Seems it's time... Who will start?

[Just.A.Fan]

Since none of us actually know who will be healthy on day 1, it is actually impossible to answer this question at this point. We can all guess and assume, but that's about it. So assuming for the moment that Azzi, Caroline and Aubrey will not be available on Day 1, the my educated guess at a starting five would be Paige, Ash, Kaitlyn, Ice and Jana. I have left KK and Sarah out of the starting five because we don't need three point guards out there. Ashlynn was the Big East Freshman of the Year. That alone should be worthy of a starting position on Day 1. Neither Sarah or Jana have any experience in a UConn uniform, but Jana has at least been exposed to the program for a year. If Ice (who I wasn't high on) improves over where she left off at the end of last season, she could be hard to get out of the starting five. I expect KK (who I think is terrific and going to an outstanding point guard) to get plenty of minutes spelling whomever needs a break. Sarah, if she's as good as we expect her to be, will get plenty of minutes as well. As for the other freshman, I just don't know enough about them except for high school highlight clips.

Wow! I honesty didn't take the poll until after posting this. Very nice to see that most of you agree with me.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I think there's a case to be made for your reading of the situation, if we take into account the fact that the early games aren't going to be as hard as Geno's OOC often is. Not until the end of November will we see anyone tougher than UNC, though December looks to be very tough. This might mean a non-optimal starting lineup may be useful just to get ready for December. By the way, I don't mean to dismiss UNC, but they don't really compare to the teams we'll see in December. They look to me like an excellent early game to measure the youngsters against. Of course, I thought that about NC St. last season and look where that got us.

The design of the OOC schedule allows Geno more experimentation time that will ensure the best lineup for Notre Dame and Southern California.

It allows Geno to take the boldest (rather than the safest) guess at his most effective (eventual) starting lineup on Day 1. And test that lineup with repetitions.

In brief, the test for optimality would be how the starting lineup would hypothetically fare against Notre Dame and Southern California — which you surmised.

 

[Dogstar]

was hoping someone would point out that defense is a humongous factor in a team's success; for some weird reason that's overlooked in many BY discussions, which consistently focus on other aspects of the game.

TOTALLY AGREE!!

 

[sun]

Even though I didn't vote for Carol, if she's really ready to go on day 1 then I could see her starting against a lowly opponent.
Who among the healthy vets on the team has as much ecperience as she does?
IMO she could not only add a dimension to the team but could be a dark horse starter.
The fact that she only received 2 votes doesn't mean that she should be totally discounted as a starter, since Geno could choose to reward her for patienty hanging in there for so long & being so tough.
We never did get to see what happened to her when she got whacked in the head in Europe by the errant pass.
She was a victim.

 

[sun]

If Carol can get it all together in the pre-season workouts & practices then I think that Geno would want to lift her spirits & help her get off to a new beginning.
Giving her the start could do wonders for her outlook going into a new season.
Geno probably has some sympathy & a soft spot for her situation.
What better way for a coach to offer her some encouragement & hope if she's raring to play?

 

[Skeets]

was hoping someone would point out that defense is a humongous factor in a team's success; for some weird reason that's overlooked in many BY discussions, which consistently focus on other aspects of the game.

TOTALLY AGREE!!

Nothing makes me crazier than watching a big get burned over and over again by not knowing when to play help defense and when to stay home. It's really easy to look stupid out there unless you know what you are doing.

Help defense is a problem with other positions too, but with a big it usually results in giving the other team a 1 foot chippy.

 

[oldhusky]

interesting thread ... finally got around to reading it all.

lots of good thoughts, but what most intrigued me was the support for jana -- at this point second only to paige! wowsa.

i sure hope this is justified. it would be great if it turns out to be what happens.

but it seems to be largely (entirely?) based on hopes rather than verifiable facts (such as: she is tall and a rah-rah teammate). no BYer has yet to see if she actually can perform at the level they imagine. it's a nice dream, but at this point that's all it is.

