Remember when...

[CBear01]

We lost those incredible, talented, and straight out ballers following the 2002 championship? I think they went something like 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the draft.

Everyone said oh gosh we lost so much we are definitely going to lose games this year, maybe 5 or 6. sounds a lot like what I hear today. without sue bird and Co there's no way we keep winning games...right?

Then we did. and kept winning. and won some more! and crushed the OOC and didn't loose at all! (except that sneaky HP and his Nova team in BEC!)

Am I the only one that thinks it can all happen again? I mean why can't we win all of our OOC?

I'm sure this year's OOC is vastly different from 2003 (I didn't research) but I'm still clinging to the hope we can win win and win some more!

 

[bags27]

Hmmm...I saw the game last night and didn't notice Dee still playing. Must not have been watching closely enough....

 

[CBear01]

Hmmm...I saw the game last night and didn't notice Dee still playing. Must not have been watching closely enough....

I did think of that, trust me. and I doubt there is anyone here who would think otherwise...D was the single biggest reason we kept winning, agreed.

But we still have a #1 player on the floor, and a slew of other supporting talents. IDK if it's enough with so many teams being so much better than teams 10+ years ago. I see a wider group of teams with a higher level of talent recently. =D

 

[TitleTown]

I did think of that, trust me. and I doubt there is anyone here who would think otherwise...D was the single biggest reason we kept winning, agreed.

But we still have a #1 player on the floor, and a slew of other supporting talents. IDK if it's enough with so many teams being so much better than teams 10+ years ago. I see a wider group of teams with a higher level of talent recently. =D

We are talking about Taurasi here. Arguably the single best all around women's basketball player to ever walk the planet Earth! Unfortunately I don't see any of those on UConn this year.

 

[UcMiami]

We lost those incredible, talented, and straight out ballers following the 2002 championship? I think they went something like 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the draft.

Everyone said oh gosh we lost so much we are definitely going to lose games this year, maybe 5 or 6. sounds a lot like what I hear today. without sue bird and Co there's no way we keep winning games...right?

Then we did. and kept winning. and won some more! and crushed the OOC and didn't loose at all! (except that sneaky HP and his Nova team in BEC!)

Am I the only one that thinks it can all happen again? I mean why can't we win all of our OOC?

I'm sure this year's OOC is vastly different from 2003 (I didn't research) but I'm still clinging to the hope we can win win and win some more!

Posted on some thread a comparison to that 2003 team, and it is pretty close. This team is depending more on sophomores rather than the freshman in 2002-3, but the corollaries are pretty solid. Chong/Conlon, Ann/Lou, Natalie/Jessica, etc.
The big difference/question is who brings the swagger and leadership of DT.
And the schedule this year is definitely much more front loaded than it was in 2002/3 - OOC tougher while the conference is easier.

 

[Aluminny69]

It's really too bad we couldn't play the league schedule first, and then the OOC schedule. That would make a lot more sense.

Didn't I read that Geno scheduled the OOC teams because he thought Morgan Tuck was coming back? She would have really helped this season.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Hmmm...I saw the game last night and didn't notice Dee still playing. Must not have been watching closely enough....

I would say that Pheese channeled her inner DT, yesterday. Maybe they'll pass it around, this season.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I did think of that, trust me. and I doubt there is anyone here who would think otherwise...D was the single biggest reason we kept winning, agreed.

But we still have a #1 player on the floor, and a slew of other supporting talents. IDK if it's enough with so many teams being so much better than teams 10+ years ago. I see a wider group of teams with a higher level of talent recently. =D

KLS is good, but she's not D or Stewie or Maya good. I think KLS is more like a #1 of KML's caliber.

 

[UcMiami]

It's really too bad we couldn't play the league schedule first, and then the OOC schedule. That would make a lot more sense.

Didn't I read that Geno scheduled the OOC teams because he thought Morgan Tuck was coming back? She would have really helped this season.

I think that was a Geno witticism - he was laughing when he said it. Pretty sure he knew Morgan was likely not coming back when they were making it up.

 

[UcMiami]

KLS is good, but she's not D or Stewie or Maya good. I think KLS is more like a #1 of KML's caliber.

I think she is more versatile with greater upside than KML, but agree that she doesn't strike me as being likely to rise to the level of the supernovas.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Hmmm...I saw the game last night and didn't notice Dee still playing. Must not have been watching closely enough....

2002 went 1,2,4 --6 then 1 in the Wnba draft (2002/3)
She was 3 rows behind the team.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

KLS is good, but she's not D or Stewie or Maya good. I think KLS is more like a #1 of KML's caliber.

I said this during the offseason, and I will repeat it here. I see KLS as an Ann Strother-type.

Ann was the #1/#2 recruit in her class (depending on the rating service). She was a tall G/F who could shoot, handle, mix it up when necessary, and who was a very hard worker and hustle player. But Ann was not a "take over the game" player. She could be your leading scorer, but in a tie game with ten seconds left going one-on-one, she was not a Diana Taurasi/Maya Moore/Candace Parker/Angel McCoughtry type. In other words, she could not create her own shot any time she wanted to be in the echelon of the truly elite WCBB players.

This is not meant to criticize Strother, who was a very fine college player. But Ann was at her best being a #2 or #3 option next to a superstar.

And if KLS has the same career as Ann Strother (1699 career points, 614 rebounds, 418 assists, 290 made three point baskets on 37.7 shooting from three), that will be great for UConn. Strother may not have been a superstar, but she was an impact player and a key cog in two championships.

 

[BroadwayVa]

KLS is good, but she's not D or Stewie or Maya good. I think KLS is more like a #1 of KML's caliber.

