Nika Muhl is Fun to Watch

[BRS24]

I doubt any posters that post positive Nika posts have or are suggesting that Nika is the best player on the team, or even among the most elite players, yet many negative Nika posts have a feel that they need to demean her or the poster they are responding to.

Nika, herself in a very early interview spoke of how she has never been the star of any team she has been on, that is not her self perceived role, that role is to be the energy person, the one that does all the little things that make her team better. That is what she set out to do on this team, and has done and I believe that is what most positive posters are applauding. I would add that, I believe, that is also what Geno wants from her and what he feels he is getting from her. In several pressers, where she is never the focus, he cites the unique things she brings to the team. He values her, her teammates value her, the fans value her so it's difficult to understand why some posters beyond not valuing her feel a need to demean her or those that do. We all would love to see her hit a few more shots, I'm sure she would love that as well but scoring isn't the reason she started this year or last. And let's not hear again about injuries being the only reason she is even on the court. Seriously listen to Geno and see how and when he uses her.

Nika has many positive qualities, and a few negative ones too. But watch and listen to her coach and her team mates. They all acknowledge her value to the team. Her zest and determination make her a "good" player, but more importantly those qualities make her mates better players. That is her value to this team. No amount of stats bashing will diminish that aspect. They love her, so why don't some hypercritical fans give that respect?

THIS. Nika does the little things that may not show up on the scoreboard. Kelly Farris, Mel Thomas, Pam Webber, among others, weren't the fastest, highest scorers on the team, however they had specific roles on the team, and did them well.

 

[Brewski]

Some people go overboard with criticism of Nika and make it sound personal. I’ve deleted some comments that makes me wonder why people bother to watch UConn, they dislike the players so much

My original intent for starting this thread was to foment more appreciation for Nika's zest for the game, and in particular how much fun her personality on the court is to watch. I think most of us know "personalities don't win games", basketball skills do. When these player debates get out of hand, it seems to be more about winning the argument, and less about the player and who they are as individuals. We all lose out when this happens.

 

[Ouremblem]

Is it just me, but I thought Nika and Evina wore their opponents down physically and emotionally. It’s draining when a defender is in your face all night. In terms of Nika not shooting much, we have an awful lot of scorers on this team and only one ball. If Dorka continues to hit the 3 we are going to be a very difficult team to deal with.

 

[Bigboote]

A few games ago, someone who'd been at the game pointed out how loud Nika was -- in the arena the poster could hear her shouting instructions, etc. In yesterday's game there was a defensive set in which she got switched onto a big and they were briefly alone under the basket with nobody else within about 8 feet. I heard her shout "AALIYAH!" so loud it came over the crowd noise and announcers on the TV. She and Aaliyah quickly switched back, the post player never got the ball, and Marquette didn't score.

There was another defensive trip in which Nika was on the post player, but things weren't as wide-open. Nika kept her ground and the post was called for three seconds.

 

[CocoHusky]

Nika has many positive qualities, and a few negative ones too. But watch and listen to her coach and her team mates. They all acknowledge her value to the team. Her zest and determination make her a "good" player, but more importantly those qualities make her mates better players. That is her value to this team. No amount of stats bashing will diminish that aspect. They love her, so why don't some hypercritical fans give that respect?

Nika gets plenty of respect. I fully agree that Nika is a valuable contributor to this team. I also fully agree that a players' full value to the team cannot be measure by only looking at stats. Since the stats are a reflection of what really happened during the game how can that be considered bashing? This is what I mean by critique of Nika seems to hit differently: Nika had a scoreless 40 minute game yesterday is that any different than pointing out that Liv had a 1 point game against Arizona or that Dorka had a 1 rebound game against Villanova in 20 minutes? Is Hungary not part of Europe anymore?

 

[MD#12Fan]

Nika gets plenty of respect. I fully agree that Nika is a valuable contributor to this team. I also fully agree that a players' full value to the team cannot be measure by only looking at stats. Since the stats are a reflection of what really happened during the game how can that be considered bashing? This is what I mean by critique of Nika seems to hit differently: Nika had a scoreless 40 minute game yesterday is that any different than pointing out that Liv had a 1 point game against Arizona or that Dorka had a 1 rebound game against Villanova in 20 minutes? Is Hungary not part of Europe anymore?

