UCONN players in WNBA update

[bballnut90]

Right now there are I believe 13 players in the league...here are the stats going from highest PPG to lowest:

Tina Charles-17.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 36.0% FG, 19.5% 3pt, team is in 9th place

Kia Nurse-16.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 42.3% FG, 36.8% 3pt, team is in 9th place

Tiffany Hayes-13.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 40.1% FG, 31.9% 3pt, team is in last place

Napheesa Collier-11.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 44.2% FG, 31.3% 3pt, team is in 8th place

Stefanie Dolson-9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 53.2% FG, 38.3% 3pt, team is in 5th place

Renee Montgomery-8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 34.4% FG, 30.4% 3pt, team is in last place

Bria Hartley-8.5 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.0 rpg, 28.6% FG, 26.3% 3pt, team is in 9th place, only played 8 games

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis-6.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.7 apg, 43.4% FG, 37.8% 3pt, team in 4th place

Gabby Williams-6.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 42.5% FG, 15.4% 3pt, team is in 5th place

Azura Stevens-4.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 35.8% FG, 11.1% 3pt, team is in last place

Morgan Tuck-3.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, team is in 1st place

Katie Lou Samuelson-2.0 ppg, only played 5 games, team is in 5th place

DT-only 1 game played, 5ppg for what it's worth


Couple of striking things:

1. I'd say Kia Nurse is having by far the best season out of any UCONN player. Did not expect that coming into the season. She has been streaky but when she's on, look out.

2. FG percentages are really low compared to previous years. This seems to be a trend across the league as FG% has dipped from 44.5% a year ago to 41.5%. The league is definitely missing all of its stars.

3. The big returning standouts of Hayes and Charles have really struggled this year. Charles is having by far her worst season as a professional player despite her team performing a lot better...not sure what's up with her. Hayes scoring is down from the last 3 years and her FG% is too. More significantly, her team is really bad this season despite returning most of their core. Neither is likely to be a strong contender for an All-WNBA spot after Hayes was 1st team last year and Tina 1st team the year prior.

4. Team success has also been a struggle for UCONN alum this year. None of the top 4 teams have a UCONN player playing in the starting 5 or as a big contributor. Only Dolson and Collier are putting up good numbers for a playoff team.

5. A down season was to be expected for UCONN alum considering you're missing arguably the 5 best players in school history in Jefferson, Bird, Taurasi, Stewart and Moore.

6. On the positive for UCONN fans, Collier is having a really solid rookie campaign and is a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Other players like KLS and Taurasi are also getting healthier and may make a bigger impact after the All Star break.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Right now there are I believe 13 players in the league...here are the stats going from highest PPG to lowest:

Tina Charles-17.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 36.0% FG, 19.5% 3pt, team is in 9th place

Kia Nurse-16.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 42.3% FG, 36.8% 3pt, team is in 9th place

Tiffany Hayes-13.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 40.1% FG, 31.9% 3pt, team is in last place

Napheesa Collier-11.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 44.2% FG, 31.3% 3pt, team is in 8th place

Stefanie Dolson-9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 53.2% FG, 38.3% 3pt, team is in 5th place

Renee Montgomery-8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 34.4% FG, 30.4% 3pt, team is in last place

Bria Hartley-8.5 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.0 rpg, 28.6% FG, 26.3% 3pt, team is in 9th place, only played 8 games

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis-6.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.7 apg, 43.4% FG, 37.8% 3pt, team in 4th place

Gabby Williams-6.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 42.5% FG, 15.4% 3pt, team is in 5th place

Azura Stevens-4.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 35.8% FG, 11.1% 3pt, team is in last place

Morgan Tuck-3.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, team is in 1st place

Katie Lou Samuelson-2.0 ppg, only played 5 games, team is in 5th place

DT-only 1 game played, 5ppg for what it's worth


Couple of striking things:

1. I'd say Kia Nurse is having by far the best season out of any UCONN player. Did not expect that coming into the season. She has been streaky but when she's on, look out.

