The Dream Team has Arrived

[Tonyc]

Well the ole saying is records are made to be broken and this team will fulfill that thought. This team has more ammunition then the US Army. Ariel attack, a ground game and height. This will be the Beginning of a New Dynasty in UConn Womens BB history. I remember a short time ago when fans talked about lack of height. Not anymore. It will be raining 3's. What Geno has built is truly amazing and whats even more amazing is that he continues over the past 25+ years to make his teams even better then before. Fans expect a FF every year and AA's every year. The next 5 years will be no different. I dont expect Geno to retire for quite some time. He is worth more to the State of Conn and WCBB then any other person with the notoriety and money he bring in for both of them. He built this team and sells this team on a dream with no promises, of being the very best and they are. They not only are a great team, but its what they become as people.

This incoming class along with are freshman class is just unbelievable. Im so excited. Ive read threads about having 15 and playtime. Well we still have to develop the kids that are underclassman this season and the same goes for next season. They will all play because they are that good and didnt come here to sit. We are at a point like many former UConn teams of being almost unbeatable. I gotta say if we go undefeated this season we most likely wont loose a game for 4 more years after this season.

The dream for many of us is to see Paige and Azzi play together. Much like Diana and Sue in the past these two will be the very best of the best. They will draw so much attention that that will give every body else more freedom to create their own shot. This team is almost impossible to beat. We need a banner that says....UConn where all your Dreams can come True.

 

[chrissaran]

Almost impossible to beat. Heard that about the 16-0 Patriots. Luckily, the Giants didn't listen to everyone else and beat the undefeated Patriots.

 

[hoopsfan22]

They may be talented, but I don't think they'll match the big three. I mean Stewie is the best on the planet. As talented as this team is and the recruits coming in are, none of them are Stewie except for Azzi's dog. Supporting cast probably a bit deeper than those teams however.

 

[thestreak]

It's not going to be easy this year. Making FF will be great IF they can make it happen but they will need huge seasons from a lot of players and exemplary defense and overall team play.

 

[Tonyc]

With all the talk about Paige and Azzi and theyve earned it. The big surprise will be the strength, size and play of Aaliyah and Amari. They are rebounders, have strength and can flat out play.

 

[thestreak]

With all the talk about Paige and Azzi and theyve earned it. The big surprise will be the strength, size and play of Aaliyah and Amari. They are rebounders, have strength and can flat out play.

I graduated from the HS where Amari DeBerry is attending. She's surely still developing physically and she needs to get tougher both physically and mentally. I think many young HS players lack intensity or killer instinct but Geno will bring that out in them. And she should absolutely benefit from working with CD.

 

[CL82]

I dont expect Geno to retire for quite some time. He is worth more to the State of Conn and WCBB then any other person

Of course he is also worth more than the state of Connecticut, but that is a different topic.

 

[and one]

I'm not quite where EricLA is yet. The future looks bright (ok, fabulous) for the Huskies although the mantle of invincibility may not come this year. As of now, before the season starts, do we have a single PROVEN A+ player (a la Stewie, Maya, Diana) or solid A player (the list is long) on the team? No. Everyone on the squad has to prove they belong among the country's elite. If all the stars align right we may be a dominate team. If not we may be just very good but beatable by the other good teams. Next year we will be better than this year and the year after we may be among the best wvbb teams of all time.

This isn't to say that a FF or NC is out of reach this year; this will be a very good team. A great team? Let's see how the team handles Miss St and Louisville before getting ahead of our selves.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Thou shall not rain on Tonyc's parade.

 

[and one]

Thou shall not rain on Tonyc's parade.

I don't think that's possible. Rain on Tonyc's parade and he'll be growing a bumper crop of flowers.

 

[EricLA]

Well the ole saying is records are made to be broken and this team will fulfill that thought. This team has more ammunition then the US Army. Ariel attack, a ground game and height. This will be the Beginning of a New Dynasty in UConn Womens BB history.

When did we recruit the Little Mermaid, and will she use a trident with her offense?

 

[EricLA]

I'm not quite where EricLA is yet. The future looks bright (ok, fabulous) for the Huskies although the mantle of invincibility may not come this year. As of now, before the season starts, do we have a single PROVEN A+ player (a la Stewie, Maya, Diana) or solid A player (the list is long) on the team? No. Everyone on the squad has to prove they belong among the country's elite. If all the stars align right we may be a dominate team. If not we may be just very good but beatable by the other good teams. Next year we will be better than this year and the year after we may be among the best wvbb teams of all time.

This isn't to say that a FF or NC is out of reach this year; this will be a very good team. A great team? Let's see how the team handles Miss St and Louisville before getting ahead of our selves.

