Nice In Depth Caroline Ducharme Article

[eebmg]

UConn basketball: How Milton native Caroline Ducharme became one of the nation's top prospects

Caroline Ducharme remembers listening to “The Obstacle Is The Way” — a book based on the third-century Hellenistic philosophy of stoicism — as she rehabbed from a torn ACL. “The obstacle in the path becomes the path,” the book’s author Ryan Holiday wrote. “Never forget, within every obstacle is...

www.boston.com

Caroline has watched every UConn game multiple times this season, including Monday’s controversial finish against Baylor (“If they didn’t call it it’s not foul,” Caroline said, according to her father). She is working on her body, trying to get stronger for the next level.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Good Read. Don't know how well Caroline will rebound, but she may replace Evina in the starting lineup if Evina decides to go Pro. I"m sure she's been studying Aubrey and knows what she has to do to get the starting slot.

 

[Aluminny69]

Good Read. Don't know how well Caroline will rebound, but she may replace Evina in the starting lineup if Evina decides to go Pro. I"m sure she's been studying Aubrey and knows what she has to do to get the starting slot.

Right now, UConn has eight starters coming back, with three potential starters coming in. To say that is a crowded field would be an understatement.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Caroline has watched every UConn game multiple times this season, including Monday’s controversial finish against Baylor (“If they didn’t call it it’s not foul,” Caroline said, according to her father). She is working on her body, trying to get stronger for the next level.

Best answer yet!
"On the recruiting trail, Ducharme knew all the challenges associated with playing for the Huskies. Auriemma is blunt with his players and pushes them hard. There is always an incoming class of players looking to steal your spot."

For sure Azzi and Caroline will push for many minutes. Mir and Aubrey better brace themselves and develop better offensive games. Plus Piath and Amari will be pushing for playing time in the post. As a reminder both are 6'5". Before this season it was easy to see Paige, Aaliyah, and Nika as contributors. Azzi and Caroline are just as easy.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Right now, UConn has eight starters coming back, with three potential starters coming in. To say that is a crowded field would be an understatement.

This was said last year, now this year and it will be said next year with Ice and Ayanna. It is a good thing!

 

[HopJim]

Good Read. Don't know how well Caroline will rebound, but she may replace Evina in the starting lineup if Evina decides to go Pro. I"m sure she's been studying Aubrey and knows what she has to do to get the starting slot.

Agree. Predict we have 5 "starters" next year, ONO, Edwards, Paige, Williams, Azzi, with 5 others, Nika, Aubrey, Anna, Caroline and Ice, coming off the bench. Geno will mix and match depending upon in game needs. Aubrey should get plenty of time as the only defensive specialist although with all this fire power, you wonder what games will have this need.

 

[Boreifs]

Best answer yet!
"On the recruiting trail, Ducharme knew all the challenges associated with playing for the Huskies. Auriemma is blunt with his players and pushes them hard. There is always an incoming class of players looking to steal your spot."

For sure Azzi and Caroline will push for many minutes. Mir and Aubrey better brace themselves and develop better offensive games. Plus Piath and Amari will be pushing for playing time in the post. As a reminder both are 6'5". Before this season it was easy to see Paige, Aaliyah, and Nika as contributors. Azzi and Caroline are just as easy.

Easy to see Nika as a contributor? Someone compared her to Molly Bent. Very few posters on this site thought that and her early injury troubles certainly didn’t help. Those of us who saw her as a contributor were a small minority.

 

[Boreifs]

Agree. Predict we have 5 "starters" next year, ONO, Edwards, Paige, Williams, Azzi, with 5 others, Nika, Aubrey, Anna, Caroline and Ice, coming off the bench. Geno will mix and match depending upon in game needs. Aubrey should get plenty of time as the only defensive specialist although with all this fire power, you wonder what games will have this need.

Ice will be in high school next year.

 

[eebmg]

Agree. Predict we have 5 "starters" next year, ONO, Edwards, Paige, Williams, Azzi, with 5 others, Nika, Aubrey, Anna, Caroline and Ice, coming off the bench. Geno will mix and match depending upon in game needs. Aubrey should get plenty of time as the only defensive specialist although with all this fire power, you wonder what games will have this need.

Add Saylor and DeBerry and remove Ice (2022)

 

[oldhusky]

Good Read. Don't know how well Caroline will rebound, but she may replace Evina in the starting lineup if Evina decides to go Pro. I"m sure she's been studying Aubrey and knows what she has to do to get the starting slot.

I don't think the most likely replacement for Evina "if" she goes pro is Carolyn or Aubrey, in fact far from it. Remember for much of the season we had a wing playing the 4. First it was Anna, then when she was injured Nika started and Evina became an undersized 4. When Nika got injured Aaliyah started and we had a more traditional big at the 4, and Evina moves back to the 3.

