Newest Husky Ines Bettencourt [Merged thread] | Page 8 | The Boneyard

Newest Husky Ines Bettencourt [Merged thread]

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Skeets said:
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.
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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:

 
The deacon said:
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.
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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.
 
CocoHusky said:
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:

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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.
 
Skeets said:
Hey, don't mention it. Consider yourself elevated :) (No disrespect to Coco on the grouping.)
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;) Wait I can't tell. Is elevating someone above Coco in that grouping a good thing or a bad thing?

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Skeets said:
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.
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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
www.uconnhuskygames.com

WBB: 2020-2021 Game Replays

Previous Season Next Season Overall Conference Home Away Neutral 28-2 18-0 11-0 10...
www.uconnhuskygames.com www.uconnhuskygames.com
 
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.
 
Skeets said:
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.
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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.
 
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 !
 
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Artifact said:
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 !
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Ticha Penichiero!! (I may have the spelling wrong. )
 
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.
 
I just watched 65% of the Portugal vs North Macedonia U 18 Division B game.
Ines Bettencourt with 22 points in 17 ( seventeen) minutes!
No wonder that INES had a high Efficiency rating in the
Tournament. Ines had 10 points in the first three minutes
even with missing a hard driving lay up off of a set play
on the initial tip off. If you want 5 minutes of INES
highlights watch the first half of Quarter One. Final Score 94 - 27.
INES could have scored 40= if she played a full game and
had gone for her shot rather than making some nice
transition and high low passes to her teammates. Portugal
plays as a team, with good ball movement == PASSES not dribbling,
and they unselfishly look for the open player! My only
critique of Ines in this game was some missed foul
shots and , perhaps, those PINK SHOES! NICE PLAY,
INEZ (and Portugal as a team) , condolences to North Macedonia.
 
TCC Kid said:
Hot dang, I thought I was the long GRINCH on the BY. A-Typically, I don't shout and cheer any new kid. I'm usually happy we get them, but to me they "ain't" players until they play.
Geno is happy with her. Big plus
I believe my eyes--she can shoot, and even under pressure, can pass IMO as well as Paige, and attacks the basket. How that translates to D1 USA --the Geno style, is a wait and see I have great expectations.
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The Dickens you say!

I used to get really hyped about new recruits, assuming each was the next UConn All-American. Lately, I've tempered my expectations. It's worked out well--when a new player does well, I'm genuinely thrilled.

I knew Paige was really, really good, but Holy Cow! I knew Azzi was really, really good, but Holy Cow! I didn't know much about Caroline and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it all evens out in the end.
 
Gus Mahler said:
The Dickens you say!

I used to get really hyped about new recruits, assuming each was the next UConn All-American. Lately, I've tempered my expectations. It's worked out well--when a new player does well, I'm genuinely thrilled.

I knew Paige was really, really good, but Holy Cow! I knew Azzi was really, really good, but Holy Cow! I didn't know much about Caroline and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it all evens out in the end.
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Geno thought that Paige and Azzi were the best 2 players in the last few years.
 
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Bald Huskie said:
She held this team together when Paige was out,
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I think Nika is really important to the team, and her voice in huddles is undoubtedly important. I love seeing her wreak havoc on opposing teams. It's a thing of beauty. But, the person who held the team together when Paige first went down was Evina, not Nika. Check out the UCLA game for visual evidence. And check out the Ga Tech game for evidence that the team was in need of a calming hand. Or check out her clutch 3 pt shooting against Stanford, and her rebounding even playing the 4 against Belibi. In fact, she often had to play the 4 during the season agains much larger players because that's what we needed her to do.

Don't get me wrong or tag me as a Nika-hater or some other baloney. I'm a huge fan of hers. But I also recognize her weaknesses. I often cite the Tennessee game as evidence of how great she can be for us, and in ways that don't necessarily show up in the box score. She has the voice of a leader. But she is not who held the team together emotionally and in the stats. That was Evina, and I hate (see, there, I said it) to see her immense contributions dismissed or undervalued. We have no one like her on this year's team. I hope Nika can become that leader, the emotional glue Momma E was for the last two seasons.

Paige called Evina "her MVP" in '21-22, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear her repeat that assessment about last season, too.
 
topogigio said:
Courtney was, in fact one, of the best shooters in her day, she just couldn't make many when someone was guarding her.
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Her foot injury was a crushing blow. She wasn't blessed with great speed to begin with and she struggled to get open after the injury.
 
