Thoughts from courtside - UCONN vs. UCLA

[EricLA]

Hell of a game. A whole bunch of things stood out to me watching the game live - some stuff you don't get to see on TV, or it's not nearly as noticeable.

UCLA is a tough, physical team. At times they disrupted UCONN's offense to the point where we would go a good 5-6 minutes and score 4-6 points. However, in general, in the first 3 quarters, UCLA kept it close for the first 5-6 minutes of the quarter, then UCONN went on a spurt.

1. UCONN went on a 9-0 run at the end of the 1st quarter (led 12-11 prior)
2. UCLA cut the lead to 5 in Q2 with 4 minutes left, then Walker took over and the lead was up to 11 at half time
3. UCONN's lead was still 11 with 3 minutes left in Q3, then we went on another run of 13-0

UCONN got the lead up to 29 with 6 minutes left in the game but was outplayed by UCLA down the stretch. Geno was NOT happy. But give credit to UCLA for not packing it in. They fought hard and outplayed us at the end, and that was with all our starters in.

The game plan seemed to be 3-fold...

1. Pack it in the paint - we didn't give Drummer, and more importantly Billings, any room to work in the paint
2. Dare UCLA to make outside shots (for the most part they did not)
3. Harrass Canada at every turn. Crystal was more than up for the challenge and the help defense on her was terrific

Collier - terrific all game. Definitely player of the game. 5 steals, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 23 points, played 40 minutes - I think we can safely say whatever was "ailing" her the first few games of the season is completely out of her system. She wasn't great with the high-low game (more on that later), but every time she got the ball in the post, she out-maneuvered her defender for a layup.

Walker - coming out party. Geno was clearly unhappy with Stevens. Put in Walker in the 2nd quarter, and she single handedly put the nail in the coffin. I think she got all of her 13 points over the 4 minute stretch at the end of Q2. Struggled to find the basket in the 2nd half, but no denying her impact on both ends of the floor.

Williams - unfortunately picked up fouls in bunches and had to sit, but boy is she terrific every second she's on the floor

Danger - kept one of the best PG's in the game in check. She was just tremendous. Assist goes to UCONN's help defense, as UCLA would set a lot of screes for Canada to get around, but UCONN was equal to the task.

Nurse - quiet in the first half (so it seemed), but really took over at times in the 2nd half. Such an all around solid game for her. 3 point shot was off. If not for that, she would have been a lot more noticeable

Stevens - It's just one game, but she has a ways to go. People who proclaimed she was the "best player on the team" before the season started were unfortunately wrong. I'd love it if she was an AA, but at this time, she is not. I get that she may make 3 point shots in the practices, but in the games, her shooting beyond the arc is abysmal. And I simply do not understand the high low game where she is on the perimeter lobbing the ball over the defender to a 6'1" Napheesa to try to get a layup. That play almost never worked. It should be the opposite - at 6'6", players should be lobbing the ball to her. I will say she is very mobile and her help defense was solid for the most part. But her weaknesses were on full display and she would have played even less had Gabby not been in foul trouble.

Geno played 6 players. 3 played 40 minutes. Clearly the bench has yet to earn his confidence. We will be fine in big games with KLS - 7 deep is plenty. But I sure hope Camara, Coombs, or E-H can give him a legit 8th player. Camara did participate in the warm up drills, but she has a huge brace on her knee... And she's not 6'2". She's actually a skooch shorter than Collier.

 

[Gabbyfan]

nice report....nothing like being there. One thing that always struck me seeing the games ( with the better teams) up close is how the physical part of the game is much more apparent. These ladies take and give a lot of contact.

 

[EricLA]

Crap - I forgot to add it was great seeing/meeting a bunch of traveling boneyarders - @Phil , @MilfordHusky , @j66kicker , @Plebe , Don from Idaho (forgot his SN), 2 ladies who are also posters (forgot their SN's too). We all sat in different places, but got together before the game and at halftime. Not sure about the attendance, but the entire lower section was close to full. I would say close to 7,000 people. Obviously better attended than the Baylor game, which was on a Saturday. Great atmosphere. Very nice fans who felt admiration for UCONN and our program.

I also forgot to add that they interviewed Close after the game and we could hear it. Not sure if it was on ESPNU, but her comments made it very clear why she's a really good coach. I give her team a TON of credit outplaying us the last 5-6 minutes of Q4...

