Our size

[da60]

I believe I mentioned it last year...the fact that other top teams look so big and strong compared to us. Yes, we now have at least reduced that issue 50% with AE and NM adding size and grit to our team.....they are still freshmen and I love them....but from my tv observations, there are some teams that are are huge and talented as well, with more upper-class women. Our kids really haven't faced that kind of size and experience this year.
Ours is an incredible group.....CW and EW among them...Paige's size doesn't seem to matter, she overcomes everything! I am certain that our wonderful 4 coaches are preparing for this issue, usually by having male players play against the girls. AE is already a monster, Nika is another Rizzotti and CW is a lot tougher and stronger than a lot of people believe.
Our team is so young and unusual that it is difficult to predict anything.....but the youth is definitely a factor. You know that the Master of coaching recognizes this and probably the the toughness will be catching. Nika is something else....it will stem from the coaches to Nika to the team. Wouldn't it be great to see UConn push their way to final 4 and, let's hold our breath, the NC. This geezer is up and ready for the tv challenge....I know my fellow BYers are with me. What an exciting week of anticipation!

 

[bballnut90]

I believe I mentioned it last year...the fact that other top teams look so big and strong compared to us. Yes, we now have at least reduced that issue 50% with AE and NM adding size and grit to our team.....they are still freshmen and I love them....but from my tv observations, there are some teams that are are huge and talented as well, with more upper-class women. Our kids really haven't faced that kind of size and experience this year.
Ours is an incredible group.....CW and EW among them...Paige's size doesn't seem to matter, she overcomes everything! I am certain that our wonderful 4 coaches are preparing for this issue, usually by having male players play against the girls. AE is already a monster, Nika is another Rizzotti and CW is a lot tougher and stronger than a lot of people believe.
Our team is so young and unusual that it is difficult to predict anything.....but the youth is definitely a factor. You know that the Master of coaching recognizes this and probably the the toughness will be catching. Nika is something else....it will stem from the coaches to Nika to the team. Wouldn't it be great to see UConn push their way to final 4 and, let's hold our breath, the NC. This geezer is up and ready for the tv challenge....I know my fellow BYers are with me. What an exciting week of anticipation!

What team looks so much bigger and stronger to you?

You make a post about size, yet completely disregard that UCONN has a 6-5 center (who is also an upperclassman) with great length and is one of the best shot blockers in the country.

You've also faced two of the biggest teams in the country in Tennessee and South Carolina and were able to escape with wins despite getting limited production from post players.

Your back court is also tall with every contributor being 5'10 or taller. I dont see UCONN as being a small team at all.

 

[chrissaran]

bballnut90, you're right on it. SC and Tenn have big teams, and we beat both.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I believe I mentioned it last year...the fact that other top teams look so big and strong compared to us. Yes, we now have at least reduced that issue 50% with AE and NM adding size and grit to our team.....they are still freshmen and I love them....but from my tv observations, there are some teams that are are huge and talented as well, with more upper-class women. Our kids really haven't faced that kind of size and experience this year.
Ours is an incredible group.....CW and EW among them...Paige's size doesn't seem to matter, she overcomes everything! I am certain that our wonderful 4 coaches are preparing for this issue, usually by having male players play against the girls. AE is already a monster, Nika is another Rizzotti and CW is a lot tougher and stronger than a lot of people believe.
Our team is so young and unusual that it is difficult to predict anything.....but the youth is definitely a factor. You know that the Master of coaching recognizes this and probably the the toughness will be catching. Nika is something else....it will stem from the coaches to Nika to the team. Wouldn't it be great to see UConn push their way to final 4 and, let's hold our breath, the NC. This geezer is up and ready for the tv challenge....I know my fellow BYers are with me. What an exciting week of anticipation!

BTW we did face it twice with Tennessee and South Carolina. The size affected our shooting and nothing else IMO.
Paige is deceptive. She's almost as tall as DT and she's wiry strong with long arms.
CW's deceptive too. Now that she's playing well, it's there for everyone to see. Do we ever worry when she gets it in the post?

