What I hope to see next season from each player (work on over the summer)

[EricLA]

I'm going to assume everyone comes back.

Evina - not much more to ask for out of her - her leadership and ability to be the architect of team chemistry was other-worldly this season. I'd like to see her give her knee(s) some rest this summer and work on her jump shots. Maybe when her knees feel good, work on strength and quickness. And 3-point shooting. Can never be too good at that.

Olivia - Going to be realistic on this one. People (IMHO) need to remember she is NOT hugely strong like Tina or just a big girl like Stef, and her strength is in fade aways, mid range, and good footwork as well as solid defense. She will never be Boston, Charles, Dolson, Brown, McCowan, etc in the post. So... I'd still like to see her get stronger - that will only help. Work on keeping the ball high ALL THE TIME when she gets it. And work on a baby hook. 6'3" Tina Charles can get that shot up over ANY player no matter how tall. Also, have a practice player take one of those big cushion thingys and knock her around for about an hour a day while she works on powering thru the contact to make layups.

Christyn - I was not "happy" to see she was in tears after the loss, but glad she took it to heart and was so bothered by it. To me it means the loss meant a ton to her, and I expect her to come back even more motivated than ever. I believe she has the potential to be an AA next year. BUT she needs consistency. The CW we saw after the Arkansas game and after Geno threw down the gauntlet ("you are going to guard the other teams' best player") worked wonders for her effort, intensity on defense, and ultimately her offensive performance. I would say just continue to work hard in the offseason and practice everything to get just a little better for her senior year.

Paige - Her shooting was otherworldly in the beginning of the year, but came back to earth in the last month or so. Part of that was finding out that other teams will not only send their best defender at her, but also they will try to knock her around. She needs to spend time in the weight room. A lot of time. In the post game presser, Geno said something like "Paige needs to get a lot better at a lot of things". Not sure what all those "things" are, but I suppose she will work on that too.

Aaliyah - would also like to see her also work on a baby hook shot. Other than that, keep doing what she's been doing. She's one who might benefit from leaving campus and playing hoops with the Canadian National team - playing with elite players against elite players. Not sure if there will be an opportunity for that, but staying on campus working on her game may not benefit her as much as leaving and playing elite hoops, if that option exists.

Nika - work on getting healthy and rehabilitating whatever lingering ailments she had at the end of the year. Then I'd like to see 3 things.

• Work on driving to the basket and either develop a pull up and/or continuing the drive to finish with contact to draw fouls. No one is more aggressive than she is, and harnessing it on offense will be a great help.
• Take about 500 shots a day all summer from beyond the arc. At times she would nail a dagger, but IMHO she needs more confidence in her shot, and needs to be more willing to pull the trigger.
• Go to PG school and work on making the smart and easy pass rather than the sensational highlight pass. Decision making - if the pass is not there, do NOT make it.

Aubrey - IMHO she needs a mid-range shot more than anyone else on the team, save perhaps Mir. She's undersized for the post and while her athleticism is unmatched, being able to consistently drain the foul like jumper will help immeasurably. If she does not do that (and work on the 3-point shot as well), her ability to score will be like Mir's - solely around the basket, and at 6'1", her PT will drop IMHO in favor of younger players who can score in more ways. Pivotal summer for her.

Mir - may end up the odd (wo)man out next season. Like Aubrey, other-wordly athleticism, but at 5'11", she can't exist solely in the post. If she wants ANY PT at all, she will need to expand he game. Has nice FT form so maybe she can get a reliable jumper, and a pull up would be awesome - use her speed to get past a defender, then pull up and drain a mid-range. She could earn a fair amount of PT by doing that as long as her defense stays elite.

Anna - work on getting 100% healthy, and work on he fitness and quickness. She's a competent defender, but a terrific passer and floor spacer. I realize she will never out-quick anyone, but would love to see her work on being more aggressive in driving to the basket - either with a pull up, or layup. She can't ONLY be a 3 point shooter. Too much younger talent who can score in more ways if she does not expand her game.

Piath - continue to work on getting stronger and quicker so the college game slows down for her. Work on whatever post moves she feels she can develop so she can score in more ways, and also work on a baby hook shot. See a theme there? It's an unstoppable offensive move and if she play solid defense and consistent offense, she may be able to earn more PT.

Saylor - adding her in because she was on the team this season. She needs to work on a bit of everything. Strength training and fitness so she's stronger and quicker and the college game slows down for her. As a "taller" guard/wing, work on post moves so she can post up smaller players who may guard her. Work on a more consistent 3 point shot. She will be competing against Azzi and CD, who are both better shooters, and CD is just as tall, and she will be competing against Aubrey, Mir and Anna as well. She may have to simply wait a year or 2 more for her turn, but she's a smart kid and a battler, and Geno said she picked things up quickly.

Autumn - just get stronger. With the depth, she will never earn minutes beyond end of games, so just continue to be a great teammate.

For the freshmen coming in, they are almost always shell-shocked when practices start, even if the come to campus early. I would say get to Storrs as soon as possible, hit the weight room, meet with a fitness/nutrition trainer, and get their bodies in as good of shape as possible.

The purpose of this post is NOT to speculate on how many minutes anyone will get. We all know Geno will have the luxury of having 13 elite players on the team ranging from #1's to top 20 kids. I believe there is enough PT for everyone, but ANYONE who is on the "bubble" right now and who does NOT work a ton on their game simply won't see the floor on a consistent basis.

Rebecca Lobo said "better get UCONN this year because starting next year, no one will get them". Pretty high bar. On paper, no one has more talent than UCONN on their roster, but we've seen that multiple HS AA's will not win a NC (or a final 4 game). I hope everyone is extra motivated and works crazy-hard over the summer. Now that our season is over, I officially can't wait for next season!!

 

[Longtime fan]

I'm going to assume everyone comes back.

Evina - not much more to ask for out of her - her leadership and ability to be the architect of team chemistry was other-worldly this season. I'd like to see her give her knee(s) some rest this summer and work on her jump shots. Maybe when her knees feel good, work on strength and quickness. And 3-point shooting. Can never be too good at that.

Olivia - Going to be realistic on this one. People (IMHO) need to remember she is NOT hugely strong like Tina or just a big girl like Stef, and her strength is in fade aways, mid range, and good footwork as well as solid defense. She will never be Boston, Charles, Dolson, Brown, McCowan, etc in the post. So... I'd still like to see her get stronger - that will only help. Work on keeping the ball high ALL THE TIME when she gets it. And work on a baby hook. 6'3" Tina Charles can get that shot up over ANY player no matter how tall. Also, have a practice player take one of those big cushion thingys and knock her around for about an hour a day while she works on powering thru the contact to make layups.

Christyn - I was not "happy" to see she was in tears after the loss, but glad she took it to heart and was so bothered by it. To me it means the loss meant a ton to her, and I expect her to come back even more motivated than ever. I believe she has the potential to be an AA next year. BUT she needs consistency. The CW we saw after the Arkansas game and after Geno threw down the gauntlet ("you are going to guard the other teams' best player") worked wonders for her effort, intensity on defense, and ultimately her offensive performance. I would say just continue to work hard in the offseason and practice everything to get just a little better for her senior year.

Paige - Her shooting was otherworldly in the beginning of the year, but came back to earth in the last month or so. Part of that was finding out that other teams will not only send their best defender at her, but also they will try to knock her around. She needs to spend time in the weight room. A lot of time. In the post game presser, Geno said something like "Paige needs to get a lot better at a lot of things". Not sure what all those "things" are, but I suppose she will work on that too.

Aaliyah - would also like to see her also work on a baby hook shot. Other than that, keep doing what she's been doing. She's one who might benefit from leaving campus and playing hoops with the Canadian National team - playing with elite players against elite players. Not sure if there will be an opportunity for that, but staying on campus working on her game may not benefit her as much as leaving and playing elite hoops, if that option exists.

Nika - work on getting healthy and rehabilitating whatever lingering ailments she had at the end of the year. Then I'd like to see 3 things.

• Work on driving to the basket and either develop a pull up and/or continuing the drive to finish with contact to draw fouls. No one is more aggressive than she is, and harnessing it on offense will be a great help.
• Take about 500 shots a day all summer from beyond the arc. At times she would nail a dagger, but IMHO she needs more confidence in her shot, and needs to be more willing to pull the trigger.
• Go to PG school and work on making the smart and easy pass rather than the sensational highlight pass. Decision making - if the pass is not there, do NOT make it.

