Tiffany Hayes???????

[Sonny44]

She doesn't creat her own shot except for layups. On the perimeter if there's a defender in front of her she's stuck.

 

[Icebear]

Unlike past years, Tiff did not get down on herself, and she kept working. She got rebounds and assists and played defense. If she has made a couple of layups and one more trey, we would be raving about her game.

That sentence says it all.

 

[ABachelor6CR]

While her defense was very good (as was the teams)...her shot selection was terrible....I not talking about missing shots.....but throwing up brick after brick.....being a senior, one would think that her selection would be of a better quality......

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Tiff tried to do too much too quickly...yet, she played good D, rebounded well, and settled down in the second half. Some of the comments here must be made by posters who never touched a basketball.

 

[Zorro]

Go back and look at the video of the first half. There is nothing wrong with her shot selection. She threw up one wild shot after she got a rebound too far under the basket to do anything with it and, being surrounded by trees, just threw it up, for lack of anything else to do with it. On another drive, she seemed to slip. Other than that, she drew three fouls, got clobbered on at least on other drive but did not get the call. Her three-point attempts were within the flow of the game. This "wild shots" business is inacurate.

 

[VAMike23]

Go back and look at the video of the first half. There is nothing wrong with her shot selection. She threw up one wild shot after she got a rebound too far under the basket to do anything with it and, being surrounded by trees, just threw it up, for lack of anything else to do with it. On another drive, she seemed to slip. Other than that, she drew three fouls, got clobbered on at least on other drive but did not get the call. Her three-point attempts were within the flow of the game. This "wild shots" business is inacurate.

I wouldn't call it a 'wild shot' because she was open and had time to shoot, but in the 2nd half there was this 3-pt shot she took from the right wing where she just threw the ball up with an odd motion, landing in a ridiculous split step that was totally unnatural since she shot from a squared-up stance, and the ball went completely past the rim off the backboard without drawing iron. It was not a shot that was made with poise. Other plays on the inside were likewise rushed/hurried, played at the "110% speed" that I was worried about for her before the game. (You mentioned one time when she was surrounded by trees--there were others where she made similar types of plays inside.)

Now, having said that....!.... I will repeat what I said before and join other BYers in the much more important and POSITIVE point which was that even though things weren't generally working well on the offensive end, she did not let it affect her aggressiveness on the boards, on defense, on hustle plays, on driving and still drawing some fouls as you pointed out. She didn't let it deflate her entire game as she once might have. She took the energy and channeled it into other areas. Geno said as much in the post-game, how happy he was that on a night when most folks weren't doing so well on the offensive end, the team still found ways to win, using Tiff and her stat line as an example. You watch Tiff and you see someone truly with the heart of a lion, probably plays with more raw heart than any other Husky. She just cares so much, and in big moments she can't hide it. Something inside just makes her go at 110%, like a sports car at redline. The great ones are able to play like they have blinders on emotionally in big moments and focus their play a better than Tiff. That other #3, DT, has the same kind of heart as Tiff but she has the additional skill of the assassin: she can focus herself emotionally when she wants to. Even early on, KML also seems to have that skill. The big moments don't seem to change her game--if anything it seems to slow down a little bit. You can see her moves develop and they looks effortless when executed. This ability to focus emotionally in big moments and play with more poise is what you hope to see from a senior like Tiff, but it's just not in her make-up to always have that ability at her disposal. (As Geno has said, she was much more relaxed in situations when there is a Renee or a Tina or a Maya on the floor. It's much harder for her emotionally to play with great poise when they need her to carry the water.) None of this means that I don't love Tiff Hayes. Caroline may be the overt leader and can also be called the heart of the team, but Tiffany's oncourt emotional energy is its lifeblood. She DEFINES the whole notion of "Heart of a Husky"!!!

 

[John Fryer]

I've been totally amazed at how out of control Tiffany Hayes has been. Isn't she a senior??? I've never seen anyone whose put up such outrageous shots from every conceivable angle and place on the floor. Thankfully we have an outstanding freshman that's keeping us in this game.

Wow! I am amazed. How did you reach those conclusions?

My reading of the Box Score (see below) suggests something entirely different.

For example, she had more rebounds than Stef.

Another example, she had more assists than CD, the younger.

Final example, she out performed Kelis Fisher in every category, except TOs.

