So...this KLS character is pretty good

[Sluconn Husky]

“This might have her been her best game since she’s been at Connecticut,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Lou’s a tough kid. She’s been down a little bit because her shot hasn’t gone in as much as she is used to seeing it go in. But we’re upset with her when she doesn’t do all the other things she’s capable of doing. You’re not in California anymore. You’re allowed to get in a defensive stance in this part of the country. You won’t get arrested. You can put your hand up and no one will say a bad thing about you. And you’re allowed to go after rebounds, you’ll actually get rewarded. Even if you don’t get the rebound, try.

“There are so many things that she does well, but when you’re a good shooter and don’t see the ball go in as much you start to pout and feel sorry for yourself and forget all the things you’re good at. That’s been where she’s been. Hopefully these last couple of games will help her.”

 

[hoophuskee]

“This might have her been her best game since she’s been at Connecticut,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Lou’s a tough kid. She’s been down a little bit because her shot hasn’t gone in as much as she is used to seeing it go in. But we’re upset with her when she doesn’t do all the other things she’s capable of doing. You’re not in California anymore. You’re allowed to get in a defensive stance in this part of the country. You won’t get arrested. You can put your hand up and no one will say a bad thing about you. And you’re allowed to go after rebounds, you’ll actually get rewarded. Even if you don’t get the rebound, try.

“There are so many things that she does well, but when you’re a good shooter and don’t see the ball go in as much you start to pout and feel sorry for yourself and forget all the things you’re good at. That’s been where she’s been. Hopefully these last couple of games will help her.”

This is what I'm saying - after these comments he played KLS vs ND. So something turned a little for Geno. In the DePaul game for most of it- DePaul being a guard-oriented team, he felt defensively Gabby and Collier could hang, right? That's why they played. And when you speak of press, how much did ND press UCONN?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Yes. So why didn't he put in KLS earlier vs DePaul if it was all about offensive guard play?

And when you said "heavy guard lineup to match," he wasn't talking about potential defense at all? Because if he was, wouldn't defensively it favor Collier and/or Gabby to match?

Don't know. He did put her in for 3-1/2 minutes of the 2nd quarter, then all but benched her until deciding to "give her a chance."

The lineups and way in which DePaul was playing didn't seem to fit Collier's game at all. It was too frenetic for her at this point, imo. Gabby made some plays but she's not a particularly good ball-handler. I think those things led to the change.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

This is what I'm saying - after these comments he played KLS vs ND. So something turned a little for Geno. In the DePaul game for most of it- DePaul being a guard-oriented team, he felt defensively Gabby and Collier could hang, right? That's why they played. And when you speak of press, how much did ND press UCONN?

Yeah, but ND had a mostly guard lineup too due to the injuries. That was making Williams and Collier more ineffective than normal just like it did at DePaul. The Irish didn't press, they just had that quick, small lineup in. I don't think Geno ever said exactly why he started KLS in place of Gabby after halftime, so we can only guess.

It's hard to know with him how much of his pronouncements are simple motivation techniques, honest critiques, or both.

 

[hoophuskee]

Don't know. He did put her in for 3-1/2 minutes of the 2nd quarter, then all but benched her until deciding to "give her a chance."

The lineups and way in which DePaul was playing didn't seem to fit Collier's game at all. It was too frenetic for her at this point, imo. Gabby made some plays but she's not a particularly good ball-handler. I think those things led to the change.

SO if the gems didn't suit Collier or Gabby, and Geno only gave KSL a small chance and now considers her a guard, then are we to draw the conclusion that Geno completely mis-diagnosed KLS? We can't have it both ways here. Can't say Collier and Gabby don't match up yet only give KLS 3.5 minutes and just say "She's not good enough" for more while the other two can't really help.

SO the ND game was not frenetic was it? So why couldn't Collier play more And hwo much ball-handling did we need from Gabby vs ND? And in your opinion, who can guard the perimeter better, KLS or the other two?

 

[Bgillon]

I believe Geno is trying to have KLS develop as UCONN's 3 point shooting zone breaker, as KML was for 4 years. Others can shoot the 3 but KLS is one who has the potential to drain them in bunches. If she can do that this year, she adds another dimension to the offense.

