Some Thoughts moving forward

[Blond D.]

Why did the team shoot so poorly from the arc? We hit 7 of the 29 3pt attempts is all; 24%. The freshmen were perhaps overwhelmed with it all? Didn’t really appear to be, but who knows? Their results were zero for 10! As for the sophomores add the zero for two from KK and one for five from Ash; it adds up to a whole lot of attempts and no success from the underclassmen.

I don’t know that there is always a 100% definitive answer as to why there are occasional poor shooting nights. They were talking open shots; they had good looks. As noted, it didn’t appear that they were playing poorly, other than the fact that they were not hitting their shots from the arc. Had their success rate been just a little more typical of their standards, say 35% of those deep shots, it would have amounted to another 9 points on the scoreboard. And with that it would have been a 78 to 58 drubbing!

sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.

 

[Rowdy831]

If the players on this team are capable of shooting 3's then they will be fine. Against UNC they missed everything but they had wide open shots all night long so the offense is working. Once Azzi is full steam I would like to see them go with Jana and Ice on the floor together to give them the length they need against the top teams. Chen looks to be a good sub for when Paige is resting and they would also have Ash, Morgan and KK coming off the bench too. This season could be a great one.

On defense I saw some really good play inside but our guards need to do a better job of closing on the shooters. UNC missed a lot of open 3's too and that is something that a few teams out there might be able to exploit.

 

[DefenseBB]

Here's what I want see moving forward, and no one can talk me out of it.

I want to see Sarah's parents sitting next Azzi's parents at some/all future games.

OMG? Seriously-that’s what you want to see? Let’s ignore the fact that won’t happen as Azzi’s parents have season seats on the end of a row and Azzi’s grandmother and brothers sit next to them. Add in the fact they sit in front of the cement demarcation at XL so no one can really sit behind them to interact. At Gampel, I believe the seats in front and behind are also claimed by other program associates. But I will indulge this ludicrous post and ask-why do you want them to sit next to each other?

 

[Bone Dog]

OMG? Seriously-that’s what you want to see? Let’s ignore the fact that won’t happen as Azzi’s parents have season seats on the end of a row and Azzi’s grandmother and brothers sit next to them. Add in the fact they sit in front of the cement demarcation at XL so no one can really sit behind them to interact. At Gampel, I believe the seats in front and behind are also claimed by other program associates. But I will indulge this ludicrous post and ask-why do you want them to sit next to each other?

I will take this as a humorous reply. What else can one do with such an apparently intemperate post? Good one!

 

[cgshuskie]

I agree with Stagnant. Play Chelli more. She, along with Sarah, is the future. A real diamond....

 

[DefenseBB]

I will take this as a humorous reply. What else can one do with such an apparently intemperate post? Good one!

So let me ask directly- why do you want to see Sarah’s parents sitting next to Azzi’s?

 

[Bone Dog]

So let me ask directly- why do you want to see Sarah’s parents sitting next to Azzi’s?

Because I think it would be sweet. There is something sweet and uplifting about seeing parents cheering their kids on at Storrs. Also, who knows but it might help with recruiting. D'oh! I don't have any evidence for that last bit. Please don't hurt me.

 

[Skeets]

I think everyone is overlooking Ashlynn. She had a bad shooting night but was excellent on defense.

My philosophy is if you never shoot below average you really don't have an average, and everyone has an average. Same holds true for never shooting above average.

It's probably more true than not that 50% of the time you are below average.

 

[HopJim]

I am surprised to hear the doom and gloom from some of the longtime Geno watchers. Yes, they are missing a number of 3 pointers. but I have seen some of the best shooters in the country start slow. Yes, their performance against zones is less than man to man. ITS EARLY. Rarely does a coach in any sport show all his cards the first few games. Suspect Geno, CD, etc. have a big bag of double screens, low post isolations, etc. just waiting for South Carolina and other top teams. Watch any past season, and the creativity shown at the end of the year is always dramatically different than the first few games. This is normally a strategy, not a weakness.

 

[Cornell Lt]

UNC was their first road game. It was something they needed to go through and I'm 100% positive that the newcomers learned some valuable lessons and gained some needed experience(s). I would be willing to go out on a limb and predict an upward trajectory the rest of the season, both home and away.

 

[Geew1992]

UNC was their first road game. It was something they needed to go through and I'm 100% positive that the newcomers learned some valuable lessons and gained some needed experience(s). I would be willing to go out on a limb and predict an upward trajectory the rest of the season, both home and away.

To piggy back... there was also the pressure to win the game to tie the record. All was planned for today 11/20.

 

[Blond D.]

My philosophy is if you never shoot below average you really don't have an average, and everyone has an average. Same holds true for never shooting above average.

It's probably more true than not that 50% of the time you are below average.

If you never shoot below your average then you are not figuring your average correctly unless you shoot the same every game.

 

[Skeets]

If you never shoot below your average then you are not figuring your average correctly unless you shoot the same every game.

Let's say you are in a rocket headed for interstellar space. Your altitude at blast off is 0, then 1 mile, 2 miles, etc. What is your average altitude? You jump out of a plane without a parachute. You start at 15,000, then 14,000, etc. You could calculate your average altitude, but what does it matter once you reach the ground?

What I'm trying to say is you need ups and downs to have an average. You shouldn't get bent out of shape, but instead, just accept acknowledge the downs. Otherwise you could become your own worst enemy.

 

[Blond D.]

Let's say you are in a rocket headed for interstellar space. Your altitude at blast off is 0, then 1 mile, 2 miles, etc. What is your average altitude? You jump out of a plane without a parachute. You start at 15,000, then 14,000, etc. You could calculate your average altitude, but what does it matter once you reach the ground?

What I'm trying to say is you need ups and downs to have an average. You shouldn't get bent out of shape, but instead, just accept acknowledge the downs. Otherwise you could become your own worst enemy.

I think we are in agreement. You have to shoot below your average and above your average to have an average.

As far a what is my average altitude, it depends on how high interstellar space is. But since I'm never going there, just like in your other example about falling, it doesnt matter.

 

[Longtime fan]

We have alot of underclassmen who need more experience and more development as we wait for our walking wounded experienced players to get back. They are not Paige Kaitlyn Azzi or Sarah. It will take time. How much time? As long as it takes, so we must be patient. With that said we will lean on Paige Sarah Kaitlyn and Azzi when she gets back. I would like to see Chen score more. We needed it against UNC and we will need Chen to be a scoring option while everyone else is coming along. When Chen becomes a scoring option it will take alot of pressure off everybody else. We have seen videos of her ability to create against top teams. We need her to show what she can do.

I expect this week in practice Geno will work on playing against a zone. We clearly were chucking up to many shots by players other then Paige and Chen who I believe the defense focused on making everybody else beat them. If everybody else was hitting their open shots the outcome wouldve been better. But because we didnt, hey we still won by double digits against a top 20 team, on the road on an off night. That says alot about how good we are at this point in the early season with a young team that is still finding their way.

We have bigs this season. Against UNC Sarah Jana and Ice performed well. They will all get better. We are seeing Ice's improvement already and it will continue. Sarah plays far beyond her years. Jana needs time at the college level. I am confident we will see her breakout game soon just because she has the talent.

Its going to come down to defense. Our defense has looked pretty good and will improve but not overnight. Geno is still filling in the pieces to the puzzle to see who fits where. Our underclassman are going through a learning curve. They will be worked in, in games where UConn can work them in. Until then in big games our rotation of 7/8 will not change.

I think we all have some concern about Jana, given her "off game" last night. Geno has built our expectations ( about Jana's talent) to the roof. She seemed to hit a wall against FDU. Everyone else is coming along. Some more slowly than others. But ICE is showing excellent progress and game; Sarah is beyond belief already . Chen , Ash, and KK are solid and reliable. Paige is the leader and AZZI showed a lot for her first day back. The mystery ( how much contribution they can make ) lies in Q, Cheli and Alli. At the moment , Cheli seems to be at the top of that lot. My personal favorite is Q. But I like them all.

 

[Cuango]

I think we all have some concern about Jana, given her "off game" last night. Geno has built our expectations ( about Jana's talent) to the roof. She seemed to hit a wall against FDU. Everyone else is coming along. Some more slowly than others. But ICE is showing excellent progress and game; Sarah is beyond belief already . Chen , Ash, and KK are solid and reliable. Paige is the leader and AZZI showed a lot for her first day back. The mystery ( how much contribution they can make ) lies in Q, Cheli and Alli. At the moment , Cheli seems to be at the top of that lot. My personal favorite is Q. But I like them all.

Yeah, count me as one who is not concerned in the least about Jana. I think it’s very clear that she is extremely talented and is a force in the post! She just needs a little time to settle in. If you think about it, they’ve played four games. Two were games that were full of distractions, tie ing and passing the record. Let’s face it, neither of the last two games were things of beauty. She will start making those layups when she settles down a little! Right now, she is just too eager and things are going too fast. I thnk she will end up among the best posts ever for UConn.

 

[Dogdude]

Jana's going to be more than fine. She's already rebounding very well, and has absolutely no fear about banging down inside. She's always having to work against 2 or 3 opponents, and holding her own physically. She's always heading down under the basket, not backing away from it. With all the outside shooters, it's hard to say how many points she'll score on any given night, especially with either made three pointers or long rebounds, but she'll always draw a crowd and at the very least that will be a big help.

 

[Bone Dog]

Yeah, count me as one who is not concerned in the least about Jana.

Me too. I've gotten some flak already for it, but I just have a feeling about Jana that she will be great, Will it be this season, or next season? I don't know, but she may surprise us all.

Geno's remark, that she wants to squeeze the 18 months she missed into one game sounds about right. She's nervous, she's rusty, she's gradually getting her form back... but she's already 100% tenacious. Against FDU she missed a couple layups -- one was blocked but with an uncalled foul (I thought) and the other was an ill-timed pass on the break -- and then finally got the ball where she could handle it, did a double pivot and muscled the ball up through the defender to score. In effect, she made the shot about twice as hard as it needed to be, and the camera panned to show Geno and CD looking utterly bemused on the sideline. Jana is very hard on herself, but she will figure it out.

 

[Ozimoto]

Jana needs two things and all of our concerns will be laid to rest.

1. The game needs to slow down for her (she needs to play at 80 mph instead of 120 mph ).
2. She needs to see the ball fall through the basket.

Once those two things happen, I think we will be very pleased with the results.