Providence Postgame Thread

[hoophuskee]

Fun game. Enjoyed watching. Loved the pace of play. When they play like that, always enjoyable to watch regardless if they miss or not. OFC provided they win.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Games on Senior Day tend to be a little strange. The great Sarah Strong came off the bench--to score 13 points in just 13 minutes. Azzi had her worst offensive game of February. Her emotions may have gotten in the way. We tied the team record for forced turnovers. Jana had a career high in rebounds. We won by 40+

In the Senior Day videos, I was reminded how important Ice was filling in for Liya in the Big East Tournament 2 years ago and how well she did in the NCAA tourney last year. I hope her knee heals well so she can play more basketball down the road. Ayanna says the team locker room means everything to her, and she hopes to play more basketball. Best wishes to them and the other seniors!

 

[my2cents]

Correct on all 3 counts, and after the "one particular missed shot" she was sent immediately to the pines. Jana played very well today, monster on the boards, and was rewarded with a lot of playing time!

Serah literally never makes a move to get the ball. its crazy.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Azzi in post game interview said she let the signs, crowd and Senior day get in her head and screwed up her shots!

 

[hookshot]

I don’t mean this to sound rude, I didn’t see the game as I recently canceled my directv, but has Serah progressed at all this year? For her to be in for 16 minutes and not score, but even more so to not get a single rebound…. I don’t quite understand it. Could someone who saw the game maybe explain something that I’m missing in looking at the box score?

I was at the game today, I remarked to my buddy how hard Serah was hustling out there today, and he agreed, she was really getting out defensively to double. Didn't get a lot of offensive looks, as Uconn offense today was largely from the perimeter or passes to cutters to basket. Seems like she should have gotten some more rebounds. Jana has a different style, she is relatively slow to get down court on both offense and defense, but once she sets up defensively around the basket, she gets her hands on a lot of rebounds. On offense, Jana has gained some consistency with right handed bank hook from the right side, but both Jana and Serah have shown inconsistency on finishing other opportunities. Jana often passes the ball backout when she is in position to score underneath.. Even though Jana is only supposed to be one inch taller than Williams, she has much more physical presence than Williams (more of a banger). Nobody that I attend games with has concluded that Jana is better (i.e. more talented) than Williams - they have both been disappointing to some degree. We'll let Geno figure it, but I don't expect you'll see Jana displace Serah from the starting line up any time soon (maybe for UCLA).

 

[mordecai]

Jana - 19 mins. - 16 rebounds - 0 Turn overs - 0 Fouls.. 6 Points. !! 👍

 

[sun]

Serah literally never makes a move to get the ball. its crazy.

There's always a rationale for anything that a player does & every situation is different.
Generally speaking I think that Serah prefers to play in what she considers to be her "safe zone."
That way she won't make unnecesary fouls, such as by being blindsided by other players. or make risky efforts to make a low percentage attempt (either on offense or defense) unless the game situation dictates that she needs to make the extra effort.
The outcome of most every game isn't ever really in question, and in some ways the way that she plays is smart since she doesn't really need to prove or satisfy anyone except Geno.
She makes the effort when she thinks that it's important.
Geno knows what she can & can't do, amd we don't know anything that's going on behind the scenes about how she's being coached or about how pleased the coaches are about her efforts considering the BE schedule and how they're trying to give Jana a larger role in preparation for the NCAAT.
All is going about as well as expected with the UConn frontcourt considering the amount of PT that's being shared (or not shared) among all of the potential front court players.
I think that everything with her and her PT are going as well as expected with how Geno and all of the other players interact & perform during the games.
I'm constantly hearing complaints about Serah but I doubt that anything really matters enough to cause Geno any consternation.
I doubt that anyone associated with the team is disgruntled or very critical of Serah other than some of the fans.

 

[Blond D.]

It will be very interesting next year to see how Big O progresses. Will she be like Jana and Serah or a completely different animal? And what will Gandy bring to the table?

 

[Bigboote]

One thing that really stuck out to me today is how well the double teaming worked. Shade was often the one putting the double team on, and it seemed that she and others were picking the perfect moment to attack and when they did it was a full on sprint toward the player with the ball. The primary defender had already usually put the Providence player in a difficult position, and the double is typically very tight, giving the opponent no room at all to pivot or to move. The first option pass was also quickly covered. It often looked like 6 on 5, the speed, force and precision is intimidating.

