Providence Post Game Thread

[oldhusky]

The new 0 for America is now bestowed upon Nika

Hopefully the turnaround will be similar to Anna's as well.

 

[Vowelguy]

The clearest sign that that wasn’t a good game: Geno gave up and stopped coaching. That only happens when he’s REALLY unhappy.

 

[Dokey]

My two cents...

Bigs:

AG - How many teams have the luxury of putting a long, rangy, quick defender on the opposing team’s point? Geno finding more roles for AG to impact the game. It is no fun for the opposing point to be harassed all the way up the court, expelling energy and having to make multiple decisions with the ball, time after time. This wears down players both mentally and physically. You saw this happen with the backcourt turnover AG forced. It also makes the opposing team run their offense more crisply since they will be starting their rotation with a good 8-10 seconds less on the clock. This also saves energy for one of our guards who now doesn’t need to mirror the opposition’s point guard. It is a win all around with big domino effects. AG also hit a 15 footer…if she can do that at a 45% clip, she is instant AA. Not sure they were in Zone, but having AG at the top of the Zone would be a great option as well.

On the other hand, it may be hard to play AG for extended minutes with all the energy she puts into playing full court defense. She never gets a rest on the court. I think this is why she missed a few bunnies.

When UCONN plays Stanford, it may be that AG will play more, but this time to stick to Jones like glue. I think she is the only player we have to counter Jones.

AM - Once AM started hitting threes, there was no way GA was taking her out. He wants her to shoot herself out of the funk she is in. I think she had a good start today, draining the first two with no hesitation on the ‘catch and shoot’.

By the way, AM’s defense was very good – beat once and only once, that I saw. I disagree with many posters who say she gets ‘torched’ or beat a lot off the dribble. She does get beat sometimes, but CW and EW get beat more often than AM. Also notice how AM brings out the other team’s big and then Geno can post up AG. AM makes a difference just by being out there with threat of the three.

The question is will AM be able to duplicate her good defense against top level teams? Well, I think she could because usually against these lower level teams, she has to effectively play a quicker, perimeter player who can shoot from the outside. Against higher-level teams, that player may be taller and stronger, but not as quick and will probably not have the perimeter movement skills that AM has to deal with now.

Liv continues to struggle finishing. She loses her balance too often and just isn’t quite strong enough to finish. I am becoming less optimistic that this will change much this year. I think she will be inconsistent as she has shown in finishing. But, she just needs 12 and 10 against Top level competition and be effective on defense and stay in the game. We have a chance if she can do that!

AE is very quick in the post. Knows how to post up. Needs to finish better. Big, strong body. Breakout game coming.

Mir – Didn’t look lost. She appears to be in the ‘I’ve memorised by steps in the offense now’ stage. It’s not second nature and she can’t deviate off her basic responsibilities, but I think she has it down, just needs to be a bit more crisp. I could be wrong but it’s like she can only remember the next step and then once she gets there, she remembers the next step, and so forth. Good energy and may be another option for full court harassment of the opposing point guard.

PG – You can tell she is being coached. Can she give us a few minutes down the road??

Excellent commentary. I keep hearing how poor AM’s defense is but as she is the player I focus on, I vaguely recall the only one time she was beat. One time in 36 minutes. The truth is she makes up for slower feet with floor iq. That is one of the reasons why Geno played her more than any other player along with his admission that the team doesn’t play as well with her on the bench. Others were beat several times. PB played great as usual but she got taken on defense, especially nearer basket, just as she did in high school. On the other hand, her incredible anticipation created havoc. As much as Geno praises her shooting, he is less enthusiastic about her defense. Don’t get me wrong. She will dominate the game for four years and will rack up more than one POY award.

As for offense, AM put up only five shots. I saw two or three times where she should have taken the shot. But the real problem for AM and other long range bombers is the team’s tunnel vision. They simply don’t see open outside shooters, going for layups instead when the chances are slim. That might be Geno’s fault.

 

[jazz]

Excellent commentary. I keep hearing how poor AM’s defense is but as she is the player I focus on, I vaguely recall the only one time she was beat. One time in 36 minutes. The truth is she makes up for slower feet with floor iq. That is one of the reasons why Geno played her more than any other player along with his admission that the team doesn’t play as well with her on the bench. Others were beat several times. PB played great as usual but she got taken on defense, especially nearer basket, just as she did in high school. On the other hand, her incredible anticipation created havoc. As much as Geno praises her shooting, he is less enthusiastic about her defense. Don’t get me wrong. She will dominate the game for four years and will rack up more than one POY award.

As for offense, AM put up only five shots. I saw two or three times where she should have taken the shot. But the real problem for AM and other long range bombers is the team’s tunnel vision. They simply don’t see open outside shooters, going for layups instead when the chances are slim. That might be Geno’s fault.

I could not agree more and it is so refreshing that some people actually get AM's value to this team. Her benching had nothing to do with GA's displeasure with her. He just thought that maybe coming off the bench would help her get her shots falling. She still missed 2 she could have made and yes, I remember a couple she could have taken. I want her trigger on the ball like KLM use to be. Heck KLM was shooting before she got the ball.

By the way, AM had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, shot 60% from 3 while the rest of the team shot 30%, 1 TO, 1 Foul, beaten only once to the hoop. I'm not saying she is AA, but she's pretty darn good!

We all need to give her come credit for a very good game. Geno must have liked it, once her put her in, he never took her out.

 

[Martin]

Not a criticism just and observation. I noticed that during Aubrey's post game presser that after each answer there was an awkward moment of silence. One would say she is a woman of few words but, I think she will need a little word smithing tutoring for future post game interviews.

Maybe its because the questions are so freaking bad. Who are these idiots asking these questions?? Good golly moss molly.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

Not a criticism just and observation. I noticed that during Aubrey's post game presser that after each answer there was an awkward moment of silence. One would say she is a woman of few words but, I think she will need a little word smithing tutoring for future post game interviews.

Not every player is a "Rebecca Lobo of the Microphone". Different players have different personalities. Some are "Extroverts" and well spoken individuals and some are "Introverts" and are not necessarily comfortable in speaking in front of people. It well could be that Aubrey prefers to do her talking "On The Court". And in my humble opinion, I would rather see her to continue to practice on continuing to be able to put up games consistently, like yesterday's effort, than having her spend anytime on being 'tutored' on how to speak in front the press.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

As to the CW no show, having Paige on board takes some adjustments, especially if she and the coaching staff thought CW was going to take the de facto captain's role. It's clear Paige is the leader of this team, at least in the early going. As goes Paige so will the team. To take a back seat to that will eat at a kid, especially someone as apparently sensitive CW is, and she needs to find how she fits into things as a significant contributor to this team. We will not go far in the tourney if she can't give us 10-15 ppg and 4-8 rpg. There's time to make the adjustment and the schedule will give her that runway but she and the coaches need to figure it out.

 

[Martin]

The clearest sign that that wasn’t a good game: Geno gave up and stopped coaching. That only happens when he’s REALLY unhappy.

Geno quotes The Eagles after the game; too funny.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

Maybe its because the questions are so freaking bad. Who are these idiots asking these questions?? Good golly moss molly.

Thank goodness no one put a mic in front of me after a game in college when I was 19. I would have sounded like a 3rd grader. Give her some space.

 

[CL82]

The key for her is not how she played today but how she will play next Wednesday. She has to realize that a once in a generation player who plays her position is joining the team next year.

CW appears to struggle with her confidence, which to us mere mortals seems silly because she is in a enormously gifted athlete. She just needs to develop no conscience. Don’t worry about the last play just make the next one. I’d also like to see Geno run more please to get her open looks in the corners. She can make those shots if she has time to sit her feet. Likewise, I’d like to see her taking the ball to hoop off screens. She’s fast enough to make those plays.

She’s a good player. She just needs to believe in herself and not compare herself to anyone else.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Hey Husky! I'm from SC too - Charleston to be exact.

I like most of what you said and will respond mostly to my disagreements if that is ok:
1. Didn't think we did a bad job against their guards but I do agree that smaller quicker guards could be a problem.
2. AG made a 15 foot jumper and that bodes well. If we run the offense and use her to post up or if she can sit at the foul-line extended and take her player to the hoop, then she can be good in the half court as well. It may not always be conventional, but can be effective nonetheless. Not sure if Geno will like the unconventional part though.
3. Agree on AM, Liv and the rest. AE is going to have a breakout game soon. Very quick in the low post with strong body to go with it.

Thanks man. Upstate here. I am definitely in the minority on AG. I see a great athlete with limited basketball skills. On making the 15 footer, while she does have a tremendous percentage of makes, 1 for 1, I'm still not a believer she can be consistent. Secondly I don't think she can take her player to the hoop because she has a poor handle. She has a couple of uncontested drives to score. But from what I remember most of her points occur in a scramble for the ball under the hoop. There is a reason Geno told her last year to just rebound and pass and not to shoot. I'm also concerned for he BBIQ in a read and react offense. If you notice, when running up court on O, she typically ignores the ball and runs to a spot, turns and finds out what happened. Contrast that to AE who has her head on a swivel looking up court then over her shoulder. Something everyone has to do with Paige or E having the ball.

