UConn's High Basketball IQ

[oldude]

Over 40 years Geno & CD have achieved an unprecedented level of success. They are on the verge of becoming the winningest coaches in the history of basketball, in no small measure because of their consistent ability to recruit talented, motivated players with extremely high basketball IQ’s, and then coach up those players to field one championship team after another.

The best UConn teams have been truly beautiful to watch, demonstrating a symphony of movement on offense and relentless pressure on defense. IMO the greatest of all was the 2016 national champions, a High IQ team that beat everyone they played by double figures, with a roster that included 7 first round draft picks, 6 AA’s, 3 NDPOY’s and the NPOY.

Given UConn’s remarkable history, I don’t say what I’m about to say lightly. The current collection of players on UConn’s roster may have the highest overall basketball IQ of any team in Geno & CD’s 40 years on the job. Here’s my case.

• Point Guards – PG’s are basically basketball’s version of QB’s. They need to be aware of what everyone is doing on the court at all times, communicate at both ends of the court and execute the game plan. Geno recruited no less than 6 HS pg/combo guards onto his current roster, and they’re all really good: Paige, Azzi, KK, Ashlynn, Allie & Morgan. As if that wasn’t enough, he went out and got Kaitlyn from the transfer portal, a Princeton graduate and Ivy League POY.
• Coach’s Kids and/or parents who played the game – There’s a bunch of UConn players whose fathers and/or mothers played the game at the highest levels, Azzi, Aubrey, Paige and others come to mind. As for being the daughter of a basketball coach, we need look no further than Jana, a.k.a. the Great Pyramid. These players all learned the game from people who really know the game. Jana’s father is the coach of the Egyptian National Team. IMO she has the best fundamentals of any BIG UConn has brought in since Stewie.
• College Ready Freshmen – More players than ever are showing up at college ready for the next level physically and mentally. UConn has 3 such players this year in Allie, Morgan & Sarah. They are all talented and ready to contribute. But in Sarah, UConn has a stat-stuffing phenom, with a wonderful feel for the game, the likes of which we haven’t seen in 5 years. There are so many little and big things she does well. I’ll just list one from the USF game that I watched a half dozen times, wondering how in the hell she had the presence of mind to pull it off? At the end of the 1st half, Kaitlyn picked up her dribble and got stuck with the ball and a defender up on her several feet beyond the arc. Sarah was in the left corner and broke up to the left wing where Kaitlyn threw her something of a desperation pass. Sarah caught the pass in a position not really facing the basket. A defender was on her and the clock was about to run out. Without hesitation she spun back around towards the sideline, fired a perfect dime to Ashlynn with her left hand. Ashlynn had spotted up in the corner and, of course, buried the 3 at the buzzer. 9 times out of 10, a team in that situation comes up with bupkis. In this instance, Sarah made chicken salad out of chicken .
• Paige – With all due respect to Sue, DT, Maya and others, Paige is the smartest basketball player I’ve ever seen, and she possesses the Clutch Gene as well. But I’ve noticed something different about her this year. She is more serious and analytical in her postgame comments. At times, you would almost think you were listening to her head coach. After the USF game she discussed getting on Ashlyn about being more aggressive on defense and then showering her with praise when she was. With all the success she has achieved, it’s now or never for Paige to win a national championship. When Paige was injured and carrying her clipboard during practice, she earned the somewhat tongue and cheek nickname of Coach P. Well, it’s no longer tongue and cheek. Paige is UConn’s coach on the floor, and Geno has as much as said so. Geno has given Paige great latitude to make decisions on the fly and communicate those decisions directly to the team.

UConn may or may not win # 12 this year. There are a lot of great basketball teams out there and all the stars have to line up for the Huskies to win the championship this season. But the one thing I am certain of is that this team, which possesses some serious basketball IQ, will be an absolute pleasure to watch as the season unfolds.

 

[Kaizen]

Later with the healthy players, Azzi, Aubrey and Caroline adding to the team, the team will be even better.
This is a very good even team. Every player can be out off bench and play.

