Was Allie Over-looked?

[donalddoowop]

Who should have lost productive minutes on Monday in order for Allie's empty minutes to perhaps pay minor dividends? She has a clear role on this team: come off the bench and make 3's at an Azzi level of shooting. When she does that, she will play. When she doesn't, Geno will find better use of those minutes.

And the difficulty with improving your defense from "unplayable" to "perhaps adequate, maybe" is that KK, Ashlynn, K9, and Blanca are all exceptional defensively.

How can she do that when she took only one shot. Most other players missed more shots than Allie took. How do you know K9 and Blanca are exceptional defensively except what Geno has stated? Give K9, or any other player just four or five minutes of play and see how well they do. Have to be on the floor long enough to get going. Allie can impact a game with more than just scoring. She did not play long enough to even try to evaluate her talent. I agree with Cuango's post.

 

[HuskyNan]

I am also rooting for Allie to find stardom. But she is not going to get anywhere if she dan't drain open threes in a real game. I can't believe Geno benched her for missing her one shot ( no one hit threes for UCONN ), but what else explains it? She got in the game early. Played okay as far as I recall. And was gone.

Geno didn’t pull Allie because she missed a shot. He was searching for the right lineup to play against Louisville and, apparently, felt Allie wasn’t the answer. See the thread called Louisville Game Combinations - he was shuttling players in and out, as he tends to do in the early season. He needs to know how those players perform together

 

[Dogstar]

How can she do that when she took only one shot. Most other players missed more shots than Allie took. How do you know K9 and Blanca are exceptional defensively except what Geno has stated? Give K9, or any other player just four or five minutes of play and see how well they do. Have to be on the floor long enough to get going. Allie can impact a game with more than just scoring. She did not play long enough to even try to evaluate her talent. I agree with Cuango's post.

Geno and the coaches have plenty of time to evaluate players during the practices, I don't thk he cares wht we thk after we evaluate players after 5 minutes.

 

[donalddoowop]

Geno and the coaches have plenty of time to evaluate players during the practices, I don't thk he cares wht we thk after we evaluate players after 5 minutes.

It would be foolish to think that he did. Did someone post that he cares?

 

[Bigboote]

Rewatch the game and count how many times she touched the ball in position to shoot. To save you time it was once in 6 minutes. And she took it. UConn doesn’t run ISOs for a backup SG, she has to get her shots in the flow of the offense. So how is she supposed to come out shooting?

I noticed in the preseason games how well she was moving without the ball. I didn't notice that against Louisville. I may have missed in her short stint playing, and the issue may have been that the team wasn't setting picks for her, I dunno, but something seemed different to me.

 

[Zonepress]

That game was a bad one to formulate any judgement of Allie’s performance. While it’s true that she didn’t come out and make threes, she really didn’t get much run because the game did not go that well and Geno chose, wisely I think, to go with the main core plus Kayleigh, who was very effective. Let’s give Allie a few games before we start giving up on her. I too think she will rise to the occasion but that Louisville game was not it for sure.

I find this whole narrative about AZ to be a bit nonsensical it’s not about her ability
She’s a fine player but just finds herself in a crowded roster where her minutes in meaningful games will probably be limited This is no reflection on her as a player but more of the roster. last year she got no playing time in meaningful games and it looks like this year she will get some time.
In meaningful games and SS will play close to 40 minutes
(37/38 vs louisville$ and with AS KK And it seems Kayleigh Heckel and BQ ahead of her there simply not enough minutes avaliable

 

[ec33]

How can she do that when she took only one shot. Most other players missed more shots than Allie took. How do you know K9 and Blanca are exceptional defensively except what Geno has stated? Give K9, or any other player just four or five minutes of play and see how well they do. Have to be on the floor long enough to get going. Allie can impact a game with more than just scoring. She did not play long enough to even try to evaluate her talent. I agree with Cuango's post.

I am not saying she has nothing to contribute. It is about that game not presenting the right type of opportunities.

There will be games against competitive opposition in which she scores an excessive number of points compared to her minutes played. She scores in bunches. Louisville was just not that game.

