UConn women’s freshmen are eager to make some noise on the court

[cferraro04]

While it is amusing to think that we actually have two Division I basketball teams in one...we need to be realistic here.

Freshmen............................College Experience Players.............................Advantage

Paige........................................... Christyn.................................Solid edge College Experience Player
Nika...............................................Evina.....................................Slight edge College Experience Player
Paith................................................Liv.......................................Huge Advantage College Experience Player
Mir.................................................Aubrey...................................Advantage College Experience Player
Aliyah...............................................Ana.....................................Advantage College Experience Player

The Christyn / Paige match-up is interesting in that Paige's raw skill and talent will keep it competitive but Christyn's strength and experience and the fact that she did not feel like she had a good year last season...I think the Veteran will school the young gun slinger who will struggle to defend Christyn.

The Nika / Evina match-up is also interesting...while it is true Evina has two years of college experience under her belt she has been out for an extended period of time and has had two surgeries...and, while Geno has said that Evina is extremely competitive she will not be on her "A" game for a while. But, her "B" game is apt to be pretty good. Nika also brings a lot of experience playing at the national level in international leagues. She will need to adjust to the college game and will have her hands full with Evina defensively. Given the above information I still give the slight advantage to Evina. However, the longer the season goes on the more separation you will see between Evina and Nika...at the end of the day...it is the experience.

The Paith / Liv match-up will be a nightmare for Paith...Liv's footwork, experience and talent will absolutely be overwhelming for Paith...Liv's team mates will exploit Paith's weakness in the middle and Liv will score at will...huge advantage for Liv.

Mir / Aubrey match-up...it will be the battle of athletic ability...Mir will compete because of her athleticism but Aubrey will be able to match her stride for stride and it will be Mir who will be thinking that she has never faced anybody like Aubrey...Aubrey's experience and off-season development over the summer will make for a Mir having a long day...solid advantage for Aubrey in this match-up.

Aliyah vs Ana another interesting match-up...who could forget how Ana came on the second half of last season. Her shot is a thing of beauty...and Aliyah will be drawn outside to defend Ana. Ana will play most of the game in her comfort zone while Aliyah will struggle playing out of position. Advantage goes to Ana

While the Freshman team will get beaten like a drum...they will learn a lot from playing against the returning college players. They will all get stronger as the season goes on and other teams will not be able to match our bench...our bench will outscore most other team's bench. This group of players will see an amazing sophomore year jump...that no one is going to want to play UConn next season. They will be scary good...with a couple of incredible new freshmen joining them next season. It almost doesn't seem fair.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Aside from Paige and Edwards who appear to be sure things, why do we think this freshman class is going to be any different than previous ones? I remember similar talk in 2017 when the Fab Four or Fantastic Four or whatever Megan's class was dubbed, and here we are in their senior year and none of them are here. Does anyone know the relative ranks of Coombs+Gordon+AEH vs. Nika+Piath+Mir?

 

[oldhusky]

Aside from Paige and Edwards who appear to be sure things, why do we think this freshman class is going to be any different than previous ones? I remember similar talk in 2017 when the Fab Four or Fantastic Four or whatever Megan's class was dubbed, and here we are in their senior year and none of them are here. Does anyone know the relative ranks of Coombs+Gordon+AEH vs. Nika+Piath+Mir?

This year's class is hard for the traditional rating services to judge because of two foreign players. So we have a Canadian who has played on her national team as their youngest member. That is a big accomplishment which indicates this is a special player. Although I wish there was more footage to review of her, what I have seen tells me several things.

Edwards is smooth, agile, has a good handle for a big, appears to have an outside shot and decent vision. She has good size and appears to be strong enough to bang in the post, certainly stronger if not taller than Liv. Apparently not just a passable potential backup to Liv, but a very good one. But her best position is probably PF where frankly she appears to check all the boxes. Because of her handle, and what appears to be good perimeter skills is often also described as a wing, and probably could play there if needed , but on this team should probably get many of the PF minutes and most of the backup C minutes.

In short in it were not for being foreign I think Edwards would be rated top 5 in this year's class.

