UConn: Accelerated development of key pieces amid chaos

[BlueSkyGLW]

Love your optimism but there are several issues that have to be resolved favorably for that to happen. First, how strong will Paige be when she returns? Second, how will Caroline and Liv be? Third, who starts and how do the pieces fit together? One thing is for sure and that is that Caroline and Azzi are not freshmen anymore. They have both had to put the team on their backs in order to win games and that is just big time growth and confidence for freshmen to do that. That has been the silver lining in this black cloud of almost Biblical proportions. I also think Evina has finally started to show who she is. I hope the Marquette game was not just part of a one great game-one invisible game trend. She was masterful in that game on both ends of the court. Of course, no Liv meant more touches and shots for Dorka and we saw how that worked out. What happens to all of these developments when everyone returns? Does the Oracle at Delphi do WCBB?

The reason for optimism? Everyone has had a chance to shine and Geno's shuffling and nudging is relieving self-imposed pressures from some excellent BB players (Evina, Christyn, Olivia) that has enabled them to contribute mightily in some games - that builds confidence.

In my opinion, the early season disjointed display came from having to work with 14 players, with as many as 10 candidates for solid rotation minutes (that included Aubrey). With 11 underclassmen involved, the preseason is too short for this. The injury and C19 issues gave each one of 9 possible candidates for rotation minutes extended time to grow both as player and confidence in different player combinations. The encouraging thing is that even in this constant carousel of players, the short rotation they have had to play with because of injuries have shown that different combination of players are developing chemistry (Dorka and Azzi in the last two games).

I submit this continuing development has opened their minds: a growing feel for how each one plays....even those sitting on the bench learn by watching and I would bet they talk about it. The result: they begin to feel confident that whoever are out there on the floor in any given moment will know how to play together: the four recent games should help persuade them and turn it into fact, yes including the Villanova game because of what they did in the 4Q.

I don't worry about Paige: she has been watching from the sidelines and the film room. She will fit on her return, first as a playmaker to continue encouraging growth among the scoring options that emerged in her absence - to deliver in crucial situations, then with growing contributions to scoring. Evina has grown comfortable coming off the bench and playing her best since her return to action last year - this deepens the UConn bench more than sheer numbers because she can lead not only the second wave but also some of the starters when Geno wants her to.

But I think the biggest growth has been in the team's mental outlook: they have been through hell and they survived! No one can stop them now! Defense? There will be 9 legitimate rotation players. Geno doesn't have to wait until the 4Q like against Marquette to turn them loose. Half court offense? Work in progress but the return of Paige will help that.

While I have concerns about Paige's timing and stamina when she comes back, I have concluded it is not as much a problem as it can be: she can start as PG playmaker and slowly ramp up her scoring (including in practice, between tournaments). It is also the best path forward to prepare for the tournaments so opponents will not concentrate on stopping her as the primary scorer because she doesn't have to be. When she needs relief from ball handling, she can turn to Nika with confidence. Watching them play from the bench also allows her to see better where each one needs to be to contribute to scoring, etc., etc. As I said before, can't wait to see Paige and Azzi on the court together. Paige the true floor general will be on display then.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

We can't really be worried about "meshing" when Paige gets back, can we?
She brings so much more to the party than our current PG situation.
Two key points, one cold shooter will not effect our offense, as we will have so many more weapons than anyone we are playing.
Also, with everyone back we will be able to go to a full court defense, causing turnovers and easy baskets.

Paige the true floor general that she is will be on display with the scoring options she has available. She no longer has to play and score over 40 minutes.....all she has to do is figure out how to deploy all her scoring options in the different circumstances they find themselves in and then insert herself in scoring in key moments. The break between Big East tournament and start of NCAAs will help greatly in this regard, just as her watching everyone play from the bench through this period.

 

[oldude]

We’ll have to see how it turns out. But I don’t see any reason why Paige can’t be every bit as good as she was before the injury.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

We’ll have to see how it turns out. But I don’t see any reason why Paige can’t be every bit as good as she was before the injury.

The thing is, she doesn't need to be all the time as she did last year and that should only confound opponents all the more....

