UConn has fielded some pretty amazing starting 5’s. The ‘01-02 group of Sue, Swin, Asjha, Tamika and DT is generally considered to be the greatest starting 5 in the history of WBB as a team. The ‘15-16 group of Stewie, Mo, Tuck, Kia and Lou was pretty darn good as well. I’m not suggesting that this year’s projected starting 5 of Lou, Pheesa, Crystal, MW & CW will be as successful a team as prior UConn starting 5’s. They don’t have the size up front as the two groups I mention, and while I feel they will be better defensively than many believe, they don’t have any “shut down” defenders, so far (Keep an eye on Megan to become one). What I do believe is that you can make a case that when all is said and done, this year’s starting 5 may be as talented a group of individual basketball players as UConn has ever put on the floor together.
To start, UConn has never fielded a starting 5 with 3 x # 1’s, a number #2 and a lowly #6 (Who made it to the last cut for the US National Team). While it’s true that the sophomore and freshman in the group have yet to demonstrate their ability to dominate games at the college level, when was the last time that Geno had a HS NPOY that didn’t become an AA at UConn? While the “glass half empty” folks will look at what UConn doesn’t have, I prefer to look at several intriguing possibilities that could materialize this season. All 5 of these young ladies can handle the ball and shoot lights out. In Geno’s motion offense there’s going to be lots of open looks.
We know Lou is one of the best shooters on the planet. How much quicker and stronger will she be now that the bum ankle she’s played on since HS has been surgically repaired? Two years ago, Pheesa was a unanimous 1st Team AA and 2nd in the nation in shooting percentage. Last season, Pheesa wasn’t quite as effective as she had to move out on the floor, to some degree, to accommodate Z’s presence on the court. This year, coming off a legitimate run to join the WNBA’s best players on the US National Team, Pheesa is stronger, has improved her outside shooting and she will be back in the low post driving opposing defenders crazy moving constantly, pinning them on her back shoulder, grabbing entry passes from her Husky teammates with her Inspector Gadget arms and then finishing around the basket with one of the best repertoires of low-post moves in WBB.
At the start of last season, Crystal looked like the best pg in college basketball before being slowed for much of the season with painful shin splints. This year Crystal is back to 100%. She’s changed her workout regimen significantly to insure she’s healthy all year. How much better will Crystal be if she’s healthy all year? How much better will the team be if their star pg is able to practice with them every day, rather than spending a significant amount of each practice on the stationary bike?
Finally, let’s talk about the two X-factors in UConn’s starting lineup, Megan and Christyn. I won’t argue that while Megan showed us some glimpses of greatness last season, she was largely inconsistent, just like Crystal the year before. But like Crystal the year before, Geno is praising his sophomore for the work she’s put in during the off-season, her overall improvement and challenging Megan to assert herself on the court. As for Christyn, I’ve been really excited about her since she lit up the court in the McD AA game in March. The last UConn freshman to start her very 1st game as a Husky was Stewie. That’s a lot to live up to, and I’m sure that Christyn will have some ups and downs as all UConn freshman do. But her upside is tremendous and by the end of this season Christyn could be something special.
In case you haven’t guessed, I’m a “glass half full” kind of guy. Like most Husky fans, I am incredibly excited to see this year’s version of the UConn WBB team. Let the games begin!
...............I think the number one ranking means very little most years when often as many as five players could be equally talented..................we all know that it takes more then individual talent to make for a successful basketball team as evidenced by Mississippi State among others...............it's talent plus chemistry which is the real secret sauce needed to win.................
