Saylor is coming!!!

[Cornell Lt]

Can't we all just sit back, relax and see what happens ? No one knows how this plays out. Enjoy the ride of what remains of the season.

 

[CocoHusky]

So less minutes for Aubrey and Edwards now? They are only averaging 16 and 16.9 respectively. And Liv only getting 21.7. And now Saylor has "buried" Mir?

UCONN has played exactly 1 ranked opponent (DePaul) so far this season. In that game Mir played 8 minutes.
UCONN plays another ranked team (TN) shortly, I would be pleasantly surprise if MIr plays 16 minutes @TN.

 

[hoophuskee]

Thanks for your reply Hoop and I do appreciate the discussion. My reply to your points as follows:

1. Anna can shoot, do doubt. She has a bad propensity for being very streaky. I am very high on Anna's prospects as a shooter going forward and as a player/contributor, especially since we have really good passers on the team like PB and EW for instance, not to mention NM.

CW is an enigma to me. I thought by now she would be able to get what she wants anytime she wants. Her instincts seem to be off. If I was too guess, she is trying so hard to please GA and do the right thing, that she it is screwing her mind up. She can shoot and play and I hope she works her way out of it. I'm still confident in her, but not nearly as much as I once was. Again, PB helps to get CW going I hope.

It's true I have seen little of Saylor. As I mentioned, I've only seen clips and those can be deceiving. I'd really like to know what her percentage from 3 is. From the little I've seen, she can shoot and creates her shot from 3 which is very unusual. I am very hopeful she can at minimum provide us with a 3 point shooter with at least 35% plus percentage. If she reaches 40%, I will be extremely happy. I think she has a chance to do this and therefore a good chance to help us come later march.

2. The thing with being slow in todays game, is that if you don't have a compensating quality like size, length, etc., then you really have little chance of success. NM may not be extremely quick, but I don't think she is slow. She looks above average to me. But, time will tell as she has played I think one game (18 minutes) at full strength - and her movement looked good in those 18 minutes. I'm really excited to see what she can do. Her lack of shooting may hold her back but I get the feeling GA really likes her. Problem is that she has PB in front of her.....

I don't know what Saylor's stats were or her quality of competition. I am puzzled at her lower rating by some but this is not something I focus too much on. I think ratings may be accurate for the top few players and then say 5-25 can be in a variety of orders. I've heard she is as high as 6 by some, but again, I just don't have the time to look at this and make my own list of where she should be. I do think there are inherent limitations in the rankings with favoritism and just difference of opinion. There are so many variables also (level of competition is one you mention), so it makes it impossible outside of the top 3-4 players everybody seems to agree on.

So is it fair to say my expectations for CWill and Anna are much higher than yours, while your expectations of Nika and Saylor are much higher than mine?

And as a result you are implying/saying "I'll believe it when I see it" when it comes to CWill and Anna while similarly I can say the same back at you with Nika and Saylor?

And in regards to this team right now-- is it safe to say that I think UCONN is much stronger than you do, because I am okay with non-impact impact minutes from Nika or Saylor?

 

[hoophuskee]

Can't we all just sit back, relax and see what happens ? No one knows how this plays out. Enjoy the ride of what remains of the season.

Who says we are not relaxing???

This is fun to talk about this.

It's why I love coming to this board - you can talk different philosophies. Different philosophies can win too.

 

[CocoHusky]

Can't we all just sit back, relax and see what happens ? No one knows how this plays out. Enjoy the ride of what remains of the season.

 

[jazz]

So is it fair to say my expectations for CWill and Anna are much higher than yours, while your expectations of Nika and Saylor are much higher than mine?

And as a result you are implying/saying "I'll believe it when I see it" when it comes to CWill and Anna while similarly I can say the same back at you with Nika and Saylor?

And in regards to this team right now-- is it safe to say that I think UCONN is much stronger than you do, because I am okay with non-impact impact minutes from Nika or Saylor?

To use your phrase 'I'll believe when I see it' is starting to become more prevalent with me as it relates to both CW and AM because they continue to be inconsistent. I've seen this now for a while and they both get substantial minutes. Both can be contributors but I'm thinking a bit less than I originally projected.

To be clear I thought CW would be flat out amazing my now and be first team AA. She is still inconsistent and seems to be lost in her own head sometimes. She is so darn talented that you think she can turn it around. I mainly worry that she will have an inconsistent game when we need her to have a big game in a big game.

AM is shooting less effectively that I thought she would at this point...very streaky. I worry that in big games, she may be off. I thought she could top out at 12 points per game but now I'm not sure. I just hope she breaks out soon. She is still a very good player to have because her passing is so darn good and she is a good rebounder and average defender as well. Good on the break and with the ball in her hands....all this playing the 4 spot. I still believe the threat of her three point shot still opens things up but she isn't getting the 12 pts I thought she might and she has had open shots. However, I think she will hit them eventually as she did last year....but will she nail a 3 pointer at the time we need her to in a big game? This is really what I am starting to worry about.

