Nika's Performances and Playing Time | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Nika's Performances and Playing Time

As I have written consistently from the time that this year's incoming freshman list was announced, the talent level of these women was so far beyond that of Nika that her playing time would be substantially reduced. I certainly got a great deal of highly negative feedback each time I espoused this view. But I believe it is very telling that her playing time has been substantially reduced even when her new competition have not played anywhere close to their potential. Geno plainly likes Nika. We all do, but he also seems to recognize that her skills are insufficient to give her significant playing time as a high member of the rotation. I remain of the opinion that when Aubrey returns Nika will be the 10th in the rotation at best.
 
How can you not like Nika the energy she brings the toughness and all out play.She was great last year during league play in the Big East.But let’s remember there was a reason why she was on the bench at crunch time last year against Tennessee and South Carolina.
 
There is one thing that Nika does as well as anyone on UConn’s team, boxing out on the defensive boards. Watching Nika throw her body into opposing post players is like watching a honey badger take on a bear. Maybe Nika should play forward for the Huskies. ;)
 
Of all the teams in various sports that I actively root for, UConn wbb is the only women's team and the only one I spend much energy worrying about the bench players. Sure, I always hope a bench player will develop into a real contributor but I don't worry about which players will feel bad about not breaking into the significant minutes rotation.

Thanks to BY, we get so much information on every recruit that we feel we know them before they get to campus. We generally (or mostly or always) like them personally and get emotionally invested in them all. None of us want to see any of them fail to live up to our expectations. By the nature of any completion, whether in sports or in our line of work, some rise to the top and others take on lesser roles.

Nika is really likable and has a gritty on court attitude. I have in the past been high on her and still think she can become a valuable player. I honestly hate seeing her in the bench because, well, I like her. And the same for Mir and Aubrey and all the rest fighting for playing time. I want them all to succeed. The reptile part of my brain knows this cannot and will not happen and it saddens the more evolved part is my brain.

A coach gets to know players personally and skill-wise better than the fans do. Yet they know that their job is to play the players most likely to win games. Geno likes things about Nika's game and will give her an opportunity to succeed. He doesn't have the luxury of getting too emotionally invested in how the players react to where he puts them on the depth chart.
 
oldude said:
There is one thing that Nika does as well as anyone on UConn’s team, boxing out on the defensive boards. Watching Nika throw her body into opposing post players is like watching a honey badger take on a bear. Maybe Nika should play forward for the Huskies. ;)
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I've never seen a honey badger take on a bear, but I bet its worth watching.

Nika is my second favorite player behind AG.
 
All else aside Nika's future is in her own hands. If she performs well, we all know Geno will give her minutes, in all likelihood as a backup. Love her grit, hope she is able to surpass last season's output.
Welcome to the BY the best BB forum in the country, men's or women.
 
You would think that with her ability to apply some pressure defense, that she would get 12-15 minutes out there. With the amount of depth, we have on this team, I would be applying fullcourt pressure. Let the defense, in this case Nika's ability to be a pest out there, create the offense. 40 minutes of Hell.
 
The number 1 thing I have noticed about all the groups of UCONN's players, since 2017, is they don't have the 'killer instinct' like the girls before! Most years we had ones that loved to pet furry little kittens, BUT, when that buzzer sounded they'd rip your throat out if you got in their way. These girls are too nice, EXCEPT for Nika! She's the only one that has that UCONN Husky killer instinct that I have missed! It's also why I think we've lost in the final 4's. Mississippi State and Notre Dame ring a bell? Just sayin'.
 
LCConnFan said:
The number 1 thing I have noticed about all the groups of UCONN's players, since 2017, is they don't have the 'killer instinct' like the girls before! Most years we had ones that loved to pet furry little kittens, BUT, when that buzzer sounded they'd rip your throat out if you got in their way. These girls are too nice, EXCEPT for Nika! She's the only one that has that UCONN Husky killer instinct that I have missed! It's also why I think we've lost in the final 4's. Mississippi State and Notre Dame ring a bell? Just sayin'.
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Killer instinct and the ability to go up a gear in the 4th quarter when it’s needed against the top teams in close games. Both are missing. The problem is that we end the season with a lot of games where neither is needed to emerge victorious. You can’t just turn these things on like a light switch. Some coaches figure it out. Some don’t.
 
