Nika now most important player

[SVCBeercats]

UConn WBB Weekly: With Paige Bueckers out, Nika Mühl is now UConn’s most important player

The junior is the only true point guard on the Huskies’ roster, which means she’ll need to cut down on fouls and turnovers while improving her scoring ability.

www.theuconnblog.com

Page down to article.

 

[EricLA]

I actually thought that was a really good read. Really nailed what Nika needs to work on, and frankly, I have no doubt she has and will continue to do so. And I think she's just scratched the surface of what she's capable of. Even some great quotes from Geno in there.

With her attitude, energy, moxie, leadership, and hard work, she can really achieve everything UCONN needs from her this season.

 

[sun]

Nika's importance will depend on how many scoring options that UConn can rely on as the team is confronted with different match ups.
The less mistakes that the team makes overall will reduce the need for any particular player to be the primary playmaker & scorer.
A balanced attack playing with less mistakes would help to make the other players more equal in importance. That would probably be a good thing for UConn because it currently doesn't have a lot of depth at PG.

 

[diggerfoot]

Quoting a post from yesterday:

With UConn‘s preference for “positionless” basketball, the point guard and center still stand out as positions. In UConn offense that run well in the past there is one point guard running the offense with minimal reliance on alternatives. Consequently PGs like Rizzotti, Bird, Montgomery, etc tended to have the highest minutes per game.

Given that Bueckers is out and Muhl is now the one pure point guard, if her minutes are not on a par with the others, that will be a bad sign for UConn.

 

[CocoHusky]

Does anyone know Daniel Connolly BY handle? It seems most of this article is a rehash from the BY including the Geno quote and the need for Nika to avoid foul trouble.

Quoting a post from January:

Rx. 1) Nika needs to shoot more accurately
2) Nika needs to shoot closer to the basket. 20 of her 30 FG attempts have been from deep. Mix in mid range and layups.
3) Once she accomplishes # 1 and 2 Nika needs to shoot more often to keep the defense from sagging on to other UCONN players.

​

 

[Bone Dog]

Does anyone know Daniel Connolly BY handle? It seems most of this article is a rehash from the BY including the Geno quote and the need for Nika to avoid foul trouble.

Quoting a post from January:

​

Are you suggesting that the BY is caught in a feedback loop? Are we the source for analyses that we subsequently find on other sites and then quote and discuss here?

 

[Beemer]

I love the expression on her face: "Who, me???"

 

[RockyMTblue2]

In no particular order Dorka, A Edwards, Caroline, Azzi before Nika if we have to rank their importance to the team. A sense of need or want does not transform a player. Nika is good, but not about to be transformed.

 

[TCC Kid]

I actually thought that was a really good read. Really nailed what Nika needs to work on, and frankly, I have no doubt she has and will continue to do so. And I think she's just scratched the surface of what she's capable of. Even some great quotes from Geno in there.

With her attitude, energy, moxie, leadership, and hard work, she can really achieve everything UCONN needs from her this season.

I agree with your view of reading the article, I enjoyed it. I don't agree with the banner headline. Nika IS NEEDED, now a bit more. IMPORTANCE becomes a distributed function--i.e. distributed among at least 7, hopefully more. I don't register to be included in the PARTY that has thoughts that UConn shall not make the FF this year. Nothing is guaranteed

In no particular order Dorka, A Edwards, Caroline, Azzi before Nika if we have to rank their importance to the team. A sense of need or want does not transform a player. Nika is good, but not about to be transformed.

, but I'm enamored of this teams chances!
Rocky ole boy, I see we agree. It is a distributive function , but if you are listing them in ORDER of IMPORTANCE, I'd rearrange your list. No doubt Dorka and Edwards are important to the scheme of UConn quest for the FF/NC. I suggest, leadership, skill, talent, (and now) experience, must now show up in Caroline, AZZI, Nika hopefully Lou. Any successful team, without a DT or Stewie, have relied on GUARDS to bring home the trophy (without a Boston)

 

[JoePgh]

Here is a simple but concerning question: Who will be Nika's backup at the PG position? Azzi? Caroline? Really Azzi is the only candidate who seems plausible to me.

