The freshmen

[Bone Dog]

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... and 40 makes out of 69 shots is way efficient, 58%. Of course, she's shooting 54% for the entire season and, no surprise, 100% on FTs

 

[oldude]

I was thinking Ash was more like Lou, a clutch shooter when the team needs a bucket

Interesting comparison. I have always felt that in each game someone on the team needs to “take the lid of the basket” by knocking down a 3, taking the pressure off the rest of the team to start knocking down shots as well.

Lou was that player last year, same as the other Lou a few years ago, and you are correct that Ashlynn has become that player on this year’s team. I don’t know if it’s by design or not, but over the stretch of games that Ashlynn & KK have started, Ashlynn frequently puts up the first shot for the Huskies, often makes it, and then it’s off to the races for UConn.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ashlynn

3 point FG, 20-58, 34.5%
2 point FG, 38-50, 76.0%
Total FG%, 58-108, 53.7%

she also has a total 12 turnovers and 17 fouls in 14 games (347 minutes). At least 1 of the fouls was a Phantom Phoul yesterday

 

[mmeade258]

Ashlynn Shade is the REAL DEAL!

She plays with so much joy & every time she does ANYTHING to help the team
She’s so excited & smiling. It’s truly a joy to watch her play.

 

[AmeriConn]

“FRESHY”

 

[reelfan]

I credit Tanya for developing the freshmen. She has shown a real knack at growing guard play over the years and continues to do so.

 

[tower1]

My basis is that by my eye and the stats, Q seems to be the best 3 point shooter of the freshman. She’s shooting the highest percentage from 3 of the freshman, and has made the same number as Shade on 8 fewer attempts.

I can agree that she is a bit one dimensional at times. But her one dimension has consistently been that she can shoot the 3. I’m not saying she’s the best player of group, or playing the best basketball. She’s not even the best at generating open looks. But when she gets the really open looks, I’ve liked her ability to knock them down.

My post was intended to highlight how perimeter scoring from the freshman will be important. I tried to include positives about all three, to highlight how huge their impact has been and will be.

Q is not as good as Shade shooting the ball. She misses too much which I call turnovers. She needs to stop shooting as soon as she gets in the game. Shade is way ahead of Q playing defense . Q is going to get better but she is not there yet.

 

[HuskyNan]

Q is not as good as Shade shooting the ball. She misses too much which I call turnovers. She needs to stop shooting as soon as she gets in the game. Shade is way ahead of Q playing defense . Q is going to get better but she is not there yet.

Q has a higher 3 point field goal percentage and is shooting a respectable 45.6% overall. After a recent game Geno wisecracked that he told Q to keep shooting even if she missed her first few shots and she looked at him like, “Are you crazy? Of course I’ll keep shooting “. He also said, “I love that”.

 

[Zarathustra]

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NICE stat analysis!!

 

[Conndog]

I’m also a Q fan and agree that the comparison to Aubrey is not all that apt.

Similar in height, but what else? Sure, maybe Q could bulk up to approximate Aubrey’s strength, but can she ‘speed’ up?

And they’re not all that similar in personality, at least as it shows up on the offensive side. Aubrey is a finisher and a reluctant midrange and perimeter shooter. Q is a dynamite perimeter shooter who doesn’t take a lot of midrange shots but seems unafraid to go to the rim either on the break or on an inbounds play. We haven’t seen her slash to the rim in a half court set.

And on defense, it’s hard to find a real similarity. Q will improve, make the right switches, figure out how to disrupt the passing lanes, block more shots with those long arms.

Q is already a clever rebounder and she’ll improve at boxing out, but she may never be the ‘energizer bunny’ Aubrey often is when it comes to rebounding. For one thing, she’s not much of a leaper while Aubrey might as well wear a cape some nights.

When Aubrey is ‘on’ I think opposing teams feel like she is everywhere — blocking their shots, stealing their passes, turning every mistake into a fast break layup — while Q is harder to spot on defense, a subtler presence. She doesn’t present opponents with the “shock and awe” campaign Aubrey does.

I suspect that Q can develop her game in some of these areas, but we will primarily know her as a deadly perimeter shooter who plays subtle but effective defense, sneaks into the paint to steal a rebound from the bigs, and can get out on the break. And we’ll be very pleased with the contribution she makes.

If I were @Carnac (where is he anyway?) I might predict a career average stat line like 14 pts, 50% fgs, 40% on 3s, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 2 blocks. A line like this will get her into the W.

I like Q too and think she has great potential. She doesn't have to be Aubrey 2. I agree it would help her to get stronger and put on a little weight. I also hope she will develop more of an inside game offensively- in my opinion, her outside shooting is too streaky. Team needs her to box out and grab rebounds which she is doing to some degree. It's a fun ride so far this season watching them all gel and get better!

 

[Majic Hands]

My thoughts on our four freshman.

Ash: Is UConn ready. I don't see anything she needs to stop doing or adjust. I think she's recognizing when she wasn't in the right position and gets it. Ash is getting better every game. Geno sent the Ash the freshman to shoot the intentional foul shots for the team. Just-Say-N.

KK: Is ready to play at the collegiate level. I don't think she has figured out yet that she's no longer playing against average high school players. Hasn't figured out yet that sometimes you have to go with the odds/percentage at this level. I've seen her sprint out ahead of her teammates to attack the basket but it's well defended with "experienced" players all of which see her coming resulting in a change of possession. Yes I'm being nitpicking, I'm hoping for more with her being surrounded by some of the best collegiate player for the next three years. Next year I'm not expecting her to be the least experienced PG on the floor. If she wants to be the coach on the floor she's got a lot to learn quickly.

Q: I apologize, I'm dyslexic and don't have time to find copy/paste her name. Has taken the do what you do best to heart. So she is shooting whenever the ball hits her hands. Once she gets up to speed I think she will begin to pick the spots when she wants to shoot and her percentages will go up. She could become the most prolific three-point shooter the team has for the next three years. Knowing that Aubrey wasn't available and that she was getting minutes that would have been Aubrey's added pressure but I think she grew her game last night. She was a contributor. I'm giving her a pass on her 3 point shooting against Georgetown. Holy Cow she's playing for "UConn" in front of her home town crowd for the first time!

Ice: Yes, I consider Ice to be a freshman. Ice hasn't had a fast start. I think she's on pace for a freshman. Looking at her game last night again Georgetown I think her development may be quicker than most bigs. I'm hoping that by the time we get to the tournament she will be an effective big whether at the 4 or 5 spot.

Well there you go. That's my thoughts on our friendship through the Georgetown game. I'm hoping to get to watch them for three more years.

 

[Galaxyshooter]

I‘m not quite prepared to say that Ashlynn is the equal of Azzi, the player she essentially replaced in the starting lineup. But what is clear is that Ashlynn is more aggressive shooting the ball than Azzi, she gives relentless effort on both ends of the court and her strength and conditioning permit her to play the entire game at an extremely high performance level.

maybe she's not as good as Azzi but I was taught your best ability is your availability and she is definitely more available and durable than Azzi now imagine if they're both available next year and if Paige stays..OMG!!!

 

[Dogstar]

I agree with a lot

I’m also a Q fan and agree that the comparison to Aubrey is not all that apt.

Similar in height, but what else? Sure, maybe Q could bulk up to approximate Aubrey’s strength, but can she ‘speed’ up?

And they’re not all that similar in personality, at least as it shows up on the offensive side. Aubrey is a finisher and a reluctant midrange and perimeter shooter. Q is a dynamite perimeter shooter who doesn’t take a lot of midrange shots but seems unafraid to go to the rim either on the break or on an inbounds play. We haven’t seen her slash to the rim in a half court set.

And on defense, it’s hard to find a real similarity. Q will improve, make the right switches, figure out how to disrupt the passing lanes, block more shots with those long arms.

Q is already a clever rebounder and she’ll improve at boxing out, but she may never be the ‘energizer bunny’ Aubrey often is when it comes to rebounding. For one thing, she’s not much of a leaper while Aubrey might as well wear a cape some nights.

When Aubrey is ‘on’ I think opposing teams feel like she is everywhere — blocking their shots, stealing their passes, turning every mistake into a fast break layup — while Q is harder to spot on defense, a subtler presence. She doesn’t present opponents with the “shock and awe” campaign Aubrey does.

I suspect that Q can develop her game in some of these areas, but we will primarily know her as a deadly perimeter shooter who plays subtle but effective defense, sneaks into the paint to steal a rebound from the bigs, and can get out on the break. And we’ll be very pleased with the contribution she makes.

If I were @Carnac (where is he anyway?) I might predict a career average stat line like 14 pts, 50% fgs, 40% on 3s, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 2 blocks. A line like this will get her into the W.

I agree with a lot of ur points but let not compare a freshman to a seasoned veteran it's not fair, a better comparison would probably be to wait until the end of the season and compare their freshman campaigns. It's only been 3 months.

 

[MSGRET]

I believe that one of the reasons that Ash is so good at the charity strip is that she lines up her right foot with the center of the hoop. When I played in Jr. High our coach taught us to line up your shooting foot with the center of the basket. I thought he was crazy, but I went from a 55% FT shooter to an 87%. He said that it lines the body and forces the eyes to see the center vs having both of your feet on the line doesn't always see center, I never doubted him after that.

