Some preseason thoughts

[Bills Fan]

A big part of this season is to keep everybody healthy and to get experience for players like Amari and Patterson because they will be needed as the season progresses and definitely next season with Dorka graduating. Azzi was recruited as a shooter and scorer. IMO there is no reason to take her out of that position. Nika will start at the point for that reason. Much like Maria and DT in the past we have Nika and Azzi this season.

Another thought is we need to bring are injured players along slowly early on because we can not risk having them sit for any lengths of time. Dorka Griff and Caroline. That means Amari and Lou should see good minutes and as soon as Yanna is up to speed she will too. Our schedule is really really tuff early on and with Paige and ICE out we need to protect our players from getting hurt while not weakening any position by moving players around.

If Lou is as good as we've heard especially early on that will allow Azzi Caroline and Lou to take over games. How can I think that? Because we saw it last season and Lou with Azzi and Caroline on the court should make her even better because Azzi and Caroline will draw alot of attention from defenses.

Even with the loss of Paige and ICE we are a really really good team. 2 things: We must stay healthy and we must stay out of foul trouble and we should be fine.

We were told last season that Amari has a great shot. Put her up top much like we did Dolsen and let her pass the ball inside or shoot it just like Steph did. Amari in HS was a very good back to the basket player. Her presence underneath on defense will has opponents second guess driving the lane. We will need that this year and next.

Speaking of next season we should have Paige and ICE back as well as our incoming class of KK Ashylnn and Q and maybe an overseas Big. Were gonna be very tuff to stop next season and with Amari in the middle at 6'5 well we will be scary good. Back to this season. Alot of our success will depend on if there are any lingering injuries as well as how Lou will adjust to our tuff schedule and how healthy Dorka and Griff are. Can they play long minutes? Can Lou light it up like she did at Fairfield? I think so with Caroline and Azzi on the floor with her. Is Dorka able to go for long minutes and if not can Amari carry some of the load. One last point we must stay out of foul trouble. We need all hands on deck this season. We've got the talent to win it all however that talent has to be there in March.

Tony, I love your positive posts, BUT you are counting on a lot from Amari, both this year and next. I'm waiting to see if she has improved, especially in the intensity/toughness area. With ICE out this year, it's really important for Amari to be able to contribute as we have no other natural 5 position player behind Dorka this year and no one other than ICE next year.

 

[Bills Fan]

Maybe I'm being naive, or I'm reading the wrong tea leaves, but I don't see how we can leave Amari out of the equation, if only because we are VERY likely to need her to start at center next year. Even if we pull a European rabbit out of the 2023 hat, this will still be someone with no experience in our system. I don't see us building another title run without Amari getting major minutes next year. To me, this means Amari must get PT this year behind Dorka, maybe as much as 20 mins/g.

Or are we thinking Geno will find another transfer like Dorka for next year? Who exactly would that be, given that he doesn't like picking up players who haven't fulfilled their obligations to their original team? Prince? Ayoka Lee? Boston [lol]? None of these make any sense to me.

And for those of us transfixed by Geno's silence on Amari, this may merely mean he's getting ready to leapfrog her in the rotation and doesn't want to freak anyone out. I know, wishful thinking on my part, but silence is the hardest sign to read.

UConn doesn't do "rebuilding" years. We're always reaching for the brass ring. I think that means Amari plays this year to get ready for next year.

Sorry to disagree with your bold sentence, but if we need Amari to play 20+ minutes a game I think we are not a Final Four team. I hope we see an improved version of her, but I just don't see how she can get a motor so different from the one she displayed last year.

 

[Carnac]

I think you are right that Geno doesn't like to seek out disgruntled players from other programs, hence the completed their obligations preference. He also rarely needs to pursue that approach. If we have two good developments, he won't need to consider that route this time either.

If Amari shows enough this year, and we obtained El Alfy to provide depth and compete with Amari for the starting C spot, he won't need to pursue an emergency C type in the portal. If one of those happens, we could probably cover the lack of a second center with Ice playing backup minutes there. Then we would still have a need for another C, but not a desperate one.

If Amari looks like a bust and we miss out on El Alfy, then picking up whatever we can get at C in the portal becomes a critical need IMO. At that point Geno might prefer a one year rental of an experienced player who has fulfilled their obligations, but he probably would have to consider all possible transfers out of necessity.