Peace,

John Fryer

STARTERS
MINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AOREBREBASTSTLBLKTOPFPTS

S Dolson
31 2-5 0-0 5-6 3 9 0 0 4 1 3 9

T Hayes​

35 3-15 1-7 2-5 5 13 6 3 1 1 1 9

C Doty​

24 2-10 2-8 0-0 0 2 1 1 1 2 2 6

B Hartley​

38 8-16 1-5 2-2 1 3 4 3 0 2 2 19

K Faris​

21 0-5 0-3 0-2 1 4 3 1 1 1 2 0

 

[vtcwbuff]

I agree that her shot selection wasn't bad but her execution was terrible. In the 1st five minutes she attempted, and missed 5 shots. Her first attempt at a 3 point shot was terrible shot selection. Look at her position. She's 4-5 feet behind the arc. She missed layups on 3 consecutive drives. In each case she seemed to be off balance and out of control when she put up the shot.

After Lewis got the scoring ball rolling Hayes played much better. She seemed to be more relaxed and into the flow of the game.

 

[Bigpetunia]

For all of us who hoped that another year of maturation would prove beneficial to Tiff's game, this was a pretty big disappointment, much as it pains me to say it. Aggressive? Yes. But in trying to do too much, she played just as wildly out of control as she did in the big games the previous few years. Come tourney time, this is going to hurt our chances....it's getting late in the day to expect a more mature approach to combine with her undeniable ahleticism. Great kid....but the same player we saw last year.

 

[John Fryer]

For all of us who hoped that another year of maturation would prove beneficial to Tiff's game, this was a pretty big disappointment, much as it pains me to say it. Aggressive? Yes. But in trying to do too much, she played just as wildly out of control as she did in the big games the previous few years. Come tourney time, this is going to hurt our chances....it's getting late in the day to expect a more mature approach to combine with her undeniable ahleticism. Great kid....but the same player we saw last year.

I can't help but wonder what kind of reactions I would see if certain unnamed players had put together the numbers that TH did?

Perhaps the old saying is really true.

Strongly held beliefs and emotions can influnce our perceptions of reality.

Okay, I made that up. But I hope you get my point.

Peace,

John Fryer

 

[cferraro04]

Hey now...no one seems to be mentioning Tiffany's number one area of improvement over last year. It appears she has relinquished her position as the human floor polisher.

 

[Phil]

Hey now...no one seems to be mentioning Tiffany's number one area of improvement over last year. It appears she has relinquished her position as the human floor polisher.

Heh, good point. As I said to the people sitting next to me at one point, "look at all the bodies on the floor, and none of them Tiff." I don't think it is my imagination that there were a lot more bodies hitting the deck than usual.

 

[timedout]

Byte thy tongues, naysayers. Her stat line was not too shabby!

 

[UConnCat]

I think waltww said it best. There are so many factors that go in to making a good team. One of them is being able to play through adversity and find ways to contribute to a win when things aren't going your way. In the past Tiffany would allow her offensive woes to affect her attitude (she'd pout) and her production. That didn't happen last night. For the first time ever, she fought through it and contributed greatly in other areas. She showed maturity. If Tiffany is able to build on this, then we'll look back on last night and realize it needed to play out just as it did.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I can't help but wonder what kind of reactions I would see if certain unnamed players had put together the numbers that TH did?

Perhaps the old saying is really true.

Strongly held beliefs and emotions can influnce our perceptions of reality.

Okay, I made that up. But I hope you get my point.

Peace,

John Fryer

Point well taken. A very apt quote.

 

[Icebear]

Tiff's temptation and issue was almost entirely early on when she was trying to win it all herself and got into trouble on several drives. After, the first break she settled down and gave a great game performance focussing on doing all things rather than the one thing. She had a very solid game.

 

[Phil]

Point well taken. A very apt quote.

I agree, good quote.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Hey now...no one seems to be mentioning Tiffany's number one area of improvement over last year. It appears she has relinquished her position as the human floor polisher.

Dolson isn't exactly a floor polisher. When she hits the floor she's more like a floor demolisher.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I can't help but wonder what kind of reactions I would see if certain unnamed players had put together the numbers that TH did?

Perhaps the old saying is really true.

Strongly held beliefs and emotions can influnce our perceptions of reality.

Okay, I made that up. But I hope you get my point.

Peace,

John Fryer

True enough but that's a two way street. Although in this case, there can only be one perception of the reality of the first few minutes of last night's game, particularly as it applies to Hayes.

 

[Tonyc]

Watching the game from up close thanks Charlie, Tiff does not need to think she has to score to make a difference. Her freshman year and in her good games she waits for the opportune time to take a shot or make a play. Last night and other nights when shes off she rushs her shot and trys to force herself to drive when the lane isnt open. There are times she should penetrate and kick it out but dosnt. I think she needs to get in her head she dosnt have to score 20 pts every game. She needs to take shots when shes got them, and when theyre not there kick it out. She needs to get out of her head she needs to make something happen and let the game and defense dictate that for her. I remember the regional game in Trenton againest Cal where she scored 28 pts. She was wide open and took her time with her shot. That thought process has disappeared. Well Geno will straighten that out. Enuff said.

