No, on level of importance. But she has the one commodity not teachable. Six Ft 7 inches. Great health or not so great, if she can play--that's a plus. As pointed out above--I'd rather see her in a UConn Uniform than ND, Baylor, Tx, Louisville, nearly anyone else. That seems to answer the question of---DO WE WANT HER???
IMO it is important because Sedona is a really good player (as is Olivia BTW) and UCONN has not had much success in recent recruiting classes landing a post player. There is room on the UCONN roster for another really good player and one could easily argue that "another" really good post play is mandatory for UCONN WBB to return to winning national championships. Selfishly I also don't want to see her in a ND or Oregon uniform.
If not us, I hope the Delaware Hens land her. Lol
In a nutshell.
No one in their right mind would argue with you on that!!! Your assessment of ONO is also accurate. The past season against Baylor ONO was a brand new, in-experienced, Freshman. Had Uconn played Baylor in February with the experience of the 3 assisting players (CW, Megan, ONO assisting Pheesa/KLS) the results may have been different. I liked the way ONO came on at the end of the season. Personal opinion: Had Geno trusted ONO more the results of the FF may have been different.
I hope you are correct but I doubt that Olivia will grown into the type of player that commands a double team next year and possibly never. My more modest projection for her is a sophomore leap similar to Megan Walker's into a steady starter, offensive contributor, defensive anchor, and the team's leading rebounder.
[YIPEE="RockyMTblue2, post: 3207929, member: 250"]
Yipee---SEDONA HAS SELECTED MY SCHOOL ----YIPEE---YIPEE YIPEE
Wonder why he didn't trust her more?
A discussion that got plenty of airtime....coaches have lots to consider, including the best way to win, and while Geno's got a pretty good track record, nothing works like playing time to improve skill sets. And, Geno has almost always deferred to guard play and shooters vs a bit more height, and an inside game. That's fine when the shots are falling, but, not so much when they aren't, and the inside game is lacking. But, its hard to argue with the success we've had. And, its easy to reflect on what could have been, as opposed to the unmatched success we've had. Speaking of success - Happy 4th!Wonder why he didn't trust her more?
Wonder why he didn't trust her more?
I agree that Liv will probably not command a double team. She’s not a traditional “back to the basket” low post player like Brown or McGowan. What I do believe Liv is capable of, based on a somewhat limited sample size as a freshman, is the ability to attack a defense from a face up position at the high post.
It is not so much that I disagree, just think your explanation is overly complex. Specifically I don't think Geno is overly loyal to seniors. If the objective was to keep the senior starters in the game then Geno could have pulled Freshmen CW, Sophomore MW, or Junior CD. Azura Stevens was a RS senior the year prior and Natalie Butler was also a RS senior the year prior to that. I think it's this simple: if Geno though ONO, or Azura or Natalie could have helped win those games Geno would have played them more than he did.
At least for 2020-21, the key measures of success for ONO will be rebounds and blocks, not scoring and not whether she occupies two defenders. If (along with Megan and the 5th starter) she can help to limit even good teams like Baylor and Oregon to one shot on most possessions, and can protect the rim, she will be doing all that is needed from her to allow UConn to win an NC. Scoring can come in subsequent years.