2. FG percentages are really low compared to previous years. This seems to be a trend across the league as FG% has dipped from 44.5% a year ago to 41.5%. The league is definitely missing all of its stars.

3. The big returning standouts of Hayes and Charles have really struggled this year. Charles is having by far her worst season as a professional player despite her team performing a lot better...not sure what's up with her. Hayes scoring is down from the last 3 years and her FG% is too. More significantly, her team is really bad this season despite returning most of their core. Neither is likely to be a strong contender for an All-WNBA spot after Hayes was 1st team last year and Tina 1st team the year prior.

4. Team success has also been a struggle for UCONN alum this year. None of the top 4 teams have a UCONN player playing in the starting 5 or as a big contributor. Only Dolson and Collier are putting up good numbers for a playoff team.

5. A down season was to be expected for UCONN alum considering you're missing arguably the 5 best players in school history in Jefferson, Bird, Taurasi, Stewart and Moore.

6. On the positive for UCONN fans, Collier is having a really solid rookie campaign and is a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Other players like KLS and Taurasi are also getting healthier and may make a bigger impact after the All Star break.

Tina Charles has to go down as perhaps the best center in the league that gets the least support in the front court. She's never had a strong big that would force the other team to guard her and give Tina room to maneuver. She gets mugged every trip down the floor.

 

[Lynx23]

A good analysis and on the money but I would say this about The Liberty, who I think will contend for a playoff spot this year. They've played all season long without a fully (wo)manned squad, with Nurse and Charles holding down the fort. They've already won more games (8) than all of last year (7). Zahui B and Hartley just returned from Eurobasketball, bringing along Marine Johannes (French National Team) who is an offensive revelation (to me at least) and may ultimately pose Collier's biggest threat to Rookie of the Year (I love Pheesa). Rebecca Allen just returned to the line-up from a hand injury, and Asia Durr should recover from a groin injury shortly. This team has a lot of talent. If they don't make the layoffs, it's on the coach. With a potential move to Brooklyn's Barclay Center next year and strong ownership, The Liberty may also become a popular destination for some of the better WNBA free agents going forward.

 

[bballnut90]

Tina Charles has to go down as perhaps the best center in the league that gets the least support in the front court. She's never had a strong big that would force the other team to guard her and give Tina room to maneuver. She gets mugged every trip down the floor.

She does have Gray who has been a bright spot for the Liberty and does a lot of the dirty work. Tina has also been settling for more difficult fadeaways and perimeter jumpers this year. Not sure why she hasnt been as active in the paint.

 

[bballnut90]

A good analysis and on the money but I would say this about The Liberty, who I think will contend for a playoff spot this year. They've played all season long without a fully (wo)manned squad, with Nurse and Charles holding down the fort. They've already won more games (8) than all of last year (7). Zahui B and Hartley just returned from Eurobasketball, bringing along Marine Johannes (French National Team) who is an offensive revelation (to me at least) and may ultimately pose Collier's biggest threat to Rookie of the Year (I love Pheesa). Rebecca Allen just returned to the line-up from a hand injury, and Asia Durr should recover from a groin injury shortly. This team has a lot of talent. If they don't make the layoffs, it's on the coach. With a potential move to Brooklyn's Barclay Center next year and strong ownership, The Liberty may also become a popular destination for some of the better WNBA free agents going forward.

Almost every team is missing crucial players and quite frankly none of Zahui B, Hartley and Johannes are pertinent to the team's success. Johannes was great the other night, let's see if she can keep up the hot shooting.

I dont think them missing the playoffs is necessarily Katie Smith's fault....the team doesnt have the talent that most playoff teams do and the overall team is much better than they were a year ago with a similar lineup. She's done an exceptional job of putting Kia Nurse in a scoring role and bring Asia Durr along as well. If the offense can become more distributed and avoid having Tina take 18-20 shots per game they could sneak in.