Oh, so you preface your comments with an admission that stats don't tell the whole story after going on and on, post after post hollering from the rooftops about Nika's stats. And then you go on to compare stats of other players that have nothing to do with Nika. Nika is the floor general. The post players are both 6'5" and they inhabit a part of the floor, 3 feet from the rim. Yes, my post should get 5+ boards every game. Yes, my post should score more than 1 point. That would be an indictment on the whole team. Please leave this topic! Let's agree to disagree!

 

[HuskyNan]

I agree. For many fans, I'm one of them, there's a personal connection that runs a little deeper with Nika than some of the other players. It could have to do with coming over from Europe.

Years ago I was at Gampel when a frustrated (angry) Geno called time out. After the time out Svet headed back onto the court. Geno grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her towards the bench. I thought 10,000 babushkas were going to rush the court and tear Geno limb from limb. Geno came real close to buying the farm The personal connection with Svet was also very deep. Again a European.

“Goddam European”

 

[CocoHusky]

Oh, so you preface your comments with an admission that stats don't tell the whole story after going on and on, post after post hollering from the rooftops about Nika's stats. And then you go on to compare stats of other players that have nothing to do with Nika. Nika is the floor general. The post players are both 6'5" and they inhabit a part of the floor, 3 feet from the rim. Yes, my post should get 5+ boards every game. Yes, my post should score more than 1 point. That would be an indictment on the whole team. Please leave this topic! Let's agree to disagree!

I'm not sure we disagree. The jest of the discussion is why the critique of Nika hits differently than it does for other player (even other European players)? Thank you for reinforcing my perception.

 

[Huskee11]

The beauty of the fourth quarter against Marquette was that each player was the best version of herself. Azzi and Dorka, obviously. Evina could not have played better. Christyn was solid.

Nika was by design not a part of the half court offense in the fourth quarter. She spent much of it in the left corner while the offense was being run on the right side. We had three hot hands doing their thing and they should have been the ones shooting.

I think the key play of the fourth quarter was when Nika came up with a loose ball, pushed it up court and hit Azzi for an open three. That made it 60-52. Backbreaker.

On defense, UConn played man to man the entire fourth except for a couple of zones early. Nika was covering McLaughlin, number 12. She is their second leading scorer. The team has 81 threes for the season, and she has 60 of them. If Marquette was going to come back, she would need to be involved. UConn normally switches a lot and helps out when it goes inside, but Nika was clearly told to do neither, and to stay with her the whole time. She did, and McLaughlin didn`t come close to getting a shot off.

So, everybody contributed in their own way.

 

[CocoHusky]

I can't speak for anyone else but as someone who has been and remains unapologetically appreciative for what Nika brings to this team I am in agreement with noirwestern and with HuskyNan (Some people go overboard with criticism of Nika and make it sound personal. I’ve deleted some comments that makes me wonder why people bother to watch UConn, they dislike the players so much).

I doubt any posters that post positive Nika posts have or are suggesting that Nika is the best player on the team, or even among the most elite players, yet many negative Nika posts have a feel that they need to demean her or the poster they are responding to. I can say from personal experience that that happened to me last season early on. It does seem that some negative reactions have an incensed tone that anyone could possibly be positive about what she brings or even that she is on our team - very defensive and I would say irrational vehemence in expressing their negative thoughts. With other player criticism the tone is 'disappointment that they aren't doing what we expect them to do', with Nika its often 'are you seriously applauding the contribution of an end of bencher, at the best".

Nika, herself in a very early interview spoke of how she has never been the star of any team she has been on, that is not her self perceived role, that role is to be the energy person, the one that does all the little things that make her team better. That is what she set out to do on this team, and has done and I believe that is what most positive posters are applauding. I would add that, I believe, that is also what Geno wants from her and what he feels he is getting from her. In several pressers, where she is never the focus, he cites the unique things she brings to the team. He values her, her teammates value her, the fans value her so it's difficult to understand why some posters beyond not valuing her feel a need to demean her or those that do. We all would love to see her hit a few more shots, I'm sure she would love that as well but scoring isn't the reason she started this year or last. And let's not hear again about injuries being the only reason she is even on the court. Seriously listen to Geno and see how and when he uses her.

