Vandy Post Game Thread

[HuskyBandDad]

Good grief. Can you guys relax and just enjoy competitive games for a change. The sky is always falling for some of you.

 

[UcMiami]

I think some of us were hoping for a little more seamless transition. Kind of like the year we lost the big three.

When we had Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams as juniors coming off back to back NCAAs, and Lou and Pheesa as Sophomores coming off a single NCAA, and Chong the returning senior with three rings.

Just really hard to compare that experience to this years team - good players but not quite the same.

 

[pvdoggy]

Just watch the replay of the game. I know it is early, but I have to say that CD's play has been the most surprising (negatively) on the team.

 

[VaConnFan11]

I have been saying this for 2+ years now.... You have to play your bench whether you "want" to or not during the regular course of the game. It doesn't matter how in shape you are, no one can play at their top level for 40 consecutive minutes.

It is hard for me to believe that over the past 2+ seasons, that UConn starters are TOP 5 in the country and the UConn bench is BOTTOM 5.

 

[FanHam]

Not a pretty game, but early season games, especially against teams who know how to trap defend, seldom are.

I'm not worried about the offense. They'll start clicking more and more with each successive game. There are a lot of creators on this team. There is a collective shyness to take the open shot, especially the mid-range jump shot. They know how to pass. Offense will develop.

However.

I'm flat alarmed by the defense. Calling it "ole", or bullfighter defense is apt. I was shocked how many times our players were blown by like they were standing still, and that's exactly what they were doing - standing still. They are getting almost zero charging calls. Help defense is non-existent.

Crystal is obviously not 100%, she doesn't move laterally at all, in either direction. She had three or four chances at one-person breakaways and was caught before she barely got past mid-court. I used to think she approached Moriah Jefferson speed but this year, no. I hope this is not a "thing", but is just a hangover from her hip surgery and will pass.

I attribute a lot of the lax defense to them getting used to each other and, therefore, not knowing when to switch off.

Blocking out underneath is another issue. Everyone, except for Olivia, seems to think blocking out is someone else's job. Crystal did more blocking out than Anna, Megan, and Christyn. They were pushed around under the boards.

Enough of the criticism. They still won by 13. Vanderbilt looked very athletic and Stephanie White has already (in two years) turned the program around from the doormat it had become. WCBB overall gets better across the board every year.

I'm loving watching Aubrey. I understand why Geno starts Anna over her - Aubrey has turnover issues - but Aubrey will get that under control and get more PT in the future. UConn WCBB playing careers invariably start slowly.

I keep hearing Anna is a good shooter...

They need to work on their porous defense. Maybe they need to watch some Kelly Faris video.

 

[veryolddog]

The team played the best that they could. And we should accept it. This is what we are going to see for quite a few games. And, for its last year in the AAC, this may be the first year that UConn shows a defeat. Last years team would have won by 30 and the previous year's team would have won by 50. In this game, they were just lucky.

 

[jaundicedeye]

Liv outplayed Vandy's center who has more experience. Other than missing layups, I thought Liv played well.

Agree! Also, five blocks is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[southofnorth]

I can’t believe how many people didn’t see these inconsistent, up and down results coming. Then again, maybe I can. And as far as any criticism of ONO is concerned, please stop. Without her anchoring the defense they would’ve been decimated inside. Vandy would’ve run a layup line. This would’ve been a loss.

The criticism isn’t really towards ONO’s defensive presence as much as it is her inability to make point blank layups consistently. If she makes her layups then the defense is easier to set than if she just chucks it over the other side of the rim to the opponent.

 

[southofnorth]

Just watch the replay of the game. I know it is early, but I have to say that CD's play has been the most surprising (negatively) on the team.

In the first two games so far she’s seemed to be disinterested and reluctant to call anyone out. KLS isn’t here to say what needs to be said anymore and Geno has long said he can’t be the leader of the team when they’re out on the court.

 

[HopJim]

Liv outplayed Vandy's center who has more experience. Other than missing layups, I thought Liv played well.

We would not have won without Liv. Blocked a lot of shots and moved well, getting several wide open layups through hustle. Vanderbilt's center, good, not great, schooled her early in game, getting layups most times she tried. On many of the Vandy rebound barrages where V got 5+ rebounds in a row, Liv just got pushed out of the way. For a still learning soph, Liv playing great. For someone many of us hope can grow into an All American, she still has a lot to learn.

 

[Ozimoto]

Didn't read any of the previous comments so I will probably repeat a lot of what is above but here is my non-expert view of the game last night.

Megan Walker is the real deal and will, in my opinion, be the heart and soul of this year's team.

CD seems to be pressing a bit.

CW still disappears at times. If she can get over that everything else gets better.

ONO is doing well and will only improve. She forced some passes. Errors of commission are more acceptable than errors of omission. She held her own with Fisoula and she altered a lot of shots in addition to the blocks she recorded.

Anna does everything pretty well except score. She needs to see a couple of her shots go in and she will be fine. Once defenders have to respect her jump shot she will have more opportunities to score in the paint.
Aubrey is as Geno described her. A puppy running amok at the moment. Some really good play and some head scratching. That will change.

Evelyn didn't hurt us when she was in, but there is a definite drop off in post performance when she is in at the moment.

Since no one else got into the game, there is nothing more to say in that regard.

Some general comments on the team as a whole.

This is not a good jump shooting team at the moment. This is allowing defenses to pack the paint which clogs up the free flowing, motion offense and the easy buckets that come from cutting. Hopefully this changes.

There are a couple of kids on the bench who can shoot pretty well. Seemed to me that Molly and Kyla could have been given a few minutes to see if they could have hit a couple of shots to loosen things up a bit. Wish they were able to contribute more.

If foul shooting does not improve they will lose close games. Finishing better at the rim would help too.

Defense was acceptable. I think the defensive effort led to some fatigue that manifested itself in the fourth quarter. Their conditioning should improve as the season goes on. Again, wish the kids on the bench could contribute more to help with the fatigue issue.

The team certainly runs the break well. The first eight minutes of the third quarter is, hopefully, a glimpse of what the team is capable of. If they start playing that way for five or six minutes out of every quarter a lot of the worries will be put to rest.

 

[Dokey]

Look, Liv and Megan played very well. Crystal is tentative, perhaps because of nagging injury or because she’s trying to adjust to not having Lou or Pheesa to pass to—time will fix that. Christine (Yes, I know but auto correct keeps winning out) is feast or famine sophomore. Aubrey has to learn that playing fast doesn’t mean playing out of control. Anna/Ania shows a nervous shooting approach, she needs to be forced to keep shooting until she gets comfortable. In the meantime, her quick passes reminds me a little of Lou and allows her to get team high in assists, 5, in 25 minutes. Someone complained she was slow on defense. She’s on the floor because Geno sees her as best defensive option and he’s absolutely right. She continues to start, especially since CD’s assists are down, but Aubrey will come in to add speed and ferocity. Biggest problem is subbing for Liv and CD.

 

[SLY63]

Didn't read any of the previous comments so I will probably repeat a lot of what is above but here is my non-expert view of the game last night.

Megan Walker is the real deal and will, in my opinion, be the heart and soul of this year's team.

CD seems to be pressing a bit.

CW still disappears at times. If she can get over that everything else gets better.

ONO is doing well and will only improve. She forced some passes. Errors of commission are more acceptable than errors of omission. She held her own with Fisoula and she altered a lot of shots in addition to the blocks she recorded.

Anna does everything pretty well except score. She needs to see a couple of her shots go in and she will be fine. Once defenders have to respect her jump shot she will have more opportunities to score in the paint.
Aubrey is as Geno described her. A puppy running amok at the moment. Some really good play and some head scratching. That will change.

Evelyn didn't hurt us when she was in, but there is a definite drop off in post performance when she is in at the moment.

Since no one else got into the game, there is nothing more to say in that regard.

Some general comments on the team as a whole.

This is not a good jump shooting team at the moment. This is allowing defenses to pack the paint which clogs up the free flowing, motion offense and the easy buckets that come from cutting. Hopefully this changes.

There are a couple of kids on the bench who can shoot pretty well. Seemed to me that Molly and Kyla could have been given a few minutes to see if they could have hit a couple of shots to loosen things up a bit. Wish they were able to contribute more.

If foul shooting does not improve they will lose close games. Finishing better at the rim would help too.

Defense was acceptable. I think the defensive effort led to some fatigue that manifested itself in the fourth quarter. Their conditioning should improve as the season goes on. Again, wish the kids on the bench could contribute more to help with the fatigue issue.

The team certainly runs the break well. The first eight minutes of the third quarter is, hopefully, a glimpse of what the team is capable of. If they start playing that way for five or six minutes out of every quarter a lot of the worries will be put to rest.

