UConn's Transfer Paradox

[CL82]

Yeah, and his post game thread has become a “staple” here in the yard. I like to watch our games and be in the chat room at the same time. I enjoy reading the thoughts and concerns of those in the room. No one else in my family is a UConn fan, so I always watch the games alone. I like reading the observations of other UConn fans in real time.

Once the game is over, I head to OD‘s post game thread for further analysis from him and the rest of the regulars. Right after a game, it’s the place to be. I’ve already told him he’s created a monster.

With the Kibitzer’s unfortunate and untimely passing, I would like to see one of our regulars pick up Kib’s “Bad Ass of the game award“ baton and keep it going in his memory. The memorial Kibitzer Bad Ass of the game award.

It’s funny how a poster can start something like Kib did and it takes off. It too has become a staple in the yard. Maybe OD can incorporate the bad ass of the game into his post game analysis.

I think @Tonyc is going award the official Kibitzer Bad Ass Award. That feels right to me.

 

[Boreifs]

YES!!!!

As I was reading the posts, my mind was thinking "triple towers." Geno did it with Steph, Stewie and Kia. That trio was a defensive nightmare whenever Geno employed it.

Liv at the high post with Aaliyah and Dorka down low. Offensive nightmare and defensive nightmare for opponents. And given the three point shooters we have, to quote that famous shortstop - HOLY COW!!!!!!

Dude's analysis of our history with transfers is spot on. E has been by far the best so far. My gut tells me Dorka is going to be just fine.

This might work if there were six players on the court, but the depth at guard precludes any significant “triple post” option. (IMHO)

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Observation: Threads about post players talk about 2 or 3 posts playing together. Threads about perimeter players talk about 3 or even 4 guards on the floor together. Our wings are being squeezed from both directions.

Most of this talk is due to the wealth of talent and the size of the roster which isn't a bad thing but something will have to give.

Hopefully, what gives is all UCONN's opponents defense, while UCONN's defense is unrelenting and aggressive without fouling (much). If we do foul it is not a tick-tack foul, but NOT called flagrant....

 

[The CDR-Ret]

nice write up. i have high hopes for Dorka. the flexibility to be 6'5 at both big positions and add outside shooting is amazing. And I don't doubt the fire/Euro toughness that was sort of cited by Geno in his summer presser. I think she brings a lot of things this team needs.
I guess Azura is an interesting comp as far being a talented big coming in already having done work in another conference. But looking at Stevens stats, geez averaging 14 points on 60 % shooting in 21 minutes is kind of insane.
I think Evina is so underrated and such a blessing for the team. I know Geno gets on Paige for playing too selfless, but I actually think E does too. It will be so interesting to see, as she is another year, full off season removed from her previous injuries, if she can play even better than last year.

Remember that DJ was out with CoViD and the recovery for wind capacity takes a while. I believe that residual issues that took to the end of the regular season to fully recover is what threw off her 3 pt shooting percentage. I think she will be closer to the accuracy of her sophomore year than last year...

Can't wait unitl they BATTLE!!!! (for Atlantis)

 

[The CDR-Ret]

This might work if there were six players on the court, but the depth at guard precludes any significant “triple post” option. (IMHO)

I favor the whip-saw effect: four guards and one fast post player {AG, AE, DJ or ONO] to run them to exhaustion, and then pound it inside with the "Triple Towers" with our two best 3 point shooters that have great ball handling skills....

I am happy with the 3 pt line being moved out to give our "Bigs" room to maneuver....

Many attacking offensive schemes and tough defense all around are availble with this extremely talented group.

 

[Carnac]

YES!!!!

As I was reading the posts, my mind was thinking "triple towers." Geno did it with Steph, Stewie and Kia. That trio was a defensive nightmare whenever Geno employed it.

Liv at the high post with Aaliyah and Dorka down low. Offensive nightmare and defensive nightmare for opponents. And given the three point shooters we have, to quote that famous shortstop - HOLY COW!!!!!!