It is a concern, because Nika is not going to play 40 minutes or even 35. She has a tendency to get in foul trouble, and (like anyone), she may get injured and have to miss a game or two.

I'm glad that Geno has a whole preseason to figure it out.

 

[TCC Kid]

Nika's importance will depend on how many scoring options that UConn can rely on as the team is confronted with different match ups.
The less mistakes that the team makes overall will reduce the need for any particular player to be the primary playmaker & scorer.
A balanced attack playing with less mistakes would help to make the other players more equal in importance. That would probably be a good thing for UConn because it currently doesn't have a lot of depth at PG.

Depth at PG is determined in how and who you define it. I'd like 2 more but if Lou can add a bit of relief, Uconn WCBB is in very good it not great shape. I agree with your NIKA's importance. I think with Paige sidelined, Azzi and Caroline along with NIKA and Lou form Geno's POINT rotation. Both Caroline can pass and shoot and see the court. Azzi, is a bit too passive, I'd like her to be a bit more Nika and Nika to be a bit more Azzi.

 

[TCC Kid]

Here is a simple but concerning question: Who will be Nika's backup at the PG position? Azzi? Caroline? Really Azzi is the only candidate who seems plausible to me.

It is a concern, because Nika is not going to play 40 minutes or even 35. She has a tendency to get in foul trouble, and (like anyone), she may get injured and have to miss a game or two.

I'm glad that Geno has a whole preseason to figure it out.

If I were Geno, the TEAM thanks God I'm not, I'd seriously think of spending the first 15 games preparing Caroline for PG in crunch time. She's tall, she can shoot over and defend, when necessary, other team's guard. Caroline has proven to move the ball up the floor quickly and with ease and security. She is a crunch time scorer, proven. Passes as well anyone on the team. On offense and defense she is threat.
Azzi, I said previous, is excellent in nearly all in all things guard--but not aggressive enough (for me). Caroline, has no fear, she plays the game she knows.
Play NiKa 20 minutes (for the first 15 games) (I'm balancing legs energy vs experiences here) and mix and match Caroline, Azzi, hopefully Lou. By BE Championship time Geno will know who does what and when. Then set the NC run rotation.
If I have a fault, it is memory, I forgot Caroline's hip surgery, that changes the views. But I still like Caroline as Point.

 

[Bone Dog]

Here is a simple but concerning question: Who will be Nika's backup at the PG position? Azzi? Caroline? Really Azzi is the only candidate who seems plausible to me.

It is a concern, because Nika is not going to play 40 minutes or even 35. She has a tendency to get in foul trouble, and (like anyone), she may get injured and have to miss a game or two.

I'm glad that Geno has a whole preseason to figure it out.

This has been debated several times in various threads already, but it's a really important question. I agree that Nika will need a backup pg. Clearly it mainly has to be Azzi, since she has the best foot speed and handles on the team, though the cost of keeping her on the ball is high. We need her to be off the ball as much as possible.

So how much can anyone expect Nika to stay in a game? 3 factors might limit her: foul trouble, injury, lack of offense. If I put my Carcan the Magnificent hat on, I'd predict she'll average 25mins/game. It may take her several games at the beginning to learn to keep the fouls under control, which means she may average more like 30 mins later in the season. I think she'll figure out how to finish at the rim more often and develop a mid range jumpshot off the dribble, and this will allow Geno to keep her on the floor in the 4th quarter in the tournament.

The problem is she hasn't really shown us a jump shot in two years. Her 3 pt shot is a standing set shot. A one dribble pull-up jumper is not that easy to develop. But Nika is a pretty resolute personality, and if Paige eggs her on, I wouldn't put it past her.