 

[bluedevil]

The key to good BBQ is the sauce

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

The key to good BBQ is the sauce

Could not have said it any better !!! (I have heard that Aubrey personally prefers Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce on her BBQ Ribs)

 

[bluedevil]

Could not have said it any better !!! (I have heard that Aubrey personally prefers Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce on her BBQ Ribs)

I like that one too.

 

[hart2hart]

I personally thought Anna’s and Aubrey’s game was just terrific. Let’s hope they both grow on this game and their confidence too.
I just love both of them! Hooray for Anna and Aubrey!

 

[meyers7]

I feel sorry for Autumn. With such a big lead, she was the only player who did not get into the game.

She got to coach.

 

[jazz]

Thanks man. Upstate here. I am definitely in the minority on AG. I see a great athlete with limited basketball skills. On making the 15 footer, while she does have a tremendous percentage of makes, 1 for 1, I'm still not a believer she can be consistent. Secondly I don't think she can take her player to the hoop because she has a poor handle. She has a couple of uncontested drives to score. But from what I remember most of her points occur in a scramble for the ball under the hoop. There is a reason Geno told her last year to just rebound and pass and not to shoot. I'm also concerned for he BBQ in a read and react offense. If you notice, when running up court on O, she typically ignores the ball and runs to a spot, turns and finds out what happened. Contrast that to AE who has her head on a swivel looking up court then over her shoulder. Something everyone has to do with Paige or E having the ball.

Hmmm. Other than she is limited in her BB skills or at least she hasn't shown a diversity of BB skills which I agree with, I don't agree with your other points.

1. She is one for one but I'm just happy she took it, looked good taking it and made it. Now, let's build on it. Maybe she can or maybe she can't. But since she looked really good with her form, I think she can do it with some success. I didn't even know she could shoot or would shoot in that situation. I do think she is more comfortable as a movement player where she scores on the move and not just taking a jumper...I'm not sure she feels very comfortable taking jump shots...but she looked good with the one she took and made.
2. I think she has a good handle. I've see her in the open court with the ball and moving faster to the hoop than the players chasing her. Anyway, FT line to hoop is two dribbles. Do you really think she can't do that?
3. She doesn't always ignore the ball when running up the court. Sometimes she has been the recipient of passes for the finish.
4. If there are times she runs to a spot, could it be Geno telling her to do so?

She may be a one trick pony now, but is it possible that that one jumper is the start of something more????

Anyway we can agree to disagree.

If she can hit that jumper with consistency, I think she can be AA. But, as you said and I agree with, it is only one.

I also forgive you for being from upstate SC...

 

[eebmg]

CW appears to struggle with her confidence, which to us mere mortals seems silly because she is in a enormously gifted athlete. She just needs to develop no conscience. Don’t worry about the last play just make the next one. I’d also like to see Geno run more please to get her open looks in the corners. She can make those shots if she has time to sit her feet. Likewise, I’d like to see her taking the ball to hoop off screens. She’s fast enough to make those plays.

She’s a good player. She just needs to believe in herself and not compare herself to anyone else.

Problem is she is a #1 recruit and her own expectations is to be a WNBA player. A good player is not enough (in her eyes). She has to get it into her head that she is the best player on the court and her opponents can't compete with her. It is just a mindset

 

[Boreifs]

CW appears to struggle with her confidence, which to us mere mortals seems silly because she is in a enormously gifted athlete. She just needs to develop no conscience. Don’t worry about the last play just make the next one. I’d also like to see Geno run more please to get her open looks in the corners. She can make those shots if she has time to sit her feet. Likewise, I’d like to see her taking the ball to hoop off screens. She’s fast enough to make those plays.

She’s a good player. She just needs to believe in herself and not compare herself to anyone else.

You stated it well; she is very talented and a “good” player. Her aspirations of wanting to become “legendary”, (her own words) though, are sadly not going to come to fruition. I would like to see her become more effective with the pick and roll and give and go, etc.; she has little chance of becoming deadly from the arc.

 

[ABCDFE]

My thoughts:

• I expect ONO and CWill to bounce back. I think Cwill was a little down on herself and you could see it on her face and the fact that she was pushed to be back in at the start of the second half you could tell she was not all there today. I've been tough on Cwill in the past but I do like how's shes played the majority of the games this year.
• ONO is irreplaceable because she affects that middle of the paint so much and demands doubles with inferior teams. Although she's improved, I think we just have to understand that she will never be like Pheesa around the rim and she will miss some layups she has no business missing. As a junior I think she can improve a bit more, but I've tempered my expectations a bit when it comes to her game against solid or very good post players. Hope she proves me wrong.
• Paige - Best dang player in the college today - not much more to say
• Makarut - When she looks to shoot it just makes our team so much different, previous games not a threat at all on offensive end and working so hard on the defensive end has gotten her out of rhythm. She solid on defense, but her contribution is adding passing, better flow and movement on the offensive end and another shooter. I hope that she can build on this...
• AG-This is what's shes capable of, but until i see 2,3,4 etc games in a row of a consistent game I just dont know what we will get from her game in and game out.
• Mir & Muhl played with great effort. Feel bad for Muhl, her offensive skills are much worse than I thought and Mir has a great feel around the basket, just a little out of control at times
• Evina - Love her game. She's getting better and I believe she will be a key factor for us going down the stretch. She has scoring ability at all three levels and plays very good defense. Her knees has limited her play at the moment to reach her max potential but I am pleasantly surprised by her as a player and teammate
• AE - I thought she played ok. She's got a lot of talent. Hoping she can get better as the season goes on because we haven't really played anyone with significant size or a strong defensive team with athletes
• Piath is so raw but like that Geno is at least giving her some minutes

 

[Zinethar]

I've now watched the game twice and think I might need another time to really understand what was going on.
Many have noticed that Paige at times has trouble keeping in front of her match up. That started back in HS because her great defensive ability is to understand passing lanes and fill them to get steals. She is being asked to defend differently now and I see improvement each game. Agree she needs to shoot more. She is about the most automatic scorer I've seen in a while.

CW was out of it early. Perhaps she was a focus of the defense. I think what kept her out as much as she was was the very poor body language she showed in the game and on the bench. If that doesn't go away soon she will be on the pine. Geno doesn't care who you are he will not tolerate that. Ono has times when that is a problem also.

Good to see Anna doing what Geno needs her to do. EW had her moments but seemed to start slowly. Knee? Hope not. A lot of posters have praised AG and Mir for their games. I agree. Nika played much better. Hope she can get a shoot going and not become a Molly or Mikila (if I spelled it even close).

My biggest worry is that when the ball goes inside it is rarely kicked out to open shooters. One likely frustration CW has. People open on 3 line on the right were never seen or passed to except Anna occasionally will throw a long skip pass from one side to the other. The people doing the weave stop at mid court and reverse back left. Paige in half court offensive never gets a pass there. and Anna doesn't either on that side.

 

[Dokey]

I've now watched the game twice and think I might need another time to really understand what was going on.
Many have noticed that Paige at times has trouble keeping in front of her match up. That started back in HS because her great defensive ability is to understand passing lanes and fill them to get steals. She is being asked to defend differently now and I see improvement each game. Agree she needs to shoot more. She is about the most automatic scorer I've seen in a while.

CW was out of it early. Perhaps she was a focus of the defense. I think what kept her out as much as she was was the very poor body language she showed in the game and on the bench. If that doesn't go away soon she will be on the pine. Geno doesn't care who you are he will not tolerate that. Ono has times when that is a problem also.

Good to see Anna doing what Geno needs her to do. EW had her moments but seemed to start slowly. Knee? Hope not. A lot of posters have praised AG and Mir for their games. I agree. Nika played much better. Hope she can get a shoot going and not become a Molly or Mikila (if I spelled it even close).

My biggest worry is that when the ball goes inside it is rarely kicked out to open shooters. One likely frustration CW has. People open on 3 line on the right were never seen or passed to except Anna occasionally will throw a long skip pass from one side to the other. The people doing the weave stop at mid court and reverse back left. Paige in half court offensive never gets a pass there. and Anna doesn't either on that side.

You hit on my primary criticism of the team, the tunnel vision that prevents them from kicking out to open three point shooters. Do they not work on that in practice? AM should take more shots, 60% from beyond the arc is great but five attempts in 36 minutes is too few, and while currently and unfortunately she passes up most contested shots, as she admits, the real problem is she is virtually the only one who sees open outside shooters—and she can’t pass to herself. CW left the game early without taking a shot but I would guess many of Anna’s assists in earlier games went to CW.

 

[CL82]

Problem is she is a #1 recruit and her own expectations is to be a WNBA player. A good player is not enough (in her eyes). She has to get it into her head that she is the best player on the court and her opponents can't compete with her. It is just a mindset

Maybe, or maybe she just needs to get out of her own head and let it happen

 

[CL82]

You stated it well; she is very talented and a “good” player. Her aspirations of wanting to become “legendary”, (her own words) though, are sadly not going to come to fruition. I would like to see her become more effective with the pick and roll and give and go, etc.; she has little chance of becoming deadly from the arc.

Disagree. If you give her an open look with her feet set she’s pretty accurate.

 

[HopJim]

The clearest sign that that wasn’t a good game: Geno gave up and stopped coaching. That only happens when he’s REALLY unhappy.

Maybe. Geno is always pushing buttons.