Please explain why

[Geew1992]

nika shouldn’t be starting

HuskyNan clarification - the poster is asking why Nika shouldn’t be starting. The subject line is part of the question. It was awkwardly stated

 

[pk1234]

Nika would start for every single team in America.

 

[billnaples]

nika shouldn’t be starting

On what planet would you not start her? A better question would be if Paige was playing does Azzi start and who sits? I can only imagine with the play making skills of Paige, Nika, and Azzi would do to most teams. What a collectioon of shooters and passers.

 

[hoopsfan22]

On what planet would you not start her? A better question would be if Paige was playing does Azzi start and who sits? I can only imagine with the play making skills of Paige, Nika, and Azzi would do to most teams. What a collectioon of shooters and passers.

Easy. Lou would sit.

 

[HuskyNan]

nika shouldn’t be starting

I think people don’t understand you’re addressing Nika’s critics. “Please explain why Nika shouldn’t be starting” is your question

This is Nika’s team this season. No doubt about it.

 

[billnaples]

Easy. Lou would sit.

my bad, totally agree, Dorka might sit when all in one piece as well going with Griffin and Edwards with the three

 

[EricLA]

Not to speak for the OP, but the comment was "Please explain why Nika SHOULDN'T be starting".

I'm hoping he meant that as a comment to all the Nika criticizers out there. She's sensational. People have whined and complained since last season that "Nika needs to score more so defenses won't lag off her".

I 100% DO NOT GET THAT COMMENT. Nika showed all last season that she could score - she just chose not to. She was the 3rd best 3-point shooter on the team behind Azzi and barely behind Paige. There is ZERO need for her to shoot when she can get 15 assists and when UCONN puts up over 90 points against a top 10 team.

LOVE Nika. Fantastic. Fabulous. So happy we have her. We are lucky indeed!

 

[Kaizen]

It is Geno's job. He will have to select 5 starters between Azzi, Dorka, Aaliyah, Lou, Nika and Aubrey. All those 6 player should start .....

 

[Centerstream]

It's amazing. We are 3-0 with wins over the Preseason #3 and #10 teams and people still want to discuss who should be the starting 5, and then place "what ifs" into the conversation (I am ignoring the OP because I understood the question). But I guess with so many excellent basketball coaches here on the BY, it will be a constant topic. Oh well, what a great freakin game by Nika against NCSU.

 

[eebmg]

It's amazing. We are 3-0 with wins over the Preseason #3 and #10 teams and people still want to discuss who should be the starting 5, and then place "what ifs" into the conversation (I am ignoring the OP because I understood the question). But I guess with so many excellent basketball coaches here on the BY, it will be a constant topic. Oh well, what a great freakin game by Nika against NCSU.

I think Geno in his presser said UConn is the only program where you could lose a NPOY and ICE and the fan base still expects a NC.

 

[pvdoggy]

I love Nika since her freshman year and she is having a great year so far but if this team is fully healthy I don't think Nika would be a starter and coming off the bench she would still have a major impact in the game. Also people who say that Nika should have 10 APG with this team are underestimating how good of a passer and decision-maker she is.

 

[Skeets]

I'm going to give the OP the benefit of doubt and read this as "please explain why Nika shouldn't be starting". Of course, I'd like Geew to clarify... (unless this misdirection was just intended as click bait, or post bait as the case may be...).

 

[Bone Dog]

15 assists!!!!

 

[genzhusk]

imo: depends on who is available. definitely should start all of this season considering the injuries. each individual looks much improved so far, including nika. for minutes distribution regardless of “start” will vary depending on matchup…. this applies to all players this year except Azzi i would think.

 

[TeamFirst!]

