This season UConn will be Overwhelming

[UcMiami]

Both Saniya and Courtney have somehow misplaced their shots. Both were lights out hs players; Chong scored 50+ in a game. But there's a real qualitative difference between the two: Saniya is a first rate replacement at either guard spot, and Ekmark is almost the last player off the bench. The reason is simple: aside from Courtney's shot, she is very slow afoot; next to Butler, she's the slowest player on the court. Bad news for a guard. Thinking won't improve foot speed or lack thereof.

Big change in defensive intensity between college and HS and a big change in role - in high school, they could never go wrong by taking a shot, in college if they take the wrong shot the coaches will yell at them, so the thought process is different and can lead to 'doubt' creeping into their shooting motion.
And, comparing Courtney's speed to anyone else who wasn't coming of stress reactions in their feet is probably a little unfair. That was her situation during the last year. She is certainly not as fast as either Chong or Jefferson, but then defensive speed is as much about reaction time and anticipation as it is about foot speed.

 

[CocoHusky]

Coco, I was only quoting Geno. I think the speed issue between those two is a wash.

I understand. You were actually quoting Doris Burke who was quoting Geno. Geno may very well have been right. Moriah Jefferson actually has used her speed to impact many UCONN games while Saniya has yet to do that. I agree with Biff-hard to imagaine someone faster than MoJett.

 

[huskyd]

Saniya and Kia can both play the 1. I don't get the feeling Corutney will be part of the guard rotation except at the end of games. I know KLS played the 1 at times for team USA so i think between those 4, we have plenty of players at the 1-2 positions. Huge opportunity for Saniya this year to not only earn lots of minutes, but to have those minutes be productive - not just taking up space on the floor...

Just as KML occasionally played the 2, expect KLS to do the same. Lou has better foot speed and handles the ball well. But both Kaleena and Lou play mostly outside, so the difference between the 2 and 4 isn't that great. They both need to be in places from which they can launch 3s. Gabby can also bring the ball up; then she has to get inside to do her thing. You're right about Ekmark. KML, you remember, started to post up in her last couple of seasons in order to get open and do a little rebounding (lacking a true center last year). I think Lou will have an easier time getting her outside shot, but also expect Geno to want her to spend some time around the basket because of her height and athleticism.

 

[UcMiami]

Just as KML occasionally played the 2, expect KLS to do the same. Lou has better foot speed and handles the ball well. But both Kaleena and Lou play mostly outside, so the difference between the 2 and 4 isn't that great. They both need to be in places from which they can launch 3s. Gabby can also bring the ball up; then she has to get inside to do her thing. You're right about Ekmark. KML, you remember, started to post up in her last couple of seasons in order to get open and do a little rebounding (lacking a true center last year). I think Lou will have an easier time getting her outside shot, but also expect Geno to want her to spend some time around the basket because of her height and athleticism.

While Lou shoots a lot from three, from what I have seen of her HS play she plays a game more similar to Stewart in HS - outside and inside on both ends - not surprising giving her height advantage over most HS players. She will have the same issues with the physicality in college on the inside and may on her own be content to stay out there - but agree the coaches will not allow it.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Early on at UConn, Geno expressed his dissatisfaction watching Kaleena roam exclusively outside the arc, hunting her three. He wanted much more from the nation's top high school recruit than just a great perimeter shooter. Although she was always very strong, Kaleena's distinct lack of height seemed to mitigate against any kind of inside game, both in terms of scoring and rebounding. But all that quickly changed under Geno's guidance as she became a solid rebounder ( career avg. 5.3 rebounds pg) with solid inside play, developed a nice mid-range shot, and when the opportunity presented itself, took the ball to the basket.

As Lou gets stronger and more comfortable in the UConn system, and considering how beautifully Geno's teams always space the floor, I see her having tons of inside scoring and rebounding opportunities which will perfectly complement her devastating outside game. Lou is going to be very very difficult to cover.

 

[HistoryMajor]

As extraordinary as Stewie is, with all the acclaim she deservedly receives, and despite her bold statement that she came to UConn to win four NCs, any conversation about 4-in-a-row NCs would have been, I believe, rather quickly squashed had the star not had an outstanding supporting cast (and I use the word 'supporting' advisedly because each teammate was/is a star in her own right.)

Though often overshadowed by Stewie's sheer brilliance, absolutely NO talk of four-in-a-row would now even be possible without crediting her incredible teammates Kelly Faris, Bria Hartley, Stef Dolson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Morgan Tuck, and Moriah Jefferson.

If UConn wins four-in-a-row, it will be because UConn has, and has had, not just the best player, but THE BEST TEAM.

Huskies Rule - why no love for Kiah Stokes? IMO Kiah won more than a few games. Some may disagree but Kiah will be missed Big Time on more than a few occasions this year. That's the nature of college sports i.e. the player rotate out every 4 years but some leave a bigger impact than others. Kiah had a huge impact that many on here may have missed.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Huskies Rule - why no love for Kiah Stokes? IMO Kiah won more than a few games. Some may disagree but Kiah will be missed Big Time on more than a few occasions this year. That's the nature of college sports i.e. the player rotate out every 4 years but some leave a bigger impact than others. Kiah had a huge impact that many on here may have missed.

Believe me, I have a lotta love for Kiah. I DO MISS HER. When she came into games and swatted shots left and right (see Texas!) or grabbed every rebound in sight (at ND!), she inspired her teammates and absolutely nobody enjoyed it more than me. She was a monster! Yes, she had several big games, and yes, I will definitely miss her, but she didn't earn the minutes in the games that mattered most, and therefore she didn't have the chance to make the impact the others I named did.

Kiah was absolutely great against Texas and @ND, but Kelly, Bria, Stef, Kaleena, Morgan and Moriah brought it almost every day, consistently playing at that highest level. Kiah didn't.

Had Kiah been given the opportunity to play major minutes at tournament time , things might have been different. But Geno just didn't trust her enough for that to happen.

 

[WestCoastFan]

Saniya might be the first of the bench or she may never get off the bench at all. Saniya might spell both guard or she might spell neither guard positions. Her ability to play at UCONN is not dependent on her speed or shooting ability, it is highly dependent on her ability to stay in front of the person she is guarding.

Good points, but I wonder if she will ever score consistently. She'll never be a good defender (adequate at best, which is good enough on that team). We've heard for two years now about her shooting ability. Gene said it last year, regarding her struggles: "She looks great in practice...then the season begins."

 

[cohenzone]

I'm not necessarily disagreeing about Ekmark's place at the end of the bench, but... She was coming off both a year away from competition and a leg issue. I don't think we can take anything based on last year about her potential . She might just be a bigger contributor than some predict. One way or another, she can certainly provide a short breather whenever we happen to be in that rare close game. In all other games, everyone will see time. The issue for us and every team in the country is no major injuries.

 

[huskyd]

Early on at UConn, Geno expressed his dissatisfaction watching Kaleena roam exclusively outside the arc, hunting her three. He wanted much more from the nation's top high school recruit than just a great perimeter shooter. Although she was always very strong, Kaleena's distinct lack of height seemed to mitigate against any kind of inside game, both in terms of scoring and rebounding. But all that quickly changed under Geno's guidance as she became a solid rebounder ( career avg. 5.3 rebounds pg) with solid inside play, developed a nice mid-range shot, and when the opportunity presented itself, took the ball to the basket.

As Lou gets stronger and more comfortable in the UConn system, and considering how beautifully Geno's teams always space the floor, I see her having tons of inside scoring and rebounding opportunities which will perfectly complement her devastating outside game. Lou is going to be very very difficult to cover.

I agree. The need to get KML inside was accentuated last season by the lack of a real center after Stef and the lack of depth inside in general. There were no assurances that Morgan would be able to play much if at all on her reconstructed knee. Bre had to play much more inside and took more punishment than she might otherwise have taken. Geno's greatest stroke of genius last year was deploying Gabby as a forward, adding more help in the interior. Lou can relieve Stewart (if Geno chooses to use Butler like a Kiah Stokes) with her height, speed, and athleticism--all upgrades to KML.