LCConnFan said:
The number 1 thing I have noticed about all the groups of UCONN's players, since 2017, is they don't have the 'killer instinct' like the girls before! Most years we had ones that loved to pet furry little kittens, BUT, when that buzzer sounded they'd rip your throat out if you got in their way. These girls are too nice, EXCEPT for Nika! She's the only one that has that UCONN Husky killer instinct that I have missed! It's also why I think we've lost in the final 4's. Mississippi State and Notre Dame ring a bell? Just sayin'.
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There are two notable oversights (UCONN players you want to have in a rock fight) IMO. Both of them were on the floor in the Mississippi State and a recent ND Notre Dame FF loss. I'll give you a major hint: an injury to one of them had a dramatic negative effect on the outcome of the most recent WNBA finals.
 
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With the news that Azzi is shut down for the next two weeks, Nika will undoubtedly get more PT in the next few games. I hope she comes up big, and I hope Azzi is completely healthy soon.
 
PacoSwede said:
which could be said about aaliyah, christyn, liv, aubrey and others. ... why is this a notable flaw of nika? a more notable flaw lies with players who lack nika's fire
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We'd all like to see more consistency from everyone on the roster. Still, being inconsistent is an especially 'notable flaw' of Nika because her high end contributions are considerably less impactful than those of at least Aaliyah, Christyn and Liv, and possibly Aubrey (although it's been a while...).
 
PacoSwede said:
which could be said about aaliyah, christyn, liv, aubrey and others. ... why is this a notable flaw of nika? a more notable flaw lies with players who lack nika's fire
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because Aaliyah and Liv provide more rim protection than nika; cristyn is inconsistent offensively but her ups are far better than Nika’s. Name one game Nika contributed more than Cristyn? Please name just one. (you can’t). Not even comparable. As for Aubrey, she doesn’t get much playing time herself but again is a much better defender. Aubrey is quicker, fouls less, and can defend both guards and forwards. True Aubrey is not consistent offensively but neither is Nika. At least the others provide better rim protection, quicker defense, and/or less fouls across the board than Nika.

I don’t understand how so many push that Nika is an amazing top notch player. Nika will have the opportunity to prove her self this weekend. Please taker her actual performance for face value and not “energy” “excitement” blah blah UConn has never out excited themselves to the championship. Skill is required. Including from Nika.
 
oldude said:
With the news that Azzi is shut down for the next two weeks, Nika will undoubtedly get more PT in the next few games. I hope she comes up big, and I hope Azzi is completely healthy soon.
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Where did you hear that? I don't even see it on the BY.:confused:
 
oldude said:
With the news that Azzi is shut down for the next two weeks, Nika will undoubtedly get more PT in the next few games. I hope she comes up big, and I hope Azzi is completely healthy soon.
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is that a good or bad thing? Cause after the 1st 4 games I would much much rather see Caroline.
 
jchuskie said:
is that a good or bad thing? Cause after the 1st 4 games I would much much rather see Caroline.
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There’s a reason Caroline did not play vs SC. She is not ready just yet. Hopefully she will get there soon. Until then, Nika is the best option UConn has off the bench at guard.
 
Geno quoted yesterday on the UConn blog:

“[Fudd’s injury] certainly means more playing time for them. For sure,” Auriemma said of Ducharme and Mühl. “That means more opportunities for them. That means we’re asking more of them. Correct. And they both can do it. Obviously, they’re both capable. Nika showed us last year and Caroline has shown us pretty much every day in practice. But that hasn’t transferred over yet to games. But it will.”
 
oldude said:
There is a thread titled, “Azzi out for 2 weeks minimum.”
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Thank you. I saw it in a news article. The BY thread must have been deleted.
 
This is a bit of a tangent to the main point of the OP, but I am really saddened by the number of lingering injuries the team is suffering from right now.

I think we all came into the season with high expectations not only of winning almost all of our games, but doing so with efficiency and that special UConn style of seamless flow, well executed cuts and passes, defensive clamp downs, etc.

So disappointing that so many of the players aren't yet able to be at full capacity.
 
Somehow her game really reminds me or Lauren Dixon, just with a better perimeter shot. Seems odd since athletically they are very different. She is a pesky defender, but has a tendency to drive to the basket without much of a plan. Getting caught in the air with no options often leads to her turnovers. I’d like to see her settle in offensively. Facilitate ball movement, hit open shots within the flow, and find open teammates. She’s doesn’t need to be a big time scorer, so if she can do these things, her defense will continue earn her run time.
 
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