It has some benefit for her starting and setting the tone of the game with a strong defense. Azzi is really the only other real point guard on this team, or capable of being a good one. Therein lies the problem. The coach doesn't want to put PG burdens on Azzi's plate on top of everything else ( such as carrying the offense ). Nika is not a good shooting guard. She rarely penetrates. She struggles to finish at the rim or even get to the rim. So many of you only see the positive because we are winning. Remember the Oregon game last year? How did you like her performance that game? She has limitations. Other teams do slack off of her on defense. She only shoots when no one is within 10 feet of her. And often not even then. There is a reason for that. She rarely gets more than 2 steals against top teams but 2 steals is pretty good. She steals the ball all over the place against bad point guards or slow point guards. Is that skill as good as shooting .692 and scoring 14.3 points a game like Aubrey has done recently mainly against top competition? How hard is it to throw a pass to someone who is open for a catch and shoot 3? Do you not think Lou or Aubrey could make that pass, or Caroline? On the open floor, if the ball is in your hands constantly, do you think a Lou or Caroline would make 3-4 long passes for a score also? I think so. Nika has done a solid job. We all love her effort and passion. We hope she has a great year. We also want to win the championship. If that means others get more PT over the course of the year then do it. Geno may not want to rock the boat and he wants to build team cohesion. We are going to have injuries and we are definitely going to need Nika. Psychologically, maybe there are reasons for Nika playing so much that none of us are aware of. I'm a serial entrepreneur. I'm fully aware of the need for someone to be in charge and for someone to drive the org forward so to speak. It appears that is Nika on this team. I just hope others get a chance also as I think we have another level we can reach with the right combination of players. It's our best shot to win it all.

Both Stanford and South Carolina are going to out rebound this team and score at will in the paint. We can't stop them in the paint unless maybe Ayanna evolves more. South Carolina shut Azzi down last year almost completely. Great defensive teams can shut down a great offense. Stanford was scoring 91 points a game until they played South Carolina and today scored 71. And they had to out rebound South Carolina by 6 rebounds to do that. What are the chances we out rebound South Carolina? We are going to need players like Caroline, Ayanna and Aubrey who can make plays against top competition. It will be a fight for our lives.

 

[Cuango]

To say Nika should not be starting is obviously just silly! But I think saying she would start for every team in America is a bridge too far as well. Do you honestly believe she would start over Clark, Harmon, or Miles? She would also clearly not be starting if Paige were healthy! This in no way diminishes the unbelievable job she is doing right now! Nor does it diminish her importance and influence as a leader and energizer for this team! She is clearly one of the most important players on this team and one who has obviously worked incredibly hard on her game this off-season. Can’t we just acknowledge that and enjoy her likely (imo) drive toward a new single season assist record? Yes, she should start! Yes, she is doing a great job! As my favorite detective Nero Wolfe would say, (rarely) “very satisfactory!”

 

[sun]

I think the question should be, "Why shouldn't Aubrey be starting?"
Aubrey showed that she can be a superior point defender which allows Nika to concentrate on assists.
Nika has brought the ball up court over & over, and then many times handed it off to Azzi who would decide about the next step of the attack.
Azzi would either dribble & shoot, or pass it back to Nika to distribute to someone else or back to Azzi for an opportunity to shoot.
I think that because Aubrey started today, it really helped Nika's game by helping her to set a new assist record.
IMHO it was not just a coincidence.

Unfortunately Aubrey didn't get her first start until after Dorka got hurt.
I'm sure that we'll be seeing more of Aubrey and that it's part of his strategy of developing plug & play players who are versatile in case someone gets injured or gets into foul trouble.

That's probably also why Geno recruited Ines who is a PG, has developed Azzi who was also a PG into a UConn PG, next year has Paige who is a PG, and also has KK and Shade who have both played PG.
Carol was also a PG.
Geno seems to want to have multiple options for PG's to be able to use them as a confounding plan of attack henceforth year after year.
Geno gets paid millions to make decisions, so now we know he likes to have multiple PG options on the floor.
They generally know how to pass, dribble & shoot well on all 3 levels.
Some are better & more experienced than others at various aspects of the game, and the team is always a work in progress.
Geno needs to figure out ways to win the big games.

