I'm sure that some of you will say that I should have used the "Nika X-Factor" thread for these comments, but I consider that thread to have become a Superfund site that should be buried under cement for at least a century.
One interesting question in that thread was how Nika compares to Molly Bent. Unlike most of you, I actually think that Molly was a better athlete than Nika, with more foot speed and (after her freshman year) a better jump shot. But I agree that they are comparable in many ways. Molly's limitations (IMHO) were "above the shoulders" -- she never calmed down enough to play effectively. She tried to make up for it with her work ethic, but after a while that is counterproductive, and it was for her.
May I suggest another comparison -- Mel Thomas? She played at UConn from 2004-05 to 2007-08 but missed the last part of her senior season because of an ACL. It was a fallow time for UConn recruiting, particularly in the back court. Geno did get one great guard recruit in Renee Montgomery, who arrived in 2005 during Mel's sophomore season and immediately became the best guard on the team and the starting point guard. But the other guard options during Mel's tenure did not stir much excitement or many great memories: Keisha Swanier (in Mel's class and physically far more talented than Mel), Ashley Valley (a senior when Mel was a freshman, and actually quite competent), and Lorin Dixon are the ones I remember. Nicole Wolff might have been good (she graduated in 2006) but was injured physically for two years and in her confidence after that.
So, against that undistinguished competition (apart from Renee), Mel established herself as the second guard on the team and became a starter as a sophomore, and got a ton of minutes. She was far from a great athlete (slower than Nika, far slower than Molly, and smaller than either of them). Her high school reputation was as a 3-point shooter, but she had problems hitting the 3 as a freshman. In later years, she solved that problem, and also learned to play intelligently at both ends of the floor and to be an effective perimeter defender despite her quickness deficit.
Here is my question: If Mel had been in Molly's class or in Nika's class, with the roster competition that they faced, would she have done any better than they did or are doing? I don't think so. I doubt if she would have played any more minutes. I suspect that Boneyard commentators would make the same comments about her play as a freshman that they are now making about Nika.
And here is the clincher: In the game against Tennessee in Mel's freshman year, Mel didn't play a single minute. Geno said that she was "telling him in her own way" that she was not ready for such a high-pressure game. Needless to say, she didn't agree with that decision, but I think she played in every big game after that for the rest of her career, and started most of them.
If injuries put UConn and Geno in a position similar to what he dealt with in Mel's time, I think he may be able to get similar productivity from Nika as he got from Mel. They are very similar players.
Three games and two injuries right? The latter being far more significant? When last at full strength in a meaningful game Nika logged 0 minutes.
