nice work mbr. the biggest disagreement i have is that i think AE starts and is an AA next year.As @jazz suggested in big games minutes will be prioritized to perhaps 7-10 players. This exercise of who gets the minutes, is more how the season final stats will look like than anything else.
I keep updating the chart below as "more" threads of this nature are created. Comparison between the final 2020-21 stats to what I believe the final 2021-22 stats will be. My starting 5 at this time (May 31, 2021 - Memorial Day) are in blue...but next months new thread on "who gets the minutes" lotto could change this chart again.
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Pressing Daniel Connolly [merged thread]
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Geno will NEVER do this, but he has the depth & quality this coming season to go with a platoon system. Kids play better, both on offense and defense, if they are on the floor with a familiar unit that has practiced together. Early in the season he might go with an A squad consisting of Paige, Christyn, Evina, Liv, and Aaliyah/Aubrey/Piath. The top 6 in this group are all returners, and basically the squad that got to the FF last year. The B squad would be Nika, Azzi, Caroline, Dorka, and Amari/Mir/Saylor. A squad would be on the floor for around 22-28 minutes, B squad for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the opponent and the score. With more rested legs we could fast break more and play better defense. If players in the B squad shine brightly (Dorka? Azzi?) then swaps could be arranged by the coaches.
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I hope with more depth up front that Aaliyah wins a starting spot this year. More size in the lineup will be big for the top 25 matchups and they will develop better chemistry if they stick with her in Big East games too.
I think Dorka and Liv could share the center minutes with Liv starting the game.
Westbrook, Williams and Bueckers start the 3 guard spots.
Griffin and Fudd could then be the sparks off the bench, possibly outplaying the starters many games, but not have a lot of pressure on them.
Hope Muhl can earns some minutes too, getting minutes in a back court that has three #1 recruits and a #2 recruit in her senior season would say a lot about her value to the team.
I doubt more freshman will be relied on this year.
I think Dorka and Liv could share the center minutes with Liv starting the game.
Westbrook, Williams and Bueckers start the 3 guard spots.
Griffin and Fudd could then be the sparks off the bench, possibly outplaying the starters many games, but not have a lot of pressure on them.
Hope Muhl can earns some minutes too, getting minutes in a back court that has three #1 recruits and a #2 recruit in her senior season would say a lot about her value to the team.
I doubt more freshman will be relied on this year.
A personal observation, the recruiting threads here are filled with videos of highlights of American players, which is GREAT for those interested in watching them; personally they don’t interest me because of the nature of highlight tape, but certainly to each their own.
So a player like Muhl comes to the US, her bona fides not in highlight tapes with the same context of US players, but the schools that recruited her, including obviously Uconn and the basketball minds who endorsed her, including Greg Popovich.
Yet after an impressive freshman year, even after public statements of her importance to the team by the greatest college coach of all time, one not prone to hyperbolic comments about players, especially ones who play for him, there are those who “hope she can earn minutes”.
I am an unabashed fan of this player and while I may certainly be wrong, there is little doubt in my mind, she will start, play major minutes and be one of the absolute keys to Uconn‘s chances to winning a national championship. I think her injury derailed the chances last year, because I don’t see her ever stepping on the court in ANY game, never mind a FF game, taking a team lightly. She is a legitimately talented player, a true point guard, and brings the intensity and intangibles that are as important a factor in any sport as all the physical skills showcased in highlight videos.
So a player like Muhl comes to the US, her bona fides not in highlight tapes with the same context of US players, but the schools that recruited her, including obviously Uconn and the basketball minds who endorsed her, including Greg Popovich.
Yet after an impressive freshman year, even after public statements of her importance to the team by the greatest college coach of all time, one not prone to hyperbolic comments about players, especially ones who play for him, there are those who “hope she can earn minutes”.
I am an unabashed fan of this player and while I may certainly be wrong, there is little doubt in my mind, she will start, play major minutes and be one of the absolute keys to Uconn‘s chances to winning a national championship. I think her injury derailed the chances last year, because I don’t see her ever stepping on the court in ANY game, never mind a FF game, taking a team lightly. She is a legitimately talented player, a true point guard, and brings the intensity and intangibles that are as important a factor in any sport as all the physical skills showcased in highlight videos.
PacoSwede
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bravo!
i don't understand why this is missed, overlooked, ignored by so many. it's puzzling.
