Olivia Nelson-Ododa stay focused! | The Boneyard

Olivia Nelson-Ododa stay focused!

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Bigflip12

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I have not seen a UConn women's basketball player that has gone through so much with her own personal game and the expectations of the fan base than Oliva. I hope next year she has a great year, be the MVP of the NCAA Tournament Women's National championship game and when the final horn sounds of the game she kicks the ball into the stands! I pray she does well!
Olivia Nelson-Ododa4.jpg
 
Bigflip12 said:
I have not seen a UConn women's basketball player that has gone through so much with her own personal game and the expectations of the fan base than Oliva. I hope next year she has a great year, be the MVP of the NCAA Tournament Women's National championship game and when the final horn sounds of the game she kicks the ball into the stands! I pray she does well!
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I would be happy with a few made layups.!!
 
amishboy said:
She was rated #5 overall in her high school class. IMO, it’s hard to remember a more-underperforming “big” at UConn.
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Shw was horrible last night. But she has had good games. Don't judge her on one performance.
 
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Nelson-Ododa shot under .500 just twice during conference play, both times were against Marquette when she was 2-5 and 4-9. She also had a 5-14 outing against UMass Lowell in the season opener.

There is not a lot of great post play or tall post players in the Big East. Many if the notable players are guards/wings like Selena Lott, Espinoza-Hunter, Park-Lane, Sonya Morris, Lexi Held, Leilani Correa, etc.

Aside from her nice game against Syracuse, she has not been able to score or shoot the ball well against better competition:
  • 2-7 against Tennessee
  • 1-2 against Arkansas
  • 3-10 against South Carolina
  • 2-6 against Iowa
  • 1-3 against Baylor
  • 0-7 against Arizona

Arizona and Arkansas do not have a lot of height inside, and Czinano is not necessarily a great post defender.

She does do a lot of things well (defense, rebounding, passing), but her inability to convert layups in non-conference games is something that should not be an issue at this point. Especially in games like Arkansas and Arizona that aren’t known for their post play.
 
ONO got a lot going for her on defense (aside then some silly fouls) but if she wants a future in the WNBA she MUST get on a serious weight lifting program during the summer. She is just physically to weak to battle aggressive posts and probably a big reason why she misses those lay-ups.
 
dtbtbtb said:
ONO got a lot going for her on defense (aside then some silly fouls) but if she wants a future in the WNBA she MUST get on a serious weight lifting program during the summer. She is just physically to weak to battle aggressive posts and probably a big reason why she misses those lay-ups.
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Since this is her last year before the WNBA , I really do not see her physical strength making a big jump. Therefore, She needs to continue on her path of getting her range out to 18 feet, be able to drive facing the basket, perfect her fadeaway, run to the rim like Aaliyah and maybe develop some hook shot. This is what Breanna had to do to compensate for a slight frame. Getting her 3 point shot is beyond hope.
 
eebmg said:
Since this is her last year before the WNBA , I really do not see her physical strength making a big jump. Therefore, She needs to continue on her path of getting her range out to 18 feet, be able to drive facing the basket, perfect her fadeaway, run to the rim like Aaliyah and maybe develop some hook shot. This is what Breanna had to do to compensate for a slight frame. Getting her 3 point shot is beyond hope.
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6'5" kids shouldn't be fading away. She needs to improve her jumper and also perfect quick moves with either hand. I would have her watch tapes of Kevin McHale to learn some of his moves. With her footwork, she could become very accomplished.
 
dtbtbtb said:
ONO got a lot going for her on defense (aside then some silly fouls) but if she wants a future in the WNBA she MUST get on a serious weight lifting program during the summer. She is just physically to weak to battle aggressive posts and probably a big reason why she misses those lay-ups.
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Yes, Ono has a great defensive impact on this team. When Edwards is on the court in low post position we have been most effective. Because Ono doesn't shoot well from the key, the defense can pack in the hoop. Her shooting technique is flawed, look at the clothes line foul shots she shoots. In her three years at UConn this hasn't been address nor her tendency to undershoot layups. They are called layups with an open palm, not jamdowns. Don't know if touch can be taught? Can it? She still is a difference maker in many games and a serious plus for the team. Her effort and desire are strong. She has changed her game a lot this year to accommodate Edwards and driving guards, it may take a virus free fall to see a major improvement in her game but the potential is there.
 
