When the stars sit…

[Bone Dog]

Teams tend to struggle when their best players are not on the floor. When Paige sat— even last season — the team was notably diminished. Sarah and Azzi stepped into that role this season, and when either of them sit, we might expect the team to be noticeably less dominant. No surprises here.

Well… last game, Sarah sat it out, resting on the bench next to Blanca. We all breathed easier to see Azzi play like a superstar in the first half. “Surely, Azzi will carry the team,” we all said to ourselves. And Azzi was brilliant. Then Geno sat her down for most of the second half and… guess what happened. Kelis played 14 minutes!!! And the team didn’t stumble.

Yes, a few defensive assignments were missed and at one point Butler scored 7 quick points. Still, on the whole the offense and defense were still dominating. It was only against Butler, I realize. And yet, I can’t help thinking this game was a huge shot in the arm for the team. The defense was crushing with Azzi on the floor, and almost as crushing (for the most part) even when she sat.

The key players were KK Ash Kayleigh and Allie. No surprises there. Serah and Jana had a hand in the rout too. Could they replicate this dominance against the better teams in the BE, like Villanova or St John’s or Creighton or Marquette? Hmmmm. I wonder. I wouldn’t be surprised if Geno is curious too.

 

[jabstep]

I have seen big improvements in Jana, Allie, KK and introduction to K9 abilities. Kellis is also learning the UConn offense. She is a drive to the hoop and score or kickout point guard and now she is trying to find how her style works within the offense. We finally have depth to overcome some injuries at all positions. Our depth and defense should be our constant from here and continued improvement from others beside Sarah and Azzi.

 

[Longtime fan]

Teams tend to struggle when their best players are not on the floor. When Paige sat— even last season — the team was notably diminished. Sarah and Azzi stepped into that role this season, and when either of them sit, we might expect the team to be noticeably less dominant. No surprises here.

Well… last game, Sarah sat it out, resting on the bench next to Blanca. We all breathed easier to see Azzi play like a superstar in the first half. “Surely, Azzi will carry the team,” we all said to ourselves. And Azzi was brilliant. Then Geno sat her down for most of the second half and… guess what happened. Kelis played 14 minutes!!! And the team didn’t stumble.

Yes, a few defensive assignments were missed and at one point Butler scored 7 quick points. Still, on the whole the offense and defense were still dominating. It was only against Butler, I realize. And yet, I can’t help thinking this game was a huge shot in the arm for the team. The defense was crushing with Azzi on the floor, and almost as crushing (for the most part) even when she sat.

The key players were KK Ash Kayleigh and Allie. No surprises there. Serah and Jana had a hand in the rout too. Could they replicate this dominance against the better teams in the BE, like Villanova or St John’s or Creighton or Marquette? Hmmmm. I wonder. I wouldn’t be surprised if Geno is curious too.

Kelis is fun too watch. She drives to the hoop even faster than Kaleigh ( which seems impossible ) and converts impossible layups, as does Kaleigh. Her defense is improving and that may be why she got the extra minutes. Ha she made an outside shot yet? I don't remember one. Something to work on. Speaking of which, KK's outside shooting has improved a lot. She is becoming a threat to leave "unguarded" out there.

 

[Glenn]

Well it was good traing for the end of the bench. But we were far from "dominating" we did lose the fourth quarter.

 

[Tonyc]

Yesterday we saw confidence building in each and every one. Kayleigh KK with pull up jumpers was great to see, Again no hesitation and they did it without worry all confidence. Jana ruled inside another good sign. Kellis looked very good. Allie is a star in the making. Shes gonna be big come March.

 

[Next 12]

Yesterday we saw confidence building in each and every one. Kayleigh KK with pull up jumpers was great to see, Again no hesitation and they did it without worry all confidence. Jana ruled inside another good sign. Kellis looked very good. Allie is a star in the making. Shes gonna be big come March.

This team is in pristine readiness for the up-coming tournament. I expect ten healthy players to be ready and able to defend OUR TITLE from last year.Again, this team believes in itself and is ready.Who can deny Uconn's supremacy and defense? NO_ONE!!! Women's basketball over the last 15 years has progressed exponentially for the better THANKS to Uconn. Get better or fall behind. GO HUSKIES!!!!!

