Time for the "Small" lineup option

[Geew1992]

I agree. The problem I think is that Paige insists on starting.

No she doesn't. Can we please stop making up

 

[Geew1992]

Soooo basically, you're saying Geno is already doing what you're proposing he should do. Soooo what's the point of this thread?

To question Geno's coaching!

 

[Ralph]

CD stepped up when we needed her earlier. Lately, however, she seems to be in the Freshman slump, like Stewie had. Stewie got out of it at tourney time when we sure needed her. CD does not seem to have gotten her mojo back yet. The 3's not just not going in, they are often missing by a lot. Where is the shooter who beat Azzi in some 3 point contest finals? Would love to get her back for the next few games. Play 10 minutes a game, hit two 3's and a two for 8 points. Plus 2 rebounds a block and a steal, no TO's. I don't ask for much.

 

[BBallF]

What! Where did you get that little nugget? So, you think Geno is allowing a player to determine who starts? I wonder if he has to run substitutions by her as well? They must have some kind of prearranged signal. Perhaps Geno (with a pleading look) holds up a number of fingers to let her know what player he is suggesting to come in and Paige shows her approval/disapproval by dribbling in Morse code. I just can’t believe what I’m reading! Geno decides who starts/plays!

Before you criticize, read Geno's quote about Nika recently hating everybody ( tongue in cheek) and it also includes a passage about Paige wanting to start and him having a riot on his hands. The next game Paige started and Nika did not. The conclusion was not unreasonable. That's where I got that implication from. It was not fictional at all but based on those facts and his statement. Now, the other side of the coin is that Geno said the reason Nika didn't play in the second half against UCF was because he needed offense. Azzi played almost the entire game despite 3 very improvident passes that were stolen. Paige is obviously a lot more offense than Nika. That is perhaps another reason and maybe the determinative one since Geno also said the defense was very good without Nika against UCF. I like Nika starting however. I think she adds a lot of energy and identity to the team. She has to control her adrenaline/emotions though. After she hit that 3 she committed 2 quick unnecessary fouls and was done.

 

[Conndog]

It is interesting to look at/compare having Paige in there vs Caroline. Both are coming back from injuries (Paige had much more serious one obviously) but she is not 100%, don't think she'll get back to her old form this year. Is she still a great player who can score? Yes, but it worried me to see her play, what's the word, tentatively? cautiously? against UCF. I was really dismayed to see the difficulty she had against their press.

Suppose Caroline had the minutes that Paige received against UCF? Yes, she missed two layups/short shots, but she was only in there 4 minutes. If given Paige's minutes, how many points would she have scored ultimately? Caroline sometimes takes a bit to get going (isn't our whole team guilty of this as well? How often do we start out blazing in a game? But her height and willingness to get inside is an option that no other guard seems to offer including Paige. She can handle the ball and be useful against the press. She rebounds well and with her height can be just as effective a defender if not better. She too is recovering still from her injury/concussion, but she has tons of ability, and I worry that not playing her more will hurt the team during this tournament.

I'm not saying Caroline is better than Paige, not at all- but with Paige not 100%, just playing a what-if scenario here

 

[Pharos]

Respectfully disagree. We'll need to establish a better inside out game in order to beat NC State.

The good news is that we are much bigger than them with Liv and Edward's in the lineup. We should exploit that in my opinion, as the match-ups at almost every position should give them fits.

The not somgood news is that our three bigs would have to really buy into a style of play this team still struggles with, and then have themselves a night.

Another way to look at the size differences... Cunane is the only really tall NCS player. With a Liv (or Dorka) + 4 guards lineup Cunane could be drawn out to defend Liv and open up the middle nicely for a lot of picking and cutting. Dorka, too, can draw Cunane out. A combination of two together could work similarly. Trick then will be to keep from crowding the middle.

 

[TeamFirst!]

If we do end up playing NC State, maybe the best approach to beating them is to get Cunane in foul trouble by attacking the middle.

