Was Geno just imagining it that the team has began to show signs for a championship run? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Was Geno just imagining it that the team has began to show signs for a championship run?

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Here’s another. Ice committed as a sophomore and didn’t discuss her recruitment in the press.

IMG_3596.jpeg
 
South Carolina offering is a different conversation. You think Morgan Cheli or ice is breaking through in February 2025 and getting minutes at South Carolina if they were on the roster? I am saying no. That’s my opinion.

In my initial post on the matter, I mentioned player development and pondered if South Carolina is better at it than us.
 
Stagnant said:
South Carolina offering is a different conversation. You think Morgan Cheli or ice is breaking through in February 2025 and getting minutes at South Carolina if they were on the roster? I am saying no. That’s my opinion.

In my initial post on the matter, I mentioned player development and pondered if South Carolina is better at it than us.
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Yes both would. Of course that assumes the roster would be still 15, not go up to 17.

Why? Dawn, like Tara formerly at Stanford, makes a point to play everybody. You know in the recruiting discussion that you probably won't play more than 20 min, but you will compete every year for titles, get pushed to improve in practice, be part of the fam, and get to play more as a senior if you are loyal to SC. That's the program and style she has developed.

Geno historically has run a bit leaner. Stars playing 30min, only using 7-8 players, only rostering 11-12 players. This year's big team is an exception due reaction to recent injuries, and the good performance of the 3 freshmen.
 
Dawn got better bigs the past few years.
Geno had what, three years of serious injuries?
Dawn has been successful of late. When she wins 12 National Championships and 4 back-to-back, then we can talk about coaching.
 
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BlueSkyGLW said:
Ahhhh.....do you really think they have been sitting around just waiting for it? They know the effort required - GA would not let them forget - and from all reports they are working their butts off in order to get over the hurdle they have been facing. For all this work, if they succeed in doing what GA is asking them to do with all the hard work in becoming the team they can be, then they will deserve it if they win NC12.

BTW, how many of the teams who have won the NC do you think did not deserve it for any reason: how they played, how they came together as a team and most of all, how they collectively worked hard to become the team able to do it in the crucible of the the championship game?

Yeah, I thought so.
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You aren't making any sense here!!! You have totally misread and/or misunderstood my comment which was in reply to another member. Perhaps you should read his claim about how Paige & Azzi "deserve" a NC for all they have been through here before posting your nonsense.
 
Off the topic heading, easy for me. IF (big if perhaps) Azzi Fudd is healthy, with the improvement over games of Kaitlyn Chen, reasonable minutes for El Alfy, and a strong bench there's no question this team is as well placed as any other to win the national championship. Proper use of rotations will be key - hence the coach component - but, for me, this team is - perhaps by far - best placed and constructed since the Stewie 4-peat.
 
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HuskyNan said:
Sometimes I wonder why people bother to root for a team they perceive is so awful. Bad players, bad coaches, bad opponents- why are those people still here?
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Well, something more than injuries seems to be an issue. All the #1 recruits since Stewie graduated and not a title to be found? A lot of lack of development seems to be apparent.
 
I would say without a doubt that Geno wad imagining it. People got so excited seeing us drain 3 pointers against the big east teams are getting a wake up call tonight vs. Tennessee.

And by the way we are ALL fans here. But the posts talking about how great we are, or pretending that we are a "great" team is just not true. It's a good team of great kids who are fun to root for, but not a NC caliber group. Why does it make us bad fans to be realistic?
 
BlueSkyGLW said:
As the team has shown better chemistry and coordination in its run against Big East opponents, GA has seen a glimmer of championship potential in the team's much more coordinated, growing intuitive play for smoother read and react action, it still have to face the test of stronger opponents - the two before the tournament are Tenn and SoCar. Although the team at #5 now is positioned to gain ground into #1 line, it needs to win both these games to ensure that it happens. Is there confidence among us that this will happen? Tenn first, against their pressing defense, then SoCar with their firepower and fairly solid defense as well.

There are signs of good progress: beyond Sarah and Paige who have been essentially constants, Ash and KK have continued to improve on both sides of the ball and it shows in the confidence with which they now play. Kaitlyn has finally settled in and her offense - for which she was known at Princeton - has become more efficient as her level of integration has become more seamless from greater comfort in playing together. I am never surprised at what Azzi can do but it has taken a bit of time to get fully comfortable with her body - she will be a prime asset against the stronger teams, especially.....even when used as a decoy. GA has been working the freshmen in to acclimate....and he is beginning to see improvement in their perimeter defensive performance. But the return of Aubrey defensive versatility: improves perimeter defense and it raises confidence in using the press effectively. It also adds another speed element to the offense.

It is taking a long time for Jana and Ice to reach their potential but most post players do take longer to be fully effective in their anticipated potential for how UConn WBB plays, especially in reading, reacting and switching on defense and creating opportunities on offense. Size is not enough.....reading the flow and moving to create opportunities for themselves and others around whom the guards and wings revolve....yeah, it takes time. Hopefully, both of them shall have improved much come tournament time....all the better if it begins to show against Tenn and then SoCar. The guards and wings are coming along fine, so much so that the team can play small ball or with size to counter opponents on court. The small ball lineup with Sarah as the big can be different combinations where all five are excellent 3pt shooters. Even all three freshmen can contribute in this way and Aubrey is no longer a slouch from distance. Because of their depth, GA can play fast all the time, sending players in waves as needed in each situation as he sees fit and quickly change to a different option if not working.....and they can press more as they are doing now.

I doubt they will lose both road games to these two teams but whatever the outcomes are, if they show excellent progress in what GA wants to see for March, it will be a bad idea to count UConn out if Paige, Azzi and Sarah and the rest remain healthy. If Jana and Ice show out more by the end of the regular season, I will be even more optimistic.

Paige and Azzi deserve to win a NC together after what they have been through with injuries. Doing it with this bunch would be exhilarating even from the cheering section!
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Not if this games is any indication. There are no words to describe how terrible this team is playing
 
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The only gage we have is when we are not playing a BE Team otherwise it's a 30 to 40 point win.
 
packwrap said:
Yes both would. Of course that assumes the roster would be still 15, not go up to 17.

Why? Dawn, like Tara formerly at Stanford, makes a point to play everybody. You know in the recruiting discussion that you probably won't play more than 20 min, but you will compete every year for titles, get pushed to improve in practice, be part of the fam, and get to play more as a senior if you are loyal to SC. That's the program and style she has developed.

Geno historically has run a bit leaner. Stars playing 30min, only using 7-8 players, only rostering 11-12 players. This year's big team is an exception due reaction to recent injuries, and the good performance of the 3 freshmen.
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Packwrap: I couldn't have said this better myself. Hard to develop as a player and improve if you're not playing!
 
Flyegirl said:
Packwrap: I couldn't have said this better myself. Hard to develop as a player and improve if you're not playing!
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Not true. Geno played 9 tonight. Morgan only got 6 minutes because she was ineffective, Ice is out with an injury, Q and Allie aren’t ready for this game

IMG_3597.jpeg
 
VA Blue Dog said:
The only gage we have is when we are not playing a BE Team otherwise it's a 30 to 40 point win.
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The BE is killing our wbb program. Geno needs to schedule about 10 really tough road games to make up for the league.
 
I don’t think Geno would say that this is a Championship team. Not by a long shot.

They will be 1-4 against top 20 teams. Zero marquee wins.

It is truly head scratching that we have three #1’s on the court and they can’t get it done.

I think losing Nika and AE has had a far greater impact than most realized. We thought getting Azzi back would help with that, but it hasn’t really. Sarah has been great. KK also. Nobody else helps in tough games.
 
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BlueSkyGLW said:
As the team has shown better chemistry and coordination in its run against Big East opponents, GA has seen a glimmer of championship potential in the team's much more coordinated, growing intuitive play for smoother read and react action, it still have to face the test of stronger opponents - the two before the tournament are Tenn and SoCar. Although the team at #5 now is positioned to gain ground into #1 line, it needs to win both these games to ensure that it happens. Is there confidence among us that this will happen? Tenn first, against their pressing defense, then SoCar with their firepower and fairly solid defense as well.

There are signs of good progress: beyond Sarah and Paige who have been essentially constants, Ash and KK have continued to improve on both sides of the ball and it shows in the confidence with which they now play. Kaitlyn has finally settled in and her offense - for which she was known at Princeton - has become more efficient as her level of integration has become more seamless from greater comfort in playing together. I am never surprised at what Azzi can do but it has taken a bit of time to get fully comfortable with her body - she will be a prime asset against the stronger teams, especially.....even when used as a decoy. GA has been working the freshmen in to acclimate....and he is beginning to see improvement in their perimeter defensive performance. But the return of Aubrey defensive versatility: improves perimeter defense and it raises confidence in using the press effectively. It also adds another speed element to the offense.

