Villanova Postgame Thread

[HopJim]

I said this before and I will say it again. KK is the 2nd best pure pg in the nation to Rori Harmon and it’s close.

Agree although KK likely best defensive guard in nation. When you add the points she takes away from opposition, the two are very close in value.

 

[FanSince17]

I agree with you 100%. Two "bigs" come to mind: Natalie Butler and Jana. IMHO they were/are treated differently.

Come on guys, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.
Famous Coach at Cal, wrote the Bible on post-moves- Pete Newell. Would be a nice read!

 

[HopJim]

She did contribute a lot. However, on offense , I would like to see more. As a freshman, I thought she made more of her 2 point shots. She is really struggling to put the ball in the basket.

Wow!!! Tough audience, even for Boneyard!

 

[EricSD]

Watched the game twice to really enjoy it. Aside from a 10-0 run by Nova in Q2, there was very little to complain/worry about. I think Nova is well coached and has a good future, but on no planet is anyone but Geno the COY in the BE. Why? He lost Paige and Chen - 2 huge starters. He's got 1 starter who is brand new, and all the core players off the bench are brand new save for Allie (who for a lot of reasons didn't do much last season), and Jana. He's mixed and matched every game, sometimes with poor results, but he's finding what works.

And it's not that this team has "way more talent than anyone else". Sure Sarah is magnificent. Azzi can be at times. Blanca is one of the best freshmen in the country. But KK, Ash, Serah, Allie, Kayleigh, and Jana? Geno and co. have coached the hell out of those guys. And IMHO he deserves to be recognized for getting them all to play more and more total minutes like a well oiled machine. Instead of "pooh-poohing" UConn because they have much talent, people should look at HOW he's gotten them so good this season after losing what we lost and adding so many new pieces (rant off LOL).

For the game... The defense was again elite. The double teams and held balls we caused were so frustrating for 'Nova.

• Sarah. OMG. That under the basket reverse layup was extraordinary. And everything she does is elite. Just wow. NPOY
• Azzi - not concerned, per-se, but her inability to make layups lately is odd. But her defense is elite. I hope she gets some momentum and publicity for DPOY in the BE. It would be deserving
• KK - one of the best PG's in the country IMHO. She's NOT a scoring PG like some who get way more attention, but she is aggressive and scores when open, is a masterful runner of the offense, and plays elite defense every second.
• Ash - off shooting night, but a total dog with a bone warrior. Loved seeing her get those tie-ups, and kind of get into it with one of the Nova players who tried to rip the ball out of her hands. Do NOT mess with Ash LOL. For those few who keep complaining that she should come off the bench, not gonna happen. She does too many good things out there.
• Serah - continues to be competent. But watching her and some of the mistakes she makes - those are freshman mistakes, not senior mistakes.
• Blanca - I hope she gets some scratch as 6th woman of the year nationally. She's for sure one of the top freshmen in the country, and isn't even a starter
• Slowly but surely, Kayleigh seems to be getting a little better every game. SO glad we have her.
• Allie is such a surprise to me this season (maybe not to Geno and the staff tho). So glad she's blossoming.

The bench had a really solid 4th quarter. It seemed like most of it was against Nova's bench, but still, it was nice seeing Yanna and Caroline especially look smooth. Kelis has some terrific drives and scores, but I do wonder how good her PG skills are at this time. Her passes often seem mis-timed or ill advised - something that will come with experience. I really do think she's gonna be a good one.

Bottom line, a really good game especially in prep for the ND game coming up. A really healthy amount of minutes of high quality basketball from the team.

 

[DEpup]

No one disputes Ash's defense and hustle, but a starter needs to contribute more than 2 points to the offense. Trying to alter her shot mechanics to the faster game pace is proving to be a challenge.

Not really with UConn's best teams. Ash's role reminds me a lot of Kia Nurse, Kelly Faris, and Kaleena Greene where they were largely the glue players doing the dirty work and not depended on to be prolific scorers. They often were situational scorers and sometimes dubbed streaky. That often means they scored when that is what the defense gave as the opponent picked their poison. The glue players can often be the smartest on the floor since they are flexible enough to do what's necessary. Carla Berube was a glue player.

I wish folks could come to the realization that Ash does the things necessary for the Sara Strong's of the world to focus on their strengths and be amazing. Trust me, 5 Sara Strongs on the floor would be a hot mess.