Unleash Williams and Walker for 18/19

[SLY63]

Great minds think a like.
The question would be, could an All American like Ogunbawable, even play for Geno with his system? maybe not. If you look at our stats, we have very good shooters and our offense is the most efficient in the country. Like all teams, we are vulnerable when shots don't fall, or against the type of defense we saw last night ( we did score 89 points though)
But in overtimes, it would be nice to have a slasher, who can drive to the basket, make it or get fouled.

I usually don't post, but this topic is very interesting my2cents. Geno clearly does not give time to players who struggle within the offensive system. But sometimes the ability to improvise, like the players we discussed, is needed when the team is struggling with the standard offense, the shooting is off or the game is down to one final possession. As Geno said in his post game interviews, at the Final Four, all of the teams are good, but great players make great plays. I wonder if during the season there were ways to better prepare our great players for these situations and give others opportunities to perform. While the players we have mentioned sometimes have off nights and can cost the team with bad shooting nights, having that option in certain situations can be valuable.

 

[Centerstream]

I don't remember saying anything about transfers as much as I'd like to but now everyone is duly warned..

I did not quote you because you said anything specifically about someone transferring but because your post had this "feel free to make the no transfer talk announcement", so, in the spirit of Cream, I feel free....

 

[Charliebball]

I did not quote you because you said anything specifically about someone transferring but because your post had this "feel free to make the no transfer talk announcement", so, in the spirit of Cream, I feel free....

No problem Jack..........I do have much to say about transfers but I'll save that for a more appropriate time and place.........

 

[Charliebball]

Great minds think a like.
The question would be, could an All American like Ogunbawable, even play for Geno with his system? maybe not. If you look at our stats, we have very good shooters and our offense is the most efficient in the country. Like all teams, we are vulnerable when shots don't fall, or against the type of defense we saw last night ( we did score 89 points though)
But in overtimes, it would be nice to have a slasher, who can drive to the basket, make it or get fouled.

I believe she was recruited by UConn at some point but based on this past season's debacle I'd say there's a good chance she'd be riding the pine for quite some time........

 

[my2cents]

I usually don't post, but this topic is very interesting my2cents. Geno clearly does not give time to players who struggle within the offensive system. But sometimes the ability to improvise, like the players we discussed, is needed when the team is struggling with the standard offense, the shooting is off or the game is down to one final possession. As Geno said in his post game interviews, at the Final Four, all of the teams are good, but great players make great plays. I wonder if during the season there were ways to better prepare our great players for these situations and give others opportunities to perform. While the players we have mentioned sometimes have off nights and can cost the team with bad shooting nights, having that option in certain situations can be valuable.

Thats exactly my point. Whats UCONN missing?. Last year, we lost as Soniya tried to score . If we had DT, Maya, or Stewie...would Soniya be anywhere near the ball? Thats what I find frustrating, is Geno sees the need for that type of player but his system, as is currently structured..is not developing that skill. Megan Walker in the 50/60 point blow outs, should have been told..".everytime you touch the ball, try to score". Lets see what made you the National HS player of the year. Same next year with Wiliams..

 

[Linart]

I hope he gives Camara more time. Geno tends to recruit players with a certain body type: long, lithe, distance runners. "Beefier" players, for lack of a better term, are in short supply here. They become necessary when you're going up against a very physical team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I believe she was recruited by UConn at some point but based on this past season's debacle I'd say there's a good chance she'd be riding the pine for quite some time...

I think Geno definitely recruited Arike.

 

[Charliebball]

I think Geno definitely recruited Arike.

well had she chosen UConn she might have had a chance to play...........................next year.............

 

[AussieHusky]

Thats exactly my point. Whats UCONN missing?. Last year, we lost as Soniya tried to score . If we had DT, Maya, or Stewie...would Soniya be anywhere near the ball? Thats what I find frustrating, is Geno sees the need for that type of player but his system, as is currently structured..is not developing that skill. Megan Walker in the 50/60 point blow outs, should have been told..".everytime you touch the ball, try to score". Lets see what made you the National HS player of the year. Same next year with Wiliams..

