Over or Under: Ayanna to Dunk 5 Times in her First Year

[CocoHusky]

In the past, I'll bet Geno has said something like "You can only dunk if you can guarantee it will go in!" I believe that this statement coupled with the natural "fear of Geno" has kept lots of UConn players from ever attempting a dunk during a game while at UConn. It has to be someone who is absolutely fearless and has an attitude sufficient to challenge Geno head to head who will attempt it. I can only see someone like Paige trying it.

I guess you are taking the under?

 

[and one]

I'm not excited by the thought of dunking becoming a thing in wbb, having seen like 10 gazillion dunks by the men. Nor would I mind it if women dunking in games does become a thing. It wouldn't ruin the game and after a short while dunks would just be 2 more points. As for the risk of blowing a dunk and facing the ire of GA, which seems to be a concern among some of us, it does occur to me that missing bunnies happens all too often and GS can't be very happy about that either. If a player is 2 feet from the rim and looking to score, I don't care if the player attempts a dunk or lays it in off the glass. My concern is whether or not 2 points are added to our score.

 

[CL82]

Im no expert on female dunking.... but has a female ever dunked in traffic?? I can't recall seeing one.

Good question. I can’t recall it either. Maybe Griner off a offensive rebound?

 

[AgStatesman]

Under.... if we start to temper our ridiculous expectations then these players can't disappoint us by not reaching them.

 

[psconn]

Freshman year? I think I'll bet the ranch on the under.

 

[TC22]

Im no expert on female dunking.... but has a female ever dunked in traffic?? I can't recall seeing one.

Brittney Griner does.

 

[Hayven]

It’s cute you think Geno is suddenly going to give the freshman minutes

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

I can't see a dunk in a game by a UCONN Player. Maybe in warm ups or practice but not a game. UCONN has always been "Team First" ... and dunking, IMO, is a "look at me" kind of thing. UCONN players dont operate that way.

 

[sun]

The Vols Candace Parker dunked against UConn at the Hartford Civic Center in 2007.

""I wanted to have a chance to dunk on Connecticut's court," Parker had said after her second game in the historic rivalry. "And I did."
Lobo said while commentating, "You could already see the air going out of Connecticut's bubble, and that was the exclamation point."

Candace Parker trolled Geno Auriemma over her dominance over his UConn Huskies during her college days at Tennessee

"When I was there — my four years at Tennessee — they didn't win no national championships," Parker told BR's Taylor Rooks. "They ain't ever beat us."

sports.yahoo.com

 

[triaddukefan]

The Vols Candace Parker dunked against UConn at the Hartford Civic Center in 2007.

""I wanted to have a chance to dunk on Connecticut's court," Parker had said after her second game in the historic rivalry. "And I did."
Lobo said while commentating, "You could already see the air going out of Connecticut's bubble, and that was the exclamation point."

Candace Parker trolled Geno Auriemma over her dominance over his UConn Huskies during her college days at Tennessee

"When I was there — my four years at Tennessee — they didn't win no national championships," Parker told BR's Taylor Rooks. "They ain't ever beat us."

sports.yahoo.com

Are you trying to get banned here?? In your first month on this site?

 

[cohenzone]

Suppose she makes 90% of dunk attempts and 60% or so on layups. We aren’t used to women dunking but men’s coaches generally would just as soon see a dunk, considering it to be a higher % shot. I’d guess the actually dunk situations won’t be that numerous anyway. A dunk here or there to get a crowd going might be fun. It is supposed to be entertainment.

 

[oldhusky]

Isn't there something that is an obvious measuring stick for this? Namely how often has she dunked during a high school game? Maybe it's out there but I don't recall seeing any highlights of a game dunk from Ayanna yet. I do think if she had a breakaway she could easily do it, and Belibi might be a good comparison as well, because she did dunk in a HS game but I'm not sure if she has in college or not.

 

[sun]

Are you trying to get banned here?? In your first month on this site?

Realistically, I think that coaches let some players get away with more than others.
Especially in this day & age of transfer portals.
Just look at how Paige jokes around with Geno all of the time, she plays him like a fiddle.
I doubt that Pat Summit would have tried to control Candace Parker's dunking any more than Geno would try to control Ayanna Patterson.
If Patterson really wants to dunk then she will, with or without Geno's blessing.
But he would probably give her permission because of his fondness for her.

 

[Cuango]

It’s cute you think Geno is suddenly going to give the freshman minutes

Like Paige, KLS, Dee, Stewie?

 

[Alydar]

If Juhasz stays she is most likely to take over the 5 and despite what Edwards looks like right now she is the best bet at 4. Then there is DeBerry. Then there is Brady & Patterson. Five potential posts. I would like to watch the summer pickup games to see Edwards and Brady work each other. Patterson will get minutes simply because of her athletic skills. She has very quick feet, quick like a guard. With her wingspan and elevation she will be a disruptor at the least. I'll guess that she will set a record for blks/40 min.