But 30 mins for Nika means 35 for Azzi and Caroline, ad at least 10, maybe 15-20, for Lou. This is a crew that's going to need some serious stamina, since our depth is mainly in the front court.

 

[TCC Kid]

Here is a simple but concerning question: Who will be Nika's backup at the PG position? Azzi? Caroline? Really Azzi is the only candidate who seems plausible to me.

It is a concern, because Nika is not going to play 40 minutes or even 35. She has a tendency to get in foul trouble, and (like anyone), she may get injured and have to miss a game or two.

I'm glad that Geno has a whole preseason to figure it out.

I dare say for minutes played AZZI picked up possibly 1/3 of Nika's fouls and NiKa (over the year) played many more minutes (some math major will come up with the data). Also, this should go without say--but I never miss saying-- Fouls tend to go to the aggressive, injuries can happen at the darnedest times, seemingly out of the blue (Paige and Shea are my examples). So, to separate Nika out is probably a bit of grabbing a string.
Sometimes fans and even the coach has to be fatalist, if it happens it happens. Let us play until or unless an injury over takes the team. All the pre-planning for that NOT to happen will adversely affect/effect the team. It's like the virus lockdown--spending time worrying it may happen, and when released you say--why?

 

[MooseJaw]

If I were Geno, the TEAM thanks God I'm not, I'd seriously think of spending the first 15 games preparing Caroline for PG in crunch time. She's tall, she can shoot over and defend, when necessary, other team's guard. Caroline has proven to move the ball up the floor quickly and with ease and security. She is a crunch time scorer, proven. Passes as well anyone on the team. On offense and defense she is threat.
Azzi, I said previous, is excellent in nearly all in all things guard--but not aggressive enough (for me). Caroline, has no fear, she plays the game she knows.
Play NiKa 20 minutes (for the first 15 games) (I'm balancing legs energy vs experiences here) and mix and match Caroline, Azzi, hopefully Lou. By BE Championship time Geno will know who does what and when. Then set the NC run rotation.
If I have a fault, it is memory, I forgot Caroline's hip surgery, that changes the views. But I still like Caroline as Point.

I hear what you're saying and agree to a point. Wish it was clear, but it isn't. This may be a problem season long; I feel that before it's all over we will see almost every possible guard combo imaginable. Mt bet is that right now Geno has Lou working on ball handling more than anything. All things considered Nika has to stay healthy for the entire season. Something she has yet to do, this leads me to suggest that just maybe the most important person, persons are the trainers and strength coach.

 

[TCC Kid]

This has been debated several times in various threads already, but it's a really important question. I agree that Nika will need a backup pg. Clearly it mainly has to be Azzi, since she has the best foot speed and handles on the team, though the cost of keeping her on the ball is high. We need her to be off the ball as much as possible.

So how much can anyone expect Nika to stay in a game? 3 factors might limit her: foul trouble, injury, lack of offense. If I put my Carcan the Magnificent hat on, I'd predict she'll average 25mins/game. It may take her several games at the beginning to learn to keep the fouls under control, which means she may average more like 30 mins later in the season. I think she'll figure out how to finish at the rim more often and develop a mid range jumpshot off the dribble, and this will allow Geno to keep her on the floor in the 4th quarter in the tournament.

The problem is she hasn't really shown us a jump shot in two years. Her 3 pt shot is a standing set shot. A one dribble pull-up jumper is not that easy to develop. But Nika is a pretty resolute personality, and if Paige eggs her on, I wouldn't put it past her.

But 30 mins for Nika means 35 for Azzi and Caroline, ad at least 10, maybe 15-20, for Lou. This is a crew that's going to need some serious stamina, since our depth is mainly in the front court.