Katie Lou at this point --isn't the DT or Stewie in our memories--she is so far removed from Kaleena M. Lewis it's not worth discussing. As a Freshman Katie LOU was many times more a basketball player than kML as a frosh. KML was a better 3 shooter then. KLS is more a streak 3 shooter, who scores in many more ways than KML did as a starting Soph and KLS rebounds and defends. In the Fla St game Katie sat in foul trouble and still got 14 quiet points.

Kaleena was never asked to lead a team or to take over a game totally--that is being asked of Katie Lou. and KLS is just a brand new Soph.
With out Carnac's envelop or a crystal ball--it's hard to predict what Katie Lou will be as a Senior--my gut say, from watching her Uconn development, she shall be all we hoped she'd be--the kid is a worker, she is dedicated and buys into Geno's whole plan.
Let us not lose heart in KLS after one miserable game--all I ask is think about what these coming games will be like if Katie Lou is sitting on the bench.

 

[meyers7]

mmmm, memberberries.

https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic/image/private/s--cJq1pb1m--/t_Preview/b_rgb:191919,c_limit,duckjpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1474073671/production/designs/685741_1.jpg

 

[BroadwayVa]

I said this during the offseason, and I will repeat it here. I see KLS as an Ann Strother-type.

Ann was the #1/#2 recruit in her class (depending on the rating service). She was a tall G/F who could shoot, handle, mix it up when necessary, and who was a very hard worker and hustle player. But Ann was not a "take over the game" player. She could be your leading scorer, but in a tie game with ten seconds left going one-on-one, she was not a Diana Taurasi/Maya Moore/Candace Parker/Angel McCoughtry type. In other words, she could not create her own shot any time she wanted to be in the echelon of the truly elite WCBB players.

This is not meant to criticize Strother, who was a very fine college player. But Ann was at her best being a #2 or #3 option next to a superstar.

And if KLS has the same career as Ann Strother (1699 career points, 614 rebounds, 418 assists, 290 made three point baskets on 37.7 shooting from three), that will be great for UConn. Strother may not have been a superstar, but she was an impact player and a key cog in two championships.

I loved Ann as a person, fair to good BB player---could not ever make the big key shots in games.
Katie Lou wants to make those shots. Ann never lived up to her rating. katie lou lived up to her rep in the last 8 or 12 games last year. Barbara Turner on Ann's team about 4 inches shorter out played Ann under the basket and hit the 3 when need--BT's confidence over came her size.
Ann was as nice a person as i have met. A bit shy, but easy to speak to. Her confidence level in College i don't think ever equaled katie lou's.
Katie Lou may never exceed Ann's 3 point shooting average--but her stats in 4 years i would expect shall exceed those of Ann.

 

[BroadwayVa]

mmmm, memberberries.

https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic/image/private/s--cJq1pb1m--/t_Preview/b_rgb:191919,c_limit,duckjpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1474073671/production/designs/685741_1.jpg

I prefer blue, black, rasp, huckle --mem's sometimes have bitter taste

 

[UcMiami]

I said this during the offseason, and I will repeat it here. I see KLS as an Ann Strother-type.

Ann was the #1/#2 recruit in her class (depending on the rating service). She was a tall G/F who could shoot, handle, mix it up when necessary, and who was a very hard worker and hustle player. But Ann was not a "take over the game" player. She could be your leading scorer, but in a tie game with ten seconds left going one-on-one, she was not a Diana Taurasi/Maya Moore/Candace Parker/Angel McCoughtry type. In other words, she could not create her own shot any time she wanted to be in the echelon of the truly elite WCBB players.

This is not meant to criticize Strother, who was a very fine college player. But Ann was at her best being a #2 or #3 option next to a superstar.

And if KLS has the same career as Ann Strother (1699 career points, 614 rebounds, 418 assists, 290 made three point baskets on 37.7 shooting from three), that will be great for UConn. Strother may not have been a superstar, but she was an impact player and a key cog in two championships.

Kam - not a bad comparison, and I too thought highly of Ann, but Lou came into college with a much better pedigree than Ann - she broke KML records at one of the best HS programs in the country and led USA basketball teams. She is going through the same transition than Ann did but doing it a year earlier than Ann. She shot the three better than KML as a freshman and did a lot more than KML was asked to do her freshman year as well. I expect her to be better than KML by the time she graduates though I am not expecting her to be in that very rarified air of DT, Parker, Maya, and Stewart. If she stays healthy I'll be surprised if she doesn't challenge 2000 points. She is also a better passers than KML was and may end up a better rebounder. The possible limits on her statistics is that she will play fewer minutes than KML, this year probably seeing her highest average of minutes because the team will be more crowded come next year.

 

[CocoHusky]

She shot the three better than KML as a freshman and did a lot more than KML was asked to do her freshman year as well. She is also a better passers than KML was and may end up a better rebounder. The possible limits on her statistics is that she will play fewer minutes than KML, this year probably seeing her highest average of minutes because the team will be more crowded come next year.

I'm not so sure about that, Freshmen KML led the team in scoring and was 3rd in rebounding.

 

[Vowelguy]

Remember when we returned 5 of the top 7 from the 2004 team plus added one of the top HS recruits and everyone thought we'd make the F4? And instead, it was the worst UConn team of the 1994-2016 period?

My point: lots of things, good and bad, can happen.

 

[CocoHusky]

Remember when we returned 5 of the top 7 from the 2004 team plus added one of the top HS recruits and everyone thought we'd make the F4? And instead, it was the worst UConn team of the 1994-2016 period?
My point: lots of things, good and bad, can happen.

Wow! I would have never guessed that was your point with that example. "Worst UCONN team of " sounds like you were being a word that would get me in deeper %%^ish with the moderators.