UConn vs St John’s postgame | Page 4 | The Boneyard

UConn vs St John’s postgame

So I too was at last night's game and was fortunate enough to score court side seats. Even though I am a season ticket holder for the past 6 years, seeing them THAT close is truly mind boggling how fast they go. Further away you don't sense it but man up close...truly dizzying.

The other thing I noticed was one player actually does sweat-Ash. I did not see any perspiration on any other player. I got to hear them talk on defense which was AWESOME. This team is truly one connected unit.

As the media attention linked on this thread showed. UConn did MSG proud. while the ESPN box score said 10,244, the SJU stats listed 9,612, which for a school that did average just 717 home fans per game, truly shows how big the circus legions are.

From a "we are spoiled" perspective, SJU's total home season attendance is now 19,650 which means their previous 14 games only garnered 9,612 fans. Every Gampel game averages over 10,000

You could tell the team was psyched to play and the whole crowd was into it. I had been at the two UBS Arena games when SJU tried that but last night was another level. I hope they do it again. Seeing that 80 foot two sided electronic ad with Azzi was truly awe-inspiring.

Great game, great atmosphere, great result and an unbelievable experience. I even enjoyed sitting next to Candace Parker, something I thought I would NEVER say....
I'm envious of the seats you got. Since you were so close to the court, did you notice any UCONN elites in attendance?

2 other notes;
I can't tell you how excited I get when K9 takes her pull-up jumper.
I have to admit to a bit of anxiety over not having Ice available for post-season games. She really has come up big when necessary in the past
 
I don't think you have to conclude that she did anything like that. I think she was just not as motivated, engaged, or intense previously. She is playing for the W now. Let's see if I am accurate in my analysis.
If the WNBA has been her goal, she should have been thinking and preparing for it and should have possessed the motivation, engagement, and intensity long before she got to UConn. And after a full offseason and season practicing and playing under the UConn staff, if she still hasn't managed to muster up those 3 traits, there's something wrong with her compete level. With the teammates she has at UConn, that light should have come on no later than last October if not way before. And if this is the case, this may only be part of her problem and I'll leave it at that.
 
If the WNBA has been her goal, she should have been thinking and preparing for it and should have possessed the motivation, engagement, and intensity long before she got to UConn. And after a full offseason and season practicing and playing under the UConn staff, if she still hasn't managed to muster up those 3 traits, there's something wrong with her compete level. With the teammates she has at UConn, that light should have come on no later than last October if not way before. And if this is the case, this may only be part of her problem and I'll leave it at that.
Let's see and then revisit this after the NC game.
 
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Honestly, I think Serah was waiting for this time of year. Azzi and Sarah are All Americans and she realized she wasn't in Wisconsin anymore. I think it is a matter of desire but the offense is not exactly a pound it inside game. She is not a natural at all on the high post although she does have a decent shot from there. She also can pass and defend. I will take last night's game for the next 9 and so will a lot of W teams. Let's see over the weekend.
While UConn's offense prioritizes movement, an effective post scorer would be happily integrated into the offense. When Serah did get her opportunitite this year, it looked more like a lack of confidence than lack of skill/ability.

When (if?) we get deep in the tournament, Serah and Jana will be hugely valuable without scoring if they can neutralize the opponents bigs. Defense and rebounds are all we need. Scoring on top of that would be gravy.
 
I'm envious of the seats you got. Since you were so close to the court, did you notice any UCONN elites in attendance?

2 other notes;
I can't tell you how excited I get when K9 takes her pull-up jumper.
I have to admit to a bit of anxiety over not having Ice available for post-season games. She really has come up big when necessary in the past
Well it was a SJU home game so they had the “ticket rights” so other than Meg sitting with Kathy behind the bench and James Dolan and Val Ackerman were behind the officials desk. Other than that, I saw no one.
By the end of the 1st quarter you could just tell SJU was deflated and resigned to keep it as close as possible. A few times players visibly “sighed” running back after a turnover, block, steal or missed shot. I almost felt sorry for them…operative word “almost”…
 
Was in the 5th row so I got to see them close up. It really impacts the perception of quickness. Serah absolutely should get the bulk of the minutes at the 5. Jana is just too slow to run out on shooters. The contrast was striking.

It felt like Blanca played better in this game. I really hope Geno shortens the bench because she needs minutes. I really want to see her come in for Ash, though, not Serah.
I agree. I thought ASH was overused in this game. Luckily, she has the fitness to hold up. But few do.
 
.-.
While UConn's offense prioritizes movement, an effective post scorer would be happily integrated into the offense. When Serah did get her opportunitite this year, it looked more like a lack of confidence than lack of skill/ability.

When (if?) we get deep in the tournament, Serah and Jana will be hugely valuable without scoring if they can neutralize the opponents bigs. Defense and rebounds are all we need. Scoring on top of that would be gravy.
Last year's small ball was an unstoppable machine yet at the same time Jana's defense on Betts was pivotal so I fully agree. I do think however that a low post only center is not going to get many opportunities in this offense since you are on the high post with your back to the basket but that doesn't mean with these passers you can't make your own. Sure, great defense and rebounds should be enough but I think there is more to Serah offensively than meets the eye and I have struggled with understanding what happened this year. Perhaps a new system, different style of play, willingness to let others do the scoring, lack of passes into her desired positions, motivation? I think we may never know but if she suddenly catches fire I'm going with my original controversial analysis.
 
You maybe right about KK and Ash having the experience edge, but I see and even time split between the 3, with Allie getting time as circumstances dictate.
I don’t think so, when the games are high stakes or close KK is just about as indispensable as Azzi and Sarah IMO. And Ash does have significantly more experience like KK and most importantly they have the total trust of Geno because they’ve earned it and proven themselves for 3 years now. And they are starters which means something come tournament time and Ashley technically plays the 3 spot. While there may still be some misguided KK doubters out there in the BY and beyond the fact is that when it comes to the statistics that matter for a PG ( win %, Assist/TO ratio,defensive efficiency,steals ,shooting percentage) she is ranked amongst the national elite and rightfully and deservedly so. It is tournament time now so why would you think that the playing time will now be evenly split ?
 
I am not a doubter. Kk, Ash and K9 all bring something a little different to the game. If K9 and Blanca were starters over Serah and either KK or Ash, I’d feel the same way about KK and Ash getting equal time. There have been many games where the team has simply played better when K9 and Blanca are in there with Azzi and Sarah. I’m just saying that if K9 is playing well, I feel Geno will give her more play. It’s just opinion. We shall see.
 

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