Sharing the Basketball at UConn is a Way of Life

[oldude]

There are a lot of exceptional things that UConn WBB does which separates the Huskies from every other team. But IMO, the one thing about UConn WBB that truly differentiates the team from everyone else is their ability to share the ball. That starts with the team-oriented players that Geno recruits to play in his fast-paced, motion offense. That passing ability is reinforced in practice every day. UConn players love to pass the ball.

In yesterday's game against UNC, the Huskies broke the WBB all-time record for assists in a season, which was 863, established by the 2016-17 UConn WBB team. The new record is 872, and with hopefully another 3 games to play, the Huskies could well extend that record beyond 900.

In addition, UConn doesn't just rely on one PG to carry the assist load. It is most definitely a team effort. Currently there are 5 UConn Huskies with over 100 assists this season as follows: Kayleigh (107), Ash (107), Azzi (113), Sarah (144) and KK (166). This UConn team is one of only 5 teams in the history of WBB with at least 5 players with 100 or more assists. The other 4 teams were all located in Storrs, CT.

For the fans, the beautiful symphony of player and ball movement that is UConn WBB is a thing of beauty. Give up a good shot for a better shot. We are truly fortunate to watch a team play at such an incredibly high level for so many years.

 

[oldude]

I also note from Phil’s post this morning in the “Records” thread that the Huskies, with 18 steals vs UNC, also broke the all-time NCAA record for steals yesterday with 583.

What a basketball team!

 

[Bone Dog]

Watching the LSU-Duke game, I was struck by how much one-on-one ball LSU played. This reflects their strength in quick guards who can drive to the hoop well. It’s also the style of offense Kim taught them. This is reflected in one stat: 8 assists on 31 fgm, or roughly 25%. Over the season as a whole, their a/fgm rate was better, roughly 50%, which coincidentally is what Duke did in this same game. My guess is LSU’s season-long rate is higher because of all the blowouts against a weak OCC schedule. But in a close game they revert to what Kim taught them.

By contrast, UConn’s season-long assist rate is 806/1184 fgm. It’s higher now with the tournament stats, but the rate is similar, roughly 77%. We have players who can break down an opponent one-on-one. But it’s not the style of play Geno teaches. It’s more a pattern of passing and seeking the best shot over the heroic shot. In yesterday’s game, when under heavy defensive pressure, UConn still passed at their usual rate, 18 assists per 26 fgm or nearly 75%.

Clearly both styles of play can win NCs, but one of them is a lot more fun to watch. I wonder if it’s also more fun to play. This also explains how Geno recruits. He looks for players who appreciate this style of play. There’s no point recruiting a player addicted to hero ball. Even if he can force them to play in his style, they probably won’t enjoy it. Its pleasures won’t speak to them.

 

[huskyd]

There are a lot of exceptional things that UConn WBB does which separates the Huskies from every other team. But IMO, the one thing about UConn WBB that truly differentiates the team from everyone else is their ability to share the ball. That starts with the team-oriented players that Geno recruits to play in his fast-paced, motion offense. That passing ability is reinforced in practice every day. UConn players love to pass the ball.

In yesterday's game against UNC, the Huskies broke the WBB all-time record for assists in a season, which was 863, established by the 2016-17 UConn WBB team. The new record is 872, and with hopefully another 3 games to play, the Huskies could well extend that record beyond 900.

In addition, UConn doesn't just rely on one PG to carry the assist load. It is most definitely a team effort. Currently there are 5 UConn Huskies with over 100 assists this season as follows: Kayleigh (107), Ash (107), Azzi (113), Sarah (144) and KK (166). This UConn team is one of only 5 teams in the history of WBB with at least 5 players with 100 or more assists. The other 4 teams were all located in Storrs, CT.

For the fans, the beautiful symphony of player and ball movement that is UConn WBB is a thing of beauty. Give up a good shot for a better shot. We are truly fortunate to watch a team play at such an incredibly high level for so many years.

Of course, if sharing is good (and it is) with whom should the ball be shared? The coach isn't going to tell a player to stop shooting because she's cold one night. He can always pull her, but the same negative message gets imprinted as if he tells her to stop shooting. It's instructive that Geno cannot keep Ash (for a rare example) off the court no matter how her shot is going. She stayed in yesterday, and she kept shooting. Would you have pulled her? Or is she so valuable all-around that she is indispensible?
I got a dreaded "dislike" when I suggested before this game that Ash's offense this season was not as emphatic as last. It's not her fault, and, to be fair, she sinks a good many (and no one plays harder).
Of course, a coach will and does tell players to get the ball to his best shooters. Sarah and Azzi are the go-to scorers here. Blanca has been a breath of fresh air, K9 makes the most exciting shots. Few players on any team can carry that team alone. We are blessed to have two super stars as well as a collection of players with whom the ball can be safely shared. Spread the wealth.

