Rebuilding UConn once again

[Tonyc]

2	KK Arnold	5-9	G	Fr.	Germantown, Wis. / Germantown HS	kamoreaarnold	kamoreaarnold	k2timez_
3	Aaliyah Edwards	6-3	F	Sr.	Kingston, Ontario / Crestwood Preparatory College	aaliyahedwards_	aaliyahedwards_24	aaliyahedwards277
4	Qadence Samuels	6-0	G	Fr.	Forestville, Md. / Bishop McNamara HS	qadences	qadencesamuels
5	Paige Bueckers	6-0	G	R-Jr.	Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins HS	paigebueckers1	paigebueckers	paigebueckers
10	Nika Mühl	5-11	G	Sr.	Zagreb, Croatia / III. Gimnazija Zagreb	muhlnika	nika.muhl
12	Ashlynn Shade	5-10	G	Fr.	Noblesville, Ind. / La Lumiere	ashlynnshade	therealashlynn12
21	Inês Bettencourt	5-9	G	So.	São Miguel, Portugal / Clube União Sportiva	InsBettencourt2	ines_pbettencourt	inespbettencourt
24	Jana El Alfy	6-5	C	R-Fr.	Cairo, Egypt / Al Ahly Sporting Club		janaelalfy8
25	Ice Brady	6-3	F	R-Fr.	San Diego, Calif. / Cathedral Catholic HS	IsunehBrady	ice.bradyy	ice.bradyy
33	Caroline Ducharme	6-2	G	Jr.	Milton, Mass. / Noble & Greenough School	c_ducharme3	caroline.ducharme3
34	Ayanna Patterson	6-2	F	So.	Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead HS	ayannap34	_.ayannap
35	Azzi Fudd	5-11	G	Jr.	Arlington, Va. / St. John's College HS	azzi_35	azzi35	azzi35
42	Amari DeBerry	6-6	F	Jr.	Williamsville, N.Y. / Williamsville South HS	amari_deberry	amarideberry42	amari.deberry
44	Aubrey Griffin	6-1	G/F	Gr.	Ossining, N.Y. / Ossining HS	aubrey_g44	aubrey.griffin44	agriffin44

Here is our roster. Now look at our bigs. We have 2 6'5+, we have 2 6'3, we have 2 6'2 . All highly ranked and many injured and cant play. Notice how many are out with injuries and how many are coming back from injuries. If you look at Nans post from HoopGurlz it shows how many recruits over the past few years and in the future are 6'5 and over. Geno was smart going after Jana because there werent many big's that were UConn good and were coming to UConn so he went overseas to get Jana. Shes injured too. IMO that was a good move. Looking at Hoopgurlz over the next few years I do believe we pick up some pretty good bigs. First of all there are girls over 6'2 who have said UConn is there dream school so thats encouraging.

Deberry is a work in process and now shes getting a chance. Hopefully she will develop and get more playtime. Geno is known for developing players and only those who want to work and improve see playtime. Perhaps now Amari will work hard and become the player we all see in her.

In order to be effective with an inside game you need shooters and 3 pt shooters. We have them in Paige Azzi and Caroline. Not having Azzi and Caroline healthy we loose outside shooters and 3 pt threats thus teams pack it in which hurts our inside game especially Edwards and Griff. Neither can be really effective on a consistent basis However if Jana Yanna and Caroline were healthy even though or Amari was ready we would have the bigs so many are posting about.

Looking at our roster we were ranked preseason number 2 in the polls on paper. We have on paper great talent however thats on paper. Because of injuries we still look great on paper but on the court we dont have the same team. We're hurt. Those of you who are saying thats an excuse I have to differ with you. Its reality. I feel if they were healthy we would be a much much better team not only on paper but on the floor. I feel that being healthy Paige Azzi and Caroline would be very tuff to beat add in Jana and Yana and we are loaded.

We are now in a position where we have to play inexperienced freshman who we have had to play against some of the top teams in WCBB. We dont have the shooters or scorers to replace Azzi and Caroline. We dont have the bigs to replace Jana Yanna and Caroline. Some posters have said we still have experienced players in Nika Griff Paige and Aaliyah. Yes we do however Aaliyah and Griff play alot inside and they are restricted when defenses pack it in. Paige is really our only outside shooter and she is keyed on and she's still a scorer but at a lower percentage then she would if she had Azzi and Caroline on the floor with her.

There is alot of talk about parity. There is more parity in WCBB. How many rosters on paper are better then UConn's Not many if any? Alot of next season will depend on who comes back and who turns pro. Griff Edwards Nika and Paige are all scheduled to graduate. Will they stay or will they leave? That could change our roster for next season. Another question is will Azzi and Caroline heal and be ready for next season? We could on paper be really really good next season depending on who comes back and who is healthy to play.

Recruiting is a big deal next season. We have Allie (top 5) and Morgan (6'2) committed and still wondering about Sara. The following year is Bryan McGaughy 6'3 has said UConn is her dream school. Still alot of UConns future depends on who's coming back. The past 3 years we have had numerous injuries to key players. It has taken its toll on us. No team can play at their top level when theyre not 100%. We are still really really good. I expect that when the team heard about Azzi's injury and that Caroline was out it played a big part on how we played the past 3 games. It had to the girls are only human. We now have a week to get ready for Texas. We saw last season how the team reacted to Paige going down and the injuries that followed. UConn has run into some bad breaks which have been difficult to overcome for the team and thats human nature.

There has been some posts mentioning Geno has lost his touch? Geno has never been able to get every top recruit. When he had TASS and Diana he had problems getting girls who wanted to wait to play behind them. When he had Stewie MoJeff and the rest he had problems getting players too. What amazed me was last season with all the injuries and we ended up so close to the FF. No Geno has lost his touch. Geno has learned to overcome some of the most unbelievable challenges a coach could ever face. Everybody else has gotten better but UConn if healthy would still be a national power. Even now we're pretty good however now we have to regroup and rebuild ourselves over the next few weeks and months. To come back the way we did against UCLA showed me how important it is for Griff to become more consistent. We have Aaliyah and Paige and with the addition of Griff putting up numbers like she did yesterday well we are gonna much better. I will be watching for the changes Geno makes to get Griff going along with Aaliyah and Paige

We are a different team then we were a few weeks ago. We have a ways to go. We did it the past few years. We have the talent, lead by 2 AA's now we need to fix a few areas and move forward. Its called Rebuilding UConn once again.

 

[Nolefan]

I use to look forward to your post would always be uplifting but sorry not drinking the kool aide any longer .. this teams issue lies deeper than just the players imo ..

 

[Centerstream]

I'm not about to jump on the Amari bandwagon but if I was to, I would think that it would be a good thing if they sent Amari to the film room and have her spend a lot of time watching Kansas' Jefferson play offense. This way she might learn how to use the length of her arms as a scoring asset. They are built similarly so maybe Amari could actually become more of a threat on offense.
However, to be honest I am guessing that this type of coaching has already been tried and we have what we have.

 

[Topsail]

Tony, I do agree with most of what you spell out but we currently have one AA playing. AE played like an AA most of last season including her big game of 25 against SC. AE needs to step up her play again . Once again we have too many key players injured that will make this a most difficult season . If the freshmen can make a huge developmental leap by the end of the year then maybe we can make the final four.

 

[Centerstream]

I'm not about to jump on the Amari bandwagon but if I was to, I would think that it would be a good thing if they sent Amari to the film room and have her spend a lot of time watching Kansas' Jefferson play offense. This way she might learn how to use the length of her arms as a scoring asset. They are built similarly so maybe Amari could actually become more of a threat on offense.
However, to be honest I am guessing that this type of coaching has already been tried and we have what we have.

I meant Jackson...

 

[Topsail]

Nobody has talked about the tendonitis in Paige s knee. This could be a huge problem going forward hampering her play. We would have no true outside threat.

 

[Bone Dog]

I like this post, @Tonyc. It gets to the heart of the situation while preserving the optimistic confidence that is the heart of a Husky.

You've also reminded me of the group that entered with Paige -- it included Aaliyah Nika Mir Piath and Saylor. If that group had stayed longer we would have been in a different situation now. Piath left under her own steam, which was too bad in a way, but may have been in her best interest. Mir left in the second year to get more playing time sooner as did Saylor. If either of them could have foreseen the injuries that were about to disrupt that season, they would have known that their PT was about to go way up. Mir was like a slightly smaller Aubrey, able to run the floor well on the break and rebound, and Saylor was in the mold of Caroline, a smooth shooter with good handles and size. Both of them would have been in the rotation and Saylor would probably be starting now.

For those who think Geno can't recruit, consider what our current rotation would have been if Saylor had stayed -- that is, if her mom hadn't gotten in her way. It could look like this:

• Paige
• Nika
• Saylor
• Aaliyah
• Aubrey
  • with these coming in off the bench
• Ice
• KK
• Ashlynn
• Qadence
• Inês
• Amari
  • and maybe these two in a few weeks
• Caroline
• Ayanna

That was the team that could have been, even with Azzi's and Jana's injuries -- fully loaded and deep with a ton of experience in the UConn system among the starting 5, and a ton of talent in the rotation that would spell them. We'd still be a little thin in the post, but our guard/forward play would have been formidable. When I look at this team, I can't help thinking of how injury and impatience has taken apart what could have been the dominant team of the next two seasons. Now, as it turns out, the team we have is small and inexperienced. This isn't a failing of Geno's. It's what fate has dealt the Huskies. They'll get more experience and more size as the season wears on and Ayanna and Caroline come back. And once the backcourt returns to form, Aaliyah will get the space she needs to aim at another AA award. For now, we are not the powerhouse other teams dread. And if Caroline and Ayanna can't regain their pre-injury form, then this is probably not going to be the season we'd all dreamt of.

This season, we took on 2 really scrappy kids, a smooth shooter, and 2 muscular post players. They'll develop well over 4 years. Next season, we'll bring in another Caroline/Saylor type and a Paige/Azzi scale shooter... and maybe even another muscular post player. If we don't get that post player, I suspect Geno already has feelers out in Europe/Australia for another one. The year after that, we've got verbal commitments from a MoJeff-type guard and a long-limbed 6'5" post, and we're hoping for a Steph-type post the year after that. I think Geno is doing everything we all hope he'd do. Now it's just a matter of appealing to fate for a little relief from the plague of injuries.

 

[sun]

You've also reminded me of the group that entered with Paige

Anna Makurat could have also played for UConn this year if she had stayed & used her covid year.
She was a freshman in 2019 -20.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Charliebball]

I'm not about to jump on the Amari bandwagon but if I was to, I would think that it would be a good thing if they sent Amari to the film room and have her spend a lot of time watching Kansas' Jefferson play offense. This way she might learn how to use the length of her arms as a scoring asset. They are built similarly so maybe Amari could actually become more of a threat on offense.
However, to be honest I am guessing that this type of coaching has already been tried and we have what we have.

I don't know many skilled top-ten national recruits that end up playing mop-up minutes for their entire four year stay.........Just once I'd like to see Amari start a game and be told that she's playing a minimum of 27 minutes regardless of mistakes..........I think her confidence is shot and she feels those partial fourth-quarter minutes are almost meaningless at this point in her career...........

 

[BRS24]

I don't know many skilled top-ten national recruits that end up playing mop-up minutes for their entire four year stay.........Just once I'd like to see Amari start a game and be told that she's playing a minimum of 27 minutes regardless of mistakes..........I think her confidence is shot and she feels those partial fourth-quarter minutes are almost meaningless at this point in her career...........

