Shout out to Ice

[Zarathustra]

With 3:35 left in the 3rd, Nika got whistled for a foul. She wanted to argue with the ref until Ice reached around her shoulder and pulled her into a huddle. Even the floor general needs a nudge from a teammate every once in a while. It’s a little thing but it shows that there won’t be a leadership vacuum next season.

I saw that "ICE" reach out to NIKA also..... A very special, and mature, and TEAMMATE type of gesture.
Something I think Kim M. might not understand.

 

[Longtime fan]

I agree. Her hands always appeared to be weak but she was just the opposite against Marquette and Georgetown. She played like she had been starting all year.

Coach has also mentioned that ICE is a really good passer.

 

[JellyBean]

Congrats again to Ice, and the rest of the team, for overcoming the loss of Liya midway thru the PC game in the 1st round.

Ice played 23 minutes in that game and had 4 fouls. Against Marquette, she played 40 minutes with 2 fouls, and against Georgetown, she played 40 minutes with 1 foul. And it's not like her defense or production dropped off while "avoiding" fouls. Just a tremendous 3 game series for her.

It's been awesome, as a neighbor of hers in San Diego, and having seen her several times in high school, to see her blossom into the player I knew/hoped she could be. I'm not saying she will average 12 and 8 every game, but for her to step up after Aaliyah's nose injury, and play 40 minutes in each subsequent game, speaks volumes to how much she's grown in confidence, and embraced the role the team needed from her.

I think she grew up a LOT right in front of our eyes - necessity is the mother of invention for sure. And Geno's comments about her - along the lines of "we always knew she had it in her, it was just her having the confidence to go out and play that way". Not an exact quote, but a theme he echoed several times in the post game interviews.

Over the 3 games for the BET, Ice averaged...

• 34 minutes per game
• 10.3 points per game
• 5.3 rebounds per game
• 1.3 assists per game
• 1.3 steals per game
• 1 block per game
• 2.3 fouls per game

And those numbers are skewed down a bit as she played 23 minutes in the 1st round since Aaliyah was there for over half the game. Congrats again to the team, but shout out to Ice for her all around great performance. It was a thrill to watch!!

Pretty awesome thread. I am so happy for Ice. I know it has been a pretty rough run for her since she has arrived at UConn. These past few games have been a huge boost to her confidence and that is so huge. Way to go, Ice!!

 

[Rb335]

I don't have access to the +/- data. Qadence scored 9 points in 17 minutes. Only one starter scored at a higher pace points/minute.

She played 17 min and had a +/- of -1.
I only mentioned it because I noticed that when she entered the game, it coincided with Georgetown going on a 10-0 run.

But that made me realize, wow Ice is playing really well! Because there wasn’t any dip in play by having her in the starting lineup. I think that’s a massive development for this team, because just a month ago the level of play would drop when Ice entered the game.

 

[Husky fanatic]

@EricLA, thanks for starting this. Having a confident Ice has the potential to change how deep we go in the tourney - we haven't had 2 bigs on the court at the same time at all this season never mind confidently subbing one in and out. It gives us potential for an entirely new look offensively and defensively.

We have had both Edwards and. Ice on the floor at the same time.

 

[HuskyNan]

I don't have access to the +/- data. Qadence scored 9 points in 17 minutes. Only one starter scored at a higher pace points/minute.

 

[Ralph]

So Ice has been a foul a minute all season, driving us nuts. Now she gives us this unbelievable performance. Clearly she has been goofing off all year. And Edwards goes out and the team is still outstanding, other than getting exhausted. So the other 4 must have been goofing off all year and decided to step up their game. So the whole team has been goofing off all year. And we thought Geno was a tough coach who worked them to death. Clearly Geno has gotten soft in his late middle age. At least we BYer's have been working hard all year criticizing the team. We must be the reason the team is successful.

 

[JoePgh]

But that made me realize, wow Ice is playing really well! Because there wasn’t any dip in play by having her in the starting lineup. I think that’s a massive development for this team, because just a month ago the level of play would drop when Ice entered the game.

