oldude
bamboo lover
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
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When you shine a light through crystal, it will refract in many directions, and it can be broken down by wavelength into the colors of the rainbow. In similar fashion, when Crystal leads a UConn fast break, with her teammates sprinting alongside, the ball can literally go in any direction, and some of the passes she dishes out are as spectacular as a rainbow after a July thunderstorm. I continue to marvel at Lou’s spot-on comment last season when she said of Crystal, “When she’s not looking at you is when you know she’s going to pass you the ball.”
Crystal was the #1 ranked HS pg in the nation when she showed up in Storrs in 2016. She may not be the #1 pg in WCBB right now, but I will argue that she is most definitely in the top 2. As a freshman, Crystal had some highs and lows like most UConn freshman. Leading up to her sophomore season, the praise for Crystal from both Geno and her teammates had UConn fans pumped up for the start of the season. Geno went as far as to suggest that Crystal had the potential to be the pg on the U.S. national team.
While Geno’s comment may have been tinged with a bit of hyperbole, Crystal started off the season in spectacular fashion, dishing out assists and knocking down shots from spots way beyond the 3-pt line. Unfortunately, early in the season Crystal suffered from painful shin splints, which plagued her for the entire season. She missed some PT and, more importantly, she was often unable to practice with her teammates, something that is critical for the timing of any pg. Despite the shin splints, Crystal played well. But I remain convinced that the injuries to Crystal and Lou last season were the most significant factors preventing the Huskies from winning their 12th championship.
As for this year, Crystal started a little slow, fighting the early shooting slump that infected much of the team and incurring a few more turnovers then expected. But over the past few months, Crystal’s play has been nothing short of spectacular. Her shot has returned, and her range appears to be almost unlimited. She is playing better defense and forcing more turnovers. But it is Crystal’s passing that sets her apart from every other point guard in the nation.
Crystal is among the top ten in WBB in both APG and A/TO. Her ability to fire pin point passes the length of the court hitting steaking teammates in stride for easy layups is a thing of beauty. But even more spectacular is when Crystal leads the break. Her ability to deliver perfect passes in any direction with either hand, whether or not she’s actually looking in that direction, is incredible. On Tuesday in Wichita, Crystal had 8 assists against only 2 turnovers. Several of the assists were spectacular. Her most spectacular pass was a no-look, backward, over-the-head pass to Lou who was trailing her down the court and ended up with a wide-open three that hung around the rim forever before falling off. I love Lou, but she clearly botched a “highlight reel” play by missing that shot.
Crystal is the WBB version of SHOWTIME! When Christyn Williams announced she was coming to Storrs, one of her stated reasons was that she wanted to play with Crystal. Can you blame her? With Lindsay Whalen retired, and Sue not too far behind her, I wouldn’t be surprised if some day, in the not-to-distant future, there are several US WBB team members who also want to play with Crystal.
Crystal was the #1 ranked HS pg in the nation when she showed up in Storrs in 2016. She may not be the #1 pg in WCBB right now, but I will argue that she is most definitely in the top 2. As a freshman, Crystal had some highs and lows like most UConn freshman. Leading up to her sophomore season, the praise for Crystal from both Geno and her teammates had UConn fans pumped up for the start of the season. Geno went as far as to suggest that Crystal had the potential to be the pg on the U.S. national team.
While Geno’s comment may have been tinged with a bit of hyperbole, Crystal started off the season in spectacular fashion, dishing out assists and knocking down shots from spots way beyond the 3-pt line. Unfortunately, early in the season Crystal suffered from painful shin splints, which plagued her for the entire season. She missed some PT and, more importantly, she was often unable to practice with her teammates, something that is critical for the timing of any pg. Despite the shin splints, Crystal played well. But I remain convinced that the injuries to Crystal and Lou last season were the most significant factors preventing the Huskies from winning their 12th championship.
As for this year, Crystal started a little slow, fighting the early shooting slump that infected much of the team and incurring a few more turnovers then expected. But over the past few months, Crystal’s play has been nothing short of spectacular. Her shot has returned, and her range appears to be almost unlimited. She is playing better defense and forcing more turnovers. But it is Crystal’s passing that sets her apart from every other point guard in the nation.
Crystal is among the top ten in WBB in both APG and A/TO. Her ability to fire pin point passes the length of the court hitting steaking teammates in stride for easy layups is a thing of beauty. But even more spectacular is when Crystal leads the break. Her ability to deliver perfect passes in any direction with either hand, whether or not she’s actually looking in that direction, is incredible. On Tuesday in Wichita, Crystal had 8 assists against only 2 turnovers. Several of the assists were spectacular. Her most spectacular pass was a no-look, backward, over-the-head pass to Lou who was trailing her down the court and ended up with a wide-open three that hung around the rim forever before falling off. I love Lou, but she clearly botched a “highlight reel” play by missing that shot.
Crystal is the WBB version of SHOWTIME! When Christyn Williams announced she was coming to Storrs, one of her stated reasons was that she wanted to play with Crystal. Can you blame her? With Lindsay Whalen retired, and Sue not too far behind her, I wouldn’t be surprised if some day, in the not-to-distant future, there are several US WBB team members who also want to play with Crystal.
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