Aubrey - IMHO she needs a mid-range shot more than anyone else on the team, save perhaps Mir. She's undersized for the post and while her athleticism is unmatched, being able to consistently drain the foul like jumper will help immeasurably. If she does not do that (and work on the 3-point shot as well), her ability to score will be like Mir's - solely around the basket, and at 6'1", her PT will drop IMHO in favor of younger players who can score in more ways. Pivotal summer for her.

Mir - may end up the odd (wo)man out next season. Like Aubrey, other-wordly athleticism, but at 5'11", she can't exist solely in the post. If she wants ANY PT at all, she will need to expand he game. Has nice FT form so maybe she can get a reliable jumper, and a pull up would be awesome - use her speed to get past a defender, then pull up and drain a mid-range. She could earn a fair amount of PT by doing that as long as her defense stays elite.

Anna - work on getting 100% healthy, and work on he fitness and quickness. She's a competent defender, but a terrific passer and floor spacer. I realize she will never out-quick anyone, but would love to see her work on being more aggressive in driving to the basket - either with a pull up, or layup. She can't ONLY be a 3 point shooter. Too much younger talent who can score in more ways if she does not expand her game.

Piath - continue to work on getting stronger and quicker so the college game slows down for her. Work on whatever post moves she feels she can develop so she can score in more ways, and also work on a baby hook shot. See a theme there? It's an unstoppable offensive move and if she play solid defense and consistent offense, she may be able to earn more PT.

Saylor - adding her in because she was on the team this season. She needs to work on a bit of everything. Strength training and fitness so she's stronger and quicker and the college game slows down for her. As a "taller" guard/wing, work on post moves so she can post up smaller players who may guard her. Work on a more consistent 3 point shot. She will be competing against Azzi and CD, who are both better shooters, and CD is just as tall, and she will be competing against Aubrey, Mir and Anna as well. She may have to simply wait a year or 2 more for her turn, but she's a smart kid and a battler, and Geno said she picked things up quickly.

Autumn - just get stronger. With the depth, she will never earn minutes beyond end of games, so just continue to be a great teammate.

For the freshmen coming in, they are almost always shell-shocked when practices start, even if the come to campus early. I would say get to Storrs as soon as possible, hit the weight room, meet with a fitness/nutrition trainer, and get their bodies in as good of shape as possible.

The purpose of this post is NOT to speculate on how many minutes anyone will get. We all know Geno will have the luxury of having 13 elite players on the team ranging from #1's to top 20 kids. I believe there is enough PT for everyone, but ANYONE who is on the "bubble" right now and who does NOT work a ton on their game simply won't see the floor on a consistent basis.

Rebecca Lobo said "better get UCONN this year because starting next year, no one will get them". Pretty high bar. On paper, no one has more talent than UCONN on their roster, but we've seen that multiple HS AA's will not win a NC (or a final 4 game). I hope everyone is extra motivated and works crazy-hard over the summer. Now that our season is over, I officially can't wait for next season!!

Well done and thanks. I would add more Tyler Phommachanh Piath's summer. If she is going to emerge as a force ( and I believe coach gave her a scholarship because he feels she can ), she needs to work with a " big" coach, and have the opportunity to play against quality opposition. From the few minutes of court time we have seen, we know almost nothing. Except, she is a legitimate big and runs well. But footwork, passing and catching, lay-ups and an unblockable something ( hook or jump-back 8 footer ) are critical to develop. Also, she needs to learn how to defend without fouling. In other words, she needs to improve at everything.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few things:
ONO: must get her lower body stronger (as she seems to lose balance whenever touched will then hurts her ability to finish) and get more variety to her offensive game (hook shot as mentioned will do wonders for her ability to score around the basket).
Paige: Get stronger physically and work on being more aggressive on offense. Paige as well should work on her defense. While it was ok, too many times players got by her.
CW: She showed a lot of improvement this season and needs to continue this momentum. There are still too many times in a game where is seems she loses concentration (especially on defense) but this is something she should be able to fix.
AE: more reliable mid range shot and as mentioned a hook shot.
E: work on a mid range shot. She's got real nice floaters and a good (not great) 3 point shot.
Nika: she needs a mid range jump shot and force herself to pass without over complicating the passes.
AG: work on mid range and 3 point shots as well as learn the expected moves on offense.
Anna: Needs a mid range shot to add to the 3 pointers.
Mir: mid range and 3 pointers.

 

[dcheng021]

Nika developing a reliable floater or runner would be nice.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[bluedevil]

Geno: Maybe shake up the coaching staff a little. Bring in some new young-blood. Is there a coach on the staff under 40? I know it sounds blasphemous..but.

 

[Mouse]

Agree 100%

 

[BRS24]

Well done and thanks. I would add more Tyler Phommachanh Piath's summer. If she is going to emerge as a force ( and I believe coach gave her a scholarship because he feels she can ), she needs to work with a " big" coach, and have the opportunity to play against quality opposition. From the few minutes of court time we have seen, we know almost nothing. Except, she is a legitimate big and runs well. But footwork, passing and catching, lay-ups and an unblockable something ( hook or jump-back 8 footer ) are critical to develop. Also, she needs to learn how to defend without fouling. In other words, she needs to improve at everything.

Coaches have said many times that "bigs" take longer to develop than guards. Piath is well positioned to learn from ONO and AE, and then fill the gap when she's ready. The transition from HS to college is huge for some players, the speed, the strength, etc. This season was an anomaly with covid pauses, limited gatherings in preseason, and living in the bubble. Just imagine what the team will accomplish when they are permitted to do offseason workouts as a team, and anything else that was allowed pre-covid.

 

[ucbart]

FREE THROWS! We missed key FT's in that Baylor win and that Arizona loss. I complained a few times on here about poor FT shooting in BE games and got blasted a few times. Well, it came back to bite us. One other thing that bit us a few times, was costly turnovers. I haven't looked at numbers, but it seemed like this team turned the ball over in key situations more than most of the great teams we've had.

 

[VaConnFan11]

I believe the team needs to get physically stronger. It seemed to me that a lot of balls were knocked out of their hands or simply taken away. I'm sure age has something to with that. A year older and more time in the weight room assuming all restrictions are eliminated should take care of the issues.

 

[Blacketh’D]

Paige needs to learn to go left. I didn’t mind it before in high school but watching her get stuck with nowhere to go cuz she drove with her weak hand was annoying to see. She’s got like two dedicated spots on the floor to shoot from and she needs more than that if she’s going to continue to be an offensive threat for us.

I also want Nika to have more confidence in her shooting because any time she got to the basket she just threw it back out to the perimeter. On the other hand, that might work a lot better next year vs this season where only Paige was an outside threat.

 

[oldhusky]

Nika developing a reliable floater or runner would be nice.

When you watch the numerous videos on her you start to realize her offense was pretty much two things. Wide open threes and hard drives to the basket, almost no pull up jumpers or much shooting off the dribble. At Uconn it was almost all open threes. I think her game was toned down by Geno quite a bit.

I don't know if she can finish those drives as well at this level, but of course when she takes it to the hole she is extremely pass first. She could get as many assists per minute as Paige, but the downside is greater. There would be more turnovers and difficult shots when the pass wasn't there. But that kind of skill added something in the second half against Arizona when Nika attacking the defense resulted in the easiest look Paige had all game, and one for Christyn from the corner that she missed. When the offense isn't working, letting Nika try to create openings with penetration is a good option to have, but when the offense is clicking you might not need it.

 

[ju6381]

Nika developing a reliable floater or runner would be nice.

This. I am not as worried about some of the other things posters have mentioned for her to work on, I think the lack of pre-season really hampered her development as far as how the game is played here. Once she started to figure it out she became very valuable. The passes and how she runs the offense will improve in time.

 

[Conndog]

Aubrey is the big mystery for me. She would improve game greatly by mastering a mid-range / short-range jump shot. Can't someone on staff teach her the fundamentals of pivoting and shooting the fall-away jumper? Or, how to make shot fakes and use it to her advantage? And speaking of pivoting, it would be biggest help for her to develop good footwork around the basket. Her only move seems to be straight ahead and often plows over the defender in the way. She should watch film of post players with good footwork and try to duplicate. With her athleticism, she would be tremendous if she can improve. Maybe UConn players who learned how to do this and conduct clinic/lessons for UConn's bigs.

One thing I don't like about her in UConn's system is she is often positioned far away from basket. Well, this negates her effectiveness because 1) she can't shoot, and 2) she's too far from basket for rebounds or put-backs. I hope that when she is in the game, UConn tries a different offensive scheme centered around getting the ball inside. If Aubrey can learn to shoot the mid-range or can master how to move around the basket, she can become very important contributor.