 

[warbler1055]

Your report is better than the print version of the newspapers and the AP!!!

 

[BostonCanuck]

Great insights, especially about Z. She'll be great if, as Geno says, she buys into the work needed to do A, B and C, instead of just A and part of B. I don't think first team All American can happen until next season, though.

I too have been puzzled by the efforts to position her high on the high low. Phoenix does that exact thing with Griner and it drives me crazy because it's been a proven loser over multiple seasons. Not saying Z can't get there, but I'd like to see the team lay off that somewhat, at least until she passes the show me test with her three ball.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Hell of a game. A whole bunch of things stood out to me watching the game live - some stuff you don't get to see on TV, or it's not nearly as noticeable.

UCLA is a tough, physical team. At times they disrupted UCONN's offense to the point where we would go a good 5-6 minutes and score 4-6 points. However, in general, in the first 3 quarters, UCLA kept it close for the first 5-6 minutes of the quarter, then UCONN went on a spurt.

1. UCONN went on a 9-0 run at the end of the 1st quarter (led 12-11 prior)
2. UCLA cut the lead to 5 in Q2 with 4 minutes left, then Walker took over and the lead was up to 11 at half time
3. UCONN's lead was still 11 with 3 minutes left in Q3, then we went on another run of 13-0

UCONN got the lead up to 29 with 6 minutes left in the game but was outplayed by UCLA down the stretch. Geno was NOT happy. But give credit to UCLA for not packing it in. They fought hard and outplayed us at the end, and that was with all our starters in.

The game plan seemed to be 3-fold...

1. Pack it in the paint - we didn't give Drummer, and more importantly Billings, any room to work in the paint
2. Dare UCLA to make outside shots (for the most part they did not)
3. Harrass Canada at every turn. Crystal was more than up for the challenge and the help defense on her was terrific

Collier - terrific all game. Definitely player of the game. 5 steals, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 23 points, played 40 minutes - I think we can safely say whatever was "ailing" her the first few games of the season is completely out of her system. She wasn't great with the high-low game (more on that later), but every time she got the ball in the post, she out-maneuvered her defender for a layup.

Walker - coming out party. Geno was clearly unhappy with Stevens. Put in Walker in the 2nd quarter, and she single handedly put the nail in the coffin. I think she got all of her 13 points over the 4 minute stretch at the end of Q2. Struggled to find the basket in the 2nd half, but no denying her impact on both ends of the floor.

Williams - unfortunately picked up fouls in bunches and had to sit, but boy is she terrific every second she's on the floor

Danger - kept one of the best PG's in the game in check. She was just tremendous. Assist goes to UCONN's help defense, as UCLA would set a lot of screes for Canada to get around, but UCONN was equal to the task.

Nurse - quiet in the first half (so it seemed), but really took over at times in the 2nd half. Such an all around solid game for her. 3 point shot was off. If not for that, she would have been a lot more noticeable

Stevens - It's just one game, but she has a ways to go. People who proclaimed she was the "best player on the team" before the season started were unfortunately wrong. I'd love it if she was an AA, but at this time, she is not. I get that she may make 3 point shots in the practices, but in the games, her shooting beyond the arc is abysmal. And I simply do not understand the high low game where she is on the perimeter lobbing the ball over the defender to a 6'1" Napheesa to try to get a layup. That play almost never worked. It should be the opposite - at 6'6", players should be lobbing the ball to her. I will say she is very mobile and her help defense was solid for the most part. But her weaknesses were on full display and she would have played even less had Gabby not been in foul trouble.

Geno played 6 players. 3 played 40 minutes. Clearly the bench has yet to earn his confidence. We will be fine in big games with KLS - 7 deep is plenty. But I sure hope Camara, Coombs, or E-H can give him a legit 8th player. Camara did participate in the warm up drills, but she has a huge brace on her knee... And she's not 6'2". She's actually a skooch shorter than Collier.

Eric---Great stuff, nice observation, I mostly agree. Especially on Walker and Danger. However, many are missing that Kia AND Danger face guarded J. Canada for much of the game--it is hard be played that way, most players being so guarded end up taking a swing at the opponent or at least a severe jab. Give Canada credit (which you do) But also give Kia credit for great defense all game. She set up the other 4 most of the game or plowed a hole form them to drive thru--Kia does the things that wins games but doesn't make the stat sheets.