Pretty much agree 100%

 

[hjoerring]

I have burned and slashed my way through 3-pages of comments and am still at a loss to make sense of 90% of the commentaries. 2-games and new starters, and everyone expects the team to glide into the sunset. Teams that are capable of playing that way are teams that have been together for multiple years. Perhaps Oregon and BU are such teams. After Stewart and Co left, we have been in a 'jerky' era. Last year people were saying the same things and, well, things went well (at least in my eyes). For me, the team is playing as I have expected. The 2 Freshmen-- critical pieces-- are getting the time needed to learn the offense. Those missed shots that people are griping about are trivial. They will make them later. And the standing around is a reflection of 'what now' and not a sign of terrible this and that.
Also, we are seeing (perhaps) the effects of players not being together during the summer. Whilst good for individual players, it cheats group cohesion. (Of course I don't know for sure, because it is possible that the seniors had things going. I remember that during Dolson's era and Stewart's era, summers were organized around group activities)
Sometimes watching the development of players and a team can be an enjoyment. I'm extremely focused on the current Freshmen and left-holders from last year to see how they do. Join me- there's still room for a few.

 

[cohenzone]

We must win every game by 25 + or else we are bad.

 

[Argonaut]

The freshmen will come around. Even CW, who we all agree was an essential cog in last year’s team, had times when she looked like a lost freshman. AG and AM are no CW, so their freshman moments may last longer and be more obvious, but they’ll get it. If Geno didn’t trust them, Kyla would be starting and I think I’d have to take a break from the BY.

As for EA, I still have faith she’ll become a contributor. When you’re the primary scoring target, like she was at Murray State, the pace of the offense is based on you. When you’re the fifth scoring option on the floor with four fast guards, if you’re struggling with the pace of an unfamiliar offense, you will undoubtedly look lost. I think as she continues to condition and get a better understanding of her role, she’ll be fine.

 

[Dokey]

View attachment 48074

As for Anna and Aubrey scoring. Anna had five assists—that means at least ten points. She had two steals. I don’t know if those led to scores but possibly. Aubrey scored four points, had no assists but four steals that could have let to points. Bottom line: we are sure their play definitely led to 14 points, maybe more.

 

[HuskyNan]

As for Anna and Aubrey scoring. Anna had five assists—that means at least ten points. She had two steals. I don’t know if those led to scores but possibly. Aubrey scored four points, had no assists but four steals that could have let to points. Bottom line: we are sure their play definitely led to 14 points, maybe more.

Both caused turnovers too (should be a stat), Anna with her height and Aubrey with her defense. Both are coming along nicely.

 

[tazmaz]

Welcome to the rest of mediocre WCBB UConn. Few teams look crisp this early in the season. You at least want to see a few nice passes and plays. It’s when you watch an entire game and you may only see two impressive plays and 20 clunkers, that game was not worth watching. A team can win by 36 and still look bad in these mismatches.

 

[bluedevil]

We have some beautiful intelligent women sitting on the bench for the whole game. If they show up for practice and get good grades which I assume they do why can't they play? This is not the wnba. These ladies deserve to play..they are on scholarships and if we lose a game or 2 or 5..well the sun will still come up in the east and set in the west....

 

[HopJim]

I think Crystal, who was rehabbing from surgery most of the summer, is not at 100% yet. She’ll play her way back into shape I expect.

I'm just happy to see Crystal playing so soon after surgery. You can see she is playing a bit stiff. May not be at All American level, but doing well. Wish Geno would give her more rest. She has been injured each year and playing 99% of the minutes against average competition will not help. I would trade 1-2 loses to have 100% of Crystal in the playoffs.

 

[HopJim]

Both caused turnovers too (should be a stat), Anna with her height and Aubrey with her defense. Both are coming along nicely.

Both are strong additions to this team although both seem to have "Molly disease-" wont shoot. We need a game where Geno sets the offense to give both many shots in an attempt to get their confidence back. Likely this will happen once the in conference schedule comes around.

 

[MilfordHusky]

A photo by Alan George on Exposure

20191113 VuW v UCONw_079.jpg

anchordown.exposure.co

Caption: White: "You hanging around for the next 4 years?" she deadpanned.
Geno: "Hopefully 5"

He wants to coach Azzi.

 

[MilfordHusky]

When it's all said and done, UConn is not the fourth best team in the nation. It may come, but as of now they need a lot of work. As Nan said, they are a young team.

Almost everyone not named Oregon has looked ragged. I was not impressed with Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Notre Dame. The Terps needed a furious rally plus a bucket at the end to edge James Madison last night. We often look smooth early in the season. This is not one of those years. When will we look better, and how much better? I'm watching and hoping.