Our new bigs: what do we know?

[Zarathustra]

Some of us believe that Ice is very good at the corner 3, as well as from the top of the key.

I believe!!

 

[HopJim]

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

Not sure of the point being made. Yes, we have 8 players next year that are over 6' tall. We have one proven big. Normally this is not the recipe for success but with Ice coming back and Patterson hopefully improving her defense, and offense (please make a layup without getting blocked), and others with potential, it will not be as big an issue as some feel it is now.

 

[rvwsleep]

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....

She has great potential. Probably the most potential of any western European player her age. I thought I read somewhere that she is presently injured. (She would fit right in).

 

[CTrefugee]

primary deficiency is slow feet, ................and bad hands..........

 

[Bone Dog]

Just to be clear, I didn't say "bad hands."

 

[Ardenque]

All I can go by as far as Ayanna is concerned is tht....Geno trusted her enough to send her in b4 DeBerry .

That says a lot.

 

[Kaizen]

Not sure of the point being made. Yes, we have 8 players next year that are over 6' tall. We have one proven big. Normally this is not the recipe for success but with Ice coming back and Patterson hopefully improving her defense, and offense (please make a layup without getting blocked), and others with potential, it will not be as big an issue as some feel it is now.

Our 2023-2024 class has 14 rosters and 8 of them are 6' or above. This is a pretty big class.
==> The point is we have good size player next year. And I think you read it correctly.

 

[Bigboote]

I think Ice will be a very capable 5 player. As has been pointed out, she's big, strong, and takes up a lot of space. I see her as possibly more like a Dolson than a Tuck. Could be a good high-low post player.

Just my opinion, just based on watching quite a bit of high-school footage.

I look forward to four years of her and El Alfy playing together.

 

[SVCBeercats]

I do hope that Ice and Jana are those "Dawgs" that we need.

I don't know about them being "Dawgs" but Ice and Jana will be on the court with Aaliyah much of the time. In my mind Aubrey isn't a big but she has to be in the mix. I have reservations regarding Ayanna making the sophomore jump. She may need another year like Aubrey did. They both seem to have some confidence issues. Amari? Consult with the tea leaves. For me she is a conundrum. Hopefully she is enjoying herself hanging with the players and getting an education for her work life. A healthy Caroline may fit into the post play because of her offense at lease as it was before her head trauma issues.

 

[oldhusky]

Well Jackson from Kansas has decided to return, so the well is getting pretty dry regarding elite potential C types, and the odds of riding with our youngsters at the 5 is looking more likely. I still cling to some hope that something develops out of the blue, but don't really expect it unless a big surprise hits the portal.

I have plenty of confidence and belief that Ice and Jana will be very good in time, and pretty good in their first year. It is just the lack of experience that concerns me, when our other positions will be exceptional next year if we can stay healthy. One modest advantage those two do have is some exposure to our system. Ice during last summer before her injury, and Jana spending a semester with the team during her early enrollment. From that standpoint they are a little further along than a true freshmen.

 

[YKCornelius]

As has been said many times, young bigs coming into WCBB have a huge learning curve in front of them. They immediately have to deal with opponents who are often close to their size, usually stronger, and almost always more experienced. No longer are they the most physically dominant player on the court, which was often the case in high school and with their age-grouped national teams. It takes a while for most bigs to regain any semblance of the previous levels of dominance they might have enjoyed.

At UConn, the learning curve for bigs is harder than other programs, because so much is asked of them in the various offensive schemes UConn is able to employ. It is not simply about learning a whole new system and those plays that involve them touching the ball. They also need to become proficient in "reading and reacting" in order to maintain the requisite level of synchronicity with their Huskie teammates.

This advanced degree of learning is acquired in practice. It is eventually cemented and polished in game experience, but must be learned and developed on the practice court beforehand. Due to the high degree of synchronization, getting to the necessary level requires time, perseverance, commitment and hard work. Hours, days, weeks, and months of it.

