Things to look for in the UConn vs. SCSU exhibition game

[EricLA]

I don't think anyone would disagree that the UConn vs. BC game was NOT a thing of beauty. It was herky-jerky, tons of odd 5-player combo's on the court, and Geno even said he was experimenting with numerous different lineups to see how they meshed. While it would have been nice to have won by 50, I think it was much more important for the coaches to see what worked, what didn't, and what combos might be best.

In the upcoming SCSU game, I think we see all 14 players (excluding Morgan and/or anyone else with injuries/illnesses), but I think he tightens his rotations differently.

He may still experiment with certain combos - as much as you can try to see it in action in a practice, there's no substitute for a game. I'm guessing he KNOWS (possible/probable starters) KK, Ash, Azzi, Sarah and Serah will work well together. I hope he follows substitution patterns in the first quarter+ of how he is starting to see it shake out. Not a hockey line substitution, but putting in 1 or 2 players to get them flowing with the starters, then figuring which players to continue to sub to continue keeping the pressure on the other team while still having a good offensive flow.

I'm GUESSING the 3 early subs off the bench at some point mid/late Q1 will be Blanca, Kayleigh, and Jana. But will he keep them in with 2 other starters (Azzi/Sarah), or start mixing and matching more? Will we get an indication of his top 8, 9, or 10 at this time? I get it's an exhibition game, but will we see the bottom 4-5 on the roster all in by the end of the first half? Will he continue to use odd lineups to evaluate who I believe the potential non-core 8 will be? Some may not like these speculations (there can ONLY be a max of 10), but at this time, I'm GUESSING

Top core

• Azzi
• Sarah
• Serah
• KK
• Ash
• Blanca
• Jana
• Kayleigh

Middle core (question marks - at most only 2 will move up to the top core)

• Ice
• Caroline
• Allie
• Kelis

Bottom group

• Morgan (injured)
• Ayanna
• Gandy

And before anyone argues who should or shouldn't be getting PT, Geno said that he wants a rotation of 8 to a max of 10. This will allow for flow, consistency, and chemistry. In blowouts, I could see that core 10 playing a majority of the minutes with the bottom 4-6 coming in at the midpoint of Q4. We have a great and tough non-conference schedule - L'ville, Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan, Utah, USF, USC, Iowa, ND, and Tennessee. I don't expect a lot of experimenting in those games, especially the ones early in the season, with the exception of the Loyola Chicago game Nov 12, and those early games will give us a chance to see if it's a core of 8, 9, or 10.

Bottom line, will we see a more precision series of substitutions, or will he continue to experiment in this game, or a bit of both?

 

[Majic Hands]

This is a DII School practice game ?

I’m hoping every available body gets time.

I’ll be looking for rotation on th 4th of November.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Eight is a good rotation number with it occasionally expanding to 10.

 

[PhillyCoach]

I think EricLA has it pretty close to reality. It looks clear to most that K9 goes in for KK, Jana subs for Serah, and Blanca probably subs for Ash first. It's obvious that Sarah and Azzi are the final keys to the substitutions. Ice for Sarah seems likely. Caroline or Allie a possibility for Azzi. We know in the really big games Sarah and Azzi will be playing mid 30 minutes so the subbing will be minimal.

IMHO Ice and Jana will be solid subs for the bigs. Short term for Sarah. The big question for most of us is who subs for Azzi.

 

[Bone Dog]

The big question for most of us is who subs for Azzi.

I have a feeling when Azzi is off the floor, Ash will take her place more often than Allie will. Especially as Blanca’s minutes approach 20/game. Having multiple perimeter threats on the floor at all times is important, but so is having ferocious defenders. Ash gives him both.

 

[PhillyCoach]

I have a feeling when Azzi is off the floor, Ash will take her place more often than Allie will. Especially as Blanca’s minutes approach 20/game. Having multiple perimeter threats on the floor at all times is important, but so is having ferocious defenders. Ash gives him both.

Hey Bone Dog--you hit the nail on the head. Azzi has both offense (outside shot) and defense. Ash has both too (at a slightly lower rate.) Allie might have the shot, but the D is not there yet. Blanca's total offensive game could step in and her defense is close to the necessary level. Looking forward to some great games.

 

[TheGOAT23]

Hey Bone Dog--you hit the nail on the head. Azzi has both offense (outside shot) and defense. Ash has both too (at a slightly lower rate.) Allie might have the shot, but the D is not there yet. Blanca's total offensive game could step in and her defense is close to the necessary level. Looking forward to some great games.

Yesss. Azzi’s defense is overlooked. She picked Fulwiley’s pocket twice in the championship game. Surprised she wasn’t arrested for petty larceny. Upon further investigations, the charges would have been upgraded to grand larceny due to that shellacking and the two valuable hardwares that she took home. 😝

 

[meyers7]

Wow I didn't know UConn has 15 players.... Go Husky.

Really? We kinda been talking about it all summer and into the fall here.

 

[DEpup]

I'm looking to see if Blanca and Heckel look more comfortable out there.

 

[CL82]

I'm looking to see if Blanca and Heckel look more comfortable out there.

'Blanca and Heckel' sounds like a high-end European retailer to me.

Blanca and Heckel
Purveyor of fine watches for 150 years​

 

[Barkin Out]

'Blanca and Heckel' sounds like a high-end European retailer to me.

View attachment 112624
Blanca and Heckel
Purveyor of fine watches for 150 years​

is that an ai version of young Geno as a fashion model? Ready to run the hand through his hair - while flashing the fancy bling watch.

 

[Boreifs]

I have a feeling when Azzi is off the floor, Ash will take her place more often than Allie will. Especially as Blanca’s minutes approach 20/game. Having multiple perimeter threats on the floor at all times is important, but so is having ferocious defenders. Ash gives him both.

Of course. The two-three rotation will be Azzi, Ash and Bianca, with Sarah also an option.

If Morgan is out of the picture, the rotation is likely to be nine; if she comes back, it will increase to 10.

Imagine the 11-15?! Kellis, Allie, Carol, Ayanna and Gandy would beat the majority of D1 schools.

 

[Doctor G]

If Allie is aggressive in practice and if the coaches can determine who she has chemistry with, that young lady is going to play more minutes than many of us think. By no means is Allie a lock-down defender (and I don't think she has Shade's motor), but she is a 3-level bucket and none of the other non-starters can shoot the rock as well as she can.

 

[YKCornelius]

I am hoping to see a solid uptick in defense from what everyone showed against BC. I expect a lot of practice effort to have been expended in the past two weeks on defensive schemes. Cutting off angles, shutting down passing lanes, moving feet to stay in front of the ballhandler, and (most importantly) communicating.

Playing against a D-II school we shouldn't see late close-outs to shooters on the arc, because there really shouldn't be a need to collapse in the lane to shut down drives to the basket or to help out on a double-team against any particular opposing player.

Going one step further, I think Geno and staff will be making playing time decisions going forward on who is playing their defensive role correctly as the team moves from big line-up to small line-up, and from zone to man back to zone.

In short, I don't care how many points the Huskies score, I care about how many they give up. Individually and as a team. With Cardinals nine days later, I would have concerns if UConn gives up more than 40 points to the D-II Owls in front of a home crowd in Hartford.

 

[Gael]

There will be a lot to focus on.

I'm particularly interested in watching the ball handling, passing and defensive skills exhibited by Blanca Quiñonez, as well as her reflexes and shooting touch from outside. She's received a lot of anticipatory enthusiasm based on several "all makes" video clips, and I'm hoping she shows some elite skills in real time or at least the potential therefor.

Secondarily, I'll be focused on the scoring potential of Kayleigh Heckel and Kelis Fisher to compare against what I've seen from KK Arnold as a scorer at all three levels over the past two years.

 

[WBBZen]

Of course. The two-three rotation will be Azzi, Ash and Bianca, with Sarah also an option.

If Morgan is out of the picture, the rotation is likely to be nine; if she comes back, it will increase to 10.

Imagine the 11-15?! Kellis, Allie, Carol, Ayanna and Gandy would beat the majority of D1 schools.

In recent interviews, Geno has been talking about having 14 players. I'm curious if Morgan is going to redshirt

 

[Skeets]

I've resisted the temptation to say this in the prognosticator thread (out of fear of getting yelled at with "what the heck is the matter with you Skeets, can't you read?). I expect minutes to be spread around just like the BC game, hopefully with better, smoother results. Geno has absolutely no motivation to run up the score against another CT school. What could be a MOV of 60 or 70, if that's what Geno wanted, will be less embarrassing to SCSU, but still a drubbing.

 

[Bone Dog]

I've resisted the temptation to say this in the prognosticator thread (out of fear of getting yelled at with "what the heck is the matter with you Skeets, can't you read?). I expect minutes to be spread around just like the BC game, hopefully with better, smoother results. Geno has absolutely no motivation to run up the score against another CT school. What could be a MOV of 60 or 70, if that's what Geno wanted, will be less embarrassing to SCSU, but still a drubbing.

I’ve thought (and maybe said once) the same thing. This is still the experimental phase of the season. I also expect widely distributed minutes and maybe incrementally less sloppy play.

The game against BC may also have been really useful for the newbies. A D1 opponent, albeit much smaller, but still an opportunity for them to see where they stand. How far from being D1 ready at the level necessary for a NC run they still are. All those little guards who burned us in the paint did Geno a huge favor. The lesson about keeping opposing players in front of you has begun in what I expect will be really salutary. That tiny guard on BC, Tomlinson I think, was a perfect opponent and object lesson.

 

[JellyBean]

This is a preseason exhibition game; I am not expecting a mistake free game. I am just looking for smiles and players out there having fun and enjoying each other and the game.