Tiffany Hayes???????

[ChrisSmith]

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?

I'm ok if either player is open, has her feet set, and is on the line, not 3 feet behind it. I doubt Caroline had 8 good 3 point attempts in the game though.

 

[ChrisSmith]

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.

No, I think she got those rebounds and assists because is an excellent athlete and has a lot of heart, plays under a well coached offense, and with talented teammates.

What is Hayes career 3 point percentage?

 

[UConnCat]

Last year Tiff made the same number of 3s as Maya (134) and hit at a slightly lower % than Maya (38% vs 35%). Bria shot the best % at ~39%.

 

[ChrisSmith]

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 happened 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.

I think the poster was trying to excuse Hayes' poor shooting by her strong player in other areas. If you want to say justify, explain, rationalize, or any other word instead of "excuse", be my guest.

She is very talented, and I hope she continues to do things like rebound and distribute the ball. But I also hope she makes better choices shooting the ball.

 

[VAMike23]

No, I think she got those rebounds and assists because is an excellent athlete and has a lot of heart, plays under a well coached offense, and with talented teammates.

What is Hayes career 3 point percentage?

Tiff's career 3-pt average is 34.5%.

 

[ChrisSmith]

Last year Tiff made the same number of 3s as Maya (134) and hit at a slightly lower % than Maya (38% vs 35%). Bria shot the best % at ~39%.

Not sure if you are suggesting that Hayes is in Moore's category as a shooter, but that was Moore's worst season shooting the 3, she was still 3.5% better than Hayes, and 3.5% is very significant when talking about 3 point shooting percentage.

Tiffany has averaged roughly 3.5 three point attempts per game over her career. On a night she was cold, she shot double that.

 

[storrsbred1]

My impression of Tiff the BB player is she has her best shooting performances against teams where the outcome is (almost) predetermined and her worst against teams where UConn might lose.

As has been mentioned she did other things last night and did them well. A departure from past seasons.

 

[arty155]

tough crowd...

did UConn win?

- Roger that. Indeed, by double digits.
- It was also Tiffany Hayes’ initiative (energy, athleticism, skill) that knocked Nnemkadi Ogwumike out of the first half. That Hayes drive - drawing Ogwumike’s second foul – proved key, limiting all the havoc wrought by Stanford’s superb leader… which indeed picked right up again in the second half.
- Shots a problem? I’ve got to go with the coaches on that one. Post game comments by Geno (Husky Vision) and CD (WTIC) noted her missed shots – but were full of praise – coaches seeing past that and recognizing Hayes energetic contribution. Geno’s comments (11:30 Huskyvision Post Game ) explain he is upbeat despite missed shots by the whole team during the season’s very first big game (‘We’re going to make those… The key is how you’re going to beat a really good team when they don’t go in… We didn’t win the game tonight because we made every shot. It’s easy to do that. I think you feel better when you win games when shots don’t go in… And she had 13 rebounds. So you like to see like what are kids going to do when the thing they like to do isn’t working for them. And I thought all those things were positive. Look I don’t know that there will be a lot of teams that are going to score 75 or 80 against Stanford. It’s just not going to happen. They are just are too big, too physical. So, I am more looking at what kind of shots did we get that didn’t go in. And I think except for the first 5 minutes, the kind of shots we got are the kind you can be, for the most part, kind of proud of; they just did not go in. But the pressure of the game… that stuff happens sometimes early in big games.’).
-So, tough to watch shots missing? Sure. That’s why winners toughen up. Tiff did. UConn’s only senior not only knocked Ogwumike out of the first half, she then led her teammates and all players in offensive rebounds, total rebounds, assists, and steals (tied with Bria). Key stats - key role defeating Stanford’s attempt to break UConn’s unprecedented NCAA home win streak.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Listen carefully to what Auriemma said about Hayes' contribution.

Hayes is probably a fair 3 point shooter at best. The same applies to Doty. The knock on Hayes has been consistency and I also think that applies to some extent to Doty. Hayes was not ranked in the top 150 D1 players in 3 point fg% last year because of the low number of attempts. Her 34.9 average puts her rank at 104th.

 

[Icebear]

I'm ok if either player is open, has her feet set, and is on the line, not 3 feet behind it. I doubt Caroline had 8 good 3 point attempts in the game though.

Tiff has never shot her three point shots from the line. Reason is that she uses a set shot not a jumper. She needs to be a full step back because of the lower and slow release.

 

[Pete]

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.

Add to that she played 35 minute,s second most on the team, 12 minutes more than kelly who it seems played the perfect game

 

[VAUConnFan]

No, I think she got those rebounds and assists because is an excellent athlete and has a lot of heart, plays under a well coached offense, and with talented teammates.

