Nika out vs GA Tech

[meyers7]

Those who've been around the BY a while will recall "Old Coach" who would have had a lot to add to this discussion

Warren did have thing for shoes.

 

[meyers7]

Remember when all we were talking about was our incredible depth?

Yes, and that's the reason all these injuries happened. These "we have incredible depth", "Geno has so much talent how will he divvy out the minutes", "our 2nd string would be ranked" posters have cursed us.

 

[Blakeon18]

I do not equate getting injured with being 'soft'.

Tiger is 'competing' next week with his son..I'll be glad to see how he plays...and how his son Charlie is developing...I think he is 12 and last December his swing looked awfully good. Tiger said he is nowhere near ready to play tour events but he can play 'hit and giggle' golf...and this event is a perfect example of that genre. UConn women's basketball is never 'hit and giggle'.

 

[HuskyNan]

Yes, and that's the reason all these injuries happened. These "we have incredible depth", "Geno has so much talent how will he divvy out the minutes", "our 2nd string would be ranked" posters have cursed us.

Yep, serious hit to the mojo with all those posts

 

[HuskyNan]

I do not equate getting injured with being 'soft'.

Tiger is 'competing' next week with his son..I'll be glad to see how he plays...and how his son Charlie is developing...I think he is 12 and last December his swing looked awfully good. Tiger said he is nowhere near ready to play tour events but he can play 'hit and giggle' golf...and this event is a perfect example of that genre. UConn women's basketball is never 'hit and giggle'.

His post didn’t warrant a response.

 

[visitingcock]

Time to call a COVID timeout for about ten days?

 

[GoUconn7961]

According to this thread we are DOOMED. DOOMED I tell you.

And, we have successfully beaten that horse to death. (Though I hate that expression)

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I hate to see the Huskies have injury issues. The team stayed relatively healthy for a few seasons and hopefully all of these ladies are able to come back and play with no issues sooner rather than later.

Depth does not guarantee a title and while I knew this team was stacked at the beginning the first few games showed little in the way of the type of depth fans were expecting. Losing the best player in America, another guard, and a reported freshman phenom while still having a forward out would be devastating for almost any program not named UConn. The Huskies still have all the tools to perform but their margin for error will be much smaller.

 

[huskiemaniac]

More important than the Paige, Nika et al injuries is the news that GT Assoc. Head Coach Tasha Butts (former LV you may recall), has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

Georgia Tech assistant coach Tasha Butts diagnosed with breast cancer

Georgia Tech assistant women’s basketball coach Tasha Butts has been diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer, Butts announced Wednesday in a news release from the school. Butts, who is in her third season on coach Nell Fortner’s staff, will continue her duties as she undergoes...

www.ajc.com

 

[jabstep]

seems like way too many injuries that apparently have been ongoing for weeks, is it time to consider what’s different this year

The three games in three days were unusual. Especially when we had our starters in the Minnesota blowout going thirty-five minutes plus. Then we had to play the starter's high minutes in the South Florida game because it was a close game. Then we went at it with SC and we ran hard and played hard for three quarters and were definitely out of gas whereas SC played their starters the first game 20 to 25 minutes. Plus the practices must be at full blast for playing time. The girls all said they are lifting and getting stronger during the summer, well I think that leads to injuries. All one has to look at baseball players can't stay on the field in a non-contact sport.

 

[Zarathustra]

Careers are LONG ( hopefully)..... seasons are brief.
I trust that Coach Geno will "take care " of his team
in each of their LONG TERM BEST INTEREST. It will
play dividends ( in many ways!).

 

[Millenial23]

Maybe Morgan and Jamelle could play

 

[LarryLegend]

The three games in three days were unusual. Especially when we had our starters in the Minnesota blowout going thirty-five minutes plus. Then we had to play the starter's high minutes in the South Florida game because it was a close game. Then we went at it with SC and we ran hard and played hard for three quarters and were definitely out of gas whereas SC played their starters the first game 20 to 25 minutes. Plus the practices must be at full blast for playing time. The girls all said they are lifting and getting stronger during the summer, well I think that leads to injuries. All one has to look at baseball players can't stay on the field in a non-contact sport.

none of these young people get any downtime, they are constantly playing one sport year round.

 

[MSGRET]

I just don't see us trying to speed up the game...pressing all over the court...pushing the ball
up on offense. We have big troubles with turnovers as it is...I think a more conservative approach may be in store..at least for this game. Foul trouble for the 3 guards [Evina/Caroline/Christyn] is more likely in a fast-paced game. Two quick fouls on any of those 3 would not be a good sign.

High minutes for the guards leading to tired legs at the end? Perhaps...but I think there are 4 TV timeouts in each half...4 for each team in each half. You don't want Geno taking his to break up momentum when things are going well....but 8 timeouts in 20 minutes of play...maybe more if GTech takes a couple...toss in 15 minutes at halftime...and I hope our guards can stay fresh even down the stretch....uhhh...as we pull out an 8-10 point victory!

Actually each team is only given 4 timeouts in a game not a half. They have three 30 second timeouts and one 60 second timeout. There is at least one TV timeout each quarter depending on the time and type of stoppage in play.