 

[Bone Dog]

She stayed in yesterday, and she kept shooting. Would you have pulled her?

Ash had only one bad miss. I thought her shooting motion looked a little off on one or two perimeter shots. And yet, all but one of her shots drew iron, some even rimmed out. As we heard afterwards, Geno already knew the rims would be unforgiving. If I had known that going in, I’d have played her and encouraged her to keep shooting. After all, she wasn’t the only player the rims punished. A sinking tide drops all boats.

Other than her shooting woes, the rest of her game was excellent as ever.

 

[oldude]

Of course, if sharing is good (and it is) with whom should the ball be shared? The coach isn't going to tell a player to stop shooting because she's cold one night. He can always pull her, but the same negative message gets imprinted as if he tells her to stop shooting. It's instructive that Geno cannot keep Ash (for a rare example) off the court no matter how her shot is going. She stayed in yesterday, and she kept shooting. Would you have pulled her? Or is she so valuable all-around that she is indispensible?
I got a dreaded "dislike" when I suggested before this game that Ash's offense this season was not as emphatic as last. It's not her fault, and, to be fair, she sinks a good many (and no one plays harder).
Of course, a coach will and does tell players to get the ball to his best shooters. Sarah and Azzi are the go-to scorers here. Blanca has been a breath of fresh air, K9 makes the most exciting shots. Few players on any team can carry that team alone. We are blessed to have two super stars as well as a collection of players with whom the ball can be safely shared. Spread the wealth.

Ash had a really tough shooting day yesterday. I was ecstatic when she hit that short bank shot late in the game on her last shot. Seeing the ball go in the basket is always good medicine for a shooter.

With that said, I did notice that after she missed a bunch of open 3’s, Ash passed up several open shots. Geno would never tell her to stop shooting. Ash is a smart girl. She made that decision herself while continuing to contribute in other ways.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ash had a really tough shooting day yesterday. I was ecstatic when she hit that short bank shot late in the game on her last shot. Seeing the ball go in the basket is always good medicine for a shooter.

With that said, I did notice that after she missed a bunch of open 3’s, Ash passed up several open shots. Geno would never tell her to stop shooting. Ash is a smart girl. She made that decision herself while continuing to contribute in other ways.

Jinx! You owe me a Diet Coke.

 

[Ron and Vida]

There are a lot of exceptional things that UConn WBB does which separates the Huskies from every other team. But IMO, the one thing about UConn WBB that truly differentiates the team from everyone else is their ability to share the ball. That starts with the team-oriented players that Geno recruits to play in his fast-paced, motion offense. That passing ability is reinforced in practice every day. UConn players love to pass the ball.

In yesterday's game against UNC, the Huskies broke the WBB all-time record for assists in a season, which was 863, established by the 2016-17 UConn WBB team. The new record is 872, and with hopefully another 3 games to play, the Huskies could well extend that record beyond 900.

In addition, UConn doesn't just rely on one PG to carry the assist load. It is most definitely a team effort. Currently there are 5 UConn Huskies with over 100 assists this season as follows: Kayleigh (107), Ash (107), Azzi (113), Sarah (144) and KK (166). This UConn team is one of only 5 teams in the history of WBB with at least 5 players with 100 or more assists. The other 4 teams were all located in Storrs, CT.

For the fans, the beautiful symphony of player and ball movement that is UConn WBB is a thing of beauty. Give up a good shot for a better shot. We are truly fortunate to watch a team play at such an incredibly high level for so many years.

“the beautiful symphony of player and ball movement that is UConn WBB is a thing of beauty “
Perfect 😍

 

[Cuango]

Of course, if sharing is good (and it is) with whom should the ball be shared? The coach isn't going to tell a player to stop shooting because she's cold one night. He can always pull her, but the same negative message gets imprinted as if he tells her to stop shooting. It's instructive that Geno cannot keep Ash (for a rare example) off the court no matter how her shot is going. She stayed in yesterday, and she kept shooting. Would you have pulled her? Or is she so valuable all-around that she is indispensible?
I got a dreaded "dislike" when I suggested before this game that Ash's offense this season was not as emphatic as last. It's not her fault, and, to be fair, she sinks a good many (and no one plays harder).
Of course, a coach will and does tell players to get the ball to his best shooters. Sarah and Azzi are the go-to scorers here. Blanca has been a breath of fresh air, K9 makes the most exciting shots. Few players on any team can carry that team alone. We are blessed to have two super stars as well as a collection of players with whom the ball can be safely shared. Spread the wealth.

