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UConn Bigs

MooseJaw said:
Hope you are right. Big disappointment in the McDonalds all-star game. Big O showed one speed in the game, and that was lumbering. Often just hanging out a half court. I know all-star games are freaky in regard to talent. With little teamwork, one can still show hustle and desire. Both were lacking in big O's game. Don't believe it, go back and watch the game.
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You can’t base anything on that game. The ball hogs charge up and down the court like their hairs on fire. A much better measure of her value was last year when ESPN televised international players vs the USA. She was the youngest and one of the best players in the game.
 
UConn needs a center. I don't think they need forwards. We need a 6'6, 6'7 6'8. A post player that can turn her shoulder and get a bucket and block shots.

Ayanna nor Ice played many minutes so losing them in the portal is miniscule. UConn needs a bigger player that can take the pressure off of having to play small ball to win games.
 
Topdawg said:
You need four things:
1. Rebounds
2. Rim protection
3. Shooting from close in
4. Ability to pass to outside shooters
5. (Bonus) shooting from the outside

Any player, including those we already have, who can get really good at these skills will be well suited to succeed at UConn!
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The challenge on this has been Geno appears to value some others:
6. Passing from high post.
7. Ability to set screens and roll either to 3 point line, or to the hoop.
8. Running the floor in transition.
9. Good hands, minimize turnovers.
10. Ability to defend 1-5 and switch on screens.

In no particular order. These needs drive his like of small ball and interest in a mobile athletic big.
 
packwrap said:
The challenge on this has been Geno appears to value some others:
6. Passing from high post.
7. Ability to set screens and roll either to 3 point line, or to the hoop.
8. Running the floor in transition.
9. Good hands, minimize turnovers.
10. Ability to defend 1-5 and switch on screens.

In no particular order. These needs drive his like of small ball and interest in a mobile athletic big.
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If coach could find a Tina Charles, he would love that and so would we!
 
It amazes me the obsession on this board with bigs 6'6" and over. Every year for the last 3 or 4 seasons these posts appear.

As has been posted, Geno values specific skills over others. These are skills many 6' 6" and over players don't have.

Many want a big banger who goes in and clears out the place to grab a rebound or just takes up space in the post. Not going to happen.
 
The players that come in now to major programs are not just high school players. They have played club basketball at a high level and many have traveled all around the country and some the world. They are so far ahead of players from twenty years ago that there would be no competition.
 
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What's the over/under on picking up another foreign player? That's my guess.
 
donalddoowop said:
Yes, just once I would like to see Geno turn Jana loose and tell her to use all of her offensive skills, like she did in her FIBA days. Another thing needed, in defense of the bigs, are teammates who know how to pass the ball into the post where the post player can easily score. You are not going to find a post player who keeps the ball high all the time. Betts brings the ball down quite often and she is supposed to be the very best. The team does not seem to have problems feeding Strong who is three inches shorter than Jana.
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Jana doesn't need to get any stronger she needs to get quicker. Her FIBA days saw a player capable of driving to the hoop from the 3 point line. She has gotten bigger and slower. Speed to cover ground or block shots, or drive to the hoop is what she needs. For those who think Olivia is a work in progress she has a skill set similar to Sarah Strong. She's not as good but should impact UConn from day 1
 
Topdawg said:
If coach could find a Tina Charles, he would love that and so would we!
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And neither Vukosa or El Alfy are Tina Charles. Maybe Stef Dolson. Anyone that expects a major contribution from Vukosa next year is delusional. I hope I am wrong. IF Jana's lack of progress was injury related, MAYBE, she will be a sufficient piece to a championship run. But, just because she was our starting post in 2025 doesn't mean we won't need more in 2027. We have now lost both Paige and Azzi from that team. We need to be better at every other position. Sarah, now, is better than Sarah, then. Check. KK, now, is better than KK/Chen, then. Check. We need a better post because Blanca and whoever you pair with Blanca are not going to be quite at the same level as Senior Paige and Junior Azzi. But I am excited to see sophomore Blanca and junior K9.
 
hoophuskee said:
It's an exhibtion game in which two of her teammaets "told her" she wasn't going to get the bqall in a meanngless game.
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Watched the game--OV was involved in a true "run and gun" game. Many posters have stated that there was very little passing and there were NO set plays for OV. OV was running the court and it was the guards sprinting back and forth. Quick shot, miss, rebound, sprint back down---and repeat. There were many instances where it looked like up and back sprint drills. 5 missed hots in a row--5 sprints. Run and gun--One on one--Here's a question--How many assists happened in the entire game? The speed of the shot and run was so quick on many plays that OV was crossing mid-court on the next quick shot. There was NO setting up and it was mostly guard play.
 
I haven't seen enough of Olivia playing to form a strong opinion about how good she'll be next year or how much playing time she'll get. Probably needs to run the floor faster and get stronger because college players are better, faster, taller and stronger. I've read she is an excellent passer and at 6'4 she will certainly rebound and score. It takes time to learn UConn's system and adapt to the hard daily training grind the program demands. I'm sure the coaching staff will work her hard to develop her into a very good, effective player. Will she start? Does it matter? I think she has to earn playing time and she will do so. She wants to be a Husky. I think she has huge upside potential.
 
Woof said:
And neither Vukosa or El Alfy are Tina Charles. Maybe Stef Dolson. Anyone that expects a major contribution from Vukosa next year is delusional. I hope I am wrong. IF Jana's lack of progress was injury related, MAYBE, she will be a sufficient piece to a championship run. But, just because she was our starting post in 2025 doesn't mean we won't need more in 2027. We have now lost both Paige and Azzi from that team. We need to be better at every other position. Sarah, now, is better than Sarah, then. Check. KK, now, is better than KK/Chen, then. Check. We need a better post because Blanca and whoever you pair with Blanca are not going to be quite at the same level as Senior Paige and Junior Azzi. But I am excited to see sophomore Blanca and junior K9.
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I believe you are mistaken about Ms. Vukosa so feel free to call me delusional......😕
 
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PhillyCoach said:
Watched the game--OV was involved in a true "run and gun" game. Many posters have stated that there was very little passing and there were NO set plays for OV. OV was running the court and it was the guards sprinting back and forth. Quick shot, miss, rebound, sprint back down---and repeat. There were many instances where it looked like up and back sprint drills. 5 missed hots in a row--5 sprints. Run and gun--One on one--Here's a question--How many assists happened in the entire game? The speed of the shot and run was so quick on many plays that OV was crossing mid-court on the next quick shot. There was NO setting up and it was mostly guard play.
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I found the game to be virtually unwatchable. I don't know how quickly Olivia will become a regular contributor to the team -- I hope right off the bat -- but I wouldn't draw any conclusions one way or the other from the McD's game.
 
People are either way too high or way too low on Olivia. I doubt she will be starting next year, but people saying she’s going to have no role are more wrong than the people who think she’ll start.

As someone posted above, comparing her to Sarah. I actually agree in the sense that she seems to have the fluidity and ease with which she plays, the kind that great players have. Different from Sarah in that I don’t think she has the same quickness or overall athleticism and I don’t think anyone has hands as good as Sarah. But she certainly looks strong and able and has good game processing/IQ.

The only things that will limit her start to next season are possibly her conditioning, and her ability to defend. Both of which can be worked on HARD over the summer. Another thing I think could really aid her in getting playing time is working on her screening game, this girl is built to screen. Would be a great asset along with Jana, to have two big screeners able to play the 5 next season.

And yeah she’ll have to adjust to the college game but from what I’ve seen she has the ability to make the jump relatively quickly. Just my opinion.
 
Reignman79 said:
Those all American games are always dominated by the guards/wings! They rarely ever pass the ball. I watch a good portion of the game and it was mostly 1V1 basketball. I wouldn’t put much stock in it as a predictor of how V will do at UConn!
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O was wide open on a number of occasions, but the ball-handler never even gave her a look. What a worthless spectacle that game is.
 
I didn't see the game being discussed, but if the criticism of Olivia is that she hovered at half court when her team attempted a fast break, that is typically what a big should do -- because there is a high probability that the ball will be coming back the other way after a missed shot, an errant pass, or even a made shot, and someone needs to be back on defense if that happens. If that is what Olivia was doing, she was playing her position correctly.
 
OldSchooler said:
O was wide open on a number of occasions, but the ball-handler never even gave her a look. What a worthless spectacle that game is.
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The one consolation I got from watching that game was imagining Saniyah Hall playing next Juju and Jazzy next fall. USC is going to be a lot of basketballs.
 
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I have taken the complete list of attributes we would like to have at our 5 position and wrote them down and have given it to my daughter to work on my 4 year old grandaughter, in order to make the Huskie grade in the future unless AL takes over and then we might have Robot Basketball and all of my granddaughter's extra work would be for naught. Should we continue this effort to make a complete player for the 5 position?
 
jabstep said:
I have taken the complete list of attributes we would like to have at our 5 position and wrote them down and have given it to my daughter to work on my 4 year old grandaughter, in order to make the Huskie grade in the future unless AL takes over and then we might have Robot Basketball and all of my granddaughter's extra work would be for naught. Should we continue this effort to make a complete player for the 5 position?
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There was a gag commercial on the old Prairie Home Companion about a gadget sold by "Genetic Engineering." You'd plug the thing in, put it under your kid's pillow and after couple of nights, the kid would be enhanced. As the commercial said, "Why limit your kid's future? In just a few nights they'll be much smarter than you, with a much brighter future than you. Smarter? Faster? Stronger? We can make your kid superior to you in every way."

As for looking for a 6-7 or 6-8 kid, let's go for 7-2! Once they're 6-4ish, it comes down to mobility and skills.
 
Reflecting on bigs of the past, you have players who were just defensively minded to those that were all around stars.
These are examples, you could add your own.

1. Kiah Stokes. She was very solid on the defensive end and has even succeeded on championship teams in the W on account of this skill. Maybe Gandy can emulate her in the next season.
2. Stefanie Dolson. She was able to defend, pass, and score. I believe she surpassed 1000 points and 1000 rebounds in her career. Good initial target for Olivia Vukosa to emulate in the next season.
3. Kara Wolters: AP National Player of the year in 1997, National Champion, averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in her career. Very dominant in the paint. We don't have a player like that on the team or in the portal.
4. Tina Charles: She was the consensus national player of the year in 2010 and won two championships. She currently holds the record for rebounds in the WNBA and is second in points behind Diana Taurasi. She can defend, pass, shoot and run the floor. I wonder if there are any college players of that caliber playing today.

I hope Tina will keep coming back to campus to work with and inspire the bigs we have on the team.
 
Topdawg said:
Reflecting on bigs of the past, you have players who were just defensively minded to those that were all around stars.
These are examples, you could add your own.

1. Kiah Stokes. She was very solid on the defensive end and has even succeeded on championship teams in the W on account of this skill. Maybe Gandy can emulate her in the next season.
2. Stefanie Dolson. She was able to defend, pass, and score. I believe she surpassed 1000 points and 1000 rebounds in her career. Good initial target for Olivia Vukosa to emulate in the next season.
3. Kara Wolters: AP National Player of the year in 1997, National Champion, averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in her career. Very dominant in the paint. We don't have a player like that on the team or in the portal.
4. Tina Charles: She was the consensus national player of the year in 2010 and won two championships. She currently holds the record for rebounds in the WNBA and is second in points behind Diana Taurasi. She can defend, pass, shoot and run the floor. I wonder if there are any college players of that caliber playing today.

I hope Tina will keep coming back to campus to work with and inspire the bigs we have on the team.
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I would be ecstatic if Gandy developed a game like Kiah. I thought Kiah was the best rebounder and shotblocker in college, even with Stewie on her team.

I think the Olivia to Stef comparison is doable. She’s shown many of those qualities in film. She might be further along than Stef was at this point too.
 
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uconnfan68 said:
I wouldn’t be ecstatic if Gandy developed a game like Kiah. I thought Kiah was the best rebounder and shotblocker in college, even with Stewie on her team.

I think the Olivia to Stef comparison is doable. She’s shown many of those qualities in film. She might be further along than Stef was at this point too.
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Gandy’s current team mates have often said that she is very tough on defense in practice. We can decide when we see her on court next.

You said you would not be ecstatic. Is that what you meant?
 
Topdawg said:
Gandy’s current team mates have often said that she is very tough on defense in practice. We can decide when we see her on court next.

You said you would not be ecstatic. Is that what you meant?
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Why she didn't play last year is a real mystery to me.........I thought she looked fine in her very brief playing time at the start of the season...........she may eventually be better than many suspect...
 
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Charliebball said:
Why she didn't play last year is a real mystery to me.........I thought she looked fine in her very brief playing time at the start of the season...........she may eventually be better than many suspect...
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If you believe (or if Geno believes) that Gandy may ultimately qualify for four more seasons of eligibility despite her brief appearances in games this year, then it makes perfect sense to preserve that option. Playing regularly, even in garbage time, would make the case for "four more years" much more difficult.

Sitting behind Serah, Jana, and even Sarah Strong (as a "small ball" center) in the depth chart for her position, she was certainly not going to get enough minutes in 2025-26 to be meaningful even in a developmental sense.
 
Charliebball said:
Why she didn't play last year is a real mystery to me.........I thought she looked fine in her very brief playing time at the start of the season...........she may eventually be better than many suspect...
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Here you go -

BRS24

Thread 'Malou-Mamel has spent freshman season on the UConn bench. How she still grew as a player'

Ok folks, I'm in a trusting mood today, so I decided to share this article about Gandy. it pretty much wraps things up with a nice bow as to the how, why, who, when, where that we've discussed ad nauseam. There are a whole bunch of good tidbits as to her progress, her outlook, coaches' thoughts, etc. She's appears to be a very centered and self aware person as to exactly what's been happening. Enjoy the article.

GIft link here.

ps - if the discussion gets into questioning anything regarding player or coach decisions, it may go poof!
  • Like
 
Suggest that if no true "bigs" are available, Geno could look at someone like Addy Brown from Iowa State. 14ppg scorer, 8-9 rebounds per game and could fit any style. Has proven she excels in the tougher games with high basketball IQ.
 
BRS24 said:
Here you go -

BRS24

Thread 'Malou-Mamel has spent freshman season on the UConn bench. How she still grew as a player'

Ok folks, I'm in a trusting mood today, so I decided to share this article about Gandy. it pretty much wraps things up with a nice bow as to the how, why, who, when, where that we've discussed ad nauseam. There are a whole bunch of good tidbits as to her progress, her outlook, coaches' thoughts, etc. She's appears to be a very centered and self aware person as to exactly what's been happening. Enjoy the article.

GIft link here.

ps - if the discussion gets into questioning anything regarding player or coach decisions, it may go poof!
  • Like
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Paywall blocked it.........could you give me a brief explanation about why she didn't play last season? Thanks!
 
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