It is taking a long time for Jana and Ice to reach their potential but most post players do take longer to be fully effective in their anticipated potential for how UConn WBB plays, especially in reading, reacting and switching on defense and creating opportunities on offense. Size is not enough.....reading the flow and moving to create opportunities for themselves and others around whom the guards and wings revolve....yeah, it takes time. Hopefully, both of them shall have improved much come tournament time....all the better if it begins to show against Tenn and then SoCar. The guards and wings are coming along fine, so much so that the team can play small ball or with size to counter opponents on court. The small ball lineup with Sarah as the big can be different combinations where all five are excellent 3pt shooters. Even all three freshmen can contribute in this way and Aubrey is no longer a slouch from distance. Because of their depth, GA can play fast all the time, sending players in waves as needed in each situation as he sees fit and quickly change to a different option if not working.....and they can press more as they are doing now.

I doubt they will lose both road games to these two teams but whatever the outcomes are, if they show excellent progress in what GA wants to see for March, it will be a bad idea to count UConn out if Paige, Azzi and Sarah and the rest remain healthy. If Jana and Ice show out more by the end of the regular season, I will be even more optimistic.

Paige and Azzi deserve to win a NC together after what they have been through with injuries. Doing it with this bunch would be exhilarating even from the cheering section!
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I think your optimism is totally unfounded. Paige is not the dominant force she once was, even though a great BB player. Put another way, " the world has caught up to her." Sarah is probably our best player, but remains a freshman. And she will not be perfect every night ( especially because she will be carefully defensed ). KK is our next best asset. And she has holes in her game, too. Mostly, that her three point shot is unreliable and she drives to the hoop when the lane is blocked ( decision making weakness). Chen is simply over-matched at this top level ( I do not include the BE teams in this level ,), Jana is over-matched by a large margin against anyone. And I don't know where ICE is; ASH seems unable to bring her brilliance to big games against top talent; Chelli is a developing form with little offensive reliability; and Aubrey is one of our best talents, still a large distance from being in top BB shape and confidence. Alli and Q are bench players who will see no time in any meaningful game. Net assessment; this team, at best will squeeze into the elite 8. And if the draw is wrong, that won't happen either. But they are fun to watch.
 
Flyegirl said:
Packwrap: I couldn't have said this better myself. Hard to develop as a player and improve if you're not playing!
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I wasn't being down on Geno above.

Every coach has their own style of roster management. With TN tonight you got to see hockey line full substitutions! Mulkey at LSU, subs a lot like Geno.

The risk in giving a lot of development minutes, look at this year's Iowa, Gonzaga, and Louisville, is that you can lose a whole lot of games during the development!

UConn with expectations yearly of FF and N Champ can't afford to lose 6-8 games. This year we will lose 3-4.

Also due injuries, youth and transfers in, our current starters have not played together much, so they need playing time to get cohesion.

Back to original post. I was responding to a poster who felt that Cheli, Ash and Allie were not good enough to get playing time at SC. My point was SC recruited them too, so had this group chosen SC they would surely get playing time, since Dawn's style is to play everyone.
 
uconnfan68 said:
The BE is killing our wbb program. Geno needs to schedule about 10 really tough road games to make up for the league.
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We played USC, ND, SCar, and Tenn … and lost 3 of those 4 (so far).

We also beat Louisville, Ole Miss, UNC, all of whom were currently ranked. And Iowa State, who was expected to be much better at the start of the season. It’s not Geno’s fault if other teams underperform.

Who else do you want them to schedule?

Never mind the fact that other schools have to agree to playing UConn.
 
Being in the Big East gives us a good chance to make it to March Madness each year. If we played 10 more "really tough teams" in a "powerhouse league" our record might be worse than 50-50 and we might not make it to March Madness so be careful what you wish for!
 
maple said:
We played USC, ND, SCar, and Tenn … and lost 3 of those 4 (so far).

We also beat Louisville, Ole Miss, UNC, all of whom were currently ranked. And Iowa State, who was expected to be much better at the start of the season. It’s not Geno’s fault if other teams underperform.