Dude's analysis of our history with transfers is spot on. E has been by far the best so far. My gut tells me Dorka is going to be just fine.

And remember, the triple towers concept is not one GA has to use consistently. Maybe only 2-3 times this year when they’re playing a team close, and can’t pull away, having difficulty making stops, and one of the opponent’s players is having a “career” game or in a zone like Chelsea Dungee (Arkansas) was against us. In a scenario of that nature, triple towers may be just what the doctor ordered.

 

[HuskylnSC]

YES!!!!

As I was reading the posts, my mind was thinking "triple towers." Geno did it with Steph, Stewie and Kia. That trio was a defensive nightmare whenever Geno employed it.

Liv at the high post with Aaliyah and Dorka down low. Offensive nightmare and defensive nightmare for opponents. And given the three point shooters we have, to quote that famous shortstop - HOLY COW!!!!!!

Dude's analysis of our history with transfers is spot on. E has been by far the best so far. My gut tells me Dorka is going to be just fine.

That paint will get a mite crowded with 6 larger players down there. It gets tough to make a pass with that many arms and legs thrashing about

 

[The CDR-Ret]

That paint will get a mite crowded with 6 larger players down there. It gets tough to make a pass with that many arms and legs thrashing about

Use ONO in the high post to see over the other "trees" [especially from Stanford....]

 

[tchalla1]

Evina has not been UCONN most effective transfer, Azura Stevens was and it's not even remotely close.
In fact Azura Stevens single season at UCONN statistically (especially on a per minute basis) qualifies as one of the best in UCONN history and notice I did not use the word "transfer" to qualify these accomplishments. Many UCONN fans are still salty at Azura for leaving UCONN before her eligibility was used up and this perspective severely mars her accomplishment. Those accomplishments include leading the team in rebounding (Offensive and total) , FG% , and blocked shots all while being 6th on the team in MPG. The real question UCONN fans should be asking themselves is how a player this productive could play an entire season while only averaging 20.4 MPG. A follow-up and more pointed question might be specific to the two ND games that season because ND had no matchup for Azura. In those two games against ND Azura was absolutely cookin (15 of 24) yet only managed to average 27 MPG.

Very well cited, Coco!--still one of the vagaries of UConn basketball was Azura's small number of minutes with her incredible stats, especially as you pointed out, against ND. Still firmly believe #12 would already be ours if Azura had seen more playing time against ND...

 

[HuskylnSC]

Use ONO in the high post to see over the other "trees" [especially from Stanford....]

I understand the concept. But think the idea of playing all 3 of them together for more than a short period of time isn't realistic for a few reasons.
1 -- If the high low is a focus you are ignoring two of the greatest midrange shooters in UConn's history.
2 -- The high post defender sags into the middle cutting off passes and giving liv open shots all day. Liv Shooting 17 footers is defensive coaches dream. (any combination of NM, PB, , CW, EW, DJ, AE and Liv, Liv is my least desired shooter form 17 and out)
3 -- It doesn't take into consideration the defensive aspect of matching up against smaller quicker players.
4 -- According to current knowledge it doesn't provide a viable substitution pattern without a substantial drop off in production.

While it is an interesting concept in a vacuum, I don't think it is practical for this UConn team.

The only way I would want to set up high/low is off screens to wings. Let Aaliyah come up to set a screen for Paige/Azzi and then back door the defender cut to the hoop. Once successful, that forces Aaliyah's defender to play the screens straight up allowing for either a shooter cut off the screen getting the ball from Liv or a pick and roll with the shooter.

 

[Carnac]

I think @Tonyc is going award the official Kibitzer Bad Ass Award. That feels right to me.

Yes, me too.

 

[Boreifs]

Observation: Threads about post players talk about 2 or 3 posts playing together. Threads about perimeter players talk about 3 or even 4 guards on the floor together. Our wings are being squeezed from both directions.

Most of this talk is due to the wealth of talent and the size of the roster which isn't a bad thing but something will have to give.

