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Nika now most important player

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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.
When the chips were down and points were needed, thinking the NC game here. Being a Point Guard did not preclude the possibility of being the leading scorer for Paige, in fact, I would believe, it enhanced that possibility. However, I agree AZZI is more effective with the ball in a Point Guards hands. That leaves Caroline as a sub, upon occasion, while regularly being the shooting guard, small foward, for Nika.
 
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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.
I can see your point about Nika being put into the lineup to give Paige more shooting opportunity, but we didn't have Caroline, Lou and other shooters that we now have on this team. Also, playing point doesn't necessarily diminish shooting opportunity--Destani Henderson played point for Sc and she shot a lot. I think Azzi has that ability to create her own shots as well...
 
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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....
And what a lineup his would be. If Lou can play D within our system, we can run this group longer. Imagine the possibilities!!!
 
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Nika is more like the 5th most important player. Being able to call a huddle is not the primary leadership attribute or much a factor in PLAYER EFFICIENCY. Our best team has Azzi as the PG, Lou as the shooting guard and Caroline as the 3. I love our depth at big as I don't think we are going to see much drop off with Ice and Ayanna. Nika will probably start but to me she's still a good sub. A case could be made for bringing Lou off the bench for some scoring punch and Nika starting to set tone and keep people fresh. Having one sub guard really sucks. I see no choice but to go with 3 bigs almost every game for at least a few minutes.
 
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This debate is pretty interesting. I think those that want to start Azzi at the point and bring Nika off the bench believe that partly because they want to start the three best guards. Most of course have Azzi and Caroline ahead of Nika, but many consider Lou to be better overall as well.

Others are more interested in what combinations are the best fit, and would produce more chemistry and a balance of abilities. From that perspective they might believe Nika should start even if she is the fourth best guard. I am more in this camp.

The point has been made as to how when Nika and Paige were playing together it worked better with Nika on the point and Paige off the ball. To me the fact that the other three guards are all shooters makes the case more for combining that shooting ability with a great passer/defender instead of a third shooter.

We forget that for much of last year Nika did not have very good shooters to pass to. Paige and Azzi missed a ton of games and Caroline some too. As a result Nika often had Christyn and Evina to pass to on the perimeter. They were ok but don't strike fear in the defense like Azzi, Lou and Caroline do. Even with Paige out there are better options this year. When you need to fill three positions and will have shooter/scorers at two of them does it make sense to start your best passer and defender on the bench?
 
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Think of Azzi as more of an Olivia Miles PG. Creating offense anyway she can. Penetrating. Shooting 3's. Doing pull up jumpers. She can do it all with a better outside shot and she doesn't turn the ball over much. Put the ball in Azzi's hands. Having a great PG is a tremendous asset. Making do at PG is a detriment.
 
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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....
No matter how you look at it, with the loss of Bueckers, Auriemma knows he has to replace at least 20 points of offense. Muhl will get her shot early to show if she’s improved her offense noticeably. If she hasn’t, I don’t see him watching his offense grind along in second gear. I believe Fudd will get the majority of the minutes running it in close games against quality competition if that’s the case. They have no one close to ONO inside on D and they’re going to need around 80 a game to beat good teams.
 
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This debate is pretty interesting. I think those that want to start Azzi at the point and bring Nika off the bench believe that partly because they want to start the three best guards. Most of course have Azzi and Caroline ahead of Nika, but many consider Lou to be better overall as well.

Others are more interested in what combinations are the best fit, and would produce more chemistry and a balance of abilities. From that perspective they might believe Nika should start even if she is the fourth best guard. I am more in this camp.

The point has been made as to how when Nika and Paige were playing together it worked better with Nika on the point and Paige off the ball. To me the fact that the other three guards are all shooters makes the case more for combining that shooting ability with a great passer/defender instead of a third shooter.