I've seen much less of NM in comparison to AM and CW. But I do think she can be a contributor. Not a huge one, maybe 10-12 minutes tops in big games....but heck, she has the best player in America in front of her. Geno was trying to see how PB and NM could play together in the last game however. So I don't think NM will be a huge contributor because she has PB in front of her, but I think she can play and contribute some quality minutes which is great to have from a backup point.

Saylor I have only seen clips but I am hopeful that by late March she can give us 1-2 threes a game and be a threat from three so that when she comes in, she stretches the defense and it keeps the middle free for Liv to operate.

 

[Shorty Dee]

Welcome to Storrs Saylor!! I can't wait to see you play. Our 3 point specialist .

 

[CL82]

And now Saylor has "buried" Mir?

Probably, not but some people claim you can hear that if you play the UConn fight song backwards.

 

[hoophuskee]

To use your phrase 'I'll believe when I see it' is starting to become more prevalent with me as it relates to both CW and AM because they continue to be inconsistent. I've seen this now for a while and they both get substantial minutes. Both can be contributors but I'm thinking a bit less than I originally projected.

To be clear I thought CW would be flat out amazing my now and be first team AA. She is still inconsistent and seems to be lost in her own head sometimes. She is so darn talented that you think she can turn it around. I mainly worry that she will have an inconsistent game when we need her to have a big game in a big game.

AM is shooting less effectively that I thought she would at this point...very streaky. I worry that in big games, she may be off. I thought she could top out at 12 points per game but now I'm not sure. I just hope she breaks out soon. She is still a very good player to have because her passing is so darn good and she is a good rebounder and average defender as well. Good on the break and with the ball in her hands....all this playing the 4 spot. I still believe the threat of her three point shot still opens things up but she isn't getting the 12 pts I thought she might and she has had open shots. However, I think she will hit them eventually as she did last year....but will she nail a 3 pointer at the time we need her to in a big game? This is really what I am starting to worry about.

I've seen much less of NM in comparison to AM and CW. But I do think she can be a contributor. Not a huge one, maybe 10-12 minutes tops in big games....but heck, she has the best player in America in front of her. Geno was trying to see how PB and NM could play together in the last game however. So I don't think NM will be a huge contributor because she has PB in front of her, but I think she can play and contribute some quality minutes which is great to have from a backup point.

Saylor I have only seen clips but I am hopeful that by late March she can give us 1-2 threes a game and be a threat from three so that when she comes in, she stretches the defense and it keeps the middle free for Liv to operate.

To use your phrase 'I'll believe when I see it' is starting to become more prevalent with me as it relates to both CW and AM because they continue to be inconsistent. I've seen this now for a while and they both get substantial minutes. Both can be contributors but I'm thinking a bit less than I originally projected.

To be clear I thought CW would be flat out amazing my now and be first team AA. She is still inconsistent and seems to be lost in her own head sometimes. She is so darn talented that you think she can turn it around. I mainly worry that she will have an inconsistent game when we need her to have a big game in a big game.

AM is shooting less effectively that I thought she would at this point...very streaky. I worry that in big games, she may be off. I thought she could top out at 12 points per game but now I'm not sure. I just hope she breaks out soon. She is still a very good player to have because her passing is so darn good and she is a good rebounder and average defender as well. Good on the break and with the ball in her hands....all this playing the 4 spot. I still believe the threat of her three point shot still opens things up but she isn't getting the 12 pts I thought she might and she has had open shots. However, I think she will hit them eventually as she did last year....but will she nail a 3 pointer at the time we need her to in a big game? This is really what I am starting to worry about.

I've seen much less of NM in comparison to AM and CW. But I do think she can be a contributor. Not a huge one, maybe 10-12 minutes tops in big games....but heck, she has the best player in America in front of her. Geno was trying to see how PB and NM could play together in the last game however. So I don't think NM will be a huge contributor because she has PB in front of her, but I think she can play and contribute some quality minutes which is great to have from a backup point.

Saylor I have only seen clips but I am hopeful that by late March she can give us 1-2 threes a game and be a threat from three so that when she comes in, she stretches the defense and it keeps the middle free for Liv to operate.

This is why I made a prior post to Cornel Lt prior to you reply to me on this thread. I love these discussions. Many of your posts on other stuff I agree with. But we also have complete opposite opinions on things like this.

I am completely opposite of Nika and Saylor vs CWill and Anna. And I just want to be clear I took your phrase "I'll believe it when I see it."