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

I believe I mentioned it last year...the fact that other top teams look so big and strong compared to us. Yes, we now have at least reduced that issue 50% with AE and NM adding size and grit to our team.....they are still freshmen and I love them....but from my tv observations, there are some teams that are are huge and talented as well, with more upper-class women. Our kids really haven't faced that kind of size and experience this year.
Ours is an incredible group.....CW and EW among them...Paige's size doesn't seem to matter, she overcomes everything! I am certain that our wonderful 4 coaches are preparing for this issue, usually by having male players play against the girls. AE is already a monster, Nika is another Rizzotti and CW is a lot tougher and stronger than a lot of people believe.
Our team is so young and unusual that it is difficult to predict anything.....but the youth is definitely a factor. You know that the Master of coaching recognizes this and probably the the toughness will be catching. Nika is something else....it will stem from the coaches to Nika to the team. Wouldn't it be great to see UConn push their way to final 4 and, let's hold our breath, the NC. This geezer is up and ready for the tv challenge....I know my fellow BYers are with me. What an exciting week of anticipation!

#MakeUConnBadForWBBAgain

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Edwards has made all the difference. When she's on the court with ONO, she gets all the attention underneath, freeing ONO to do other things. The two together are very effective, while on her own, as we saw at the start of the season, ONO is not.

With attention being divided by the defense between Paige, then Crystal, then Edwards, and now even Nika, and with ONO learning that roll to the basket, taken together, they are very effective. 6'3" beast combined with 6'5" versatile in ONO has made us stand up to other big teams. Big change. We're not a small team with those two playing, and with Edwards increasingly playing like an AA under the basket.

 

[Monte]

Edwards has made all the difference. When she's on the court with ONO, she gets all the attention underneath, freeing ONO to do other things. The two together are very effective, while on her own, as we saw at the start of the season, ONO is not.

With attention being divided by the defense between Paige, then Crystal, then Edwards, and now even Nika, and with ONO learning that roll to the basket, taken together, they are very effective. 6'3" beast combined with 6'5" versatile in ONO has made us stand up to other big teams. Big change. We're not a small team with those two playing, and with Edwards increasingly playing like an AA under the basket.

I agree. When you need a "bigger team." play ONO and Edwards together. Against a smaller team, alternate them.

 

[Centerstream]

Van Kluenen is a big and very aggressive, how did she do last night???

 

[SVCBeercats]

I believe I mentioned it last year...the fact that other top teams look so big and strong compared to us.

Well this year team will have to gut it out. But help is on the way, Next season Liv 6'5", Aaliyah 6'3", Piath 6'5", and Amari 6'5". Still young but one season with Geno, CD, and Jamelle is worth 2 or 3 seasons elsewhere. Witness Aaliyah's progress. If you really want UCONN to bang with best, picture Aaliyah and "Ice" (6'4") in the low post in 2022. In male sports there have been multiple incarnations of "Buise Brothers." UCONN answer may be the SWAT Sisters?!

 

[Charliebball]

just wait till next year when Ms DeBerry joins the fun................how about going big with a 6'5", 6'5" and 6'3' front line plus Fudd and Bueckers in the back court...........that's going to be exciting to see.........

 

[bluedevil]

How did that guy David do vs. Goliath?

 

[bluedevil]

just wait till next year when Ms DeBerry joins the fun................how about going big with a 6'5", 6'5" and 6'3' front line plus Fudd and Bueckers in the back court...........that's going to be exciting to see.........

Well Nika and CW will start so that line-up will have to wait a little.

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

Well Nika and CW will start so that line-up will have to wait a little.

Stewart, Dolson, Stokes did not all start. Geno still found situations to play 3 of UConn's all time top 10 shot blockers.

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

How did that guy David do vs. Goliath?