I get what you are saying here. I still believe that rankings and scouting for HS players is more art than science. Amari was ranked #15. She was probably the tallest player in most all games she played. Perhaps the game came easier to her in HS, where players could just toss it up and she'd score, or she could stand there and grab rebounds with little effort. UConn expects that either you already know now to play basketball, or are willing to learn. Whether it be a Princeton style, read and react or whatever offense the team is using, it takes a lot of anticipation and immediate reaction to a multitude of things happening on the court at once. Do I think she knows what she's supposed to do? Yes. However, the speed in which that's expected may be too fast for her to process at times. In the last few games when she's gotten more minutes, I've tried to focus on her activity, just to see how she's playing. Some good things did happen.

 

[EricLA]

IMHO there is no rebuilding. That comes from recruiting, and we won't see that until next year, with so far no bigs on the horizon. Geno is starting almost from scratch now, almost 1 month into the season. It may well be the Paige Bueckers show the rest of the season. All this laid on a player who has come back from numerous injuries and now has to deal with patella tendinitis.

We had 14 players to start the season. We are down to 10 (Jana, Azzi, and then who knows with Ayanna and Caroline). With Aaliyah playing as if she spent the summer vacationing with Team Canada, we barely have any post presence. If you don't consider Amari or Ines as part of the core group, we are basically down to 8, and with the 4 freshmen, we have 4 experienced players.

There will be many more games like Minnesota, UCLA, and Kansas. Edwards' major step backwards is a huge mystery to me. The team is a mess (not blaming anyone), and relying on 4 freshmen on a consistent basis is a recipe for disaster. Some days they will be great, some average, and some awful. Then there will be the wall they will hit after Christmas, which may (or may not) be broken thru before the season is over (so hard to say with freshmen - and for the record, I like our freshmen a LOT).

And by the way, Nika may not often score 10+ in games, but vs. Kansas, she was the 2nd leading rebounder with 7, had a bunch of assists (6 maybe?), and is really solid. A great game from her does not need 10+ points.

Getting back to the main point, I'm guessing every game it will be the Paige show. If we are lucky, 2+ others will "show up" offensively. Vs. Kansas, it was only Aubrey, with Nika doing Nika things. 1 and a half is not enough. Against almost any top 25 team that won't cut it. Unless Paige takes 35 shots per game... We will see.

Gotta play the cards we were dealt for this season. Way more questions than answers at this point. I'm hoping that Geno is flexible enough to morph and change, like he's done so many times in the past, to help give the players the confidence they need to play the best they can. IMHO focus on teaching and put away the criticizing and breaking down this year.

It's gonna be Mr. Toad's Wild Ride this season. Buckle up people!!

 

[Gus Mahler]

I like this post, @Tonyc. It gets to the heart of the situation while preserving the optimistic confidence that is the heart of a Husky.

You've also reminded me of the group that entered with Paige -- it included Aaliyah Nika Mir Piath and Saylor. If that group had stayed longer we would have been in a different situation now. Piath left under her own steam, which was too bad in a way, but may have been in her best interest. Mir left in the second year to get more playing time sooner as did Saylor. If either of them could have foreseen the injuries that were about to disrupt that season, they would have known that their PT was about to go way up. Mir was like a slightly smaller Aubrey, able to run the floor well on the break and rebound, and Saylor was in the mold of Caroline, a smooth shooter with good handles and size. Both of them would have been in the rotation and Saylor would probably be starting now.

For those who think Geno can't recruit, consider what our current rotation would have been if Saylor had stayed -- that is, if her mom hadn't gotten in her way. It could look like this:

• Paige
• Nika
• Saylor
• Aaliyah
• Aubrey
  • with these coming in off the bench
• Ice
• KK
• Ashlynn
• Qadence
• Inês
• Amari
  • and maybe these two in a few weeks
• Caroline
• Ayanna

That was the team that could have been, even with Azzi's and Jana's injuries -- fully loaded and deep with a ton of experience in the UConn system among the starting 5, and a ton of talent in the rotation that would spell them. We'd still be a little thin in the post, but our guard/forward play would have been formidable. When I look at this team, I can't help thinking of how injury and impatience has taken apart what could have been the dominant team of the next two seasons. Now, as it turns out, the team we have is small and inexperienced. This isn't a failing of Geno's. It's what fate has dealt the Huskies. They'll get more experience and more size as the season wears on and Ayanna and Caroline come back. And once the backcourt returns to form, Aaliyah will get the space she needs to aim at another AA award. For now, we are not the powerhouse other teams dread. And if Caroline and Ayanna can't regain their pre-injury form, then this is probably not going to be the season we'd all dreamt of.

