But nika is scoring 11 points every day. Like I said , if you’re gonna ask KK to score more, ya gotta ask nika too.
I believe Geno has asked Nika to be more offensively minded. It is obvious from watching this version of the Huskies...that no one player can do it by themselves. There are too many teams that have developed effective defensive schemes to counteract a team that has a dominant post player or a dominant perimeter player. Some of the top teams have the manpower to stop a team that has a dominant post and a dominant perimeter player. If UConn is going to be successful in the post-season they are going to need contributions from all five positions.
1. Nika while she is doing a herculean job with assists, rebounds, and steals... will need to be more offensively minded so defenses don't sag off of her and make it hard for Aaliyah down low.
2. KK same as Nika...KK is also doing a great job in rebounds, assists, and steals but, her lack of offensive productivity is more obvious than Nika's. Nika will hit the three if open and Nika finishes her lay-ups. KK is incredibly inconsistent from three, her pull-up when she does it, is also inconsistent but the most frustrating thing is her frequent drives into traffic where the bigs are waiting to crush her shot. So, if by chance both Nika and KK are having a bad shooting day the pressure on the rest of the team increases exponentially and even more so on Aaliyah in the paint.
3. Shade just needs to keep doing what she is doing...if she can be counted on to give us 12-15 points, 4-5 rebounds, and contribute in steals and assists that is all we can ask of her this season.
4. Aaliyah is playing like an All-American in my view. She is practically an automatic double-double every game. I pray that she doesn't have a bad game the rest of the way. By the way, we will miss her big-time next season.
5. Paige needs to shoot more, hopefully, we will see more days like we saw today from Paige. She was 9-18 (50%) for 24 points. Her three-point shooting was a little off...2-6. We are going to need Paige to hoist up 20-24 shots per game. Of course, it will be easier for Paige to get into a shooting groove if everyone else is doing their job and Paige is being guarded on one or is facing a zone defense. Additionally, Paige needs to be in constant motion...no standing around. If they are going to put a player on her all night long to try and deny her touches then she should do her best to wear that player down so they will be ineffective on the offensive end. Other than Paige shooting more shots...what can you say about a player who is also playing like an All-American and is doing the things on the court that only she can do?
6. Ice...we need her to be able to give us 10-12 quality minutes, no senseless fouls, defend the paint, block some shots, and make shots in the paint when the guards pass her the ball. We don't need to see a double-double from her though it would be nice but, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks would add a dimension to UConn that will be very helpful in the post-season.
7. Samuels...is another player who needs to be counted upon to give us 8-10 productive minutes. She is doing very well with the minutes she has been getting. She has been consistently rebounding, her defense is pretty good and she can and does knock down some threes. If Samuels gives us 4-6 points, 2-3 rebounds, and doesn't turn the ball over too much she will also give UConn what they need in reserve.
8. Bettencourt isn't being called upon to provide much off the bench...but, if you remember from last year there were some occasions where Bettencourt was needed and she did just fine, she rose to the occasion and did much more right than wrong. I think she is still that kind of player if we need her to be.
9. Amari needs to understand that she is 6'5". She was recruited by one of the best programs in the country. She has been playing in practice against one of the best post players in the country (Aaliyah). She is being asked to play big for 5-7 minutes per game...I refuse to believe that she doesn't have that in her. It is time to realize that she can contribute to the Husky's post-season run even if it is for limited minutes.
If we get contributions from everyone, get a little help from our competition, stay out of foul trouble, and not incur any more injuries we have a chance to be the echo of Khalid El-Amin's words during their championship run in 1999..."We are going to shock the world".
