Pass the Dam Ball

[Charliebball]

Nice observation. To my earlier post, Liv is in something of the same position when she fights for position in the low post and calls for the ball. Against Baylor, a pass to Liv was no better than jacking up a contested 3. But vs Oregon, Liv’s 4/5 & 6 assists was excellent and perhaps a message to her teammates to get her the ball more often.

One additional point relative to getting the ball into the low post. In each of UConn’s previous 3 seasons, you could absolutely count on the fact that the fist time the Huskies ran their half-court offense, the ball would invariably find Pheesa in the low post.

Pheesa could catch every pass, good or bad, and her broad repertoire of low post moves and ability to finish at the rim made her the #1 option in the half court. Once Pheesa established her offense, UConn’s shooters were the beneficiaries with wide open looks from the perimeter.

I doubt that Liv will ever get to Pheesa’s level, but I do believe she is capable of shooting at 50-60% in the post. I would like to see UConn work harder to start games getting the ball to Liv and then letting the game plan evolve from there.

ONO is shooting .521 right now and is averaging about 11 points and about 8 rebounds per game in only 26 minutes

 

[Charliebball]

Perhaps the team should look at their last game again to see how it's done. Oregon had no problem passing the ball to open and cutting teammates for easy uncontested lay ups and bunnies.

I would love to see it but I'm not sure if it's going to get much better this season..................I'm confident you're going to see a whole bunch of head shaking passes next year..........

 

[pvdoggy]

I would love to see it but I'm not sure if it's going to get much better this season..................I'm confident you're going to see a whole bunch of head shaking passes next year..........

There are 2 different kinds of head shaking passes, hopefully it's going to be the good kind because I have seen Geno shaking his head at some of the passes the current team made.

 

[Charliebball]

There are 2 different kinds of head shaking passes, hopefully it's going to be the good kind because I have seen Geno shaking his head at some of the passes the current team made.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say mostly the good kind but no doubt they'll be a few stinkers thrown in from time to time........

 

[Papa33]

Sometimes I read a post and find myself violently disagreeing until I realize it’s an old post of mine.

Now THAT is funny, and i have not laughed (or maybe even smiled) at a Boneyard post in a long time. Thanks, Dokey.

 

[Dokey]

I'm gonna take this a step further. Anyone who thinks they see a clear case of a player with the ball who sees a wide-open Anna ready to shoot but refuses to pass to her, please start citing the exact time stamps in the game so that others can go back and see it for themselves.

I'm with @oldude . These accusations have taken on a life of their own and I don't see it or believe it.

Again, I think it is because they were used to the 0 for America Anna who led the team in assists and think they have to take care of scoring as upper class women. Since from day one, Anna has been my favorite Huskie, I primarily follow her on the court. I am not going to go back and give you time spots but if you were in my tv room you would hear me shout “pass to Anna” followed by a “I told you to pass it to her” after a hurried missed shot by another player. Again I don’t think it is deliberate—it isn’t a great passing team other than Anna and CD (who feels pressed to shoot, not pass) but it was interesting to me to watch Aubrey kick back to Anna for a couple of threes.

 

[Papa33]

I'm gonna take this a step further. Anyone who thinks they see a clear case of a player with the ball who sees a wide-open Anna ready to shoot but refuses to pass to her, please start citing the exact time stamps in the game so that others can go back and see it for themselves.

I'm with @oldude . These accusations have taken on a life of their own and I don't see it or believe it.

One thing to keep in mind: those of us who cannot get to see games in person see the games from an elevated point way above the floor. From that perspective, it's a piece of cake to see open spaces to and open teammates. It's quite another thing at floor level-- much more difficult.

But not impossible. As I noted in another post (and someone else mentioned in this thread) neither Megan nor Christyn are particularly good at spotting and passing to open teammates, but I would be reluctant to charge them with deliberate selfishness. I don't see it. Court sense and vision CAN be learned.

