Roster of 12? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Roster of 12?

I think Allie could be a big factor in how good this team can be. If she makes as much progress this off season as she did last year, she will be an important player next season. I am hoping she can improve her defensive quickness. If she can get to a point where she is not a liability on defense (she doesn’t have to be great, just solid) I think her minutes will go up considerably! She can be a big time weapon on offense if she can stay on the floor and keep her confidence up!
 
I think Allie could be a big factor in how good this team can be. If she makes as much progress this off season as she did last year, she will be an important player next season. I am hoping she can improve her defensive quickness. If she can get to a point where she is not a liability on defense (she doesn’t have to be great, just solid) I think her minutes will go up considerably! She can be a big time weapon on offense if she can stay on the floor and keep her confidence up!
I would not describe Allie as a defensive liability. She moves her feet, stays in front of the player she’s guarding and occasionally gets her hand on the ball. Can she improve? Certainly.
 
What it is likely to be this year, how the returning players were used last year, and how they could be used if we added a top big of course are three very different things. Positions 1,2,and 5 are pretty good. i would put K9 in the 3rd place at the 2 and i would have JoPop ahead of Lil Fish at both the 1&2, with both of those players being combo guards that could play any position.

At the 5, I would reverse Olivia and Jana as starters and hope those are the players that are used there. Our 5's last year combined did not play 40 minutes a game, our 4's didn't play 40, and our 3's didn't play 40. The solution to a 5,4,or 3 not being in the game was almost always a guard, generally a 2. Our 2's played way way more than 40 minutes a game. So I hope Sarah doesn't play significant minutes at the 5, Blanca a lot at the 4, and Ash a starter at the 3, but since they were often used that way last year it is a possibility the same will happen, maybe to a lesser extent this year.

Your projection suggests no small ball, and going beyond traditional to even big ball on occasion to the extent you have Olivia at the 3 or 4. I don't think Olivia will be used at the 3 at all, but Sarah might,and Olivia being able to play the 4 might be what enables Sarah to slide over there. I also don't think Gandy would be used at the 4, and we probably will see Blanca some at the 4 and Ash at the 3.

A natural backup 4 we don't have and I wish we had obtained one, but Blanca there is passable, but might also involve going small at the 3 with Ash as well. I would like to see blanca with starter minutes at the 3 and not have to be moved around. Other than her the backup 4 options are move Morgan up a position or Olivia down one.

We probably have better options to go traditional regarding lineups this year, and the possibility of going big only if Olivia can be good at the 4 playing with Sarah at the 3, but Geno obviously likes small ball.
Not sure if I missed her name but Allie will be very important this upcoming season
 
I am looking forward to the parade where all the "good fans" cheer "we're #4!!!"

Geno has also said that a championship is the ultimate goal. I said all season that we had the best team. I also warned everyone that said stuff like "no one is close" that there were teams that there were indeed "close" teams and that the refs could determine the outcome. That is EXACTLY what happened.

The goal is a championship. USC and SC are absolutely loaded with talent. The goal is to be constructed to beat them even when the refs are on their side. Being able to hit "contested" threes is part of that. It is great to hit them in the sweet sixteen and elite eight but the goal should be hitting them when SC is hacking, pushing and grabbing us. Depth matters.
 
I am very much hoping that Morgan can resume play at the pg position for this upcoming year. She showed promise at
that position in hs. Uconn very much needs Morgan to step up and return from her injury. Allie will not cut it as a starter.
I don't see her improving her foot speed to serve as a usable guard on defense. In the final four game her foul on Tessa
gave up two important free throws at the wrong time. Then, she got beat on a middie which allowed S. Carolina to go up
4 additional points. This all happened quickly and Allie was removed after Tessa's score. Shade is another, more complex
problem. I know that Geno loves Shade in the starting mix because of her relentless hustle etc. Yet, she misses many shots
and gets taken advantage of on defense because of her lack of footspeed. Shade will be a Uconn problem next year!!!
 