In a similar way Nika Muhl is not compared to US players. There is a-lot of video on her and I encourage fans to watch all of it. If you do, you will see exceptional vision. Not just the sound passes, but the ones where she sees something most don't. Anticipating players getting open before they do, getting the ball to them in a wide variety of ways, in general showing the kind of instincts and natural passing ability that is very rare indeed. Something else that is special is how she pushes the pace.

You also see in those highlights an aggressive tough defender. I don't think I have seen highlights from any player that had as many clean steals off the dribble leading to a fast break layup. Statistically she usually leads her league in assists and is right near the top in steals, while getting way more rebounds than a PG should. She takes the ball strong to the hole, but the outside shot may be a problem.

If she was a US high school player I think she would be top 10 herself, despite questions regarding the shot because everything else looks very good.

So if that is accurate then maybe we have three top 10 players, including #1, and maybe comparisons to Stewart, Jefferson, and Tuck are not ridiculous, particularly with two additional incomers of note, one pretty highly rated, but perhaps mid level by Uconn standards in Mir, and another in Piath who most think will not contribute right away, but could be a factor down the road.

Time will tell but to me Edwards is a sure thing, and I fully expect to see her in the WNBA someday, and Nika at a minimum will be a very good college player. Mir is likely to be good and possibly much better if coach can find a way to use her athletic skills in the offense like with Gabby (also applies to Aubrey). Piath if she gets the defensive schemes down pat, with time should be a good backup big who at least defends and rebounds. If the offense comes then she could be a very good backup.

If you add all that up, it is a very special class, and would have been rated that way if our two foreign players were judged on the same scale.

 

[diggerfoot]

Freshmen............................College Experience Players.............................Advantage

Paige........................................... Christyn.................................Solid edge College Experience Player
Nika...............................................Evina.....................................Slight edge College Experience Player
Paith................................................Liv.......................................Huge Advantage College Experience Player
Mir.................................................Aubrey...................................Advantage College Experience Player
Aliyah...............................................Ana.....................................Advantage College Experience Player

I like and appreciate you doing this, but disagree with your certainty in the assessments. First, McLean v Makurat and Edwards v Griffin are more natural match-ups, though that would not change the overall assessment that much. Griffin over Edwards becomes a little more doubtful to call, but I would consider Makurat over McLean a "solid edge" because of the experience and the positioning.

The head-scratcher is your certainty in the Bueckers v Williams match-up. Bear in mind that some high school players go directly into the pros (mainly for men, but has happened with women). Scouts, whether right or wrong, have said Bueckers could already succeed in the pros. I am not aware of any scout saying that about Williams. On the other hand I do think experience counts for a lot. "Too close to call" or "slight edge" either way seems reasonable to me. "Solid edge to Williams?" Not according to scouts who make a living evaluating talent.

While I suspect Muhl is going to surprise people, I think Westbrook has a "solid edge," unless injuries are a problem.

I agree overall with your conclusion, but I would have three "solid edges" to the experienced players and two "too close to call."

 

[Dokey]

I'm hoping Paige's work ethic and determination rubs off on the rest of the team. We know she hates to lose.

I am sure Paige has a good work ethic and determination BUT so does everyone else on the team, otherwise they wouldn’t have been recruited. I have seen a dozen of her high school and international games and she’s good. I hope she proves to be as good as everyone here hopes but I am more excited to see how improved are the returning players who have proved they are damn good D-1 players. CW looks ready to overcome her sophomore slump (not having mentor KLS hurt her); I saw a bubbling, cheery excitement in her availability interview. Olivia looks to be stronger and more confident. Aubrey had half a game last year and I fully expect a stronger offensive performance. Evina (and her knee) is more questionable since we have never seen her in a UConn uniform but it is obvious she is a tremendous teammate. A slimmer, more relaxed Anna is looking more and more like her hero, DT. Add all our frosh and we are turning a new page (with or without an i).

 

[Alydar]

The head-scratcher is your certainty in the Bueckers v Williams match-up. Bear in mind that some high school players go directly into the pros (mainly for men, but has happened with women). Scouts, whether right or wrong, have said Bueckers could already succeed in the pros. I am not aware of any scout saying that about Williams. On the other hand I do think experience counts for a lot. "Too close to call" or "slight edge" either way seems reasonable to me. "Solid edge to Williams?" Not according to scouts who make a living evaluating talent.