Perfecto! I so agree with you both. This is why I am so disturbed by this loss, more so than last year's. We, at least some of us, saw this coming a long way off. Vick Shafer (MSU) gave the blue print to the rest of the Country on how to play UCONN last year. Tighten coverage on shooters, disrupt the crisp passing to the weak side to disrupt the offensive flow, and dare then to win with on one on one, individual shot creation. The coaching staff did not respond well last year (e.g. Soniya and the attempted final shot...) but most people thought the pieces were not available...not so this year. We have Z, a big who is mobile, can take another big of the dribble from the high post or the elbow, or shoot the 15 footer with confidence. Also, Meg, a guard/sf with size, a slasher and rebounder. But what did we do in the clutch when the"system" was again disrupted, we went to our default (weave on the perimeter, Gabby in the high post, and screen for Lou, that's it). ND, with an astute coach (MM) took those away....sagged off Gabby to concede the 15 footer, which she is still inconsistent with, to essentially double the post, went over screens on Lou-no airspace....At that point, you need a competent one-on-one creator, with a mid range shot that they can create by themselves (see Arike, Durr or Viviens). Ours was on the bench because they were not "trusted" or did not know our "system". The argument that our shots did not fall otherwise things would have been find misses the point. Shots did not fall because they were guarded. This was not USC where the shots were wide open and the players could set their feet, they were contested for the most part. I am afraid that this might be the norm for a while, at least until we recruit another transcendent player ala D, Maya or Stewie. Absent that, the playing fields are just too leveled at the top for us to rely on the system as it is current configured to win championships. A tweaking is needed where you have more iso plays being called for capable, athletic players, instead of just weaves and screens. Just my 2 cents...lol.

 

[HuskylnSC]

This team has lacked depth at the guard position. Using Gabby Williams at the top of the key running your sets is a coaching breakdown. And it's cost Uconn in back to back final four games. Let forwards be forwards and guards be guards . Against top notch competition Uconn needs to be less mechanical and more "ad lib" per se.

Watch how Christyn Williams plays. She reminds me of how James harden plays. Let her make plays her freshman year. Top notch guard play wins in March. She very well could be the most important player after losing Nurse and Gabby. Let her do what she does.

McGraw didn't run a set for Ogunbowale . She got her the ball and let her make a move to win the game. Which she did.

Iso ball for your best players is often times what decides these close battles. We have the personnel to do it they just need to be unleashed.

Gabby did not operate the offense from the top of the key. The plays that ran through gabby were from the foul line where she excelled in assists.

How about coming back to reality for a moment. We lost one game when a slasher went crazy and made a series of phenomenal shots. How many slashers have done that? I’ll give you a minute to count them......... I count 1. How about you. Out of the last 186 games how many have been lost because one player went crazy?

Now you decide that you want to turn the offense over to a freshman who has never compensated against D1 teams. Brilliant.

Btw my view of the game is not that we were beaten, but that in the final minutes we did not perform up to standards. I assume that is because we have not been in the position of performing under pressure but twice in the last 186 games

 

[MilfordHusky]

hope u right about MW

I’m not going to get into the T-word issue, but mark my words—no UConn fan wants to see Megan at ND. Not next year. Not the year after. Not ever.

 

[Junkaroo Jam]

Hello Milford. MW is a overrated underachiever "bust" She plays defensive like a bull fighter who says ola as the offensive player blows bye and she trying to chase them down. Plus she can't shoot the ball under pressure. MW is looking at bench time and mop up minutes. GA got what he recruited. Now he has to live with it. She ain't the real deal.

 

[ASweet3781]

Hello Milford. MW is a overrated underachiever "bust" She plays defensive like a bull fighter who says ola as the offensive player blows bye and she trying to chase them down. Plus she can't shoot the ball under pressure. MW is looking at bench time and mop up minutes. GA got what he recruited. Now he has to live with it. She ain't the real deal.

Walker didn't have to be the real deal this year. Her defense couldn't have been any worse than some other UConn players on the court last night. Especially if she got minutes during the year to develop. Funny we got stops with Meg on the floor in Dec against ND to rally down 10.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

GA got what he recruited. Now he has to live with it.

You do realize every team in the country would've wanted Walker, I hope.

 

[Iowafan61]

Hello Milford. MW is a overrated underachiever "bust" She plays defensive like a bull fighter who says ola as the offensive player blows bye and she trying to chase them down. Plus she can't shoot the ball under pressure. MW is looking at bench time and mop up minutes. GA got what he recruited. Now he has to live with it. She ain't the real deal.

And who are you ?are starters get beat all the time off the dribble,make since if your to knock her

 

[my2cents]

These trolls are all over our board, just ignore them

 

[Wally East]

Geno forgot what it takes to win Titles.

