What makes Caroline special?

[OviedoFLHusky]

She's in the game every minute. Look at her face ... her expression rarely if ever changes except when she's congratulating a teammate. Otherwise, she's totally deadpan, emotionless and very serious. One of the things I absolutely love about this girl is something oldude pointed out earlier this season. He (basically) said she has no memory and therefore plays without fear of making a mistake or missing a shot. What a rare jewel we have in Caroline Ducharme!

To me, Caroline's approach to the game is very mature, especially for a freshman. Not that her game itself is mature - this thread and others mention areas where she could improve - but the lack of fear, the no-nonsense approach, the focus and competitive intensity, all speak to a maturity that is so impressive to watch. Her maturity, together with her BB talent and IQ, makes her the steal of her class. I'm so glad she chose UConn!

 

[freekimchee]

I just find it so satisfying to watch a UConn player NOT afraid to shoot regardless of the situation. Fearless and that running floater of hers is so much fun to watch. Not worried about the threes one bit.

We really lucked out and I am so glad she hung in there.

Even when Ducharme started to draw interest from bigger schools, specifically UConn, they didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for her. When Auriemma talked to her, he made it clear that he wanted her at UConn but wasn’t sure if he had the roster spot.

“I had to say to her a couple times, ‘Listen, we have no idea what our situation is. We have no idea what our scholarship situation is or where we are and if you know if you can hang in there with us, I think it’s going to work out great. But if you need to make a decision and go someplace, I truly understand,’” Auriemma said.

SB Nation article here

I remember during one of the USA U16(?) tryouts a young Ducharme showed up wearing UConn gear. It's just meant to be.

 

[Surly1]

I like all the attributes previously stated, but there is another which she can attain but needs a little work on it first. This is her defense. She blocks shots, she gets rebounds, all true, but I think right now her weakness on D is that her opponent often seems able to get past her. I don't know if she has to develop quicker feet (is this possible?), or if she needs to alter her initial position when guarding someone so she can move faster to still stay between them and the basket. A lot of really good defenders seem to stand a little sideways to their opponent so they can move quickly at least in one direction. Paige, for example, is an exceptional defender (what can't she do?) and seems to anticipate and move with her opponent to always be in their way. A lot of the time Caroline is able to make up for her opponent getting past her by blocking their shot, but usually this is against someone much shorter than her.

Caroline is a great player, I always wanted her in the game early in the season so she could get acclimated, and look what has resulted. She is someone whose defense could improve and most likely will. What an asset for the team!

That is a great point you made. For most freshmen, especially those who were stars in high school, defense typically lags behind offense. Caroline happens to have a couple of advantages in her favor that will enable her to improve her individual defense. Her size, long arms, conditioning and her competitiveness will translate to becoming a better defensive player moving forward.

I would think it safe to state that her play has exceeded most of our expectations this season. Obviously, she has benefited from the rash on injuries, becoming an integral piece. To her benefit, she has seized the reins.

Not to nitpick, but as another poster mentioned, I’d like to see Caroline forego some of her 3-pt attempts in favor of putting it on the floor for pull up jumper. In fact, I’d like to see more players take less 3’s and attempt the 15 - 18 ft shots. We have missed watching Paige executing her textbook, deadly jumper. In today’s game, there are a lot of players who could expand their game by including it more. It gives the defense more to worry about and provides a little more space to get a clean look when attempting a thre.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Video's not mine:

 

[Conndog]

Wow!

 

[Scud49]

As others have said, she's always moving - so reminiscent of John Havlicek. Havlicek was a scorer, not a pure shooter, she seems to be in the same mold. She even runs like him without the ball....! With her rebounding and defense, I'm just thrilled with her and her great contributions thus far to a tough and challenging season.

 

[Blueballer]

Not in order…

High BB IQ
Under control almost all the time
Excellent shooter
Really good footwork down low
Never stops moving

This is may favorite concise summary and I would add to the list her "Mindset". Above IQ this is her internal drive and willingness to take on a challenge. Mental toughness. Others would say "Grit".

