We got a decent look at Ayanna Patterson this year and we saw glimpses of her potential as a rebounder and physical presence. Jana has been involved to some extent in practice for a couple of months and apparently Ice had has been active recently. Do we have any reliable — or even speculative — insight on what they will bring to the floor next season?
Our new bigs: what do we know?
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I would say; we know nothing. Obviously, Ice Brady was injured all year, and Jana is even a greater mystery. None of us get Cairo cable tv. What did you conclude, by the way, from the glimpse you saw of Patterson? Do you draw anything from the amount of court time she earned from the coaching staff? Can you put some dimension on your statement pertaining to her " potential as a rebounder and physical presence?" To whom wold you compare the potential you have seen?
DefenseBB
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We know nothing of the newbies. Ayanna deferred to everyone else on the floor during her 1st year. The last couple of games she started to show some offensive moves and shooting but still very limited. Let's hope Jana and Ice have more offensive confidence to exert themselves but who knows. We will need some of them along with Amari to develop quite quickly and support AE. We might not need much with Paige, Azzi, CD and AE but we will need something.
MilfordHusky
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Some of us believe that Ice is very good at the corner 3, as well as from the top of the key.
All I can go by as far as Ayanna is concerned is tht....Geno trusted her enough to send her in b4 DeBerry .
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bballnut90
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Limited input here but Brady in the McDonald's AA game looked like she's a solid 4 in a Morgan Tuck/Asjha Jones type of role. Looked like a solid high/low player. I see her more as a 4 than a 5 and likely replacing Edwards if she goes pro after next season. Patterson was incredibly raw as a freshman, I'm not sure I see her making an impact next year unless she has a massive offseason. Same with Deberry. I don't know anything about El Alfy. Guessing UCONN hits the portal for a center or plays with a smaller lineup, which they have the horses to pull off with Bueckers/Fudd/Ducharme/Muhl/Griffin all back.
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Ice Brady is a skilled offensive player who has range out to the three point line.......her most effective weapon is a fall away foul line jump shot which is very difficult to defend.........she also is fairly aggressive on the boards, is quite strong and takes up space inside..,....,..I always thought that offensively she was the most college-ready big UConn has had in quite a while......I was just watching game footage of Jana and she is quite skilled with the ball for a 6'4" player.......she has some nice inside moves and a pretty good midrange jump shot......not sure about her three point accuracy.......I think she needs to get stronger but if her confidence is high I think she will get some meaningful playing time as the season progresses...
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Ice: a strong rebounder with a quick outlet pass, she good post moves and a good fall-away jumper, knows how to get her shot.
Ayanna: a strong rebounder and a capable if diffident shooter, has the potential to run the court really well and score on breaks, but hasn't been used that way, I expect we'll see a little more of this next season.
Jana: good midrange shooter, capable defender and rebounder, can be a shot blocker with her long arms, seems to prefer the high post to the low post, and has very good handles for a big.
Amari: lots of potential, but very slow development, very long arms like a shot blocker, I expect to see more of this, decent perimeter shooter, primary deficiency is slow feet, lumbers up and down the court, this leaves her often out of position.
Ayanna: a strong rebounder and a capable if diffident shooter, has the potential to run the court really well and score on breaks, but hasn't been used that way, I expect we'll see a little more of this next season.
Jana: good midrange shooter, capable defender and rebounder, can be a shot blocker with her long arms, seems to prefer the high post to the low post, and has very good handles for a big.
Amari: lots of potential, but very slow development, very long arms like a shot blocker, I expect to see more of this, decent perimeter shooter, primary deficiency is slow feet, lumbers up and down the court, this leaves her often out of position.
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This poll was taken after last summer's world championships. I'm not suggesting this was any scientific poll or really means that much, but it is encouraging. 64% of respondents picked Jana.
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Not a thing when it comes to game situations.
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All we really know is, Amari and Ayanna have college game experience. Ayanna has potential. I think it is going to come down to what she does over the summer to build up her confidence. Same with Amari. They just have to go out there and realize that they are blessed with talent. They just have to believe in themselves and play with confidence.
Ice and Jana: We know what they did for their previous teams. But past performance is no guarantee of future success. They both have potential. But if they don't have that confidence, they will second guess themselves and lose that faith and belief in themselves and that could bury them deep on the bench.
This summer, since they are going on that trip, hopefully they develop that competitive mindset to push for a roster spot. This way they are not only making themselves better but they are making the person in front of them better and overall the team better.
I do hope that Ice and Jana are those "Dawgs" that we need.
Ice and Jana: We know what they did for their previous teams. But past performance is no guarantee of future success. They both have potential. But if they don't have that confidence, they will second guess themselves and lose that faith and belief in themselves and that could bury them deep on the bench.
This summer, since they are going on that trip, hopefully they develop that competitive mindset to push for a roster spot. This way they are not only making themselves better but they are making the person in front of them better and overall the team better.
I do hope that Ice and Jana are those "Dawgs" that we need.
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My biggest concern re: Ayanna is not her offense, which while very raw, has time to develop. In past years, her defense would have kept her on the bench and did throughout most of the NCAA games. Poor positioning and a tendency to swat down on the defender often made her defense difficult to watch. Hopefully her confidence will grow and the game will slow down for her.
Huskee11
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Based upon our returning personnel, I think we will probably be playing small a lot with Aaliyah and Aubrey logging big minutes. That will certainly work in the Big East where the most significant competition next season, Creighton, plays a small lineup. But, there will be times when we need to go big, for example if/when we go up against SC, Stanford and Tennessee.
I try to get to the games early and I saw Jana many times in pregame warmups. Ice not so much, a couple of times towards the end of the year.
Can`t judge much from that, of course, but I did conclude that Jana definitely has three point range and good shooting form.
My sense, and it is just that, is that both Jana and Ice will be ahead of Ayanna and Amari on the depth chart. Ayanna could make the sophomore jump and be a factor on the defensive end if she can stay away from fouling. Minutes will be hard to come by, though.
A lot of these players seem to be more suited for the four. I would not rule out a one or two year portal player to provide quality depth and experience at the five position, if a situation develops that makes sense for both sides. Whether such a situation will actually develop remains to be seen.
Geno has dipped into the portal twice already with A+ results in each case. He did not hesitate to add Lou even though he had lots of depth on paper at the two and three at the time she was added to the roster.
I try to get to the games early and I saw Jana many times in pregame warmups. Ice not so much, a couple of times towards the end of the year.
Can`t judge much from that, of course, but I did conclude that Jana definitely has three point range and good shooting form.
My sense, and it is just that, is that both Jana and Ice will be ahead of Ayanna and Amari on the depth chart. Ayanna could make the sophomore jump and be a factor on the defensive end if she can stay away from fouling. Minutes will be hard to come by, though.
A lot of these players seem to be more suited for the four. I would not rule out a one or two year portal player to provide quality depth and experience at the five position, if a situation develops that makes sense for both sides. Whether such a situation will actually develop remains to be seen.
Geno has dipped into the portal twice already with A+ results in each case. He did not hesitate to add Lou even though he had lots of depth on paper at the two and three at the time she was added to the roster.
But tell the truth, were 64% of the vote cast by members of the Boneyard? The same ones who name 5 UConn players to first team all Big East? and 3 more for second team?This poll was taken after last summer's world championships. I'm not suggesting this was any scientific poll or really means that much, but it is encouraging. 64% of respondents picked Jana.
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To go from HS to college and have a great transition you have to have a high BB IQ and most young players don't. Paige is a very good player but where she stands above the other players is her understanding of the game. Clark has the same understanding with an amazing offensive set of tools to go along with it. I don't see those traits in Patterson or DeBerry and in my opinion that is what holds them back a little. Patterson though has the perfect body type to be dominating in the women's game so I hope she has a great summer and has that growth you see from Freshmen to Sophomore seasons.
Agree with above. Patterson just seemed absolutely lost out there this year, but I did find it reassuring that Geno kept putting her in. Hopefully it is just a matter of her getting used to the college game and that fact that she can no longer rely simply on her physical skills which I think allowed her to dominate in high school. Deberry was similar. She actually showed short flashes of a dominant athletic big, but could never put anything together and seemed to lack confidence. Maybe next year when she is the "senior" member of the post, she will find a way to own the position and step up to her potential. As for El Alfy and Brady... who knows!
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For me, it is hard to say that Ayanna and Amari don't have those traits because they get limited minutes, or they are placed in odd situations to where they will make a mistake and then they are sitting on the bench for the rest of the game. So, we get a glimpse of AP and Amari either doing well or doing poorly. During one of the games over the weekend, and Coach Auriemma was talking it up with Sue and Diana, and they were talking about Caitlin Clark and how fearless she is. That got me thinking about our team and Ayanna and Amari. Could they be just as fearless out there? Maybe. Maybe not. But I just see them getting limited minutes in some of the wackiest situations and the minute they mess up, sitting on the bench.
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UConn must become a stronger rebounding team, and I think that Patterson may be a key here. It is much more difficult to become better offensively, and Ayanna is way behind there. But rebounding is more basic; be able to get off the floor and want the ball. She can certainly jump, and did show aggressiveness to the ball at times. She does foul, but as she matures and plays more, that will probably get better. Let her focus on the board work; a Jamelle Elliot type player, who has Jamelle right by her side to learn the ropes. Keep it simple, don't worry so much about scoring.
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I agree..she could be the key..we don't know how Ice will be in her first year and the same goes for El Alfy..she might have a nice soft touch but that's what they say about Amari and how's that working out
The first half of the year Patterson was getting 3-4 boards every time he put her in there..unfortunately she was getting the same amount of fouls..if she could cut down on the fouls like AE did her 2nd year she could realyl help on the glass..like you said don't worry about scoring
They have to make up for the 10 boards they lost with Dorka gone somehow
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She should be a better rebounder (needs some guidance here about boxing out and figuring out which way to lean), and also a total 100% shooter down low. All she needs to do is keep the ball high and jump. No one should get close.
