Poll: Who will the 4th and 5th starter be for next year?

[hugefan]

I think we can all assume that Kia, Napheesa and Lou will be starters next season. I realize Walker is the best player in her class, but given the plethora of talent, it seems incredibly unlikely that she starts. I also don't think Natalie will be in the mix for starting...

So assuming the trio of Stevens, Dangerfield and Williams is in the mix, who do you think the 2 remaining starters will be? Of course this is based on what we know now. Things certainly could change over the summer or heading into next season...

Right now the position open would be a player who can pass and shoot without hesitation with range, therefore I could see Stevens stepping in as the center who can step out but also pass the ball. The fifth spot will come down to whether Dangerfield can oust Collier through need, i.e. Ball handling over rebounding. The 3 starters who need to be on the floor being KLS, Williams and Nurse, all 3 make the offense and defense balance.

 

[HopJim]

Right now the position open would be a player who can pass and shoot without hesitation with range, therefore I could see Stevens stepping in as the center who can step out but also pass the ball. The fifth spot will come down to whether Dangerfield can oust Collier through need, i.e. Ball handling over rebounding. The 3 starters who need to be on the floor being KLS, Williams and Nurse, all 3 make the offense and defense balance.

Would add defense to your assessment, with defense being Geno's number one decision point. This year, Crystal has been average at best. Huskies move so well that ball handling likely not a major point. Most do not press UConn since it typically results in layups.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Texas is doing what everyone thought they would: after a very tough early schedule, they're winning, and big. Now back to #12 in the rankings. South Florida, the UConn drubbing notwithstanding, are up to #22. Not sure UCLA deserves to move up. Seems interchangeable with about five other Pac-12 schools....

 

[hoophuskee]

While I believe she has clearly earned the right to start, there is something to be said for Gabby coming off the bench.....the minute she touches the floor the entire team dynamic changes with her disruptive influence....although I know it's unlikely, I would like to see Geno varying his starting five depending on the opponent next year to keep the other teams guessing and to keep everybody fully engaged

No. No. No No.

1-- Why should UCONN ever want to have to react to another team when they are the much stronger?

2-- Why is there a need to keep "the other teams guessing" when they can't handle you to start with? What about playing the players who have earned the spots rather than trying to be a game show host?

3-- Since when has Geno NOT been able to keep "everybody fully engaged?"

 

[Charliebball]

No. No. No No.

1-- Why should UCONN ever want to have to react to another team when they are the much stronger?

2-- Why is there a need to keep "the other teams guessing" when they can't handle you to start with? What about playing the players who have earned the spots rather than trying to be a game show host?

3-- Since when has Geno NOT been able to keep "everybody fully engaged?"

there will be certain games.........although not many mind you, where Geno may want to start with either a bigger or a quicker lineup............there is no shame in that.......why would you not want to take advantage of all of this wonderful talent IF they earn it in practice and on game day.............if Baylor continues to play at a high level and AS and BC were available to play for the Huskies do you seriously think that they wouldn't be playing major minutes?

 

[hoophuskee]

Exactly my point...(1) what other player on the roster can create such a dramatic shift in the game the minute she walks on the court......(2) Note that I said Geno might consider varying his starting line up..do you believe that UConn with be any less competitive against Memphis or any AAC team other then USF if Crystal or AS started that game and Gabby came in at the five minute mark? (3) This would keep her fresh for the more difficult games and spread the minutes a bit for the rest of the team's sake...as for Lawrence Taylor.....(4).if the Giants had three Harry Carsons and three Carl Banks they might have given LT a few more quarters off.perhaps his knees would have held up for a season or two more then they did...

1-- She can create a dramatic shift in the game 1st few minutes. Why delay that with a lesser player. In sports you're supposed to put yoru throat on another team's neck as soon as possible. Why you'd want to delay it- imo is way wrong. This isn't 1960's basketball any more.

2-- Since when is consistency a bad thing? UConn has won many championships going undefeated and as far as I know Geno never did what you're suggesting because there si no need to do it.

3-- Over the last few years UCONN has won with 6 ma and 7 man lineups. You aksed previously "do you believe UCONN could be any less competitive . . ." And now you say "Keep her fresh . . ." DO you believe Gabby will be any more of less fresh whether she starts or not? Unless you are also advocating dropping on the best player's on the team minutes to less than starter minutes as if she is a bench player from the last 2 years?

