Three comments on OSU game.

[BlueDevils]

I saw some really good moves from Kelsey, Ohio St offensive spacing just didn't compliment her moves. Gabby and Kia have the chance to make this Uconn team truly special. The top half of the 3-2 zone

 

[CocoHusky]

1) What must South Carolina & ND be thinking about the perimeter defense of Gabby Williams, MoJeff, Nurse, & Collier against the 2nd best backcourt in the Country playing mostly zone defense-can you say nightmare!
2) After getting destroyed by South Carolina bigs and twisted up by the UCONN backcourt hopefully Kevin and tOSU will realize that there is more to a team than a collection of talented players and some work on the defensive side of the ball is badly needed.
3) On a night when Moriah and Stewie dominated and everyone was completely giddy about Gabby, I couldn't help but notice that Kia may just have surpassed the college game- with almost 3 full years of eligibility remaining. Will there be
4) Tierney Lawlor's jumper looks mad wet! Geno needs to get her some more shots.

 

[BlueDevils]

Also, I am really impressed with this Uconn team. The way they compliment each other is incredible ... BUT I need to mention something and I'm hoping I'm not the only one who sees is ... BUT is it me or does KLS not really seem like as a typical Uconn player? I started watching Uconn when Dt and A.Beard would face off so I've seen a lot of Uconn over the years. I'm intrigued to see how Geno utilizes her over the years. She seems more of a Stanford type player if you were to ask me. Maybe its her shot idk. She is talented though.

 

[BroadwayVa]

1) What must South Carolina & ND be thinking about the perimeter defense of Gabby Williams, MoJeff, Nurse, & Collier against the 2nd best backcourt in the Country playing mostly zone defense-can you say nightmare!
2) After getting destroyed by South Carolina bigs and twisted up by the UCONN backcourt hopefully Kevin and tOSU will realize that there is more to a team than a collection of talented players and some work on the defensive side of the ball is badly needed.
3) On a night when Moriah and Stewie dominated and everyone was completely giddy about Gabby, I couldn't help but notice that Kia may just have surpassed the college game- with almost 3 full years of eligibility remaining. Will there be
4) Tierney Lawlor's jumper looks mad wet! Geno needs to get her some more shots.

I jumped for joy when Tierney was given the dish and made that shot. I didn't realize at the time she just got Uconn into 100. VERY NICE.
If ever a WIN was a TEAM WIN this one was. Tuck, Nurse, Gabby all did their thing. Katie Lou, Napheesa played great for Frosh being in their first big College game, Ekmark and Chong, and Tierney all put in excellent minutes. Geno has to be pleased and proud that his subs didn't let him down.
The constant and unnecessary high level crowd noise --should have bothered Uconn's upper class-men, it didn't . What was amazing it didn't seem to effect the new kids either.

 

[Bgillon]

Also, I am really impressed with this Uconn team. The way they compliment each other is incredible ... BUT I need to mention something and I'm hoping I'm not the only one who sees is ... BUT is it me or does KLS not really seem like as a typical Uconn player? I started watching Uconn when Dt and A.Beard would face off so I've seen a lot of Uconn over the years. I'm intrigued to see how Geno utilizes her over the years. She seems more of a Stanford type player if you were to ask me. Maybe its her shot idk. She is talented though.

You raise a very interesting question. Some Byers were saying she would start over Gabby and I thought that was ridiculous given we had never seen her play college ball. I think it will take her some time to settle in and define her role. Collier on the other hand looks very comfortable already. KLS will get more comfortable and that will be great for us. It just may take a little more time than some people thought.

 

[BlueDevils]

You raise a very interesting question. Some Byers were saying she would start over Gabby and I thought that was ridiculous given we had never seen her play college ball. I think it will take her some time to settle in and define her role. Collier on the other hand looks very comfortable already. KLS will get more comfortable and that will be great for us. It just may take a little more time than some people thought.

