Updated: UConn Lineup

[Sluconn Husky]

Exactly my point. MW is a better shooter/scorer than Gabby. I’m confident that she’ll figure out the rest playing for Geno.

Pretty much everyone was a better "shooter" than freshmen Gabby Williams. She was still a much better player, however.

 

[Bronx23]

You can replace Gabby with MW, possibly even an upgrade because MW can shoot the three with confidence. CW can create her own shot, unlike Kia.

Are you dreaming? If MW comes even close to the all around player Gabby was and is, I will be very surprised. You're way overestimating who MW is and will be and way underestimating what Gabby brought. Great athlete, great defensive player all over the floor, great passer(yes some turnover issues periodically), amazing rebounder and a limited outside shooter.
I wonder what game / sport not just you but some others here are watching?
Bronx23

 

[Bronx23]

ND will obviously be the most talented team but will they play well together. They will be trying to implement a big post that will demand her touches because she was an AA two seasons ago. Mabrey nor Shepard have played with her.

I’m thinking that all those seniors will be fighting for individual honors & that could hurt them. We’ve seen that even with UConn, AA spots are limited.

How will Shepard do without the majority of touches? Will Arike be on the FF high of expectations and try and win POY while at the expense of her teammates? How will the deal with the pressure of being the clear favorite? As we’ve seen, you have to get a little lucky to win. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them lose before the FF. It’s all about matchups.

You raise just about every problem / issue that can go wrong! I think if not all of them but surely most have to happen for them not to be a very strong contender. They also have maybe the second best coach of all time, who somehow is going to sit idly by and not address any of the issues that might arise?
They are almost a definitive final four team and at this point the very likely NC.
As we just recently saw, the games still need to be played and the outcome can and does occasionally surprise.
But please, let's not get carried away with the dislike for MM and ND.
Bronx23

 

[Hayven]

KLS, Pheesa and Crystal are automatic starters. Batouly and MW will get the other two starting positions at the beginning of the season. I don’t like the idea of Pheesa at the 5, she’s prone to fouls. MW has potential, but I don’t see her as a 2 guard. Eventually next March, Williams and ONO will be starting.

 

[JB123]

Slu makes two main points: (1) We'll lack paint protection because Collier is our only big; and (2) Gabby was so good in 2017 that next year's team will be much worse than that team was. Let me address both:

1. Paint protection

We have a center in Collier, as well as two players -- Megan Walker and KLS -- who can absolutely defend power forwards without getting torched. KLS is 6'3" and gets stronger every year, and very few teams will have a power forward who can light her up by bullying her. Or if Geno prefers to go a different route, Megan possesses the strength, long arms, hops, and height for the 4 position defensively. Heck, we could even play a zone if necessary. In addition, Batouly and ONO can play if we want extra paint protection. So for Slu to be right, SIX different things would all have to happen: (i) KLS can't defend the 4; (ii) Megan can't defend the 4; (iii) Batouly can't defend the 4; (iv) ONO can't defend the 4; (v) a zone can't solve the problem; and (vi) a whole bunch of teams will have two posts who can light us up sufficiently to outweigh all the scoring we'll be doing at the other end.

I am not worried about this.

2. Missing Gabby

Gabby was obviously a great player as a junior. Reasonable minds can differ, as they have here, about exactly how great she was. She was the the most versatile defender I've ever seen, the team's best passer, and a great rebounder. Her turnovers and especially her lack of shooting range were important imperfections, but all in all, when I reviewed Gabby's stats from 2016-2017 I had to agree with Slu that they are enormously impressive. I remembered her being dominant in the ND and South Carolina games that year, but I don't think I realized quite how good she was overall.

Nevertheless, given Geno's track record of developing elite recruits, it just doesn't seem realistic to believe that none of the many super-talented youngsters will give us important help next year. If Megan makes a leap like KLS and Collier did as sophomores, then she will be about as good a player as 2017 Gabby (just as KLS and Collier were that year). I definitely wouldn't rule that out. Even if she makes half that leap, we'd still be in the ballpark of the 2016-2017 team, especially considering that somebody else (or more than one somebody) will probably help out a lot: Christyn, Coombs, ONO, and/or Batouly. And I suspect that even if none of that happens (which is simply unrealistic), we'd still be better than #8.

