Starters | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Starters

cbraarj said:
Aubrey didn't know the offense all season. Couldn't hit a shot from 8 feet. Had a terrible handle and not that good at passing the ball. She was a good defender and rebounder on both the off. and def. boards but if she didn't improve on offense then I don't see her starting. They would only have 4 options with her out there. I can see Evina starting for one her experience and secondly after getting loose in warm ups so she's not on the sideline getting stiff. She did average 14.9 pts. and 5.3 ast for Tennessee. I could see Geno playing Paige and Nika like he did with Bird and Walters their Freshman year. Those 2 split time until injuries took over for both of them.
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Geno said Aubrey was a lot better than last season. You talk as if you don't believe Geno. Also, UConn has had outstanding teams that did not have five scorers on the floor at the same time and so have other teams. We'll find out soon enough.
 
Go/huskies said:
We’ll see, but I think Paige and Evina will run more of a double point guard attack, with Williams at the 3, Anna as a stretch 4 and Liv at the 5.
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Agree. This also means more minutes for Nika, which is very good news.
 
Go/huskies said:
We’ll see, but I think Paige and Evina will run more of a double point guard attack, with Williams at the 3, Anna as a stretch 4 and Liv at the 5.
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I have seen her very little so as a wild guess I think you and depup are right. The very little I saw - and from what I read from other posters - it seems Evina is a guard-type with good pg skills on offense. So my guess is she plays with Paige as some sort of "2 pg" guard attack.

But on defense I thought she looked very strong for a guard. It seemed she had big shoulders for her size and she is more athletic than AMak. So my wild guess here is that she guards the other team's PF.
 
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Why are some people (maybe one or two then) surprised with this starting lineup...if it actually happens on game day. Hasn't this and countless other starting 5 lineups been suggested from day one? Not everyone is going to be happy where such words as "snubbed" will be thrown out. :rolleyes:
 
A basketball scout who is a rather big fan of Paige getting ready for her debut in the next three posts:


 
I for one am not that worried about Aubrey not starting in the first game of the season...
I was more concerned about not hearing her mentioned in the last Media Availability report.

In games that matter this season, her disruptive defense and athleticism will be invaluable especially against teams like Louisville, so whether starting or not, her minutes played will be more telling as to if she is deserving of, or will live up to her Cheryl Miller Award watch status. :)
 
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Welllll if Paige starts *and Im not disputing that she will after seeing this post basically confirming it* I think it's safe to say the hype is indeed real and that Geno trusts her A LOT, which obviously says a lot of good things about Paige.

I agree that this probably means more substantial playing time for Nika which also excites me. The rotations that make the most sense to me are...(not really sure where Mir fits yet)

1: Paige, Nika
2/3: Christyn, Evina, Anna
4/5: Olivia, Aubrey, Aaliyah

Obviously to start the game there won't really be a true forward on the floor (Olivia is a center, Anna is not a forward let alone a power forward and neither is Evina) but with subs I think we'll see that change.

Taking Evina out to rest a bit you might have...
Paige
Christyn
Anna
Aubrey
Olivia

Which is a bit more balanced but maybe a bit less offensively capable in the half court.

I would've liked to see Aubrey starting *for my own unimportant sentimental reasons* but there's more games to be played. Starting isn't correlated with playing time. I can't complain having a starting backcourt of Paige, Christyn, Evina, and Anna. Thats a pretty good mix or skill, athleticism, speed, passing, cutting, movement, finishing, and shooting to have in those first 4 spots to compliment Olivia. It allows Aubrey (who we know struggled to hack the quarter court offense last season) to let the game unfold in front of her before Geno lets her rip. And defers to Evina's experience, seniority, and much more polished skill set with the starting spot.

I'm so so so excited to watch tomorrow, I won't even care how the team looks, I'm just grateful I get to see them play FINALLY!!!
 