We forget that for much of last year Nika did not have very good shooters to pass to. Paige and Azzi missed a ton of games and Caroline some too. As a result Nika often had Christyn and Evina to pass to on the perimeter. They were ok but don't strike fear in the defense like Azzi, Lou and Caroline do. Even with Paige out there are better options this year. When you need to fill three positions and will have shooter/scorers at two of them does it make sense to start your best passer and defender on the bench?
Muhl is not a better passer than Fudd and the foul shooting isn’t close. Auriemma will need all the offense he can get this year and I believe he’ll prioritize it.
 

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We forget that for much of last year Nika did not have very good shooters to pass to. Paige and Azzi missed a ton of games and Caroline some too. As a result Nika often had Christyn and Evina to pass to on the perimeter. They were ok but don't strike fear in the defense like Azzi, Lou and Caroline do. Even with Paige out there are better options this year. When you need to fill three positions and will have shooter/scorers at two of them does it make sense to start your best passer and defender on the bench?
Your post leads me to believe that you think shooting and passing are unrelated and independent skills. For example you say that Nika did not have very good shooters to pass to, yet those were some of the same players that Paige was passing to when she broke UCONN freshman record for assists and when Paige returned from injury to lead the team in A:TO. So what would make some of those same players good shooters for Paige and suddenly "not very good shooters" for Nika?
 
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Muhl is not a better passer than Fudd and the foul shooting isn’t close. Auriemma will need all the offense he can get this year and I believe he’ll prioritize it.
I disagree on the passing, and don't think it is even close. Regardless of who starts at PG, I think Azzi and Caroline get maximum minutes as starters, the main decision on playing time is how the remaining minutes get split between Lou and Nika. All the combinations of those four will see time together and have a track record after we get some games in.

Regardless of how many minutes they get, IMO all of Nika's minutes should be at point guard, Azzi's should be at shooting guard and point guard, and Caroline and Lou's just at shooting guard and small forward.
 
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Your post leads me to believe that you think shooting and passing are unrelated and independent skills. For example you say that Nika did not have very good shooters to pass to, yet those were some of the same players that Paige was passing to when she broke UCONN freshman record for assists and when Paige returned from injury to lead the team in A:TO. So what would make some of those same players good shooters for Paige and suddenly "not very good shooters" for Nika?
My point is more about the shooters both Paige and Nika had to work with. In their freshmen year most of the time played at the 2 and 3 was Christyn and Evina. When either Paige or Nika was playing the point, on the perimeter they had just OK three point threats. That also made it easier to defend the paint against us, because if you gave up an open three to Christyn or Evina it was still better than an easy 2.

When Nika and Paige were in at the same time the best combination was Nika playing the point and Paige at SG. If Paige was the point, she had Nika and either Christyn or Evina to pass to on the perimeter, not a very good option, but when Nika played the point at least she had one very good shooter in Paige as an option. In many ways both Paige and Nika had a handicap of frequently not having dangerous three point threats to play with.

This year is entirely different. We have three guards that cannot be left alone beyond the arc. That also opens up the inside options some. I believe that shooting and passing are very related. If you have three shooters without enough passing that shooting ability could be underutilized, just like having a passer like Paige or Nika can be underutilized if their perimeter threats are mediocre.

Before Paige's injury this was going to be the year where we had the perfect marriage of passers and shooters, enhancing the value and production of both types of players, and of course Paige is in both categories. Azzi now figures to be the best of the four guards, and I feel she will get big minutes, but the higher percentage of those that are at SG the better, with her playing the point only when Nika is sitting.

As for minutes overall the real debate is between Lou and Nika. Lou might be a better overall player than Nika, but even if that is true there is more to it than that. If Lou is in for Nika then presumably Azzi is the point, so it is not just which of those two are better because Azzi as good as she could be at the point, is not as great as she can be as a natural SG. Then also factoring in a balance of traits, passing, shooting, rebounding, defense.

With only 4 guards (for now) over the season, we should see all the permutations and combinations of these four. I don't know which 3 Geno will start with, but over time the results will probably determine what works best. I think the correlation between shooting and passing is very strong. With Paige we had both traits in one great player. Nika has some of Paige's passing and defense, and Lou appears to have some of Paige's shooting and scoring ability. So Geno has to figure out how to incorporate those traits with what he has in the other two, which is mostly shooting and scoring from Azzi and Caroline.

