NOW can we talk starting lineup? (Merged thread)

[Carnac]

That will certainly be one of the most talented rosters in WCBB. With 3 upperclassman and all ranked in the top-5, it would be upsetting if Geno couldn’t take them all the way IMO

UConn had the talent to go all the way the last 3 years. It simply was not their year. Fate had other ideas.

 

[huskeynut]

The way Geno and staff coaches there is less emphasis on POSITIONS! They all can pass, shoot, rebound, etc. which is what makes UCONN so hard to defend! Granted a 6'4" girl like ONO will be depended on to get the majority of rebounds, and CW for example will take a bunch of 3's, but their rotating and speed/quickness at all postions will drive our opponents crazy! Their offense is based on reading and reacting so normal plays can't be used in scouting vs the Huskies!

BINGO!!! We have a winner.

You can't teach speed and I think we now have an abundance of it. Even Olivia can run the floor. As an opponent next year, I would have serious concerns about being run off the court in the first half.

Depending on how the team comes together, the variations of read and react are infinite with this roster. We are also looking at the potential to have 5 players in double figures every game. For the most part, that eliminates opponents using gimmick defenses like we dealt with this past season.

 

[eebmg]

Our new found depth and speed will allow our defense to be much more aggressive. Our guards in particular will be able to harass and disrupt from the opening buzzer.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Depth is a good thing. Geno can play a more aggressive defense and not have to worry about foul trouble, because the team no longer goes only 5-6 deep. Of the newcomers, Evelyn has 3 years of college, Evina has 2 years of college, and Ania has 2 years of pro ball. They should fit in nicely. Aubrey, who is very talented and still underrated at #21, can take a little longer to develop.

I would like at least one additional "big" in some form: foreigner, transfer, grad transfer, or 2020 recruit.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Our new found depth and speed will allow our defense to be much more aggressive. Our guards in particular will be able to harass and disrupt from the opening buzzer.

You read my mind--and typed faster.

 

[eebmg]

Depth is a good thing. Geno can play a more aggressive defense and not have to worry about foul trouble, because the team no longer goes only 5-6 deep. Of the newcomers, Evelyn has 3 years of college, Evina has 2 years of college, and Ania has 2 years of pro ball. They should fit in nicely. Aubrey, who is very talented and still underrated at #21, can take a little longer to develop.

I would like at least one additional "big" in some form: foreigner, transfer, grad transfer, or 2020 recruit.

If we are thinking out of the box, can we attract this import from Japan?

 

[Carnac]

If Westbrook is granted the waiver, there is no way she is coming off the bench. Geno has talked about putting the 5 best players on the court, especially with their recent lack of height.
Unfortunately, Megan will continue to remain playing the 4 if Evina plays. Megan will be a wing player at the next level, so hopefully she can work on making her 3s more consistent, and working on her handle when driving the ball

Dangerfield
Williams
Westbrook
Walker
ONO

Nuff said?

We went from rags* to riches in a week!

*although we've NEVER been a raggy team...you know what I mean!

Slow down turbo. Lol

We’ve got plenty of time to help Geno figure out who his starters should be. We got to wait until he announces that player recruitment for next year is complete. I still think Geno has one more Player he's bringing in for this season or next. Once he's done, then we can "seriously" go about our business of being armchair analysts, and figuring this thing out. That’s what we do, and we’re damn good at it!!!

 

[DEpup]

If Westbrook is granted the waiver, there is no way she is coming off the bench. Geno has talked about putting the 5 best players on the court, especially with their recent lack of height.
Unfortunately, Megan will continue to remain playing the 4 if Evina plays. Megan will be a wing player at the next level, so hopefully she can work on making her 3s more consistent, and working on her handle when driving the ball

She also needs to work on her perimeter defense. She would be unstoppable if she could improve her one on one defense.

 

[CL82]

This team is going to be FUN in transition!

We're built for speed and spreading floor. This is going to be a Geno team that forces you to keep pace, both on the floor and on the score board. It will be a blast to watch.

(We're still doomed.)

 

[Mdoggie]

That is an uninformed post.

4 out 1 in. Read and react!

 

[CL82]

Why do some of you think Westbrook will get a waiver?

Coaching change + "abuse" by fans on social media. She's got a decent case. Whether or not the NCAA will grant it is another thing.

