Replacing Stef and Bria next season will be very hard....

[trisailin]

Stef's smile and confidence brought a calmness to the team. Her smile kept her team mates relaxed and is what allowed UConn to perform at such a high level.

Have you seen Moriah's smile? I think we're in good shape.

 

[Scotter]

I expect the team to be better next year. While Stef and Bria will be gone the three most talented players from last season return and none of KML, Stewie, and Moriah were playing at anything close to the limit of their abilities last season. I expect the team to ultimately benefit from more of the offense being run through that big 3. And I like how the other players fit the supporting roles including the incoming freshman. It's sets up quite a bit like the 08-09 team with the big 3 and the open competition for minutes at shooting guard and the backup perimeter minutes.

 

[sTu]

What I think will be dramatically different about next years' team will be the defense. Imagine saying that. Defensively, Stokes has more potentially to offer than Dolson. If as I expect Nurse starts sooner rather than later the perimeter defense is going to be improved. With the plethora of talented guards/wings I think we will see the team pressing more than in quite awhile. We will score yet it will be the defense I think that triggers most of our attack. We will be very good.

 

[doggydaddy]

What I think will be dramatically different about next years' team will be the defense. Imagine saying that. Defensively, Stokes has more potentially to offer than Dolson. If as I expect Nurse starts sooner rather than later the perimeter defense is going to be improved. With the plethora of talented guards/wings I think we will see the team pressing more than in quite awhile. We will score yet it will be the defense I think that triggers most of our attack. We will be very good.

I agree. Which is crazy since Dolson won national defensive player of the year.

 

[winlots]

As last season was slowly approaching, there were a number of threads along the way in which the theme of "IF everyone is healthy/ IF we can assume there are no injuries" seemed to appear with note-worthy frequency, and for good reason.

Within one of those threads, I noted that the injury issue is probably not a matter of "if" but rather of "when" and "who" and "how many" and "how badly," or something to that effect.

The fact of the matter is that many teams, including UCONN, experience injuries. How do we best prepare for what borders on inevitable?? Increasing the probabilities for us, we have a number of players, from freshmen to seniors, who approach the season with injuries in their history. What is the best approach for preparing for injury just in case?

 

[Geno-ista]

This is a great thread- and this is where the rubber meets the road. I agree we are the favorite next year, especially because we bring back our big three, MoJeff, KML & Stewie obviously. I think Tony C nailed it with one line above. The games will be more competitive. I thought this year we started the season, if healthy, 20-25 pts better than good teams. This year I think we start out 10-15 pts better, which gives us a lot less wiggle room. When we need 2 players to replace Steph, that means we don't have 5 impossible to stop scorers on the floor 90% of the time. I am looking forward to how different we will look losing to woman that we have all come to love.
Replay the Nebraska regionals, tough shooting games, and now take Steph of the floor. Never mind Bria. We have a lot more question marks going into next season losing these two, than we did losing Kelley- not even close. Tuck's recovery, Kiah's scoring, Banks/Chong or freshman filling Hartley's shoes. We should have more depth. A healthy Tuck is biggest key for me. I like the fact we may be able to sub and press more if we want to or have to with our longer and athletic bench. Banks was making big strides last yr prior to injury. I expect her to come back strong, and I hope so for her sake. That's my take.

 

[Geno-ista]

Exactly DD.

I contend that the Mallory/Novacel /Peters teams were better, more talented and deeper than the Diggins Sr yr team.

I expect the team to be better next year. While Stef and Bria will be gone the three most talented players from last season return and none of KML, Stewie, and Moriah were playing at anything close to the limit of their abilities last season. I expect the team to ultimately benefit from more of the offense being run through that big 3. And I like how the other players fit the supporting roles including the incoming freshman. It's sets up quite a bit like the 08-09 team with the big 3 and the open competition for minutes at shooting guard and the backup perimeter minutes.

scotter, i think your above analyses and optimism would have been more accurate or appropriate going into this season. Just my take!

 

[bbsamjj]

This was my thought exactly. However, we say that every year. How will we replace Maya? How will we replace Kelly? Now, how will we replace Stef and Bria? The short answer is you can't. No two players are exactly alike and Geno is a master of creating offenses and defenses that highlight the team strengths and mask their weaknesses.

Next year we will be a bit thin on size (lose Stef and none of the newbies are over 6'1") and lose 2 leaders. There's no 5 that has ever played at UCONN who was as complete a player as Stef, and as adept at running the entire offense through her. So next year, Geno won't run motion offense around the center at the top of the key making decisions on how the offense operates. Defensively, and on the boards, I believe Kiah was actually better than Stef. This is not to take anything away from Stef, but Kiah, especially in the 2nd half of the year, became a complete monster on defense, and was a rebounding machine. Her athleticism is a matchup nightmare for slower centers, and if she can turn her defensive confidence into offensive production, watch out.

