The Curse of the Fifth Starter

[oldude]

UConn and ND proved you can win championships without a deep bench in 2015 and 2018 respectively. But you can’t be a great team without a solid starting 5 who play together effectively as a team with everyone contributing. Starting at the end of last season up until today, BY’ers have discussed ad nauseum who should be the 5th starter on this year’s UConn team. I thought it was time to resurrect this dead horse so we could all beat on it one more time.

Before the season, the betting odds were on Evina, up until the NCAA burst that balloon. Even if the NCAA did the right thing, it is doubtful whether Evina’s balky knee would have allowed her to make it through the season. With Evina ineligible, the 5th starter spot fell to Anna Makurat, who’s shooting and passing ability appeared to be the perfect fit for the Huskies. But Anna struggled to learn the system and she lost confidence when she was mired in her “0 for America” shooting slump at the start of the season, so it was on to Plan B, or maybe we were already at Plan C.

Enter steady veteran Kyla Irwin. While Kyla may have been limited athletically, she was knocking down 3’s regularly and proved to be an excellent facilitator. But opponents figured something out. UConn struggled against zone defenses with Kyla in the triple-threat position at the high post. Kyla’s production declined while her turnovers increased.

Re-enter Anna for a second stint in the starting lineup. In what we thought was a statement game against Memphis, Anna was spectacular, dishing out 11 assists as UConn’s offense was firing on all cylinders. Some BY’ers were more cautious, reminding us all that it was against Memphis. But most of us refused to accept context as a limiting factor. Unfortunately, the last two games have made it abundantly clear that who you’re playing makes a difference, as we’ve watched Anna struggle against both SC and USF.

At halftime of the USF game, Andy Landers succinctly addressed UConn’s challenge as playing either 3 on 5, or 4 on 5 basketball. In the 2nd half, Geno went with his energizer bunny to speed things up, and just as in the TN game, Aubrey turned the game around with her hustle and relentless defensive pressure. The question I and many other BY’ers are now asking is whether or not Aubrey gets a shot as the 5th starter? Clearly, unless she’s crashing the boards, UConn’s half-court offense is not as effective with Aubrey on the court. But the corollary is that with Aubrey forcing turnovers and bad decisions by opposing teams, UConn has more opportunities for easy transition baskets.

If the offense is stuck anyway, why not try a ferocious defender who can force turnovers that result in transition baskets? Crystal is a fearless defender, but bigger guards can back her down into the paint and shoot over her. I am left to wonder how Aubrey might have done matched up against Ionescu and Harris, who both killed UConn by putting Crystal in the impossible position of trying to defend a foul line pick and roll vs Oregon and SC respectively.

I’m not sure Aubrey is the answer, but I think she’s worth a try. Next season, there will be many more options available. But I am not yet willing to give up on this season. So for now, UConn will have to continue to battle the curse of the fifth starter by trying to find someone, anyone who can fill that role productively and consistently

 

[RockyMTblue2]

@oldude logical, cogent argument. I'm inclined to rock along with Anna and hope she steadies and bring Aubrey off the bench.

 

[jabstep]

My vote is for Aubrey because not only can she guard any position 1 thru 5 on the court, she gets a lot of loose rebounds to help Liv. I had said I thought she would be disruptive to Sabrina " the witch " before the game and Geno did in the second half try that defensive alignment. She was successful to a degree. I wish that we would have had her on Harris. I don't think she would have been as successful on her dribble drive penetration and pull up jumpers in the lane. We are a good defensive team because we work so hard on our defense. Did you see Crystal and Christyn's work yesterday on chasing the guards? Liv also took steps at the penetrators and forced them to pass or if they continued she either altered or blocked their shots. She is turning into a real defensive force in the middle. Good teams take advantage of certain matchups. We can take advantage of Aubrey's defense to match up with other teams guards and use her at the top of a zone press as Geno did with Gabby. I can't wait for Mir and Aubrey to work the zone press next year. Aubrey's offense will be sporadic but at times will be effective against superior athletic teams. Did you see her on the fast break on the pass from I believe is was Chrystin, she was like a Olympic sprinter looking for a medal. She got caught a couple of times by South Carolina and I think she said ain't nobody catching me today. We will wait for Geno's decision.

 

[Kaizen]

We have a very short bench and they play inconsistently. I think those three should be the 5th starter: Kyla, Anna and Aubrey.

I will pick Aubrey as the 5th starter. Anna is the 6th man.

I am interested to know who is the 5th starter next season, Anna, Aubrey or Paige? (assuming Evina is the starter replacing Crystal)

 

[Longtime fan]

UConn and ND proved you can win championships without a deep bench in 2015 and 2018 respectively. But you can’t be a great team without a solid starting 5 who play together effectively as a team with everyone contributing. Starting at the end of last season up until today, BY’ers have discussed ad nauseum who should be the 5th starter on this year’s UConn team. I thought it was time to resurrect this dead horse so we could all beat on it one more time.

Before the season, the betting odds were on Evina, up until the NCAA burst that balloon. Even if the NCAA did the right thing, it is doubtful whether Evina’s balky knee would have allowed her to make it through the season. With Evina ineligible, the 5th starter spot fell to Anna Makurat, who’s shooting and passing ability appeared to be the perfect fit for the Huskies. But Anna struggled to learn the system and she lost confidence when she was mired in her “0 for America” shooting slump at the start of the season, so it was on to Plan B, or maybe we were already at Plan C.

Enter steady veteran Kyla Irwin. While Kyla may have been limited athletically, she was knocking down 3’s regularly and proved to be an excellent facilitator. But opponents figured something out. UConn struggled against zone defenses with Kyla in the triple-threat position at the high post. Kyla’s production declined while her turnovers increased.

Re-enter Anna for a second stint in the starting lineup. In what we thought was a statement game against Memphis, Anna was spectacular, dishing out 11 assists as UConn’s offense was firing on all cylinders. Some BY’ers were more cautious, reminding us all that it was against Memphis. But most of us refused to accept context as a limiting factor. Unfortunately, the last two games have made it abundantly clear that who you’re playing makes a difference, as we’ve watched Anna struggle against both SC and USF.

At halftime of the USF game, Andy Landers succinctly addressed UConn’s challenge as playing either 3 on 5, or 4 on 5 basketball. In the 2nd half, Geno went with his energizer bunny to speed things up, and just as in the TN game, Aubrey turned the game around with her hustle and relentless defensive pressure. The question I and many other BY’ers are now asking is whether or not Aubrey gets a shot as the 5th starter? Clearly, unless she’s crashing the boards, UConn’s half-court offense is not as effective with Aubrey on the court. But the corollary is that with Aubrey forcing turnovers and bad decisions by opposing teams, UConn has more opportunities for easy transition baskets.

If the offense is stuck anyway, why not try a ferocious defender who can force turnovers that result in transition baskets? Crystal is a fearless defender, but bigger guards can back her down into the paint and shoot over her. I am left to wonder how Aubrey might have done matched up against Ionescu and Harris, who both killed UConn by putting Crystal in the impossible position of trying to defend a foul line pick and roll vs Oregon and SC respectively.

I’m not sure Aubrey is the answer, but I think she’s worth a try. Next season, there will be many more options available. But I am not yet willing to give up on this season. So for now, UConn will have to continue to battle the curse of the fifth starter by trying to find someone, anyone who can fill that role productively and consistently

I saw a true team appear in the second half yesterday, once Aubrey entered the game. All of a sudden, the UCONN defense was dominating and setting up everything else...much like the " old days." Players were playing hard, doing their best with the moment, and it all seemed to blend together. Aubrey was finishing, because her speed gave her uncontested lay-ups. She also disrupts the offense of the other team, because she can shut down and rattle their point guard. She even tried an outside shot.