UConn is going to be scary strong next season, but that's a topic for May-Aug.

 

[Skeets]

Im no expert on female dunking.... but has a female ever dunked in traffic?? I can't recall seeing one.

I've seen some putting makeup on in traffic (oh, I am truly sorry, couldn't resist. Let the punishment begin...)

 

[Skeets]

If Juhasz stays she is most likely to take over the 5 and despite what Edwards looks like right now she is the best bet at 4. Then there is DeBerry. Then there is Brady & Patterson. Five potential posts. I would like to watch the summer pickup games to see Edwards and Brady work each other. Patterson will get minutes simply because of her athletic skills. She has very quick feet, quick like a guard. With her wingspan and elevation she will be a disruptor at the least. I'll guess that she will set a record for blks/40 min.

UConn is going to be scary strong next season, but that's a topic for May-Aug.

Just like last summer :-(

 

[Alydar]

Just like last summer :-(

The season is still young. It's just an odd road they are on this year. Once they get past this detour things will change.

 

[visitingcock]

If I were a gambling man, I would hammer that under.

She has the most functional dunk out of any UConn woman’s basketball player, and probably the most functional out of any woman college basketball player at least so far as I’ve seen. That said dunking isn’t easy and it’s not like she’s getting her head above the rim and will get over the rim passes from her teammates all night long. Her dunks will be few and far between.

I’ve seen her dunks in practice. Are there any videos of her dunking in a game?

 

[Skeets]

The season is still young. It's just an odd road they are on this year. Once they get past this detour things will change.

I certainly hope so. I didn't mean to be a downer. If things work out just right, and that's a big IF, then this could be a story book season, talked about for a long time. I'm bleeding blue right now.

 

[Woof 101]

Liv was able to dunk when she committed to Storrs, but consistent with her relatively passive play, she hasn't attempted one while at UCONN.

Passive play is not fair. Take in a game where you can sit down low and witness the beatings underneath the hoop. She takes it and dishes it out the best she can. Liv has been a trooper for UConn and deserves no negative print for not dunking the ball. No attack JMHO...

It’s cute you think Geno is suddenly going to give the freshman minutes

Absolutely no attack but you should research UConn WBB archives and you will find multiple freshman that got lots of pt. Paige come to mind?
This because they earned it by hard work and understanding Geno's concept of how we play. Have not heard him consider dunking the ball a priority yet.

I can't see a dunk in a game by a UCONN Player. Maybe in warm ups or practice but not a game. UCONN has always been "Team First" ... and dunking, IMO, is a "look at me" kind of thing. UCONN players dont operate that way.

It's people that want the women's game to be the same as the men's which will never happen, nor do I want it to. My favorite dunk is the ones they miss and look like an ass hat.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy the arieral aerobatics of the men but the constant team play of the women is always appreciated just as much.

 

[TeamFirst!]

It may be that Ayanna has an easier time dunking with 2 hands because of her hand size. If that is the case then dunking with 2 hands and not traveling might be an issue. She can apparently dunk from a standing jump with 2 hands though. I'd say way under. Maybe later in her career she will dunk some.

 

[sun]

IMO it's flawed logic to assert that a slam dunk is an anti-team scoring strategy.
If UConn had a player capable of slam dunking it would become more apparent that a player that can dunk is a scoring asset for the team.

It's hard to defend, it can draw a foul and it provides a psychological benefit to the home crowd and the team since the fans become more enthusiastic, which is exactly why the home crowd is called the 6th man in basketball.

I disagree with the folks who think that dunking is mostly about showboating and self-promotion..
If Paige or Liv dunked then I doubt that anyone would say that.

When a player in not extra tall yet can slam dunk the ball, it shows their work ethic to develop the muscles needed to complete the dunk and to score the points,
I think some folks are missing the point of a slam dunk and how rare it is for many women players to accomplish.
The object of the game to win in part by the players using all of their talents, and being able to slam dunk is a talent.
To not recognize the benefits of being able to slam dunk in some circumstances is being closed minded.

"Dunking is the ultimate high percentage shot. It is also less likely to be blocked without a foul than a layup."

Basketball: Slam Dunk | Encyclopedia.com

Basketball: Slam DunkThe slam dunk is a simple maneuver in basketball, defined as the delivery of the ball through the rim of the basket, or cylinder, by one hand or by two. Dunking is a relatively easy shot for the tall player, given that the 10-ft-high (3 m) basketball rim can be touched by...

www.encyclopedia.com

 

[Bigboote]

Under.

Stewie had the green light to dunk in a game from Geno. He said (I think 2-3 years ago, after Olivia had joined the team) that Stewie was the only player he’d coached at UConn who could truly dunk at will.

Patterson will need to earn Geno’s trust before she’s given the green light to showboat.

 

[RoadMaster]

I’ve seen her dunks in practice. Are there any videos of her dunking in a game?

Well.. Here's an attempt.. Plenty of hops.. This was a flub.. I'd guess (with those hops) there would be a number of flushes!