 

[mudblood]

It has some benefit for her starting and setting the tone of the game with a strong defense. Azzi is really the only other real point guard on this team, or capable of being a good one. Therein lies the problem. The coach doesn't want to put PG burdens on Azzi's plate on top of everything else ( such as carrying the offense ). Nika is not a good shooting guard. She rarely penetrates. She struggles to finish at the rim or even get to the rim. So many of you only see the positive because we are winning. Remember the Oregon game last year? How did you like her performance that game? She has limitations. Other teams do slack off of her on defense. She only shoots when no one is within 10 feet of her. And often not even then. There is a reason for that. She rarely gets more than 2 steals against top teams but 2 steals is pretty good. She steals the ball all over the place against bad point guards or slow point guards. Is that skill as good as shooting .692 and scoring 14.3 points a game like Aubrey has done recently mainly against top competition? How hard is it to throw a pass to someone who is open for a catch and shoot 3? Do you not think Lou or Aubrey could make that pass, or Caroline? On the open floor, if the ball is in your hands constantly, do you think a Lou or Caroline would make 3-4 long passes for a score also? I think so. Nika has done a solid job. We all love her effort and passion. We hope she has a great year. We also want to win the championship. If that means others get more PT over the course of the year then do it. Geno may not want to rock the boat and he wants to build team cohesion. We are going to have injuries and we are definitely going to need Nika. Psychologically, maybe there are reasons for Nika playing so much that none of us are aware of. I'm a serial entrepreneur. I'm fully aware of the need for someone to be in charge and for someone to drive the org forward so to speak. It appears that is Nika on this team. I just hope others get a chance also as I think we have another level we can reach with the right combination of players. It's our best shot to win it all.

Both Stanford and South Carolina are going to out rebound this team and score at will in the paint. We can't stop them in the paint unless maybe Ayanna evolves more. South Carolina shut Azzi down last year almost completely. Great defensive teams can shut down a great offense. Stanford was scoring 91 points a game until they played South Carolina and today scored 71. And they had to out rebound South Carolina by 6 rebounds to do that. What are the chances we out rebound South Carolina? We are going to need players like Caroline, Ayanna and Aubrey who can make plays against top competition. It will be a fight for our lives.

Stanford actually only scored 61 in 40 minutes…

 

[hoophuskee]

Geno needs to figure out ways to win the big games.

He's already figured it out. 11 Nat'l championships. Many consecutive Final Fours. It's all be in the equation there for anyone to see.

 

[sun]

He's already figured it out. 11 Nat'l championships. Many consecutive Final Fours. It's all be in the equation there for anyone to see.

Obviously I'm referring to the big games that haven't been played yet.
That's why Geno said that he'll know more about how far this year's team can go in December.

 

[ballerfan]

It has some benefit for her starting and setting the tone of the game with a strong defense. Azzi is really the only other real point guard on this team, or capable of being a good one. Therein lies the problem. The coach doesn't want to put PG burdens on Azzi's plate on top of everything else ( such as carrying the offense ). Nika is not a good shooting guard. She rarely penetrates. She struggles to finish at the rim or even get to the rim. So many of you only see the positive because we are winning. Remember the Oregon game last year? How did you like her performance that game? She has limitations. Other teams do slack off of her on defense. She only shoots when no one is within 10 feet of her. And often not even then. There is a reason for that. She rarely gets more than 2 steals against top teams but 2 steals is pretty good. She steals the ball all over the place against bad point guards or slow point guards. Is that skill as good as shooting .692 and scoring 14.3 points a game like Aubrey has done recently mainly against top competition? How hard is it to throw a pass to someone who is open for a catch and shoot 3? Do you not think Lou or Aubrey could make that pass, or Caroline? On the open floor, if the ball is in your hands constantly, do you think a Lou or Caroline would make 3-4 long passes for a score also? I think so. Nika has done a solid job. We all love her effort and passion. We hope she has a great year. We also want to win the championship. If that means others get more PT over the course of the year then do it. Geno may not want to rock the boat and he wants to build team cohesion. We are going to have injuries and we are definitely going to need Nika. Psychologically, maybe there are reasons for Nika playing so much that none of us are aware of. I'm a serial entrepreneur. I'm fully aware of the need for someone to be in charge and for someone to drive the org forward so to speak. It appears that is Nika on this team. I just hope others get a chance also as I think we have another level we can reach with the right combination of players. It's our best shot to win it all.