Aaliyah in my opinion was the long term answer at the 4, and it was only a matter of time until she took that position for good. She has the starting position now and is unlikely to ever lose it going forward. That probably means if Evina returns, that two of these four come off the bench, (Nika, Evina, Christyn, Azzi). That is a very hard decision, but that also gives you two great options off the bench on the wings, before even bringing up Carolyn and Aubrey and Anna, who would appear to be no better than the third option off the bench for the wings. Aubrey can still get playing time as the likely first best option off the bench at the 4, and come in for Liv with Aaliyah switching to the 5. Amari might fill that role behind Liv but at a minimum Aubrey would appear to have minutes behind Aaliyah.

Carolyn might get regular time, but her time probably would have to come from the four wings competing for the starting position, a pretty high hurdle to get over. But that is the scenario of course with Evina coming back, and everyone healthy.

I suspect the more likely situation is Evina does go pro. In that case, one from (Nika, Christyn, Azzi) comes off the bench, and becomes the first super-sub off the bench for the wing positions. Carolyn could easily be in the mix after that for second wing off the bench with Anna. I wouldn't be surprised if Carolyn is ahead of Anna and if she does very well threaten Nika's playing time a little. Aubrey might get some time on the wing, but I don't think it will be much, and more as a situational substitution where in that particular game situation Geno wants more rebounding or a defensive stopper on the wing. Normally I think he will want more ball handling and a three point threat there, which he will lots of options for.

 

[JoePgh]

I don't think the most likely replacement for Evina "if" she goes pro is Carolyn or Aubrey, in fact far from it. Remember for much of the season we had a wing playing the 4. First it was Anna, then when she was injured Nika started and Evina became an undersized 4. When Nika got injured Aaliyah started and we had a more traditional big at the 4, and Evina moves back to the 3.

Aaliyah in my opinion was the long term answer at the 4, and it was only a matter of time until she took that position for good. She has the starting position now and is unlikely to ever lose it going forward. That probably means if Evina returns, that two of these four come off the bench, (Nika, Evina, Christyn, Azzi). That is a very hard decision, but that also gives you two great options off the bench on the wings, before even bringing up Carolyn and Aubrey and Anna, who would appear to be no better than the third option off the bench for the wings. Aubrey can still get playing time as the likely first best option off the bench at the 4, and come in for Liv with Aaliyah switching to the 5. Amari might fill that role behind Liv but at a minimum Aubrey would appear to have minutes behind Aaliyah.

Carolyn might get regular time, but her time probably would have to come from the four wings competing for the starting position, a pretty high hurdle to get over. But that is the scenario of course with Evina coming back, and everyone healthy.

I suspect the more likely situation is Evina does go pro. In that case, one from (Nika, Christyn, Azzi) comes off the bench, and becomes the first super-sub off the bench for the wing positions. Carolyn could easily be in the mix after that for second wing off the bench with Anna. I wouldn't be surprised if Carolyn is ahead of Anna and if she does very well threaten Nika's playing time a little. Aubrey might get some time on the wing, but I don't think it will be much, and more as a situational substitution where in that particular game situation Geno wants more rebounding or a defensive stopper on the wing. Normally I think he will want more ball handling and a three point threat there, which he will lots of options for.

I like your thinking, but can you please spell Caroline Ducharme's first name properly? It is Caroline, not Carolyn. (No comparisons with Peck, please!)

 

[Charliebball]

I don't think the most likely replacement for Evina "if" she goes pro is Carolyn or Aubrey, in fact far from it. Remember for much of the season we had a wing playing the 4. First it was Anna, then when she was injured Nika started and Evina became an undersized 4. When Nika got injured Aaliyah started and we had a more traditional big at the 4, and Evina moves back to the 3.

Aaliyah in my opinion was the long term answer at the 4, and it was only a matter of time until she took that position for good. She has the starting position now and is unlikely to ever lose it going forward. That probably means if Evina returns, that two of these four come off the bench, (Nika, Evina, Christyn, Azzi). That is a very hard decision, but that also gives you two great options off the bench on the wings, before even bringing up Carolyn and Aubrey and Anna, who would appear to be no better than the third option off the bench for the wings. Aubrey can still get playing time as the likely first best option off the bench at the 4, and come in for Liv with Aaliyah switching to the 5. Amari might fill that role behind Liv but at a minimum Aubrey would appear to have minutes behind Aaliyah.

Carolyn might get regular time, but her time probably would have to come from the four wings competing for the starting position, a pretty high hurdle to get over. But that is the scenario of course with Evina coming back, and everyone healthy.