As mbr33ct indicates this process is more like end of year minutes per game, when you allocate something to everybody. IMO Geno allocates minutes in three different ways. First is how he would allocate minutes in a game against a top ranked team. Since most of our games can be put in the win column before they start, this is the most important rotation of all. In some years that number has been about 7 and if that continued this year would mean half the roster would be DNP coaches decision in the big games. Now with this depth I'm sure this list expands but not sure by how much. I'm hoping it is closer to 10.
The second category includes players that are part of the rotation against our normal Big East level competition, where the outcome is not in doubt. Against those opponents, Geno can give regular but limited minutes to some players to help them develop and improve, but he may not be willing to use them in a big game.
The third category is players that never get into the game until it is the last few minutes of a blowout, or there is an injury giving them more of an opportunity. With 14 talented players, even assuming Geno expands his Big East rotation to 10, that still leaves about 4 players in this category, all of which would be playing big minutes at most schools. In many ways picking say 4 players for irrelevant minutes is even harder than trying to pick starters, but I fully expect at least four from this roster to be in that category.
I want Geno to use as much of the roster as possible, press and fast break often, reduce the starters minutes for both us and opponents as a result, and make more of the game a battle between benches than normal. Since our bench differential compared to opponents is probably even greater that our starters edge, that could result in more playing time for more players and be running up the score at the same time.
The second category includes players that are part of the rotation against our normal Big East level competition, where the outcome is not in doubt. Against those opponents, Geno can give regular but limited minutes to some players to help them develop and improve, but he may not be willing to use them in a big game.
The third category is players that never get into the game until it is the last few minutes of a blowout, or there is an injury giving them more of an opportunity. With 14 talented players, even assuming Geno expands his Big East rotation to 10, that still leaves about 4 players in this category, all of which would be playing big minutes at most schools. In many ways picking say 4 players for irrelevant minutes is even harder than trying to pick starters, but I fully expect at least four from this roster to be in that category.
I want Geno to use as much of the roster as possible, press and fast break often, reduce the starters minutes for both us and opponents as a result, and make more of the game a battle between benches than normal. Since our bench differential compared to opponents is probably even greater that our starters edge, that could result in more playing time for more players and be running up the score at the same time.
When I started this thread I was really hoping to reach Daniel Connoly with the hope that he and Megan would provide a minutes projection as you and I have done. I think you might agree that this really forces you to focus on the role each player is likely (at least in your opinion) to play in Geno's thinking, which is both challenging and rewarding even though we all understand that no one (even Geno) is going to get it right. In fact, I already would take exception to my own allocation after more reflection. I think now that there will be so many blowouts that I should have given Piath, Saylor and Amari more minutes.As @jazz suggested in big games minutes will be prioritized to perhaps 7-10 players. This exercise of who gets the minutes, is more how the season final stats will look like than anything else.
I keep updating the chart below as "more" threads of this nature are created. Comparison between the final 2020-21 stats to what I believe the final 2021-22 stats will be. My starting 5 at this time (May 31, 2021 - Memorial Day) are in blue...but next months new thread on "who gets the minutes" lotto could change this chart again.
View attachment 67708
I am a bit surprised that more BYers haven't actually taken the time to put their expectations to the test of minutes allocation. Doing so is IMHO it's own reward.
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Sorry, I don't agree. Just my opinion based on what my eyes told me. She has her limitations at the present time. Don't get me wrong, Muhl is a great kid, very hard nosed and she works very hard. Her coach loves those qualities and rightly praised her for them. I am a fan of all of the players on the team. I hope she improves and contributes but to say that she had an "impressive" freshman year is quite a stretch. She was a role player (and likeable ) who got to play because the team was so young that there was really no other option. There will be many more options this coming year. Playing time will be hard earned. What I think the team needs to get where they want to be given the calibre of competition they will face in the tournament, is players that have BOTH the intangibles as well as a high level of skill and talent. After looking at her freshman year I would say she has the former but needs to work on the latter. I will be there cheering for her if it happens for her but I'm not ready to anoint her as a super talented player yet.
All this Boneyard Talk about who is going to start (starting means little, it's who plays at the end of close games against top teams that matters) and how many minutes people will get is kind of amusing. We should all relax and enjoy the coming season and let the coaches and players sort out these matters.
I don’t think it is a stretch at all but certainly you are entitled to your view. So with three other guards on the roster who had good to great years, Muhl only played because there were no other options? Not hardly, but again, we all are entitled to our opinions.