I think she is maturing and gaining confidence to the point where she will be assigned to shut down the best ball handler of any opponent. If their point guard cannot manage the offense and distribute the ball, their offense is diminished. And Aubrey rattled that player on USF and the game changed.

So, I think this is the starting five Geno will move to. Probably not right away....but he will arrive there soon enough. Aubrey seemed to settle in more, as she became confident she was going to stay in the game. And she is a person opponents cannot easily guard, as evidenced by that drive to the hoop she executed. She simply has speed and acceleration few can match. so they cannot drop off on her, as they can Ania.

Ania will likely start for a while, but she has currently hit a wall. Her shot has disappeared, and her defense is too slow. She can be a great force off the bench if her shot is dropping. And she still passes we'll, moves aggressively and is an effective rebounder.

I think we found our starting five yesterday. Probably by some point in the AAC tournament.

 

[oldude]

The inconsistency of the 5th starter can obviously have an impact on the other 4 starters as well. As Geno has pointed out, we have optimistically hoped and expected that Christyn & Megan would be able to transition from the 3rd & 4th options behind two 3x AA’s, Pheesa & Lou, the highest scoring duo in the history of UConn WBB, into the 1st & 2nd option this season.

While it’s challenging enough to replace two “go to scorers” under any circumstances, if the offense is stuck, in part because one player is not a viable threat, everyone else has to work that much harder to score.

 

[eebmg]

It will probably be matchup driven between Anna and Aubrey but perhaps, they will both look at this as a real competition among themselves and compete hard for the starting position although I guess the fact that they are dorm mates will keep it (too?) civil. On the other hand, Maybe Jamelle will recount a little of the wars between herself and Rizotti and extract a little mean streak.

 

[jabstep]

The inconsistency of the 5th starter can obviously have an impact on the other 4 starters as well. As Geno has pointed out, we have optimistically hoped and expected that Christyn & Megan would be able to transition from the 3rd & 4th options behind two 3x AA’s, Pheesa & Lou, the highest scoring duo in the history of UConn WBB, into the 1st & 2nd option this season.

While it’s challenging enough to replace two “go to scorers” under any circumstances, if the offense is stuck, in part because one player is not a viable threat, everyone else has to work that much harder to score.

Like when we played Oregon and Boom Boley hits some early shots. Moore uses her speed to drive in for easy layups. She is what Aubrey could be for us.

 

[oldude]

Like when we played Oregon and Boom Boley hits some early shots. Moore uses her speed to drive in for easy layups. She is what Aubrey could be for us.

Interesting that you bring up Oregon. I was thinking about Satou Sabally, who’s having a wonderful year as the 3rd offensive option for the Ducks this season. It will be interesting to see just how well she does next season when she’s the 1st option.

 

[JoePgh]

I am interested to know who is the 5th starter next season, Anna, Aubrey or Paige? (assuming Evina is the starter replacing Crystal)

Do you imagine that Geno, or any of the coaches, knows the answer to that question? Obviously, it depends entirely on how they perform between now and November, especially in the month that starts on October 15.

Another player with an outside chance to be next year's 5th starter is Alliyah Edwards. That would give UConn something that it hasn't had since Stewart and Tuck -- two powerful inside players next to each other in the starting lineup.

My guess, however, is that all of the freshman will be worked in slowly, coming off the bench but with significant minutes. I think the 5th starter will be either Anna or Aubrey, depending on who performs more consistently henceforth, and does the most to address current weaknesses: Anna with one-on-one defense, and Aubrey with structured offense and perimeter shooting.

 

[ABCDFE]

Perhaps 5th starter depends on the opponent we play. When there’s athletic gurads, we play Aubrey. When there’s shorter less athletic guiards we play Anna. Maybe I’m simplifying things but go as case by case basis.

 

[oldude]

Perhaps 5th starter depends on the opponent we play. When there’s athletic gurads, we play Aubrey. When there’s shorter less athletic guiards we play Anna. Maybe I’m simplifying things but go as case by case basis.