This is a hilarious sentiment. I think he knows, still. (See the next point.)

Whats UCONN missing?. Last year, we lost as Soniya tried to score . If we had DT, Maya, or Stewie

So, you're saying that all UConn was missing was a historically great player? Well, I can't disagree.

 

[my2cents]

This is a hilarious sentiment. I think he knows, still. (See the next point.)



So, you're saying that all UConn was missing was a historically great player? Well, I can't disagree.

We were missing a player who can make a move against a defender away from the basket, and can either shoot, drive, pull up and make baskets ( Geno calls them plays) either open or covered

 

[Florida Fan]

Gabby did not operate the offense from the top of the key. The plays that ran through gabby were from the foul line where she excelled in assists.

How about coming back to reality for a moment. We lost one game when a slasher went crazy and made a series of phenomenal shots. How many slashers have done that? I’ll give you a minute to count them.... I count 1. How about you. Out of the last 186 games how many have been lost because one player went crazy?

Now you decide that you want to turn the offense over to a freshman who has never compensated against D1 teams. Brilliant.

Btw my view of the game is not that we were beaten, but that in the final minutes we did not perform up to standards. I assume that is because we have not been in the position of performing under pressure but twice in the last 186 games

Agunbowale is an exceptional shot creater, coming off a career night against us, didn't shoot a high percentage against MSU, but came through in the clutch, not worried about anything, but wanting the ball, and delivered. And I agree our kids were showing the cumulative wear and tear of older injuries. But my lack of expertise is showing when I mention again that Z was our one player for whom ND had no real answer, as a mobile inside-outside shooter and defender. She was our pivotal second quarter player and should have started the third quarter, not wait until ND had caught up. That being said, Geno's record and system has provided remarkable results over time and I am grateful for his skill and dedication to this program.

 

[enigmatic]

Reading through these threads and posts, I chuckle at how posters are bashing Geno and his coaching. Even the GOAT is capable of making coaching mistakes, bad decisions, and having lapses. If I so called remember, he has 11 titles compared to only 2 at the most versus his current fellow colleagues. Yes this season and last were frustrating but it does not one bit tarnish the legacy he and Chris Dailey have structured. As much as I want UCONN to win every season too, I can understand and live with the fact that the world is catching up on them. Its something that Geno wanted and a challenge I feel he wants to embrace

 

[Scrutiner]

Has there been any discussion on this Board about how both this year's and last year's losses in the Semi-final were eerily similar? I always like to point out I'm just a fan and no expert but, god save my soul, could it be for whatever reason the team was not ready to play at the start of each game? Last year's was worse the whole game, but both times the Huskies started off in a deep hole.

Could it be the other teams were better prepared? Or, that the other teams were more "jacked up" to play against the vaunted Huskies? Or is it that the other coaches figured out how to play against "the system" better than the other 60 0pponents the last two years?

 

[BostonCanuck]

Thats exactly my point. Whats UCONN missing?. Last year, we lost as Soniya tried to score . If we had DT, Maya, or Stewie...would Soniya be anywhere near the ball? Thats what I find frustrating, is Geno sees the need for that type of player but his system, as is currently structured..is not developing that skill. Megan Walker in the 50/60 point blow outs, should have been told..".everytime you touch the ball, try to score". Lets see what made you the National HS player of the year. Same next year with Wiliams..

Geno certainly likes to leave it in the hands of his seniors in the big Final Four games, that's for sure. In 2015, it was Kaleena, and she delivered in spades down the stretch of that game. In 2016 of course, it was the Big 3. Last year, to your point, it was Soniya. And this year, it was Gabby and Kia, who regrettably cold not quite put us over the top during the later stages of their last game.

There's been a lot of passionate talk on this board about Geno sitting Z in the third quarter. And while not in full agreement, I do understand those sentiments. But for me, after Notre Dame came back to tie things up, I was pleading to see more of Crystal on the court. I feel like she would have been a much better point-guard facilitator and antidote to what they were doing to us on defense at game's end than Kia.