As for Auriemma, I think his comments went well beyond praising her for her being hard nosed or did you choose to ignore the ones about her importance to and the difference she made to team performance?
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Muhl is a great player and brings defense, hustle, energy and toughness. Her 3 point shot became a weapon towards the end of the season and she was doing well on lay-ups (which she missed early in the season). She needs to work on her mid range shots to be a more complete player and her obstacles to start are that Paige, Evina and CW are more skilled at this point and AE makes the starting 5 a better balanced team against top 15 teams (Evina at the 4 works in the Big East but not against top teams).
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I think Nika has a bright future at UConn, just might be the odd one out of the rotation next year due to seniors in draft years and generational talents.
I think Nika has a bright future at UConn, just might be the odd one out of the rotation next year due to seniors in draft years and generational talents.
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Agree that last year's version of Nika will face PT obstacles due to more skilled players that are ahead of her (Paige, CW, and E) plus the addition of Azzi who is reported to be as good if not better than Paige. Also, totally agree that Edwards (who DID have an impressive freshman season ) and Dorka will need to play more against top teams because they do give the team better balance. This is not Nika bashing. She had and has a role to play. Every player on the team is very talented and I'm rooting for them all. I just don't see her as a GREAT player or someone who had an IMPRESSIVE freshman season (38.1% FG, 34.3% 3pt FG %, 4.9 PPG, 4th on the team in assists). I would expect her to improve because she is a determined person and a hard worker. The talent and the depth of this years team is going to be much better than last year.
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Edwards didn't start because they had to keep their only big sub in reserve for when ONO got in foul trouble. Evina had a minutes limit because of her knees. Ana M. got hurt and when she played she couln't make a shot or defend well. Who else last year could have played on the perimeter?? There were no other viable options. That being said, Nika did an adequate job but I would not call her year impressive or great.
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I agree with your tone. I with ya on Nika big time. I don't know about starters - who starts etc- but imo no doubt she was impressive in my view as well. Not saying others are wrong who don't feel she was impressive - they just have a different definition. She definitely earned her playing time and to do that for the number 3 team in America is terrific with the minutes she played in tight big games (when healthy).
But I will say next year - UCONN is a complete beast at the 1-3 positions. We have 5 legit players (All-around players) (Nika is an all-around player because she can both defend and hit shots and pass) to fill these spots.
We have 4 quality pg's-- Paige, Nika, Evina, and Azzi.
We have 4 quality sg's-- Paige, Evina, CWill and Azzi.
We have 3 quality sf's: at least. ((For example Griffin (and others)could be considered a 3.)) - Paige, Evina, and CWill.
There's a lot of "quality" on this team. With that said there are potentially multiple superstars too. And more than one are potentially at a much higher level than 95%- 99% of all other superstars. As a result, the idea should be that you want our superstars in the batter's box, wearing down the opposing team's starters, and then to a greater degree- exposing the other team by getting to their weaker bullpen vs the starters. If Nika is going to enhance the level of play from those higher level superstars - then just like this past year- she is gonna play- and wind up having another impressive season.
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I agree with the observations Littlemin expressed in his posts in regards to Nika. I am also an unabashed believer in her value to the team. I understand that many folks feel the seniors will/should get the starting minutes but I don't see Geno going with Paige next season being limited in the role of point guard. Yes, she is obviously quite capable and would most certainly excel at it but, as Geno seems to believe as well, she has more value to the team off the ball. That doesn't suggest she wouldn't have the ball in her hand a good deal of the time. I haven't seen nearly all her high school games but I did watch quite a number of them and it seemed to me that she played mostly with a point guard rather than as the point guard for her team.
Geno wasn't forced into going with Nika at point this past season because he didn't have options, he could have stayed with Paige or used Evina in that role, in the end he didn't though, he went with Nika. Nika is an excellent ball handler and passer with great court vision and at least in part can and did energize the defense. He indicated that they were a different ( in a positive sense) team on both ends of the floor with Nika out there. I think with Nika at point, being able to plug in Azzi or Caroline as a second high efficiency outside scoring option along side Paige would have been a difference maker in some of our tougher game this past season. I also think we will now have an excellent mix of players inside to assure we can increase offensive rebounds and put backs. I don't envy Geno's and the rest of the coaching staffs' challenges in how to best utilize all the talent we will have on the team this year but there are none better in WCBB in finding that right mix. I will be shocked though if Nika isn't a key part of it. I just can't see, as several have suggested, that her role this upcoming season will be disproportionately reduced.
