Starters need a breather | The Boneyard

Starters need a breather

Puertorock43 said:
Why not play Q samuels for a few minutes to give starters a breather? I know she is a freshman but at 6’ and athletic she can be use full
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Q in for Ash (for a breather and a confidence chat) would have made sense. Even though Ash is touted for her conditioning, she seemed gassed and out of sorts toward the end. Covering Richards was exhausting as was watching the game...
 
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Sometimes not playing a freshman in games like this is a way of protecting them. The pressure in these games can be crushing and for someone whose knowledge of the defensive schemes is still evolving, if she makes a mistake at the end it could be hard to recover from. 3 years ago, Lexi Donarski was put in that position at ISU and it cost her much emotional distress the next season.
 
With a full roster, Geno can afford to sit players who are not playing up to expectations whether in practice or games. With the depleted roster he's got now, he needs to steal some minutes of rest for the starters so they have something left at the end of the game by playing Ice and Q.
 
Actually, the OP was not about playing time. Its about using whatever bench you have to get the starters some "breathers", so they are not completely spent at the end of the game.
If that game was three minutes longer we lose. Paige was barely running at the end of the game.
2/3 minutes here and there for Q/Ice regardless of how they play will pay dividends.
The same rotation going forward, we get blown out.
 
I guess you have to evaluate whether playing Q a minute before each media timeout or heading into the end of the 1st or 3rd quarter so the starters can get a 3 or 4 minute break is worse than the starters going all 40 minutes? I tend to think going into the 4th quarter where Paige has sat the last minute or so of the third would make Paige a lot more effective down the streth. Since Geno and staff refuse to even try it though, we will never know if it would work.
 
Henry said:
With a full roster, Geno can afford to sit players who are not playing up to expectations whether in practice or games. With the depleted roster he's got now, he needs to steal some minutes of rest for the starters so they have something left at the end of the game by playing Ice and Q.
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I’ve been part of the boneyard for over 20 years so I know what people are going to say/respond.

However, if you’re up by 20 and you know your starters are getting tired and going to get tired in the fourth quarter then why not use the three players you have on your bench to steal 2-3 minutes to allow your starters some needed rest?!?!

I’m not a Hall of Fame basketball coach. But it just seems so logical. It frustrates me not to see the players, especially Ice and Q not play.
 
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Puertorock43 said:
Why not play Q samuels for a few minutes to give starters a breather? I know she is a freshman but at 6’ and athletic she can be use full
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Subs don’t play because they haven’t proven themselves worthy of the minutes in games and practice. Coach is trying to win games at this stage… not massage players or fans mental state.
DICKG said:
I am tired of hearing that if you don't practice well you don't play. Do you think Diana or Maya had great practices????? Q needs to play some minutes to rest the others.
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run from the truth
 
DICKG said:
I am tired of hearing that if you don't practice well you don't play. Do you think Diana or Maya had great practices????? Q needs to play some minutes to rest the others.
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Thank you for saying this because it's absolutely true. I can't imagine being Ice and getting some confidence during the big east tournament...rightfully so...only then to be relegated right back to the 'only playing out of necessity' role. It doesn't make sense to me. I think they won the game in spite of the coaching.
 
If the intent is to win games, then the starters need to still have something in the tank by the 4th Q. Look at how exhausted they were yesterday, and they hadn't played since Mon. How are they going to manage having to play again tomorrow unless they get breaks during that game.
 
DICKG said:
I am tired of hearing that if you don't practice well you don't play. Do you think Diana or Maya had great practices????? Q needs to play some minutes to rest the others.
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I really like Q and have pointed out how often her per minute played stats are "top 3" but I draw the line when she is included in any comparison with D or Maya!
 
Last night the coach of Illinois men's team, said he would run his players at Clingan, 100x if necessary because that's the way we play. How did that work out. Coaches should be resting our women's starters. G doesn't even use all the time outs.
 
