So What Does Saniya Need To Do?

[Dougie]

So what does Saniya Chong need to do to take her game to the next level this year? In rewatching several games that I had taped last year, I was struck by a few things. At times she appeared tentative in her play and a little too deferential to her teammates. She seemed to stay on the perimeter and rarely penetrated or scored easy buckets. Was she overwhelmed by the speed of the game or by the strength of her opponents? While she did not commit a lot of turnovers, she seemed hesitant to take chances. I compare this with Bria Hartley who even as a freshman seemed to have ice in her veins and was very aggressive in taking it to the hole.

I like Saniya a lot and think its important for her to get off to a strong start this year. So what do you think Geno might have told her that she needed to work on during the offseason? And what do you think she needs to do to become a real contributor this year?

 

[EricLA]

You ask some really good questions. I've not seen any of her games recently (the NCAA games I replay did not have her playing any significant minutes).

There were games early in the season where she scored bunches. But mostly those came from being on fire from beyond the arc. She also was very competent with the ball - decent assist to TO ratio when she was feeling confident.

My opinion is she hit the freshman wall, and then lost confidence as a result. She never got her confidence back and her playing time decreased and decreased until it was practically nonexistent by the end of the year.

What does she need to do? Whatever it takes to get her confidence back. Get stronger. Play against boys who are bigger and stronger than her all summer so it helps improve her reaction time and ability to play the game at a faster pace. Work on scoring from all over the court - not just setting up for 3 point shots, but drives to the basket from both sides - possibly the most important of that would be the mid range pull up jumper. Sue still executes it to perfection in the WNBA and it seems to be a lost art for a lot of kids. I think if she does all these things and improves as much as she can, it will help her confidence as well.

I think it's rare that a freshman comes in and kicks ass the entire year. Stewie had her rough games as a freshman. Moriah exploded in her sophomore year. Not to put any added pressure on Saniya, but I think the quartet we have coming in has a chance to be so good that they will leave her in the dust if she does not exhibit dramatic and visible improvements...

 

[CTHUSKY74]

I think that part of the reason she didn't play was that she had lost confidence in shooting the ball and didn't provide that offensive spark she was giving us during the time KML was out. Her play was very one dimensional as has been mentioned. If her shooting touch doesn't return but she was able to provide some other aspects of defense, ball handling, driving to the lane and getting fouled, etc. I think she can contribute. However, with the infusion of the freshmen who have their own collection of talents and deficits, Geno will have many more options to go to than he did last year. Since we will need to protect the post much more with Stef gone and Kiah handling this without another center to back her up, there will be many more smaller quicker lineups used that will involve guards and forwards. There will be lots of opportunities but competition for minutes will be fierce since we lost two AA starters but brought in four guards/forwards and will bring back Morgan from injury. Saniya will need to shake off the lack of confidence and show the staff the player they recruited. Not everyone is on offensively every night, but when they can provide meaningful production in other important areas they still can contribute and earn minutes. I really hope Saniya comes back ready to do this.

 

[phil sampieri]

I think that part of the reason she didn't play was that she had lost confidence in shooting the ball and didn't provide that offensive spark she was giving us during the time KML was out. Her play was very one dimensional as has been mentioned. If her shooting touch doesn't return but she was able to provide some other aspects of defense, ball handling, driving to the lane and getting fouled, etc. I think she can contribute. However, with the infusion of the freshmen who have their own collection of talents and deficits, Geno will have many more options to go to than he did last year. Since we will need to protect the post much more with Stef gone and Kiah handling this without another center to back her up, there will be many more smaller quicker lineups used that will involve guards and forwards. There will be lots of opportunities but competition for minutes will be fierce since we lost two AA starters but brought in four guards/forwards and will bring back Morgan from injury. Saniya will need to shake off the lack of confidence and show the staff the player they recruited. Not everyone is on offensively every night, but when they can provide meaningful production in other important areas they still can contribute and earn minutes. I really hope Saniya comes back ready to do this.

imo just her ball handling- she can shoot and is very quick to the hole, plays decent D

 

[geneticrex]

It appeared she lost some confidence as the season progressed and if that is the case, she needs to regain it. It is imperative for an athlete to possess a high level of confidence to be successful.