* * *
I want to make one more point. Slu, you said that you didn't realize how good the 2016-2017 team would be. I don't blame you! Almost none of us did. But we can learn from our mistakes. Next year's team returns multiple players who have done overhwelmingly more than had anyone who returned in 2016-2017. And we know how Geno develops players and what he accomplishes even when he has a lot less talent than he will next year. (Please recall the point I made about 2011-2012.)

If the rest of us turn out to be right about next year, then will you at least revise your judgments about these things after that? (In return, I promise to expect us to be bad in 2019-2020 if you turn out to be right about next year.) Or will you be ranking us at #8 again for 2019-2020 because we'll lose KLS and Collier and you won't acknowledge, for example, how good Christyn Williams and ONO are likely to become as sophomores? How many times does Geno have to field elite teams before his results convince you to expect it?

 

[Phillyconn]

Are you dreaming? If MW comes even close to the all around player Gabby was and is, I will be very surprised. You're way overestimating who MW is and will be and way underestimating what Gabby brought. Great athlete, great defensive player all over the floor, great passer(yes some turnover issues periodically), amazing rebounder and a limited outside shooter.
I wonder what game / sport not just you but some others here are watching?
Bronx23

If MW can shoot the three consistently, she’s already a better scorer than GW. I love GW to death but the bottom line is that putting the ball in the basket wins games. If GW had a outside shot, we win easily.

 

[Phillyconn]

Gabby was UConn's best player against MSU by a country mile between her play-making and defending the tower that is McCowan. And she made tons of plays against ND. I don't get how anyone can think she was in any way responsible for either loss.

She’s not responsible. If, she were a consistent outside shooter, we win easily.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

She’s not responsible. If, she were a consistent outside shooter, we win easily.

Pretty sure it was Nurse and Dangerfield, two guards who can shoot well, that combined to go 4-15 from three and 7-24 overall.

Blaming Williams for not shooting well enough is like saying if only Brittney Griner shot like Samuelson from the outside. You might be asking too much of Gabby.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

We have a center in Collier, as well as two players -- Megan Walker and KLS -- who can absolutely defend power forwards without getting torched. KLS is 6'3" and gets stronger every year, and very few teams will have a power forward who can light her up by bullying her. Or if Geno prefers to go a different route, Megan possesses the strength, long arms, hops, and height for the 4 position defensively. Heck, we could even play a zone if necessary. In addition, Batouly and ONO can play if we want extra paint protection.

While KLS has improved immensely on defense she won't likely be guarding interior players and Walker has no particular reputation as a defender of any ilk at this point. Walker, however, may be forced to guard bigger players out of necessity as one of the rare semi-bigs on the squad.

Again on Camara, she barely played this year. She certainly has the physique and athleticism to compete. We'll see if she can be a rotation player and help in this regard.

Nelson-Ododa is a rail-thin rookie. Her being an x-factor would be huge but that's asking a ton for various reasons.

As for Walker replacing Gabby, well, she has a long way to go to achieve that lofty status.

Or will you be ranking us at #8 again for 2018-2019 because we'll lose KLS and Collier and you won't acknowledge, for example, how good Christyn Williams and ONO are likely to become as sophomores? How many times does Geno have to field elite teams before his results convince you to expect it?

Do UConn players often improve from one year to the next? Of course. But it shouldn't be forgotten that by the end of her freshmen year Lou was already an excellent player. Walker never reached that level and Coombs barely played. As a freshmen Collier was chipping in as a solid reserve in the Elite 8 and Final Four. Again, Walker was sitting. Gordon, Camara, and Bent all struggled in "garbage time" situations. And bless Kyla Irwin but she'd get eaten alive by aggressive, athletic starting players.

This will be Geno's biggest coaching challenge since 2011, perhaps since 2007, imo.

 

[bbballfan23]

Basically three players and pray for rain. UConn was a six-player team this past year, but those other three were high 1st round WNBA talents.

Your realize there is only 5 positions on the floor, right? To put this into context, Miss St. Made it to the finals with Schaefer averaging 9 & William averaging 8. ND started Westbeld, who averaged 7. You don’t need 5 starters to all be good or even great, just accepting of their individual role.

