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Message: [QUOTE="YKCornelius, post: 4614124, member: 9864"] 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! [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach