USF postgame

[DefenseBB]

Coach Lou with the half time speech

“Ok gals, we’re up against it, the breaks aren’t going our way, I want you to go out there and win one for the Gimper”. Go get ‘em. The rest, as they say is history!

 

[Yorkeez4]

After the comments Geno made Saturday I am sure he would have played Batouly tonight if she was capable. My guess is the quick turn around is not something her body can deal with. I have not seen any information that indicates she will ever be able to play at the level she has in the past - actually I have not seen any information that gives an indication of what she may be capable of in the future. When I saw her on the bench tonight she was cheering the team on as much as anyone.

I hope that over the summer her body recovers to the point she can contribute next year but my expectations are not high. She appears to be a hard worker and great teammate and I hope she is enjoying her time with the team.

 

[pvdoggy]

Both Kyla and Molly did not play well and made plenty of mistakes while they were in, but I have noticed that they never seem to get the wrath of Geno when they are yanked and sent to the bench like what happened with CW and ONO. Seems kind of odd, but maybe it is an expectation thing.

 

[pvdoggy]

Coach Lou with the half time speech

Lou is the clear leader of this team. The last time Uconn has someone like this is probably with Morgan Tuck.

 

[wbball novice]

I didn't realize Laura Ferreira was effectively out of basketball due to a heart ailment. I missed her in the past USF games. Not a consistent shooter, but a good defender. Nice gesture to have her in at the beginning of the game to get a field goal. Was she the only player who scored a layup in the first half?

 

[eebmg]

Woe, woe, woe! Slow down there my esteemed colleague. USF is not the dreg of our conference and it was an away game, not at home on Senior night. Plus Jose can actually coach a bit unlike the aforementioned Ms. White, who in finishing up year 3 is no better off then when she started.
The surprising aspect about tonight was Pheesa taking illadvised 3 point shots and some questionable 18 footers. She played too much out on the perimeter. I know USF schemed to stop her but Jeesh, she was too invisible! I think we missed KLS more than we expected and how much of a floor maestro she is at getting Pheesa involved.
Overall, I liked Coombs slashing and scoring and her tenacious defense is becoming a staple! Hey, the team was like 2-11 in layups at one point which is unheard of. Geno bit his nose off to spite his face in the 1st half by sitting ONO so much and not playing BT who can rebound very well especially against Radar whose a brute force at times. I didn’t get his Kyla insertion especially when she was burned 2 consecutive times down on switches.
This team is showing a confidence and a can do attitude in closer games due to having more of them and Geno is figuring out who can step up.

While the exact quality of the teams may not be the same, we are also alot better and more is expected of us that TN (even without Lou)

A USF win would have been the same (or worse) shock to the WCBB community as Vandy's win had. You know, the first time we lost to USF, the first AAC loss ever, first loss to an unseeded team since xxxxx.

 

[wbball novice]

Although there was some criticism in chat about holding out Olivia for most of the first half, it may not necessarily have been a doghouse thing. She's highly prone to fouls, and Geno might have thought he needed her with more fouls to give in the second half, where UConn could make a come-back run. Still, he did seem to be barking at her harshly the first time she sat in the first half.

 

[DefenseBB]

This is the result of the coaching staff putting no effort into developing its bench for years now - when the team loses a single player, they’re going to struggle to beat an undermanned USF team.

Yup, your right, they’ve completely slacked off only going 137-4 over the last 4 years. No development and poor coaching is exactly how I define UConn Women’s Basketball. And now back to are regularly schedule discussions that apply logic, real understanding and positive enjoyment....

 

[bantamlaker]

This is such baloney. We have no idea what her circumstances were tonight.

You’re right about our having no idea what’s going on with Touly. It’s only natural to wonder why she played 13 minutes last game and then 0 tonight in a game where others were struggling. Whenever the discussion of Touly’s playing time comes up some here say we shouldn’t expect more info because of HIPPA rules. Okay, but wouldn’t it be nice to give the loyal fans a little information. I can’t imagine a player on an athletic scholarship objecting to the release of some basic info if it concerns an injury limiting her ability to play her sport. We hear about player injuries and surgeries all the time. I wouldn’t expect more info when there is some other type of medical illness .

 

[FridaFriend]

I know I'm late to this discussion, but I wanted to add an observation. The game tonight reminded me a bit of the 101st game of the win streak. Kia Nurse could barely get around in the 100th win against South Carolina and would not play again until the AAC tournament because of her injured ankle. UCONN nearly lost the game against Tulane (63-60). They just were not in synch without the non-All-American (who is sadly absent from the Wall). She wasn't even a primary scorer. I think that, like tonight, this particular group is just not used to playing without Lou. She completes us (to coin a phrase).

