UConn’s Katie Lou Samuelson ready for leading role next season

[j66kicker]

Lou got to see Stewie up close and personal, which showed her what is needed. She doesn't have Stewie's length, but I still think that Lou has NPOY and Olympic potential. I expect her to be really, really good next season.

Totally agree on KLS. She is a rare talent. As a freshman she had a learning curve, but not too much - I mean she DID end up being a starter on a totally dominant NC team with killer talent. She deferred to the 3 seniors last year (unselfish - 'UCONN' trait). That ain't gonna happen this year. Hopefully her broken foot bone issue won't slow down her progress too much. She could be NPOY as a junior. And as a senior.

 

[HGN]

I think Saniya is better at the SG slot. To me, Kia is at least as good as the PG.

If that IT Band injury has cleared up and she plays a little tighter defense , Saniya is in the starting lineup. At PG or the SG.

It's nice to have options and versatility. And Coach has them. Kia can play either position effectively. Or he can put Crystal Dangerfield in there at pg. Either combo is going to be effective.

 

[Longtime fan]

If that IT Band injury has cleared up and she plays a little tighter defense , Saniya is in the starting lineup. At PG or the SG.

It's nice to have options and versatility. And Coach has them. Kia can play either position effectively. Or he can put Crystal Dangerfield in there at pg. Either combo is going to be effective.

The critical question, however, is: " do IT band injuries clear up?"

 

[HGN]

The critical question, however, is: " do IT band injuries clear up?"

Longtime, I really don't know if IT Band ailments clear up , Heal up, or just get tolerable. I am just hoping for the best for the young lady and the team in that situation. Though it did seem she was moving a lot better on it towards the end of the season.

 

[Carnac]

There are a lot of things we don't know going into the 2016-2017 season. One thing we do know is that there will be a log jam of players jockeying for position to replace Mo at the Point.
Does Geno already have his mind made up as to who that player is?, or will he just throw the basketball out on the court, blow his whistle, and let the players decide (in practice) who gets the nod?
I'm guessing the latter. It's a good bet that Crystal Dangerfield is not going into practice conceding anything. THAT doesn't appear to be her character. She's a warrior (just like Kevin Durant). Sorry, I had to sneak that in there. Warriors compete!!

Anxious to show Geno and the other coaches what she can do at this level, she'll no doubt go in on day 1, and compete as hard as she can for the starting PG position. From all of the reports and articles I've been reading about Crystal, she's wired that way. I'm sure someone (a teammate /assistant coach) will pull her aside and tell her to go full bore. If someone beats you out, so be it, but don't concede anything to anyone. At this point, none of us know how Crystal is going to fare when the official practices begin in October. For all we know, she just may be the "exception to the rule".

 

[Kibitzer]

Swinging it back to Lou. I thought she sounded like and played like a badass last season.

Yes, she did play that way, but quietly. She earned several Boneyard Badass Awards. Now she has added a bit more swag and even sounds like a Badass.

 

[Huskee11]

Hopeful that Crystal can go full bore in October but she may still be recovering. A torn labrum can take a while to heal.

 

[CBear01]

The 2002 UCONN team lost the #1, 2, 4 and 6 WNBA draft picks. The following year's team didn't do all that badly, winning the NC again. That is my expectation for this year's team as well.

Yet, as I'm sure coach would say, they had Diana and we don't.

I also hold high expectations for this team and I don't see a NC out of the picture...but who's gonna be the Diana next year??