This was the 2nd game of the season.
Kia did not force that decision, Chong did by her inability to play defense to Geno's satisfaction!!! Kia had not been there long enough to “earn” anything. She was a freshman that did not have full knowledge and understanding of Geno's system yet. She had not outplayed Chong in practice at that point.
My narrative does not diminish Kia in any way. It was what it was!!
It was Geno’s decision. He determines who the starters are. Kia did not force anything, anymore than Morgan Tuck did.
Morgan was coming off a knee injury sustained during her freshman year, and had not done anything in practice to that point to warrant starting. Geno obviously felt she was not ready to start at the beginning of the season, or she would have. Kia was
his choice to replace Chong, plain and simple. Of the choices he had, he felt that
Kia was the best option.
Gino was not happy with the loss, or the way Chong or Stokes played in that game. THAT is why they were replaced. If Nurse and Tuck had earned the spots, they would have started that game. Neither one of them did anything exceptional in the Stanford game to earn a promotion. If they had, UConn may have won. They both played 20 minutes in that game and
both of them fouled out in regulation.
Their insertion into the starting rotation worked. They made the most of the opportunity, and remained starters. That loss IMO, was the best thing that happened to them that year. It made them realize they weren't invincible, and they could be beat.
Here's a link to the Stanford game. Watch Chong's play. See for yourself if Geno had cause to be upset. I'm NOT suggesting that UConn lost the game because of Chong. They lost the game as a team!! Several players made miscues that contributed to their defeat.