13 ,13, 3, 3, 16, 14 were Nika's minutes in the games prior to page getting hurt. Whether it was her own injury or the injuries to Paige and Caroline those injuries
have a lot to do with how Geno is using Nika. Injuries are not the only reason Nika is on the court but it is the main reason she was on the court for 40 minutes yesterday-although you might not want to hear it.

 

[TB12]

I expect that when Paige and Caroline Ducharme return, Paige will be the starting point guard. Geno, and the girls said she is their leader.

Lets be more positive about our team and the player

Sorry I did this too late last night.. I meant Nika would be the starting Point guard

 

[CocoHusky]

Sorry I did this too late last night.. I meant Nika would be the starting Point guard

So UCONN is going to have 2 starting PGs?

 

[Bama fan]

Nika gets plenty of respect. I fully agree that Nika is a valuable contributor to this team. I also fully agree that a players' full value to the team cannot be measure by only looking at stats. Since the stats are a reflection of what really happened during the game how can that be considered bashing? This is what I mean by critique of Nika seems to hit differently: Nika had a scoreless 40 minute game yesterday is that any different than pointing out that Liv had a 1 point game against Arizona or that Dorka had a 1 rebound game against Villanova in 20 minutes? Is Hungary not part of Europe anymore?

I do not disagree with your assessment of Nika. You have an opinion and post information to back up what you are saying. I did not accuse you of "Stat bashing". And I have no idea what the heck Hungary being a part of Europe has to do with anything I have ever said. You seem to be a good guy, you have knowledge of the sport, and obviously follow it closely. Please do not take every response in a thread in which you posted as a personal affront. This subject has turned into much more trouble than it deserves. Go Huskies, one and all.

 

[Viet Vet]

Game is on...I was referring to after the game hiatus

Holy Cross dudes: ever seen Jack [The Shot] Foley play? Saw him in a reasonably close win over my alma mater in person. He could..well...really shoot!

aka [No D]

 

[funkraider]

Nika will always be that player on your team that other team's players hate, but all the players on your team would kill for. She is the intangibles!!! She is heart and hustle. She'll eventually get a serviceable outside shot, but you can't teach grit and effort. You either have it or you don't. Nika has it.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Kia had a game where she went something like 0 for 10 in the AAC, she came of the floor tearing off her tape and was crying. I remember Geno going over to talk to her about the good things that she did and not to get upset that she didn't score.

Yes, that came instantly to mind. Maybe she didn't make the 30 minute criterion.

 

[HuskyNan]

I agree. For many fans, I'm one of them, there's a personal connection that runs a little deeper with Nika than some of the other players. It could have to do with coming over from Europe.

Years ago I was at Gampel when a frustrated (angry) Geno called time out. After the time out Svet headed back onto the court. Geno grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her towards the bench. I thought 10,000 babushkas were going to rush the court and tear Geno limb from limb. Geno came real close to buying the farm The personal connection with Svet was also very deep. Again a European.

One more thing about Svet - Geno said even his mother scolded him for yelling at “that nice young girl”.

 

[Brewski]

I do not disagree with your assessment of Nika. You have an opinion and post information to back up what you are saying. I did not accuse you of "Stat bashing". And I have no idea what the heck Hungary being a part of Europe has to do with anything I have ever said. You seem to be a good guy, you have knowledge of the sport, and obviously follow it closely. Please do not take every response in a thread in which you posted as a personal affront. This subject has turned into much more trouble than it deserves. Go Huskies, one and all.

Definitely. I need a beer now. Is it noon somewhere in the world?

 

[Conndog]

Nina goes after a lot of rebounds too as well as loose balls- might have been mentioned already

 

[MattF]

Every year I pick an underdog freshman to follow during her first year as a Husky. Last year it was Nika. She came all the way overseas to the best program in the country, side by side with the best freshman player we've seen in years, and she did not flinch a bit. Whatever you may think about her basketball skills, there is one undeniable fact about this young lady; she loves to play basketball, and she's a lot of fun to watch. Here's to Nika playing another game today like the last one she played.

