UConn stats...in defense of Anna & Carnac...

[mbr33ct]

I sat courtside last season and was continually frustrated by teammates not giving Anna the ball when she was open. That is very unlikely to happen this year. The two main culprits are no longer on the team.

By all indication IF those so called main culprits did pass to Anna, chances are/were Anna was just going to pass it off to someone else.

 

[soxfan23]

Okay, we get it. YOU DON'T LIKE Anna!

Okay, we get it, YOU DON'T LIKE Walker!

 

[Cuango]

That was kind of my my point except I didn't hedge with the use of the word "maybe". This is factually correct: Every UCONN player last year statistically improved relative to strength (weakness really) of the opposition not just Anna. BTW your use of the exclamation point after every sentence kind of defeats the purpose of the exclamation point.

Thanks!

 

[Watchdog]

I'm not denigrating anybody and I have already "factually" posted about Anna performance in selective games. I can cherry pick and drop games with the best of them-Annoying isn't it?

You've proven the cherry picking part, so the point I apparently failed to make was your incorrect assertion she had great stats due solely to the weakness of the teams we played later in the season. Big games against P5 opponents were spread throughout the season and that's why I listed them by name for the whole season

I think your math is wrong. How could she have shot two more shots between the last 8 OOC and last 9 OOC games but made three more.

Yes it is wrong and when I tried to correct it for some reason the "edit" option was not available so here's the answer:
Her percentage for the last 8 OOC games was actually 39.3% (11 for 28), not the 35.7% (10-28) I posted. Still not too shabby for a freshman against the likes of SHU, ND, DePaul, OK, Baylor, Tenn, Oregon and USC.

 

[hoophuskee]

Why do you think I am knocking her as a player? I have repeatedly said that she is a heck of player, just not an All American. Is this forum that homerish that merely stating that IMHO a really good player is not an AA?

I think part of the problem with your posts is that your definition of "a very good player" imo is odd considering if she was "very good" then a "very good UCONN player" is somehow in your thought process "NOWHERE NEAR" an All-American. Sure there are some that can be very good like a Stokes - but with Amak we're talking a "6'2 terrific 3 pt shooter" that potentially is going to have greater passing guards to feed her. It's at least "a possibility" that UCONN will want to feed a 6'2 tremendous shooter, isn't it? And if other players at her position are either struggling or have injury issues -- why wouldn't you want to feed the tremendous shooter and very good passer???? Isn't a 40% - 45% 3pt shooter tremendous? She was 41% last year so you know for certain she won't improve on 41%? You know that for sure considering this is a potential soph bump season?

The point is - you don't know for certain if her minutes will go down as the season progresses because you can't know with certainty the play of CWill or the health of Evina (Who knows if Geno is going to limit her minutes) and the contribution of Nika.

Let me ask you this-- if she gets "28- 29" minutes per game (for example CWill struggles and Geno is cautious with Evina in some variation of these) and AMak is a 40-45% from 3 point range- knowing what you know about her skills as of this moment-- do you think AMak can reach "Honorable Mention A/A" status?

 

[Watchdog]

No, because if she only took two more shots it isn’t possible for her have made three more.

I think your math is wrong. How could she have shot two more shots between the last 8 OOC and last 9 OOC games but made three more.

It was an addition mistake on "makes" in the first 8 OOC games. I always get excited over double figures.
I wasn't able to edit my post and correct it (for some reason the "edit" function wasn't showing), but I did undercount her "makes" in the last 8 OOC games. She made 11-28, not 10-28 three's so her percentage was actually 39.3%, not 35.7%.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think part of the problem with your posts is that your definition of "a very good player" imo is odd considering if she was "very good" then a "very good UCONN player" is somehow in your thought process "NOWHERE NEAR" an All-American. Sure there are some that can be very good like a Stokes - but with Amak we're talking a "6'2 terrific 3 pt shooter" that potentially is going to have greater passing guards to feed her. It's at least "a possibility" that UCONN will want to feed a 6'2 tremendous shooter, isn't it? And if other players at her position are either struggling or have injury issues -- why wouldn't you want to feed the tremendous shooter and very good passer???? Isn't a 40% - 45% 3pt shooter tremendous? She was 41% last year so you know for certain she won't improve on 41%? You know that for sure considering this is a potential soph bump season?