Like most coaches, Geno doesn’t like shuffling his starting lineup based on the opponent. While the matchups may be better on paper, team continuity and execution tends to suffer as a result.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Though Aubrey ranks 6th (just ahead of Irwin) in minutes played, she ranks second in steals, third in blocks (one behind Megan), 4th in rebounds (jut 4 behind Christyn), and just behind Anna in scoring, though Anna has played some 180 minutes more.

So when she gets in, she often lights it up!

 

[Longtime fan]

Do you imagine that Geno, or any of the coaches, knows the answer to that question? Obviously, it depends entirely on how they perform between now and November, especially in the month that starts on October 15.

Another player with an outside chance to be next year's 5th starter is Alliyah Edwards. That would give UConn something that it hasn't had since Stewart and Tuck -- two powerful inside players next to each other in the starting lineup.

My guess, however, is that all of the freshman will be worked in slowly, coming off the bench but with significant minutes. I think the 5th starter will be either Anna or Aubrey, depending on who performs more consistently henceforth, and does the most to address current weaknesses: Anna with one-on-one defense, and Aubrey with structured offense and perimeter shooting.

Do you all remember the physical transformation Megan Walker made between freshman and sophomore year? Ania has to do the same, if she is to have any hope of starting. She has to become leaner, faster and more muscular. And I wager that she will do exactly that. And she has to hit those threes like she was born to shoot.

However, I absolutely, positively guarantee that Paige will soon be a starter. It won't happen until Geno is convinced he can trust her with the offense. But, there will be a game where she enters and just "lights it up," again and again. She will force her way into a starting role, just as we saw some previous great players do.

Next season will, hopefully, be a great coaching challenge to the staff. How to get the most out of so many talented players. Totally different from this season, where he is trying to fashion championship caliber play out of a core four, and two freshmen. Neither of whom was ranked best in the nation.

 

[HopJim]

My vote is for Aubrey because not only can she guard any position 1 thru 5 on the court, she gets a lot of loose rebounds to help Liv. I had said I thought she would be disruptive to Sabrina " the witch " before the game and Geno did in the second half try that defensive alignment. She was successful to a degree. I wish that we would have had her on Harris. I don't think she would have been as successful on her dribble drive penetration and pull up jumpers in the lane. We are a good defensive team because we work so hard on our defense. Did you see Crystal and Christyn's work yesterday on chasing the guards? Liv also took steps at the penetrators and forced them to pass or if they continued she either altered or blocked their shots. She is turning into a real defensive force in the middle. Good teams take advantage of certain matchups. We can take advantage of Aubrey's defense to match up with other teams guards and use her at the top of a zone press as Geno did with Gabby. I can't wait for Mir and Aubrey to work the zone press next year. Aubrey's offense will be sporadic but at times will be effective against superior athletic teams. Did you see her on the fast break on the pass from I believe is was Chrystin, she was like a Olympic sprinter looking for a medal. She got caught a couple of times by South Carolina and I think she said ain't nobody catching me today. We will wait for Geno's decision.

Aubrey helped fuel yesterday's win but in other games has been challenged to keep up with good ball handling guards. Geno was smart enough to see a relatively average guard yesterday but not sure I want to see her far from basket. We need her rebounding as well.

 

[donalddoowop]

@oldude logical, cogent argument. I'm inclined to rock along with Anna and hope she steadies and bring Aubrey off the bench.

Why is Anna guarding the 2 on other teams. Quick guards get by all of UConn players with maybe the exception of Aubrey. She would probably be more effective guarding a forward. Also, Anna will never be effective playing on a team that stands still on offense. If UConn's players will start moving on offense like the coaches have told them to do, Anna would be much more effective. It's hard to make good passes to a teammate who is not trying to get open.

 

[FanFromMaine]

Like most coaches, Geno doesn’t like shuffling his starting lineup based on the opponent. While the matchups may be better on paper, team continuity and execution tends to suffer as a result.

You make a cogent case. Let me present an alternative take.