I think the support for Jana starting does have a significant hope element to it, but Geno and other players comments have been encouraging, and we have to remember that this question was not who are the 5 best players, but who will start, and that is a very different question.

Jana has just one natural competitor this year and that is Ice. I know there is great debate over two bigs vs. four out, but I haven't heard support for five out yet. Jana is the only player with true C size, Ice is a little short. Both could easily be considered 4/5 type players but on this team we need their minutes to be at the 5.

Ice only had to be better than Amari to get regular minutes last year. This year to start, she needs to be better than Jana, but will likely still get backup minutes there. The competition at 1-3 is incredibly tougher than at the 5. We have many options that are exceptional on the perimeter, but when it comes to the 5, we need Jana and Ice to be both very good and healthy. Frankly we don't have a good plan B at least at that position, if either doesn't meet expectations or gets injured.

My best guess is Jana will be the real deal as a starter, but that Ice might be ok but not really a plus by Uconn standards as the backup, but maybe we get a big sophomore bump.

 

[Bills Fan]

If Carol can get it all together in the pre-season workouts & practices then I think that Geno would want to lift her spirits & help her get off to a new beginning.
Giving her the start could do wonders for her outlook going into a new season.
Geno probably has some sympathy & a soft spot for her situation.
What better way for a coach to offer her some encouragement & hope if she's raring to play?

I think the small, almost non-existent, number of votes for Caroline is indicative of BYers feelings about her playing this year. At this late date she is still absent from team activities. She has been dealt a terrible hand.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

My picks……

Bueckers
Shade
Jana
Sarah
Cheli

KK, Chen, Zeibell, and Ice should see major minutes, maybe more than some of the starters. I’d like to include Ducharme and Azzi in major minutes but until I hear good news from Geno, in my book they’re still question marks. Not sure what Q brings to the table this year maybe a lot and maybe not.

 

[ashfan]

My picks……

Bueckers
Shade
Jana
Sarah
Cheli

KK, Chen, Zeibell, and Ice should see major minutes, maybe more than some of the starters. I’d like to include Ducharme and Azzi in major minutes but until I hear good news from Geno, in my book they’re still question marks. Not sure what Q brings to the table this year maybe a lot and maybe not.

Can we all agree that performance (especially scoring efficiency) and--let's face it--injuries will largely determine who are getting the most playing time?

 

[Alydar]

Here's a video that tells his team that who starts will be determined in September and October.

 

[MSGRET]

If I remember correctly official practice can begin something like 42 days before the first game of the season. If that is the rules then their first official practice is around the 23rd of September, less than a month away.

 

[JoePgh]

Here's a video that tells his team that who starts will be determined in September and October.

"We can't go through another season with 5 guys playing 40 minutes." -- Geno, Autumn 2023

Watching this video (which is obviously from last fall) with the benefit of hindsight is somewhat chilling. I remember him saying in early December or thereabouts that everything that had been planned offensively in October had to be thrown out because of the injuries. But the revival in the spring was all the more remarkable for that reason.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

If I remember correctly official practice can begin something like 42 days before the first game of the season. If that is the rules then their first official practice is around the 23rd of September, less than a month away.

I think most schools have already started unofficial practices which is exciting on its own!

 

[EricSD]

Here's a video that tells his team that who starts will be determined in September and October.

I'm assuming this was from last year? He was instructing Nika at times and I saw Amari in there. Nice video, but not relevant for this season... unless your point was he's not sure who's starting... that does make sense!

 

[Bills Fan]

Even though I didn't vote for Carol, if she's really ready to go on day 1 then I could see her starting against a lowly opponent.
Who among the healthy vets on the team has as much ecperience as she does?
IMO she could not only add a dimension to the team but could be a dark horse starter.
The fact that she only received 2 votes doesn't mean that she should be totally discounted as a starter, since Geno could choose to reward her for patienty hanging in there for so long & being so tough.
We never did get to see what happened to her when she got whacked in the head in Europe by the errant pass.
She was a victim.