 

[jcoton56]

Shade’s dad is a coach and Strong’s mom had a noteworthy career. I am sure there are more on this team. They all seem to play with intention.

 

[Next 12]

Over 40 years Geno & CD have achieved an unprecedented level of success. They are on the verge of becoming the winningest coaches in the history of basketball, in no small measure because of their consistent ability to recruit talented, motivated players with extremely high basketball IQ’s, and then coach up those players to field one championship team after another.

The best UConn teams have been truly beautiful to watch, demonstrating a symphony of movement on offense and relentless pressure on defense. IMO the greatest of all was the 2016 national champions, a High IQ team that beat everyone they played by double figures, with a roster that included 7 first round draft picks, 6 AA’s, 3 NDPOY’s and the NPOY.

Given UConn’s remarkable history, I don’t say what I’m about to say lightly. The current collection of players on UConn’s roster may have the highest overall basketball IQ of any team in Geno & CD’s 40 years on the job. Here’s my case.

• Point Guards – PG’s are basically basketball’s version of QB’s. They need to be aware of what everyone is doing on the court at all times, communicate at both ends of the court and execute the game plan. Geno recruited no less than 6 HS pg/combo guards onto his current roster, and they’re all really good: Paige, Azzi, KK, Ashlynn, Allie & Morgan. As if that wasn’t enough, he went out and got Kaitlyn from the transfer portal, a Princeton graduate and Ivy League POY.
• Coach’s Kids and/or parents who played the game – There’s a bunch of UConn players whose fathers and/or mothers played the game at the highest levels, Azzi, Aubrey, Paige and others come to mind. As for being the daughter of a basketball coach, we need look no further than Jana, a.k.a. the Great Pyramid. These players all learned the game from people who really know the game. Jana’s father is the coach of the Egyptian National Team. IMO she has the best fundamentals of any BIG UConn has brought in since Stewie.
• College Ready Freshmen – More players than ever are showing up at college ready for the next level physically and mentally. UConn has 3 such players this year in Allie, Morgan & Sarah. They are all talented and ready to contribute. But in Sarah, UConn has a stat-stuffing phenom, with a wonderful feel for the game, the likes of which we haven’t seen in 5 years. There are so many little and big things she does well. I’ll just list one from the USF game that I watched a half dozen times, wondering how in the hell she had the presence of mind to pull it off? At the end of the 1st half, Kaitlyn picked up her dribble and got stuck with the ball and a defender up on her several feet beyond the arc. Sarah was in the left corner and broke up to the left wing where Kaitlyn threw her something of a desperation pass. Sarah caught the pass in a position not really facing the basket. A defender was on her and the clock was about to run out. Without hesitation she spun back around towards the sideline, fired a perfect dime to Ashlynn who had spotted up in the corner and, of course, buried the 3 at the buzzer. 9 times out of 10, a team in that situation comes up with bupkis. In this instance, Sarah made chicken salad out of chicken .
• Paige – With all due respect to Sue, DT, Maya and others, Paige is the smartest basketball player I’ve ever seen, and she possesses the Clutch Gene as well. But I’ve noticed something different about her this year. She is more serious and analytical in her postgame comments. At times, you would almost think you were listening to her head coach. After the USF game she discussed getting on Ashlyn about being more aggressive on defense and then showering her with praise when she was. With all the success she has achieved, it’s now or never for Paige to win a national championship. When Paige was injured and carrying her clipboard during practice, she earned the somewhat tongue and cheek nickname of Coach P. Well, it’s no longer tongue and cheek. Paige is UConn’s coach on the floor, and Geno has as much as said so. Geno has given Paige great latitude to make decisions on the fly and communicate those decisions directly to the team.

