What I hope persists, and what I hope changes

[alexrgct]

Yeah, I know: not *another* UC-Davis game thread!!! Sorry folks, but there are four things I'm thinking about from that game and will be keeping an eye on tomorrow evening during the Stanford game:

1. Courtney Eckmark's shooting.

Maybe it was peer pressure with all the great shooting, or maybe it was the jitters from playing in her first regular season game in a UConn uniform, but in any event, 0-2 from the floor, and specifically from three-point land, doesn't seem characteristic. I watched her shoot from the perimeter with proficiency in the two exhibition games. Can Courtney be yet another threat from three-point range? Stay tuned; this will make the Huskies unguardable this season.

2. Kiah's FT shooting.

Kiah is going to get fouled a lot in 2014-15. Last season, she was a 70% FT shooter, but she looked more like Shaq during the exhibition games from the stripe. On Friday? She was 3-4. If Kiah can be a 75% shooter from the FT line this season, she's going to score a LOT of points.

3. Stewie's assists

I saw Stewie pass quite a bit during the exhibition games, and I'm starting to think it's been an area of preseason focus for her. She's going to be who opponents try to take away, and if she can pass effectively out of a double team, she can still account for a TON of UConn's offense. On Friday, she had seven assists. Yes, she passed to lights-out shooters, but clearly she helped generate an open shot for her team. I would take a 100+-assist season for Stewie in a heartbeat.

4. Three-point shooting (obviously)

Look, this one is obvious. If UConn always shoots 64% from behind the three-point line, the Huskies will win every game this season, probably by 25+ points. However, this had to be something of an outlier, right? Surely, we will see some regressions to the mean, won't we? Well, maybe not. UConn shot 36.6% from three-point range last year, but with Morgan, KML, and MoJeff, all shooting treys at a 40+% clip. I think they can do it again...and Courtney and Morgan can shoot better throughout the season than they did Friday. Bottom line, if UConn can shoot threes at a 45% or greater rate, they'll be unstoppable.

So that's what I want to see again: torrid team three-point shooting, 75+% FT shooting by Kiah Stokes, and great ball distribution under likely duress by Breanna Stewart. Give me Courtney shooting during the remainder of the season like she did in the exhibition games, and I'll be happier than a pig in you-know-what...

 

[HGN]

My take is :

Courtney just had a case of the jitters in her first regular season game....Her shooting is going to be key this season.

Kiah's FT shooting does worry me though. If she can hit 75% the Huskies will be in great shape. And she will be a double-double machine.

Stewie had said she wanted to improve her assists and ball handling in order to get better. And I think we might be seeing some of that.

But unfortunately , no one can keep up 3pt shooting like we had in the last game. Talk about on fire...But if Ekmark and Stewie are hitting , the Huskies are going to be one hard team to guard and keep in check. KML is a given.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I would like to see KML's 3 point shooting persist, but at the same time I want her to get to the free throw line.

 

[alexrgct]

One thing about Courtney: once hits one three-pointer and she gets to see it go through the net, things will probably change dramatically.

 

[UcMiami]

Three point shooting is fairly predictable at college and in the pros - the great shooters flirt with 50% the good shooters flirt with 40% and the rest of the world hopes for 33%. The good teams flirt with 40% the rest hope for 33%.
The more shots a player/team take the more likely they will end up in those buckets which means a team that shoots 60% for a few games will end up having more games where they are closer to 30%.

Just being realistic here - when you look across all of WCBB since the 3 point arc was instituted there just aren't even outliers in this universe. Kaleena is a great 3 shooter but her shooting better than 50% this year from 3 land is very unlikely - and if she does it will not be by much.

 

[EricLA]

If Courtney's shooting is going to be "key" this season, then UCONN is in big trouble. I mean no disrespect to the young lady, and we will certainly learn more tonight against Stanford if she gets any PT, but i see her as 9th in the depth chart.

I'm not saying anyone is really doing it in this thread but I am mystified as to why anyone would be concerned about it. KML is a fantastic 3 point shooter. Moriah is much better than average. Stewie, Morgan and Saniya can knock them down as well, and Nurse is at least adequate. That is a veritable boatload of players who can hit the 3...