 

[Bald Husky]

Everyone predicting next years starting line up has one question that is common. Nika Muhl, is she good enough to start, or is she not. I think she is, and she has earned the right to start. We will have alot of options next year, so how can she step up her game to cement herself in the line up? Shooting, shooting, and shooting. As a point guard, she doesn't have to shoot alot, but she still has to make a contribution to avoid others from taking her place. She has a mental block about shooting in the lane. I get so frustrated ( benign word ) when she kicks it out ALL the time. Getting within one or two steps from the hoop should facilitate a shot attempt. If she misses, she may get fouled. I think she is a pretty good foul shooter, which we all can agree that we need. But, it is hard to tell since she never gets there. I just don't understand why our coaching staff doesn't address this, and if they do, why do they continue her allow her reluctance to do it. All she has to do is drive and try to score. We all need a NC next year to lessen our hurt. Nika can be a key member of our team to help us do this. If she doesn't see this, she will not deserve to start. Cold I know, but I feel it to be a fact.

 

[huskyd]

I'm going to assume everyone comes back.

Evina - not much more to ask for out of her - her leadership and ability to be the architect of team chemistry was other-worldly this season. I'd like to see her give her knee(s) some rest this summer and work on her jump shots. Maybe when her knees feel good, work on strength and quickness. And 3-point shooting. Can never be too good at that.

Olivia - Going to be realistic on this one. People (IMHO) need to remember she is NOT hugely strong like Tina or just a big girl like Stef, and her strength is in fade aways, mid range, and good footwork as well as solid defense. She will never be Boston, Charles, Dolson, Brown, McCowan, etc in the post. So... I'd still like to see her get stronger - that will only help. Work on keeping the ball high ALL THE TIME when she gets it. And work on a baby hook. 6'3" Tina Charles can get that shot up over ANY player no matter how tall. Also, have a practice player take one of those big cushion thingys and knock her around for about an hour a day while she works on powering thru the contact to make layups.

Christyn - I was not "happy" to see she was in tears after the loss, but glad she took it to heart and was so bothered by it. To me it means the loss meant a ton to her, and I expect her to come back even more motivated than ever. I believe she has the potential to be an AA next year. BUT she needs consistency. The CW we saw after the Arkansas game and after Geno threw down the gauntlet ("you are going to guard the other teams' best player") worked wonders for her effort, intensity on defense, and ultimately her offensive performance. I would say just continue to work hard in the offseason and practice everything to get just a little better for her senior year.

Paige - Her shooting was otherworldly in the beginning of the year, but came back to earth in the last month or so. Part of that was finding out that other teams will not only send their best defender at her, but also they will try to knock her around. She needs to spend time in the weight room. A lot of time. In the post game presser, Geno said something like "Paige needs to get a lot better at a lot of things". Not sure what all those "things" are, but I suppose she will work on that too.

Aaliyah - would also like to see her also work on a baby hook shot. Other than that, keep doing what she's been doing. She's one who might benefit from leaving campus and playing hoops with the Canadian National team - playing with elite players against elite players. Not sure if there will be an opportunity for that, but staying on campus working on her game may not benefit her as much as leaving and playing elite hoops, if that option exists.

Nika - work on getting healthy and rehabilitating whatever lingering ailments she had at the end of the year. Then I'd like to see 3 things.

• Work on driving to the basket and either develop a pull up and/or continuing the drive to finish with contact to draw fouls. No one is more aggressive than she is, and harnessing it on offense will be a great help.
• Take about 500 shots a day all summer from beyond the arc. At times she would nail a dagger, but IMHO she needs more confidence in her shot, and needs to be more willing to pull the trigger.
• Go to PG school and work on making the smart and easy pass rather than the sensational highlight pass. Decision making - if the pass is not there, do NOT make it.

Aubrey - IMHO she needs a mid-range shot more than anyone else on the team, save perhaps Mir. She's undersized for the post and while her athleticism is unmatched, being able to consistently drain the foul like jumper will help immeasurably. If she does not do that (and work on the 3-point shot as well), her ability to score will be like Mir's - solely around the basket, and at 6'1", her PT will drop IMHO in favor of younger players who can score in more ways. Pivotal summer for her.

Mir - may end up the odd (wo)man out next season. Like Aubrey, other-wordly athleticism, but at 5'11", she can't exist solely in the post. If she wants ANY PT at all, she will need to expand he game. Has nice FT form so maybe she can get a reliable jumper, and a pull up would be awesome - use her speed to get past a defender, then pull up and drain a mid-range. She could earn a fair amount of PT by doing that as long as her defense stays elite.

