Now that Serah is on Board. What is the starting 5 for next year?

[Bald Husky]

I think KK-- who just won Kelsey Plum's "Big Dawg" award for MVP at Plum's point guard academy-- has earned her spot. The idea that a transfer just comes in and is the heir apparent to the starting position makes me uncomfortable and seems really disrespectful to KK.

Additionally, team chemistry is so important, I'm not convinced that two transfers plus three first years (five new players to the team) is necessarily a good thing. Perhaps as important as Paige's basketball skill and acumen was the intangible value she brought to the entire team as support and team glue. She supported Caroline by flying to Florida to be with her during treatment; she was always Azzi's support during her injuries. Her team spirit absolutely found its way to the box score.

And finally, y'all are tempting the injury gods. Being happy with what we have seems to me to be the best way to placate those gods. (Just look at my avatar.)

As far as KK, she will be the starting PG over Kaleigh if she comes here, just because of the commitment KK has shown last year when she came off the bench. I acknowledge how she changed the game when she came in, but we will have enough talent so that would not be a big issue. KK has paid her dues, and I don't think Geno would disrespect her by not starting her. I have the same feeling about Ash, but just not as strong. KK is our new PG, and Kaleigh will get just as many minutes coming off the bench. Loyalty to the players that are defending national champions.

 

[towerman]

KK
Strong
Azzi
Williams
Jana

 

[my2cents]

I know these 'Who will be our starters threads? " are a fun off-season topic, but in no way reflect Geno's mindset coaching games.
Jana was a starter last year but avg. 16 minutes a game which was ranked 7th on the team.
Ashlyn Shade did not start and was ranked 4th in minutes per game.
Why? Because Geno's mentality is that who is playing well and contributing, making baskets, gets the minutes. If you are not contributing, you sit.
Even more important than minutes per game, is who is playing the last 4 minutes of a close game.
That's how Geno tell us how he ranks his players.

 

[HuskyNan]

Guys, you can have a difference of opinion without attacking one another. Be civil

 

[MHD789]

I would assume that Sarah, Azzi, and Serah are almost assured of starting roles. (Jana could possibly beat out Serah for the starting center position if she has a "redshirt sophomore" leap, but most likely Serah's experience and post moves will win her the job.)

I would say that KK has the inside track to be the starting PG, given her high assist numbers and defensive disruptiveness. But there are other contenders, and I would name Ashlynn and Morgan as possibilities (leaving Heckel out of the picture for now).

The 3 position is the one with the greatest uncertainty, since there is no obvious "shoo-in" candidate. The contenders are Caroline, Blanca, Morgan, and Allie. I don't think Ashlynn will (or should be asked to) play the 3. She is the obvious choice as Azzi's primary backup at the 2, and she will get plenty of minutes there.

If Caroline really is the "old Caroline", then she will be a near shoo-in for the 3 spot -- unless Blanca proves to be fantastic. Caroline knows the offensive and defensive systems better than anyone except the coaches, and that alone gives her an edge on Blanca, even if Blanca is really talented and motivated. But if Caroline is physically limited, then the position is a battle among Blanca, Morgan, and Allie, and I don't think any of them can be considered "pre-season favorite". The summer and fall practices will determine the outcome of that battle.

The depth chart behind Serah at the 5 is Jana / Gandy -- no mystery there. Jana will get plenty of minutes.

The depth chart behind Sarah at the 4 is Ice / Ayanna -- not much mystery there either. If Caroline is limited in minutes, she could back up this position also.

The depth chart behind Azzi at the 2 is Ashlynn / Allie. But Azzi and Ashlynn will get 90% to 100% of the minutes before garbage time.

The depth chart at PG is KK (probable starter) / Kelis / Ashlynn. If Kelis is "really really" good,she might get significant minutes as KK's backup.

I think the above statements can be made with a reasonable level of certainty. What is noted as uncertain above cannot be made certain until Geno and the coaches see how the summer and fall practices go.

