Observations after watching USA-Australia FIBA U19

[victor64]

Watched the route of Australia. Here is what I noticed.

1. My opinion of Azzi has changed. She is so unselfish, a definite pass-first player. She is one of the few on the team that does a nice job of defending the dribbler. I thought because of her shooting she would start for UConn. I think she will be fine with whatever role Geno has in mind.

2. Lauren Betts and Cameron Brink will be a dynamite tandem in Stanford. Betts has good hands, a nice touch and under control.

3, The last time I saw Peyton Verhulst in FIBA action, I thought she was the best player on that squad. She has either leveled off or others have passed her. Citron is a similar type of player but seemingly more impactful than Verhulst so far.

4. Clark broke open the game in the second quarter with a series of bombs. She is a shoot-first point guard which may annoy some UConn fans but I think Geno would love coaching her if she was a Husky.

5. I think Close has done a good job of getting them to play unselfishly. The teams they crushed aren't great but I think it will take a really good team to beat the USA.

6. Close wants to push it. I don't think DeBerry can handle the pace. Was happy to see her score off a nice feed.

 

[JoePgh]

I agree with most of your observations.

I notice that (unlike yesterday against Italy) Azzi played nearly the entire game until garbage time in the middle of the 4th quarter. (Don't ask me why Caitlin Clark continued to play through even those minutes.) Her 3-ball wasn't falling, and I think she only had 4 points -- haven't seen a box score yet.

Actually, I am surprised that she played all those minutes without the obvious production to justify it. It seemed like she was playing because she was the guard least likely to make big errors -- she didn't turn the ball over and she was in the right position on defense. I notice that she handled the throw-ins whenever they were facing a full-court press. That seems to be the only plausible explanation for all those minutes.

Amari had a nice monster block near the end of the game as well as a nice score off a feed. She definitely needs work, but she is way ahead of Piath as a freshman from what I can see. But it's a good thing that Geno got Dorka.

 

[victor64]

I agree with most of your observations.

I notice that (unlike yesterday against Italy) Azzi played nearly the entire game until garbage time in the middle of the 4th quarter. (Don't ask me why Caitlin Clark continued to play through even those minutes.) Her 3-ball wasn't falling, and I think she only had 4 points -- haven't seen a box score yet.

Actually, I am surprised that she played all those minutes without the obvious production to justify it. It seemed like she was playing because she was the guard least likely to make big errors -- she didn't turn the ball over and she was in the right position on defense. I notice that she handled the throw-ins whenever they were facing a full-court press. That seems to be the only plausible explanation for all those minutes.

Amari had a nice monster block near the end of the game as well as a nice score off a feed. She definitely needs work, but she is way ahead of Piath as a freshman from what I can see. But it's a good thing that Geno got Dorka.

I think Geno will have a similar mindset that Close has regarding Azzi. Close trusts Azzi to make the right pass, work hard on defense and of course has the potential to be a big scorer. I am happy that Close is playing her so much. I detect a little rust in her game.

I also agree that Close's rotation is a little tighter than a lot of these FIBA tournaments. The minutes distribution is normally a little more equal. We could have seen Amari a lot earlier in the fourth quarter for example. The USA was up by 40.

 

[Alydar]

Clark (7) and Fudd (6) were responsible for half of the US's assists. Clark also had 9 rebounds, second to Bett's 12. Most of the team had one thought whenever they touched the ball ... score by themselves. Understandable because that has been their role in HS. Fudd looked to score too but she didn't force shots, resulting in 6 assists. She sees the floor and reads defenses. Clark just felt it in the 1st half but in the 2nd, when she missed a few 3's she became a driver and passer.

All in all a better game than the final score indicates.

 

[Zarathustra]

Did anyone else notice that when Australia had the ball on
offense, whoever was covered by Azzi seemed to have a
"green" light to drive to the basket? There was rarely
any backside help. VERY IMPRESSED BY LAUREN BETTS!
... Stanford will be good this year and with her next year
there will be little need for a lot of development.
I enjoyed watching Amari and Wolfenbarger on the floor at
the same time. TWO additional 6' 5" players ; such a
luxury and a tall wall for the reserves of any opponent!