I think that is an exaggeration. Aaliyah would have had 20 to 25 points against Georgetown if she were healthy and played her normal minutes in the Big East Finals, and I don't think any of the guards would have had fewer points. Aaliyah actually had 18 points (7-of-11 shooting) at Georgetown on January 7, and she had 26 points (11-of-16 shooting) facing Georgetown at Gampel on February 16 (senior night).

But your basic point is correct -- UConn could still run their offense and rely on Ice for post defense without fouling. Most importantly, she played 40 minutes on two consecutive days and stayed completely out of foul trouble.

It's slightly premature to say, "Aaliyah who?" (I realize that is not what you were suggesting.)

However, your basic point that UConn's chances in the NCAA tournament against big teams are much better than they were a few days ago now that Ice has this experience, including the experience of being relied on. A game in which UConn can deploy two effective bigs either together or separately will be more formidable than the UConn team that played in any of the team's five losses.

There was actually a glimpse of this UConn team in the February game against Georgetown, when Aaliyah had 26 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes, while Ice had 10 points and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes. UConn won that game 85-44 despite Briana Scott being available for Georgetown in that game.

 

[Rowdy831]

Also, credit to the coaching. They had Ice playing a very different defense than how Aaliyah plays. It was pretty much a one woman zone in the paint for her, not much chasing her player all over the court. I think that helped her a lot. When she got late in the games with no foul trouble, they turned her loose a bit.

The coaches deserve little to no credit for the way Ice played this weekend. Fate dealt UConn a hand that required the coaches to replace a player and she was the only option available. If they had decided to go with her and she did what she did then I would say the coaches made a great move but that is not what happened. Geno is a great X and O coach but if a player doesn't practice the way he likes or makes a mistake in a game he has zero patience. He called the plays but I give 100% of the credit to Ice on what she proved this weekend.

To be clear this is not a knock on Geno, he is a great coach, to me the best in WCBB history. My point is he has a way that has always worked and he will never deviate from that unless he is forced to. The second point and just as important is every girl on UConn roster would be a key player on any other team in the Big East Conference so no fan should be surprised at how good they look when they get quality minutes without playing with fear of making a mistake.

 

[HuskyNan]

The coaches deserve little to no credit for the way Ice played this weekend. Fate dealt UConn a hand that required the coaches to replace a player and she was the only option available. If they had decided to go with her and she did what she did then I would say the coaches made a great move but that is not what happened. Geno is a great X and O coach but if a player doesn't practice the way he likes or makes a mistake in a game he has zero patience. He called the plays but I give 100% of the credit to Ice on what she proved this weekend.

To be clear this is not a knock on Geno, he is a great coach, to me the best in WCBB history. My point is he has a way that has always worked and he will never deviate from that unless he is forced to. The second point and just as important is every girl on UConn roster would be a key player on any other team in the Big East Conference so no fan should be surprised at how good they look when they get quality minutes without playing with fear of making a mistake.

“In the moment, it was mentally very challenging for me,” Brady said. “I had a hard time getting used to his coaching style and trying to understand what he was trying to get out of me. At times, I didn’t see what he saw. But he continued to push me. There were times I felt I was coming up short, for him and for the team, but he showed how much he cared and believed in me. I’m definitely glad he did. All those hard days, all those failures just made me more hungry.”

“The things I’ve been telling her all year,” Muhl said. “I don’t think she understands how good she is. I don’t think she understands how hard she works and how all that work is going to pay off. This tournament, she proved to herself foremost that she could do it. I’m so proud of her. She stepped up so big and that takes so much maturity that I don’t think she knew she has. … She didn’t win just the game, she won over herself.”

Dom Amore: With the heat on, Ice Brady found herself at the center of UConn women’s Big East championship

Ice Brady’s first season with the UConn women’s basketball team came with adversity, but she stayed the course, with the help of her support system, and when her moment came in the Big …

www.courant.com

 

[Drumguy]

You must not have been watching closely. Edwards and Ice have been on the court together a number of times this season.

