What does "If UConn can remain healthy..." really mean?

[sun]

I found a 4 year study of WNBA injuries that lists all of the types of game related injuries that occurred but not during practices & in the off season.
It's interesting that many injuries are not that severe but can involve ailments such as sprains & inflammation.
It raises the question about the probability that some Huskies will likely miss games due to some ailment or injury.
It's not that having injuries occur necessarily needs to be devastating, but rather that the timing of the injury can happen at a time when the player is thought to be really needed.
In that respect Geno has planned for that eventuality by having a lot more depth on this year's team.
However all of the depth in the world won't be helpful unless the substitute players are actually used, developed & given some PT.

Injury in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) From 2015 to 2019

To provide an overview of the injuries suffered by Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) athletes and to analyze the demographic data, injury…

www.sciencedirect.com

Another article describes how injuries affected the 2019 WNBA playoffs and discusses various possible reasons for some of the injuries.
Some reasons also affect college players while others don't such as advanced age & playing year round.
However wear & tear is believed to possibly be a factor and every UConn player has a known injury history.
What it means is that by recognizing that some types of injuries are very likely to occur during the course of a long season with many practices, in order to help minimize the risk of injuries, more substitutions should be used whenever possible.
It can help to limit exposure to the risk of injury.
Some might believe that more substitutions increase the exposure risk.
But then you can look at who is being exposed to injury vs. who is not when a substitution is made.

With so much discussion about which players should or shouldn't be starters, we should all take note that by having more players that can be subbed into a game may help reduce some of the wear & tear and fatigue factors that can lead to injuries no matter how minor.
In the final analysis, what is meant by "If UConn can remain healthy..." really only means "reasonably healthy for the most important games."
And even then there's no guarantee that a UConn line up won't have a last minute scratch for any illness/ ailment.
We should accept that some injuries will happen but that UConn can limit their consequences by welcoming more substitutions during games instead of less.
More substitutions could very well mean less injuries to star players.

How injuries have influenced the 2019 WNBA playoffs, and may also influence future playoffs

Succeeding as a professional women’s basketball player requires that players overburden their bodies, resulting in an ever-rising number of injuries. How would the 2019 playoffs be different if players remained healthy? What can be done to prevent this injury epidemic?

www.swishappeal.com

 

[Rowdy831]

They will be deep enough to survive injuries. What a team can't really overcome is when your best player is down, your second best player is down, you first player off the bench is down and a player you need to give you depth in the post is down. For UCONN to have the season they had last year with all the injuries and limited bench development was quite remarkable. All four of the players they brought in with this recruiting class gives them added depth at key positions and if they are needed to contribute they will.

 

[Charliebball]

injuries are certainly a part of the game and should be expected but not at the level that UConn has experienced in recent years..........just hoping that any injuries incurred by key players this coming season are limited to typical sprains and strains that take days not months/years to heal.......that said, the good news is that this UConn team has a deep bench should injuries take their toll again.....

 

[diggerfoot]

“More substitutions could very well mean less injuries to star players.”

This statement is true according to Aristotelian logic, but does not lead to the conclusion you think.

To understand why it must be realized that, for UConn and likely most programs, practices are both more demanding and far more numerous than games. Thus injuries are statistically more likely to happen outside of games, such as the ones that put Brady and Bueckers out last season. We hear about how star players get injured in practice; other player injuries during practice will not generate as much attention.

If you play only star players during games, then by simple logic only star players can be injured during games, but they are still more likely to get injured outside of games. By extension of this same logic, if star players practice less then we will reduce their chance of injury that much more. Minimizing that risk is more effectively done through practice than games.

You cannot have your star players practice less if you want to build morale and a winning program, so the chief means of reducing injury to star players is off the table. Similarly, a winning program is not maintained through minimizing risk for a few during games, particularly when that risk is not the main cause of injuries. Whether there should be more or less substitutions thus depends more on other factors.

This assumes risk to normal health. If a player does not have normal health, such as a Brittany Hunter, then they must be practiced and played accordingly.

 

[Monte]

If you have followed UCONN the last couple of years, you KNOW what it means.

 

[Waquoit]

If you have followed UCONN the last couple of years, you KNOW what it means.

Seriously. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

[Bigboote]

It means whatever you think it means. I don't think any of us expect no UConn player to miss a game. As you said, if they can avoid any season-ending injuries to players who are in the mix and significant time off to key players, that's a good thing.

 

[oldhusky]

To a certain extent what it means for Uconn women's basketball is a little different for most teams. Most teams head into the season pretty healthy and are just hoping it stays that way and they can avoid any significant injuries.

Our scenario is similar for players that have largely avoided serious injuries like Ines, Nika, Aaliyah and the freshmen, but unlike most teams we have the additional question of how close to 100% many players that have had issues and surgeries will be. We have had two straight Black Swan like seasons and there are potential concerns with Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Ice, Ayanna, Aubrey and Amari.