 

[JellyBean]

Caroline has a high basketball IQ. Just putting it out there. She just has that ability to pick up on small cues during the game and takes advantage of those cues. For example, the backdoor plays. When over played or her defender has that lead foot over the three-point line, aka the "Read Line", Caroline is able to read that and go back door and Liv/Dorka/AE hits her with a nice bounce or overhead pass. Also, another IQ moment, Caroline is always in motion. She never stands still. Just in constant motion.

 

[ABCDFE]

Everyone has pretty much said it. Caroline Ducharme doesn't have a lot of wasted motion, she doesn't over dribble, doesn't hold the ball too long and is deliberate with her moves. She is constantly moving and she plays good defense, where she isn't a liability and she can anticipate because she has high basketball IQ. The one thing I've been amazed at is how many ways she can score. Because of this versatility, I believe that she will be starting when both Paige and Azzi come back, she's just too valuable and now opposing teams know this and still can't stop her. St. John's coach said it already that they were worried about Caroline and yet she goes and scores 28 in a variety of ways. Will be so fun to see Paige and Caroline Ducharme together.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Caroline's overall game is solid and that takes effort. This girl has already overcome an ACL and a dislocated shoulder and went on to score over 2000 points in high school. She was under rated from day one. Sometimes overcoming adversity is what makes the bedouin a better fighter. Failure is not an option. She's spent time in the valley of death and overcome it. That builds a ton of confidence and the ability to perform under pressure.

She obviously has a solid motor. 40 minutes and she's still running. And able to convert even after that workload. She is great at finishing at the rim and that takes both touch and technique, which takes practice. She has that New England protestant work ethic. Hard scrabble farm land and small plots.

We haven't seen her shooting touch yet from outside to the level I think we will see it but I do agree on the pull ups. It's an important part of her game she should continue to work on because everyone is going to think she is taking it to the hoop. BTW, Azzi used to have a great pull up game also but we haven't seen it yet at the college level.

I agree that she's a solid 3 but the key to her game is the movement. Notice that St John's had Correa on her most of the game. She makes the other team work as well.

She'd be leading the Big East in FT % if she had enough attempts. Again, her overall game is solid.

Smaller, shorter guards can potentially run by her but she moves her feet pretty well and is a solid defender overall. I'll take that same match up any day of the week on the other end of the floor. She's not optimized to guard Park Lane but she did a decent job on Correa recently. As well as anyone. Nika struggled with her as she is clearly a talent. I think if you watch her closely her defense on a play by play basis is better than people think. Often she just puts enough pressure on the opposing player to make her miss, without fouling her. She rarely gets into foul trouble. She cheats off her man a lot and that burns her some but she is good at intercepting passing lanes and pressuring shots, and p[ositioning herself for rebounds. It's tough for her to defend against the 3 and still be positioned to stop the dribble but overall I think she makes judicious choices there. A top 3 point shooting team could hurt her though.

What no one is talking about her is that she is a team player. In a way similar to Dorka. She will do anything to help her team win and she doesn't require being the top scorer. If she is not shooting well we won't see her putting up 15 misses usually. She is fine with other people scoring, if they are scoring!

Malcolm Gladwell has a theory where you have to do something 20,000 times to become excellent. Some of these girls take over 100,000 shots a year. You can see that Caroline has groomed herself for basketball her entire life. She has achieved excellence and she's not done yet.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Another thing. She receives the ball in shooting position well. She positions herself to be in a position to score immediately. She thinks all the time. Sometimes I think that hurts her when she shoots from a standing position but she's ready to shoot what she gets the ball. She needs to be in automatic mode more while shooting but I love how she positions herself to score immediately before she recieves the ball. She's fundamentally very strong.

 

[hard2please]

she reminds me so much of john havlicek: steady, clutch, reserved, always moving.

 

[JJTB]

Fundamentally sound
Not afraid of the moment
Offensive versatility
Quick learner
Coachable

 

[SallyH]

Not in order…

High BB IQ
Under control almost all the time
Excellent shooter
Really good footwork down low
Never stops moving

Never stops moving is the key.

 

[Tonyc]

I guess we can all agree she is really good and gonna be a 1st Team AA along with Paige and Azzi. Caroline is at a different level as is Paige and Azzi will be there too. With the recruits coming in and our current roster this team will set new UConn records.

