So Azzi Just Put This Up | Page 4 | The Boneyard

So Azzi Just Put This Up

This idea that size alone is the ultimate differential between teams is not totally accurate. Size is one factor in the basketball equation. Other factors Include: talent, athleticism, experience, coaching, depth, shooting ability, passing ability, defensive intensity and others.

This past season, UConn did not match up well with the 3 top teams for a number of reasons. While size was certainly one reason, so too was a lack of cohesion and experience. Early in the season, UConn struggled to establish an effective starting 5. Evina’s waiver was denied and Evelyn didn’t really pan out as we all hoped. Liv often got into foul trouble or underperformed. Anna & Aubrey initially struggled to find their role. After a solid start, Christyn slumped. Kyla’s experience helped to a point, but against better competition she struggled.

Andy Landers summed up UConn’s problems against top teams by pointing out that UConn was playing 4 on 5 or even 3 on 5. However, by the end of the season, UConn was playing their best basketball. With Jamelle’s help, Liv was becoming a force inside. Anna and Aubrey had both become key contributors. Christyn had fought through her slump and was playing like Christyn Williams again. Even Evelyn had started to show that she could be counted on for some meaningful PT off the bench.

It would have been interesting to see just how far UConn could have made it in the Big Dance had the tournament not been cancelled. If the Huskies had run into one of the top 3 teams again, they may not have prevailed, but I would absolutely expect a far more competitive game than the first time around.
 
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oldude said:
This idea that size alone is the ultimate differential between teams is not totally accurate.
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No one ever said this! In fact the exact oppose was stated.
Nick Pignatello said:
The difference in that game and all 3 loses was the overall guard play, all phases scoring, assists, defense.
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CocoHusky said:
No one ever said this! In fact the exact oppose was stated.
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Yes, Nick pointed out the key factors that contributed to UConn’s 3 losses this year, just as I did.
 
Geno did a much better job summing up the losses than Landers did. "We just were't good enough" was what Geno said. I can see why people would want to commit that Jedi mind trick and tell themselves that UCONN would have been more competitive in a rematch against Baylor, South Carolina, or Oregon.
I supposed that's based on UCONN dominating the latter half of that trying AAC schedule.
The though that Oregon, Baylor and South Carolina could play better in the rematch never occurred to some?
 
I don’t know that a Jedi mind trick is required to contemplate that UConn would be more competitive against the top 3 teams in the country if they met a second time during the Big Dance. Over the past 25 years no one does a better job in preparing their team for the NCAA tournament than Geno. Of all the remarkable records established by UConn WBB, the most amazing, imo, is 12 straight visits to the FF.

We need only look at last season’s Elite 8 upset victory over Louisville or go back to the solid victory over ND in the 2013 FF, after losing 3 times to the Irish during that season. Some coaches are just simply better at getting their teams ready for the tournament. I would include MM & Tara among those coaches. Geno has not been perfect, but he is absolutely the best. As for Kim, Dawn and Graves, it remains to be seen if they can consistently position their respective teams to make a championship run year in and year out.
 
What happened earlier in the season was not a guarantee it would happen at tournament time. Two or three years ago when SC had one of the best teams in the country, they were eliminated either in the Elite Eight or Sweet Sixteen by what was considered an inferior team. It raised a lot of eyebrows. I actually believed that only one of the top three teams would have made it to the FF this past season.
 
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CocoHusky said:
My angst (fear mostly) is that we are about to repeat the same mistakes.
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I am a little surprised at the extent of your "angst," as you are one of the most valuable posters. I do share your opinion that we do not need another guard, but do not share your point of reference for disappointment.

If you compare the past four years to our high points, they are disappointing. If you compare the past four years to other four year downturns, it was the most successful downturn by far. So the potential for disappointment comes down to whether or not it is wise to view cycles (recruiting, chemistry, learning, etc) as inevitable.
 
What’s the over/under on the amount of post if Fudd goes elsewhere. Will she live on the board longer than EDD? Just thinking out loud .
 
