Providence Post Game Thread

[jazz]

The rim blocked her shot? Is that really what we are going with? Listen, the only potential I'm interested in the "potential" of Nika actually making a layup.

Do you really think she can't make a layup? We can say that about a lot of players on the team who have been there for almost 3 full years and still missing multiple layups. She will over-come the challenge of the 'shot blocking rim' and make her layups soon enough - probably by the next game. I don't think a player could play for any coach, never mind Geno, if they couldn't make a layup.....

Not only do I think NM can make a layup, I bet she is really proficient at the FT line and the mid-range. I have a feeling she isn't as good from three point range however.

I tell you what, how much you want to wager that we miss at least half a dozen layups in the next game and it will not be all on NM?

By the way, AE missed some as well. She missed one so bad, I thought she was trying to break the backboard with it. If AG could hit the layup the first time, she wouldn't have 8 or 9 offensive rebounds either.

I don't get it either why they miss so many layups, but I have every confidence that they will start to make them soon.

 

[CocoHusky]

Do you really think she can't make a layup? We can say that about a lot of players on the team who have been there for almost 3 full years and still missing multiple layups. She will over-come the challenge of the 'shot blocking rim' and make her layups soon enough. I don't think a player could play for any coach, never mind Geno, if they couldn't make a layup.....

I tell you what, how much you want to wager that we miss at least half a dozen layups in the next game and it will not be all on NM?

I hate when that shot blocking rim comes into to play for only Nika! I've already posted about UCONN missing 14 layups in the Providence game from 6 different players. Nika is unique in this regard though, the only UCONN player to miss ALL her layups this season. When you say "soon" how soon are we talking? It's been 4 games already.

 

[oldhusky]

Not making excuses for her poor shooting, merely pointing out that it makes sense for the non-scorer to play point and the scorer to play shooting guard when they're both in the game.

Do you think Geno thought she was a scorer when he recruited her? I can't dig up her stats in a quick search, but IIRC she averaged about 11 points and 8 assists last year and made the all-defensive team. Shot around 40% for twos and 20% for threes. I certainly don't expect her to turn into a good shooter, but I expect her to continue to be a good passer and defender..

Yes the main question as Bigboote points out, is if you have both on the floor, who should be the primary point and who should be the SG. If on a scale of 1-10, Paige is a 10 at PG and 9 at SG, and say Nika was a 7 at PG and 3 at SG, then it is obvious. The argument of whether Nika should be in the game with Paige at all is another one. I think the answer to that is yes if Geno lets her play the point, but in the future that could change.

Right now Nika is the third guard somewhat by default. Someday I expect Aailyah or Aubrey to settle in as the starting PF. Don't know when but Aaliyah starting in the long run I consider pretty much a given. If that happens there will still be plenty of depth there, with one of those two plus Mir competing for backup minutes. There will be little need to use wings there any longer.

At that point Evina and Aubrey are likely fighting for the SF start, which probably would be Evina, but the point would be the same if it was Anna. The loser of that battle becomes a very good backup candidate not just at SF, but at SG as well. That means if Nika and Paige together is not working, Evina or Anna could eat up the minutes behind Christyn, and Nika becomes mostly Paige's backup with 5-10 minutes a game.

I think Nika will show that she would have warranted a top 10 ranking in this class if she was not a foreign player, and Aaliyah would have warranted a top 5, with both having significant roles during their careers here. I don't necessarily expect this level, but CD has compared Nika to Jen Rizzotti, perhaps more for toughness and grit than ability, and Geno has not dismissed comparisons of Aaliyah to Pheesa.

 

[Twolf]

Wow! We have now invoked Kia Nurse in comparison to Nika. Please please take a look at Kia Nurse very first few seconds on the floor in a UCONN uniform. Kia Nurse didn't fill a role she earned her way into the starting line up two games into her UCONN career and never came out. Look closely at any video of Kia's-the feet the hands the fluid movement , the recovery and compare that to Nika's. There is no comparison.

BTW both Oregon and Louisville are both starting Freshman guards. Perhaps its time to stop talking about "potential" and start talking bout the actual performance we have seen. Nika needs to start playing better.

In my post I stated that I saw NM filling a role similar to what Kia Nurse did against outstanding perimeter players where she basically face guarded that player, gave no help, and played much like a box and 1 only it was in the base man defense. I didn’t compare their abilities, or say she is the next Kia Nurse, only that I saw her potential to fill that role. She absolutely needs to play better, she knows that, and probably explains why she is pressing on the offensive end of the floor. If I’m wrong, won’t be the first time, and will be glad to give my mea culpa since you could parade my mistakes in basketball down Main Street 5 abreast.