 

[Bone Dog]

I agree with a lot

I agree with a lot of ur points but let not compare a freshman to a seasoned veteran it's not fair, a better comparison would probably be to wait until the end of the season and compare their freshman campaigns. It's only been 3 months.

The freshmen have to play against seasoned veterans every game. If that's not a comparison, I don't know what is.

 

[Dogstar]

The freshmen have to play against seasoned veterans every game. If that's not a comparison, I don't know what is.

No kidding ..but I'm talking specifically about the comparison between Aubrey and Q

 

[Bone Dog]

No kidding ..but I'm talking specifically about the comparison between Aubrey and Q

I understood what you meant, and I think we get to compare the freshmen to upperclassmen because that's who they'll play against in practice and in games. Obviously we need to make allowances for experience and maturity -- that's the very stuff comparisons are made of. Perhaps that's what you were thinking too, that allowances needed to be made and maybe you thought I wasn't making enough of them.

On the other hand, if you think they're too emotionally delicate to withstand any such comparison -- assuming any of the players even read the BY -- I think you're mistaken. They are very sturdy and measure themselves against upperclassmen all the time.

 

[Bills Fan]

I am a big KK fan. I can't remember a UCONN PG who was as quick as her as she blows by any defender on her way to the basket. Plus, even allowing for her overly aggressive one on one defense, which I think will get her in foul trouble in a few games, I think she might be our best one on one defender. She is a handful now and will only get more so over the next 3 years as our PG.

However, she does need to stop making the decision to charge into a group of taller defenders, with only one thing on her mind---shooting. Numerous times in the last 5-6 games she has barged into the lane only to lose the ball, be tied up or take a impossible shot when a more experienced PG would kick the ball out to an open teammate. This is probably just a FR mistake which the coaching staff will work with her to correct.

 

[BRS24]

I am a big KK fan. I can't remember a UCONN PG who was as quick as her as she blows by any defender on her way to the basket. Plus, even allowing for her overly aggressive one on one defense, which I think will get her in foul trouble in a few games, I think she might be our best one on one defender. She is a handful now and will only get more so over the next 3 years as our PG.

However, she does need to stop making the decision to charge into a group of taller defenders, with only one thing on her mind---shooting. Numerous times in the last 5-6 games she has barged into the lane only to lose the ball, be tied up or take a impossible shot when a more experienced PG would kick the ball out to an open teammate. This is probably just a FR mistake which the coaching staff will work with her to correct.

Agree. There were a few times where she drove into the lane, and then had no where to go, and no options. I wonder if she had not gotten there so quickly (LOL), and so deep, if there would have been a better outcome. One play, she drove in and tried to bounce pass to Ice, however it seemed that it was too late, and the defenders closed out the space.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I am a big KK fan. I can't remember a UCONN PG who was as quick as her as she blows by any defender on her way to the basket. Plus, even allowing for her overly aggressive one on one defense, which I think will get her in foul trouble in a few games, I think she might be our best one on one defender. She is a handful now and will only get more so over the next 3 years as our PG.

However, she does need to stop making the decision to charge into a group of taller defenders, with only one thing on her mind---shooting. Numerous times in the last 5-6 games she has barged into the lane only to lose the ball, be tied up or take a impossible shot when a more experienced PG would kick the ball out to an open teammate. This is probably just a FR mistake which the coaching staff will work with her to correct.

I think Moriah Jefferson was quicker. KK, however, is bigger and stronger and is probably a better long-distance shooter as a freshman than Moriah was. Moriah had strong 3-point percentages in her latter years.

 

[dtbtbtb]

our freshmen are amazing! Ash is playing like an upper classman and is the happiest kid out there; KK shows some no fear in attacking the basket and her outside shooting is improving. Q is sniper who in the last some games show she can rebound and is growing on defense.

 

[mordecai]

Q reminds me of Aubrey as a freshman.. tremendous upside for all the freshmen..

 

[PJCLaw]

Q has a higher 3 point field goal percentage and is shooting a respectable 45.6% overall. After a recent game Geno wisecracked that he told Q to keep shooting even if she missed her first few shots and she looked at him like, “Are you crazy? Of course I’ll keep shooting “. He also said, “I love that”.

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I knew Q was special when they played the games in Croatia last summer. One game in particular, it may have been the first game, she came in the game and immediately started jacking up shots with reckless abandon and never seemed phased when she missed. I said whoa, that is not the typical freshman mentality. True to form, she has remained unphased and is a good, not yet great, shooter. She will become great before she leaves UConn. I tell you what, I would not trade our three true freshmen for any other group of freshmen.