I suspect the more likely situation is Evina does go pro. In that case, one from (Nika, Christyn, Azzi) comes off the bench, and becomes the first super-sub off the bench for the wing positions. Carolyn could easily be in the mix after that for second wing off the bench with Anna. I wouldn't be surprised if Carolyn is ahead of Anna and if she does very well threaten Nika's playing time a little. Aubrey might get some time on the wing, but I don't think it will be much, and more as a situational substitution where in that particular game situation Geno wants more rebounding or a defensive stopper on the wing. Normally I think he will want more ball handling and a three point threat there, which he will lots of options for.

my version of next year's starting five if Evina leaves.......ONO, AE, CW, PB, ..........with Nika Muhl as the secondary PG, Ducharme the secondary shooting guard, DeBerry as the secondary post/big forward, Griffin secondary small forward and Makurat as the designated fifth starter for the second team............ that's not a bad team.......

 

[Waquoit]

I get the feeling Ducharme has "it". And she is going to be to Fudd like Edwards is to Bueckers. A great player overshadowed at first by an all-timer in the same class. Those four with the two seniors, oy vey!

 

[EricLA]

Great article on Caroline. The guesses as to who starts, how many minutes others will get, will go on all summer ad nauseam. I'm sure some will get annoyed with it, others will enjoy the speculation.

Back to CD - love everything I read about her. Great head on her shoulders, and very "zen" in her approach to her injuries and getting past them. Sounds like a very cerebral player - I wonder how much "research" she will be able to do in college on opponents. It sounds like she relishes trying to figure strengths and weaknesses of opponents, and how to stop them.

She's rated as high as 5 per HG and as low as 15 per Prep Girls. Her composite ranking is in the top 10 and she's 3rd behind Azzi and Amari. With the depth we have, I'm not sure what to expect from her as far as minutes or production goes, but after Evina, Christyn and Olivia graduate, it will open a lot of PT doors for the younger kids.

 

[UcMiami]

Great article on Caroline. The guesses as to who starts, how many minutes others will get, will go on all summer ad nauseam. I'm sure some will get annoyed with it, others will enjoy the speculation.

Back to CD - love everything I read about her. Great head on her shoulders, and very "zen" in her approach to her injuries and getting past them. Sounds like a very cerebral player - I wonder how much "research" she will be able to do in college on opponents. It sounds like she relishes trying to figure strengths and weaknesses of opponents, and how to stop them.

She's rated as high as 5 per HG and as low as 15 per Prep Girls. Her composite ranking is in the top 10 and she's 3rd behind Azzi and Amari. With the depth we have, I'm not sure what to expect from her as far as minutes or production goes, but after Evina, Christyn and Olivia graduate, it will open a lot of PT doors for the younger kids.

I think she got an early start on the work that various Uconn players have done in the years they were injured. We often got quotes about how while not playing they developed a better understanding of the game and their teammates and opponents. While frustrating and painful an injury can be a blessing if you use the time off the court.

Really enjoyed her talking about rebuilding her shot during the first injury and being forced to do so from a set position close to the basket.

 

[PacoSwede]

Great article on Caroline. The guesses as to who starts, how many minutes others will get, will go on all summer ad nauseam. I'm sure some will get annoyed with it, others will enjoy the speculation.

Back to CD - love everything I read about her. Great head on her shoulders, and very "zen" in her approach to her injuries and getting past them. Sounds like a very cerebral player - I wonder how much "research" she will be able to do in college on opponents. It sounds like she relishes trying to figure strengths and weaknesses of opponents, and how to stop them.

She's rated as high as 5 per HG and as low as 15 per Prep Girls. Her composite ranking is in the top 10 and she's 3rd behind Azzi and Amari. With the depth we have, I'm not sure what to expect from her as far as minutes or production goes, but after Evina, Christyn and Olivia graduate, it will open a lot of PT doors for the younger kids.

yes, very good article cause it provides new information (at least for most of us) ...

the speculation is this thread is way too early -- Elite 8 hours away! Caroline hasn't played a minute yet as a collegian but she's gonna start or certainly be in the mix? wow! that's great. even she's only dreaming that.

i hope caroline has a nickname that we find out about, because typing out caroline (a fine name) is a chore, and it sure do hate the BY love of initials for everyone -- even coming up with the ghastly, negative ono for the lovely liv.

 

[Shenandoah]

Can UConn put 2 teams into the Final Four next year?

 

[eebmg]

Can UConn put 2 teams into the Final Four next year?

2 in the NC game.

 

[Dublin]

Since players can transfer and play immediately, there might be 1 or more who believe that they can start immediately elsewhere and improve their standing in the professional ranks.