Always an interesting debate.
 
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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.
Why do we need her off ball as much as possible when Paige, a PG and who handled the ball most often, averaged 20 ppg her freshman year? Having the ball in your hands does not necessarily mean you impact the offense less, in many cases, you impact it more.
 
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Why do we need her off ball as much as possible when Paige, a PG and who handled the ball most often, averaged 20 ppg her freshman year? Having the ball in your hands does not necessarily mean you impact the offense less, in many cases, you impact it more.
Geno moved Nika into the starting lineup freshman year precisely in order to allow Paige to play off the ball as much a possible.
 
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Geno moved Nika into the starting lineup freshman year precisely in order to allow Paige to play off the ball as much a possible.
That year PB (29 of 29), EW (30 of 30) and CW (29 of 29) started every game they played, so NM starting was more of a function of the other players ineffectiveness or injury, not to get PB off the ball. PB was going to score regardless whether she had the ball in her hands. She is an elite scorer, as is . Elite scorers will score from whatever position they play.
 
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That year PB (29 of 29), EW (30 of 30) and CW (29 of 29) started every game they played, so NM starting was more of a function of the other players ineffectiveness or injury, not to get PB off the ball. PB was going to score regardless whether she had the ball in her hands. She is an elite scorer, as is Azzi Fudd. Elite scorers will score from whatever position they play.
I think we are getting hung up on the starting part. Paige is a great point guard and great off the ball. Nika is far more effective as the point guard and frankly is not nearly as good off the ball. So if Paige and Nika are both in the game, it works much better with Nika at the point and Paige as the SG. When Nika is not in the game Paige is the obvious choice at PG.

It wasn't that Nika was a better point guard, or that Paige is better off the ball than on it. Rather it is because Paige is great at both and her versatility allowed us to play two point guards some of the time without playing Nika out of position. Elite scorers may be able to score reasonably well to the extent they can create their own shot, but if Azzi is playing the point her shots will be harder to come by because she has to do it on her own, and a major part of her job will be to get the ball to Caroline and Lou where she will probably be less effective than Nika, making their opportunities harder as well.
 
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That year PB (29 of 29), EW (30 of 30) and CW (29 of 29) started every game they played, so NM starting was more of a function of the other players ineffectiveness or injury, not to get PB off the ball. PB was going to score regardless whether she had the ball in her hands. She is an elite scorer, as is Azzi Fudd. Elite scorers will score from whatever position they play.
I like your optimism. Don't ever lose that.

Of course Azzi can get her own shots, but she's probably not going to get a lot of 3 point shots as pg. This is also what we saw with Paige. At point, she mainly took midrange jumpers and drove the lane. To get an open 3, she needed to work off a pass from a teammate, which happened often enough. Personally, I love Paige's midrange game. That she could score so effortlessly, even if it was mainly two pointers, is really demoralizing for opponents. I think Azzi can play that game too. But we might feel like we've missed out on something if this costs us her 7 3 pointer performances. Those are demoralizing too.

Imagine a game where KML only scored 2s off the dribble. She was good at that. But we'd miss the 3s.
 
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I think we are getting hung up on the starting part. Paige is a great point guard and great off the ball. Nika is far more effective as the point guard and frankly is not nearly as good off the ball. So if Paige and Nika are both in the game, it works much better with Nika at the point and Paige as the SG. When Nika is not in the game Paige is the obvious choice at PG.

It wasn't that Nika was a better point guard, or that Paige is better off the ball than on it. Rather it is because Paige is great at both and her versatility allowed us to play two point guards some of the time without playing Nika out of position. Elite scorers may be able to score reasonably well to the extent they can create their own shot, but if Azzi is playing the point her shots will be harder to come by because she has to do it on her own, and a major part of her job will be to get the ball to Caroline and Lou where she will probably be less effective than Nika, making their opportunities harder as well.
Fudd would have no problem getting the ball to the other shooters because she can do it off penetration with her head up beating the primary defender and forcing the D to make a choice. Give her an open 12 footer or stay with the wing. If the help comes she kicks it to an open shooter. Not less effective because the D will come at her much more often than they will Muhl leaving a shooter wide open more often. Because she can make the shots. That's why GA played her with Bueckers so much in close games against quality teams during the end of season run. He needed offense and he'll need consistent offense even more this year because this team won't be built to play from behind against decent/really good teams. They don't have their goalie anymore.
 