Bria had heart and guts and was a tremendous leader and an even better person. But from a hoops perspective, I agree her numbers are easier to replace. If Saniya and Brianna can't step up, I guarantee you Kia Nurse, or a healthy Gabby Williams will be willing and able to step right up.

Totally agree with what Doggy said above as well. Losing great players doesn't necessarily mean the wheels will fall off. It does mean that the offensive and defensive structure may well change substantially, and we will certainly see a new and different "look" next year. People seem to believe that the teams who will most likely challenge UCONN for a NC next year are South Carolina, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

Frankly, if you look at the beatdown UCONN gave ND this season, I believe UCONN would be even more dominant against those teams next season. ND because they lost more than UCONN (Braker, Aconwa, McBride) and don't add as much in their respective freshman classes.

South Carolina because IMHO they were way over rated and even tho they landed Wilson and White, their class is 3rd in composite rankings behind UCLA and UCONN. Oh, and not a single player on their starting 5 is better than their counterpart at UCONN (and that goes for Coates vs. Stokes).

Tennessee because there is nothing we've seen to indicate that they run any sort of organized offense, and no matter who they have on their team, it's unlikely they'd score over 50, (and I'd bet big $ they'd never score over 60) against UCONN in any game.

And in spite of the HS AA's on Tenn's roster, their best players are far inferior to UCONN's best players (Jefferson vs. Massengale/Carter, KML vs. Burdick and Stewie vs. Graves). Frankly I think Stokes is a wash vs. Harrison even tho Izzy has shown far superior offensive skills, and it's likely if Massengale comes back, Carter slides over to the 2 spot, and frankly, I'd call that match up a wash against Nurse or a healthy Williams.

Eric I generally agree with this, but I think picking Stokes over Coates is going more than a bit too far. In three years Stokes have never averaged more than 4.5ppg. Post players (and college players in general) usually see their biggest jumps between freshman and sophomore years, and Coates is on track to become an absolute beast.

 

[EricLA]

Eric I generally agree with this, but I think picking Stokes over Coates is going more than a bit too far. In three years Stokes have never averaged more than 4.5ppg. Post players (and college players in general) usually see their biggest jumps between freshman and sophomore years, and Coates is on track to become an absolute beast.

Stokes is an absolute beast on the defensive end. 19 minutes per game for Kiah vs. 32 for Stef. 7.4 RPG for Kiah vs. 9.1 for Stef. 2.5 blocks per game for Kiah, 2.3 for Stef.

Alaina will be a sophomore. I'm sure she will be one of the top 10 centers in the nation. But Kiah played in Stef's shadow for 3 years and was never in the game for her offense. She's a far superior athlete, and a truly elite defender. Perhaps you are correct that Coates has a more polished offensive game, but if I'm correct and Kiah is truly one of the truly elite defenders in the nation, it certainly would make for an interesting matchup. Still, perhaps my enthusiasm for next year got the better of me!

 

[Geno-ista]

Stokes is an absolute beast on the defensive end. 19 minutes per game for Kiah vs. 32 for Stef. 7.4 RPG for Kiah vs. 9.1 for Stef. 2.5 blocks per game for Kiah, 2.3 for Stef.

Alaina will be a sophomore. I'm sure she will be one of the top 10 centers in the nation. But Kiah played in Stef's shadow for 3 years and was never in the game for her offense. She's a far superior athlete, and a truly elite defender. Perhaps you are correct that Coates has a more polished offensive game, but if I'm correct and Kiah is truly one of the truly elite defenders in the nation, it certainly would make for an interesting matchup. Still, perhaps my enthusiasm for next year got the better of me!

Love the enthusiasm Eric SD-u haven't been hangin out with or drinking the same liquids that Tony C drinks- have u?

 

[phil sampieri]

Stef's smile and confidence brought a calmness to the team. Her smile kept her team mates relaxed and is what allowed UConn to perform at such a high level.

As far as next year. UConn is loaded again with a terrific nucleus. Keys to next season will be Tuck coming back healthy, 100% healthy and Williams coming back 100% from her ACL injury. With Tuck Stokes KML and Stewart UConn will have very little problems down low.

You cant replace what Stef and Bria brought so I expect Geno to have a different approach on offense. Remember KML will be healthy and Stewart and MoJeff will be juniors and thats even more scary.