The point is - you don't know for certain if her minutes will go down as the season progresses because you can't know with certainty the play of CWill or the health of Evina (Who knows if Geno is going to limit her minutes) and the contribution of Nika.

Let me ask you this-- if she gets "28- 29" minutes per game (for example CWill struggles and Geno is cautious with Evina in some variation of these) and AMak is a 40-45% from 3 point range- knowing what you know about her skills as of this moment-- do you think AMak can reach "Honorable Mention A/A" status?

No she will not. Kia nurse did all that and more DPOY and was not named as such. Likewise for Senior Saniya Chong.

 

[j66kicker]

No, because if she only took two more shots it isn’t possible for her have made three more.

Sorry - I didn't realize they were all the same games with just one added. Mea culpa

 

[CocoHusky]

Yeah. Crystal has a history of not getting the ball to her teammates.

I'm just glad Crystal didn't take any of that selective passing "nonsense" to the WNBA with her.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Many players improve from one season to the next. Some even make dramatic progress during the season. Anna Makurat came to UConn as a talented freshman having lived and played basketball in Poland. She adjusted not just to college life away from home, but also to living in a foreign country and communicating in a foreign language. She also went from playing "European style" basketball to the specific Geno/UConn way of playing. All in all, lots of adjustments and changes that impacted her play early in the season.

Consider Anna's first 8 game stats. (1/4 of the season)
1. Points = 30 or 3.75 per game.
2. Three point shooting = 7-28 or 25%. (Includes 0 for America start)
3. Inside the arc shooting = 4-13 or 31%.
4. Minutes per game = 20.75 per game.
5. Assists = 24 or 3 per game.
6. Anna started 3 of the 8 games and ended that stretch coming off the bench.

Now consider the last 8 games of Anna's season.
1. Points = 104 or 13 per game.
2. Three-points shooting = 22-45 or 49%.
3. Inside the arc shooting = 15-27 or 55%.
4. Minutes per game = 32.4 per game.
5. Assists = 38 or 4.75 per game.
6. Anna started all games except the Senior night.

UConn played 32 games last year. I divided the season in quarters, much like a game. Carnac hopes & predicts Anna comes back and pick up where she left off. That would be great. Maybe, she may actually surprise and be even better. That would be wonderful for this talented player..!

Go Huskies..!!

I want to thank you for redeeming my impressions of Anna, particularly because it shows that though Anna's start was slow, dealing with a variety of issues including adapting to the UConn team and to being away from family, in a completely foreign country to her ... I guess in a post earlier comparing Anna versus Megan, I was more caught up in the Anna that evolved over the latter part of her freshman year .... you could see the numbers suggesting that she has potential to be an amazing player for the Huskies and not someone to be slowly but surely disappearing into an insignificant bench player as some have suggested .... So appreciate your numbers confirming what I saw of her ...

 

[soxfan23]

I think part of the problem with your posts is that your definition of "a very good player" imo is odd considering if she was "very good" then a "very good UCONN player" is somehow in your thought process "NOWHERE NEAR" an All-American. Sure there are some that can be very good like a Stokes - but with Amak we're talking a "6'2 terrific 3 pt shooter" that potentially is going to have greater passing guards to feed her. It's at least "a possibility" that UCONN will want to feed a 6'2 tremendous shooter, isn't it? And if other players at her position are either struggling or have injury issues -- why wouldn't you want to feed the tremendous shooter and very good passer???? Isn't a 40% - 45% 3pt shooter tremendous? She was 41% last year so you know for certain she won't improve on 41%? You know that for sure considering this is a potential soph bump season?

The point is - you don't know for certain if her minutes will go down as the season progresses because you can't know with certainty the play of CWill or the health of Evina (Who knows if Geno is going to limit her minutes) and the contribution of Nika.

