Seton Hall Postgame Thread

[HopJim]

I think Edwards deserves a shout out. She played very well. I can't get out of my head that Geno ( in an interview ) remarked how Caroline, by far, is the one making all her shots in practice. And yet....in recent games...she can't buy a three. I agree it was great to see Piath and DeBerry. with some quality minutes. It does appear that the hard work put in by Piath is paying off. She seems ahead of DeBerry and really moves well up and down the court. Both seem somewhat unsure what to do on defense.

We will need Edwards in the playoffs. Love the skills that Dorka brings but physical play is not one of them. Against Oregon and other top teams, she is often pushed out of the box under the basket. Would like to see Paith play more in prime time. Her minutes are usually at the end of games when the other team is not doubling the big. That she can make a layup over a player 2-3 inches shorter than her is a step forward but would like to understand what she can do in ONO's role - getting hammered by two defenders every time under the basket. To Edwards, this is normal.

 

[Ardenque]

Have you considered the possibility that she may have long Covid and is not completely recovered? I would hesitate to criticize, given what has just taken place. Was she doing what you say she is doing before Xmas break?

Jordy,
Anything is possible.
My hunch though is that there wouldn’t be any Auriemmagrams if Amari were experiencing any Covid
aftereffects.
And yes, her level of play, with the exception of a flash here and there, has been pretty much the same all season.

 

[jazz]

I watch Piath closely when she enters. She is a secret candidate of mine to emerge as a star one day. So I am surprised to hear Geno say " her defense is ahead of her offense." Pleased but surprised. When I watched her against the Pirates she looked " lost " on defense I mean, she was in the right spot and had her arms up. But she defended little. Players drove by her easily on the baseline for lay-ups (often missed, but not due to her defense ). Anyway, I defer to coach. It is great to hear that she is working hard and that the effort is earning her court time. Have you heard him remark on DeBerry at all?

I'm not sure what GA is going on about with Piath. She is definitely slow in recognising things on defense. Her offense if obviously ahead of her defense.

 

[oldude]

I'm not sure what GA is going on about with Piath.

This is just a wild guess, but I think he’s going to “coach her up.” Piath is still a raw talent without a lot of basketball experience. As a sophomore she still has plenty of time to learn and an apparent motivation to do so.

 

[jazz]

This is just a wild guess, but I think he’s going to “coach her up.” Piath is still a raw talent without a lot of basketball experience. As a sophomore she still has plenty of time to learn and an apparent motivation to do so.

from what i have seen she can help us now but needs to improve her awareness on defense. i did notice that a couple games ago she was very slow in closing out in a short jumper from about three quarters of the way to the FT line. it looked like she wasn't even sure she was supposed to defend the player. same kind of play against SH and she closed out this time, just a bit too slow on her recognition, but at least she saw it and reacted...so there is improvement there.

 

[Geew1992]

Interesting comment, as I thought players coming into college had more of a challenge with defense.

You know she’s a sophomore??

 

[DrummerDee]

Amari wasn’t any slower than her teammates from my vantage point. She has an unusual running style Bb that may look like a jog to some, but she is covering just as much ground as her teammates.

My sentiments exactly. I've said from the start that Amari Runs like Mya Moore. That long, smooth stride that gets her from point A to B with far less steps. It's an elegant thing.

 

[DrummerDee]

Such a different game today than in my era. I’d rather see her more proficient with the mid range jumper, opening up more up fakes and drives. JMO

He typically only addresses the question asked at the post game presser. Had the reporter asked for a comparison of the two, he would have answered. They asked about Piath, and that is what he spoke on.

 

[Boreifs]

Jordy,
Anything is possible.
My hunch though is that there wouldn’t be any Auriemmagrams if Amari were experiencing any Covid
aftereffects.
And yes, her level of play, with the exception of a flash here and there, has been pretty much the same all season.

Keep in mind that after the Covid pause she dressed as the seventh player, even though she wasn’t ready to play. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Ardenque]

Keep in mind that after the Covid pause she dressed as the seventh player, even though she wasn’t ready to play. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.

Sounds good to me.
Hopefully she can become an important part of the team.

 

[hoophuskee]

.this is UConn not some average program and if that sounds entitled so be it......