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Well, with Geno having a flair for the dramatic, Aubrey will probably start for the Seton Hall game to wreck some more havoc. :p
 
Like the Lineup. We are moving into more position less basketball. I think this helps the team cause you have 4 out and 1 in. A lineup with very good passing skills. Anna over Aubrey is simple. We need someone to space the floor. Williams and Westbrook are both more drivers than shooters, so with Aubrey starting teams would just pack the paint. Anna opens up the lane. Aubrey will still play a ton of minutes off the bench as the defense and rebounding will be needed.

Excited to see Paige. With Anna and Westbrook starting it helps her cause she isn't forced to be the only ball handler, which will only help her game. I think Muhl will get some minutes, but I don't see her getting significant minutes. Westbrook and Makurat won't start at point, but they will handle the ball a lot. So right now I expect to see a lot of the starters, off the bench Griffin and Edwards will get the most minutes, with Muhl and McLean getting some opportunities.
 
Thinking about it over night, the "STARTERS" for the UMASS Lowell game really doesn't say much, as for the rest of the season. With Paige starting, it gives Geno an opportunity "To See What The Rookie" has, in a game that has ZERO PRESSURE to win (because we all know that UCONN will dominate this game). It also allows Geno to put Evina out on the court to start, given her "Leadership" skills that she obviously has (despite not ever playing a minute for UCONN). As many have said, the Starting Five for the Seton Hall Game (a conference game) may well be MUCH DIFFERENT than the starting 5 for this non-conference/relatively week opening day opponent.
 
DEpup said:
We shall see but I think Evina will be more point forward and start developing what her professional position will be since I personally don't see her having enough PG skill for the wnba.
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What is a point forward?

Anna last year played her best as the 2. And I think her best game as a freshman actually came on the 24 second clock against the USAB National Team. Anna has a pro ready game.
 
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Very interested to see the substitution pattern.

1-- Who is 1st off the bench?
2-- What is the order between Griff, Edwards and Mir?
3-- Does this starting lineup mean Nika will get in before all 3 of Griff, Edwards, and Mir?
- Or possibly the starting lineup means nothing to Nika getting minutes- in that whenever Paige or Evina comes out the other assumes the pg position while CWill assumes the SG and AMak assumes SF?
4-- Does this lineup mean that Nika is going to be "the preferred" pg instead of Evina?
 
It's the first game. Someone has to start. About the fifth game "starting" will show us who has earned Geno's trust and who is in the best shape physically. From what we have been hearing about Evina's knee, she may start but it doesn't sound like she will be able to go for extended periods of time so someone will be coming off the bench a lot.
 
Why does anyone have to play the 2, 3, or 4? Those are just numbers. I don't expect Anna or Evina to be banging in the post no matter what people may think if they want to call them a "4". Geno is basically playing 1 center and 4 guards.

Each guard has different strengths. Paige is a great passer and scorer. Anna is a great shooter and passer. Both Christyn and Evina are great slashers. I am sure there will be lots of ball movement to try to get UM-L out of position for easy baskets - whether a kick out for a 3, back door cut, or dip in for Olivia.

People sometimes IMHO get too caught up with "well who plays the 3? who plays the 4?". It's irrelevant. Geno and the staff will figure out (in any game we play) the matchups he wants on offense and defense, and how best to exploit the other teams' weaknesses to play to our strengths.

Obviously I am super excited. Those of us who knew Paige was going to be a starter expected this starting lineup. Can't wait to see all 11 getting their time and contributing!!

By the way I am of the opinion that Paige is one of the top 5 PG's in the entire nation. That's why I was so confident she'd be a starter. We get to watch the season unfold and see if I am right or not, but I think we can all agree she's going to be special... :)
 
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Whether she starts or not Paige didnt come here to sit....and with that said either did Azzi. Something to think about. They will both start sooner then later.
 
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CajunHusky said:
What is a point forward?
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Larry-Bird-scaled-e1593485970953-1024x684.jpg


en.wikipedia.org

Point forward - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
EricLA said:
Why does anyone have to play the 2, 3, or 4? Those are just numbers. I don't expect Anna or Evina to be banging in the post no matter what people may think if they want to call them a "4". Geno is basically playing 1 center and 4 guards.

Each guard has different strengths. Paige is a great passer and scorer. Anna is a great shooter and passer. Both Christyn and Evina are great slashers. I am sure there will be lots of ball movement to try to get UM-L out of position for easy baskets - whether a kick out for a 3, back door cut, or dip in for Olivia.

People sometimes IMHO get too caught up with "well who plays the 3? who plays the 4?". It's irrelevant. Geno and the staff will figure out (in any game we play) the matchups he wants on offense and defense, and how best to exploit the other teams' weaknesses to play to our strengths.

Obviously I am super excited. Those of us who knew Paige was going to be a starter expected this starting lineup. Can't wait to see all 11 getting their time and contributing!!
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Exactly!! As the OP I only relayed information, I had seen. I cheer for the team over any specific player.

Couldn't agree more with your opinion about people being too worried about who plays a specific position. The other teams will have to match up with us also.
 
Golden Husky said:
"I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here."
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You'd think a weapon was pointed towards Griffs heart that Aubrey wasn't named a starter. But then again maybe it's his "least vulnerable spot." :)
 
EricLA said:
Why does anyone have to play the 2, 3, or 4? Those are just numbers. I don't expect Anna or Evina to be banging in the post no matter what people may think if they want to call them a "4". Geno is basically playing 1 center and 4 guards.

Each guard has different strengths. Paige is a great passer and scorer. Anna is a great shooter and passer. Both Christyn and Evina are great slashers. I am sure there will be lots of ball movement to try to get UM-L out of position for easy baskets - whether a kick out for a 3, back door cut, or dip in for Olivia.

People sometimes IMHO get too caught up with "well who plays the 3? who plays the 4?". It's irrelevant. Geno and the staff will figure out (in any game we play) the matchups he wants on offense and defense, and how best to exploit the other teams' weaknesses to play to our strengths.

Obviously I am super excited. Those of us who knew Paige was going to be a starter expected this starting lineup. Can't wait to see all 11 getting their time and contributing!!

By the way I am of the opinion that Paige is one of the top 5 PG's in the entire nation. That's why I was so confident she'd be a starter. We get to watch the season unfold and see if I am right or not, but I think we can all agree she's going to be special... :)
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Not arguing here- especially on offense- but what if one player - AMak or Evina - that is primarily guarding the other team's PF? Wouldn't it be easy for conversation-speak to call that player "the 4" in order to distinguish each player on defense? Calling players 1 through 5 is not all offense. Anyone can say what they want - etc for me if AMak is primarily guarding the other team's PF then I'll call her position "the 4" on defense, and for easy-conversation-speak I'll refer to her as a 4 because that is what she is defending. Not everyone has to agree or call it like that. Just for me it's easy to discuss that way.
 
hoophuskee said:
Not arguing here- especially on offense- but what if one player - AMak or Evina - that is primarily guarding the other team's PF? Wouldn't it be easy for conversation-speak to call that player "the 4" in order to distinguish each player on defense? Calling players 1 through 5 is not all offense. Anyone can say what they want - etc for me if AMak is primarily guarding the other team's PF then I'll call her position "the 4" on defense, and for easy-conversation-speak I'll refer to her as a 4 because that is what she is defending. Not everyone has to agree or call it like that. Just for me it's easy to discuss that way.
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Maybe its just me but Geno has had the team play a lot of 2-3 zone the past few years.
 
ju6381 said:
Exactly!! As the OP I only relayed information, I had seen. I cheer for the team over any specific player.

Couldn't agree more with your opinion about people being too worried about who plays a specific position. The other teams will have to match up with us also.
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This is what Geno has been recruiting for and talking about for years: positionless basketball, and we will be the beneficiaries of this masterpiece unfolding before our very eyes....
 
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