S Conn exhibition Post game | Page 4 | The Boneyard

S Conn exhibition Post game

The nice thing about having several players who you can put in without a drop in preference is that it enables the coach to reduce minute for a player who is a little banged up. Or even set out a game or two.

This allows time for recovery instead of over working and over stressing that can lead to more serious issues and ultimately less time on the floor.

I’m recovering from a broken wrist it’s a slow process. Yes, it’s a lot faster for an athlete that’s 18-22 years old. But we’re expecting these kids to function at the highest level of D1.

Reading some of these posts I’m beginning to think that there’s a lot of BY’ers that have not had to get their mojo back after suffering a physical injury.

Enjoyed the two exhibition games. Ready for the ones that count.
 
JoePgh said:
Several of you seem to think that Ice will be ahead of Jana on the front court depth chart. I totally disagree with that, having watched both exhibition games in person.

Have you looked at the rebounding comparison between those two? Against BC, Jana had 4 rebounds in 7 minutes of playing time, while Ice had zero rebounds in 12 minutes. Against SCSU, Jana had 7 rebounds in just 9:23 of playing time, while Ice had 3 rebounds in 13:45 of playing time. Jana has shown herself (last year as well) to be a much stronger rebounder than Ice, and that is probably the most important stat for a backup center / power forward.

When Ice didn't enter the SCSU game until the second quarter, I wondered if she was in Geno's chateau bow-wow. I think it's simply that he also judges that Jana is ahead of her in the current depth chart.

I think Jana's limited playing time in the two exhibitions is solely due to her lingering injury, and she seems to be working her way out of that. I did not see any physical limitation in her play in either game, and in fact I wondered why she played so little.

I agree that Serah has earned the starting 5 spot -- she is as strong a rebounder as Jana and a better scorer. But I think Jana is clearly her first backup, and Ice is behind her. My hunch is that this is also Geno's thinking.
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Ideally Ice should get to a point where she can be Strong's back up and Jana is Serah's back up.
 
Huskee11 said:
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.
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A couple of things. First there were some new seat arrangements. But in my opinion not enough to warrant forcing all seat season ticket holders to re-seat from their PROMISED seats. My seats only degraded by 1 row, but the couple to the left of me and to the couple to right of me were very upset by their new seats. The couple to the right of me also said they were screwed on their men's seats. Lastly, the one improvement that could have been made was to replace the world's worst scoreboard. That didn't happen. It is a total embarrassment and remains that way. Shame on CT.

For those not in attendance, everything is now a mirror image. The student section, the band, they players benches are all flip around. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different. I wonder what the thought process was that went into that. Sit behind the UConn bench? Too bad, you are now behind the visitors.

Ok, back to basketball. The starting five looked very good. In very competitive games Geno is going to have to leave 3 of the starters in while 2 are getting breathers. To sub deeper than that is going to risk a falloff in quality. For short periods of time Geno could get away with just 2 starters, but 1 starter and 4 subs against a competitive team? I dunno...
 
Skeets said:
A couple of things. First there were some new seat arrangements. But in my opinion not enough to warrant forcing all seat season ticket holders to re-seat from their PROMISED seats. My seats only degraded by 1 row, but the couple to the left of me and to the couple to right of me were very upset by their new seats. The couple to the right of me also said they were screwed on their men's seats. Lastly, the one improvement that could have been made was to replace the world's worst scoreboard. That didn't happen. It is a total embarrassment and remains that way. Shame on CT.

For those not in attendance, everything is now a mirror image. The student section, the band, they players benches are all flip around. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different. I wonder what the thought process was that went into that. Sit behind the UConn bench? Too bad, you are now behind the visitors.

Ok, back to basketball. The starting five looked very good. In very competitive games Geno is going to have to leave 3 of the starters in while 2 are getting breathers. To sub deeper than that is going to risk a falloff in quality. For short periods of time Geno could get away with just 2 starters, but 1 starter and 4 subs against a competitive team? I dunno...
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Agree, the scoreboard is a disgrace. How could thy not have addressed that ? Also a marginally dangerous problem with the excessive gaps between hand rails (for the steep stairs) was made clearly dangerous by increasing the gap spacing at the top of the lower tier, adjacent to new luxury seating. This seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
 
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SVCBeercats said:
No Jana, no backup center?! Jana will be in the mix for sure. Only Jana can play defense against the really big Bigs such as Betts, Crooks, Beers etc.
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Jana did really well last year in the tournament, but Serah spent 3 years in the Big 10 against some great bigs (including Betts). So Jana isn't the only big that can play D against the bigger Bigs.
 
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Few thoughts..
- Sarah and Serah's inside one on one game is elite. If they were our only scoring option (lets say) , this offense will make it to the sweet 16...thats how good i believe they're going to be this year.
-Blanca just needs like 3 or 4 more games under her belt. Watch what this young lady will do on the floor come big east tournament. Her defense will be lethal too once she adapts to uconns style.
  • Our guards are going to exhaust so many opponents this season. Heckle and KK did good today.
  • Its easy folks... Its Sarah, Serah, and Azzi.
-Our bench has the potential of having 3 players who can have a breakout season or run towards No13.
 