 

[CocoHusky]

In my post I stated that I saw NM filling a role similar to what Kia Nurse did against outstanding perimeter players where she basically face guarded that player, gave no help, and played much like a box and 1 only it was in the base man defense. I didn’t compare their abilities, or say she is the next Kia Nurse, only that I saw her potential to fill that role. She absolutely needs to play better, she knows that, and probably explains why she is pressing on the offensive end of the floor. If I’m wrong, won’t be the first time, and will be glad to give my mea culpa since you could parade my mistakes in basketball down Main Street 5 abreast.

My main street configuration are usually 6 X 6-more symmetric that way. .

 

[jazz]

I hate when that shot blocking rim comes into to play for only Nika! I've already posted about UCONN missing 14 layups in the Providence game from 6 different players. Nika is unique in this regard though, the only UCONN player to miss ALL her layups this season. When you say "soon" how soon are we talking? It's been 4 games already.

We all hope it comes next game...

 

[CocoHusky]

Yes the main question as Bigboote points out, is if you have both on the floor, who should be the primary point and who should be the SG. If on a scale of 1-10, Paige is a 10 at PG and 9 at SG, and say Nika was a 7 at PG and 3 at SG, then it is obvious. The argument of whether Nika should be in the game with Paige at all is another one. I think the answer to that is yes if Geno lets her play the point, but in the future that could change.

Right now Nika is the third guard somewhat by default. Someday I expect Aailyah or Aubrey to settle in as the starting PF. Don't know when but Aaliyah starting in the long run I consider pretty much a given. If that happens there will still be plenty of depth there, with one of those two plus Mir competing for backup minutes. There will be little need to use wings there any longer.

At that point Evina and Aubrey are likely fighting for the SF start, which probably would be Evina, but the point would be the same if it was Anna. The loser of that battle becomes a very good backup candidate not just at SF, but at SG as well. That means if Nika and Paige together is not working, Evina or Anna could eat up the minutes behind Christyn, and Nika becomes mostly Paige's backup with 5-10 minutes a game.

I think Nika will show that she would have warranted a top 10 ranking in this class if she was not a foreign player, and Aaliyah would have warranted a top 5, with both having significant roles during their careers here. I don't necessarily expect this level, but CD has compared Nika to Jen Rizzotti, perhaps more for toughness and grit than ability, and Geno has not dismissed comparisons of Aaliyah to Pheesa.

Then the ranking would have been wrong and I'm sure you would be complaining about that also.
Here are freshman guards that are playing significantly better than NIka.

Caitlin Clark (Iowa)
Hailey Van Lith (Louisville)
Diamond Johnson (Rutgers)
Deja Kelly (UNC)
Lexi Donarski (Iowa State)
Kateri Poole. (Ohio State)

Here are freshman forwards that are playing better than Aaliyah Edwards.
Cameron Brink ( Stanford)
Kamilla Cardoso ( Syracuse)
Madison Scott (Ole Miss)
Madeline Westbeld (ND)
Olivia Cochran (Louisville)

Not that it matters but I think Aaliyah Edwards was appropriately ranked at 23 by ESPN just ahead of Mir and Nika would have been ranked a top 40 player in this class. Neither player was deserving of a top 10 ranking.

 

[jazz]

We must all be good fans of UCONN WBB if we can spend so much time talking about the back-up guard....

just trying to put a positive spin on things....

I guess I am higher on NM than many. I am projecting obviously. At minimum, she will be a heck of a player to have off the bench. But come next year, it gets tougher, but even if she doesn't play much, I still think she will be a good role player if we ever need her. I think this year we might need her at some point.

and one more thing....GO NIKA!

 

[CocoHusky]

We must all be good fans of UCONN WBB if we can spend so much time talking about the back-up guard....

just trying to put a positive spin on things....

I guess I am higher on NM than many. I am projecting obviously. At minimum, she will be a heck of a player to have off the bench. But come next year, it gets tougher, but even if she doesn't play much, I still think she will be a good role player if we ever need her. I think this year we might need her at some point.

and one more thing....GO NIKA!

We are not good fans we are great fans. If you think Nika is getting a lot of press do a search on Molly Bent and I guarantee there was more.

 

[jazz]

Then the ranking would have been wrong and I'm sure you would be complaining about that also.
Here are freshman guards that are playing significantly better than NIka.