Just watching Geno over past 10 or so years, it's unlikely we see the big lineup.😞

On Morgan, we have no idea if she can play the point, and that's actually a good thing. She played freshman year at 4, simply because she's 6'2" and has some frontcourt skills. It was the easiest way for her to get playing time as a frosh!

If she was limited to playing guard, she would have been behind Paige, Azzi, KK, Ash and K Chen as a freshman and would have seen minutes like '26 K Fisher.

Morgan was a promising player. Hopefully, she comes back ready to go. Eager to see how Geno uses her next year.
The new mystery star from Serbia is a point guard, I think. Add in Fisher, and UCONN has plenty of depth at the point. Morgan will be a wing who , hopefully, is a decent ball handler as well as a shooter/rebounder/distributor. And she will drive to the hoop. It will be revealing to watch a healthy Morgan. Although two years ( almost ) out of a competitive game is worrisome.
 
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I am very much hoping that Morgan can resume play at the pg position for this upcoming year. She showed promise at
that position in hs. Uconn very much needs Morgan to step up and return from her injury. Allie will not cut it as a starter.
I don't see her improving her foot speed to serve as a usable guard on defense. In the final four game her foul on Tessa
gave up two important free throws at the wrong time. Then, she got beat on a middie which allowed S. Carolina to go up
4 additional points. This all happened quickly and Allie was removed after Tessa's score. Shade is another, more complex
problem. I know that Geno loves Shade in the starting mix because of her relentless hustle etc. Yet, she misses many shots
and gets taken advantage of on defense because of her lack of footspeed. Shade will be a Uconn problem next year!!!
I see Morgan as having the potential to be a Maddy Siegrist type player. Her skill set is more geared to the 3/4 position
 
I think Allie could be a big factor in how good this team can be. If she makes as much progress this off season as she did last year, she will be an important player next season. I am hoping she can improve her defensive quickness. If she can get to a point where she is not a liability on defense (she doesn’t have to be great, just solid) I think her minutes will go up considerably! She can be a big time weapon on offense if she can stay on the floor and keep her confidence up!
Lotta "ifs" there.
 
Another way of looking at the roster is in terms of experience. Here are the years our returning players joined the team.

2022–23: Jana (arrived in January 2023, redshirted 2023–24)

2023–24: Ash, KK

2024–25: Allie, Morgan, Sarah

2025–26: Blanca, Gandy, Kayleigh, Kelis

2026–27: Jovana, Olivia

Ten of our players are returning, including seven of our nine rotation players from a 38–1 team that went to the Final Four and returns the consensus National Player of the Year. Six of the returning players were on a national championship–winning team just a year ago; four of them were rotation players on that team. The grass may look greener in South Carolina or Southern California, but I think a lot of coaches and fan bases would be pretty happy with what we have coming back next year. I know I am.
 
You have to be quite the blind optimist to think we are ok, given SC's recent additions to their already loaded team. How much NIL do they HAVE?!?!

Yes, it is not realistic to think we should win it all every year but it would also be sad if Sarah only gets one championship.

Everyone is so excited about The Big O but I will go on the record right now and say that she will get totally outplayed by Olivia Edwards when we meet.
 
Another way of looking at the roster is in terms of experience. Here are the years our returning players joined the team.

2022–23: Jana (arrived in January 2023, redshirted 2023–24)

2023–24: Ash, KK

2024–25: Allie, Morgan, Sarah

2025–26: Blanca, Gandy, Kayleigh, Kelis

2026–27: Jovana, Olivia

Ten of our players are returning, including seven of our nine rotation players from a 38–1 team that went to the Final Four and returns the consensus National Player of the Year. Six of the returning players were on a national championship–winning team just a year ago; four of them were rotation players on that team. The grass may look greener in South Carolina or Southern California, but I think a lot of coaches and fan bases would be pretty happy with what we have coming back next year. I know I am.
kayleigh will be a junior next year
 
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I am looking forward to the parade where all the "good fans" cheer "we're #4!!!"

Geno has also said that a championship is the ultimate goal. I said all season that we had the best team. I also warned everyone that said stuff like "no one is close" that there were teams that there were indeed "close" teams and that the refs could determine the outcome. That is EXACTLY what happened.

The goal is a championship. USC and SC are absolutely loaded with talent. The goal is to be constructed to beat them even when the refs are on their side. Being able to hit "contested" threes is part of that. It is great to hit them in the sweet sixteen and elite eight but the goal should be hitting them when SC is hacking, pushing and grabbing us. Depth matters.
And posts like yours is exactly why sometimes animosity gets built up here. You felt a need to be condescending with your parade comment. All-the-while you are condescending you bring up one comment Geno said about his ultimate goal of winning a title. You felt okay to quote him on this but not his other quotes?

1--- Such as ripping the refs? You realize he ripped the refs, right? You realize he said he couldn’t substitute in the manner he wanted, right?

2--- A fan such yourself would know there are other goals Geno stated, right? But you decided to ignore them?

3--- Geno has said it's not about winning it all every year, right?

Yet you felt it important enough to quote his ultimate goal but ignore everything else he has said or believes all-the-while you make a condescending comment because it doesn't fit your view?



You knew other teams were close. You also follow UCONN enough to know 1,2 and 3 are what Geno has said or believes, so why the condescending comment if you knew the team wasn’t head-and-shoulders above some others?
 
I am very much hoping that Morgan can resume play at the pg position for this upcoming year. She showed promise at
that position in hs. Uconn very much needs Morgan to step up and return from her injury. Allie will not cut it as a starter.
I don't see her improving her foot speed to serve as a usable guard on defense. In the final four game her foul on Tessa
gave up two important free throws at the wrong time. Then, she got beat on a middie which allowed S. Carolina to go up
4 additional points. This all happened quickly and Allie was removed after Tessa's score. Shade is another, more complex
problem. I know that Geno loves Shade in the starting mix because of her relentless hustle etc. Yet, she misses many shots
and gets taken advantage of on defense because of her lack of footspeed. Shade will be a Uconn problem next year!!!
PG is at best third on the list of positions where Morgan will see the most time this year. She is more likely to play at the 4 than the 1, partly because of not picking up a big in the portal, and I think the best fit for minutes is as Blanca's backup at the 3. At the 1 KK and K9 are proven and set as the starter and principle backup.

If one of those two suffered a major injury, Morgan would be in the mix, but along with Jovanna and Kelis as well. Maybe not picking up a portal player is a sign Geno is optimistic about Morgan this year, because although she is not odds on to be a starter at any position, she is literally a possibility at 1-4.
 
PG is at best third on the list of positions where Morgan will see the most time this year. She is more likely to play at the 4 than the 1, partly because of not picking up a big in the portal, and I think the best fit for minutes is as Blanca's backup at the 3. At the 1 KK and K9 are proven and set as the starter and principle backup.

If one of those two suffered a major injury, Morgan would be in the mix, but along with Jovanna and Kelis as well. Maybe not picking up a portal player is a sign Geno is optimistic about Morgan this year, because although she is not odds on to be a starter at any position, she is literally a possibility at 1-4.
Mostly I agree. I could see a healthy Morgan play any of the 2-4 spots on the court. But pg is a bridge too far. I understand that she played pg in HS. But I will say again that Morgan is not a college pg, particularly in the read and react system that UConn runs.
 
Mostly I agree. I could see a healthy Morgan play any of the 2-4 spots on the court. But pg is a bridge too far. I understand that she played pg in HS. But I will say again that Morgan is not a college pg, particularly in the read and react system that UConn runs.
When I think of Morgan, my mind mostly goes to her role as a senior in high school. She dazzled as the PG on offense and defense, and led them to challenge the top ranked teams in the country. They beat LuHi (and Kayleigh) on the road. She was a tough, hard-nosed ball hawk on defense and a scrappy floor general on offense. She was also fierce on the offensive boards.

