Oops Geno

[phil sampieri]

I know I am going to get destroyed but why did Geno wait so long to go zone after that young lady showed our one defensive weakness thus far. .

 

[CocoHusky]

I know I am going to get destroyed but why did Geno wait so long to go zone after that young lady showed our one defensive weakness thus far. .

Geno hates zone defense. He went to zone mainly to protect Paige. He also gave Paige an earful for that reach in foul. Expect Nika to have an extended stay in the doghouse as she is just not catching on defensively.

 

[Aluminny69]

Geno hates zone defense. He went to zone mainly to protect Paige. He also gave Paige an earful for that reach in foul. Expect Nika to have an extended stay in the doghouse as she is just not catching on defensively.

I thought I heard that the "defense" that Nika played in Europe are called fouls here. So, there will be a period of adjustment to the referees here.

 

[CocoHusky]

I thought I heard that the "defense" that Nika played in Europe are called fouls here. So, there will be a period of adjustment to the referees here.

Not only did we hear that we saw it in here highlight video and it was pointed out that she would not be able to get away with that reach in swipe around steal in the NCAA. Despite that I had Nika pegged as a far better defender than she's shown so far.

 

[Twolf]

Geno hates zone defense. He went to zone mainly to protect Paige. He also gave Paige an earful for that reach in foul. Expect Nika to have an extended stay in the doghouse as she is just not catching on defensively.

It’s a pretty safe bet that coaches who are scratching their heads trying to scheme a method of defending Paige will build it around having their guards attacking off the dribble when UConn is playing man defense. Paige had a couple fouls in man defense that elite offensive players simply can’t get, and I’m guessing that was communicated to her rather sternly by her coach. Getting her to the bench is a much better proposition than trying to come up with a sure fire way to defend her when she has the ball in her hands- good luck with that idea, and that will only get harder as her career advances & the staff continues to put outstanding talent around her. JMO

 

[TheGOAT23]

Not only did we hear that we saw it in here highlight video and it was pointed out that she would not be able to get away with that reach in swipe around steal in the NCAA. Despite that I had Nika pegged as a far better defender than she's shown so far.

I concur with your last sentence. There were too many “blow-bys”.

 

[CL82]

It’s a pretty safe bet that coaches who are scratching their heads trying to scheme a method of defending Paige will build it around having their guards attacking off the dribble when UConn is playing man defense. Paige had a couple fouls in man defense that elite offensive players simply can’t get, and I’m guessing that was communicated to her rather sternly by her coach. Getting her to the bench is a much better proposition than trying to come up with a sure fire way to defend her when she has the ball in her hands- good luck with that idea, and that will only get harder as her career advances & the staff continues to put outstanding talent around her. JMO

I suspect they are going to place an emphasis on making contact with her whenever possible. Instead of "hack a Shaq" it will be "Bump a Bueckers."

 

[soxfan23]

Geno hates zone defense. He went to zone mainly to protect Paige. He also gave Paige an earful for that reach in foul. Expect Nika to have an extended stay in the doghouse as she is just not catching on defensively.

She hasn't exactly "caught on" offensively either, she is averaging 0pts, 0.5rbs, 0.5ast, and 3.5to a game. I understand that it must be tough adjusting to a new team/country, and we should expect to see some improvement as she gets more comfortable, but she is headed for a lot of pine time if she doesn't turn things around fast.

 

[JordyG]

Not only did we hear that we saw it in here highlight video and it was pointed out that she would not be able to get away with that reach in swipe around steal in the NCAA. Despite that I had Nika pegged as a far better defender than she's shown so far.

She hasn't exactly "caught on" offensively either, she is averaging 0pts, 0.5rbs, 0.5ast, and 3.5to a game. I understand that it must be tough adjusting to a new team/country, and we should expect to see some improvement as she gets more comfortable, but she is headed for a lot of pine time if she doesn't turn things around fast.

I pretty much said all of this after the first game and was lambasted by some in the chat and in the thread. However I was partially enthused by some of her defensive play this game. Enthused by her quick feet and ability to recover. Partially. But yes, against Creighton and Xavier I expect her to show more, and progressively more as time goes on. It'll only get worse next year with Saylor, Fudd and Ducharme coming onboard.

 

[JellyBean]

Yeah. Coach is not a fan of the zone. I mean he plays it from time to time but not the ID of his coaching style like Jim Boeheim and the 2-3 Zone.

 

[schmendrick]

Count me a Nika believer. Remember Ania's 0 for Western Hemisphere? Aside from her natural athleticism, Nika shows no fear. You can't teach that. She'll catch on.

 

[cohenzone]

It’s so early to make any conclusions. These kids, and most relevant to the freshmen, have had a messed up pre season and exactly one game against a somewhat reasonable opponent. Defense is usually going to be harder to pick up. Anna looked terrible for a lot of last year and as a foreign player, Muhl is bound to be making adjustments for a while.

 

[HopJim]

2 minutes ago
Would have liked to see Geno go zone sooner. Not so much to stop Park-Lane but for experience. In games where UConn faces multiple 3 point shooters, never hurts to have an efficient zone defense.

 

[PacoSwede]

.... But yes, against Creighton and Xavier I expect her to show more, and progressively more as time goes on. It'll only get worse next year with Saylor, Fudd and Ducharme coming onboard.

i've seen similar mentions elsewhere in BY commentary. i hope this isn't a preoccupation of a lot of BYers while we're rooting for THIS year's players.

