Saniya Chong facing greater expectations

[EricLA]

An interesting article on Saniya...

Ossining's Saniya Chong facing greater expectations

It isn't really anything new or anything we don't know, per se, but some great lines in the article:

Auriemma said he has spoken with Chong about her responsibilities, and he did so again after Sunday's game."We didn't bring you up to Connecticut so you can sit here and watch us play. We need you to contribute,' " Auriemma said he told her. "She knows exactly what she has to do if she wants to play."

The Hall of Fame coach said Chong's struggles can be attributed to a lack of focus. "She's a perfect example of, 'When she's good and she's all there, she's really, really good, and when she's not, she's not very good,' " he said. "Her concentration level right now and her ability to just focus on what we need her to do for us, it varies. Some days, it's exactly what we need her to be; some days, she really struggles with it.

"It's not as hard as you think it is, and it's not as easy as you think it is, but it takes a little bit of effort."

This is just a few snippets from the article, but I think it helps point out what's been ailing Saniya this season. I think we've seen a lot of the "not very good" lately and that seems to be the reason for the decreasing playing time.

Perhaps confidence has something to do with it - that's something that several of us have speculated about this season. But Geno seems to think it's concentration level for her. I hope it's as simple as that and easy-ish for to refocus and really apply herself.

I think not only the coaches - but most UCONN fans who follow the team - thought she'd have a terrific season. It's never too late for her to "turn it around", unless it's the NC game... I know all of us are hoping it happens sooner rather than later...

 

[HuskiesU]

Saniya is good but not UConn good I think she would of star somewhere else in the AAC like a temple or maybe a team in the big east. But the way she plays and looks out on the court is almost like she is afraid of playing for UConn. She tries to be too perfect instead of just going out and playing her game. The way she dribble shoot play defense and lay the ball up on a pass is just awkward. Hope she get it together or she'll be in Geno DOGHOUSE all four years like Kiah

 

[Sonny44]

His statement about effort worries me. I'd be surprised if she wasn't working hard in practice. I don't think we can afford to have her not be successful.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Put these comments, which include all reserves about inconsistency, with his remarks recently about this team only wanting to do "the fun stuff" in practice, and you get a picture of a staff having something of a struggle with the team.

PS. Geno did single out Morgan Tuck for loving every bit of practice "and that is why she is so good at everything she does."

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

This thread cracks me up. I think the posters above need to focus better on their understanding of what it is like to be a teenager. Apparently it is a "struggle" for some erstwhile contributors.. Let em have some Boneyard bench time....just sayin.

Hang in there Saniya.

 

[HGN]

No transfer....Saniya isn't going anywhere. She is going to stay all 4 years just like Stokes. And Contribute, just like Stokes....Geno and CD has seen the talent and they like it. At the beginning of camp who was it that Geno said was playing and looking the best in training.......Answer , Saniya Chong. And who is it that is in the rotation and is the first off the bench for the backcourt....Answer , again , Saniya Chong. The talent is there. It's just a matter of Geno and CD getting it out of her night in and night out on a consistent basis.

But on top of that , Saniya knows she has talent. And they all know its mental and not physical with her. The question is , can she mentally be in the ballgame every night. Can she be focused every night. Can she be aggressive every night. Because if she can , they all know UConn will be a different team with a focused and inspired Saniya Chong striking from the bench.

Can the coaching staff coax it out of her? I think they can and I think they will.

GO HUSKIES!!

 

[Striper69]

I thought Saniya got "thrown under the bus" after the Stanford game. It's true that the guards got a lot of easy layups but that should go to the coaching staff for not having the team ready to play "Help" defense. Saniya should be able to rely on players like Stokes, Stewart and Tuck to stuff the ball "wherever" if anyone tries to go there.
Saniya scored well in that game and if the Stanford player misses that last second trey how things would've gone? UCONN would still be undefeated etc, etc.

I hope it isn't true but I think her spirit may be a little deflated but I think she can bounce back.

Still my favorite UCONN Husky!

 

[Aluminny69]

Saniya is good but not UConn good I think she would of star somewhere else in the AAC like a temple or maybe a team in the big east. But the way she plays and looks out on the court is almost like she is afraid of playing for UConn. She tries to be too perfect instead of just going out and playing her game. The way she dribble shoot play defense and lay the ball up on a pass is just awkward. Hope she get it together or we night see another transfer like Sadie or she'll be in Geno DOGHOUSE all four years like Kiah

I was thinking the same thing. "GOOD" is a relative term. UConn starts five potential All Americans. That is a difficult standard to meet. Saniya is good, but not All American good. She suffers by comparison to the starters. As does Kiah, who is pretty much in the same situation.