Let me ask you this-- if she gets "28- 29" minutes per game (for example CWill struggles and Geno is cautious with Evina in some variation of these) and AMak is a 40-45% from 3 point range- knowing what you know about her skills as of this moment-- do you think AMak can reach "Honorable Mention A/A" status?

No, I don't, because if CWill struggles and Geno is limiting Westbrook's minutes, then Makurat becomes the focus on offense and opposing teams will key on her. While being a great shooter and a tremendous passer, Makurat's offensive game is not very multi- dimensional and she is best served in the spot up shooter role ala KLS or KML. She will simply not get the open looks if CWill struggles and Westbrook is injured. Last year Makurat averaged 26.5 mins per game, I don't think an extra couple of minutes per game is going to boost her production enough from the 8pts 4rbs 3ast that she averaged last year to be named an HM AA.

 

[Watchdog]

Yeah. Crystal has a history of not getting the ball to her teammates.

This thread has become "the emperor's new clothes".

CD and CW, no matter how much some might want to pretend otherwise, did not pass the ball as much this past season. It's obvious when you look at assist numbers and shots per game and they played almost the same number of minutes per game each year.

Assists:
CD had 118 assists (3.9/game) as a senior versus 225 (5.9/game) as a junior
CW had 72 (2.3 per game) versus 86 (also 2.3 per game) as a freshman
Anna had105 (3.3 per game) as a freshman in about 75% as many minutes/game

Both were more scoring oriented this year in about the same minutes/game:
CD took 12.0 shots/game as a senior versus 11.2/game as a junior.
CW took 12.3/game as a sophomore versus 9.0/game as a freshman.
Anna took 6.6/game as a freshman.

Maybe they didn't trust Anna or others, or maybe it was because the bench was so short they felt they had to do more on their own. Whatever the reason, I recall a number of very obvious instances where Anna was open and looking for a pass, especially in the second half of the season when she had proven to be our best 3 point shooter other than MW, and the ball never came.

 

[soxfan23]

I want to thank you for redeeming my impressions of Anna, particularly because it shows that though Anna's start was slow, dealing with a variety of issues including adapting to the UConn team and to being away from family, in a completely foreign country to her ... I guess in a post earlier comparing Anna versus Megan, I was more caught up in the Anna that evolved over the latter part of her freshman year .... you could see the numbers suggesting that she has potential to be an amazing player for the Huskies and not someone to be slowly but surely disappearing into an insignificant bench player as some have suggested .... So appreciate your numbers confirming what I saw of her ...

Who suggested anything even remotely close to this?

 

[MSGRET]

Okay, we get it, YOU DON'T LIKE Walker!

I haven't said a bad word about Walker, I've

Okay, we get it, YOU DON'T LIKE Walker!

I never said anything bad about Walker, I've been defending Anna against your bias of her. When you want to compare her against Walker's Junior year stats and Anna's Freshman year stats is like comparing apples to oranges. You talk about Anna's bad games against teams as a Freshman, let's talk about Walker's as a Freshman not as a Junior. That's more like apples to apples.
,

 

[soxfan23]

I haven't said a bad word about Walker, I've

I never said anything bad about Walker, I've been defending Anna against your bias of her. When you want to compare her against Walker's Junior year stats and Anna's Freshman year stats is like comparing apples to oranges. You talk about Anna's bad games against teams as a Freshman, let's talk about Walker's as a Freshman not as a Junior. That's more like apples to apples.
,

And @CocoHusky and I have not said anything except we don't consider Makurat an AA caliber player yet, but for some reason you think we hate the kid, that's the point.

I think you may have gotten a little confused, please go back and re-read the thread, NOBODY was comparing MW's junior year stats to Makurat's freshman year stats as any metric of what Makurat COULD be as a player, we were using MW's stats as an illustration of what an AA player looks like.

 

[hoophuskee]

No she will not. Kia nurse did all that and more DPOY and was not named as such. Likewise for Senior Saniya Chong.

What makes AMak different than KLS?