Paige is more than « a very good player. »
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When I watched the South Carolina game, it appeared that there was little that could be done rebounding against Boston and Cardosa. For every missed shot from the field tha SC had, B & C got the rebound and scored. Do we have tha capability to push these two or any or team with this height out of the way? I do not know what Jana brings to the table, but that seems like a "tall" order for a freshman player. UConn has some great players and the pieces for a great team, but what is seriously lacking is a "buster" that can dominate the center. That piece would make the odds for a National Championship very high in UConn's favor.
Now that's just my opinion so you don't have to go beserk about this. The other factor which Geno said is to have Paige healthy for a year. I would also think that this goes for Azzi and Caroline Ducharme. Both have not been healthy for a couple of years. I will wait and see and hope that a healthy team positions itself for a difficult and challenging season.
Now that's just my opinion so you don't have to go beserk about this. The other factor which Geno said is to have Paige healthy for a year. I would also think that this goes for Azzi and Caroline Ducharme. Both have not been healthy for a couple of years. I will wait and see and hope that a healthy team positions itself for a difficult and challenging season.
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She can pick up some things on rebounding, but the stats that most show from the get-go are rebounds and blocked shots, and to a lessor extent steals. Those are things that depend mostly on physical ability. Unfortunately Ayanna's numbers were not bad there, but far below what we expected based on her size, strength, speed and jumping ability. Players don't usually show significant improvement in those stats over their career.
Other areas they do often improve, and by quite a bit, and those generally involve decision making, learning what you can and can't do against a higher level of competition, learning your teammates, what is and isn't a foul, and what is and isn't a good shot. Fouls and turnovers frequently decrease, assists go up, scoring per-minute up along with shooting percentages. All of those could improve for Ayanna, but I believe she will never be as good a rebounder or shot blocker as I was expecting based on her obvious physical skills.
In rough terms Ayanna came to Uconn with about the same ranking as Ice, and probably Jana too, if she was an american high school student. Now I would have Ayanna behind those two because I think she fell short of those expectations. Ayanna also had a clearer path to minutes last year than this upcoming one. She potentially could be better and play less. Ice and Jana will be looked at first for help at the 5, but both could be used at the 4. Aubrey had to play mostly on the wing due to injuries this year, but next season could play backup to Aaliyah quite a bit.
Carnac
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I do!! I'm drinking "Ice" tea.
Technically she's still a freshman because she hasn't played one second of college basketball.....yet.Yes, she's participated in many UConn practices and will begin this season much more prepared than would have this year as a raw freshman. I believe AT SOME POINT she will be the answer at the post for us. I'm not going to speculate when that candle will be lit. It could be at the very beginning of the season, midway through, or at the end of the year during the conference and NCAAT. Before she leaves, I believe she will be EVERYTHING we want and expect her to be (especially her junior and senior year) for us at the 5. Ice is skilled and takes a "no-nonsense" approach to play this game.
I also believe that Jana El Alfy will also come into her own at some point, perhaps during her freshman year, if not, next year for sure. She will be coached by some of the best coaches in WCBB. Then there's Amari DeBerry. I'm very interested to see how far along Amari will have come in this her third year in the program in that first game in November. Although I have a tendency to, I won't compare our first-year post players to Aliyah Boston, and the success she had her freshman year.
If you remember, she won every award in sight as a freshman. She started every game for Dawn and was everything she needed her to be. Many of us want Geno to bring a dominant "experienced" post-player from the portal. Good luck with that. Dominant post players/forwards (Angel Ressee/Olivia Cochran/Cameron Brink/Elizabeth Kitley) ARE NOT in abundance in the portal.
DefenseBB
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I am intrigued by Dominique Malonga as she had a 22.4 Efficiency score to Jana's 18.1 and she is 6'6" tall who can dunk. As she doesn't turn 18 until November, maybe CD should make a trip to France and see what magic she can do similar to that Camel riding with Jana....This poll was taken after last summer's world championships. I'm not suggesting this was any scientific poll or really means that much, but it is encouraging. 64% of respondents picked Jana.
Fan Vote: Which U17 Women's WC 2022 baller will have the best pro career?
DEBRECEN (Hungary) - There have been some terrific individual displays at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2022, but who will now be able to kick on and make it to the very top at the elite...
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I would still love to see someone come in as a grad transfer or whatnot and work help Edwards out, while we develop these other players. The Post/Center position seems to always take a year for people to develop into..... this could help out with that.
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Our 2023-2024 class has 14 rosters and 8 of them are 6' or above. This is a pretty big class.
Aaliyah Edwards, 6-3
Jana El Alfy, 6-4
Ics Brady, 6-3
Caroline Ducharmen, 6-2
Amari DeBerry, 6-5
Aubrey Griffin, 6-1
Ayanna Patterson, 6-2
Qadence Samuels, 6-2
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