This was a game in which K9's cutting to be basket worked extremely well so that was the way to go. When that trick doesn't consistently work against high-level competition, her minutes will likely be fewer than we saw against Louisville.

That is the value of having all that depth. Being able to find the right combination to play along with the two superstars on that given night against that particular opponent. And it will change as the better teams make adjustments.

 

[Stagnant]

We went 4-26 from 3 point range in the first game. Paige and Kaitlyn Chen departed. I think Allie is potentially pretty important. If she is not in the rotation playing well; we are almost certainly a worse three point shooting team than last year. And we will have to be stronger in other ways to accomplish the goals for the season.

 

[Longtime fan]

Geno didn’t pull Allie because she missed a shot. He was searching for the right lineup to play against Louisville and, apparently, felt Allie wasn’t the answer. See the thread called Louisville Game Combinations - he was shuttling players in and out, as he tends to do in the early season. He needs to know how those players perform together

Fair point, Nan, as usual. But I keep hoping Allie is good enough, or will become good enough, to. play effectively in any UCONN line-up, against any opponent.

 

[HuskyNan]

Fair point, Nan, as usual. But I keep hoping Allie is good enough, or will become good enough, to. play effectively in any UCONN line-up, against any opponent.

She’ll get her chances, I’m sure. But Louisville has always had a very physical defense under Jeff Walz - I don’t think Allie will thrive with that kind of play

 

[UCONNRPh]

Allie needs to hit the court shooting a high percentage from three point land or she will find herself back in the crowd on the bench. She is not a great defender so she must to what makes her special and that is pile on the points if you leave her open to focus on one if the stars. First game she really didn't come out shooting and she found he way out of the game with little reason to come back in. She is still young and hopefully at some point she will realize her role and rise to accept it.

she needs to be able to take a 3 shot and if she misses, she needs to know she is not removed immediately. Needs to know she has time to get a feel of what is in front of her and then be Allie.

 

[donalddoowop]

I re-watched the game and noticed that as soon as Heckel got into the game someone passed her the ball because she was open in the corner. She shot and missed. She played a little longer but missed her next shot. She stayed in and got loose and hit her next shot while playing good defense. She got a chance to unwind. what if she had to sit after her first miss like Allie did. As soon as Allie got in the game someone passed her the ball and she shot and missed. No chance to get into the flow of the game. I wonder how well she would have done if she had been given the same opportunity as Heckel was given. Just wondering.

 

[CTBballfan243]

I re-watched the game and noticed that as soon as Heckel got into the game someone passed her the ball because she was open in the corner. She shot and missed. She played a little longer but missed her next shot. She stayed in and got loose and hit her next shot while playing good defense. She got a chance to unwind. what if she had to sit after her first miss like Allie did. As soon as Allie got in the game someone passed her the ball and she shot and missed. No chance to get into the flow of the game. I wonder how well she would have done if she had been given the same opportunity as Heckel was given. Just wondering.

Life is not fair and it never was meant to be. When they call your number you have to be ready produce whether your opportunity is 30 seconds or 20 minutes.

 

[FanSince17]

Fair point, Nan, as usual. But I keep hoping Allie is good enough, or will become good enough, to. play effectively in any UCONN line-up, against any opponent.

They all should have gotten some minutes. Middle of the third quarter and they should have touched the floor in the first half. Maybe Geno thinks he should be further along with all this at this point.
With UConn's talent, he can loosen the reigns a bit.

 

[ec33]

Maybe Geno thinks he should be further along with all this at this point.

At this point? Game 1?

Although it does seem like the rotation against higher-quality opponents has already been set (pending how Blanca changes things). And Allie is going to be the experimental instant offense where applicable.

That is 10 deep. A lot of people in contested games, although the two backup centers likely count as one conceptually.

But it is a long season.

 

[HuskyNan]

Geno said he didn’t call a time out because he wanted the players on the court to figure it out for themselves. They were mostly upperclassmen that should, and did, find a way to win. If Geno started yanking players out to give a freshman some playing time, the upperclassmen wouldn’t have figured anything out for themselves.

Part of Geno’s job is developing young players, yes, but it’s also his job to prepare Azzi and Serah for the WNBA and he has less time to accomplish that. So, they’re going to be playing more minutes

 

[my2cents]

Geno is about winning games. He feels he doesn't owe any player , anything, when it comes to playing time.
The thing about Allie is, is she a good shooter or not? The coaches should know by now.
If she is yanked out of a game if she misses her first shot, we will never know either.
The other teams are going to be spending more time doubling the "Sa/erahs", allowing lots of open threes , which we saw against Louisville.
Allie making threes could be a real plus.

 

[donalddoowop]

Life is not fair and it never was meant to be. When they call your number you have to be ready produce whether your opportunity is 30 seconds or 20 minutes.

Just what did she not produce? Who says life was never meant to be fair, man?

 

[Oldschoolbb]

The thing about Allie is, is she a good shooter or not? The coaches should know by now.
If she is yanked out of a game if she misses her first shot, we will never know either.
The other teams are going to be spending more time doubling the "Sa/erahs", allowing lots of open threes , which we saw against Louisville.
Allie making threes could be a real plus.

Particularly since this team lacks depth in outside shooters. Fudd is a given, but everyone after her among the starters is suspect. Shade, probably because of her line drive delivery, is very streaky. KK is not a good shooter. Williams doesn't seem to be very good outside. Strong is good but not great. Who's coming off the bench with good outside shooting? The most viable alternative seems to be Ziebell.

 

[Longtime fan]

They all should have gotten some minutes. Middle of the third quarter and they should have touched the floor in the first half. Maybe Geno thinks he should be further along with all this at this point.
With UConn's talent, he can loosen the reigns a bit.

Geno is still Geno whether game 1 of a new season, or NCAA game 4. And sometimes it is a mystery to us. But he always does things for a reason. I get frustrated when I don't know what the reason is. So we speculate . Likely we are wrong ( or I am ) 90% of the time.

 

[sun]

Geno says that the players need to figure it out for themselves.
But it seems that at least some of the fans think that Geno is the one that needs to figure some thiings out.
Perhaps Geno doesn't quite know everything that there is to know about this year's team just yet.
But sooner or later he will figure out how to smooth out some of the offensive ups & downs.
Most of us may have thought that the team's depth was a blessing, but maybe for Geno it's more of a curse.
Or he still needs to figure out the substitution patterns while maiintaining (or improving) the teans's offensive eficiency.
I don't iknow why he doesn't trust his bench more.

 

[Cuango]

Life is not fair and it never was meant to be. When they call your number you have to be ready produce whether your opportunity is 30 seconds or 20 minutes.

Nevertheless, the question remains, what might Allie have done with more of a chance? I think the game pretty much dictated her minutes and do not think her getting the hook so quickly means anything except Geno felt a different combination was better in that particular game. After all, it was not a typical UConn game. I believe Allie will get her chances as we move forward and I am certainly rooting for her to become a regular part of the rotation! If she can, I think it will bode well for her chances to be a major player for next year’s team.

 

[ec33]

Nevertheless, the question remains, what might Allie have done with more of a chance? I think the game pretty much dictated her minutes and do not think her getting the hook so quickly means anything except Geno felt a different combination was better in that particular game. After all, it was not a typical UConn game. I believe Allie will get her chances as we move forward and I am certainly rooting for her to become a regular part of the rotation! If she can, I think it will bode well for her chances to be a major player for next year’s team.

Allie will get her opportunities in less competitive games, but those minutes she got with the small lineup are minutes that would have been Blanca's had she played. It is possible that with a healthy team, Allie might not have played at all.

We are not privy to practice, so how much time she earned "as her fair share" is unknown. Plus, after her problems last season, Geno likely doesn't want to press too much early on so that she can become comfortable and prove to both herself and Geno that she deserves a large role.

It isn't going to be easier next season with Blanca likely starting, Morgan hopefully returning to full health, and it is still possible she gets new competition entering the program.

 

[donalddoowop]

Nevertheless, the question remains, what might Allie have done with more of a chance? I think the game pretty much dictated her minutes and do not think her getting the hook so quickly means anything except Geno felt a different combination was better in that particular game. After all, it was not a typical UConn game. I believe Allie will get her chances as we move forward and I am certainly rooting for her to become a regular part of the rotation! If she can, I think it will bode well for her chances to be a major player for next year’s team.

I hope she becomes a major player for this year's team.

 

[Cuango]

They all should have gotten some minutes. Middle of the third quarter and they should have touched the floor in the first half. Maybe Geno thinks he should be further along with all this at this point.
With UConn's talent, he can loosen the reigns a bit.

Yeah, I don’t want any loosening of the reins! We have twelve championships because of how he’s held those reins! I do want to see Allie and some others get more playing time but only if Geno thinks that’s the rght thing for the team. I may whine a little occasionally but, make no mistake, I’m fully aware to whom those twelve titles can be attributed!

I’m pretty sure he is aware of the potential value that a sharpshooter will bring to this team after Azzi leaves and I’m sure he will do whatever is needed to determine if Allie can fill tat role. So, I just have to tell myself, “Patience Grasshopper”, someone a lot smarter than you has everything under control! Of course, I still maintain my “whiner’s card” to be used as I see fit!

 

[HopJim]

Never have figured out how Geno wants to use Allie. She typically runs to a corner, rarely getting the ball until time is running out. This year, we have hints that she is part of the offensive flow and is playing tighter defense but time will tell. Alot of talent that I hope Geno invests.

 

[HuskyNan]

Yeah, I don’t want any loosening of the reins! We have twelve championships because of how he’s held those reins! I do want to see Allie and some others get more playing time but only if Geno thinks that’s the rght thing for the team. I may whine a little occasionally but, make no mistake, I’m fully aware to whom those twelve titles can be attributed!

I’m pretty sure he is aware of the potential value that a sharpshooter will bring to this team after Azzi leaves and I’m sure he will do whatever is needed to determine if Allie can fill tat role. So, I just have to tell myself, “Patience Grasshopper”, someone a lot smarter than you has everything under control! Of course, I still maintain my “whiner’s card” to be used as I see fit!

I don’t want him loosening the reins, either. He sort of referred to this in yesterday’s pregame presser, saying some coaches let their players run the show and some coaches try to act like it’s 1990. He talks about adjustments he’s had to make and how far he’s willing to go.

The good stuff starts around the 16:00 minute mark. Those in the “oh, no! We lost the fourth quarter” club should listen carefully, too

F

Thread 'Geno Auriemma Pregame Media Availability - 11.8.25'

Nov 8, 2025

• Fastbreak
• Replies: 6
• Forum: UConn Women's Basketball Forum

• 
• 

 

[KCD]

Particularly since this team lacks depth in outside shooters. Fudd is a given, but everyone after her among the starters is suspect. Shade, probably because of her line drive delivery, is very streaky. KK is not a good shooter. Williams doesn't seem to be very good outside. Strong is good but not great. Who's coming off the bench with good outside shooting? The most viable alternative seems to be Ziebell.

About Shade: Ash was a 40+% shooter from 3 last year. I would call that very good.
Allie will get her chances and soon. Her defense has improved dramatically (although she's not KK) and her offense doesn't just depend on the 3. She is a three level scorer and will show that soon enough. Based on the way that Geno has talked about her, she must be showing these things in practice.

 

[Jaml]

It's early in the season, but I think this one question about being over-looked has been answered. The sophomore leap is evident in every aspect of her game. Perhaps now a better question is; "Would AZ be a starter on every other team in the country?"

 

[OldSchooler]

Geno says that the players need to figure it out for themselves.
But it seems that at least some of the fans think that Geno is the one that needs to figure some thiings out.
Perhaps Geno doesn't quite know everything that there is to know about this year's team just yet.
But sooner or later he will figure out how to smooth out some of the offensive ups & downs.
Most of us may have thought that the team's depth was a blessing, but maybe for Geno it's more of a curse.
Or he still needs to figure out the substitution patterns while maiintaining (or improving) the teans's offensive eficiency.
I don't iknow why he doesn't trust his bench more.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, I used to think coach was kind of stupid. But as he got older, he got smarter.