If she hasn’t been slowed by injury and time off, I think she can still impress as a rebounder and put-back scorer and the occasional perimeter shooter. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see her active in the full court press. This would take advantage of her high school experience where she was the “tip of the spear” of the press.

She arrived with Allie and shares her court savvy. She’s not the shooter Allie is, but she’s longer, stronger and quicker, and she’s probably a better defender. It’s tempting to compare her to Blanca, but she’s a lot stronger and quicker, and just has more nerve (verve?) than Morgan.

Morgan can definitely play the 4 if needed, but then she’ll be going against stronger players and will have no height advantage. At the 3, she’ll find better matchups, but her scrappiness might not serve as well from the wing. On the other hand, stationing her at the top of the lane in a zone defense could produce a significant advantage against smaller PGs and SGs. Geno often used Aubrey in just this way. On offense, I doubt she has the quickness to take advantage of those same players. She’s a very capable ball handler, but she’s not going to be able to penetrate from the top of the key against D1 competition.

I can imagine a rotation unit with Kayleigh Allie Morgan Blanca and Jana, that’s enough size to intimidate on defense, enough quickness to run a press, and enough scoring punch to give opponents some difficulties. I wouldn’t start this group, but I could see it as a disruptive option. In the press, have Kayleigh and Morgan challenge the inbounds and have Allie and Blanca challenge the time line, with Jana waiting in the lane. At any point, Ash could sub in for either Morgan or Allie and the scoring profile would remain the same.
 
You have to be quite the blind optimist to think we are ok, given SC's recent additions to their already loaded team. How much NIL do they HAVE?!?!

Everyone is so excited about The Big O but I will go on the record right now and say that she will get totally outplayed by Olivia Edwards when we meet.
South Carolina signed two - rising sophomore guard Jordan Lee and incoming freshman Oliviyah Edwards. They have 7 returning players from last year plus two returning from injury after missing last season and four freshmen. Hopefully Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts are fully recovered but as Azzi realized her first season back, sometimes the body is recovered but the mind has trouble accepting it. I wish both women well.

Why do you think freshman Oliviyah Edwards will outplay freshman Olivia Vukosa? Because she can dunk? A question is - can she guard the perimeter if Olivia pulls her out there? Their high school rankings are similar (Olivia #2, Oliviyah #3) but an April 2026 ESPN article says of Ms Edwards “her game needs refinement“ while our Olivia “offers the most complete skill set at the position with a combination of size, shooting, and feel”. And for the people obsessed with height, Olivia is 6-4 and Oliviyah is 6-3.

 
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I am looking forward to the parade where all the "good fans" cheer "we're #4!!!" ...

The goal is a championship. ... The goal is to be constructed to beat them even when the refs are on their side. Being able to hit "contested" threes is part of that. It is great to hit them in the sweet sixteen and elite eight but the goal should be hitting them when SC is hacking, pushing and grabbing us. Depth matters.
so, the clutch gene is missing.

heck, the team periodically has been hopeless even when the shot is 'uncontested.'

it's quite puzzling. if you ignore those outings, the team routinely bags clear shots beyond the arc (which it creates at an admirable rate).

i hope i'm not alone in noticing that. it is a factor in nearly all the games that have been competitive (and sometimes end in a loss, though rarely 😁). at times, it seems players are sharing a hex. they lose their shooting touch as a team. it's weird.
 
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so, the clutch gene is missing.

heck, the team periodically has been hopeless even when the shot is 'uncontested.'

it's quite puzzling. if you ignore those outings, the team routinely bags clear shots beyond the arc (which it creates at an admirable rate).

i hope i'm not alone in noticing that. it is a factor in nearly all the games that have been competitive (and sometimes end in a loss, though rarely 😁). at times, it seems players are sharing a hex. they lose their shooting touch as a team. it's weird.
I noticed it too but I feel like those were games when they were getting beaten up. When they DID get open, it felt like they were rushing the shot.
 
