Starting 5 in 2017-18?

[bballnut90]

So I know this is quite premature, but who starts next year for UCONN? The 7 who could start IMO are:
Dangerfield
Nurse
Williams
Collier
Stevens
KLS
Walker

Walker looks to be the least likely to start just knowing Geno's past use of freshmen (Maya/Stewart/DT all came off the bench), but she could easily be starter by the end of the year.

Dangerfield emerges as the obvious candidate to run the point if she improves, which most expect she will.

Nurse won't come off the bench. Neither will this year's big 3. And I really don't see Stevens coming off the bench considering she might be the best player on the team next year....so, what gives?

Which two do you expect will come off the bench next season?

 

[dtbtbtb]

You can add an 8th potential starter in Camara...IMO those 8 will be the main rotation. For the starting 5 there are only 2 options either Danger comes from the bench and Kia plays PG with KLS plays Point Forward or Danger starts and either Gabby or Phee coming from the bench which is harder for me to believe due to both of them playing so amazingly this season

 

[HoopsFan21]

So what happens to Kyla, Molly, AEH, Lexi, Coombs, and Butler if the rotation is only going to be 7 or 8?

 

[dtbtbtb]

I hope Geno can figure a way of how to give meaningful minutes to 14 players...

 

[HGN]

I hope Geno can figure a way of how to give meaningful minutes to 14 players...

He will figure a way......This is not his first rodeo.

 

[bags27]

These six:

Dangerfield
Nurse
Williams
Collier
Stevens
KLS​

Simple: Geno gets them to rewrite the rules, back to when there were 3 women in the front court and 3 in the back court:

 

[oldude]

It is way too early to start this discussion, but I do believe that it will be a significant challenge for Geno to not only decide who his starters will be next season, but to then figure out a rotation

 

[Go/huskies]

Guard: Nurse
Guard: Lou
Center: Williams
Fowrad:Collier
Foward: Stevens
With a dangerous 6th man. Walker,Camara, and Gordon in the top half of the rotation.

Similar to this year's team who doesn't have a true point guard I think next years team can be ran with a combo of Williams, Lou and Nurse. Some people see Williams moving to the bench, but she's the teams best post defender. Stevens had a lot of success at Duke being asked to play more of a wing vs a true 5.

 

[Kaizen]

Nurse
Williams
Collier
Stevens
KLS

 

[hoophuskee]

I thought start the season that Danger would start for next year over Gabby. I thought Gabby would be a sensational "off-the-bench defensive game changer." But Gabby has "forced my hand." LOL

Starting 5 - Stevens, Collier, Lou, Gabby and Nurse.

This will be the attempted evolution of the great Gabby Williams. She is leading the team this year in assists while playing from the low post down. Just wow.

Anyhow the 5 I gave - they can all defend, shoot and dribble.

I can see possibly Danger -- but I can't see Walker starting other than 1 game for an odd reason. I don't know enough about Camara.

 

[hoophuskee]

Guard: Nurse
Guard: Lou
Center: Williams
Fowrad:Collier
Foward: Stevens
With a dangerous 6th man. Walker,Camara, and Gordon in the top half of the rotation.

Similar to this year's team who doesn't have a true point guard I think next years team can be ran with a combo of Williams, Lou and Nurse. Some people see Williams moving to the bench, but she's the teams best post defender. Stevens had a lot of success at Duke being asked to play more of a wing vs a true 5.

I think next year she'll be defending more on the perimeter. Arguably she is the team's best perimeter defender. Or is it "arguably?" We'll have size and athleticism now that we have Stevens and Camara.

 

[Kaizen]

Similar to this year's team who doesn't have a true point guard I think next years team can be ran with a combo of Williams, Lou and Nurse. Some people see Williams moving to the bench, but she's the teams best post defender. Stevens had a lot of success at Duke being asked to play more of a wing vs a true 5.

Gabby will not be in the bench. She is too good to be in the bench.

 

[alexrgct]

I can't even begin to answer this yet. We have so snuch to accomplish first!

I think anyone who starts this season will start next season. I also think we have an amazing recruiting class coming in. Geno will figure out the rotation; that's why he gets paid $2M annually.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Next year's starters will be Crystal Dangerfield, Kia, KLS, Gabby, Collier. While it seems we have a backlog of players next year, consider that we lose two this year (Saniya, TLaw) and three more next season (Kia, Gabby, Butler).

 

[veryolddog]

I think that Geno is going to roll the talent he has available in and out of the line up during any game and this team will not miss a beat. I do not think that foul trouble is going to be a problem next year.

 

[eebmg]

I think the starting 5 at beginning season will be

Dangerfield - Will have become strong solid PG which is needed to allow Kia to work off the ball.

Nurse - No Brainer

Stevens - Will easily beat out Butler for start. Need the intimidation size provides and will give meaningful offense in the post immediately.

Lou - No Brainer

Naphessa - No Brainer

Major Bench Minutes in rotation

Gabby - basically (Gabby- Lou and Naphessa) will rotate the 2 forward / wing positions evenly

Gabby is the best of the 3 to come off the bench. Both in the change of pace she can provide and in temperament

Butler - 15 minutes in support of Azure

Walker - Will find minutes behind Kia and perhaps as a wing ~ 15 minutes

Batouly - defense / rebounder/ enforcer will rotate between center and forward ~ 12 minutes

Molly - Find minutes behind Crystal ~ 12 minutes

Minor Minutes based on direct competition ( < 8) unless a player demonstrates unusual progress.
I do not see any one being 2 upsetat this as incoming freshman (or Kyla as a sophomore)

AEH, Lexi, Coombs, Kyla

 

[MilfordHusky]

I agree with the OP that these are the top 7 candidates, though maybe Batouly makes it 8:

Dangerfield
Nurse
Williams
Collier
Stevens
KLS
Walker

I also agree with the premise that this year's starters will start next year. I can't see Gabby as a 6th man. She might be fine with it, but she's too good and too valuable not to start. Kia is a lock. She is the leader and has become a stellar shooter. Lou and Pheesa are locks. They are possible All-Americans this year. I think Gabby is a near-lock.

That leaves 3 players for 1 slot. I rule Megan out, solely because she is a freshman and may not play up to Geno's standards initially, but she will be the most talented bench player in the country and will average 10+ ppg next year.

So, does Geno go small with Crystal for ball-handling and passing, or does he go big with Azura for rebounding, defense, and scoring? I had thought it would be Crystal up until a few weeks ago, but now I give the edge to Azura. People think that she has strong NPOY potential. Her stiffest competition in that regard may come from Lou and Napheesa.

In any case, the first 2-3 players off the bench will result in NO drop-off in play.

I look for the frosh to showcase their stuff in garbage time.

 

[Kaizen]

Walker will be the bench next year.
But in the after 3 years she will be the starter and be as good as Katie Lou for AA.

 

[DefenseBB]

The fifth starter will come down to Stevens/Crystal Dangerfield and who works harder in practice and earns Geno's trust. The more bemusing aspect for me is to see Geno take a page out of Doug Bruno's book and have a "second shift" of players like Camera, Butler, Walker, Bent and Crystal Dangerfield/Stevens with 3rd line of AEH, Lexi, Kyla and Coombs. Wow...

 

[oldude]

Your analysis is spot on. The only issue that might change it is that once again next year UConn will play basically the same brutal pre-conference schedule as this year.

That might induce Geno to insert Azura as a starter to get some more size on the floor and keep Pheesa & Gabby out of early foul trouble against teams with big posts, particularly if Azura is as good as advertised and is demonstrating her ability to Geno every day in practice this year.

As some have suggested, with Kia, Gabby & Lou on the floor, there are plenty of players that can pass the ball and run the offense.

 

[rugbymate]

If Crystal Dangerfield is starting at year end and if we win the NC it would be difficult to not start the reigning starting 5 that won the NC. Stevens/Crystal Dangerfield will get mega minutes regardless of their starting status but gotta give the nod to a champion. If we don't win the NC, as other posters have noted the starting 5 will probably depend on practice performance and may not be determined until the last minute. One thing for sure , with the competition for playing time, the practices will be like the gladiator arena.

 

[oldude]

One thing for sure , with the competition for playing time, the practices will be like the gladiator arena.

And at the end of practice Geno will be like Caesar: thumbs up or thumbs down

 

[Sonny44]

Does this mean that over the summer we won't need 20 more posts on the same subject?

 

[oldude]

We'll be lucky if it only requires 20 more posts to hash out next years starting 5. My prediction is that the 1st such post will open the day after this years national championship game with ongoing discussions about who should start well into next season.