 

[tjhusky]

She is the model for what Geno wants his players to be, basketball players. Not shooters, passers, rebounders, slashers. She does all of those things and from there Geno and coaches can help her perfect those skills.
But she also has qualities that many folks have pointed out. BB IQ but also sees the court and can feel what is going on around her. Like Paige can see where to pass the ball, but Caroline know where to be and get to the right spot on offense, defense, rebounding, wherever she needs to be to make the play.

Above all she appears laid back but she is super competitive and hates to lose. She is Geno’s type of player .

 

[Discograd]

Simple. She is not intimidated for a freshman.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

She is not afraid to play the game.

I would say it a little differently. She is a no nonsense personality who goes hard at what she is after.

 

[Woof 101]

One of the things KLS did not do was rebound. On that team that wasn't her role, nor was it basically throughout her entire career here.

No spitting match with you @NU2BY or @PvP I will not get in the middle on KLS. Having said that your comment on rebounding is hard to understand. No attack, but in basketball it is every players job to rebound. Note at 5'11" Paige is our third leading re-bounder.
It comes down to tenacity, drive and ball trajectory anticipation ability.
Back to the OP's topic Caroline has it on both ends of the floor and applies it. The rest has been stated by many above.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[TCC Kid]

One of the few positives coming out of this challenging season is the play of Caroline D.
The minutes she is playing, would never have materialized without the injuries. Other than Paige last year, she has been one of the most impressive freshman we have had in awhile.
It's often said that she moves well without the ball. I think it's more than that.
Her hands are excellent, when she posts down low, even if she is covered, she catches the ball and puts the ball in the basket, more often than not.
Also, she can make baskets while she is moving...this is not common. Coming off screens, driving to the basket, pulling up....she doesn't have to be set to score......this is really a skill most don't have ( Paige exception)
With an improvement in her "handle", this player has a really high ceiling.

What makes Caroline so special: Let's start from the beginning, Her Parents. They did a great job with her and the let Caroline be Caroline. Then she had great coaching in HS and in College. Her parent gave her the confidence she has. She learned how good she could be and GENO allowed her the freedom to shoot when the shot presented itself. When your parent and your coaches believe in you, your confidence rises. Confidence, Geno will tell you, is a players greatest asset.

 

[TCC Kid]

How much fun it is to have so many of us trying to describe just what it is that Caroline brings to the court. The cool thing is we all appreciate it and are thankful for the serendipitous turn of events that allowed her to show her stuff (even while ruing Paige's absence).

I have a couple of close friends who get to see very few Huskies games and yet are big fans. After watching her methodically take apart the St. John's defense (as she has Louisville's and numerous others'), I realized how I need to describe her: Caroline is the most unspectacular outstanding player I've seen in many a year, a joy to watch if you're a basketball purist.

So few Purist left, it became a dirty word. Nice to know another.

 

[connie]

but her long arms and proficiency off the glass is as good as anyone UConn has had in many years.

Exactly. Naphesa immediately comes to mind, for this and other reasons. Not sure Caroline will ever become the rebounding machine and blocking machine that Naphesa was. But in terms of efficiency of movement, reading the ball off the glass, variety of shots around the rim, footwork, work ethic, maturity and (especially) temperament, the similarities are rather striking. That Caroline has a 3 pt shot that Naphesa never had at this stage in her development makes Caroline’s play all the more remarkable.

 

[NU2BY]

No spitting match with you @NU2BY or @PvP I will not get in the middle on KLS. Having said that your comment on rebounding is hard to understand. No attack, but in basketball it is every players job to rebound. Note at 5'11" Paige is our third leading re-bounder.
It comes down to tenacity, drive and ball trajectory anticipation ability.
Back to the OP's topic Caroline has it on both ends of the floor and applies it. The rest has been stated by many above.

KLS primary job on that team was to do exactly what she did, roam the 3pt line and do what she did best ... shoot and make 3s. I'm quite sure I know at least as much about the game of basketball and player responsibilities as you do.

 

[CTisballers]

She’s FEARLESS confidence is through the ROOF BUCKET getter BASKETBALL player. Next FRESHMEN of the YEAR