This year lacked the requisite practice time for the younger bigs (Amari included) to develop in a manner many fans have become accustomed to seeing. It is not a negative reflection on anyone. Geno and staff had to restructure practices based on personnel availability and health limitations they never had to deal with before, much less for an extended period of time. As a result, we saw slower developmental growth in Ayanna and Amari. Again, not their fault. Just another consequence of an unforeseen gallimaufry of injuries over an entire season.

I am quite optimistic about the future of all of our young bigs. IMO, it's one of the best things about being a UConn fan: watching the development of wonderful, young adults coming together as a team. Wins, championships, streaks, awards are simply by-products. Go Huskies!

 

[uconnfan68]

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.

I was basing my post on my observations all year, and it wasn’t limited to AP. Lots of flat-footed play. I can only remember seeing AP actually jump 2-3 times. It seemed she was never taught how to keep people from blocking her shot from behind, but if she jumped they couldn’t do that. Maybe playing better competition will fix that.

 

[Zarathustra]

As has been said many times, young bigs coming into WCBB have a huge learning curve in front of them. They immediately have to deal with opponents who are often close to their size, usually stronger, and almost always more experienced. No longer are they the most physically dominant player on the court, which was often the case in high school and with their age-grouped national teams. It takes a while for most bigs to regain any semblance of the previous levels of dominance they might have enjoyed.

At UConn, the learning curve for bigs is harder than other programs, because so much is asked of them in the various offensive schemes UConn is able to employ. It is not simply about learning a whole new system and those plays that involve them touching the ball. They also need to become proficient in "reading and reacting" in order to maintain the requisite level of synchronicity with their Husky teammates.

This advanced degree of learning is acquired in practice. It is eventually cemented and polished in game experience, but must be learned and developed on the practice court beforehand. Due to the high degree of synchronization, getting to the necessary level requires time, perseverance, commitment and hard work. Hours, days, weeks, and months of it.

This year lacked the requisite practice time for the younger bigs (Amari included) to develop in a manner many fans have become accustomed to seeing. It is not a negative reflection on anyone. Geno and staff had to restructure practices based on personnel availability and health limitations they never had to deal with before, much less for an extended period of time. As a result, we saw slower developmental growth in Ayanna and Amari. Again, not their fault. Just another consequence of an unforeseen gallimaufry of injuries over an entire season.

I am quite optimistic about the future of all of our young bigs. IMO, it's one of the best things about being a UConn fan: watching the development of wonderful, young adults coming together as a team. Wins, championships, streaks, awards are simply by-products. Go Huskies!

I enjoyed this analysis. It put things in a clearer perspective for me. Thanks!! Z

 

[GoUconn7961]

I think Ice and Jana watching from the bench this year could be a good thing. They've soaked up a lot about what's expected of them going forward. Now it's time to execute. I think it'll be fun to watch. Ayanna just needs to be more confident taking shots when she's open.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

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.

Ayanna played particularly "small" for a player who is measured at 6'2". Gets blocked regularly, doesn't block many shots, and just was not the power underneath that one expected she'd be. Yes, she was transitioning from HS to WCBB. But lots of players ranked in the top 20 or so make that transition, and right out of the gate prove themselves to be major movers and shakers in the WCBB game. Ayanna was surprisingly quiet.

Regarding DeBerry, she will continue to be glued to the bench. Just not a prospect.

 

[jabstep]

What encouraged me was watching a recent workout video of Ice running the court doing a fast break weave. She was moving really well. She fulfills the ability to get out on the break or back on defense. I think she can play the high low well with Aaliyah because they both have very good elbow jumpers that might extend to the 3 point line next year. Both should be able to set screens for our shooters Paige Azzi and Caroline. We could add others to that list such as KK, Ashlynn and Qadence. I think if Ice doesn't start she will be part of the rotation. As others have said Ayanna needs a big jump over the summer. She needs some personel trainer to develop offensive moves around the hoop and elbow jumper at least.

