The new starting 5 will be...

[HGN]

I too would like to think that Gabby is a lock. BUT Gabby has been foul prone in the past. If she can't stay out of foul trouble as a starter, then Geno will be forced to use her as his 6th man. If so, this opens up a starting spot for another player..Chong perhaps? Or maybe Kyla Irwin after the first of the year?

Carnac, very good point again on Gabby being a little foul prone the past 2 years. if she can learn to play without getting into foul trouble early , maybe she is the 5th starter. If not she will fill the 6th man role.

Either way I think the role of 5th starter , or 6th man , is between Gabby and Pheese. Geno is going to need a spark and some experience coming in off the bench to fill a 2, 3, or 4 position. and Gabby or Pheese is that player.

 

[Blair]

You may want to cross check your numbers with these stats.
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2015-2016/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND.
For example per this link Collier played 653 Minutes and grabbed 197 rebounds.

You are correct...
This was copied from a post in march...
I should have stated season ending stats...does not include post season numbers....sorry for the confusion...
Not to take anything away from Collier...she is amazing. Still interesting though....

 

[JSB60]

I think KLS, Kia, Phee are in the lineup regardless. When Crystal starts at the point, which I think she will sooner rather than later because Geno is always up for using a true point when he has one, the question is Gabby vs Natalie for the fifth spot. Not sure which way it will go, but I'd choose Natalie for two reasons. First, she will need more breathers and starting gives her that chance, and second, it's better to start the half court player and come to the better open court player after a while, when opponents start to get tired and the game gets a little less structured.

 

[Carnac]

Carnac, very good point again on Gabby being a little foul prone the past 2 years. if she can learn to play without getting into foul trouble early , maybe she is the 5th starter. If not she will fill the 6th man role.

Either way I think the role of 5th starter , or 6th man , is between Gabby and Pheese. Geno is going to need a spark and some experience coming in off the bench to fill a 2, 3, or 4 position. and Gabby or Pheese is that player.

Agreed. Either way, we can't lose. Gabby is going to see a lot of floor time the next two years. The capacity in which she sees it, is up to her (as a starter or coming off the bench). We (the honorable and distinguished members of the Boneyard), can suppose, predict and wish all we want to about who is going to be the starting 5. What we do know is that Geno is going to start the 5 players that he feels gives his team the best chance to win. And that's alright with me.

 

[Carnac]

Cajun, I'm not throwing darts at your take. I'll just piggy back on your comments, and highlight the fact that Lou is not a freshman anymore. That ship has sailed. She'll begin this season with a different attitude, more resolve, and slightly more mature approach to the team's overall goals. She's got a new team around her, unlike a raw & unrefined freshman, she's got a year of experience in her back pocket, and I'm suggesting (guessing) that Geno will run a new and different set of offensive plays that are conducive with this new group of starter's skill sets, that will maximize not only Lou's, but the rest of the group's ability to score.

Lou will no doubt be the team's first option to shoot 3's. Plays will be run for her to do so. Stewie passed that torch/baton to her before she left. Lou has already intimated in interviews over the summer that she intends to become a team leader this season.

As to your question of will Geno go back to "Stef" type offense? I think that depends on how closely/successfully Natalie can match Dolson's skill set (knock down shots from the top of the key) and command of the offense, which as we all remember, worked very well for them. She is a good passer, and after two years in the system, should know the plays.

And lastly, I agree that Collier has to start. The numbers she put up last year demand that she becomes a starter.

 

[Carnac]

Every team does not have a "designated goon" to dish out that type of punishment. Geno is not going to put Lou in harm's way. Only a small number of teams have players that can be extremely physical, while staying out of foul trouble. I suspect she'll experience some rough physical contact, but rare is the player that can dish it out for 40 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. Most goons are not that coy, where they can be physical on the sly, and not get caught. No doubt the staff will prepare her in practice for these types of tactics, and she'll be ready for them.

 

[CBear01]

She'll be fine....and tough....remember that video they put up of her a few weeks back doing those hammer curls?? Lol

 

[ktuck911]

My gut says starting 5 is:
Chystal, Nurse, Lou, Pheese, Gabby

Chong and Butler will get plenty of burn though... along with spells from Irwin and Bent.. We'll need all 9

 

[Vowelguy]

My gut says starting 5 is:
Chystal, Nurse, Lou, Pheese, Gabby

Who is Chystal?

 

[Carnac]

I disagree with you on two points. Geno is not one to change the starting lineup once set or unless it becomes absolutely necessary. The last time it became necessary was after the Stanford loss and what made it both necessary & possible was Morgan Tuck & Kia Nurse vs. Saniya & Kiah Stokes . Among the players competing for starting positions this year I just don't see a similar gap in talent that would "necessitate" a change in starters depending on the opponent. There will be plenty of minutes to develop the team for a March/April championship run.
I am predicting both Gabby and Napheesa start but this would be Gabby 3rd year playing that spark off the bench role. I think Gabby's scoring, perimeter defense, and leadership will be needed, so if Geno has to pick one I think it is Napheesa who comes off the bench.

I completely agree with your "Tuck/Nurse vs. Chong/Stokes comment. I too predict that Williams & Collier start. Yes, Geno will need a spark off the bench that Gabby provided last year. Gabby was instant energy last year whenever she came into the game. Hopefully another player can step up, and assume that role this year. I have a sneaking suspicion that the freshmen will get a considerable amount of playing time this year. Last year's team had no weaknesses.

They were a veteran team. They could score at will, They could turn you over and they could smother you on defense. If a team scored more than 60 points against UConn last year, they considered it a moral victory.
In 38 games, only 5 teams (DePaul - 70, Notre Dame - 81, Maryland - 73, Temple - 60 & Texas - 65) broke 60 points. That means that in only 13% of their games, did UConn's opponents hit for 60 or more.
Notre Dame had the distinction of being the only team to break 80.

 

[Florida Fan]

Carnac, very good point again on Gabby being a little foul prone the past 2 years. if she can learn to play without getting into foul trouble early , maybe she is the 5th starter. If not she will fill the 6th man role.

Either way I think the role of 5th starter , or 6th man , is between Gabby and Pheese. Geno is going to need a spark and some experience coming in off the bench to fill a 2, 3, or 4 position. and Gabby or Pheese is that player.[/QUOT

 

[Florida Fan]

Putting Gabby on a bigger (taller-heavier) player makes her foul vulnerable. Yes, she can jump, but against a physical post player, body contact is almost inevitable.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Putting Gabby on a bigger (taller-heavier) player makes her foul vulnerable. Yes, she can jump, but against a physical post player, body contact is almost inevitable.

I think you're hitting on a key point: How well can Gabby defend the post? She's also quite strong, but I seem to recall her struggling in the past against true bigs (who wouldn't?). But Gabby is a key to the season because of her versatility. If she can effectively defend the post, she becomes even more valuable.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I posted this on the previous STARTING 5 POST, so it also fits here:

I really believe that Chong, Butler are going to reach back into their recent past and during this off season work their tails off to bring back the PLAYER within! They have been considered by many to be very good WBB players, Chong in HS and Butler at Georgetown, so if they stay injury free we will see a rejuvenated 2 players capable of putting the Huskies on their shoulders and scoring and defending as we have hoped for.
That being said, my starting lineup for beginning the 2016-2017 season is as follows:

PG Saniya Chong
SG Kia Nurse
PF Naphessa Collier
SF KLS
C Natalie Butler
SF Gabby Williams- - - Geno has loved a player coming off the bench to add some zip to the action, Gabby is that player.

In mid to late January:
PG rotating Chong, Nurse, & Crystal Dangerfield, Bent
SG Nurse, KLS,
SF KLS, Gabby,
PF Collier, KLS, Irwin,
C Butler, Irwin

For AAC and NCAA Tournaments: Where Geno has traditionally shortened his bench: to 8 players
PG Crystal Dangerfield/ Saniya/Nurse
SG Nurse/KLS/Saniya
SG/SF KLS/
SF Gabby/Collier
PF/C Collier/Butler/Irwin

 

[Shorty Dee]

According to an article I read last night in the New Britain Herald, the only locked players for the game against Florida will be Kia and Lou. The article also stated Kia had the longest active starting streak (48) followed by Lou (22) Gabby (12) Saniya and Napheesa (9) and Natalie (1).

The title of the article "UConn women's basketball's Nurse lends experience to young Huskies"

 

[CocoHusky]

According to an article I read last night in the New Britain Herald, the only locked players for the game against Florida will be Kia and Lou. The article also stated Kia had the longest active starting streak (48) followed by Lou (22) Gabby (12) Saniya and Napheesa (9) and Natalie (1).

The title of the article "UConn women's basketball's Nurse lends experience to young Huskies"

The title & purpose of this thread was to pick 5 starter, so who you got?

 

[Shorty Dee]

The title & purpose of this thread was to pick 5 starter, so who you got?

I do not know what happened to my original post. My pick for the starting 5 are Kia; Gabby; Lou; Napheesa and Crystal. Saniya only if she has improved her defense and the IT Band isn't an issue.

 

[CocoHusky]

I do not know what happened to my original post. My pick for the starting 5 are Kia; Gabby; Lou; Napheesa and Crystal. Saniya only if she has improved her defense and the IT Band isn't an issue.

You posted in another Thread. I copied it over here for you.

I predict that the starting 5 for this year will be: Kia; Gabby; Lou; Napheesa and Crystal, and I am sticking to it . If Saniya has improved her defense and the IT band isn't an issue, she could start instead of Crystal.

 

[Shorty Dee]

You posted in another Thread. I copied it over here for you.

Thank you!!

 

[Monte]

I think Chong SHOULD start. She deserves it, after all she has been through. My major wish is that she and the rest of the roster can stay "injury free."

 

[bizarro aj]

I will start by saying that gabby and kls are not guards and will not play guards at all. Geno will not start a freshman early in the season especially with their tough schedule to start the season. I expect the starters in the first few weeks to be nurse, chong, kls, gabby and Collier with butler to be the first off the bench.

 

[donalddoowop]

I will start by saying that gabby and kls are not guards and will not play guards at all. Geno will not start a freshman early in the season especially with their tough schedule to start the season. I expect the starters in the first few weeks to be nurse, chong, kls, gabby and Collier with butler to be the first off the bench.

Gabby is a guard who plays forward.

 

[ricky]

Collier can do things nobody else can. She is willing to do things no one else is. She can score from all over the place. If she has gotten strong enough to grip the ball in traffic after a rebound and drive without getting knocked off track, then she can be the best UConn has. I've seen her greatness during USA play where she was one of the best but coach gave Wilson the opportunity to shine.