What’s the long term plan for Amari? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

What’s the long term plan for Amari?

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CTrefugee said:
Kia had two great characteristics, hustle and most importantly for a center - good hands.
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Kiah, with an “h” was an exceptional athlete who ran the court well. But she had terrible hands when she showed up at UConn. I remember feeling frustrated time and again when Kiah would sky for a rebound and either fumble it off her hands or have the ball stripped by an opposing guard. She also missed a bunch of point blank layups.

Kiah worked very hard to get better. It wasn’t until midway through her jr year that she started to see regular PT. From that point on, she was a rebounding machine and a defensive standout.
 
kidfrom360 said:
Someone please shed some light on this situation. She is a Junior. Does not get any minutes and when she does, it’s at the end of the game for 45 seconds with Ines. She dealt with some injuries appropriately last season which is understandable, but this season she is healthy 6’6” sitting on the bench on a team that lacks rebounding and size. I understand Geno and the UConn program in regards to needing to have his trust and confidence to perform In the game, but at this point I it’s just a disservice to both her and the program for her to just be a body for practice. I hope she can turn it around or the coaching staff chooses to give her a shot soon. Again, these are my personal feelings but would like to hear what you all think.
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Shedding light on Amari's situation, like a few have stated, she is content with her role on the team, that is the main thing. I look at a player's body language when they are on the bench and during the Minnesota game, Amari was cheering her teammates on, talking & laughing with the coaching staff and other players on the bench, she was engaged in the game and focused. She has embraced her role and she is happy, so it appears.

Is it a disservice to both her and the program? Who knows. Like I said, Amari seems pretty happy. The players adore her. The practice players love her. The coaching staff seem to be okay with her. She could have left after a long time ago but for whatever reason, she continues to stay and be apart of something special. Something is clearly keeping her at UConn, which I am thankful for. Her IG posts are always upbeat and positive. I still think that she really enjoys being around the program even if she isn't getting a lot of playing time.
 
oldude said:
Kiah, with an “h” was an exceptional athlete who ran the court well. But she had terrible hands when she showed up at UConn. I remember feeling frustrated time and again when Kiah would sky for a rebound and either fumble it off her hands or have the ball stripped by an opposing guard. She also missed a bunch of point blank layups.

Kiah worked very hard to get better. It wasn’t until midway through her jr year that she started to see regular PT. From that point on, she was a rebounding machine and a defensive standout.
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Agreed. Which is why Deberry isn't a forgone conclusion for me. Some players take longer to develop than others.
 
LwrcasefaN said:
I think we would all be guessing at this point. My guess is eventually they will have to play her against bigger teams. My bigger concern is what potential center recruits see or imagine. What's the issue with UCONN and the center position? For several years it's been this brass ring, but no one seems anxious to grab it. Lately, UCONN has had to settle for a 4 being converted to a 5 with inconsistent results and of course, the growing pain that comes with learning a new position. Even Jana is not a natural 5. Dolson was the last effective 5 at UCONN. The 5 at UCONN doesn't need to be a 5 star. Good fundamentals and a space eater would go a long way.
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The last two sentences are exactly right- just someone big and competent, not necessarily a 5 star
 
It's not as simple as "just put her under the basket". That has been tried and the result thus far has been that she doesn't hold her postion, doesn't clear space, and does not bang for the rebound. She even gets outrebounded by Inês.
She has the height and shows glimpses of having the skills the team desperatel needs in the 5; but, sadly, she seems to lack the will. It's frustrating to watch and undoubtedly far more so to coach.
She does seem to be an otherwise great teammate.
 
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Once Geno decides you aren't going to play you aren't going to play. My opinion is that Geno relates to a certain type of player and Amari isn't that personality type. She is 6'6 with long arms and legs so she isn't going to move like a person the size of Paige and not too many players her size can. Watching Kansas State the other night I can tell you she is at least as athletic as Lee and has all the skills too.

Do I think Amari can play at all times? No, but I do think she could be valuable in certain circumstances but only if she is prepared when those come and right now she isn't getting the floor time. She is the only tall option they have and when CD was running the team while Geno was out last year she had a couple really good outings.
 
For what it’s worth. Yesterday, on a very cold day, UConn WBB participated in a Thanksgiving food giveaway program for needy families in Manchester, CT, that was set up in a local parking lot. There are a couple clips on local news channel 3. In one clip, Geno is interviewed by the reporter.

