Uconn Defense

[Boxerpups4me]

I had posed this question in the Dunbar thread, but doggydaddy advised me to start a new thread, which I should have done to begin with lol. Anyhow, besides recruiting, I think Geno is particularly great at coaching defense. Last season Kelly Faris was a tremendous defensive spark for this UCONN team and really pulled them through when they struggled offensively, not to mention the fact she could hit some big time clutch three's. My opinion is, and it's just that, is that she is the best defensive player UCONN has had in a lot of years. My question though to you fans is who fills her shoes?? Geno puts a lot of emphasis on defense and swarming to the ball, so who will he depend on to lead that charge? I think Bria has a breakout season this year. She was kinda quiet last year, but performed very well for the USA team. She could be the one eh?? KML also plays good defense..Any thoughts on this??

 

[doggydaddy]

While I won't diminish her one on one defensive abilities, it was a team effort that made Uconn the best defensive team in the country last year. So even without Faris, I expect Uconn to be just as tough as last year defensively.

It's the scheme and the players that execute it.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

While I won't diminish her one on one defensive abilities, it was a team effort that made Uconn the best defensive team in the country last year. So even without Faris, I expect Uconn to be just as tough as last year defensively.

It's the scheme and the players that execute it.

Very true...Geno can coach a defense no question about that..

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I have never really thought that UConn's defense was really dependent on a single player. While defense is always a team process, some schemes place more emphasis on one or more particular players - in general, at least in the games I have seen, UConn generally doesn't seem as personnel dependent as some other schemes.

 

[Icebear]

Boxer, Geno seems to regularly recruit or inspire players to take on the role of defensive stopper. Kelly was the most recent in a line that includes Kalana Greene and Ashley Battle. Add that to the strength of UCONN's team defense philosophies and I expect the team's defensive prowess to continue. MoJeff and Brianna Banks have great potential to become defensive stoppers on the perimeter. Possibly Saniya Chong will show that ability this year as we move forward. She has the tools but it will take time.

 

[meyers7]

My question though to you fans is who fills her shoes?? KML also plays good defense..Any thoughts on this??

KML is pretty good, and getting better. Although I would hate to tie up my best shooter with too many defensive responsibilities.

But I think if they have a "stopper" it might be Banks. Maybe. She improved a lot from her Freshman year where she pretty much played "ole" defense. She might, with her quickness (if she gets that back after injury) be able to be a stopper.

I think Bria has a breakout season this year.

Considering Hartley has already been an AA, not sure what kind of "breakout" you are expecting???

 

[meyers7]

MoJeff and Brianna Banks have great potential to become defensive stoppers on the perimeter.

Agree

Possibly Saniya Chong will show that ability this year as we move forward. She has the tools but it will take time.

I don't see that. In fact I think that could be what might limit some of her playing time.

 

[bruinbball]

To me, Kelly needed to fill that role early on as her scoring was not a strong point. The other facets of her game warranted her being on the floor and the best way to get a limited scorer on the floor is by having it be someone who can wear down the opposition's primary weapon and help shut them down. But, as others have said, Kelly was great because she also knew everyone else around her would be doing their jobs, and they did so very well. Could Kelly have equally as impressive defensively at another school? Well, yes, I think her overall defensive numbers could have been even better, but that would have been because she had to take risks and physically versus a lot of players she could have gotten away with that. At UConn, playing the best of the best, it was her ability to not take too many uncalculated risks but play fundamentally good defense (thanks to the support of very good defenders around her) that let her continue to develop throughout her career.

Quite honestly, I look for UConn to be a better team defensively next year. Breanna coming into her own, KML's continued defensive development, Morgan, Stef and Bria's continuing improvement, and IMO Kiah and Moriah will be defensive nightmares for the opposition. Banks, if healthy, could be the best perimeter defender on the team. And IMO, any defense we get from Saniya her freshman year is a bonus.

ON EDIT: I forgot something. The thing that made Kelly so special was her ability to guard anyone from the point guard to the power forward.

 

[Icebear]

I don't see that. In fact I think that could be what might limit some of her playing time.

That is why I said she has the tools. It is not a given but there was not much one could judge from high school since like EDD it was more important for her to stay on the court. Playing at UCONN with other great athletes she will be more free to play D and have greater expectations that she do so. She has the tools: great quickness, speed, length, hops and excellent conditioning.

 

[VAMike23]

Our perimeter on-ball defense will not be as strong without Kelly Faris. Personnel does matter, especially when you're talking about the DPOY. When the opponent's #1 weapon is a high-octane guard like Sims, or one with more length like Chelsea Gray, we will especially miss Kelly's hard nosed D.

On the other hand, if a more experienced Stewart consistently plays to her abilities as she did at the end of the season, and if Stef stays healthy, our defense will be stronger in the back then it has been since Tina was roaming the lane. Stokes also knows that she has to step up this year, and when she's on she is a defensive terror. Stewie is also quick enough to guard a lot of good wings and 2-guards on the perimeter when the situation calls for it, as on switches.

With the stronger back side defense, our guards will be able to play tighter, trap, and take more chances, which suits Mo and BB especially. (Keeping the defender in front of them a la Kelly Faris? Not so much -- yet.) This should be a good thing

So that's my take. A little weaker on the perimeter, player for player, but stronger in the back. Hopefully a wash. We'll see how it plays out against the better teams. None of this will matter much against most opponents.

 

[slimmer56]

We do have the best defense in the country. I would also say we have no comparison nfor about the last 8 years for sure ! I believe what makes us so good is the versatility of our ladies. We can press, play man or zone, and this keeps opposing teams uncomfortable. How many teams are there in the country that have a 6'3 lady with a 7 ft wingspan that can guard the in-bounds pass and get back to play man or zone. Nobody does ! Plus, you really have to WANT to play defense and all our young ladies buy in !

I can't wait to see our vaunted D in action again !

 

[Icebear]

Our perimeter on-ball defense will not be as strong without Kelly Faris. Personnel does matter, especially when you're talking about the DPOY. When the opponent's #1 weapon is a speedy point guard like Sims, we won't have an answer like we did with KF.

On the other hand, if a more experienced Stewart consistently plays to her abilities as she did at the end of the season, and if Stef stays healthy, our defense will be stronger in the back then it has been since Tina was roaming the lane. Stokes also knows that she has to step up this year, and when she's on she is a defensive terror. Stewie is also quick enough to guard a lot of good wings and 2-guards on the perimeter when the situation calls for it, as on switches.

With the stronger back side defense, our guards will be able to play tighter, trap, and take more chances, which suits Mo and BB especially. (Keeping the defender in front of them a la Kelly Faris? Not so much -- yet.) This should be a good thing

So that's my take. A little weaker on the perimeter, player for player, but stronger in the back. Hopefully a wash. We'll see how it plays out against the better teams. None of this will matter much against most opponents.

As much of a huge Kelly Faris fan as I am it is impossible to say we won't have another defender like her. People thought that after Ashley and Kalana, too. We have folks with the skills Geno will be the motivator challenging someone to step up. It will be fun to watch and see who steps up.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Boxer, Geno seems to regularly recruit or inspire players to take on the role of defensive stopper. Kelly was the most recent in a line that includes Kalana Greene and Ashley Battle. Add that to the strength of UCONN's team defense philosophies and I expect the team's defensive prowess to continue. MoJeff and Brianna Banks have great potential to become defensive stoppers on the perimeter. Possibly Saniya Chong will show that ability this year as we move forward. She has the tools but it will take time.

ice...agree 100%. In a recent thread you said, "For me the x-factor this season is who or how will we replace Kelly's defensive shut down intensity." IMO that is a key question. I was half way through researching Kelly's impact on the opposing team's leading scorer when I saw this great post by boxer. Yes, UConn uses "team defense" and executes it very well. That is a huge part of Geno's strategy. BUT, looking back at how much of the time Kelly was covering the leading scorer and how hard she made that person work just to get the ball is revealing. Scoring averages against UConn/Kelly were dramatically lower. There is no stat for denying the player you're guarding the ball, but Kelly would have led the nation if kept. She had 96 steals, #1 on the team by far. Opposing teams sometimes just stop trying to pass the ball to her player. And she only had 68 fouls in 1,160 minutes of play. That is only a foul every 17 minutes. Tight defense w/out fouling is a talent. It is no accident Geno played her the most minutes on the team, started her 39 of 39 games and put her on the other team's leading scorer.

Last year, Kelly was the fourth scoring option. Having her work so hard on defense against their #1 scorer cost very little offensively. Her superior conditioning, height (5'11), athletic ability and knowledge of the game made her the perfect "shut down" defender. Even in a "team defense" scheme. I don't know that UConn has that equivalent this year. Don't get me wrong, defense will still be great, especially w/ Stewie providing "off ball" help and blocks. Go Huskies..!!