 

[jdote33]

I agree with the OP. I know the level of competition was different but I remember CDs first game back from the head injury, within the first five minutes of subbing in, she had a pull up jumper, a couple rebounds and some beautiful outlook passes She just does all sorts of basketball things. Even in the first game of the tourney she had a couple great steals and scores. I disagree with the idea that the moment was too big for her on Monday. I remembered thinking that early in the season against Arkansas and Seton Hall, mainly cuz she seemed like she was trying to do too much and playing sped up. But she's grown a lot since then. Dropped 14 in like 14 minutes against ND, 20 plus against Louisville. The image I have of the home game against Creighton is her throwing shots. Lol. But I don't want to digress too much from the topic. I do think throwing out a small ball lineup at times would be smart. I don't like the idea of always worrying about matchups and what the other team is doing. With all the foul trouble Monday, ew was playing a lot of 4 and ucf couldn't really capitalize. So I think small ball is worth a shot even against teams with very good bigs. Mainly because I think CD (and ew) are such difference makers.

 

[CocoHusky]

Is it my imagination or does Coco just love the put down? Can't wait to do it. I'm just an occasional fan but even an amateur can be right sometime. And the supposed experts very wrong.

It is not you imagination!

 

[Conndog]

I love the small line-up idea! It gives up rebounding to some degree, and it wouldn’t work well against a team with multiple bigs, but look at how much scoring is available with Azzi, Christyn, Page and Caroline on the floor. Any of them can hit the three or go inside, Caroline gives good size too, Evina and Nika just add to the options. Yes vote here depending on situation

 

[CB360]

Another thread proclaiming Geno and staff incompetent.

AND debating who should start and why.....

 

[JoePgh]

Regarding Caroline ...

It is noteworthy that in her 4 minutes of PT against UCF, she got 2 wide-open layup opportunities. Who else can say that? Her positioning was flawless, and the physical play didn't seem to bother her. It appeared to me that she was active (perhaps hyperactive) all over the court, i.e., she was her usual self at the defensive end, looking for opportunities to pick off passes and start the break. But then she missed those two layups.

I think Geno's diagnosis was hyperactivity disorder, basically the same syndrome as Nika. That kind of play can have good effects, but it can also have bad effects if the activity is undisciplined. I can imagine Geno deciding that this was a game where discipline was required, which is why Evina got a lot of minutes despite not being as aggressive as some other players. She also didn't do anything stupid, and may have contributed to the victory in that way.

In another game (say, Indiana, who plays sound basketball but does not try to create mayhem), both Nika and CD may get more minutes, and may create some positive mayhem that disrupts Indiana's orderly play. After watching Indiana play Princeton, they remind me of Marquette in their style of play, but the Hoosiers have more talented scorers than Marquette. That is a team that UConn should be well-configured to play against.

However, I would still like to be able to call her Caroline Ducharme on this forum. (If that sentence contains Caroline's full name, it is because an automatic text substitution has been applied to Boneyard posts so that "Caroline Ducharme" is not seen. I wish I understood why.

 

[HopJim]

Another thread proclaiming Geno and staff incompetent.

Not sure why anyone would think the post "proclaimed Geno incompetent." All coaches have tendencies, Geno included. Seems normal for a coach of last year's Player of the Year to want her in as much as is possible and as much as she can handle after a major injury. Also seems a normal to suggest when the Big East Defensive Player of the Year can make her best impact. Working with both is what caused Geno to bring Evina off the bench and will lead him to make this decision as well.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Geno has gone to this approach several times now. I think we see it again before we are through.

 

[Dogstar]

I don't like to hear that, you make it seem like she's the head coach. I also didn't like when last season Muhl was "jokingly" saying Paige is the head coach.

Curious..is this a case of
"Sometimes the truth hurts" ?

 

[snowkot]

Quite auspicious option, for me.

Spread the floor with four dangerously capable 3-point shooters, five with Ms. Juhász. Both posts are excellent passer / facilitators, from either block. Opportunity to speed the transition game preventing the defense from setting up after misses.