This season, we took on 2 really scrappy kids, a smooth shooter, and 2 muscular post players. They'll develop well over 4 years. Next season, we'll bring in another Caroline/Saylor type and a Paige/Azzi scale shooter... and maybe even another muscular post player. If we don't get that post player, I suspect Geno already has feelers out in Europe/Australia for another one. The year after that, we've got verbal commitments from a MoJeff-type guard and a long-limbed 6'5" post, and we're hoping for a Steph-type post the year after that. I think Geno is doing everything we all hope he'd do. Now it's just a matter of appealing to fate for a little relief from the plague of injuries.

Friendly edit: Saylor was in Azzi's class.

 

[Charliebball]

I get what you are saying here. I still believe that rankings and scouting for HS players is more art than science. Amari was ranked #15. She was probably the tallest player in most all games she played. Perhaps the game came easier to her in HS, where players could just toss it up and she'd score, or she could stand there and grab rebounds with little effort. UConn expects that either you already know now to play basketball, or are willing to learn. Whether it be a Princeton style, read and react or whatever offense the team is using, it takes a lot of anticipation and immediate reaction to a multitude of things happening on the court at once. Do I think she knows what she's supposed to do? Yes. However, the speed in which that's expected may be too fast for her to process at times. In the last few games when she's gotten more minutes, I've tried to focus on her activity, just to see how she's playing. Some good things did happen.

ESPN Hoopgurlz had her rated at number five with Christyn Williams rated at number one......many will say CW was a bit of a disappointment, but she certainly had many great games while Deberry hasn't had a single game where you can say she played up to her ranking.........I really don't know why she hasn't progressed but it seems to me that I'd sure like to keep working with her just in case she has some important moments in her to give......

 

[hoophuskee]

ESPN Hoopgurlz had her rated at number five with Christyn Williams rated at number one......many will say CW was a bit of a disappointment, but she certainly had many great games while Deberry hasn't had a single game where you can say she played up to her ranking.........I really don't know why she hasn't progressed but it seems to me that I'd sure like to keep working with her just in case she has some important moments in her to give......

Amari was ranked 15th by hoopgulrz not 5 per link below. There is no reason to give her time to the detriment of the team if she consistently has shown through Practices and in games that she can't produce. She should be eating up Ice in Practices, shouldn't she?

Instead of making excuses let's admit until she is ready - you can't really play her.

2021 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100 - ESPN

Get the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. In-depth player briefings, film and more on ESPNHS.com.

www.espn.com

 

[Twolf]

I hope everyone realizes that all the time spent in the preseason establishing roles, putting players where you think they have chances to make plays, and establishing a depth chart are now out the window & the staff is truly starting from scratch. Everything is affected from set plays, out of bounds sets, press offense, and right on down the line. Presently, none of the rookies have separated but all show promise. Coaches love players who they know what they are going to get game in and game out, and that they trust. An impartial observer, at this stage of the season, could count those on one hand and have some fingers left, but I feel will increase as time goes on. I feel confident the staff is doing everything they can scheming how to give the roster they currently have now the best chance to succeed.
All the discussion about recruiting, playing time, offensive strategy, and coaching in general makes good conversation but at times ignores reality. Those who wish to give a player a chance has to realize that they get a chance on a daily basis and if they aren’t able to outplay the player, or players, ahead of them on the depth chart it’s pretty difficult to give them a lot of additional PT. That’s a pretty tough sell to those players who are winning their matchups on a daily basis.
I believe GA is one of the top ten coaches in NCAA basketball regardless of classification or gender. That opinion doesn’t mean he shouldn’t receive questions or criticism about his team’s performance which comes with job, but most coaches truly care about the opinions of only two groups: their players and their peers because those are the only two groups who really know what kind of job they do. JMO

 

[Bone Dog]

Friendly edit: Saylor was in Azzi's class.

