Starting line up and first off the bench | The Boneyard

Starting line up and first off the bench

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semper

semper

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Isn't it time to do this? Who will start: obviously, Stewie, KML, Mojeff, and KS. But then what? Who is the 2 guard. Who is first off the bench. Have you changed your minds since we did this exercise a few months ago? Seems we always do this about this time. I'm eager for some basketball threads.
 
I think that it's too early as we've not heard any snippets from practices, etc, but I know we did this exercise a while ago. It seems the 2G spot is wide open. I hope Saniya makes a big jump in quality of play and earns the spot, but if not, I could see Kia Nurse easily sliding into that spot as well.

Personally I think our best team may be MoJett, KML, Morgan Stewie and Kiah, but that's an unlikely starting lineup as it leaves no one on the bench who can play in the post.
 
ericsandiego said:
I think that it's too early as we've not heard any snippets from practices, etc, but I know we did this exercise a while ago. It seems the 2G spot is wide open. I hope Saniya makes a big jump in quality of play and earns the spot, but if not, I could see Kia Nurse easily sliding into that spot as well.

Personally I think our best team may be MoJett, KML, Morgan Stewie and Kiah, but that's an unlikely starting lineup as it leaves no one on the bench who can play in the post.
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I think there would be more a need for additional ballhandling and defensive skills from the other guard spot. Morgan will come off the bench. That lineup you listed might be preferred in the fourth quarter if the game is on the line.
 
Not knowing how practice will be going at this point I say Saniya starts at the 2 guard. However saying that, I think KN will see a lot of playing time. I also wouldn't be surprised if in some games you could see KML, MT, KS, MJ and Stewie playing the 2 guard. What a nightmare match-up that would be for other teams.
 
Myself,I'm just going to wait and see what Geno decides. Because he will, and he knows better than me. (maybe not better than some folks on here, but definitely better than me). But I do hope that Saniya made a leap over the summer like MoJet did last year. Practices start on Wednesday!!
 
Stewie Fan said:
Not knowing how practice will be going at this point I say Saniya starts at the 2 guard. However saying that, I think KN will see a lot of playing time. I also wouldn't be surprised if in some games you could see KML, MT, KS, MJ and Stewie playing the 2 guard. What a nightmare match-up that would be for other teams.
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As good as Stewart is at just about everything regarding Basketball she is not a good enough ball handler to play the 2. Coach likes to have 2 exceptional ball handlers on the court at all times. I would guess the starting line up would be Stokes, Stewart, KML. Nurse, Jefferson.
 
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MoJeff, Saniya, Kiah, KML, & Stewart. Morgan first F off the bench and Nurse first G off the bench.
 
Stokes, Stewie, KML, Williams( if healthy) Mojeff, with Tuck as the 6th man. Pre injury I thought Williams could have turned out the be one of the top 4 players on the whole uconn team.
 
jdubct said:
I think there would be more a need for additional ballhandling and defensive skills from the other guard spot. Morgan will come off the bench. That lineup you listed might be preferred in the fourth quarter if the game is on the line.
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Ha-ha, "game is on the line". That's funny. :D

(I won't mention the fourth quarter thing - which is also funny but in a different way) :cool:
 
sawxfan23 said:
As good as Stewart is at just about everything regarding Basketball she is not a good enough ball handler to play the 2. Coach likes to have 2 exceptional ball handlers on the court at all times. I would guess the starting line up would be Stokes, Stewart, KML. Nurse, Jefferson.
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Improved ball handling was her goal for this summer. I don't know how much time she had to work on it, seems like she had a very busy schedule all summer. It will be interesting to find out.
 
Stewie Fan said:
I also wouldn't be surprised if in some games you could see KML, MT, KS, MJ and Stewie playing the 2 guard. What a nightmare match-up that would be for other teams.
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I would be jaw on the floor surprised if Stewart was playing the 2. If (IF) we saw that lineup I'm hoping KML would be at the 2. But I'm hoping we don't see that much (if at all). That would mean the 5 actual guards available to play the 2 (Chong, Williams, Nurse, Edwards, Ekmark) were ineffectual. That would be the nightmare.
 
Go/huskies said:
Stokes, Stewie, KML, Williams( if healthy) Mojeff, with Tuck as the 6th man. Pre injury I thought Williams could have turned out the be one of the top 4 players on the whole uconn team.
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GO: Sounds like you have seen a fair amount of her? If so, would you mind refreshing us/me on what you saw as her pluses and minuses? (I've seen next to no footage of her, if any, and nothing in person.) Many thanks for any light you can shed.
 
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semper said:
Isn't it time to do this? Who will start: obviously, Stewie, KML, Mojeff, and KS. But then what? Who is the 2 guard. Who is first off the bench. Have you changed your minds since we did this exercise a few months ago? Seems we always do this about this time. I'm eager for some basketball threads.
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SEMP: This is one of the kinds of threads that I like best. Thank you.
 
MoJeff, Stewie, KML are no brainers. I sure am looking forward to some MoJeff to Gabby Alley-Ooops. But the two guard could be anyone and I think Geno will use them all depending upon the game situation. I really hope Kiah does well but IMHO Geno will have a short leash on her. Morgan is just way to good to leave on the bench for very long. There isn't anything she can't do, so it wouldn't surprise me to see her starting at center before the year is over.

45 TO GO​
 
Stokes, Stewart, KML, Jefferson, with the final starting spot being Chong's to lose.

I don't think Geno would go the season without a post sub, so even if healthy, I'd be surprised if Tuck is in the starting rotation.
 
winlots said:
GO: Sounds like you have seen a fair amount of her? If so, would you mind refreshing us/me on what you saw as her pluses and minuses? (I've seen next to no footage of her, if any, and nothing in person.) Many thanks for any light you can shed.
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I think this has been on here before, but here you go

 
reno tony said:
MoJeff, Stewie, KML are no brainers. I sure am looking forward to some MoJeff to Gabby Alley-Ooops. But the two guard could be anyone and I think Geno will use them all depending upon the game situation. I really hope Kiah does well but IMHO Geno will have a short leash on her. Morgan is just way to good to leave on the bench for very long. There isn't anything she can't do, so it wouldn't surprise me to see her starting at center before the year is over.

45 TO GO​
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45 seems like forever...
 
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meyers7 said:
I think this has been on here before, but here you go

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MEYER: Well, I don't remember seeing that; but then again I don't remember you, let alone who ever said you were ALL bad. Thanks - very interesting - very nice passer, strong drive, fast, good shot....hard not to add "lovely" as I'm one who thinks this team could win the Miss America Pageant along with some ball games.
 
RSHERMVIKES said:
MoJeff, Saniya, Kiah, KML, & Stewart. Morgan first F off the bench and Nurse first G off the bench.
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I agree, but not sure how long Saniya can keep it. Also, Courtney may surprise us.
 
How quickly we forget.........Let's not forget about a young lady that brings some 'D' and 'O' to the floor at the 2-guard spot. And that young lady goes by the name of Courtney Ekmark. Don't rule her out just yet... Saniya has more game experience but Ekmark has more size and may be more deadly from the perimeter.

I agreee with this board on the first 4 ( Stewie , KML , Stokes , MoJeff ) , but I think that 5th spot is clearly up for grabs and is going to be a dog fight , no pun intended. And the top dog emerging from that fight could be a new pup in the pound.
 
I just can't WAIT to see what happens. Are we going to get practice reports, I hope I hope...
 
Kaleena, Breanna, Moriah, Kiah and Kia. The first off the bench will be Morgan. Kia Nurse is the most ready to play.
 
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I think Ekmark might be able to make an impact. The question is would Geno play her at the 2-guard spot with the other four starters, or is she better suited for a wing/forward position defensively?
 
To begin the season,TBS, KML, KS , MJ and Chong but KN starts by New Year instead of Chong
 
OK, I'll venture:

Stewie, Kay (as Geno calls her), Mojeff, KS and KN, with MT as the 6th man, and any number of people as back-up 2 guards. Who backs up MoJeff?
 
winlots said:
GO: Sounds like you have seen a fair amount of her? If so, would you mind refreshing us/me on what you saw as her pluses and minuses? (I've seen next to no footage of her, if any, and nothing in person.) Many thanks for any light you can shed.
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I haven't seen Gabby play live, just going off what I heard and read. The reason I don't have Nurse starting at the 2, I think she will be the backup point guard and for the foreseeable future.
 
