POLL: NOW that the roster is complete, choose your starters...

[Just.A.Fan]

As much as I love Caroline D I don't see her starting, even if she come all the way back. Just not fast enough and
her shot is not consistent enough. I know that she is a BY favorite but her ability on the court just is not there?

Obviously you have either forgotten her abilities or perhaps never actually saw them before the injuries? Or you are judging her based on what you saw at the end of last season (as @Bone Dog alluded to above) or when she tried to play still suffering from the aftermath following the concussion protocol. That was not Caroline at her best, the young woman who put UConn on her back and won games ... pretty much all by herself. If she comes back all the way, she can play with anyone! But there is no sense in arguing about it. She'll either do it or she won't.

 

[CL82]

The UConn Weekly take:

Unsurprisingly, it's the same line up as The Boneyard in the above poll.

 

[EricLA]

I tend to think that will indeed be the starting lineup. I think it's unlikely it changes during the season, no matter how good any of the bench players may end up being, barring injuries.

Certainly if Blanca shows she's really good and too valuable to keep on the bench, she could see closer to starters minutes. I originally thought she was talented enough to be a starter and Geno might bring Ash off the bench again, but given that Blanca is missing the summer session due to high school classes, I don't think she will have enough "UConn experience" to displace Ash.

This team is going to need games to be 50+ minutes long to get everyone the PT they "deserve". Fortunately it's a team of unselfish "us/we first mentality" players, so I don't anticipate any chemistry issues.

BTW normally in big games Geno goes 7-8, if he even has that many quality subs. I could realistically see him going 10, provided everyone is healthy and they all improve like we hope/expect over the summer. It will be fascinating to watch how Geno manages the minutes for everyone. It will also be fun to see who surprises us, who is better than we expected, and who (if any) struggle...

 

[HopJim]

Ditto. Just did a quick review of the top teams UConn will be playing and a smaller, quicker lineup is likely to earn the majority of minutes. In all fairness to Jana, having Sarah, Serah, 6'2" TBD lineup matches up better to competition based on achieving better results in all aspects of game including rebounding, offense, and defense. For the teams like UCLA with a dominate big, we will be happy we have Ice and Jana.

 

[cgshuskie]

I think most about Caroline's performance in the 2022 Championship game against Sourth Carolina. In that game she was at her best physical capability and performance. She made some big mistakes in that game which the Gamecocks took advantage of and which cost Uconn dearly. I recall Aliyah Boston blocking a Ducharme shot, collecting the ball and handing off to Destiny Henderson for an easy layup. That game showed the benefits of Ducharme and the weaknesses. She made some key shots and made some major mistakes. In balance I think the mistakes and missed shots outweighed the great shots. While I love having Caroline on the team I don't think that, at her best, she can't replace Paige Bueckers.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think most about Caroline's performance in the 2022 Championship game against Sourth Carolina. In that game she was at her best physical capability and performance. She made some big mistakes in that game which the Gamecocks took advantage of and which cost Uconn dearly. I recall Aliyah Boston blocking a Ducharme shot, collecting the ball and handing off to Destiny Henderson for an easy layup. That game showed the benefits of Ducharme and the weaknesses. She made some key shots and made some major mistakes. In balance I think the mistakes and missed shots outweighed the great shots. While I love having Caroline on the team I don't think that, at her best, she can't replace Paige Bueckers.

I think you're neglecting the hip injury that required surgery at the end of that season. If you watch replays of the games in the February and March, you see Carol gradually slowing down, her stride becoming more clipped. It was painful to see. And even with that, she played 22 minutes against SC in the NC game, shot 4-8 in 22 mins and fouled out. By that time, she was a step slower than normal.

And normally I wouldn't dredge this up, but since you mention it, Boston fouled Carol on that block even if the refs missed it. Boston was very good with her hands on blocks, but she often got a free pass on fouls with the body, as in this case.

 

[Conndog]

That basket by Caroline in the First Practice video was eye-opening for me. She looks quicker, that pull-up jumper with her height is deadly, and her release point is higher than before. She is going to have a really good year!

 

[hoophuskee]

I think most about Caroline's performance in the 2022 Championship game against Sourth Carolina. In that game she was at her best physical capability and performance.

Don't agree at all - as the poster Just_A_Fan makes mention and to paraphrase that - --- Caroline was a shell of herself in that title game. Nowhere near her best.

During the season she had 12 consecutive games of averaging 20 minutes or more. In 6 of those games she was the team's leading scorer.

And leading up to the title game, the 4 prior games she played 4, 9, 5, and 8 minutes respectively. For the player that was the go-to for a stretch of time to get so few minutes leading up the title game shows she was not near her best.

In regard to her starting, my guess is for those of us that loved her game but did not vote her to start, need to see her get a few shots to the head then continue to play that game and follow it up with consesecutive games.

 

[Viet Vet]

Does…..Not…..Matter.

 

[Lafayette]

Really it comes down to Jana vs KK. 3 Guards vs 3 Bigs.

Who starts the majority of games is fairly irrelevant. You want the best 5 out there against the other teams best 5.

Sometimes we will need Jana, sometimes we will need KK.

Truly I think we all hope Jana improves during the offseason and becomes indispensable. Sarah, Serah, and Jana would be formidable frontcourt. Shade and Fudd is clearly a great backcourt. And we hope KK improves as well so our Shade / Fudd / Arnold backcourt would be fearsome too.

 

[Stagnant]

I actually think it is a pretty straightforward Shade vs Blanca debate.

Strong, Williams, KK, and Azzi seem like locks to me.

 

[dtbtbtb]

i see Sarah, Azzi, KK and Serah as locks with a battle between Ash, Blanca and CD for the 5th starter position.