Long arms and good anticipation make up for average quickness.
Allie does a really good job of moving (sliding) her feet and staying in front of the person she’s guarding. That’s a skill that Azzi is exceptionally good at, particularly this past season. I expect Allie to continue to refine that skill over the next few years.
 
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Another way of looking at the roster is in terms of experience. Here are the years our returning players joined the team.

2022–23: Jana (arrived in January 2023, redshirted 2023–24)

2023–24: Ash, KK

2024–25: Allie, Morgan, Sarah

2025–26: Blanca, Gandy, Kayleigh, Kelis

2026–27: Jovana, Olivia

Ten of our players are returning, including seven of our nine rotation players from a 38–1 team that went to the Final Four and returns the consensus National Player of the Year. Six of the returning players were on a national championship–winning team just a year ago; four of them were rotation players on that team. The grass may look greener in South Carolina or Southern California, but I think a lot of coaches and fan bases would be pretty happy with what we have coming back next year. I know I am.
Yes your right but we are a little short if we want a championship. We needed help with an athletic 6'6" or bigger big ! I don't think we can beat an athletic team like S. Carolina. We are also lacking a proven sharp shooter like Paige or Azzi. Our top shooters are not consistent .
 
Good teams will plan their defense to stop Sarah by doubling, triple teaming her, or loading down to limit her. The reason is quite simple because we do not have any consistent shooting guards, center or forwards. Give Dawn credit that her defensive goal was to stop SS from beating them. Azzi was not shooting well during entire tournament. The loss of Paige created 2 weak links in the chain, and the team was not able to replace her. And now, with the loss of Azzi, who steps up next because now we have 3 weak links. Sarah can't do it all by herself. Blanca will help. We will have experience players, but not consistent shooters, only defensive. Even outstanding defensive teams need to score points. We are also going to need strong team leadership It was missing this year. Need to be a little more physical because Power conferences are very physical and they are allowed to play this way. Referees from these conferences allow physically. It hurts us if we have them calling our game in the tournament. Our conference is not very physical at all.
 
UCONN is a definite national title contender this upcoming year. I don't know why some want to ignore what Auriemma has said. Just look at at the scores over the. last 10 years in NCAA Final Four. Its apparent for anyone that wants to look; the scoring took an enormous dip. If the games in 2024-2025 were refereed like this past year then UCONN probably doesn't win it all. Auriemma complained for a reason. He's not complaining to be a poor sport. He probably has/had a certain logical explanation that Offenses would be given some chance to breathe. but this year was by far the worst over the last 10. So, is it that the players weren't aren't that good? Or maybe Geno was right about not just bad but horribly bad officiating because the numbers certainly show it, don't they?

The 2025 season is closest to the average of totals points in a Final Four. So, when Geno says things like "Dawn intimidated the refs" and we look at the scores this past year vs the past 10, it sure looks and sounds pretty spot on to me. If teams average 51 ppg then less chance for UCONN to win. IMO it's that basic.

And when 20 year old kids are in the Final Four and with wildcard like the refs, no one can know with certainty what's going to happen. I don't expect UCONN will win a title next year as well. But you don't have to be a nostardamus to make this claim and take the field over one team. The odds are less than 50% so its easy to say this.


205 pts267 pts277 pts301 pts252 pts258 pts296 pts278 pts254 pts270 pts
2026202520242023202220212019201820172016
 
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So a smaller roster. In years past Geno was comfortable with a top rotation of 7 or 8 players that he said were reliable. Could it be that he felt he was not able to coach 15 players properly and it took away from a completely prepared team?
 
Yes your right but we are a little short if we want a championship. We needed help with an athletic 6'6" or bigger big ! I don't think we can beat an athletic team like S. Carolina. We are also lacking a proven sharp shooter like Paige or Azzi. Our top shooters are not consistent .
If I added criteria like “athletic” or “capable of playing at on an elite basketball team”, it would lower the percentages dramatically. Brittney Griner and Lauren Betts are outliers, not typical tall girls. You folks calling for Geno to recruit these giants women are unrealistic



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