One writer's thoughts on Caroline Ducharme

[Next 12]

I agreed with you about last year and put out a Like. I recall you made the point of her 3poitn shooting last year pretty frequently.

This year is a new animal. Jefferson went from 26% to 41.8%.

I don't think she'll shoot 40 either but mid 30's is good and she did have a reputation as a shooter. And if there is "help" scoring where it's not mostly her and Azzi but others so when she is off she isn't going to keep firing up shots because her team needs her to, imo she can get above mid 30's.

And for anyone thinking 35% isn't good - that's equivalent to 52.5% from a 2pt shooter.

I agree with you about CAROLINE. I also believe she will shoot 3's much better this year. I watched about 5 or 6 of her highschool games and her 3-point shooting was extraordinary. Hitting from every spot on the floor and some 3 feet from the arc. She has the ability to be a great 3-point scorer along with her other attributes. She now has one season behind her and is a sophomore now and has gained very important experience. As I said before, she's a new Katie Lou Samuelson in UCONNs history. GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Caroline shot .347 (14-49) over her first 12 games, leading up to the Oregon game. Then she shot .222 (8-36) over the next 6 games, leading up to her injury. Maybe she shot "over her head" for the first 12 games, but I think that's a percentage that she is capable of. Hopefully, she can go a little higher, maybe to .400. I don't know what her high school stats were, but I bet she was well over .300.

 

[Alydar]

Caroline shot .347 (14-49) over her first 12 games, leading up to the Oregon game. Then she shot .222 (8-36) over the next 6 games, leading up to her injury. Maybe she shot "over her head" for the first 12 games, but I think that's a percentage that she is capable of. Hopefully, she can go a little higher, maybe to .400. I don't know what her high school stats were, but I bet she was well over .300.

Remember that even though the head shots she took were during the season she was playing with her bad hip the entire season.
She was out of action for months this off-season and I'll give her till the new year to get back in proper basketball shape before evaluating her performance.

 

[Conndog]

The only concern that I have about Caroline is that she gets enough court time! Whoever is playing point needs to get her the ball quickly when she's dancing down low- once she gets the ball, especially if she's sealed off her defender, the shot goes up in a blur it's so fast.

 

[TeamFirst!]

A lot of Freshmen have bad early 3 point shooting numbers and improve a lot starting their sophomore year. Look at Lou's numbers for example. I think Caroline is a better 3 point shooter than the numbers indicate and a larger sample size will probably reveal that. She also can get her shot off better than most shooters. If Caroline was on a different team she might be putting up 30 shoots a game. She's not going to be relied on to do that at Uconn. If I coached a 20 rated team though I might prefer to have Caroline over Azzi as my shooter simply because she can get off more good shot opportunities and would be harder to shut down. I think Azzi will struggle to maintain .465 rate but it wouldn't surprise me if she did put up similar numbers to the best 3 point shooters in basketball history overall. She clearly can shoot.

 

[GEAinAustin]

"Leading up to her injury" just to clarify Ducharme did not incur her injury last season. The hip was a chronic condition that was with her since high school she attempted to manage it all year . The head shots put her out for 4 games ,I think.

 

[Longtime fan]

Stratton’s Stand: Why Caroline Ducharme will be the best UConn WBB scorer this year

Although there’s very little stopping Fudd from having the season many are projecting her to have, there’s another name that sticks out to potentially surpass her: Caroline Ducharme.

dailycampus.com

Am I the only UCONN Lady huskies fan troubled by the comment that Azzi Fudd's foot problem from last season is " still lingering?" Does anyone understand this? Does she need surgery to be totally healthy? Will she always be hindered by this ailment? Can we never feel confident about a player's health?

 

[hoophuskee]

Am I the only UCONN Lady huskies fan troubled by the comment that Azzi Fudd's foot problem from last season is " still lingering?"

I don't know how to express this other than - it's definitely not near ideal. You want players at their maximum.

 

[sun]

Can we never feel confident about a player's health?

No, not about any player if a person is a realist.
Injuries are not predictable.

 

[cgshuskie]

I agree with Bone Dog here!!!!! Azzi, Caroline and Alijah. The three. Also, watch out for Ayanna.

 

[Alydar]

A lot of Freshmen have bad early 3 point shooting numbers and improve a lot starting their sophomore year. Look at Lou's numbers for example. I think Caroline is a better 3 point shooter than the numbers indicate and a larger sample size will probably reveal that. She also can get her shot off better than most shooters. If Caroline was on a different team she might be putting up 30 shoots a game. She's not going to be relied on to do that at Uconn. If I coached a 20 rated team though I might prefer to have Caroline over Azzi as my shooter simply because she can get off more good shot opportunities and would be harder to shut down. I think Azzi will struggle to maintain .465 rate but it wouldn't surprise me if she did put up similar numbers to the best 3 point shooters in basketball history overall. She clearly can shoot.

