Where we at?

[Tonyc]

Here are my thoughts. This team and no team in WCBB has Stewie MoJeff Tuck Maya etc. No superstars. We cant expect UConn to continue on that unbelievable run. We had 3 dominate players and a good bench. Nan made a great point. UConn was up 29 and Geno started to bring in the bench. We won by 20. Accept it. We need to change some things.

I have changed my thinking and this is what I think needs to be done. Our non starters need alot of playtime to develop. Our non starters are UConns future. We will be depending on them next season. They are going to make alot of mistakes but the only way you get better is to make mistakes and learn from them. The non starters will be our starters next season so we need to get them game time experience.

Once we get a big lead we need for anybody other then Lou Phessa and CD to score. We need CW MW and ONO to score and the non starters(I prefer non starters to bench players) to look to score more. We need to be able to depend on them to score. I feel the entire team is to dependent on Lou Phessa and CD and looking to them to score. MW and CW are HS number 1 and they need to take change and find ways to score. One thing we need to work on is Poise at the 3 pt line which imo has been off for the most part since the ND game.

Forget about how much we win by and forget about who's scoring. We need the non starters to score rebound and play eventful minutes. We will need by the end of the season to put them in the game and know we can count on them to play meaningful minutes. We need to be able to count on our nonstarters to play with the starters and contribute. So if they come in and miss shots and make turnovers and make mistakes thats the price we pay to have them gain experience, become confident, and be good enough to count on them in tuff situations.

As far as the Baylor game. We were down in the 4th qtr by 4 at one point and shot the ball terribly. I dont consider that as bad as some. We were in the game at that point. We had no poise, we had no one step up big, we looked like we lost some confidence, we didnt dribble drive because we werent hitting our outside shots which allowed Baylors bigs to stay under the basket, because they really didnt have to guard us on the outside, and we were only down 4 in the 4th qtr ...and yeah we were in a hostile environment on the road with a long layoff.

We did alot of uncharacteristic things in the Baylor and Houston games. We need to work on correcting them. We are not the SuperStar teams of the past but we are a very very good team. No team this season in WCBB is a super star team and imo we are better then they are.

At this point we need to get everybody but the big 3 up to speed. I liked that Geno played the non starters in the Houston game. We need more of that. It wont only help the team but it will help recruiting. We have alot of holes to fill in our roster the next 2 years and by giving everybody more playtime we will attract more top players.

We are UConn. Be proud of it. We have the best coaching staff in WCBB ever. No team or coaching staff has done what they have done. We have been spoiled by all the records we've set. We've come to expect this every season. This season is a little different. Let me ask this. When was the last time UConn lost a game in regulation before the Baylor game????????

 

[RockyMTblue2]

You hire a ghost writer @Tonyc?

 

[Bill In Georgia]

Tony's right .... Patience!!

-Hey we knew we'd have 4-7 games in the lost column
-Hey we knew it when recruiting went South.
-Hey we knew it when our "Big" took off for a Pro shot.
-Travel schedule was terrible, I'm tired just thinking about it!!
-But in the 4th Q we are 4 down....but tired and hungry
-So here is the first of maybe 4..
But now coach has something to really talk about..players get tired of hearing the same ole day after day day...Now the meat is on the table...
We all agree that all 8 cylinders need to be purring, but nobody can touch us with just 6 cylinders working at 90%...

Tony will agree: Coach will put his foot to the metal..and we'll have another nation to add to the board.
....Just be Patient!!

 

[HuskyPhan]

You hire a ghost writer @Tonyc?

I don't post very often but I feel the need to throw in my 2 cents.
I'm not a UCONN fan because they have won 11 NC's
I'm not a UCONN fan because they have utterly dominated WCBB for the last 20 years
I'm not a UCONN fan because they are constantly in the middle of ridiculous win streaks.

I'm a UCONN fan because Geno/Chris and Co have developed such an unbelievable program since 1985. A program that attracts and produces amazing young women. Women who not only are amazing WCBB players but equally amazing people in all way imaginable. I'm a fan because UCONN WBB program from coaches to players are inspiration and just plain awesome to follow.

I don't enjoy losses but they are part of sports and absolutely in no way diminish the joy I get from following this incredible program and all the incredible people that are a part of it!!!

 

[Centerstream]

@HuskyPhan I applaud your post!!!
Well said.

 

[Dillon77]

I have changed my thinking and this is what I think needs to be done. Our non starters need alot of playtime to develop. Our non starters are UConns future. We will be depending on them next season. They are going to make alot of mistakes but the only way you get better is to make mistakes and learn from them. The non starters will be our starters next season so we need to get them game time experience.

Once we get a big lead we need for anybody other then Lou Phessa and CD to score. We need CW MW and ONO to score and the non starters(I prefer non starters to bench players) to look to score more. We need to be able to depend on them to score.

