S Conn exhibition Post game

[Vowelguy]

Havent seen the games so I'm only going by descriptions. I hear small forward foreigner whose game is at an advanced stage for a frosh but also makes a lot of mistakes, and I start thinking Svet. Any similarities? The key will be if she's as stubborn as Sveta.

 

[BBallF]

First let me say that I am a big Jana fan. Just watch her on the bench when a teammate makes a good play! You can't help but love her attitude and enthusiasm.

But at the end of last season I posted that, in my judgment, she needed significant improvement during the off season on two items---hand strength and coordination/balance, and I thought (still think) that the second item could be the result of her prior year injury.

Unfortunately, due to a leg injury, she has not been able to play enough in the 2 exhibitions to display any changes. Hopefully, with more minutes on the court as the season goes on we will see improvement in both areas. She seems to be a real hard worker and competitor, besides being a great kid and teammate.

I see subtle signs of improvement, mostly in more fluid offensive takes around the basket and better speed to the ball on rebounds though she needs more. Still makes basic mistakes but at 6'5" and wide, she has a tremendous upside and as you say is a lovable and supportive teammate.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Can people stop undervaluing SHADE!

She is a starter. Deal with it.

Blanca will be a great spark off the bench but she doesn't have the maturity yet to be a starter. She has plenty of future years at UConn to be a starter.

 

[BBallF]

Well, as Geno said, some good, some bad, some ugly. I was impressed with Blanca. She tries to do too much, but sometimes has the talent and athleticism to pull it off. There was one drive that was amazing. I hope Caroline can elevate her game as the season progresses. Nobody deserves a place on this team more, but she still seems a second behind on plays.. Leave Shade in the game long enough and you see why she makes such a contribution to the team. Nobody battles for rebounds harder, and her three-pointers, when they're falling, are wonderful. Serah will be an important contributor during the year. Sahar and Azzi were all that's expected.
I was pleasantly surprised by Allie, who came out with an aggressiveness that we've not seen before. Maybe she's getting it and if so, could make a solid contribution.
The swarming defense remains a pleasure to watch. It is as much fin watching this team defend as it is to see them take the ball down the court.

More fun for me. That press is a relentless machine.

 

[Gael]

Can you tell much from a preseason scrimmage?

I could tell that UConn was at least 66 points better than SCSU, that the bench (formerly: what's a bench?) scored 46 of the the 105 points, that the team hit 14-34 on three-point shots (41.2%), that the team hit 18-23 on layups, that they went on a 36-0 run at one point, and that they scored 46 points in the paint.

THAT all told me a lot. Positively.

Do stats tell the whole story?

No.

In my opinion, the the actual and potential stories on the majority of players was even more positive than the stats. For this early in the season, and with so many combinations and permutations of players, the chemistry was really good. More importantly, so was the ball physics.

I like players who can make productive scoring moves in the teeth of the defense, aggressively, and draw lots of fouls. FT-drawers. Newcomers Blanca and Serah—and maybe Fish— are unabashed FT-drawers. I like that . . . and them.

Wait, Blanca has had 11 TOs in two preseason games! Hmmm. What I see is perhaps the most athletic 6-2 (+?) specimen ever to don national flag blue. One who has very quick reflexes, and moves, and decisions, and cerebral synapses. Her TOs have come mostly from aggressive but slightly mistimed shoot, pass, dribble decisions. Aggressiveness and quickness can't be learned; better timing can. Blanca's natural gifts will become a force. For good.

Her three-point shooting is literally still up in the air. That, too, can be improved by learning.

 

[LuvBball]

Justice for Gandy!

 

[BBallF]

Love Maggie but I think she meant whacked

View attachment 112680

It has another meaning as well. I think the context of what Geno meant is best described as "belted" "hit hard" or "knocked on your butt".

 

[freshler40]

No one has mentioned the starters for the fourth quarter ( Heckel, Allie, Blanca, Ice and Jana). That is the second line, particularly since Allie played so well. A rotation of 10 will enable them to press for the entire game.

We can easily press for an entire game, kind of like a hockey line. The starters played confidently, the second and third lines had positioning problems and gave up a number of potential offensive rebounds to much shorter players in this game. Until the new players know the offensive patterns well such as a double high post w/pick and rolls Geno may have to keep at least two starters on the floor. The early exhibition games were the perfect time to try combinations.

Our entire lineup is an opposing coach's nightmare, just in time for Halloween.

 

[my2cents]

I'm not disagreeing vs. top teams, but Geno did say specifically that they're going to let Blanca play through her mistakes. I don't remember him ever saying that about someone else. Evidently her upside is so far up that he'll be more forgiving about turnovers and missed assignments.

I was responding to someone posting that she should be starting ahead of Shade. Not at this point.

 

[Blond D.]

who knew there were so many definitions for whack?


Man, that's wack!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Though Southern was overmatched, I thought we played cleaner than we did against BC. Everyone other than Caroline and Ayanna looked good to me.

Sarah does everything. Triple double?? Azzi is more aggressive and has her shot. Serah looks like an all-conference player. Kayleigh defends really hard. Blanca reminds me of Nika, in terms of too many low percentage passes, but she's going to be insanely good. She'll terrorize the Big East. I love our lineup!

 

[JoePgh]

If you are an SCSU fan, you can take comfort from the fact that the halftime margin of 60-16 was not as bad as Vic Schaefer's Mississippi State team's score line of 61-12 in the 2016 Sweet Sixteen game against UConn. That was the infamous "piranhas on a roast" game.

 

[Lambeau]

While it's true that Blanca leads the free world in turnovers, it's also true that she looks taller than 6'2" and moves with smooth athleticism- - impressive to watch. She's raw, and with coaching she'll improve a lot. Meanwhile, with Allie, Azzi, KK, K9, and Ash we have no shortage of guards for a three guard lineup.

 

[BBallF]

We can easily press for an entire game, kind of like a hockey line. The starters played confidently, the second and third lines had positioning problems and gave up a number of potential offensive rebounds to much shorter players in this game. Until the new players know the offensive patterns well such as a double high post w/pick and rolls Geno may have to keep at least two starters on the floor. The early exhibition games were the perfect time to try combinations.

Our entire lineup is an opposing coach's nightmare, just in time for Halloween.

You got it. That's because it is the nightmare that doesn't end when some of the starters go to the bench. It just keeps on giving you the frights.

 

[Huskee11]

I was at the game, and first off a few things about the arena. It is noticeably better. Everything - walls and seats - are in a charcoal grey color and it gives the arena a darker feel, even as the lighting seems better. This is not a criticism, I think it works. The seats, at least our seats in Section 106, are more comfortable and seem a bit wider.

There are what I refer to as the "monster seats" along the sidelines just above the first level. Two rows with small counters in front, and the seats are similar to what you get in a relatively new movie theater without the recline feature. nice enough. I tried to sit in one with about five minutes left just to see what would happen and I was politely told to scram. Which is interesting in that in prior years no one at XL gave a rat's *** where you sat.

The sound system seems much better. Conor was conspicuous by his absence. Is he gone for good or is it just because this was an exhibition game? The arena announcer was different as well, and he has a daytime game show host quality to his delivery. The whole thing felt a little more corporate than the minor league baseball feel that I am used to at that venue.

I did not notice anything significantly different in the concession area, other than perhaps a new concession stand on the north end of the arena. It does have more of a blueish feel with the signage.

Things are switched around - the benches are on the other side of the court, and the student section is on the other end of the court. I think there are more seats at floor level, at least more than I remember. Three or four rows, including a row directly behind the opponent's bench. I am sure those seats go for quite a lot of $, but I think one is better off with something more elevated. For example, I would hate to be directly behind the opponent's bench, as you can't very well tell the players to sit down. It may be that those seats go to boosters of the opponent.

Oh there was a game being played. Some observations - stifling defense, Fudd automatic and smooth as silk, Allie looking good! The press is weakened when the opposing center is allowed to bring the ball up, Serah has to be defending full court as well. I think Geno can easily go ten deep if he wants to.