Almost, all of your comments on Stevens I accept, but don't be to quick to say she (may not become) isn't the best player on the team. She did things in this game and made some of Napheesa's scoring possible and rebounded and rejected. She made the bigs from UCLA to second guess themselves. Being a very needed player may not be the best player (depends on how you define it) on the team--and Stevens fills that BIG VOID. We need her, of that one cannot deny. Geno is doing his best year of coaching ever, so far this year, a lot of that coaching goes to Walker, Z, and some frosh--of Course Danger got much of that early on and it shows.
\
Eric--you didn't save me a seat, you promised. Really definitive and nice post. I enjoyed reading it.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I was hoping Z would be a more athletic and slightly taller Dolson: most of the dirty work in the interior, occasional three attempt, set screens on the perimeter if needed, block shocks, layups w/fouls drawn, hi-lo with another "big" like she and Stewie used to do. Right now it feels like she has A'ja Wilson syndrome where she thinks she's more of a wing than post player. I guess once they see they can't shoot like a real wing such as KLS or KML, and that they get left in the dust trying to keep up with guards, they realize their biggest asset is height in the post.

 

[Huskee11]

Thanks for the great sideline report, EricLA.

Great to see Collier playing like her old self, I don`t think she will look back. Apparently Geno told her before the game he wanted her to take 25 shots and didn`t care if she missed them all, and it appears the "issue", if it even rose to that level, was confidence and not a physical problem. She did seem to find some space underneath to operate and maybe the addition of Stevens has made that a bit more difficult.

Also great to see Walker nail those three threes in the second quarter. Her outside shooting was a minor struggle in the first few games, but everything else was terrific. Nice to see her make a few against UCLA, and they were important. We should remember that Lou struggled with her three pointer early in her freshman season.

Crystal is stronger, more confident and vastly improved; Gabby and Kia are being themselves, and Gabby looks to be in even better shape if that is possible; Lou was playing great with an expanded game, great defense and inside scoring, prior to injury (I`m betting she will be back for ND on December 3); and Stevens good, but all of your comments about her are all spot on. I would only add that it is nice to have a shotblocker (in addition to Gabby) back there - she got at least one of Billings` shots - and she has gotten quite a few rebounds in traffic so far this year by being longer than anyone else. My guess is she will be much improved come March, especially if she stays inside the three point line.

We did think that going into the season, the increased depth would be a big thing, maybe the biggest thing, therefore players won`t wear down late in the year. But, with Lou out, only six play and three go 40 minutes. We do need Lou back, and somebody else to come out of the pack and be a reliable eighth player. Thought it would be Camara, but concerning that she still hasn`t played a minute. When will she finally get out there?Maybe AEH will be the one - or if both, we could actually use nine! Maybe Coombs. Otherwise, it may start to feel a lot like last year, just more observers on the bench. Not what I was thinking it would look like last summer.

So, I think the big stories last night were Collier, Walker, and use of six players (three for all 40).

 

[Golden Husky]

Hell of a game. A whole bunch of things stood out to me watching the game live - some stuff you don't get to see on TV, or it's not nearly as noticeable.

UCLA is a tough, physical team. At times they disrupted UCONN's offense to the point where we would go a good 5-6 minutes and score 4-6 points. However, in general, in the first 3 quarters, UCLA kept it close for the first 5-6 minutes of the quarter, then UCONN went on a spurt.

1. UCONN went on a 9-0 run at the end of the 1st quarter (led 12-11 prior)
2. UCLA cut the lead to 5 in Q2 with 4 minutes left, then Walker took over and the lead was up to 11 at half time
3. UCONN's lead was still 11 with 3 minutes left in Q3, then we went on another run of 13-0

UCONN got the lead up to 29 with 6 minutes left in the game but was outplayed by UCLA down the stretch. Geno was NOT happy. But give credit to UCLA for not packing it in. They fought hard and outplayed us at the end, and that was with all our starters in.

The game plan seemed to be 3-fold...

1. Pack it in the paint - we didn't give Drummer, and more importantly Billings, any room to work in the paint
2. Dare UCLA to make outside shots (for the most part they did not)
3. Harrass Canada at every turn. Crystal was more than up for the challenge and the help defense on her was terrific

Collier - terrific all game. Definitely player of the game. 5 steals, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 23 points, played 40 minutes - I think we can safely say whatever was "ailing" her the first few games of the season is completely out of her system. She wasn't great with the high-low game (more on that later), but every time she got the ball in the post, she out-maneuvered her defender for a layup.

