Official 25-26 Starters Thread

[Longtime fan]

I don’t think we are disrespecting Ash. I think some of us are married to a more conventional lineup. PG, SG, SF, etc. and to me Azzi and Ash are shooting guards. So in the shooting guard competition; who would you start? I went with Azzi.

I think ASH will start, but I agree with your point about traditional line-ups. ASH can handle the ball well, but she is not a point guard. KK and Kelis Fisher are the two we have. I'm not sure what Allie's natural guard position is. but she has to push her way onto the floor before we can assign her a starting spot. But ASH is a 100% player; energy, defense, rebounding, shooting...she has to start as a junior. At a small forward, I guess. Sarah needs no mention. She is the beating heart of the team. I think the next question is "do we have a portal transfer coming in?" Rumor is that a post player from Wisconsin could be a good match. If that happens she will be our fifth starter. What Geno is building is a team with great depth and resources, where he can mix and match to the talent. Maybe Blanca is spectacular, maybe Cheli is. Maybe Paterson will surprise the world, or even Jana. It will be fun to watch.

 

[Longtime fan]

I agree for the returning players, but the big question is who doesn't start if Blanca is as good as she looks in the videos I've seen?

Jana is not close to starting, in my view. And by that, I don't mean what she is doing now ( she does " start."). By "starting" I mean; she gets most of the court time at the post position (30 minutes, eg?) and is regular , dependable contributor. I hope she improves to that level, but she isn't there yet.

 

[Longtime fan]

Ya really looking forward to seeing her.
Really missed your advanced stats charts the past two games.

True enough, she is unknown to me. I hope she is brilliant and can start from day one.

 

[Centerstream]

Nope, I've never ever heard her called Carol, by anyone, let alone Geno until Eric did it.

She is definitely NOT a "Carol".

Let's not make up stuff. We have plenty of names for her already that we can use.

It is not being made up!!! Geno often calls her Carol. Many here on the BY refer to her as Carol.
Why is it a big deal to you? I know that she is referred to as Carol by many but I ALWAYS will refer to her as Caroline.
Check out my avatar...if I had not ever heard Geno refer to her as Carol, and many times even, do you think that I would be defending EricLA???

 

[EricSD]

1) He doesn't answer my calls. 2) I've never heard him, nor anyone else....EVER...call her that (besides Eric on here). So why would I take it up with him? I'll take it up with the poster who is making things up.

Maybe the mods can put you in a time out because you have now derailed 2 threads arguing incessantly about no one ever calling Caroline "Carol". Yikes.

 

[Blond D.]

Azzi, KK, Ashlynn, Sarah and Morgan. I know a lot of people have Blanca starting but shes a freshman and has to show me something before I start her. Blanca played in Ecuador and thats a lot different than the USA.

 

[Bone Dog]

Azzi, KK, Ashlynn, Sarah and Morgan. I know a lot of people have Blanca starting but shes a freshman and has to show me something before I start her. Blanca played in Ecuador and thats a lot different than the USA.

Blanca played in a pro league in Italy, not Ecuador.

 

[PvP]

1) He doesn't answer my calls. 2) I've never heard him, nor anyone else....EVER...call her that (besides Eric on here). So why would I take it up with him? I'll take it up with the poster who is making things up.

I can see you are one of those guys who doesn't want to be confused by the FACTS. When you are clearly wrong you just double down.

Meanwhile more people "like" my facts so I have wasted enough time trying to help someone who has no interest in facts.

So dream on and wallow in your ignorance....

 

[Steelerone]

No thoughts of who may be using the transfer portal? They will have to be replaced even though they probably spent more time on the bench than in games. And I'm sure Geno is going to go after a big. This is Jana's third year coming up and how much improvement have we seen? Even when Geno starts her she is usually the first one out. K.K., Sarah and Azzi for sure. The rest will depend on who is here next year.

 

[Zonepress]

There's the '25 starters and then there's the '26 starters. Why would they be different? The unknowns - Kelis and Blanca, incoming freshman with interesting potential. KK and Ash certainly in '25, they have earned it, but there's a reason they are not starting this year. It's Kaitlyn over KK due to BB IQ and control. It's Azzi over Ash due to ability to get open and score in multiple ways in tough games. It's also that the defensive abilities of that duo coming off the bench is absolutely one of UConn's unique strengths. Interesting choices there for Geno next year. All of this may be moot if Geno gets a quality BIG and is less dependent on a small lineup.

If you think kk is somehow lacking bb IQ you must be watching different games
Most likely she is not starting as GA valued
KC shooting over Kk defense and ball handling
Azzi starts because she is a better player
Your comment “ there’s a reason they’re not starting this year” gives a negative take
Which to me is completely false
They are both very good college players, who have started in a final four, and you could make the case at Kk was our best player on the floor in the Iowa game

 

[Zonepress]

I think everyone is disrespecting Ash.

I'd say KK, Ash, Azzi, and Sarah are the for sures. It's that 5 spot for me that is up in the air between Jana, Ice, and a mystery transfer.... I think it will be a true big since the wing spot will be a guard IMO.

To be honest, I don't know if I am happy with 14 players, and maybe 15 if we get the girl from Wisconsin. It's not just 15 players, it’s 15 talented players. As far as a line-up, obviously Azzi, Sarah, Ash, KK, Jana. I won't talk about the other players because there is no way that anyone can predict what will happen in the next 8 months. I thought this discussion was early and annoying when it was starting in the summer, but this season is still going on, and the thought that this will go on all summer is crazy. LOL. With so much talent, we could go with 3 line-up that can really play. I certainly don't advocate what Kim Caldwell is doing, but Geno has a lot to figure out when September rolls around.

15 players is not manageable
Hard to play more than 8

 

[Zonepress]

I can see you are one of those guys who doesn't want to be confused by the FACTS. When you are clearly wrong you just double down.

Meanwhile more people "like" my facts so I have wasted enough time trying to help someone who has no interest in facts.

So dream on and wallow in your ignorance....

Lol

 

[Blond D.]

Blanca played in a pro league in Italy, not Ecuador.

Sorry, Blanca is FROM Ecuador. But isnt the Pro league in Italy a lot like the pro league in Egypt that Jana played in?

 

[ERWUC65]

If you think kk is somehow lacking bb IQ you must be watching different games
Most likely she is not starting as GA valued
KC shooting over Kk defense and ball handling
Azzi starts because she is a better player
Your comment “ there’s a reason they’re not starting this year” gives a negative take
Which to me is completely false
They are both very good college players, who have started in a final four, and you could make the case at Kk was our best player on the floor in the Iowa game

KK, in the Iowa game and also in the SDS game was instrumental in the win and as Geno said " changed the game when she came in". My point here is that it's her intensity and defense and disruptiveness that is her hallmark, not directing the offense as a true PG. My comment about " there's a reason they're not starting" was not a negative at all, actually a positive for them providing Geno with something no one else has, two very good college players, who coming in off the bench, make UConn a unique challenge for any opponent. Read it again, please.

 

[Vowelguy]

1) He doesn't answer my calls. 2) I've never heard him, nor anyone else....EVER...call her that (besides Eric on here). So why would I take it up with him? I'll take it up with the poster who is making things up.

I've seen other threads where she was referred to as "Carol" and was annoyed as I thought it was a dumb shortening of the name she actually has.

Then I heard or saw a quote recently where Geno called her Carol. So I had to accept that it is indeed a name used and presumably approved by Ducharme.

 

[Bone Dog]

Sorry, Blanca is FROM Ecuador. But isnt the Pro league in Italy a lot like the pro league in Egypt that Jana played in?

Sorry, I thought you meant she'd only played in Ecuador and were implying that it is not as competitive as American high school ball. My point was that playing in a pro league in Italy against a lot of current WNBA players is actually much more competitive than American high school ball.

As far as I know from indirect accounts, the pro league in Egypt is not as competitive as the European leagues. Here, too, I take it you mean to imply that she'll be as unprepared for D1 college ball as Jana was. I think this is probably a mistake. You may want to watch some of her videos from Italy to see by how much.

 

[Zonepress]

KK, in the Iowa game and also in the SDS game was instrumental in the win and as Geno said " changed the game when she came in". My point here is that it's her intensity and defense and disruptiveness that is her hallmark, not directing the offense as a true PG. My comment about " there's a reason they're not starting" was not a negative at all, actually a positive for them providing Geno with something no one else has, two very good college players, who coming in off the bench, make UConn a unique challenge for any opponent. Read it again, please

Sure but I could not let your comments stand that KK does not have a high basketball IQ

 

[Vowelguy]

Sorry, I thought you meant she'd only played in Ecuador and were implying that it is not as competitive as American high school ball. My point was that playing in a pro league in Italy against a lot of current WNBA players is actually much more competitive than American high school ball.