Virtually eliminates the threat of weak side doubles or traps. Offers significant issues for zone, and those stifling physical defenses, jumping out on screens, pressuring the ball causing problems with motion offenses off the high block, and the high-low game.

Horses for courses. I suspect there would be moments where this could be extremely effective. Three #1 overall recruits (Fudd, Bueckers and Williams) on the permiter, the fourth the winner of McDonald's 3-point shooting contest. Both Caroline Ducharme and Christyn Williams are proficient rebounders.

Well consiered TeamFirst.

 

[jchusky]

Curious..is this a case of
"Sometimes the truth hurts" ?

you're right Paige is the head coach my mistake. When she finishes her playing career at Uconn she's taking over full-time.

 

[Fossil]

The adjustment I'd like to see made for the next game is to reinsert Nika as a starter. Paige should come off the bench and would certainly play more minutes than Nika. But Nika just sets such a ferocious tone for defense and pace of play. We saw during the Big East tournament that the team gets off to a much better start with her in there from the beginning.

I kinda like that idea because when Nika gets the ball in the back caught she pushes the ball much faster than EW or Paige not letting the defense set up. It’s funny that Nika may not actually do anything more than Paige would do but she sets a tone of intensity that appears to hurry the opposition. If what you’re suggesting isn’t working just sub in page no harm no foul.

 

[ballerfan]

Before you criticize, read Geno's quote about Nika recently hating everybody ( tongue in cheek) and it also includes a passage about Paige wanting to start and him having a riot on his hands. The next game Paige started and Nika did not. The conclusion was not unreasonable. That's where I got that implication from. It was not fictional at all but based on those facts and his statement. Now, the other side of the coin is that Geno said the reason Nika didn't play in the second half against UCF was because he needed offense. Azzi played almost the entire game despite 3 very improvident passes that were stolen. Paige is obviously a lot more offense than Nika. That is perhaps another reason and maybe the determinative one since Geno also said the defense was very good without Nika against UCF. I like Nika starting however. I think she adds a lot of energy and identity to the team. She has to control her adrenaline/emotions though. After she hit that 3 she committed 2 quick unnecessary fouls and was done.

Hi BBallF. On your suggestion, I went back to read Geno's quote about Nika.

“She hates the refs, she hates the other team, she hates me, she hates everybody and she plays that way. She plays with a real chip on her shoulder. Every team needs somebody that you can plug into as your energy source and she’s it for us. … As soon as she went into the starting lineup, our team changed. I don’t know how she can stay there now because I gotta find something to do with the other kid, Paige, because if I leave her on the bench much longer, we’re gonna have a riot on our hands.”

You said the passage was about "Paige wanting to start and him having a riot on his hands." I suspect every player on the team wants to start, but in this passage Geno does not say that Paige "insists" on starting, as you said in a post, nor does he say that Paige would riot if she didn't. What he said is that he has to find something to do with Paige and that, if he didn't, there would be a riot. Are you wrong to infer that Geno meant that Paige would riot if she didn't? I don't know. (As an aside, by definition a riot takes at least three people; Merriam-Webster). But I want to suggest that you are making assumptions and that there is a possibility that you are wrong. It could have just as easily been a throwaway line about fans who would riot. I also suspect that Geno does what he wants and doesn't get pushed around by a player, even Paige.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

you're right Paige is the head coach my mistake. When she finishes her playing career at Uconn she's taking over full-time.

inbetween wnba games.

 

[BBallF]

Hi BBallF. On your suggestion, I went back to read Geno's quote about Nika.

“She hates the refs, she hates the other team, she hates me, she hates everybody and she plays that way. She plays with a real chip on her shoulder. Every team needs somebody that you can plug into as your energy source and she’s it for us. … As soon as she went into the starting lineup, our team changed. I don’t know how she can stay there now because I gotta find something to do with the other kid, Paige, because if I leave her on the bench much longer, we’re gonna have a riot on our hands.”