Tony:
Excellent post. The points I've quoted are the types that you can read/see over at McGraw's Bench (obviously with different players). As you know, ND is losing four starters after this season. Recently, when the lead gets large enough for her, Coach McGraw is often inserting four substitutes -- sophomore forwards Mik Vaughn and Danielle Patterson and freshmen guards Jordan Nixon and Abby Prohaska -- to play with one of the seasoned Irish guards (usually Mabrey or Jackie Young, who will be back next year). The scoring might drop a bit and the winning margin often reduced, but the intent is obvious: this will be their team next year and it's never too early to put "young 'uns" in the lead positions and work on their chemistry.

Often the other team leaves their starters in, which is good for the 2nd unit. On defense, they have to learn subtle things, like beating opposition posts to the spot so they can't seal it or be in the perfect spot to get off their prime shot. And on offense, who will pull the trigger or hold off and make the right next pass?

Invariably, this cuts down on the winning margin but that's a small price to pay for getting experience for next year's prime-time players.

 

[Charliebball]

Here are my thoughts. This team and no team in WCBB has Stewie MoJeff Tuck Maya etc. No superstars. We cant expect UConn to continue on that unbelievable run. We had 3 dominate players and a good bench. Nan made a great point. UConn was up 29 and Geno started to bring in the bench. We won by 20. Accept it. We need to change some things.

I have changed my thinking and this is what I think needs to be done. Our non starters need alot of playtime to develop. Our non starters are UConns future. We will be depending on them next season. They are going to make alot of mistakes but the only way you get better is to make mistakes and learn from them. The non starters will be our starters next season so we need to get them game time experience.

Once we get a big lead we need for anybody other then Lou Phessa and CD to score. We need CW MW and ONO to score and the non starters(I prefer non starters to bench players) to look to score more. We need to be able to depend on them to score. I feel the entire team is to dependent on Lou Phessa and CD and looking to them to score. MW and CW are HS number 1 and they need to take change and find ways to score. One thing we need to work on is Poise at the 3 pt line which imo has been off for the most part since the ND game.

Forget about how much we win by and forget about who's scoring. We need the non starters to score rebound and play eventful minutes. We will need by the end of the season to put them in the game and know we can count on them to play meaningful minutes. We need to be able to count on our nonstarters to play with the starters and contribute. So if they come in and miss shots and make turnovers and make mistakes thats the price we pay to have them gain experience, become confident, and be good enough to count on them in tuff situations.

At this point we need to get everybody but the big 3 up to speed. I liked that Geno played the non starters in the Houston game. We need more of that. It wont only help the team but it will help recruiting. We have alot of holes to fill in our roster the next 2 years and by giving everybody more playtime we will attract more top players.

We are UConn. Be proud of it. We have the best coaching staff in WCBB ever. No team or coaching staff has done what they have done. We have been spoiled by all the records we've set. We've come to expect this every season. This season is a little different. Let me ask this. When was the last time UConn lost a game in regulation before the Baylor game????????

TonyC I believe you are on the right path................

I believe that all UConn fans feel the way you do about the team, it's great history of winning and the wonderful players and coaching staff that have made it all possible..........................with all that said the reality is that while this year's UConn team has enough talent to win a national championship, they don't have the kind overwhelming talent that would prevent them from losing on an off day..........................obviously that's not a problem now but it sure could be at tournament time..........................if the bench players dog it in practice they obviously don't deserve court time but if they are putting in the effort they need the experience of playing with their teammates against other teams and plenty of it........................ONO has shown glimpses of what she can be, set her loose, pull her aside during teaching moments............................they are going to need her this year, I don't believe they can go all the way without her making a contribution in the post even if it's a key five minutes spelling Collier..............Coombs has also shown some ability but they must push her to shoot the ball when she has the best open shot on the floor ......................I don't care if she misses, eventually it will become automatic and enough will fall that her mid range game will at least become a threat.......................remember that those two will very likely be starters next season....................but this is the season to do it....................in my opinion there's no time to waste................as always I expect the usual critics to put down this kind of thinking but I would love to know if they are happy with the status quo and confident that the team playing as it is right now is a solid pick to reach the finals..........

 

[tomcat]

I don't post very often but I feel the need to throw in my 2 cents.
I'm not a UCONN fan because they have won 11 NC's
I'm not a UCONN fan because they have utterly dominated WCBB for the last 20 years
I'm not a UCONN fan because they are constantly in the middle of ridiculous win streaks.

I'm a UCONN fan because Geno/Chris and Co have developed such an unbelievable program since 1985. A program that attracts and produces amazing young women. Women who not only are amazing WCBB players but equally amazing people in all way imaginable. I'm a fan because UCONN WBB program from coaches to players are inspiration and just plain awesome to follow.