What is Hayes career 3 point percentage?

WOW! WOW! I wish that it was possible to not comment about remarks such as these. Here, yet again, is a remark made about a player making plays on sheer athletic ability.
Supposedly, UConn only recruits smart players. Did they miss on this one?

BTW: Coming into the season, Tiffany Hayes had a career three point shooting percentage of .347.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Last year Tiff made the same number of 3s as Maya (134) and hit at a slightly lower % than Maya (38% vs 35%). Bria shot the best % at ~39%.

Maya and Tiffany converted the same number of free throws(134) last year, but Maya made 68 threes to Tiffany's 51.

 

[UConnCat]

Maya and Tiffany converted the same number of free throws(134) last year, but Maya made 68 threes to Tiffany's 51.

Wow. Not sure why the 134 number didn't hit me as a ridiculous number of 3s that no one would make in a season. Still tired from last night. I think I got the %s correct.

BTW, Maya was a better 3-pt shooter than Tiff but it's not like Tiff was awful either.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

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!

13 rebounds yes, 6 assist... not 8. Granted it only has her listed as having 1 turnover.... but she was 3-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the line. I am not pleased with the circus shots she took, the ones that had no chance in hell of going in, the ones that were out of control.... and many of those shoots resulted in Stanford rebounding the ball and having possessions so in a way it was a turnover, but it is not recorded.. if I were to go back and watch the game again I bet there would be at least 5-8 shots that were rushed/forced and she could have added to her assist if she took the time to play the game of basketball UCONN's way...

 

[ChrisSmith]

WOW! WOW! I wish that it was possible to not comment about remarks such as these. Here, yet again, is a remark made about a player making plays on sheer athletic ability.
Supposedly, UConn only recruits smart players. Did they miss on this one?

BTW: Coming into the season, Tiffany Hayes had a career three point shooting percentage of .347.

First, I did not say she made plays on sheer athletic ability. I explicitly mentioned athletic ability AND heart. On top of that, my list was not intended to be exhaustive.

Second, what makes you think UConn only recruits smart players? I doubt that is true. I'm sure it is a factor, but there are other factors as well. Maybe Geno did miss on this one; I think Hayes is on lower end of being basketball intelligence as far as the team goes.

Thirdly, is .347% good? I imagine it is lower than Moore, Hartley, KML, and number of other UConn sharp shooters.

 

[VAUConnFan]

First, I did not say she made plays on sheer athletic ability. I explicitly mentioned athletic ability AND heart. On top of that, my list was not intended to be exhaustive.

Second, what makes you think UConn only recruits smart players? I doubt that is true. I'm sure it is a factor, but there are other factors as well. Maybe Geno did miss on this one; I think Hayes is on lower end of being basketball intelligence as far as the team goes.

Thirdly, is .347% good? I imagine it is lower than Moore, Hartley, KML, and number of other UConn sharp shooters.

My point about .347 is that Caroline is at .348. In yesterday's game, Tiffany was 3-15, Caroline was 2-10. Yet, Tiffany is receiving heaps of criticism, while praise is heaped upon Caroline.

Why are you so intent upon harping upon Tiffany Hayes' perceived lack of basketball intelligence? Whether you stated that Tiffany made plays with athletic ability and heart is of little concern. The fact is you specifically ruled out intelligence.

For all we know, there may have been a game plan in place for Tiffany to try to take it to the hole early, similar to the strategy Baylor employed in the first few possessions against Notre Dame before bringing Syms into the game.

 

[ChrisSmith]

My point about .347 is that Caroline is at .348. In yesterday's game, Tiffany was 3-15, Caroline was 2-10. Yet, Tiffany is receiving heaps of criticism, while praise is heaped upon Caroline.

Why are you so intent upon harping upon Tiffany Hayes' perceived lack of basketball intelligence? Whether you stated that Tiffany made plays with athletic ability and heart is of little concern. The fact is you specifically ruled out intelligence.

For all we know, there may have been a game plan in place for Tiffany to try to take it to the hole early, similar to the strategy Baylor employed in the first few possessions against Notre Dame before bringing Syms into the game.

I have not mentioned Doty, let alone praised her. KML and Hartley won that game for UConn. What was remarkable to me was that I thought out of the 8 that played, only 3 players stepped up - KML, Hartley, and Stokes (given Stokes' role on the team).

I'm singling out Hayes because she is a senior, so one might expect her to be one of the better decision makers on the team. Instead, she makes some of the worst decisions.

And I think Tiffany should take it the hole. But I also think she should do so under control. If not, pull it out. And I don't think the game plan was for her take 7 three pointers.