Walker - coming out party. Geno was clearly unhappy with Stevens. Put in Walker in the 2nd quarter, and she single handedly put the nail in the coffin. I think she got all of her 13 points over the 4 minute stretch at the end of Q2. Struggled to find the basket in the 2nd half, but no denying her impact on both ends of the floor.

Williams - unfortunately picked up fouls in bunches and had to sit, but boy is she terrific every second she's on the floor

Danger - kept one of the best PG's in the game in check. She was just tremendous. Assist goes to UCONN's help defense, as UCLA would set a lot of screes for Canada to get around, but UCONN was equal to the task.

Nurse - quiet in the first half (so it seemed), but really took over at times in the 2nd half. Such an all around solid game for her. 3 point shot was off. If not for that, she would have been a lot more noticeable

Stevens - It's just one game, but she has a ways to go. People who proclaimed she was the "best player on the team" before the season started were unfortunately wrong. I'd love it if she was an AA, but at this time, she is not. I get that she may make 3 point shots in the practices, but in the games, her shooting beyond the arc is abysmal. And I simply do not understand the high low game where she is on the perimeter lobbing the ball over the defender to a 6'1" Napheesa to try to get a layup. That play almost never worked. It should be the opposite - at 6'6", players should be lobbing the ball to her. I will say she is very mobile and her help defense was solid for the most part. But her weaknesses were on full display and she would have played even less had Gabby not been in foul trouble.

Geno played 6 players. 3 played 40 minutes. Clearly the bench has yet to earn his confidence. We will be fine in big games with KLS - 7 deep is plenty. But I sure hope Camara, Coombs, or E-H can give him a legit 8th player. Camara did participate in the warm up drills, but she has a huge brace on her knee... And she's not 6'2". She's actually a skooch shorter than Collier.

Four coast-to-coast games, four blowouts of ranked teams by an average of over 25 PPG in the absence of a player expected to be a key reserve and an All-American (2 games), while expanding the role of a sophomore point guard, adding a transfer and freshman into the rotation and breaking in a new offense so, while UConn still has work to do, I think the Huskies are off to an eye-opening start. Perfection? No, but even Geno admits he forgot to floss once in 2003.

It's easy to be impressed with this team's talent but its grit and determination are evident as well, assets that will serve the team well in difficult moments.

The best news about this team is that it figures to get better--probably significantly better--once Lou and BatCam return from injury and the players become more familiar with both team concepts and each other.

The phrase "You ain't seen nuthin' yet" won't get you a passing grade in freshman English but it may be an apt description of this team.

 

[Plebe]

Crap - I forgot to add it was great seeing/meeting a bunch of traveling boneyarders - @Phil , @MilfordHusky , @j66kicker , @Plebe , Don from Idaho (forgot his SN), 2 ladies who are also posters (forgot their SN's too). We all sat in different places, but got together before the game and at halftime. Not sure about the attendance, but the entire lower section was close to full. I would say close to 7,000 people. Obviously better attended than the Baylor game, which was on a Saturday. Great atmosphere. Very nice fans who felt admiration for UCONN and our program.

I also forgot to add that they interviewed Close after the game and we could hear it. Not sure if it was on ESPNU, but her comments made it very clear why she's a really good coach. I give her team a TON of credit outplaying us the last 5-6 minutes of Q4...

Great report, buddy!

Official attendance was 9,263. More than double the number that attended the Baylor game.

 

[EricLA]

Great report, buddy!

Official attendance was 9,263. More than double the number that attended the Baylor game.

Thank you - and your 2nd statement is why I'm not an official "crowd estimator" LOL!!

 

[Plebe]

Thank you - and your 2nd statement is why I'm not an official "crowd estimator" LOL!!

Me neither. I always underguess. Same as when I used to guess the number of jellybeans in the jar.

 

[EricLA]

Eric---Great stuff, nice observation, I mostly agree. Especially on Walker and Danger. However, many are missing that Kia AND Danger face guarded J. Canada for much of the game--it is hard be played that way, most players being so guarded end up taking a swing at the opponent or at least a severe jab. Give Canada credit (which you do) But also give Kia credit for great defense all game. She set up the other 4 most of the game or plowed a hole form them to drive thru--Kia does the things that wins games but doesn't make the stat sheets.

You are totally right and my bad for not giving Kia more credit in my comments. I included her in my brain in the "help defense comment" but one other thing that really stood out is that Stevens ended up on Canada numerous times, and her agility allowed her to keep Canada in front of her long enough to switch back. I noticed it more when Stevens covered Canada because it was such an unusual thing to see...

 

[phil sampieri]

Hell of a game. A whole bunch of things stood out to me watching the game live - some stuff you don't get to see on TV, or it's not nearly as noticeable.

UCLA is a tough, physical team. At times they disrupted UCONN's offense to the point where we would go a good 5-6 minutes and score 4-6 points. However, in general, in the first 3 quarters, UCLA kept it close for the first 5-6 minutes of the quarter, then UCONN went on a spurt.

1. UCONN went on a 9-0 run at the end of the 1st quarter (led 12-11 prior)
2. UCLA cut the lead to 5 in Q2 with 4 minutes left, then Walker took over and the lead was up to 11 at half time
3. UCONN's lead was still 11 with 3 minutes left in Q3, then we went on another run of 13-0

UCONN got the lead up to 29 with 6 minutes left in the game but was outplayed by UCLA down the stretch. Geno was NOT happy. But give credit to UCLA for not packing it in. They fought hard and outplayed us at the end, and that was with all our starters in.

The game plan seemed to be 3-fold...

1. Pack it in the paint - we didn't give Drummer, and more importantly Billings, any room to work in the paint
2. Dare UCLA to make outside shots (for the most part they did not)
3. Harrass Canada at every turn. Crystal was more than up for the challenge and the help defense on her was terrific

Collier - terrific all game. Definitely player of the game. 5 steals, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 23 points, played 40 minutes - I think we can safely say whatever was "ailing" her the first few games of the season is completely out of her system. She wasn't great with the high-low game (more on that later), but every time she got the ball in the post, she out-maneuvered her defender for a layup.

Walker - coming out party. Geno was clearly unhappy with Stevens. Put in Walker in the 2nd quarter, and she single handedly put the nail in the coffin. I think she got all of her 13 points over the 4 minute stretch at the end of Q2. Struggled to find the basket in the 2nd half, but no denying her impact on both ends of the floor.

Williams - unfortunately picked up fouls in bunches and had to sit, but boy is she terrific every second she's on the floor

Danger - kept one of the best PG's in the game in check. She was just tremendous. Assist goes to UCONN's help defense, as UCLA would set a lot of screes for Canada to get around, but UCONN was equal to the task.

Nurse - quiet in the first half (so it seemed), but really took over at times in the 2nd half. Such an all around solid game for her. 3 point shot was off. If not for that, she would have been a lot more noticeable

Stevens - It's just one game, but she has a ways to go. People who proclaimed she was the "best player on the team" before the season started were unfortunately wrong. I'd love it if she was an AA, but at this time, she is not. I get that she may make 3 point shots in the practices, but in the games, her shooting beyond the arc is abysmal. And I simply do not understand the high low game where she is on the perimeter lobbing the ball over the defender to a 6'1" Napheesa to try to get a layup. That play almost never worked. It should be the opposite - at 6'6", players should be lobbing the ball to her. I will say she is very mobile and her help defense was solid for the most part. But her weaknesses were on full display and she would have played even less had Gabby not been in foul trouble.

Geno played 6 players. 3 played 40 minutes. Clearly the bench has yet to earn his confidence. We will be fine in big games with KLS - 7 deep is plenty. But I sure hope Camara, Coombs, or E-H can give him a legit 8th player. Camara did participate in the warm up drills, but she has a huge brace on her knee... And she's not 6'2". She's actually a skooch shorter than Collier.

Hell of a game. A whole bunch of things stood out to me watching the game live - some stuff you don't get to see on TV, or it's not nearly as noticeable.

UCLA is a tough, physical team. At times they disrupted UCONN's offense to the point where we would go a good 5-6 minutes and score 4-6 points. However, in general, in the first 3 quarters, UCLA kept it close for the first 5-6 minutes of the quarter, then UCONN went on a spurt.