Wasn't CD already suffering from head injuries from the season before heading to Europe and getting hit in the head area by a ball? The Europe incident just compounded prior problems.

 

[Bone Dog]

Well, the people have spoken:
Paige
KK
Ash
Sarah
Jana

 

[Alydar]

I'm assuming this was from last year? He was instructing Nika at times and I saw Amari in there. Nice video, but not relevant for this season... unless your point was he's not sure who's starting... that does make sense!

My point was that right now everyone is equal in the eyes of the coaches. The only relevance that the past will have in October is the skills and experience the players gained then that may pay off once the competition for a starting position begins. Starters from last year do not get extra credit for prior years.

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

My Pic for the starting 5 are :

1. Bueckers
2. Arnold
3. El alfy
4. Brady
5. Shade

 

[Just.A.Fan]

My point was that right now everyone is equal in the eyes of the coaches. The only relevance that the past will have in October is the skills and experience the players gained then that may pay off once the competition for a starting position begins. Starters from last year do not get extra credit for prior years.

Words stated by coaches, are good motivating tools for the team to hear, but if 100% healthy (which appears doubtful at this time), I would find it extremely difficult to believe that Fudd, Ducharme & Aubrey (all former starters and proven elite players) wouldn't be given "extra credit". That's nearly like telling Paige she has to earn her position. LOL.

 

[HuskyNan]

I think most schools have already started unofficial practices which is exciting on its own!

Intent: In women's basketball, to specify that an institution shall not commence on-court preseason basketball practice sessions prior to 5 p.m. on the date that is 40 days prior to the date of the institution's first regular-season contest; further, to specify that an institution shall not engage in more than 30 days of countable athletically related activities prior to its first regular-season contest.

Legislative Services Database - LSDBi

 

[Alydar]

Words stated by coaches, are good motivating tools for the team to hear, but if 100% healthy (which appears doubtful at this time), I would find it extremely difficult to believe that Fudd, Ducharme & Aubrey (all former starters and proven elite players) wouldn't be given "extra credit". That's nearly like telling Paige she has to earn her position. LOL.

Bueckers will have to earn her starting position. If she misses a practice to attend a photo shoot I'd almost bet that she wouldn't play the next game. But she is who she is because she doesn't slack off at all, ever. So I would say she's a lock to start but only because wouldn't miss a practice any sooner than a certain Duke fan would miss a meal.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

Intent: In women's basketball, to specify that an institution shall not commence on-court preseason basketball practice sessions prior to 5 p.m. on the date that is 40 days prior to the date of the institution's first regular-season contest; further, to specify that an institution shall not engage in more than 30 days of countable athletically related activities prior to its first regular-season contest.

Legislative Services Database - LSDBi

Ok well all these schools are posting about practice starting this week so take it up with them not me lol

Duke:

Tennessee:

I'd imagine the UConn ladies are practicing in a similar capacity at this point.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

Bueckers will have to earn her starting position. If she misses a practice to attend a photo shoot I'd almost bet that she wouldn't play the next game. But she is who she is because she doesn't slack off at all, ever. So I would say she's a lock to start but only because wouldn't miss a practice any sooner than a certain Duke fan would miss a meal.

Sorry, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but Paige does NOT have to earn her starting position. It's her to lose and that isn't going to happen (meaning there is no other player on the team going to beat her out). Please don't take things to extreme and make up things that aren't going to happen. We all know that Paige, nor any of the players I mentioned, wouldn't do anything contrary than what is appropriate. They would, of course, set a perfect example and get permission from Geno and his staff before doing anything as you suggest.

 

[Zinethar]

That would appear to be 9/28/2024 if I counted correctly.

