Saylor is coming!!!

[cbraarj]

OK! I said: However, how many UCONN freshmen have grasped (groked for Heinlein fans) Geno's offensive and defensive systems quickly? Within 10-15 games? Quickly enough to gain his trust in the NCAA tourney? Notice the word quickly!
Everyone of the aforementioned players had 3-4 months of practice and 30+ games to prepare for the NCAA tourney which by the way not all of them were trusted enough to be in the rotation at NCAA time. Poffenbarger has about a month and half to learn the systems and to demonstrate reults earning trust for the NCAA.
The one's who probably gained Geno trust quickly were KML, Nurse, Anna and Paige. It took the entire season for Geno to trust Stewie. Gabby was off and on due to her fluctuating confidence. All the rest required the practice time and the entire season or were used because there was no one else.

In defense of Gabbys play. They did switch her to the forward position from the start.

 

[cbraarj]

Strange year with the virus and with that never say never this year. Anyway you look at it. It's a positive move for the Say Hey Kid and UConn.

 

[CocoHusky]

In defense of Gabbys play. They did switch her to the forward position from the start.

Gabby needs no defense here. As a freshman Geno was putting Gabby in games ahead of senior Kiah Stokes in the post rotation. If that does not display confidence I don't know what does.

 

[Majic Hands]

I remember a Gabby interview. I haven't the greatest memory but what I remember is that during her freshman year during a game where they were getting beat she was trying to hide behind team mates so "Coach" wouldn't see her and put her in. As I remember it's this interview where she said she realized she wasn't ready to play at this level an that was when she made the commitment to herself to get better so she could compete at a higher level.

I think of this interview every time someone compares anyone to Gabby. Especially when they freshmen. The light has to come on. Then the person has to want to get there so strongly that are able to commit themselves to their goal.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm not sure if this is Day 2 or Day 3 of Saylor's quarantine, but she can hang out with the team in about 1 more week. Maybe she'll get a distant seat in Gampel for tomorrow's game.

 

[Buzzyboy]

HOLY GUACAMOLI! Well, we know she's a coach's kid so hopefully she gets up to speed at an accelerated pace. This is pretty incredible news. Where's Geno's comments...inquiring minds want to know...

You had to know Geno was all in or this scenario wouldn't have happened ... come to find out, they had been talking about this possibility for at least a month ....

 

[Buzzyboy]

Someone will have to play less, for her to play more. So, who will lose playing time?

I personally think that she'll be introduced into games very very slowly and there won't be very many minutes involved for quite a while .... she has to prove that she's ready and that she can contribute in a meaningful manner first

 

[j66kicker]

I'm not sure if this is Day 2 or Day 3 of Saylor's quarantine, but she can hang out with the team in about 1 more week. Maybe she'll get a distant seat in Gampel for tomorrow's game.

Geno said she got to Storrs on Sunday, so I’m guessing it’s not Day 3

 

[Buzzyboy]

Which likely means she could graduate in 4 years so lets not predict a 5 year player yet....

I think that would mean she could play the 5th season (if she wanted) as a graduate assistant, right?

 

[Buzzyboy]

Good question, one things for certain she got no minutes this season in H.S. so even if few minutes she will get coached up by the best in the business, As I see it a +++ for her for the Husky Nation which includes us.

Also to be scrimmaging with the team, a big asset indeed ....

 

[Buzzyboy]

I agree with you just don't think it will be that slow and as much as you probably don't want to hear this Saylor is also going to be eating into Aubrey minutes.
Why?
1) She is a coaches daughter.
3) Her perimeter defense is on par with Aubrey's=best on the team.
2) She is a legit 6'2" and sturdy=versatility to defend 1-4 and the ability to crate matchup problems.
4) She is a legit deep shooter=2nd best on this roster.
5) She is an insanely good passer and ball handler for her size.

Saylor is going to press multiple people for playing time and maybe exactly what this team needed.