 

[Carnac]

Watched the route of Australia. Here is what I noticed.

1. My opinion of Azzi has changed. She is so unselfish, a definite pass-first player. She is one of the few on the team that does a nice job of defending the dribbler. I thought because of her shooting she would start for UConn. I think she will be fine with whatever role Geno has in mind.

2. Lauren Betts and Cameron Brink will be a dynamite tandem in Stanford. Betts has good hands, a nice touch and under control.

3, The last time I saw Peyton Verhulst in FIBA action, I thought she was the best player on that squad. She has either leveled off or others have passed her. Citron is a similar type of player but seemingly more impactful than Verhulst so far.

4. Clark broke open the game in the second quarter with a series of bombs. She is a shoot-first point guard which may annoy some UConn fans but I think Geno would love coaching her if she was a Husky.

5. I think Close has done a good job of getting them to play unselfishly. The teams they crushed aren't great but I think it will take a really good team to beat the USA.

6. Close wants to push it. I don't think DeBerry can handle the pace. Was happy to see her score off a nice feed.

Thanks Victor. I had to leave just as the game came on. Just got back. Didn’t see the game. I’m relying on the observations of you and others. I really wanted to see the game today. Hopefully I‘ll get to see a replay.

 

[chj001]

From the portion of the game that I watched, I thought there was way too many threes thrown up during the first 10 seconds of the clock from 5-6 feet behind the line, often while being guarded and a spin move thrown in. Not enough working of the ball for a better shot.

 

[DEpup]

I think Azzi will fit in well at UConn.. She did some great facilitating from the 2 guard position which is a mainstay of UConn basketball. It's something I wish Chrystin could do more of...

To tell you the truth, I think Close wants Azzi out there to facilitate and play defense since the rest of the 2 and 3 guards just want to score every time they get the ball and defense is just an after thought. It's great to see her whole bag of tricks. In highschool when I've seen her she has to be the scorer for them to win so you don't see all her game.

After the injuries, I was impressed with Azzi's defense on dribblers...

From what I saw, Deberry is going to have to improve her defense down low to get more minutes. Lateral foot movement.

 

[Cuango]

Betts is going to be a big problem at Stanford! She is really impressive and has a very bright future.

 

[Mdoggie]

My thoughts:
I like UConn’s offense better. Azzi will fit in just fine.

 

[Alydar]

Betts is going to be a big problem at Stanford! She is really impressive and has a very bright future.

Any team that is short of outside shooting is in trouble.

 

[Drew8]

1. I AM IMPRESSED BY THE U.S. TEAM, IT WOULD SURPRISE ME IF ANY TEAM GIVES THEM A CHALLENGE.

2. BETTS IS IMPRESSIVE. ONLY QUESTION IS IF SHE WILL SUSTAIN A LONG CAREER BECAUSE SHE LUMBERS UP AND DOWN THE COURT.

3. Nice highlight reel blocks by Ware and Deberry. They are holding their own.

4. Lots of quality ball handlers on this team.

 

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the 2 UConn frosh to be. For all practical purposes, Azzi is being used primarily as a pg on this team, setting up her teammates while playing tough D. Who new?

Amari came in for limited minutes at the end of the game, but had 3 really nice plays in a row: a nice screen & roll that she scored on, another screen and roll that she passed to a teammate for a score and a really nice help rejection on D.

I’m looking forward to seeing both Azzi & Amari at UConn. We all know Azzi can score. Her game is more well rounded than I thought. Azzi will get PT right away at UConn.

Amari will take a little longer to develop, but I like her skill set. It’s just a matter of time before Jamelle works her magic on Amari to have her ready to play meaningful minutes, possibly towards the end of this coming season.

 

[Blakeon18]

When is our next game in this competition? And against who?

 

[oldude]

When is our next game in this competition? And against who?

Vs Egypt tomorrow at 2:30 pm. The game will very likely be a complete blowout.