P.S. - VA, slim & bruin good points as well...

 

[VAMike23]

As much of a huge Kelly Faris fan as I am it is impossible to say we won't have another defender like her. People thought that after Ashley and Kalana, too. We have folks with the skills Geno will be the motivator challenging someone to step up. It will be fun to watch and see who steps up.

I wouldn't disagree as a broad statement, but in talking about the upcoming season only we won't have a defender on the perimeter with anything approaching Kelly's impact on the game unless either:

A) Chong surprises greatly as a defender *and* gets significant minutes on the floor; or
B) Either Mo or BB improves to Kelly-level defense.

Keep in mind that Faris was an outstanding defender at UCONN from the moment she arrived and only got better from that point forward. And she got lots of minutes (nearly 20 MPG as a frosh).

With the rotation we've got, Banks is not likely to see heavy minutes and she has not yet shown the ability to play tough on-ball defense like Kelly. And she is recovering from an ACL. Could she improve? Certainly. But getting to Kelly's level is not, IMHO, a good bet this year. She has great physical tools but that's a long way to go. Next year, with Bria out the rotation, she could have the opportunity for more minutes, especially if she improves defensively. She is excellent at trapping and doubling, hence my mention of this in my previous post, but she is not--to this point--a great on-ball defender in Kelly's mold.

Mo has already shown some good defensive skills and is likely to be the one who improves more and has greater impact because she is going to get more minutes than Banks, in all likelihood. My guess is this still falls short of Kelly's defensive impact (again, we're talking DPOY here), but that's OK. Our team defense will still be a hallmark in 2013-14. I leave Bria out of this discussion simply because I think we already know what she can do defensively. She has improved a lot, and is solid.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Likely either one of the Huskies will step up as the stopper, or there will simply be a stopper-by-committee approach on the opposing key player. UConn has used both methods in the past, depending on available resources, and the big element as with all teams is how well the general defensive network works. Even the best stopper in the nation will be ineffective if she has cheesecloth behind her, but with Stewie swats and a Stef wall and a variety of hyperactive hands waving in faces, UConn will again be nastily tough on D.

The risk-taking element can work either way for defensive aces. If they are on a generally poor defensive team, they may feel more pressure to take chances and overplay for the steal, figuring that the rewards outweigh the risks. However, players like Faris and Odyssey Sims on top defensive teams can also feel that they can take a few more chances because of the imposing gauntlet behind them. Sims had a slightly higher steals average than Faris last year at 2.7 spg, but it will be interesting to see what happens to that average with Griner gone. And with Faris gone and a fully developed Stewie and healthy Dolson on the court, the steals for MoJeff, KML and Hartley may all shoot well above the 50s totals for all from last year.

 

[Icebear]

VA and David, will our shut down defender look the same as Kelly Faris? No, not likely. That, however, is not to say we will not have a shutdown defender. It may be MoJeff with her constant movement, quickness, and general harassment like an angry hornet who simply annoys key opponents into submission. MoJeff's speed and quickness make up for some of her deficiencies to Kelly. Brianna has similar skills but will not likely be as aggressive as she continues her recovery. Will there be bumps along the way, most likely.

What we do have this year are two interior shot blockers in Breanna (74 blocks in 854 minutes) and Stef (58 blocks in 1020 minutes). And we have another excellent shot blocker in Kiah (an amzing 39 blocks in 342 minutes for more than 1 block per 10 minutes fixed) available from the bench. I cannot think of a UCONN women's team that has had that type of shot blocking presence. MoJeff or Brianna will not need to be as effective as Kelly for that reason alone.

Kelly's defense was largely floor defense. One of Kelly's strengths was that she understood and trusted the players behind her so that she could take great risks on the perimeter as a defender. It wasn't that Kelly never got beat by a player it was the she denied her opponent the ball which is more about effort and when Kelly did get beat she made sure it was to the help side and away from her opponent's strength. She didn't block shots (only 19 in 1160 minutes). Kelly stayed in front of her opponent denying them movement and the ball. Again that is about will and focus.

Where to get beat is something that Geno and staff work very hard to impress on the players. Even Caroline with her tremendous limitations due to injuries rarely got beat to the weak side of the defense. Yes, it happened but it was minimized as it is for the whole team.

 

[Creaky]

Basketball's not a game I understand deeply, but I think if you want someone to appreciate the wonder that is UConn's defense, ask them to focus on a Husky who is not known as a key defender. They'll realize quickly that the rotations are amazing. UConn players shift and cover for each other so well it looks like they are playing an entirely different game from their opponents. (And it really sticks out when someone occasionally doesn't rotate, or goes the wrong way—which is fairly rare.)