Now I think the odds are pretty good on each individual player, but with that many issues we have to keep our fingers crossed that there aren't any lingering issues, and that every player approaches their pre-injury level. The first game they play where they look as good as ever, and we can say "She's back!" will help to alleviate those fears, so perhaps more than any previous season I am more interested in preseason games, practice videos and staff comments regarding how our players are recovering or handling previous issues.

 

[Huskee11]

To me, "remaining healthy" means being physically able to play at your highest level when the Big East and NCAA tournaments come around.

It means not incurring a season ending injury, or an injury that causes a player to be less than 100% come tournament time, think Paige at the end of the 2022 season.

A sprained ankle in December that keeps a player out for two weeks, or similar things like that, is not the end of the world.

Villanova had the same starting lineup for all 37 games last season - check their website if you are skeptical. That is pretty remarkable. It would be nice to be able to do that, although UConn may utilize different starting lineups for reasons having nothing to do with injury - but "remaining healthy" does not require something as rare as that.

You do hear comments about how "everyone is dealing with something" at the end of a long season of practices and games. That may largely be true, but UConn needs to have as a first priority managing the season so as to limit to the extent possible what players might be dealing with at the end of the year. That is risk management, and no one can guarantee that it will work, but that should be the goal. I would prioritize that in practice over running a drill for an hour until it is perfect. If the choice is health or chemistry, I would choose health.

A roster of fourteen should help.

 

[sun]

Future HOF quarterback Aaron Rogers hasn't played in a pre-season NFL game in many years to prevent injury.
Many MLB stars hardly play in any spring training games to help prevent unnecessary injuries.
They practice on the back fields while the minor leaguers play spring training games.
Pro exhibition games are mostly used to audition rookies & prospects in game situations.
I can't imagine UConn's starters being pushed very hard during the European exhibition tour.

In the Cayman Island Tourney & the BE Tourney with games being played close together, the starters may get less PT in the early games, especially against weaker opponents.
The same when playing weaker OOC & BE opponents during the season.
Paige, Azzi & Edwards may be happy to see their teammates get more PT when warranted in order to stay healthy even if that means less individual national recognition by not being able to pad their statistics.

At some point Geno may need to decide whether blowouts are more important than keeping star players healthy for the whole season.
His chosen substitution patterns may affect the strategy of how he decides to play some games, whether to employ full court presses or not, or to make complete line changes.
UConn has enough players for 2 full teams.
Some players won't be ready for as much PT as others, but it's hard to justify some of them not playing much based on a lack of effort when most all of them are gym rats.
Geno has already said that he needs to remind some new players to hold back because they want to go too hard in practice.

Some of our opponents simply don't have the talent to justify UConn not using liberal substitutions.
And even our 2nd string players should be able to maintain a lead once it's established, or they shouldn't be rewarded with PT.
But if they can maintain & extend leads then they should be rewarded to preserve healthy stars.
Against the top teams then our starters should & will play more, and against weaker teams they'll play less.
Even if the subs need to wait every 2nd or 3rd game to play, they should all get reasonable PT commensurate with their ability over the course of the season.
UConn only needs to win by moderate scores.
Nothing really matters until the NCAAT's unless national rankings achieved by pushing starting players hard are more important than reducing the risk of injury & maintaining healthy stars.

I think we all realize that some of our players were over-ranked coming out of high school.
But some of them weren't over-ranked.
The talented ones should get a chance without needing stars to first sustain an injury.
Then there won't be any choice but to play subs.
It's like picking your poison, either voluntarily play subs early or possibly be forced to play more subs later as injuries & ailments mount.

 

[sun]

Game performance & practice performance are 2 different things.
Underclassmen need to be evaluated during actual games on a regular basis to see how they progress (or regress) over the course of the season.
Then the best of them can get PT in the NCAAT's, hopefully as part of a relatively healthy team.
The entire team will need to drive forward together in unison as much as possible to obtain #12.
Then if a star player goes cold, there are proven subs that can enter the game to produce some heat.
Not based on reputation alone but based on the most current statistics & game performances.

 

[CL82]

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm worried we may get injured here in the BY flogging this dead horse topic. It's an unhealthy preoccupation. I wish the team and all the fans well, and don't plan on worrying about injuries until someone actually gets injured.

 

[sun]

I'm worried we may get injured here in the BY flogging this dead horse topic. It's an unhealthy preoccupation. I wish the team and all the fans well, and don't plan on worrying about injuries until someone actually gets injured.

Preventing injuries should be a primary concern & part of the bigger picture considering recent season outcomes & injury histories.
Injuries are almost inevitable & only a matter of when & which players & for how long.
I've read posters say "If UConn can stay healthy" about a gazillion times so a thread about preventing injuries through substitutions shouldn't be considered repetitive.
Lou played with an injury severe enough to require surgery & delay her WNBA career when perhaps she could have been subbed for more often during the late season & blowouts.
Ines was always available & could have been used to ease some of Lou's pain.