The Big question remains. Who can compete with UConn? Again if healthy I dont see this team losing. With that said I do expect some more competitive games. The big name teams have lost alot. Stanford ND Baylor Duke MD. Who will replace them. SCarolina, Tenn and ND will be back. I dont see them handleing UConn.

UConns approach hasnt changed. It will still be about defense. Teams will still have problems getting the ball inside and scoring. UConn is way to smart and disciplined underneath. As long as UConn has Stewart they will continue to win NCs.

what is the timetable for Tuck being able to resume practice ?

 

[bbsamjj]

Stokes is an absolute beast on the defensive end. 19 minutes per game for Kiah vs. 32 for Stef. 7.4 RPG for Kiah vs. 9.1 for Stef. 2.5 blocks per game for Kiah, 2.3 for Stef.

Alaina will be a sophomore. I'm sure she will be one of the top 10 centers in the nation. But Kiah played in Stef's shadow for 3 years and was never in the game for her offense. She's a far superior athlete, and a truly elite defender. Perhaps you are correct that Coates has a more polished offensive game, but if I'm correct and Kiah is truly one of the truly elite defenders in the nation, it certainly would make for an interesting matchup. Still, perhaps my enthusiasm for next year got the better of me!

Stokes may very well be one of the elite defensive centers in the nation, but she has a lot to prove on the offensive end. Coates and Stokes actually had similar minutes per game (19.6mpg vs 18.5mpg), and Coates herself averaged 8.4rpg and 2.1bpg, in addition to 12.3ppg.

 

[Icebear]

Kiah will be better on offense than opponents think. She will be a solid offensive contributor.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Stokes may very well be one of the elite defensive centers in the nation, but she has a lot to prove on the offensive end. Coates and Stokes actually had similar minutes per game (19.6mpg vs 18.5mpg), and Coates herself averaged 8.4rpg and 2.1bpg, in addition to 12.3ppg.

Numberswise Coates was as good as any center in wcbb this year. I expect she and Kiah will both be among the top 3 or 4 centers this year, and I have no problem with anyone putting Coates ahead of Kiah. But that's no knock on Stokes.

 

[JoePgh]

Stokes may very well be one of the elite defensive centers in the nation, but she has a lot to prove on the offensive end. Coates and Stokes actually had similar minutes per game (19.6mpg vs 18.5mpg), and Coates herself averaged 8.4rpg and 2.1bpg, in addition to 12.3ppg.

Kinda like Russell vs. Chamberlain? Kiah "only" needs to be the Bill Russell of WCBB 2015 next year, and that is exactly who I think she will be. UConn's offense will not rely nearly as much on scoring from the low post as South Carolina will rely on scoring from Coates, which means that "Boston" will still beat "Philadelphia" rather readily.

Notice that I said "low post". I think that is where you will find Kiah next year, more than at the high post. If a lot of the offense has to flow from passes from the high post, I think most of them will be made by Stewie or Morgan.

Unlike a couple of years ago, when Geno felt that he couldn't play Stef at the low post since defenses would simply double off Kelly to stymie her, in 2014-15 all four of the other positions will be very credible scoring threats. Teams will have to defend all five positions, as they did this year, which would not so much be the case if Kiah played high.

Against a single defender, there will be moments when that defender has to help against other threats or when she simply gets distracted by the movement of the ball. Kiah will get some easy layups in those moments, as well as putbacks from offensive rebounds. Throw in the occasional 5-foot jump shot and some free throws, and she can get 10-12 points in 30 minutes without needing more offensive skill than she already has.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Kiah will be better on offense than opponents think. She will be a solid offensive contributor.

I agree. She had a nice little hook or quick turnaround jumper for her first points in the title game, and I don't think I've ever seen that move from her, but it was definitely a sign that she was becoming more aggressive on the offensive end. I think she'll blossom at just the right time for this team. Last year at this time I said Jefferson was my player to watch for the upcoming season, and this year it's Kiah. In a year from now we can come back and laugh about being worried about losing Stef and Bria. In Geno we trust!

 

[Buzzyboy]

I agree that Geno has a huge job in retooling the offense in Steph's absence. Steph was just so unbelievable in her handling the ball at the top of the key and obviously a HUGE part of the Uconn offense ran thru her in that position. I'll be curious to see if Geno's trys to run the same O with Morgan in the post or if he goes in a different direction. All I can say to the rest of WCBB is thank goodness we have Geno and you don't!!!

