Unpacking the UConn women’s season and looking ahead at the 2020-21 roster

[Carnac]

I get your point....................ONO may have missed some sitters but interestingly she lead the team with a .552 shooting percentage which was actually higher then her .546 free throw percentage...........fixing that second number may be the difference between a few wins and losses......

I expect her to put it all together these last two years. 20 year old Liv with 2 years of experience under her belt, and enters her second full year as a starter, she’ll be completely comfortable with what she is doing and will be fun to watch. She’ll also be more consistent, and understand that she must stay out of foul trouble and on the floor.

UConn games are going to be fun but a little more harder to watch. There will be so many players on the floor that you want to keep an eye on (Aubrey, Paige, et.al,) because you know they are subject to make a play without warning. You don’t want to miss anything. How do you watch 3+ players at once?

 

[Carnac]

The inexplicable decision of Megan Walker to skip her senior season at UConn (so far as I can remember the first player to enter the draft after 3 years) will make the 2020-21 team a weaker one than was seen two weeks ago. The squad with Walker had the distinct look of a Final Four contender an possible national championship. In addition, she had a chance to be national player of the year, but now it is a stretch to consider the team of top four quality, although it could be so.

We can expect that Williams, Nelson-Odoba, and Makurat are almost certainly locks for starting. The other two starters will be Westbrook, Bueckers, and/or Griffin with Edwards in contention for a lot of playing time. As of this moment, I see Griffin and Edwards as the first players off the bench. But, the composition of the starting five is less important than the five who are on the floor at crunch time in a big game.

Two things to pay particular attention to for next season are who is going to take the big shot when needed and who is going to provide leadership on a team without any seniors. The team has after all lost its two most experienced players for the third year in a row and will be an inexperienced one. There seems to be potentially a great deal of talent and we do not know if there will be any transfers or not.

I hope the NCAA does not relax transfer rules because what is now an increasing tide will quickly become a tsunami and I do not want to women’s game to become like the men’s, where teams like Kentucky hire players for one year before they turn pro. The last thing the women’s game needs is to become more like the men’s by making it so much easier for players to change teams.

One last point, with all the hype Paige Bueckers is getting, one would think that she is the greatest thing to come along since white bread. We hope that she is the next Diana Taurasi or Larry Bird who can lead the Huskies once again to the promised land, but we should keep our expectations under control. She hasn’t set foot on campus yet and, if she can play effective point next season, that will be fine. I endorse the comments of Geesworld.

I’ll settle for Paige playing up to her potential, and helping those around her play up to their potential by playing smart and playing hard, limit her turnovers and fouls, taking no plays off. That’ll get ‘er done.

 

[Charliebball]

I expect her to put it all together these last two years. 20 year old Liv with 2 years of experience under her belt and completely comfortable with what she is doing will be fun to watch. She’ll also be more consistent, and understand that she must stay out of foul trouble and on the floor.

UConn games are going to be fun but a little more harder to watch. There will be so many players on the floor that you want to keep an eye on (Aubrey, Paige, et.al,) because you know they are subject to make a play without warning. You don’t want to miss anything. How do you watch 3+ players at once?

yes I'm looking for great things from ONO next season and beyond..............she's far more skilled offensively then most realize...........if she gets help up front from Edwards I think that will cut back on her foul totals........

 

[CL82]

Bueckers is a natural leader...............I expect that she and Westbrook will be established team leaders by mid season

Rare is the freshman that can do that though. Khalid El Amin was able to on the men's side. I think that Paige may be able to as well. She's special, but that's a lot to ask of anyone. Evina seems like a good choice but will be able to assume that role over the kids who were playing this year? Typically Geno relies on his upperclassmen so Williams and ONO would norminally get the nod. It's definitely not Olivia's personality but I'm not sure about Williams.

 

[HopJim]

Liv already has her Master's Degree in pushing off. She doesn't get called for it as often as she could. Perhaps she'll learn (over the summer) to position herself after she receives the entry pass to separate herself just a bit from her defender enough for a clean open shot. Especially when playing against an opponent of similar height or taller.

I should clarify. While ONO is relatively slender, many inside players use their lower body to create room (versus push off with their elbows as you accurately point out she currently does). Strength does not always have to equate with physical size so hoping ONO gets some coaching in this area.

 

[Alydar]

Two things to pay particular attention to for next season are who is going to take the big shot when needed and who is going to provide leadership on a team without any seniors. The team has after all lost its two most experienced players for the third year in a row and will be an inexperienced one. There seems to be potentially a great deal of talent and we do not know if there will be any transfers or not.

There will be 3 upperclassmen and the leadership will come from them but the key to next year will be if and how many of the freshmen can provide the kind of energy Griffin/Makurat provided this year. This is the dawn of the Bueckers era. All but one of the returnees will be there for the next 2 years. The only question is when this team becomes Bueckers'. I know she's a freshman but I have yet to see her not handle any game, any pressure situation. Last summer she was the MVP on a USA team that had several players who are now rising sophomores. And the media circus that surrounds UConn won't be as bad as what she has experienced the last few months.
By next January Bueckers will be the leader on the floor. And frankly, I think the rest of the team will be happy with that.

 

[Jingo]

On another point, I do think when you sign what is essentially a contract to receive a scholarship that you be required to play four years, barring injury or transfers, men or women. One and done is why I pay absolutely no attention to the men’s college game.

I agree and I don't watch the men's game anymore either...

 

[Carnac]

I have my starting 5 in mind for next season, but l’ll wait until mid July to see not if Geno brings someone in, but who he brings in this spring/summer to complete his roster. Other posters have suggested he’s not done yet. I agree.

We might get lucky and get a graduate transfer that can come in and start. Never say never. There will be more players that will enter the transfer portal before the school year ends.

The fact that we have Westbrook and an opening may be an attractive inducement to a 5th year senior looking to close out her career at another school.