Once she "feels" her abilities translate to this level, her natural mental and physical abilities will surface. Then, her talent level can be realized.

 

[iamcbs]

Saniya was 18-year-old Freshman playing on the best team in the country, with 3 AA's in the starting line-up and a 4th that should have been. She was the only scholarship frosh. She was tentative and a bit overwhelmed at times. Plus her defense wasn't up to Husky standards, which is crucial to playing time with Geno. MoJet was similar last year. A players biggest improvement is generally between their freshman and sophomore years. Saniya working with Shea and CD will be fine. We know she can shoot and she can score almost at will, I'm sure she's working this Summer on getting stronger, which she obviously needs to do, but I anticipate she'll be fine, with a stroke like she has if she can avoid injury we'll be talking about another AA guard at UConn this time next year!!

 

[JudgeSCR]

I have been a lurker for years and fan of the women’s team since ’94 when I moved to Connecticut. Finally I post.

Saniya did what most talented freshmen do. She had ups and downs.

Freshmen come into college and do whatever it is they did in high school that is most available that made them successful in the past. For Saniya that meant largely shooting the relatively uncontested three point shot. On a team like UConn where there was scoring talent whichever way a defense turned she initially got the open three. Once she proved deadly, teams adjusted. They took that largely uncontested shot away. She showed some talent driving to the hoop. It was just not enough to live on yet. At that point Saniya had to make adjustments to her game. She had probably never needed to do that mid-season. Her confidence slumped.

It got further complicated for her in that she was trying to do this without 1) over the top basketball skills (Stewy, Maya, DT, KML, etc.,); 2) lots of playing time (Big Steff and Bria); and 3) the luxury of being out of the spotlight on a good but not great team (not striving for the “prefect season”).

That is why the summer after freshman year is so important to a player’s development. They have learned that they have to get better at their game. They have to develop their primary, secondary and tertiary offensive moves. They have to get stronger, better conditioned and more confident. MoJeff recognized this last summer and came back ready to have her talent explode … and it did.

A coach once told me that you only need two really good offensive moves to be good, three to be very good and four makes you great. (More than that and you are a superstar). If I was asked to advise Saniya on her practices this summer (which would mean she was in deep trouble) I would tell her to: 1) shoot threes until she is surprised when she misses one and always feels she will hit the next one. Her goal would be to shoot each one exactly the same way; 2) practice her dribbling skills so that the ball feels on a yo-yo. So she is comfortable going left and right in traffic; and 3) perfect her two best moves. I don’t care what they are, a spin move, cross-over, step-back, hesitation, floater in the lane. It doesn’t matter. Just get your two moves. Play lots of games where you are going to work on the above and do them in college game speed.

I believe that this year will be particularly important as the incoming freshman class will push her … and run into some of the same realities of college basketball. Not to mention college itself.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I have a feeling she went home and did what she did in HS to prepare for her season and will come back with a new improved model Saniya Chong! She has a lot of natural ability, so she needs to pump up the confidence to her talent level! IMHO I believe she'll start at shooting G as Geno will bring the 4 freshmen along then rotate them in as they get used to College Ball!

 

[slimmer56]

She has all the tools to be successful. I think it is just a confidence issue, plain and simple.

 

[JudgeSCR]

Even if it is only about regaining her confidence, the hard and real question is how does one get their confidence back? That is where the work comes in. What must I do better and more consistently? What new elements do I add to my game, training, and understanding? Building those skills, conditioning and understandings are what gives you confidence. She has entered the elite level of women's college basketball. She has to improve as did MoJeff, Stewy, Bria.... Then her confidence will rise also. She has a great foundation. The question is does she take the next step. I, for one, eagerly await this next year to see.

 

[Dougie]

She has all the tools to be successful. I think it is just a confidence issue, plain and simple.

I'm really enjoying these many thoughtful and insightful responses to my original post.

The common theme here seems to be confidence, as in she needs to be more confident. But confidence is not something that happens in a vacuum; it's not something that you can simply will.

I think her confidence will evolve from her working on things that need improvement. I think she needs to get physically stronger (there were concerns when she came out of high school with respect to her slender frame). I also think she needs to become more explosive and play more aggressively. These are all addressable things and will not only make her a better offensive player but a better defensive player as well.

Some have suggested elsewhere that she has too low a release point on her shot. I think her shot is just fine and I wouldn't tamper with it.

I think that Saniya has a high BB IQ, has a good understanding of the system and has the motivation to be better. Make the improvements and the confidence will come.

 

[dtbtbtb]

She needs to shoot the ball. We know she is a great shooter when she actually shoots and that's how she will regain her confidence. This is her best skill so that's what she needs to build on.

 

[iamcbs]

I'm really enjoying these many thoughtful and insightful responses to my original post.

The common theme here seems to be confidence, as in she needs to be more confident. But confidence is not something that happens in a vacuum; it's not something that you can simply will.

I think her confidence will evolve from her working on things that need improvement. I think she needs to get physically stronger (there were concerns when she came out of high school with respect to her slender frame). I also think she needs to become more explosive and play more aggressively. These are all addressable things and will not only make her a better offensive player but a better defensive player as well.

Some have suggested elsewhere that she has too low a release point on her shot. I think her shot is just fine and I wouldn't tamper with it.

I think that Saniya has a high BB IQ, has a good understanding of the system and has the motivation to be better. Make the improvements and the confidence will come.

As was suggested earlier in this thread, in High School you can always get away with being the most talented player on the floor and your 'Go-to' move always works for you. At the Major D-1 College level, coaches have scouts and film and once they find out what you do well, they defense it. Saniya never adapted, most freshmen don't. I don't believe confidence is an issue with her, she knows what she can do. For her its merely getting stronger and developing more than one move, so that when her favorite move is defensed or she's played a certain way she knows how to adapt. We'll see a much different player than we did last season as I said earlier. A scorer can always score at any level of BB and Saniya is a scorer deluxe. We'll see if her defense improves to UConn level, Bria Hartley's was there as a freshman, which is the main reason she played as a frosh. Saniya will be fine.

 

[Wbbfan1]

The biggest thing that Saniya can do is to quit looking towards the bench when she's on the court. The other is that if she makes a mistake shake it off, and continue to play aggressively not worrying about the mistake she just made. Play with instinct like she did in High School. If she doesn't do the above, she won't keep the starting position if she earns it at start of the season. Too much talent on the bench.

 

[chrissaran]

Saniya needs to be aggressive. Don't think, just do what needs to be done. If you watched film of her high school games, she played with a joy and abandon that was totally lacking last year. She was afraid to make mistakes, which led to more mistakes, which led to sitting on the bench. The competition is going to be at an elite level. She can raise her game to that level. Will she? We all hope she does. She has a world of talent.

 

[WesternPaFan]

Needs to improve her toughness to match up with the guards she will be playing .

 

[sawxfan23]

She needs to get tougher and attack the rim more on offense. Last year her offense was limited to a fast break lay up or a wide open 3 pointer. She needs to do more to create her own offense and score in more ways. Her confidence was also an issue last year and I think getting off to a good start this year and gaining some confidence will be very important to her.

 

[meyers7]

Saniya was 18-year-old Freshman playing on the best team in the country, with 3 AA's in the starting line-up and a 4th that should have been. She was the only scholarship frosh. She was tentative and a bit overwhelmed at times. Plus her defense wasn't up to Husky standards, which is crucial to playing time with Geno. MoJet was similar last year. A players biggest improvement is generally between their freshman and sophomore years. Saniya working with Shea and CD will be fine. We know she can shoot and she can score almost at will, I'm sure she's working this Summer on getting stronger, which she obviously needs to do, but I anticipate she'll be fine, with a stroke like she has if she can avoid injury we'll be talking about another AA guard at UConn this time next year!!

I do hope you are right.

 

[caramel]

Saniya needs to go back a bit,and be the person she was before coming to Connecticut.
She has the talent,and she has the make-up.
Confidence,in oneself,cannot be taught,though it can be nurtured.
All,I think,she needs to do,is to regain the swagger and poise that she had in high school,and she will be fine.This will be a breakout year for her,in my opinion,and the work she put in over the summer,will pay off.
Also,another year with Moriah is going to help her,to excel on the court,and most importantly,to relax her mind and just have fun.

 

[HGN]

I think Saniya could improve her strength and ball-handling. She can shoot it , when open. But because she lacks a strong handle she cannot create her own shot. If she can get stronger and improve her handle , it will take her game to a whole new level.

She's a good defender and can run the floor. And I think the coaching staff trust her. But she is going to have to come back with an improved game in order to get the minutes she wants.

 

[Bigpetunia]

I think that one thing that would help a lot is to improve her shooting mechanics. By this stage in her development, that's easier said than done. Instead of shooting squarely in front of her face she invariably loses a crucial split second by transferring the ball to the off-shoulder position, uncharacteristic of great and natural shooters. But, as others have correctly pointed out, shooting is all about confidence, and it remains to be seen if she can regain hers. With some hungry and talented incoming Freshman guards, there will be intense competition for playing time, and Saniya strikes me as being most vulnerable to losing precious minutes....hope she gets it together.

 

[JoePgh]

Remember that Moriah was criticized by Geno in her freshman year for playing tentatively and looking over at the bench to get confirmation that she was doing the right thing. Geno said she worried too much about things that aren't important (such as whether he would yell at her -- which she might understandably consider important).

Moriah's major advance in her sophomore year was to stop playing tentatively and use her full abilities. The best indication of that was during the Baylor game. Apparently Geno (worrying about Odyssey Sims's defensive ability) instructed Moriah and Bria that whoever Odyssey was guarding should pass the ball to the other guard. Moriah did that for a while, then figured she could handle Odyssey, and told Geno (didn't ask him, told him) that she was just going to take it right to her. Geno said OK, and Moriah was very successful against Odyssey. But no freshman would have the confidence to do that.

Saniya needs to reach that point. The relevant metric will be how few times she looks at the bench while she is playing.

 

[JudgeSCR]

At the risk of beating a dead horse and being a contrarian, it isn't as simple as saying "she needs confidence" or "she needs to stop looking at the bench" or "she needs to just play with aggression". Those are symptoms of what happens to her and most freshmen. They find that the things that got them to UConn don't work as consistently. The easy but incomplete answer to all those is ... well, yes, of course. Get confident! Stop looking at Geno! Play with aggression!

But the real question is: How does she gain enough confidence to stop looking at the bench and just play with aggression? What some overlook from Moriah's emergence her sophomore year was that she went to the gym 6 hours a day over the summer after her freshman year AND WORKED ON HER GAME. That's what gave her the confidence to stop looking at Geno and just play. What some overlook from Stewy's re-emergence during her freshman year (after a brutal stretch and a loss of confidence) is that she started showing up at the gym before practice and began working on her game with CD. THEN her confidence came back. Saniya needs to do the same. It's work that leads to confidence.

 

[phil sampieri]

I think that one thing that would help a lot is to improve her shooting mechanics. By this stage in her development, that's easier said than done. Instead of shooting squarely in front of her face she invariably loses a crucial split second by transferring the ball to the off-shoulder position, uncharacteristic of great and natural shooters. But, as others have correctly pointed out, shooting is all about confidence, and it remains to be seen if she can regain hers. With some hungry and talented incoming Freshman guards, there will be intense competition for playing time, and Saniya strikes me as being most vulnerable to losing precious minutes....hope she gets it together.

no way

 

[Dougie]

I think that one thing that would help a lot is to improve her shooting mechanics. By this stage in her development, that's easier said than done. Instead of shooting squarely in front of her face she invariably loses a crucial split second by transferring the ball to the off-shoulder position, uncharacteristic of great and natural shooters. But, as others have correctly pointed out, shooting is all about confidence, and it remains to be seen if she can regain hers. With some hungry and talented incoming Freshman guards, there will be intense competition for playing time, and Saniya strikes me as being most vulnerable to losing precious minutes....hope she gets it together.

Like I said before I think it would be a huge mistake to tamper with her shot. That's the one thing that she does have confidence in and at which she is extremely adept. As has been said by other posters, there are many other things she needs to working on.