I agree with you but when you still have two number one ranked high school All Americans, two other number six ranked players, and a 15th ranked player, an All Big Ten player and a member of the Canadian National Team member on your available roster the expectations should still be fairly high...........I'm not saying they should be expected to win against the best competition,

.at this point in the season, I'll take a six point loss to SC if UConn plays well over a 30 point win over Seton Hall any day......

Charlie- Your point “This is UCONN,” I don’t agree with. Because this isn’t “UCONN.” As a result, you can’t hold them to the prior standard of the “real/powerful” UCONN. You’re not even holding them to the “This is UCONN” standard in the other post that I highlighted in bold that you made. If this is truly “UCONN” then suggesting a 6 point loss is acceptable is not “UCONN.”

Just as you are taking factors into account in accepting a possible 6 point loss to SC, in the same manner you have to take account that just because a player puts on a UCONN uniform it doesn’t turn her into an automatic A/A. UCONN did not invent the sport, meaning the game is still ruled by fundamentals. SO for your mention of all the prior accolades of “High School kids” etc, it’s not very relevant because this team lacks the basic fundamental of “shooting.” Who cares what H/S evaluation was made when we can see for ourselves over 1-2 years that they can’t shoot well? And they can’t press with such a short bench, and the team wasn’t built on powerful offensive rebounding, so what’s the relevance of bringing up kids were H/S A/a’s? And those rankings are highly subjective from H/S to college, aren’t they? SO what happens if the rankings are wrong as well? You still quote them as if they are relevant? Thus, regardless of H/S ranking they still have a brutal basic fundamental flaw and wearing a UCONN jersey doesn’t eliminate this basic basketball fundamental flaw regardless of a non-college H/S ranking.

I think why so many people have posted to you is that your comments seems way too harsh for a team that has basically been de-clawed and forced to fight against the other big animals that basically have their full set of talons. If you can’t shoot the basketball, and especially being away from home, and without your stars, there are some days non-professional athletes are going to suffer. We can’t ignore the fundamental of shooting just because we proclaim “We are UCONN.” And if we want to talk about being “The real/powerful UCONN,” well these type of teams usually have at minimum one 1st team A/A. So we can’t claim them to be “the real powerful UCONN” in one breath and then claim it’s okay to lose by 6 in another while the team is so fundamentally flawed and without a natural superstar which the prior powerful UCONN teams have had.

 

[hoophuskee]

While last night was a step in a positive direction, the true measure of UConn is based on how they match up against the other national heavyweights.

Tomorrow, UConn should win easily against St Johns. SC will be the litmus test to see if the talent level (minus Paige & Azzi) is equal to other powerhouses. The size advantage UConn had against Seton Hall is negated against SC and they have depth on their roster too. Without consistent outside shooting, which UConn sorely lacks, it’s hard to envision UConn coming away with a victory. I’m not being negative, but looking at things realistically.

Moving forward, it’s great to see the team compete, not bemoan their circumstances and continue to fight. We dance with who we bring to the table. If and when the calvary arrives, the odds get recalculated. For now, this is the UConn team that moves forward.

Surly- I agree with your overall point other than “matching up to the heavyweights and the litmus test.” IMO this game coming up vs SC is no litmus test without Paige and Azzi and a just returning CWill. There is always is a test but this is minor in this game. The guts of the strength of our team has been ripped away. Last year we beat them so we already know we have a quality team if our stars are able to play. And unlike this year when we had to play them in 3 games in 3 days (which won’t happen- not even close- in NCAA Tourney) in which Azzi was hurt and probably Nika, and we weren’t playing Ducharme at the time, that game meant very little too. IMO there is no real test until our stars come back healthy. With Paige and Azzi playing and healthy, the UCONN offense and the SC defense will be played much differently. The opposing team must play UCONN so much differently and the UCONN team will play so much differently it will be very hard to get much out of this. The same goes with nay other heavyweight they may encounter especially without Paige – the best player in the wcbb.

So the little steps UCONN does, I’m thrilled with while understanding if I complain about them because they lose vs the tougher ranked type of teams/ the heavyweights, it’s no more relevant than howling at the moon. Their style of play and the type of player they have recruited to fit that style, has been gutted. “Shooting to score matters’ for a Geno Auriemma team. Their ability to "shoot efficiently from the perimeter and scoring which was to be a supposed strength has been greatly compromised, thus the heavyweights make it pretty easy to defend this version of UCONN.