient' that is precious to the Huskies' cause.

In the meantime, a warm welcome to Ines.

Hey, don't mention it. Consider yourself elevated (No disrespect to Coco on the grouping.)

Funny how there is a relatively small number of folks on the BY who never, ever, mention that Nika was the BE DPOY. I guess that means nothing. You probably can't find it in the stats. Look, if Nika takes 2-3 more FGAs and drops a couple of them, combined with what she already does, what more do you want from a PG? I don't see any reason to heap criticism on Nika.

 

[Skeets]

Before I email Geno again- I'm sure he can use a good belly laugh - where was Geno ever quoted as saying the team executes "better" when Nika is in the game? Here is my source:

Coco, you're kidding me, right? Numerous quotes. Here's one:

“It’s a 180 degree difference when she’s on the floor,” Geno Auriemma said after UConn’s win over Butler. “She’s going to bring tremendous energy, defensive intensity.”

I'm sure there are numerous others if you care to hunt for them.

 

[CocoHusky]

Hey, don't mention it. Consider yourself elevated (No disrespect to Coco on the grouping.)

Wait I can't tell. Is elevating someone above Coco in that grouping a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[Skeets]

Coco, all in good fun.

 

[The deacon]

Wait I can't tell. Is elevating someone above Coco in that grouping a good thing or a bad thing?

View attachment 78665

As long as you're not offended, Coco, I'm okay.

 

[CocoHusky]

Coco, you're kidding me, right? Numerous quotes. Here's one:

“It’s a 180 degree difference when she’s on the floor,” Geno Auriemma said after UConn’s win over Butler. “She’s going to bring tremendous energy, defensive intensity.”

I'm sure there are numerous others if you care to hunt for them.

No I'm not kidding Geno is very good with the English Language.
"Different" and "not the same" are not synonyms for better. Better was the word used in @PacoSwede original post to which I responded. Again, show me how ( statistically) UCONN is a BETTER team with Nika on the floor. Even if Geno did say it he would have to prove it by backing it up statistically. BTW the series of games (Video) and Box score to which @The deacon is referring are readily available to you at this link

WBB: 2020-2021 Game Replays

Previous Season Next Season Overall Conference Home Away Neutral 28-2 18-0 11-0 10...

www.uconnhuskygames.com

 

[Bald Husky]

Nika can't do this, Nika can't do that, how many times do some of you Nika haters have to continue to post the same crap. Some of these posts remind me of reading VolNation. Nika has to shoot more, we all know this, but the team always performs well when she is in the line-up. She held this team together when Paige was out, and who else used their voice in the huddles. Some of you may not respect her, but her teammates seem to. We all hope she has worked on her shot, but up to this point she has done an overall great job. Maybe the BE Defensive player of the year doesn't mean a lot to some people, only scoring points does. Defense is the backbone of this program, and nobody did it better than Nika last year. Geno loves the kid, so as @Skeets said, email him and tell him to what you think. Everyone on the team can't be all-Americans, so let's try to have some perspective on the players on this team.

 

[Inthepaint]

Hey, don't mention it. Consider yourself elevated (No disrespect to Coco on the grouping.)

Funny how there is a relatively small number of folks on the BY who never, ever, mention that Nika was the BE DPOY. I guess that means nothing. You probably can't find it in the stats. Look, if Nika takes 2-3 more FGAs and drops a couple of them, combined with what she already does, what more do you want from a PG? I don't see any reason to heap criticism on Nika.

First of all, a warm welcome to Ines.
I hope she has a healthy and productive career at UCONN….whatever it is.
Now, I freely admit to being a “Nika Nut”
I love her attitude, toughness, and dedication.
She and Aubrey create havoc when they come into a game.
Having said that, I often find myself grimacing and shouting “ shoot the @$@# ball, Nika!!” When she hesitates, looks for someone to take a shot, and otherwise finds ways not to score points.
Without Paige, 20-25 points will have to come from somewhere.
Some will have to be generated by Nika.
She’s as stubborn as a “Muhl”, but she can get the message if Geno departs from his timid, soft-spoken manner and reads her the riot act.
Paige will be egging her on from the bench and the presence of both Lou2 and now Ines will present a new challenge for her to deal with.
Whatever Nika’s faults may be,pouting and sulking in the face of challenges ain’t one of them.
Maybe being a year older will make the difference in her confidence in her offensive game.
Maybe it won’t.
It’s ok to be skeptical.
It’s ok to sound off about a players shortcomings as long as we don’t make it a personal character assassination.
Otherwise an analysis of their game is strictly kosher.

 

[CocoHusky]

Nika can't do this, Nika can't do that, how many times do some of you Nika haters have to continue to post the same crap.

About as many times as you are going to accuse us of being a Nika haters.

 

[Geew1992]

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

Kelly didn’t start that until her senior year.

 

[Artifact]

Me think's that 3 languages ( English, Italian, Portuguese) were involved with Geno dealing with the 'European League, for playing info., in offering a position to Ines Bettencourt ! The last great Portuguese guard I saw play in college was for Dominion College when they were a Force. After college, she played Pro ball & then retired from the game. I cannot recall her name ? She was a really great player !

 

[Longtime fan]

I think you are dreaming.

 

[JoePgh]

Me think's that 3 languages ( English, Italian, Portuguese) were involved with Geno dealing with the 'European League, for playing info., in offering a position to Ines Bettencourt ! The last great Portuguese guard I saw play in college was for Dominion College when they were a Force. After college, she played Pro ball & then retired from the game. I cannot recall her name ? She was a really great player !

Ticha Penichiero!! (I may have the spelling wrong. )

 

[Jingo]

It should be noted that Nika's 3-point-shot is totally different from Azzi's.
Nika is generally wide open while Azzi has 1 or 2 defenders lunging at her. It's a BIG difference! and should be strongly considered during practice.
On the other hand, Nika has little chance to drive the lane since her defender has backed off while Azzi will, thus, be taking it to the hoop frequently. Azzi will probably score most of her points this season on her pull-up jumper while driving the lane unless she makes it all-the-way through for a layup.