Geno wasn't forced into going with Nika at point this past season because he didn't have options, he could have stayed with Paige or used Evina in that role, in the end he didn't though, he went with Nika. Nika is an excellent ball handler and passer with great court vision and at least in part can and did energize the defense. He indicated that they were a different ( in a positive sense) team on both ends of the floor with Nika out there. I think with Nika at point, being able to plug in Azzi or Caroline as a second high efficiency outside scoring option along side Paige would have been a difference maker in some of our tougher game this past season. I also think we will now have an excellent mix of players inside to assure we can increase offensive rebounds and put backs. I don't envy Geno's and the rest of the coaching staffs' challenges in how to best utilize all the talent we will have on the team this year but there are none better in WCBB in finding that right mix. I will be shocked though if Nika isn't a key part of it. I just can't see, as several have suggested, that her role this upcoming season will be disproportionately reduced.
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Hard to quantify. No stat, no credibility. I also think that many people formed their opinion when she was fouling once every 3 minutes and couldn't make a 3.
There is a definite divide in her freshman year. There's Müle BT (before the tears) and Müle AT. Her energy at the start of games spreads through the team. She makes things happen by being aggressive. Most fights are won in the first seconds. She's proven that teams can't sag off her. And she is an outstanding passer.
But she and Edwards will not both start and Edwards has unique skills.
I'm looking forward to seeing this team live at the XL. I really don't care about who starts. But it's June.
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I doubt it, but accept that it is possible. However, I just don’t understand the reasoning that would lead you to make such a categorical statement. Paige has just produced one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory (some would say ever) after an equally impressive high school career yet you insist that Azzi, who has yet to play a single minute in college, is better than her? I hope you are right, of course, but as I said, I doubt it. What I really wanted to say is this. I cannot for the life of me understand why people get so bent out of shape over these posts that speculate on playing time for our players! What possible harm is there in discussions among fellow fans about this team that has brought so much joy to all of us? It just seems petty and somewhat tyrannical to try to stop people from enjoying this forum. If you don’t want to participate, there is a very simple solution. Don’t!
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I’m going to give a guess at minutes but not in the specific way
leading the team: Paige, CW, Azzi
middle of the pack: AE, Nika, Evina, Liv
less: Dorka, AG, Caroline
garbage: Mir, Saylor, Amari, Piath
(In order from most to least)
I just don’t think there’s enough minutes to go around and GA is going to want his top players to get a lot of time together because they need to develop chemistry and prepare for critical game moments.
leading the team: Paige, CW, Azzi
middle of the pack: AE, Nika, Evina, Liv
less: Dorka, AG, Caroline
garbage: Mir, Saylor, Amari, Piath
(In order from most to least)
I just don’t think there’s enough minutes to go around and GA is going to want his top players to get a lot of time together because they need to develop chemistry and prepare for critical game moments.
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I like this breakdown except that I would move Dorka up to middle of the pack. I think she, AE, and Liv will all be about equal. Two bigs on the floor for most of the time rotating in and out. Of course, it will depend on the competition and the composition on the opponent's lineup. I'd love to see them press the whole game, play fast, and rotate players. Don't know if that is the plan but time will tell.
Nika has many supporters and some critics here. I personally felt that she contributed a good deal this past season but in allocating minutes for the coming season, I had her with only 12 minutes on average. I certainly agreed with Geno when he pointed out that she contributed both offensively and defensively last year but I feel that her primary contribution was allowing Paige to move to shooting guard when Geno was desperate to get her to shoot more.
This year I think will be a great deal different. While last year Paige was our only real threat from beyond the arc, shooting over 50% until she turned her ankle against Tennessee, this year the team will have far more 3 point shooting options, from Azzi, Caroline, Saylor even to Dorka in addition to Christyn. This will allow Paige to return to what she feels is her best game, i.e. "pass first" setting up "shoot first" teammates. I don't think many here would suggest that Nika is a better PG than Paige and that is really her only position. And because I think most would agree with me that Paige will lead the team in minutes, Nika's minutes will have to be reduced. We just won't have the same need as last year.
This year I think will be a great deal different. While last year Paige was our only real threat from beyond the arc, shooting over 50% until she turned her ankle against Tennessee, this year the team will have far more 3 point shooting options, from Azzi, Caroline, Saylor even to Dorka in addition to Christyn. This will allow Paige to return to what she feels is her best game, i.e. "pass first" setting up "shoot first" teammates. I don't think many here would suggest that Nika is a better PG than Paige and that is really her only position. And because I think most would agree with me that Paige will lead the team in minutes, Nika's minutes will have to be reduced. We just won't have the same need as last year.