Very surprised when I see any suggestions that Jana is better player than Serah (all-Big 10; Defensive Player of Year; 20 pts/10 rebounds). Simply no comparison in skill level and athleticism..........maybe closer in a couple of years?

 

[Vowelguy]

Very surprised when I see any suggestions that Jana is better player than Serah

The question wasn’t who’s better; it was who starts.

.

For my part I haven’t seen Serah and didn’t know/had forgotten her stats so I propbsbly have underestimated her.

 

[oldude]

Very surprised when I see any suggestions that Jana is better player than Serah (all-Big 10; Defensive Player of Year; 20 pts/10 rebounds). Simply no comparison in skill level and athleticism..........maybe closer in a couple of years?

3 years of college basketball vs 1 year. Give it time.

 

[jdote33]

I think Serah has to be in the starting lineup.

Same. Especially based on Geno's comments. I do feel bad for Ice and Jana.

 

[jeff30189]

Same. Especially based on Geno's comments. I do feel bad for Ice and Jana.

Ice has had 2 years to seize a starting role or at least to prove that she's an indispensable part of a 3 person rotation to cover the C/PF positions. It simply hasn't happened. There are sporadic bursts in which you can see the potential might be there, but how long do you wait for "potential" to turn into "demonstrated"? Maybe this will be the wake up call she's needed.

Jana had a respectable freshman season, and a sophomore season being mentored by Serah is ONLY going to make her better for her junior and senior seasons. It's a huge win for Jana, not a loss. I bet she gets the same minutes, just off the bench and in blowout time, rather than as a starter - so in theory her stats should look much better as she'll no longer be matched against the other team's first unit.

 

[Zarathustra]

I think she gave Geno exactly what he wanted from her. If he'd wanted more scoring from her, she'd have been more offensive minded. What he seems to have wanted was a disruptive force on defense and the occasional buckets. This is exactly what she gave him. The fact is she played against all the top-ranked teams. He didn't keep her on the bench in any of those games, which is what I'd expect if he were disappointed in her production.

I think you're right that Geno will be asking more of her, mainly on the scoring side. I think she's already shown she can score. She can hit a clutch three and sink midrange jumpers with ease. But she may need to expand her arsenal of offensive moves, and especially how she gets open for that midrange shot. I imagine this is exactly what she'll be working on this summer.

I enjoyed reading BONE DOG's " larger picture" of Ash. Rb335 is correct
statistically. However, I agree with BONE DOG (see above) that Geno
gets everything that he expects out of Ash's multi-talents... and MORE.
Ash chews on a Husky bone.... every minute of every game. GO TEAM!

 

[Zarathustra]

You didn't offer your full starting lineup, so we are left to guess what position Ashlynn will play when she starts, and who sits as a result.

Would you make Ashlynn the starting point guard, and send KK to the bench? I don't think that will happen, since KK is a better passer and defender than Ashlynn, and has more speed.

I assume that you wouldn't start Ashlynn ahead of Azzi at the 2.

That leaves the 3 as the only possible position for Ashlynn in the starting lineup. I will grant that MIGHT happen, since Ashlynn is an excellent rebounder for her size, and has more experience than any other contender for that position. But she is quite small for that position, and other contenders such as Caroline / Blanca / Morgan and even Allie have more suitable size for the 3. So I would expect one of them to win the position battle on the wing.

Ashlynn will get plenty of minutes as Azzi's backup, just as she did this year.

GOOD POINTS! I don't generally think of next year's "starting" lineup as
being that meaningful in the context of the team's "success". The best
example of this was KK and Ash coming in off the bench last year. I
do respect " height" and what that brings to the table. But with Ash, and
many of the Huskies, I measure their hearts. Go Team, play your minutes
with DILIGENCE! (in the Zen sense of the term, ref: Christmas Humpherys)

 

[REB1094]

Too many good players to decide

 

[JoePgh]

Ice has had 2 years to seize a starting role or at least to prove that she's an indispensable part of a 3 person rotation to cover the C/PF positions. It simply hasn't happened. There are sporadic bursts in which you can see the potential might be there, but how long do you wait for "potential" to turn into "demonstrated"? Maybe this will be the wake up call she's needed.

