- Walker has been so good this offseason that Auriemma says she’s virtually unrecognizable. “A complete 180,” he said. “It’s been remarkable, her attitude, work ethic, confidence level, how she approaches everything. She came in as a freshman expecting it to happen on its own; now she’s out there making an impact.”
- Williams has been a force in practice. “She’s not intimidated,” Auriemma said. “She’s one of the most aggressive freshmen we’ve ever had.”
- Another top recruit, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, will have to toughen up, though she is supremely skilled. There are limitations — in general ability or ability to take charge — up and down a bench that won’t produce many points.
- The supporting players aren’t up to snuff and who knows if they will be in late winter? So expectations must be built on what you can count on — what you hope to be able to count on .
Based on this report about Megan, we can now assume she will be the 4th starter, as many of us predicted all summer. This is the report/conformation we've been waiting for.
Geno saying that she’s unrecognizable is great news to many Husky fans that wandered if and when she would make the sophomore leap. The work she put in over the summer, including the workouts she did with Collier have paid off. It will be interesting to see how much "leash" Geno gives her the first half of the season against the ranked teams on the schedule. it will also be interesting to see what kind of numbers she puts up before the Christmas break. Any one care to guess the number of double doubles she'll have by then? I'm guessing 2.
With that box checked, we can now turn our attention to that mystery 5th starter and the yet to be designated 6th man. Will Geno go small with Christyn as the 5th starter, or go BIG with Batouly or Kyla? It's a similar dilemma that Geno had last year when he had to choose between Crystal or Azura. I know it’s early, but Christyn appears to be taking an early lead and pulling away from the pack. If not Christyn, then who?
It’s very encouraging and exciting to hear that Christyn is coming in and infusing the team with her infectious energy and confidence. Energy and confidence that should easily rub off on the rest of the team. A dynamic that will make UConn even more formidable than earlier projected. It appears that a supremely confident and physically prepared Christyn Williams has joined the program and announced “I got next”.
This UConn team just might be better this season than they were projected to be. A strong starting 5, and a solid 6th man can take this team a long way. I’m already looking forward to the Ohio State game on Nov 11. It’s a game UConn should win, but I want to see how much the starting unit has gelled, and how smoothly their offense flows.
I want to see how much the reserves have developed and improved their game and understanding of Geno’s system, which is to say how far down toward the end of the bench the 6th man sits. Another very important concern is the health of those players that were injured last season. Have those injuries healed? Are those players 100% and ready to begin the season injury free? It's been reported that Camara's knee is not completely healed, which means she may not be ready to answer the bell when the season begins in 3 weeks.
I've advocated all summer about something that Geno has also mentioned recently, that is that unlike teams in the past, THIS team cannot afford the luxury of hosting/carrying any cheerleaders. Every player on the roster will be expected to contribute some meaningful minutes throughout the season if this team is going to be successful. Even if it's as little as 5-7 minutes a game pre garbage time. As other posters have commented, the starting unit cannot be expected to play 33+ minutes a game all season, and still have enough legs and stamina to be effective and carry the team through the tournament come March.
I want to see the pecking order the reserves are placed in on the bench. Who is going to step up and be counted? Who is going to move toward end of the bench closest to Geno, and who will remain on the far end?
I’m really hoping that Lou has shared what she learned from watching film with Kobe with the rest of the team. If her teammates can embrace the concepts and techniques of breaking down film, understand and retain the spacing dynamics that was shown to her, that alone should make UConn a more resilient adversary.
If you are not cheer leading on the bench Geno says you will never play ...NEVER. 