I think this is one very good reason why "all" recruits don't come to UConn.

 

[JoePgh]

I also think that some of the above comments are unduly negative.

In yesterday's game (which I watched live and then re-watched on DVR), Saniya was making good plays, but her shots (including free throws) weren't falling. Her defense seems to be much improved since the Stanford game. St. John's is a similar team to Stanford -- their offense relies on getting penetration by their two fast guards. In the second half (admittedly without Saniya) that seemed to be completely shut down (unlike the Stanford game).

I was surprised that she got no minutes in the second half, but I assume that was Geno sending a message. I was also surprised that Gabby got no minutes until garbage time (when she looked quite good) -- presumably another message.

If Saniya ends up contributing as much as Kiah during her four years, she will have very much earned her scholarship. The team will be thin at guard next year since KML will not be available to play the 2, as she has been doing for significant minutes this year. I think it's likely that Gabby will be re-purposed to be a guard next year, and will benefit from her experience and minutes in the front court this year.

 

[JFC613]

I thought Saniya got "thrown under the bus" after the Stanford game. It's true that the guards got a lot of easy layups but that should go to the coaching staff for not having the team ready to play "Help" defense. Saniya should be able to rely on players like Stokes, Stewart and Tuck to stuff the ball "wherever" if anyone tries to go there.
Saniya scored well in that game and if the Stanford player misses that last second trey how things would've gone? UCONN would still be undefeated etc, etc.

I hope it isn't true but I think her spirit may be a little deflated but I think she can bounce back.

Still my favorite UCONN Husky!

I think win or loose against Stanford Geno would have made the same changes because of the lack of defense that he saw coming out of that game. The expectation was that he'd have Saniya's explosiveness off the bench while benefiting from Nurse's defense in the starting rotation. I agree with the comments above that this may have more to do with Saniya dealing with the change in her role then anything. From what Geno has said, she had great preseason practices and earned a starting role. That didn't last long and that has to be deflating for her. I bet she'll bounce back. The coaching staff will get her out of the funk she's in and she'll respond!

 

[Striper69]

Hope so. I get a smile every time I see Saniya come into a game.

 

[cookie447]

Soon,very soon, Saniya will have a breakout game and her contributions will consistently rise to a new level. Unless and until Geno gives up on her, there's no reason for us to. GO SANIYA!!!

 

[JoePgh]

I think Geno would rather see a series of 8-point, 3-assist games with competent defense than a single breakout game. One great game doesn't earn a lot of minutes unless you can have consistently good games.

 

[lanieer]

I'm going to take the positive road and say that I bet that Saniya and Gabby Williams play their behinds off on Wednesday and have great games. I think Geno felt it was time to light a fire under the bench. Honestly right now Breanna, Morgan and Moriah have been stellar while Kaleena has been shadowed by every teams best defender and Kia Nurse is just in a league of her own as a freshman. Might as well fix the bench now.

 

[UcMiami]

I know everybody loves Kia and for a freshman she has been really great, but ... in a few recent games people commented on how the team dropped off when Chong was brought off the bench, and what I saw instead was how the team struggled when Moriah left the floor. Kia has been a great addition to the team, but she is still learning the Uconn system and struggles when Jefferson is not there to lead. I think we are seeing a shift in substitution patterns and minutes as Moriah is getting more minutes and Kia fewer.
And I think Chong defensively has been playing pretty well actually. Uconn's defense is built on channeling offensive players into the help defense and not specifically on keeping them 'in front'. The problem with Chong right now seems to be a total loss in confidence on her shot. The clearest sign being her bricking two free throws - she doesn't shoot many but last year she was at .825 from the charity stripe. Her 3 point percentage is at .310 which is not in Morgan's .200 territory (and they have both shot about the same number) but it has been a while since she has made any.

 

[Striper69]

You're right about the "confidence" thing. I was at the Delaware game yesterday and they depend on the outside shooting of one of their guards and you could tell she didn't have it yesterday.

As long as they aren't injured they just gotta keep at it until it comes back.

 

[EricLA]

This thread cracks me up. I think the posters above need to focus better on their understanding of what it is like to be a teenager. Apparently it is a "struggle" for some erstwhile contributors.. Let em have some Boneyard bench time....just sayin.

Hang in there Saniya.

Well then I guess Geno's comments must have you in stitches. He made the comments, not me. Just sayin...

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Well then I guess Geno's comments must have you in stitches. He made the comments, not me. Just sayin...

I guess my post was obtuse.

 

[EricLA]

I guess my post was obtuse.

To me, more scalene!

 

[Buzzyboy]

No transfer....Saniya isn't going anywhere. She is going to stay all 4 years just like Stokes. And Contribute, just like Stokes....Geno and CD has seen the talent and they like it. At the beginning of camp who was it that Geno said was playing and looking the best in training..Answer , Saniya Chong. And who is it that is in the rotation and is the first off the bench for the backcourt....Answer , again , Saniya Chong. The talent is there. It's just a matter of Geno and CD getting it out of her night in and night out on a consistent basis.

But on top of that , Saniya knows she has talent. And they all know its mental and not physical with her. The question is , can she mentally be in the ballgame every night. Can she be focused every night. Can she be aggressive every night. Because if she can , they all know UConn will be a different team with a focused and inspired Saniya Chong striking from the bench.

Can the coaching staff coax it out of her? I think they can and I think they will.

GO HUSKIES!!

I seem to remember about five or six years ago Geno had some nice words about who was looking the best in preseason a couple of years in a row and it was Heather Buck. How did that translate into the regular season? I'm not sure if Geno is just trying a psychological ploy in trying to build someone up (like Heather or Saniya) or if in reality, they played very well in preseason but either way, it means virtually nothing if when the gun goes off, you can't consistently depend on them to produce in a timely fashion. I don't know if I've ever seen as awkward a looking shot as I see from Saniya. Was her form always like that? In the youtube clips from her high school days it was hard to see anything very well but at the very list, she had a nice arc on some of those three point shots she was taking (and making).

 

[sawxfan23]

I also think that some of the above comments are unduly negative

In yesterday's game (which I watched live and then re-watched on DVR), Saniya was making good plays, but her shots (including free throws) weren't falling. Her defense seems to be much improved since the Stanford game. St. John's is a similar team to Stanford -- their offense relies on getting penetration by their two fast guards. In the second half (admittedly without Saniya) that seemed to be completely shut down (unlike the Stanford game).

I was surprised that she got no minutes in the second half, but I assume that was Geno sending a message. I was also surprised that Gabby got no minutes until garbage time (when she looked quite good) -- presumably another message.

If Saniya ends up contributing as much as Kiah during her four years, she will have very much earned her scholarship. The team will be thin at guard next year since KML will not be available to play the 2, as she has been doing for significant minutes this year. I think it's likely that Gabby will be re-purposed to be a guard next year, and will benefit from her experience and minutes in the front court this year.

In yesterday's game Chong was consistently beat off the dribble, was slow to switch on screens, switched off the wrong man on screens, and was slow to close out on the shooter. She is a terrible defensive player and that's what bugs me because defense is all heart and hustle. Just about anybody can be a good defender if they want it bad enough and obviously Chong doesn't want it. Offensively she had 1 good aggressive take that resulted in a foul being called and 2 missed foul shots. The rest of the game her offensive contributions like most of her games recently consisted of her standing around the 3 point line and passing the ball around the perimeter. There is no doubt in my mind that Chong is playing herself deeper and deeper onto the bench. I wouldn't be surprised if Ekmark became the first guard off the bench.

 

[HistoryMajor]

I guess my post was obtuse.

I once had a college professor tell me I was "obtuse". I knew it wasn't good but wasn't sure what it meant. I had to look it up in the dictionary!

 

[BigBird]

Dictionary? What's that?

 

[UconnWBB]

I wonder how much Ekmark coming back is pressuring Chong's performance...could a change in rotation be coming?

 

[NewCorn]

His statement about effort worries me. I'd be surprised if she wasn't working hard in practice. I don't think we can afford to have her not be successful.

I think Geno is talking about the effort to mentally focus rather than simply physical effort. Few of us focus consistently well on what we are doing. Chong has a chance to learn something that will serve her well for the rest of her life. We all want to see her do it. Go SC.