 

[cbraarj]

I’ve stated before that this is not a great UConn passing team. Beyond that, the argument that Anna is somehow being ignored by her teammates, for some dubious reason, is complete B.S. I suggest to anyone who believes that, go back and watch the game films closely.

What you will see is a lot of passes that are not made to open teammates, particularly to Liv, who is working hard in the paint, calling for the ball, and receiving it rarely. Liv had a height advantage vs Hebard and was 4/5 against the Ducks. Get her twice as many shots and maybe you have a much closer game.

Passing from the high post continues to be a big problem for UConn. There is no one on the team with the poise of Gabby or Lou who were both outstanding passers from the high post. The number of passes that UConn has tipped or stolen is bad. Over the last 5-6 games, Kyla has become a turnover machine, frequently throwing passes directly to opponents because the passes are late, bad decisions or both. Megan and Christyn are not particularly good passers.

The really good passers on the team are Crystal and Anna, and even they make some questionable decisions with the ball. There is one real positive when it comes to passing. Liv is becoming a very solid passer out of the post. In only 23 minutes, she lead UConn with 6 assists vs Oregon.

I agree with everything you said and usually do but Walker does not make a great effort to get the ball to Ania and it has been going on all year.

 

[DefenseBB]

I'm gonna take this a step further. Anyone who thinks they see a clear case of a player with the ball who sees a wide-open Anna ready to shoot but refuses to pass to her, please start citing the exact time stamps in the game so that others can go back and see it for themselves.

I'm with @oldude . These accusations have taken on a life of their own and I don't see it or believe it.

What I do see is a lot and I mean A LOT of times players are open and they aren't getting the ball. The UConn system takes time to learn and with only 2 upper classman, that's a problem as you are integrating 3 underclassmen all who want to defer to upper classman. I literally feel like I can hear them think-"where should I pass the ball on this play, oh yeah, over here" instead of instinctually knowing through all the repetitions of playing together, which is what Oregon with 3 3-year players (and 2 4-year) playing together do so well.

I wonder (and the throngs will correct me) if by having 4 passers (facilitators of the ball) next year in Evina, Anna, Paige and Nikki, if that will help the team as all will know to look for passing? CW and ONO will be another year in the UConn system and Aubrey should be more comfortable. Thoughts? Or did I start drinking too soon today (though to be fare is ever TOO soon to start drinking?)….

 

[Jingo]

Now THAT is funny, and i have not laughed (or maybe even smiled) at a Boneyard post in a long time. Thanks, Dokey.

Right I smiled too!

 

[oldude]

I agree with everything you said and usually do but Walker does not make a great effort to get the ball to Ania and it has been going on all year.

It's not about Anna. It's about Megan. She is not an instinctive passer. By focusing on Anna, we add a layer of suspicion about something that is not there. Megan also misses opportunities to pass to Liv frequently in the low post. No one but me seems to think that is a problem.

Talking about UConn's challenges passing the ball this season is fine. Creating some kind of dubious conspiracy about it is not, and it does not square with the game films that I always watch 1/2 times following the initial telecast.

One additional point. Geno knows exactly what's going on with his team on the court. He would never tolerate a player consciously deciding to avoid passing to an open teammate. A more likely explanation is that Geno wants Megan to look for her shot first, so if she does not hit an open teammate, it's likely because she is doing exactly what Geno wants her to.

Finally, as Plebe suggested earlier, if there are examples of Megan, or any other Husky, ignoring a wide open Anna on the floor, please let us know the game, qtr and time on the clock so we can verify it. Because I haven't seen it.

 

[Jumpy Radar]

I like the OP's observation. After watching this year's team what I see in regards to passing is a lot of tossing the ball around the perimeter and then someone tries to go one-on-one with a dribble-drive to the basket. or just take a three-pointer. Very few screens are set unless Evelyn is in the game at garbage time. If a screen is set the ball-handler is hesitant to use it.