Those who want Nika to shoot more… be careful what you wish for. We are all rooting for Nika but I for one want her to be efficient in her offense. Having the worst shooter put up shots is not ideal. I don’t want to see my centers shooting 30% from outside either. If Nika can just keep hitting 35% of her 3 pointers that’s fine but I’d rather see Azzi and Lou shoot them at plus 40%. If Nika is not the primary offensive creator at least distribute the ball quickly and with few turnovers. So many people interpret intensity with performance. Paige was a better defender but she did it with a smile. Other teams focused on the other players and literally let Nika shoot. She’s got to make those 3’s.
 
TeamFirst! said:
If Nika can just keep hitting 35% of her 3 pointers that’s fine but I’d rather see Azzi and Lou shoot them at plus 40%. If Nika is not the primary offensive creator at least distribute the ball quickly and with few turnovers.
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That’s the problem, of course. If she only shoots 3 pointers and the occasional layup on a runout, she won’t be able to distribute the ball effectively. If she’s not a threat to score off the dribble, no one will take her drives through the lane seriously. If no help defense is needed to contain her offense, no one else will be left open to pass to. This is what currently happens.

If we imagine her just shooting 3 pointers in the half court set, then we’re pretending she’s a shooting guard, and none of us thinks she can be effective in that role. To be the primary point guard she needs a midrange game and to be able to score off the dribble. This is a skill she hasn’t shown yet. It’s what she needs to develop in the next few months.

The fundamental offensive challenge in the half court set for any coach is how to get open shots for your players. Screening is one way, and forcing the defense to help contain one player and leave another one uncovered. We screen very well. But we can’t rely only on this. We need to complement it with forcing double teams. We typically have more than one player on the court capable of creating in the lane to force double teams — Azzi, Caroline, Aaliyah to name three. But Nika is not one of them. This means that when she’s on the floor, our half court offense is diminished. This is okay at certain moments, if she can create enough mayhem to disrupt the other teams offense and create points off turnovers.
 
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Kaizen said:
She looks pretty confident and smart.
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She defiantly has some Paige-esk to her game. Not sure of the competition but her moves are undeniable.

stamfordhusky said:
Geno was in desperate need for a back up point guard. It was tough to find one in such a limited amount of time and he settled on Ines. That does not mean he sees big things for her. It’s likely she will play less than 10 minutes per game.
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No attack @stamfordhusky and absolutely no idea how meany minutes a player will get. But and it's a big BUT, Geno is not known to just bring in players to hand out scholarships. In Geno I trust she will bring value to the team.
I welcome Ines and hope for now she ignores this forum. ;)
 
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AmeriConn said:
Isn’t there a large Portuguese population in the CT-MA area? Perhaps Ines has family here?
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I spent a week on the island Bettencourt came from in the Azores. Everyone I talked to had relatives in the US and very few relatives in the Euro mainland. Very nice people. 90% spoke English. The place wasn't a huge tourist destination, or wasn't 15 years ago. 2 great golf courses that were empty in February. Temp 65-75. Six hour flight from Boston. I considered it as a retirement location.
 
HuskyNan said:
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.
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Nika averaged 4 fga's per game over her 1st 2 years. She was a 33% 3pt shooter last year. I think you and others overstate her role in scoring droughts. Those 3 seniors were the leaders on the team and they were in the scoring positions. ONO took 9/gm; CW 10/gm; and EW 10/gm. And none of them were working as hard on defense as Nika. Remember, she is/was on the roster as the backup pg. Suddenly some say she NEEDS to be an AA pg. Someone wants her to take 15 shots a game? Someone else want her to take 8 3pt shots a game? I'll be happy if she has a + a/to% and continues to be an energy-giver.
 
Bald Huskie said:
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.
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The point that is being made by virtually every post about Nika (those that are not simply gushing adulation) is not that she is unworthy of respect, or that she is not an important part of this team, but rather that she would be a better player, a more important and impactful part of this team, if she were more of a threat to score! It’s really just that simple.
I don’t believe for a second that there is a single regular poster on this site that disrespects her or who is not happy that she is a Husky! We simply want and hope that she can make herself into an actual scoring threat that the opposing team will have to guard diligently. We hope for this because we know that if she does become a threat, it will benefit not only her, but the entire team (probably most specifically Azzi)!
 
Haven’t we discussed Nika more than enough already? Every thread ends up being about Nika somehow. We all value her and most of us are fully aware of her strengths and weaknesses. Let’s support her and cheer her. I’m done with critiquing her game.
 
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