Caitlin Clark (Iowa)
Hailey Van Lith (Louisville)
Diamond Johnson (Rutgers)
Deja Kelly (UNC)
Lexi Donarski (Iowa State)
Kateri Poole. (Ohio State)

Here are freshman forwards that are playing better than Aaliyah Edwards.
Cameron Brink ( Stanford)
Kamilla Cardoso ( Syracuse)
Madison Scott (Ole Miss)
Madeline Westbeld (ND)
Olivia Cochran (Louisville)

Not that it matters but I think Aaliyah Edwards was appropriately ranked at 23 by ESPN just ahead of Mir and Nika would have been ranked a top 40 player in this class. Neither player was deserving of a top 10 ranking.

I think AE will be better than some on your list when it is all said and done although I haven't seen Kamill or Madison play. AE is scratching the surface and I expect a breakout game from her soon. Forgetting about comparisons for a moment, I am thrilled we have AE. I think she plays huge down the stretch. She's quick and powerful and has skill in the low post.

Mir and Nika a bit less. Mir is a lesser version of AG but I still love her energy. You know how I feel about NM - I think she has very good play making potential, even if she never masters the art of making a layup....

 

[eebmg]

The main issue with Nika is and has always been outside shooting. She is just not good from the perimeter and no matter how good she is in play making, defense and energy, this will always plague her minutes and importance to the team. Look what happened with Coombs. I understand Nika at least has decent form on her shots and maybe she can get it turned around but if not, it eats at your your own confidence to do other things well

On a side note, Coombs seems to be doing pretty well at GA as a significant energy / defense contributor off the bench who is actually a good playmaker. Her shooting is still subpar but in the SEC, that is probably a plus.

 

[jazz]

We are not good fans we are great fans. If you think Nika is getting a lot of press do a search on Molly Bent and I guarantee there was more.

Yes, I remember reading them a few years ago.

 

[jazz]

The main issue with Nika is and has always been outside shooting. She is just not good from the perimeter and no matter how good she is in play making, defense and energy, this will always plague her minutes and importance to the team. Look what happened with Coombs. I understand Nika at least has decent form on her shots and maybe she can get it turned around but if not, it eats at your your own confidence to do other things well

On a side note, Coombs seems to be doing pretty well at GA as a significant energy / defense contributor of the bench who is actually a good playmaker. Her shooting is still subpar but in the SEC, that is probably a plus.

Let's compare Combs with NM as freshman after 30 minutes of playing.... I remember liking Combs on defense but she really looked out of control and lost on offense.

NM is composed on offense, runs the pick and roll, makes excellent passes and yes, struggles thus far to hit the broad side of a barn. But, I still think she will make an impact with her passing skills and with PB at the 2. I like that line-up....

 

[jazz]

Man, it is going to be great when Nika makes her first layup and it will be epic when she makes a three.....

 

[MooseJaw]

While we see her defensive potential in an opposite light, I do think the staff believes she is capable of filling a role that benefits the team. Defensively I don’t feel that the staff wants PB to have to defend the other team’s best small, even though her on ball defense is improving each game, and I am also not sure EW, after her physical issues, is capable of that role either. That leaves CW and Nika to handle that unenviable chore. PB is obviously the key offensive player, will be the straw that stirs the drink for the team, and would be the player you would least like to see in foul trouble. Time will tell if I am completely off base here, because I have no inside information, and is complete conjecture on my part, but I can see her filling a role much like Kia Nurse did a few seasons back. She will need to perform in a similar manner since her offense isn’t going to earn her more minutes. Nika had offers from Oregon and Louisville, who were in her final four, so they also saw a lot of potential in her play, and it would be interesting to have their coaches ”scout”, along with Geno’s, on the exact role they saw her filling in their program.

Bingo.

 

[MSGRET]

The rim blocked her shot? Is that really what we are going with? Listen, the only potential I'm interested in the "potential" of Nika actually making a layup.

Were any of those 10 points the result of a layup by any chance?

We get you don't like Nika! I give you facts of what she has done in a European league and you still rag her even though she's been trying to get back to her type of basketball after a foot injury. Don't know why but this will end my discussion with you on the subject.

 

[HuskylnSC]

As I sit here reading all the Nika posts. I continue to have one thought. One on One Nika will kick my butt (and maybe yours too). While I expected more of Nika. I am not at all disappointed in a freshman Croatian learning what is probably the most difficult position in WCBB, Geno Auriemma's point guard. 'Read and react' just rolls of the tongue. But for the newcomer trying to make the maestro happy, it sometimes rolls off your foot or smacks into the rim. Relax, you're going to love this kid and in a few years you're going to say of another freshman, "She needs to have some of Nika's fire in her."

 

[Dokey]

NM is a freshman playing in a foreign country. Let’s defer this discussion until March.

 

[jabstep]

Man, it is going to be great when Nika makes her first layup and it will be epic when she makes a three.....

It took a year plus for Aubrey to hit an outside shot. I don't think it will take Nika that long for a layup. She will find a role as she plays more. Geno is only playing Liv 20 + minutes to give Aaliyah some minutes. Nika can give Evina, Paige, and Christyn some rest. Give her a couple more games.

 

[jazz]

It took a year plus for Aubrey to hit an outside shot. I don't think it will take Nika that long for a layup. She will find a role as she plays more. Geno is only playing Liv 20 + minutes to give Aaliyah some minutes. Nika can give Evina, Paige, and Christyn some rest. Give her a couple more games.

It was a bit tongue in cheek jabstep.

I actually think NM will breakout with lets say 8pts and 4 assists soon. If she can give us 15 positive minutes with minimal turnovers and a few assists and maybe a bucket or two with some solid to good defense, that would be a huge lift off the bench. Not many teams have that in a backup point.

I think she is capable of all of this and hopefully she can give us a bit more.

 

[CocoHusky]

We get you don't like Nika! I give you facts of what she has done in a European league and you still rag her even though she's been trying to get back to her type of basketball after a foot injury. Don't know why but this will end my discussion with you on the subject.

I don't understand why you keep accusing me of not liking UCONN players. I guess that is your go to move right before waving a white flag. Did you think really think I was going to let you have the last word?
This is you.

 

[CocoHusky]

It took a year plus for Aubrey to hit an outside shot. I don't think it will take Nika that long for a layup. She will find a role as she plays more. Geno is only playing Liv 20 + minutes to give Aaliyah some minutes. Nika can give Evina, Paige, and Christyn some rest. Give her a couple more games.

That is not correct! Aubrey hit a 3Pt shot as part of her 25 point game against Seton hall last year. It was UCONN's 7th game of the season.

 

[hart2hart]

So except for the beginning of the game......rusty as Iike to call it, I thought the players played hard, most of them. Evina in particular for me is the steady hand. I love how she calms the gals down. She’s improving each and every game. I hope she stays next year and hopefully she will. E will get to have a full UCONN year if she stays vs this crazy, disjointed one!

 

[Carnac]

Do you really think she can't make a layup? We can say that about a lot of players on the team who have been there for almost 3 full years and still missing multiple layups. She will over-come the challenge of the 'shot blocking rim' and make her layups soon enough - probably by the next game. I don't think a player could play for any coach, never mind Geno, if they couldn't make a layup.....

Not only do I think NM can make a layup, I bet she is really proficient at the FT line and the mid-range. I have a feeling she isn't as good from three point range however.

I tell you what, how much you want to wager that we miss at least half a dozen layups in the next game and it will not be all on NM?

By the way, AE missed some as well. She missed one so bad, I thought she was trying to break the backboard with it. If AG could hit the layup the first time, she wouldn't have 8 or 9 offensive rebounds either.

I don't get it either why they miss so many layups, but I have every confidence that they will start to make them soon.

Layups are missed because of a player's lack of concentration, and their failure to put the ball off the glass at a the correct angle. Often they rush their shot in fear of having it blocked. They have to be coached to not worry about getting it blocked. Some times it's going to happen. 90% of the time it won't.

EVERYBODY that plays basketball is going to have their shot blocked at some point. 7 foot post players in the NBA got/get their shots blocked, some times by players smaller than them. Wes Unseld at 6'6" blocked a lot of shots by opposing post players during his career, most whom were taller than he. However, most of the time, he didn't.

Very very seldom will a player block a lay up/put back and not foul the shooter. That's where Liv has picked up a lot of her fouls the past 2 years (fly swatting). When going up for a lay up, you have to put EVERYTHING out of your mind for 3-4 seconds, and concentrate on where you're going to put the ball off the glass. If it gets blocked, so be it. But if it doesn't, its got to go in.

It's NOT hard to miss a put back because of the traffic or number of opposing players around you ALL trying to block your shot. Many times, rushed shots will not go in. You're just trying to get the shot off without getting it blocked, especially if there's someone 3-5 inches taller than you (in a different colored jersey) in close proximity.

Aaliyah missed a put back Saturday that didn't draw iron. She rushed the shot. That's one of the many things I like about Aaliyah, she makes her bunnies, free throws and put backs.

 

[jazz]

That is not correct! Aubrey hit a 3Pt shot as part of her 25 point game against Seton hall last year. It was UCONN's 7th game of the season.

I'm impressed Coco...you know your stuff. But did she miss any layups???

just messing with ya.....