Friendly reply-edit: Saylor arrived in the spring of Paige’s first season as an early enrollee, like Jana did last season. Unlike Jana, Saylor actually played that first season.

 

[Charliebball]

Amari was ranked 15th by hoopgulrz not 5 per link below. There is no reason to give her time to the detriment of the team if she consistently has shown through Practices and in games that she can't produce. She should be eating up Ice in Practices, shouldn't she?

Instead of making excuses let's admit until she is ready - you can't really play her.

2021 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100 - ESPN

Get the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. In-depth player briefings, film and more on ESPNHS.com.

www.espn.com

my bad....... I confused her with ONO........I think there are some players that need to be thrown in the deep end of the pool and Deberry may be one of those...........in the past few years we've seen Geno force-feed some of his players due to injuries with varying degrees of success...........if nothing else has worked with Amari, why not give her a shot............stranger things have happened and the bench will always be there.....

 

[my2cents]

The miss this year is we brought no one in from the portal.
From last Spring, we have lost Dorka, Lou and now Azzi (injury) and we have added Paige and 4 freshman.
Our current team is nowhere near as good as what we finished last year with.
Our entire year will depend on how our freshman perform.

 

[hoophuskee]

my bad....... I confused her with ONO........I think there are some players that need to be thrown in the deep end of the pool and Deberry may be one of those...........in the past few years we've seen Geno force-feed some of his players due to injuries with varying degrees of success...........if nothing else has worked with Amari, why not give her a shot............stranger things have happened and the bench will always be there.....

Why not force feed Ice and the freshmen more if they are better? And wait for Patterson? Geno has said Ayanna is close too.
With the team being so inxperienced, wouldn't it be better to have give your best players as much time as you can working with one another?

 

[hard2please]

lets get real. amari is not the answer. she is talented but way too passive. having dealt with major concussion, it is not a thing that easily goes away if ever. it changes everything. its amazing that caroline can even play. azzi is out for the year. so is jana. ae is not so far the consistent star she needs to be, paige as stated before could get worn out before the ncaas at this rate. my argument is for geno to take his foot off the gas pedal. we are not going to go undefeated nor will our record matter so much at the end of the season. take the pressure off the coaches and the kids, and have fun by playing the freshman as much as possible. perhaps one or two can develop into enough of a star by seasons end to let this team make a run for it with paige channeling diana t and carrying the team on her back for 6 games which she can be capable of doing if she is rested enough by seasons end. dont wear out ae either, or nika, or aubrey. it doesnt matter if we lose 5 or 10 games. with a little luck, paige playing like the star she is, and a couple of confident freshman, this team can make a run. they are not dominant but geno can make them a contender again. kudos to that john belushi speech in animal house.

 

[Conndog]

UConn needs some kind of outside shooting besides Paige. It would be Caroline, but until she returns, it must be someone else. Nika is too slow a shooter- only lets it fly when left unguarded- and she doesn't initiate or drive into lane. I'd rather get KK in there at the point, she can make things happen more than Nika. But who is the other outside shooter? Aubrey is great at what she does well- defense, fast breaks, inside rebounding and slashing- but outside shooting is her Achilles heel. She has absolutely no confidence even though her FT form looks great. I think it is between Q and Ash. Ordinarily, I like what Ash can do- though shorter than Q, she can make a wider variety of shots. But for the outside shot which opens things up, I'd rather go with Q. Also, can't have 3 non-shooters playing together- specifically, a lineup with Nika, KK and Aubrey in together. Just not enough shooters, it is easy to double team Aaliyah & clog up the middle. I think having Amari start is worth trying. She needs real game time to see if she can flourish, but she'll need to rebound if in the game. I do like her defense, she showed she can stand up with tall arms and stop attackers. Here is what I'd like to see next game- Amari down low, Aaliyah up at elbow, Paige doing her thing, KK in to spice things up, and Q to start (although I also like Ash starting in this configuration). I too am not sure what to expect from Ice, but her potential is great, and it is a very young season yet. Ice can sub in for Amari when she needs break or gets into foul trouble.

 

[jonack]

Let’s see… next year we will be without Aaliyah, Aubrey, Nika, and most likely, Paige. Caroline has a chronic head /neck injury, and Azzi is injury prone- so we can’t really depend on them. Folks, I don’t see us competing for a NC for a while, unless we strike gold through the portal.

 

[Charliebball]

Why not force feed Ice and the freshmen more if they are better? And wait for Patterson? Geno has said Ayanna is close too.
With the team being so inxperienced, wouldn't it be better to have give your best players as much time as you can working with one another?

I'm all for giving Ice more minutes..........I believe she can be an impact player for UConn this season if given the chance to figure things out.............the team could certainly use her size, strength and her offensive contributions......her shots from the top of the key and the three point line were lethal in high school and I'm confident she will make her share at the college level too..........

 

[TCC Kid]

I like this post, @Tonyc. It gets to the heart of the situation while preserving the optimistic confidence that is the heart of a Husky.

You've also reminded me of the group that entered with Paige -- it included Aaliyah Nika Mir Piath and Saylor. If that group had stayed longer we would have been in a different situation now. Piath left under her own steam, which was too bad in a way, but may have been in her best interest. Mir left in the second year to get more playing time sooner as did Saylor. If either of them could have foreseen the injuries that were about to disrupt that season, they would have known that their PT was about to go way up. Mir was like a slightly smaller Aubrey, able to run the floor well on the break and rebound, and Saylor was in the mold of Caroline, a smooth shooter with good handles and size. Both of them would have been in the rotation and Saylor would probably be starting now.

For those who think Geno can't recruit, consider what our current rotation would have been if Saylor had stayed -- that is, if her mom hadn't gotten in her way. It could look like this:

• Paige
• Nika
• Saylor
• Aaliyah
• Aubrey
  • with these coming in off the bench
• Ice
• KK
• Ashlynn
• Qadence
• Inês
• Amari
  • and maybe these two in a few weeks
• Caroline
• Ayanna

That was the team that could have been, even with Azzi's and Jana's injuries -- fully loaded and deep with a ton of experience in the UConn system among the starting 5, and a ton of talent in the rotation that would spell them. We'd still be a little thin in the post, but our guard/forward play would have been formidable. When I look at this team, I can't help thinking of how injury and impatience has taken apart what could have been the dominant team of the next two seasons. Now, as it turns out, the team we have is small and inexperienced. This isn't a failing of Geno's. It's what fate has dealt the Huskies. They'll get more experience and more size as the season wears on and Ayanna and Caroline come back. And once the backcourt returns to form, Aaliyah will get the space she needs to aim at another AA award. For now, we are not the powerhouse other teams dread. And if Caroline and Ayanna can't regain their pre-injury form, then this is probably not going to be the season we'd all dreamt of.

This season, we took on 2 really scrappy kids, a smooth shooter, and 2 muscular post players. They'll develop well over 4 years. Next season, we'll bring in another Caroline/Saylor type and a Paige/Azzi scale shooter... and maybe even another muscular post player. If we don't get that post player, I suspect Geno already has feelers out in Europe/Australia for another one. The year after that, we've got verbal commitments from a MoJeff-type guard and a long-limbed 6'5" post, and we're hoping for a Steph-type post the year after that. I think Geno is doing everything we all hope he'd do. Now it's just a matter of appealing to fate for a little relief from the plague of injuries.

Nice list you should have shown it to NC or UCLA or Kansas--I'm sure it would impress them--it did me.