 

[ChrisSmith]

13 boards and 8 assists obviously don't please you guys. I guess if she DID have some refinement and basketball IQ, she would have made more of her open threes. Sheesh!

She did a lot of good things, but she didn't play close to the level that she can. I'm not sure why you are trying to excuse that. UConn won't beat Baylor the way Hayes played against Stanford.

To me the fact that she can do so much besides jack up shots (the rebounds, assists, and defense) doesn't make her awful decisions with ball better - it makes it worse. She is not a good three point shooter. She should not be shooting 8 threes in a game. She should take the ball to the hoop, and do so under control. She should take 1 or 2 threes a game; only when she is open, set, and right on the line - not 3 feet behind it.

She is a female Dyson, which is both a good and bad thing - terrific athlete, lots of heart, but not a smart player.

 

[VAUConnFan]

She did a lot of good things, but she didn't play close to the level that she can. I'm not sure why you are trying to excuse that. UConn won't beat Baylor the way Hayes played against Stanford.

To me the fact that she can do so much besides jack up shots (the rebounds, assists, and defense) doesn't make her awful decisions with ball better - it makes it worse. She is not a good three point shooter. She should not be shooting 8 threes in a game. She should take the ball to the hoop, and do so under control. She should take 1 or 2 threes a game; only when she is open, set, and right on the line - not 3 feet behind it.

She is a female Dyson, which is both a good and bad thing - terrific athlete, lots of heart, but not a smart player.

You, at least, had the temerity to come right out and say what you felt as opposed to hiding behind nuances.

Tiffany Hayes, BTW, has a career 3 pt shooting percentage that is .001 points lower than Caroline Doty's. With such similar shooting stats would you also suggest that Caroline not take 8 threes in a game?

 

[Zorro]

Has it occurred to any of you that Tiffany might have been doing exactly what Geno told her to do; take it inside every chance you get and see if you can't maybe draw a foul or two on the Big O's? Driving is what she does best, and she is our best driver. You did not see Geno yelling at her or telling her to change her play, did you? And taking it inside against the trees is not the world's easiest assignment; they can make you look pretty foolish occasionally.

 

[Zorro]

She did a lot of good things, but she didn't play close to the level that she can. I'm not sure why you are trying to excuse that. UConn won't beat Baylor the way Hayes played against Stanford.

To me the fact that she can do so much besides jack up shots (the rebounds, assists, and defense) doesn't make her awful decisions with ball better - it makes it worse. She is not a good three point shooter. She should not be shooting 8 threes in a game. She should take the ball to the hoop, and do so under control. She should take 1 or 2 threes a game; only when she is open, set, and right on the line - not 3 feet behind it.

She is a female Dyson, which is both a good and bad thing - terrific athlete, lots of heart, but not a smart player.

So you are saying that she got those assists (and should have had a couple m ore, but for blown layups by teammates) and rebounds just by happy accident? No smarts or planning involved? Incidentally, she IS a pretty good three-point shooter. And she has always shot from a few feet behind the line. I am sure that Geno encourages her (and Caroline and Bria and Kelly) to take 3's when they are open. If you "shoot 1 or 2 threes a game" your opponent is going to lay off you and stop your drives before they start.

 

[UConnCat]

She did a lot of good things, but she didn't play close to the level that she can. I'm not sure why you are trying to excuse that. UConn won't beat Baylor the way Hayes played against Stanford.

To me the fact that she can do so much besides jack up shots (the rebounds, assists, and defense) doesn't make her awful decisions with ball better - it makes it worse. She is not a good three point shooter. She should not be shooting 8 threes in a game. She should take the ball to the hoop, and do so under control. She should take 1 or 2 threes a game; only when she is open, set, and right on the line - not 3 feet behind it.

She is a female Dyson, which is both a good and bad thing - terrific athlete, lots of heart, but not a smart player.

No one is trying to excuse anything. In the past Tiffany wouldn't contribute rebounds or assists or defense when things didn't go her way offensively. Last night was different. The coaches noticed it and I'm sure her teammates noticed it as well. It won't mean nearly as much if she doesn't build on last night and make better decisions with the ball while also continuing to contribute in other ways. A player can't prove to herself, her coaches or her teammates that she's matured unless and until the player shows it. If that's the case with Tiff -- and we'll know in a couple of weeks against aTm -- then last night needed to play out just as it did.

Lots of "shoulds" thrown in the post. As much as I dislike that word, maybe we should not think it's as easy as we think it is.