 

[PvP]

Thanks Victor. I had to leave just as the game came on. Just got back. Didn’t see the game. I’m relying on the observations of you and others. I really wanted to see the game today. Hopefully I‘ll get to see a replay.

You can see a tape of the game anytime you choose. So if you missed it "live", you can always catch it later on YouTube. No need to rely on anyone.

 

[eebmg]

Vs Egypt tomorrow at 2:30 pm. The game will very likely be a complete blowout.

By transitivity we should win by 120+ pts

 

[PvP]

The first two games of this tournament are the first time I have seen Azzi play actual games and I certainly recognize that two games are way too limited a means for any meaningful judgment particularly as she is playing under a completely different coach, but all that being said, I would have to say that what I saw disappointed me compared to what I expected. She didn't start the first game which surprised me and even though she did start in the second game and played very significant minutes, I agree she seemed like a "pass first" guard rather than the dangerous shooting guard I expected. She seemed quite passive in terms of seeking her shot and even when she took shots in the second game, she didn't shoot with the kind of precision I had expected, either from two point range or from beyond the arc, even tossing up an air ball on one of her three point tries.

I am certainly not making any assumptions, just posting my impression after my first direct exposure to her in game conditions.

 

[DocStressor]

I was really impressed with Azzi's defense in the Australia game. She had fast hands in High School and got a good number of steals, but she didn't seem to be that motivated to play defense. Her instincts on D in the FIBA game were great. I like how when she does get beat on the perimeter she immediately goes back out to cover a 3 point shooter to protect against a kick out.

 

[AgStatesman]

With all of this talk about Azzi passing too much and not shooting enough, I have to wonder how many shot clock violations UConn will have this year due to Azzi and Paige just continually throwing the ball back and forth to each other.

 

[EricSD]

With all of this talk about Azzi passing too much and not shooting enough, I have to wonder how many shot clock violations UConn will have this year due to Azzi and Paige just continually throwing the ball back and forth to each other.

Zero...

 

[rvwsleep]

With all of this talk about Azzi passing too much and not shooting enough, I have to wonder how many shot clock violations UConn will have this year due to Azzi and Paige just continually throwing the ball back and forth to each other.

Mmmm.
Hyperbole or sarcasm ?

 

[Dillon77]

Vs Egypt tomorrow at 2:30 pm. The game will very likely be a complete blowout.

By transitivity we should win by 120+ pts

Well, for context, Italy beat Egypt 81-73 and we beat the Italians by nearly 60 points.
Catch the first few shifts.....

 

[hoophuskee]

The first two games of this tournament are the first time I have seen Azzi play actual games and I certainly recognize that two games are way too limited a means for any meaningful judgment particularly as she is playing under a completely different coach, but all that being said, I would have to say that what I saw disappointed me compared to what I expected. She didn't start the first game which surprised me and even though she did start in the second game and played very significant minutes, I agree she seemed like a "pass first" guard rather than the dangerous shooting guard I expected. She seemed quite passive in terms of seeking her shot and even when she took shots in the second game, she didn't shoot with the kind of precision I had expected, either from two point range or from beyond the arc, even tossing up an air ball on one of her three point tries.

I am certainly not making any assumptions, just posting my impression after my first direct exposure to her in game conditions.

I don't agree with any of this. I don't see her at all as a pass 1st guard. I just don't see how you (to be fair- others have too) drew this conclusion. You want her to keep hoisting shots even if she is off rather than also show off that she is one terrific passer?

In game 2 she was 3-9 from the floor. One shot almost broke the backboard - I saw one airball and I heard another was an airball too. You want her to keep hoisting and be a chucker rather than show off other parts of her game? That's not a UCONN player if so.

 

[fan4eva]

Watched the route of Australia. Here is what I noticed.

1. My opinion of Azzi has changed. She is so unselfish, a definite pass-first player. She is one of the few on the team that does a nice job of defending the dribbler. I thought because of her shooting she would start for UConn. I think she will be fine with whatever role Geno has in mind.

2. Lauren Betts and Cameron Brink will be a dynamite tandem in Stanford. Betts has good hands, a nice touch and under control.