Neither of these players should be judged on their shooting.. They are both exceptional all-around players who can also shoot lights out. Fudd will flirt with 50% 3 pt shooting because she is a highly disciplined shooter who rarely takes a poor shot. Ducharme's height will allow her to just shoot over most guards while Fudd gets her shot off in a blink of an eye. By the second or third game Fudd's complete skill set will be "discovered" but she has always taken pride in playing defense (her words) and it's going to be UConn's defense that will shine this season.

 

[Tonyc]

Its gonna be interesting this season, playtime that is. We have alot of players that will get playtime. Caroline and Azzi I feel will be the go to players. Geno has alot of options and each game may give more playtime to non starters. Caroline and Azzi have proved themselves. Our freshman have not been on the floor yet and Griff is coming back from an injury so we will see how much time it will take for her to get back on track.

 

[Tonyc]

Geno has alot of options and can use many combinations. With a stacked team he will need to find playtime for the highly recruited players or else they may end up like Mir and Saylor. I dont see that happening. Lets face it UConn is packed with talent and that talent needs experience and needs to be developed to fit into the lineup. We have an experienced point guard in Nika. Nika knows the UConn system and knows the players. Azzi has played the point but my feeling is Geno recruited her to be a shooter and lets face it shes a great shooter. So Ines and Azzi may see minutes at the PG but I feel the best will be Nika. Nika will need rest so Ines will see some minutes. Lou is a shooter as is Azzi and Caroline. The bigs Edwards Deberry Patterson ICE Dorka will learn to play together. Griff is a inbetweener. Understand last years roster of players have Earned Playtime. Theyve paid their dues.

The newbies to the roster still have to learn the system and be taught how to play UCONN BB. Our schedule is tuff and starts out very tuff. Think for a minute...if Paige was healthy what would be starting lineup look like. Maybe Dorka Edwards Nika Paige and Azzi Take Paige out and I would think put Caroline in for nothing more then she has proved herself. I do believe she will surprise alot of fans this season. Caroline took over a few games last season. This season she is experienced and to do what she did when Geno needed her last season gives you an idea of what shes made of. With that said I expect to see alot of different combinations based on game situations. Its gonna be interesting to see early on against Texas and NC State how the pieces of the puzzle come together.

 

[Bone Dog]

if Paige was healthy what would be starting lineup look like. Maybe Dorka Edwards Nika Paige and Azzi Take Paige out and I would think put Caroline in for nothing more then she has proved herself.

Interesting speculation, because it asks us to think about why each player should get pt. I’m not as confident as you that Nika would have started next to Paige. I’ve been assuming Caroline would start next to Azzi and Paige, and without Paige the only change is that Nika would start.

But your reflection has me wondering about my assumption. Geno could well have looked at Caroline as the best “sixth man” he could have. Or may be Caroline and Lou as the best tandem substitution he could have. If that’s the case, the real change in his lineup thinking since Paige’s injury might be that Caroline now has to start and he’s lost a powerful substitution option. This is what Evina gave him and it must have felt overwhelming in the latter half of last season to have to face her coming off the bench.

Now his main substitutes at the guard spots are Lou and Ines. That’s not a weak rotation but it’s asking a lot of them to bring what Evina could bring off the bench. Lou may not be the defender Evina was but she’s probably a more consistent shooter — though Evina’s perimeter accuracy always seemed to improve markedly in big games and when it really mattered. I’m not forgetting Ayanna and Aubrey, but I still don’t see them as primary players at 1-3. I look forward to being happily surprised if they can give major minutes at the 3.

 

[hoophuskee]

Geno has alot of options and can use many combinations. With a stacked team he will need to find playtime for the highly recruited players or else they may end up like Mir and Saylor. I dont see that happening. Lets face it UConn is packed with talent and that talent needs experience and needs to be developed to fit into the lineup. We have an experienced point guard in Nika. Nika knows the UConn system and knows the players. Azzi has played the point but my feeling is Geno recruited her to be a shooter and lets face it shes a great shooter. So Ines and Azzi may see minutes at the PG but I feel the best will be Nika. Nika will need rest so Ines will see some minutes. Lou is a shooter as is Azzi and Caroline. The bigs Edwards Deberry Patterson ICE Dorka will learn to play together. Griff is a inbetweener. Understand last years roster of players have Earned Playtime. Theyve paid their dues.