 

[eebmg]

While the exact quality of the teams may not be the same, we are also alot better and more is expected of us that TN (even without Lou)

A USF win would have been the same (or worse) shock to the WCBB community as Vandy's win had. You know, the first time we lost to USF, the first AAC loss ever, first loss to an unseeded team since xxxxx.

The more I think about your example (PM) of ND (without Jackie Young) vs NC, the more I agree that a loss to USF on their home turf without Lou would be more comparable than Vandy's win over TN at in a must win game in their house.

Still, the coverage from the press to our (UConn ) loss probably would have been worse for us than ND.

 

[caramel]

Some are showing improvement,and it seems to come to mind,that a girl we called Stewie didn't really start to come into her own as a freshman until at or near tournament time.I do not think that Geno is softening up,but is realizing that confidence for some comes from being supportive,and these two girls may be the ones that need that.Their defense is getting better and better,and they do not need to score always to help this team go far.The defense will surely help against taller and faster teams.I would hope we would give these girls a little slack rather than burn them at the stake every time they do not light up the board with superstar stats.Liv,especially has a very bright future at this school.The scoring will come,mark my words.

 

[Striper69]

The bench - Olivia and Coombs played great tonight, probably the reason we won. I think we were in trouble because Pheesa stumbled on a night where we didn't have her balance from Lou.

I was rooting for Liv to step up her game when Geno was yelling at her in the first half. I already knew Coombs would do so.

Once Liv gets her confidence up as far as offense goes then she'll be set. Tremendous potential there!

Hang in there, Liv!

 

[Striper69]

Some are showing improvement,and it seems to come to mind,that a girl we called Stewie didn't really start to come into her own as a freshman until at or near tournament time.I do not think that Geno is softening up,but is realizing that confidence for some comes from being supportive,and these two girls may be the ones that need that.Their defense is getting better and better,and they do not need to score always to help this team go far.The defense will surely help against taller and faster teams.I would hope we would give these girls a little slack rather than burn them at the stake every time they do not light up the board with superstar stats.Liv,especially has a very bright future at this school.The scoring will come,mark my words.

I think the misses on offense were just nerves from being without Katie for the first time. They make all those layups next game with or without Katie.

Got the bad game out of the way now...

 

[mbr33ct]

UConn, the premier program in college WBB is now down to being resigned to be COMPETITIVE in 19-20! And frankly, that is likely the best to hope for next year. We lose 2 AA's who are both top 10 players in the country and they are being replaced by the # 33 ranked incoming Freshman.
If Geno schedules next year like he has in the past, we can look for a fair number of OOC losses along with a few likely in the AAC. Number 1 seed in the NCAA Regional? Ain't gonna happen next year. If UCONN ever hopes to get back to even being close to the "glory days" then next years' recruiting better kick it into high gear. The days of Geno being able to walk into recruits' homes and get most of whom he is after, being able to sell becoming part of a legendary program are over, especially with his likely impending retirement

There you have it, the ultimate doom-n-gloom outlook for next year and beyond...from a Bills Fan?

 

[mbr33ct]

Correct. Oh, and let's not forget, the competition will lose players also. Gone are: Kristine Anigwe, Kalani Brown, Asia Durr, Megan Gustafson, Teaira McCowan, Arike Ogunbowale, Alanna Smith.

Some here like to believe only UConn will lose players and not look at the big picture. For the most part ND will lose 4 starters and if Young decides to go to WNBA, that's the starting 5.

 

[mbr33ct]

A comment/observation on the game. There is something to be said about the conditioning of the team (should I give Geno credit here? ). Jose had to call a time out in the 4th quarter just so his "winded" team can catch their breath. If there's anything UConn's teams do, that's play all out for 40 minutes...reason most teams cannot sustain how they start in fist half to second half.

 

[SJF]

USF played a great game! Played great D! Made big shots and hit theit FT's! They played the way a team should play on Senior night! Don't you just hate it when the other team actually tries to win the game!!!!!!

 

[huskeynut]

She hasnt been on the bench for any game since the injury?

That is correct. We have season tickets for the Bulls. After she went down with the ACL she went AWOL. Talking with Bulls fans, they were puzzled too. Ferreira and Jordeo made all the games after their seasons were over.

