Our Nucleus is key

[WiseWillie]

I've no idea either, but lemme offer the first thing that came into my head:

Boron has an atomic number of 5, so let's take that as the nucleus. It has five protons, which we can take as the starters in any particular game. Boron is unusual in that it doesn't have a single dominant isotope. The most common has six neutrons, the next-most, five neutrons. If boron is a suitable model, then that bodes well as it means that UConn should have 5-6 bench players in the normal rotation.

That was literally my first thought upon seeing your post. Yes, I'm a hopeless geek

Comparing the starting five to a chemical element is geeky for sure but at same time interesting. You have specific components, and the team's identity is defined by the combination of the players and roles they perform just like the number of protons in the particular element, in this case B. The various properties of the team like speed, shooting ability and skill level is the same for the chemical element. Then there's the way the players - or say the electrons - interact with each other.

Bigboote, I think you have hit on something you can sell to all the Div I coaches. You might have to give them a test first on the periodic tablel and a quick rundown on patterns in the table. No problem. 😄

 

[CL82]

We have two potential all Americans returning, backed up by very good veterans, and some incredibly strong additions. Through all of that, I think Williams may be the key edition this year. She allows Strong to play predominantly as a stretch four, a position that is a nightmare matchup for opposing teams.

Williams is also a big physical presence in the paint and an established scorer down low. That just makes us a nightmare to match up against. Think about our likely starting five. If you sag off of any one of them for help defense, you are going to pay. We've got an unselfish, good shooting, good passing team with the ability to score at all three levels. I think we're going to be incredibly dangerous next year.

Those of you who know me know that I am very hesitant to predict success in the preseason, but I see the possibility, at least, of this year's team being better than last year's team, even with the loss of our all American, Wade trophy winning, generational player Paige Bueckers to the WNBA.

Of course, it goes without saying that we are still doomed, but I like the way this team looks on paper. A lot.

 

[WiseWillie]

We have two potential all Americans returning, backed up by very good veterans, and some incredibly strong additions. Through all of that, I think Williams may be the key edition this year. She allows Strong to play predominantly as a stretch four, a position that is a nightmare matchup for opposing teams.

Williams is also a big physical presence in the paint and an established scorer down low. That just makes us a nightmare to match up against. Think about our likely starting five. If you sag off of any one of them for help defense, you are going to pay. We've got an unselfish, good shooting, good passing team with the ability to score at all three levels. I think we're going to be incredibly dangerous next year.

Those of you who know me know that I am very hesitant to predict success in the preseason, but I see the possibility, at least, of this year's team being better than last year's team, even with the loss of our all American, Wade trophy winning, generational player Paige Bueckers to the WNBA.

Of course, it goes without saying that we are still doomed, but I like the way this team looks on paper. A lot.

We are still definitely doomed - to repeat!

 

[Cuango]

Huh? While I loved Nika, I am hard pressed to think of a “big game” where Nika stepped up. I mean in
Seattle against OSU she was atrocious and I recall her in foul trouble a few other times when we needed her and we had to press Ines into action. Ash is infinitely more prepared to step up. Yes, Nika was an absolute gmat on defense but to say she stepped up in “Big Games” is a bit of a reach. But feel free to cite any games other than the Iowa Elite 8 game when she guarded Clark and did ok.

Better just give up! While I grew to love and appreciate Nika and her undeniable contributions to this program, I too have never seen her as this “legendary” UConn player whose impact transcended her stats to nearly the extent that many here do/did. Yes, she was a good player for us and clearly was particularly impactful during the dark days of the “injury years” but for many, she became almost a cult like figure who could not be criticized or even talked about in any but the most reverential of tones.

I remember trying to discuss whether she was better as a starter or off the bench as Paige’s backup at the point and you would have thought I was advocating for her immediate dismissal from the team! Take my word for it. “That way lies madness”! Best to just murmur, “yes, she was a good player for us at a time when we desperately needed someone exactly like her” (which she clearly was) and move on to another topic. 😎

 

[msf22b]

I've no idea either, but lemme offer the first thing that came into my head:

Boron has an atomic number of 5, so let's take that as the nucleus. It has five protons, which we can take as the starters in any particular game. Boron is unusual in that it doesn't have a single dominant isotope. The most common has six neutrons, the next-most, five neutrons. If boron is a suitable model, then that bodes well as it means that UConn should have 5-6 bench players in the normal rotation.