I don't think there's any chance that you'll find Morgan playing the role of Stef. She doesn't have the size to be able to hold the ball over her head and direct the offense like Ms. Dolson did and I'm not sure how adept she would be even if she had a few more inches. The ability to do what Stef has been able to do over the last couple years in regards to having the offense run through her on the high post was extraordinary. She was a one of a kind and it's apparent the offense will revert back to what it was prior to Stef's coming to Storrs. We'll have plenty of success but it'll definitely have a different look to it. The one thing that won't change is UConn will still be a phenomenal defensive team and that's always been the cornerstone of our success.

 

[WBFan2004]

Clearly, they both will be hard to replace and like everything else, the team will step up to fill the gap.
Much of the offense ran through Stef and she is an excellent passer for a big player. I expect MoJeff to fill more of the playmaking role. Kia Nurse also is a great play-maker.
Kiah will fill in for Stef's rebounding and interior defense. Stewie will likely improve her rebounding next year as well.
KML will come back with a higher level of fitness next year, which will help team defense and I expect that her offensive production will meet or exceed her Sophomore year numbers. Stewie and MoJeff will also be incrementally better on offense.
Bria's offense and defense will also be covered by committee. Courtney Ekmark has the reputation as a good perimeter shooter. Saniya will bounce back from her late season shooting slump & Brianna Banks will be much more effective as she continues to heal and get stronger.
The big problem that we have is that we have no replacement for Kiah...no one to play interior defense and rebound off the bench.

I don't think I saw another big create so many picks in a game like Dolson. Stef did a lot of little things that opened up the floor for the guards.. I still think the team will be fine and looking forward to seeing the new frosh play.

 

[Fiftyish]

Kiah will be better on offense than opponents think. She will be a solid offensive contributor.

This prediction is based on what? Just curious. During her 3 years at UConn she has yet to be a threat in the low post. What's your definition of a offensive contributor? 4 points a game? 8 points a game? I hope you are right because I have been pulling for this kid from the beginning.

 

[doggydaddy]

This prediction is based on what? Just curious. During her 3 years at UConn she has yet to be a threat in the low post. What's your definition of a offensive contributor? 4 points a game? 8 points a game? I hope you are right because I have been pulling for this kid from the beginning.

60+% shooting from the field.

She just needs to take more shots and Geno will make sure that happens.

 

[HoopsFan21]

This prediction is based on what? Just curious. During her 3 years at UConn she has yet to be a threat in the low post. What's your definition of a offensive contributor? 4 points a game? 8 points a game? I hope you are right because I have been pulling for this kid from the beginning.

She's getting better, don't you agree? She has made great strides in the past season from where she was at the end of her sophomore season. She also battled injuries a bit early in her UConn career which may have slowed her development. I think once again she takes another step forward for her senior season, and that along with increased playing time will help her numbers. Defensively she's as good as any of the bigs. Offensively, she'll probably never be the assist machine that Stef was, but from a points standpoint, she can approach Stef's production with more playing time. What did Stef average 12 points per game this year? No reason to think that Kiah can't average around 10 points/game especially since she does a pretty good job of getting to the free throw line.

 

[DavidinNaples]

This prediction is based on what? Just curious. During her 3 years at UConn she has yet to be a threat in the low post. What's your definition of a offensive contributor? 4 points a game? 8 points a game? I hope you are right because I have been pulling for this kid from the beginning.

Here's one way, Kiah had 90 offensive rebounds in just 723 minutes. Only Stewie had more at 92, and that was in 1,221 minutes. Kiah is an offensive rebounding machine. Many points will come from put backs after offensive rebounds. Here's another, Kiah is a good free throw shooter. She had 53 attempts in those 723 minutes and was not normally the "go to scorer." She will have more attempts as the starting center as teams try to keep her off the boards and she gets 300-400 more minutes. IMO she will put 8-12 pts on a regular basis. (Stef averaged 12.5 points/game this past year.)
Go Kiah..!!

 

[Fiftyish]

All great responses to my query. I'm feeling 100% more confident. Like I said earlier, I have been pulling for Kiah since she arrived. I hope her Senior year is her break out year.

 

[Geno-ista]

Kiah will be better on offense than opponents think. She will be a solid offensive contributor.

I hope you are right- she just needs to relax with the ball a little bit - especially when she's not down low.

 

[Icebear]

This prediction is based on what? Just curious. During her 3 years at UConn she has yet to be a threat in the low post. What's your definition of a offensive contributor? 4 points a game? 8 points a game? I hope you are right because I have been pulling for this kid from the beginning.

It is based on the skills/tools she has and ability she has shown in the past (these are indications she of what can do), the minutes she played (these have limited her need to be aggressive offensively), and that she will be asked to do more. I expect her to range from 5-15 points per game and average about 9-10.

She gets to the foul line and makes her foul shots. She can hit the foul line jumper. She has passed well from both the high and low post in the past with limited touches.