Another problem I have with this comparison is that Bueckers is a point guard first and is being compared with a 2 using a 2 skill set for comparison. I think she can play the 2 too but by matching her up with another 2 her court vision and passing skills, perhaps her 2 best talents, are not factored in. Compare Williams to Bueckers using pg metrics and Bueckers comes out on top.

"There are things she does that others wish they could do"

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Aside from Paige and Edwards who appear to be sure things, why do we think this freshman class is going to be any different than previous ones? I remember similar talk in 2017 when the Fab Four or Fantastic Four or whatever Megan's class was dubbed, and here we are in their senior year and none of them are here. Does anyone know the relative ranks of Coombs+Gordon+AEH vs. Nika+Piath+Mir?

The 2017s dubbed themselves that and therein lay half the problem.

 

[diggerfoot]

Another problem I have with this comparison is that Bueckers is a point guard first and is being compared with a 2 using a 2 skill set for comparison. I think she can play the 2 too but by matching her up with another 2 her court vision and passing skills, perhaps her 2 best talents, are not factored in. Compare Williams to Bueckers using pg metrics and Bueckers comes out on top.

"There are things she does that others wish they could do"

I agree with what you say, but if you are constrained to creating a team with the five freshmen is Muhl or Bueckers more suited to play, in essence, a Taurasi like role? From what I have heard Muhl is a PG to the core, Bueckers more capable of being a combo. I support cferraro to construct the match-ups of the guards that way, even as I agree with your problem with it.

 

[enigmatic]

Just putting my two cents in but out of the 5 freshmen, I'm most looking forward to see Mir as I'm quite curious to how her athleticism will contribute and how Geno will implement it on the court.

 

[Alydar]

Aside from Paige and Edwards who appear to be sure things, why do we think this freshman class is going to be any different than previous ones? I remember similar talk in 2017 when the Fab Four or Fantastic Four or whatever Megan's class was dubbed, and here we are in their senior year and none of them are here. Does anyone know the relative ranks of Coombs+Gordon+AEH vs. Nika+Piath+Mir?

The only problem I have with your comparison is the qualifier "Aside from Paige and Edwards".

Bueckers is the major difference between those classes and it's a huge one.

 

[Dokey]

The only problem I have with your comparison is the qualifier "Aside from Paige and Edwards".

Bueckers is the major difference between those classes and it's a huge one.

I hope you are right but while I thought she’s played well, I was never blown away. I am, however, willing to be blown away. Let’s settle down, reduce the hype, and give her a chance to adjust to college before proclaiming her the next DT. I am hopeful she’s the next Sue Bird. The next DT might already be here. And the combo could rule WBB.

 

[DEpup]

I know this will get a lot of hate responses and how dare yous.... but I am really excited about this class and this is why. For me after listening to them and watching their games its like getting a freshman class with the possibility of achieving similar to the following over 4 years all in one class. Geno has his archetypes. Of course they are all individuals but there are undeniable patterns that I see.

Nika-Maria Conlon
Paige-Diana Taurasi
Mir-Kaleena Green
Aaliyah-Tamika Williams
Piath-Kara Wolters
Chassian-Molly Bent

If this group can even come close to these previous players, championships are going to follow.

 

[diggerfoot]

Nika-Maria Conlon
Paige-Diana Taurasi
Mir-Kaleena Green
Aaliyah-Tamika Williams
Piath-Kara Wolters
Chassian-Molly Bent

Not sure what you meant by hate responses, unless that was a playful way of referring to disagreements. I do have some. I think Muhl will be more like Rizzotti than Conlon, certainly more like her in terms of athleticism and being a pest as a defender.

I can see comparing Edwards to Williams, but I also can see comparing her to Collier or Lobo because the way she will be developed at UConn is still uncertain to me. Maybe you are thinking she will not be as good as those two? She may be good enough to become an AA.

Gabriel I would compare to Schumacher. Same size (Wolters is taller); similar athleticism (Wolters has less).