 

[Bone Dog]

Sorry, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but Paige does NOT have to earn her starting position. It's her to lose and that isn't going to happen (meaning there is no other player on the team going to beat her out). Please don't take things to extreme and make up things that aren't going to happen. We all know that Paige, nor any of the players I mentioned, wouldn't do anything contrary than what is appropriate. They would, of course, set a perfect example and get permission from Geno and his staff before doing anything as you suggest.

I think @Alydar was making a joke. It's a reference to a joke Geno made a couple years ago when reporters were pressing him on when Paige would be ready to return in her sophomore year. He said, "Of course, she'll have to earn her minutes in practice." All the reporters laughed.

 

[Alydar]

I think @Alydar was making a joke. It's a reference to a joke Geno made a couple years ago when reporters were pressing him on when Paige would be ready to return in her sophomore year. He said, "Of course, she'll have to earn her minutes in practice." All the reporters laughed.

I wasn't joking. Of course Bueckers will start but if she were to give half-hearted effort in preseason practice she wouldn't. I give that an almost zero probability of happening. I've followed Bueckers' development since her 2nd year of HS and not giving 100% just isn't in her makeup however I don't think Geno has been blowing smoke about this for 40 years. Players are told that practice performance is directly proportional to minutes. Recruits who ask about minutes are quickly removed from UConn's recruiting list.

I think it's amazing that fans don't believe Geno on this point.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ok well all these schools are posting about practice starting this week so take it up with them not me lol

Duke:

Tennessee:

I'd imagine the UConn ladies are practicing in a similar capacity at this point.

All this stuff is pretty easy to find online

Beginning July 20, required summer athletics activities may begin and can last up to eight weeks or until the school's first day of classes or Sept. 15, whichever is earlier. Required virtual nonphysical activities can continue to be conducted during this period. Virtual and in-person activities cannot exceed a combined eight hours per week.

DI Council approves plan for men’s and women’s basketball summer activities

The Division I Council approved a plan for summer athletics activities for men's and women's basketball. The Council met virtually Wednesday.

www.ncaa.org

 

[GirlBoo1020]

All this stuff is pretty easy to find online

Beginning July 20, required summer athletics activities may begin and can last up to eight weeks or until the school's first day of classes or Sept. 15, whichever is earlier. Required virtual nonphysical activities can continue to be conducted during this period. Virtual and in-person activities cannot exceed a combined eight hours per week.

DI Council approves plan for men’s and women’s basketball summer activities

The Division I Council approved a plan for summer athletics activities for men's and women's basketball. The Council met virtually Wednesday.

www.ncaa.org

I know that. That is why I called them unofficial practices!

 

[VA Huskie]

Paige, Shade, Chen, Strong, Jana.

Paige - yep.

Shade is a very safe pick - lots of minutes last season, reliable, good at everything.

I am guessing that Azzi will be ready to go to start the season but will be on a minutes restriction, which suggests to me that she will be utilized as the "microwave" off the bench. I think Azzi will be starting by the second half of the season though.

KK will also provide great energy off the bench but Chen has more experience and has shown herself more than capable of competing and scoring at the highest levels of WCBB. We need scoring options against the top ten teams. She gets the nod over KK, who could start for all but a handful of teams.

If Strong is anywhere near as good as advertised, she will start on day one. Number one recruit, with comparisons being tossed around to some of the best of the best.

Ice will contribute although it is preferable to have her as a size option off the bench, especially if Ayanna is still iffy. Jana and Ice should also see some time on the court together.

I may be overestimating Jana's abilities in including her as a starter, but I doubt it. She appears to be the real deal. By the time the season starts, the achilles injury will be well over a year ago.

It will be interesting for sure. How will the health issues resolve? Can the new players make an immediate impact? Will the rookies from last season make a big jump or not? As always, perhaps more so, expect the unexpected.

I had the same 5, with the same rationale, except for Ice instead of Jana. That was due to health concerns and experience level.