What's your biggest concern with this team?

[JellyBean]

Alot of very good points from a variety of posters, but one of my concerns would actually be the chemistry among our guards and small forwards. Right now, I believe Caroline gets the green light whenever she is open, and I believe Azzi will also get the same message from Geno. Now the question is, when Paige gets back, a player who has had the green light since the first time she stepped on the floor, how will they all react if they are on the floor together? Will Azzi, will Caroline, both freshmen, be reluctant to shoot, passing over good shots to allow Paige to do her thing?

This is why the sooner Paige gets back the better, not because we need her scoring, but we need her to showcase her passing skills to feed these very talented shooters. We need them to work together, play together, leard about each other's game. If they hesitate to shoot, unlike they are doing now, it will find us in the same position that we were in at the beginning of the year. Caroline, Azzi, and Christyn will be our main offensive weapons going forward from the perimeter, with Paige doing the facilitating. Obviously, her shooting will be a huge factor, but if teams focus on her, then her PG skills will be more valuable. The Bigs will be fine, they have had enough time together to gel. We can be very powerful outside, but these young players just need time to develop a good relationship on the floor for us to become a dangerous team.

Bingo!! Hit the nail on the head. Beside the inconsistency of the team, chemistry was my next concern and you covered the topic perfectly.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Paige gets back when she gets back. The team has to focus on a strategy to win assuming she's done for the year. I think they focus on improving their weakest points. Turnovers. Especially, live ones at the top of the key. Pass on an angle...not parallel to the baseline! Rebounding. Box out before you go and grab the ball. If they don't box out against TN...they will lose. Alexus Dye is a ferocious 6' rebounder. Defend...without all the fouls. A good contest will do. If they make a tough shot...move on. But don't give up the free throws and lose by a few points. AND don't take yourself out of the game!

Scoring is not an issue for me. In fact, with this team, controlling the tempo of the game is more important than the final score. A team like Depaul benefits playing fast because they want more possessions. They score a lot because within a game...because they take more shots...even if they only make an average percentage.

 

[topogigio]

Too often I see the offense, in a semi circle around the 3 point line, with their hands extended, waiting to get a pass. Nobody cutting the lane, setting screens, etc. It's very frustrating to see someone stop their dribble, and nobody moves to help.

I can't for the life of me understand the reason for that. It is not just a couple of times, it seems to be the norm. Whatever happened to moving the ball around without a dribble (pass and hard cut , screen and roll)?

 

[Conndog]

Will Azzi, will Caroline, both freshmen, be reluctant to shoot, passing over good shots to allow Paige to do her thing?

No, if they have a good shot, they should and will take it. No one should defer to Paige no matter how good she is, because a good shot is a good shot period.

 

[HopJim]

Passing. With Caroline, Fudd, and at times, CW, we finally have a team that truly runs a motion offense and gets a number of easy layups off of cuts. Nika and Evina are very mechanical in their passing with Nika in particular, often picking up her dribble and holding the ball prior to passing. Makes our offense easier to guard against, causes unnecessary turnovers and often the cause when offense slow down.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Free throw shooting, in order of number of attempted FT shots:

Evina, 72.5%, 29-40
Liv, 60.5%, 23-38
Christyn, 67.6%, 25-37
Dorka, 52.8%, 19-36
Caroline, 83.3%, 20-24
Paige, 76.9%, 10-13
Aaliyah, 81.8%, 9-11
Piath & Amari, 50.0%, 2-4 each
Azzi, no attempts

Aaliyah should go aggressively to the basket and draw a foul. Not only will the opponent’s posts get into foul trouble, Aaliyah will get some free points and perhaps bolster her confidence

UConn has some horrible stats for teams getting fouled, meaning they are not getting fouled enough. Below are the team rankings, for all 356 D1 teams. Ex: UConn ranks 303 of 356 D1 teams in FT made. I dont recall past UConn teams being that low. I also put the same stats from Liv's freshman year below the current teams stats. The 18-19 team was in the top 25 in each category vs the current team being around 300 in each category.