I don't enjoy losses but they are part of sports and absolutely in no way diminish the joy I get from following this incredible program and all the incredible people that are a part of it!!!

Nice

 

[BostonCanuck]

In the Baylor game, I think the problem was too much of a literal focus on trading threes for two's, rather than a slightly more comprehensive strategy that also incorporated a mid-range game out of the gate, including contributions from the underclassmen. Not sure why an in-game adjustment wasn't made earlier. But as you mention, we were down by just four in the forth quarter, and this team has made a habit of coming back to win such contests this season, so perhaps the prevailing thought at the time was not to panic.

There's a lot of positives to take away, and I do believe the Huskies have a game plan that can beat Baylor should we meet again, so long as the execution is there. But in the big games like this, there are two concerns that I think the team needs to be aware of:

The first relates to that execution. In addition to having all five starters contributing in big games like this, which has been a theme of Geno's already this year, we need to have a player or two come up big and really take over a game. That kind of transcendent play has been missing, especially from our seniors, in our most recent three losses. Even in our good wins against say Notre Dame this season and last, it was all done pretty much by committee. That probably won't fly in Tampa Bay.

My other issue has to do with how we're scouting the top teams and translating that scout into an effective game plan. It just doesn't seem to me like that process has been bearing enough fruit. It seems like our team is always back on its heels, having to deal with a coach that has outsmarted us on tactics and exploiting mismatches and weaknesses. It sure would be nice to see the Huskies finally turn the tables in this respect if we make it to Tampa Bay.

 

[YankeeTM]

I agree that something seems to be different in game prep. there have been a number of games this year where we had slow starts? It could well be that scouting is different this year?

 

[pvdoggy]

Be careful @Tonyc because some people will remind you that the non-starters will only see the court if they have gotten it in practice and that the same is not the place to let them experiment and make mistake.

 

[LoTrader]

I can tell you that I am really, really, happy that Scott Rueck has been playing 9-10 players through the OOC schedule, now that OSU has lost 3 players to injury. OSU losing Kat Tudor is really difficult, Kat is fabulous. Coach Rueck has been giving playing time to one of our freshman guard/wings who is going to be a darn good player. Now, we are going to need her to step up immediately. She (Jasmine Simmons-Aussie) played 10 quality minutes in the 1st half yesterday, and was terrific. Whether Rueck was playing Jasmine to develop her for next year, or, for this situation, I am glad Rueck had the foresight to give her minutes, especially when we have so many talented wings/guards ahead of her. As I said in another post, what Muffet McGraw, and ND were able to accomplish last year is truly amazing.

 

[Huskygamble19]

the team hadn't played in 11 days. the team was rusty and Baylor was a tough draw after the inactivity. they may have practiced, but it is not the same as actual game play. KLS was way off and Pheesa wasn't sharp either. I had some trepidation at the start of the game knowing that Baylor would be well prepared and UCONN was off a long layoff. this is an excuse, but it is a good one. They played a poor game and if they were in the rhythm of playing normally, I am sure we would have seen them play better, not necessarily win, but be more competitive. they also were in Baylors stomping grounds. another excuse.

 

[Charliebball]

I can tell you that I am really, really, happy that Scott Rueck has been playing 9-10 players through the OOC schedule, now that OSU has lost 3 players to injury. OSU losing Kat Tudor is really difficult, Kat is fabulous. Coach Rueck has been giving playing time to one of our freshman guard/wings who is going to be a darn good player. Now, we are going to need her to step up immediately. She (Jasmine Simmons-Aussie) played 10 quality minutes in the 1st half yesterday, and was terrific. Whether Rueck was playing Jasmine to develop her for next year, or, for this situation, I am glad Rueck had the foresight to give her minutes, especially when we have so many talented wings/guards ahead of her. As I said in another post, what Muffet McGraw, and ND were able to accomplish last year is truly amazing.

I feel you and you're player's pain.....................I'm really not sure what UConn would have done under the same conditions and I don't want to get shouted out as usual but with an 8 or 9 man roster next year (as of now) the mind boggles.............

 

[Charliebball]

the team hadn't played in 11 days. the team was rusty and Baylor was a tough draw after the inactivity. they may have practiced, but it is not the same as actual game play. KLS was way off and Pheesa wasn't sharp either. I had some trepidation at the start of the game knowing that Baylor would be well prepared and UCONN was off a long layoff. this is an excuse, but it is a good one. They played a poor game and if they were in the rhythm of playing normally, I am sure we would have seen them play better, not necessarily win, but be more competitive. they also were in Baylors stomping grounds. another excuse.

home court advantage never deterred UConn in the past few years but I do agree scheduling a game against such a difficult opponent after a break seems counter intuitive