UConn may or may not win # 12 this year. There are a lot of great basketball teams out there and all the stars have to line up for the Huskies to win the championship this season. But the one thing I am certain of is that this team, which possesses some serious basketball IQ, will be an absolute pleasure to watch as the season unfolds.

oldude, you are one of the most prolific and intelligent poster on the Boneyard. I really enjoy reading your posts and marvel at your knowledge of UCONN BB. This post is spot on with your analysis of the players and the coaches. I am not as articulate as you and don't have the know-how to create posts as deep as you, but you are one of the best. Keep up the great posts.I'm a big fan of. your postings

 

[Bone Dog]

she earned the somewhat tongue and cheek nickname of Coach P.

As I recall, Paige gave herself that nickname.

I suspect he’d never admit it, but Paige may well be Geno’s all time favorite Husky.

 

[Scud49]

I suspect he’d never admit it, but Paige may well be Geno’s all time favorite Husky.

And the only one that's ever swatted him on the butt during a game...!

 

[The CDR-Ret]

And the only one that's ever swatted him on the butt during a game...!

I'm pretty sure that Geno was not too enthused about it at the the time...

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm pretty sure that Geno was not too enthused about it at the the time...

… because he knew all the mockery he’d get from past players over it.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

Over 40 years Geno & CD have achieved an unprecedented level of success. They are on the verge of becoming the winningest coaches in the history of basketball, in no small measure because of their consistent ability to recruit talented, motivated players with extremely high basketball IQ’s, and then coach up those players to field one championship team after another.

The best UConn teams have been truly beautiful to watch, demonstrating a symphony of movement on offense and relentless pressure on defense. IMO the greatest of all was the 2016 national champions, a High IQ team that beat everyone they played by double figures, with a roster that included 7 first round draft picks, 6 AA’s, 3 NDPOY’s and the NPOY.

Given UConn’s remarkable history, I don’t say what I’m about to say lightly. The current collection of players on UConn’s roster may have the highest overall basketball IQ of any team in Geno & CD’s 40 years on the job. Here’s my case.

• Point Guards – PG’s are basically basketball’s version of QB’s. They need to be aware of what everyone is doing on the court at all times, communicate at both ends of the court and execute the game plan. Geno recruited no less than 6 HS pg/combo guards onto his current roster, and they’re all really good: Paige, Azzi, KK, Ashlynn, Allie & Morgan. As if that wasn’t enough, he went out and got Kaitlyn from the transfer portal, a Princeton graduate and Ivy League POY.
• Coach’s Kids and/or parents who played the game – There’s a bunch of UConn players whose fathers and/or mothers played the game at the highest levels, Azzi, Aubrey, Paige and others come to mind. As for being the daughter of a basketball coach, we need look no further than Jana, a.k.a. the Great Pyramid. These players all learned the game from people who really know the game. Jana’s father is the coach of the Egyptian National Team. IMO she has the best fundamentals of any BIG UConn has brought in since Stewie.
• College Ready Freshmen – More players than ever are showing up at college ready for the next level physically and mentally. UConn has 3 such players this year in Allie, Morgan & Sarah. They are all talented and ready to contribute. But in Sarah, UConn has a stat-stuffing phenom, with a wonderful feel for the game, the likes of which we haven’t seen in 5 years. There are so many little and big things she does well. I’ll just list one from the USF game that I watched a half dozen times, wondering how in the hell she had the presence of mind to pull it off? At the end of the 1st half, Kaitlyn picked up her dribble and got stuck with the ball and a defender up on her several feet beyond the arc. Sarah was in the left corner and broke up to the left wing where Kaitlyn threw her something of a desperation pass. Sarah caught the pass in a position not really facing the basket. A defender was on her and the clock was about to run out. Without hesitation she spun back around towards the sideline, fired a perfect dime to Ashlynn with her left hand. Ashlynn had spotted up in the corner and, of course, buried the 3 at the buzzer. 9 times out of 10, a team in that situation comes up with bupkis. In this instance, Sarah made chicken salad out of chicken .
• Paige – With all due respect to Sue, DT, Maya and others, Paige is the smartest basketball player I’ve ever seen, and she possesses the Clutch Gene as well. But I’ve noticed something different about her this year. She is more serious and analytical in her postgame comments. At times, you would almost think you were listening to her head coach. After the USF game she discussed getting on Ashlyn about being more aggressive on defense and then showering her with praise when she was. With all the success she has achieved, it’s now or never for Paige to win a national championship. When Paige was injured and carrying her clipboard during practice, she earned the somewhat tongue and cheek nickname of Coach P. Well, it’s no longer tongue and cheek. Paige is UConn’s coach on the floor, and Geno has as much as said so. Geno has given Paige great latitude to make decisions on the fly and communicate those decisions directly to the team.