 

[Rowdy831]

Yesterday we saw confidence building in each and every one. Kayleigh KK with pull up jumpers was great to see, Again no hesitation and they did it without worry all confidence. Jana ruled inside another good sign. Kellis looked very good. Allie is a star in the making. Shes gonna be big come March.

Kellis is going to be a star before she done. She has that odd trait where she looks like she isn't moving very fast but she is beating all the other players to the spot. I really like her game and when her defense gets a little better she will be a great asset. When you look at who will replace Azzi next year I don't think it will be a player swap but rather a team dynamic and my vote there goes to Kellis.

 

[Longtime fan]

Kellis is going to be a star before she done. She has that odd trait where she looks like she isn't moving very fast but she is beating all the other players to the spot. I really like her game and when her defense gets a little better she will be a great asset. When you look at who will replace Azzi next year I don't think it will be a player swap but rather a team dynamic and my vote there goes to Kellis.

No one can replace AZZI. She is this year's glue; this year's sure thing; this year's leader. Sarah is a brilliant player, but I don't know if even she can replace AZZI. Next season will be like a " start over" after the Paige and AZZI eras. A new beginning with lots of talent and experience, but a start over nonetheless.

 

[DaddyChoc]

KK will be the vocal leader next year and Im sure Strong will be too... she'll def mature after this season

 

[OldSchooler]

Story of the first half was Sarah's funk. Very unusual for Ms. Consistency. But a simple adjustment at halftime, moving her from high post to low post, worked wonders.

 

[JellyBean]

Well said. When stars sit, there is an adjustment and the rhythm is off in terms of offensive and defensive rotations and flow. Players are adjusting to their roles and then you throw in nervousness and constantly worrying about other things out there on the floor, it throws your game off a lot.

 

[browns]

No one can replace AZZI. She is this year's glue; this year's sure thing; this year's leader. Sarah is a brilliant player, but I don't know if even she can replace AZZI. Next season will be like a " start over" after the Paige and AZZI eras. A new beginning with lots of talent and experience, but a start over nonetheless.

Azzi is having a great year but she still can't do the things that SS can do..that's why she will be the NPOY

 

[Bone Dog]

I think folks should include Azzi in all their pronouncements about who carries the team. Azzi dos this as much as Sarah does. We have twin foundation stones for this powerhouse — notice I don’t say twin towers, because they aren’t that tall, though they’re towering talents. We’re just spoiled by having seen Azzi play longer and already had high expectations. Sarah is the surprise we found under the tree last Christmas and we still haven’t gotten over it.

But my concern in this thread is what the rotation players can do when the superstars have to sit. Yesterday, KK scored 10 points with 9 assists. First day without her fingers taped up. For all their miscues, Kayleigh Ash and Allie kept Marquette off balance. Without them, Marquette might have mounted a sustained challenge. They didn't, largely because those 4 made it impossible.

For fans, one danger of having superstars is they shine so bright we sometimes fail to see how awesome the other stars are.

 

[cleobel60]

KK will be the vocal leader next year and Im sure Strong will be too... she'll def mature after this season

I agree 100%. KK, is simply the best defender on the team and gets better each season. She needs to develop a good jump shot, and work harder to improve weakness in her shooting overall. With Azzi leaving, we are going to need more scoring than ever.

 

[Woof]

Kellis is going to be a star before she done. She has that odd trait where she looks like she isn't moving very fast but she is beating all the other players to the spot. I really like her game and when her defense gets a little better she will be a great asset. When you look at who will replace Azzi next year I don't think it will be a player swap but rather a team dynamic and my vote there goes to Kellis.

The most similar comparison for a freshman is Brianna Banks.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I agree 100%. KK, is simply the best defender on the team and gets better each season. She needs to develop a good jump shot, and work harder to improve weakness in her shooting overall. With Azzi leaving, we are going to need more scoring than ever.

I think Bianca will take up the slack!

 

[Pharos]

I agree 100%. KK, is simply the best defender on the team and gets better each season. She needs to develop a good jump shot, and work harder to improve weakness in her shooting overall. With Azzi leaving, we are going to need more scoring than ever.

KK has begun to take the "Paige-ly midrange" shot, and that WORKS!