 

[JoePgh]

I believe Geno is trying to have KLS develop as UCONN's 3 point shooting zone breaker, as KML was for 4 years. Others can shoot the 3 but KLS is one who has the potential to drain them in bunches. If she can do that this year, she adds another dimension to the offense.

I think that is probably why he recruited her, but as with KML, he doesn't want her game to be one-dimensional or to have her be a liability on the court when her shot isn't falling. As a goal for her freshman year, I think he would settle for 35% or even 30% shooting from 3, provided that the rest of her game is at a UConn level, most especially defense.

People have criticized the suggestion (which Geno himself made) that Lou should "be like Stewie". That does not mean that he expects her to acquire Stewie's athletic gifts or to put up Stewie's numbers at any point in her career. All he meant by that, I'm quite sure, is that she should use Stewie as a role model for playing the entire game at both ends of the court, and focus on passing and ball handling on offense as well as on shooting. Also, she should shoot from all over the court, not just "hang out" at the 3-point line. In other words, he hopes that she will play the game like Stewie does, not that she will match Stewie's accomplishments.

The team can afford to be very patient with her 3-point shooting accuracy if she is contributing everything that she is capable of in these other areas.

And I think she herself totally understands (at least intellectually) what Geno wants and she wants to do it just as much as Geno wants her to do it. She just hasn't really discovered the level of effort and commitment and work that she will need to make to accomplish that. But she will, and when she does, she will make that commitment.

 

[UcMiami]

Ok guys, this is my interpretation of Geno's comments ....
There is always a player on the team who earns Geno's needles about being the worst defender in the world, not being able to guard the chair they are sitting on, etc. In the case of Dolson, he put a piece of paper on the floor and commented that he was amazed that she had just got airborne enough to clear that obstacle.
The first player that earned that 'honor' that I am aware of was Rebecca Lobo, but by the time she was a senior the honor had been passed to Kara Wolters. And it has been passed down as a badge of honor from one NPOY, to another first team AA to another NPOY to the holder of the title the last few year Miss Stewart. Are you beginning to see a picture emerging? It truly is a badge of honor, because it only gets 'worn' by those players who have the potential to become great. It is his way of keeping them sharp and pee'd off with him, and determined to shut him up.

After the DePaul game we got the first inkling of the next title holder Miss Samuelson, and after the ND game it was pretty well confirmed.

The interesting thing is there are a second group of players who seemingly can do no wrong - it is a rarer breed, and the first I remember was Nykesha Sales, who earned the epithet 'Precious' from her teammates because she NEVER got yelled at by Geno. Other holders of that title that I am aware of are Kelly Faris and Morgan Tuck. It isn't necessarily that they are better than say the 'worst defenders in the world' players, but they are extremely competent and do not seem to need or maybe do not respond well to Geno's needling.

I suspect Miss Collier may fall into this category during her career, but it is harder to really detect, because you are looking for signs of an absence of comment as opposed to the presence of the needling comments.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Ok guys, this is my interpretation of Geno's comments ....
There is always a player on the team who earns Geno's needles about being the worst defender in the world, not being able to guard the chair they are sitting on, etc. In the case of Dolson, he put a piece of paper on the floor and commented that he was amazed that she had just got airborne enough to clear that obstacle.
The first player that earned that 'honor' that I am aware of was Rebecca Lobo, but by the time she was a senior the honor had been passed to Kara Wolters. And it has been passed down as a badge of honor from one NPOY, to another first team AA to another NPOY to the holder of the title the last few year Miss Stewart. Are you beginning to see a picture emerging? It truly is a badge of honor, because it only gets 'worn' by those players who have the potential to become great. It is his way of keeping them sharp and pee'd off with him, and determined to shut him up.

After the DePaul game we got the first inkling of the next title holder Miss Samuelson, and after the ND game it was pretty well confirmed.

The interesting thing is there are a second group of players who seemingly can do no wrong - it is a rarer breed, and the first I remember was Nykesha Sales, who earned the epithet 'Precious' from her teammates because she NEVER got yelled at by Geno. Other holders of that title that I am aware of are Kelly Faris and Morgan Tuck. It isn't necessarily that they are better than say the 'worst defenders in the world' players, but they are extremely competent and do not seem to need or maybe do not respond well to Geno's needling.