What does everyone at UConn LOVE about NIKA? Her aggressive nature, her speed, her outgoing personality, Am I wrong?
Geno has sat Nika often during this past season for "Fouling" maybe for lack of shooting skills, maybe. What does a coach do about that? That is what practices, watching film of your bad moves, one on one teaching are for. Sitting her in games not so much.
It does NOT change the basic personality. Shooting will get better, fouling assertive aggressive behavior shall show its head at the worst possible , pressure, time. She probably inherited that trait from her great grandmother, it's built in.
Ideally, you use it, make the most of it, and when too much you sit it. As an old old old song once said: "Don't change a hair for me!"

 

[TCC Kid]

I hear what you're saying and agree to a point. Wish it was clear, but it isn't. This may be a problem season long; I feel that before it's all over we will see almost every possible guard combo imaginable. Mt bet is that right now Geno has Lou working on ball handling more than anything. All things considered Nika has to stay healthy for the entire season. Something she has yet to do, this leads me to suggest that just maybe the most important person, persons are the trainers and strength coach.

If I were getting the 3 million from perks, the 50,000 from state, the 1 million from the FF, the 10 million from food services, I doubt I could come up with a solution that was clear cut, the final solution.
I hope you don't agree with the point on my head, that's from banging it against a wall over the problem, without clear solution.
EVERYONE, including coach, has to stay healthy for the NC run.

 

[Inthepaint]

Quite a conundrum.
How to get Nika to be more selective in her aggression?
A bit more selfish on offense.
More confident in the lane and in her midrange shot?
Take on some of Evina’s leadership role as an upperclassman?
Can Geno & his pit crew do this modification & adjustment on the fly, during an early season schedule that includes some tough OOC games?
More importantly, has Nika matured and developed the skills and mindset to implement these changes without sacrificing the in-your-face, suffocating defensive prowess that she brings to the court?
Geno is constantly preaching that it’s defense that leads to winning offense.
How much will he have to get in her head and stir things around to get what the team will need from her?
It’s these kind of tasks that earn the big bucks and make Geno a true phenomenon.
I personally think the sarcastic, malcontented, hypercritical style is just the other side of the coin, meant to hide the pride, concern and affection he has for his students.
Sort of a one man “good cop, bad cop”?
As far as the up coming season goes:
UCONN…as usual, it’s not a WCBB term…it’s an adventure!!

 

[CocoHusky]

Here is a simple but concerning question: Who will be Nika's backup at the PG position? Azzi? Caroline? Really Azzi is the only candidate who seems plausible to me. It is a concern, because Nika is not going to play 40 minutes or even 35. She has a tendency to get in foul trouble, and (like anyone), she may get injured and have to miss a game or two.
I'm glad that Geno has a whole preseason to figure it out.

Your question kind of assumes that Nika will be the starting PG, which is not a given IMO. Azzi is a very capable play maker and Caroline and Lou are very capable SG/wings. One of the more remarkable and forgotten things about last season was it was mostly Azzi's playmaking that pulled Aliyah Edwards out of the funk in which she began the season. The TN game is a very good example.

Absent an offensive improvement from Nika the other UCONN starters are not going to get the same kind off opportunities they would get if the offense starts with the ball in Azzi's hands. The other obvious limitation is that Nika has not show the ability to play SG or Wing where as Azzi can efficiently play both.

Yet another dimension not previously mentioned is Nika low free throw shooting percentage and FT attempts rate. For her UCONN career she is a 50% FT shooter (10 of 20) in well over 1200 minutes of court time. That is less than 1 FT attempt per hour of court time. What this means in practical terms if Nika is the starter and doesn't improve her FT shooting, Geno will be forced to take the starting PG off the floor in close game situations or best case do offense/defense substitutions as he did in the Stanford and NC St. games with Nika.

 

[Bone Dog]

Your question kind of assumes that Nika will be the starting PG, which is not a given IMO. Azzi is a very capable play maker and Caroline and Lou are very capable SG/wings. One of the more remarkable and forgotten things about last season was it was mostly Azzi's playmaking that pulled Aliyah Edwards out of the funk in which she began the season. The TN game is a very good example.