Good for us we dont have our annual December meeting. Seems as if your players always embraces their role that game. Although, I wouldn't mind playing you guys in March. Someone has to do it lol.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Also, I am really impressed with this Uconn team. The way they compliment each other is incredible ... BUT I need to mention something and I'm hoping I'm not the only one who sees is ... BUT is it me or does KLS not really seem like as a typical Uconn player? I started watching Uconn when Dt and A.Beard would face off so I've seen a lot of Uconn over the years. I'm intrigued to see how Geno utilizes her over the years. She seems more of a Stanford type player if you were to ask me. Maybe its her shot idk. She is talented though.

Katie Lou IS A UCONN PLAYER--she probably got a lot of Bonnie and Karlie Stanford injections--. She still is a bit snakebitten in her shooting. But for a Frosh in her first REALLY big College game she did good. 3 point shooters (Chong, Ekmark, KML, Thomas,etc) start out needing to set up to shoot--Geno teaches them to stop and pop. I suspect that by January, after a dozen AAC games under her belt, she'll be drilling 3's and playing Uconn defense. I liked what I saw. I love Collier, good hands, quick thinking, she also needs time.

 

[CocoHusky]

Also, I am really impressed with this Uconn team. The way they compliment each other is incredible ... BUT I need to mention something and I'm hoping I'm not the only one who sees is ... BUT is it me or does KLS not really seem like as a typical Uconn player? I started watching Uconn when Dt and A.Beard would face off so I've seen a lot of Uconn over the years. I'm intrigued to see how Geno utilizes her over the years. She seems more of a Stanford type player if you were to ask me. Maybe its her shot idk. She is talented though.

She is very much a typical UCONN player IMO. She is 1) Adjusting to the college game 2) Playing on a team (for the first time in her life) where she is not the most talented player. Her greatest strength is as a scorer at the moment UCONN is not devoid of scorers. With her size ,length, and shooting stroke look for her to emerge as the number one scoring option for UCONN-perhaps as early as next year and look for Geno to use her all over the floor as she gets stronger. I see a player who understand spacing & movement within the UCONN offense. Her first basket was off a backdoor cut and bounce pass from MoJeff. Her second basket would have come the same way but MoJeff's pass was slightly off. What I see that I don't like is the vast majority of her shot (almost immediately) when she comes in the game is 3 Pt shot. Not the ideal way to come into a game. Doug Collins talks about this all the time. The way you get a shooter going is with a layup or get them to the foul line first.

 

[Icebear]

i expected more from kelsey..... she had a bad shooting night.... and of course, our D had much to do with that

We lived in her head all night long. Between her foul trouble, denying her the ball and the on ball pressure when she did get it we simply lived inside her head.

 

[Icebear]

Katie Lou IS A UCONN PLAYER--she probably got a lot of Bonnie and Karlie Stanford injections--. She still is a bit snakebitten in her shooting. But for a Frosh in her first REALLY big College game she did good. 3 point shooters (Chong, Ekmark, KML, Thomas,etc) start out needing to set up to shoot--Geno teaches them to stop and pop. I suspect that by January, after a dozen AAC games under her belt, she'll be drilling 3's and playing Uconn defense. I liked what I saw. I love Collier, good hands, quick thinking, she also needs time.

She apparently has, also, been ill.

 

[John Glass]

She has been successful with CRAZY Shot selections--until she met Nurse and Jefferson..

Mitchell shot 41% last year and the team was 24-11. You will not beat good teams shooting 41% .

 

[RoyDodger]

Luckily, you're not missing much. At away games in noisy stadiums (SC is shockingly loud), I often turn off the sound so I can focus on the game w/out distraction. The Huskies, however, don't seem to mind what's going on around them . . .

Oh, I didn't mind not hearing what they were saying. I'm more curious about why ESPN has such mediocre sound equipment. I can't believe, in this day and age, they can't have better microphones for their announcers that emphasize the sound of the voice over the background noise.

 

[JSB60]

I liked a lot of things about KLS, she understands the game and uses her height to get on the boards. The shot will come.

