Olivia Nelson-Ododa stay focused!

[Newfie]

I can’t imagine how Olivia must feel today. I’m sure she is well aware of her responsibility in last night’s loss. She’s still just a kid. Hopefully she doesn’t read the Boneyard. And hopefully she can put that game behind her and start fresh next year. It’s easy for us to say it’s nerves etc. and criticize her for that. Sometimes you just can’t control nerves.

 

[phil sampieri]

None of my old coaches thought you could teach toughness, and I would agree after years of coaching girls and boys - it seems to be innate trait.

Partially true but the example was ser by Tine Charles who for her 1st year and a half Geno used to get on her for being just a nice kid. After that she really work on being super aggressive, which she was

 

[Go/huskies]

She was rated #5 overall in her high school class. IMO, it’s hard to remember a more-underperforming “big” at UConn.

Maybe McLaren, or Stokes, neither one of them were top 5 recruits, but they were high school All Americans bigs who didn’t didn’t seem to develop much.

 

[phil sampieri]

I can’t imagine how Olivia must feel today. I’m sure she is well aware of her responsibility in last night’s loss. She’s still just a kid. Hopefully she doesn’t read the Boneyard. And hopefully she can put that game behind her and start fresh next year. It’s easy for us to say it’s nerves etc. and criticize her for that. Sometimes you just can’t control nerves.

If she reads some of the posts that point out her faults and she doesn’t respond with just just you wait and see,then she will not improve. Hopes are that isn’t going to be the case.

 

[JoePgh]

I have several reactions that go in different directions:

• I think Olivia's scoring failures were the decisive element in UConn's loss of the game. She was 0-for-7 from the field (and I believe every one of those 7 shots was a layup attempt), and 1-for-4 from the line. If she had made 4 of her 7 layup attempts and 3 out of 4 free throws, that would have been 10 more UConn points, which was AZ's margin of victory. Moreover, if she had done that, she would have played more than 21 minutes, and would have been on the floor in the final minutes of the game, which would have further tipped the balance toward UConn.
• BUT ... if you look at her sitting on the bench, you will see that her physique is VERY developed compared to her freshman year. She is NOT a physically weak post player, even in comparison to other top post players on top teams. If she were not physically strong, she would not have gotten all the contested rebounds that she got this year, including 6 rebounds in the AZ game, and several against Egbo and Smith on Monday night. Her problem last night was nerves on the big stage, aggravated by the fact that UConn trailed in the game and really needed her to perform. It was not physical inability to score through contact. As far as I could see, most of her layup attempts against AZ were essentially uncontested, but she missed them anyway.
• Geno has acknowledged that she prefers to play at the high post on offense. Until this year, he did not encourage that, since there was no one to scrap in the paint. But with Edwards now on the team and fully capable of the scrapping role, Geno can play Liv at the high post and thereby take advantage of her passing abilities, which are considerable. You should have noticed that on defense, she always plays under the basket where she can't avoid the physical play, and she seems to be doing well as a defensive rebounder even against good competition.
• I don't think there is anything, other than increasing personal maturity aided by the experience of this setback, to calm her nerves in tight situations where he team is counting on her. So I wouldn't put that on her development list for next year.
• But I certainly would put improvements on her shooting accuracy, both from 15 feet and on free throws, at the top of her list for summer improvements. If she is going to play in the high post effectively, she needs to make that shot often enough that defenses need to guard it. That should be a reachable summer goal.

If she grows emotionally and fixes her jump shot and her free throw shooting, I think she can be a Top 8 draft choice in next year's draft. I'm fairly optimistic that she will do exactly that.

 

[dogpause]

I can't recall his name, but I remember a mens' team player, a Power Forward, I believe, who missed a lot of layups early in his college career, but went on to become a reliable scorer as a junior and senior. I feel for Olivia, but I have no doubts that coaching, and a targeted set of drills will help her. This seems to be a confidence issue. Some athletes may be big and strong, but that doesn't mean they have an abundance of confidence. Maybe Geno needs to help her with that too.