So for this team as of right now -- we have an overall completely different POV of what we're watching and what we expect to see as it pertains to these 4. Just as we have opposite views of - regardless if Nika is slow or not- we have opposite views of if a guard that is slow can be a quality type player on a top 5 team.

Over time -- with other players whether it be this season or a future season - these type of differences we have will likely pop up again.

 

[Tonyc]

When will Saylor see playtime. Depaul, St Johns. She has a few days before Depaul to practice with the team. Geno will see what she can do. This is going to be a time to be developed. Saylor 6'2 and plays like a guard who can rebound. However there are a bunch of kids ahead of her who have paid their price in practice. Still I think the coaching staff would like to get a look at Saylor in a real game. A real game exploits players weakness's and areas where they need work. I do think if Saylor can knock down shots she'll see playtime. Maybe not prime time but playtime this season. We can see into the future but we can dream and with her skills and our coaching staff shes gonna be really good.

 

[cferraro04]

Here is where I believe we stand with Saylor's arrival and potential participation in the UConn rotation. To begin with we need to be cognizant of the fact that Saylor has not played in quite some time (recovery from hip surgery). I do not think she will be in game shape, especially in UConn game shape. Secondly, she is a freshman who has not had the benefit of the pre-season conditioning, bonding and pick-up games. She has had zero college experience.

She is a gifted athlete who will benefit tremendously by being her for half a season working out with the UConn players. I don't think Geno will put her right into the game first chance he gets...he will want to send a message to his current players that their efforts in practice are appreciated. Saylor will have to earn the respect of her team mates in practice. I expect that by the end of the season she will begin to get a few minutes of playing time when the game is well in control. Expectations should not be high...if she does eventually get into the game and manages to score a three pointer it will probably be met with the same enthusiasm that Autumn's three pointer was met with last night.

What we should all be happy about is that by being here early...Saylor will hit her sophomore jump during her freshman year.

 

[HopJim]

Remember two years ago when Geno said to Christyn before the ND game "just go and shoot the ball don't worry about anything else" and she went off for 28 points? Afterwards reporters were commenting how great it was that she stepped up and Geno said "I told her to go and shoot the ball. What kid wouldn't want to do that?" That is how I envision he would use Saylor. He will undoubtedly develop her complete game over time, but that is tough to do in the middle of the season. I suspect she'll be the team's Vinnie (The Microwave) Johnson (or John Gwynn or Rashaad Anderson, if you prefer a more UConn analogy). Her job will be come off the bench and score. Her minutes will be based on how long it takes the other team to figure out how exploit her defensively.

JMHO, we will see soon enough.

I wonder what Geno is telling Williams these days.

 

[CL82]

I wonder what Geno is telling Williams these days.

My guess something akin to: "Take every minute on the court and use it to make an impact. If your shot's not falling, get back on D. Get beat on D? Box out and get the rebound. Don't worry about what you didn't do; worry about what you can do next. Make a difference. I have faith in you."

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Amari DeBerry was apparently close to coming early as well:


While practicing without a team, DeBerry said she at one point considered graduating early to join the Huskies this season as a way to get in time on the hardwood. Something fellow 2021 recruit and No. 13 ranked guard Saylor Poffenbarger did when she graduated one semester early and enrolled at UConn last month.


“That was a consideration to join the team early,” DeBerry said. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible since there were still only two classes I was required to take in order to graduate.”

Amari DeBerry says she ‘can’t show up to UConn unprepared’ after delayed senior season

Amari DeBerry will suit up for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team next winter at the top of her game; the Williamsville South senior took no breaks during her season that was pushed back for five months.

bvmsports.com

 

[eebmg]

A deeper article on Saylor hot off the presses focused more on her family background

Journal Inquirer

Serving towns east of the Connecticut River

www.journalinquirer.com

Saylor wore 23 because she loved Maya Moore,” Saylor’s mother and high school coach Amy Poffenbarger said Tuesday. “But when she got to high school she switched to 4 because her brother was 4 when he passed. As a mom, it means a lot to you. You never want to lose a child, but when your child honors them it’s such a beautiful thing.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Those of us who have followed Saylor know about her little brother's tragic death. It's a very sad story. But Saylor always has been a great older sister.

I liked her candor in the interview. She was very nervous. In her next game, hopefully she can just settle down and play basketball--something she's very good at it.

I thought her choice of Maya as a player to emulate was interesting. After I saw Say play, her versatility was striking. I asked myself, who was as complete a player as her? My answer to myself: Maya Moore. I'm not saying that Saylor is on Maya's level, because maybe no one is, but in terms of the ways she impacts a game, she's like Maya. She defends, blocks shots, grabs steals, makes deflections, hits from deep, scores in traffic, throws 50' passes on the money, etc. She does the things Maya did.

