Solving the rebounding problem

[HuskyNan]

This should be a free article if you haven’t read your monthly allotment

“That's what, you know, we spend time on, ‘Alright, we don't have the size that we would like to have. So how do we have to play defensively that allows us to not get hurt?’” Auriemma said. “And we've been down that road before. I mean when we had Gabby (Williams) playing center for us and we didn't have a really big team.

“But we were able to hold our own on the boards. We got an aggressive, much more aggressive mentality. So, we're trying to do that. We're trying to create maybe a more aggressive mentality defensively. And I think that will help us.”

How undersized UConn women can improve rebounding

UConn women's basketball is playing with a depleted, undersized frontcourt, so how can the Huskies continue to compete under the basket?

www.newstimes.com

 

[Bone Dog]

Gabby is the gift that keeps on giving. She provides all sorts of motivational examples.

 

[uconnfan68]

Gabby is the gift that keeps on giving. She provides all sorts of motivational examples.

But they don’t have anyone close to Gabby or what she could do. She was a generational player. I see glimpses of her game in some of our opponents, like Rivers.

 

[TCC Kid]

Rebounding for Uconn is--choose your poison: do you die from strychnine or arsenic.
It is easy to sit on the sidelines and come up with "brainstorms" none of which work.
There are BIGs and there are B. ..I...G...S. Geno has the former, he needs the later.
Aggressiveness--we saw all these past 3 years---and the fouls added up and the sitting added down.
Uconn--is AGGRESSIVE--They are TALENTED---they are perfect--they just aren't tall in the right positions. Edwards--Griffin--Muhl--Paige--Caroline (when well)--and 4 new Frosh--give it their all! What ever they have stays on the floor.

I guess it's a year we live with foul and hope. And we accept losses because there is no other choice--I don't feel one bit for the FANs---it breaks my heart to see this TEAM work so hard and only come close!!
Each joined Uconn expecting at least one NC --Each one is a CHAMPION. Damn!

 

[TCC Kid]

Gabby is the gift that keeps on giving. She provides all sorts of motivational examples.

When you mention Gabby; my brain immediately sees---in the middle of the floor (my brain sees) 15 feet in the air--she snags a wide open pass.. Amazing

 

[Bone Dog]

But they don’t have anyone close to Gabby or what she could do. She was a generational player. I see glimpses of her game in some of our opponents, like Rivers.

Isn't that in the nature of a "motivational example"? If you're already as good as Gabby, then she can't really motivate you very much.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I shudder when I hear a Geno pep talk about rebounding with more energy, just like I shudder when I see Paige slice in there and go up. I'm not going to say it, but I bet you all know what I'm talking about.

 

[gandydancer]

The great Dennis Rodman at 6'7" was an undersized rebounder who felt that any ball that came off the rim was his. Rebounding is attitude, positioning , and anticipation.

 

[oldhusky]

We can put two players at the 4 and 5 that are pretty good rebounders, namely Aubrey and Aaliyah. Trouble is they can't cover all 80 minutes at those two positions for several reasons. First they don't have a backup that can rebound. Ice doesn't look like rebounding will be a strength for her, and the other players used at the 4 are guards, mostly Paige. Also Geno doesn't want to use Aubrey exclusively at the 4 either, wanting to be able to use her some at the 3 where she played mostly last year.

But since we will have significant minutes at the 4 by a player most consider a 1 it is obviously a big challenge. Paige's versatility was a big plus heading into this season, and I was confident she could be very good anywhere from 1-3, but the 4 is pressing it. Still if you have to use some guard there, she is probably the best choice, and her four blocks in the last game, her height, and track record as a much better than average rebounding guard supports that IMO.

 

[Javafan]

The great Dennis Rodman at 6'7" was an undersized rebounder who felt that any ball that came off the rim was his. Rebounding is attitude, positioning , and anticipation.

Yes !!! ATTITUDE , POSITIONING and ANTICIPATION Don’t just stand around when your teammate or yourself making a shot - - Anticipate it will miss AND RUSH for the rebound !!!!! THAT’S REBOUNDING!!!!

 

[JellyBean]

The great Dennis Rodman at 6'7" was an undersized rebounder who felt that any ball that came off the rim was his. Rebounding is attitude, positioning , and anticipation.

Rodman was just on another level when it came to rebounding. I remember Isiah Thomas telling a story once about how the team (Pistons) were warmup for a game one day and Rodman wasn't focusing, or so they thought. Thomas asked Rodman, Hey, you with us? Rodman was studying the rotation of each player's shot and how certain players shot was either long, short, hard, soft, and that would impact rebounding. He was studying the arch of each players shot. But in the end, it all can down to effort. Rebekkah Brunson is another great rebounder. Her effort on the boards was off the charts.

 

[Skeets]

Yes !!! ATTITUDE , POSITIONING and ANTICIPATION Don’t just stand around when your teammate or yourself making a shot - - Anticipate it will miss AND RUSH for the rebound !!!!! THAT’S REBOUNDING!!!!

If you are not in position and boxing out BEFORE the shot goes up, you're already too late. How many times did you see UConn get into position and box out before the shot goes up (hint: it's a nice round number)? How many times did you see Rodman do it?

BTW where is Carnac? I believe he was a former rebounder. Did I miss something?

 

[freshler40]

This is an old school comment. Seems like 3 point shoot players are now taught to HOLD the poise, long arm extended with a statue of Liberty finish. This produces more Facebook likes. It may also produce more foul shoots? I would like to see that stat. How many three's produce foul line fours? This comment doesn't even get into the positioning of the feet to accept more fouls.

A shooter has, perhaps the best feel of what his shot is likely to do, be short, long etc. This would give the shooter an advantage in rebounding. Perhaps it's now taught that the player should quickly return to a defensive position to prevent break-a-ways?

 

[Geesworld]

The program needle that should move forward got stuck, when Gabby graduated. We still are trying to duplicate that Gabby team that didn't win the Final Four. Smh

 

[veryolddog]

This is all well and good but it cannot replace two 6 ft 6 in centers with an additional 48 inch of reach. This is called the Dawn Staley theory of basketball.

 

[OldSchooler]

The great Dennis Rodman at 6'7" was an undersized rebounder who felt that any ball that came off the rim was his. Rebounding is attitude, positioning , and anticipation.

6'10" Bill Russell was not the tallest center in the league, but he used to say he knew where the ball would hit the rim when the shot when up. Rebounding is a science.

 

[Rowdy831]

This team has two problems with rebounding. First they aren't very tall which is important since the second issue is they don't block out anyone. UConn will not win any game that comes down to how well they control the boards against a taller opponent. If Geno is dead set on Amari which is the only long option right now, then they need to be able to get enough steals and force enough turnovers to make up the difference.

 

[oldude]

In a recent postgame presser, Geno characterized this issue as “winning the math problem.” He essentially acknowledged that a small UConn team was going to lose the rebounding battle against bigger teams. But, at the same time, if UConn could force more turnovers and hold opponents to a lower shooting percentage, they could win the “math” and win the game.

That’s pretty much what the Huskies did against UNC. They have a similar test against Louisville tomorrow. After that, the BE doesn’t present the same rebounding challenge for UConn.

Of course there are still 2 big OOC games next year: home against ND and on the road against SC. I think UConn matches up well against ND, particularly at Gampel. As for SC In Columbia, I’m just hoping for the best.

 

[oldude]

One additional point. We need to stop comparing WBB players to MBB players like Bill Russell and Dennis Rodman. The women’s game is played almost entirely below the rim. Hence, positioning and boxing out is far more important.

Players like Russell & Rodman were exceptionally athletic. They both had great “rebounding range” allowing them to grab rebounds because they were quick off the floor and could elevate up to the ball.

 

[HopJim]

In a recent postgame presser, Geno characterized this issue as “winning the math problem.” He essentially acknowledged that a small UConn team was going to lose the rebounding battle against bigger teams. But, at the same time, if UConn could force more turnovers and hold opponents to a lower shooting percentage, they could win the “math” and win the game.

That’s pretty much what the Huskies did against UNC. They have a similar test against Louisville tomorrow. After that, the BE doesn’t present the same rebounding challenge for UConn.

Of course there are still 2 big OOC games next year: home against ND and on the road against SC. I think UConn matches up well against ND, particularly at Gampel. As for SC In Columbia, I’m just hoping for the best.

Geno and his "winning the math" theory can be disected even further. Yes, we need to win on defense, but particularly in stopping the many drives opposing guards are getting away with. What happens in these situations are not only high % shots but the offside UConn defender often comes over to try to stop the layup, leaving the weak side open for an offensive rebound. We also need that 4th guard to outscore their opposition and wear them down, a job Slade in particular is doing an adequate job of.

 

[hoophuskee]

This is all well and good but it cannot replace two 6 ft 6 in centers with an additional 48 inch of reach. This is called the Dawn Staley theory of basketball.

And Dawn Staley had a guard play outstaning in the Final Four the year she won it and last year their two 6'6 players got beat by a much much smaller team the year they lost because their gaurds couldn't defend or shoot. There is a theory of math is that the game instead based on just height but you are going to lose when you just can't shoot. Fubdamentals count in basketball too no matter the era.

 

[BBallF]

The great Dennis Rodman at 6'7" was an undersized rebounder who felt that any ball that came off the rim was his. Rebounding is attitude, positioning , and anticipation.

Yes, and more so learning the movements of the ball off the rim from different positions which is within the concept of experienced anticipation. Rodman actually studied the shots by opposing players as shown in The Last Dance. Bill Russell said he got most of his rebounds before the shot was taken!

 

[BBallF]

And Dawn Staley had a guard play outstaning in the Final Four the year she won it and last year their two 6'6 players got beat by a much much smaller team the year they lost because their gaurds couldn't defend or shoot. There is a theory of math is that the game instead based on just height but you are going to lose when you just can't shoot. Fubdamentals count in basketball too no matter the era.

That is the great enduring beauty of the game. No matter how big or athletic you may be, you can still get beat on a back door, you still have to make free throws, you still can't walk or double dribble, and above all else, you have to be able to play solid defense and put the ball in the hole.

 

[Urshurak]

Problem is, nobody in the center position is even remotely as talented as Gabby. Not even close.

 

[Skeets]

That is the great enduring beauty of the game. No matter how big or athletic you may be, you can still get beat on a back door, you still have to make free throws, you still can't walk or double dribble, and above all else, you have to be able to play solid defense and put the ball in the hole.

But you don't have to worry about carrying/palming the ball. I'm actually happy that isn't called anymore. Back in the old days it seemed that was called every 3 possessions or so. Made the game lethargic.