ONO

[bbballfan23]

We had great games from our seniors obviously but I think the turning point was when ONO came in. She completely changed the game. MW has been good but defensively she seems to be out of position a lot.

ONO takes pressure of Pheesa to defend the biggest players while staying out of foul trouble & takes pressure of Lou to have to rebound so she can run the floor (which is where she is at her best).

Our best lineup, especially against the teams we will have to beat to win a championship includes ONO.

 

[CL82]

Seems like the light is coming on for her doesn't it?

We need to get that girl some protein shakes and some quality training room time in the off season. Give her a little more (quality) bulk and she'll be better able to carve out space.

 

[Oldbones]

Tough to sit anyone else. Plus, she typically gets into foul trouble too quickly that it will be hard to get twenty effective minutes from her. Anything from ONO this year in effectively spelling one of the five, without clogging the offense, or starting an opposition parade to the foul line, will be gravy. An off-season of weight work and continuing to work on her skills, especially defensive, should make her an effective starter next year.

 

[Jaybird65]

Ono played well last night. The big change when she came into the game is that we went zone & away from man to man. By being in zone, she clogged the lane & pretty much ended the mid lane pick on the right side of the lane that SC converted about 8 straight times prior to that. Prior to Ono coming in, it looked like we were man to man on inbounds plays & a match up zone on live ball transitions.

MW & Ono bring different things to the court. We need all of our top 6 to play well to beat the top teams we might have to play in the tournament. Gino had much praise after the game for both what Ono did & what a good passer MW has become.

 

[bbballfan23]

Tough to sit anyone else. Plus, she typically gets into foul trouble too quickly that it will be hard to get twenty effective minutes from her. Anything from ONO this year in effectively spelling one of the five, without clogging the offense, or starting an opposition parade to the foul line, will be gravy. An off-season of weight work and continuing to work on her skills, especially defensive, should make her an effective starter next year.

We don’t need her to play over 20 mins but we need a good 10-15 mins just like last night & against ND. She can foul out. It doesn’t matter. She makes a difference out there & that’s undeniable. Offensively, we have 4 great scorers & play makers so all she really needs to do is crash the boards & set screens. Offense seemed to work just fine with her in.

 

[Jaybird65]

Tough to sit anyone else. Plus, she typically gets into foul trouble too quickly that it will be hard to get twenty effective minutes from her. Anything from ONO this year in effectively spelling one of the five, without clogging the offense, or starting an opposition parade to the foul line, will be gravy. An off-season of weight work and continuing to work on her skills, especially defensive, should make her an effective starter next year.

At the game last night, she appeared to be pretty gassed at the end of the 2nd quarter; stamina-wise, not sure how many minutes a game she can go. Its not how many minutes, it's her being able to impact the game positively when she is in.

 

[Conndog]

She doesn’t take advantage of her height when shooting, though. Would love for her to jump and release ball at top; then, she wouldn’t have her shot get blocked.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

UConn’s zone defense is really really bad against teams that have decent three point shooters.

When the ball is swung around, it always creates an open look. The UConn players are always way off the three point line, sagging in to help out on defending the opposing post player.

Anyway, point is, ONO should allow the zone to extend to the three point line and not have to sag in, since she can handle the opposing post.

More to the point, the zone is awful regardless and playing ONO should allow them to play man to man.

The only way this team wins a national championship playing zone is if UConn is hot shooting from three in the tournament and outscores the other teams. Can’t see that happening for three weekends in a row.

 

['nuff sed]

Ono played well last night. The big change when she came into the game is that we went zone & away from man to man. By being in zone, she clogged the lane & pretty much ended the mid lane pick on the right side of the lane that SC converted about 8 straight times prior to that. Prior to Ono coming in, it looked like we were man to man on inbounds plays & a match up zone on live ball transitions.

MW & Ono bring different things to the court. We need all of our top 6 to play well to beat the top teams we might have to play in the tournament. Gino had much praise after the game for both what Ono did & what a good passer MW has become.

Exactly right on the game change.

And throw in a couple fouls and injury to Cooper who had to sit.

Moving forward, I am becoming less concerned about defending against the height factor inside than defending good active guard play.

The quality of the guard play is the difference maker at tournament time.

 

[CTtoSanDiego]

UConn’s zone defense is really really bad against teams that have decent three point shooters.