I really like the starting 5 for now. The thing about Ash I like is she can be a deadly 3 point shooter if left open in one of the corners. That opens the middle for either Sarah or Serah to operate down low. I don't think anyone can stop the two of our big's and with that much room to work. Sarah can also jump outside the high and that opens the middle for backdoor cuts on overplay defenses and the high low game. Our defense will lead us to another national championship like it did last year. The non starters who have a chance to help us are many and time will tell who is healthy and picking up the UConn offense and defense. Sara or Azzi could win player of the year.
Lets Go Huskies!!!!!
 
Lambeau said:
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.
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It's the relentless full court possibilities our depth brings that will be telling on opponents. An additional factor is the large, small and in between lineups that bring joy to all. I also love that our players are competing in practice against the best in the land so that impact will be long lasting. You have to play against the best to be the best!
 
JoePgh said:
Several of you seem to think that Ice will be ahead of Jana on the front court depth chart. I totally disagree with that, having watched both exhibition games in person.

Have you looked at the rebounding comparison between those two? Against BC, Jana had 4 rebounds in 7 minutes of playing time, while Ice had zero rebounds in 12 minutes. Against SCSU, Jana had 7 rebounds in just 9:23 of playing time, while Ice had 3 rebounds in 13:45 of playing time. Jana has shown herself (last year as well) to be a much stronger rebounder than Ice, and that is probably the most important stat for a backup center / power forward.

When Ice didn't enter the SCSU game until the second quarter, I wondered if she was in Geno's chateau bow-wow. I think it's simply that he also judges that Jana is ahead of her in the current depth chart.

I think Jana's limited playing time in the two exhibitions is solely due to her lingering injury, and she seems to be working her way out of that. I did not see any physical limitation in her play in either game, and in fact I wondered why she played so little.

I agree that Serah has earned the starting 5 spot -- she is as strong a rebounder as Jana and a better scorer. But I think Jana is clearly her first backup, and Ice is behind her. My hunch is that this is also Geno's thinking.
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Jana brings an intimidation factor and has NCAA experience against other bigs. She was very very impressive then and a key to our winning IMO. There will be match-ups that our coaches will dial up the right combinations. Jana is a rebound force with a determination few possess.
 
DEpup said:
Ideally Ice should get to a point where she can be Strong's back up and Jana is Serah's back up.
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Agreed, and of the two, Jana's minutes in the rotation are more secured than Ice's. Both had to play the 5 last year because Geno had no choice. This year Serah can be penciled in for big minutes at the 5, and we don't have to play people out of position.

That means Jana and Ice can be used mostly at their best position, the 5 for Jana, and the 4 for Ice. They may have been overall close in productivity last year but Jana has way more upside. There is no comparison on rebounding and blocked shots. The only reason it was close last year was Jana made far more mistakes, a situation that she should improve substantially this year. Having Serah to go against in practice will help both, but particularly Jana.

If Jana improves even modestly, I doubt if Geno would even consider Ice at the 5. He has a very good starter in Serah, a great option if they go small moving Sarah there, and very good backup in Jana even at last year's level. Ice is probably the 4th best option there and only considered if injuries hit again.

Ice has apparently stayed ahead of Ayanna, her returning challenger for backup 4, but also faces potential threats from above and below. If Jana has a major improvement, Geno could use a three big rotation where Serah could take the backup 4 minutes with Jana at the 5, in a big lineup. In the other direction he could go smaller and use Blanca as the backup 4, in addition to getting significant minutes at the 3.
 
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DEpup said:
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.
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Shade is as steady as they come, and we all know Geno likes steady. He knows exactly what he is getting with her game in and game out!
 
Heckle looks good at pg..backing up KK or playing with her..she looks really good as an on ball defender too
Watching both games as much depth Uconn has now Azzi or Sara should be on the court at all times..you can see the differance when both are on the bench
Watching the growth Blanca will make should be really enjoyable

Should be a really fun year
 
I agree Heckel made forward movement on both sides of the ball. I thought Blanca made defensive strides.

Blanca's offensive side still needs work. She looks like she is playing a pick up game rather than organized basketball, hence all the turnovers and missed shots.

Still Allie was the star of that game for me. The starters did what I expected but Allie seems to be a whole new player. I hope it carries over to top competition.
 
We have some serious firepower on this team! As long as we continue to play “UConn” defense, this team is going to be very hard to beat!
 
This team will be fun to watch. What the team has in the starting rotation is a wrecking crew offensively, I was quite pleased with Allie. She showed that she can do more on offense than just sit outside the three point line and bomb away. Blanca is playing like a freshman right now, but what potential! Kayleigh showed she will be a reliable PG and tough defender.

