Questions for next season

[Purchase1]

I’m more excited to see it all unfold. The genius of Geno is so subtle, getting Amari minutes in last nights game was important for her development no matter how small she got to sniff the court in a national championship game, I think with her commitment to staying the summer to work on her game and the minutes she got last night play dividends into her having a great sophomore campaign. I also don’t see CD coming off the bench I think she’ll be an All-America next season so my lineup would be PB,Azzi,CD,Aaliyah,Dorka with Nika Aubrey being the first two subs in.

 

[Huskee11]

I haven`t delved into what the numbers say, but my sense is that both Caroline and Dorka play much better as starters. Dorka in particular would often be in too much in a hurry coming off the bench.

Nika should get 20-25 minutes. I love the way she plays. She has shown that she can impact the game coming off the bench. If the team gets off to a slow start in a particular game I would get her in early for someone. If the team is starting slow consistently, she would possibly find herself in the starting lineup. She should spend the summer working on her mid-range game, particularly getting proficient at pull up jumpers from around the foul line. Paige and Azzi have that shot down pat so she should learn from them.

We should add another one or two year player as a backup to Azzi. Meyers from Princeton perhaps? Scalia from Minnesota?

I think it unlikely Geno will add another big, given the current depth already in place.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

We should recruit Morrow

She's a fine forward, and she will find herself with little help next year at DePaul, as most of her supporting cast from this season graduates. Could be a cold and lonely season in Chicago next year if she remains there....

 

[pk1234]

Yeah I agree with most saying it's going to be Paige, Azzi, CD, AE, Dorka, with Nika getting starter minutes off the bench. Aubrey will help off the bench if healthy, but that's likely a huge if. If she's not, Patterson probably gets decent minutes. DeBerry and Brady will be in a battle for 3rd big minutes.

Another experienced guard in the transfer portal would be nice, if they came in knowing they were only playing 10-15 mins a game.

 

[SLY63]

I think AE and Dorka can do the job at the 4 and 5. We really need AE to play a little smarter foul-wise (screens) and both to be more aggressive on the glass. AE showed spurts at the end of the season, but I'd like to see both get stronger and more aggressive.

 

[Charliebball]

don't forget Brady will be seeing lots of minutes next year if her defense is passable............she can be a monster offensively right now and should be able to contribute 10-15 points per game and she is not afraid of contact on the boards......along with Patterson and Edwards those are three physical forwards which should improve UConn's presence up front along with AG......

 

[Jletoile]

The question next year will be the same one with which we began this year: Bigs. Coach Geno understood completely at the beginning of the season that Edwards and ONO just would not bring us a NC, when he pointed out that Dorka could be that key addition in the front court that could take us to the highest level. But Dorka was not there for the Final.

This year we lose ONO, but bring back Dorka. Dorka will undoubtedly play better than ONO, and give us a more dependable presence underneath. Indeed, it could be that with a better understanding of Coach Geno's system, she'll do vastly better than she did this year.

But we're not bringing in another Boston, or Cunane, or Brink or Betts. Ice and Ayanna are 6'2" and 6'3", which means they're not the size to go toe to toe with a great post. The question is whether they can help form a credible and physical ensemble cast for the front court. That's something we haven't had since 2015, when Breanna Stewart teamed up with Kiah Stokes and Morgan Tuck. The year before was the last time we had an unstoppable front court, adding Stephanie Dolson to Stewart and Stokes. We won the NC with HOF'er Breanna at the post. But since then, we've cobbled together a front court that just couldn't get us to the Promised Land. Napheesa was undersized for the position she was forced to play at UConn. And KLS was a tall guard who was forced to play under the basket on defense.

I hold out no hope that either DeBerry or Gabriel will step forward, or will be given the go-ahead to step forward next year. I think Coach Geno has made up his mind about their prospects, and he's not likely to all of a sudden have Gabriel as the first front court player off the bench. Nor will DeBerry likely turn into a bruising back-to-the-basket post player. Instead, she's likely to, ONO-like, keep heaving threes from beyond the arc. That's not what the team needs.

Unless a great post player decides to transfer in, we will be looking at yet another year of excellent guard play, but a questionable front court. And until those questions are answered, the odds-on favorites for the next NC will be South Carolina and Stanford.

Well said.

 

[temery]

The two UCONN posts are untested and unproven. Can they rapidly mature next year ? Probably , to a degree. Having a rugged proven post transfer that is used to hard physical contact would certainly provide some reassurance.

I don't know. From what I see most of the posts here are untested and unproven. It's been that way for 23 years.

 

[Beemer]

Nika's an ace on defense but I want her to improve her shooting from the floor and at the line, she'll be that much more effective.

Actually, IMO the entire team needs to work on FT shooting and also on eliminating turnovers, they gave Pepperidge Farm a run for its money on more than one occasion with their inability to protect the ball.

 

[BBallF]

Am I the only one that sees (mostly) good things happen whenever Nika steps on the court. She is a facilitator on offense, and a disrupter on defense. Nika is not afraid to slug it out for rebounds with the bigs, or dive for loose balls.

I see it too. The issue has always been her offense though and that is why you saw Azzi instead of her when Paige returned. She needs a good offensive trainer over the summer so she can develop a pull up jumper and finish moves on drives both right and left as well as quicker release on her 3s.

 

[Beemer]

Am I the only one that sees (mostly) good things happen whenever Nika steps on the court. She is a facilitator on offense, and a disrupter on defense. Nika is not afraid to slug it out for rebounds with the bigs, or dive for loose balls.

She's simply one of those players who makes her team better every time she steps on the court/field. Something about her changes the equation so to speak.

 

[BBallF]

The question next year will be the same one with which we began this year: Bigs. Coach Geno understood completely at the beginning of the season that Edwards and ONO just would not bring us a NC, when he pointed out that Dorka could be that key addition in the front court that could take us to the highest level. But Dorka was not there for the Final.

This year we lose ONO, but bring back Dorka. Dorka will undoubtedly play better than ONO, and give us a more dependable presence underneath. Indeed, it could be that with a better understanding of Coach Geno's system, she'll do vastly better than she did this year.

But we're not bringing in another Boston, or Cunane, or Brink or Betts. Ice and Ayanna are 6'2" and 6'3", which means they're not the size to go toe to toe with a great post. The question is whether they can help form a credible and physical ensemble cast for the front court. That's something we haven't had since 2015, when Breanna Stewart teamed up with Kiah Stokes and Morgan Tuck. The year before was the last time we had an unstoppable front court, adding Stephanie Dolson to Stewart and Stokes. We won the NC with HOF'er Breanna at the post. But since then, we've cobbled together a front court that just couldn't get us to the Promised Land. Napheesa was undersized for the position she was forced to play at UConn. And KLS was a tall guard who was forced to play under the basket on defense.

I hold out no hope that either DeBerry or Gabriel will step forward, or will be given the go-ahead to step forward next year. I think Coach Geno has made up his mind about their prospects, and he's not likely to all of a sudden have Gabriel as the first front court player off the bench. Nor will DeBerry likely turn into a bruising back-to-the-basket post player. Instead, she's likely to, ONO-like, keep heaving threes from beyond the arc. That's not what the team needs.

Unless a great post player decides to transfer in, we will be looking at yet another year of excellent guard play, but a questionable front court. And until those questions are answered, the odds-on favorites for the next NC will be South Carolina and Stanford.

I agree with this clarification: It's not just height it's girth, mass, power. The inside players you mentioned, Dolson, Stokes, Tuck all were big bodies who do not get out muscled but actually did that themselves. We have been missing that for 6 years now. SC shoves, pushes, and crowds and will always do so as long as they have Boston and others. You have to match that. With Dorka and Aaliyah you have an inside game with hopefully a decent sub or two next year but it's not yet a power presence. I also think Aaliyah gives a lot back with bad fouls, turnovers and bad hands. The game has changed and the refs call nothing underneath. I hate it.