Fair enough! I felt at the end of last season, the team was on the right trajectory and "what ailed us" in the big losses to SC, Oregon and Baylor had largely been improved and corrected...

For this season, UCONN is not the only team that lost key players. SC lost 2 starters, including their PG. Oregon lost a ton. Baylor lost Cox and Landrum. Sure - every team who has players coming back expect them all to be better. But UCONN replaces our PG with probably one of the top 5 PG's in the nation, and she's barely a freshman. Replacing Megan could be addition by subtraction (she was fabulous, but IMHO did not mesh well on the floor with Christyn last season). Replacing her will open things up for Evina, Christyn and Anna.

My concern this season is 3 point shooting, and I suspect we will face a lot of zone. Teams who are really talented and good at zone defense could pose problems. BUT... I think Christyn will have her 3 point form back - not great, but solid. Anna showed she can be elite with her performance the 2nd half of last season, and from all the videos, Paige looks to be an elite 3 point threat. The jury is still out on Evina - she hopefully will be competent, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the slasher hit in the neighborhood of "only" 30%.

There ARE big questions for UCONN this season. Our starting PG will likely be a fabulous but untested freshman. Our backup center is a fabulous but untested Canadian National Team member. Our backup PG is a fabulous but untested #1 ranked international kid (even above Aaliyah). BUT in big games, I expect our bench of Aubrey, Nika and Aaliyah is better than what any other elite team has on their bench. No disrespect to Mir, Piath or Autumn, but I don't expect to see them on the floor against any top 10-15 team.

Having said all that, I believe the improvements we saw last season (thank you Jamelle) not only from the post players, but from the rest of the team (especially Anna's shooting), and how hard the team worked over the summer - I think this season will be a slow build, and I expect us to be in the final 4 and to be on the short list of favorites to win the NC.

Starting next season, forget about it. SC and Stanford may come close, but we will be close to untouchable for at least 2-3 years. Bad for basketball again, indeed.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Well the ole saying is records are made to be broken and this team will fulfill that thought. This team has more ammunition then the US Army. Ariel attack, a ground game and height. This will be the Beginning of a New Dynasty in UConn Womens BB history. I remember a short time ago when fans talked about lack of height. Not anymore. It will be raining 3's. What Geno has built is truly amazing and whats even more amazing is that he continues over the past 25+ years to make his teams even better then before. Fans expect a FF every year and AA's every year. The next 5 years will be no different. I dont expect Geno to retire for quite some time. He is worth more to the State of Conn and WCBB then any other person with the notoriety and money he bring in for both of them. He built this team and sells this team on a dream with no promises, of being the very best and they are. They not only are a great team, but its what they become as people.

This incoming class along with are freshman class is just unbelievable. Im so excited. Ive read threads about having 15 and playtime. Well we still have to develop the kids that are underclassman this season and the same goes for next season. They will all play because they are that good and didnt come here to sit. We are at a point like many former UConn teams of being almost unbeatable. I gotta say if we go undefeated this season we most likely wont loose a game for 4 more years after this season.

The dream for many of us is to see Paige and Azzi play together. Much like Diana and Sue in the past these two will be the very best of the best. They will draw so much attention that that will give every body else more freedom to create their own shot. This team is almost impossible to beat. We need a banner that says....UConn where all your Dreams can come True.

You made reference to Geno "making great teams and It's what they become as people" ... I think what Geno and his staff do is screen and evaluate kids who are very highly talented and maybe even more significantly are great kids to begin with because he knows how essential that is to mold them into great teams .... kids without any indications of selfishness or needs of glory but focusing on playing the game the right way with that team first sensibility .... it's quite obvious that when they meet other kids of a like mind and continue to mature, that they are likely to evolve in wonderful young ladies but I think it's Geno's ability to screen and choose young ladies who are already becoming great people that may be his biggest attribute.

 

[Carnac]

I graduated from the HS where Amari DeBerry is attending. She's surely still developing physically and she needs to get tougher both physically and mentally. I think many young HS players lack intensity or killer instinct but Geno will bring that out in them. And she should absolutely benefit from working with CD.

Agreed. The good thing here is that unlike ONO, who was pressed into service as a freshman because Geno needed her badly as she was the only player on the roster over 6-2, Amari won't be pressured to play right away. She'll be behind ONO and Piath on the depth chart, which will allow her to develop at her own pace.