1-- For Nurse- she was never the leader in 3pt attempts, was she (neither was Chong)? So if in my scenario of CWill is having an off-season are you saying without a doubt that there is no way a 6'2 excellent 41% 3 point shooter from last year and with a potential soph bump won't be the leader in 3pt attempts this year? How is that the same as Nurse and Chong you just provided if they were never the leader in 3 pt attempts - while isn't it possible that AMak can be the leader in point attempts?

2-- So if number 1 above is possible that AMak will be the leader in 3pt attempts - then wouldn't it follow that she is hitting at a consistent good clip?

3-- Takeaway the 2 tough games at the beginning of the season now UCONN doesn't have that many - isn't possible that overall her 3pt fg% will go up slightly from frosh to soph year? So at least 42% if not a little more- isn't that excellent?

4-- If CWill has an off-season which was my scenario then who is it that you KNOW FOR CERTAIN is going to be taking most of the 3pt shots? Haven't we heard specifically from Geno that he has said that Evina is not a pure shooter (UCONNCAT posted something to this effect - a quote from Geno)? And Paige -- you know for a FACT she is going to shoot 40% or above from 3 and be a "scorer" from 3 vice "shooter?" ***Isn't it possible that AMak is a superior 3pt shooter to Paige and Evina and if she is-- and CWill is struggling- why wouldn't they look for a tall wing that was 41% last year (and we expect a bump this, don't we?) -- in halfcourt sets and running fastbreaks?

5-- ****Why wouldn't UCONN want to feed a tall wing player who shoots at least 41% from 3 if she is the best 3pt shooter on the team? AMak is 6'2 and has a high release point. Why would UCONN who historically loves 3 point shooters and running - would the guards (Evina, PAige, Nika) not look to feed her if CWill is struggling?

6-- If there is an answer anywhere that Paige and Evina are near as good 3pt shooters and can be a "scorer" (I mean "Scorer" not a "Kyla Irwin" who can hit an occasional 3 if left wide open. AMak is 6'2 but playing on the wing. ) from 3 - then sign me up!! With the way they pass - this means more than likely we have at least 1 if not 2 1st team A/A caliber players!

 

[Bronxjeff]

There are times I firmly believe stats don't reveal the whole story. I look at it this way: By the middle to end of this past season, Anna looked to me to be one of the more poised and assertive freshmen with the ball in her hands than I can remember in recent memory. She facilitated very well, and didn't turn the ball over every ten seconds. Total success. You guys can debate stats all you want, to me she absolutely looked like she belonged on the floor with the veteran players. Not sure why some folks are trying to limit her ceiling.

I think she played so well, they might have forgotten she was a freshman!

 

[hoophuskee]

No, I don't, because if CWill struggles and Geno is limiting Westbrook's minutes, then Makurat becomes the focus on offense and opposing teams will key on her. While being a great shooter and a tremendous passer, Makurat's offensive game is not very multi- dimensional and she is best served in the spot up shooter role ala KLS or KML. She will simply not get the open looks if CWill struggles and Westbrook is injured. Last year Makurat averaged 26.5 mins per game, I don't think an extra couple of minutes per game is going to boost her production enough from the 8pts 4rbs 3ast that she averaged last year to be named an HM AA.

Well you double whammied me here. I have to say I got this response and immediately I cracked up - not because of YOU - please don't take it that way-- I guess it's that I wasn't clear enough.

I said "in some variation" in my prior post to you referring to Evina and CWill. You took my post and disregarded "in some variation" (not your fault) and took it to mean if both not only "struggled/hurt" but will be near bottom-of-the-barrel? I mean if CWill struggles it doesn't mean "she stinks." And if Evina is dealing with injury I didn't mean it to be she is "out" - instead just struggling a bit preventing her from being "a A/A force." But my comment of her "struggling" wasn't meant to suggest that she stinks either. Isn't it possible that the 2 might not be A/a's and yet still be "competent?"