Anna - work on getting 100% healthy, and work on he fitness and quickness. She's a competent defender, but a terrific passer and floor spacer. I realize she will never out-quick anyone, but would love to see her work on being more aggressive in driving to the basket - either with a pull up, or layup. She can't ONLY be a 3 point shooter. Too much younger talent who can score in more ways if she does not expand her game.

Piath - continue to work on getting stronger and quicker so the college game slows down for her. Work on whatever post moves she feels she can develop so she can score in more ways, and also work on a baby hook shot. See a theme there? It's an unstoppable offensive move and if she play solid defense and consistent offense, she may be able to earn more PT.

Saylor - adding her in because she was on the team this season. She needs to work on a bit of everything. Strength training and fitness so she's stronger and quicker and the college game slows down for her. As a "taller" guard/wing, work on post moves so she can post up smaller players who may guard her. Work on a more consistent 3 point shot. She will be competing against Azzi and CD, who are both better shooters, and CD is just as tall, and she will be competing against Aubrey, Mir and Anna as well. She may have to simply wait a year or 2 more for her turn, but she's a smart kid and a battler, and Geno said she picked things up quickly.

Autumn - just get stronger. With the depth, she will never earn minutes beyond end of games, so just continue to be a great teammate.

For the freshmen coming in, they are almost always shell-shocked when practices start, even if the come to campus early. I would say get to Storrs as soon as possible, hit the weight room, meet with a fitness/nutrition trainer, and get their bodies in as good of shape as possible.

The purpose of this post is NOT to speculate on how many minutes anyone will get. We all know Geno will have the luxury of having 13 elite players on the team ranging from #1's to top 20 kids. I believe there is enough PT for everyone, but ANYONE who is on the "bubble" right now and who does NOT work a ton on their game simply won't see the floor on a consistent basis.

Rebecca Lobo said "better get UCONN this year because starting next year, no one will get them". Pretty high bar. On paper, no one has more talent than UCONN on their roster, but we've seen that multiple HS AA's will not win a NC (or a final 4 game). I hope everyone is extra motivated and works crazy-hard over the summer. Now that our season is over, I officially can't wait for next season!!

Rebecca Lobo said "better get UCONN this year because starting next year, no one will get them"

In brief, that's the point. While the others are following your regimen, a certain freshman named Azzi Fudd will arrive and provide the tipping point that Lobo mentions. If your assertion that Slim's productivity fell off because of other team's defenses, including roughing her up, Azzi will help solve that concern as well. It's not exactly Paige's fault that she was really the only essential player this year. That will change--and needs to.

 

[LoboDays]

Coach: Develop a plan B when a team is able to shut you down. Telling a team to run the same offense but just do it better is not a plan. Forgetting the record breaking bunny misses, they had the size to focus on getting the ball inside against Arizona in the 4th quarter when both of their bigs had 4 fouls on them. Instead they continued to run the same thing that wasn’t working all game.

Paige: a tan.

 

[my2cents]

Hey, lets be real. Uconn has two completely different seasons. The Big east season where we really have little competition, and are not challenged, for the most part.
The other season is OOC where we could be playing a top 5 team and then the Elite 8/FF4 and NC game.
With the shooters we have and the top notch shooters coming in, we don't need our players who are inefficient now to take shots away from these players.
Their roles need to be centered on defense, rebounding and making plays.
Against AZ Ono took as many shots per minute played as Paige, works ok Big East, not so well in big games.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Coach: Develop a plan B when a team is able to shut you down. Telling a team to run the same offense but just do it better is not a plan. Forgetting the record breaking bunny misses, they had the size to focus on getting the ball inside against Arizona in the 4th quarter when both of their bigs had 4 fouls on them. Instead they continued to run the same thing that wasn’t working all game.

Paige: a tan.

THIS

 

[pvdoggy]

I'm going to assume everyone comes back.

Evina - not much more to ask for out of her - her leadership and ability to be the architect of team chemistry was other-worldly this season. I'd like to see her give her knee(s) some rest this summer and work on her jump shots. Maybe when her knees feel good, work on strength and quickness. And 3-point shooting. Can never be too good at that.

Olivia - Going to be realistic on this one. People (IMHO) need to remember she is NOT hugely strong like Tina or just a big girl like Stef, and her strength is in fade aways, mid range, and good footwork as well as solid defense. She will never be Boston, Charles, Dolson, Brown, McCowan, etc in the post. So... I'd still like to see her get stronger - that will only help. Work on keeping the ball high ALL THE TIME when she gets it. And work on a baby hook. 6'3" Tina Charles can get that shot up over ANY player no matter how tall. Also, have a practice player take one of those big cushion thingys and knock her around for about an hour a day while she works on powering thru the contact to make layups.

Christyn - I was not "happy" to see she was in tears after the loss, but glad she took it to heart and was so bothered by it. To me it means the loss meant a ton to her, and I expect her to come back even more motivated than ever. I believe she has the potential to be an AA next year. BUT she needs consistency. The CW we saw after the Arkansas game and after Geno threw down the gauntlet ("you are going to guard the other teams' best player") worked wonders for her effort, intensity on defense, and ultimately her offensive performance. I would say just continue to work hard in the offseason and practice everything to get just a little better for her senior year.

Paige - Her shooting was otherworldly in the beginning of the year, but came back to earth in the last month or so. Part of that was finding out that other teams will not only send their best defender at her, but also they will try to knock her around. She needs to spend time in the weight room. A lot of time. In the post game presser, Geno said something like "Paige needs to get a lot better at a lot of things". Not sure what all those "things" are, but I suppose she will work on that too.

Aaliyah - would also like to see her also work on a baby hook shot. Other than that, keep doing what she's been doing. She's one who might benefit from leaving campus and playing hoops with the Canadian National team - playing with elite players against elite players. Not sure if there will be an opportunity for that, but staying on campus working on her game may not benefit her as much as leaving and playing elite hoops, if that option exists.

Nika - work on getting healthy and rehabilitating whatever lingering ailments she had at the end of the year. Then I'd like to see 3 things.

• Work on driving to the basket and either develop a pull up and/or continuing the drive to finish with contact to draw fouls. No one is more aggressive than she is, and harnessing it on offense will be a great help.
• Take about 500 shots a day all summer from beyond the arc. At times she would nail a dagger, but IMHO she needs more confidence in her shot, and needs to be more willing to pull the trigger.
• Go to PG school and work on making the smart and easy pass rather than the sensational highlight pass. Decision making - if the pass is not there, do NOT make it.

Aubrey - IMHO she needs a mid-range shot more than anyone else on the team, save perhaps Mir. She's undersized for the post and while her athleticism is unmatched, being able to consistently drain the foul like jumper will help immeasurably. If she does not do that (and work on the 3-point shot as well), her ability to score will be like Mir's - solely around the basket, and at 6'1", her PT will drop IMHO in favor of younger players who can score in more ways. Pivotal summer for her.

Mir - may end up the odd (wo)man out next season. Like Aubrey, other-wordly athleticism, but at 5'11", she can't exist solely in the post. If she wants ANY PT at all, she will need to expand he game. Has nice FT form so maybe she can get a reliable jumper, and a pull up would be awesome - use her speed to get past a defender, then pull up and drain a mid-range. She could earn a fair amount of PT by doing that as long as her defense stays elite.

Anna - work on getting 100% healthy, and work on he fitness and quickness. She's a competent defender, but a terrific passer and floor spacer. I realize she will never out-quick anyone, but would love to see her work on being more aggressive in driving to the basket - either with a pull up, or layup. She can't ONLY be a 3 point shooter. Too much younger talent who can score in more ways if she does not expand her game.

Piath - continue to work on getting stronger and quicker so the college game slows down for her. Work on whatever post moves she feels she can develop so she can score in more ways, and also work on a baby hook shot. See a theme there? It's an unstoppable offensive move and if she play solid defense and consistent offense, she may be able to earn more PT.

Saylor - adding her in because she was on the team this season. She needs to work on a bit of everything. Strength training and fitness so she's stronger and quicker and the college game slows down for her. As a "taller" guard/wing, work on post moves so she can post up smaller players who may guard her. Work on a more consistent 3 point shot. She will be competing against Azzi and CD, who are both better shooters, and CD is just as tall, and she will be competing against Aubrey, Mir and Anna as well. She may have to simply wait a year or 2 more for her turn, but she's a smart kid and a battler, and Geno said she picked things up quickly.

Autumn - just get stronger. With the depth, she will never earn minutes beyond end of games, so just continue to be a great teammate.

For the freshmen coming in, they are almost always shell-shocked when practices start, even if the come to campus early. I would say get to Storrs as soon as possible, hit the weight room, meet with a fitness/nutrition trainer, and get their bodies in as good of shape as possible.

The purpose of this post is NOT to speculate on how many minutes anyone will get. We all know Geno will have the luxury of having 13 elite players on the team ranging from #1's to top 20 kids. I believe there is enough PT for everyone, but ANYONE who is on the "bubble" right now and who does NOT work a ton on their game simply won't see the floor on a consistent basis.

Rebecca Lobo said "better get UCONN this year because starting next year, no one will get them". Pretty high bar. On paper, no one has more talent than UCONN on their roster, but we've seen that multiple HS AA's will not win a NC (or a final 4 game). I hope everyone is extra motivated and works crazy-hard over the summer. Now that our season is over, I officially can't wait for next season!!

Maybe you can send this to the coaching staff and see if it matches up with what they want from each player. In any case, bookmark this thread and see if it shows up in the change in each player come this fall. If I can only grab one thing from your list, I would ask for a mid to long-range jump shot for Aubrey and Mir.

 

[UcMiami]

Just seems interesting how this team has so much work still to do compared to say last year, or the year before, or the year before:
2021: Shooting .511/.356/.714, points 81.9, MOV 29.3, rebounds 41.5, rb margin 11.2, assist 20.4, A/TO 1.5, steals 9.6, blocks 5.7, pf 13.0
2020: Shooting .479/.399/.697, points 78.7, MOV 25.9, rebounds 43.1, rb margin 8.6, assist 18.7, A/TO 1.4, steals 9.1, blocks 5.0, pf 11.1
2019: Shooting .491/.364/.734, points 82.8, MOV 26.2, rebounds 41.3, rb margin 6.1, assist 19.7, A/TO 1.7, steals 8.0, blocks 4.4, pf 12.1
2018: Shooting .533/.400/.769, points 89.4, MOV 36.1, rebounds 41.8, rb margin 10.5, assist 22.8, A/TO 1.9, steals 10.2, blocks 5.2, pf 12.2
2017: Shooting .527/.405/.779, points 87.1, MOV 32.2, rebounds 38.9, rb margin 6.6, assist 23.3, A/TO 1.9, steals 10.0, blocks 5.0, pf 11.9

All of these years except 2020 ended at the semifinals.
2017 was Chong's senior year (3 NC already), Gabby and Kia's junior year (2 NC already), Napheesa and Lou's sophomore season (1 NC already), and Dangerfield's freshman year.
2018 Azura and Megan are added to the mix
2019 Williams and Ono experience their first FF

2021 was a messed up year with no seniors and little FF experience on a team led by a freshman and playing in a new 'stronger' league, and they arrived at the same place as Gabby and Kia led a team with Napheesa and Lou putting up pretty comparable numbers. We lost a game. We played Uconn basketball putting up Uconn like numbers in a pandemic altered universe in arenas with no fans having to generate every iota of energy needed because no one else was helping by cheering or booing.

So many posters see disaster, I see continued excellence. Have to have a BIG bruising post to win in the modern era - so 2015 and 2016 is now ancient history?

 

[Monte]

Work on: strength+stamina, layups, and foul shooting

 

[JellyBean]

Pretty much spot on! Well covered.

 

[DEFCONN1]

Olivia..Miken drills, Miken drills and more Miken drills and then free throw drills with back spin on the ball with shooting hand reaching into the cookie jar (basket)!

 

[EricLA]

As an addendum, Anna is leaving so, while not surprising, is still disappointing. But if playing time had anything to do with it, players who are currently on the team but who are too 2-dimensional in their abilities need to step it up.

Anna was a good ball handler, really good passer, and good 3 point shooter, and she was competent on the defensive end. BUT she had no pull up jumper, rarely drove to the basket, and never posted up smaller guards. Aubrey and Mir have the same problem in other ways...

Both of them seem to be decent FT shooters, but both only seem to be able to score layups around the basket. That simply will not get them PT when you have taller, talented, and more 3-dimensional players coming in (Saylor, Caroline Ducharme, Azzi). The both are too short to exist ONLY in the post (which is why I'm not counting LIv or Aaliyah or Amari in that list), so it's essential for them to develop, at the very least, a mid-range game.

If they can't/don't/won't, I fear they will be on the outside looking in for PT next season.