In the other clip, the reporter doesn’t interview Paige, Aaliyah or Azzi. The player that UConn sends out to speak with the reporter about giving back to the community is Amari. In her brief comments, she impresses as a mature, sensitive and poised young lady. We should all remember that, as important as basketball is at UConn, the ultimate goal is to turn out young women who succeed at LIFE.
 
Our offense is designed to have the paint open for drives and backdoors. The players that play the elbow on offense set picks for our guard shooters and for our wing to cut to the basket off them. If they can hit the elbow jumper, then they can drive off as the defense comes out on them. AE is quicker than most bigs that's why a lot of her points come off the drive to the hoop. Dorka by the end of the year found that ability as well.
One of the reasons we don't get pure under-the-basket bigs is that they don't see themselves as a good fit for our offense.
The 4/5 who can shoot the elbow to 3pt shot and set picks such as Liv, Aaliyah, Ice, and Jana are the desired players who fit our offense.
I was hoping that they might design some sets for Amari but so far that has not been the case. If we don't see her soon as some others have said we might not see her except for the last 2 minutes with Innes.

Remember Iowa beat SC by letting the outside shooters and kept everyone in for rebounds. UCLA in my estimation doesn't have great outside shooters. We can have our guards double down on Betts as well.
SC has the outside shooters and size and is our worst matchup.
 
Cuango said:
I think at this point it is clear that Amari is really here on an academic scholarship with a side of supportive teammate. Yes, it’s disappointing that she has not , and likely will not, ever make a meaningful playing contribution but I am at least comforted by the fact that she is apparently extremely smart, a good and supportive teammate, a high character individual, and is well liked by her teammates. Somehow, that makes the disappointment over her playing contribution, a lot more tolerable.
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Dead on! Reading all the little articles and watching the videos of the European trip gave me (and others) a little insight into Amari and Ines. They stated themselves that they loved being a huskie. They enjoyed all the travel and friendship and the academics. Ines said she realized how tough the competition was in the states and would like to compete, but being on the team was a dream come true. She was very happy with her situation. Amari is in the same boat.
A third string quarterback gets to have all the perks and is satisfied.
Ines is a fireball and could help in a pinch, but is now way down on the depth chart. she knows it and is making the whole situation a positive one. Amari has not shown any hunger, grit or competitiveness. She is happy on the bench and I think Geno knows it.
 
Kids play sports for different reasons. Some for competitive excellence and championships others for social connections. Being competitive myself and having a kid of each type it was hard for me understand playing just for social connections. Both had successful high school careers and received what they wanted from the sport and now are respectful, successful adults. She must be happy with her role and may not have the desire to meet fan’s expectations. When I started coaching my father gave me this advice: “It is more important to raise good people than great athletes.”
 
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Halloween said:
Kids play sports for different reasons. Some for competitive excellence and championships others for social connections. Being competitive myself and having a kid of each type it was hard for me understand playing just for social connections. Both had successful high school careers and received what they wanted from the sport and now are respectful, successful adults. She must be happy with her role and may not have the desire to meet fan’s expectations. When I started coaching my father gave me this advice: “It is more important to raise good people than great athletes.”
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People are not recruited at UConn to act as team social director. If this was in Amari's mind she should have gone elsewhere ... very elsewhere. UConn recruits regularly arrive and find the work much harder than they anticipated. Occasionally the climb is too high. Seems that's where Amari has pegged herself. We, as the super fans we are, find it very difficult to accept a kid not reaching for the golden ring.
 
It's sad to say, she could have been a contender, hard for a player who waits, for a rebound, a pass a shot or to make a pass to get playing time on Geno's court. If she has shown us anything in her UCONN time, it's that she has gotten and gets the playing time she has earned.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
People are not recruited at UConn to act as team social director. If this was in Amari's mind she should have gone elsewhere ... very elsewhere. UConn recruits regularly arrive and find the work much harder than they anticipated. Occasionally the climb is too high. Seems that's where Amari has pegged herself. We, as the super fans we are, find it very difficult to accept a kid not reaching for the golden ring.
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Preach!
 
boontonbomber said:
Always been a mystery to me how these really good( good enough for UConn to recruit them) players seem to lose their competitiveness and desire, and seemingly are happy just to sit on the end of the bench( well, obviously, not all are happy with just doing that). I understand, and am happy for, those that leave. I just don't get those that stay. That's just me thinking that way. I don't know them, or what they're thinking. Ok whomever, feel free to delete this.
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I've been seeing a lack of development in players at UConn over the last 10 years or so. You used to see players come in with limitations, work on those limitations and become valuable contributors over time. That's become much less of a "thing".
 