4- Now that we are in fantasy sports of "what if Lawrence got lese minutes' maybe if you were the coach instead of Bill Parcells imo you would have blundered away a game or two because you're so concerned about saving a player's minutes that you aren't thinking about cohesive units. were you a fan back in 2002? I can recall hearing how the players said they felt great great as a unit because they played with each other for so long. So next year we have Stevens and Camara and Walker and even we don't how Danger will be this year. You want to give all of them near minutes as the starters? We might have FOUR NPOY candidates. WHy not give the NPOY candidates and Nurse quite a bit of time to work with one another? To use your LT analogy - what Carl Banks. Look at the 1986 season. Carl Banks came on in 1986 at the end of the season and was a force. That's because he was playing with LT and learned how to play off of him.

And the more you shy way from playing your best because you happen to think it's cool to have fun with lineups, IMO absolutely the number 1 recruits like Lou and Walker etc aren't going to want to play for you. Here they are busting their butt's in practices and outperforming others and they feel they can play 30 minutes no problem, yet an old-fashioned coach (I say old-fashioned because we certainly know Geno will give his players that deserve it big minutes and the younger coaches tend to be aggressive as well so it must be an old coach) might all-of-sudden allow lesser players the same amount of minutes, I'm sorry those star players gradually won't come. Don't you remember hearing last year that Geno found out that during a game one of his players deliberately missed a free throw so she could stay on the court even for a minute or two longer? These kids love to play. Please don't take away their competitive spirit of who deserves minutes all because you're scared a 20 year old might get tired.

Think about what Geno says to the kids and what the kids ask of Geno. Isn't he probably telling them "You'll get minutes if you work hard." If you are a number 1 recruit or a number recruit etc and work hard and are the best on the team and among the best in the country, don't you think you have some right to expect that you should get more minutes than someone else that isn't as good as you? SO unless you have bad knees etc- why penalize that super player by only giving her a minute or two when you've seen with your own yes UCONN play it's starts 40 minutes in big games and win handily doing so? What's with this infatuation of "resting a 20 year old?"

 

[hoophuskee]

(1) there will be certain games....although not many mind you, where Geno may want to start with either a bigger or a quicker lineup..there is no shame in that..why would you not want to take advantage of (2) all of this wonderful talent IF they earn it in practice and on game day...(3) if Baylor continues to play at a high level and AS and BC were available to play for the Huskies do you seriously think that they wouldn't be playing major minutes?

1-- NO!!!!
I am not mad when I say this. I hope you don't take it that way. But what you are suggesting goes 100% away from what Geno and CD have coached their entire careers IMO. I can remember one time coming back from a game in Storrs and we had CD on - I forget the question - but she said "We don't want to react to other teams. We want them to react to us." There is no reason to change your lineup if you are the best. Let the other team react to you. If it doesn't work out, then you can bring in your bench. That's why they are there. But don't go changing who you are. Challenge the other team to match up to you.

2-- If they "earn it" in practice it has nothing to do with mix and match, does it? In other words, the players that "earn it" are outperforming the others, aren't they? So I guess it comes down what does "earn it" mean for you? The ones who "earn it" should start and play more minutes. Isn't that what "earn it" "means?"

3-- Why not start what most of the board thinks - Stevens, Collier, Lou, Gabby and Kia? This lineup can play vs any team, can't it? You want to change this incredible lineup -- as you put it "wonderful talent"- to "match-up" with another team? In other words, -- Why not force "Baylor" to defend our lineup and see if we could run them out of they gym early on by using our best players from the opening tip? As our lead builds, we have a bench that can sustain it, so then put them in after we build the lead or if a player or two isn;'t playing "well enough to Geno standards"- then sub. But let the other team react to our best, not vice-versa.

 

[mntncougar]

I think we can all assume that Kia, Napheesa and Lou will be starters next season. I realize Walker is the best player in her class, but given the plethora of talent, it seems incredibly unlikely that she starts. I also don't think Natalie will be in the mix for starting...

