Starting Five and.... | The Boneyard

Starting Five and....

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cferraro04

cferraro04

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To start the season...it is a no brainer for the starting five...IMHO Geno will go with his veterans

Aliyah Edwards
Caroline Ducharme
Aubrey Griffin
Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers

Off the bench - rotation preference:

Front Court

Ice Brady
Ayanna Patterson
Amari DeBerry

Back Court

Nika Muhl
Ines Bettencourt
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Qadence Samuels

2nd team:

Ice Brady (Amari DeBerry)
Ayanna Patterson (Qadence Samuels)
Nika Muhl (Ines Bettencourt)
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
 
To start the season

Paige Bueckers
Azzi Fudd
Nika Muhl
Aaliyah Edwards
Aubrey Griffin

Off the bench at the 4 & 5
Ice Brady
Carol Ducharme
Amari Deberry
Ayanna Patterson

Off the Bench 1,2 & 3
Carol Ducharme
KK Arnold
Ashylnn Shade
Quadence Samuels
Ines Bettencourt

This all depends on who is healthy and if we play a big team Geno might adjust
but we are going to run and gun with the first 5. 93 pts per game average
 
Nika has been a loyal soldier who has been one of the players to be there through all of the troubles not to mention a 2 time conference player of the year. There is no way Geno stabs her in the back her senior year and doesn't start her. The question is do you go defense and rebounding with Aubrey or as potent and offensive attack as possible with Caroline?

Aaliyah - Paige - Azzi - Nike; absolute locks to start
Aubrey - Caroline; could go either way - both worthy of starting
Everyone else
 
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cferraro04 said:
To start the season...it is a no brainer for the starting five...IMHO Geno will go with his veterans

Aliyah Edwards
Caroline Ducharme
Aubrey Griffin
Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers

Off the bench - rotation preference:

Front Court

Ice Brady
Ayanna Patterson
Amari DeBerry

Back Court

Nika Muhl
Ines Bettencourt
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Qadence Samuels

2nd team:

Ice Brady (Amari DeBerry)
Ayanna Patterson (Qadence Samuels)
Nika Muhl (Ines Bettencourt)
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Expand ...
No-brainer? I already have two takers for my pizza bet that Muhl will start. Your no-brainer claim suggests you can’t lose, so please be my third.

Caveats: Injuries to Muhl, Bueckers or Fudd nullifies the bet.

Pizza bet = a shared pizza that the loser pays for. Pizza type chosen by winner but can be negotiated.
 
jabstep said:
To start the season

Paige Bueckers
Azzi Fudd
Nika Muhl
Aaliyah Edwards
Aubrey Griffin

Off the bench at the 4 & 5
Ice Brady
Carol Ducharme
Amari Deberry
Ayanna Patterson

Off the Bench 1,2 & 3
Carol Ducharme
KK Arnold
Ashylnn Shade
Quadence Samuels
Ines Bettencourt

This all depends on who is healthy and if we play a big team Geno might adjust
but we are going to run and gun with the first 5. 93 pts per game average
Expand ...
You and I think alike. This team will be the goal of all other teams to emulate and try to accomplish what we will accomplish this season. Uconn will be unbeaten in the BE and another title and will finally win No.12 after 7 long years of unprecedented injuries. This roster is one of the strongest Uconn has had since Breanna and co. GO TEAM!!! GOHUSKIES!!!!
 
My argument for Nika coming off the bench, which I know is a hard decision given her record assists last season but, both Azzi and Paige are back...redundancy may not be in UConn's best interest and this isn't about her getting less minutes...she deserves minutes, and she will get them regardless of whether or not she starts. Also with Bueckers and Fudd on the floor assists are not going to be hard to come by. The rub on Muhl has always been on the offensive end and her ability to score.

Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards doesn't give them much size...so, start Caroline 6'2" and Aubrey 6'1" and you have 6'3", 6'2", 6'1", 6'0" and 5'11"...if you sit Caroline you end up with 6'3", 6'1", 6'0", 5'11", 5'11". And, that is if you can trust the declared heights of the players. Caroline was a starter before Nika and she was clutch when Paige went down in her sophomore year. The team is just better with Caroline on the floor.

We do have height coming off the bench but, unfortunately Amari 6'6" has yet to prove herself; Ice Brady 6'3" is essentially playing her freshman year after sitting out her entire true freshman year. Ayanna Patterson 6'2"...had an educational outing in her freshman year and it would be great to see her make the sophomore jump...but we shall see.
 
I don't see it as a no-brainer at all.

Certain starters, if healthy: Paige, Azzi, Aaliyah (they could all be top-10 in the nation)

Almost certain starter: Nika

Probable starter: Aubrey, or Ice if Geno wants a taller lineup.

Early off the bench: Depends on the position and whether someone is in foul trouble--Aubrey/Ice, Caroline, Ayanna, KK. Jana was in this group before her injury.
 