That's what I meant by "in some variation." I didn't mean it for you to take it that they would fall off a cliff. Isn't it possible that CWill and Evina won't be A/A's but still can be competent? And as a result, isn't it possible that if they are "just" competent then they would still be productive? And if they are productive - and wiht very good play from Paige and ONO- won't it free up AMak more?

I think it MUCH MORE "improbable" that both Evina and CWill will be "bottom of the barrel" along with not getting very good contributions from Paige and ONO. To make that leap is an assumption of the worst thing possible. IS that how we're going to justify AMak from being "NOWHERE NEAR" an A/A?

**So to your point of "keying on her" -- if they have four players on the Wooden List- I have knocked down 2 of them to being just competent -- - don't you expect both Paige and ONO to be very good? Add that with a 6'2 wing (i.e. she has SIZE ot get off her shot) that shoots tremendous, and competent 4 or 5 other players (Evina, CWill, Aubrey, Edwards and Nika)- you think "Big East" teams and even everyone else is going to look to JUST stop AMak? Isn't Paige getting in the lane and ONO able to score (from the passing of the many guards we have on this team) enough of a concern vs getting beat by AMak?

ONO and Paige will probable be better than AMak. That's where the defense is going to key if Evina and CWill are just competent, right? ??? And if they ARE BETTER and the other players "mostly competent" - you think AMak is going to be "keyed on" in such manner to be shutdown "WITHOUT A DOUBT" thus preventing her from putting up "Honorable Mention A/A stats?"

 

[CocoHusky]

What makes AMak different than KLS?

1-- For Nurse- she was never the leader in 3pt attempts, was she (neither was Chong)? So if in my scenario of CWill is having an off-season are you saying without a doubt that there is no way a 6'2 excellent 41% 3 point shooter from last year and with a potential soph bump won't be the leader in 3pt attempts this year? How is that the same as Nurse and Chong you just provided if they were never the leader in 3 pt attempts - while isn't it possible that AMak can be the leader in point attempts?

2-- So if number 1 above is possible that AMak will be the leader in 3pt attempts - then wouldn't it follow that she is hitting at a consistent good clip?

3-- Takeaway the 2 tough games at the beginning of the season now UCONN doesn't have that many - isn't possible that overall her 3pt fg% will go up slightly from frosh to soph year? So at least 42% if not a little more- isn't that excellent?

4-- If CWill has an off-season which was my scenario then who is it that you KNOW FOR CERTAIN is going to be taking most of the 3pt shots? Haven't we heard specifically from Geno that he has said that Evina is not a pure shooter (UCONNCAT posted something to this effect - a quote from Geno)? And Paige -- you know for a FACT she is going to shoot 40% or above from 3 and be a "scorer" from 3 vice "shooter?" ***Isn't it possible that AMak is a superior 3pt shooter to Paige and Evina and if she is-- and CWill is struggling- why wouldn't they look for a tall wing that was 41% last year (and we expect a bump this, don't we?) -- in halfcourt sets and running fastbreaks?

5-- ****Why wouldn't UCONN want to feed a tall wing player who shoots at least 41% from 3 if she is the best 3pt shooter on the team? AMak is 6'2 and has a high release point. Why would UCONN who historically loves 3 point shooters and running - would the guards (Evina, PAige, Nika) not look to feed her if CWill is struggling?

6-- If there is an answer anywhere that Paige and Evina are near as good 3pt shooters and can be a "scorer" (I mean "Scorer" not a "Kyla Irwin" who can hit an occasional 3 if left wide open. AMak is 6'2 but playing on the wing. ) from 3 - then sign me up!! With the way they pass - this means more than likely we have at least 1 if not 2 1st team A/A caliber players!

1-2) Anna did not lead UCONN in three point FG attempts last year. She was not second. She was actually third behind ironically the two people who some folks are accusing of not passing the ball to Anna last year.
In Her senior year Kia Nurse was 2nd in 3pt FGA behind KLS and for a long while led the nation in 3pt FG %.
Saniya Chong was 3rd in 3 Pt FG attempts as a senior. I din't just throw out two random examples.
This is at least the third time you have mentioned CW having an off season. I don't know why you think that would be a good thing for Anna or the team. If CW is having another off season Nika, Paige and EW are the ones that will have to pick up the slack. CW does not play the same position as Anna.