UConn may or may not win # 12 this year. There are a lot of great basketball teams out there and all the stars have to line up for the Huskies to win the championship this season. But the one thing I am certain of is that this team, which possesses some serious basketball IQ, will be an absolute pleasure to watch as the season unfolds.

If the Kibitzer Memorial Badass Award could be given to a BoneYarder, my vote would go to oldude time after time!

 

[oldude]

One additional element of UConn’s high basketball IQ has been Geno’s more recent embrace of international players. He has been very complimentary of the practice habits and work on fundamentals of international players relative to US players.

In recent years, Geno has put together his own mini-UN with players and commitments from Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Canada, Egypt, Ireland, Ecuador by way of Italy and hopefully Australia.

 

[oldhusky]

I don't think I would ever consider Azzi or Ashlynn point guards or even combo guards, but Oldude's points are still valid. We still have three point guards that will be used a great deal. Azzi and Ashlynn could certainly be considered high basketball IQ players as SG's however, because even though their level of assists is moderate, they commit very few turnovers so their assist/turnover ratio is still pretty good.Defensively it is similar for them, steals and blocks so so, but they rarely foul. In essence they don't make many mistakes (turnovers, fouls, or even bad shots).

I think one area that has stood out for a long time is the passing of our bigs. That is partly scheme, partly teaching them once they get here, and recruiting players like Gabby and Sarah that obviously had special passing instincts before they got here. We have always been way above other teams in the number of assists we get from our front-court. I should probably go back and look it up, but if memory serves me right, Dorka's assists to turnover ratio improved greatly after transferring here from Ohio State. That shows the impact of the system, teaching, and coaching.

 

[oldude]

If the Kibitzer Memorial Badass Award could be given to a BoneYarder, my vote would go to oldude time after time!

I used to be a badass many years ago. Now I’m just an old fart……

 

[bantamlaker]

The best UConn teams have been truly beautiful to watch, demonstrating a symphony of movement on offense and relentless pressure on defense. IMO the greatest of all was the 2016 national champions, a High IQ team that beat everyone they played by double figures, with a roster that included 7 first round draft picks, 6 AA’s, 3 NDPOY’s and the NPOY.

It’s been almost 30 years so my memory may be a little foggy but the undefeated national champs from 1995 have to be right up there as a high basketball IQ team. Consider that Jen, Jamelle and Carla went on to become head coaches and Nykesha an assistant coach. Then we have Rebecca and Kara who are basketball analysts. This group must have had some pretty good basketball smarts even as college kids,

 

[oldude]

It’s been almost 30 years so my memory may be a little foggy but the undefeated national champs from 1995 have to be right up there as a high basketball IQ team. Consider that Jen, Jamelle and Carla went on to become head coaches and Nykesha an assistant coach. Then we have Rebecca and Kara who are basketball analysts. This group must have had some pretty good basketball smarts even as college kids,

Your point is well taken. Through the years, UConn has produced a significant number of coaches, basketball announcers and analysts as well as several professional basketball team executives.

 

[Kaizen]

I used to be a badass many years ago. Now I’m just an old fart……

No, oldude you are always the best and first.

 

[PacoSwede]

If the Kibitzer Memorial Badass Award could be given to a BoneYarder, my vote would go to oldude time after time!

sorry 'bout that, tonyc

 

[Skeets]

And the only one that's ever swatted him on the butt during a game...!