I meant with an Ice that I had confidence in, but concede the point. I just felt this is the first time we've seen what Ice can really be like and reaching her potential. Totally different player to my relatively untrained eyes.

 

[Cuango]

As omshanti said, I think the very obvious improvement in her conditioning played a very large role in her outstanding play these past three games! she’s been showing signs for awhile now but this was really an incredible leap forward!

 

[Cuango]

“In the moment, it was mentally very challenging for me,” Brady said. “I had a hard time getting used to his coaching style and trying to understand what he was trying to get out of me. At times, I didn’t see what he saw. But he continued to push me. There were times I felt I was coming up short, for him and for the team, but he showed how much he cared and believed in me. I’m definitely glad he did. All those hard days, all those failures just made me more hungry.”

“The things I’ve been telling her all year,” Muhl said. “I don’t think she understands how good she is. I don’t think she understands how hard she works and how all that work is going to pay off. This tournament, she proved to herself foremost that she could do it. I’m so proud of her. She stepped up so big and that takes so much maturity that I don’t think she knew she has. … She didn’t win just the game, she won over herself.”

Dom Amore: With the heat on, Ice Brady found herself at the center of UConn women’s Big East championship

Ice Brady’s first season with the UConn women’s basketball team came with adversity, but she stayed the course, with the help of her support system, and when her moment came in the Big …

www.courant.com

What an insightful and mature observation by Nika Muhl! I would not at all be surprised to see Nika go into coaching when her playing career is over!

 

[Zarathustra]

I don't have access to the +/- data. Qadence scored 9 points in 17 minutes. Only one starter scored at a higher pace points/minute.

My download of the +/- data has ICE as +36 and Q as -1, this is for the
Georgetown UCONN game ( just one game ). The other + / - scores were
KK +37 Paige +34 Nika +39 Ash + 30 and INES + 5 . But your
report of Q with 9 points in 17 minutes was the same numbers reported on
the download that I am reporting on. My guess is while Q scored well the
"other things", like how many points the HOYAS scored while Q was in the
game made the difference. So, maybe the +/- was reflecting not Q's
OFFENSE but how the UConn defense performed while she was one of
the 5 UCONN players on the court. Anybody have a different explanation??

 

[oldude]

There is a strange phenomenon that occurs when a player starts to “get it.” As if by magic, they appear to get quicker in everything they do on the court.

In the past few games, and particularly against Georgetown, with her passing, rebounding, shooting and defending, Ice appears to have found another gear or two. Contrast that with earlier in the season when Ice was indecisive, mishandled passes, threw the ball away far too often and missed wide open bunnies. The game was moving too fast for Ice. But not anymore.

On the very first UConn possession, Ice received a tight pass from KK with a Georgetown Big closing on her fast, she quickly put up a sweet 10’ shot that hit nothing but net. Earlier in the season, Ice might have fumbled that pass or bricked the shot. Clearly the game has slowed down for her.

For the rest of the game, everything Ice did on the court was crisp and decisive. We are finally seeing that 5-star recruit from CA that excited all of us when she announced she was coming to UConn.

 

[veryolddog]

I think that you are right to Eric of La.

 

[huskeynut]

Everyone has an internal learning clock. You really can't change it. That clock dictates the speed at which a person puts it all together. That's what most of us refer to as it justs clicked. All the pieces came together.

That's what we saw with Ice. After Aaliyah went down with the broken nose, Ice came in and did a decent job. Nothing spectacular but she held her own. Semifinals was like she seems to have got it together. Not fouling, solid defense and a decent offensive output.

But in the finals it was WOW. The short jumper to open the scoring. No hesitation at all. The rest of the game was the same. She was in the flow of the game on both sides of the ball. She was running the court. Did not show signs of being tired.

Ice has arrived.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Ice has certainly taken a step forward in overall performance but still needs to finish the rim and make the 10 to 15 foot shot. Keep the improvement trajectory going Ice!

 

[Zarathustra]

Everyone has an internal learning clock. You really can't change it. That clock dictates the speed at which a person puts it all together. That's what most of us refer to as it justs clicked. All the pieces came together.