That's also struck me recently. Shade seems almost uncanny in her judgment when to initiate the double. One thing that allows her to do that so quickly is her foot speed. She may not be the quickest player on the floor, but her speed over distance is incredible. Check out her stride length when she's motoring down the floor.

 

[Blueberries]

There's always a rationale for anything that a player does & every situation is different.
Generally speaking I think that Serah prefers to play in what she considers to be her "safe zone."
That way she won't make unnecesary fouls, such as by being blindsided by other players. or make risky efforts to make a low percentage attempt (either on offense or defense) unless the game situation dictates that she needs to make the extra effort.
The outcome of most every game isn't ever really in question, and in some ways the way that she plays is smart since she doesn't really need to prove or satisfy anyone except Geno.
She makes the effort when she thinks that it's important.
Geno knows what she can & can't do, amd we don't know anything that's going on behind the scenes about how she's being coached or about how pleased the coaches are about her efforts considering the BE schedule and how they're trying to give Jana a larger role in preparation for the NCAAT.
All is going about as well as expected with the UConn frontcourt considering the amount of PT that's being shared (or not shared) among all of the potential front court players.
I think that everything with her and her PT are going as well as expected with how Geno and all of the other players interact & perform during the games.
I'm constantly hearing complaints about Serah but I doubt that anything really matters enough to cause Geno any consternation.
I doubt that anyone associated with the team is disgruntled or very critical of Serah other than some of the fans.

I think I was more wondering about her choice to come to UConn, which I thought was related to raising draft stock for WNBA. I could be entirely wrong, but if that was the goal, it doesn’t seem like she has demonstrated a ton as far as showcasing for WNBA teams. I could be totally wrong and often am.

 

[HopJim]

I was at the game today, I remarked to my buddy how hard Serah was hustling out there today, and he agreed, she was really getting out defensively to double. Didn't get a lot of offensive looks, as Uconn offense today was largely from the perimeter or passes to cutters to basket. Seems like she should have gotten some more rebounds. Jana has a different style, she is relatively slow to get down court on both offense and defense, but once she sets up defensively around the basket, she gets her hands on a lot of rebounds. On offense, Jana has gained some consistency with right handed bank hook from the right side, but both Jana and Serah have shown inconsistency on finishing other opportunities. Jana often passes the ball backout when she is in position to score underneath.. Even though Jana is only supposed to be one inch taller than Williams, she has much more physical presence than Williams (more of a banger). Nobody that I attend games with has concluded that Jana is better (i.e. more talented) than Williams - they have both been disappointing to some degree. We'll let Geno figure it, but I don't expect you'll see Jana displace Serah from the starting line up any time soon (maybe for UCLA).

Good assessment. Both Jana and Serah have shown recent, but not consistent, improvement. One game, one quarter, either Jana or Serah is excellent and then Geno benches them. Doesn't seem to be a reason other than the normal sub pattern. Would be interesting to see one or both play most of a half. Not sure what I would do if I was Geno.

 

[amishboy]

This might sound nuts, but is there a chance of Ayanna, Ice, and Caroline returning next year? I mean they do receive NIL money, right? None is likely to be drafted by the WNBA. Finally, Azzi is definitely gone, but Sarah returns, and I don't recall any huge recruits coming in next year.

So if they're actually continuing to recuperate, why wouldn't any (or all) of them roll the dice and return, trying for another NC alongside Sarah, Jana, Blanca, KK, etc.?

 

[amishboy]

This might sound nuts, but is there a chance of Ayanna, Ice, and Caroline returning next year? I mean they do receive NIL money, right? None is likely to be drafted by the WNBA. Finally, Azzi is definitely gone, but Sarah returns, and I don't recall any huge recruits coming in next year.

So if they're actually continuing to recuperate, why wouldn't any (or all) of them roll the dice and return, trying for another NC alongside Sarah, Jana, Blanca, KK, etc.?

My bad: I totally forgot about Olivia Vukosa!

She is described as a "modern" center, i.e., she makes a lot of 3s, so, IMO, thinking of her playing alongside Sarah Strong, she makes all the more reason for these players with eligibility remaining to consider returning.

 

[Bone Dog]

My bad: I totally forgot about Olivia Vukosa!

… and Jovana! The team will be tough next season. Of course, a lot depends on Blanca stepping up big time to become Sarah’s partner. Last season it was Paige. This season it’s Azzi. How lucky is Sarah? She picked the program that would give her a steady supply of great teammates. Great front court teammates and great backcourt teammates.