HuskyNan said:
Amari won’t rebound unless it bounces to her, she won’t battle for them. She’s very passive in the paint, NOT what the Huskies need. She seems to prefer to drift to the perimeter but Geno wants her, needs her, to be a post player so she struggles to do what doesn’t appear to come naturally to her
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To add to your points it is interesting that many of the arguments for using Amari are we need a true 5, saying we are using 4's at the 5 or IMO maybe 4/5 types. The way Amari plays isn't very similar to a 5 or a post player at all. She may be 6-6 but as Husky Nan points out she is passive in the paint and not a good rebounder. The stats back up that opinion. Amari has played enough minutes in her career here that her rebounds per minute are a pretty good judge, and she rebounds at a pace that would be most like a 3 or SF, not a 5, C or 6-6 player.

I know players see traits that give them more hope, but rebounding is not one of them. She doesn't like banging in the post, and thus far has not been able to score effectively right around the hoop.

I see passing ability, but also the excessive turnovers that prevent that from being an asset. I see shot blocking ability, but once again with an excessive number of fouls to the point that she neutralizes that potential asset as well. One of the male practice players said she can really shoot, but that doesn't show up yet in the stats, and she will always be less efficient than she could have been because she doesn't power up for easy shots close to the basket.

Anyway Husky Nan is spot on regarding rebounding, passivity, drifting to the perimeter, and not being what the Huskies need, and may be correct as well that she might struggle doing things that don't come naturally for her.
 
veryolddog said:
You know, I really do not know Amari and I do not know why Geno parks her on the end bof the bench, but I can see that she has been relegated to obscurity as Geno has done to many of his recruits of the past. She is an adult and should act responsibly on a scholarship and Geno should actively cultivate her skills. I do not know why she could not be really used where her skills and size really are positive for this team. Every year so much waste. It is shameful.
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This is not only wrong on so many levels, but practically every single comment you made is inaccurate.

Amari is a great kid and a great teammate. She has not left or transferred obviously, so we cannot make any inferences to her happiness on the team, but if she were that unhappy on the bench, it seems logical she'd go someplace else.

She's always smiling, the first one off the bench yelling and cheering for her teammates, and off the court, seems to always be in the middle of things with the team. She has great positive energy and body language (from what I can see on TV), and seems to be an amazing teammate.

To call it "shameful" is such an over the top opinion that I'm surprised any UCONN fan would say it. To say Geno has "relegated many recruits in the past to obscurity" is just ludicrous. What's shameful is to actually say that UCONN coaches aren't cultivating her skills - as if what - there are players they simply don't care about? Good grief.

Not one single recruit who was a starter (save maybe for Samarie Walker - Kentucky - left for personal reasons related to a relationship among other things) has every transferred out and become an AA elsewhere. Almost, if not all, of the recruits who have left had better players in front of them and they left for better opportunities elsewhere. Some became starters and had nice careers, and most UCONN fans root hard for them as they will always be part of the UCONN family.

Name one recruit who Geno "shamefully" relegated to obscurity. Johnson (Wisconsin), Engeln (BC), Banks (Penn State), Ekmark (ASU), Edwards (USC), Coombs (Georgia), Espinosa (Mississippi State), Gordon (TTU), Makurat (pro), McLean (UVA), Gabriel (UMASS), Chassion (walk on), and Poffenbarger (Arkansas) are all kids off the top of my head who left and some were even starters at their new school, but NONE of them were key cogs for UCONN, nor were they going to be.

Moreover, even tho a few left on not the greatest of terms (Edwards and to a lesser extent Poffenbarger), none have said they were ignored by the coaches. None of us have the pleasure to see daily practices so I can't speak for sure, but there is simply zero evidence to support, really, any of your comments.
 
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veryolddog said:
You know, I really do not know Amari and I do not know why Geno parks her on the end bof the bench, but I can see that she has been relegated to obscurity as Geno has done to many of his recruits of the past. She is an adult and should act responsibly on a scholarship and Geno should actively cultivate her skills. I do not know why she could not be really used where her skills and size really are positive for this team. Every year so much waste. It is shameful.
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Very rarely has she done anything positive for the team when she has been on the court. It may be sad, but that’s the way it is. Her treatment has been fair, certainly not shameful.
 