Free Throws Made		303 / 356
Free Throws Attempted		297 / 356
Free Throw Trips		299 / 356

2018-19 FT stats

Free Throws Made		15 / 351
Free Throws Attempted		25 / 351
Free Throw Trips		23 / 351

​

 

[NU2BY]

...and finding Caroline on time.

Yes, and adding Azzi to that now as well. To this point in the season Caroline could easily be averaging 6-10 more points per game, providing her teammates would pass her the ball when she's actually open. She almost always is instantly open when she cuts through the key. But by the time her teammates recognize her (if they do at all) the moment has passed. That I don't understand. The same goes for when she's standing in the wing or corner wide open. Liv (who I've never thought much of until this season) as done a very good job not only in passing to her, but in recognizing her worth and value to this team. Things will change if and when Paige is able to return. My hope is that coach plays her in her natural position as the PG, because she will definitely get people the ball when they're open. Everything keys off of Paige's return.

 

[Monte]

Consistency: in playing up to their potential.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Yes, and adding Azzi to that now as well. To this point in the season Caroline could easily be averaging 6-10 more points per game, providing her teammates would pass her the ball when she's actually open.

Yea verily! Sometimes it appears some seniors don't to pass to her.

 

[Longtime fan]

For me, it's the inexplicable unforced errors, in the form of turnovers, missed layups, missed free throws, and stupid fouls - like when Liv brings her arm down on a player after successfully contesting a shot.

I would have included outside shooting, but now that Azzi is back she's already making everybody better in that regard.

If this team could just just take care of these things to the level of normal program standards, I feel like they'd be virtually unbeatable.

I find myself in Boston's category. Some of the passing has been 8th grade-ish: telegraphed and easily picked off, or thrown into a crowd of hands ( pass never should have been made ). There have been mis-communications where the ball is thrown away from where the player is cutting. Lots of late decisions ( eg a player gets wide open on a pick and roll ,but the pass not delivered in the " time window for success" ). Missed lay-ups have been a plague for some players. ( Edwards, etc ). And free throws are still an issue. Mis-handling of passes and rebounds. In the half court offense, some players are picking up their dribble too soon, and without a clear planB. And, of course, the shooting has been lame ( Liv had one good game with 12-14 footers; Westbrook seems to have lost confidence in her three point shot; Edwards is hopeless. Dorka is inconsistent. And, until recently, Caroline has been off the mark from distance. Muhl getting her shot back ( we have never seen how good it might become), and AZZI is in a different league. As is you know who.

 

[Rixxx]

Yea verily! Sometimes it appears some seniors don't to pass to her.

Speaking of not passing, it concerns me that we have had numerous players post up hard and not receive the ball. Dorka, in particular.

 

[LoboDays]

…….That we don’t see this again with 40 seconds left in a game that had long since been decided.

 

[JamesinGR]

Mental toughness and free throw shooting.

 

[Cuango]

Edwards has very little understanding of post defense. She'd foul out in less than a quarter.

If she is at a disadvantage on defense then she needs to punish Morrow on offense! Not sure she can but that would go a long way toward neutralizing that mismatch.

 

[NU2BY]

…….That we don’t see this again with 40 seconds left in a game that had long since been decided.

Oh, give it a rest! It would have been better had this happened in the first quarter? Injuries are a part of the game. They can happen on the floor, in practice, on the way onto the gym floor and when leaving. I believe it was simply a time bomb waiting to happen and could have happened at anytime, anywhere, doing anything.

 

[Cuango]

Another thought on Liv. I would love to see her get the ball and automatically turn to basket and shoot. At times, it seems to me that she is too deliberate with trying to back her person down or use footwork to pivot and get closer to basket, this gives defense time to double-team her. She is 6'5 and can turn into basket quickly and just shoot. If she is near enough to the basket, her defender is probably inside the restricted circle where any contact should be an automatic foul and not offensive foul. When she gets the ball low with a good entry pass, have Dorka/Aaliyah and Caroline head to basket for possible rebound if shot misses or pass from Liv if she is double-teamed. This can be designed play especially if other team's center is starting to get into foul trouble.

Really sad (and inexplicable) that she (Liv) never developed a hook shot!

 

[LoboDays]

Oh, give it a rest! It would have been better had this happened in the first quarter? Injuries are a part of the game. They can happen on the floor, in practice, on the way onto the gym floor and when leaving. I believe it was simply a time bomb waiting to happen and could have happened at anytime, anywhere, doing anything.

Maybe it could of happened anywhere but it didn’t. It happened on the floor to a super star who should have been on the bench. A lesson that the coach needs to learn.

 

[NU2BY]

Maybe it could of happened anywhere but it didn’t. It happened on the floor to a super star who should have been on the bench. A lesson that the coach needs to learn.

Totally disagree and our coach, has forgotten more about the game, than most of us have ever learned! He had his reasons for leaving her and others in games when sideline "bench jockeys" want to complain about it. Yes, it would be nice to see the reserves get more playing time in blow out games, but he doesn't think so. You can't (or at least shouldn't) argue with his success.

 

[LoboDays]

Totally disagree and our coach, has forgotten more about the game, than most of us have ever learned! He had his reasons for leaving her and others in games when sideline "bench jockeys" want to complain about it. Yes, it would be nice to see the reserves get more playing time in blow out games, but he doesn't think so. You can't (or at least shouldn't) argue with his success.

Isn’t there something in the Bible about worshiping false gods? I’m not arguing about his success. He’s a instant Hall of Fame coach. But, he is also human. He makes mistakes. And, he did.

 

[NU2BY]

Isn’t there something in the Bible about worshiping false gods? I’m not arguing about his success. He’s a instant Hall of Fame coach. But, he is also human. He makes mistakes. And, he did.

I'm not worshipping anyone; how did you get that from what I said? You and some others on here seem to think that coach is the cause of Paige's injury and that ridiculous! Let's say for the moment Paige was on the bench with whatever time was left in the game. Leaving the court or in the shower she slips and causes this injury. I know people like you would find a way to blame coach. Rubbish, I'm done with this conversation!

 

[MD#12Fan]

We are poor at covering dribble penetration. This breaks down the defense for easy hoops and puts our bigs in vulnerable positions.
IMO one reason we can't cover it is because we rarely do it ourselves, so we don't practice it. It was nice to see CW make a couple of strong drives versus DePaul. Caroline looks to drive as well, probably most effective baseline. Need more from E and Nika. Our bigs could be more versatile, especially AE. The passing game with no dribble penetration stagnates against bigger, stronger teams, such as AZ or SC.

 

[LoboDays]

Let's say for the moment Paige was on the bench with whatever time was left in the game. Leaving the court or in the shower she slips and causes this injury. I know people like you would find a way to blame coach. Rubbish,

Let’s say that that Noah didn’t forget to put two Unicorns on the Ark. would they be some schools mascot? Why the need for “let say’s” when the facts are right on front of you. Our best player went under the knife because the coach left her in a game that had already been decided. No let say…….fact. They should have sent him the surgery bill.

 

[Alydar]

With so many different lineups over the past few months its hard to gain consistency continuity confidence and poise. Now that Azzi and Christyn are back we can once again learn to play together as a team. This is a different UConn team with Azzi back as well as having Caroline and Dorka up to speed. As a team we will now begin to learn to play together again and how many time with the different lineups have we had to do that.

What I would like to see is improvement and more playtime for Amari and Paith as these next few games should allow that. We will need Amari and Paith later in the season and we need them to be ready. More passing and less turnovers. I would also like to see our bigs go to the basket a little more stronger. Lastly I would like to hear some good news on when Paige will be back and Im hoping shes back for the Tenn game.

Love the first paragraph.

While it's nice to have your 4th & 5th post players ready to step in when needed. A nice idea when 1-3 are an integrated and efficient group but right now it's a lot more important to have 1,2&3 learning to play together, not only with each other but with the returning backcourt. They need the minutes more than the 2 you mentioned.