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Fudd would have no problem getting the ball to the other shooters because she can do it off penetration with her head up beating the primary defender and forcing the D to make a choice. Give her an open 12 footer or stay with the wing. If the help comes she kicks it to an open shooter. Not less effective because the D will come at her much more often than they will Muhl leaving a shooter wide open more often. Because she can make the shots. That's why GA played her with Bueckers so much in close games against quality teams during the end of season run. He needed offense and he'll need consistent offense even more this year because this team won't be built to play from behind against decent/really good teams. They don't have their goalie anymore.
If I understand you correctly, Azzi is a better point guard than Nika. I think that's right, from a purely skills point of view. The only question I have about it is whether it costs us something to have Azzi at point. We all know what that might be. But maybe it is worth it to get fewer 3s from Azzi if it means we get better perimeter production from Caroline and Lou.

Still, we need two things from Nika that may make it worthwhile to have her at point: minutes and D. I think we need at least 20 mins at point from Nika, and maybe more. She's not a credible sg or wing, so if she's in the game, she has to play point. Now for her to make those minutes maximally productive for the team, she needs to up her offensive game. I think she can do it.
 

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Geno moved Nika into the starting lineup freshman year precisely in order to allow Paige to play off the ball as much a possible.
That is simply not correct. Nika was moved into the starting lineup her freshman year as a result of two injuries to starting players. ( Ann Mukarat and Paige Beckers). This was UCONN 10th game of the season on 1/23/21 against Georgetown. It is not as if Nika was on a hot streak prior to that first start either. In the game before Georgetown Nika was a healthy DNP Coaches Decision vs TN. Prior to the TN game Nika played a total of 13 minutes in a 68 point win against Butler. Prior to the Butler game Nika was scoreless (0 for 6) in a 37 point win against Providence. Prior to Providence Nika was again held scoreless in 7 minutes against DePaul -a 23 point UCONN win. Prior to the DePaul game NIka was again a healthy DNP Coaches Decision vs Villanova. After the first 4 games of the season (up to Villanova) Nika had not recorded a singe field goal, had two games ( Creighton & Xavier) that were DNP Coaches Decision and had assists total of 1 vs 7 turnovers. Nika didn't do anything significant enough to earn a starting spot prior to the the Georgetown game and Paige didn't need much help because by that point she had established herself as the National Freshman of the week 2x and was well on her way to being POY.

Not only was Nika entry into the starting lineup the result of injury but the lingering injury to Ann Mukarat was what largely allowed Nika to remain in the starting lineup. That a healthy Anna was a superior offensive player (passing and shooting) to Nika should not even be debatable but I'm willing to go there if necessary.
 
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If I understand you correctly, Azzi is a better point guard than Nika. I think that's right, from a purely skills point of view. The only question I have about it is whether it costs us something to have Azzi at point. We all know what that might be. But maybe it is worth it to get fewer 3s from Azzi if it means we get better perimeter production from Caroline and Lou.

Still, we need two things from Nika that may make it worthwhile to have her at point: minutes and D. I think we need at least 20 mins at point from Nika, and maybe more. She's not a credible sg or wing, so if she's in the game, she has to play point. Now for her to make those minutes maximally productive for the team, she needs to up her offensive game. I think she can do it.
I'm not really into the "we needs" thing, I'm focused on what Auriemma needs and does. Yes, one of his and the team's goals is to win the BE. But he freely says that they use the whole season to prepare for the NC tournament. It usually involves testing players in different positions and situations to see who he can trust when the big games come. That was difficult last year due to all the injuries, particularly to Bueckers. But when it came tournament time he did just what I expected him to.
I'm not saying Muhl doesn't have a function, she does. It's just not as a 30+ mpg PG. When the tournament started and he knew Bueckers was fully available, GA used her as a 13 mpg backup PG, and that was with 22 minutes in the blowout of Mercer. Because he knows that to beat good teams you need consistent offense. Defense will help keep you in them but you have to score points against good D to win them. That's why he made the post season comments about her need to come up with an offensive game. I'm sure he discussed it with her in private but of course had to use his media messengers to put out the public challenge. She'll obviously get her chances to show what she's got early and how she's used in the tough early season matchups will tell us if she's met his expectations.
 