 

[RoyDodger]

A couple of things - Rebecca commented last night that she had viewed a recent practice. Geno was his normal, demanding self as was the entire coaching staff. She noted that when things didn't go as anticipated, he didn't shout or rant, he coached, explained & encouraged. She said he really, really, likes this team! That was evident in his post game comments last night.

So - when Sinaya, Natalie & DeJanie are all healthy, Geno has his starters and a 6 deep bench. Now that is scary. He will, as he usually does, turn games into a chess match. The five on the court will match the need at the time. He will be able to go big up front, Natalie, Stewie and Morgan or go small with the likes of Moriah, Kia, Gabby, Napheesa or KLS or Sinaya with Morgan or Stewie. How are teams going to plan for this one?

Well you can start by asking McGuff who admitted that he didn't ecpect UCONN to start last night's game in a zone. Game - set - match!!!!!!

I saw that McGuff admitted that he was "outcoached." Outcoached? OSU played more like a high school team than one that is nationally ranked in the top 10. At times, the OSU players looked completely disorganized and if it weren't for Shayla Cooper, the score might have been even more embarrassing.

 

[FASTEDDY]

]

Absolutely correct, right on, naturally.
I was impressed with Geno using Collier and KLS early . Also when Stewie went out the score changed little (negatively)

what choice did Geno really have?

right now, not a lot of proven depth on the bench. KS and NC need to play well because there's not a lot there at the moment IMO.

also, we need big NB back soon so she can provide size and upgrade our bench.

somewhat of a concern is backcourt depth. Has Saniya improved and is she ready for some big minutes? need her to seriously step it up this year.

LOVED the game and its a GREAT TEAM but I am concerned about inexperience and depth on the bench.

 

[UcMiami]

I think we all have to cut OSU and McGuff some slack - this is a young OSU team that did amazingly well last year while dealing with some serious injuries. Mitchell to some degree had to become a volume shooter for the team to do as well as it did, and with more talent and more bodies this year it will take some time to adjust for everyone, and especially for Mitchell. Add in a truly daunting two games against the best in WCBB to start the season and especially a second game in which they face the BEST defensive team in the country and they can be excused for looking ragged. Give them a month against lesser teams to establish some kind of identity and this could end up being a really good team.
And just consider what might have been had the court situation been reversed - play at Uconn and home to SC with a little better home cooking in terms of foul calls than they got at SC and they might be 1-1 with a win against the #2 ranked team in the country. As it was they played a really close game at SC while being called for 9 more fouls and 35 to 20 foul shot disparity.

 

[Siestakeyfan]

Reminded me of Gulf War I - SHOCK and AWE!!!!

EXCELLENT !!

 

[rugbymate]

Also, I am really impressed with this Uconn team. The way they compliment each other is incredible ... BUT I need to mention something and I'm hoping I'm not the only one who sees is ... BUT is it me or does KLS not really seem like as a typical Uconn player? I started watching Uconn when Dt and A.Beard would face off so I've seen a lot of Uconn over the years. I'm intrigued to see how Geno utilizes her over the years. She seems more of a Stanford type player if you were to ask me. Maybe its her shot idk. She is talented though.

KLS will be a great player for UCONN. Lets remember, she is playing in her first real game with two first team AA's and two more who are in the conversation. Regardless of her background/confidence that has to be a bit intimidating. We saw that with Nurse last year in the beginning of the season in the way she deferred to KML. Look where she is now.
IMO, one of the this years most important roles for our team leadership (Stewie, Tuck and Mo) is to integrate the freshmen by looking for them on offense. Building their confidence will pay huge dividends by year end and for the rest of their careers.

 

[Gus Mahler]

A couple of things - Rebecca commented last night that she had viewed a recent practice. Geno was his normal, demanding self as was the entire coaching staff. She noted that when things didn't go as anticipated, he didn't shout or rant, he coached, explained & encouraged. She said he really, really, likes this team! That was evident in his post game comments last night.

So - when Sinaya, Natalie & DeJanie are all healthy, Geno has his starters and a 6 deep bench. Now that is scary. He will, as he usually does, turn games into a chess match. The five on the court will match the need at the time. He will be able to go big up front, Natalie, Stewie and Morgan or go small with the likes of Moriah, Kia, Gabby, Napheesa or KLS or Sinaya with Morgan or Stewie. How are teams going to plan for this one?