That's what we saw with Ice. After Aaliyah went down with the broken nose, Ice came in and did a decent job. Nothing spectacular but she held her own. Semifinals was like she seems to have got it together. Not fouling, solid defense and a decent offensive output.

But in the finals it was WOW. The short jumper to open the scoring. No hesitation at all. The rest of the game was the same. She was in the flow of the game on both sides of the ball. She was running the court. Did not show signs of being tired.

Ice has arrived.

"THE "ICE" WOMAN COMETH" worthy of a movie or a name of a basketball "play"!!

 

[oldude]

"THE "ICE" WOMAN COMETH" worthy of a movie or a name of a basketball "play"!!

You do realize that Eugene O’Neill’s tragic play about a group of alcoholics who are going nowhere, ends with the following soliloquy:

“Be God, there’s no hope! I’ll never be a success in the grandstand-or anywhere else! Life is too much for me! I’ll be a weak fool looking with pity at the two sides of everything til the day I die!”

 

[Skeets]

Here's my theory. You can take the meekest animal, back it into a corner, and put it in danger and it becomes something of a different animal. Ice was backed into a corner and became something different. She had it in her all along and just didn't know it.

Earlier posts mentioned Ice tipping the ball not showing up in the stats. Tip out a rebound and it becomes a 50/50 ball. Might work the first time and then the next 3 go to the other team. I'd rather see fighting for and grabbing a rebound. Better odds than putting a 50/50 ball in play.

 

[oldude]

Here's my theory. You can take the meekest animal, back it into a corner, and put it in danger and it becomes something of a different animal. Ice was backed into a corner and became something different. She had it in her all along and just didn't know it.

Earlier posts mentioned Ice tipping the ball not showing up in the stats. Tip out a rebound and it becomes a 50/50 ball. Might work the first time and then the next 3 go to the other team. I'd rather see fighting for and grabbing a rebound. Better odds than putting a 50/50 ball in play.

The balls that Ice tipped, were not balls she was going to control. They were too far away from her body to secure. Not only did Ice tipping those balls give her teammates the opportunity to secure the basketball, but she also had the presence of mind to tip the balls away from the basket.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

“I always want to see whether Ice is going to compete,” Auriemma said. “She doesn’t have to do everything right. She doesn’t have to be perfect. But I want to see what her competitive spirit is out there …The skill level, that’ll take care of itself down the road. I just thought she didn’t compete. She was non-competitive, and that really bothered me.

“I realized that I needed to be much harder on her. I needed to demand more from her. There were trying times leading up to this weekend over the last two months. There were times in practice where she reverted back to her old self, and she paid the price for it. But those didn’t last very long like they used to, and she put the work in.

https://www./ncaaw/big-east/inside-uconns-dominant-big-east-tournament-performance/

 

[Longtime fan]

View attachment 97568

Qadance may become a brilliant player. She is already performing well on defense ( the better she " understands " it, the more effective she has become ), and she has been a solid rebounder ( jumps well; has long arms, is strong). Her shooting is still not " scary good," but it is clear the potential is there. She is athletic, as you can see by her defense and when she has to work on a fast break, or under the hoop. She does need to improve her ball handling skills and ball security. When she puts the ball on the floor, it is often an adventure. And she tends to telegraph her passes a bit. But her passes are usually so crisp that they are successfully competed. I also think she is "wirey" strong....even though a bit more muscle would be welcomed on her frame. The more she plays, and the more comfort she has with her teammates on the court, the better she will become. And, importantly, the better decisions she will make. There are not many games left this season for that to happen, but every exposure helps. Particularly in the Big Dance. We are fortunate that she came to UCONN. And this almost didn't happen, correct?

 

[PacoSwede]

Everyone has an internal learning clock. You really can't change it. That clock dictates the speed at which a person puts it all together. That's what most of us refer to as it justs clicked. All the pieces came together.

...

so there is hope for amari yet! that would be sweet.

she's forgotten here. BTW, does anyone know her status re: concussion?

(i wish this craps would stop. ain't 3 years enough?)