 

[CL82]

1) Dangerfield (Westbrook, Makurat)
2) Westbrook (Makurat, Christyn)
3) Christyn (Westbrook, Makurat, Megan)
4) Megan (Adebayo, Camara)
5) Olivia (Adebayo, Camara)

8 man rotation.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I still don't think Geno is done recruiting for 19-20 season yet. A foreign player or a graduate transfer with size to pair along with Olivia on the front line is still needed.
Starters:
ONO
Player X
Walker
CW
CD III
Rotation :
Camara (4/5)
Adebayo/Irwin (4)
Griffin (3)
Makurat (2)
Westbrook /Bent(1)

So 11 kids, of whom 3 are going to be satisfied coming off the bench: Bent, Irwin, and Camara. Camara may have to be limited in minutes due to her knee injury.

So there are 8 kids vying for playing time. Walker, Crystal, Crysten are locks, given their performance so far. ONO is a lock because she's the only healthy kid who is tall on the team.

So 4 kids are vying for the starter position and for the bulk of playing time. Of those, Adebayo is a grad transfer, and will only be there one year. So she won't be unhappy if she's coming off the bench in later stages of the game, but could play her way into (foul-prone) ONO's playing time.

So that leaves 3 kids who will be vying for the starting position and prominence in the program. Will Westbrook be satisfied if she's not a starter? Will she be upset if she doesn't come in within 4 minutes of tip-off? Were any guarantees or understandings sent her way by Coach Geno?

And how will Griffin and Makurat interact? And with another European guard on the way in a year's time, what will be the dynamics at the guard position?

Don't have answers. Just curious how it will shake out....

 

[CocoHusky]

So 11 kids, of whom 3 are going to be satisfied coming off the bench: Bent, Irwin, and Camara. Camara may have to be limited in minutes due to her knee injury.

So there are 8 kids vying for playing time. Walker, Crystal, Crysten are locks, given their performance so far. ONO is a lock because she's the only healthy kid who is tall on the team.

So 4 kids are vying for the starter position and for the bulk of playing time. Of those, Adebayo is a grad transfer, and will only be there one year. So she won't be unhappy if she's coming off the bench in later stages of the game, but could play her way into (foul-prone) ONO's playing time.

So that leaves 3 kids who will be vying for the starting position and prominence in the program. Will Westbrook be satisfied if she's not a starter? Will she be upset if she doesn't come in within 4 minutes of tip-off? Were any guarantees or understandings sent her way by Coach Geno?

And how will Griffin and Makurat interact? And with another European guard on the way in a year's time, what will be the dynamics at the guard position?

Don't have answers. Just curious how it will shake out....

I don't know.
I doubt it.
Absolutely not !
Marvelously.
I predict spectacular championship dynamics.
I have a followup question: For the past few years some have complained about Geno not using the bench. Am I supposed to suddenly start worrying that Geno has too many guards now? FYI -I'm not.

 

[Hayven]

1) Dangerfield (Westbrook, Makurat)
2) Westbrook (Makurat, Christyn)
3) Christyn (Westbrook, Makurat, Megan)
4) Megan (Adebayo, Camara)
5) Olivia (Adebayo, Camara)

8 man rotation.

Aubrey will get some playing time too

 

[Carnac]

Our new found depth and speed will allow our defense to be much more aggressive. Our guards in particular will be able to harass and disrupt from the opening buzzer.

Correct!! And because Geno will now have “quality “ guard depth on his bench, he can press the ball for longer periods of time.

His full court pressure was effective, but because it takes so much extra energy to execute, he could only run it for short periods of time. Now he’l be able to rotate fresh bodies into the game keeping the pressure on their opponents like they did during the Stewart era. Teams rarely scored over 65 ppg.

Let's look back at the 4 year run UConn won national championships.
These are the final four games -
April/2013 - Semi final Conn 83 vs ND 65 - Final Conn 93 vs Louisville 60
April 2014 - Semi final Conn 75 vs Stanford 56 - Final Conn 79 vs ND 58
April 2015 - Semi final Conn 81 vs Maryland 58 - Final Conn 63 vs ND 53
April 2016 - Semi final Conn 80 vs Oregon 51 - Final Conn 82 vs Syracuse 51

Do you see the pattern? During that run of 4 in a row, only two teams broke 60 points. That was during the BIG 3's freshman year. They got stingier as they matured.

Last year Geno said that scoring was not a problem, keeping the other team from scoring was. Look at the score of the last 3 FF games they lost. Look at the difference.

2017 - Conn 64 vs Miss St 66 O/T
2018 - Conn 58 vs ND 61
2019 - Conn 76 vs ND 81

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I don't know.
I doubt it.
Absolutely not !
Marvelously.
I predict spectacular championship dynamics.
I have a followup question: For the past few years some have complained about Geno not using the bench. Am I supposed to suddenly start worrying that Geno has too many guards now? FYI -I'm not.

