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Message: [QUOTE="BBallF, post: 5220400, member: 10435"] My first observation is what I have been saying for years to echo your first comments oldude- if you want to appreciate what makes UCONN women's basketball unique, go watch them play in person. When you do, focus on one player for a few minutes, like a Paige, Sarah, Azzi or even an Ash. Pay special attention to them on defense. You will see so many things about the player that you either didn't notice before or just took for granted. You also get to see the whole floor. For example, several of Paige's steals take place before the errant pass is even thrown. Just watch her eyes. As for Sarah, I always remember what Bill Russel used to say about rebounds, that he got most of his before the shot was even taken meaning his positioning, instinct for where the miss would go, and boxing out. Since he averaged over 22 boards a game for his NBA career, I would give some credence to his statement. Sarah fits that mold in my view. Both the team offense and defense are pleasures to watch. Of the two, I favor the defense. Our switches are textbook. They are usually anticipatory, meaning that we switch before the pick by the offense can work. I think the biggest takeaway from the UT game was the new commitment by the team themselves. The defense got ratcheted up at least two notches and if we are going to win this year it will be the defense. You can win with an off night shooting, which will come, when you hold the other team at bay. You can also win with our blow away transition game and 3 point shooting but we can be tight or cold one night. One of my basketball camp coaches, a guy by the name of Bobby Knight, then at Army, used to say that defense is desire. It's true. You don't need any special eye-hand coordination, body control, or perfect pull up to play it, you just have to really want to. As for the team itself, I don't want the season to end. I selfishly don't want to see Paige go. I will be at the second round game at Gampel with my 3 year old granddaughter who is now hooked, when Paige says goodbye to us all. It's been a privilege to watch her. I also will sorely miss Aubrey whose career was truncated at the worst time. She has been such a dynamic force for us and a one player wrecking crew on defense. I think she will have a great tournament. A great finish for us would be storybook given what we have gone through. Whatever happens, let's just enjoy every remaining moment with a team that is just so damn easy to love. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach