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Message: [QUOTE="Beemer, post: 4276307, member: 5218"] Your first point: If you don't give a player minutes in the regular season it is nearly certain they won't be able produce in a high pressure situation such as the FF, especially if you're a freshman. The adjustment from HS to college play is enormous but the adjustment is astronomical going from HS to the Final Four. And the only way to gain experience, the only way to learn to deal with the pressure is to play the game. Nobody knows how well DeBerry might have played if she'd had more minutes. Instead she was thrust into a situation she wasn't prepared for and the lack of positive results shouldn't surprise anyone. That's on Geno, this is where his short bench strategy came back to bite him in the ***. I have to be careful w/r/t Nika- I flat out love the kid, I love the way she plays and I make no secret about or apology for it. She's got her limitations but there is no question the team plays with more energy & confidence when she is out there. And UConn needed both last night. I would have had her out there all night long. Yeah she might have fouled out in the third quarter the way the officiating was going but in the meantime she would have made life hell for the SC guards and limited their scoring/passing attempts. SC was the better team but UConn definitely could have played better/smarter too. It was too easy for SC and that is what really bothers me about this defeat. Nobody can win all the time but at least make the other team earn it. This game was over when SC went up 11-2 in the first quarter. 11-2. :( [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach