The view from 5 rows back, near the UConn bench (long)

[doggydaddy]

I was lucky enough to be asked to this game by another boneyarder. He has asked to remain anonymous because he doesn't want anyone to know he was nice to me. Right Biff?

Anyways, even with my wife telling me about cars sliding off the road, I knew I still had to go to sit with my other boneyard friends, including the anonymous donor, and his fellow anonymous moderators. Sadly, I waited and waited and waited for them to show. Nothing. Clearly once they realized that they were going to be seen in public with me they decided to stay home.

Thankfully I ran into Winlot and had a nice conversation. He's a worrywart, but a really nice guy. Also ran into sTu. We watched the game together from close to the UConn bench and only a few rows from the floor. Awesome seats. You really hear Geno. Sadly for him, I know he heard me too.

If you ever have a chance to watch a game with sTu, do it. He is really knowledgable about the game and has been to almost every big UConn game over the years. He has some great stories.

This was an interesting game. Clearly in the first half, UConn was out of sorts. Understandable with 6 frosh/sophs in the rotation and missing Hartley again. But don't minimize HFU. They are a really good Div II team. They were in the Elite Eight last year and they are currently ranked 9th. They were excellent passers, worked the ball around well and did a nice job getting open shots. And on defense, they packed the inside trying to take away UConn's inside game. KML missed her 3's early (3-10 in the half)and HFU didn't (7-14 in the half).

Geno was fun to watch and listen to while UConn struggled. He told the ref (after UConn's 9th foul to HFU's 3) to stop feeling sorry for them and make the right calls...lol. After one particularly bad call he said to no one in particular, "why would anyone pay to watch this sh(t)". Funny stuff.

Stewart had a tough first 4 minutes. After a bad TO, Geno sat her for almost 10 minutes. sTu turned to me and said that she would score 8 points in the next 6:49. Great prediction. She quickly helped UConn turn a 30-25 lead to a 58-38 halftime lead. HFU was able to hit three well defended 3-pointers in the last 3 minutes to keep it closer. But in the last 6:49, UConn outscored them 28-13 and Stewart pulled down a rebound and then hit a 3. She hit another three and then hit 1 of 2 FT's. Then she blocked a shot and came dowst didn't jun and hit a jumper. She hit 2 FT's and to top it off, she made a steal with 24 seconds left. 11 points in 6:49. Unreal. And she made it look easy.

UConn reeled off the first 26 points of the second half, complete a 54-13 run. It was fun
to see how good this team can play. UConn held HFU to 11.5% shooting in the second half. Geno got their intention. They didn't get to warm up in the second half because they came out alone (no coaches) with only 30 seconds left on the halftime clock. The assistants game out a few seconds later and Geno was barely on the bench by the time the buzzer went off. Think he had something to say about the defensive effort?

A few player observations.

Lewis's shot was off tonight. They were mostly good shots that she just didn't hit. What I loved is the fact that she had 4 second half assists.

Stewart is one big kid. And she moves like a guard. With REALLY long arms. Her shot is effortless. She has Tim Duncan post moves and shoots like Taurasi. Great court vision. As bad as she was in the first 4 minutes of the game tonight, she was the best player on the court the other minutes. I have been saying that Doty will start. I'm starting to change my mind.

Speaking of Doty, she was terrific tonight. Hustled all the time. Was very vocal and supportive of Jefferson. And her shot was money. Looked really comfortable except for that layup !ter a steal. sTu pointed out that she was tenative on that play.

Stokes was terrific on defense tonight and hit another jumper. She banked in a foul shot and followed with a sheepish grin. 7 blocks. I'd say it was a product of the competition, but then I remembered the 3 blocks on Elizabeth Williams last year.

Dolson was more of the same. Solid rebounding. Excellent defense. One great hi=low to Stewart.

Jefferson looked great. 4 assists and no turnovers. And some nice outside shooting. Very vocal with her teammates. Quite the leader!