 

[Bone Dog]

Since there is exactly less than nothing that we fans can do to help the players prevent or avoid injuries, this preoccupation strikes me as a bit morbid for us. And I leave out of account the vast karmic issues with constantly dwelling on the possibility of injury. I recommend that we all put this out of our minds. We’ll be happier for it.

 

[sun]

Since there is exactly less than nothing that we fans can do to help the players prevent or avoid injuries, this preoccupation strikes me as a bit morbid for us. And I leave out of account the vast karmic issues with constantly dwelling on the possibility of injury. I recommend that we all put this out of our minds. We’ll be happier for it.

We're discussing injury prevention including the study of the many types of common WBB injuries.
Just about everything concerning UConn WBB is out of our control yet we discuss them anyway.
Geno should do everything that he can to help keep as many players as healthy as possible for the duration of the season.
Ben Franklin was one of the founding fathers & had something to say long ago that's still relevant today.

 

[TCC Kid]

injuries are certainly a part of the game and should be expected but not at the level that UConn has experienced in recent years..........just hoping that any injuries incurred by key players this coming season are limited to typical sprains and strains that take days not months/years to heal.......that said, the good news is that this UConn team has a deep bench should injuries take their toll again.....

Charlies, you are right Uconn has had MORE than its fair share of disabled. However, there are many many factors that have something to do with injuries. I'd like to see the game minutes distributed. That works 2 ways or more.. Paige has a thin body with lots of energy not a good combination. I would assume.

 

[Charliebball]

Charlies, you are right Uconn has had MORE than its fair share of disabled. However, there are many many factors that have something to do with injuries. I'd like to see the game minutes distributed. That works 2 ways or more.. Paige has a thin body with lots of energy not a good combination. I would assume.

I've always been a big proponent of spreading the minutes among players during the course of a game to save the starter's legs and give added experience to the younger players but that has not been Geno's attitude...........this coming season he will have an embarrassment of riches sitting on the bench...........I hope he uses all of them, especially in the noncompetitive games........there's simply no reason to play Paige, Azzi, and Aaliyah for more than twenty-five minutes per game with the number of blowouts I expect............I want to see a second team coming off the bench in waves to continue the pressure at both ends of the floor......

 

[Alydar]

These players are consumed with getting better. That's partly why they were recruited. If you want to get better badly you work hard and for long hours. Injury is always a risk but wanting to be the best includes the risk of injury.

The title to this thread, to my mind, is a reflection of anxiety over the last two years. I posted a year ago that I thought UConn had an incredibly talented and deep team. Bueckers and Fudd at guard with Muhl and Lopez-Senechal coming off the bench. The reality of what happened makes me insert (healthy) into any speculation of 2024.

 

[Steelerone]

Prior to the start of last season we were thinking national championship. By the time the injuries piled up we were starting to wonder if we would even win the Big East championship. The most important component to a winning team isn't the number of All Americans on the team, it's the number of players spending enough time on the court to assimilate. Having a player come off the bench who has spent a lot of time on the court is one thing. Having a player come into a game who isn't even sure where to check in is another. It's not only the disparity in talent, it's the lack of time to acclimate.

 

[Geew1992]

These players are consumed with getting better. That's partly why they were recruited. If you want to get better badly you work hard and for long hours. Injury is always a risk but wanting to be the best includes the risk of injury.

The title to this thread, to my mind, is a reflection of anxiety over the last two years. I posted a year ago that I thought UConn had an incredibly talented and deep team. Bueckers and Fudd at guard with Muhl and Lopez-Senechal coming off the bench. The reality of what happened makes me insert (healthy) into any speculation of 2024.

Considering Geno said Lou was starting and someone would be upset, the Lou fudd Bueckers line up would’ve been fun

 

[hoophuskee]

I expect a solid UCONN core of 6. Paige,Azzi, Nika, Aubrey, Caroline. and Edwards.

Then reading from what I've picked up on the BY and reading a bit of articles that Ice and Jana are the 7/8. And one beats out the other but the other gets some secondary minutes. They would be 7 and 8 with the possibility one of either Ice or Jana could super-shine. I had very high hopes for Patterson, but did I read right from here that her knee has been an issue this summer? If so, that can drop her.

So, its 7-8 players with 6 having an extremely high floor if healthy (and huge ceiling), and one of the 2 of Ice or Jana having aa very, very good high ceiling.

Anyhow the bench will be used more because they will blowout more teams. They will have more comfortable leads. Maybe even a game sit Paige or Azzi or Caroline etc.

This season is exciting if UCONN is healthy. There will be many blowouts in which we can see core players get their minutes. Then it’ll be exciting to see the young guards and Q and others ofc get their feet wet in comfortable situations which will gear them up a ton for next year.I love watching players go (while watching UCONN win!).