Where would our bench be ranked?

[EricSD]

So with the chatter in the Seton Hall post game thread regarding the bench against SHU's starters, and the people who disagreed with me (which is fine - all opinions are valid even if we disagree), I'm curious where people think a team comprised of only our bench would rank: I'm not counting Morgan or Ice who are injured, possibly for a long period of time this season. I'm also assuming starters based on average PT off the bench.

• Kayleigh
• Blanca
• Allie
• Caroline
• Jana

Bench of Kelis, Ayanna, and Gandy. They would of course get the benefit of primary coaching from the staff, so to be fair that needs to be factored in.

This way it can be debated here and won't co-opt the post game Seton Hall - UConn thread...

 

[hoopsfan22]

Bench team would get smoked by most teams in the Big East let alone ones in the top 50, so I'm voting for the last option.

 

[JoePgh]

See my comments about this in the Seton Hall post-game thread. I think that a team with the four best current players removed (Sarah, Azzi, KK, and Ashlynn) but with the walking wounded on the bench restored to health (Morgan, Ice, and Ayanna) would win the Big East and make the NCAA tournament, and probably advance as far as the Sweet 16. I also think that with that hypothetical roster, Morgan would be a starter instead of Caroline.

 

[EricSD]

See my comments about this in the Seton Hall post-game thread. I think that a team with the four best current players removed (Sarah, Azzi, KK, and Ashlynn) but with the walking wounded on the bench restored to health (Morgan, Ice, and Ayanna) would win the Big East and make the NCAA tournament, and probably advance as far as the Sweet 16. I also think that with that hypothetical roster, Morgan would be a starter instead of Caroline.

Not sure if you actually read my post or not. Please check it again.

 

[JoePgh]

I did, and I realize that you are positing a different "bench" definition than I did. Hopefully the discussion can accommodate two different "bench" scenarios.

If I accept your premise (no Morgan, Ice, or Serah), that would be an 8-player roster which is disadvantaged by that fact alone. Certainly Geno would pick up other bench players out of the transfer portal if that scenario actually threatened to become real. But yes, that 8-player team might not win the Big East or make the NCAA tournament.

I think my scenario is more interesting (of course, since I proposed it): Take all the stars or near-stars off the current team but have a reasonably-sized 11-player roster consisting entirely of players whom Geno recruited and expected to have available this year. Do you agree with me that would be a pretty good (I.e., Sweet 16-ish) team?

 

[EricSD]

I did, and I realize that you are positing a different "bench" definition than I did. Hopefully the discussion can accommodate two different "bench" scenarios.

If I accept your premise (no Morgan, Ice, or Serah), that would be an 8-player roster which is disadvantaged by that fact alone. Certainly Geno would pick up other bench players out of the transfer portal if that scenario actually threatened to become real. But yes, that 8-player team might not win the Big East or make the NCAA tournament.

I think my scenario is more interesting (of course, since I proposed it): Take all the stars or near-stars off the current team but have a reasonably-sized 11-player roster consisting entirely of players whom Geno recruited and expected to have available this year. Do you agree with me that would be a pretty good (I.e., Sweet 16-ish) team?

Fair enough, but still, not what my poll was asking, and since Ice and Morgan have played literally 2 games between the 2 of them, it's hard to account for what they WOULD do against other team's starters in end of game time.

 

[Bone Dog]

I have no idea who “the bench” would be. Kayleigh Allie Blanca and Jana are part of the main rotation, not bench players. If the question means can some segment of our rotation be treated as a separate team comparable to other ranked teams, then sure, but this would be true of a few teams.

• For example, how about LSU? Would Jada Richard, Milaysia, Kate Koval, Grace Knox, and Zakiyah Johnson be a ranked team?
• Or how about UCLA: would Sienna, Angela, Charlisse, Lena, and Amanda Muse be a ranked team?
• Or Texas: would Cunningham, Sidberry, Preston, Judd and Carlton be ranked?
• or SC: would Dauda, Tac, McDaniel, McDowell and Makeer be ranked?

I get that this idea is really just an expression of our enthusiasm for the team and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. And I’m content to hear it in that way. But if we’re expected to take as a literal statement of fact, things are not so clear.

 

[EricSD]

I have no idea who “the bench” would be. Kayleigh Allie Blanca and Jana are part of the main rotation, not bench players. If the question means can some segment of our rotation be treated as a separate team comparable to other ranked teams, then sure, but this would be true of a few teams.

• For example, how about LSU? Would Jada Richard, Milaysia, Kate Koval, Grace Knox, and Zakiyah Johnson be a ranked team?
• Or how about UCLA: would Sienna, Angela, Charlisse, Lena, and Amanda Muse be a ranked team?
• Or Texas: would Cunningham, Sidberry, Preston, Judd and Carlton be ranked?
• or SC: would Dauda, Tac, McDaniel, McDowell and Makeer be ranked?

I get that this idea is really just an expression of our enthusiasm for the team and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. And I’m content to hear it in that way. But if we’re expected to take as a literal statement of fact, things are not so clear.

Don't know how to make it more clear for you. A team comprised of NON-STARTERS. In the hypothetical team, starters of

• Kayleigh
• Blanca
• Allie
• Caroline
• Jana

Kelis, Ayanna and Gandy off the bench. That's it. It's not rocket science.

 

[Charliebball]

I think that team would finish near or at the top in the Big East.......it seems to me a bit harsh to constantly criticize these bench players for looking disorganized out there in the fourth quarter when they don't practice together as a unit during the week........practicing regularly as a group would make a huge difference in their performance......

 

[Bone Dog]

Don't know how to make it more clear for you. A team comprised of NON-STARTERS. In the hypothetical team, starters of

• Kayleigh
• Blanca
• Allie
• Caroline
• Jana

Kelis, Ayanna and Gandy off the bench. That's it. It's not rocket science.

I understood you perfectly and I think agree with your sense of things. I voted that they wouldn’t be ranked in the top-50 if taken as is. That’s the devil in the details of this notion. But I also responded in a way so as to express a different implication of this fantasy, namely that if we mean this to express something unique about UConn, we might be disappointed. The NON-STARTERS on a few teams would probably be ranked similarly.

 

[hoopsfan22]

If EricLA's bench starting team faced off against Seton Hall's starting team today, who would have won and by roughly how much?

 

[JoePgh]

If EricLA's bench starting team faced off against Seton Hall's starting team today, who would have won and by roughly how much?

If the premise is that nothing had changed before today, then Seton Hall would clearly have won, probably by about 15 points. If that 8-player roster tried to compete in the Big East or any other conference, they would have won some games but probably would not have placed first in the conference.

But it's an entirely different question of how these players would have performed if they had known and expected since September that they would be the starters and that would be the entire roster, and the coaches had coached them based on that premise -- and if they had additional players to fill out the bench. It seems to me that is the more interesting question, and the more realistic one.

 

[Vowelguy]

anyone who said top 20 or better:

 

[Jalan2121]

Ask Geno.

Not exact but to me the comment on “the bench” in last five minutes of games is
Patterson
Fisher
Ducharme
El Alfy
Ziebell

Generally the game Enders with fewest minutes.

Not an exciting cast. But certainly 4 of 5 aren’t awful. They have potential and their moments.

 

[Urshurak]

Some of you voted top 5? Come on man. I know we enjoy our illusions here sometimes, but no……

 

[Gael]

I think it's particularly appropriate to respect the assumptions, hypotheses and precise questions asked in a poll.

If Eric's specified team and three-person bench had been coached as the UConn team from the summer, and been consistently healthy, I believe they would be top 20 at this point. That team has a lot of high school AA and international talent potential. How far into the top 20, I speculate not.

 

[darkstar1]

I don’t think the team would lose anything if Blanca, Kayleigh and Allie started with Sarah and Azzi. They are the 8 man rotation, barring injury. Jana started last year is #9. So those 4 plus probably Ice (another starter last year), would be a formidable starting 5. The question is what the bench would be. With a gods bench, I see no reason why they wouldn’t be too ten, at least.

 

[huskyblooz]

the question is ... whats their bench?
Our starters get a quick rest because we go deep.
With them.
But, they would not have much of a bench.

 

[Stagnant]

Middle of the pack in the big east. That team would struggle on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[Stagnant]

I don’t think the team would lose anything if Blanca, Kayleigh and Allie started with Sarah and Azzi. They are the 8 man rotation, barring injury. Jana started last year is #9. So those 4 plus probably Ice (another starter last year), would be a formidable starting 5. The question is what the bench would be. With a gods bench, I see no reason why they wouldn’t be too ten, at least.

I think we are a noticeably worse defensive team if your swap KK, Shade, and Serah for Blanca, K9, and Allie. Mainly because of Allie. She has improved, but she is not the same level of defender as the others. We might have to play differently. Less pressing.

 

[bballnut90]

My guess is just outside of top 25. I think they'd be like a slightly weaker version of this year's USC team. Both led by a talented freshman, they have good but not elite contributors in the backcourt but very little production in the post. Getting production from the front court would be a weakness and we haven't seen Ducharme, Fisher, Gandy or Patterson show they can contribute this season.

 

[maple]

In my hypothetical scenario, Caroline and Jana didn't have injuries and thus are playing at the height of their abilities. So I think they could be a just outside of or Top 25 team.

 

[Cuango]

I voted outside the top 25 but if those players had gone through training camp/preseason as the team, then I might revise it to top 20. They certainly would not be out of the top 50! That’s just crazy! There are 3 top 10 players, 1 top 15, 1 top 25, and Blanca would surely have been top 10, Jana, certainly top 20, and Gandy perhaps in the 60-70s? Is there any doubt Geno could mold a pretty good team out of that roster?

 

[Jaydumo20]

If the premise is that nothing had changed before today, then Seton Hall would clearly have won, probably by about 15 points. If that 8-player roster tried to compete in the Big East or any other conference, they would have won some games but probably would not have placed first in the conference.

But it's an entirely different question of how these players would have performed if they had known and expected since September that they would be the starters and that would be the entire roster, and the coaches had coached them based on that premise -- and if they had additional players to fill out the bench. It seems to me that is the more interesting question, and the more realistic one.

This is an interesting discussion.
We also could consider that the "bench" is practicing their tails off day in and day out against the best starting 5 in the country.
Not to imply that they'd run the big east but they definitely wouldn't be intimidated.

 

[JellyBean]

I went with the "Top 50 but an NCAA team" option. Like others, I went with the thinking of our injured players being healthy. We would be a competitive team but I don't see us being a top 25 team. Top 50 team? Absolutely.

Would we be the top team in the Big East? I would say yes but it would be pretty competitive and a lot closer. We would have a Villanova or a Creighton, like it was a few years ago when we had those injuries and Nova was neck and neck with us.