Jana had a respectable freshman season, and a sophomore season being mentored by Serah is ONLY going to make her better for her junior and senior seasons. It's a huge win for Jana, not a loss. I bet she gets the same minutes, just off the bench and in blowout time, rather than as a starter - so in theory her stats should look much better as she'll no longer be matched against the other team's first unit.

Late in the regular season, Geno made a comment about how Ice really preferred to take 15-foot jump shots than to mix it up in the paint to get in position for a layup. I agree that this has been a consistent trend over her two years of playing time. Maybe Geno will conclude that it's more realistic to accommodate this player preference than to try to change it. That means Ice will play the 4 rather than the 5, and back up Sarah rather than Serah next year.

Since Sarah gets a ton of minutes and is surprisingly immune from frequent foul trouble, this may limit Ice's minutes. But still, it's a depth option that Geno never had before, at least not recently. Moreover, Ice will be contending with Ayanna for the limited minutes available as Sarah's backup.

I think Jana will get plenty of minutes as Serah's backup, and she may have the inside track to be the starting center in 2026-27 when she will be a junior.

 

[Stagnant]

I saw someone mentioned Ash as a starting point guard. I am going to be stubborn with my opinion here. I remember watching Ash play point guard during the McDonald’s all American game. And it just didn’t work very well. The defender put a lot of pressure on her and her team lost a lot of time every possession before they finally got into their offense. That was two years ago. And it was an exhibition game. But my takeaway at the time was, “okay, so she is a shooting guard”. And I am going to stick with that judgment since there is no real evidence to the contrary.

 

[victor64]

Late in the regular season, Geno made a comment about how Ice really preferred to take 15-foot jump shots than to mix it up in the paint to get in position for a layup. I agree that this has been a consistent trend over her two years of playing time. Maybe Geno will conclude that it's more realistic to accommodate this player preference than to try to change it. That means Ice will play the 4 rather than the 5, and back up Sarah rather than Serah next year.

Since Sarah gets a ton of minutes and is surprisingly immune from frequent foul trouble, this may limit Ice's minutes. But still, it's a depth option that Geno never had before, at least not recently. Moreover, Ice will be contending with Ayanna for the limited minutes available as Sarah's backup.

I think Jana will get plenty of minutes as Serah's backup, and she may have the inside track to be the starting center in 2026-27 when she will be a junior.

Totally agree with your thoughts on Ice.

The stats don't show it (about 26% from 3 albeit a pretty small sample size) but Ice has a nice stroke from 15 feet on out to the three line.

I feel like playing Ice at the 5 was like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It was done out of necessity. She was OK defensively but does not have great hands and has not yet mastered the required post moves needed.

I believe there are minutes for her at the 4. There is one caveat. She has averaged around 3 rebounds a game her first two seasons. If she can bump those numbers and be a consistent threat facing the basket, she can get minutes at the 4.

 

[Majic Hands]

Starters:

Jana/Serah as Tony da Homie says. . . Don’t care.
Jana practicing against Serah, Sarah, ice, Ayanna this summer into next season “should“ result in a couple Bigs that can dominate the paint going into postseason. We have Jana for 3 years!

KK/whoever . . . Don’t care. If I remember correctly KK started this year running into the paint and turned it over just like her freshman year. Until just a bit before post season.

Ash/whoever . . . Don’t care. Ash is a Machine. Improved over her freshman year and will be better this season. Before post season look for her to be on the floor in the last 4 minutes if the game is close. Rember. This is a kid that more than likely walked away from repeating as State Champion in order to acclimate to being away from home in preparing for her UConn career.

