psconn
Proud Connecticut WBB Fan
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
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New coach. New players. New attitudes. Two preseason games down and here are some thoughts.
In the months before the draft, I hoped that the Sun would not draft Morgan. Morgan is a gifted player, and I felt she could hold her own in the W, but the last thing the Sun needed after the last couple years was more walking wounded. By the time the NCAAs were done and draft night arrived, I knew there was no choice but to draft Morgan. She was magnificent in her final year with the Huskies, and the knees did not seem to be having a negative impact. There have been concerns expressed here about her athleticism, but I can tell you from my pretty awesome 4th row seats she looks capable of meeting that challenge by a wide margin. She’s defending well (even D’d up on EDD a few times), making steals including a coast to coast “pick 6” while being harassed up the court by one of the fastest defenders in the league. She will have a perfect mentor in Camille Little, a solid vet on and off the court who’s game is very similar to Morgan’s. As long as those knees are good, I think Morgan will be better than fine in the W. I won't be surprised to see Morgan in the starting line up at some point with Alyssa/Camille coming off the bench.
Our other Husky, Kelly? Everyone seems to say it’s her or Weisner on the bubble at guard. Not sure if it’s that simple, but so far this preseason, the eyeball test says it’s Kelly who is ahead. Nobody plays harder than Kelly. The unenviable calculation the Sun have to make is based on “upside”. Kelly’s going into her 4th year and I can see improvements, but realistically, how much better can she be? Jamie looks like a rookie. She’s one tough Canadian cookie but is still overwhelmed a bit by the speed, strength and size all around her. In the end, has she shown Coach Miller enough potential to warrant a roster spot? He loves the offense and on paper at least, Jamie has that. We’ll know way too soon what the final roster will be. This is a tough business and I’m glad I don’t have to make the call.
Maybe appropriately for a casino-based team, the Sun gambled heavily on Rachel Banham and Jonquel Jones, giving up two talented young players and some significant draft choices. From my seat at the WNBA draft, my reaction to Rachel’s selection was an audible “Oh, no” an utterance that thoroughly obnoxed the woman in front of me who turned and assured me that it was a great pick. I hope to eat some crow on that initial reaction, but so far the jury is out. Nothing really notable to say about her in two preseason games. She is clearly working hard but its way to early to start calling her the “Mohegan Mamba”. Based on interviews, she knows she has a lot of work to do and seems willing to do it. Unlike Coach Miller, I didn’t spend months looking at film and interviewing players and coaches to reach those draft day decisions. For now I’ll say “In Curt I Trust” and hope for the best.
Jonquel Jones is an interesting player, let’s say a “raw talent,” who looks to have a really big upside. At 6’6” she is comfortable shooting the 3 (maybe too comfortable) and is a capable rebounder. When I see bigs like JJ I always think “how I wish she had attended UConn”. I know little to nothing about GW’s coaching staff, but my gut tells me she would be a stronger and more rounded player if she had Geno, CD and Marisa in her face for 4 years. As a number of WNBA GM’s and coaches have observed, players come out of UConn “pro-ready”. Morgan is the perfect example of that. They gave up alot to get JJ, but again, “In Curt I Trust” and I’ll be watching the kids closely all season in hopeful anticipation of emerging greatness.
And the rest of the roster? Three returning All-Stars including a recent rookie of the year. Kelsey Bone seems to be in Beast Mode and relishing her role as the go-to (she may also be leading the team in 3-point shooting % …“NO!.. nice shot”). Chiney has yet to see action and probably won’t until the regular season opener. I expect a few layers of rust, but hopefully she is medically 100%. I sincerely hope that she brings a reliable midrange game to the court this year. She said she had been working on it, and it is desperately needed. Alex has looked smooth and confident but may be coasting a bit coming off her overseas season. Mille’s back soon, Jasmine’s back (has looked very good in preseason) and Alyssa’s back (looking healthy and strong, but there’s still no sign of the mid-range shot her game is crying out for except in warm-ups). There’s no reason to expect a bad year in “Neon Uncasville”. Unfortunately, New York and Washington have gotten stronger and there are few to no easy outs on the schedule. For those of you who only watch UConn WBB, strings of 20+ point blow outs do not happen for any team in the W. It’s a dog-fight most nights, and the Sun will win some and lose some.
Coach Miller is a foot-stomping, screaming and highly engaged coach; he couldn’t be more different from his dour predecessor. I have little doubt he’ll lead the league in technical fouls as he suggested he might. When a player went to the floor chasing a loose ball Coach jumped onto the court yelling to the players around her “HELP HER UP!” This UConn-type teamate-support culture is very important to him.
New attitude, new style at the Mohegan. Hard to say what the final W-L count will be, a lot depends on the progress of the kids, the general chemistry on the team, and as always, player health. The Sun will struggle to find their identity and to establish a steady rotation this year, but I’m up for it and looking forward to “watching them work” in every game.