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It could also be his [Geno's] push to help them [by more minutes = better stats] earn the NPOY, as Stewie earned 3 of them, and 12 NPOY for UCONN women of the 27 awarded from 1995. Rebecca Lobo was the first in the inaugural year [1995]. 2nd place? Tennessee with 5 [Holesclaw (2), Catchings (1), Parker (2)]; T-3rd: Baylor (2 - both Griner) & LSU (2 - both Augustus); six other universities tied for 5th with one.
I thought it was a little strange that Alana Beard of Duke [one of the universities with one NPOY] was the NPOY over Diana Taurasi in DT's senior year, until I looked up the season, and Duke beat UCONN by one at the XL Center on the 3rd of January, 2004 [UCONN ranked #1 at the time] causing UCONN to begin the NCAA tourney with a #2 seed (4 losses: to Duke, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Boston College (in Big East semi-finals - lost by 3 @ XL Ctr)]. Meanwhile, Duke had the #1 ranking in the final regular season AP Poll, and a #1 seed into the NCAA tourney.
However, I am pretty sure DT enjoyed the NC more than Alana enjoyed the NPOY award combined with a Regional Final loss less than five days before her NPOY was awarded... Proving once again, it matters more of how you finish than what the rankings are (voted upon by those who are NOT playing)...
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Interesting tidbits on DT's senior year NC: 1) tallest player was 6'3" Jessica Moore, then 2 @ 6'2": Sophomores Ann Strother & Willnett Crockett, five @ 6'0" (includes DT, Barbara Turner, Ashley Battle, Morgan Valley & Nicole Wolff), and three at 5'9" (including Maria Conlon);
2) Penn State (23-4 in regular season) was declared the #1 seed for the Hartford Regional, with UCONN being the #2 seed after being ranked #3 in the last AP poll of the season (Tennessee was #2 and DT & company's opponent in the National Championship game);
3) Mark Emmert was not at NCAA headquarters until November, 2010, so that does not explain #2 above.
2) Penn State (23-4 in regular season) was declared the #1 seed for the Hartford Regional, with UCONN being the #2 seed after being ranked #3 in the last AP poll of the season (Tennessee was #2 and DT & company's opponent in the National Championship game);
3) Mark Emmert was not at NCAA headquarters until November, 2010, so that does not explain #2 above.
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Added a few columns to the 2020-2021 stats sheet (left players in same order as previous spreadsheet, but shifted the starter projection and those coming off the bench by minutes projected) to make better statistical comparisons, keeping in mind Dorka missed three games in early January [Penn State, Illionis, & Iowa] due to CoViD and may have had lingering issues with endurance, etc....
If Dorka is fully recovered, I believe she will be the 5th starter, ahead of ONO. Azzi Fudd may break into the starting line-up versus Louisville, but who she replaces will be determined in the earlier games, much like when Maya Moore showed her skills on the court - both in practice & early games....
Two other key pieces of information: 1) Muhl did not start in losses to Arkansas & Arizona; whereas ONO started & went 0 for 7 in FG & 1 for 4 in FT vs. AZ and 1 for 2 FG and 0 for 0 FT vs. Arkansas...
If Dorka is fully recovered, I believe she will be the 5th starter, ahead of ONO. Azzi Fudd may break into the starting line-up versus Louisville, but who she replaces will be determined in the earlier games, much like when Maya Moore showed her skills on the court - both in practice & early games....
Two other key pieces of information: 1) Muhl did not start in losses to Arkansas & Arizona; whereas ONO started & went 0 for 7 in FG & 1 for 4 in FT vs. AZ and 1 for 2 FG and 0 for 0 FT vs. Arkansas...