1. UCONN went on a 9-0 run at the end of the 1st quarter (led 12-11 prior)
2. UCLA cut the lead to 5 in Q2 with 4 minutes left, then Walker took over and the lead was up to 11 at half time
3. UCONN's lead was still 11 with 3 minutes left in Q3, then we went on another run of 13-0

UCONN got the lead up to 29 with 6 minutes left in the game but was outplayed by UCLA down the stretch. Geno was NOT happy. But give credit to UCLA for not packing it in. They fought hard and outplayed us at the end, and that was with all our starters in.

The game plan seemed to be 3-fold...

1. Pack it in the paint - we didn't give Drummer, and more importantly Billings, any room to work in the paint
2. Dare UCLA to make outside shots (for the most part they did not)
3. Harrass Canada at every turn. Crystal was more than up for the challenge and the help defense on her was terrific

Collier - terrific all game. Definitely player of the game. 5 steals, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 23 points, played 40 minutes - I think we can safely say whatever was "ailing" her the first few games of the season is completely out of her system. She wasn't great with the high-low game (more on that later), but every time she got the ball in the post, she out-maneuvered her defender for a layup.

Walker - coming out party. Geno was clearly unhappy with Stevens. Put in Walker in the 2nd quarter, and she single handedly put the nail in the coffin. I think she got all of her 13 points over the 4 minute stretch at the end of Q2. Struggled to find the basket in the 2nd half, but no denying her impact on both ends of the floor.

Williams - unfortunately picked up fouls in bunches and had to sit, but boy is she terrific every second she's on the floor

Danger - kept one of the best PG's in the game in check. She was just tremendous. Assist goes to UCONN's help defense, as UCLA would set a lot of screes for Canada to get around, but UCONN was equal to the task.

Nurse - quiet in the first half (so it seemed), but really took over at times in the 2nd half. Such an all around solid game for her. 3 point shot was off. If not for that, she would have been a lot more noticeable

Stevens - It's just one game, but she has a ways to go. People who proclaimed she was the "best player on the team" before the season started were unfortunately wrong. I'd love it if she was an AA, but at this time, she is not. I get that she may make 3 point shots in the practices, but in the games, her shooting beyond the arc is abysmal. And I simply do not understand the high low game where she is on the perimeter lobbing the ball over the defender to a 6'1" Napheesa to try to get a layup. That play almost never worked. It should be the opposite - at 6'6", players should be lobbing the ball to her. I will say she is very mobile and her help defense was solid for the most part. But her weaknesses were on full display and she would have played even less had Gabby not been in foul trouble.

Geno played 6 players. 3 played 40 minutes. Clearly the bench has yet to earn his confidence. We will be fine in big games with KLS - 7 deep is plenty. But I sure hope Camara, Coombs, or E-H can give him a legit 8th player. Camara did participate in the warm up drills, but she has a huge brace on her knee... And she's not 6'2". She's actually a skooch shorter than Collier.

 

[phil sampieri]

Agree with most of the comments but I think Z was not working hard but it seemed to me that she wasn't sure where or when to be re setting a pick or make herself available for a pass.I see her as making us unbeatable more and more as she gets used to our offense

 

[JoePgh]

Regarding Azura's 3-point shooting in games being "abysmal", wouldn't we have said that about Megan Walker before this game? How long did it take for KLS's 3-point shot at UConn to show up in her freshman year? Or Moriah Jefferson?

If Azura is shooting well in practice, Geno is right to let her do it in games until they start falling. While she does need to spend more time in the paint on offense, it would be a huge mistake to ask her to abandon her perimeter game.

I was present in Hartford in December 2014 and watched Azura, as a Duke freshman, play a game against UConn similar to the one that Megan played last night. She needs to be allowed to do that.

 

[Golden Husky]

Crap - I forgot to add it was great seeing/meeting a bunch of traveling boneyarders - @Phil , @MilfordHusky , @j66kicker , @Plebe , Don from Idaho (forgot his SN), 2 ladies who are also posters (forgot their SN's too). We all sat in different places, but got together before the game and at halftime. Not sure about the attendance, but the entire lower section was close to full. I would say close to 7,000 people. Obviously better attended than the Baylor game, which was on a Saturday. Great atmosphere. Very nice fans who felt admiration for UCONN and our program.

I also forgot to add that they interviewed Close after the game and we could hear it. Not sure if it was on ESPNU, but her comments made it very clear why she's a really good coach. I give her team a TON of credit outplaying us the last 5-6 minutes of Q4...