In the months before the draft, I hoped that the Sun would not draft Morgan. Morgan is a gifted player, and I felt she could hold her own in the W, but the last thing the Sun needed after the last couple years was more walking wounded. By the time the NCAAs were done and draft night arrived, I knew there was no choice but to draft Morgan. She was magnificent in her final year with the Huskies, and the knees did not seem to be having a negative impact. There have been concerns expressed here about her athleticism, but I can tell you from my pretty awesome 4th row seats she looks capable of meeting that challenge by a wide margin. She’s defending well (even D’d up on EDD a few times), making steals including a coast to coast “pick 6” while being harassed up the court by one of the fastest defenders in the league. She will have a perfect mentor in Camille Little, a solid vet on and off the court who’s game is very similar to Morgan’s. As long as those knees are good, I think Morgan will be better than fine in the W. I won't be surprised to see Morgan in the starting line up at some point with Alyssa/Camille coming off the bench.
Our other Husky, Kelly? Everyone seems to say it’s her or Weisner on the bubble at guard. Not sure if it’s that simple, but so far this preseason, the eyeball test says it’s Kelly who is ahead. Nobody plays harder than Kelly. The unenviable calculation the Sun have to make is based on “upside”. Kelly’s going into her 4th year and I can see improvements, but realistically, how much better can she be? Jamie looks like a rookie. She’s one tough Canadian cookie but is still overwhelmed a bit by the speed, strength and size all around her. In the end, has she shown Coach Miller enough potential to warrant a roster spot? He loves the offense and on paper at least, Jamie has that. We’ll know way too soon what the final roster will be. This is a tough business and I’m glad I don’t have to make the call.
Maybe appropriately for a casino-based team, the Sun gambled heavily on Rachel Banham and Jonquel Jones, giving up two talented young players and some significant draft choices. From my seat at the WNBA draft, my reaction to Rachel’s selection was an audible “Oh, no” an utterance that thoroughly obnoxed the woman in front of me who turned and assured me that it was a great pick. I hope to eat some crow on that initial reaction, but so far the jury is out. Nothing really notable to say about her in two preseason games. She is clearly working hard but its way to early to start calling her the “Mohegan Mamba”. Based on interviews, she knows she has a lot of work to do and seems willing to do it. Unlike Coach Miller, I didn’t spend months looking at film and interviewing players and coaches to reach those draft day decisions. For now I’ll say “In Curt I Trust” and hope for the best.
Jonquel Jones is an interesting player, let’s say a “raw talent,” who looks to have a really big upside. At 6’6” she is comfortable shooting the 3 (maybe too comfortable) and is a capable rebounder. When I see bigs like JJ I always think “how I wish she had attended UConn”. I know little to nothing about GW’s coaching staff, but my gut tells me she would be a stronger and more rounded player if she had Geno, CD and Marisa in her face for 4 years. As a number of WNBA GM’s and coaches have observed, players come out of UConn “pro-ready”. Morgan is the perfect example of that. They gave up alot to get JJ, but again, “In Curt I Trust” and I’ll be watching the kids closely all season in hopeful anticipation of emerging greatness.
And the rest of the roster? Three returning All-Stars including a recent rookie of the year. Kelsey Bone seems to be in Beast Mode and relishing her role as the go-to (she may also be leading the team in 3-point shooting % …“NO!.. nice shot”). Chiney has yet to see action and probably won’t until the regular season opener. I expect a few layers of rust, but hopefully she is medically 100%. I sincerely hope that she brings a reliable midrange game to the court this year. She said she had been working on it, and it is desperately needed. Alex has looked smooth and confident but may be coasting a bit coming off her overseas season. Mille’s back soon, Jasmine’s back (has looked very good in preseason) and Alyssa’s back (looking healthy and strong, but there’s still no sign of the mid-range shot her game is crying out for except in warm-ups). There’s no reason to expect a bad year in “Neon Uncasville”. Unfortunately, New York and Washington have gotten stronger and there are few to no easy outs on the schedule. For those of you who only watch UConn WBB, strings of 20+ point blow outs do not happen for any team in the W. It’s a dog-fight most nights, and the Sun will win some and lose some.
Coach Miller is a foot-stomping, screaming and highly engaged coach; he couldn’t be more different from his dour predecessor. I have little doubt he’ll lead the league in technical fouls as he suggested he might. When a player went to the floor chasing a loose ball Coach jumped onto the court yelling to the players around her “HELP HER UP!” This UConn-type teamate-support culture is very important to him.
New attitude, new style at the Mohegan. Hard to say what the final W-L count will be, a lot depends on the progress of the kids, the general chemistry on the team, and as always, player health. The Sun will struggle to find their identity and to establish a steady rotation this year, but I’m up for it and looking forward to “watching them work” in every game.
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) I would like to thank the Sun management for trading my other two all time favorite players over the off-season.... and I know that they are happy as well 
and 