U19 World Cup - Kayleigh Heckel | Page 3 | The Boneyard

U19 World Cup - Kayleigh Heckel

Watching a few of the games, I could not be more pleased with Kayleigh’s play in the tournament. She’s running the point for USA with great poise. She makes good decisions at both ends of the court and she can score at 3 levels, seemingly whenever she needs to, although she clearly views her primary role as distributing to her teammates. KK & Kayleigh should give UConn the best PG combination anywhere in the country next season.
 
Bracket

As we can see from this morning's win, the USA will face the winner of the match between France and the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals. At the other end of the table, Spain are through to the quarter-finals. They have a day off today, due to the absence of Mali, who were unable to enter the tournament because of visa problems.
 
oldude said:
Watching a few of the games, I could not be more pleased with Kayleigh’s play in the tournament. She’s running the point for USA with great poise. She makes good decisions at both ends of the court and she can score at 3 levels, seemingly whenever she needs to, although she clearly views her primary role as distributing to her teammates. KK & Kayleigh should give UConn the best PG combination anywhere in the country next season.
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High praise for sure, and apparently justified. With the addition of K9 it looks like another 1-2 punch at point guard for our Huskies. Kayleigh brings what the Huskies lost with Chen's graduation, while KK will still be KK. The question remains, who replaces Paige?
 
BBallF said:
I am excited about Kayleigh. She looks up court every time she gets th ball, something that KK did not do enough of. She has a sweet little pull up and knocked in a long 3 in the first 6 minutes. She is a pure PG, intent on setting up the offense and delivering the ball. Our bigs should flourish with her. She is so much better than she appeared to be last year and seems like a very heady, controlled player with a good handle left and right. Looks pretty, pretty good to me.
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Somewhat of a combination of Nika Muhl and Kaitlyn Chen, with potentially more diverse offensive arsenal than either . Looks to push the ball aggressively up the court like Nika. Solid +defender like Chen (but not to the level of Nika or KK) Can get to the rim and finish pretty well like Chen. Comparable perimeter offensive game to Chen but perhaps somewhat better mid-range, and more willing to launch a long ball.
 
Brno is a great town; full of musical history
Nice Stadium; perhaps 8-10,000 capacity
Sees like there's a hundred or two spectators around...
If that many
No one interested in (young) woman's BB?
 
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hookshot said:
Somewhat of a combination of Nika Muhl and Kaitlyn Chen, with potentially more diverse offensive arsenal than either . Looks to push the ball aggressively up the court like Nika. Solid +defender like Chen (but not to the level of Nika or KK) Can get to the rim and finish pretty well like Chen. Comparable perimeter offensive game to Chen but perhaps somewhat better mid-range, and more willing to launch a long ball.
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I don't know that Kayleigh has a better overall offensive game than Kaitlyn, though it's definitely comparable. If you watch Kaitlyn's last season at Princeton, when she was the go-to scorer, you see how aggressive and confident she could be scoring at all levels. Once she got to UConn, she didn't get nearly as many opportunities and the overall competition was stiffer than the Ivies. But in the toughest games, Kaitlyn definitely rose to every occasion.

By contrast, Kayleigh played in a very competitive conference and did well all season long. But she was never the go-to scorer. Personally, I think she wasn't used very well by Coach Gottleib, and that's probably an important reason she transferred.

One thing I would say is that neither Kaitlyn nor Kayleigh, nor KK even, has the offensive skills Ash has. But all of them are probably better passers than Ash, and among them Kayleigh may be the best passer. And all four of them are tremendous defenders.
 
With all due respect, no one is irreplaceable, including Paige. Individually it will be very difficult to replace Paige. But in the aggregate, there is more than enough talent on next year’s team to make up for the loss of Paige.

That starts with two potential NPOY candidates in Sarah & Azzi. Add in now seasoned veterans of a championship run: Ash, KK, Jana & Ice, who will all be even better next season. Throw in several players chomping at the bit to contribute: Caroline. Allie, Morgan, Ayanna along with super transfers Serah & Kayleigh. The freshmen, Gandy, Kellis and Blanca, my pick as the ultimate X-factor, are all waiting in the wings.

For me the question is not, “Who will replace Paige?” It’s how quickly will all the talent on next year’s team gel into yet another dominant Husky team that lays waste to every opponent they face?
 