Honestly though, NYL should tank and try to get Cox or Sabrina. Theyll have a great shot at a top 2 pick and both of those players would fit in extremely well. Theyll need firepower next year if players like Diggins, Parker, Stewart, Moore and Angel come back and are healthy.

 

[Lynx23]

You make good points but I still think the NY Liberty will sneak in (top 8). I try to watch as many games as the YES Network will allow. Honestly, from what I've seen no one is making Tina take 18-20 shots per game imho. She is forcing quite a few this year when distribution would seem the logical thing to do. They just aren't falling like they did last year (often missing badly) but that could change. I've watched quite a few Johannes' videos, even before she joined the team. I don't think the other night was a fluke. And I do agree that The Liberty are one or two players away from being true contenders.

 

[Hayven]

Kia continues to make noise

 

[eebmg]

Kia continues to make noise View attachment 45011

That is pretty cool.

 

[eebmg]

Nice podcast about UConn players in WNBA allstar game, The blurb

In this women’s basketball episode of the podcast, we discuss the Husky All-Stars, some big wins on the recruiting trail, and Howard Megdal interviews New York Liberty head coach to discuss the success of Charles and Nurse and Bria Hartley, who has carved out a nice role for herself.

The UConn Pod: All-Stars, Recruits, and an Interview with NY Liberty Head Coach Katie Smith

 

[Lynx23]

Nice podcast about UConn players in WNBA allstar game, The blurb

In this women’s basketball episode of the podcast, we discuss the Husky All-Stars, some big wins on the recruiting trail, and Howard Megdal interviews New York Liberty head coach to discuss the success of Charles and Nurse and Bria Hartley, who has carved out a nice role for herself.

The UConn Pod: All-Stars, Recruits, and an Interview with NY Liberty Head Coach Katie Smith

I get a nice picture of Kia and a summary, but no actual audio to click onto. What am I missing?

 

[eebmg]

I get a nice picture of Kia and a summary, but no actual audio to click onto. What am I missing?

Scroll to the bottom past some ads/ text. You should see the following.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[Fairfield Fan]

She does have Gray who has been a bright spot for the Liberty and does a lot of the dirty work. Tina has also been settling for more difficult fadeaways and perimeter jumpers this year. Not sure why she hasnt been as active in the paint.

Because she gets triple-teamed and beaten up when she goes under the basket!!!!

 

[Rixxx]

Sylvia Fowles with Minnesota experiences the same defensive strategy that Tina deals with. Sylvia misses IMO too many bunnies. However, when three players are hanging on you, the assumed success does not happen like it does "normally".

 

[RockyMTblue2]

“Discipline,” Wade said. “[UConn players] buy in quickly. They’re winners. They’re automatically winners. They try to find solutions. They’re good at talking and getting through stuff. I just like the way they communicate, the way they come in and work and they don’t take plays off. That’s something every coach values, and I value from all three.”

Article centers on getting KLS back up and running.

As Katie Lou Samuelson adjusts to WNBA, there is UConn all around her; Stefanie Dolson, Gabby Williams give Chicago Sky 3 former Huskies

 

[eebmg]

“Discipline,” Wade said. “[UConn players] buy in quickly. They’re winners. They’re automatically winners. They try to find solutions. They’re good at talking and getting through stuff. I just like the way they communicate, the way they come in and work and they don’t take plays off. That’s something every coach values, and I value from all three.”

Article centers on getting KLS back up and running.

As Katie Lou Samuelson adjusts to WNBA, there is UConn all around her; Stefanie Dolson, Gabby Williams give Chicago Sky 3 former Huskies

Great article. Not only Lou but Gabby.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I thought Diana was making a comeback...What happened?

 

[Geew1992]

I thought Diana was making a comeback...What happened?

She tweeked her back against CT