| 2020-2021 Season | 2021-2022 projections | |||||||||||||||||
| Games | Starts | Mins | 3 pt shot % | Reb avg | Assists | ppg | Scoring rank on team | Starter/# off the bench | Mins Proj'd | |||||||||
| 1 | Bueckers | Paige | Soph | 29 | 29 | 36.2 | 46.4 | 4.9 | 168 | 20.0 | #1 | 1 | Bueckers | Paige | Soph | YES | 28.8 | |
| 2 | Williams | Christyn | Sr | 29 | 29 | 34.5 | 34.3 | 4.3 | 64 | 16.3 | #2 | 2 | Williams | Christyn | Sr | YES | 28.7 | |
| 3 | Fudd | Azzi | Fr | 3 | Westbrook | Evina | R/S Sr | YES | 20.5 | |||||||||
| 4 | Westbrook | Evina | R/S Sr | 30 | 30 | 30.6 | 33.9 | 5.3 | 128 | 9.4 | #5 | 4 | Muhl | Nika | Soph | YES | 20.5 | |
| 5 | Edwards | Aaliyah | Soph | 29 | 6 | 21.8 | NA | 5.7 | 26 | 10.7 | #4 | 5 | Juhasz | Dorka | Grad | YES | 19.2 | |
| 6 | Nelson-Ododa | Olivia | Sr | 30 | 30 | 25.9 | 26.7 | 7.8 | 87 | 12.0 | #3 | 6 | Fudd | Azzi | Fr | #1 | 26.8 | |
| 7 | Muhl | Nika | Soph | 23 | 15 | 24.5 | 34.3 | 2.4 | 62 | 4.9 | #7 | 7 | Edwards | Aaliyah | Soph | #2 | 18.0 | |
| 8 | Griffin | Aubrey | Jr | 29 | 5 | 16.7 | 15 | 4.8 | 24 | 6.2 | #6 | 8 | Nelson-Ododa | Olivia | Sr | #3 | 10.5 | |
| 9 | Juhasz | Dorka | Grad | 17 | 17 | 30.2 | 20.3 | 11.1 | 19 | 14.6 | 2nd | Ohio State w/ CoViD | 9 | Ducharme | Caroline | Fr | #4 | 9.5 |
| 10 | Poffenbarger | Saylor | Fr | 12 | 0 | 2.7 | 9.1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.5 | #12 | 10 | DeBerry | Amari | Fr | #6 | 7.5 | |
| 11 | Ducharme | Caroline | Fr | 11 | Griffin | Aubrey | Jr | #5 | 4.5 | |||||||||
| 12 | McLean | Mir | Soph | 24 | 0 | 7.4 | 33.3 | 2.1 | 11 | 2.8 | #9 | 12 | Poffenbarger | Saylor | Fr | #8 | 2.1 | |
| 13 | DeBerry | Amari | Fr | 13 | McLean | Mir | Soph | #7 | 2.1 | |||||||||
| 14 | Piath | Gabriel | Soph | 22 | 0 | 2.5 | NA | 0.5 | 2 | 0.7 | #11 | 14 | Piath | Gabriel | Soph | #9 | 1.3 | |
| 200.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Carnac
That venerable sage from the west
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Right now, even though I’m a seer, I have no idea who is going to start, or how many minutes each player can expect to get. Today is June 4. It’s way too early to make those types of projections.
Some of you raise some very interesting and salient points and concerns. We must wait until EVERYONE is back and has participated in at least 3 weeks of official practice. I’m assuming Geno is going to put his 5 best players on the floor to begin the game.
Can we assume that all 3 seniors will start this year? Are any of the reserves ready to make their respective “leaps” this season? Are Mir and Aubrey ready to play and make “significant “ contributions beginning with the first game?
Geno loves players that can play defense. Remember he pulled Saniya Chong from the starting lineup after the Stanford loss in 2014. Even though she scored 20 points, he was not happy with her inability to stay in front of her man (Lili Thompson) who had 24. Kia Nurse replaced her the next game and for the remainder of the season. Chong did not start again until her senior year.
The freshmen and Juhasz must learn enough of the system to earn time on the floor. How long will that take? It can be done!! Paige proved that last year. Until we begin to get reports from the beat writers in October, we’re really not going to know the “current” state of the team, or if any of the newbies have begun to separate themselves from the pack.
Paige is the only player that could come back without any improvement (of course she will) and be OK. Everyone else needs to be better than they were last year on both ends of the court.
I remember last fall, Geno said that Aubrey was 100 times better than last year. I love Aubrey, and I’m one of her biggest fans, but I didn’t see it. I’m hoping to see it this year. Geno would not have said it if he didn’t believe it to be so. I’m just saying I didn’t see it. I’m NOT trying to throw Aubrey under the bus. Merely saying that I want to see any perceived improvement(s) for myself.
I think this 2021-2022 UConn women’s team will be fun to watch and follow all season. I’m not predicting an undefeated season, but one very close to it.
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