1v1 with sling shot and projectile
Not quite 5v5 basketball

 

[JonathanXIV]

I believe I mentioned it last year...the fact that other top teams look so big and strong compared to us. Yes, we now have at least reduced that issue 50% with AE and NM adding size and grit to our team.....they are still freshmen and I love them....but from my tv observations, there are some teams that are are huge and talented as well, with more upper-class women. Our kids really haven't faced that kind of size and experience this year.
Ours is an incredible group.....CW and EW among them...Paige's size doesn't seem to matter, she overcomes everything! I am certain that our wonderful 4 coaches are preparing for this issue, usually by having male players play against the girls. AE is already a monster, Nika is another Rizzotti and CW is a lot tougher and stronger than a lot of people believe.
Our team is so young and unusual that it is difficult to predict anything.....but the youth is definitely a factor. You know that the Master of coaching recognizes this and probably the the toughness will be catching. Nika is something else....it will stem from the coaches to Nika to the team. Wouldn't it be great to see UConn push their way to final 4 and, let's hold our breath, the NC. This geezer is up and ready for the tv challenge....I know my fellow BYers are with me. What an exciting week of anticipation!

I think the discussion concerning size needs to be more nuanced. Usually the "size" discussion centers (no pun intended) on the tallest players - typically the 5 and 4 positions. But that is not how this UConn team is constructed. Instead, UConn puts five players on the floor that are athletic and relatively tall (Nika is the seeming exception at 5'10', but she is strong enough to hold her own with taller players). This allows UConn to play an aggressive, switching man to man. Consider how Edwards will often switch to a guard at the top of the key and is aggressive and athletic enough to not just stay with the ball, but often forces the player away from the basket.

Yes, UConn can have issues with very tall, physical players who have skills (honestly, how many of those are there?) But UConn presents its own match up problems for those teams. For example, South Carolina can't play the type of switching on every pick defense that UConn does, as Boston can't stay with players outside of the paint. Nor would Dawn want to do that, as pulling Boston out of the paint would present a favorable match up for the opposing team's offense.

Geno has taken what he has, intelligent, athletic players, of similar size and willing to work very hard, and installed an aggressive defensive scheme that causes considerable problems for opponents and takes away what they are looking to do. At this point of the season I'm getting more enjoyment at watching the Huskies play on defense as compared to offense. It's taken a while for this team to get where they are now, but they are going to be a tough match up for any team.

 

[DEpup]

I think it would be fun next year to see a Liv, Aaliyah, Amari, Caroline, and Paige line up for a few minutes. Talk about a big line up....

 

[MD#12Fan]

I think the discussion concerning size needs to be more nuanced. Usually the "size" discussion centers (no pun intended) on the tallest players - typically the 5 and 4 positions. But that is not how this UConn team is constructed. Instead, UConn puts five players on the floor that are athletic and relatively tall (Nika is the seeming exception at 5'10', but she is strong enough to hold her own with taller players). This allows UConn to play an aggressive, switching man to man. Consider how Edwards will often switch to a guard at the top of the key and is aggressive and athletic enough to not just stay with the ball, but often forces the player away from the basket.

Yes, UConn can have issues with very tall, physical players who have skills (honestly, how many of those are there?) But UConn presents its own match up problems for those teams. For example, South Carolina can't play the type of switching on every pick defense that UConn does, as Boston can't stay with players outside of the paint. Nor would Dawn want to do that, as pulling Boston out of the paint would present a favorable match up for the opposing team's offense.

Geno has taken what he has, intelligent, athletic players, of similar size and willing to work very hard, and installed an aggressive defensive scheme that causes considerable problems for opponents and takes away what they are looking to do. At this point of the season I'm getting more enjoyment at watching the Huskies play on defense as compared to offense. It's taken a while for this team to get where they are now, but they are going to be a tough match up for any team.

IMO playing the defensive style they're playing, they're plenty big. I would also argue that they are all deceptively big. You mentioned Nika. Did you see E's post defense yesterday. She had 2-3 steals from fronting the post. Paige is deceptively strong and wiry with long arms. CW is who she is because of her stout frame and long arms.
Because of the pressure out front and denying the ball to the wings, the defensive philosophy they're using, naturally forces the posts to come further out to get the ball, rendering them much less effective. I remember a less than stellar Duke team (men) shutting down Tim Duncan- Wake Forest because he had to come out so far to receive the ball. IMO you can consider a player getting shorter the further away from the basket they are. A 6'5" Aliyah Boston next to the rim, on the block or 12-15' away. (oh crap, she's got a mad 3-pointer! Just kidding) Which is it?

