This bit about "ONO" must learn NOT to FOUL is old old hat. Did you see her development from January 19 to April 19? Light years. Geno/CD are NOT siting on their hands with ONO.. ONO, unless I have lost the visibility in both eyes, Olivia Odada Nelson will be a most different player from Nov 19. I wish we'd get stuck in that grove that says: ONO is SOOOOO Improved. We need no dwell on her Early fouling prior to April--that''s like asking us to think of our Army to be as it was in 1862 old old stuff.
ONO right NOW is the key to the next FF. The success of Uconn for 2020 goes through ONO, CW, Megan< Danger--pick the last one: Griffin, Touly, Evelyn, Westbrook????
Bellemare, I strongly disagree with your contention that ONO learning not to foul, is old hat, it's not.
She was prone to foul last year. She was using the "fly swat" technique. As long as she continues to use that method, she will foul. Yes, she got better as the season went along. But until I see otherwise during games THIS year, I'll reserve judgment on whether she's overcome that challenge yet.
I agree that she made progress as the season went along, and that her play will not only improve this season, but over the years to come.
But she's not there yet. If you recall, she started for Lou when she was out with her back injury during the AAC conference tournament games in March.
In the first quarter of the UCF game,
ONO picked up 2 quick fouls in the first 8 minutes. She sat the remainder of the half. She played a total of 20 minutes, 7/11. Your response suggests that ONO has already learned how to play at this level without fouling, and we no longer need to be concerned. She hasn't, not yet.
She's a sophomore that still has a lot to learn about playing at this level, and playing for Geno. That includes not fouling. She remains a work in progress. She's going to make mistakes THIS year as well, just not those of the freshman variety. That's how I see it. If you see it differently, that's OK. We'll agree to disagree.
As a coach, you teach your young players
as they go. You don't try and teach them everything at once. They don't go to lesson #2 until they learn and master lesson #1. A player at any position can get in foul trouble. Guards and forwards/wings can foul simply by try making contact with their man while trying to stay in front of them. Post players by trying to protect the rim (blocking shots) or picking a teammate's man that beat them driving to the basket.
A lot of thoughts are going through a player's mind when they are on the floor. Juniors and seniors don't make freshmen mistakes because of the maturity and experience that freshmen don't have. After the sophomore year, most players (at any program not just UConn) know exactly what they're doing, and what is expected of them. They're comfortable on the floor because they've been around the block several times. They know what's coming. Some freshmen have that "wide-eyed" look like Jefferson and Dangerfield had early in their freshman year, hoping they didn't make a mistake that would cause them to get pulled.
It will become "old hat" when ONO demonstrates that she can stay on the floor and play 40 minutes (if necessary), every game without getting into foul trouble. THAT remains to be seen. I am a huge ONO fan. I'm looking for her to have a breakout year this year, but I'm from Missouri, so pardon me, but I'll wait to see how she progresses THIS YEAR before I start looking for my anointing oil.
