ICE has improved and has clearly established a " leap " in her fitness level. It remains to
Agreed. Two areas for Ice to improve are strong posting up for entry passes and gym work on eye hand coordination to reduce the fumbling, she does when accepting passes. A third area is better rebounding positioning. Jana is big and plays big. Our bigs coach needs to coach them up better. All our bigs need to improve their outlet passes after defensive rebounding. Look downcourt or sideline for our breaking guards, not a backcourt handoff all the time.
I don’t think you sit Jana either! Based upon the one game we’ve had so far, Jana is the better player in my opinion, certainly has a higher ceiling. But there is no requirement that the starter has to play more minutes!
Re pace of play and outlet passes, your post does not take into account that Geno instructed the team to take its foot off the accelerator in the second half. Against such an overmatched opponent, it's better to work on half court sets than literally run up the score.
I assume you meant WCBB not WBB
Geno has changed his approach through the years, though. He's no longer benching freshmen like Diana & Maya but putting players like Paige & Sarah in from Day 1. I think the last few years have been illuminating with all the injuries and being forced to rethink lineups. Freshmen like Caroline, Azzi, and Ashlynn have made him realize important weapons were being held back.
He started Rebecca and Jen R from day 1.
Huh? You were able to glean this how? Through the view of all of 2 games? Ice has played a grand total of 42 minutes in the exhibition and opener. I am not saying she is NOT in shape but there is no evidence her fitness level has had a leap. Her BU game was marred by missed passes and effectual shooting (once again) but she was much better on the defensive end. Ice still needs to show better on the offensive side of the ball, both in the paint and on the mid-range jumper and to stop taking 3 pt shots, we have better options for those.
The slowdown in the 2nd half was by design. Geno stated in the postgame that with the lead he wanted to experiment with the half court offense and try different combinations of players.
It is clear KK is the PG of the future, but numbers wise this year, Geno probably prefers a 5th year player (Chen) over a sophomore to start. I believe KK is okay with this because she started last year and still will have two more years to be the starter. This will be an embarrassment of riches if they can all remain healthy once everyone gets back. Certainly, a good problem to have.
Make Math Great Again!I was practicing “fuzzy math.”
It was by design, but it seemed to wind down to a crawl. And sometimes sloppy. Hopefully they can take their foot of the pedal, but still keep it on cruise control of 50 instead of 80.
I agree, it was difficult to watch. Apparently a half court needs a director, initiator, Paige type player more so than a full court press/transition type of offense. Perhaps Azzi when she returns?
Understandable because the first priority in practices so far has been fast play chemistry and coordination and defense (including switching, pressing, etc) so, they have to now work more on half-court play
That's too late.....she needs to have lots of game time with the other starters to ensure syncing.....no problem with Paige but the other three are new to her in game conditions. Coordination is not just offense, as important as that is, but more so on defense where a lot of read and react decisions and switching are done and split second timing is crucial.
Completely agree. Azzi’s projected to return in early December. She’s made some noises about returning in late November. I suspect she’ll be in the starting lineup by early January. That lineup will likely be:
You are way overrating Patterson.
Not sure about KK ove KC but she can improve her play in running the team by slowing things down in her mind. Currently, KC looks more controlled with better offense.
Has Morgan left the building?
You make a good point. It’s a long season, and a longer rotation could save wear and tear. But there is a natural tension you are neglecting between rest and repetition. More time together on the court makes for a crisper, sharper rotation. Merely expanding the rotation might address one side of the equation, the rest side, but the repetition side will suffer. There is some compromise position that has to be found each year, and Geno has mostly found it at 5+3 or even 5+2. And by rotation, I mean the players who get substantial minutes, i.e. >10 minutes.
Not neglecting that at all.....the point is, if his prime 6/7 rotation players plays 35+ minutes per game from the turn of the year, niggling injuries and diminished stamina begin to set in and his insurance is/are not prepared at the same level in performance level. That then results in reduced performance effectiveness for the team. So, he has to find a way to lengthen the rotation which prepares him twofold: more players he can rely on come tournament time and margin for unforeseen events, such as injuries - even minor ones which would diminish performance.
I don't see KK starting over Chen, nor do I see Ash sent to the bench. I suspect if Azzi actually makes it back and stays back, that Paige will move to PG. Thus giving us a starting line-up by January of Paige, Azzi, Ash, Sarah and Jana.
In a thread about the direction of the starting lineup for this season, what role do you forecast for Morgan? I expect she has a bright future in Storrs, and will get PT as the season develops. But barring major injuries, I doubt she’ll start this season. How about you?Has Morgan left the building?
Geno raves about her. It's strange virtually no one here is giving her a shot at PT. She looked competent and confident vs. BU, although not wholly impactful, and we need to remember that was her first competitive outing.
