Starting point guard | The Boneyard

Starting point guard

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Puertorock43

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Question. Who will be the starting point guard on day 1. I know everyone expects Paige but after the season nika muhl had and her durability do we really take the keys away? I mean Paige is amazing but do to injuries the past 2 years have been tough. What does everybody think? I say keep nika as the starting point.
 
Nika will definitely be a starter. But I'm not sure there will be 1 defined specific PG. Nika, Paige, and even Azzi all have PG skills and I expect all 3 to start, and all 3 to be terrific.

It will NOT be like the years when we had Tiff Hayes and Caroline Doty, but no true PG. Paige and Nika are tremendous PG's and both have different strengths. I'm not sure Nika will lead the nation in assists again, but she will have lots of options to get the ball to, that's for sure.

Side note - love everything I've been reading about Nika. Taking the freshmen under her wing and teaching them plays, etc.? What a true leader she is.
 
Kaizen said:
1. Paige
2. Azzi
3. Nika
4. Caroline
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Kaizen old buddy, Aaliyah is back on the bench? Or maybe she is your starter #5.

If not, man, that must have just been a shooting star in the night sky I saw last season. :D
 
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What a luxury to have going into the season, the conversation of should Nika start? I just remember not too long ago when folks were debating if Nika should even get minutes on the court! Now, we are talking about her starting. How cool is that!? But for me, I would definitely have Nika starting, along with Paige, Azzi, Aaliyah, and Aubrey. I would have that option for starters because I would be looking to push the pace and spread the floor and be aggressive with pressing on the defensive end and wanting to attack the basket or knock down three's on the offensive end.
 
Puertorock43 said:
I know everyone expects Paige
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I certainly don’t expect Paige to start at PG. to the extent we have a definitive PG it will be Nika. After last season, there’s just no way Geno doesn’t start her — and if she’s on the floor she’s the PG. but @EricLA is right. There will be lots of minutes when there isn’t a single defined PG. The Gabby-Phee-Lou-Kia teams were like this. Any of them could bring the ball up and initiate the play. But if Saniya or Crystal was on the floor, they were there as the PG. and this year, if Inês or KK is on the floor, they’ll be there as the PG.
 
Puertorock43 said:
Question. Who will be the starting point guard on day 1. I know everyone expects Paige but after the season nika muhl had and her durability do we really take the keys away? I mean Paige is amazing but do to injuries the past 2 years have been tough. What does everybody think? I say keep nika as the starting point.
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Paige —if healthy can be equivalent to Caitlin Clark who is changing the college game and getting millions of viewers. I cannot tell you how many men viewers she brought to the college game last year.
10 million viewers
Caitlin destroyed the Ohio State press in 3 minutes and we looked like a grade school team or a deer In headlights !!!
Nika will have a big part of next years success, but will not deliver number 12 and if Paige is healthy - she needs to have the ball in her hands
Many boneyards have expressed that Nika does not need to score to win - but last year defenses did not guard her and doubled teamed our bigs and led to many loses and a disappointing finish
 
Nika will play PG bringing the ball up and playing head of the snake defense against the opposing PG. Teams will pick their poison and leave her wide open while they are focused on Paige and Azzi. She will have the opportunity to get a lot done as Geno says by hitting the three, slashing to the basket, or getting an assist. I predict there will be some games where she lights the stat sheet up while Paige and Azzi are surrounded by 2,3, and even 4 defenders.

Paige will be some version of a combo guard/point small forward who scores and facilitates in the half court. She will do team defense on the perimeter and rarely be matched with the opposing PG unless a switch happens. Think professional DT. I think this role will be great for Paige and is what she'll be as a professional.

Azzi gets to play her natural SG position.

This of course only works if they are healthy.....
 