EricLA said:
This is not only wrong on so many levels, but practically every single comment you made is inaccurate.

Amari is a great kid and a great teammate. She has not left or transferred obviously, so we cannot make any inferences to her happiness on the team, but if she were that unhappy on the bench, it seems logical she'd go someplace else.

She's always smiling, the first one off the bench yelling and cheering for her teammates, and off the court, seems to always be in the middle of things with the team. She has great positive energy and body language (from what I can see on TV), and seems to be an amazing teammate.

To call it "shameful" is such an over the top opinion that I'm surprised any UCONN fan would say it. To say Geno has "relegated many recruits in the past to obscurity" is just ludicrous. What's shameful is to actually say that UCONN coaches aren't cultivating her skills - as if what - there are players they simply don't care about? Good grief.

Not one single recruit who was a starter (save maybe for Samarie Walker - Kentucky - left for personal reasons related to a relationship among other things) has every transferred out and become an AA elsewhere. Almost, if not all, of the recruits who have left had better players in front of them and they left for better opportunities elsewhere. Some became starters and had nice careers, and most UCONN fans root hard for them as they will always be part of the UCONN family.

Name one recruit who Geno "shamefully" relegated to obscurity. Johnson (Wisconsin), Engeln (BC), Banks (Penn State), Ekmark (ASU), Edwards (USC), Coombs (Georgia), Espinosa (Mississippi State), Gordon (TTU), Makurat (pro), McLean (UVA), Gabriel (UMASS), Chassion (walk on), and Poffenbarger (Arkansas) are all kids off the top of my head who left and some were even starters at their new school, but NONE of them were key cogs for UCONN, nor were they going to be.

Moreover, even tho a few left on not the greatest of terms (Edwards and to a Poffenbarger), none have said they were ignored by the coaches. None of us have the pleasure to see daily practices so I can't speak for sure, but there is simply zero evidence to support, really, any of your comments.
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Just to say: half-dozen of those players became starters. I was thrilled that they had not lost their desire to still play the game, and realized that their playing days didn't have to end on the end of the bench at UConn.
 
Purely rhetorical/IMHO observations here. Lauren Betts was ranked #1 in 2022 class, Juju Watkins #1 in 2023. Did Betts look like the #1 high school player last year? Not really. Watkins on the other hand, does look like #1 was warranted. In 2020, Amari was ranked #15, Citron #16, however the latter has certainly had a better college career to date. In 2019, the top players were Haley Jones, Horston, Boston, Cooke, Rikea Jackson, and Brunelle. In college, however, I'd give the edge to Boston, Houston, and Cooke. Rikea and Brunelle are tbd as they are not finished yet.

Now, this is where we might get into some debates. In 2017, it was Megan Walker, Westbrook, and Boothe. I had high hopes for Walker, and IMHO, her progression to "senior" year was ok, but not spectacular. Westbrook, on the other hand, had pretty good last two seasons at UConn. Was she a better HS player than Walker? Maybe. UConn had the #1, 13, 16, and 29th ranked players, and other than Walker, no one else panned out in relation to the UConn expectations.

My point in all of this, is that ranking services will fall in love with certain players, whether it's speed, skill, height, or many other factors. The rankings are mostly directionally accurate (that's my hedge), but not a predictor of how well a player does in college. There are sooooo many factors that go into the transition of a HS to college player, where sometimes it moves in an upward trajectory and sometimes not. Was Amari truly #15? At that time, probably yes. However every time I see a thread on Amari with all the questions, demands, critique, etc, my heart falls. She seems like a good kid. She loves the team and they love her. And before anyone comments on how that's not enough, she's still on the team and that's good enough for me as I have no insight as to what the coaches' expectations are, or anything of that ilk. Let Amari be Amari.

(a lot of these thoughts are from reading the article about Mir today)
 
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Dezoworld said:
That's not true [that she won't rebound unless it bounces to her] ive seen Amari battle fight and get on the floor for rebounds
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Both things are true. There's a lot of work preparing for effective rebounding and Amari doesn't do that work. Positioning, footwork, seeing where all the players are, judging angles, thinking ahead, remembering what she has been taught, always thinking to move to improve her position. She simply doesn't do any of that.