Both Stanford and South Carolina are going to out rebound this team and score at will in the paint. We can't stop them in the paint unless maybe Ayanna evolves more. South Carolina shut Azzi down last year almost completely. Great defensive teams can shut down a great offense. Stanford was scoring 91 points a game until they played South Carolina and today scored 71. And they had to out rebound South Carolina by 6 rebounds to do that. What are the chances we out rebound South Carolina? We are going to need players like Caroline, Ayanna and Aubrey who can make plays against top competition. It will be a fight for our lives.

I think you might be diminishing Nika’s talent and importance. She did much more than throw long passes for a catch and shoot. Azzi is the superstar, scoring 32 with 0 assists, but Nika is the leader. By the eye test, the team plays better with Nika on the court, even though I agree, of course, that she would be better if she were a scoring threat.

In my opinion, and of course it’s only that, UConn has two real PGs. Nika and Ines. And Paige when she gets back. I have no doubt that Azzi can play the point, but I think Nika is a better passer and leader, and UConn needs Azzi as a SG.

If Paige were playing, I don’t know if Nika would start because Paige is a better PG, but I’m sorry I won’t get to see Paige, Nika, Azzi, Dorka, and AE on the court together. Or Paige, Caroline, and Azzi. Or Paige, Lou, and Azzi.

Nika did not have a great game against Oregon last year, and she, like Azzi, was dealing with an injury. Nika is a better player this year, and I trust Geno’s decision to start her.

Going forward every team is going to focus on Azzi, trying to shut her down, but that will open up Lou. If UConn is up by 20 with 5 minutes left, I want Azzi on the bench, reducing the chance of injury when she’s not needed.

 

[mbr33ct]

nika shouldn’t be starting

Nothing to explain...she is starting.

 

[cohenzone]

Not to speak for the OP, but the comment was "Please explain why Nika SHOULDN'T be starting".

I'm hoping he meant that as a comment to all the Nika criticizers out there. She's sensational. People have whined and complained since last season that "Nika needs to score more so defenses won't lag off her".

I 100% DO NOT GET THAT COMMENT. Nika showed all last season that she could score - she just chose not to. She was the 3rd best 3-point shooter on the team behind Azzi and barely behind Paige. There is ZERO need for her to shoot when she can get 15 assists and when UCONN puts up over 90 points against a top 10 team.

LOVE Nika. Fantastic. Fabulous. So happy we have her. We are lucky indeed!

People forget that Faris was not much of a scoring threat until her last year, but she was often the MVP for her D. And she wasn’t the ball handler Nika is.

 

[npignatjr]

I think you might be diminishing Nika’s talent and importance. She did much more than throw long passes for a catch and shoot. Azzi is the superstar, scoring 32 with 0 assists, but Nika is the leader. By the eye test, the team plays better with Nika on the court, even though I agree, of course, that she would be better if she were a scoring threat.

In my opinion, and of course it’s only that, UConn has two real PGs. Nika and Ines. And Paige when she gets back. I have no doubt that Azzi can play the point, but I think Nika is a better passer and leader, and UConn needs Azzi as a SG.

If Paige were playing, I don’t know if Nika would start because Paige is a better PG, but I’m sorry I won’t get to see Paige, Nika, Azzi, Dorka, and AE on the court together. Or Paige, Caroline, and Azzi. Or Paige, Lou, and Azzi.

Nika did not have a great game against Oregon last year, and she, like Azzi, was dealing with an injury. Nika is a better player this year, and I trust Geno’s decision to start her.

Going forward every team is going to focus on Azzi, trying to shut her down, but that will open up Lou. If UConn is up by 20 with 5 minutes left, I want Azzi on the bench, reducing the chance of injury when she’s not needed.

Do not forget in their freshman year the team played it's best when Nika became a starter alongside Paige.

 

[JBK]

On what planet would you not start her? A better question would be if Paige was playing does Azzi start and who sits? I can only imagine with the play making skills of Paige, Nika, and Azzi would do to most teams. What a collectioon of shooters and passers.

Azzi is one of the best offensive players ever to play at UCONN and I am not sure I would sit her.
I always appreciated and respected Nika energy, enthusiasm, defense and hard work but the fact that Azzi can score 30 - allows her to score 3
Most of our NC teams had a point guard that can score.
I hope we can reverse that this year but the other 4 players must be consistently great