 

[watanabe]

She can be a player, or a bencher. Gonna be her choice, but to be a key contributor, she has to make that choice. She would not be at UConn if she didn't have the potential.
Personally I wish KiahS had made that choice freshman year. Chong is struggling with it still. MoJett made the choice early in the season and see what happened!

 

[cbraarj]

Our glass is way more than half-ful. I do have a concern about depth at guard. MoJeff, Kia and ???
Saniya has a gigantic opportunity to earn considerable PT as the first guard off the bench...but she had the same opportunity last year
and in big games late in the year Geno had her sitting not playing. Many people posted that while Breanna was our most talented player Moriah was our MVP.
That situation may still exist this year. A significant injury to Mo? Against elite teams? I would be really concerned.

Courtney...Gabby? Ballhandlers????

Nurse will be backup to Moriah and KLS will play the sg and sf positions this year.Kia starting point guard for Canada and torched her teammates for the gold.Geno likes to play at the most 7 or 8 in the tight games.IMO Butler and the 3 freshmen pass Chong and Williams with Boykin being a big surprise.

 

[cbraarj]

Good points, but I wonder if she will ever score consistently. She'll never be a good defender (adequate at best, which is good enough on that team). We've heard for two years now about her shooting ability. Gene said it last year, regarding her struggles: "She looks great in practice...then the season begins."

Adequate is not good enough!Stanford game they played 4 on 5 when they were on defense.She did score 20 pts but with her and Moriah the offense wasn't fluid.Spacing was terrible with to much standing around.

 

[WestCoastFan]

Adequate is not good enough!Stanford game they played 4 on 5 when they were on defense.She did score 20 pts but with her and Moriah the offense wasn't fluid.Spacing was terrible with to much standing around.

Everybody looked like crap in that game. NO leadership down the stretch...when was the last time UConn blew a 10 pt lead late?? I agree, she's not a good defender.

 

[EasyEd]

The reason is simple: aside from Courtney's shot, she is very slow afoot; next to Butler, she's the slowest player on the court. Bad news for a guard. Thinking won't improve foot speed or lack thereof.

I remember a guard that was supposedly slow of foot, yet still made valuable contributions to the team. Hopefully, Courtney won't listen to naysayers, but take heart from what Maria Conlon was able to contribute.

 

[Citrusdog]

The only thing I see is... KML's points and spirit breaking shooting. But I do believe that they are many pieces that can fill in or replace what she did. I would like to develop another dagger shooter... but I believe that or 'they' will surface. Also Natalie will allow Stewie more flexibility and defensive support. This team will be another monster - that no one can deal with. Breanna goes 4 for 4.

 

[Husky Rich]

This is my first post Ever. I think it is hard to speculate what will happen with individual contributions for this team. And that highlights the true genius of this staff. The talents of each are blendedto make the team game a Close to perfect illustration of how the Game is meant to be played. The coaching staffs use of Gabby last year was not expected but best filled a team need. All uconn players concede individual stats for thesake of the team. That is why I like watching this team play. I do think History Major had an excellent point about Kia Stokes. No matter what anyone thinks a bout the development of her individual game she represented a most unique weapon held by no other top tier team. Geno had a force onthe bench that he could go to that could totally change the control of the otherteams inside offense and control of the boards as well. Her greatest strength may have been the limiting factor in her offensive development. She didnt look for her shot because she really didn't need to. She took more criticismand lack of playing time than she deserved but still came up huge when called upon. I don't know I any program will ever be so lucky to have just such a weapon off the bench. Sorry so long.

 

[Bonpland]

How many threads this off season have morphed into a discussion of this year's starting five?

Mo, Kia, Stewie, Morgan and Natalie start. As everyone has pointed out, freshman pay their dues in this program. If D, Maya, KML and Tina had to prove themselves before starting why would we expect things to be any different for KLS, Collier and Boykin?

I think that the freshman benefit from it. UCONN is a high speed, demanding, National Championship team. Working KLS in where she can have her most success is the smart thing to do. I do think however that they will all make a contribution this year.

This team is the deepest in fifteen years, and I think (hope) that Geno will use that depth to run other teams out of the gym.

 

[meyers7]

This is my first post Ever. I think it is hard to speculate what will happen with individual contributions for this team. And that highlights the true genius of this staff. The talents of each are blendedto make the team game a Close to perfect illustration of how the Game is meant to be played. The coaching staffs use of Gabby last year was not expected but best filled a team need. All uconn players concede individual stats for thesake of the team. That is why I like watching this team play. I do think History Major had an excellent point about Kia Stokes. No matter what anyone thinks a bout the development of her individual game she represented a most unique weapon held by no other top tier team. Geno had a force onthe bench that he could go to that could totally change the control of the otherteams inside offense and control of the boards as well. Her greatest strength may have been the limiting factor in her offensive development. She didnt look for her shot because she really didn't need to. She took more criticismand lack of playing time than she deserved but still came up huge when called upon. I don't know I any program will ever be so lucky to have just such a weapon off the bench. Sorry so long.

Welcome aboard. Nice first post. Keep 'em coming.

 

[johnnyc]

This is my first post Ever. I think it is hard to speculate what will happen with individual contributions for this team. And that highlights the true genius of this staff. The talents of each are blendedto make the team game a Close to perfect illustration of how the Game is meant to be played. The coaching staffs use of Gabby last year was not expected but best filled a team need. All uconn players concede individual stats for thesake of the team. That is why I like watching this team play. I do think History Major had an excellent point about Kia Stokes. No matter what anyone thinks a bout the development of her individual game she represented a most unique weapon held by no other top tier team. Geno had a force onthe bench that he could go to that could totally change the control of the otherteams inside offense and control of the boards as well. Her greatest strength may have been the limiting factor in her offensive development. She didnt look for her shot because she really didn't need to. She took more criticismand lack of playing time than she deserved but still came up huge when called upon. I don't know I any program will ever be so lucky to have just such a weapon off the bench. Sorry so long.

That's a bit rich coming from you, isn't it?!




Welcome to the forum. I think you have hit on what is most likely the biggest issue UConn is facing as a team. They will not be lacking in offensive power and that in itself will be the deciding factor in most games. But what Stokes allowed the team to do was take chances on defense knowing she was there (block it Kiah!). Also allowed them to cheat a little on transition knowing there was a good chance Stokes would get the rebound. Kara Lawson said many times last season that UConn's offense ran off of their defense (thanks in large part to Stokes).

I think Williams could be one coming off the bench to give some of what Stokes provided with her knack for getting rebounds but you are right in that Kiah was a unique weapon coming off the bench.

 

[CocoHusky]

This is my first post Ever. I think it is hard to speculate what will happen with individual contributions for this team. And that highlights the true genius of this staff. The talents of each are blendedto make the team game a Close to perfect illustration of how the Game is meant to be played. The coaching staffs use of Gabby last year was not expected but best filled a team need. All uconn players concede individual stats for thesake of the team. That is why I like watching this team play. I do think History Major had an excellent point about Kia Stokes. No matter what anyone thinks a bout the development of her individual game she represented a most unique weapon held by no other top tier team. Geno had a force onthe bench that he could go to that could totally change the control of the otherteams inside offense and control of the boards as well. Her greatest strength may have been the limiting factor in her offensive development. She didnt look for her shot because she really didn't need to. She took more criticismand lack of playing time than she deserved but still came up huge when called upon. I don't know I any program will ever be so lucky to have just such a weapon off the bench. Sorry so long.

Very astute observations. Welcome aboard, you will do very well here. Besides the Stokes the other un-replicated lethal weapon UCONN has is the transition 3. I was very encouraged to hear MoJeff say in a recent interview that she is “already” beginning to look for KLS in those transitions the same way she used to look for KML. The transition 3 is lethal because it goes against everything ball players are taught like stop the ball, protect the basket & don’t give up the layup. UCONN puts teams in a pickle because you have to defend from the rim to beyond the arc.

 

[Sonny44]

Very astute observations. Welcome aboard, you will do very well here. Besides the Stokes the other un-replicated lethal weapon UCONN has is the transition 3. I was very encouraged to hear MoJeff say in a recent interview that she is “already” beginning to look for KLS in those transitions the same way she used to look for KML. The transition 3 is lethal because it goes against everything ball players are taught like stop the ball, protect the basket & don’t give up the layup. UCONN puts teams in a pickle because you have to defend from the rim to beyond the arc.

Plus it wears the other team down, physically and mentally.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Very few teams have the potential to score with UConn. A certain #1 ranked team found out about that last February. Who came the closest last year in an off night for UConn: ND. Dayton hung (shooting 70%) for a half. I think it was D Burke who pointed out how the pressure to score builds and pressures other teams out of their game and into turnovers. I believe it was Stewie who remarked how you can sense the change in the opponent and that just spurs UConn on.

 

[Kibitzer]

I believe it was Stewie who remarked how you can sense the change in the opponent and that just spurs UConn on.

Like sharks smell blood.

 

[donalddoowop]

Some fans don't seem to realize that Butler averaged 13 points and 13 rebounds as a freshman and she did not have much help. I believe she will be a much bigger factor than many people think. Also, Geno stated that Courtney looked like a different person. She has the ability to make as high a percentage of threes as KML did. Gabby Williams was one of the top five high school guards in the country who accepted Geno's challenge to play inside last season and played well. This season she may show her outside skills and contribute more than some fans think. I watched Napheesa play for three years and she played against some of the best high school teams in the country and beat them, including Dangerfield's team when she was a junior, although her team lost in the rematch. Her team played man to man defense almost exclusively so she is well prepared for that. Her biggest weakness is her mid to long range game. She has the ability to play the same position Gabby played last season. I believe UCONN will be extremely tough to beat this season if no major injuries occur. They are so deep and talented. There is a good chance they will be a more accurate three point shooting team than last season with more accurate three point shooters. I've been a UCONN fan since the late nineties and this team potentially has more upper level talent than any I can remember, imo.

 

[watanabe]

That's a bit rich coming from you, isn't it?!




Welcome to the forum. I think you have hit on what is most likely the biggest issue UConn is facing as a team. They will not be lacking in offensive power and that in itself will be the deciding factor in most games. But what Stokes allowed the team to do was take chances on defense knowing she was there (block it Kiah!). Also allowed them to cheat a little on transition knowing there was a good chance Stokes would get the rebound. Kara Lawson said many times last season that UConn's offense ran off of their defense (thanks in large part to Stokes).

I think Williams could be one coming off the bench to give some of what Stokes provided with her knack for getting rebounds but you are right in that Kiah was a unique weapon coming off the bench.

Geno is developing Gabbie into the next shot blocking Kiah Stokes. We shouldn't have any trouble in this regard as soon as she hits her stride this year.

 

[johnnyc]

Some fans don't seem to realize that Butler averaged 13 points and 13 rebounds as a freshman and she did not have much help. I believe she will be a much bigger factor than many people think.

Not sure who you are referring to but the reason I don't see Butler as factor coming off the bench is because I think she is going to be a starter.

 

[Siestakeyfan]

62 Grad watching Geno since he was hired. Geno is a VERY BRIGHT. personable Basketball Psychologist, of the game, & people !
Possibly the BEST ever-at least in the running. He has a GREAT MOM !!!

 

[slug25]

A couple of predictions: Gabby Williams, based on her remarkably efficient and productive minutes last year, will start over Butler. She can also defend on the perimeter, which will be important because so many teams will go small against us. Courtney Ekmark will turn into serviceable depth at guard, regaining her shooting touch and proving to be as effective defensively as Saniya Chong. Napheesa Collier will lead the team in shooting percentage and become the AAC sixth man of the year.