Geno knew he needed another guard this offseason and got one in Lou that fit his needs and preferences. Then with Paige's injury he needed another, and pursued the only avenue left for him, namely the best foreign player willing to come to the states and make a quick decision on very short notice. Far from ideal, but Ines was probably a necessity at that point.

El Alfy and a productive Amari, great no problem. At the other extreme I could even see Geno looking for two C's in the portal, one to start, and another to be the backup instead of Amari. Obviously her development is pretty important for this year, but even more important looking to what the scenario will be the next one.

This could be an extremely stacked team at positions 1-4 next year. C is the main question mark, and Amari and the lack of a second C is the main reason why. Hopefully one piece comes on board in the next couple of weeks, and the other proves her worth quickly during the season.

Oldhuskie, there is a lot of truth in this post. Some will agree with you, some will not. I read it slowly line by line. It makes perfect sense to me. It's funny how some programs (Oregon) attract BIGS like a magnet, and some like UConn can't/don't. Oregon had 3 players 6'7" or taller. They are now down to two. Sedona Prince suffered a season ending elbow injury and has decided to forego her remaining college eligibility, and pursue her professional career.

In other news...........................while perusing Oregon's roster, I ran across a former UConn player..............Sadie Edwards who is now a full time assistant coach on Kelly Graves' staff.

I found it interesting that her bio makes no mention of her playing at UConn the first half of her freshman year before transferring to Univ. of Southern California during the holiday break in 2014. A Blair Academy HS graduate in 2014. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from USC in 2018. None the less, good luck to Sadie and the Ducks for 2022-23.

 

[Jim R]

Agreed. Player health has to be the number one priority this year. We can't afford one more long term injury. Not trying to be a pessimist or a chicken little (and I'm certainly NOT trying to jinx the team), but I'm almost afraid to log into the yard now for fear of reading that another player has gone down. No more injuries please!!!

I agree with Tonyc. UConn has enough talent to have very successful season. If UConn advances and survives to that 3rd weekend, their success from that point forward will largely depend on their ability to limit the other team's ability to score. I think who plays the best defense will determine the winner (out rebound them and limit our turnovers to 9 or less) It's been said by various posters repeatedly, our BIGS must come through and play BIG........ALL of them. If Dorka and Amari can EFFECTIVLY handle the post duties between themselves all season, we're good.

During media day this week, Aubrey Griffin indicated she was back to 100% and feels good with no lingering after affects. So I'm no longer questioning her. We heard it from HER mouth, and that's good enough for me. I know what we're going to get from her. She's been going "full tilt" in practice. She'll be ready.

Amari and Ayanna are still unknowns until we see them on the court. It won't happen, but I sure would like to know how they both fared in the scrimmage against UMass last Saturday. That would give us some indication of what to expect. Their performance against #3 (preseason) Texas (who should be a "sweet 16" team this year) will be the "litmus test." Any and all doubts will be removed AFTER that game.

During the 2 week period (Nov 14-27) UConn will play Texas, NC St. Duke, and Oregon or Iowa. Plenty of top tier competition to evaluate our team. There should be no mystery going into the Notre Dame game on Sun Dec 4. Geno will known what and who he has. The excitement is really starting to build. A week from tomorrow, the fun begins. Get your popcorn ready.

What’s there not to like? We’ve got a schedule that competitors would love. Our demanding home and away schedule through the middle of December will certainly test us - not only good teams, but, top Ten WCBB coaches to battle…we’ll be able to build on what we’ve learned during the Christmas break and after the New Year, before we run into the LVs & Gamecocks. Even without Paige & Ice, the expectations are just where they should be - NC #12. When Geno says the team has got great chemistry, and our strength is our shooting, one can only hope that our inside game has improved as well, especially our ability to keep taller opponents off the glass. If so, and, our defense is “nasty” (or close to it), I, like our chances.

 

[WFFL]

Is it true Umass only loss the exhibition by 5 pts ?

 

[Carnac]

Is it true Umass only loss the exhibition by 5 pts ?

What is your source of information? Details of scrimmages are usually kept quiet, and not made public. Of course, I have no way of knowing how much or how little information the two schools disseminated if any. Prior to this comment, I hadn’t heard or read anything.

 

[eebmg]

Is it true Umass only loss the exhibition by 5 pts ?

I thought I read somewhere that no scoring is kept in the scrimmage session

 

[Charliebball]

For me, the biggest variable for this team is player health. After Paige’s injury, the general consensus was that her injury was early enough that Geno could build a strong team with the players he had, given the season had not even started, even adding another guard at the 11th hour.

While the loss of Ice hurts, UConn is still at a point where they can build a strong rotation, with time to mesh together, in advance of the season. Undoubtedly, players will experience bumps and bruises during the season. But we’re at the point when another major injury or two to anyone on the team puts the Huskies in a much more difficult situation.

UConn has experienced more than their share of injuries over the past few seasons. My sincere hope is that the spate of injuries is over for this season and the Huskies can now just go out and play ball!!!

Reaching the Final Four is difficult when the entire roster is healthy.........I'm afraid that what was a pretty deep and talented UConn team is now an injury or two away from real trouble..........if they stay healthy UConn should be good enough to win the Big East but their chances of reaching the Final Four is now far more daunting.........Fudd is going to have to carry this team on her back..........really, really frustrating and the season hasn't even started yet.......

 

[Tonyc]

Reaching the Final Four is difficult when the entire roster is healthy.........I'm afraid that what was a pretty deep and talented UConn team is now an injury or two away from real trouble..........if they stay healthy UConn should be good enough to win the Big East but their chances of reaching the Final Four is now far more daunting.........Fudd is going to have to carry this team on her back..........really, really frustrating and the season hasn't even started yet.......

We will have to see how UConn recovers from their injuries. We will not be as good as we can be if injuries are lingering. I expect Geno to have Azzi as our go to player and that may take a couple of games for her to adjust. I expect Azzi to dribble, and penetrate much like Paige did and look for an open team mate. I also expect to see an improved Edwards and Dorka playing more aggressively. We're talented and we gonna be good as long as we can stay healthy. Dont worry because we have no control over injuries. Again we have the talent we just have to remain healthy. Look at last season with all the injuries and we made it to the final game limping. That shows how much talent we have. We have better shooters this season and we have a year under our belt with the underclassman. The road will be bumpy Im sure we just have to get healthy. It was mentioned that Geno hasnt said anything about Amari and he hasnt said anything about Ines. That means nothing to me at this point be both will need some playtime with all the kids coming back from injuries. All hands on Deck.

 

[Huskee11]

We are all shooting in the dark at this point. I will root like crazy for this group but the view from here is very foggy.

The questions are numerous. We have seven players returning, and five of them missed part or all of last season due to injury. We are of course hopeful that they are all fully healthy, but we will know more when we actually see then on the court.

We have three newcomers, and two of them are expected to make significant contributions.

Four significant contributors from last season have moved on or are out for the season. Forty percent of our current roster did not play a minute for us last season.

I am cautiously optimistic, but I also remember that our collective opinion about last year`s team changed about every five minutes or so.

There have been seasons where we knew from the jump exactly what we had and had a very good idea how it would all turn out. Think back when Stewie was on the team. This is not one of those seasons.

It could end up being spectacular. I certainly hope so, and can`t wait to find out. By the end of Thanksgiving weekend we should have a pretty good idea. Whatever we think we know now will be different then, and we will still be in November.

Lou emerging as a real force is certainly a possibility and would be most welcome. But, looking at the roster as a whole, I think that we will be right in the mix at the end provided that two or three players, whoever they are, surprise to the upside.

 

[BBallF]

We all have to remember that this is a new team. We had Paige driving the train, being the go to player, for all her freshman year and then the peak part of last year. We also lost 3 seniors who either started or, in Evina's case, started and also later subbed in.

Team chemistry is not just affability, it's knowing and predicting each other on the court such as who likes the ball where? when does she go back door? what is her strong side to receive the ball on the low post? where will she be on the break? where does she like a pick set? where does she usually force her opponent to when playing defense? and a hundred other similar matters of familiarity. Plus we have completely new players in Lou Two, Ines, Ayanna and a "virtually new" player in Aubrey.

So, I really don't care that much about the score, I care about how we play and whether we are improving every game. I care about running the offense, playing good individual and team defense and building on what we do every game. Geno likes this team, and I think we will too, a lot.

No one can be a Final Four team until after 4 games into the NCAA tournament so be patient and look for the signs that point that way. You know what they are, Caroline being like Caroline mid season last year but better, Azzi being unstoppable, Dorka being an all around offensive and defensive stalwart, Liya starting to really match her athleticism with basketball skill, Nika being the proud leader of the pack, Lou scoring off the bench freely, Aubrey back to being Aubrey with more offense, Amari stepping up, Ay being a force, and Ines figuring it out and helping a little. None of these things will happen in practice, scrimmages or early games and they won't happen at the same time but they will happen. Come February, the defense will happen as well.

I mean really, who amongst us expected us to get to the NC game last year after we got beat by Georgia Tech? Or Villanova? Just have faith in the process, losses aren't always bad things. Embrace the journey. One thing is for sure. It's going to be a long, strange trip this year.

 

[WFFL]

We all have to remember that this is a new team. We had Paige driving the train, being the go to player, for all her freshman year and then the peak part of last year. We also lost 3 seniors who either started or, in Evina's case, started and also later subbed in.

Team chemistry is not just affability, it's knowing and predicting each other on the court such as who likes the ball where? when does she go back door? what is her strong side to receive the ball on the low post? where will she be on the break? where does she like a pick set? where does she usually force her opponent to when playing defense? and a hundred other similar matters of familiarity. Plus we have completely new players in Lou Two, Ines, Ayanna and a "virtually new" player in Aubrey.

So, I really don't care that much about the score, I care about how we play and whether we are improving every game. I care about running the offense, playing good individual and team defense and building on what we do every game. Geno likes this team, and I think we will too, a lot.

No one can be a Final Four team until after 4 games into the NCAA tournament so be patient and look for the signs that point that way. You know what they are, Caroline being like Caroline mid season last year but better, Azzi being unstoppable, Dorka being an all around offensive and defensive stalwart, Liya starting to really match her athleticism with basketball skill, Nika being the proud leader of the pack, Lou scoring off the bench freely, Aubrey back to being Aubrey with more offense, Amari stepping up, Ay being a force, and Ines figuring it out and helping a little. None of these things will happen in practice, scrimmages or early games and they won't happen at the same time but they will happen. Come February, the defense will happen as well.

I mean really, who amongst us expected us to get to the NC game last year after we got beat by Georgia Tech? Or Villanova? Just have faith in the process, losses aren't always bad things. Embrace the journey. One thing is for sure. It's going to be a long, strange trip this year.

I had faith in paige. She's the sole reason we made that NC game imo. Without her we saw bad things could get ala Ga Tech , Villanova , Oregon etc...

 

[GEAinAustin]

WFFL, you didn't answer the question. What was your source to state that Mass. lost the scrimmage by 5 pt.s ?

 

[#12in21]

The core of this team has faced a lot of emotional hits to the gut with all the injuries last season and now Paige and Ice out for the season. They start the season with ten players available and are ranked preseason lower than they have in recent memory. On the bright side they aren't caring the type of burden and pressure of the 2016-17 squad that arguably had lost more talent from the prior season than any Uconn team. That team almost lost their first game, but after getting the two point win went on to run the table, extending the longest winning streak in college basketball up to 111 before the hiccup in the loss to Mississippi State. In that loss only Gabby and Saniya played their 'normal game' with Lou having a solid second half. The rest of the team never quite showed up and the result was a last second overtime loss. IMO if they had all played there normal game that would have been a W and SC would have still been searching for their first championship, because they would have gone down to Uconn in the championship game.

My point is that even though this year's team could easily be disheartened by their setbacks I don't believe that will be their mindset. They are hungry, talented and have a chip on their shoulder to prove that they are much better than the pundants have ranked them. Their season is front loaded with a lot of challenges but I expect them, even if they take a couple lumps along the way, to be there at the end fighting to be the last team standing. They aren't going to dwell on the what ifs but rather grab for that ring. I love being a Uconn wcbb fan and am looking forward to a great ride which hopefully will add another net to Geno's collection! Regardless, I'll be rooting for them.

 

[BBallF]

I had faith in paige. She's the sole reason we made that NC game imo. Without her we saw bad things could get ala Ga Tech , Villanova , Oregon etc...

Let's put it this way, without Paige we clearly don't get to the NC last year. With her, we were as much of a lock to get there this year as you can be in these things.

This is a more talented and deeper team in my mind this year than last year even without Ice if we take Paige out of the equation. The main reasons for depth are Lou Two, Ay and Aubrey with an experienced Amari. You also have Dorka being the focus of the offense down low and watch what she will do, an improved Liya, and two very confident scorers in CD and Azzi not to mention a great defender and emotional leader at point.

The two months to prepare without Paige cannot be overstated. There are no last minute adjustments required so in my mind probably no GTs, Novas or Oregons. I do anticipate losing a couple or 3 games against the top tier teams but so what. Geno proved last year that means nothing.

He has had time to be able to recast the team and reboot the offense after Paige's injury. Great defense always comes later for us except for Nika and Aubrey. Many have said we will know soon, especially with the Texas game, how good we are or are going to be. That's not accurate for me. You will know late February. By that time, the defense will be ratcheted up, and the players will have individually improved over the course of the season.That's the way Geno coaches. It's all about April.

It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

 

[Skeets]

WFFL, you didn't answer the question. What was your source to state that Mass. lost the scrimmage by 5 pt.s ?

I'm only speculating here, absolutely no source. Maybe UConn was giving UMass extra possessions to focus on defense. It wasn't a game, it was a scrimmage. What would Geno want to work on? What is he less sure about?

 

[Charliebball]

Let's put it this way, without Paige we clearly don't get to the NC last year. With her, we were as much of a lock to get there this year as you can be in these things.

This is a more talented and deeper team in my mind this year than last year even without Ice if we take Paige out of the equation. The main reasons for depth are Lou Two, Ay and Aubrey with an experienced Amari. You also have Dorka being the focus of the offense down low and watch what she will do, an improved Liya, and two very confident scorers in CD and Azzi not to mention a great defender and emotional leader at point.

The two months to prepare without Paige cannot be overstated. There are no last minute adjustments required so in my mind probably no GTs, Novas or Oregons. I do anticipate losing a couple or 3 games against the top tier teams but so what. Geno proved last year that means nothing.

He has had time to be able to recast the team and reboot the offense after Paige's injury. Great defense always comes later for us except for Nika and Aubrey. Many have said we will know soon, especially with the Texas game, how good we are or are going to be. That's not accurate for me. You will know late February. By that time, the defense will be ratcheted up, and the players will have individually improved over the course of the season.That's the way Geno coaches. It's all about April.

It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

I think we will all develop more of an appreciation for ONO's disruptive defensive influence along with Christyn Williams tough defense and all around play.........who on this year's team is going to take their mantle? That's going to be one of the big questions as the season progresses........

 

[GEAinAustin]

Not the pt. differential, but the source of info , I was directing my question about. If the scrimmage was so buttoned up, and someone is leaking specific facts, then I'll pay more attention to that person as my source for U Conn information.

 

[BBallF]

I think we will all develop more of an appreciation for ONO's disruptive defensive influence along with Christyn Williams tough defense and all around play.........who on this year's team is going to take their mantle? That's going to be one of the big questions as the season progresses........

Good point. We will not get exactly the same from anyone however and shouldn't expect it. Every player is different. Dorka and Liya will not be like ONO and Caroline, Lou or Aubrey won't be like CW.

You may not get the long armed blocks from ONO but you will get more power in Dorka, less cheap fouls, and a more complete offensive presence. In Liya, you will have even more athleticism than last year we are hoping. We didn't have a player like Ayanna last year and that back to the basket power game will be a welcome addition.

You may not get CW's type of tight defense and her drives but you will get Aubrey's disruptions, Caroline's heady defense, and her movement without the ball which is the best of any UCONN player in a long time. I also think Lou Two is a better shooter than CW.

So pluses and minuses. It will be different for sure. Better? Doesn't have to be. It just has to work within the framework of a new team. If CW locked down an opponent last year but Aubrey allows 6 more points against her but gets two more steals and 4 more rebounds it balances itself out. If ONO had a 10 and 10 game with 4 blocks and Dorka is 14 and 6 but Liya gets 12 points underneath and 7 boards and 2 blocks and Amari hits two 3s it balances itself out. Time will tell.

Geno says he likes this team. There is a reason for it.

 

[Geew1992]

I had faith in paige. She's the sole reason we made that NC game imo. Without her we saw bad things could get ala Ga Tech , Villanova , Oregon etc...

Those 3 games saw a player out due to injury/covid right before the game.