Absent an offensive improvement from Nika the other UCONN starters are not going to get the same kind off opportunities they would get if the offense starts with the ball in Azzi's hands. The other obvious limitation is that Nika has not show the ability to play SG or Wing where as Azzi can efficiently play both.

Yet another dimension not previously mentioned is Nika low free throw shooting percentage and FT attempts rate. For her UCONN career she is a 50% FT shooter (10 of 20) in well over 1200 minutes of court time. That is less than 1 FT attempt per hour of court time. What this means in practical terms if Nika is the starter and doesn't improve her FT shooting, Geno will be forced to take the starting PG off the floor in close game situations or best case do offense/defense substitutions as he did in the Stanford and NC St. games with Nika.

Couldn’t have said it better. Nika’s ft record is revealing indeed. It shows that an entire dimension of the point guard position is not under her control yet.

Playing without a pure point guard is possible, and we’ll probably be in sets like that sometimes. But we will pay a price for it. I hope it’s not too high.

 

[ballerfan]

Your question kind of assumes that Nika will be the starting PG, which is not a given IMO. Azzi is a very capable play maker and Caroline and Lou are very capable SG/wings. One of the more remarkable and forgotten things about last season was it was mostly Azzi's playmaking that pulled Aliyah Edwards out of the funk in which she began the season. The TN game is a very good example.

Absent an offensive improvement from Nika the other UCONN starters are not going to get the same kind off opportunities they would get if the offense starts with the ball in Azzi's hands. The other obvious limitation is that Nika has not show the ability to play SG or Wing where as Azzi can efficiently play both.

Yet another dimension not previously mentioned is Nika low free throw shooting percentage and FT attempts rate. For her UCONN career she is a 50% FT shooter (10 of 20) in well over 1200 minutes of court time. That is less than 1 FT attempt per hour of court time. What this means in practical terms if Nika is the starter and doesn't improve her FT shooting, Geno will be forced to take the starting PG off the floor in close game situations or best case do offense/defense substitutions as he did in the Stanford and NC St. games with Nika.

Nothing is a given right now, and we’re all just speculating here. But I agree with much, though not all, of what you’re saying.

I would be very interested in seeing how Azzi would do as PG. Last season, after Nika came back from her injury and with Paige still out, Geno started Nika game after game as PG and not Azzi, even though Azzi is arguably one of the best players in WCBB (the best player on a team is not always the PG). To me this is the reason why I believe it’s likely Nika will be the starting PG. Whether she should be is another question. I might have a higher opinion than you of Nika’s potential for offensive improvement, but we’ll find out soon if my optimism, or more accurately my hope, is misguided.

My biggest concern is not who starts as PG. It’s the fact that five of the ten players (Nika, Dorka, Azzi, Caroline, and Aubrey) are coming off injuries. And if Nika were injured, as she was in both her first two seasons, that would complicate things a lot. Of course, IMHO.

 

[MooseJaw]

Nothing is a given right now, and we’re all just speculating here. But I agree with much, though not all, of what you’re saying.

I would be very interested in seeing how Azzi would do as PG. Last season, after Nika came back from her injury and with Paige still out, Geno started Nika game after game as PG and not Azzi, even though Azzi is arguably one of the best players in WCBB (the best player on a team is not always the PG). To me this is the reason why I believe it’s likely Nika will be the starting PG. Whether she should be is another question. I might have a higher opinion than you of Nika’s potential for offensive improvement, but we’ll find out soon if my optimism, or more accurately my hope, is misguided.

My biggest concern is not who starts as PG. It’s the fact that five of the ten players (Nika, Dorka, Azzi, Caroline, and Aubrey) are coming off injuries. And if Nika were injured, as she was in both her first two seasons, that would complicate things a lot. Of course, IMHO.

see post 15 above, when I posted it I must have been reading your mind.