 

[bbballfan23]

I agree with Sluconn on the Gabby, MW Comparison. The only thing is I think Megan will surprise some people with her ability to rebound but she can't dribble, pass or defend like Gabby. Honestly though, we don't need her to be Gabby nor do I want her trying to fill those shoes next year. We will have to make up her production by committee, which is what I'm arguing. Our defense is about team rotation, far more than 1 on 1 coverage. As Geno has said in the past, you can't stop great players with 1 player.

In 16/17, much of our offense was ran through Gabby but 17/18 it transitioned to Lou & Crystal more. Many of Gabby's assists came off fast breaks & steals. I think with the departure of Gabby & Kia we just won't be the same run & gun team we've been, which again, is okay. We have talent to win in the half court. This is why I see Pheesa having a huge year.

I can see your concerns, some of them aren't unwarranted but it's April. These girls have 7 months to develop & improve. I tend to lean towards the positive side as we've seen how our staff can develop young players. Wouldn't expect anything different in 18/19.

 

[Bronx23]

I’m in this Facebook group that’s dedicated to the UConn Wbb fans and I’m not sure how many boneyarders are in the group as well - to get to the point, many people have no faith in Megan Walker and all the faith in Christyn Williams. If you know anything about UConn wbb, you know that there’s not a freshmen in the country of any season who automatically start and be a star player in this program unless absolutely necessary. That happens only when players get injured or if the roster is not very talented or depleted and you’re needed to fill a position. Maya Moore, one of the all-time greats only started because a player got injured. Diana Taurasi the same, Lou started her freshman year because there was uncertainty among who would be the fifth starter. Breanna Stewart didn’t start and had an up and down season until tournament time. Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley started because they were needed to fill the guard and post spots.

So what is all this chatter about Christyn Williams? The McDonald’s game performance has led to excitement among many. Many people are assuming she’s going to be a star right away and one even went on to say “she’s going to make us forget about Diana Taurasi.” Mark my words: There will never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVERRRRR be another Diana Taurasi EVERRR!!!

I hope the kid does great, but it happens every year. As fans we hype up these high school recruits and then lose all hope in them when they don’t perform up to our expectations. Megan Walker is a freshmen, she will be much better next year. It takes time to get adjusted to that type of coaching and still having confidence when you’ve never had to be coached like this in your life.

Lots of good points!
And obviously you know your U Conn basketball!
But there's a clear contradiction in your post!
CW is needed to fill a position - the off guard. MW even if she improves as much as many of you expect, is not a guard! I think CW will become a special player but agree that it takes time and doesn't happen overnight.
I loved DT from the first moment I saw her and still do! Can't argue with that point about an incoming freshman, but if she's even close to DT, WOW!
I think MW might become a very good player, surely not a bust. Don't see her as a star of the team but a very good complimentary piece, maybe comparable to Kia. If she gets to that lofty level, that will say a lot, but will take a huge amount of work and development.
Why is it that many have to describe something as all or nothing? Almost all except for the DT's, MM's and Stewie are as close as can be to all. And very few that join U Conn women's BB are nothing. Kayla and Molly are important support players even if they will never be stars. They bring so much with their effort, attitude,support of and for their teammates plus their own skill set, that they influence things even if they play very little.
The best team always needs quality players but the team with the best players, especially if there are too many of them, many times doesn't win! It's a team game and especially at a program like U Conn, one must play within themselves and their role. The role is not given to you because you were HS NPOY. You must earn it and that's always a process not a moment!
Bronx23

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Your realize there is only 5 positions on the floor, right? To put this into context, Miss St. Made it to the finals with Schaefer averaging 9 & William averaging 8. ND started Westbeld, who averaged 7. You don’t need 5 starters to all be good or even great, just accepting of their individual role.

Just because some of the players you mention didn't average a bunch of points doesn't mean they were ineffective. I'm not focusing solely on points here so I certainly get the idea of individual roles.

 

[Charliebball]

I agree with Sluconn on the Gabby, MW Comparison. The only thing is I think Megan will surprise some people with her ability to rebound but she can't dribble, pass or defend like Gabby. Honestly though, we don't need her to be Gabby nor do I want her trying to fill those shoes next year. We will have to make up her production by committee, which is what I'm arguing. Our defense is about team rotation, far more than 1 on 1 coverage. As Geno has said in the past, you can't stop great players with 1 player.

I can see your concerns, some of them aren't unwarranted but it's April. These girls have 7 months to develop & improve. I tend to lean towards the positive side as we've seen how our staff can develop young players. Wouldn't expect anything different in 18/19.

Gotta disagree on MW not being a good ball handler............the dribble drive isn't a big part of the pass first UConn offense and she simply wasn't given the opportunity..........we saw just a glimpse of her capabilities as she had the reigns on..................I hope we get to see MW Part II next season

 

[Phillyconn]

Pretty sure it was Nurse and Dangerfield, two guards who can shoot well, that combined to go 4-15 from three and 7-24 overall.

Blaming Williams for not shooting well enough is like saying if only Brittney Griner shot like Samuelson from the outside. You might be asking too much of Gabby.

I’m not blaming. I’m saying that, had GW been a scoring threat from outside, we win 2 NC, and GW is all time great status.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I’m not blaming. I’m saying that, had GW been a scoring threat from outside, we win 2 NC, and GW is all time great status.

Almost any additional plays by anyone would've helped beat Notre Dame and Mississippi State.

 

[Phillyconn]

Almost any additional plays by anyone would've helped beat Notre Dame and Mississippi State.

True. I saw greatness for GW.

 

[JB123]

Do UConn players often improve from one year to the next? Of course. But it shouldn't be forgotten that by the end of her freshmen year Lou was already an excellent player. Walker never reached that level and Coombs barely played.

That's a very fair point.

This will be Geno's biggest coaching challenge since 2011, perhaps since 2007, imo.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think that 2011 was a vastly greater challenge than this one. But even so, your views have made me question my previous confidence about next year. I still think UConn will be far better than #8 and a contender for the title, but you've made me see the other side of the issue. In general, I don't mind being proven wrong, but of course this is one of those times I really hope to end up being right!

 

[cferraro04]

Great timely thread....

I think that Katie Lou, Pheesa and Crystal are locks... I also think that MW is a lock too because while not in spectacular fashion, she earned it. I think the last spot comes down to Kyla Irwin and Batouly Camara. Out of the gate and based on Geno's substitution pattern this past season I will go with Kyra Irwin getting the start. She is more consistent, understands the UConn sets both offensively and defensively better than Batouly. She can be a consistent foul line jumper threat and Geno will play more zone to cover up his weaknesses. Batouly will probably play somewhat similar minutes as Kyla and the last spot will be filled by the two of them. Meanwhile both CW and Ono will be brought along slowly so that by the end of the season...mid to end of February they will commanding more significant minutes. As far as breaking into the starting line-up...I do not see either CW replacing Crystal or Walker. I do see a possibility for Ono to crack the starting line-up but she will have to work hard, prove that she has bounced back from her injury and learn the UConn system, all of which are a daunting task for a freshmen. The only reason I give her a shot at cracking the starting line-up is because her talent / size are ahead of Kyla and Batouly, but I remain somewhat skeptical as to it actually happening.

So, with that being said: Here is my annual prediction as to scoring / rebounds per individual player....I have been fairly close in this exercise over the past half a dozen seasons. This exercise is interesting because it attempts to see where we get the points and rebounds lost by our graduating seniors/ transfers. A lot of people wonder where can we make up 41.4 points and 18.4 rebounds. Luckily with what we have returning and what we have coming in we can get pretty close to last years numbers while being fairly conservative in our estimated projections for next season. What is not apparent or ascertained in this exercise is what we lose on the defensive end with Azure and Gabby's blocking abilities, with Gabby's perimeter and around the basket defense and Kia's perimeter defense as well as what we lose by Kia and Gabby getting in the passing lanes disrupting passes, getting tips and steals. But, at least this gives us a glimpse into the offensive potential that we can expect.