No one seems to be giving Edwards a shot, but wasn't she the highest consensus rated player in the class? She could surprise some people too. Not saying she will be the starting 2G, but she has to have been ranked that high for a reason...
 
Tuck is a truly elite talent. I think if she is really healthy she plays herself into shape with significant minutes and begins starting ahead of Stokes by mid-season.
 
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j66kicker said:
Tuck is a truly elite talent. I think if she is really healthy she plays herself into shape with significant minutes and begins starting ahead of Stokes by mid-season.
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I'd be pretty close to stunned if Stokes were moved to the bench at any point unless her effort level and performance are just awful. She fits as a true center and her size, athleticism, and shot-blocking down low make her unique on the team.

I wish I felt more confident in Tuck's health but this latest surgery was significant.
 
j66kicker said:
Tuck is a truly elite talent. I think if she is really healthy she plays herself into shape with significant minutes and begins starting ahead of Stokes by mid-season.
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With all due respect,, and you are one of the most insightful posters, I don't see MT moving into a center type role as a replacement for KS. KS is such a great defender that the guards can take chances knowing their back is covered. Further , KS is fairly proficient at starting the fast break. IMO, we also don't want TBS playing center as that could make her late in the offensive flow. MT has a significant role... sort of Barkleyesque. She will be a force but probably not in lieu of KS
 
rugbymate said:
With all due respect,, and you are one of the most insightful posters, I don't see MT moving into a center type role as a replacement for KS. KS is such a great defender that the guards can take chances knowing their back is covered. Further , KS is fairly proficient at starting the fast break. IMO, we also don't want TBS playing center as that could make her late in the offensive flow. MT has a significant role... sort of Barkleyesque. She will be a force but probably not in lieu of KS
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Yeah I sorta have a problem seeing Tuck as a true center, but - if totally healthy - I don't think her offensive potential can be ignored. And she has more than adequate strength down low. Let me revise my prediction to just that a healthy Morgan Tuck works herself into the starting lineup "some way" by mid-season.

Some people here would play Morgan at the 3 or 4 (and KML at 2). I don't know how it ends up, but at some point I think when we face legitimate competition Geno will figure out how to have his 5 best players on the floor. Although we probably won't be challenged that often, when that does happen he won't want that group be playing together for the first time.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
I'd be pretty close to stunned if Stokes were moved to the bench at any point unless her effort level and performance are just awful. She fits as a true center and her size, athleticism, and shot-blocking down low make her unique on the team.

I wish I felt more confident in Tuck's health but this latest surgery was significant.
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Stokes is great coming in off the bench. Players coming in off the bench can play flat-out without having to worry about pacing themselves. She might even be better this way, and I could see her getting 18-20 minutes in that role, overlapping with Tuck with "big" lineup on the floor.
 
HGN said:
How quickly we forget....Let's not forget about a young lady that brings some 'D' and 'O' to the floor at the 2-guard spot. And that young lady goes by the name of Courtney Ekmark. Don't rule her out just yet... Saniya has more game experience but Ekmark has more size and may be more deadly from the perimeter.

I agreee with this board on the first 4 ( Stewie , KML , Stokes , MoJeff ) , but I think that 5th spot is clearly up for grabs and is going to be a dog fight , no pun intended. And the top dog emerging from that fight could be a new pup in the pound.
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Yes, HGN, yes! I'd love to see Chong succeed but last year showed little reason to be that hopeful. And though Nurse performed great (superb D, ballhandling) playing against the best in FIBA, she showed little in terms of an outside offensive game. With Moriah playing the true point (running the O, assisting, playing killer D), the backcourt is gonna need someone offensive at the 2. With all the work Courtney Ekmark put into training (strength and conditioning) while homeschooling her senior year, specifically to prepare for the step-up in college competition, and at 5ft 11, with an outside shot and range that is said to be outstanding, I have a feeling she will be earning lots of PT.
 