3, The last time I saw Peyton Verhulst in FIBA action, I thought she was the best player on that squad. She has either leveled off or others have passed her. Citron is a similar type of player but seemingly more impactful than Verhulst so far.

4. Clark broke open the game in the second quarter with a series of bombs. She is a shoot-first point guard which may annoy some UConn fans but I think Geno would love coaching her if she was a Husky.

5. I think Close has done a good job of getting them to play unselfishly. The teams they crushed aren't great but I think it will take a really good team to beat the USA.

6. Close wants to push it. I don't think DeBerry can handle the pace. Was happy to see her score off a nice feed.

to Clarke is a gunner and selfish player she shoots first and never looks to pass I agree with the assessment of Azzi she's comfortable in who she is and plays like it not like I'm Azzi Fudd the next big thing in basketball, I guess since most of these players are already in college she's deferring to them and playing with a pass and defend point guard who only takes the open shot instead of always looking for her shot as Clarke does

 

[Majic Hands]

With all of this talk about Azzi passing too much and not shooting enough, I have to wonder how many shot clock violations UConn will have this year due to Azzi and Paige just continually throwing the ball back and forth to each other.

Not to worry.
Since Nika will be the Point, Azzi & Paige being "Shooting" guards coming off screen's to shoot/score as the first option, and shuffling the ball off to a teammate in better scoring position the 2nd option. Don't worry.

 

[JoePgh]

to Clarke is a gunner and selfish player she shoots first and never looks to pass I agree with the assessment of Azzi she's comfortable in who she is and plays like it not like I'm Azzi Fudd the next big thing in basketball, I guess since most of these players are already in college she's deferring to them and playing with a pass and defend point guard who only takes the open shot instead of always looking for her shot as Clarke does

If Caitlin Clark is a selfish player who never looks to pass, how did she get 7 assists in yesterday's game?

Do you remember that for much of last year, Geno was trying (with limited success) to get Paige to be less unselfish and more of a gunner, since she had the best jump shot on the team? I agree that Caitlin would not have needed that feedback from her coach, but that is a good thing as long as she hits a good percentage.

In the first half of yesterday's game, she was shooting 3's from Honolulu and they were going in the basket. As long as that is the case, she should keep shooting, because then the opponent will have to guard her at extreme distance from the basket, grievously distorting the defense. In the second half, when she stopped hitting, she probably should have dialed back her 3-point shooting attempts a bit more than she did, but by that time the game was in hand thanks to her first-half scoring.

I think that if Azzi had been shooting well in the first half and Caitlin's shot was not working, Caitlin would have passed to Azzi. That may have been the original game plan, but when it was apparent that Azzi's shot was not falling, Caitlin put the team's scoring on her back -- exactly what she should have done.

 

[JellyBean]

Watched the route of Australia. Here is what I noticed.

1. My opinion of Azzi has changed. She is so unselfish, a definite pass-first player. She is one of the few on the team that does a nice job of defending the dribbler. I thought because of her shooting she would start for UConn. I think she will be fine with whatever role Geno has in mind.

2. Lauren Betts and Cameron Brink will be a dynamite tandem in Stanford. Betts has good hands, a nice touch and under control.

3, The last time I saw Peyton Verhulst in FIBA action, I thought she was the best player on that squad. She has either leveled off or others have passed her. Citron is a similar type of player but seemingly more impactful than Verhulst so far.

4. Clark broke open the game in the second quarter with a series of bombs. She is a shoot-first point guard which may annoy some UConn fans but I think Geno would love coaching her if she was a Husky.

5. I think Close has done a good job of getting them to play unselfishly. The teams they crushed aren't great but I think it will take a really good team to beat the USA.

6. Close wants to push it. I don't think DeBerry can handle the pace. Was happy to see her score off a nice feed.

Great observations and thanks for sharing. I have really come to enjoy Coach Close coaching style the more I watch her teams play. Clark is just a straight beast!!! 24/9/7 those are ELITE numbers. It is going to be interesting to see Azzi and her role with UConn. Heck it is going to be interesting to see everyone's role this season.