Azzi/whoever . . . Don’t care. Azzi starts if she can walk.

Sarah/whoever . . . Don’t care. Sarah starts whether is at the 1, 2, 3, or 4. And will be on the floor during the last 4 minutes in a close game.

Everyone else for me are unknowns. A lot more so than the players I’ve covered above.

My hope is that everyone pushes everyone to be better.

Someone comes up with a limp coach just reload while they recover avoiding long term injury. No one is going to need to play while nursing a small injury.

I’m looking forward to a season that resembles last season when everyone got a lot of minutes until post season.

I’m excited to watch the new kids develop and grow alongside the kids that have proven themselves.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ash is a Machine.

Haha! This reminded me of the famous call of the race Secretariat ran away with to take the triple crown. “Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine.”

Ash can run like nobody else.

 

[Zonepress]

I’ve gotta say I’m shocked at how many people are putting Blanca up as a starter. It’s difficult for me to imagine that she will be better than Ash, Morgan, Caroline (if healthy) or possibly even Allie. All of those are not only talented players but they have anywhere from 1-3 years of experience in Geno’s system! I hope she is a great player who can force herself into a starting position but I think it’s pretty unlikely. She may well be a great player for us but I’m guessing she will need some time before she starts.

Serah
Sarah
Ash/Morgan/Caroline
Azzi
KK

Alternate

Jana
Serah
Sarah
Azzi
KK

i will
be surprised pleasantly if the is a starter but
will be very surprised if she is not in the top 7-8

more questions with players u mentioned other than AS than a player of her ability

 

[Majic Hands]

Something to remember when thinking about leaving the Ash out of the lineup.

 

[Longtime fan]

Point Guard- KK
Shooting guard- Azzi
Small forward- Bianca
Power Forward- Sarah
Center- Serah
first off the bench- Ash
2nd off the bench- Jana
3rd off the bench- Allie

Love your optimism, but assuming that Blanca will start is an over reach at this moment.

 

[cgshuskie]

Blanca may be the brightest star on the team next year. She may even outshine Paige B. A predicted Tamika Cathings?

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Although it has not been frequent in years past, I believe this will be the year that the starting line-up changes based on the opponents weaknesses, and not changed only because of injury/illness.

Primarily, starters will be based on ferocity of defensive pressure. My primary set of starters:
Azzi, Ash, KK, Sarah, Serah;

Second, go BIG:
Azzi, KK, Sarah, Serah, Jana

Third, Go Fast:
Azzi, Ash, KK, Morgan (Blanca, Kelis, Allie - whomever proved themselves in practice in the last week), Sarah.

Lots of options that Geno, CD & Company will surely sort through, but don't call me Shirley:



Go Huskies!!!

 

[MHD789]

Love your optimism, but assuming that Blanca will start is an over reach at this moment.

The Big Three (SS/SW/) and the other two best shooting guards (as determined by pre-season practices).

Super surprised by some of the lofty expectations being placed on Blanca Q. but if she can really shoot well from outside and place good disciplined defense then the sky is the limit (even though I don't think of her as part of a guard rotation).

 

[Vowelguy]

Blanca may be the brightest star on the team next year. She may even outshine Paige B. A predicted Tamika Cathings?

Yeah I'm sure there's no hyperbole there.

 

[Skeets]

Interesting thread. There are no wrong posts. Here's my opinion: if someone kicks Ash out of the starting lineup, they have to be better than pretty darn good because Ash is pretty darn good. Plus, Geno likes the kid. He appreciates her tough old-school approach to the game. If someone is better than Ash, wow, I'd be OK with that because it would be great for UConn.

Just realized what I typed. Absolutely no pun or play on words intended.

 

[DEpup]

Blanca may be the brightest star on the team next year. She may even outshine Paige B. A predicted Tamika Cathings?

And I think she becomes the new spark off the bench.