As far as I know from indirect accounts, the pro league in Egypt is not as competitive as the European leagues. Here, too, I take it you mean to imply that she'll be as unprepared for D1 college ball as Jana was. I think this is probably a mistake. You may want to watch some of her videos from Italy to see by how much.

who are some of the W players in that league?

 

[Bone Dog]

who are some of the W players in that league?

Dorka, Sara Scalia to name just two.

 

[oldhusky]

Agree with this 100%.

KK: There is no one on the team who will be better at running it, and her elite defense will make KK a complete demon from the jump. I hope she continues to work on her 3 point shooting. People who want to point to that as a weakness are technically correct that her % is not great for the season (22%, actually lower than Jana), but she was much better the 2nd half AFTER Geno had that chat with her and basically said "use your energy and aggression driving more to the basket opening up opportunities either for you to score, or to dish to an open teammate". I still think sometimes she plays out of control, but you can't fault her effort.

Azzi: 2 years ago she started the season absolutely on fire (in a season Paige was out) and was being talked about as a possible NPOY candidate early on before her injury. Azzi has a COMPLETE game on both sides of the floor - and is much more than an elite 3 point shooter. I pray that she has a full season of 100% health and shows the country just how good we all know she can be...

Blanca: Having seen video of her, I believe she is one of the elite recruits of the class. I totally get that Geno doesn't like starting freshmen, but much like Sarah, I think Blanca will be too good to NOT start her. BUT if it's close, I could totally see Ash starting here...

Sarah: What more can you say about her? I knew she'd be good. I had no idea she'd be this good. (Sadly) with no Juju next season, I expect Azzi, Sarah, Hidalgo, Booker... to be among the folks being discussed early on as NPOY candidates. Can you imagine Sarah with a sophomore leap? The rest of WCBB should be worried about that LOL.

Center Transfer: If it's not Serah, I think Geno will go after another high quality center. Jana has shown she's just not quite ready. I do believe she has the talent and drive to be great, but it's a big ask for a freshman center to be great out the gate, especially after coming back from an injury. I think (obviously just IMHO) Geno has been a little too hard on her in yanking her out of games, and not putting her back in after dumb plays, but he knows what he's doing. Still, I'm not convinced, even with a sophomore leap, that Jana will start, unless he gets no one in the portal.

I hope Morgan comes back 100%. If so, we know what we will get from her, Ash, and Ice. I hope that Allie has a serious sophomore leap because as the #7 recruit out of HS, she was underwhelming this season. I also hope Jana has a nice sophomore leap. Then there are the question marks - Qadence, Ayanna, Carol, Gandy and Kelis.

Ayanna has never been healthy, but Carol has already seen time on the floor. I pray for both of them that they have great seasons - they deserve some good luck health-wise! I think Gandy will be a project. I don't see her as having AA potential, but will she be closer to Tina Charles or Heather Buck? Honestly I'd be thrilled if she was anywhere near close to ONO. Kelis is not highly ranked (top 30 for the most part), but has done well at AAU events. Qadence - she seems to have had no sophomore leap, and still is relegated to the end of the bench with minutes at the end of games. Not sure I see that changing next season.

I also would not be surprised to see Geno go after a backup PG. Not one he expects to start, but one who can backup KK. not sure Kelis will be ready for 15 MPG as the primary backup. Perhaps he uses Azzi in that role. Or even Morgan.

UConn loses a ton. Paige, Cait, Aubrey - but they also have a lot coming back, and another terrific freshman coming in. Go UConn!

Agree with most of this excellent analysis. As for Jana I think she sometimes gets a short hook too. As a team Uconn has very good decision making, good shot selection, passing, and relatively few mistakes like turnovers or dumb personal fouls. Geno uses playing time as his leverage to reduce those mistakes, which I understand up to a point.

Where I might question Geno would be if he sat a superior player who is more mistake prone, in favor of someone who does little to help the team but makes sound decisions. At times I think he might do that, the best player overall is not always the one who makes the fewest mistakes or has the best basketball IQ, if the talent differential is big enough.