There are two things I am hoping for, though: Caroline's 3pt shooting returns as per her reputation and that Nika no longer does the "with me, it's all or nothing!" number on her outside shot. She shows competence, she just has to feel more all the time.

Oh wait, the third one: for Christyn not to think, just play.

There is time enough for these little things to come to pass.

 

[Cuango]

Love this team and their potential! There’s no doubt they can win the championship if all are healthy and running on all cylinders. Nevertheless, even if they are, it’s not over till they cut down the nets. I think there are at least two (SC and Stanford) teams that, assuming they play their best game against us, could simply beat us on even terms in a one game scenario. Then there are probably three to four others that could beat us with a little luck or perhaps a hot day (them) or an off day (us). These would include imo N C State, Louisville, Arizona and perhaps one “hot” tournament team. There is almost always at least one team that catches lightning in a bottle and terrorizes everyone in the tournament. See: Arizona, 2021 tournament! That’s how I see it, anyway. Sure, assuming all goes well, they are healthy, playing well together, have all the consistency issues behind them, and actually play well on game day, I’d have to say we (at a minimum) are co-favorites with SC and Stanford. However, a lot of water has to run under the bridge before all that can happen! Let’s just hope it does!

 

[oldude]

I think you may be just a little off the rails when you’re talking about Paige’s subconscious. As for coming back too early, neither UConn’s medical staff nor Geno will allow that to happen. Paige will have to meet a number of medical & performance benchmarks before she returns to play.

 

[gold2323]

You are forgetting her age…the advances of medicine and rehab options of 2022….and Paige is not like most for one reason she is super special….Paige will be Paige once she is able to return….This skinny Pistol Pete like with winning genes is a once in a generation player….

 

[oldude]

I guess our perspectives on this subject are framed in large measure by our experiences. During my senior year of HS I fractured my ankle during Christmas break while tobogganing. 6 weeks later I was cleared to play, and I was back on the court. I never once concerned myself with reinjuring the ankle and, other than a sprain or 2, I never had any additional problems.

To be sure, Paige’s tibial plateau fracture is more complex than a fractured ankle. But when she is finally cleared to play, I seriously doubt she will have any concerns about reinjuring herself, conscious or unconscious. It’s one of the blessings of being young.

 

[sun]

But when she is finally cleared to play, I seriously doubt she will have any concerns about reinjuring herself, conscious or unconscious. It’s one of the blessings of being young.

That's very interesting.
Maybe there's some type of transference process that makes the fans worry about it so that she won't.

 

[Plebe]

In this never-ending tug-of-war between the optimists and the worrywarts, I'll simply say that I strenuously hope we can reverse forthwith the trend of adding more players to the DL than we're getting back. It feels like an eternity since we've been singing the "when we're all healthy" refrain, but we don't have an eternity for this to happen. Time is ticking.

We're rightfully salivating over the potential of all our pieces healthy and playing, but timing and cohesiveness are built largely through reps in practice and games. Here's to hoping. Let's goooooooooo.

 

[Zorro]

It's always risky to make predictions, especially about the future!

 

[BBallF]

I guess our perspectives on this subject are framed in large measure by our experiences. During my senior year of HS I fractured my ankle during Christmas break while tobogganing. 6 weeks later I was cleared to play, and I was back on the court. I never once concerned myself with reinjuring the ankle and, other than a sprain or 2, I never had any additional problems.

To be sure, Paige’s tibial plateau fracture is more complex than a fractured ankle. But when she is finally cleared to play, I seriously doubt she will have any concerns about reinjuring herself, conscious or unconscious. It’s one of the blessings of being young.

I wanted to weigh in on this topic because it is an important one. According to sports psychologists, a common psychological response to a serious injury is fear of reinjury. How that plays out in any individual athlete is of course unique to that individual. One of the factors here that is different from an injury occurring outside the sport is that Paige's injury was a non-contact one so it is not the same as a bad foul or being pushed while landing from a fast break lay up. She knows how it happened.