So, what plays are they actually running? I don't see set plays where the pass is intended for a certain player to score the ball. What I see is one-on-one and 3's. I mean if you're lucky enough you might win that way. But against a quality opponent, most likely you will lose. I refuse to compare past teams with the current because each year the team is a little different. Graduating seniors and underclassmen improving or maybe hitting a wall, and incoming freshmen all factor into the identity of each year's team.

However, with this year's team, I have found myself screaming at the screen during games no matter the opponent yelling, "Pass the Ball!" So many times ONO has been open in the post and she doesn't get the ball. Granted she needs to improve her shot-making, but you have to get your big involved, along with all your teammates.

Now even with all this said, I still think we have a good team. We're not great. But this is one of the best coaching jobs I have seen out of Geno in awhile, and it is born out of necessity.

 

[donalddoowop]

Because some of you don't see it does not mean it is not happening. It may not be intentional but is has been happening.

 

[Plebe]

Because some of you don't see it does not mean it is not happening.

And just because we don't see it doesn't mean it is happening either.

The team just isn't a great passing team. At the very least can we refrain from accusing the team of rampant xenophobia or anti-frosh bias.

 

[donalddoowop]

And just because we don't see it doesn't mean it is happening either.

The team just isn't a great passing team. At the very least can we refrain from accusing the team of rampant xenophobia or anti-frosh bias.

It seems some players are being accused of not passing the ball, not anti-frosh bias. Does it take great passing for an open player to pass to an open teammate? I don't see why so many people are seeing it and it not be happening. Whatever, I'm done with it.

 

[cbraarj]

It's not about Anna. It's about Megan. She is not an instinctive passer. By focusing on Anna, we add a layer of suspicion about something that is not there. Megan also misses opportunities to pass to Liv frequently in the low post. No one but me seems to think that is a problem.

Talking about UConn's challenges passing the ball this season is fine. Creating some kind of dubious conspiracy about it is not, and it does not square with the game films that I always watch 1/2 times following the initial telecast.

One additional point. Geno knows exactly what's going on with his team on the court. He would never tolerate a player consciously deciding to avoid passing to an open teammate. A more likely explanation is that Geno wants Megan to look for her shot first, so if she does not hit an open teammate, it's likely because she is doing exactly what Geno wants her to.

Finally, as Plebe suggested earlier, if there are examples of Megan, or any other Husky, ignoring a wide open Anna on the floor, please let us know the game, qtr and time on the clock so we can verify it. Because I haven't seen it.

Megan actually looks at Ania who is wide open and hesitates getting her the ball. So the defender closes on her and there is no shot or she looks and goes one on one.

 

[oldude]

Megan actually looks at Ania who is wide open and hesitates getting her the ball. So the defender closes on her and there is no shot or she looks and goes one on one.

Megan does that with most of her teammates. Again, she’s not an instinctive passer. There is no intent by Megan to freeze out Anna.

 

[Dokey]

I agree with everything you said and usually do but Walker does not make a great effort to get the ball to Ania and it has been going on all year.

Truth be told the problem with Meg is her head doesn’t swivel. When she’s in center beyond the arc she looks only to one side of the floor. If she’s going to make it in WNBA, she has to expand her court vision. Part of it also is there is probably a great deal of pressure on her to score so instead of passing she takes bad shots.

 

[Dokey]

Megan does that with most of her teammates. Again, she’s not an instinctive passer. There is no intent by Megan to freeze out Anna.

Yes, passing is not Meg’s forte, though I have seen her make good passes. This is the area she needs to work on before she can move to next level. There isn’t an anti-frosh element except to the degree you go to what you are used to.

 

[Martin]

[ ]

I feel like I see Anna makes passes that others won’t attempt. Sometimes I think what are you doing but ball somehow reaches its intended destination. Passing does seem to be a true strength of hers.

I don’t get the opportunity to watch every game but I feel like some of the others here and that she has been in a good spot to catch and shoot and ball goes somewhere else.