The issue may be terminology. Wing is most often used in a 1-2-2 set that features one point, two wings and two posts, whereas guards usually reference a 2-2-1 ( two guards, two forwards, one center). Distinguishing between a wing and a guard in the modern game is an exercise in frustration, particularly with all the five out offensive sets currently popular with so many coaches who have no size on their teams.

 

[Skeets]

Yeah, and his post game thread has become a “staple” here in the yard. I like to watch our games and be in the chat room at the same time. I enjoy reading the thoughts and concerns of those in the room. No one else in my family is a UConn fan, so I always watch the games alone. I like reading the observations of other UConn fans in real time.

Once the game is over, I head to OD‘s post game thread for further analysis from him and the rest of the regulars. Right after a game, it’s the place to be. I’ve already told him he’s created a monster.

With the Kibitzer’s unfortunate and untimely passing, I would like to see one of our regulars pick up Kib’s “Bad Ass of the game award“ baton and keep it going in his memory. The memorial Kibitzer Bad Ass of the game award.

It’s funny how a poster can start something like Kib did and it takes off. It too has become a staple in the yard. Maybe OD can incorporate the bad ass of the game into his post game analysis.

Maybe thread "owners", i.e. badass, post game, recruiting, moderator humor , etc. should be tacked to the top of the forum so that others don't accidentally step on thread domains. Because as you know, you need to be careful where you step in the yard

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Maybe thread "owners", i.e. badass, post game, recruiting, moderator humor , etc. should be tacked to the top of the forum so that others don't accidentally step on thread domains. Because as you know, you need to be careful where you step in the yard

Nicely done!

Don't want to track it around all over the place....

 

[MooseJaw]

I think that Liv, Aaliyah, and Dorka will all be vitally needed to cover the 4 and 5 slots for the simple reason that all of them are foul prone, and may not be able to play more than 20 to 25 minutes without getting into foul trouble. Caroline may also be part of this rotation for the same reason -- and I expect her to be foul prone also since she is not as agile as many of the players that she will be guarding. Hopefully it means that they can all play aggressively and not worry too much about fouling, since there are capable players who can sub in for them. So I think the minutes at the 4 and 5 positions will sort themselves out based on this consideration alone.

The player who may lose out on minutes is Aubrey, whose natural position is on the wing, but she needs a reliable jump shot if she is to play there. The same can be said of Mir.

I expect Paige, Azzi, and Nika to fill the minutes in the backcourt, and for Christyn and Evina to do the same for the wing with occasional help from Caroline / Aubrey / Mir.

I think Amari and Piath will probably get mop-up minutes, unfortunately.

You play for Geno you don't foul. Liv has been an exception so far, partly because of team makeup partly, I don't know the other side of the partly hope someone else can fill in the blank for me. One thing for certain, Geno's stance on fouls won't change even with the addition of more quality players.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Remember that DJ was out with CoViD and the recovery for wind capacity takes a while. I believe that residual issues that took to the end of the regular season to fully recover is what threw off her 3 pt shooting percentage. I think she will be closer to the accuracy of her sophomore year than last year...

Can't wait unitl they BATTLE!!!! (for Atlantis)

I expect her to be a better quality shooter because she'll have better quality shots because she'll have better quality teammates because UConn.

 

[Gus Mahler]

And remember, the triple towers concept is not one GA has to use consistently. Maybe only 2-3 times this year when they’re playing a team close, and can’t pull away, having difficulty making stops, and one of the opponent’s players is having a “career” game or in a zone like Chelsea Dungee (Arkansas) was against us. In a scenario of that nature, triple towers may be just what the doctor ordered.

And the 2 or 3 times a year (I would root for a few more) would give opponents something additional to prep for come tournament time.

I wonder who is the better shot blocker , AE or Amari.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I think @Tonyc is going award the official Kibitzer Bad Ass Award. That feels right to me.

I don't disagree but I'll nominate @RockyMTblue2 for consideration.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I'm flattered @Gus Mahler but that sounds dangerously like work.