Yes, she is truly a rare athlete but I also think that she will not be immune from those thoughts. My take on her is that she will overcome that issue quickly because she has been injured before and knows the process back. I do agree however that we will not have the pre-injury Paige back immediately. It just doesn't work that way. There are timing issues, strength issues, conditioning issues and the like. Just her presence though will have a synergistic on this team as will the return of Liv and Caroline.

Although we may not see a pre-injury Paige again this year, even an 80-90% Paige makes this team a quantum leap better. I mean, I remember when MJ played with what we now know was food poisoning. He was maybe not even 80% but it was more than enough to win. The great ones just do that.

 

[MilfordHusky]

It's always risky to make predictions, especially about the future!

My prediction of the past are far more accurate!

 

[oldude]

It's always risky to make predictions, especially about the future!

That sounds very much like a Casey Stengel quote. I believe his exact quote was, “I never make predictions, especially about the future.”

 

[oldude]

I wanted to weigh in on this topic because it is an important one. According to sports psychologists, a common psychological response to a serious injury is fear of reinjury. How that plays out in any individual athlete is of course unique to that individual. One of the factors here that is different from an injury occurring outside the sport is that Paige's injury was a non-contact one so it is not the same as a bad foul or being pushed while landing from a fast break lay up. She knows how it happened.

Yes, she is truly a rare athlete but I also think that she will not be immune from those thoughts. My take on her is that she will overcome that issue quickly because she has been injured before and knows the process back. I do agree however that we will not have the pre-injury Paige back immediately. It just doesn't work that way. There are timing issues, strength issues, conditioning issues and the like. Just her presence though will have a synergistic on this team as will the return of Liv and Caroline.

Although we may not see a pre-injury Paige again this year, even an 80-90% Paige makes this team a quantum leap better. I mean, I remember when MJ played with what we now know was food poisoning. He was maybe not even 80% but it was more than enough to win. The great ones just do that.

It’s important to understand “fear of reinjury” in the context of rehab that sets measurable medical and performance benchmarks. UConn has a great medical team and a coaching staff that has seen many injuries through the years. They know what they’re doing and I have no doubt they are communicating with Paige in detail every step of the way.

So long as the athlete buys into the process, and experiences steady progress in their recovery, any fear of injury will be minimized significantly. If an athlete isn’t confident in the process, that’s a different issue. In Paige’s case, I don’t think it will be an issue.

 

[eyeroll]

It’s probably there to protect her from Nika. That woman is a menace, or so I’ve heard.

LOL Those chest bumps are nothing to laugh about.

 

[Zinethar]

I can't help but laugh whenever I see posts mentioning that Paige will be on limited minutes when she returns. Of course she will. Nike was on a 15 minute count. Azzi was on limited minutes. Both are ballers like Paige. Go check how their limited minutes worked out...

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

My prediction of the past are far more accurate!

im usually close to 100% on predicting the past

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

It's always risky to make predictions, especially about the future!

True. But what is at risk here? A loss of face? UConn team suffering something? Your fandom suffers? Or, are you betting in the outcome? In life, you make little predictions all the time - most losses are in the mind.....often only illuminating the path ahead.

This is only a game and presumably, you are only a fan......with no pecuniary stake in anything except a roiling in the mind when they lose, and perhaps with some momentary pangs in the heart. Nothing more.....

 

[jdote33]

The big thing I want to see, is them just coming at teams in waves. We've had real bad stretches offensively and I think that can be due to injuries. With everyone healthy I'm hoping they will be able to grow their leads and really burry teams.

Moreso than figuring out who's starting I'm just hoping players get enough time to be in a good rthym. I think early in the season Geno was figuring out rotations.

Dorka -22
Azzi - 26
Paige -24
Caroline -25
ONO -25
Nika -15
Evina -22
CW -26
AE - 15

 

[CL82]

im usually close to 100% on predicting the past

A good 65 or 70%, anyways.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I think accelerated development could apply to Liv this year as well as Caroline and Azzi. You could maybe also factor assimilation improvement for Dorka in finding her role on the team. They all have developed in one way or another but since the beginning of the year we are probably seeing the biggest team enhancements from that group.