I didn't realize that she might come in that ready to produce but it sounds great to me .... we want this team to be the best it can be and whoever can contribute the best to that goal should get the minutes

 

[hoophuskee]

The other day she played her overall best game for UConn. First game she didn't look out of place running a half court set. Her defense will keep getting her minutes but against the better teams UConn can't play 5 on 4. She reminds me of Ashley Battle alot. If next years class is that good and come in and shows they're as good as advertised. I stand by what I said. Hopefully she starts being consistent and follows up with another game like Providence.

I don't agree with the degree of harshness of what you're seeing. Ashley Battle? Maybe-- Ashley played 6 years in the WNBA and was a big part of the 2 titles UCONN won. despite not being so hot offensively. Next year UCONN is stacked offensively. Azzi is supposedly better than Paige and Paige is already a beast. Add up the upperclassmen she looks like she will be a staple.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think that would mean she could play the 5th season (if she wanted) as a graduate assistant, right?

A graduate assistant is part of the coaching staff and not eligible to play you probably meant graduate student. Saylor will be eligible to play 4.5 seasons over the next 5.5 calendar years. During those 5.5 calendar years her academic class status such as Freshman, Jr or Senior or "graduate student"will not be a consideration for eligibility. Her only eligibility requirements are to maintain a 2.0 and take a minimum amount of credits per semester to remain academically eligible.

 

[CocoHusky]

I didn't realize that she might come in that ready to produce but it sounds great to me .... we want this team to be the best it can be and whoever can contribute the best to that goal should get the minutes

Don't get too excited. I think Saylor will be able to come in and contribute right away. There are many here that disagree and think she will not be a contributor this late in the season. That was a list of reason I think she will. Geno was interviewed about this today and he said he flat out doesn't know but his plan is to stick Saylor out there in some practices and see what happens. Here is an additional reason I think Saylor will excel. There is only 1 person on the team that I think can effectively guard Saylor and that's Aubrey. Saylor on the other hand can effective guard every players on the UCONN roster not named Olivia. That's going to become apparent after a few practices. Everything with UCONN WBB starts with the practices.

 

[CL82]

I think Saylor will be able to come in and contribute right away.

I suspect that he will simplify things for her. Pretty much go in and shoot.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Gabby needs no defense here. As a freshman Geno was putting Gabby in games ahead of senior Kiah Stokes in the post rotation. If that does not display confidence I don't know what does.

Gabby 591 minutes 15.6 min/game
Kiah 715 minutes 18.3 min/game

 

[hoophuskee]

All the players in your post (Mir, Liv, Aubrey, Edwards), except Nika, are forwards or posts - not Saylor's likely position. While we have no evidence of how Saylor will play at the college level, Nika's start has been bumpy. Saylor has guard skills and her height would be a great addition to UConn's currently poor zone defense. For those who love man to man (as I do), watch Baylor's recent loss. Geno will need this tool in his coaching bag.

What position do you think she is? I think as huskysc said she is a primary 3/4 -- while she could be a 2 because there can be little difference between a sg and a sf but UCONN can have Paige play the sg, and CWill and Evina are the combo sg and SF. And so you agree no PF for Saylor this year? **And to further this point why I brought up minutes of Aubrey and Edwards (and Mir) is that they are also sharing it with Anna. The more minutes they get more than likely the less minutes Anna plays at PF thus more competition for Saylor at the 2/3 spots, right?

If you are going to narrow it down to giving Saylor no shot at the PF spot okay then she has even less of a shot for playing time, right?