 

[BRS24]

Random thought after seeing the Sue & Diana show with Kevin Garnett. I would love to see DeBerry develop some skills similar to KG, where she can take the outside shots, and can work the paint with some finesse, along with developing a baby hook shot. That would be sweet.

 

[SARG 2011]

Coach Valley follows Abby Myers, Lauren Fields and Kari Niblack on IG. I absolutely expect them to pick up a player or two from the portal.

 

[mudcat]

Wish UConn could get Blackwell, she would add physically to UConn that IMO will be required to beat SC next season

Subtraction by addition?

 

[boontonbomber]

I’m more excited to see it all unfold. The genius of Geno is so subtle, getting Amari minutes in last nights game was important for her development no matter how small she got to sniff the court in a national championship game, I think with her commitment to staying the summer to work on her game and the minutes she got last night play dividends into her having a great sophomore campaign. I also don’t see CD coming off the bench I think she’ll be an All-America next season so my lineup would be PB,Azzi,CD,Aaliyah,Dorka with Nika Aubrey being the first two subs in.

Rather than subtle, I'd say Geno's genius in putting in Amari was mysterious. Important for her development? Don't know how. He had many, many minutes during the season for that development.

 

[jdote33]

100%. I keep saying there's a parallel of Diana's frosh year and Azzi this year. Less than average performance and sophomore year was a huge improvement.

This is interesting. I'm going to take a look at some of the numbers. I think the biggest difference between DT and Azzi is probably their size. DT has long arms and is a legit 6 ft. I feel like Azzi is listed at 5'11 but she may be like an inch shorter than PB. But I am excited to see Azzi with the ball in her hands more.

The question next year will be the same one with which we began this year: Bigs. Coach Geno understood completely at the beginning of the season that Edwards and ONO just would not bring us a NC, when he pointed out that Dorka could be that key addition in the front court that could take us to the highest level. But Dorka was not there for the Final.

This year we lose ONO, but bring back Dorka. Dorka will undoubtedly play better than ONO, and give us a more dependable presence underneath. Indeed, it could be that with a better understanding of Coach Geno's system, she'll do vastly better than she did this year.

But we're not bringing in another Boston, or Cunane, or Brink or Betts. Ice and Ayanna are 6'2" and 6'3", which means they're not the size to go toe to toe with a great post. The question is whether they can help form a credible and physical ensemble cast for the front court. That's something we haven't had since 2015, when Breanna Stewart teamed up with Kiah Stokes and Morgan Tuck. The year before was the last time we had an unstoppable front court, adding Stephanie Dolson to Stewart and Stokes. We won the NC with HOF'er Breanna at the post. But since then, we've cobbled together a front court that just couldn't get us to the Promised Land. Napheesa was undersized for the position she was forced to play at UConn. And KLS was a tall guard who was forced to play under the basket on defense.

I hold out no hope that either DeBerry or Gabriel will step forward, or will be given the go-ahead to step forward next year. I think Coach Geno has made up his mind about their prospects, and he's not likely to all of a sudden have Gabriel as the first front court player off the bench. Nor will DeBerry likely turn into a bruising back-to-the-basket post player. Instead, she's likely to, ONO-like, keep heaving threes from beyond the arc. That's not what the team needs.

Unless a great post player decides to transfer in, we will be looking at yet another year of excellent guard play, but a questionable front court. And until those questions are answered, the odds-on favorites for the next NC will be South Carolina and Stanford.

I'm a huge Dorka fan, but I think she has big shoes to fill with Liv. I think Liv is a lot more physical/stronger than Dorka, and does a much better job of finishing inside than Dorka. Dorka has a more reliable shot and is a bit better offensive rebounder. I know she's banged up this offseason, but if by some miracle next season, Dorka could finish inside as good as Liv, I think she'd be one of the best bigs in the country tbh. but I kind of feel that's like the ask of CW to become reliable from 3 (respectfully).

 

[Purchase1]

Rather than subtle, I'd say Geno's genius in putting in Amari was mysterious. Important for her development? Don't know how. He had many, many minutes during the season for that development.

Think about this, biggest moment of the season seniors leaving gives you an opportunity to feel what it’s like playing on the biggest stage. It’s something you can’t duplicate with a regular season game. That builds confidence in a player to look at that and say I belong on the floor. I think she’s gonna be great next year

 

[Urshurak]

Am I the only one that sees (mostly) good things happen whenever Nika steps on the court. She is a facilitator on offense, and a disrupter on defense. Nika is not afraid to slug it out for rebounds with the bigs, or dive for loose balls.

Only thing that would make her better is some offense. She HAS gotten better at that, made a layup yesterday. If she can get 6-8 points a game on top of the defense and everything else she brings, just wow!

UConn will again have the pieces, but so will South Carolina and Stanford. Hopefully we have a group that can crash the boards and compete with SC. Hard to beat anyone when they get 2-4 shots every time they touch the ball.

 

[boontonbomber]

Think about this, biggest moment of the season seniors leaving gives you an opportunity to feel what it’s like playing on the biggest stage. It’s something you can’t duplicate with a regular season game. That builds confidence in a player to look at that and say I belong on the floor. I think she’s gonna be great next year

I hope she gets the minutes next season. That's how she will develop confidence.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

While watching the game last night, especially seeing the development of Azzi being sick, I kept imploring Geno to bring in CD. It’s as if we forgot she led our team in scoring for a stretch of time. It was so nice to see her come in and be productive and have that urgency of wanting to get things done.

If she and Azzi have the usual sophomore leap, I definitely see them starting with Paige, Edwards, and Dorka. That way you have a guard to come off of the bench to keep the lineups balanced. Especially against good teams, you have to matchup length wise from the start.

A point about Azzi. I think her foot injury was the most impactful after that of Paige. She lost a lot of game time and was still a freshman coming up to the Tourney. She is a great talent but does not have the flare Paige does and will have to work harder at being an all around guard and possible All American.

 

[donalddoowop]

Not true.

 

[billnaples]

The defense was actually good last night. SC didn't shoot lights out...although it may have felt that way. REBOUNDS were the problem. SC had something like 21 O boards, but only six more FG attempts! Fix that and we're good. And the FT attempt disparity was just eye-popping, but unfortunately, you really can't control that.

Both teams made 22 baskets, we had one more from 3 than did SC. we were 1/4 from the line, they were 17/26, 21 fouls on UConn, just 11 on SC. SC was the better team and likely wins vs. anyone but it is sad to see that kind of gap and think the three best officials were really calling this game.

 

[bayern7]

I think if Aubrey is healthy you start her and see how she works her way in or out

Paige
Azzi
Aubrey
Aaliyah
Dorka

There's a lot of moving parts to consider with a lineup and it depends how these players develop over the off season (especially Nika, Aubrey, and Carloline). I think this lineup gives you experience and rebounding which if you look at the other top teams next year and their size we're gonna need... Also allows you to bring Nika and Caroline in to give a different look on both sides of the ball while also making more similar switches for Paige and Azzi to rest (A PG for a PG and a W for a W). Andddd shifts towards a more post dominant line-up which suits our depth. I'm really interested to see what Piath and Amari look like in 7 months... I think out of the two recruits Ayanna will be able to have the most immediate impact, but Isuneh may surprise (you don't have to teach size and physicality). And then throw in a possible transfer or two and who knows...I just hope Geno finds a way to utilize all the size and athleticism he'll have on this roster, in the post. 3-5 positions you have...

6'1" Aubrey G/F
6'2" Caroline G/F
6'3"Ayanna F
6'3" Aaliyah F
6'4" Isuneh F
6'5" Amari F
6'5" Piath F
6'5" Dorka F

so use it!