But I don't question her desire, effort or skills: if the ball happens to be in her neighborhood she will often fight for it just as hard as anyone else. If she has the ball and she happens to see a space to move to or a passing opportunity that's in the direction she happens to be looking she will put effort into executing and she has skills and can look good. Better than good. That's why it's so maddening.

I don't think there's any player in recent history I empathize with and root for more in the moments she comes into a game. I'm exhausted from it. Poor me: being an excessive fan(atic) is sooo hard.
 
Amari is a narrowly specialized player at this time.
She's like a long snapper in football. All the long snapper does is snap the ball to the punter or to kick field goals. They only play on the special teams.

If there's one job that UConn needs Amari to do is to help deny passes to opposing superbigs under the board which is how SCar uses Cardoso.
And then Amari just needs to stand between her & the basket.
She only needs to sub in there for a few minutes & see how it goes.
It's just basketball 101.
What's the big mystery about?
No one else will be able to stop Cardoso either.
 
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BRS24 said:
Purely rhetorical/IMHO observations here. Lauren Betts was ranked #1 in 2022 class, Juju Watkins #1 in 2023. Did Betts look like the #1 high school player last year? Not really. Watkins on the other hand, does look like #1 was warranted. In 2020, Amari was ranked #15, Citron #16, however the latter has certainly had a better college career to date. In 2019, the top players were Haley Jones, Horston, Boston, Cooke, Rikea Jackson, and Brunelle. In college, however, I'd give the edge to Boston, Houston, and Cooke. Rikea and Brunelle are tbd as they are not finished yet.

Now, this is where we might get into some debates. In 2017, it was Megan Walker, Westbrook, and Boothe. I had high hopes for Walker, and IMHO, her progression to "senior" year was ok, but not spectacular. Westbrook, on the other hand, had pretty good last two seasons at UConn. Was she a better HS player than Walker? Maybe. UConn had the #1, 13, 16, and 29th ranked players, and other than Walker, no one else panned out in relation to the UConn expectations.

My point in all of this, is that ranking services will fall in love with certain players, whether it's speed, skill, height, or many other factors. The rankings are mostly directionally accurate (that's my hedge), but not a predictor of how well a player does in college. There are sooooo many factors that go into the transition of a HS to college player, where sometimes it moves in an upward trajectory and sometimes not. Was Amari truly #15? At that time, probably yes. However every time I see a thread on Amari with all the questions, demands, critique, etc, my heart falls. She seems like a good kid. She loves the team and they love her. And before anyone comments on how that's not enough, she's still on the team and that's good enough for me as I have no insight as to what the coaches' expectations are, or anything of that ilk. Let Amari be Amari.

(a lot of these thoughts are from reading the article about Mir today)
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And that's why most of the competent coaches pay no attention to rankings done by web sites and put in as much time as possible seeing the kids play against good competition during the summer tournaments. They have their own projections based on their own eyes and ears and those of their staff's. It's parents and fans who get excited about those "insider" rankings.
 
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Amari seems content and happy to be on the team.Will she develop enough to become a starter or earn more playing time? Maybe, maybe not. She is positive and upbeat on the bench during games. Not every player that puts on the UConn uniform will develop enough to become a starter. It is not shameful or sad. Not every player gets to play 20 or more minutes a game. She is showing great character and class be staying with UConn instead of bailing, like so many players now do. Perhaps she realizes she is not an all star and is okay with that. She will get her education and move on. Go Amari.
 
You can’t teach height, but you can all the rest. Bigs take time, Amari is taking her time. Leave her alone!
 
sun said:
Let's see if she gets any PT against UCLA & Kansas which are played 2 days in a row.
She can block shots.
Each team has a superbig & she can try to help slow them down.
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at the very least she has five fouls to give that might otherwise go to other players trying to stop the likes of Betts and other bigs.
 
If DeBerry was half of Kiah Stokes this UConn team would be a different team. Stokes has always been a great defender, shotblocker and learned to rebound well. She was a liability offensively when teams decided not guard her and doubled everyone else.

DeBerry has not shown offensive or defensive. Geno called her one of the most skilled bigs he's seen in a while and in hindsight I believe he was trying to build her confidence because Piath Gabriel gave UConn more than what Deberry is giving.
 
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