The Battle for Playing Time & a Spot on the Rotation

[CONN78SEJ]

I will make this brief. It depends upon our defense. If we press for most of the game, as we should, then you are talking 10 players a game. If you press, you have to use Aubrey, KK, Ash and Morgan. So who's out, Ice? Need her to give a spell to Jana since Morgan does not have the same presence as Ice in the 5 slot. Allie becomes the question mark because of her defense.

Defense doesn’t win games, scoring the most points does. The only thing a pressing defense will do is put UConn’s opponent in the bonus in the first eight minutes. Defense has its place obviously but it doesn’t win ball games. The player that becomes the question mark is the player the opposing team slacks off on when said player has the ball because the likely hood of said player looking to score is remote, and they’ll wait and look for said player to pass it and/or pick up their dribble. Then the game becomes almost a 5 on 4 scenario. I don’t think Allie is that player.

 

[BBallF]

Defense doesn’t win games, scoring the most points does. The only thing a pressing defense will do is put UConn’s opponent in the bonus in the first eight minutes. Defense has its place obviously but it doesn’t win ball games. The player that becomes the question mark is the player the opposing team slacks off on when said player has the ball because the likely hood of said player looking to score is remote, and they’ll wait and look for said player to pass it and/or pick up their dribble. Then the game becomes almost a 5 on 4 scenario. I don’t think Allie is that player.

Really? I guess "defense wins championships" is just a fiction. We have full court zone pressed since the USC game when Geno saw how it brought us back.

 

[BBallF]

Defense doesn’t win games, scoring the most points does. The only thing a pressing defense will do is put UConn’s opponent in the bonus in the first eight minutes. Defense has its place obviously but it doesn’t win ball games. The player that becomes the question mark is the player the opposing team slacks off on when said player has the ball because the likely hood of said player looking to score is remote, and they’ll wait and look for said player to pass it and/or pick up their dribble. Then the game becomes almost a 5 on 4 scenario. I don’t think Allie is that player.

I also don't remember either Seton Hall or Nova going to the bonus in the first 8 minutes and everyone getting in foul trouble.I think the press worked well in both games and supercharged our offense to the tune of 96 and 100 points. What about "defense leads to offense"? Allie's substitution position is a direct result of her defensive skills right now.

Under your analysis, Morgan doesn't play because she hasn't been an offensive threat, neither does Aubrey, or Ice or throw in Jana also. This team had a big uptick in its stock when we started to press. If Geno decided to slow it down in the Big Dance or before I would be shocked. He would be giving up a huge plus we have now that we haven't had in years - our depth.

 

[ABCDFE]

Great original post. I’m with most here. My only thing to add is that I feel quite honestly that by season’s end Geno may trust Morgan more than Ice. Ice will have her moments but I think Morgan has an impactful plying style and does so many things well. He wants players with talent but also great bb IQ especially when games are tight. Morgan can faciliate, defend and scrap for rebounds. If she adds a theee or a few euro step baskets that’s gravy.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Really? I guess "defense wins championships" is just a fiction. We have full court zone pressed since the USC game when Geno saw how it brought us back.

Get your head out of the sand, look at the NBA, NFL and MLB, defense has it’s role but all they care about is scoring runs or putting points on the board. Defense died with Bill Russell, Ray Nitschke, and Casey Stengel. Caitlin Clarke, LeBron James, and Patrick Mahomes are the new stars now.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

@oldude - Excellent analysis as always. I believe Morgan will be in the rotation. They only thing she hasn't been doing is scoring. But she has begun to look and take some opportunities she heretofore has passed up. Hopefully, that's a good sign?

Jana is the big question mark in my opinion. I wonder if Geno truly believes he can count of her? She needs a lot of work in order to improve, yet he is playing her less than half a game. Improvement doesn't come from sitting on the bench. I don't care what the score is in these Big East blow-outs. If Jana is to be counted on against the tougher competition we're going to face going forward, she needs as much playing time as is available.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I also don't remember either Seton Hall or Nova going to the bonus in the first 8 minutes and everyone getting in foul trouble.I think the press worked well in both games and supercharged our offense to the tune of 96 and 100 points. What about "defense leads to offense"? Allie's substitution position is a direct result of her defensive skills right now.

Under your analysis, Morgan doesn't play because she hasn't been an offensive threat, neither does Aubrey, or Ice or throw in Jana also. This team had a big uptick in its stock when we started to press. If Geno decided to slow it down in the Big Dance or before I would be shocked. He would be giving up a huge plus we have now that we haven't had in years - our depth.

Let’s see how that goes against some teams that can match up against us, and I guess you don’t watch the the men’s team. What part of Mars are you from?

 

[cancontent]

Get your head out of the sand, look at the NBA, NFL and MLB, defense has it’s role but all they care about is scoring runs or putting points on the board. Defense died with Bill Russell, Ray Nitschke, and Casey Stengel. Caitlin Clarke, LeBron James, and Patrick Mahomes are the new stars now.

Defence hasn't died. For example, defence has been key in keeping KC in games all season compared to previous ones where their offence ran roughshod over everyone. There's no way they'd be in the AFC Championship with the tiny win point differential they've had this season without it.

 

[oldude]

Get your head out of the sand, look at the NBA, NFL and MLB, defense has its role but all they care about is scoring runs or putting points on the board. Defense died with Bill Russell, Ray Nitschke, and Casey Stengel. Caitlin Clarke, LeBron James, and Patrick Mahomes are the new stars now.

While I will acknowledge that high scoring offenses have become more prolific in sports, WBB is not the NBA, NFL or MLB. If you can’t stop teams from scoring, you can’t win championships, no matter how effective your offense is. Offensive execution can vacillate from game to game, but good defense is usually far more consistent. Furthermore, the strategy behind teams that press like tOSU, TN and yes, UConn, has as much to do with offense as it does with defense.

After the recent blowout win over Villanova, Geno talked about the need to force Villanova out of their slow and deliberate offensive game plan and get into a higher scoring game where Nova basically couldn’t keep up. Pressing a team does two things. It forces turnovers, usually resulting in easy transition baskets or it forces teams to use up possession time beating the press, leaving less time to run their offense, forcing rushed shots, that lead to defensive rebounds, fast breaks and easy transition baskets. Essentially, you press to speed up the game, create more offensive opportunities and score more points.

In previous seasons UConn did not have the roster depth to commit to a pressure defense all game long. This year they do. The TN game will be interesting. The LV’s press all game long, subbing in groups of players frequently like hockey. I expect UConn to press as well, because TN does turn the ball over a lot. We’ll see who comes out on top.

One last comment. We can disagree on the Boneyard without being disagreeable. There is no reason to disparage BBallf just because his opinion differs from yours.

 

[Majic Hands]

Wow! I’ve enjoyed this thread. Everyone or anyone could end up correct in whole or in part.

This thread bonus is that I haven’t anyone trying to piss on anyone’s else’s thoughts .

 

[Majic Hands]

Wow! I’ve enjoyed this thread. Everyone or anyone could end up correct in whole or in part.

This thread bonus is that I haven’t anyone trying to piss on anyone’s else’s thoughts .

Humm. I may have posted to soon.

 

[HuskyNan]

Get your head out of the sand, look at the NBA, NFL and MLB, defense has its role but all they care about is scoring runs or putting points on the board. Defense died with Bill Russell, Ray Nitschke, and Casey Stengel. Caitlin Clarke, LeBron James, and Patrick Mahomes are the new stars now.

You want to watch chuck-and-run basketball? Not me.

 

[Rb335]

My prediction: he goes with 10 as long as he can. But in the last 2 or 3 rounds, there may be a contraction to 9 or even 8.

This last part is key. Once we get to the Sweet 16 and beyond, the rotation will surely tighten. I don’t see a world in which Paige, Sarah, and Azzi aren’t on the floor for 35-40 minutes. The rotation may certainly still go 10 deep, but players 9-10 may only see a minute or two of action.

It’s fascinating because each player brings qualities that make an argument for play time. But in my opinion, when push comes to shove we’ll ride the shoulders of our best players for all they can give.

 

[Bone Dog]

Jana is the big question mark in my opinion. I wonder if Geno truly believes he can count of her? She needs a lot of work in order to improve, yet he is playing her less than half a game. Improvement doesn't come from sitting on the bench.

I’ve been reflecting on this same thing all season. In October, I simply assumed Geno would get Jana as much playing time as possible, with the only limit being her stamina. I also assumed Ice would play next to her at the 4 much of the time. I was really wrong about both assumptions.

Now having watched half the season unfold, I think it’s clear that Geno has a different vision of the team than I expected. He wants to play small-ball for significant parts of games and he is busy developing the talent he has on this roster in that direction. This requires playing time.

He also is prepared to rely on Sarah much more than I anticipated. She seems to have arrived in Storrs D1-ready and appears to be developing on an All-American trajectory. She seems able to play almost any position on the court, rather like Paige. That sort of versatility seems to catch Geno’s eye and he knows how to use it. And to maximize its value means getting all the rotation players used to playing the game she makes possible, not just the starters.

I expect Geno is starting Jana because he also wants to be able to play a more traditional game, with her at the 5 next to Sarah at the 4. With Ice ready to sub for Jana in a similar lineup, the team isn’t as vulnerable to foul trouble. Last season, he was forced to play small-ball most of the time and the team was constantly vulnerable to foul trouble. This current roster gives him an opportunity to address this.

In the end, I think Geno wants to develop Jana as much as he can. But he has other things he wants to develop as well, and this leads him to use the available minutes in several ways. A lesser coach might simply develop his best players and shorten the rotation earlier in the season, and hope that’s enough. But Geno seems to recognize both the new level of competition in D1, and the special possibilities this roster gives him. It may be a gamble with a very young team, to try to develop such a long rotation, but it also may be his only path to an NC.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Let’s see how that goes against some teams that can match up against us, and I guess you don’t watch the the men’s team. What part of Mars are you from?

You have a very peculiar argument. And reaching support for that argument from misapplied authority from other sports (as others have noted) with a certain air.

Geno has not coached his teams his entire career the way you advocate. There’s a very high probability that he knows more basketball than you will ever do.

 

[Geew1992]

The starters: Paige, Kaitlyn, Azzi, Sarah and Jana.

The subs: Ash and KK for sure. Now it becomes tricky. Morgan is probably one and I think Ice has to be one.

I would put Aubrey on the list but right now, she still has to get in gamer shape.

I would not be surprised if Geno went 10 deep for games.

There is no probably, Morgan is def in the rotation. She's one of the first off the bench.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Imo, Geno knows his postseason 10-player rotation, and it is the Noah’s Ark TASSK-look-alike rotation.

Each starter has an on-paper backup. (Yeah, I know UConn plays positionless basketball.) And each backup (KK, Ash, Morgan, Aubrey, and Ice), other than Morgan, has previously been a starter. Morgan is who Geno refers to as a basketball player.

Apart from the Big 3 and Kaitlyn and KK, the amount of minutes for the 5 other players will be based strategically on a particular game.

• Like the TASSK team, everyone on the 10-player rotation are all or nearly and near-evenly seasoned contributors;
• For 9 of the remaining 11 regular season games and 5 of the possible 9 postseason games, I don’t see that Geno will depart markedly from the minutes distribution &1 of this 10-player rotation;
• For the harder games, the Big 3 will play more minutes than their current average; the seven other players will play more or less (or not at all) minutes than their season average &1 depending on who has it that night or if matchups do or don’t require a player that night;
• Geno uses the substitution levers to strategically change a game, and he has quite the farm system to play with.

The 10-player rotation enables and is enabled by UConn being nearly a pick-your-poison team, fully aggressive in both offense and defense (with multiple opponent shotclock violations);

• the number of possessions remain the same (68 possessions) among the November games, the Seton Hall game and the Villanova game.

For reference, below are the season averages for this year’s team (to date) and the TASSK 1999-00 championship team. Note that this team finally had possibly its full team and has finally played full vintage beautiful UConn basketball for the last two games (19th and 20th game of a 31-game regular season).

&1 See Minutes Played (MP) in Per Game table.

 

[Bone Dog]

Imo, Geno knows his postseason 10-player rotation, and it is the Noah’s Ark TASSK-look-alike rotation.

Each starter has an on-paper backup. (Yeah, I know UConn plays positionless basketball.) And each backup (KK, Ash, Morgan, Aubrey, and Ice), other than Morgan, has previously been a starter. Morgan is who Geno refers to as a basketball player.

Apart from the Big 3 and Kaitlyn and KK, the amount of minutes for the 5 other players will be based strategically on a particular game.

• Like the TASSK team, everyone on the 10-player rotation are all or nearly and near-evenly seasoned contributors;
• For 9 of the remaining 11 regular season games and 5 of the possible 9 postseason games, I don’t see that Geno will depart markedly from the minutes distribution &1 of this 10-player rotation;
• For the harder games, the Big 3 will play more minutes than their current average; the seven other players will play more or less (or not at all) minutes than their season average &1 depending on who has it that night or if matchups do or don’t require a player that night;
• Geno uses the substitution levers to strategically change a game, and he has quite the farm system to play with.

The 10-player rotation enables and is enabled by UConn being nearly a pick-your-poison team, fully aggressive in both offense and defense (with multiple opponent shotclock violations);

• the number of possessions remain the same (68 possessions) among the November games, the Seton Hall game and the Villanova game.

For reference, below are the season averages for this year’s team (to date) and the TASSK 1999-00 championship team. Note that this team finally had possibly its full team and has finally played full vintage beautiful UConn basketball for the last two games (19th and 20th game of a 31-game regular season).

&1 See Minutes Played (MP) in Per Game table.

View attachment 106462
View attachment 106463

I think I see why you make the comparison to the 1999-00 team. They were also young, mainly sophomores with a couple of juniors in the main rotation. They featured a pair of 1st team AAs, Shea and Svet, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paige and Sarah in the AA running this season. They featured a better scoring punch, though they took fewer 3s (12.7 to 24.1), even though the 3pt line was closer in those days. And they played similarly tough defense, holding opponents to ~55 pts while scoring 86 themselves. it’s a shame we don’t have a ‘minutes played’ figure for that team, but the scoring numbers suggest a 10 person rotation. For this season, simply taking 10mins as the cutoff for the rotation, we’re at 10 flirting with 11 currently.

 

[Hedge]

"Get your head out of the sand." "What part of Mars are you from?" One of the things I enjoy most about the Boneyard is we usually can have disagreements without being disagreeable or insulting. Not to say that it doesn't happen but it is glaring when it does happen and unfortunate

 

[CONN78SEJ]

While I will acknowledge that high scoring offenses have become more prolific in sports, WBB is not the NBA, NFL or MLB. If you can’t stop teams from scoring, you can’t win championships, no matter how effective your offense is. Offensive execution can vacillate from game to game, but good defense is usually far more consistent. Furthermore, the strategy behind teams that press like tOSU, TN and yes, UConn, has as much to do with offense as it does with defense.

After the recent blowout win over Villanova, Geno talked about the need to force Villanova out of their slow and deliberate offensive game plan and get into a higher scoring game where Nova basically couldn’t keep up. Pressing a team does two things. It forces turnovers, usually resulting in easy transition baskets or it forces teams to use up possession time beating the press, leaving less time to run their offense, forcing rushed shots, that lead to defensive rebounds, fast breaks and easy transition baskets. Essentially, you press to speed up the game, create more offensive opportunities and score more points.

In previous seasons UConn did not have the roster depth to commit to a pressure defense all game long. This year they do. The TN game will be interesting. The LV’s press all game long, subbing in groups of players frequently like hockey. I expect UConn to press as well, because TN does turn the ball over a lot. We’ll see who comes out on top.

One last comment. We can disagree on the Boneyard without being disagreeable. There is no reason to disparage BBallf just because his opinion differs from yours.

What I basically was saying was you need to have a strong offense to keep the opposing defense honest, if you don’t have a strong offense then the opposing defense can easily double and triple team your best scorers. It’s as simple as that. That exactly what happened to UConn when they played Notre Dame.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

You have a very peculiar argument. And reaching support for that argument from misapplied authority from other sports (as others have noted) with a certain air.

Geno has not coached his teams his entire career the way you advocate. There’s a very high probability that he knows more basketball than you will ever do.

Whatever……I guess I’m not John Wooden after all.

 

[oldude]

What I basically was saying was you need to have a strong offense to keep the opposing defense honest, if you don’t have a strong offense then the opposing defense can easily double and triple team your best scorers. It’s as simple as that. That exactly what happened to UConn when they played Notre Dame.

Agreed. But if you want to win a championship, you better have both a strong offense and defense.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I think I see why you make the comparison to the 1999-00 team. They were also young, mainly sophomores with a couple of juniors in the main rotation. They featured a pair of 1st team AAs, Shea and Svet, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paige and Sarah in the AA running this season. They featured a better scoring punch, though they took fewer 3s (12.7 to 24.1), even though the 3pt line was closer in those days. And they played similarly tough defense, holding opponents to ~55 pts while scoring 86 themselves. it’s a shame we don’t have a ‘minutes played’ figure for that team, but the scoring numbers suggest a 10 person rotation. For this season, simply taking 10mins as the cutoff for the rotation, we’re at 10 flirting with 11 currently.

Yes, you correctly guessed why I frequently refer to that team — a young and healthy super team where developing that talented youth is crucial to postseason success.

There are reasons why Geno has not been able to recreate annually what he had with TASSK until the current irreversible era of superteams where he has to change recruiting tactics.

• With large annual talented recruiting/transfer-in classes, this might be Geno’s newish MO (same as his very old MO).

As for scoring punch, the 1999-00 team had its team intact from the first game. And the sophomores already had 1-year’s seasoning (Sue’s injury year when she did the ground work en route to become arguably the best full time point guard of all time.)

• This year’s team has become more comparable beginning with the last two games (the 19th and 20th game of the 31 game season).

 

[visitingcock]

You're so right that there's not much to dispute or add.
I think that everyone is going to continue to get opportunities to play throughout the BET because it's important that every player keeps their skills fresh & not regress in the event that there's a late season injury(s), no matter how minor.
That also keeps Geno's options open for the NCAAT, as far as which players are playing better than others & have more momentum & motivation being displayed on the court.

One of the biggest questions for me is Aubrey.
I think that she's more of a specialist unless she can prove that she possesses more of the all around abilites that are required of deserving more PT verses less PT compared to other players such as Morgan & Ice.
I believe that these are game time management decisions.
Geno can have someone penciled in but if & when the team falls behind or stagnates then Geno can just as easily use his eraser & pencil them out.

Whatever the moment requires the most is what Geno needs to figure out, and that's not necessarily predictable.
I suspect that there will be some bumps & bruises that will help Geno figure out which players get penciled in or out & when.
Coaches that use analytics may come to different conclusions than those who coach using more of their gut.
I don't see any player receiving the hook this early., not when Aubrey's performance & readiness is up in the air.

When Morgan and Chloe Kitts match up, we may need to put our floor on injured reserve

 

[Stagnant]

We don’t have a ton of evidence. And we don’t have evidence against good teams yet. But based on what we have. I think ice has responded well to being benched. She has played a little better the last couple of weeks.

I definitely see us shortening the rotation during the tournament. Geno proved that he will do that during Caroline and azzi’s freshman season.

The ncaa tournament rotation against good teams will be imo:

1. Paige
2. Sarah
3. Azzi
4. Jana
5. Kaitlyn
6. KK
7. Ash
8. Aubrey
9. Ice

I don’t see us going 10 or deeper. I just don’t.