 

[JordyG]

Did anyone else notice that when Australia had the ball on
offense, whoever was covered by Azzi seemed to have a
"green" light to drive to the basket? There was rarely
any backside help. VERY IMPRESSED BY LAUREN BETTS!
... Stanford will be good this year and with her next year
there will be little need for a lot of development.
I enjoyed watching Amari and Wolfenbarger on the floor at
the same time. TWO additional 6' 5" players ; such a
luxury and a tall wall for the reserves of any opponent!

I agree mostly, but not completely on Azzi's defense. You stated that backside help was rare. But as a defender rule number one in the quarter court is not to get beat baseline. This U19 team has a skyscraper on defense in Betts, and as a defender it is your job to turn your mark into the defense. Now, if you get beat overplaying the pass, with so much length in the middle, that's explainable. That Azzi was beaten to the baseline any number of times was on her. But Close realizes, as did Berube, that Azzi rarely turns the ball over, is a team first player, and will make the pass and play that's necessary. Azzi is a natural for bringing the ball across the half court. However, during the first game Azzi seemed to be deferring to the upper classmen in the offensive end. This game she hit her first shot, then seemed to lose confidence in her shot when she missed two open pull ups. That however didn't stop her from playing hard on offense and defense, nor did it stop her from moving the ball well on offense and making the good pass. This is why I've said a few times that on offense I believe that when Paige and Azzi are on the court together Azzi will be bringing up the ball.

What isn't there to say about Betts? I was a big fan of hers at her previous U's and I really wanted her in Storrs. Really wanted her. Her game is complete. She can hit the short jumper, finishes with both hands at the cup, runs the floor well, and is a beast on the boards. Stanford can match up against SCar's Boston and Cardoso very well with the killer B's, Belibi, Betts, and Brink. I still think UConn not getting Cardoso was a horrible missed opportunity.

Amari however seems a touch under conditioned, though she runs the floor better than I thought. I'd like to see more of her inside and whether she has anything beyond 8 feet. Egypt is a good game for Amari to get plenty of minutes.

to Clarke is a gunner and selfish player she shoots first and never looks to pass I agree with the assessment of Azzi she's comfortable in who she is and plays like it not like I'm Azzi Fudd the next big thing in basketball, I guess since most of these players are already in college she's deferring to them and playing with a pass and defend point guard who only takes the open shot instead of always looking for her shot as Clarke does

You can't be a player that "never looks to pass" and lead the team in assists. Simply not possible.

 

[cancontent]

If Caitlin Clark is a selfish player who never looks to pass, how did she get 7 assists in yesterday's game?

Do you remember that for much of last year, Geno was trying (with limited success) to get Paige to be less unselfish and more of a gunner, since she had the best jump shot on the team? I agree that Caitlin would not have needed that feedback from her coach, but that is a good thing as long as she hits a good percentage.

In the first half of yesterday's game, she was shooting 3's from Honolulu and they were going in the basket. As long as that is the case, she should keep shooting, because then the opponent will have to guard her at extreme distance from the basket, grievously distorting the defense. In the second half, when she stopped hitting, she probably should have dialed back her 3-point shooting attempts a bit more than she did, but by that time the game was in hand thanks to her first-half scoring.

I think that if Azzi had been shooting well in the first half and Caitlin's shot was not working, Caitlin would have passed to Azzi. That may have been the original game plan, but when it was apparent that Azzi's shot was not falling, Caitlin put the team's scoring on her back -- exactly what she should have done.

I don't think selfish is the right term. I know this word is in response to someone else, however I think it can be viewed from a different vantage point.

I recall there being articles and talk from BIG10 commentators that Coach Bluder had to work on Caitlin not feeling like she had to take on the load by herself. If my memory is correct, a lot was expected out of her with the AAU program and HS teams she played for. This is not an easy thing to change once you move to a different team.

There definitely was a change in her playing style as the season progressed. I think Clark now knows how to balance her playing style depending on the situation due to this.