 

[BobbyJ]

If she is at a disadvantage on defense then she needs to punish Morrow on offense! Not sure she can but that would go a long way toward neutralizing that mismatch.

That would be great but she's just not equipped to do that yet.

 

[NU2BY]

Love the first paragraph.

While it's nice to have your 4th & 5th post players ready to step in when needed. A nice idea when 1-3 are an integrated and efficient group but right now it's a lot more important to have 1,2&3 learning to play together, not only with each other but with the returning backcourt. They need the minutes more than the 2 you mentioned.

Absolutely, and so many people on here have no conception of this. They don't understand why coach leaves his starters in the game longer than they think necessary. It just points out how much these people don't know about basketball, the reasoning and thinking of the most successful coach in WCBB. They don't understand that players need as much time as possible working together in game situations, against unfamiliar foes, instead of just in practice against your reserves and/or the practice squad Geno and his staff put together.

 

[The deacon]

Yea verily! Sometimes it appears some seniors don't to pass to her.

I agree with you and NU2BY, and I'd add that Nika also has shown reluctance or inability to find Caroline with passes whenshe's open either in a corner or more often posting up down low. Most of her passes come from Liv and Dorka.

 

[Oracle9]

I'm concerned with (1) mental wellness - to be going through what this team has been it definitely has not been for the faint of heart UConn or no.. Geno said it's been hell. He himself said he has never been through anything like this. Each player of course processes adversity different- there has been some unrealistic sentiments out there about sucking it up, gut check, and what not. It's not that simple. I know that the coaching staff has the support mechanisms in place for such issues and will provide as needed. The weight has been visible with some, E has been struggling with the situation it's worn her a bit including unhappiness with her production. Azzi was a Deer in headlights in the beginning - from professional experience I think part of her recovery was to give her time to process and be mentally locked in- look at her performance and listen to what she said when asked about returning she doesn't really speak to her injury more to her state of mind. Ono has been interesting she has responded better than I expected. CW still requires assurance and prodding but hopefully she'll become a little more consistent. AE is in the middle of a confidence crisis for whatever reason she's battling, but I believe she'll breakthrough, I think Geno knows it and is being patient with her. IMO that Depaul game, just in how they won will pay divends going forward- nothing with x's and o's just the positive dynamics it will afford the Team.

(2) Senior Leadership not trying to be too harsh so I'm not even going to do the comparison with past Seniors. Let's just leave it there - lacking. I hope it changes but for now it is what is.

(3) Turnovers (the details) and Defense needs work it can be better. I think it will get better. As Geno said recently (paraphrasing) he expects inconsistencies here and there but he doesn't want there to be a sharp drop off whenever they hit a snag. I agree. That's MHO, I like our chances moving forward with Caroline's rise, Azzi and Nika's return has provided a tremendous boost to the team prospects but also to morale- can' t underestimate that. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and Paige returns soon, it's going to gangbusters. See yah in March!

 

[AzzisBraids]

Free throw shooting, in order of number of attempted FT shots:

Evina, 72.5%, 29-40
Liv, 60.5%, 23-38
Christyn, 67.6%, 25-37
Dorka, 52.8%, 19-36
Caroline, 83.3%, 20-24
Paige, 76.9%, 10-13
Aaliyah, 81.8%, 9-11
Piath & Amari, 50.0%, 2-4 each
Azzi, no attempts

Aaliyah should go aggressively to the basket and draw a foul. Not only will the opponent’s posts get into foul trouble, Aaliyah will get some free points and perhaps bolster her confidence

Azzi not having any attempts is a tragedy. She's the best free throw shooter on this team. She needs to be more aggressive posy-injury because fouls on her are the easiest 2 points UConn will see.

 

[Shenandoah]

No, if they have a good shot, they should and will take it. No one should defer to Paige no matter how good she is, because a good shot is a good shot period.

That, IMHO, was exactly the problem before Paige got hurt, and in the first few games after.