 

[jeff30189]

Blanca may be the brightest star on the team next year. She may even outshine Paige B. A predicted Tamika Cathings?

I really hope you are just trolling the group to get reactions. Of course, I may be abducted by aliens tonight, so it's not entirely impossible.

Serah 80% she starts if healthy - but she might have trouble acclimating to the UConn system so there's a small chance Jana starts
Sarah 100%
Ash 80% - only reason she doesn't is Geno values her energy and scoring off the bench.
Azzi 100%
KK 100%

 

[Bone Dog]

Now that I've read a bunch of posts, 86 to be precise, maybe my thinking has evolved on this point. I notice that pretty much everyone thinks Sarah, Serah, Azzi and KK will start. This means the primary 'bone' of contention (and maybe the only spot really up for grabs) is that wing position.

The primary candidates for the wing are Ash Blanca Morgan and Allie. Any one of them could also play at SG, though Ash is probably the one most suited for that spot and least suited for the wing. I'd also observe that Allie is probably in the least competitive position to get minutes at the wing merely because her defense seemed to be a weak spot this season. Also, I'm mainly thinking of who will start at some point in January, once all the experimentation has sorted things out.

My best, very uneducated guess for the starting lineup is

• Sarah Azzi Serah KK Blanca.

I have settled on Blanca because even though she is new to the system and is not a great perimeter shooter (yet), she exhibits good defensive intensity in her Campobasso games. Also, because Morgan may still have residual effects of her injury, which may slow her down initially, she seems unlikely to start. And though Allie has the potential to be the best of the perimeter shooters after Azzi and Ash (and Sarah ), the question mark about her defensive intensity and quickness is likely to limit her for the time being. Finally, though I expect Ash to get a lot of minutes, because she is likely to be Azzi's backup at SG, I think she'll also be Blanca's backup at the wing.

I also wonder about the depth of the rotation next season, since the roster is still large and more of the players could be healthy. Last season, by February the rotation was essentially 8 deep. There have been deeper and shallower rotations over the years, but 8 is pretty typical for Geno. I can imagine all sorts of configurations for a 10 deep rotation at that point, but that's pretty hard distribution of playing time to sustain. My guess is that by next February, the rotation will be 9 deep since Morgan was on track for the rotation before her injury. And by rotation I mean players regularly playing 10+ mins. My very uneducated guess for the 4 rotation players by February is

• Ash Jana Ice Morgan

It's a tossup in my mind with Caroline and Ayanna for the last spot. It depends on how well everyone's rehab goes. But I suspect, all things being equal, Geno would prefer a 6th ball handler over a rebounder. And clearly, there could well be individual games in which rebounding might be prioritized. And for the record, I'm counting Azzi KK Ash Sarah Blanca and Morgan as ball handlers.

And if Kayleigh opts for Storrs, I think either the rotation expands to 10 or she get the final spot in the 9 deep rotation.

 

[jabstep]

After reading all the posts, I have not changed my mind on who will start for the Huskies next year because of defense. Everyone pretty much has KK, Azzi and Sarah as starters. The two-time best defensive player in the old Big Ten would be a bonus to our defense that being Serah. She also averaged 19 points a game, which will help with the loss of Paige's scoring and Geno can move Sarah away from the basket to a high-low combo with Serah and take advantage of Sarah's ability to shoot 3 pointers, her passing ability and her ability to drive to the hoop as well.
Blanca, my fifth starter has been criticized because she didn't play high school basketball in the USA. She played Pro ball against bigger, stronger, quicker players. Her defense looks great, and her athleticism would be a bonus to our team speed and defensive pressure.
Time will tell, but I think if we can stay away from the injury bug we will dominate WCBB again next year and for years to come!!!!!!!

 

[Longtime fan]

Yeah I'm sure there's no hyperbole there.

No dreamland in this observation ( maybe better than Paige?). Tamika Catchings from Equador? Fun to hope.