You dont sit the defensive player of the year (two years in a row) not to mention all time assist leader for the Huskies. With Azzi, Paige, Aaliyah and Aubrey on the floor you have plenty of fire power ( not to mention Nika aint so bad herself when she feels the urge) but the Huskies start with defense and turn that into offense.
 
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It is almost like Ducharme is the Rodney Dangerfield of the team...are we forgetting what she did during her freshmen year when Paige went down...she basically put the team on her back. Do we forget her performance when she came back from injury...she is a solid defender, gives us size, she is a scorer and she is the player that Azzi and Bueckers have said that they feel comfortable with the ball in her hand when the game is on the line. I am not discounting Nika as a point guard and her ability to play the point when Bueckers isn't on the floor...but, quite frankly with Bueckers at the point...I don't see Nika filling in as a starter at the 2 that goes to Azzi.. She isn't going to be effective at the 3, the 4 or the 5. If Geno wants to play small ball then I can see her on the floor with Azzi and Bueckers. There will be times when Geno will go small...but, I think his best overall starting five right now is with Caroline and Aubrey in the starting line-up. I know many here disagree and I am not trying to stir anything up...it is just my opinion and in about 3 months we will all know for sure....
 
jabstep said:
To start the season

Paige Bueckers
Azzi Fudd
Nika Muhl
Aaliyah Edwards
Aubrey Griffin

Off the bench at the 4 & 5
Ice Brady
Carol Ducharme
Amari Deberry
Ayanna Patterson

Off the Bench 1,2 & 3
Carol Ducharme
KK Arnold
Ashylnn Shade
Quadence Samuels
Ines Bettencourt

This all depends on who is healthy and if we play a big team Geno might adjust
but we are going to run and gun with the first 5. 93 pts per game average
Expand ...
Looking at your list and agreeing with most of it, but with a few comments. I can see Caroline as a starter in place of AG who is a dynamite 1st front court sub to inject energy.

A different issue that I see is that we should not be combining #3s with the #1 & 2s. There is a completely different size and skill variance in what's needed in those positions. Yes some of our players can play both the 3 and the 2 but that isn't their best use and to group them altogether doesn't work in my view. For example, KK, AS, and IB cannot play the 3 and CD and QS cannot play the 1.

My only other thought is that, by reputation and recruiting class evaluation (and based on what I have watched the last two years), I believe AP will come in off the bench before Amari. I know AD has her fans, including some of my most valued Boneyard posters, but she has had two years to show her skills to some of us, including (based on playing time) Geno. I will eat crow and be glad about it, if she has a breakout year, but first she has to show it on the court.

Final thought, I think it's possible that we are undervaluing ICE right now and that she might become a key piece of the #4 & 5 rotation. (To be seen in a few months)
 
If I were preparing my team to play UConn, who would I be expecting to be going against my team?

Paige
Aziz
Nika
Aaliyah
Aubrey

Five games into the season it could be very different. Depending on what's happening with the other team members.

This year I'm expecting the "team" to play different with Paige on the floor, in that I don't think they will be waiting for Paige to do everything any longer.

I only know one thing for sure. . . I'm waiting with great expectations. Kind of just like every year. :)
 
cferraro04 said:
To start the season...it is a no brainer for the starting five...IMHO Geno will go with his veterans

Aliyah Edwards
Caroline Ducharme
Aubrey Griffin
Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers

Off the bench - rotation preference:

Front Court

Ice Brady
Ayanna Patterson
Amari DeBerry

Back Court

Nika Muhl
Ines Bettencourt
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Qadence Samuels

2nd team:

Ice Brady (Amari DeBerry)
Ayanna Patterson (Qadence Samuels)
Nika Muhl (Ines Bettencourt)
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Expand ...
That may be the starting lineup early in the season, but I predict Ice Brady to become a starter by mid-season along with PB, A, AA and CD or AG.........frankly, I think that AG and NM would serve the team better off the bench as they bring a heightened level of intensity that the team may need........
 
diggerfoot said:
No-brainer? I already have two takers for my pizza bet that Muhl will start. Your no-brainer claim suggests you can’t lose, so please be my third.

Caveats: Injuries to Muhl, Bueckers or Fudd nullifies the bet.

Pizza bet = a shared pizza that the loser pays for. Pizza type chosen by winner but can be negotiated.
Expand ...
OK......here we go. :D I've already posted my starting 5. I'm staying out of this debate. I'll read every post in this thread to try and keep up though. I'm always interested in the thoughts and concerns of my fellow boneyarders. I've posted several times recently that Paige, Azzi, and Aaliyah are the only locks!!! No one on the team can/will start in front of them. I suggested that there are 4 other players besides these 3 that Geno could very well promote to starters. :cool: Nothing has changed my take on this.

We're a tight-knit group on most things, but not on who the starting 5 will be this far out. I see a group of 7 players Geno can choose his starters from.
 
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Charliebball said:
That may be the starting lineup early in the season, but I predict Ice Brady to become a starter by mid-season along with PB, A, AA and CD or AG.........frankly, I think that AG and NM would serve the team better off the bench as they bring a heightened level of intensity that the team may need........
Expand ...
I have a similar perspective. I'm in agreement that Paige, Azzi, and AE are all cemented starters. Outside of that, I think there are good arguments to be made for a lot of variations. I think ICE will actually start because if you need to, you can bring in more size (Amari, Ayana) or you could go small ball (Caroline/Aubrey/Nika). If he starts one of those 3 instead of ICE then AE has to play the 5 and then, assuming one of the others is the 5th starter, it only leaves one of them to come in off the bench (just ignoring freshman for now, although to be fair they could definitely fit in here). I dunno, it just feels like there's a little bit more balance that way.

At this point, I'm just excited to see any of those women on the court!!!
 
In Aubrey and Nika, Geno has two of the best defenders in the country.

I suspect that with the depth he has that he will want to press a lot on defense right off of the bat.

In the games that really matter he will need to shut down one or more stars on the other team to prevent us from getting down early and not simply try to match baskets. He is not going to have Nika come off the bench all year and then start her against Iowa.

Nika and Aubrey are capable scorers but with Azzi, Paige and Aaliyah on the floor, offense will not be a problem. Plus Nika is a great facilitator on offense, things work better when she is out there, and Aubrey made great strides in fitting into the offensive flow last season.

So Nika and Aubrey start.

Caroline if healthy will see a lot a minutes. Ice as well. After that it is a crap shoot but I am confident at least two of them will emerge and I suspect one of them is Ashlynn.
 
cferraro04 said:
My argument for Nika coming off the bench, which I know is a hard decision given her record assists last season but, both Azzi and Paige are back...redundancy may not be in UConn's best interest and this isn't about her getting less minutes...she deserves minutes, and she will get them regardless of whether or not she starts. Also with Bueckers and Fudd on the floor assists are not going to be hard to come by. The rub on Muhl has always been on the offensive end and her ability to score.

Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards doesn't give them much size...so, start Caroline 6'2" and Aubrey 6'1" and you have 6'3", 6'2", 6'1", 6'0" and 5'11"...if you sit Caroline you end up with 6'3", 6'1", 6'0", 5'11", 5'11". And, that is if you can trust the declared heights of the players. Caroline was a starter before Nika and she was clutch when Paige went down in her sophomore year. The team is just better with Caroline on the floor.

We do have height coming off the bench but, unfortunately Amari 6'6" has yet to prove herself; Ice Brady 6'3" is essentially playing her freshman year after sitting out her entire true freshman year. Ayanna Patterson 6'2"...had an educational outing in her freshman year and it would be great to see her make the sophomore jump...but we shall see.
Expand ...

I completely agree, especially against teams it’s bigger font courts (though Aubrey is pretty great at guarding bigger Forwards). If Ice is as good as advertised, I’d even substitute her for Caroline. In general, I’m a fan of traditional 1-2-3-4-5 lineups.

That being said, I’m expecting another great season from our leader, Nika.
 
#1 Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Aaliyah, Ice!
#2 Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Aubrey, Aaliyah!
#3 Nika, Paige, Azzi, Aaliyah, Ice!
#4 Nika, Paige, Azzi, Aubre, Aaliyah!
 
cferraro04 said:
To start the season...it is a no brainer for the starting five...IMHO Geno will go with his veterans

Aliyah Edwards
Caroline Ducharme
Aubrey Griffin
Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers

Off the bench - rotation preference:

Front Court

Ice Brady
Ayanna Patterson
Amari DeBerry

Back Court

Nika Muhl
Ines Bettencourt
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Qadence Samuels

2nd team:

Ice Brady (Amari DeBerry)
Ayanna Patterson (Qadence Samuels)
Nika Muhl (Ines Bettencourt)
KK Arnold
Ashlynn Shade
Expand ...
Most veteran players he has are Muhl and Edwards.
 
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wbbhoops278 said:
I have a similar perspective. I'm in agreement that Paige, Azzi, and AE are all cemented starters. Outside of that, I think there are good arguments to be made for a lot of variations. I think ICE will actually start because if you need to, you can bring in more size (Amari, Ayana) or you could go small ball (Caroline/Aubrey/Nika). If he starts one of those 3 instead of ICE then AE has to play the 5 and then, assuming one of the others is the 5th starter, it only leaves one of them to come in off the bench (just ignoring freshman for now, although to be fair they could definitely fit in here). I dunno, it just feels like there's a little bit more balance that way.

At this point, I'm just excited to see any of those women on the court!!!
Expand ...
I think it's also about the right match ups........I doubt Geno is playing a small lineup against a really big frontcourt with two or more 6'3" -6'4" players but a team with a smaller quicker team might need Aubrey to defend from the jump......also depends on which CD shows up...........the pre-concussion super aggressive scorer or the post-concussion CD who was far more tentative......
 
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