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Not only was Nika entry into the starting lineup the result of injury but the lingering injury to Ann Mukarat was what largely allowed Nika to remain in the starting lineup. That a healthy Anna was a superior offensive player (passing and shooting) to Nika should not even be debatable but I'm willing to go there if necessary.
Yes, Nika entered the starting lineup because of an injury. But that's not why she stayed in it. And yes, Anna was a superior offensive player to Nika, though certainly not a viable point guard. And yes, Nika's defensive presence was unquestionably superior to Anna's, especially after her injury. All in all, Nika entered the position accidentally but opportunely. And it would be bizarre to ignore the advantage Geno saw in having Nika at point for Paige's game. We can disagree about whether it paid off in greater offense and defense for the entire squad or even for Paige. But that's a different question. For whatever reason, Geno preferred having Paige off the ball for part of the game.
 
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I'm not really into the "we needs" thing, I'm focused on what Auriemma needs and does. Yes, one of his and the team's goals is to win the BE. But he freely says that they use the whole season to prepare for the NC tournament. It usually involves testing players in different positions and situations to see who he can trust when the big games come. That was difficult last year due to all the injuries, particularly to Bueckers. But when it came tournament time he did just what I expected him to.
I'm not saying Muhl doesn't have a function, she does. It's just not as a 30+ mpg PG. When the tournament started and he knew Bueckers was fully available, GA used her as a 13 mpg backup PG, and that was with 22 minutes in the blowout of Mercer. Because he knows that to beat good teams you need consistent offense. Defense will help keep you in them but you have to score points against good D to win them. That's why he made the post season comments about her need to come up with an offensive game. I'm sure he discussed it with her in private but of course had to use his media messengers to put out the public challenge. She'll obviously get her chances to show what she's got early and how she's used in the tough early season matchups will tell us if she's met his expectations.
I can't tell if you're agreeing or disagreeing with my point. I have no idea what Geno "needs" -- I'll leave that to others to offer learned opinions on. When asked, Geno usually mentions a bottle in a cabinet in his office. If you think we're not permitted to speculate on what might be good for the team (i.e. "we need..."), then the BY must be a dull place indeed, since there's little else such a forum can be used for besides sharing news and speculating on the likely significance of it.

As for what Geno did tournament time, we both agree -- and I've mentioned this several times in other threads -- he cut Nika's minutes, especially in the 4th quarter. Now, I haven't had a chance yet to have Geno over for dinner to discuss his reasons for doing so. But my guess is that he considered her offense a liability at such moments. I suspect you agree with me about this. I take it this is why you mention what we've all pointed to over and over and over again, namely that Nika needs (uh oh, forbidden word) to improve her offense.

If we assume Nika succeeds in improving her offense -- and I'm an inveterate optimist -- she'll be able to stay on the court longer. Why should we (or Geno) care about this? Because otherwise we only have 3 guards to share 3 positions, and they may need some rest -- yes, Aubrey and Ayanna may get a few minutes at the 3, but will it be enough to spell Azzi or Caroline? I doubt it. And do we (by "we" here I mean you) think Lou will be able to play 30 mins at the 3? This will depend on her D, I suspect, and as Geno has suggested. So, doing the math -- if Azzi and Caroline play 35 mins each (optimistic, I think) and Lou only gives us 20 at the 3, and Aubrey and Ayanna can only give us 5-10, we're still short 20 mins/game. That's what "we" (i.e. the team we all root for) needs from Nika. And if you think as I do that those assumptions above are optimistic, then we may need even more mins from her. Of course, beyond this, we may discover that one or another lineup is preferable, and entails a lot more (or less) mins from Nika. Here's where I get to say, "only time will tell."
 