 

[hjoerring]

Reading through these threads and posts, I chuckle at how posters are bashing Geno and his coaching. Even the GOAT is capable of making coaching mistakes, bad decisions, and having lapses. If I so called remember, he has 11 titles compared to only 2 at the most versus his current fellow colleagues. Yes this season and last were frustrating but it does not one bit tarnish the legacy he and Chris Dailey have structured. As much as I want UCONN to win every season too, I can understand and live with the fact that the world is catching up on them. Its something that Geno wanted and a challenge I feel he wants to embrace

I too have read all the posts, including those that have their pistol drawn for anything smelling as less than a kneel down for Geno. ND has done a fabulous job in 'modernizing' their offense. We recruited Arike, but I was of the opinion that she was a volume shooter and that spelled problems for a motion offense. But the ND coaches saw other things- the need to bring new blood into the motion offense and its predictability. What happens when you put a wrench in it? The trio of Stewart et al., were excellent creators. Jefferson was excellent and scoring in- and out. But there is something more here- it lurks around the Program. Creativity. Our program have been successful at dismantling and reassembling players into ones that fit the system. And, you get to play only when you have shown that to be the case. I would argue that ND has refined it and- it might be the road forward for WBB. Of course we need disciplined players, but we need to incorporate other things-- a compromise of some sort. I am with all others who have been puzzled about the (lack of) development of Walker and others. Her skill sets were precisely what we needed. Instead, we went with 5-6 players who were ailing (foot, hip, ankle, minutes, etc) for a good half-year. No wonder they were less than others, were it not for their fitness.
This should have been the year, next year will be harder, and ND will be a tougher out for anyone. BETTER GET OUR 2 INCOMING RECRUITS OFF THE BENCH. If you can't get your Fr off the bench in the AAC where else can you do it. Don't look now, but the others are picking up our passed-over and are now nibbling at our heels.
NO WE ARE NOT FALLING. BUT WE HAVE BECOME STUBBORN AND OBSESSED WITH THE "BEAUTIFUL GAME" at all cost (giving the spectators the just worth of their money). Or, as one of my favourite writers wrote (paraphrasing): 'we have settled for gathering flowers (perhaps only roses to be exact) while others have been busy harvesting fruits.'

 

[eebmg]

I too have read all the posts, including those that have their pistol drawn for anything smelling as less than a kneel down for Geno. ND has done a fabulous job in 'modernizing' their offense. We recruited Arike, but I was of the opinion that she was a volume shooter and that spelled problems for a motion offense. But the ND coaches saw other things- the need to bring new blood into the motion offense and its predictability. What happens when you put a wrench in it? The trio of Stewart et al., were excellent creators. Jefferson was excellent and scoring in- and out. But there is something more here- it lurks around the Program. Creativity. Our program have been successful at dismantling and reassembling players into ones that fit the system. And, you get to play only when you have shown that to be the case. I would argue that ND has refined it and- it might be the road forward for WBB. Of course we need disciplined players, but we need to incorporate other things-- a compromise of some sort. I am with all others who have been puzzled about the (lack of) development of Walker and others. Her skill sets were precisely what we needed. Instead, we went with 5-6 players who were ailing (foot, hip, ankle, minutes, etc) for a good half-year. No wonder they were less than others, were it not for their fitness.
This should have been the year, next year will be harder, and ND will be a tougher out for anyone. BETTER GET OUR 2 INCOMING RECRUITS OFF THE BENCH. If you can't get your Fr off the bench in the AAC where else can you do it. Don't look now, but the others are picking up our passed-over and are now nibbling at our heels.
NO WE ARE NOT FALLING. BUT WE HAVE BECOME STUBBORN AND OBSESSED WITH THE "BEAUTIFUL GAME" at all cost (giving the spectators the just worth of their money). Or, as one of my favourite writers wrote (paraphrasing): 'we have settled for gathering flowers (perhaps only roses to be exact) while others have been busy harvesting fruits.'

I think Geno is well aware of the need to have some players who can really create on their own when the passing game may not work (for any reason). He has encouraged Crystal to become a more potent initiator of her own offense and to break down the defense on her own which I have no doubt she can do but for whatever reason (shin splints , just too unselfish etc) , she has not optimized that part of her game yet. Anyone who doubts that should recall the 3 pt shot in OT that tied the game. It is a fine line between initiating our motion offense and breaking down defenses using dribble penetration but Geno understands the need for both.

With CW coming on board with the obvious chemistry those 2 have, I think we will be a far more aggressive offensive team in breaking down defenses off the dribble which is needed at critical times. and ONO learning from and supporting Z who based on her reactions after the game, should be on a mission next year. I also think Geno will work very hard to get Megan and Batouly into a regular rotation and those 2 will take up the challenge.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The trio of Stewart et al could win simply by brute force. That's probably not going to be possible ever again.