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Jammer said:
Subs don’t play because they haven’t proven themselves worthy of the minutes in games and practice. Coach is trying to win games at this stage… not massage players or fans mental state.

run from the truth
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Monte said:
Shade played for 38 minutes, and did not score a point......Q could not have done any worse.
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Granted Ash played good defense but Q can score and is not shy. If she is hot - keep her in - if not take her out.
We will have to get back in the 70s to keep winning.
 
Bone Dog said:
Sometimes not playing a freshman in games like this is a way of protecting them. The pressure in these games can be crushing and for someone whose knowledge of the defensive schemes is still evolving, if she makes a mistake at the end it could be hard to recover from. 3 years ago, Lexi Donarski was put in that position at ISU and it cost her much emotional distress the next season.
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This is the truth. It’s not JUST about how you play in practice or your ability on the court. Sometimes it’s protecting players. Fans can be brutal and mistakes can be amplified x1000, especially in a loss. Even if players themselves aren’t reading things online, trust me, they know it’s being said.
 
Would you rather rotate a sub(s) in, at certain points of the game, normally the last minute of a quarter or the first minute of the next quarter, to give the starters a break?
Or
Have your starters more tired come crunch time, and probably not at their peak performance level?

We wll see on Monday what happens.
 
my2cents said:
Actually, the OP was not about playing time. Its about using whatever bench you have to get the starters some "breathers", so they are not completely spent at the end of the game.
If that game was three minutes longer we lose. Paige was barely running at the end of the game.
2/3 minutes here and there for Q/Ice regardless of how they play will pay dividends.
The same rotation going forward, we get blown out.
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OK, Geno puts Q, a player he knows is not ready to perform, in yesterday’ high intensity game. She gves up two turnovers, misses two shots, and commits two fouls. Duke scores six off those mistakes and UConn doesn’t score once because the player Q replaced wasn’t in the game and Duke makes three out of four free throws from the two fouls. We lose! Maybe , just maybe, Geno is right and she’s not ready for that kind of game. He is the one more likely to be able to evaluate whether a tired ( even exhausted) starter is better than an overwhelmed freshman. Obviously, I would like the starters to have some relief, but that game was basically played on the edge of a razor blade over the final three minutes! It’s easy to say, “send X to the bench and bring in Y for two minutes.“ The problem is, that one or two mistakes by the sub might have changed the outcome. We won! Geno did what he thought best, and we won!
 
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I think for the people complaining about people suggesting giving Q some time should remember this is a message board for people to discuss their thoughts and to just disregard the idea seems shortsighted.

I am sure Geno would love to give his starters a break but doesn’t feel like he can get what he needs out of what bench he has.

At the same time having Paige and Nika exhausted isn’t ideal either. So you kind of need to pick your poison a bit. Even a minute break here and there could be helpful.

Be interesting to see how Geno manages the fatigue in this upcoming game.
 
Uconn won that game because of their defense..You substitute Q in and her lack of defense would disrupt the whole defensive scheme
 
BBallF said:
Seems logical but I don't think Geno has confidence in her defense.
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I don't think it is so much her defense as her other game. The last time she was in a game, she turned the ball over and committed a foul within 60 seconds. Her defense is actually pretty good, and her rebounding is good. But she is 'dead to him " until next year, unless there is no choice.
 
ERWUC65 said:
Q in for Ash (for a breather and a confidence chat) would have made sense. Even though Ash is touted for her conditioning, she seemed gassed and out of sorts toward the end. Covering Richards was exhausting as was watching the game...
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All the starters were gassed. They played a noble and gritty game, building a 20 point lead out of pebbles and sticks, and holding on until Duke ran out of time. USC is much better than Duke, and is led by a freshman superstar. It seems our next game is a punishment, rather than a reward. Most of our players have been logging 40 minutes a game since the BE tournament. We'll see if there is magic in the air. We are going to need it. But we are here. And that is a superb testament to the team and the organization.
 
huskeynut said:
Another thread about playing time.

You play the hand you are dealt. If Q is not getting minutes, there is a reason. It is what it is.
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There is a reason the players are getting tired and worn down also. When the team had a twenty point lead would have been a good time to give someone a rest. Sometimes that practice rule needs to be pushed aside so the starters can get a much needed rest.
 
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