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Ekmark's height would be really good at the 2 as well, don't you think? Maybe Nurse could be the back up for Mojeff and Ekmark become the starting 2. She is an amazing kid. It will be interesting to see the situation with Edwards, too. So many factors, my head is buzzing. Hasn't been such a conglomerate of different pieces and talents to play with some time. We've had some very short benches, and this is a different situation.
 
semper said:
Ekmark's height would be really good at the 2 as well, don't you think?
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I like her height at the two, just wonder if she has the quickness defensively. If she does, she might be the perfect fit for the other starting spot. I really like Chong's skill but think she's best with the ball in her hands which means it's going to be hard for her to make an impact at UConn, or at least as big an impact as everyone would like.
 
I find it fascinating how some folks are jumping to conclusions about players they 1) have NEVER seen perform in a college game or 2) haven't seen their improvement or regression since last year or 3) do not know how recovery from injury is proceeding.

It used to be at this time of year one of the bestest aspects of the BY were the reports from our on-scene spies who would go to the pickup games and workouts and have some good (or at least tantalizing) firsthand info. I ain't seen ANY of that this year. Maybe all our beloved BY spies are gone.

Courtney, Gabby and Sadie are total mysteries at there current level, so any comments concerning their roles on the team are worthless. Kia we've got some exposure to playing international ball but not a whit of evidence of how she fits into the team.

Its nice to hear positive reports about Morgan's health (and Gabby's), but I sure as hell aren't going to believe any of them until I see the proof on the court -- we've been bamboozled by hopeful medical reports many times in the past.

So, basically, the only opinions that can be backed up at all concern KML, Kiah, Breanna, Moriah, Saniya, Briana and Tierney -- it's a safe projection the latter two will be support players -- and to a limited degree Kia. There's a lot of enthusiasm for her, but it's entirely possible Sadie, Courtney and Gabby are all better.

We can all have opinions. I think those based on some evidence is a bit more convincing.
 
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UCONNfan1 said:
No one seems to be giving Edwards a shot, but wasn't she the highest consensus rated player in the class? She could surprise some people too. Not saying she will be the starting 2G, but she has to have been ranked that high for a reason...
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I was thinking the same thing as I was reading the post. If you have seen Sadie play, you would see that she has all the qualities discussed. She is a stud athlete, great ball handler, very good defender, great passer, can get to the basket and create her own shot. If she doesn't start, I can see her being a key player coming off the bench.
 
With Ekmark's rep as a shooter, I wouldn't rule her out, especially if she has a good handle.
 
PacoSwede said:
We can all have opinions. I think those based on some evidence is a bit more convincing.
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Why do we need evidence to voice opinions? This isn't a court of law. We're simply hypothesizing about the future lineup as pretty much every fan of every sports team does at one point or another.

If all topics around here were limited to fact-based observation this site would have 1/1oth the content and traffic.
 
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PacoSwede said:
It used to be at this time of year one of the bestest aspects of the BY were the reports from our on-scene spies who would go to the pickup games and workouts and have some good (or at least tantalizing) firsthand info. I ain't seen ANY of that this year. Maybe all our beloved BY spies are gone.
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You make some interesting points.

From what I've read, players have had some individual coaching sessions and pick up games in the new Champions Center. The state of the art training center has less access to the public than Gambell. This could be part of the reason the Boneyard has had less firsthand info. I am way out on the West Coast. Can anyone corroborate my theorizing / speculation?
 
HGN said:
How quickly we forget....Let's not forget about a young lady that brings some 'D' and 'O' to the floor at the 2-guard spot. And that young lady goes by the name of Courtney Ekmark. Don't rule her out just yet... Saniya has more game experience but Ekmark has more size and may be more deadly from the perimeter.

I agree with this board on the first 4 ( Stewie , KML , Stokes , MoJeff ) , but I think that 5th spot is clearly up for grabs and is going to be a dog fight , no pun intended. And the top dog emerging from that fight could be a new pup in the pound.
Expand ...

I'm most curious about Ekmark's handle. If she can be strong in that area, she could make a serious claim on that 2-guard spot.
 
Geno is loathe to start Freshmen unless he has to. Morgan, if healthy, is too formidable a talent, and, especially, too intimidating on defense to sit on the bench. Saniya is a nice player, but exhibits poor shooting mechanics and cannot contribute enough offense at this level to hold onto the #2. That's where KML is headed, in my opinion. Very big lineup, almost impossible to score consistently against down low. Another championship year!
 
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