 

[Jingo]

Those of us who have followed Saylor know about her little brother's tragic death. It's a very sad story. But Saylor always has been a great older sister.

I liked her candor in the interview. She was very nervous. In her next game, hopefully she can just settle down and play basketball--something she's very good at it.

I thought her choice of Maya as a player to emulate was interesting. After I saw Say play, her versatility was striking. I asked myself, who was as complete a player as her? My answer to myself: Maya Moore. I'm not saying that Saylor is on Maya's level, because maybe no one is, but in terms of the ways she impacts a game, she's like Maya. She defends, blocks shots, grabs steals, makes deflections, hits from deep, scores in traffic, throws 50' passes on the money, etc. She does the things Maya did.

Hopefully!

 

[donalddoowop]

Those of us who have followed Saylor know about her little brother's tragic death. It's a very sad story. But Saylor always has been a great older sister.

I liked her candor in the interview. She was very nervous. In her next game, hopefully she can just settle down and play basketball--something she's very good at it.

I thought her choice of Maya as a player to emulate was interesting. After I saw Say play, her versatility was striking. I asked myself, who was as complete a player as her? My answer to myself: Maya Moore. I'm not saying that Saylor is on Maya's level, because maybe no one is, but in terms of the ways she impacts a game, she's like Maya. She defends, blocks shots, grabs steals, makes deflections, hits from deep, scores in traffic, throws 50' passes on the money, etc. She does the things Maya did.

Do you think she compares to Napheesa Collier? I mean in the way she can impact a game.

 

[Jingo]

Do you think she compares to Napheesa Collier? I mean in the way she can impact a game.

"I think I'll go up to the Bronx and see for myself" - famous quote from what movie?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Those of us who have followed Saylor know about her little brother's tragic death. It's a very sad story. But Saylor always has been a great older sister.

I liked her candor in the interview. She was very nervous. In her next game, hopefully she can just settle down and play basketball--something she's very good at it.

I thought her choice of Maya as a player to emulate was interesting. After I saw Say play, her versatility was striking. I asked myself, who was as complete a player as her? My answer to myself: Maya Moore. I'm not saying that Saylor is on Maya's level, because maybe no one is, but in terms of the ways she impacts a game, she's like Maya. She defends, blocks shots, grabs steals, makes deflections, hits from deep, scores in traffic, throws 50' passes on the money, etc. She does the things Maya did.

Hey @MilfordHusky is "Say" her high school nickname or a typo or a proposal of yours?

Alexa summarize a lot of Saylor's pregame presser:

‘It’s been a really positive thing for me:’ Saylor Poffenbarger settling in on and off the court at UConn after enrolling early in Storrs

Saylor Poffenbarger wants to do great things at UConn one day. It’s what she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl, watching her idol, Maya Moore, and the program take home championship after championship after championship. But for now, she’s content with just being in Storrs and learning...

news.yahoo.com

 

[MilfordHusky]

Do you think she compares to Napheesa Collier? I mean in the way she can impact a game.

A little. I’ve been touting her versatility since I first saw Saylor play. The things about Phee are her motor and relentlessness. The only comparable player I’ve seen is Maya. But Saylor plays hard. Maya and Phee were both born in Jefferson City, Missouri. Saylor’s mom played at the U. of Missouri. Maybe there’s something to that Missouri thing. I don’t expect Say to be another Phee, but I think she can be very, very good.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Hey @MilfordHusky is "Say" her high school nickname or a typo or a proposal of yours?

Alexa summarize a lot of Saylor's pregame presser:

‘It’s been a really positive thing for me:’ Saylor Poffenbarger settling in on and off the court at UConn after enrolling early in Storrs

Saylor Poffenbarger wants to do great things at UConn one day. It’s what she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl, watching her idol, Maya Moore, and the program take home championship after championship after championship. But for now, she’s content with just being in Storrs and learning...

news.yahoo.com

Saylor’s friends and family often call her Say. I’m not a friend, though I have met her. She’s personable and delightful.

 

[HopJim]

Let's make her start at UConn simple. To get her to relax and have that 1st basket taken care of, Geno needs to design a play for her to post up what is likely a short guard or a pick and roll for a layup. Could become a UConn tradition as the frosh go in at garbage time.

 

[JoePgh]

Saylor’s friends and family often call her Say. I’m not a friend, though I have met her. She’s personable and delightful.

Then Geno will surely call her that. He insists on one-syllable names whenever possible, inventing them where necessary (e.g., "Z" and "E").

 

[MdStang]

Saylor made the right choice in graduating early - Frederick County WBB teams are playing a 6 game season (no post season). Middletown got crushed by Frederick HS last night 70 - 26. They are missing Saylor big time.