Didn't DT swat him on the butt? I know she stopped to muss his hair while running down court. After he retires (hopefully many years in the future) I'd like to know who his favorite player was. Paige has got to be in the top 5. Most exasperating? DT has got to be in the top 5. 2 personalities that can't help but grind on each other.

 

[Majic Hands]

If the Kibitzer Memorial Badass Award could be given to a BoneYarder, my vote would go to oldude time after time!

Yea. Often when I don’t click the like button an I see oldude did I often take a double look.

 

[packwrap]

I don't think I would ever consider Azzi or Ashlynn point guards or even combo guards, but Oldude's points are still valid.

Funny thing is that Azzi actually played point for her USA youth world champs team. Ash was point guard for her high school team. I also would not think of them either as point guards for the Huskies, but they are there if needed and their history leads to some nice assists.

Another odd one is Aubrey Griffin played point for her Ossining HS team. It was more like the JuJu show though. They played a unique 'box and 1' offense . Aubrey started at the top of the key and drove to the basket, the other 4 formed the box and looked for rebounds and bail out passes. She averaged 30+ per game even working up to two 3pointers a game in the sr year playoffs!

Last year we had the 5 point guard line up: 1 KK, 2 Ines, 3 Ash, 4 Nika, 5 Paige. This year we have 3 posts comfy on the perimeter with Sarah amazingly capable of playing the point!

Point guards and versatile athletic bigs are making for an exciting season.

 

[oldude]

Funny thing is that Azzi actually played point for her USA youth world champs team. Ash was point guard for her high school team. I also would not think of them either as point guards for the Huskies, but they are there if needed and their history leads to some nice assists.

Another odd one is Aubrey Griffin played point for her Ossining HS team. It was more like the JuJu show though. They played a unique 'box and 1' offense . Aubrey started at the top of the key and drove to the basket, the other 4 formed the box and looked for rebounds and bail out passes. She averaged 30+ per game even working up to two 3pointers a game in the sr year playoffs!

Last year we had the 5 point guard line up: 1 KK, 2 Ines, 3 Ash, 4 Nika, 5 Paige. This year we have 3 posts comfy on the perimeter with Sarah amazingly capable of playing the point!

Point guards and versatile athletic bigs are making for an exciting season.

I’ve seen Aubrey play in the NY State HS tournament and she was a stat-stuffing phenom herself, often leading Ossining in pts, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, etc.

 

[BRS24]

I'm trying not to be a home (as my hub always says), however in the first two games, I've thought that Allie and Morgan seem to have picked up the defense a lot earlier than freshmen in prior years. Yeah, there will still be mistakes sometimes, but it's been pleasant to watch them get PT this early in the season. Perhaps last year of needing to insert KK and Ash into the rotation a lot earlier than he wanted, Geno is now making sure that anyone can fill the "next man up" role.

 

[Oldschoolbb]

Now I'd like to see them apply that high IQ to half-court offense. Just saying.

 

[BooYah77]

I used to be a badass many years ago. Now I’m just an old fart……

 

[BooYah77]

How sweet it is...!

 

[MooseJaw]

I'm trying not to be a home (as my hub always says), however in the first two games, I've thought that Allie and Morgan seem to have picked up the defense a lot earlier than freshmen in prior years. Yeah, there will still be mistakes sometimes, but it's been pleasant to watch them get PT this early in the season. Perhaps last year of needing to insert KK and Ash into the rotation a lot earlier than he wanted, Geno is now making sure that anyone can fill the "next man up" role.

Yes, yes I totally agree. While Morgan has splashed some eye-opening 3's I am most impressed with her defense, yes, a few mistakes but that girl has octopus' arms and is relentless. Allie has been very steady and is rarely out of position, she has a beautiful shot, which I expect will start falling at an astounding rate. Dang, we are lucky to have both of them, add in Sarah #1 and soon we will have all 3 in the rotation. Husky power!