 

[TCC Kid]

Quite a conundrum.
How to get Nika to be more selective in her aggression?
A bit more selfish on offense.
More confident in the lane and in her midrange shot?
Take on some of Evina’s leadership role as an upperclassman?
Can Geno & his pit crew do this modification & adjustment on the fly, during an early season schedule that includes some tough OOC games?
More importantly, has Nika matured and developed the skills and mindset to implement these changes without sacrificing the in-your-face, suffocating defensive prowess that she brings to the court?
Geno is constantly preaching that it’s defense that leads to winning offense.
How much will he have to get in her head and stir things around to get what the team will need from her?
It’s these kind of tasks that earn the big bucks and make Geno a true phenomenon.
I personally think the sarcastic, malcontented, hypercritical style is just the other side of the coin, meant to hide the pride, concern and affection he has for his students.
Sort of a one man “good cop, bad cop”?
As far as the up coming season goes:
UCONN…as usual, it’s not a WCBB term…it’s an adventure!!

I enjoyed our posting, every word. Geno, by everything that is Holy, or Uconn, loves his students. So many that were "in his dog house" come back with pride in themselves and Geno's program. I'm not a fan of everything Geno does but the proof is in those that return with the love they felt.
I'l pout and scream and be as unhappy as the next UConn fan. BUT, For me it is the RIDE. Some, 11 years, it was a comfortable ride. For 2 or 3 a miserable ride but only at the end. In between it was AMAZING. Geno wins 30 games a year for nearly 40 years--that takes away some adventure. The Uconn Men's team, especially in the Old Yankee Conference, would have been thrilled to have won 20 game each year, that was usually on their great years. To win the Yankee Conference was to us Uconn fans --much like the NC is now to the Women. And we walked 4 miles through 6 ft snow drifts to get there--OK, that's a bit "piling it on".

 

[Bald Husky]

Sure, Azzi can play PG, but why would we want her to. She is the best shooter on the team, if not in the country. Two years ago, Geno inserted Nika in the line-up so Paige could concentrate on scoring. That seemed to work very well, so now Nika is the one who will give Azzi the opportunity to do the same. Lou, Caroline, we all need them to score, so saddling them with the PG position will only slow the team down. Nika is our best option for PG. Lets not worry about Nika, she is smart, and she knows the pressure will be on her to play that position better than any of the others. She will be fine, and she will be one of our pleasant surprises for this coming season.

 

[tchalla1]

Your question kind of assumes that Nika will be the starting PG, which is not a given IMO. Azzi is a very capable play maker and Caroline and Lou are very capable SG/wings. One of the more remarkable and forgotten things about last season was it was mostly Azzi's playmaking that pulled Aliyah Edwards out of the funk in which she began the season. The TN game is a very good example.

Absent an offensive improvement from Nika the other UCONN starters are not going to get the same kind off opportunities they would get if the offense starts with the ball in Azzi's hands. The other obvious limitation is that Nika has not show the ability to play SG or Wing where as Azzi can efficiently play both.

Yet another dimension not previously mentioned is Nika low free throw shooting percentage and FT attempts rate. For her UCONN career she is a 50% FT shooter (10 of 20) in well over 1200 minutes of court time. That is less than 1 FT attempt per hour of court time. What this means in practical terms if Nika is the starter and doesn't improve her FT shooting, Geno will be forced to take the starting PG off the floor in close game situations or best case do offense/defense substitutions as he did in the Stanford and NC St. games with Nika.

Excellent points, Coco, especially pointing out the infusion that Azzi's point play provided to AE's game! --It may well have been the key component to the "resurrection" of Edwards' game this past season. And as you mentioned in a previous post, a lineup that features Azzi at point, Caroline and Lou on the wings alongside Dorka and AE might be our best starting lineup, and Nika can come off the bench with her defensive energy.... Azzi could be quite lethal in Geno's offense as PG, especially when you have 2 and possibly 3 other quality shooters in the lineup....