That was literally my first thought upon seeing your post. Yes, I'm a hopeless geek.

BigB

I’m just an under-educated ex-musician who skipped out of my required College physics requirement and somehow received a passing grade...

So your analysis is. “Greek” to me...Sounds good though and we’ll be in Crete and Athens over Thanksgiving so perhaps I can catch up...

 

[Tonyc]

What made Sarah so effective last season was when she played down low in our small ball formation Sarah could come out and hit an outside shot while many times her defender remained a distance away. Another point was Paige took pressure off Sarah and Azzi allowing them a bit more time to get their shot off. We will see how that plays out this season with Paige gone. I am confident with all our other options that will not be a problem because Azzi and Sarah will draw alot of attention and they will find their open teammate and those teammates are special players who can create their own shot.

I feel we have so much talent that will step up it wont matter. Azzi and Sarah both have a pull up jumper and a deep outside shot. Both are very difficult to defend. With that said we have so many others who can score in a variety of different ways and Ash has shown she too has a pull up jumper. This will help their teammates. I am expecting to see alot of improvement from and alot of confidence from our veterans. One thing I saw at the Sacred Heart practice was confidence in KK Caroline Ice and Kayleigh. We are going to see see a monster of a team this season. With so much talent and growth this team is destined. So many comments on the board of how good this team is. I think were better then we think and as the season progresses we will mold into a well oiled machine again. Complete dominance. We have no weak links. I think that is a huge key. We have players on a mission because of the belief that was created last season winning the NC against 3 number 1 teams. That was a tuff road and UConn dominated them without question. This season we have more experience, we are healthy, we have grown so much from last season and most of all we have confidence. We have alot of stars that will shine this season. Geno has done alot with lesser talent. This season he has an abundance of talent and I can only imagine what he will do with it

 

[Bone Dog]

Azzi and Sarah both have a pull up jumper and a deep outside shot… and Ash has shown she too has a pull up jumper.

I share much of your optimism, but I have one caveat here. The pull up jumper has long been a staple of Geno’s offense and Paige was an absolute master of it. Dee and Maya too. And as Tim Fudd said in an interview recently, it was a staple of Azzi’s game before her injury, and he’s happy to see it return as a sign of her confidence.

But my bugaboo about pull up jumpers is that they’re not the same as a midrange jumper or an elbow jumper. Sarah is not known for her pull up jumper even though she has an excellent midrange game. I’d say the same about Aaliyah who had an excellent elbow jumper and drove the lane or the baseline really well. A pull up requires something else, a quick move off the dribble and a sudden stop and jump. It’s really hard to do well and it can be hard on one’s joints. This is mainly the territory of guards not bigs. And for the guards it requires a lot of nerve since it often means getting the shot off among the tall trees. This was Paige’s genius. Azzi has it too, and so does Ash. Kaitlyn didn’t have this move in her arsenal and neither does KK. I’m curious to see if Kayleigh does. And I’m even more curious to see if Blanca has one or can develop one.

Having three players on a roster who have a pull up jumper is a lot. Very few teams have even one, mainly because coaches don’t teach it as much as they used to because of so-called analytics. Jordan King on Marquette had a really good one. Jasmine Bascoe on Villanova has one too.

On UConn, Azzi and Ash have one, and it remains to be seen if a third will emerge. In my view, it’s the most important part of an offensive scheme, a reliable midrange shot that can be created off the dribble. It’s more important than a three-pointer or a post move. It’s not because UConn more points off them. The value lies in its reliability. It’s the staple of the ‘bucket-getter,’ the player who can be counted to stop an opponent’s run and calm her teammates down. This is what Paige and Geno understand so well. Just watch the Oklahoma game to see the truth of it.