When Kelly Faris was a first year player, she was at the best the sixth option on a six person rotation. But in the FF, while not starting, Kelly played equal minutes with Tiffany Hayes.

Obviously, this is a gross picture of what occurred but it may be that the present six player rotation is mixed and matched for the remainder of the season.

 

[oldude]

Why is Anna guarding the 2 on other teams. Quick guards get by all of UConn players with maybe the exception of Aubrey. She would probably be more effective guarding a forward. Also, Anna will never be effective playing on a team that stands still on offense. If UConn's players will start moving on offense like the coaches have told them to do, Anna would be much more effective. It's hard to make good passes to a teammate who is not trying to get open.

USF starts 3 quick little guards who can all shoot. So Anna had to guard one of them. It’s interesting that during the second half, when Aubrey was locking down USF’s pg, Jose subbed in a bigger wing who was guarded by Crystal. The wing wasn’t athletic enough to use her size advantage and Crystal pretty much shut her down.

 

[jabstep]

Interesting that you bring up Oregon. I was thinking about Satou Sabally, who’s having a wonderful year as the 3rd offensive option for the Ducks this season. It will be interesting to see just how well she does next season when she’s the 1st option.

I think she will have to adjust to being the #1 option but she certainly has the skills to do it. She will get doubled a lot. We will see how good a coach Graves is to create the offense around a team without Sabrina.

 

[JoePgh]

I think she will have to adjust to being the #1 option but she certainly has the skills to do it. She will get doubled a lot. We will see how good a coach Graves is to create the offense around a team without Sabrina.

And it's also possible that Sabally will leave for the WNBA, recognizing that the prospects for a Final Four for Oregon next year are greatly reduced.

 

[Boreifs]

Interesting that you bring up Oregon. I was thinking about Satou Sabally, who’s having a wonderful year as the 3rd offensive option for the Ducks this season. It will be interesting to see just how well she does next season when she’s the 1st option.

Reason dictates that she would want to stay to play with her sister, but if Oregon wins it all, she and Bolen may decide to jump for the W. She would certainly be Top five if not Top three. After Ionescu, it is not a very strong draft.

 

[Wbbfan1]

IMO what happened to Anna is she tried to become a PG instead of a Scoring Guard. The more she handled the ball, the bigger the liability she became. She's not a ball handler in the half court offense. By handling the ball so much, she also took herself out making three point shots. Crystal should be handling the ball in the half court offense and Anna should be moving to get set at the three point line to launch three point shots.

 

[cbraarj]

Like when we played Oregon and Boom Boley hits some early shots. Moore uses her speed to drive in for easy layups. She is what Aubrey could be for us.

Moore has a good handle. Aubrey has no handle!

 

[hoophuskee]

UConn and ND proved you can win championships without a deep bench in 2015 and 2018 respectively. But you can’t be a great team without a solid starting 5 who play together effectively as a team with everyone contributing. Starting at the end of last season up until today, BY’ers have discussed ad nauseum who should be the 5th starter on this year’s UConn team. I thought it was time to resurrect this dead horse so we could all beat on it one more time.

Before the season, the betting odds were on Evina, up until the NCAA burst that balloon. Even if the NCAA did the right thing, it is doubtful whether Evina’s balky knee would have allowed her to make it through the season. With Evina ineligible, the 5th starter spot fell to Anna Makurat, who’s shooting and passing ability appeared to be the perfect fit for the Huskies. But Anna struggled to learn the system and she lost confidence when she was mired in her “0 for America” shooting slump at the start of the season, so it was on to Plan B, or maybe we were already at Plan C.

Enter steady veteran Kyla Irwin. While Kyla may have been limited athletically, she was knocking down 3’s regularly and proved to be an excellent facilitator. But opponents figured something out. UConn struggled against zone defenses with Kyla in the triple-threat position at the high post. Kyla’s production declined while her turnovers increased.