I have no alternate suggestions for the other three.

 

[jabstep]

Aside from Paige and Edwards who appear to be sure things, why do we think this freshman class is going to be any different than previous ones? I remember similar talk in 2017 when the Fab Four or Fantastic Four or whatever Megan's class was dubbed, and here we are in their senior year and none of them are here. Does anyone know the relative ranks of Coombs+Gordon+AEH vs. Nika+Piath+Mir?

Our incoming class is far superior to the Coombs, Gordon and AEH. At guard, you had Coombs who was a great defensive player who hustled and played with tenacity. Her offense left a lot to be desired. The two incoming guards Paige and Nika have far superior offensive skills. Both freshmen have great court vision and make passes that get easy baskets for their teammates. I remember Coombs driving to the hoop to try and score and getting doubled and losing the ball alot. Coombs had no outside shot. Paige is probably our best 3 point shooter right now and Nika needs some work on her three's but on her highlights, she hit some and has a pull up jumper around the foul line. Over time I think you will see both Paige and Nika in the backcourt together.
Gordon has turned into a nice lower D1 player but as a freshmen she was out of shape and really lost on the court. We have Edwards who plays on the Canadian National team and holds her own. She understands help defense and offensive sets such as pick and roll. She is a good rebounder and she also understands spacing on offense. She is way past Gordon. Mir on her athletic ability alone is way past Gordon. We will find out how Geno uses her soon I hope. Espinoza-Hunter was a 1 dimensional player. She shot the 3 ball and not much else. She went to Mississippi State and had trouble finding minutes. That leaves us with Gabriel who has size and strength and runs the court well. With UConn's coaching staff she could the diamond in the ruff.

 

[Alydar]

I hope you are right but while I thought she’s played well, I was never blown away. I am, however, willing to be blown away. Let’s settle down, reduce the hype, and give her a chance to adjust to college before proclaiming her the next DT. I am hopeful she’s the next Sue Bird. The next DT might already be here. And the combo could rule WBB.

I have watched about 20 of Bueckers' games, including her USA BB. Last summer, in U19, she played with rising juniors Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon-Baker, Queen Egbo and rising sophomoes Aliyah Boston & Fran Belibi. Bueckers was named MVP. She was the second leading scorer, led the team in assists and contributed rebounds, steals and even had 4 blocks. Here's a link to the tournament box score.

file:///C:/Users/lenki/Downloads/WU19%20stats%20USApdf%20(2).pdf

Notice that Bueckers had 38 assists and 19 to's. Van Lith had 16 assists and 27 to's in about the same court-time. Remember that Bueckers had already committed to CT while Walz was still recruiting Van Lith.

Normally I would be saying everything you are saying about hype. Freshmen need to prove it against a good college team. Most of the time they get into a game and try to hide. Bueckers will become a valuable part of the team from game one.

 

[eebmg]

Ok freshman, the upperclassman will not go qently into that good night.

Summarizing article

‘They’re all better than they were last year:’ How Geno Auriemma has seen immense growth from UConn’s returning players despite unusual offseason

After their 2019-20 season was abruptly cut short with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, it’s been an offseason full of upheaval and uncertainty for the returning players to the UConn …

www.courant.com

“They’re all better than they were last year,” Auriemma told media after the team had been on campus for only two weeks. “Anna’s completely different. She looks like a completely different person, completely different player. Aubrey’s, like, 100 times better than she was last year. Christyn looks completely different. Liv has a completely different mindset.”


“You go from freshman, sophomore year — where you’re playing but you’re really not a focal point of the team but you know you’re important — to now all of a sudden everybody’s looking at you going like, ‘Liv, Christyn, Evina, Anna, Aubrey, if you guys aren’t really, really good this year, we’re going to stink,‘” Auriemma said. “So there’s this sense [among the returners] of, ‘It’s my time.’

“And they’re embracing it. I love it.”

 

[meyers7]

Why are you dismissing the best walk-on we’ve had in the last 3 years?

The only walk-on we've had in the last 3 years.

 

[Mdoggie]

The only walk-on we've had in the last 3 years.

My point.