 

[Tonyc]

The game was won by the defense. Steals, blocks and also rebounds. It was a team effort. On offense Bria and KML carried the team last night. As the season progresses we will see others step up. Last night much like the NC game a couple of years ago when Tina and Maya and the rest couldnt throw the ball in the ocean, we managed to have Maya and Caroline step up and the team got on track.
Games are won and lost by the team not by one player. Tiff and many others had an off shooting night and UConn won. There will be nights when KML and Bria have off nights and the team will win. Accept it and lets move on. Dwelling on mistakes of the past only make you play worse. Repeating and repeating negitives dont help you improve. Lets hope Tiff can put this behind her and move forward. Why are fans picking on Tiffany because their feeling is in big games she disappears. She didnt disappear last night. She filled the stat sheet with everything but points. Accept it. She will learn and improve from this. One thing big games early on do and that is amplify your weaknesses. This game did that and as a team we need to overcome our shooting woahs.

 

[doggydaddy]

I have not mentioned Doty, let alone praised her. KML and Hartley won that game for UConn. What was remarkable to me was that I thought out of the 8 that played, only 3 players stepped up - KML, Hartley, and Stokes (given Stokes' role on the team).

I'm singling out Hayes because she is a senior, so one might expect her to be one of the better decision makers on the team. Instead, she makes some of the worst decisions.

And I think Tiffany should take it the hole. But I also think she should do so under control. If not, pull it out. And I don't think the game plan was for her take 7 three pointers.

You are downplaying or completely ignoring her 13 rebounds and 6 (should have been 8 with 2 missed layups) and only 1 turnover. I watched the game again this morning specifically watching hayes and she only made a couple of bad decisions. Moves to the basket that she usually finishes on are not bad decisions. And while she did have one ugly 3, it actually was wide open and a good decision.

 

[ChrisSmith]

You are downplaying or completely ignoring her 13 rebounds and 6 (should have been 8 with 2 missed layups) and only 1 turnover. I watched the game again this morning specifically watching hayes and she only made a couple of bad decisions. Moves to the basket that she usually finishes on are not bad decisions. And while she did have one ugly 3, it actually was wide open and a good decision.

I'm not downplaying that. I think she did a great job distributing, rebounding, and on defense. I thought she made awful decisions when shooting. On the whole, I think she played fine. I don't think Hayes playing fine will be enough to beat Baylor.

This isn't the first game I've questioned Hayes decision making. But I really have nothing else to add at this point. We can monitor as the season progresses. I like Hayes and hope she proves me wrong.

 

[doggydaddy]

I'm not downplaying that. I think she did a great job distributing, rebounding, and on defense. I thought she made awful decisions when shooting. On the whole, I think she played fine. I don't think Hayes playing fine will be enough to beat Baylor.

This isn't the first game I've questioned Hayes decision making. But I really have nothing else to add at this point. We can monitor as the season progresses. I like Hayes and hope she proves me wrong.

Well, as they we agree to disagree. As I said, I watched the game again and we have a difference of opinion on what is a good/bad shot,

 

[Kibitzer]

I much more enjoyed seeing Kaleena hoist Tiffany with an exhuberant and celebratory hug as the clock ran down at the end of a big victory over a highly ranked opponent than I do reading some of these unwarranted criticisms of a fine player. I stand my ground on my earlier post about Tiffany.

 

[Icebear]

The errors I saw in a couple of Tiff's shot was not that the shot was bad but that two were much too early in the shot clock. Nothing big but could have been better. Both times rebounders were badly out of position.

 

[VAUConnFan]

The game was won by the defense. Steals, blocks and also rebounds. It was a team effort. On offense Bria and KML carried the team last night. As the season progresses we will see others step up. Last night much like the NC game a couple of years ago when Tina and Maya and the rest couldnt throw the ball in the ocean, we managed to have Maya and Caroline step up and the team got on track.
Games are won and lost by the team not by one player. Tiff and many others had an off shooting night and UConn won. There will be nights when KML and Bria have off nights and the team will win. Accept it and lets move on. Dwelling on mistakes of the past only make you play worse. Repeating and repeating negitives dont help you improve. Lets hope Tiff can put this behind her and move forward. Why are fans picking on Tiffany because their feeling is in big games she disappears. She didnt disappear last night. She filled the stat sheet with everything but points. Accept it. She will learn and improve from this. One thing big games early on do and that is amplify your weaknesses. This game did that and as a team we need to overcome our shooting woahs.

Tony, I have made a habit of conceding to and enjoying your ever abundant optimism. However, I will challenge you on points of fact. In this case, it might just be a matter of points of view. It just seems that our recollections of the 2010 national championship game differ.