So assuming the trio of Stevens, Dangerfield and Williams is in the mix, who do you think the 2 remaining starters will be? Of course this is based on what we know now. Things certainly could change over the summer or heading into next season...

Didn't we just have this discussion a few weeks ago? This is like deja vu all over again.

First of all, there is only one starting position that will be open next year. The idea that Gabby would come off the bench is absurd. She is the best defensive player in WBB. She leads the Huskies in assists and she is a double digit scorer.

As for the 5th starter, I think it will be a battle, and it may change throughout the course of the season, but IMO, Geno may want some additional size on the floor which is why I think it will be Z with Danger providing a spark off the bench.

I can't imagine sitting Gabby in favor of anyone! If I had to sit any one of the current 4 it would be Kia, not Gabby, but I think the correct answer is none of the above.

 

[Charliebball]

1-- NO!!!!
I am not mad when I say this. I hope you don't take it that way. But what you are suggesting goes 100% away from what Geno and CD have coached their entire careers IMO. I can remember one time coming back from a game in Storrs and we had CD on - I forget the question - but she said "We don't want to react to other teams. We want them to react to us." There is no reason to change your lineup if you are the best. Let the other team react to you. If it doesn't work out, then you can bring in your bench. That's why they are there. But don't go changing who you are. Challenge the other team to match up to you.

2-- If they "earn it" in practice it has nothing to do with mix and match, does it? In other words, the players that "earn it" are outperforming the others, aren't they? So I guess it comes down what does "earn it" mean for you? The ones who "earn it" should start and play more minutes. Isn't that what "earn it" "means?"

3-- Why not start what most of the board thinks - Stevens, Collier, Lou, Gabby and Kia? This lineup can play vs any team, can't it? You want to change this incredible lineup -- as you put it "wonderful talent"- to "match-up" with another team? In other words, -- Why not force "Baylor" to defend our lineup and see if we could run them out of they gym early on by using our best players from the opening tip? As our lead builds, we have a bench that can sustain it, so then put them in after we build the lead or if a player or two isn;'t playing "well enough to Geno standards"- then sub. But let the other team react to our best, not vice-versa.

Geno's player choices are incredibly limited this year.........I cringe every time I see one of the players hit the floor..........next season will bring a profusion of new talent that turns an already remarkable team into what may be one of the greatest collections of basketball talent that UConn had experienced since I don't know when........................nobody in their right mind would complain about the starting lineup you propose...........still, call me a traditionalist but I somehow prefer a dedicated point guard to run the show...........if Crystal gets her act together during the rest of the season, part of me would like to see her in MoJeff's role.............I believe she has abilities that no other player on the team can match..................the question is are we going to witness that this season...............

 

[hoophuskee]

Geno's player choices are incredibly limited this year....I cringe every time I see one of the players hit the floor.....next season will bring a profusion of new talent that turns an already remarkable team into what may be one of the greatest collections of basketball talent that UConn had experienced since I don't know when....nobody in their right mind would complain about the starting lineup you propose......still, call me a traditionalist but I somehow prefer a dedicated point guard to run the show......if Crystal gets her act together during the rest of the season, part of me would like to see her in MoJeff's role...I believe she has abilities that no other player on the team can match...the question is are we going to witness that this season.....

I do love as you say. I love a point guard pushing pace. I love pace. I love guard play. I'm going a bit against my grain with so much size at all positions without the super quick pg but with that said-- I expect the defense to be outstanding and I'd be frankly disappointed if Gabby along with Kia couldn't be fine guards running the break. I expect they will. I expect they'll work their butts off. I do think Kia's issues are over with. OFC she is only 20 years old and a meltdown every now and then can happen. I want to see Gabby take two leaps next year (no pun intended). Keep improving her shot, and the ability to consistently run a fastbreak. After all she was/is a guard. I do think the offense will run super with Danger but not sure about her defense and hopefully she isn't injury prone. Nothing to suggest that at the moment but surgery offseason fro him. Stress reaction now. All no problem. But if another injury pops up now or next year . . . That's why I slightly scoff at the comments "we have so much talent kids can't play" stuff. And I mean slightly - not major. I do understand it. Lou, danger, Collier and Kai all had surgeries in the summer. Gabby has already had knee issues.