SBNATION: 2022-23 Big East Women’s Basketball Summer Check-In: Connecticut Huskies

[Skeets]

I like Nika just fine. But I was talking about offense, not defense. She created offense from her exquisite defense. However, in the half court set, she is not our biggest asset.

Has she been an exquisite passer? At times, and especially on the break. But she's also picked up her dribble in the lane often enough and then looked around in a panic for someone to save her from a 3 second call. I think she's reduced the number of these lane-errors, but she hasn't eliminated this sort of thing from her game. Part of the problem -- and this has been discussed to death already -- is that she's not a great finisher at the rim. This gives her fewer options once she enters the lane. I was glad to hear her say she was going to work on this aspect of her offense. It bodes well for the future.

Ahh Bone, I agree with most of what you have said, but don't overlook the fact that UConn plays very well with Nika on the floor. Eliminate some of the dumb things like picking up her dribble, and allow Paige and Azzi to play off the ball where they can be deadly is money. Her intensity on the D is other plus. Sometimes you just need a kid who is a badass. (Holly cow, that might be a thread come November)

 

[TCC Kid]

Hope springs eternal this time of year. I’m rolling with Geno and the Huskies until they give a reason not to.

On the BY, it is always safer to go along with Geno. I doubt, my comment wasn't so. am I reading something I didn't know I said? If not for hope The old Brooklyn Dodger wouldn't have existed. Next year has proven to not always be the case. but in that I get your positive message. Another Tony C ? (Did I say, I like Mr Positive, Tony C. _

 

[The deacon]

hmmm. and what about Nika? easy to overlook it seems.

after two years being a sparkplug, an exquisite passer and, according to geno, a true leader of the huskies, it seems odd that she's often overlooked.

strange dynamics at play in the BY.

'Exquisite' as a passer might be a bit of an overstatement. Nika has thrown lots of excellent passes for the Huskies, but consistency hasn't been her forte.

 

[eebmg]

'Exquisite' as a passer might be a bit of an overstatement. Nika has thrown lots of excellent passes for the Huskies, but consistency hasn't been her forte.

Geno has used the word Exquisite for only one player. Azzi.

 

[jdote33]

Geno has used the word Exquisite for only one player. Azzi.

Sometimes I get super excited thinking about Azzi's future, and specifically next season. Then other times I worry about her ability to get her own shot (and it's more like I have no clue if this is an issue, just struggled in both SC games this season). Both her and Caroline on any given day I go from they can get 18 a night and be All Americans or they can have solid seasons around 13-14 ppgs a game.

 

[eebmg]

Sometimes I get super excited thinking about Azzi's future, and specifically next season. Then other times I worry about her ability to get her own shot (and it's more like I have no clue if this is an issue, just struggled in both SC games this season). Both her and Caroline on any given day I go from they can get 18 a night and be All Americans or they can have solid seasons around 13-14 ppgs a game.

She was physically not right in both SC games.

Geno has pinpointed Azzi's issue. It is that if things are not perfect (in her head), she can get out of form or just lose aggression. Paige is the opposite. As Geno said, she is delusional in the best sense. She will say the sky is green and stick with it no matter what.


I expect Azzi to be as good as KLM sophomore year if she is healthy.

 

[jdote33]

She was physically not right in both SC games.

Geno has pinpointed Azzi's issue. It is that if things are not perfect (in her head), she can get out of form or just lose aggression. Paige is the opposite. As Geno said, she is delusional in the best sense. She will say the sky is green and stick with it no matter what.


I expect Azzi to be as good as KLM sophomore year if she is healthy.

I hear that. And she really did have a good freshman year despite all the injuries. Its just that if she makes a big jump and heads into that player of the year category...lol I was getting ready to say UConn would win a chip but I actually think Stanford has two NPOY candidates on their team as well.

 

[Bone Dog]

or even KML

But the thing that really sticks in my mind is that in the tournament, Azzi was like deadly shooting free throws at the end of games. Paige is like that too. But Geno seems to have recognized that he wanted Azzi at the line at those moments. That says it all about a freshman.

 

[Stymie]

I hear that. And she really did have a good freshman year despite all the injuries. Its just that if she makes a big jump and heads into that player of the year category...lol I was getting ready to say UConn would win a chip but I actually think Stanford has two NPOY candidates on their team as well.

Unfortunately, I believe that the foot stress situation continues to linger a bit.

 

[jchusky]

hmmm. and what about Nika? easy to overlook it seems.

after two years being a sparkplug, an exquisite passer and, according to geno, a true leader of the huskies, it seems odd that she's often overlooked.

strange dynamics at play in the BY.

if she can't score or is scared to shoot she won't be a factor.

 

[PacoSwede]

if she can't score or is scared to shoot she won't be a factor.

delusional!

so your saying that nika has not been a factor during the past two years? i don't believe any teammates or coaches share that assessment.

you'd be on more solid ground asserting that she is not paige. wow. nobody is. but these cheap shots at nika are not warranted.

of course, you can continue. have at it.

 

[Dogstar]

if she can't score or is scared to shoot she won't be a factor.

I Siriusly thk tht ur Perception is a Misconception bcus of Box score Deception.

 

[Longtime fan]

hmmm. and what about Nika? easy to overlook it seems.

after two years being a sparkplug, an exquisite passer and, according to geno, a true leader of the huskies, it seems odd that she's often overlooked.

strange dynamics at play in the BY.

Everyone always assumes she is not an offensive threat ( other than in passing for assists ). That is not true. She can score from three and anywhere else. She just needs to be encouraged to do so. Hard to do with those other weapons on the court.

 

[oldhusky]

I agree. I also wonder why Paterson is almost never mentioned, yet Ice Brady is everywhere. And Patterson is at least as highly rated. I am not complaining mind you.. Or suggesting anything. I hope both are super great.

I think it is more of a question of how she fits in and being more of a potential type prospect because of her physical abilities. Also the position. While both might be considered mostly 4's, Ice might be more of a 4/5 that depending on Amari could find a significant role as Dorka's backup.

Ayanna might be more 4/3 because she could defend the 3 with her length and quickness, but we have two very good candidates there in Caroline and Lou that are 3 pt threats, and if Geno wants to go defense there Aubrey could be that specialist as well. So she has a ton of competition at the 4, and also a great deal at her second best position. Ice has the same competition at the 4, but a clearer path to playing time as a backup 5. There it all depends on Amari, if she is ready Geno might not need to use a PF as the backup C, but if Amari fails to take that position, Ice as a relatively polished prospect with enough bulk to be the next best choice.

I could see Ayanna taking a little bit longer to find her way offensively than Ice who appears to have a well developed low post game and a decent perimeter game. Ayanna can probably be a good rebounder, defender, shot blocker from the start, but her offense in high school was mostly interior shots where she just goes over people, relying more on her athletic ability than her skills. Ice is more the opposite with skills that are more ready for primetime, and athletic ability that is still pretty good, but not in Ayanna's league. In the long run I have no idea which will be the better player, but think Ice is closer to being ready offensively, and may have a better path to getting minutes at C particularly if Amari doesn't advance.

 

[Alydar]

She was physically not right in both SC games.

Geno has pinpointed Azzi's issue. It is that if things are not perfect (in her head), she can get out of form or just lose aggression. Paige is the opposite. As Geno said, she is delusional in the best sense. She will say the sky is green and stick with it no matter what.


I expect Azzi to be as good as KLM sophomore year if she is healthy.

She's better than that. She's as good a 3pt shooter and a better midrange shooter. She is also faster, quicker, can handle the ball better and is a better all around defender. They made KML an AA for her shooting alone.

if she can't score or is scared to shoot she won't be a factor.

Fudd will be an AA as soon as she starts trusting her body. Stress injuries in the foot can be lingering things but she has the best trainer around and I'd be shocked if she wasn't the starting 2 and leading scorer for the next 3 years.

 

[Alydar]

I think it is more of a question of how she fits in and being more of a potential type prospect because of her physical abilities. Also the position. While both might be considered mostly 4's, Ice might be more of a 4/5 that depending on Amari could find a significant role as Dorka's backup.

Ayanna might be more 4/3 because she could defend the 3 with her length and quickness, but we have two very good candidates there in Caroline and Lou that are 3 pt threats, and if Geno wants to go defense there Aubrey could be that specialist as well. So she has a ton of competition at the 4, and also a great deal at her second best position. Ice has the same competition at the 4, but a clearer path to playing time as a backup 5. There it all depends on Amari, if she is ready Geno might not need to use a PF as the backup C, but if Amari fails to take that position, Ice as a relatively polished prospect with enough bulk to be the next best choice.

I could see Ayanna taking a little bit longer to find her way offensively than Ice who appears to have a well developed low post game and a decent perimeter game. Ayanna can probably be a good rebounder, defender, shot blocker from the start, but her offense in high school was mostly interior shots where she just goes over people, relying more on her athletic ability than her skills. Ice is more the opposite with skills that are more ready for primetime, and athletic ability that is still pretty good, but not in Ayanna's league. In the long run I have no idea which will be the better player, but think Ice is closer to being ready offensively, and may have a better path to getting minutes at C particularly if Amari doesn't advance.

+1
I can see Patterson's offense coming on 2nd chance pts, on fast breaks, and on rolls to the hoop after setting a screen. She has real quickness in her feet and she is going to be lightly defended.
It will be a while until she learns all the offensive looks but she is a unique talent and was on campus for the summer session, "dominating the weight room" according to Bueckers.

 

[Alydar]

One reason the freshmen will shine is because Bueckers is like a coach on the court and will look to take advantage of the way they are defended. Actually she is better than the coach because she can take advantage of situations directly while the coach can only call time out.
I'll bet Bueckers has spent time practicing lob passes to an imaginary Patterson.

 

[jchusky]

Everyone always assumes she is not an offensive threat ( other than in passing for assists ). That is not true. She can score from three and anywhere else. She just needs to be encouraged to do so. Hard to do with those other weapons on the court.

explain the Oregon game where the other team dared her to shoot and left her open from 3 she kept passing open shots. Keep in mind this was the game Chrystn had covid, what a great opportunity to show you could score with one of Uconn's best players out.

 

[HopJim]

Oh I agree with you 100%, but some ppl already overrating another player saying she is going to challenge Ducharme for minutes which is just laughable. When healthy Ducharme was one of the best players on the team, still say taking her out of the lineup cost the team a shot at the ntl title. They probably still don't win, but with her in the lineup they were a better team.

Opinions vary. Not sure if they were a better team but the motion offense lead by Azzi and Ducharme may have been a better match for S. Carolina. Paige coming off the bench was a morale boost for UConn. Otherwise, team slowed down and became a perfect match up for the power of SC.

 

[Bone Dog]

I don’t think anyone is dismissing Nika’s contribution. She’s clearly an important element of the team. But let’s not indulge in make believe. In the Stanford game, just to give one example, Geno used Nika in an offense/defense substitution pattern in the 4th quarter. This means he thinks she’s not his best offensive option. This doesn’t matter in blowouts, and Nika is often instrumental in creating blowouts. But in a tight game, where both teams are under intense pressure, a foul prone defender who doesn’t create her own offense except with a steal, and whose main perimeter threat is a slow developing mortar shot — that player has to be used with caution. Another way to put this: Nika is a transcendent talent in the 3rd quarter. This is when many blowouts happen. But in the 4th quarter of the late rounds of the NCAA tournament, she can be a liability if not used sparingly.

Want a demonstration of this: just compare the Tennessee game, a blowout engineered largely by Nika (and Christyn) in the 3rd quarter, with the 4th quarter of the Stanford game. She’d played awesomely in the earlier quarters, but in the 4th Geno was much more cautious with her. No one’s denying her value. But I think we have to see the true limitations of it as well. She is working on improving her offense this summer, and if she succeeds, she will have rounded out her game nicely. I look forward to seeing it in November.

 

[#12in21]

I think a couple things will have changed in what we see in Nika's game come November. The first being that she has an effective mid-range shot or two and is more proficient at finishing drives and a willingness to use them. The second, which will allow the first to happen, is she will have made a mental shift in how she sees herself and her role on offense. Sometime near the end of last season I believe she made this mental shift but needed this off season to refocus on further developing her offense game (or regaining those aspects of her game she displayed in Croatia prior to UCONN).

It was telling during one post game interview, when directly asked about whether her lack of willingness to shoot the ball hurt her team and she very directly responded, No. She went on to say with all the much better (and even great) shooters/scorers on the team she didn't see that as part of her role. I would argue that Geno definitely did not agree with her assessment, and without a doubt made her aware of that and then, as Bone Dog has eluded to, reinforced that with how and when she was used. He has been rather clear that Nika has to be enough of an offense threat that her defensive player can't sag off of her, beyond that it is gravy if she has a hot offensive night.

I believe, in her own mind, Nika has come to balance her awareness, that although she is surrounded by truly gifted offensive teammates (who are much better options based on offensive skills), there is the need for her to be more than just a facilitator on that end of the court. She needs to keep the defense honest by upping her offensive game for the betterment of the team. Geno wants her on the floor but can only do that if she can make that adjustment. In my opinion, Nika, being all about team success first, even more than her own desire to be playing rather than watching, will come back this season having made that mental adjustment and having worked on her offensive skills. She still, I am sure, views herself as a lesser option on offense but accepts that it hurts her team to be an offensive non-factor in the opponents game plan. UCONN is a better team with Nika on the court rather than watching from the bench, Geno has said as much on several occasions and also identified what has been the main barrier for that to happen, Nika, although self professedly stubborn has come around to once again believe him, having recently been recorded saying,'he's the smartest man in the country' ..'boss man'.