Re-enter Anna for a second stint in the starting lineup. In what we thought was a statement game against Memphis, Anna was spectacular, dishing out 11 assists as UConn’s offense was firing on all cylinders. Some BY’ers were more cautious, reminding us all that it was against Memphis. But most of us refused to accept context as a limiting factor. Unfortunately, the last two games have made it abundantly clear that who you’re playing makes a difference, as we’ve watched Anna struggle against both SC and USF.

At halftime of the USF game, Andy Landers succinctly addressed UConn’s challenge as playing either 3 on 5, or 4 on 5 basketball. In the 2nd half, Geno went with his energizer bunny to speed things up, and just as in the TN game, Aubrey turned the game around with her hustle and relentless defensive pressure. The question I and many other BY’ers are now asking is whether or not Aubrey gets a shot as the 5th starter? Clearly, unless she’s crashing the boards, UConn’s half-court offense is not as effective with Aubrey on the court. But the corollary is that with Aubrey forcing turnovers and bad decisions by opposing teams, UConn has more opportunities for easy transition baskets.

If the offense is stuck anyway, why not try a ferocious defender who can force turnovers that result in transition baskets? Crystal is a fearless defender, but bigger guards can back her down into the paint and shoot over her. I am left to wonder how Aubrey might have done matched up against Ionescu and Harris, who both killed UConn by putting Crystal in the impossible position of trying to defend a foul line pick and roll vs Oregon and SC respectively.

I’m not sure Aubrey is the answer, but I think she’s worth a try. Next season, there will be many more options available. But I am not yet willing to give up on this season. So for now, UConn will have to continue to battle the curse of the fifth starter by trying to find someone, anyone who can fill that role productively and consistently

Why not try to do better at things you do best - which is supposedly shooting? Why give up offensively? Why not keep working at it? Who do you think is incapable of scoring well - of Liv, MW, CW, Am and CD? which of these players will you say "no doubt they can't score/shoot well?"

The USF game shouldn't be much of a barometer. It means very little vs the elite teams. We have already seen Aubrey come in and play with Liv too vs the elite teams haven't we? Sure try it. But Aubrey can score vs "USF." USF is a different animal than the Baylor Bears.

Instead let's look at her games vs the big 3-- Baylor, Oregon and South Car. SH played a total of 42 minutes and was 2-10 from the floor with 5 points, 2 assists and 7 turnovers. No defense she provides can make up for that extremely poor offense vs the elite teams.

AG is one of my top 3 favorite players. I just think this lineup is obvious and can't score vs the elite teams. Instead of praying -- work with what UCONN supposedly does better but hasn't yet and that is shoot the ball. Maybe Liv being more of a force can help the shooters now? Don't give up. Sure - give it a minor try (which I think they have at times) but we have seen it. Now if they end up playing worse and if they ever lose a game-- you may shatter confidence because you;'ve made it a point to show desperation.

Ag is one of my 3 fav players. But I just believe that she can't score or pass well vs the big athletic teams. Vs the USF's she can look good but what has she shown vs the elite offensively? AM showed she can. **IMO keep working on the offense. Don't give up. Or have Liv show she is good threat at the high post. Unfortunately you do that and then we suffer potentially from her improved scoring inside.

Unless liv can be a good high post player - I can't see it. Sure give it a try but I wouldn't in large doses to start with. And we have seen AM play well vs one of the elite teams, haven't we? I'm not arguing but now after a couple of bad games we replace her with AG even though AG hasn't showed much vs the elite teams?

 

[FanFromMaine]

IMO what happened to Anna is she tried to become a PG instead of a Scoring Guard. The more she handled the ball, the bigger the liability she became. She's not a ball handler in the half court offense. By handling the ball so much, she also took herself out making three point shots. Crystal should be handling the ball in the half court offense and Anna should be moving to get set at the three point line to launch three point shots.

My assumption is that Geno is asking Anna to play the point to free up CD offensively. It seems to be a steep learning curve but I’m curious to see how she does. As olddude suggested, USF presented a challenge to this plan with their three quick guards.