 

[Huskee11]

Any analysis of the defense last night has to factor in the job the refs did.

Which was, to quote Charles Barkley, jus' turrible Ernie, jus' turrible.

It went both ways.

Phantom calls all night. No ability to defend with any physicality in the post. Meaningless fouls away from the ball. Non travelling travel calls.

And missing some obvious calls, like when CW got fouled by two players on a layup attempt. No call.

I hope this isn`t how they call things in the Big East.

 

[Florida Fan]

She hasn't exactly "caught on" offensively either, she is averaging 0pts, 0.5rbs, 0.5ast, and 3.5to a game. I understand that it must be tough adjusting to a new team/country, and we should expect to see some improvement as she gets more comfortable, but she is headed for a lot of pine time if she doesn't turn things around fast.

Clearly, early on, Nika needs help.
Any efficient shooter/passer should be in front of her now. There are just too many young athletes deserving a chance to get in there. That being opined, she needs the chance to get more practice experience and also not to get frustrated.
Us non-players have been stacked in the loading docks, just waiting to share our cumulative knowledge. I apologize for jumping in so quickly.

 

[chrissaran]

I pretty much said all of this after the first game and was lambasted by some in the chat and in the thread. However I was partially enthused by some of her defensive play this game. Enthused by her quick feet and ability to recover. Partially. But yes, against Creighton and Xavier I expect her to show more, and progressively more as time goes on. It'll only get worse next year with Saylor, Fudd and Ducharme coming onboard.

Anna started slow and BYers criticized her. She seems to have improved.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I thought I heard that the "defense" that Nika played in Europe are called fouls here. So, there will be a period of adjustment to the referees here.

I played in Europe although many years ago and it was a very different game. At least back then you could run right over a pick. Our coach said if someone sets a screen make them feel it. It was definitely a contact sport

 

[CocoHusky]

She hasn't exactly "caught on" offensively either, she is averaging 0pts, 0.5rbs, 0.5ast, and 3.5to a game. I understand that it must be tough adjusting to a new team/country, and we should expect to see some improvement as she gets more comfortable, but she is headed for a lot of pine time if she doesn't turn things around fast.

True but not nearly as concerning. Her first few minutes on the floor she demonstrated a good understanding of the offense and actually ran a few nice pick and rolls with Edwards. She understands the spacing part and where her screens are coming from.

 

[Twolf]

Clearly, early on, Nika needs help.
Any efficient shooter/passer should be in front of her now. There are just too many young athletes deserving a chance to get in there. That being opined, she needs the chance to get more practice experience and also not to get frustrated.
Us non-players have been stacked in the loading docks, just waiting to share our cumulative knowledge. I apologize for jumping in so quickly.

Reading Nika’s body language, my guess is that she is pressing- trying too hard to earn her teammates and coach’s respect and trust. Without seeing practice or being around her on and off the court this is exactly that, a guess, but her movement and execution of basketball skills would suggest just that because nothing is fluid and natural. Her skill set does lend itself to a role that this group will need going forward, and so far is going begging- someone who can lock up the other team’s best perimeter player. Can she become that, time will tell, but it’s obvious that this group would definitely benefit from that- ala Kia Nurse. JMO

 

[Ex Nutmegger]

I am still learning to appreciate the extreme defensive capability level of Kia Nurse and especially Kelly Farris. Kelly threw a huge wet blanket over Skyler Diggins in the 2013 NCAA Semi-final game(3of15 shooting for Skyler - took her completely out of the game).

 

[phil sampieri]

Geno hates zone defense. He went to zone mainly to protect Paige. He also gave Paige an earful for that reach in foul. Expect Nika to have an extended stay in the doghouse as she is just not catching on defensively.

I have never felt our zone defense was a strong point when you have a player who gets in the lane at will, a zone is often a lot more difficult. Cmon 19 points in the first half. Just an observation guys

 

[MD#12Fan]

Paige is versatile. You can "hide" her on D. IMO her strength on D is anticipation off the ball and also defensive rebounding/boxing out. She's deceptively (at least on TV) long. So, could she play D on the 2 and even the 3, as opposed to the 1. Maybe Evina should have been matched up on that girl, not Paige. Hide Paige while her straight up D on the ball improves. Heck, Larry Bird (sorry guys, I'm stuck on the analogy today) played a career hiding on D, laying for steals, and defensive rebounding. He was so good at that that they even considered him for All-defensive teams when he was in his prime.

 

[BobbyJ]

Reading Nika’s body language, my guess is that she is pressing- trying too hard to earn her teammates and coach’s respect and trust. Without seeing practice or being around her on and off the court this is exactly that, a guess, but her movement and execution of basketball skills would suggest just that because nothing is fluid and natural. Her skill set does lend itself to a role that this group will need going forward, and so far is going begging- someone who can lock up the other team’s best perimeter player. Can she become that, time will tell, but it’s obvious that this group would definitely benefit from that- ala Kia Nurse. JMO

Agree. Looks like she was unfortunately taught a lot of that turn, follow, and reach defense over there in Europe. If she wants to play, she'll need to learn to keep her man in front of her in a hurry.

 

[bluedevil]

Hopefully Muhl isn't too stubborn to learn..