 

[luckyhusky7]

Apparently the sky is falling again. Even though our best players weren’t playing or had an off night. That our undeveloped bench won us the game. Man, some of u guys’ expectations are beyond reasonable at this point.

The sky is still falling.

 

[Wbbfan1]

UConn is the 4th #1 Seed. If UConn lost last night they definitely are not a #1 seed. Many in the media believe that Miss ST and/or Oregon deserve a #1 seed if they win their post season Conference Championships. UConn's only signature win this year was against ND and they played a weaker OOC Schedule then usual due to some of the teams having a down year.

Charlie Creme said that a UCONN loss tonight would have moved them out of the #1 seed in Albany. That surprised me.

 

[eebmg]

USF played a great game! Played great D! Made big shots and hit theit FT's! They played the way a team should play on Senior night! Don't you just hate it when the other team actually tries to win the game!!!!!!

In this vein, I just saw the USF Post game presser. Nice to see the losing side able to look happy and feel they gave it a real go. Nice kids, Even Fernandez was smiling all the way through.

 

[Charliebball]

Correct. Oh, and let's not forget, the competition will lose players also. Gone are: Kristine Anigwe, Kalani Brown, Asia Durr, Megan Gustafson, Teaira McCowan, Arike Ogunbowale, Alanna Smith.

true but take a look at South Carolina and Stanford among others next year.........they are going to be much improved....

 

[UConn990411]

Yup, your right, they’ve completely slacked off only going 137-4 over the last 4 years. No development and poor coaching is exactly how I define UConn Women’s Basketball. And now back to are regularly schedule discussions that apply logic, real understanding and positive enjoyment....

Who said anything about poor coaching? UConn has the best coaching staff in the game by a wide margin.

But it’s a fact that they haven’t done a good building their bench over the past several years, and it’s burned them a couple times now.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Jose said Laksa could have started tonight. How is that possible if she just tore her ACL four months ago? Isn't the recovery to get back to 100% much longer than that?

 

[oldude]

Who said anything about poor coaching? UConn has the best coaching staff in the game by a wide margin.

But it’s a fact that they haven’t done a good building their bench over the past several years, and it’s burned them a couple times now.

It is a consistent misconception of many on the BY that only UConn struggles to develop depth. The truth is that few top teams in WBB go much beyond 6 players who are capable of contributing in competitive games. ND has 5. Baylor, MS St, Louisville, Oregon all hover around 6 or so. While scoring drops off some with Liv or Mikayla off the bench, UConn now goes 7 deep. It’s time to give this argument a rest.

 

[oldude]

Jose said Laksa could have started tonight. How is that possible if she just tore her ACL four months ago? Isn't the recovery to get back to 100% much longer than that?

Maybe he was talking about Laksa starting like Ferreira for 1 play and then being subbed out? Then UConn would have had to give up 2 layups.

 

[eebmg]

Maybe he was talking about Laksa starting like Ferreira for 1 play and then being subbed out? Then UConn would have had to give up 2 layups.

I think that is right. Jose was explaining the red shirt rules. If she would have stepped foot on the court (2nd half of season) .she would lose the red shirt year and it seems she is honestly undecided, Not sure she can make it in the WNBA but I see her being in demand on the International scene.

 

[huskeynut]

It is a consistent misconception of many on the BY that only UConn struggles to develop depth. The truth is that few top teams in WBB go much beyond 6 players who are capable of contributing in competitive games. ND has 5. Baylor, MS St, Louisville, Oregon all hover around 6 or so. It’s time to give this argument a rest.

Thank you oldude. You nailed it. Getting tired of this argument. If people actually rsearched how Geno coaches, they would know that he only goes 7 deep. Mikalay and Olivia did a very good job last night.

As to a couple of other items - I hope Laksa comes back for another year. She is a fun player to watch. Consensus from Bulls fans we talk to is she will go pro. And as to the Bulls being the "dregs" of the AAC, nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[oldude]

Thank you oldude. You nailed it. Getting tired of this argument. If people actually rsearched how Geno coaches, they would know that he only goes 7 deep. Mikalay and Olivia did a very good job last night.

As to a couple of other items - I hope Laksa comes back for another year. She is a fun player to watch. Consensus from Bulls fans we talk to is she will go pro. And as to the Bulls being the "dregs" of the AAC, nothing could be further from the truth.

So to validate my post, I checked out the Box Score from Baylor’s struggle against unranked WV last night. While Kim played 10 players, she only got meaningful contributions from....you guessed it.....6 players.