Some people have great instincts and some don't, and Jana until this year played a different style of basketball, against vastly different competition, and this is the first time she has been asked to play like a traditional low post C. As much as I cringe with some of those mistakes, IMO she needs to be allowed to play thru more of those than Geno seems to accept with his quick hooks.

 

[mudblood]

I've seen other threads where she was referred to as "Carol" and was annoyed as I thought it was a dumb shortening of the name she actually has.

Then I heard or saw a quote recently where Geno called her Carol. So I had to accept that it is indeed a name used and presumably approved by Ducharme.

True. Let's put this one to bed by just looking at Geno's postgame after the recent game in which Carol played - last week, first round...

 

[Aluminny69]

I found the Australian podcaster, Back2 Sports, latest video interesting. ( Actually, I like most of his videos.) It is divided into three parts, with one part devoted to Azzi's return, and possible lineups for next year. The other two segments are also interesting.

 

[uconnfan68]

I found the Australian podcaster, Back2 Sports, latest video interesting. ( Actually, I like most of his videos.) It is divided into three parts, with one part devoted to Azzi's return, and possible lineups for next year. The other two segments are also interesting.

I find it hard to believe he couldn't figure out the Marisa Mosely was a UConn assistant coach.

 

[Zarathustra]

who are some of the W players in that league?

Dorka J. plays in the same league and there have
been video Highlights posted of Blanca vs Dorka in
a number of games. I believe that Diamond Miller,
previously at the University of Maryland and the LYNX of the WNBA
also played against Blanca. Dorka (LYNX) and Diamond (LYNX) were
on the WNBA ALL ROOKIE team. My guess is that with
a little research a fair number of WNBA players could
be identified throughout the Italian League. The
Egyptian league is more of a "club league". I think of it like the
competition that NIKA and her sister, Hana, played
against in the (age group) games in Croatia. Also, the FIBA African
"Championships" are "national" teams playing against each other
in the "AFRICIAN" Zone of FIBA. So literally and figuratively speaking,
that level of competition is not "in the same league" as the
Italian League. To make things more complicate, the European
national teams in FIBA move UP and DOWN in divisions ("A",
"B" and "C"). You have to know what "division" the team is
playing in to appreciate the level/quality of play. As an example,
I believe that the Croatian FIBA national team (an age group determined team)
has moved UP in ranking since "THE BIG O", Olivia Vukosa has been playing with
her Croatian teammates. One of her Croatian teammates has recently committed
to Stanford (I believe: Pilac?).

 

[BobbyJ]

Dorka J. plays in the same league and there have
been video Highlights posted of Blanca vs Dorka in
a number of games. I believe that Diamond Miller,
previously at the University of Maryland and the LYNX of the WNBA
also played against Blanca. Dorka (LYNX) and Diamond (LYNX) were
on the WNBA ALL ROOKIE team. My guess is that with
a little research a fair number of WNBA players could
be identified throughout the Italian League. The
Egyptian league is more of a "club league". I think of it like the
competition that NIKA and her sister, Hana, played
against in the (age group) games in Croatia. Also, the FIBA African
"Championships" are "national" teams playing against each other
in the "AFRICIAN" Zone of FIBA. So literally and figuratively speaking,
that level of competition is not "in the same league" as the
Italian League. To make things more complicate, the European
national teams in FIBA move UP and DOWN in divisions ("A",
"B" and "C"). You have to know what "division" the team is
playing in to appreciate the level/quality of play. As an example,
I believe that the Croatian FIBA national team (an age group determined team)
has moved UP in ranking since "THE BIG O", Olivia Vukosa has been playing with
her Croatian teammates. One of her Croatian teammates has recently committed
to Stanford (I believe: Pilac?).

Lena Bilic, 6-3 wing going to UCLA.

 

[Longtime fan]

Jana is not close to starting, in my view. And by that, I don't mean what she is doing now ( she does " start."). By "starting" I mean; she gets most of the court time at the post position (30 minutes, eg?) and is regular , dependable contributor. I hope she improves to that level, but she isn't there yet.

If she is as good as " advertised" she will start, just as Sarah did. They will be the two forwards, and the Wisconsin transfer ( if it occurs) will start at the post. ICE and Caroline and Morgan will back-up the forward spots. ASH will play anywhere for 30 minutes. AZZI will start at shooting guard and KK or the new kid at point. Everyone else will fill in. The numbers are huge.

 

[David54]

Recently saw a ranking of international players 25.
Bilic was first but blanc was 2 or 3 and makeer was behind her at 3 or 4.
I’ve been unsuccessful in finding this list doing google search but will edit a link if I do find it.

 

[jabstep]

KK,Azzi,Sara,Serah,Blanca
Ash- 6th woman
The rest will fight for time

 

[oldhusky]

I think one thing about Paige leaving that is underestimated, is how much her amazing versatility allowed Geno to generally put the other 4 best players on the floor with her. Her being exceptional at 1-4 solved a lot of problems. She was largely a 3 this year and rebounds and blocks shots fine for a 3, but that is not the same for the other "guards".

Ashlynn or Azzi at the 3 is completely different. They are both natural 2's and either at the 3 is far less effective than at the 2. Ashlynn rebounds at a rate that would be fine for a 2, but weak for a 3, and Azzi would not be an above average rebounder if she was playing the point, and would be severely weak as a 3. Both players are also significantly weaker trying to play the point, they are 2's pure and simple.

Ashlynn could be the third best player on the team and not start as long as Azzi is ahead of her on the depth chart at the 2. KK, although she played off the ball her first year, is a natural 1 and other than Sarah and Azzi she has the easiest path to a starting role largely by default.

Blanca looks like a 3 to me and I hope she is ready to be our 3 from day one. I know some would like to play her at the 4 and Ashlynn at the 3, but I have not seen enough rebounding in Blanca's stats or videos to suggest that is a strength for her, so I see that combo as weak on the boards and undersized at the 3 and 4, not just one position. If Blanca was out I could see Ashlynn playing some at the 3, vs, say the option of Morgan or even Allie, but more on a spot than regular basis.

So I have KK starting over Ashlynn even though I think Ashlynn is the better overall player, because KK would be at her best position where she has little competition, and Ashlynn has Azzi at her natural position and a new player likely star player coming in at her next best position.

Morgan might not have big time star potential, but if she turns out to be good enough to be in the regular rotation, she could like Paige provide 1-4 versatility (albeit at a different level) and reduce the need to use the other players outside of their natural position. I hope that happens and then Ashlynn and Morgan become the first guard and wing options off the bench, with Ice, Ayanna and Gandy competing for backup big minutes with Jana added to that group if we got Williams to start.

 

[Bone Dog]

Morgan might not have big time star potential, but if she turns out to be good enough to be in the regular rotation, she could like Paige provide 1-4 versatility (albeit at a different level) and reduce the need to use the other players outside of their natural position. I hope that happens and then Ashlynn and Morgan become the first guard and wing options off the bench,

I like your thinking here, especially about the question of rebounding. But I may be more optimistic about Morgan’s possible contribution in this area and elsewhere. Geno seemed to have great confidence in her before the injury, even though her stats didn’t leap off the page. He must have been seeing something in practices that hadn’t yet fully expressed itself during games.

On rebounding, the team averaged 36/g with about half coming from Sarah and the platoon of Ice and Jana. The rest came from the guards, with Paige getting ~4.5 and the 4-headed monster of Azzi Kaitlyn Kk and Ash combining for ~9. Morgan was good for 2.5 in her 13 minutes per game. If she plays 20 mins next season she might account for the rebounds Paige would have gotten. This is without taking account of Blanca or any new bigs who arrive.

I wonder what Geno imagines for Morgan and how she might contribute next season. She was a Swiss-army-knife type in high school who mainly worked from the PG position but who did much more. Perhaps he sees her in the mold of Evina but taller, who filled many roles for UConn. She is not nearly as confident or skilled a scorer as Evina was. I wonder if we’ll see any growth in this area next season.

I also share your question about Blanca as a rebounder. She seems like a scrappy defender and that might translate into rebounding numbers. But this is not nearly clear yet. If Sarah Blanca and the Big platoon combine for ~24/g, Geno will need another ~12 from everyone else. One new source, if she’s healthy enough to mix it up in the paint, is Caroline. In her first two seasons, she averaged 3.7 rebounds and 8.5 points per game. Could she fill the gap next season?