View attachment 73281

Love her game. And the Cousy reference. And pardon me if my wish list includes her adding jump shots and floaters to her repertoire.

 

[Gus Mahler]

My original intent for starting this thread was to foment more appreciation for Nika's zest for the game, and in particular how much fun her personality on the court is to watch. I think most of us know "personalities don't win games", basketball skills do. When these player debates get out of hand, it seems to be more about winning the argument, and less about the player and who they are as individuals. We all lose out when this happens.

I'll drink to that.

 

[Bigboote]

Definitely. I need a beer now. Is it noon somewhere in the world?

My favorite line from Cheers: Carla had just bought a house and Norm and Cliff were over just after she'd moved in. She says, "This occasion calls for a beer." Norm says (quoting from memory), "Yeah, most occasions do."

John Bigboote, sipping on a homemade raspberry wheat.

 

[EdSaid]

Threads on the BY range from poor to great. Its good to know that if a few knuckleheads' want to rip "our Nika" her support overwhelms. This thread turned into a very good one.

 

[npignatjr]

.

Note the word opinion. PS I think my " opinion " of Nika on the team matches the coaching staffs and her teammates.

 

[CocoHusky]

Note the word opinion. PS I think my " opinion " of Nika on the team matches the coaching staffs and her teammates.

PS Nika was in the game, she played more than half of it.

 

[Hedge]

It was informative to listen to CD's view of Nika's value to the game yesterday

UConn Women pull away from Marquette with Big 4th Quarter | FOX SPORTS 97-9 | Husky HQ

(Photo: Ian Bethune, The UConn Blog) Azzi Fudd's 24, Dorka Juhasz' 21 lead the way at the Huskies outscore Marquette 27-11 in the 4th to beat the Golden Eagles

979espn.iheart.com

 

[jchusky]

it's not bashing when you see what is in front of you. Other teams have dared her to take open 3's and she doesn't take the shots, that basically puts your offense at 5 on 4 when the other team knows they don't respect them as a shooter. Oregon game is the perfect example. Again against Marquette or Depaul this won't show, it's gonna show when they play real teams like Nc st, SC, Stanford.

 

[psconn]

Chris Dailey's "play of the game" Nika's 4th quarter offensive rebound / Hustle play between the circles. All awareness and hustle. These are the play we didn't make vs. Villanova and it cost us. Nika absolutely set the tone for that run in the 4th. Her team sees her effort and it's contagious "I keep going back to Nika 'cause she ... maintained the pace we wanted the whole game". In the 4th she raised the pressure on Marquette's back-court to ferocious levels and it clearly impacted their offense.

Best line of the interview:
Deb Fiske: "...[Nika] was a gnat...it got to the point where the were just annoyed by her..."
Chris Dailey interjects: "Well, so am I so they should just join the club."

Look, I'm well aware of the gaps in Nika's game, but she brings something no one else on the team does. Her intensity contributed directly to at least three turnovers/steals in that 4th quarter run if memory serves. She rattled the crap out of #12. No one on the offensive side pushes the ball up-court like she does. Her teammate respect what she brings, CD and Geno love it, and I love watching it.

When we're at full strength again, Nika will probably not start, but I think she will still contribute a bunch of minutes in the rotation even against the better teams.

 

[CL82]

So UCONN is going to have 2 starting PGs?

It worked for the 2014 mens championship team… and the 1999 men’s championship team now that I think about it.

That said we can only play five at a time. If Nica stays on the court, do you bring Paige off the bench? If not who is sitting down? Having Paige and Azzi on the floor at the same time really opens up the paint and allows us to compete with pretty much anyone. Nica will get her minutes, she’s too valuable not to. I also expect that she’ll have stretches of time when she and Paige play together. But I think, once Paige is healthy, she goes back to being our starting point guard. Note, however, early on with a minutes limitation, it wouldn’t surprise me if she did come off the bench.

 

[SinBin]

My favorite line from Cheers: Carla had just bought a house and Norm and Cliff were over just after she'd moved in. She says, "This occasion calls for a beer." Norm says (quoting from memory), "Yeah, most occasions do."

John Bigboote, sipping on a homemade raspberry wheat.

Miss my Cheers, loved that show.