I thought I was going to be one of the "traveling boneyarders" but when I mentioned driving up from San Diego to LA together to see the UCLA game you suddenly switched from EricSD to EricLA...anything to avoid a two-hour car ride with me, I guess. Good defense!

 

[HoopsFan21]

Regarding Azura's 3-point shooting in games being "abysmal", wouldn't we have said that about Megan Walker before this game? How long did it take for KLS's 3-point shot at UConn to show up in her freshman year? Or Moriah Jefferson?

If Azura is shooting well in practice, Geno is right to let her do it in games until they start falling. While she does need to spend more time in the paint on offense, it would be a huge mistake to ask her to abandon her perimeter game.

I was present in Hartford in December 2014 and watched Azura, as a Duke freshman, play a game against UConn similar to the one that Megan played last night. She needs to be allowed to do that.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that Z abandon her three point shot. Collier can shoot threes as could Tuck and Dolson before her. They just didn't make it a huge part of their game the way it feels Z does. Maybe they'd go 1/1 or 1/2 on threes in an average game (though Tuck and Collier have been known to go off and knock down 3 or 4 in a game) and most of their work was focused on the low post. The three point shot was there mainly to spread out and force defenses to chase the post player out to the three point line which opened the low post for back doors or easy hi-lo looks. Maybe Z is deferring to Gabby and Collier who operate in that area of the floor a lot and doesn't want to get in the way? I know Z has said she only has two years to play, but maybe instead of trying to be great at everything at once maybe it would be more effective to start with mastering the easier stuff first? It's also possible that having Z, Collier, and Gabby will never work out or look smooth because then you have three players on the court whose part of the floor where they are the most effectiveness is the same. I know the coaches are working on it, but we have a 6-6 kid (tallest since Wolters 20 years ago?) and I would love to have that Kiah like shot blocking presence near the hoop again.

 

[chrissaran]

Katie Lou is missed. I noticed Z seems to get tired, which Katie Lou does not. Also, they miss her inside outside game and her improved defense. Speedy recovery, Katie Lou.

 

[j66kicker]

Great report, buddy!

Official attendance was 9,263. More than double the number that attended the Baylor game.

Including Kobe

 

[BroadwayVa]

I was hoping Z would be a more athletic and slightly taller Dolson: most of the dirty work in the interior, occasional three attempt, set screens on the perimeter if needed, block shocks, layups w/fouls drawn, hi-lo with another "big" like she and Stewie used to do. Right now it feels like she has A'ja Wilson syndrome where she thinks she's more of a wing than post player. I guess once they see they can't shoot like a real wing such as KLS or KML, and that they get left in the dust trying to keep up with guards, they realize their biggest asset is height in the post.

Like Stewie, it takes time to not let the physical hit get to you, yes she is a senior and played at duke, but this is a different world and light years from JPM's coaching. Having said that, my expectation, from the media, By, hype--led me to believe her more polished and high operating scorer---defense, I believed was her one factor missing. But it is still early season.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Regarding Azura's 3-point shooting in games being "abysmal", wouldn't we have said that about Megan Walker before this game? How long did it take for KLS's 3-point shot at UConn to show up in her freshman year? Or Moriah Jefferson?

If Azura is shooting well in practice, Geno is right to let her do it in games until they start falling. While she does need to spend more time in the paint on offense, it would be a huge mistake to ask her to abandon her perimeter game.

I was present in Hartford in December 2014 and watched Azura, as a Duke freshman, play a game against UConn similar to the one that Megan played last night. She needs to be allowed to do that.

Geno's philosophy has been shooter shoot. Like DT in the ND game--keep shooting, eventually they will go in, said as much to Napheesa keep shooting. A frosh clunking may find sitting easier.
If Geno believes Z can shoot--he will expect her to shoot.

 

[hoophuskee]

People who proclaimed she was the "best player on the team" before the season started were unfortunately wrong.

Is this still a competition as to who was right? You and many others were right. I was wrong (and I'll be wrong about million more times over a short time span) and others who thought AZ would start. Me and some others thought AZ would be better. At least for me- it usually is --> play the better player/ start the better player - especially if she is considered POY. Right now Danger is the better player and it seems Danger has this spot locked up. So the word you use --> "unfortunately," is a weird choice of words. What UCONN fan would honestly say "unfortunately" the way the team is playing? I'm thrilled. You just sticking it to me/us in fun? That's fine. But I'm thrilled. They've ben tremendous and remain awesome to watch.