IMHO Nika will be the PG, Paige will be the SG, Azzi will be the Wing, Aubrey will be the SF, and Aaliyah will be the PF!
Geno really uses no positions as every player has a share in the total offense.
I also feel Caroline as a G/W and Ice as PF/C will be the first off the bench!
Geno will be using more players in his rotation this season as his trust goes 10 or 11 deep, maybe even 12 deep!
With the athletes Geno has (if healthy) he'll run and gun and press or a more aggressive defense all game!
 
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It's not about your favorite players it's about the team and the best starting 5 would be Paige Azzi Aliyah Ice and Aubrey with Nika Shade KK Ducharme and and either Amari, El Alfy or Patterson the second 5. As Herm Edwards said "You play to win the game" and a starting 5 of Paige Azzi Ducharme and Nika is gonna get killed on the board plus they"er all perimeter players. basketball is won when you play inside out.
 
Nika is a really good PG, but Paige is All-American/player of the year....so my money is on Paige, and with all the talent we have, Nika might not even be a starter in every game, depending on who UConn is playing.
 
How many years did Bird and Taurasi play together? Did it matter who the PG was? It's possible to have more than 1 PG at a time on the floor. 2 is fairly common actually. I'm pretty sure I've even seen 3 at a time.
 
Nika is always a lightning rod for disagreement. That by itself is kinda cool about her. I think there’s no way she doesn’t start at pg. But it’s interesting that so many folks don’t see her as a starter.

The core of the team, in my view, is Nika Paige Azzi Aaliyah. That’s who will start pretty much every game. The fifth slot is up for grabs. Maybe it’s Caroline most nights, but Ice or Jana other nights. Aubrey started this past season out of necessity. But it was hard on her physically to play that many minutes, and she’s at her best as a disruptive 6th woman. When Caroline starts, Aubrey will spell her. If Ice starts, that’s who she’ll come in for.
 
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As I’ve said in another thread, I expect and want Nika to start as point guard at the beginning of the season. Out of respect for her great season last year and because Paige might not be 100 percent right away. Although I want Nika to start at the point all season, I think Geno will eventually have Paige start as point guard, as he did during Paige and Nika’s sophomore year. Paige is the better point guard. She is the better passer. And although it’s not necessary to be at the point to be the team’s leader, for Paige it makes sense given her skill set. I say this as someone who wants to watch Paige and Nika on the floor together with Nika as point guard.

Nika is an important leader on the team. Paige is the leader.

Someone might say that UConn plays motion offense and so it doesn’t matter much who plays point guard. I respect that opinion, but I think it’s important.

Barring injuries, the only sure starters are Paige, Azzi, and Aaliyah.
 
It will be 1 of two options not in order. Too many wildcards with injury. Below is the pg/sg/sf combo if Paige and Azzi are healthy. Imo Caroline is even more of a wildcard:

1--- Paige/Azzi/Caroline
2--- Nika,Azzi/Paige
 
DEpup said:
Nika will play PG bringing the ball up and playing head of the snake defense against the opposing PG. Teams will pick their poison and leave her wide open while they are focused on Paige and Azzi. She will have the opportunity to get a lot done as Geno says by hitting the three, slashing to the basket, or getting an assist. I predict there will be some games where she lights the stat sheet up while Paige and Azzi are surrounded by 2,3, and even 4 defenders.

Paige will be some version of a combo guard/point small forward who scores and facilitates in the half court. She will do team defense on the perimeter and rarely be matched with the opposing PG unless a switch happens. Think professional DT. I think this role will be great for Paige and is what she'll be as a professional.

Azzi gets to play her natural SG position.

This of course only works if they are healthy.....
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I hope you are right !! Nika is the heart and energy of the team, but has not really improved her offensive game much in 3 years. I hope she worked on her pull up in the off season.
Nika wants to play in the WNBA and they seem to draft guards that can score.
 
ballerfan said:
A. Although I want Nika to start at the point all season, I think Geno will eventually have Paige start as point guard, as he did during Paige and Nika’s sophomore year. Paige is the better point guard. She is the better passer. And although it’s not necessary to be at the point to be the team’s leader, for Paige it makes sense given her skill set. I say this as someone who wants to watch Paige and Nika on the floor together with Nika as point guard.
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IMO completely different circumstance than this upcoming year if not for Caroline, and if team is healthy. UCONN needed scoring that year. CWill was inconsistent as was Azzi. There was little inside scoring to rely on as well. And Paige had to play and it was unsure when she would be ready to score. UCONN had to keep the other scorers (CWill and Azzi with significant minutes because he needed scoring.) in as well because it took Paige time and there was uncertaintly when she would "click." She clciked/turned it on in the nick of time.

This upcoming ear if UCONN is healthy they won't need the scoring near teh degree of that tema 2 years ago.. And having Paige passing "to lesser efficient scorers" rather than have her shoot imo isn't ideal. But ofc if Caroline is on a roll, then yeah it can be as you say too!!

I tend to believe though that there will always be a concern with Caroline's head.
 
What kind of game do we want to play? When is UConn at their best? With so many options this year I would think that we want to press, we want to run, we want to score in transition. Who is the best PG to push the team, who will lead us in the press, who will get the ball to the two best shooters in the country? No brainer, Nika fits the bill. Nika at the point, Paige at the 2, Azzi on the wing. Obviously these players will be interchanged with the others off the bench and positions will change, but this combo will be lethal to start the game. Plug in Aaliyah, and either Aubrey or Ice, this line-up will be the best in WCBB. After last year, Nika has earned the starting PG position. The head of the snake on the press, the passer who will get the ball to the best opportunity, and will push the team at every opportunity. Paige does not push as well as Nika, but having her available to receive Nikas passes along with Azzi will give us a multitude of 3 pt opportunities in transition. All we have to worry about is will they convert, and I give us a pretty good chance of doing that. Nika is the PG.
 
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Kaizen said:
Oh sorry, my bad, I was thinking the starting point guard as the title said, Paige is first then Azzi then Nika then Caroline ....:p
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Caroline has many talents but point guard-level ball handling isn’t one of them. We saw that last season.

Paige/Nika/KK/Ines are the designated PGs

(sorry, Ines, forget to mention you when I first typed this)
 
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HuskyNan said:
Caroline has many talents but point guard-level ball handling isn’t one of them. We saw that last season.

Paige/Nika/KK are the designated PGs
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Completely agree. Caroline also lacks the quickness you’d like to see at PG. Maybe in a pinch or to break a press she can cover that spot if needed, sort of like having Aaliyah help break a press. She might bring stability in a crisis, but not the multifaceted offensive threat we’d want to see at that position for an entire quarter.

I’d also add Inês and KK to the designated PG list. If they make it onto the floor at all — I think they will — it will be as PGs. I can’t see using them at SG or W.

Also, thinking about the recurring sentiment that Nika proved herself last season, I share this view. She expanded her offense with a new willingness to drive and finish at the rim, which was very effective in several games. She still lacked the midrange game and I hope she can add that to her arsenal this season.

But even though Nika proved herself last season, I think it’s a mistake to say that what she did then has earned the starting spot for this season. Geno doesn’t seem to think this way, namely that a previous season can earn a player a spot. She’ll need to earn it again in the fall in practice. I have little doubt she will, just because of the ferocity she’ll bring to the task. And even if she doesn’t, and comes off the bench instead, that’s great news for the team because it will mean someone else has made a leap. Can you picture having two players with that much ferocity?

And speaking of alternative PGs, I actually like Azzi in that spot as much as Paige. They are both excellent ball handlers and both know how to draw the defense towards themselves and then find the open player. I think this means we’ll see dual Paige-Azzi PG set for stretches in most games. It won’t have the defensive punch of a Nika set, but it will be awesome offensively.
 
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hoophuskee said:
It will be 1 of two options not in order. Too many wildcards with injury. Below is the pg/sg/sf combo if Paige and Azzi are healthy. Imo Caroline is even more of a wildcard:

1--- Paige/Azzi/Caroline
2--- Nika,Azzi/Paige
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Agree with this, and I vote for the second option. Importantly you have Paige at SF in that combination. If those are the three starters at those positions, Paige is far more logical at the 3 than Azzi, a point forward if you will. They are listed at the same height but Paige is obviously taller, significantly longer, a better shot blocker and much better rebounder.

Nika is best used as a one position player, Azzi is more versatile but still much better at SG than PG or SF. Paige could be an all American at any of the three. Caroline more 3 than 2, and whether Aubrey is more 3 or 4 could be a good debate, but she is clearly more 3 than 2.

With that Nika/Azzi/Paige combination starting you can keep Nika and Azzi at their natural position not just at the start, but for all the time they are in the game. Paige can play at all three positions during the game, and Caroline and Aubrey can almost always play their best position at the 3.

For example if Nika comes out first, Caroline comes in at the 3 and Paige moves to the point. A few minutes later Nika returns and Azzi gets a blow with Paige moving to Azzi's 2 spot. Then when Azzi returns Paige gets her rest. If Caroline needs a break Aubrey can provide a few minutes at the 3 and still be available for use at the 4 behind Aaliyah if needed. When back to the starting lineup Paige is back at the 3.

Now obviously KK Ashlynn and Q could force Geno to play them and I hope they do, because I hope to see more pressing and let Geno have the flexibility for more situational substitutions etc. My point is with a very structured substitution pattern, taking out Nika a little early and Paige a little later than you might otherwise, you can keep Nika, Azzi, Caroline at their best position, mostly by playing Paige at all three with occasional help from Aubrey at the 3.

If everyone is healthy that is a potent combination and short rotation, with the main downside being you have to time all the rotations precisely to make it work, not as much based on when that player needs a rest, or what traits or skills are needed depending on the game. If somebody from the freshmen class or Ines is ready for the rotation then you can improve on that, and add situational substitutions and more strategy choices to Geno's options

Hopefully at least one and maybe two can do that, so even if one of our main guards are out we are still in very good shape.
 
I would like to see Nika start as the 1, Paige and Azzi beeing two # 2, with no #3, at least for the start of the season to see how it works.
With thess three, the advantage is they can all carry the ball, but Paige & Azzi are more willing to shoot and they both can create their shot
 
Another consideration is how much better Nika could be this year than last. At the beginning of the season even without Paige, she combined with two great shooters, Azzi and Lou. She was leading the country in assists against our usual strong early season out of conference competition.

After Azzi's injury hit, her assists came down quite a bit, the team struggled more to get the ball inside as much as they had previously, and the offense in general suffered. For much of that stretch Aubrey was at the 3, and Lou was the only great outside shooter. She drew the defensive attention and we were not able to spread the floor as well.

if Nika has Azzi and Paige as her wing options that is more like the beginning of last year when she had two great perimeter options, the floor was spread, you couldn't concentrate on just one perimeter threat, and the ball was getting inside easily. When Aubrey does play the 3 this year, it probably would be better to have Paige at the point so two great shooters were in the game, but between Azzi, Paige and Caroline, Nika will have great options almost all the time.
 
Changes will be made as the season progresses with an eye towards increasing Paige's role over time.
I think there will be some of the "just go" mentality from last year to help keep the opponents off balance.
A combination of PG's/ ball handlers including KK would be used to help defeat any full court presses.
There's going to be an effort to limit turnovers and to help implement a 3 level offense.
Everyone is going to get PT so who starts at the PG position doesn't really matter very much.
Players will get yanked if they make mistakes, to help lessen fatigue, to develop chemistry among all players & to maximize team depth.
By the end of the season, Paige will be playing the lead fiddle when it comes to distributing the ball.
 
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