I was quite happy with the ball movement for this early in the season, and the defensive effort, if not the balletic switching that was so obvious last year, is there. We will see how things go against Louisville.
 
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Cuango said:
We have some serious firepower on this team! As long as we continue to play “UConn” defense, this team is going to be very hard to beat!
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Yes! Finally getting the vision of the Golden State Warriors offense during their historic run a decade ago. We got an inside/outside or outside/inside game going.
 
It really is difficult to see what a player is doing right or wrong when playing a team that is much lower in talent that UConn. To me Azzi looked really sharp with her quick release and accuracy. After her it was just a bunch of players playing a game of pickup ball. It will be interesting on Tuesday once they see a real D1 team to see what players not named Strong or Fudd can do.
 
Rowdy831 said:
It really is difficult to see what a player is doing right or wrong when playing a team that is much lower in talent that UConn. To me Azzi looked really sharp with her quick release and accuracy. After her it was just a bunch of players playing a game of pickup ball. It will be interesting on Tuesday once they see a real D1 team to see what players not named Strong or Fudd can do.
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Yeah, people are making too much of yesterday’s scrimmage. Especially with the bigs. Serah has to slow down, see what the defense is giving her and go strong. Looking forward to Louisville.
 
RoadMaster said:
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For anyone wondering why El Alfy's minutes are still limited, progress is slow, and what Williams was brought in for, there's a hint in here and it points to her lack of recognition and decision making. Right after Fisher's jump shot there's a sequence where El Alfy has the ball within 5 feet of the rim. With a kid about 6-0 on her, she spins around and throws the ball out to the 3 point line. Why? El Alfy is 6-5 and at this point that shouldn't happen, she should know better by now.
 
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oldhusky said:
Agreed, and of the two, Jana's minutes in the rotation are more secured than Ice's. Both had to play the 5 last year because Geno had no choice. This year Serah can be penciled in for big minutes at the 5, and we don't have to play people out of position.

That means Jana and Ice can be used mostly at their best position, the 5 for Jana, and the 4 for Ice. They may have been overall close in productivity last year but Jana has way more upside. There is no comparison on rebounding and blocked shots. The only reason it was close last year was Jana made far more mistakes, a situation that she should improve substantially this year. Having Serah to go against in practice will help both, but particularly Jana.

If Jana improves even modestly, I doubt if Geno would even consider Ice at the 5. He has a very good starter in Serah, a great option if they go small moving Sarah there, and very good backup in Jana even at last year's level. Ice is probably the 4th best option there and only considered if injuries hit again.

Ice has apparently stayed ahead of Ayanna, her returning challenger for backup 4, but also faces potential threats from above and below. If Jana has a major improvement, Geno could use a three big rotation where Serah could take the backup 4 minutes with Jana at the 5, in a big lineup. In the other direction he could go smaller and use Blanca as the backup 4, in addition to getting significant minutes at the 3.
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Blanca did indeed see time at the four.
 
I love last year’s team! I wonder if there would be a good argument as to why they aren’t the best ever. What couldn’t they do? And no one really tested them. They may have had gears we never saw.
The core from 2024 and 2025 are playing great!
Azzi, KK, Ash, Ally, Jenna, Sarah, and there are injured players getting better. They deserve the nod right now.
I love slashers like Blanca, long, athletic, give her a chance to get her footing. Saying she should start over Ash is ridiculous.
Sorry analogy: we’re like spoiled kids at Christmas spending 10 minutes on our new toys with beautiful toys in our toy box that we don’t play with.
I’m sorry: last year was serious.
 
Apologies for what could be a clumsy link. This is on the public FB page, I don't have an account so maybe there is a better way to do it.
Pretty cool 1 min video and I like the background music a LOT more than what usually gets used. Seems to fit pretty well.
(And if it has already been linked and I missed it, more apologies.)
Lots to look forward to this year.....

 
BobbyJ said:
For anyone wondering why El Alfy's minutes are still limited, progress is slow, and what Williams was brought in for, there's a hint in here and it points to her lack of recognition and decision making. Right after Fisher's jump shot there's a sequence where El Alfy has the ball within 5 feet of the rim. With a kid about 6-0 on her, she spins around and throws the ball out to the 3 point line. Why? El Alfy is 6-5 and at this point that shouldn't happen, she should know better by now.
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With respect, I just want to note that there was nothing wrong with Jana’s unselfish decision in this game situation. She collected the rebound and decided to turn and pass the ball inside out to an open all-american, all-world teammate who made the 3.
 
Doctor G said:
With respect, I just want to note that there was nothing wrong with Jana’s unselfish decision in this game situation. She collected the rebound and decided to turn and pass the ball inside out to an open all-american, all-world teammate who made the 3.
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You obviously missed the point of my comments.
 
BobbyJ said:
You obviously missed the point of my comments.
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I didn’t miss your point and I understand your pov on Jana’s current level of play. I was just pointing out that you used the wrong example to make your point.
 
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