DavidinNaples
11 is way better than 2..!! :)
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Last season’s UConn team stats were unusual in that there wasn’t a Senior in any of the first three spots for scoring, rebounds, blocked shots, steals, or made baskets. Saniya was 2nd in assists with 140, 3rd in total minutes played and 5th in scoring with 289 points. However, before dismissing Saniya and fellow Senior, Tierney Lawlor's statistical contributions to the Huskies, consider that Chong had personal bests last season in points, assists, rebounds and steals. Even more amazing, TLAW set a record that can only be tied, never beaten. She did not miss a single practice at UConn after having the courage to walk on as a freshman. Those two impacted the team in more ways than just stats..!!
That said, there are a whole bunch of statistical leaders returning for next season. Not just the top spot, but in one case, the top four leaders..! Consider:
1. Points – Napheesa and Katie Lou battled for top scoring honors with 754 and 747 points respectively. However, both Gabby (528 pts) and Kia (420) had games where they led the team in scoring. Together, those four scored 2,449 points or 76% of the team’s total last year.
2. Rebounds – Natalie Butler’s transfer and Saniya’s move to the WNBA remove the 3rd and 5th leading rebounders from 2016-17. But, that still leaves Collier (336), Williams (309) and KLS (143) in 1st, 2nd and 4th place. Of the team’s 1,439 total rebounds, 79.6% were by players who return.
3. Assists – UConn set a record with 863 assists last season. Chong was 2nd on the team with 140. However, Gabby (190), Kia (128), KLS (118) and Crystal (114) are back and looking forward to passing to each other and that 6’6” offensive threat, Azura Stevens. Not to be left out of the discussion are Pheesa with 83 assists and Molly Bent with 35 in just 288 minutes.
4. Blocked shots – Napheesa and Gabby led the team with 77 and 52 blocked shots respectively. Natalie was 3rd with 34. Nat is gone, but certainly her total can be matched by Stevens or Batouly Camara, the 6’2” power forward transfer. Look for next year’s team to beat the 186 blocked shots from this season, with the usual suspects doing the honors.
5. Steals – The Huskies had 370 steals last year, the lowest total in years. Gabby did her part with an even 100, followed by Collier (64) and Katie Lou (56). Saniya was 4th at 48, but Kia (33) and Crystal (29) were right behind. With the addition of two quality transfers and four superb freshman, look for players to be fresher, the press to be more frequent and the steals to rise dramatically.
Last year’s stats are in the record books and don’t count for anything in the new season. But with four solid starters back, three sophomores with a year under their belt and six new players to use in his rotation, Geno has lots of options. He can play “tall”, or “fast” or even “small.” Any way he does it, the five on the floor are going to a nightmare for opponents. Watch for individual stats to perhaps fall off, while team stats soar. No wonder Geno looks so happy in the photo above…
Go Huskies..!!
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