When the ball is swung around, it always creates an open look. The UConn players are always way off the three point line, sagging in to help out on defending the opposing post player.

Anyway, point is, ONO should allow the zone to extend to the three point line and not have to sag in, since she can handle the opposing post.

More to the point, the zone is awful regardless and playing ONO should allow them to play man to man.

The only way this team wins a national championship playing zone is if UConn is hot shooting from three in the tournament and outscores the other teams. Can’t see that happening for three weekends in a row.

They don't need to be hot from outside for 3 weekends in a row... just for the last 3 games. They can win the first 3 games with just average performances...

 

['nuff sed]

UConn’s zone defense is really really bad against teams that have decent three point shooters.

When the ball is swung around, it always creates an open look. The UConn players are always way off the three point line, sagging in to help out on defending the opposing post player.

Anyway, point is, ONO should allow the zone to extend to the three point line and not have to sag in, since she can handle the opposing post.

More to the point, the zone is awful regardless and playing ONO should allow them to play man to man.

The only way this team wins a national championship playing zone is if UConn is hot shooting from three in the tournament and outscores the other teams. Can’t see that happening for three weekends in a row.

Yeah —- outscore teams because there is no fix for the D.

It’s gonna be one way or the other depending on matchups cuz ONO will foul out early in man.

 

[Oldbones]

The only way this team wins a national championship playing zone is if UConn is hot shooting from three in the tournament and outscores the other teams. Can’t see that happening for three weekends in a row.

For the past 25 years, except for the Dee-to-Maya Interregnum, I have felt that the first 1.5 of the three weeks were givens, leaving only 3 games where things needed to come together. (The injury-depleted 1998-99 team being the exception) I worry about that possibly changing, but hopefully not this year. So we only need three hot-shooting nights, one in Albany, and two at the Amalie Center, where our record is impeccable.

 

[JonathanXIV]

The only way this team wins a national championship playing zone is if UConn is hot shooting from three in the tournament and outscores the other teams. Can’t see that happening for three weekends in a row.

Doesn't have to happen three weekends in a row. No way UConn is losing the first weekend, regardless of how well they shoot.

 

[Papa33]

She doesn’t take advantage of her height when shooting, though. Would love for her to jump and release ball at top; then, she wouldn’t have her shot get blocked.

Not sure that I'm seeing exactly the details of her shot mechanics, but it seems that instead of the classic jump shot release with final control with wrist flick and finger tips, she pushes and releases from her palm. So its more of a shove that starts from shoulder height (and easier to block).

 

[Jaybird65]

She doesn’t take advantage of her height when shooting, though. Would love for her to jump and release ball at top; then, she wouldn’t have her shot get blocked.

Probably now going against players that bigger, stronger & quicker than she has faced. Takes time to develop new mechanics & have those become ingrained. She is a work in progress & hopefully will get better & better.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

They don't need to be hot from outside for 3 weekends in a row... just for the last 3 games. They can win the first 3 games with just average performances...

You’re likely right. They’ll win first two games regardless. After that they’ll be playing a top 16 team (like a South Carolina type) which is more problematic.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Doesn't have to happen three weekends in a row. No way UConn is losing the first weekend, regardless of how well they shoot.

Yup you’re right

 

[ME Husky Fan]

Not that Ono doesn’t needed some work on things such as foot speed and using her lower body on both defense and offense but I think sometimes the refs tend to blow the whistle a little bit differently with freshmen then they do with upperclassmen. The same movements next year won’t prompt the whistles.

 

[Oldbones]

Not that Ono doesn’t needed some work on things such as foot speed and using her lower body on both defense and offense but I think sometimes the refs tend to blow the whistle a little bit differently with freshmen then they do with upperclassmen. The same movements next year won’t prompt the whistles.

Of course, all Notre dame players start out as upperclassmen, and none the opposing players ever make it to sophomore status

 

[HopJim]

Not that Ono doesn’t needed some work on things such as foot speed and using her lower body on both defense and offense but I think sometimes the refs tend to blow the whistle a little bit differently with freshmen then they do with upperclassmen. The same movements next year won’t prompt the whistles.

As long as ONO keeps swatting down on ball, it will look like she gets arm and the refs will call fouls. Collier perfect example of how to block a shot by holding arms straight up. Often contact but rarely foul. Surprised this is not an issue CD has been able to coach up by now.

 

[Carnac]

She doesn't take advantage of her height when shooting, though. Would love for her to jump and release ball at top; then, she wouldn't have her shot get blocked.

No she doesn't. BUT...................EVERYBODY gets their shot blocked!! Collier got two of hers blocked last night. ONO is being coached to do a lot of different things in practice everyday. That's why by the time January rolls around, most freshmen's head is ready to explode with trying to remember and do all of the things the coaches have told them to, and they hit that wall. A wall that is as much psychological as it is physical. They think too much when they get on the court instead of just playing.

Remember, Freshmen are always the youngest players on the court. In some cases, they are playing against players that are 4 years older. i.e., Collier is 22 (9/23/96), Brianna Turner - ND is 22 (July 5, 1996), Laura Ferreira - USF is 23 (6/19/95). Most seniors have 100+ games under their belt - thus they are experienced, they know their respective systems and plays, and no walls for them. Also remember that she is playing at an “elite” level against some of the best players in WCBB. A huge difference from the level of competition she saw in high school.

We saw Crystal do it her freshman year. At times she was brilliant, other times, she looked lost. ONO is trying to get a good shot off, but the effort and timing their opponents are exerting in the game to block her shot is not being taken into account when she shoots. When any player misses a layup or a put back, they're not concentrating on where they need to put the ball on the backboard to bank it in. ONO also needs to get a little stronger which I'm sure she will.

At this point in her development, ONO is taking her first steps on the road to where she will be as a junior.
I saw Williams put up a shot under the board against Temple that hit the bottom of the rim. It happens. She rushed her shot. Once the game slows down for you, you don't rush your shots, thus you take better shots. Look at the upperclassmen, i.e., Collier, Dangerfield and Samuelson. They seldom take bad shots under the basket.

I get frustrated also when I see her get her shot blocked. But again, I'll take that with all of the positive things she brings to court that help the team. All of her shots do not get blocked. As she matures and gets older and wiser about how to play at this level, you won't she her shots getting blocked. Collier shoots a lot of layups without getting them blocked, so will ONO.

Remember, ONO is still trying to figure things out. She's a freshman and will play like one. I expect her to start next year, and not make the mistakes and and errors in judgment she's making now. By January of next season, I doubt you'll see any of her shots getting blocked. ONO has a lot of upside. Her play will reflect the coaching she'll get from Geno and Christine Daley between now and then. Believe me, she'll be fine.

 

[MainefanSC]

Scoop, I agree with you on most fronts.

I am so encouraged with how ONO played last night. She has surely come a long way since the start of the season. She reminds me of Big Steph's freshman year. I'm not talking about physique, I'm talking about the "schooling" other teams give her. Tina comes to mind as well. But, CD brings the bigs along and prepares them like no HS coach can. I love her (ONO) attitude and she obviously is picking it up at a reasonable pace.

 

[SVCBeercats]

We had great games from our seniors obviously but I think the turning point was when ONO came in. She completely changed the game.

Olivia did change the game defensively. Offensively not so much. "Olivia! You are 6'4 1/2" inches tall (per her own words) hold the ball high so the smaller players can't knock the ball out of your hands or block your shot as you bring the ball up to shoot." Actually Olivia on average can only play 30 minutes or so per game since she is averaging 6.3 fouls per 40 minutes. Unless Olivia is wide open do not throw her the ball. However, on defense funnel the opponents into her for a block or 7 or 8. Meg actually is getting much better at one on one guarding and she is much better at the offensive end. Geno said: "Because of Pheesa and Megan Walker we’ve become a better passing team.” A nice mix of both will help immensely. Just get Geno to play Olivia more in remaining AAC games including the AAC tournament. She needs game time experience. She is needed to make a run at the NCAA championship irrespective of her practice performance.

 

[BobbyJ]

No she doesn't. BUT....EVERYBODY gets their shot blocked!! Collier got one of hers blocked last night. ONO is being coached to do a lot of different things in practice everyday. That's why by the time January rolls around, most freshmen's head is ready to explode with all of the things the coaches have told them to do, and they hit that wall. They think too much when they get on the court instead of just playing.

We saw Crystal do it her freshman year. At times she was brilliant, other times, she looked lost. ONO is trying to get a good shot off, but the effort and timing their opponents are exerting in the game to block her shot is not being taken into account when she shoots. When any player misses a layup or a put back, they're not concentrating on where they need to put the ball on the backboard to bank it in. ONO also needs to get a little stronger which I'm sure she will.

At this point in her development, ONO is taking her first steps on the road to where she will be as a junior. I saw Williams put up a shot under the board against Temple that hit the bottom of the rim. It happens. She rushed her shot. Once the game slows down for you, you don't rush your shots, thus you take better shots. Look at the upperclassmen, i.e., Collier, Dangerfield and Samuelson. They seldom take bad shots under the basket.

I too get frustrated when I see her get her shot blocked period. But again, I'll take that with all of the other things she brings to court that help the team. All of her shots do not get blocked. As she matures and gets older and wiser about how to play at this level, you won't she her shots getting blocked. Collier shoots a lot of layups without getting them blocked, so will ONO.

Remember, ONO is still trying to figure things out. She's a freshman and will play like one. I expect her to start next year, and not make the mistakes and and errors in judgment she's making now. By January of next season, I doubt you'll see any of her shots getting blocked. ONO has a lot of upside. Her play will reflect the coaching she'll get from Geno and Christine Daley. Believe me, she'll be fine.

Some good points Scoop. Like a lot of bigs, ONO is kind of a victim of her own height. Looking at some of her HS video, not only did she miss most of a season with the knee injury but because of a lack of size to play against, she picked up a few common bad habits that need to be shed. Especially not getting extended on her post shots. Big kids just won't do it until they have to and it's hard to focus on in the middle of game action. It takes a lot of practice reps which I'm sure she'll get. But she's got a ton of upside, she's actually got quick feet and hands but she just doesn't yet know how to take advantage of them. She understands the offense well, is a pretty good passer for a big, and rebounds well and keeps the ball high and finds her outlet quickly. The game is starting to slow down for her and she's going to be a load next year.

 

[JordyG]

Some good points Scoop. Like a lot of bigs, ONO is kind of a victim of her own height. Looking at some of her HS video, not only did she miss most of a season with the knee injury but because of a lack of size to play against, she picked up a few common bad habits that need to be shed. Especially not getting extended on her post shots. Big kids just won't do it until they have to and it's hard to focus on in the middle of game action. It takes a lot of practice reps which I'm sure she'll get. But she's got a ton of upside, she's actually got quick feet and hands but she just doesn't yet know how to take advantage of them. She understands the offense well, is a pretty good passer for a big, and rebounds well and keeps the ball high and finds her outlet quickly. The game is starting to slow down for her and she's going to be a load next year.

Good points. I would also add that ONO's big upside is her athleticism, which makes her potential amazing. To this point however she has some other strengths and weaknesses.

As you pointed out she has quick hands, but they are also relatively soft, and she takes a pass well below her waist and while she's in motion. But not both at the same time. That's just asking too much for most bigs. But big players have a problem with either. She also has a nice quick first and second jump. She's really starting to get the idea that she doesn't have to block and/or foul every shot, just contest every one while jumping straight up. She does have very good timing on her blocks. She runs the floor well and is starting to get what it means to be in UConn condition. ONO will need it because she plays with a ton of energy. She can make her layups because, unlike Meg, she puts the proper english on the ball (Meg always seems to either put too much or too little). This is also something that Pheesa is a master at, as well as Lou. However again, because ONO hasn't reached a certain strength level small bumps and swipes make her miss. This will come.

However, she doesn't anticipate her teammates shot well and often fails to get into proper position for the rebound. She also doesn't read the ball off the rim as well as say Pheesa, who is just phenomenal at that. Further because she hasn't reached her body's maturity, she is not yet strong enough to push through box outs. That makes her too dependent on out jumping her mark to get rebounds.

She's willing to set screens, but too often she's too early or late for them to be effective. This will come.

All you've said about her outside shot is, to me, spot on. Further though, her problem at the foul line is not necessarily form. To me it isn't that bad. She doesn't seem to relax her wrist and let the ball flow off of her fingers. Too often she pushes the ball toward the rim. Against SCar she did relax her wrist and the ball flowed toward the rim. She does the same on jump shots as well. This, as you've said, will come. All good signs.