Who else do you want them to schedule?

Never mind the fact that other schools have to agree to playing UConn.
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There are plenty of schools that would step up to play UConn, and set attendance records. The downside would be only BE home games.
 
maple said:
We played USC, ND, SCar, and Tenn … and lost 3 of those 4 (so far).

We also beat Louisville, Ole Miss, UNC, all of whom were currently ranked. And Iowa State, who was expected to be much better at the start of the season. It’s not Geno’s fault if other teams underperform.

Who else do you want them to schedule?

Never mind the fact that other schools have to agree to playing UConn.
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You are right. There is little more to do. We schedule the best teams we can work out games with. Naturally, they all occur " early" ( or most do ) when teams are just finding themselves. UCONN would have tougher competition from the IVY league than the Big East. Or the league in which Fairfield plays. But it is what it is. So it is hard for them to get game ready. That only happens in the NCAA tournament. When it is an all or nothing proposition. Where there is nothing more to be " learned and refined." I fear the weakness of the Big East also hurts recruiting, where the best players all want the best competition. Sigh...
 
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To answer the thread question: yes, it was his imagination. Last night the team looked timid, waiting for balls to get to them, weak passes, sluggish movement, terrible bunny shots going nowhere and lack of leadership. I know the truth hurts, this team is good, right now they are not great, nor do they seem to be heading in that direction. There is a laundry list of things needed from most players if we are to challenge for any out of conference games. We need Paige to be the point of the offense, put the ball in her hands, as in the past. We need Morgan to shoot the ball when she is open. We need to crash the boards, the players need to leave their feet, from the opening tip off when Janna goes to her tip toes but doesn't jump. Same for rebounds, we do have a few who jump but not many. Think of more list them. I'm done and should have followed the 24-hour rule.
Last night was the first where the rotation was a bit more limited, is there enough time to get the flow down with a more limited rotation, last night showed we are not there. Any thoughts or ideas?
 
sno-cat said:
Being in the Big East gives us a good chance to make it to March Madness each year. If we played 10 more "really tough teams" in a "powerhouse league" our record might be worse than 50-50 and we might not make it to March Madness so be careful what you wish for!
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Well said. When we were in the AAC and folks were upset because the competition wasn't "tough" enough, we won three Nattys. The Big East, like any conference, has 3-4 top level teams and then you have a middle level and of course those bottom level teams. It happens. If UConn were to join the P4 group, who knows what could happen. Like you said, we should be very careful what we are wishing for.
 
For the thread question, I don't think Coach G was imagining things. We have the makings of a championship run. As we all know, there are so many factors that go into making a run to the title but overall, our Championship Culture is the one key factor that is the separator from other programs.

Think about it. We made FF runs and a title game with several players injured, out with injuries, or with the supporting cast stepping into key roles. We have players that can and will step up when we need them. Coach G was not imagining the team showing signs of making a championship run. Next game mindset. Next play mindset.
 
EricLA said:
I would say without a doubt that Geno wad imagining it. People got so excited seeing us drain 3 pointers against the big east teams are getting a wake up call tonight vs. Tennessee.

And by the way we are ALL fans here. But the posts talking about how great we are, or pretending that we are a "great" team is just not true. It's a good team of great kids who are fun to root for, but not a NC caliber group. Why does it make us bad fans to be realistic?
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I thought "realistically" prior to last year's NCAA tournament. This year
I am suspending my "realistic' view and going with my "optimistic":
" WHEN YOU ARE A HUSKIE... UCONN.... and WE CAN!!!". GO TEAM!
 
snowkot said:
Off the topic heading, easy for me. IF (big if perhaps) Azzi Fudd is healthy, with the improvement over games of Kaitlyn Chen, reasonable minutes for El Alfy, and a strong bench there's no question this team is as well placed as any other to win the national championship. Proper use of rotations will be key - hence the coach component - but, for me, this team is - perhaps by far - best placed and constructed since the Stewie 4-peat.
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Updated post, after the rewatch / analysis of the Tennessee, USC and Notre Dame games to emphasize. The talent in place is without question extremely well placed to win it all. However, in my opinion, this team cannot win the national championship with the currently set rigid rotations. Better leverage of in-game combinations that prove more effective than those dictated by the scout/game plan is required.
 
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