 

[Bone Dog]

Good point. We will not get exactly the same from anyone however and shouldn't expect it. Every player is different. Dorka and Liya will not be like ONO and Caroline, Lou or Aubrey won't be like CW.

You may not get the long armed blocks from ONO but you will get more power in Dorka, less cheap fouls, and a more complete offensive presence. In Liya, you will have even more athleticism than last year we are hoping. We didn't have a player like Ayanna last year and that back to the basket power game will be a welcome addition.

You may not get CW's type of tight defense and her drives but you will get Aubrey's disruptions, Caroline's heady defense, and her movement without the ball which is the best of any UCONN player in a long time. I also think Lou Two is a better shooter than CW.

So pluses and minuses. It will be different for sure. Better? Doesn't have to be. It just has to work within the framework of a new team. If CW locked down an opponent last year but Aubrey allows 6 more points against her but gets two more steals and 4 more rebounds it balances itself out. If ONO had a 10 and 10 game with 4 blocks and Dorka is 14 and 6 but Liya gets 12 points underneath and 7 boards and 2 blocks and Amari hits two 3s it balances itself out. Time will tell.

Geno says he likes this team. There is a reason for it.

Nice analysis, @BBallF. I will especially miss Christyn’s strong moves through the lane. Azzi can do some of that, but I don’t think she’s as strong. I’ll also miss Evina’s calming presence. She could come in and drop a few daggers or get a couple steals and runouts, and turn a game around. I don’t know if we have that personality on this team.

On the other hand, our shooting won’t be so erratic, which means the posts won’t have to work so hard to get position down low. Dorka and Aaliyah may feast on other teams posts. The danger in the past was always that our posts might foul out. I think that will be the problem of people defending them with no weak side help. I have vivid memories (nightmares even) of Liv Dorka Aaliyah having to wrestle the ball up to shoot in the paint, arms reaching for them on all sides. I think those days are gone.

Do we have a lockdown defender other than Nika or Aubrey? I think Azzi and Caroline can handle most guards. But Christyn shut down Caitlin Clark two years ago. If Nika isolates on Harmon, can Caroline and Azzi shut down Morris and Gonzalez? Sure, we can bring in Aubrey to great effect. But when Christyn shut down Clark, she also scored like 27 herself.

We will be a force to be reckoned with. But there is much to admire in those bygone seniors.

 

[BBallF]

Nice analysis, @BBallF. I will especially miss Christyn’s strong moves through the lane. Azzi can do some of that, but I don’t think she’s as strong. I’ll also miss Evina’s calming presence. She could come in and drop a few daggers or get a couple steals and runouts, and turn a game around. I don’t know if we have that personality on this team.

On the other hand, our shooting won’t be so erratic, which means the posts won’t have to work so hard to get position down low. Dorka and Aaliyah may feast on other teams posts. The danger in the past was always that our posts might foul out. I think that will be the problem of people defending them with no weak side help. I have vivid memories (nightmares even) of Liv Dorka Aaliyah having to wrestle the ball up to shoot in the paint, arms reaching for them on all sides. I think those days are gone.

Do we have a lockdown defender other than Nika or Aubrey? I think Azzi and Caroline can handle most guards. But Christyn shut down Caitlin Clark two years ago. If Nika isolates on Harmon, can Caroline and Azzi shut down Morris and Gonzalez? Sure, we can bring in Aubrey to great effect. But when Christyn shut down Clark, she also scored like 27 herself.

We will be a force to be reckoned with. But there is much to admire in those bygone seniors.

Right back at you. There are things we lost and won't have this year as you point out. The question is are there other things those players didn't have or didn't bring that this team does have? I believe so and I also believe they offset each other.

Here's the thing for me. Paige was the engine the last two years. The Evina, CW, ONO team was good but very vulnerable without her. I think this team will be better. There are a lot of points out there with a healthy Azzi and CD, Lou Two and Dorka plus Liya Part 3 and two really tough match up subs in Ay and Aubrey. Who knows about Amari also?

I don't fret about the November or December defense. In 2019-20 we were reeling, losing to every team ranked above us. Then came the February defensive metamorphosis. It was a different team. It happens every year. the defense gets leaner, meaner, tougher, tighter and more energetic. I look at this team and I see a full and half court press with steals and deflections being converted into points because you have three bona fide scorers on the team in Lou, CD and Azzi.

True, no one went to the basket like CW, but no one can shoot like Azzi or move without the ball like Caroline who, at 6'2" with a strong 3 point shot, is a good size guard with a lot of savvy. We also have not had a sub like Lou in a long time with her 3 point range and pull up jumpers. Instant offense off the bench.

For calming, I like the new assistant coach. something Bueckers, and a mature Nika who will be the vocal leader of this team. Plus, plus, plus, what unites players more than anything? It's the common cause and the loss of Paige and now Ice. It's what they have gone through already this season. Us against the World, a World who disrespects us. A technique as old as military history but in this case it was adventitious and not by design.

The chemistry on this team will be as good as the Periodic Table. And no, I am not trying to take Tony C's job. He just ahappens to be right, again.

 

[eebmg]

I will dump this here. A general pre season (After Paige injury but before Ice injury) article with a few quotes that might surprise

Women's basketball preview: Geno Auriemma says UConn will know its identity by Jan. 1

The legendary Huskies coach also says "no" when asked if his team is going to win the national championship

www.cbssports.com

"That doesn't mean if we get lucky we can't, but if you ask me, are we good enough to win it? No," the coach said. "If Paige was playing I would tell you we are going to win it, but without her, no, we are not going to win it. But if we get lucky and somebody screws up, you never know."

It's a big statement, but Auriemma said that it should be taken with a grain of salt in November.
"It's a long season," he added. "Whatever anybody predicts today, means absolutely nothing when it comes to March."


and this sad quote about Ice's progress

Auriemma said Brady has a very mature game for a freshman. She plays at a good pace and never feels rushed. She can also make open shots, but the main question Auriemma has is how quickly she will get her conditioning level up to the college level, although she's already made "tremendous" progress.

 

[BobbyJ]

I will dump this here. A general pre season (After Paige injury but before Ice injury) article with a few quotes that might surprise

Women's basketball preview: Geno Auriemma says UConn will know its identity by Jan. 1

The legendary Huskies coach also says "no" when asked if his team is going to win the national championship

www.cbssports.com

"That doesn't mean if we get lucky we can't, but if you ask me, are we good enough to win it? No," the coach said. "If Paige was playing I would tell you we are going to win it, but without her, no, we are not going to win it. But if we get lucky and somebody screws up, you never know."

It's a big statement, but Auriemma said that it should be taken with a grain of salt in November.
"It's a long season," he added. "Whatever anybody predicts today, means absolutely nothing when it comes to March."


and this sad quote about Ice's progress

Auriemma said Brady has a very mature game for a freshman. She plays at a good pace and never feels rushed. She can also make open shots, but the main question Auriemma has is how quickly she will get her conditioning level up to the college level, although she's already made "tremendous" progress.

None of this is a surprise to me at all. He confirms that Bueckers is the key to most things that they do. Plus drive penetration and defensive rebounding were a problem last year and they’ve lost their best rebounder and defensive anchor. Game improvement in these areas doesn’t happen in the offseason, you have to play games. And he knows it. There will be pressure on the offense because if they don’t get 80 a game it’ll be a rough road.

 

[BBallF]

I will dump this here. A general pre season (After Paige injury but before Ice injury) article with a few quotes that might surprise

Women's basketball preview: Geno Auriemma says UConn will know its identity by Jan. 1

The legendary Huskies coach also says "no" when asked if his team is going to win the national championship

www.cbssports.com

"That doesn't mean if we get lucky we can't, but if you ask me, are we good enough to win it? No," the coach said. "If Paige was playing I would tell you we are going to win it, but without her, no, we are not going to win it. But if we get lucky and somebody screws up, you never know."

It's a big statement, but Auriemma said that it should be taken with a grain of salt in November.
"It's a long season," he added. "Whatever anybody predicts today, means absolutely nothing when it comes to March."


and this sad quote about Ice's progress

Auriemma said Brady has a very mature game for a freshman. She plays at a good pace and never feels rushed. She can also make open shots, but the main question Auriemma has is how quickly she will get her conditioning level up to the college level, although she's already made "tremendous" progress.

"So no one, not even our Coach, thinks we are good enough now to win it" may have been uttered or thought by Nika or Dorka or others after reading or hearing about that article. "Let's show everybody", is the likely unspoken reply by the team. Us Against The World. It may very well have been the Maestro relieving pressure while motivating at the same time.