2017-2018

Katie Lou.............17.4 points..........4.5 Rebounds..........29.7 minutes
Napheesa.............16.1 points..........7.4 Rebounds..........28.8 minutes
Dangerfield........... 9.5 points..........2.1 Rebounds..........28.7 minutes
Walker...................5.8 points..........3.3 Rebounds..........15.5 minutes
Kyla........................2.4 points..........1.3 Rebounds............9.4 minutes
Batouly...................1.3 points...........1.3 Rebounds............4.8 minutes
Combs.....................1.1 points---------.8 Rebounds............6.7 minutes
Molly Bent..............1.0 points...........1.2 Rebounds...........7.5 minutes
Lexi Gordan----------.4 points----------.5 Rebounds...........3.9 minutes

TOTALS: 96.4 points / 222.8 minutes (counts overtime minutes) / game; 40.8 rebound / 222.8 minutes (counts overtime minutes) / game

Minutes lost from: Azura, Gabby, Kia and Espinosa-Hunter = 80.8 minutes
Points lost from: Azura, Gabby, Kia and Espinosa-Hunter = 41.4
Rebounds lost from: Azura, Gabby, Kia and Espinosa-Hunter = 18.4

2018-2019

Katie Lou......................19 points....................5,0 rebounds....................32 minutes
Napheesa......................18 points....................8.0 rebounds...................32 minutes
Dangerfield...................12 points....................2.5 rebounds....................30 minutes
Walker...........................14 points....................6.0 rebounds...................28 minutes
Kyla.................................6 points....................3.0 rebounds....................17 minutes
Batouly............................5 points.....................5.0 rebounds...................17 minutes
Combs.............................4 points.....................1.5 rebounds....................10 minutes
Molly Bent.......................2 points.....................1.5 rebounds....................10 minutes
Lexi Gordon....................4 points......................1.5 rebounds...................10 minutes
Christyn Williams...........5 points......................2.0 rebounds...................15 minutes
Olivia Nelson-Ododa......6 points......................4.5 rebounds....................15 minutes

TOTALS: 95.0 points / 222.8 minutes (assuming the same overtime minutes) / game; 40.5 rebounds / 222.8 minutes (assuming the same overtime minutes) / game

 

[HuskylnSC]

Was this thread some kind of assignment for a creative writing class? Part presumptive, part assumptive and a part historical fiction; I think maybe I should lump them together and call it presumptive, assumptive fiction, As a class assignment you did quite well

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

IMHO the 5 starters for UCONN in 2018-2019 are:

Crystal Dangerfield PG Will become the top PG in Division I
MWalker SG Will follow Crystal Dangerfield with a great work ethic in the off season and come back at top level
KLSamuelson SF A 2x AA, 'nuff said
NCollier PF Another AA, 'nuff said
BCamara C Will channel the ability & heart of Jamelle Elliott and be a huge surprise

CWilliams SG Will continue what she showed in McDonald's AA game
ONO C Will slowly progress to a level that will be valuable help to the team by January

KIrwin F/C Will continue her improvement
Combs G Will show what coaches saw when recruiting her
LGordon G Will also show what coaches saw when recruiting her
MBent PG If she can make her self more offensive minded there could be + minutes for her

IMHO these girls will be on a MISSION to get back to "UCONN LEVEL" of play! Starting this off season!

 

[JustinesGuy]

I don’t see Meg as an AA next year, but I’d compare her with sophomore Gabby or Tuck, if not sophomore Napheesa.

Milford your a terrific poster but I must disagree comparing MW to a soph NC.
Can you start by telling me what MW strengths are on the court? Shooting? Ball handling? Defense? Rebounding? I’m still trying to figure out her sweet spot.
I know in high school she was more athletic than most.

 

[JustinesGuy]

You can replace Gabby with MW, possibly even an upgrade because MW can shoot the three with confidence. CW can create her own shot, unlike Kia.

Please report to the AAA board! MW needs to show me something before we can call her an upgrade over GW.

 

[JustinesGuy]

Does this line up make any sense?

Danger
CW( out of necessity to throw her in the fire)
LOU
PHEESE
BC

Bench

Walker- until she proves she can be otherwise
Irwin- will be improved
ONO- Probably is raw as a freshman

Very end of bench

Coombs
Lexi
Bent

Does any of this seem right?

 

[JustinesGuy]

Another question is, With Kia gone, who locks down Laska, Durr, et al? I suspect UConn still will be able to score with efficiency but I worry that the defense, which was almost always there when the shooting went cold, won't be nearly as stifling.

I can answer this one: we are going to need a LASKA LUCK.