You said the passage was about "Paige wanting to start and him having a riot on his hands." I suspect every player on the team wants to start, but in this passage Geno does not say that Paige "insists" on starting, as you said in a post, nor does he say that Paige would riot if she didn't. What he said is that he has to find something to do with Paige and that, if he didn't, there would be a riot. Are you wrong to infer that Geno meant that Paige would riot if she didn't? I don't know. (As an aside, by definition a riot takes at least three people; Merriam-Webster). But I want to suggest that you are making assumptions and that there is a possibility that you are wrong. It could have just as easily been a throwaway line about fans who would riot. I also suspect that Geno does what he wants and doesn't get pushed around by a player, even Paige.

I'm not suggesting Geno does get pushed around. He said" I don't know how she can stay there( referring to Nika in the starting lineup) because ...Paige, if I leave her on the bench..." I didn't misread the quote. You can interpret it how you want to, it's pretty clear to me that he was signaling that Nika wasn't starting anymore, which she hasn't. He also cited Paige as the reason using the word "because". I don't think it matters to Nika at all. I just like her in the starting lineup but I can see how he wanted to make sure he had offense against UCF.

Nika brings intense defensive pressure and energy right away. She may play more against Indiana because I don't suspect that the need for offense will be the deciding factor because we should be able to score more easily off of them than UCF. Either way, the main thing is that the lineup out there wins games and that was the case against UCF. He knew he needed points and he got 25 between Paige and Azzi. I hope these extra 4 days of rest really help Paige. It's tough to play a game like UCF on 1 days rest. I don't think everyone understands how difficult this has been for her. She is a true warrior.

 

[ballerfan]

I'm not suggesting Geno does get pushed around. He said" I don't know how she can stay there( referring to Nika in the starting lineup) because ...Paige, if I leave her on the bench..." I didn't misread the quote. You can interpret it how you want to, it's pretty clear to me that he was signaling that Nika wasn't starting anymore, which she hasn't. He also cited Paige as the reason using the word "because". I don't think it matters to Nika at all. I just like her in the starting lineup but I can see how he wanted to make sure he had offense against UCF.

Nika brings intense defensive pressure and energy right away. She may play more against Indiana because I don't suspect that the need for offense will be the deciding factor because we should be able to score more easily off of them than UCF. Either way, the main thing is that the lineup out there wins games and that was the case against UCF. He knew he needed points and he got 25 between Paige and Azzi. I hope these extra 4 days of rest really help Paige. It's tough to play a game like UCF on 1 days rest. I don't think everyone understands how difficult this has been for her. She is a true warrior.

I "liked" your post because I appreciated your taking the time to reply. My concern was your rational for your statement "The problem I think is that Paige insists on starting." I'm not going to push the point futher. We're both UConn fans, and I'll leave it at that.

 

[DrummerDee]

It is interesting to look at/compare having Paige in there vs Caroline. Both are coming back from injuries (Paige had much more serious one obviously) but she is not 100%, don't think she'll get back to her old form this year. Is she still a great player who can score? Yes, but it worried me to see her play, what's the word, tentatively? cautiously? against UCF. I was really dismayed to see the difficulty she had against their press.

Suppose Caroline had the minutes that Paige received against UCF? Yes, she missed two layups/short shots, but she was only in there 4 minutes. If given Paige's minutes, how many points would she have scored ultimately? Caroline sometimes takes a bit to get going (isn't our whole team guilty of this as well? How often do we start out blazing in a game? But her height and willingness to get inside is an option that no other guard seems to offer including Paige. She can handle the ball and be useful against the press. She rebounds well and with her height can be just as effective a defender if not better. She too is recovering still from her injury/concussion, but she has tons of ability, and I worry that not playing her more will hurt the team during this tournament.

I'm not saying Caroline is better than Paige, not at all- but with Paige not 100%, just playing a what-if scenario here

I don't think Caroline is 100% either.

 

[JellyBean]

And, by the way, we may not see NC. State. I think Notre Dame may well beat them. I think it's 50/50.

I am thinking the same thing as well. I was talking to my AD this morning, she is a Big Time Notre Dame fan, and we both agreed that Notre Dame has been playing well in this tournament and just might beat NC State.