 

[Kibitzer]

If Courtney's shooting is going to be "key" this season, then UCONN is in big trouble.

Courtney's three-point shooting is not "key" for UConn because the team has many offensive weapons (with names like Stewie, Kaleena, Moriah, Morgan and Saniya). Such perimeter shooting is "key" for her because that is such an important part of her game and her role on the team. We are not in trouble at all.

 

[hoophuskee]

Yeah, I know: not *another* UC-Davis game thread!!! Sorry folks, but there are four things I'm thinking about from that game and will be keeping an eye on tomorrow evening during the Stanford game:

1. Courtney Eckmark's shooting.

Maybe it was peer pressure with all the great shooting, or maybe it was the jitters from playing in her first regular season game in a UConn uniform, but in any event, 0-2 from the floor, and specifically from three-point land, doesn't seem characteristic. I watched her shoot from the perimeter with proficiency in the two exhibition games. Can Courtney be yet another threat from three-point range? Stay tuned; this will make the Huskies unguardable this season.

2. Kiah's FT shooting.

Kiah is going to get fouled a lot in 2014-15. Last season, she was a 70% FT shooter, but she looked more like Shaq during the exhibition games from the stripe. On Friday? She was 3-4. If Kiah can be a 75% shooter from the FT line this season, she's going to score a LOT of points.

3. Stewie's assists

I saw Stewie pass quite a bit during the exhibition games, and I'm starting to think it's been an area of preseason focus for her. She's going to be who opponents try to take away, and if she can pass effectively out of a double team, she can still account for a TON of UConn's offense. On Friday, she had seven assists. Yes, she passed to lights-out shooters, but clearly she helped generate an open shot for her team. I would take a 100+-assist season for Stewie in a heartbeat.

4. Three-point shooting (obviously)

Look, this one is obvious. If UConn always shoots 64% from behind the three-point line, the Huskies will win every game this season, probably by 25+ points. However, this had to be something of an outlier, right? Surely, we will see some regressions to the mean, won't we? Well, maybe not. UConn shot 36.6% from three-point range last year, but with Morgan, KML, and MoJeff, all shooting treys at a 40+% clip. I think they can do it again...and Courtney and Morgan can shoot better throughout the season than they did Friday. Bottom line, if UConn can shoot threes at a 45% or greater rate, they'll be unstoppable.

So that's what I want to see again: torrid team three-point shooting, 75+% FT shooting by Kiah Stokes, and great ball distribution under likely duress by Breanna Stewart. Give me Courtney shooting during the remainder of the season like she did in the exhibition games, and I'll be happier than a pig in you-know-what....

1-- My view of CE is if she gets minutes she can become a solid player. And I expect she get that soph jump next year. It's just that our team is so stacked. So she isn't going totake a lot of shots therefore her 3pt shooting will be skewed. I like her makeup though. I also like our other kids makeup too. I look at her evolution as a win-win. If she gets time - imo she looks like she'll be a solid ball player that does many things well and is a great fit. If she doesn't get time it means the players we have --and will get in the future- are darn terrific. In other words, I like CE's game if she gets mintues. An I'm extremely impressed for those that beat her out because what she can bring is of very high value. Her shot would come around with minutes if she can get them.

3--- Stewie's passing underrated. She looked at ease passing last year. Now she'll do it well this year.

4-- Can't sustain that shooting but due to Stewie being such a force and Stokes/Tuck such a concern inside and having the pg like MoJeff - I expect KML and Chong and MoJeff to keep our team abnormally high as 3pt%. KML is a beast. I don't think Tuck will come close to 40% from 3. At best I think she'd be just above 35%, at worst around 30%. Intertesting to see what Stewie will do from 3. At worstlast year's numbers. At best about 40% which would be outstanding.

 

[EricLA]

Courtney's three-point shooting is not "key" for UConn because the team has many offensive weapons (with names like Stewie, Kaleena, Moriah, Morgan and Saniya). Such perimeter shooting is "key" for her because that is such an important part of her game and her role on the team. We are not in trouble at all.

Oh that makes more sense. I misunderstood his original post. 3 point shooting is key for her earning PT this season...

 

[Kibitzer]

ahem.

Ekmark.