Who is this #13? And what has she done with last years Banks. Very comfortable with her shot as 4-4 on 3 pointers shows. All good shots. great rotation on the ball. I remember seeing her do this in one of the allstar games and in HS videos. She also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Scary for WCBB how good this is for UConn.

Tuck was quiet tonight. And she still scored 14 points and 5 rebounds. She turned the ball over a few times and needs to work on her decisions in traffic. She'll get it.

Buck was a lean, mean rebounding machine! Crazy active around the ball. 6 rebounds in 11 minutes.

Oh, yeah...who did I forget??? Faris was interesting tonight. She took only 4 shots. And all 4 were 3's. Hitting two of them, her ball rotation was tight. Great form. She really worked on her 3 pointer and it shows. Changes so much for this team if she is a threat to shoot them. And tonight she also had NINE assists and only 2 TO's with 2 steals and 1 block. So, how can we label her? She's not a point guard. Is she a point forward?

Overall a good game to watch to get a feel for the players and how they interact with each other on the court in game situations. Geno will take this game and work on the shortcomings. They will be ready for their first tough game. Is that A&M? It will be here fast.

The more I see this team, the more I am convinced they will beat Baylor. They certainly will set every UConn scoring and shooting records.

Enjoy the ride!!!

Thanks for reading.

 

[speedoo]

Good stuff, DD.

Still can't get over Kiah's 7 blocks and Kelly's 9 assists.. And Banks' scoring.

Scary, scary team.

 

[EricLA]

Good stuff. Didn't get to see the game but i'm sure the BY thread was lively in the first half. I can only imagine what half time was like because the team that scored 38 points put up 12 in the entire 2nd half. I wonder if the team took HF a little lightly in spite of them being a really good Div 2 team. It sounds like you could tell they are well coached and a solid team. I bet they'd give 'nova or Cinci a really good game and might even beat PC or Pitt or Seton Hall..

The box score speaks for itself. Glad the observations mirrored what the players did on the court. It's scary to think the team will be even deeper and better when Bria comes back. Thing is, maybe they keep her out till January, and that gives a ton of opportunity to Mo and Brianna.

I think the player I'm most impressed with (preseason) is Banks. I know they spoke highly of her in the preseason and early practices, but she's been really really good the first 2 games, and against a solid team like HF, she shot 8-9 for 20 points. This is not to say she's the "best" player on the team, rather that her improvement is so great that it literally jumps off the court at you.

9 assists for Faris? Glad to see on the espn list of "top 5 players by position" that Faris got some recognition. I'd truly love to see her make an AA team somewhere. I think she's that good and deserving.

Glad you had such a good time. never met sTu. Hopefully at the BET in March...

 

[mets1090]

This "The View From ____" thing is really catching on. The guy's a lawyer, better watch out for some sort of infringement lawsuit.

 

[UcMiami]

Nice write-up. Point foward is a good description for Faris - she was the best entry passer last year. I don't expect a whole lot of scoring from her because the other weapons on offense are so good, but if she can keep shooting at 40+% it will be great as it will keep teams honest.

 

[HuskyNan]

This "The View From ____" thing is really catching on. The guy's a lawyer, better watch out for some sort of infringement lawsuit.

Biz and DD in a courtroom - my money's on Biz. Biz and DD in the alley behind Gampel - my money's on DD.

 

[RadyLady]

Great write up DD and thank you so much! Loved the ears on Geno.
Eric, the armchair coaches were in full swing in the first half on the game thread, not sure you want to read it.
Having had time to think about that first half, I suspect that Geno let them play to set up the locker room scalding at the break. they have to see/hear that sometime. Sooner in exhibition is better than later is my guess.

 

[sTu]

DD, I did not see that small digital recorder in your pocket, but it does explain why you kept mumbling to yourself during the game. I thought it was your age. I remain impressed with how much you remember as well as your keen insights. I enjoyed watching the game with you very much.
One additional item we were both liked was that diagonal cut Stewart made across the foul line. A pass was made that was behind her and while moving Stewart extended one of those rubber arms, continued the cut, and scored.

 

[doggydaddy]

DD, I did not see that small digital recorder in your pocket, but it does explain why you kept mumbling to yourself during the game. I thought it was your age. I remain impressed with how much you remember as well as your keen insights. I enjoyed watching the game with you very much.
One additional item we were both liked was that diagonal cut Stewart made across the foul line. A pass was made that was behind her and while moving Stewart extended one of those rubber arms, continued the cut, and scored.

No, I was mumbling to myself. No recording. Just old age....lol.

That play Stewart made was sick!

 

[huskeynut]

DD - great post. My wife and I were at the game not far from we're you were.

To add to your points, the high low game that is developing with Stephan on the high post and Stwart, Tuck and Stokes moving down low is going to be devastating for many teams. Also saw that any one of the four on the high post can make that pass down low to the others.

The freshman do not play as freshman, so far. As freshman, all three have a knowledge of the game beyond their years. Jefferson is the real deal at the point. I especially liked her on defense. She plus up the legs on her shorts, get in the defensive stance and is ready to go.

Stewart is very smooth with a very soft shot and great hands. On one play, she dribbled down the court as if she were a guard. Totally in control weaving her way.

Morgan Tuck has a legit 3 point shot at 6' 2" - amazing! Plus she can bang down low.

The second half was definitely a preview of what we will see this season.

 

[pap49cba]

This team is going to be so explosive... We may see some epic 'runs' that just blow the roof off in the space of 5 or six minutes.

 

[meyers7]

If you ever have a chance to watch a game with sTu, do it. He is really knowledgable about the game and has been to almost every big UConn game over the years. He has some great stories.

Nice to see/meet you guys at the half.

Geno was fun to watch and listen to while UConn struggled. He told the ref (after UConn's 9th foul to HFU's 3) to stop feeling sorry for them and make the right calls...lol. After one particularly bad call he said to no one in particular, "why would anyone pay to watch this sh(t)". Funny stuff.

Yea, the refs didn't impress me much last night. Holy Name got into the bonus pretty quickly both halves.

Stewart had a tough first 4 minutes. After a bad TO, Geno sat her for almost 10 minutes. sTu turned to me and said that she would score 8 points in the next 6:49. Great prediction. She quickly helped UConn turn a 30-25 lead to a 58-38 halftime lead. HFU was able to hit three well defended 3-pointers in the last 3 minutes to keep it closer. But in the last 6:49, UConn outscored them 28-13 and Stewart pulled down a rebound and then hit a 3. She hit another three and then hit 1 of 2 FT's. Then she blocked a shot and came dowst didn't jun and hit a jumper. She hit 2 FT's and to top it off, she made a steal with 24 seconds left. 11 points in 6:49. Unreal. And she made it look easy.

She seems to be just floating along and then all of a sudden decides to turn it up a notch and take over a game. She did the same thing at the end of the McD's AA game.

I have been saying that Doty will start. I'm starting to change my mind.

Speaking of Doty, she was terrific tonight. Hustled all the time. Was very vocal and supportive of Jefferson. And her shot was money. Looked really comfortable except for that layup !ter a steal. sTu pointed out that she was tenative on that play.

You know I might have to reconsider Doty starting myself. Wouldn't bother me at all if she didn't, just figured Geno would start her. Maybe not.
And yes, she did stumble on that layup. Didn't look comfortable.

Stokes was terrific on defense tonight and hit another jumper. She banked in a foul shot and followed with a sheepish grin. 7 blocks. I'd say it was a product of the competition, but then I remembered the 3 blocks on Elizabeth Williams last year.

I was hoping she was going to get credit for all those blocks. Too often the box score has them for a lot less than what I see.

Dolson was more of the same. Solid rebounding. Excellent defense. One great hi=low to Stewart.

Didn't like that she got 4 fouls though.

Jefferson looked great. 4 assists and no turnovers. And some nice outside shooting. Very vocal with her teammates. Quite the leader!

The one play I really liked from Jefferson was the one when Doty got the steal/rebound and fell/got tripped and we got the loose ball but then threw it right past KML out of bounds. Jefferson was the one who was talking to every one to calm down and get her the ball on the break. Then on the subsequent defensive end was telling Doty where she needed to be and/or who she needed to pick up.

