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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 4937874, member: 12088"] There's so many ways to approach UConn's distinctiveness, but the mid-range game is one way to see it. Lynne Roberts follows analytics that tell her it's 3s or layups, nothing in between. Geno doesn't design his offense for that. Why not? We've seen lots of great guards who slash to the rim, score the layup and draw the foul. Caitlin (as a freshman), Taniya Latson, Deja Kelly, and many more. In the end, I think it's a losing strategy for a team even though it seems advantageous as a tactic. The advantage is you get easier baskets (depending on the guard) and you get the opposing team in foul trouble. The disadvantage is that you slow down the game with all the free throws. If you have a guard who has a great midrange shot, you get the two points, but you don't get the foul and the free throws. [B]But you keep the game moving[/B]. UConn is famous for going on runs, and these runs are thrilling for the fans and demoralizing for the opposing team, who can't catch their breath unless their coach burns a timeout. This is what the midrange game gets Geno, and he seems to have calculated that it's a much bigger advantage than the analytic approach. This is why he likes having players with well-developed midrange shots, like Paige, of course, but also Azzi, and Ash, and Evina, and Christyn, and many more over the years. Geno favors the all purpose 6' (more or less) athletic types who can play several positions and can keep running longer than their opponents. These are the other side of the midrange game. If you want to make the game a track meet, you have to be able to run longer than your opponents. Of course, Geno also likes perimeter talent and great post moves. But the midrange talent is a signature component of his vision for the game. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach