What is our biggest key to success this year?

[meyers7]

Other. Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck healthy. That triumvirate and whomever should do it.

 

[meyers7]

but if Natalie averages 10 and 10,

I still don't understand why people go there? You're not the only one Milford, some people had Stokes doing it last year. The last person to avg a double double was Lobo. Wolters didn't, Elliott didn't, Williams didn't, Jones didn't, Cash didn't, JMoore didn't, Charles didn't, MMoore didn't, Dolson didn't, Stokes didn't, Stewart didn't. So why in the world would anyone think Butler is going to (or might) be able to do that????

If Butler can get 7/7, that would be over the moon.

 

[rugbymate]

As mentioned by many ...stay healthy and we win it all and probably undefeated. However, if one wish could be granted, I'd like to see Butler consistently hit the 15-18 footer. This would force the opposing center or a big forward to step out on defense which in turn gives Stewie and Tuck a chance to feast underneath. It also would open driving lanes for Kia and Mo.

 

[meyers7]

Butler averaged 13.9 ppg and 13.4 rebs as a freshman. I do not think 10 ppg and 10 rebs 2 years later is far fetched

It is very far fetched. Very, very far fetched. Verging on insanity. See my post above.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The Huskies don't miss a lot of shots, remember. She's not going to have the putback opportunities she had at G-Town.

True, but we'll miss 45% or more of our shots. G'town missed close to 58%. Not counting missed foul shots that were in play, we missed 29.7 shots per game last year. The Hoyas missed 34.3 in Natalie's frosh season. Fewer opportunities. On the other hand, if the defenses focus on Natalie instead of Stewie and Morgan, the latter two will eat them alive.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I still don't understand why people go there? You're not the only one Milford, some people had Stokes doing it last year. The last person to avg a double double was Lobo. Wolters didn't, Elliott didn't, Williams didn't, Jones didn't, Cash didn't, JMoore didn't, Charles didn't, MMoore didn't, Dolson didn't, Stokes didn't, Stewart didn't. So why in the world would anyone think Butler is going to (or might) be able to do that????

If Butler can get 7/7, that would be over the moon.

I think that Natalie MAY be one of the best rebounders we have ever had. My recollections of Rebecca, Kara, and Jamelle are a little fuzzy. I think Maya and Tina were outstanding rebounders, but Kiah was the best I have seen. Natalie is bigger than Kiah, and rebounding is her specialty. She was the leading freshman rebounder in the nation and #5 overall. If she is in shape and catches on to how Geno wants to do things, she will get major playing time. That may be a big IF, but if she does, she could challenge the single-season rebound record.

 

[meyers7]

I think that Natalie MAY be one of the best rebounders we have ever had.

Why would you think that?

My recollections of Rebecca, Kara, and Jamelle are a little fuzzy. I think Maya and Tina were outstanding rebounders, but Kiah was the best I have seen. Natalie is bigger than Kiah, and rebounding is her specialty. She was the leading freshman rebounder in the nation and #5 overall. If she is in shape and catches on to how Geno wants to do things, she will get major playing time. That may be a big IF, but if she does, she could challenge the single-season rebound record.

She was the leading Freshmen rebounder getting 36 mpg. She is not going to get anywhere near that at UCONN. Stewart only got 28 minutes a game last year. She may not even get that many this year. If Butler avg around 20 mpg (which would be more than Stokes, Williams or Chong got last year), again, over the moon.

I hope Butler does a good job for UCONN this year, but let's be realistic here.

 

[rvwsleep]

If Butler played 36 minutes per game, as she did at Georgetown, then she would average a double/double. But why would she play twice the mpg that Stokes (17.9 mpg) played last year ? I'll be generous. At 20 mpg, what will Butler's stats look like at UConn ?
In addition there will be 3 highly rated freshman frontcourt players to contend with for playing time. We lose 47 minutes of playing time between Stokes and KML. How would you divide those minutes among Butler, KLS, Collier and Boykin ? I think that it's probable that Butler will average less minutes per game this year than Stokes did last year.

 

[xHunt3r]

Butler and Stewart for that matter are completely capable of average double doubles for the year... practically zero chance of that happening though. Nether will play enough minutes per game to do so because of all the blow outs and the amount of talent on the team...

 

[MilfordHusky]

Why would you think that?



She was the leading Freshmen rebounder getting 36 mpg. She is not going to get anywhere near that at UCONN. Stewart only got 28 minutes a game last year. She may not even get that many this year. If Butler avg around 20 mpg (which would be more than Stokes, Williams or Chong got last year), again, over the moon.

I hope Butler does a good job for UCONN this year, but let's be realistic here.

Summer euphoria.

I think Natalie will be a starter and get 20+ minutes. I may be wrong, but she fills a void very nicely.

Why do I think that she'll be a good rebounder? Aside from her stats at Georgetown, she averaged nearly 20 boards in 32 minutes in high school. She's as big as Stef and has a better rebounding instinct. She's a hardworking, blue collar type. As Kiah focused on rebounds and blocks, look for Natalie to go after rebounds with passion.

 

[meyers7]

Summer euphoria.

Ah, the heats getting to you.

Why do I think that she'll be a good rebounder? Aside from her stats at Georgetown, she averaged nearly 20 boards in 32 minutes in high school. She's as big as Stef and has a better rebounding instinct. She's a hardworking, blue collar type. As Kiah focused on rebounds and blocks, look for Natalie to go after rebounds with passion.

I hope you are right.

 

[EasyEd]

After Geno guaranteed a national championship in 2001 at the celebration of the 2000 championship, I would say that staying healthy is the biggest key, next would be for Kia to avoid sophomore slump as we saw how critical she was to the team after the loss to Stanford, and third is for someone else to step up as an offensive threat (Butler, KLS, Collier, Williams, Chong) to keep the other team playing honest defense. I think UConn could win it all if just Stewart, Tuck, and Jefferson are playing at their normal level with minimal support from the other players, but their chances increase greatly with improvements from the other veterans or quick development of the freshman. KML and Kiah were first round WNBA players and they must have had some impact on past successes.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Summer euphoria.

I think Natalie will be a starter and get 20+ minutes. I may be wrong, but she fills a void very nicely.

Why do I think that she'll be a good rebounder? Aside from her stats at Georgetown, she averaged nearly 20 boards in 32 minutes in high school. She's as big as Stef and has a better rebounding instinct. She's a hardworking, blue collar type. As Kiah focused on rebounds and blocks, look for Natalie to go after rebounds with passion.

Milford - I generally agree with all your points. I think Butler will be a starter. Last year Nurse had the least minutes as a starter and averaged 25 minutes. All starters averaged 10 pts plus. So if Butler starts, the odds are good she will get her 10 pts. Rebounding --Myers7 made a good point that NO ONE since Lobo averaged a double-double. Last year, Stewie ave. rebounding was 7.7; Stokes was 6.6; and Tuck was 5.5. However, Gabby at 15 minutes a game averaged 8.3 pts and 5.7 rebounds. Seems like 10 rebounds ave. a game will be very difficult. Also, another poster mentioned that as the #1 shooting % team there are less offensive rebounds and last year UConn had 400 steals & 300 blocks which cuts rebounds down too. IMHO, Geno's starters are expected to hit 10 pts. a game (Butler) and I will give her 8 rebounds a game. (I think Tuck will be more of a high post and go in when necessary. Stewie will go in when the situation requires it too, but mostly be away from the basket.) Butler will be more of an Offensive Stokes who starts.

 

[chrissaran]

As long as the players stay healthy, I don't see anyone defeating us in the tournament. I agree with D; Breanna is going to be elite, as well as Moriah and Morgan.

 

[BroadwayVa]

If the trio of Stewie, Moriah, and Morgan stay healthy, nothing else matters.

We don't need from Butler much more than we got from Kiah last year. I suppose we could benefit from KLS picking up some of the slack from the departed KML, but even that is more of a luxury than a necessity.

Kiah-- first assuming 3 AAC teams are (along with Uconn) competitive) of the teams Uconn will be playing out of conference and considering only the numbers achieved during those games--in Big games (ND, USC, types) Kiah's rebounding was a big factor in the wins. I know you'll correct me but if memory serves me--in the ND game Kiah had 18 rebounds. Tx game she delivered too. Yes without Stewie, Tuck, Mo Jett the game would be lost----so discounting KIAH's contribution saying "we don't need much more from Butler than we got from Kiah" if we get anywhere near that from Butler it will be amazing and Uconn sweeps the brackets. Kiah was much more than many remember or choose to forget. Yet I don't believe the comment that (without mentioning Geno) Kiah was restricted in scoring, I think that was her way of protesting sometimes.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Milford - I generally agree with all your points. I think Butler will be a starter. Last year Nurse had the least minutes as a starter and averaged 25 minutes. All starters averaged 10 pts plus. So if Butler starts, the odds are good she will get her 10 pts. Rebounding --Myers7 made a good point that NO ONE since Lobo averaged a double-double. Last year, Stewie ave. rebounding was 7.7; Stokes was 6.6; and Tuck was 5.5. However, Gabby at 15 minutes a game averaged 8.3 pts and 5.7 rebounds. Seems like 10 rebounds ave. a game will be very difficult. Also, another poster mentioned that as the #1 shooting % team there are less offensive rebounds and last year UConn had 400 steals & 300 blocks which cuts rebounds down too. IMHO, Geno's starters are expected to hit 10 pts. a game (Butler) and I will give her 8 rebounds a game. (I think Tuck will be more of a high post and go in when necessary. Stewie will go in when the situation requires it too, but mostly be away from the basket.) Butler will be more of an Offensive Stokes who starts.

Gabby will have to have learned a lot this summer--with big front lines she was stuffed. Her jumper, mid range, 3 ball and Freethrows were missing. Her defense was freshman like (unlike Kia). I like Gabby and Sanyia and Courtney I hope, even pray that these 3 plus 2 of the 3 incoming live up to the expectations. All three have good levels of intelligence and BB IQ--it's a matter of making what they know -what they do.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I was speaking of the Stokes reign of terror on opposing defenses, obviously.

How to turn lemons into lemonade. Reins--aren't those the things the old timer drives used before self driving cars???

 

[Suebird10fan]

I was speaking of the Stokes reign of terror on opposing defenses, obviously.

Don't feel bad Sluconn. I saw the same mistake in a book yesterday.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Gabby will have to have learned a lot this summer--with big front lines she was stuffed. Her jumper, mid range, 3 ball and Freethrows were missing. Her defense was freshman like (unlike Kia).

You should watch the conference tourney final against South Florida where Geno put her on Courtney Williams in the second half and she completely shut her down.

 

[MJL243]

The thing I am looking forward to most this year is actually seeing Natalie Butler play. We have seen enough of Katie Lou and Napheesa to form an opinion on them, but there is more footage of bigfoot than there is of Natalie on the court. I hope all the good things we hear about her in practice translate to the games.

 

[HGN]

I voted 'Other'.......I think our Quality Depth is going to be the Key To Success for the coming season. With the likes of a Butler , Gabby , Chong , Collier , KLS , etc. potentially coming off the bench , the team can better weather foul trouble , injuries , or bad games by the starters.

The team is as deep as any over the last 5 years.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Ok, you guys have me convinced that my expectations for Natalie MAY be immoderate. But I do expect her to be an outstanding rebounder, however that is quantified. I accepted the idea(above) that there may be fewer offensive boards available, because the team will shoot 50% or higher. On the other hand, if the opponents shoot close to 30%, there will be MORE defensive rebounds to go around than there were at Georgetown 2 years ago.

In terms of other keys, I think the frosh may be huge. Some newbies impact games right away and some take a year or two to learn. I think that Napheesa, based largely on her motor and versatility, and Lou, based on her shot, will be impact players early on.

If Stewie, Moriah, and Morgan are actually better than last year, well, playing 5 on 5 just won't be fair.

 

[huskeynut]

All great comments.

I see three things that are needed for success:
Team chemistry - even though 4 out of 5 starters return, this is a new team and will take some time to gell.
Health - no major injuries to our starting 5
Starting 5 - Stewie, Morgan, MoJeff, Kia and Butler. Yes, at 6' 5" with rebounding prowess, Natalie starts. Also, Natalie has had a year of practice with the team. This will allow her to integrate into the starting line-up quicker than the frosh. She knows the system.

Our depth is going to be scary for opponents. Geno could play many games like ice hockey - do an entire line change!

 

[Sonny44]

I don't get no respect; only five votes for Gabby. Geno did say she was a game changer at least in one game.
I should have entitled the thread "Who" instead of "What".

 

[meyers7]

Ok, you guys have me convinced that my expectations for Natalie MAY be immoderate.

Well you're not the only one. There are a few on here that expect her to be the next coming of Charles or Dolson. That's putting some pretty damn high expectations on her. If she is, fantastic. But if she ends up being the next JMoore, I'd be very, very happy.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Well you're not the only one. There are a few on here that expect her to be the next coming of Charles or Dolson. That's putting some pretty damn high expectations on her. If she is, fantastic. But if she ends up being the next JMoore, I'd be very, very happy.

I think Natalie will be roughly like Stef in her first 2 years, not the AA Stef of her last 2 years. I think that Stef was a better passer and shooter, but Natalie is a better rebounder. Overall, I think she can be as effective as Jess.

 

[cbraarj]

IMO I see Butler being a better player than Dolson was her soph. year.She has had a year of playing against 2 of the best players in the country.This is her second year in the system and knows what is expected of her.Stokes would have played a lot more minutes if she had an offensive game.That was her fault!KLS and Collier will have better years than Nurse did this year!I still think Eckmark has the biggest improvement of the returning players!

 

[Bayareahusky]

I vote "other" .... because i think our overall success depends on large part on how improved other programs are..... I do not think we are going to slip at all....what i mean is..... dawn, muffet, holly..... etc... who will bring their team to the brink..... they all have been pretenders for a long time.....

as for focus on us..... well, i think we will do the same stellar job we always have done

 

[CocoHusky]

Stokes would have played a lot more minutes if she had an offensive game.That was her fault!

So under this theory (Stokes would have played more) who would have played less? Is it the two time POY (Stewie) or the player (Tuck) who once inserted into the starting line up brought the UCONN offense and defense to undefeated level of efficiency and should have been an AA?
Really it is Kiah fault she didn't play more? Maybe we should have asked Morgan and Stewie to be below average to get Kiah more time on the court!

 

[Sonny44]

So under this theory (Stokes would have played more) who would have played less? Is it the two time POY (Stewie) or the player (Tuck) who once inserted into the starting line up brought the UCONN offense and defense to undefeated level of efficiency and should have been an AA?
Really it is Kiah fault she didn't play more? Maybe we should have asked Morgan and Stewie to be below average to get Kiah more time on the court!

What kind of sense does that make? The best players command more minutes forcing the others into less minutes. Such is the cold hard fact of sport [and most everything else].