The coaching staff sees her in practice as well as in the games. She has had numerous opportunities to help the team and she hasn't shown much. My guess is that she hasn't demonstrated or doesn't have either the skills or the attitude to be a meaningful contributor and that is why her PT is so limited.
It could rise, a lot.
That is ridiculous. How much time do the coaches need to teach basic skills? Geno says that they don’t coach effort at UConn. Amari is an adult with years in the UConn system, so fair expectations are warranted. I played a D-1 sport and never thought for a second that my scholarship was for being a good person or team-mate.
They're actually 16-1 in NC games.
I can't believe she has not improved in three years at Uconn, some of the blame has to go to the coaching or lack their of. She seems pretty athletic but has not improved at all.
Then we need a recruiter for Bigs since we have failed on that. We have done a poor job recruiting bigs.
You know that Geno isn’t obligated to keep players on the team, right? Obviously she has value in his mind or he would have told her (subtly or not so) to go somewhere else. Geno recruits players who will be good TEAMMATES first and foremost.
A few times, Geno has mentioned that there are quite a few skills that players have not been taught due to the proliferation of AAU games, where there's little practicing and mostly games. So, when they get to UConn, there are times where the skills have to be taught.
I wish I was watching the same games you apparently are. I can't recall the opponent but within a minute of Amari entering the game, she had thrown the ball directly to the other team -- TWICE. I'm certain that Geno would play her, particularly given our lack of height, if he had ANY trust in her game. The fact that she is the last of the bench and only in the depth of garbage time speaks with absolute clarity, unfortunately.
Liv was a natural 5 for College for UCONN. She was not recruited as a primary 4.
You must have posted this a dozen times and I’m pretty tired of it. You’re basically a men’s board poster and it shows - you don’t follow or know much about recruiting in the women’s game. Unlike the men, 6-4, 6-5 players are rare. Look at the list below and tell me how many are available. Geno could recruit outside the top 50, and he has, but unlike the men, there’s a pretty significant drop off in talent at a certain point.
I thought she played okay last season when Cd was running the team during Geno's illness. Some players respond differently to the way a coach approaches their coaching and I sense that Geno has a way about him that doesn't help Amari be confident and her best. The same can be said about the way Amari plays or practices. She might do things exactly the opposite of what is expected from Geno.
I'm not disagreeing with anyone but I do think Amari has to be TOLD exactly what is expected of her and she might do it. She is not going to figure it out on her own. The one thing she is that no other player is on the team is 6'6 with really long arms. I don't know if she is a solution for anything but they have no one else even close to her length on the bench and eventually they will need a tall person to play minutes to win a game.
I agree with you in part. Though I will say there are other top 20 coaches who make a religion of pushing bench players out the door. I feel that Geno has to be pushed to do it. Understand, I am not expressing anger or even disappointment about Amari and I don''t see her leaving. I disagree about recruitment priority. Number 1 has to be talent and number 2 is very good attitude, which includes being a good team mate.
How long have you been following UConn? You actually think that Auriemma, of all people, hasn't told DeBerry exactly what's expected of her? That probably happened around the 2nd week of practice her freshman year if not before. She knows EXACTLY what's expected. Being 6-5 with long arms doesn't mean anything if she plays 6-1. And that's her problem, she's not athletic or quick enough to play 6-1 inside and doesn't have the perimeter skills to play outside. You're deluding yourself if you think she does because the whole coaching staff including Dailey knows she doesn't.
Half of your posting ,at least hopefully true, graduation, degree. The second half --as factually as you state it--has no facts to it at all. Human's, my study, are amazing creatures, extremely few are totally predictable. There are 5 humans that are part of your second half--Ameri is one. One thing seems evident: Without a decent level of minutes against a decent level of competition her improvement won't succeed as hoped. You learn plays, you learn fundamental IN PRACTICE--but you learn the game playing the game--against real women competition. Yes, the male practice players help--which proves my point--even UC coaches realize the need of game time exposure.
I cannot contradict what you say. Have you made a speech in front of an audience of 20 or 500--. In 20 years of facing 30 or so classes per year--the first HOUR of each class--I was a bit shaky. How long does it take for Ameri to settle down? The Boneyard has had many discussions about her and she knows it. She knows what you write here. EXPECTATIONS--- from you, me, coach 40,000 TV fans, and 16000 at the Civic Center all know what is said here. Ameri knows that---and her Expectations exceed yours--How WOULD anyone reading this react--would you be perfect--certainly I WOULD--(not on your life), would you fumble, rush, miss a step--cuz--40,000 and COACH IS WATCHING-- Could you handle the pressure she feels. Give the the Courage Award--she's earned it.
I loved watching Stokes come into her own her jr and sr years.
There are players who have chosen to leave but I can never remember of having reported a player Geno kicked off the team. I can remember him awarding scholarships to players who were "practice players" after their first year. I have never heard anyone accuse Amari of being a "bad teammate".Like I have said before, it doesn't matter if you can throw a baseball at 100mph if you can't hit the plate. And it doesn't matter if you are 6'5" if someone 6' can outrebound you.
You mean all the player's that have made the WNBA - never got much betterfrom frosh to sr years?
There is a reason so many of the teams she plays for win championships. Elite defender, shotblocker, and rebounder.
I recall Geno saying more than once how he looks for a player to make a jump from their freshman to sophomore years where things click. I don't think Amari has made that jump. I don't know that she's going to... She's got height and can shoot 3's, but IMO she's an overall defensive liability and not going to get any meaningful minutes unless he's desperate. Sorry!
I must’ve been watching a different team over that time because most of the players I watched showed extraordinary growth on and off the court.
Iowa had a shot blocker?
Last year it was all lack of more than one reliable ballhandler.