Hopefully the shooting will get back on track on Sunday. It would also be nice to see Allie light it up. This team has a lot of weapons!

 

[oldhusky]

Many good points have been made on this topic. We have used multiple point guards in recent years at the same time by design. Sometimes to the extreme with three at once. That was generally possible mostly because Paige could easily play the 3 without sacrificing anything, and even play some at the 4, teamed with Nika and KK, or Kaitlin and KK.

In those circumstances the player making the biggest concession was KK when playing the 2, which she had to do a lot even though it wasn't her best position. This year she is thriving in the first year where she is the principle PG, and Kayleigh is getting far more than backup PG minutes as a 1/2. So with Sarah we have a point forward to go with the occasional two point guard combination this year.

Between Sarah and Paige we have had a PG level passer at the 3 or 4 for several years, and last year usually both at once. One of the biggest differences between Uconn and other top teams is expecting their bigs to be passers, and efficient with far better assist to turnover ratios than most bigs. Many don't come to Uconn with those traits fully developed but they learn over time how to play in this system, and some arrive like Sarah and I believe the Big O next year with those natural instincts that are only enhanced in the system.

As long as we have a true point and Sarah upfront we will have good passing abilities, enhanced by a system that prioritizes ball and player movement. When we add a second PG to the lineup it goes to another level. It obviously has worked well, but there are some negatives to this approach. To a large extent those negatives are compensated for by excelling elsewhere, or because another player can do something not necessarily expected from their position.

Small ball gives up rebounds. that is usually true when a 1 plays the 2, like KK or Kayleigh at the 2, or a natural 2 at the 3 like Ashlynn, a 3 at the 4 (Blanca), or a 4 at the 5 (Sarah). We don't play our 5's for anywhere close to 40 minutes a game, and don't really use a true backup 4. In that scenario we usually go small three ways at once, Sarah at the 5, Blanca at the 4, and a guard Ashlynn at the 3. To a large extent the compensation for losing possessions due to rebounding has been offset by a pressing lineup that gains possessions from creating more turnovers and having fewer themselves.

Next year small ball will still be an attractive option, but I think the more traditional and even big lineup option will be a much more viable option than it has been this year, particularly if we added another rotation worthy big in the portal or late foreign recruit. We would be a much better rebounding team if we had 40 minutes from our 5's, if the Big O is the real deal, used a true backup 5, and played Blanca mostly at the 3. Taken to extreme if we came up with a top 4, Sarah could play some 3 and Blanca some 2, where our rebounding advantage would be as big as our passing and turnover edge now.

I think we are potentially one major big addition away from having the ability to be exceptional at small ball, a traditional lineup, or going big, whatever most fits the game situation.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think we are potentially one major big addition away from having the ability to be exceptional at small ball, a traditional lineup, or going big, whatever most fits the game situation.

I have no idea what Geno is thinking about this. But to my mind, next year’s roster already looks quite big. Clearly much depends on how well some players rehab and how well a freshman enters Storrs. Will Olivia be ready to start in November, or maybe in January? Will Gandy be able contribute in any capacity? Will Morgan be ready to practice at full speed by October? Ice?

That’s a lot of question marks, but adding a big from the portal is unlikely to answer them. Even as is, the small lineup looks very similar to what it is now. Without Azzi, Blanca will have to step up even more, but that seems entirely inevitable. As small lineups go, Sarah Blanca Allie Ash and KK has the speed and size we look for. The big lineup at a minimum looks like Jana Sarah Blanca Ash and KK. This is a plenty big lineup that could get even bigger if Olivia adapts quickly, and if Ice returns to form. And it gets much bigger if Gandy learns how to contribute even 5 minutes per game.

Clearly, Kayleigh will make a large contribution to both lineups just like this season. If Morgan can return, both lineups will become deeper and bigger depending on how she’s used. Jovana and Kelis will have difficulty scrapping for minutes, but I won’t count either of them out.