 

[cbraarj]

Stef was able to keep the ball above her head when shooting layups and put backs. It reduces time for defenders to react and reduces chances of getting blocked. Many BYers have already said this but she brings the ball too low and then up for her shots around the rim.

And still releases the ball around her shoulders underneath. Her hand is never near the rim on release.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Maybe McLaren, or Stokes, neither one of them were top 5 recruits, but they were high school All Americans bigs who didn’t didn’t seem to develop much.

But Stokes turned into a shot-blocking machine. Was very effective on defense.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

A huge amount will be riding on DeBerry's development next year. She could make a world of difference in next year's tourney if she develops into the down low presence that Edwards needs to take the pressure off her. If DeBerry performs, ONO will be relegated to the bench for long stretches.

 

[cbraarj]

But Stokes turned into a shot-blocking machine. Was very effective on defense.

Kiah was the smoothest when blocking shots. Her positioning and keeping the ball in play. If she had starter minutes I wonder how many she would have had.

 

[Twolf]

None of my old coaches thought you could teach toughness, and I would agree after years of coaching girls and boys - it seems to be innate trait.

I would agree with you to a certain point, but I do think it can be improved upon. When you get a player whose toughness and aggressiveness is at a 4 on a scale of 10, after 4 years you might get it to a 7, but you’ll never get it to a 10 cause it just isn’t in them. At least that’s been my experience- maybe others have had more success.

 

[BobbyJ]

I think she's made progress every year, on defense, rebounding, shot blocking and passing.............my hope is she puts it all together with an improved outside shot and finishing strong in the paint in her senior season..............BTW there aren't many top tier basketball coaches that wouldn't like having her on their team....

I've been as big a supporter of Ono as anyone, but if she wanted to learn post footwork, how to extend both hands high to release, and develop a half hook with either hand, she could have and would have by now. It's not that difficult, just takes some time and work. If for some reason she hasn't gotten the instruction from the staff, she should've gone out and got it on her own.

 

[HopJim]

While ONO may continue to develop, likely some of her and all the bigs increase in performance will come from Geno and the coaches. While ignored in some of the posts, with ONO and Edwards, we already have one of the best defenses in the country. While I respect Boston and some other opposition post players, unlike past years, there is no team I fear due to their size. With more experience, UConn's defense could be scary next year.

This year, our bigs had to fight to get position down low on offense. Within our league, they looked unstoppable but against the top teams, not so much. Next year, I predict Geno will run more picks to get them open or isolated on smaller players. While like most I cringe at some of the lay ups ONO misses, we have some of the best shooters in the US and don't need a bulked up, high scoring ONO to win it all.

 

[CocoHusky]

While ONO may continue to develop, likely some of her and all the bigs increase in performance will come from Geno and the coaches. While ignored in some of the posts, with ONO and Edwards, we already have one of the best defenses in the country. While I respect Boston and some other opposition post players, unlike past years, there is no team I fear due to their size. With more experience, UConn's defense could be scary next year.

This year, our bigs had to fight to get position down low on offense. Within our league, they looked unstoppable but against the top teams, not so much. Next year, I predict Geno will run more picks to get them open or isolated on smaller players. While like most I cringe at some of the lay ups ONO misses, we have some of the best shooters in the US and don't need a bulked up, high scoring ONO to win it all.

It seen to me this post and many others like it could have been written (probably was) at the conclusion of ONO's Freshman year. This is the conclusion of her Junior year. Candidly I don't think this team should invest another year in ONO hoping she will develop into a reliable post player (starter) to complement the outstanding UCONN perimeter play. A better investment for next year IMO is in the development of Aaliyah Edwards and Amari DeBerry. I'm also getting increasingly annoyed with the references to ONO's WNBA potential or draft stock ( not your post @HopJim ). I honestly don't care about her WNBA potential, I'm interested in what she can do to help UCONN next season.

