The one thing I couldn't possibly have predicted, despite her being my favorite player on the current squad, is how much Kia has stepped into a leadership role and how soon she did it. I knew it would happen eventually, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. But she's out there screaming for them, keeping the energy up when she can, and she's always one of the most encouraging players on and off the court. Watching her in warmups and seeing how she's really transitioned into a new role with encouraging the younger ones and keeping everyone together is a really nice thing to see. I can't remember what thread it was on, but someone said that no one cares more about this team than Kia... and I'm really inclined to agree. She's stepped up. Her offensive start was slow and her defense wasn't entirely up to par with what we grew used to seeing from her last season, but she's become a team leader and team encourager when they needed it the most. Her fire and drive must be contagious - I wish I had someone like that on all of my teams growing up. I only expect it to get better from here.
And like so many other people, I wasn't expecting them to be this calm under pressure. Knowing what we know how about what Geno said during that first TO... they looked incredibly calm when they fought back, and that's impressive - at least to me. I was expecting some major growing pains, and while we have seen them in flashes, they're much more minor than what I anticipated. The transition hasn't been flawless, but they're playing better basketball as a team than I expected them to in late November / early December.
This year has already been quite surprising and very exciting. I'm personally excited to see what else they're able to do as they continue to settle into their roles and become even more comfortable with one another. Especially as the freshman progress!
StephStorrs - I enjoyed reading your post. Allow me to piggyback on your thoughts here about team leadership. If you're a member of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, at some point during your 4 year stay, you're expected to become a team leader in some capacity. The coaches expect the
seniors on the team to rise to the occasion, and assume team leadership. Most of the time the seniors do in fact accept and take on that role. Keep in mind that you're only a leader if people will follow you. There are two types of leaders, appointed and natural.
Sometimes however, a player is just not cut out for leadership. It's not in their DNA. I'll go back two years to
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and
Kiah Stokes. Both were seniors, neither were leaders. They did not want the responsibility, and neither had the personality of a leader. Geno knew this. He called
Morgan Tuck into his office and told her he was looking for a team leader that year. He (knowing his players) thought she would be an excellent leader the next two years. He was right. She accepted the challenge. The team followed Morgan.
Last year,
Tuck,
Brianna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson (as seniors) took on the role of team leaders. All 3 had the respect of the staff and players. They knew exactly what Geno wanted and expected from the team. They saw to it he got it. A leader is out front, leading by example, they did, all the way to the national championship game in Indianapolis.
This year,
Saniya Chong and
Tierney Lawlor are the two seniors. Neither are leaders. They know it, the team knows it, the staff knows it. So you go to the next class (the Juniors) to find a possible leader(s). Enter
Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams and
Katie Lou Samuelson. All three have the respect of the team, and the personality to be leaders. Sometimes a player will step out on their own and assume the role, sometimes they are asked or coaxed by a coach. Kia is a team player. She sees what's going on on the court and in the locker room.
Don't be surprised that Kia has stepped up and assumed that leadership role. It needed to be filled. She stepped up and assumed the challenge. Lou and Gabby have also stepped up and embraced the role of a team leader. Geno has said:
"The fans don't really know our players. They only see them for the 40 minutes they're out on the court. They don't see them in practice like we do. They don't see them behind the scenes like we do. We know what's going on with our team.
We see and know things about our team the fans will never know". As fans, we know enough about the team that we can tell who the leaders are. We don't have to be "insiders" to know that.
The three juniors have stepped up and assumed team leadership roles. Call it a rite of passage, call it a call to duty, call it anything you want. They are this year's (and next year's) team leaders. The 2016-2017 UConn women's basketball team is in good hands, and off to an incredible start. A team still searching for it's identity. An identity they will find somewhere on the road to Dallas in April. If things continue as they are, if this team can maintain it's dominance and poise under pressure, this could turn out to be an historic season in UConn lore in more ways than one.
