UConn's Geno Auriemma says sorting out loaded roster will be hard

[Inthepaint]

The elephant in the room is injuries.
There, I said it.
Do not want to put the evil eye on the team, but last year we had Ana out for a bunch of games, Nika out for a few, Paige out for 1, AE out for one,Aubrey out for one and so forth and so on.
This doesn't count people playing with some minor aches and pains that they were expected to play through.
We have some major cogs in the machine returning after surgeries. As of now, all is hunky dory.
May it continue to be so
BUT.... If something goes wrong, we can't just shake somebody awake on the end of the bench and tell them to go in and fill in for someone who has been starting. 6-9 would be tapped to do that but 10-14 better be at least prepared to play more minutes in the 2nd tier and PRODUCE.
Geno said that 14 highly motivated, talented people are going to be vying for maybe 8 or 9 spots in the rotation.
So what do the other 5 do when we aren't playing in the BE and up by 30 in the 3rd quarter?
Maybe the starters will change over the course of the year. Maybe they will change depending on the opposition.Maybe the "other 5" will be inserted in the 8 or 9 rotation as needed and as minutes are earned.
Also, let's put people in situations where what they do and how they play make a difference.
Let's hope for the best while preparing for the worst..

 

[Fairfield Fan]

When you were being berated it was because you failed to understand that there is no elephant in the room and no dilemma. The fact that some very good players will be sitting on the bench at any given time is not a dilemma. It is a reality and has always been the the case since UCONN became the premier WCBB program in the country. It is not important that you understand this, only that the players do. The player on the bench are not hostages. They have freely chosen to be part of the most competitive BB environment imaginable because that environment is the best preparation for life.

I think what you do not understand is that from the perspective of the players habitually relegated to the bench, it is a dilemma.

 

[UConnCat]

The only positive factor, if one can call it that, is the fact that at least four players are dealing with serious physical problems. It could be that between chronic injuries and the big bench, it works out. Sort of.

OMG. I'm obviously out of the loop. Who are the 4 players we know about? I assume one of them is Piath. What are the "serious physical problems?" Is that the same as a serious physical injury? How much time will they miss? Please link the story.

Thanks!

 

[Geew1992]

OMG. I'm obviously out of the loop. Who are the 4 players we know about? I assume one of them is Piath. What are the "serious physical problems?" Is that the same as a serious physical injury? How much time will they miss? Please link the story.

Thanks!

I wouldn't say serious as the article def did not

 

[hoophuskee]

The elephant in the room is injuries.

BUT.... If something goes wrong, we can't just shake somebody awake on the end of the bench and tell them to go in and fill in for someone who has been starting. 6-9 would be tapped to do that but 10-14 better be at least prepared to play more minutes in the 2nd tier and PRODUCE.

I don't understand your numbers here. Because it just seems like you are a great fan absolutely great but a fan that is perpetually scared and/or perpetually concerned. Which is fine. Please don’t take offense. But UCONN has won with predominately 7 player teams. You agree with that 7 player observation, right?

So how many top 9 players are you proposing to take away/plan for not playing in your "elephant in the room scenario?" And when are they taken away? December? Mid-February? March? And how many of the top 5 players? Because, you agree, losing, for example, Paige, affects the team much more than losing a number 9 player, right?

I think some of us believe that there is no elephant in the room. That you’re trying to justify a deeper bench through a catastrophic doomsday scenario in which nearly all /if not all injuries happen late. If not late, then as an example how many months do you believe it takes for a number 11 player to be prepared to be a number 9 player etc if in big games it's a 9 player rotation?

 

[DEpup]

I'm just ready to go back to the days when they were up by 30 or 40 and the bench would come in around the middle of the third and actually build the lead... I am tired of these thin benches that either trade baskets or lose ground in the last minutes of the game... I am hoping this year will be a return to the impactful bench....

 

[Carnac]

I'm just ready to go back to the days when they were up by 30 or 40 and the bench would come in around the middle of the third and actually build the lead... I am tired of these thin benches that either trade baskets or lose ground in the last minutes of the game... I am hoping this year will be a return to the impactful bench....

My narratives were written from a fan’s perspective. I’m a fan of the team. That means ALL of our players. When possible, I’d like to see the entire team participate in their games. I’ve always believed in the theory that the more you play, the more you play. We all understand and agree that there will be games that only 2 players off the bench will be used.

I’m not asking or expecting the reserves on the end of the bench to get double digit minutes every night. That would be foolish. Every game will be different and minutes available for the reserves will vary. It’s understood that in Geno’s system, you earn your minutes. That dynamic is never lost on me. When they do get in, they’re expected to play hard, make plays when the ball comes their way, and try and prove to Geno they are worthy of a little more playing time.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I think what you do not understand is that from the perspective of the players habitually relegated to the bench, it is a dilemma.

It's not a dilemma, it's reality. There are distinct differences in strengths, weaknesses and abilities throughout the roster. Those who rise to the occasion will play and those that don't/can't reach that same level won't.

 

[Inthepaint]

On those 11 national championship teams there were quite a few players who did not have significant minutes on the floor in the majority of games. There are no asterisks next to their names indicating that they had anything less to do with the success of the team that season.
Maybe they all had a few moments that might have contributed.
Don't know how many of them would have been willing to trade the experience of winning the final NCAA tournament game, watching the net cut down, and celebrating with ALL of the other Huskies ...for some extra time on the floor.
I imagine the number would be quite small.

 

[DefenseBB]

I think if you want insight into the probable situation, you have to look no further back than last year's Stanford team which had a tremendous amount of talent and regularly played 9 players >14 min per game. BTW, Stanford won the title last year...
Name........................G....Min....Pos
1 Williams, Kiana...33..32.3....G
2 Jones, Haley........32...27.5....W
3 Hull, Lexie............32...26.4....G
4 Wilson, Anna......33...23.6....G
5 Brink, Cameron..32...18.5....C
6 Jump, Hannah....32...16.1....W
7 Hull, Lacie............31...15.4....G
8 Belibi, Fran..........33...14.7....F
9 Prechtel, Ashten..30...14.1....C

The list shows 4 guards, 2 wings, 1 forward and 2 centers, and I guess Belibi could qualified as a center as well. The position play seems similar to what Geno would have as well at guards-PG, NM, , CW with EW and Caroline Ducharme as the wings, ONO, DJ and AE as the posts/forwards. That would leave a gap of what about Aubrey who we know will play. 10 is a big stretch to get over 10 minutes a game but it is doable based on the above minutes. That leaves Piath, Mir, Saylor and Amari scratching for PT.

 

[eebmg]

Interesting comments on added pressure of today's players and the 'Wall'


“For the first time ever, I actually contemplated taking all the names off of the wall in our practice facility of all the kids who made national player of the year and First Team All-American,” he said. “I actually thought about taking them down because I think it scares the daylights out of some kids when they come in here to play.”

“With some kids, I think it scares the daylights out of them. That, ‘I can never be that.’ But it’s okay. You don’t have to be that,” he said. “So for us the message is: ‘We don’t need you to come here and be just like that. We need you to be the best version of yourself because that’s going to help us win a national championship and it’s going to help you get to where you’re going.’ But the hype they’re getting from the outside, probably, is a different message.”


Geno Auriemma wants UConn players to focus on being “best version” of themselves - The UConn Blog

 

[CocoHusky]

Interesting comments on added pressure of today's players and the 'Wall'
“For the first time ever, I actually contemplated taking all the names off of the wall in our practice facility of all the kids who made national player of the year and First Team All-American,” he said. “I actually thought about taking them down because I think it scares the daylights out of some kids when they come in here to play.”
“With some kids, I think it scares the daylights out of them. That, ‘I can never be that.’ But it’s okay. You don’t have to be that,” he said. “So for us the message is: ‘We don’t need you to come here and be just like that. We need you to be the best version of yourself because that’s going to help us win a national championship and it’s going to help you get to where you’re going.’ But the hype they’re getting from the outside, probably, is a different message.”

Geno Auriemma wants UConn players to focus on being “best version” of themselves - The UConn Blog

So if you take the WOH down what's next- take the national championship banners down? Kind of silly really, it is not as if recruits that are choosing to come to UCONN down know of its history, players and expectations without looking at the WoH. It also defies belief that these current players don't realize that you can have a perfectly good UCONN career and not make the WOH. We had many threads dedicated to great UCONN Players not on the Wall of Honor.

My Starting 5:
C: Kiah Stokes
PF: Azura Stevens
SF: Ann Strother
SG: Kelly Faris
PG: Kia Nurse

2nd Team:
C: Asjha Jones
F: Charde Huston
SF: Tiffany Hayes
SG: Christyn Williams
PG: Crystal Dangerfield