 

[Charliebball]

Well Nika and CW will start so that line-up will have to wait a little.

I think Geno's most likely to only use that big line up against a team like South Carolina or Oregon to match up against their bigs.................BTW unless she's unfit, I'm 98% sure Ms Fudd starts from day one, just as her back court mate did...............Nika's going to have to get used to coming off the bench and .I think she will enjoy creating havoc in that point guard role with her energy and intensity........

 

[Childhood]

I think Geno's most likely to only use that big line up against a team like South Carolina or Oregon to match up against their bigs.................BTW unless she's unfit, I'm 98% sure Ms Fudd starts from day one, just as her back court mate did...............Nika's going to have to get used to coming off the bench and .I think she will enjoy creating havoc in that point guard role with her energy and intensity........

I'm 100% sure Azzi Fudd will play as the starter.

 

[Blueballer]

TENN has 7 players 6-2 on their roster. Oregon has 8. Those are good teams but hardly unbeatable because of their size. Oregon has a ton of tall young players. That may very well be impactful down the road but not this year. Stanford has 4 players that size or bigger. But it isn't their size that makes them good it's their mobility and shooting range. IMO they are the most dangerous team matchup wise.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I'm 100% sure Azzi Fudd will play as the starter.

Gosh, slow down guys! Serious buzzkill.
I haven't been issued a BY crystal ball, so I have no idea what is going to happen in the future.
I hope you guys are psyched about this year's team. Obviously they are on an upward trajectory but nobody but Kreskin knows what's in store. We could have an epic final chapter of which none of us here have ever experienced.
Would something like that affect next year's lineup. Hmmm.

 

[bluedevil]

I'm 100% sure Azzi Fudd will play as the starter.

Fudd replaces EW.....Nika starts...Cw starts..Liv starts...Paige probably starts too.

 

[oldhusky]

Well Nika and CW will start so that line-up will have to wait a little.

We can all make cases for various starting lineups, and look at certain players and say they have to start next year, but in my opinion there are only two completely certain starters next year, Paige and Liv. First if everybody comes back, with Amari coming onboard as a backup C, I think Aaliyah can settle in as the starting PF, no more need for small/ball.

That means one of the existing starters is forced to the bench. Presumably the choice is between Evina, Nika and Christyn. Not an easy choice. If Evina leaves that difficult choice is avoided, at least until you start to consider the addition of Azzi.

So if Aaliyah starts and if you presume the nation's number 1 recruit has to start somewhere, then you are back to those previously mentioned three being vulnerable, or just Nika and Christyn, if Evina leaves.

I think Aaliyah and Azzi both have a decent chance at starting, and I suspect Evina will depart for the WNBA. With those assumptions Nika or Christyn has to sit. Now I would consider Christyn the overall better player than Nika, but it is not that simple. In many ways Nika compliments Paige's game better than Christyn. We also have multiple great options at SG, Christyn's best position by far.

On next year's team if you just asked the question who could best play the SG position, Christyn might be third on that list. That seems ridiculous, but if you consider Paige as a SG she is clearly better, and next year Azzi could be better as well. No knock on Christyn but the last two high school players of the year might be better than her at that position.

So it might come down to chemistry with the other starters, how these players do at their second best position, how they could compliment the second unit etc. Regardless even if Evina leaves, there is a pretty good chance that one of the current starters joins Anna on the bench as a former starter. If Aaliyah starts, Evina leaves, and Geno doesn't want to change the other starters, he could have Azzi be a super-sub off the bench, presumably inheriting Christyn's starting position the next year.

Regardless somebody that much of the Boneyard feels has to start, won't. That's just the reality of the numbers game.

 

[Dillon77]

just wait till next year when Ms DeBerry joins the fun................how about going big with a 6'5", 6'5" and 6'3' front line plus Fudd and Bueckers in the back court...........that's going to be exciting to see.........

--- something you've been posting about/urging for years, if memory holds.
Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[Bama fan]

How did that guy David do vs. Goliath?

There were no refs at that contest. Not the same !