Bottom line is NO ONE can replace Paige. Just look at what she's doing in the W. It's not by accident. It was like trying to replace Sue, Diana, Maya, Stewie, etc. It will be done by committee. And with the amount of talent on the team, combined with improvements from everyone coming back, WATCH OUT!

As @oldude pointed out, even tho they aren't getting national attention, I feel KK and Kayleigh will be the best PG combo in the nation. Then we have the sophomore leap for Sarah, the addition of Serah, and the junior leap for Ash. Boom. Starting 5 potentially of KK, Azzi, Ash, Sarah, Serah. Best quintet in the nation.

The scoring will come from all over. I suspect Sarah and Azzi will be between 18-20 PPG on average. Serah will probably average over 10 PPG. Maybe 13 or so. I could see Ash around 10 PPG. Then bring in the next group - Kayleigh, Morgan, Caroline, Blanca and Jana. Yikes.

I suspect Q4 will be dominated by Kelis, Allie, Ice, Ayanna and Gandy. you could move some up from group 3 to group 2, but bottom line is that Geno will have 15 players who, by skill and effort, "demand" playing time. I could see the team easily averaging 90+ PPG. I just hope, in fairness to the players lower on the depth chart, that Geno lets them play hard, intense, and score on fast breaks whenever they get one.

This is one of those seasons where I don't care about running up the score. I don't think we need to full court press the entire game, but pretty much all of Q1, half of Q2, and all of Q3. If opponents complain, too bad. IMHO it's not fair to decrease scoring opportunities for reserves because the other team is overmatched. ;)
 
EricLA said:
This is one of those seasons where I don't care about running up the score. I don't think we need to full court press the entire game, but pretty much all of Q1, half of Q2, and all of Q3. If opponents complain, too bad. IMHO it's not fair to decrease scoring opportunities for reserves because the other team is overmatched.
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It's never a good idea to tell any players not to try their hardest to score. All a responsible coach can do is to put in the bench, but they will be competing a hard as they can. It's unreasonable to expect anything else.
 
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Bone Dog said:
It's never a good idea to tell any players not to try their hardest to score. All a responsible coach can do is to put in the bench, but they will be competing a hard as they can. It's unreasonable to expect anything else.
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I was more referring to letting them score on fast breaks and not pull the ball back out to "run offense". As well as stealing in bound passes, etc.
 
hookshot said:
Somewhat of a combination of Nika Muhl and Kaitlyn Chen, with potentially more diverse offensive arsenal than either . Looks to push the ball aggressively up the court like Nika. Solid +defender like Chen (but not to the level of Nika or KK) Can get to the rim and finish pretty well like Chen. Comparable perimeter offensive game to Chen but perhaps somewhat better mid-range, and more willing to launch a long ball.
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Good summary. I like her court smarts a lot as well and that will be very impactful with the players she will have at her disposal to pass to. Plus she is young and will only get physically stronger.
 
But no one "replaced" Stewie, Maya, Tina, DT, Sue, or Rebecca either.... It’s not about a position. It's about who is the next special talent that can be the 1st option and use her skills to lead and make everyone else better as a collective to win a championship. For me, Azzi and Sarah have to occupy that space by doing what they do best. It's not about replacing Paige per see.
 
oldude said:
With all due respect, no one is irreplaceable, including Paige. Individually it will be very difficult to replace Paige. But in the aggregate, there is more than enough talent on next year’s team to make up for the loss of Paige.

That starts with two potential NPOY candidates in Sarah & Azzi. Add in now seasoned veterans of a championship run: Ash, KK, Jana & Ice, who will all be even better next season. Throw in several players chomping at the bit to contribute: Caroline. Allie, Morgan, Ayanna along with super transfers Serah & Kayleigh. The freshmen, Gandy, Kellis and Blanca, my pick as the ultimate X-factor, are all waiting in the wings.

For me the question is not, “Who will replace Paige?” It’s how quickly will all the talent on next year’s team gel into yet another dominant Husky team that lays waste to every opponent they face?
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OD, I could not have said it better. Who will replace Paige? No one. Life goes on. I'd just like to add that 3 years from now we could be having a very interesting discussion on who is #4 on UConn's Mt. Rushmore. Can Ms. Strong duplicate Stewie's 4 NCs? Long shot, but I wouldn't bet against her.
 