As far as Nika-- yes her start has been bumpy but Geno had expectations for her so much so that he had her 1st off the bench in game 1. I bring her up because she is also another indirect competition to Saylor getting minutes just as the PF's at the very least will drive Anna to play more minutes at the SF. There still is competition and imo Geno in no way has given up on Nika. SO, if you are implying that Saylor isn't going to be a PF – then she is competing with 5 others for 3 spots. And Geno doesn’t go 9-10 deep generally. And this is a terrific for a wcbb team ranked top-tier in the country while she hasn't played in a year or so. I just think it’s more of a reach to believe a player from H/S not a top 5 recruit is going to break in on a terrific team in which she has yet to play 1 minute of college ball while breaking in during the season and has been out a year and is not regarded as being “Paige” or “Azzi.”

And in regards to height-- so what? Paige is tall for a PG/SG, Evina is tall for a pg and SG. And Anna is tall for a SG an a SF. Who is complaining about their height at the 1-3 positions? Size isn't the issue on the 1-3 positions. And if we’re not complaining then why does it matter she is tall when we have other tall players?

 

[cbraarj]

I don't agree with the degree of harshness of what you're seeing. Ashley Battle? Maybe-- Ashley played 6 years in the WNBA and was a big part of the 2 titles UCONN won. despite not being so hot offensively. Next year UCONN is stacked offensively. Azzi is supposedly better than Paige and Paige is already a beast. Add up the upperclassmen she looks like she will be a staple.

I'm not being harsh towards Aubrey. Just being realistic and yes Battle played in the WNBA and helped UConn win 2 titles. Mainly doing what she did best. What did she ave 20 min a game. Those 2 teams didn't have the talent the Huskies will have next year either.

 

[cbraarj]

I remember a Gabby interview. I haven't the greatest memory but what I remember is that during her freshman year during a game where they were getting beat she was trying to hide behind team mates so "Coach" wouldn't see her and put her in. As I remember it's this interview where she said she realized she wasn't ready to play at this level an that was when she made the commitment to herself to get better so she could compete at a higher level.

I think of this interview every time someone compares anyone to Gabby. Especially when they freshmen. The light has to come on. Then the person has to want to get there so strongly that are able to commit themselves to their goal.

Plus they had her playing in the post for her frosh year.

 

[hoophuskee]

I hear ya hoop and I do understand your skepticism. There is something to be said for 'seeing is believing'. I'm just projecting at this point.

I guess I am a 'glass is half full' kind of guy with Saylor. I have only seen clips, which normally means she has made all her shots, but she looks darn good on them. Gets them off quick and creates space to do so. She does a lot more than just shoot threes, but the rest is harder to project. I think the shooting does project to this level. Like I said, I'd like to know her 3-point % in HS.

Right now, we need options for better three-point shooters and I think at worst, she give us one. Collectively, the team is in a funk with regard to 3-point shooting. The good side is that we are getting good looks and there are glimpses of our players working their way out of this collective funk. They can't all keep missing at a 65%-70% clip the rest of the year. I can't believe that. I also think Saylor can hit at a better percentage than that too.

The fun part, is soon we will get an opportunity to see what Saylor brings and, IMHO, that is going to be much better than nothing.

I like your post. I like what you're trying to say but it’s as you say "I'll believe it when I see it. "


Can I ask you a few questions?
1-- You've seen what Anna did last year as a shooter and you saw what CWill did as a frosh- however as far as what are you projecting with Saylor in which you have seen very little I assume.-- What is your projection for shooting the 3 going forward with CWill and Anna in which you have seen a lot?

2-- We had a bit of a disagreement with Nika and overall the game a bit -a while back. One thing I think is that imo slow players (I am not arguing if she is slow or not – but if she was) can still be really good. As long as they aren't excessively so. You came back and asked me "Would Geno recruit a slow player from so far away?"