 

[JoePgh]

You play for Geno you don't foul. Liv has been an exception so far, partly because of team makeup partly, I don't know the other side of the partly hope someone else can fill in the blank for me. One thing for certain, Geno's stance on fouls won't change even with the addition of more quality players.

Geno has had to tolerate quite a bit of fouling by his big players, especially in their freshman and sophomore years when they are learning techniques. Do you remember when Stef played in her second college game against Brittany Griner and fouled out in 8 minutes? Tina Charles was a foul machine in her early years, and even Stewie was foul prone in her early years. Aaliyah Edwards fouled a lot last year and it was tolerated -- because she was a freshman and because her play was needed. But she fouled out against Arkansas in minimal minutes, and missed the whole fourth quarter. Both Liv and Aaliyah had 4 fouls in the Baylor game, and either of them could easily have gotten a 5th foul on The Call at the end of the game. In that case, UConn might have had to play an overtime period without one of them.

Even if the player is experienced, the nature of post play leads to fouls -- direct contact, jostling for position for passes and then for rebounding position, shot block attempts. UConn's post players have been no exception to that. So it will be an unaccustomed luxury this year if there are more than two post players with sufficient size and skill to cover the 4 and 5 positions.

 

[cbraarj]

Liv will lose minutes this year. If Dorka plays like a first team player the way she did at Ohio State she will get the minutes.I can see Liv losing out on her starting position just like Paige did in 2000.

 

[Bald Husky]

I understand the concept. But think the idea of playing all 3 of them together for more than a short period of time isn't realistic for a few reasons.
1 -- If the high low is a focus you are ignoring two of the greatest midrange shooters in UConn's history.
2 -- The high post defender sags into the middle cutting off passes and giving liv open shots all day. Liv Shooting 17 footers is defensive coaches dream. (any combination of NM, PB, , CW, EW, DJ, AE and Liv, Liv is my least desired shooter form 17 and out)
3 -- It doesn't take into consideration the defensive aspect of matching up against smaller quicker players.
4 -- According to current knowledge it doesn't provide a viable substitution pattern without a substantial drop off in production.

While it is an interesting concept in a vacuum, I don't think it is practical for this UConn team.

The only way I would want to set up high/low is off screens to wings. Let Aaliyah come up to set a screen for Paige/Azzi and then back door the defender cut to the hoop. Once successful, that forces Aaliyah's defender to play the screens straight up allowing for either a shooter cut off the screen getting the ball from Liv or a pick and roll with the shooter.

The three trees together would be basically for defensive rebounds, letting the guards stay outside for fast break possibilities. On offense, AE and DJ would be constantly moving in and out, with AE on the wing for the 12 footer, while DJ moves around the 3 Pt line. ONO has shown that she is a capable rim protector, while the others can explore other options. AE and DJ will still be involved on the boards, but ONO will be the low post defender. This line up will work well against teams like Stanford who always sign players of size.

 

[huskeynut]

And remember, the triple towers concept is not one GA has to use consistently. Maybe only 2-3 times this year when they’re playing a team close, and can’t pull away, having difficulty making stops, and one of the opponent’s players is having a “career” game or in a zone like Chelsea Dungee (Arkansas) was against us. In a scenario of that nature, triple towers may be just what the doctor ordered.

In my post, I did not allude to using the triple towers a lot. However, if you have the potential for 3 bigs in at the same time, you don't dismiss it because of an abundance of very good guards. Its an option you use sparingly. You work through it in practice. Geno has done it before, as I mentioned.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I can see the triple towers as a way to get Amari a few minutes on the floor. It would avoid her having to play man-to-man and possibly some rough and tumble. The 2014 TT was so much fun because all three could block shots. not that Geno is obliged to coach for my viewing enjoyment. Also, I don't have a handle on what kind of shot blocker DJ is.

Fun to think about.

 

[Purchase1]

Couldnt think of another place to put this info but morgan valley has recently followed Florida guard Lavendar Briggs who just recently entered the transfer portal.