Also I feel like Oregon was the first game Anna hit multiple important baskets. Most of her points this year have come with a comfortable lead so hopefully she takes and makes shots early against SC.

Maybe she will evolve into the female version of Nadav Henefeld that could have been on the men’s team. International player, great passer then changed his mind and went and played ball back home. It will be a true joy to watch her for 4 years.

 

[j66kicker]

Because some of you don't see it does not mean it is not happening. It may not be intentional but is has been happening.

I agree. I have seen it (or thought I've seen it) in multiple games - MW & CW passing up what appears (to me) to be an obvious pass to an open Anna. It appears to be totally "intentional", although I don't pretend to know why they don't pass to her, and don't have any theories involving malicious intent, etc. I see the same thing with them not passing to Kyla and Molly too, but I don't blame them for that.

I'm not going back and reviewing videos for time stamps, but next time I notice it I'll try to note the approximate game clock time.

 

[Alydar]

Again, I think it is because they were used to the 0 for America Anna who led the team in assists and think they have to take care of scoring as upper class women. Since from day one, Anna has been my favorite Huskie, I primarily follow her on the court. I am not going to go back and give you time spots but if you were in my tv room you would hear me shout “pass to Anna” followed by a “I told you to pass it to her” after a hurried missed shot by another player. Again I don’t think it is deliberate—it isn’t a great passing team other than Anna and CD (who feels pressed to shoot, not pass) but it was interesting to me to watch Aubrey kick back to Anna for a couple of threes.

Couldn't agree more. I too have seen Makurat wide open for a baseline 3 but never getting the ball. In Walker's defense I remember Geno telling her for 2 years that when she gets the ball she needs to look to score first, but it's become obvious that she has miss interpreted that and feels it's up to her to score every time she gets the ball.
I remember watching Stewart as a freshman flashing into the paint all alone and whoever had the ball at the high post would look left, look right, and if there was no one else open they would throw Stewart the ball, now double teamed. I may be wrong but just before the NCAA's that year I remember Geno saying something to the effect that some players were going to have to sacrifice if they wanted to win a title. Was it just coincidental that Stewart "woke up" in the NCAA's? I don't think so.

As for passing, I think a lot of the problem is too little experience playing together. Sure, there are a lot of lazy passes and too many passes to stationary targets, but it goes further. Often it's not the first pass that finds someone open, sometimes it's the third or fourth pass. And that means everyone has to know not only where they should be but also what everyone else is doing and what they are about to do.
UConn is increasingly seeing zone defenses that take away a lot of the one on one skills of both Walker and Williams. Both try to drive and find themselves double or even triple teamed. Zones are beaten by ball movement.

And pointing things out doesn't make a poster a downer, it's acknowledging reality. A poster doesn't have to be a cheerleader to be a fan.

 

[BBallF]

I think Meg and CW had the ball all the time on every level that they played at before they came here but not as true point guards and that has effected their court vision, passing and movement. They never really needed any of those to any great degree before because they were unstoppable at those levels. Anna played a different game, clearly one with a lot of ball and player motion. I agree that there has to be more passing but there also has to be more movement too. It is very difficult to get the ball to someone in scoring position if they don't put themselves there to begin with by a back door, give and go, cut to a post up or running off a screen. Hopefully we will see a great deal more movement tomorrow night which should equate to more passing to everyone, including Anna.

 

[Papa33]

As for passing, I think a lot of the problem is too little experience playing together. Sure, there are a lot of lazy passes and too many passes to stationary targets, but it goes further. Often it's not the first pass that finds someone open, sometimes it's the third or fourth pass. And that means everyone has to know not only where they should be but also what everyone else is doing and what they are about to do.

Exactly! Who-- what-- which-- when--where. It ain't easy. Some young players seem to have an inborn instinct and floor sense. Others just have to work at it. And no automatic dribble.

 

[chrissaran]

That would be pass the damn ball!