Well you can start by asking McGuff who admitted that he didn't ecpect UCONN to start last night's game in a zone. Game - set - match!!!!!!

Checkmate!

 

[cbraarj]

If Moriah plays like this all year and cuts down on her turnovers(she wasn't happy with the 4.)MoJeff should win POY hands down!She is just an incredible player but also an awesome person!My favorite play last night was her left handed reverse layup!She is the best guard in the country and there is no doubt!

 

[meyers7]

If Moriah plays like this all year and cuts down on her turnovers(she wasn't happy with the 4.)MoJeff should win POY hands down!She is just an incredible player but also an awesome person!My favorite play last night was her left handed reverse layup!She is the best guard in the country and there is no doubt!

Except statistically Stewart still had a better game. More points, more rebounds, same number of assists, less TOs, and 4 blocks. All in less minutes.

Gonna be hard to pry those awards away from Stewart.

 

[cbraarj]

Except statistically Stewart still had a better game. More points, more rebounds, same number of assists, less TOs, and 4 blocks. All in less minutes.

Gonna be hard to pry those awards away from Stewart.

I think it will be like Tina Charles last year with Maya when they each won awards.

 

[PhillyCoach]

I'm conflicted, confused, and mentally challenged---5th man/woman??? Gabby some games --Natalie some games?? Or does Gabby own the spot (my choice)-. 6th person --Butler, Chong, Collier, KLS or Gabby???
All I can say is---As a coach I'd love to have Geno's problems of selecting 5,6,7,8,9, 10, 11 players for games. It gets to be a mix and match season of who is what number in what game.
Few mentioned the fact that when Stewie was out for 6 minutes plus--the level of play didn't drop off at all--
Give Geno huge points for playing Collier and KLS as many minutes in a game this big this early... He has confidence..

Broadway - agree with you as usual. IMHO Gabby has taken the 5th starter position because of Butler's injury. It will be hard to get her out of there. But you mentioned something in your last sentence that is a different Geno. Geno seems to realize that he has to play the freshman not only to win this year (easier to use frosh with this great team) but I actually think Geno knows that next year is going to be a challenge without Stewie and MO and he has to do things a little differently. It seems that he likes the frosh and knows they need the minutes this year to meet the challenge for next year. Not saying that Geno is getting ahead of himself. This new philosophy is secondary to the standard "find the best starting five" and tuning them up to NC level by playing them 25 minutes plus, no matter the score.
My next enjoyment - I am looking forward to the coaching moves when Butler comes back.

 

[Intpseeker]

We can cut tOSU some slack for being young, but I thought that Lubbock Christian ran better offensive sets than Ohio, mostly because OSU really didn't run any sets. On any number of times down the court Ohio reminded me of Baylor after Griner graduated, only Ohio had a few folks who could immediately take it to the hoop after getting the ball over half court. A lot of clearing out and watching Mitchell or whomever do their thing, no matter what the D looked like.

Not impressed by the coach allowing schoolyard ball.

 

[Zorro]

It wasn't a matter of crazy shot selection. There was no thought of selection st all -- she just kept jacking them up.

If the defense is so inconsiderate as to deny you good shots, and your team relies on you to carry the scoring, what alternative do you have?

 

[huskyd]

Broadway - agree with you as usual. IMHO Gabby has taken the 5th starter position because of Butler's injury. It will be hard to get her out of there. But you mentioned something in your last sentence that is a different Geno. Geno seems to realize that he has to play the freshman not only to win this year (easier to use frosh with this great team) but I actually think Geno knows that next year is going to be a challenge without Stewie and MO and he has to do things a little differently. It seems that he likes the frosh and knows they need the minutes this year to meet the challenge for next year. Not saying that Geno is getting ahead of himself. This new philosophy is secondary to the standard "find the best starting five" and tuning them up to NC level by playing them 25 minutes plus, no matter the score.
My next enjoyment - I am looking forward to the coaching moves when Butler comes back.