I think a message went out to this group to get in the best shape you possibly can. Message received. They all look amazing. Somewhat surprisingly the one who stood out the most to me was KK, who is noticeably thinner and (presumably for that reason) seems taller. That probably means increased quickness, when she was pretty darn quick to begin with.

Sometimes the things you notice are unusual. For example, I noticed that the super quick Kelis and the ultra athletic Blanca both have very long arms. Part of the reason they will defend well and get a lot of steals.

Decent crowd for an exhibition game, not nearly filled but respectable.

 

[Bedford fan]

She had 6 turnovers, almost half of the team's total, against an overmatched opponent. Against a top team playing like that, she will hardly be on the floor.

Look at her full line, steals and blocks. She is a raw Sarah, bigger though she looks like she is almost 6'4 and runs like a guard.

 

[Bedford fan]

Shade is a good player but she can't take over a game unless everything drops

 

[WBBZen]

I am not worried about Blanca at all. The turnovers will come down, the shot will come. She wasn't in summer work outs like the other players so she's only been with the team for 2 months. She is incredibly athletic and exceptional at drawing a foul.

Allie really impressed me. She looks like she has taken a huge leap since last year. I hope to see this continue.

Heckel looked so much more comfortable on the court today, had some great assists and her defense looked solid. I think the PG rotation of KK/K9 will be strong. Also glad to see them both taking 3pt shots today.

 

[Fore!]

Havent seen the games so I'm only going by descriptions. I hear small forward foreigner whose game is at an advanced stage for a frosh but also makes a lot of mistakes, and I start thinking Svet. Any similarities? The key will be if she's as stubborn as Sveta.

Unfortunately, she is no Sveta; not yet anyway.

 

[FanSince17]

Oh she will get every chance to be in the rotation.

I did say players will get a chance to work their way into and out of the rotation.

Doubt she gets much time against Louisville though.

Different take. It's all good!
I think she's gunna push Serah Williams for minutes. Ice too. Serah's gotta learn. IMO she isn't guaranteed to get huge minutes.
She was a major factor in the NCAA tournament. You can't coach big, and Jenna is big. Ask Betts if she knew when Jenna was on her. We left her one-on-one with Betts a lot.

 

[BobbyJ]

Different take. It's all good!
I think she's gunna push Serah Williams for minutes. Ice too. Serah's gotta learn. IMO she isn't guaranteed to get huge minutes.
She was a major factor in the NCAA tournament. You can't coach big, and Jenna is big. Ask Betts if she knew when Jenna was on her. We left her one-on-one with Betts a lot.

Yeah she is. That's why Auriemma went and got her out of the portal. He wanted/needed full time production out of the 5 slot.

 

[Zanzman]

Shade is a good player but she can't take over a game unless everything drops

Lol

 

[DEpup]

Shade is a good player but she can't take over a game unless everything drops

She doesn't have to. Its not her role. Every role needs to be represented. The role you are describing is already being performed by Azzi, Sarah, and Serah.

The glue players like Shade, Kelly Faris, Kaleena Greene, and Kia Nurse are just as necessary to win.

 

[CL82]

Turnovers can be fixed. Some of them were non-UCONN type passes. I see tremendous potential in her. She is as tall as Sarah, uses both hands, has multiple shots, good instincts with long arms on defense, and is strong and athletic. She will be a weapon and a half come tourney time. It is a big adjustment for her, especially playing Geno ball.

The potential is definitely there, but she's needs to develop. She needs to understand how the American game is officiated. She needs to know when to defer and went to shoot. Being in a program as structured as Connecticut takes time to learn. I think it won't be until January or February until we see her playing her best basketball consistently. Just my opinion.

Heckel probably has a lower upside, but again just my opinion she is further ahead than Blanca at this point in the season. She really seems like a kid we're going to love.

 

[Spaceman213J]

Shade is a good player but she can't take over a game unless everything drops

But she doesn't need to anyways. Fudd, Strong and Williams look like they are perfectly capable.
Shade brings consistency and experience in the system. KK hopefully has matured and moved past it, but has history of occasionally getting sped up and a bit out of control. Shade helps keeps things flowing and on track.