 

[DEpup]

Well the ole saying is records are made to be broken and this team will fulfill that thought. This team has more ammunition then the US Army. Ariel attack, a ground game and height. This will be the Beginning of a New Dynasty in UConn Womens BB history. I remember a short time ago when fans talked about lack of height. Not anymore. It will be raining 3's. What Geno has built is truly amazing and whats even more amazing is that he continues over the past 25+ years to make his teams even better then before. Fans expect a FF every year and AA's every year. The next 5 years will be no different. I dont expect Geno to retire for quite some time. He is worth more to the State of Conn and WCBB then any other person with the notoriety and money he bring in for both of them. He built this team and sells this team on a dream with no promises, of being the very best and they are. They not only are a great team, but its what they become as people.

This incoming class along with are freshman class is just unbelievable. Im so excited. Ive read threads about having 15 and playtime. Well we still have to develop the kids that are underclassman this season and the same goes for next season. They will all play because they are that good and didnt come here to sit. We are at a point like many former UConn teams of being almost unbeatable. I gotta say if we go undefeated this season we most likely wont loose a game for 4 more years after this season.

The dream for many of us is to see Paige and Azzi play together. Much like Diana and Sue in the past these two will be the very best of the best. They will draw so much attention that that will give every body else more freedom to create their own shot. This team is almost impossible to beat. We need a banner that says....UConn where all your Dreams can come True.

The interesting thing is there will be a third in Nika with them which could end up being even more lethal.

 

[Jim R]

Fair enough! I felt at the end of last season, the team was on the right trajectory and "what ailed us" in the big losses to SC, Oregon and Baylor had largely been improved and corrected...

For this season, UCONN is not the only team that lost key players. SC lost 2 starters, including their PG. Oregon lost a ton. Baylor lost Cox and Landrum. Sure - every team who has players coming back expect them all to be better. But UCONN replaces our PG with probably one of the top 5 PG's in the nation, and she's barely a freshman. Replacing Megan could be addition by subtraction (she was fabulous, but IMHO did not mesh well on the floor with Christyn last season). Replacing her will open things up for Evina, Christyn and Anna.

My concern this season is 3 point shooting, and I suspect we will face a lot of zone. Teams who are really talented and good at zone defense could pose problems. BUT... I think Christyn will have her 3 point form back - not great, but solid. Anna showed she can be elite with her performance the 2nd half of last season, and from all the videos, Paige looks to be an elite 3 point threat. The jury is still out on Evina - she hopefully will be competent, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the slasher hit in the neighborhood of "only" 30%.

There ARE big questions for UCONN this season. Our starting PG will likely be a fabulous but untested freshman. Our backup center is a fabulous but untested Canadian National Team member. Our backup PG is a fabulous but untested #1 ranked international kid (even above Aaliyah). BUT in big games, I expect our bench of Aubrey, Nika and Aaliyah is better than what any other elite team has on their bench. No disrespect to Mir, Piath or Autumn, but I don't expect to see them on the floor against any top 10-15 team.

Having said all that, I believe the improvements we saw last season (thank you Jamelle) not only from the post players, but from the rest of the team (especially Anna's shooting), and how hard the team worked over the summer - I think this season will be a slow build, and I expect us to be in the final 4 and to be on the short list of favorites to win the NC.

Starting next season, forget about it. SC and Stanford may come close, but we will be close to untouchable for at least 2-3 years. Bad for basketball again, indeed.

"but we will be close to untouchable for at least 2-3 years"....like the way you think....but, as mentioned previously, I'll take the over....(in other words...if they don't get us this year....watch out until Paige leaves...I mean, Azzi...I mean...well, you get the picture. )

 

[Skeets]

You made reference to Geno "making great teams and It's what they become as people" ... I think what Geno and his staff do is screen and evaluate kids who are very highly talented and maybe even more significantly are great kids to begin with because he knows how essential that is to mold them into great teams .... kids without any indications of selfishness or needs of glory but focusing on playing the game the right way with that team first sensibility .... it's quite obvious that when they meet other kids of a like mind and continue to mature, that they are likely to evolve in wonderful young ladies but I think it's Geno's ability to screen and choose young ladies who are already becoming great people that may be his biggest attribute.

I don't mean to sound sexist, but in general I believe a greater percentage of girls coming out of high school seem to have their heads on straight as compared to the elite boys coming out of high school. Why? I don't know it could be people telling the elite boys how good they are, that they could be one and done and off to the NBA, make zillions of dollars, etc. Having good kids, and there are always exceptions, is one of the reasons I like the woman's game better than the guys.

 

[oldhusky]

Fair enough! I felt at the end of last season, the team was on the right trajectory and "what ailed us" in the big losses to SC, Oregon and Baylor had largely been improved and corrected...

For this season, UCONN is not the only team that lost key players. SC lost 2 starters, including their PG. Oregon lost a ton. Baylor lost Cox and Landrum. Sure - every team who has players coming back expect them all to be better. But UCONN replaces our PG with probably one of the top 5 PG's in the nation, and she's barely a freshman. Replacing Megan could be addition by subtraction (she was fabulous, but IMHO did not mesh well on the floor with Christyn last season). Replacing her will open things up for Evina, Christyn and Anna.

My concern this season is 3 point shooting, and I suspect we will face a lot of zone. Teams who are really talented and good at zone defense could pose problems. BUT... I think Christyn will have her 3 point form back - not great, but solid. Anna showed she can be elite with her performance the 2nd half of last season, and from all the videos, Paige looks to be an elite 3 point threat. The jury is still out on Evina - she hopefully will be competent, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the slasher hit in the neighborhood of "only" 30%.

There ARE big questions for UCONN this season. Our starting PG will likely be a fabulous but untested freshman. Our backup center is a fabulous but untested Canadian National Team member. Our backup PG is a fabulous but untested #1 ranked international kid (even above Aaliyah). BUT in big games, I expect our bench of Aubrey, Nika and Aaliyah is better than what any other elite team has on their bench. No disrespect to Mir, Piath or Autumn, but I don't expect to see them on the floor against any top 10-15 team.

Having said all that, I believe the improvements we saw last season (thank you Jamelle) not only from the post players, but from the rest of the team (especially Anna's shooting), and how hard the team worked over the summer - I think this season will be a slow build, and I expect us to be in the final 4 and to be on the short list of favorites to win the NC.

Starting next season, forget about it. SC and Stanford may come close, but we will be close to untouchable for at least 2-3 years. Bad for basketball again, indeed.

This is a very good post with many good points. As for three point shooting, it could be a little weaker this year, but last year was very good, and a counterbalancing plus is we should be at the foul line a-lot more this year. Also with next year's recruits and the "shooting class", Uconn should be right back near the top on 3pt shooting, so if that turns out to be a mild weakness it will be corrected next year.

As for the competition, the three top teams last year were significantly better than everyone else including us, so we have more than a little ground to make up. Oregon lost a ton, so they are not a problem, and I think we have pulled ourselves up to Baylor probably past them this year, and very likely to be better next year. Stanford might be an issue this year as well but presumably our 2021 class will elevate us over them next year, and I wouldn't be surprised if we are better this year.

South Carolina is the big issue. They were much better last year, and we had a big 2020 recruiting class, but did that make up all of the difference? I don't know. Then as optimistic as we are, and should be, about the 2021 class, South Carolina had a monster 2021 class too, and their huge 2019 class with Boston will still be around for two years after this one.

It is hard to tell this far in advance before we have seen these recruits play, but I think both of these teams will be right near the top this year, with a couple of others, but next year with the big recruiting classes and top returning players I expect SC and Uconn to separate themselves from the pack, and it will be those two on the top tier and then a big drop-off to everyone else.

 

[Carnac]

"but we will be close to untouchable for at least 2-3 years"....like the way you think....but, as mentioned previously, I'll take the over....(in other words...if they don't get us this year....watch out until Paige leaves...I mean, Azzi...I mean...well, you get the picture. )

Something that can't be overlooked is that as time goes on, Paige will be playing against more and more players her own age, or close to it. She's already proven she can (at least) play as well as them or better. I'm trying to be politically correct here, and avoid suggesting that Paige will dominate the competition, which may very well happen. That remains to be seen.

The "I'll take over" mindset is part of her DNA. We didn't have a "go-to" player last year. Megan Walker and Crystal Dangerfield were the closest we had to one. We really could have used one on several occassions last year. Paige is going to grow, mature, become more savvy, and and "grit" to her game. She'll get better game by game, year by year. That sounds like a plan to me.

She has said on several occasions she hates to lose. She wants to win at everything. I'm part of the crowd that says let's take Paige's career one year and one game at a time. It's more fun that way. Respect ALL of your opponents fearing none.

Most coaches will tell you the most important game on the schedule, and the only one you need to focus on is THE NEXT ONE. For UConn, that would be Quinnipiac. Take care of THAT business first, then look ahead to the next game. Give every opponent the respect they deserve!! No trap games this year.

UConn women's basketball......................becoming bad for women's college basketball once again.

 

[huskyd]

Well the ole saying is records are made to be broken and this team will fulfill that thought. This team has more ammunition then the US Army. Ariel attack, a ground game and height. This will be the Beginning of a New Dynasty in UConn Womens BB history. I remember a short time ago when fans talked about lack of height. Not anymore. It will be raining 3's. What Geno has built is truly amazing and whats even more amazing is that he continues over the past 25+ years to make his teams even better then before. Fans expect a FF every year and AA's every year. The next 5 years will be no different. I dont expect Geno to retire for quite some time. He is worth more to the State of Conn and WCBB then any other person with the notoriety and money he bring in for both of them. He built this team and sells this team on a dream with no promises, of being the very best and they are. They not only are a great team, but its what they become as people.

This incoming class along with are freshman class is just unbelievable. Im so excited. Ive read threads about having 15 and playtime. Well we still have to develop the kids that are underclassman this season and the same goes for next season. They will all play because they are that good and didnt come here to sit. We are at a point like many former UConn teams of being almost unbeatable. I gotta say if we go undefeated this season we most likely wont loose a game for 4 more years after this season.

The dream for many of us is to see Paige and Azzi play together. Much like Diana and Sue in the past these two will be the very best of the best. They will draw so much attention that that will give every body else more freedom to create their own shot. This team is almost impossible to beat. We need a banner that says....UConn where all your Dreams can come True.

I hate it when you hold back, Tony.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I'm not quite where EricLA is yet. The future looks bright (ok, fabulous) for the Huskies although the mantle of invincibility may not come this year. As of now, before the season starts, do we have a single PROVEN A+ player (a la Stewie, Maya, Diana) or solid A player (the list is long) on the team? No. Everyone on the squad has to prove they belong among the country's elite. If all the stars align right we may be a dominate team. If not we may be just very good but beatable by the other good teams. Next year we will be better than this year and the year after we may be among the best wvbb teams of all time.

This isn't to say that a FF or NC is out of reach this year; this will be a very good team. A great team? Let's see how the team handles Miss St and Louisville before getting ahead of our selves.

I believe we will see glimpses of how good most will be versus Louisville, sustained high performance against Baylor, and a real test versus South Carolina. Then all focus will be on "The BIG Dance" and consistent Superior Performance will kick into high gear at the Big East Tournament on their march to a National Championship.
That is my vision {used to be 20/10 when I was on submarines, not quite as good as Ted Williams when he was flying fighter jets in WWII and Korea [yes, THE Ted Williams of Red Sox fame - I have a series of physics problems based on him and Fenway for my calculus-based Physics students....} and I am sticking to it!!!!

 

[The CDR-Ret]

When did we recruit the Little Mermaid, and will she use a trident with her offense?

No, Tridents are SSBNs and they are deterents,,,,

 

[Alydar]

Something that can't be overlooked is that as time goes on, Paige will be playing against more and more players her own age, or close to it. She's already proven she can (at least) play as well as them or better. I'm trying to be politically correct here, and avoid suggesting that Paige will dominate the competition, which may very well happen. That remains to be seen.

The "I'll take over" mindset is part of her DNA. We didn't have a "go-to" player last year. Megan Walker and Crystal Dangerfield were the closest we had to one. We really could have used one on several occassions last year. Paige is going to grow, mature, become more savvy, and and "grit" to her game. She'll get better game by game, year by year. That sounds like a plan to me.

She has said on several occasions she hates to lose. She wants to win at everything. I'm part of the crowd that says let's take Paige's career one year and one game at a time. It's more fun that way. Respect ALL of your opponents fearing none.

Most coaches will tell you the most important game on the schedule, and the only one you need to focus on is THE NEXT ONE. For UConn, that would be Quinnipiac. Take care of THAT business first, then look ahead to the next game. Give every opponent the respect they deserve!! No trap games this year.

UConn women's basketball......................becoming bad for women's college basketball once again.

Actually, Paige was a starting guard for the USA U17 and U19 teams, playing with Boston, Egbo, R Howard, Horston and Jones. S car's Cooke was a backup guard. She more than held her own against players 1-2 years ahead of her. She was the U19 MOP.

I think your "one game at a time" comment is spot on. I intend to enjoy every minute she is on the court.

 

[veryolddog]

What Tony said! Any problem with that?

The excitement builds and there is tension in the air. The ball is tossed into the air by the referee and the game begins.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I don't mean to sound sexist, but in general I believe a greater percentage of girls coming out of high school seem to have their heads on straight as compared to the elite boys coming out of high school. Why? I don't know it could be people telling the elite boys how good they are, that they could be one and done and off to the NBA, make zillions of dollars, etc. Having good kids, and there are always exceptions, is one of the reasons I like the woman's game better than the guys.

I couldn't agree more ..... I do know that there are definitely SOME girls, who like guys, would never defer to their team's goals because their needs are to show the world their abilities .... Obviously Geno is looking for those talented girls who buy into the team goals that he demands and he's obviously very successful finding them and recruiting them to Storrs ...