Olivia is my favorite player on UConn .. and she's had some gr8 performances during this past season like 24 points in 22 minutes against someone decent .. she has also excelled at playing the high post, passing, rebounding and especially shot-blocking .. but no one was more disappointed than me in her performance against Arizona .. an incomprehensible enigma .. I feel SO sorry for her, my favorite ...
 
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freshler40 said:
Yes, Ono has a great defensive impact on this team. When Edwards is on the court in low post position we have been most effective. Because Ono doesn't shoot well from the key, the defense can pack in the hoop. Her shooting technique is flawed, look at the clothes line foul shots she shoots. In her three years at UConn this hasn't been address nor her tendency to undershoot layups. They are called layups with an open palm, not jamdowns. Don't know if touch can be taught? Can it? She still is a difference maker in many games and a serious plus for the team. Her effort and desire are strong. She has changed her game a lot this year to accommodate Edwards and driving guards, it may take a virus free fall to see a major improvement in her game but the potential is there.
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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.
 
DaBball said:
Nelson-Ododa shot under .500 just twice during conference play, both times were against Marquette when she was 2-5 and 4-9. She also had a 5-14 outing against UMass Lowell in the season opener.

There is not a lot of great post play or tall post players in the Big East. Many if the notable players are guards/wings like Selena Lott, Espinoza-Hunter, Park-Lane, Sonya Morris, Lexi Held, Leilani Correa, etc.

Aside from her nice game against Syracuse, she has not been able to score or shoot the ball well against better competition:
  • 2-7 against Tennessee
  • 1-2 against Arkansas
  • 3-10 against South Carolina
  • 2-6 against Iowa
  • 1-3 against Baylor
  • 0-7 against Arizona

Arizona and Arkansas do not have a lot of height inside, and Czinano is not necessarily a great post defender.

She does do a lot of things well (defense, rebounding, passing), but her inability to convert layups in non-conference games is something that should not be an issue at this point. Especially in games like Arkansas and Arizona that aren’t known for their post play.
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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.??
 
hardcorehusky said:
6'5" kids shouldn't be fading away. She needs to improve her jumper and also perfect quick moves with either hand. I would have her watch tapes of Kevin McHale to learn some of his moves. With her footwork, she could become very accomplished.
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Soft layup hook a must get fouled move. Dolson, Stewie Had it and Tina
somewhat, Diana also. I love this kid but she really was the difference in us winning a close one.
 
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One observation, Olivia doesn't have the strength to succeed in the low post against anyone but inferior (Big East) competition. She prefers the high post, like Stef, but doesn't have the shot to keep the defense honest when at the high post. That leads to challenges against top-tier teams. Her defense and rebounding is strong, but offensively, that has led to her struggles against top-tier teams. (IMO)
 
SLY63 said:
One observation, Olivia doesn't have the strength to succeed in the low post against anyone but inferior (Big East) competition. She prefers the high post, like Stef, but doesn't have the shot to keep the defense honest when at the high post. That leads to challenges against top-tier teams. Her defense and rebounding is strong, but offensively, that has led to her struggles against top-tier teams. (IMO)
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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.
 
phil sampieri said:
Line drive foul shots, it’s amazing she makes any.
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Liv is shooting 60% from the charity stripe, not much worse than Aaliyah and CW who are also in the 60s, eh?
 
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....
 
Jingo said:
Liv is shooting 60% from the charity stripe, not much worse than Aaliyah and CW who are also in the 60s, eh?
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AE really improved from the foul line during the course of the season..........I expect she will be a .750 plus foul shooter before long......
 
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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.
 
ccwarrior said:
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.
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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
 
amishboy said:
She was rated #5 overall in her high school class. IMO, it’s hard to remember a more-underperforming “big” at UConn.
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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.
 
Newfie said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
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