Further I enjoy guard play and fastbreaking more than post play. Plus - even youtube (below) has a highlight that Nurse was the pg for Team Canada - so I thought she could be. Now I've read on this site that she wasn't the pg in Canada. Don't know who is right and it doesn't matter. I'm thrilled with the team performance and knowing that the team has a huge ceiling. Hopefully no more injuries and everyone gets healthy. Then we can hear some of the media go off on how terrible UCONN is for the game. Their misery would bring me great joy.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think what Eric is saying is that Z is not quite as good right now as many of us expected, and that is unfortunate. What we learned in the past month is that Z didn’t get the same benefit from last year’s practices as those who were eligible to play. Some of us wondered if that was the case but weren’t sure. There are at least 2 other things going on now: (1) Z is still a little rusty, not having played in a meaningful game for 20 months, and (2) Z’s play is not fully up to Geno’s expectations. Z may need a little more conditioning. She also needs to be more intense and consistent. Geno sees the potential to be on a par with the likes of Tina Charles and Candace Parker. Z needs to play very hard every possession to get there. I think she can get there, especially if she stays for next season.

In terms of the long discussions over who would be the 5th starter, I thought it would be Crystal, but she’s even better than expected. She has taken a sophomore leap comparable to those of Lou and Pheesa.

In terms of who is the best player on the team, after 3 games, I thought it was Lou by a small margin, based on her offensive versatility and newfound success on defense. Last night, Pheesa looked like her old self and possibly the best. Gabby is, to me, the most valuable, but maybe not quite the best. The surprising thing is that Crystal has played her way into the conversation. I think that Z will be in the conversation in 1-2 months.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think what Eric is saying is that Z is not quite as good right now as many of us expected, and that is unfortunate. What we learned in the past month is that Z didn’t get the same benefit from last year’s practices as those who were eligible to play. Some of us wondered if that was the case but weren’t sure. There are at least 2 other things going on now: (1) Z is still a little rusty, not having played in a meaningful game for 20 months, and (2) Z’s play is not fully up to Geno’s expectations. Z may need a little more conditioning. She also needs to be more intense and consistent. Geno sees the potential to be on a par with the likes of Tina Charles and Candace Parker. Z needs to play very hard every possession to get there. I think she can get there, especially if she stays for next season.

In terms of the long discussions over who would be the 5th starter, I thought it would be Crystal, but she’s even better than expected. She has taken a sophomore leap comparable to those of Lou and Pheesa.

In terms of who is the best player on the team, after 3 games, I thought it was Lou by a small margin, based on her offensive versatility and newfound success on defense. Last night, Pheesa looked like her old self and possibly the best. Gabby is, to me, the most valuable, but maybe not quite the best. The surprising thing is that Crystal has played her way into the conversation. I think that Z will be in the conversation in 1-2 months.

I'm not so sure-- eric starts off with "People who proclaimed . . " Proclaimed is a strong word for making a prediction for a 5th starter. For me and I'm sure others strongly felt AZ would start. But again -- who would be disappointed? The team is doing super. I even like how AZ continues to shoot the 3 as Joe Pugh says and I believe she will continue but at some point she has to hit some with more regularity or only take them in 2nd half blowouts. And I like how Geno isn't "pinning" AZ in the paint. Not only do I like how he has her on the outside sometimes, at 6'6 she can easily look over the wing defender and has the ability to make a good pass. But I recall years ago how Geno had said after the Louisville huge upset of Baylor, he would not have had Griner be just a low post player. That would mean in games during the season, Griner would also have been outside a bit. Heck even Dolson would take some 3's and move out of the paint. Griner took 5 for her whole career. Would love to see how much she played outside fo the lane. Auriemma teaches that to big players that are capable. The ability to play away from the paint too. That's why I agree with Joe Pugh- keep letting AZ shoot and pass from the outside too. Though as I said at some point she is going to have to show she can knock them down.

Would have been easier not to reference "the people who proclaimed . . . " I don't think it was an accident how that sentence was formed-- but all in good fun. Though I don't know for sure. Maybe you are right. That's why I asked . Anyways, if Eric wants to have fun - I have no problem with that. You and he and others were right.