 

[Charliebball]

I've been as big a supporter of Ono as anyone, but if she wanted to learn post footwork, how to extend both hands high to release, and develop a half hook with either hand, she could have and would have by now. It's not that difficult, just takes some time and work. If for some reason she hasn't gotten the instruction from the staff, she should've gone out and got it on her own.

if you compare her offensive skills to her freshman season I think she's improved..............yes she could increase her repertoire but I think at this point she could add six points to her scoring average simply by finishing at the basket and that's more about confidence and belief when she anticipates contact than it is skill at this point................that's on the player and the coaches to get right..........

 

[Gus Mahler]

Liv is shooting 60% from the charity stripe, not much worse than Aaliyah and CW who are also in the 60s, eh?

I think CW was 69-something last I looked. Would be nice if next year she could bump that up to 75-80%.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I have several reactions that go in different directions:

• I think Olivia's scoring failures were the decisive element in UConn's loss of the game. She was 0-for-7 from the field (and I believe every one of those 7 shots was a layup attempt), and 1-for-4 from the line. If she had made 4 of her 7 layup attempts and 3 out of 4 free throws, that would have been 10 more UConn points, which was AZ's margin of victory. Moreover, if she had done that, she would have played more than 21 minutes, and would have been on the floor in the final minutes of the game, which would have further tipped the balance toward UConn.
• BUT ... if you look at her sitting on the bench, you will see that her physique is VERY developed compared to her freshman year. She is NOT a physically weak post player, even in comparison to other top post players on top teams. If she were not physically strong, she would not have gotten all the contested rebounds that she got this year, including 6 rebounds in the AZ game, and several against Egbo and Smith on Monday night. Her problem last night was nerves on the big stage, aggravated by the fact that UConn trailed in the game and really needed her to perform. It was not physical inability to score through contact. As far as I could see, most of her layup attempts against AZ were essentially uncontested, but she missed them anyway.
• Geno has acknowledged that she prefers to play at the high post on offense. Until this year, he did not encourage that, since there was no one to scrap in the paint. But with Edwards now on the team and fully capable of the scrapping role, Geno can play Liv at the high post and thereby take advantage of her passing abilities, which are considerable. You should have noticed that on defense, she always plays under the basket where she can't avoid the physical play, and she seems to be doing well as a defensive rebounder even against good competition.
• I don't think there is anything, other than increasing personal maturity aided by the experience of this setback, to calm her nerves in tight situations where he team is counting on her. So I wouldn't put that on her development list for next year.
• But I certainly would put improvements on her shooting accuracy, both from 15 feet and on free throws, at the top of her list for summer improvements. If she is going to play in the high post effectively, she needs to make that shot often enough that defenses need to guard it. That should be a reachable summer goal.

If she grows emotionally and fixes her jump shot and her free throw shooting, I think she can be a Top 8 draft choice in next year's draft. I'm fairly optimistic that she will do exactly that.

@JoePgh, excellent post.

 

[Jingo]

I have several reactions that go in different directions:

• I think Olivia's scoring failures were the decisive element in UConn's loss of the game. She was 0-for-7 from the field (and I believe every one of those 7 shots was a layup attempt), and 1-for-4 from the line. If she had made 4 of her 7 layup attempts and 3 out of 4 free throws, that would have been 10 more UConn points, which was AZ's margin of victory. Moreover, if she had done that, she would have played more than 21 minutes, and would have been on the floor in the final minutes of the game, which would have further tipped the balance toward UConn.
• BUT ... if you look at her sitting on the bench, you will see that her physique is VERY developed compared to her freshman year. She is NOT a physically weak post player, even in comparison to other top post players on top teams. If she were not physically strong, she would not have gotten all the contested rebounds that she got this year, including 6 rebounds in the AZ game, and several against Egbo and Smith on Monday night. Her problem last night was nerves on the big stage, aggravated by the fact that UConn trailed in the game and really needed her to perform. It was not physical inability to score through contact. As far as I could see, most of her layup attempts against AZ were essentially uncontested, but she missed them anyway.
• Geno has acknowledged that she prefers to play at the high post on offense. Until this year, he did not encourage that, since there was no one to scrap in the paint. But with Edwards now on the team and fully capable of the scrapping role, Geno can play Liv at the high post and thereby take advantage of her passing abilities, which are considerable. You should have noticed that on defense, she always plays under the basket where she can't avoid the physical play, and she seems to be doing well as a defensive rebounder even against good competition.
• I don't think there is anything, other than increasing personal maturity aided by the experience of this setback, to calm her nerves in tight situations where he team is counting on her. So I wouldn't put that on her development list for next year.
• But I certainly would put improvements on her shooting accuracy, both from 15 feet and on free throws, at the top of her list for summer improvements. If she is going to play in the high post effectively, she needs to make that shot often enough that defenses need to guard it. That should be a reachable summer goal.

If she grows emotionally and fixes her jump shot and her free throw shooting, I think she can be a Top 8 draft choice in next year's draft. I'm fairly optimistic that she will do exactly that.

I agree, Liv is definitely a lottery pick despite all the naysayers piling on, blaming her for the AZ loss. It's just a game, she's just a kid, no need for so many posters to be so critical and mean-spirited, eh?

 

[ConnMotors]

Shw was horrible last night. But she has had good games. Don't judge her on one performance.

Am sorry but you have to judge on one performance. This tournament wasn't on her side. I love the lady but she has to get strong to be a good player. No points in the paint proved harmful to the team. You can't have players continuously missing layups. And, it wasn't just Ono. It was the whole team.

 

[Waquoit]

This was an all-timer. What can you say?

 

[Monte]

Build up a strong muscular body, and she will be fine.

 

[topogigio]

Her form is poor. She shoots a line drive and holds the ball over her head. Why don't the coaching staff work on that with her.??

I don't think it's the coaching, everyone can see the line drive, poor form. I think Liv reverts to her default skills under game pressure. She made some great strides last year when Jamelle came in, but I don't know where they went. More strength work, add some weight, the fall away jumper has to go, concentrate on one or two up and under moves, and work them to death until it is automatic.

 

[sno-cat]

Just forget the layups and have her dunk the ball!

 

[Bigflip12]

I wrote this post as a true supporter of Oliva and my vision to see her do well in her senior year at UConn. It was not my intention for this post to be critical of her in any manner. I am sure she knows the things she needs to work on to be memorable player in UConn women's basketball history. I truly think and hope she will have a happy ending to her UConn career.

 

[veryolddog]

Olivia, oh Olivia. Wasn't that the name of Hamlet's girlfriend? Didn't he say: "get thee to a nunnery"? Whatever. I like Olivia. She has come a long way since her first year at UConn. She has some very good games and some where Geno feels that she did not live up to her potential. In my comfortable recliner chair at home, there are some moments where I thought that she should have made those layups. And, there are times where she cannot be defeated in going to the basket. Next year as a senior, she will have to prove her worth in order to go to the WNBA.

I am an armchair enthusiast. In my younger days when I was in the Marine Corps, I could not even be close in doing what Olivia or any member of the UConn basketball team does in playing that game. By the same token, they could not come close to do what I did when I was in the Marine Corps. Be that as it may, my opinion is this: Geno will decide where and when to play Olivia, guide her and help her improve herself to live up to her potential. I do not feel up to the task to be that critical of Olivia except to say, that I would like to see her make more baskets around the basket than miss those easy little shots. Sam Sneed, any one remember him? use to say that the game was won around and on the green.

But you guys are experts and could coach Olivia better than I can, so you can decide if she is worth the effort or not.