I suspect Miss Collier may fall into this category during her career, but it is harder to really detect, because you are looking for signs of an absence of comment as opposed to the presence of the needling comments.

Wasn't Tamika Williams "Precious II"?

 

[TroyHouse66]

An old Geology prof over in Beach Hall once taught that "Diamond is nothing more than common Carbon created by high heat and pressure."

Geno is a master cutler... sharpening and tempering the finest basketball freshmen he is blessed with... into blades that are crafted to cut & slash without faltering in the arena of public pressure. (He has, already, applied all the pressure, over time, to fashion the instrument needed.)

Some rough blade blanks shape into stiff, lean, rebounding machines (Charles, Dolson). Others are created into thin stabbing dirks that penetrate into soft, vulnerable defenses and open them for a swift coup de gras (Swanier, MoJeff).
The Master also fashions blunt instruments of destruction needed for some future necessity (Crockett, Turner) or to deliver ongoing, dishearting beatings to the foe (Faris, Stokes). Some weapons were made to cut wide swaths over long terms (Taurasi, Mosq-Lew) and other, special purpose instruments were needed one time in exactly the right circumstance (Buck smothers Greiner).
We have full faith that when a special need arises, the correct tool is honed, polished, and sitting at hand.

 

[Icebear]

Geno is NOT satisfied with her defense. She'll eventually get better at defending.

That is a tradition.

 

[UcMiami]

Wasn't Tamika Williams "Precious II"?

Probably
It is a harder distinction to identify, but she suits the mold.

 

[wallman]

Hey all you good folks, it's been a while. Dealing with a lot of family health issues with aging parents and some of my own.

I have been watching and listening as I still get a kick out of all the good humor some of you long in the tooth boneyarders post which still give me a giggle when I need one.

I have to say that some of you are truly freaking spoiled. The wealth of talent that you have and the way your team plays, the game is unmatched in WCBB. Notre Dame lost and shot out of their skins. Usually a team wins with that kind of rare in the zone shooting but you were still the victors. What are you complaining about? There is no moral victory in Notre Dames loss, as they will never replicate that shooting. Sure, they can be glad that they didn't get trounced as did OSU but thats about it. Notre Dames defense was pretty bad, obviously, as they gave up that many points even though they were throwing up hail marys. You score 91 and it could have been more.

Have some of you forgotten the railing that Stewart endured her freshman year. I know the old faithful haven't. Geno seems to have the knack of singling out a player who he knows has the ability to take it, as he expects them to rise and achieve all he expects them to be. I have heard it is not an easy thing to deal with and some have not been able to handle it. Stewart did and boy look how that turned out but I doubt it was easy and from what I have heard it can borderline almost break a player. So I am guessing KLS is getting railed but she seems to be at some level, able to withstand it as she has been very poised in some of your toughest games so far. Geno obviously thought she was capable and wanted to challenge her or she would not have been in the game at those times.

Now Slu, I have read your love of your favorite player since you came on to this board and I have seen many like you over the years, posting and singling out the the negatives of other players who they think may be a threat to their own player, it's pretty obvious what you are doing. But, do you really not want your favorite player to have anyone to play with over the next four years? Do you really want your favorite player to be the only one on the team who you think is worthy? Because if you do, you will lose. It doesn't work that way. Good players have to have other good players to play with. Why don't you just enjoy the process and wish that all Uconns players improve, excel and do what Geno expects them to do.

Hey, I am still jealous as a Bruin fan. I see west coast players leave and I understand but I would never wish that they failed. I am a basketball fan first and enjoy really good basketball.

 

[EricLA]

Well, I am super happy with how Lou and Napheesa have developed so far. Do they have room for improvement? God, yes. But are they freshman who are showing flashes of why they were so highly ranked coming out of HS? Hell yes.

I don't mind comparisons to other greats - I think it's natural when you come to UCONN and I don't think it's unfair at all. The list of #1 or #2 players that UCONN has landed over the years is mind boggling - Dee, Cash/Williams (I think they were 2 and 3), Ann, Tina, Maya, EDD, Stewie, Moriah, and now KLS (and next year Dangerfield who is #2 according to one service). It's truly mind boggling.

Point is Crystal will be compared to Mo. It's inevitable. People can say "but they are different players" all they want, but they will be compared, for better or worse. UCONN fans always talk about "who's the best". Recently the debate has turned to "who's the best all time PG - Sue or Mo?". Same is true for KLS. She's the #1 freshman in the nation. Expectations are sky high, from fans, the coaches, and Lou herself. Kids develop at their own pace. Tina was pretty ragged her first year and she ended up being an Olympian. Lou came to UCONN for many reasons, but one near the top is that she wants to be great. I bet Geno and co. had the same talk with her as they did with Stewie - "what do you want while here at UCONN?".

Stewie's answer, IIRC, was something like "to be an AA and to win 4 NC's". Geno's comment was "ok great. We will help you get there"... Just like he will help Lou and Collier get to where they want to go...

 

[Gus Mahler]

Probably
It is a harder distinction to identify, but she suits the mold.

Actually, maybe it was Asjha Jones I'm thinking of. Maybe someone will chime in.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Now Slu, I have read your love of your favorite player since you came on to this board and I have seen many like you over the years, posting and singling out the the negatives of other players who they think may be a threat to their own player, it's pretty obvious what you are doing. But, do you really not want your favorite player to have anyone to play with over the next four years? Do you really want your favorite player to be the only one on the team who you think is worthy? Because if you do, you will lose. It doesn't work that way. Good players have to have other good players to play with. Why don't you just enjoy the process and wish that all Uconns players improve, excel and do what Geno expects them to do.

I don't have the foggiest idea what you're talking about. Is this some sort of conspiracy theory? You should have thought this through more before posting it along with things like it's pretty obvious what you are doing. It's gobbledygook.

 

[Zorro]

Actually, maybe it was Asjha Jones I'm thinking of. Maybe someone will chime in.

I think it was Swin that he congratulated for "getting one more rebound than a dead person". Kalana who couldn't guard a chair, Bria (as I recal) who "protected the baskets at both ends of the floor". Maybe someone has an archive of Geno vituperations. There really ought to be one. Hey, if everyone pitches in, we can maybe make one up right here! Bring them on!

 

[UcMiami]

Zorro - one of the posters on this board used to maintain a page with Genoism - not specifically his put-downs but all of his interesting phrases. Can't remember who, and I have seen a link to it in years.

 

[Zorro]

Probably Phil. I will check out his site. Another great Genoism was his observation that Moriah looked like she had escaped from the eighth grade.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Actually, maybe it was Asjha Jones I'm thinking of. Maybe someone will chime in.

Jones was the other precious. I found this by Googling:

Published November 13. 2009 1:36AM

Updated November 13. 2009 6:01PM


By Mike DiMauro
Publication: The Day
Storrs — Unless your names are Nykesha Sales and Asjha Jones, whom their teammates playfully nicknamed "precious" at various times for their ability to avoid Geno Auriemma's indignation, the path to success within the UConn women's basketball program begins as the target of the coach's comedy routine.

The complete link is:

http://www.theday.com/article/20091113/SPORT06/311139907

 

[Zorro]

Yup. It IS Phil's page. Here is the url; http://www.well.com/user/phil/quotes.html

And here are some samples;
"Lorin gets a lot of abuse at our practices and it's not from me because I don't talk to her. She doesn't know any of our plays, she doesn't know anything. I just shun her, like the Amish," Auriemma said

My bedside manner is that when that wound is open that’s the best time to pour some gasoline in there and light a match

When asked about how fans were chanting the obligatory "Overrated" at the Huskies late in the game, Auriemma said:

"I know my wife was at the game. It might have been her."

 

[Gus Mahler]

I guess this Phil is before my time.

But while on the subject of past (?) posters, whatever happened to Vowelguy?

 

[Zorro]

Phil was one of the really valuable warhorses of the BY. He still keeps a wonderful web site with all kinds of valuable and interesting information. I recommend it very highly.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Phil was one of the really valuable warhorses of the BY. He still keeps a wonderful web site with all kinds of valuable and interesting information. I recommend it very highly.

Thanks.

 

[j66kicker]

Yup. It IS Phil's page. Here is the url; http://www.well.com/user/phil/quotes.html

Wow - nice reminder, Z! Everybody on the, "This is the best UCONN team of all time" bandwagon should take this little trip down memory lane