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oldude said:
With all due respect, no one is irreplaceable, including Paige. Individually it will be very difficult to replace Paige. But in the aggregate, there is more than enough talent on next year’s team to make up for the loss of Paige.

That starts with two potential NPOY candidates in Sarah & Azzi. Add in now seasoned veterans of a championship run: Ash, KK, Jana & Ice, who will all be even better next season. Throw in several players chomping at the bit to contribute: Caroline. Allie, Morgan, Ayanna along with super transfers Serah & Kayleigh. The freshmen, Gandy, Kellis and Blanca, my pick as the ultimate X-factor, are all waiting in the wings.

For me the question is not, “Who will replace Paige?” It’s how quickly will all the talent on next year’s team gel into yet another dominant Husky team that lays waste to every opponent they face?
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Ay, there lies the rub and that is why I think this will be a fascinating year to be a fan. There are going to be 2 player combos like Paige and Sarah last year that are going to be very special. Beyond the obvious choices, watch for Jana and Serah. Everyone is probably thinking they sub for each other. Who better to throw a pass to a post player in a sealing position than a 6'4" or 6'5" passer on the foul line. Jana has proven she can do both and Serah is in the top 3 in the country at sealing a defender and creating an opening and space.

This is a very different year. What the end product will be will be one thing. What the process will show during each game is another thing and a very solid reason for not missing a single moment.
 
Geew1992 said:
No one will replace Paige.
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No one has to. Good team adjust...that is exactly what the Huskies will do. Instead of the team being Paigecentric...Points will come from Azzi, Ash, KK, Allie, Sarah, Blanca, Kayliegh, and Caroline. That's right, we will have 8 players capable of knocking down threes. We will have increased production from the post...Ice will be improved, Jana will be improved, Sereh Williams is a proven talent...she will score in the post, Ayanna is back, Cheli will be back, Sarah Strong is well, Sarah...you know what you are going to get from her night after night. Gandy, she may be a bit of a project at 6'5", but she will improve. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be more points coming out of the post next season. Our swing players, Blanca, Sarah, Morgan, and Caroline, are going to be freaking awesome! This team will be built for speed...they are going to be fast, fast, fast! Defensively, we are going to be an absolute nightmare for teams.

No disrespect to Paige, but as good as Paige was/is, I suspect by mid-season, people are going to be saying "Paige who". Sarah and Sereh are going to be playing off the charts. Azzi is going to break three-point records next season. This team is going to hurt the opposition is so many different ways that coaches preparing to face UConn are going to have nightmares.
 
cferraro04 said:
This team will be built for speed...they are going to be fast, fast, fast! Defensively, we are going to be an absolute nightmare for teams.
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Interesting prospect. Kayleigh is very quick, as quick as KK. Neither of them are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo, but they’re still very quick. Kelis may belong in this category.

Azzi and Ash are pretty quick, though not as quick as KK and Kayleigh. But they know how to use their quickness to get an advantage on offense and defense. I’d call that ‘smart-quick.’ That’s what Paige is.

This group of guards is not what makes UConn a fast team. They are quick enough to cause problems for opponents. But other teams have quick guards too. What will make UConn fast in a way that may cause insurmountable problems for opponents is all the bigs who run the floor really well. Last season that was Sarah. The previous few years it was Aaliyah. Next year it could be Serah Blanca Ayanna Morgan and even Gandy. That’s six fast bigs. At its best, SC has had several fast bigs, but I don’t know of any team that has had six of them.

A quick backcourt can be difficult to guard and can defend well, and they can get out on transition. But fast bigs turbocharge a transition offense. When Sarah got out on transition last season, opposing guards could not keep her from scoring. It would take an opposing big to chase her down in order to stop her. Juju was one of the only bigs in D1 who could actually challenge Sarah in this way.

If all goes well, Geno may have several bigs who can score in transition. I suspect this will be a very difficult team to defend.
 
Bone Dog said:
Interesting prospect. Kayleigh is very quick, as quick as KK. Neither of them are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo, but they’re still very quick. Kelis may belong in this category.

Azzi and Ash are pretty quick, though not as quick as KK and Kayleigh. But they know how to use their quickness to get an advantage on offense and defense. I’d call that ‘smart-quick.’ That’s what Paige is.