 

[DobbsRover2]

And we have another excellent shot blocker in Kiah (an amzing 39 blocks in 342 minutes for more than 1 block per minute) available from the bench.

Ice, I hope we do someday get a shot blocker who can smack'em at 1 per minute, but I think the game will need to be speeded up about 10x for that to happen.

But yes, UConn rarely beats itself on defense.

 

[Icebear]

Ice, I hope we do someday get a shot blocker who can smack'em at 1 per minute, but I think the game will need to be speeded up about 10x for that to happen.

But yes, UConn rarely beats itself on defense.

Oops. One for every ten minutes. Fixed. That is still a tremendous rate and the best on a team with a trio of very good shot blockers. It is similar to Thabeet.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Oops. One for every ten minutes. Fixed. That is still a tremendous rate and the best on a team with a trio of very good shot blockers. It is similar to Thabeet.

Indeed, Kiah's 1 block per 8.8 minutes is not so far off Griner's 1 per 7.4 minutes average, though to be fair to the Baylor star, she would have had many more if teams were trying to take it to the hoop more when she was around, as she had a big drop-off in blocks last year. The fear of BG actually helped give the Bears a better shooting percentage margin over their opponents than the Huskies at 18.8% to 18.0%, though the Huskies shooting defense was a little better.

 

[msf22b]

I think we are forgetting perhaps the key defender on the taem
Morgan
A year ago she gave Stewie fits in practice, it was remarked that she was the only one who could bother her.
She is capable of guarding all but the quickest guards
Watch for her to slide into Kelly's role

 

[Icebear]

I think we are forgetting perhaps the key defender on the taem
Morgan
A year ago she gave Stewie fits in practice, it was remarked that she was the only one who could bother her.
She is capable of guarding all but the quickest guards
Watch for her to slide into Kelly's role

She is not mobile enough to fulfill the role of stopper on the perimeter which is what most of the thread is addressing. She is excellent inside and has great strength in the post.

 

[meyers7]

What we do have this year are two interior shot blockers in Breanna (74 blocks in 854 minutes) and Stef (58 blocks in 1020 minutes). And we have another excellent shot blocker in Kiah (an amzing 39 blocks in 342 minutes for more than 1 block per 10 minutes fixed) available from the bench. I cannot think of a UCONN women's team that has had that type of shot blocking presence.

That's 171 blocks.

Lobo and Wolters combined for 216 in 94/95. Lobo at 122 in 1005 min. and Wolters with 94 in 503 min (1 every 5.4 mins).

 

[arty155]

-Boxer: Welcome to the ‘Yard. This is a great thread… I’ve already learned plenty from everyone’s insight here. Thanks a lot for taking the time to initiate it - great topic.

doggydaddy advised me to start a new thread, ...

- Yes, Boxer, yes, that’s it, yes... Listen to DD,… Listen to DD…Listen to DD … Listen… Listen…Listen .. ...You notice your fur is losing its hideous, filthy patches of orange decay…. Ladies stop you, to admire, to touch, to caress the change to a dignified National Flag Blue… no more humiliating nightmares of Thompson Boling Arena –South Chattanooga,… no more idle reminiscing,... you’re finally among fans who still actually see thier team in Final Fours,... fans who cheer for actual current National Champions,… you begin to teach your puppies “U!… C!… O!…N!… N!"… ...You decide to change your Boneyard icon...

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/boxer-dog-breed-blues-jo-lynch.html

 

[Bestiarius]

Kelly simply cannot be replaced. But goals can be accomplished in many ways and Geno has the player who can compensate for Kelly's absence. However it remains to be seen how fully the compensation will be.

Like a great chess player, Kelly seemed to be several steps ahead of her opponents. She would make a subtle move that would prevent a successful offensive play from even developing. She would defeat screens before they developed. Her moves were not flashy, they were just quietly effective.

Added to her mental abilities was her superior strength, coupled with great endurance that enabled her to take one more step than her opponent. Her tenaciousness was like placing a 30 pound sandbag on her opponents shoulders, a never relenting burden to bear the entire game.

I'm certain that playing with Kelly was a learning experience for her team mates. Perhaps the biggest benefit the team has on the defensive end is what they learned from watching and playing with Kelly. That, coupled with Geno's genius, should enable UConn to remain masters of defense.