I have been wondering whether any of you have information about what other schools may be in the running. I know she has checked out Notre Dame, but beyond that I have not a clue. Since she has chosen to wait, what variables are left for her to ponder in making a decision other than summer time transfers (a stretch as a variable). Is her deciding variable the question of does she want to follow Paige or maybe that is a stumbling block for her yes to UConn? Does she feel the tug of wanting to play closer to home, and what would that portend?
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
I have been wondering whether any of you have information about what other schools may be in the running. I know she has checked out Notre Dame, but beyond that I have not a clue. Since she has chosen to wait, what variables are left for her to ponder in making a decision other than summer time transfers (a stretch as a variable). Is her deciding variable the question of does she want to follow Paige or maybe that is a stumbling block for her yes to UConn? Does she feel the tug of wanting to play closer to home, and what would that portend?
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Rocky, in addition to ND we know that hometown school MD is in the mix. Beyond those two schools, I don’t know if UConn has any other competition for Azzi’s services.
 
Carnac said:
Thanks. I don’t want to relive the Boston “nightmare” again. That was horrible and painful, having just lost Charli Collier also. We lost a good one judging by her play, and the awards she earned.

Well, the BY consensus is that Azzi is UConn bound. I’m of that opinion. We should be patient and wait to see where the “other shoe” falls. If she’s comfortable with an instagram announcement, that can come at anytime. If she wants to have her reveal at a school assembly, then of course we’ll have to wait until the fall.
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That may be the consensus, but there is no proof that UCONN leads, or that we are in the driver's seat, or anything like that. Frankly, I think our chances of landing her are a little less than 50-50.

We do have anecdotal evidence and tea leaves to read, since her BFF Paige is all up in her grill 24/7, but that could backfire. Azzi may well decide that the attention Paige has garnered, while nice, is not a spotlight she wants to share. Azzi may also decide she wants to beat Paige, rather than win with her. She's also been to numerous UCONN games (not as many as Boston, for example).

She and her family are very tight lipped about the recruiting process. Geno generally gets along well with recruits' dads. It seems that Azzi's dad likes Geno. Other than that, I've seen/heard zero that indicates we are in the driver's seat in any way, shape, or form.

Just wanted to add - we've gotten kids younger than her to commit already (Ice Brady), as well as 3 others in Azzi's class. Ice is a kid who LOVES UCONN and has always wanted to go there, but more than that, she was SURE of her decision. Saylor, Caroline and Amari were all sure they wanted UCONN.

The fact that UCONN and Paige have been recruiting Azzie for so long with no verbal makes it clear she's NOT sure, and to me that's not a great sign.
 
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EricLA said:
That may be the consensus, but there is no proof that UCONN leads, or that we are in the driver's seat, or anything like that. Frankly, I think our chances of landing her are a little less than 50-50.

We do have anecdotal evidence and tea leaves to read, since her BFF Paige is all up in her grill 24/7, but that could backfire. Azzi may well decide that the attention Paige has garnered, while nice, is not a spotlight she wants to share. Azzi may also decide she wants to beat Paige, rather than win with her. She's also been to numerous UCONN games (not as many as Boston, for example).

She and her family are very tight lipped about the recruiting process. Geno generally gets along well with recruits' dads. It seems that Azzi's dad likes Geno. Other than that, I've seen/heard zero that indicates we are in the driver's seat in any way, shape, or form.

Just wanted to add - we've gotten kids younger than her to commit already (Ice Brady), as well as 3 others in her class. Ice is a kid who LOVES UCONN and has always wanted to go there, but more than that, she was SURE of her decision. Saylor, Caroline and Amari were all sure they wanted UCONN.

The fact that UCONN and Paige have been recruiting Azzie for so long with no verbal makes it clear she's NOT sure, and to me that's not a great sign.
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You could post exactly the same and replace UConn with any of the other school recruiting her, leaving out the parts about Dad and PB. Like I said before, we know nothing.
 
I think there have been a number of recruits who committed to UConn who were not sure up until late in their recruitment.
 
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donalddoowop said:
I think there have been a number of recruits who committed to UConn who were not sure up until late in their recruitment.
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If you recall, ONO committed in the 11th hour. Eric, you are correct. We have no proof. I was referring to a “gut” feeling, and the tenor of the comments posted here regarding Azzi. Her camp has been very tight lipped about her recruitment, and she has been very careful and deliberate not to give any indication of the direction she may be leaning.
 
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oldude said:
I don’t know that a Jedi mind trick is required to contemplate that UConn would be more competitive against the top 3 teams in the country if they met a second time during the Big Dance. Over the past 25 years no one does a better job in preparing their team for the NCAA tournament than Geno. Of all the remarkable records established by UConn WBB, the most amazing, imo, is 12 straight visits to the FF.

We need only look at last season’s Elite 8 upset victory over Louisville or go back to the solid victory over ND in the 2013 FF, after losing 3 times to the Irish during that season. Some coaches are just simply better at getting their teams ready for the tournament. I would include MM & Tara among those coaches. Geno has not been perfect, but he is absolutely the best. As for Kim, Dawn and Graves, it remains to be seen if they can consistently position their respective teams to make a championship run year in and year out.
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Looking back reminds me that UCONN beat Louisville in Albany to get to the FF. I'm also reminded that during the last two tournaments UCONN also lost to a team which it had already beat during the regular season. Good thing Muffet decided to start collecting her pension. Even better that there is going to be an Albany region next year if there is a tournament.
 
CocoHusky said:
Looking back reminds me that UCONN beat Louisville in Albany to get to the FF. I'm also reminded that during the last two tournaments UCONN also lost to a team which it had already beat during the regular season. Good thing Muffet decided to start collecting her pension. Even better that there is going to be an Albany region next year if there is a tournament.
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Glad you mentioned MM’s two FF wins vs UConn. As I mentioned, in my post, MM is one of a handful of coaches that are simply better at preparing her teams for the tournament.

As for playing in the Albany regional, or for that matter, the Bridgeport regional, UConn earned that right with their performance during the season. But playing close to home doesn’t guarantee a team a ticket to the FF. Just ask Kim Mulkey.

In 2016 & 2017, Baylor was the number 1 seed in the Dallas regional and then the nearby Oklahoma City regional respectively. Lightning struck twice as the Lady Bears were stunned first by OR St and then by MS St.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Azzi and Paige in their daily whatever....

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I must confess that when it comes to teenage girls, the sum total of my knowledge wouldn’t fill up a post-it note. The Fudds appear to be wonderful and extremely patient people to welcome Paige into their home for an extended visit.
 
diggerfoot said:
I am a little surprised at the extent of your "angst," as you are one of the most valuable posters. I do share your opinion that we do not need another guard, but do not share your point of reference for disappointment.
If you compare the past four years to our high points, they are disappointing. If you compare the past four years to other four year downturns, it was the most successful downturn by far. So the potential for disappointment comes down to whether or not it is wise to view cycles (recruiting, chemistry, learning, etc) as inevitable.
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I do view downturns as inevitable because not every recruit is going to work out. The length of the particular down turn I view as taking too long to correct. Molly Bent and Kyla Irwin are tremendous young ladies that represented UCONN on the court and in the class room in an exemplary manner. However, it should not have taken until the Fall of 2019 to figure out that Kyla cannot be the the starting PF and Molly cannot be the third guard in the rotation if UCONN was to have a contending National Championship team.
Post player successfully recruited from HS by UCONN since Kyla Irwin=2 ONO & Paith.
 
oldude said:
I must confess that when it comes to teenage girls, the sum total of my knowledge wouldn’t fill up a post-it note. The Fudds appear to be wonderful and extremely patient people to welcome Paige into their home for an extended visit.
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They probably told Paige to spend as much time with Azzi now because she won't be spending much time with her in college, seeing how they will be at different schools:(.
 
oldude said:
Glad you mentioned MM’s two FF wins vs UConn. As I mentioned, in my post, MM is one of a handful of coaches that are simply better at preparing her teams for the tournament.

As for playing in the Albany regional, or for that matter, the Bridgeport regional, UConn earned that right with their performance during the season. But playing close to home doesn’t guarantee a team a ticket to the FF. Just ask Kim Mulkey.

In 2016 & 2017, Baylor was the number 1 seed in the Dallas regional and then the nearby Oklahoma City regional respectively. Lightning struck twice as the Lady Bears were stunned first by OR St and then by MS St.
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Not to hijack this thread, but OKC is 4.5 hours from Waco...the regional final only had 3,128 fans show up so the Mississippi State game wasn't a home atmosphere. When UCONN plays in Albany it's just 2 hours away, and the last 2 years they've had 9000+ fans show up.
 
donalddoowop said:
They probably told Paige to spend as much time with Azzi now because she won't be spending much time with her in college, seeing how they will be at different schools:(.
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Time for a Yogyism. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
 
bballnut90 said:
Not to hijack this thread, but OKC is 4.5 hours from Waco...the regional final only had 3,128 fans show up so the Mississippi State game wasn't a home atmosphere. When UCONN plays in Albany it's just 2 hours away, and the last 2 years they've had 9000+ fans show up.
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OK, I’ll grant that Oklahoma City is more than a casual drive away from Waco, but Dallas is just a little over an hour, and OR St was a big underdog.
 
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