Who is this #13? And what has she done with last years Banks. Very comfortable with her shot as 4-4 on 3 pointers shows. All good shots. great rotation on the ball. I remember seeing her do this in one of the allstar games and in HS videos. She also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Scary for WCBB how good this is for UConn.

My wife asked "who's #13 for UCONN, she's really good". I said she wasn't like that last year. Great improvement from last year.

Tuck was quiet tonight. And she still scored 14 points and 5 rebounds. She turned the ball over a few times and needs to work on her decisions in traffic. She'll get it.

Tuck keeps putting the ball on the floor in traffic and losing it. She's gonna be a good one though.

Oh, yeah...who did I forget??? Faris was interesting tonight. She took only 4 shots. And all 4 were 3's. Hitting two of them, her ball rotation was tight. Great form. She really worked on her 3 pointer and it shows. Changes so much for this team if she is a threat to shoot them. And tonight she also had NINE assists and only 2 TO's with 2 steals and 1 block. So, how can we label her? She's not a point guard. Is she a point forward?

I'm feeling much more comfortable with Kelly on the floor this year. Especially not having to work down low all the time. I think she's gonna have a really good year.

 

[Sonny44]

I was lucky enough to be asked to this game by another boneyarder. He has asked to remain anonymous because he doesn't want anyone to know he was nice to me. Right Biff?

Anyways, even with my wife telling me about cars sliding off the road, I knew I still had to go to sit with my other boneyard friends, including the anonymous donor, and his fellow anonymous moderators. Sadly, I waited and waited and waited for them to show. Nothing. Clearly once they realized that they were going to be seen in public with me they decided to stay home.

Thankfully I ran into Winlot and had a nice conversation. He's a worrywart, but a really nice guy. Also ran into sTu. We watched the game together from close to the UConn bench and only a few rows from the floor. Awesome seats. You really hear Geno. Sadly for him, I know he heard me too.

If you ever have a chance to watch a game with sTu, do it. He is really knowledgable about the game and has been to almost every big UConn game over the years. He has some great stories.

This was an interesting game. Clearly in the first half, UConn was out of sorts. Understandable with 6 frosh/sophs in the rotation and missing Hartley again. But don't minimize HFU. They are a really good Div II team. They were in the Elite Eight last year and they are currently ranked 9th. They were excellent passers, worked the ball around well and did a nice job getting open shots. And on defense, they packed the inside trying to take away UConn's inside game. KML missed her 3's early (3-10 in the half)and HFU didn't (7-14 in the half).

Geno was fun to watch and listen to while UConn struggled. He told the ref (after UConn's 9th foul to HFU's 3) to stop feeling sorry for them and make the right calls...lol. After one particularly bad call he said to no one in particular, "why would anyone pay to watch this sh(t)". Funny stuff.

Stewart had a tough first 4 minutes. After a bad TO, Geno sat her for almost 10 minutes. sTu turned to me and said that she would score 8 points in the next 6:49. Great prediction. She quickly helped UConn turn a 30-25 lead to a 58-38 halftime lead. HFU was able to hit three well defended 3-pointers in the last 3 minutes to keep it closer. But in the last 6:49, UConn outscored them 28-13 and Stewart pulled down a rebound and then hit a 3. She hit another three and then hit 1 of 2 FT's. Then she blocked a shot and came dowst didn't jun and hit a jumper. She hit 2 FT's and to top it off, she made a steal with 24 seconds left. 11 points in 6:49. Unreal. And she made it look easy.

UConn reeled off the first 26 points of the second half, complete a 54-13 run. It was fun
to see how good this team can play. UConn held HFU to 11.5% shooting in the second half. Geno got their intention. They didn't get to warm up in the second half because they came out alone (no coaches) with only 30 seconds left on the halftime clock. The assistants game out a few seconds later and Geno was barely on the bench by the time the buzzer went off. Think he had something to say about the defensive effort?

A few player observations.

Lewis's shot was off tonight. They were mostly good shots that she just didn't hit. What I loved is the fact that she had 4 second half assists.

Stewart is one big kid. And she moves like a guard. With REALLY long arms. Her shot is effortless. She has Tim Duncan post moves and shoots like Taurasi. Great court vision. As bad as she was in the first 4 minutes of the game tonight, she was the best player on the court the other minutes. I have been saying that Doty will start. I'm starting to change my mind.

Speaking of Doty, she was terrific tonight. Hustled all the time. Was very vocal and supportive of Jefferson. And her shot was money. Looked really comfortable except for that layup !ter a steal. sTu pointed out that she was tenative on that play.

Stokes was terrific on defense tonight and hit another jumper. She banked in a foul shot and followed with a sheepish grin. 7 blocks. I'd say it was a product of the competition, but then I remembered the 3 blocks on Elizabeth Williams last year.

Dolson was more of the same. Solid rebounding. Excellent defense. One great hi=low to Stewart.

Jefferson looked great. 4 assists and no turnovers. And some nice outside shooting. Very vocal with her teammates. Quite the leader!

Who is this #13? And what has she done with last years Banks. Very comfortable with her shot as 4-4 on 3 pointers shows. All good shots. great rotation on the ball. I remember seeing her do this in one of the allstar games and in HS videos. She also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Scary for WCBB how good this is for UConn.

Tuck was quiet tonight. And she still scored 14 points and 5 rebounds. She turned the ball over a few times and needs to work on her decisions in traffic. She'll get it.

Buck was a lean, mean rebounding machine! Crazy active around the ball. 6 rebounds in 11 minutes.

Oh, yeah...who did I forget??? Faris was interesting tonight. She took only 4 shots. And all 4 were 3's. Hitting two of them, her ball rotation was tight. Great form. She really worked on her 3 pointer and it shows. Changes so much for this team if she is a threat to shoot them. And tonight she also had NINE assists and only 2 TO's with 2 steals and 1 block. So, how can we label her? She's not a point guard. Is she a point forward?

Overall a good game to watch to get a feel for the players and how they interact with each other on the court in game situations. Geno will take this game and work on the shortcomings. They will be ready for their first tough game. Is that A&M? It will be here fast.

The more I see this team, the more I am convinced they will beat Baylor. They certainly will set every UConn scoring and shooting records.

Enjoy the ride!!!

Thanks for reading.

The first Baylor game might be close; the second one a rout.

 

[pap49cba]

Great report from you guys but ya could've taken some photos as well!

 

[Tonyc]

This is going to be a fun team to watch. I really believe there will be alot of games over at half time much like a few years ago. Routs yeah there will be alot of those too againest the top teams too. Intimidation, coming from our relentless pressure and shot blocking and all those outside shooters will wear down opponets. Reading the posts and threads Ive never seen so much excitement on the board. Im almost lost for words when talking about this team. From reading the posts many or you are trying and finding it difficult to describe this team. They are better then good and will be beyond great and to think most of the nucleaus is freshman and sophomores. How much better can they get?

I have a feeling that Sundays game will have alot of not only UConn fans watching but coaches, players, and recruits watching all over the country. The next 4 years are going to be very exciting.

 

[meyers7]

Im almost lost for words when talking about this team.

Ah Tony, I find that very hard to believe.

Your optimism may not even match this team's potential.

 

[UcMiami]

This is going to be a fun team to watch. I really believe there will be alot of games over at half time much like a few years ago. Routs yeah there will be alot of those too againest the top teams too. Intimidation, coming from our relentless pressure and shot blocking and all those outside shooters will wear down opponets. Reading the posts and threads Ive never seen so much excitement on the board. Im almost lost for words when talking about this team. From reading the posts many or you are trying and finding it difficult to describe this team. They are better then good and will be beyond great and to think most of the nucleaus is freshman and sophomores. How much better can they get?

I have a feeling that Sundays game will have alot of not only UConn fans watching but coaches, players, and recruits watching all over the country. The next 4 years are going to be very exciting.

I have a feeling the way this team plays is going to look like a lot of fun to all recruits! They will run when they can, play up-tempo team offense, and be killer on defense. And it looks and sounds like it will be a very tight group of women as well - all cheering for and celebrating with each other. That can be a really appealing picture to prospects.

 

[UConnCat]

Great stuff DD. Regarding the team's slow start against HF, Geno (and CD) said that the team didn't follow its normal pre-game rituals (didn't travel to Hartford the night before, no shoot-around in the morning, etc). Geno said they treated the game like a high school game and the team played like a high school team in the first half. Still unacceptable according to CD, but we saw what happens when a team is not mentally prepared to play. Lesson learned I'm sure.

As for Stewart, Jeff Jacobs did a terrific story on her yesterday, including a quote from Geno saying they put very few if any limitations on her. Watch out WCBB.

"She's a lot like Maya Moore mentally," Auriemma said. "Not comparing them as a player at all, but the mind-set is they just kind of wander until the ball finds them and then they decide to make a play. If she's running down the floor and she sees there's something going on and she wants the ball, she goes and gets it. If she wants the ball in the lane, she asks for the ball. If she wants to shoot a three as a trailer she does it."

We put very little if any limitations on her. You saw a glimpse tonight why."

Also, Jacobs' description of Stewart after she returned the game is funny:

Stewart re-entered the game with 6:49 left in the first half and scary stuff started happening. She hit a three-pointer from the left wing. She hit a three-pointer from the right wing. Fouled by Maggie Serratelli on a shot from 10 feet, Stewart sank the second of two free throws. She drove down the right side and scored on a Gervin-like floater. With 72 seconds left in the half, she was fouled on a 14-foot jumper and sank both free throws.

Just like that she had 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting in 11 minutes.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...n-women-column-1108-20121108,0,3150110.column

 

[meyers7]

Great stuff DD. Regarding the team's slow start against HF, Geno (and CD) said that the team didn't follow its normal pre-game rituals (didn't travel to Hartford the night before, no shoot-around in the morning, etc). Geno said they treated the game like a high school game and the team played like a high school team in the first half. Still unacceptable according to CD, but we saw what happens when a team is not mentally prepared to play. Lesson learned I'm sure.

Hmmm I wondered about that. I was thinking the Frosh have never shot/played in the XL before, but then I thought well they had the shoot around this morning. Guess I was wrong. That explains some stuff.

Also, Jacobs' description of Stewart after she returned the game is funny:

Stewart re-entered the game with 6:49 left in the first half and scary stuff started happening. She hit a three-pointer from the left wing. She hit a three-pointer from the right wing. Fouled by Maggie Serratelli on a shot from 10 feet, Stewart sank the second of two free throws. She drove down the right side and scored on a Gervin-like floater. With 72 seconds left in the half, she was fouled on a 14-foot jumper and sank both free throws.

Just like that she had 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting in 11 minutes.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...n-women-column-1108-20121108,0,3150110.column

People are starting to discover and say what I've been saying for awhile. When she wants or feels she needs to turn it up a notch, she does. And there is not much anyone can do about it.

 

[Tonyc]

I have a feeling the way this team plays is going to look like a lot of fun to all recruits! They will run when they can, play up-tempo team offense, and be killer on defense. And it looks and sounds like it will be a very tight group of women as well - all cheering for and celebrating with each other. That can be a really appealing picture to prospects.

We are going to see alot of uptempo with Stewie at the top on defense and with the guard pressure I saw from MJ and BB. There will be alot of break aways. With our height underneath and shot blocking ability we will be doing alot of running...... so will opposing defenses.

 

[Bestiarius]

When she wants or feels she needs to turn it up a notch, she does. And there is not much anyone can do about it.

It's like she steps into the phone booth, changes into another blue uniform, and it's up, up, and away!

 

[slimmer56]

I also think we are going to see a lot of breakaways in transition. I also think Steph Dolson became the best outlet passer in the country last year. That overhead outlet pass she throws is awesome !
GO UCONN GO !