Exactly right, PC. Geno has to have his next star(s) in place for next year. The losses of Stewart and Jefferson will be incalculable--if Morgan follows, well . . . Katie Lou has a whole lot riding on her thin shoulders. She has to play now. That's why losing Aja and Cox was such a problem.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Listening again to last last night's replay, I again heard the proposed keys from Mowins and White for OSU in the game against the Huskies.

1. Find a consistent THIRD scorer behind Mitchell and Alston. Um, I think finding a first and second scorer was vital before getting carried away looking for a third scorer.

2. They have to rebound the basketball. Definitely on that one, but the big key is to do it more than 28 times. Hard to win games or keep them close when you can't get more effort on the boards.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Broadway - agree with you as usual. IMHO Gabby has taken the 5th starter position because of Butler's injury. It will be hard to get her out of there. But you mentioned something in your last sentence that is a different Geno. Geno seems to realize that he has to play the freshman not only to win this year (easier to use frosh with this great team) but I actually think Geno knows that next year is going to be a challenge without Stewie and MO and he has to do things a little differently. It seems that he likes the frosh and knows they need the minutes this year to meet the challenge for next year. Not saying that Geno is getting ahead of himself. This new philosophy is secondary to the standard "find the best starting five" and tuning them up to NC level by playing them 25 minutes plus, no matter the score.
My next enjoyment - I am looking forward to the coaching moves when Butler comes back.

Agree==what's not to agree with??
I was more than pleased to see Collier (my favorite) and Katie Lou in the game early , then find out they had big time minutes. Re-watched the game today, I like to watch it without high anxiety, and Katie Lou's first shot was a three that bounced off the back rim. I was afraid that she was holding back --i.e. feeling overwhelmed (I doubt that). She moved well, followed her player well, rebounded well--all in all I thought, except for no 3's , that her game was excellent for a Frosh. No she isn't KML or Stewie or Dt or even Maya--remember they all improved from their freshmen first game--so will Collier and Katie Lou. As you already know Coach!!!
I suspect Geno will use Natalie as he did a matured Dolson. Big body inside and drag their bigs outside with her three ball shot. I'm also looking forward to seeing the TEAM with all it physically well players getting PT.

 

[BroadwayVa]

KLS will be a great player for UCONN. Lets remember, she is playing in her first real game with two first team AA's and two more who are in the conversation. Regardless of her background/confidence that has to be a bit intimidating. We saw that with Nurse last year in the beginning of the season in the way she deferred to KML. Look where she is now.
IMO, one of the this years most important roles for our team leadership (Stewie, Tuck and Mo) is to integrate the freshmen by looking for them on offense. Building their confidence will pay huge dividends by year end and for the rest of their careers.

You nailed it!! Have you listened to Jeffersons or Stewie's interviews they spend more time talking about Gabby, Collier, KLS, Tuck, etc.
I think (unless I'm still delusional with my meds) the Total Chemistry is great. Geno believes as GREAT player must have confidence and he pushes confidence from bottom to top and back down again. Going back a bit in decades, Geno was the first coach I knew of that told his shooter to NOT stop shooting when they were slumping--lots of coaches cringed at the misses, not Geno!! Confidence begins with the Coach.

 

[BroadwayVa]

what choice did Geno really have?

right now, not a lot of proven depth on the bench. KS and NC need to play well because there's not a lot there at the moment IMO.

also, we need big NB back soon so she can provide size and upgrade our bench.

somewhat of a concern is backcourt depth. Has Saniya improved and is she ready for some big minutes? need her to seriously step it up this year.

LOVED the game and its a GREAT TEAM but I am concerned about inexperience and depth on the bench.

When in doubt go with EXPERIENCE---Chong and/or Ekmark--but Geno went to his Freshmen--Un Geno like. Or he could have sucked it up and stayed with his starting 5--gamble, coached do that too you know.
Every thing you've said is correct and I agree with all of it. Just offering a different view.