 

[Longtime fan]

Eh, its certainly not an ideal situation, but we have 4 out of 5 of our starters available to play. You figure ONO/AE/DJ are a 3 player post rotation occupying 80 minutes per game. Not much different than what we saw at full strength, which each playing approximately 4 extra minutes more per game.

The issue is the guard rotation. I suspect CW, Evina, and Caroline are all about to be playing 35-37 mpg. That leaves 9-15 minutes up for grabs on the perimeter. The only viable option is Mir, who is only 5-11 and can hold her own defensively on the perimeter. You can get away with this. type of rotation for a couple of weeks.

Oddly enough, even at only 9 available players, I still see it being a challenge for Amari and Piath to get minutes. The depth chart at their position has not been affected since our last game. Thus, I don't expect to see any truly wonky lineups for more than a small stretch. ONO/AE/DJ at the same time should be very rare, and two of the 3 guards will be on the floor at all times. But who knows what surprises Geno has up his sleeves.

As you correctly point out, there isn't a lot of magic for Geno to draw upon. In my view, he will do pretty much what you outlined. Three guards and two bigs ( who rotate). Caroline starting is a bit of a risk, based upon one good game against ND, but what choice is there? The question is, can she now get open shots without Paige both being double-teamed and our best passer? In my view, Mir has to be given more responsibility. I hope she proves up to it, I hope she is more than just a 5'11"kid who can jump a little ,win an occasional rebound and make a lay-up. And unless there is an unusual further development, we will see Gabriel in garbage time only. I don't imagine we'll see DeBerry at all, because she still doesn't seem to "formally exist" as an option. I have no idea what has transpired with her. But something did. It is pretty rare to have such a highly regarded recruit remain invisible this long. Hope she is okay.

 

[Longtime fan]

And don't forget Paige too. CT will be in some trouble trying to replace all six of those players......

When did Mir get injured?

 

[HopJim]

Wish this was true. Nurse hurt her foot/ankle at the start of the NCAA's, Crystal had foot issues during some of her first seasons and NCAA's, and Paige sprained her ankle mid last year. For all those posting about playing time for the PG's we are recruiting, each year there appears to be ample opportunities.

 

[TCC Kid]

Eh, its certainly not an ideal situation, but we have 4 out of 5 of our starters available to play. You figure ONO/AE/DJ are a 3 player post rotation occupying 80 minutes per game. Not much different than what we saw at full strength, which each playing approximately 4 extra minutes more per game.

The issue is the guard rotation. I suspect CW, Evina, and Caroline are all about to be playing 35-37 mpg. That leaves 9-15 minutes up for grabs on the perimeter. The only viable option is Mir, who is only 5-11 and can hold her own defensively on the perimeter. You can get away with this. type of rotation for a couple of weeks.

Oddly enough, even at only 9 available players, I still see it being a challenge for Amari and Piath to get minutes. The depth chart at their position has not been affected since our last game. Thus, I don't expect to see any truly wonky lineups for more than a small stretch. ONO/AE/DJ at the same time should be very rare, and two of the 3 guards will be on the floor at all times. But who knows what surprises Geno has up his sleeves.

Geno played a number of years this an 8 player rotation so he is not un-familiar with only using 8. However, (don't shoot me just yet) just a heap of guessing, hoping, and wondering: Suppose, Geno uses CW (top talent), Ono and/or Dorka as wings, tried out Gabriel or Mir as a defensive post, with Caroline as a shooting guard/CW the point. (Crazy I know) but in drastic times drastic action is required. With all this firepower away from the basket the post isn't needed for offense. If the wings and guard score as they can rebounding (offensive) won't be a problem. On Defense 3 hitting the boards should be good for Uconn.

 

[TCC Kid]

View attachment 71676

If it weren't for dead horse here there'd be no posting at all. Once all is said, then the horse killing begins.

 

[Essexdave]

Uconn has 9 healthy players six are MacDonald’s all Americans. Of the other 3 two are foreign and not eligible .I don’t think we need Walk ons. I’m looking forward to what these guys can do.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Why do we always need something, or someone to blame?

Trainers - Practice - Coaches - we could go on and on speculating.

Injuries are injuries are injuries. Individuals have different tolerances, bone structures, and genetics. Need for rest varies. For some too much rest causes an injury when activities resume; for others it's too little. Each of these players is different. I highly doubt there's one common denominator.

Climate change?

 

[Rb335]

Geno played a number of years this an 8 player rotation so he is not un-familiar with only using 8. However, (don't shoot me just yet) just a heap of guessing, hoping, and wondering: Suppose, Geno uses CW (top talent), Ono and/or Dorka as wings, tried out Gabriel or Mir as a defensive post, with Caroline as a shooting guard/CW the point. (Crazy I know) but in drastic times drastic action is required. With all this firepower away from the basket the post isn't needed for offense. If the wings and guard score as they can rebounding (offensive) won't be a problem. On Defense 3 hitting the boards should be good for Uconn.

ONO as a wing is a bit crazy, but you've been proven right with Dorka as the starting wing. Shall be an interesting journey!