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CocoHusky

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I can't tell if you're agreeing or disagreeing with my point. I have no idea what Geno "needs" -- I'll leave that to others to offer learned opinions on. When asked, Geno usually mentions a bottle in a cabinet in his office. If you think we're not permitted to speculate on what might be good for the team (i.e. "we need..."), then the BY must be a dull place indeed, since there's little else such a forum can be used for besides sharing news and speculating on the likely significance of it.

As for what Geno did tournament time, we both agree -- and I've mentioned this several times in other threads -- he cut Nika's minutes, especially in the 4th quarter. Now, I haven't had a chance yet to have Geno over for dinner to discuss his reasons for doing so. But my guess is that he considered her offense a liability at such moments. I suspect you agree with me about this. I take it this is why you mention what we've all pointed to over and over and over again, namely that Nika needs (uh oh, forbidden word) to improve her offense.

If we assume Nika succeeds in improving her offense -- and I'm an inveterate optimist -- she'll be able to stay on the court longer. Why should we (or Geno) care about this? Because we only have 3 guards to share 3 positions, and they may need some rest -- yes, Aubrey and Ayanna may get a few minutes at the 3, but will it be enough to spell Azzi or Caroline? I doubt it. And do we (by "we" here I mean you) think Lou will be able to play 30 mins at the 3? This will depend on her D, I suspect, and as Geno has suggested. So, doing the math -- if Azzi and Caroline play 35 mins each (optimistic, I think) and Lou only gives us 20 at the 3, and Aubrey and Ayanna can only give us 5-10, we're still short 20 mins/game. That's what "we" (i.e. the team we all root for) needs from Nika. And if you think as I do that those assumptions above are optimistic, then we need even more mins from her. But beyond this, we may discover that one or another lineup is preferable, and entails a lot more (or less) mins from Nika. Here's where I get to say, "only time will tell."
:eek:Clarification question: Are you projecting Nika as the starting PG, only playing only 20 minutes per game as well as projecting and offense improvement? If so I would strongly disagree- That would be fewer MPG than Nika has averaged in each of her first two season.
 

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Muhl is not a better passer than Fudd and the foul shooting isn’t close. Auriemma will need all the offense he can get this year and I believe he’ll prioritize it.
Nika is more like the 5th most important player. Being able to call a huddle is not the primary leadership attribute or much a factor in PLAYER EFFICIENCY. Our best team has Azzi as the PG, Lou as the shooting guard and Caroline as the 3. I love our depth at big as I don't think we are going to see much drop off with Ice and Ayanna. Nika will probably start but to me she's still a good sub. A case could be made for bringing Lou off the bench for some scoring punch and Nika starting to set tone and keep people fresh. Having one sub guard really sucks. I see no choice but to go with 3 bigs almost every game for at least a few minutes.

I believe Fudd’s A/T ratio was close to 1, perhaps below that. Muhl’s was about half a point higher, about the same as Westbrook’s. When was the last time Auriemma put his trust in a PG with a sub A/T ratio?

You can believe Fudd can be the PG based faith in her abilities, but the empirical evidence does not support her being a starting PG for a UConn quality team.

on Edit: I’ll reiterate this. It could be that Muhl plays a lesser role this year and we start a PG with a historical A/T below 1. But if that happens it is not a good sign for UConn.
 
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:eek:Clarification question: Are you projecting Nika as the starting PG, only playing only 20 minutes per game as well as projecting and offense improvement? If so I would strongly disagree- That would be fewer MPG than Nika has averaged in each of her first two season.
I was saying that we’d need at least, ie more than, 20 mins from her at the end of the season especially, for the various reasons expressed above. By the way, she did not average 20 mins in the tournament. And I’m also emphasizing that in the absence of Paige, Nika may need to be a better offensive threat all season long. Obviously in a 4-out set, with Azzi Caroline and Lou on the floor, the pressure on her is less but still substantial, for reasons we’ve all rehearsed often in the past few weeks. We’ve got a lot of weapons, but a pg is key to getting them open looks.
 

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