So in this case I'd like to ask in a similar manner a question to you but more of the rating system and quality of opponent. Here it goes—

"Do you really think as a general rule with Saylor's athleticism, how she handles the ball, and her passing, and she also looks very strong, and her probable knowledge of the game, if she were a knockdown sharpshooter in which we've read that her competition in H/S wasn't the greatest --- then – wouldn’t she have had more prolific stats along with a much, much higher consensus rating if she were a sharpshooter with her size and athleticism vs her h/s opponents? She would completely overwhelm them to such a degree that wouldn’t she be thought of as KLS (KLS was a number 1 recruit yet Saylor is at best 7 with 10 ratings and higher?)? At least KLS was going against strong competition. IMO you wouldn’t be “wondering what Saylor’s 3 pt shooting stats were if she was also a knockdown sharpshooter.” You’d already know she was super elite and her ranking wouldn’t be like it is – imo.

**So more than likely she is a “good shooter” not great. So your expectation for Anna is not “better than good” going forward? And have you lost complete confidence that CWill can become good going forward? She’s the former number 1 recruit that will never show herself to be a good shooter yet Saylor who you haven’t seen much (I assume) – you have confidence that she is?

 

[hoophuskee]

I'm not being harsh towards Aubrey. Just being realistic and yes Battle played in the WNBA and helped UConn win 2 titles. Mainly doing what she did best. What did she ave 20 min a game. Those 2 teams didn't have the talent the Huskies will have next year either.

I'm done with this. But we can agree to disagree. You are assuming Saylor, Ducharme, and Amari have it in them to overrun Aubrey. Maybe one of these three but other than that- I think you're buying too strongly into the recruiting hype. Scoring won't be a problem next year. And UCONN is a top 4 team right now and Aubrey is part of the rotation. As a frosh they were number 5 in the country and she was 6th player off the bench. Getting 20+ "Battle" minutes is absolutely fine.

In addition a freak defender like Aubrey allows UCONN potentially stop the other team more and get out in transition. I think she is "Rodman-like" but can finish and is showing progress.

 

[jazz]

I like your post. I like what you're trying to say but it’s as you say "I'll believe it when I see it. "


Can I ask you a few questions?
1-- You've seen what Anna did last year as a shooter and you saw what CWill did as a frosh- however as far as what are you projecting with Saylor in which you have seen very little I assume.-- What is your projection for shooting the 3 going forward with CWill and Anna in which you have seen a lot?

2-- We had a bit of a disagreement with Nika and overall the game a bit -a while back. One thing I think is that imo slow players (I am not arguing if she is slow or not – but if she was) can still be really good. As long as they aren't excessively so. You came back and asked me "Would Geno recruit a slow player from so far away?"

So in this case I'd like to ask in a similar manner a question to you but more of the rating system and quality of opponent. Here it goes—

"Do you really think as a general rule with Saylor's athleticism, how she handles the ball, and her passing, and she also looks very strong, and her probable knowledge of the game, if she were a knockdown sharpshooter in which we've read that her competition in H/S wasn't the greatest --- then – wouldn’t she have had more prolific stats along with a much, much higher consensus rating if she were a sharpshooter with her size and athleticism vs her h/s opponents? She would completely overwhelm them to such a degree that wouldn’t she be thought of as KLS (KLS was a number 1 recruit yet Saylor is at best 7 with 10 ratings and higher?)? At least KLS was going against strong competition. IMO you wouldn’t be “wondering what Saylor’s 3 pt shooting stats were if she was also a knockdown sharpshooter.” You’d already know she was super elite and her ranking wouldn’t be like it is – imo.

**So more than likely she is a “good shooter” not great. So your expectation for Anna is not “better than good” going forward? And have you lost complete confidence that CWill can become good going forward? She’s the former number 1 recruit that will never show herself to be a good shooter yet Saylor who you haven’t seen much (I assume) – you have confidence that she is?

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.

 

[oldude]

I suspect that he will simplify things for her. Pretty much go in a shoot.

& play defense and rebound.

 

[CL82]

& play defense and rebound.

Sort of, but I suspect it’ll be difficult for her do you understand her role in the defense, but maintaining spacing and shooting when the ball comes to her is something that she can do.

 

[mbr33ct]

Play for Saylor.

Geno: "Saylor on offense I want you to go anywhere behind the arc and shoot"