The newbies to the roster still have to learn the system and be taught how to play UCONN BB. Our schedule is tuff and starts out very tuff. Think for a minute...if Paige was healthy what would be starting lineup look like. Maybe Dorka Edwards Nika Paige and Azzi Take Paige out and I would think put Caroline in for nothing more then she has proved herself. I do believe she will surprise alot of fans this season. Caroline took over a few games last season. This season she is experienced and to do what she did when Geno needed her last season gives you an idea of what shes made of. With that said I expect to see alot of different combinations based on game situations. Its gonna be interesting to see early on against Texas and NC State how the pieces of the puzzle come together.

Let's face it- UCONN has been at their best when they have had multiple All_Americans. If there are no multiple A/A's, then someone is going to have to be a Diana Taurasi type of which is highly doubtful. So my 1st preference is for 2-3 players (4 I think too much to ask but always hopeful) to emerge as big time huge National players.

If that doesn't work then my 2nd preference is one player is off-the-charts.

But if all are about the same without a superstar then just press utilizing a deep bench and trap whether it be halfcourt or full.

I prefer always as many superstars as you can get and play them and play them and play them. While some are concerned that we lost bench players over the years and it's hard to recruit quality bench, I'm much more concerned of not getting superstars. Superstars are the big reason why UCONN has 11 titles and so many consecutive Final Fours. The superstars don't care as much if everyone eats, they want to consume what's rightfully theirs. They eventually become legend and become near unstoppable. You don't sit that. You play it and play it and play it.

 

[Carnac]

Honestly don't think these two will be competing with each other-I actually think you are looking at the front court foundation for #12 and beyond. Ice is a foundation piece because she is so skilled and will make plays from all over while Patterson will make plays with sheer athleticism while her other BB skill set develops. I sort of agree with @Charliebball assessment that Ice especially might be a starter by end of season as UCONN looks to the future, Paige's return and a post Boston WCBB landscape. Patterson you are just not going to be able to keep off the floor because good things are going to happen while she is out there.

One thing we know for sure......Geno will not allow her to cheat her potential. He’ll bring out everything she has in the next 4 years. Brady too.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Projected top scorers this year:

Caroline/Azzi #1
Lou #2
Dorka/AE #3
Ice #4
Ayanna #5

 

[Bone Dog]

Projected top scorers this year:

Caroline/Azzi #1
Lou #2
Dorka/AE #3
Ice #4
Ayanna #5

Lots of room to disagree here, but I like your thinking. I’ll add another layer.

Caroline/Azzi avg 35/g between them
Lou avg 9/g
Dorka/Aaliyah avg 27/g between them
Ice avg 5/g
Ayanna avg 6/g
Rest of team avg 9/g

 

[Zarathustra]

I agree with most of the above. My wish/hope is that Dorka
makes the next step: more of this and more of that:
a steadying force down low ( maturity and skill set ) and
her ability to facilitate on passes and hit some crucial outside
shots to open up the underneath game for Amari, Aubrey,
and , as a bonus, a ++ learning curve experience for Ayanna and ICE.
I hope for a fast start, but I'll be more than satisfied with
a strong finish. Go Huskies!

 

[Conndog]

Lots of room to disagree here, but I like your thinking. I’ll add another layer.

Caroline/Azzi avg 35/g between them
Lou avg 9/g
Dorka/Aaliyah avg 27/g between them
Ice avg 5/g
Ayanna avg 6/g
Rest of team avg 9/g

Don’t feel confident with interpreting this- do we add up these totals to get team/game scoring averages? That’s 91 points a game!

 

[Bone Dog]

Don’t feel confident with interpreting this- do we add up these totals to get team/game scoring averages? That’s 91 points a game!

You bet. That’s my prediction and you can take it to the bank!

 

[Conndog]

You bet. That’s my prediction and you can take it to the bank!

I like it! Team will probably have at least a couple of 100 point games. I wonder, is it better to have games like that or, if it’s a rout, get the subs in earlier to get them some experience?

 

[stamfordhusky]

If rebounding is a problem, I can imagine Dorka, Amari, and Caroline sitting while Aaliyah / Ice / Ayanna get the big minutes, even though none of them is over 6-3. Then the front court will look like 2002, when Swin / Asjha / Tamika were the UConn front court despite none of them being as tall as one might prefer.

Dorka had a MUCH better rebounding rate than Aaliyah last year. If rebounding is an issue, why sit your best rebounder?

 

[Bone Dog]

Dorka had a MUCH better rebounding rate than Aaliyah last year. If rebounding is an issue, why sit your best rebounder?

Yup. I think Dorka had better rebounding footwork than Aaliyah last year. Though toward the end of the season, Aaliyah stepped it up a bit.

 

[TeamFirst!]

We are going to be only as good as our bigs this year. One of Ice/Ayanna need to be major contributors or we won't be a F4 team.