This group of guards is not what makes UConn a fast team. They are quick enough to cause problems for opponents. But other teams have quick guards too. What will make UConn fast in a way that may cause insurmountable problems for opponents is all the bigs who run the floor really well. Last season that was Sarah. The previous few years it was Aaliyah. Next year it could be Serah Blanca Ayanna Morgan and even Gandy. That’s six fast bigs. At its best, SC has had several fast bigs, but I don’t know of any team that has had six of them.

A quick backcourt can be difficult to guard and can defend well, and they can get out on transition. But fast bigs turbocharge a transition offense. When Sarah got out on transition last season, opposing guards could not keep her from scoring. It would take an opposing big to chase her down in order to stop her. Juju was one of the only bigs in D1 who could actually challenge Sarah in this way.

If all goes well, Geno may have several bigs who can score in transition. I suspect this will be a very difficult team to defend.
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Good points all. I certainly was looking forward to the addition of backcourt speed with Kayleigh and Kellis, but hadn't really thought much about how the frontcourt could be faster too. More Serah minutes at the 5 instead of Jana, maybe more Ayanna or Morgan vs. Ice as the backup 4, and the possibility of major minutes at the 3 from Blanca who runs the floor like Aubrey.

I see some of Nika in Kayleigh, mostly that she pushes the ball up the floor, but also she looks way ahead for long passes, which was a Nika strong-point, particularly to Aubrey, and now we have another racehorse to be on the receiving end in Blanca. You are right that the speed of the true bigs has improved significantly, and if Blanca gets big minutes at the 3, we will have enhanced speed at the small, midsize, and the big positions.
 
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Bone Dog said:
Interesting prospect. Kayleigh is very quick, as quick as KK. Neither of them are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo, but they’re still very quick. Kelis may belong in this category.

Azzi and Ash are pretty quick, though not as quick as KK and Kayleigh. But they know how to use their quickness to get an advantage on offense and defense. I’d call that ‘smart-quick.’ That’s what Paige is.

This group of guards is not what makes UConn a fast team. They are quick enough to cause problems for opponents. But other teams have quick guards too. What will make UConn fast in a way that may cause insurmountable problems for opponents is all the bigs who run the floor really well. Last season that was Sarah. The previous few years it was Aaliyah. Next year it could be Serah Blanca Ayanna Morgan and even Gandy. That’s six fast bigs. At its best, SC has had several fast bigs, but I don’t know of any team that has had six of them.

A quick backcourt can be difficult to guard and can defend well, and they can get out on transition. But fast bigs turbocharge a transition offense. When Sarah got out on transition last season, opposing guards could not keep her from scoring. It would take an opposing big to chase her down in order to stop her. Juju was one of the only bigs in D1 who could actually challenge Sarah in this way.

If all goes well, Geno may have several bigs who can score in transition. I suspect this will be a very difficult team to defend.
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None of the UConn guards are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo........then again, none of the UConn guards monopolize the ball as well as Hidalgo does either.......;)
 
Charliebball said:
None of the UConn guards are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo........then again, none of the UConn guards monopolize the ball as well as Hidalgo does either.......;)
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Yes. But HH struggled somewhat down the stretch last season into March as the drama in South Bend created a schism at ND with several key players leaving for greener pastures (Miles, Koval, Watson & Risch). It will be interesting to see how HH leads a newly reconstituted Irish team without the same level of talent as this past season.
 
oldude said:
Yes. But HH struggled somewhat down the stretch last season into March as the drama in South Bend created a schism at ND with several key players leaving for greener pastures (Miles, Koval, Watson & Risch). It will be interesting to see how HH leads a newly reconstituted Irish team without the same level of talent as this past season.
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Yeah, you are right. HH, with her constant hustle on offense and defense, kept that ND team going last year. It could be much more difficult for her this year.
 
Charliebball said:
None of the UConn guards are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo........then again, none of the UConn guards monopolize the ball as well as Hidalgo does either.......;)
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And what guards are as quick as Hannah?
 
Bone Dog said:
Interesting prospect. Kayleigh is very quick, as quick as KK. Neither of them are as quick as Hannah Hidalgo, but they’re still very quick. Kelis may belong in this category.
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Not sure what 2025 U19 FIBA WBB games you watched; but IMO KK is quicker and faster than the Kayleigh based upon the last 4 U19 games Kayleigh played in earlier this week.
 
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