 

[Longtime fan]

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.

Based upon what we have seen at the college level ( eg nothing from Jana or ice Brady ), and mostly mop-up work from DeBerry and Patterson, I think we have to conclude that Geno will play small ball next year. Ice can certainly be a presence in the middle ( based on credentials), and maybe she can get some relief via Jana ). But , for the most part, expect Paige and Azzi, Nikka and Aubrey,
Caroline ( hopefully), and the new class to play most of the minutes. I wish for great upside from DeBerry and Paterson, but my doubts hang heavy.

 

[HuskyNan]

Based upon what we have seen at the college level ( eg nothing from Jana or ice Brady ), and mostly mop-up work from DeBerry and Patterson, I think we have to conclude that Geno will play small ball next year. Ice can certainly be a presence in the middle ( based on credentials), and maybe she can get some relief via Jana ). But , for the most part, expect Paige and Azzi, Nikka and Aubrey,
Caroline ( hopefully), and the new class to play most of the minutes. I wish for great upside from DeBerry and Paterson, but my doubts hang heavy.

Do you expect Aaliyah to see a lot of bench time, then?

 

[Zarathustra]

Based upon what we have seen at the college level ( eg nothing from Jana or ice Brady ), and mostly mop-up work from DeBerry and Patterson, I think we have to conclude that Geno will play small ball next year. Ice can certainly be a presence in the middle ( based on credentials), and maybe she can get some relief via Jana ). But , for the most part, expect Paige and Azzi, Nikka and Aubrey,
Caroline ( hopefully), and the new class to play most of the minutes. I wish for great upside from DeBerry and Paterson, but my doubts hang heavy.

I'm looking forward to Caroline to return to her best Freshman year form... formidable and "clutch"!

 

[Longtime fan]

I'm looking forward to Caroline to return to her best Freshman year form... formidable and "clutch"!

We all do. But I have strong doubts, given the number of concussions see seemed to incur. At the end of the year, all it took was a light tap to her he'd from the BB, and she was practically crippled. One can only hope for the best.

 

[Longtime fan]

Do you expect Aaliyah to see a lot of bench time, then?

Nan, Bit of an oversight there, I fear.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ayanna played particularly "small" for a player who is measured at 6'2". Gets blocked regularly, doesn't block many shots, and just was not the power underneath that one expected she'd be. Yes, she was transitioning from HS to WCBB. But lots of players ranked in the top 20 or so make that transition, and right out of the gate prove themselves to be major movers and shakers in the WCBB game. Ayanna was surprisingly quiet.

I think it’s not quite fair to compare Ayanna to those players. Think about Cotie McMahon, for example. She had a great freshman season and seems like the paradigm of the freshman who “makes the transition.” But she was in a situation that really suited her skill set in the same way it had in HS. There wasn’t much of a transition for her. She’s listed as a forward, but essentially plays the floor against opponents mainly smaller than her. This is just a continuation of her HS experience. When she’s had to matchup against bigger guards and forwards she tended to get into foul trouble.

Ayanna has an inherently more difficult transition to make at the 4, where she’s playing against bigger faster players than she ever faced in HS.

 

[HuskyNan]

I think it’s not quite fair to compare Ayanna to those players. Think about Cotie McMahon, for example. She had a great freshman season and seems like the paradigm of the freshman who “makes the transition.” But she was in a situation that really suited her skill set in the same way it had in HS. There wasn’t much of a transition for her. She’s listed as a forward, but essentially plays the floor against opponents mainly smaller than her. This is just a continuation of her HS experience. When she’s had to matchup against bigger guards and forwards she tended to get into foul trouble.

Ayanna has an inherently more difficult transition to make at the 4, where she’s playing against bigger faster players than she ever faced in HS.

People should look up the stats for Asjha Jones, Kelly Schumacher, or Jess Moore (below). It’s especially difficult when a freshman post is playing behind a couple of strong upperclassmen