3) 42% 3PT FG for an entire season would be solid and 1% higher than Anna shot last year it would not be excellent.

4) The offense doesn't work that way-Geno doesn't go into the season "designating" someone as the three point shooter. It is a read and react transition offense, where the corners and wings are all occupied with capable shooters-notice that's plural not singular. Anna is a capable wing shooter but so will CW, Paige and Nika. Recall that Anna replaced Kyla Irwin in the starting line up last year. That had nothing to do with being a 3Point shooter because quiet as its kept Kyla was the better 3pt shooter. I try to read every @UConnCat becuase i find "wisdom" in them and don't recall the post you are referring to. Evina shot 35% from deep in her two season at TN. 38% during her last season. That should be capable enough for UCONN offense and roughly the same as CW shot last year. Aubrey and ONO both needs to pick up deep shooting.

5) Because the offense is designed to be more equal opportunity and dependent on the defense making a mistake. If the opposing coach knows that Anna (or any other player) is always going to be beyond the arc that becomes easier to defend. What you are proposing is exactly what KLS did at the start of her freshman year. She wanted to linger on the perimeter and wait for the ball and shoot it. Geno didn't tolerate that from KLS and he won't tolerate it from Anna. KLS had to move all over the floor and hunt shots. That what Geno meant when he told her she not working hard enough.

6) IMO Paige will be a very good collegiate 3pt shooter. She will need to be for the UCONN offense to run full throttle.

 

[hoophuskee]

And @CocoHusky and I have not said anything except we don't consider Makurat an AA caliber player yet, but for some reason you think we hate the kid, that's the point.

I think you may have gotten a little confused, please go back and re-read the thread, NOBODY was comparing MW's junior year stats to Makurat's freshman year stats as any metric of what Makurat COULD be as a player, we were using MW's stats as an illustration of what an AA player looks like.

And if that is your point it is WRONG-- still.

You realize Walker was a 1st team A/A, right? SO are you suggesting that AMak is NOWHERE NEAR an A/A because you want to use 1st team A/A stats as a comparison?

She can't be be an Honorable Mention A/A because you want to use 1st team A/a stats as the barometer?

 

[CocoHusky]

And if that is your point it is WRONG-- still.
You realize Walker was a 1st team A/A, right? SO are you suggesting that AMak is NOWHERE NEAR an A/A because you want to use 1st team A/A stats as a comparison?
She can't be be an Honorable Mention A/A because you want to use 1st team A/a stats as the barometer?

Just out of curiosity what do you believe to be the criteria for "honorable" mention AA? You can answer by either providing an example of a person who was during a specific season or by providing a numeric criteria.

 

[Boreifs]

Yeah. Crystal has a history of not getting the ball to her teammates.

You should look at the stats before you jump in. She averaged two fewer assists per game as a senior than she did as a junior. She had no problem dishing the ball to Megan, CW or ONO, but was very hesitant to pass it to Anna.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Man, actual games can't arrive too soon, lest we start eating our own!

 

[Boreifs]

No she will not. Kia nurse did all that and more DPOY and was not named as such. Likewise for Senior Saniya Chong.

Putting Nurse and Chong in the same category is ridiculous. Nurse was a four-year starter, a National denfensive player of the year, starts for the Canadian National team and is a star in the NBA. Chong started one year at UConn and shared time with a Freshman. There is a world of difference between those two players; no basis of comparison whatsoever.

 

[CocoHusky]

Putting Nurse and Chong in the same category is ridiculous. Nurse was a four-year starter, a National denfensive player of the year, starts for the Canadian National team and is a star in the NBA. Chong started one year at UConn and shared time with a Freshman. There is a world of difference between those two players; no basis of comparison whatsoever.

The basis of comparison is the 3PT FG percentage of those players as compared to Anna -sorry that comparison appears to have alluded you.