UConn has not been a team with a deep bench for a long time. I can't recall when UConn had this many talented guards, though it may have. Just don't recall.

I think a big question is how a kid from a dysfunctional program will fit into the strenuously conforming culture of Connecticut? How will a kid who dissed (understandably) her former coach at the end of the season acquire that winning and team-oriented mentality that Coach Geno and his players demand?

I think the culture on this team will have to evolve- will be forced to evolve- in a short period of time like no other team I can recall in Storrs.

Huge changes, big culture challenges, a brand-new outlook.

This is going to be interesting....

 

[CL82]

Aubrey will get some playing time too

Duh! I felt like I was missing someone!

So I guess it would look something like this in a close competitive game:

1) Dangerfield 30, Westbrook 10, Makurat (as needed)
2) Westbrook 20, Makurat 12, Griffin 8
3) Christyn 30, Makurat 7, Griffin 3
4) Megan 30, Adebayo 7, Camara 3
5) Olivia 30 Adebayo 7, Camara 3

9 man rotation? Have we ever seen that in Storrs?

Starters 30 minutes each = 150
Makurat - 9
Griffin - 1
Adebayo - 14
Camara - 6

150 + 19 + 11 + 14 + 6 = 200.

 

[UConnCat]

For the past few years some have complained about Geno not using the bench. Am I supposed to suddenly start worrying that Geno has too many guards now? FYI -I'm not.

 

[CocoHusky]

Correct!! And because Geno will now have “quality “ guard depth on his bench, he can press the ball for longer periods of time.
His full court pressure was effective, but because it takes so much extra energy to execute, he could only run it for short periods of time. Now he’l be able to rotate fresh bodies into the game keeping the pressure on their opponents like they did during the Stewart era. Teams rarely scored over 65 ppg.
Last year Geno said that scoring was not a problem, keeping the other team from scoring was. Look at the score of the last 3 FF games they lost. Look at the points they gave up.

I don't think it is was fatigue or depth that cause Geno to stray away from using the press more effectively over the last 3 years. It was more of a skill set issue. You need two things to make the press work effectively you need fast twitch activity at the top and rim protection at the back. On this current team ONO might emerge as that rim protector but among the current UCONN guards I don't see that fast twitch at the top to deny even adequate ball handler and force the ball handler to speed up. When Geno pressed last year he used Napheesa at the top and it was mostly token pressure. The guards are all going to have to play good individual & better team defense to even get on the floor.

 

[CocoHusky]

Does that make 9 guards and Ono?

That is an uninformed post.

IDK about that. I think it is entirely possible that the UCONN starters and "regular" rotation will consists of 1 post player (ONO) 4 Wings (Walker, Griffin & Adebayo, Makurat) and 3 guards (Williams , Dangerfield, Westbrook)

 

[veryolddog]

A player on this team who will be a starter is going to be one of the best next year and that is ONO. Right now, there is no back up for her at all sitting on the bench. She proved that last year. She filled a big hole and provided defense to the inside that right now, cannot be provided with the current and enlisted players on this team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I don't think it is was fatigue or depth that cause Geno to stray away from using the press more effectively over the last 3 years. It was more of a skill set issue. You need two things to make the press work effectively you need fast twitch activity at the top and rim protection at the back. On this current team ONO might emerge as that rim protector but among the current UCONN guards I don't see that fast twitch at the top to deny even adequate ball handler and force the ball handler to speed up. When Geno pressed last year he used Napheesa at the top and it was mostly token pressure. The guards are all going to have to play good individual & better team defense to even get on the floor.

Fouls definitely took us out of pressure defense at times. Geno couldn't afford to have Crystal, for example, sit for any length of time.

 

[Carnac]

Our new found depth and speed will allow our defense to be much more aggressive. Our guards in particular will be able to harass and disrupt from the opening buzzer.

We saw this year how UConn was able to "throttle" some teams the entire first quarter, but then had to back off because of lack of bench depth, and having to play most of the starters 40 minutes.

 

[CocoHusky]

UConn has not been a team with a deep bench for a long time. I can't recall when UConn had this many talented guards, though it may have. Just don't recall.
I think a big question is how a kid from a dysfunctional program will fit into the strenuously conforming culture of Connecticut? How will a kid who dissed (understandably) her former coach at the end of the season acquire that winning and team-oriented mentality that Coach Geno and his players demand?
I think the culture on this team will have to evolve- will be forced to evolve- in a short period of time like no other team I can recall in Storrs.
Huge changes, big culture challenges, a brand-new outlook.
This is going to be interesting....

Seamlessly!
Seamlessly well!