Which player is your biggest "mystery" going into new season?

[winlots]

Lunch time here, and slow time in the Yard. Hoping to prime the pump a bit, which player provides you with your biggest mystery (leaving out the unknowns regarding those with injuries) as you look forward to the season.....and why?
I'll go with Chong. Why? She came in as Parade POY, no less, and with an established rep as a GREAT three-point shooter. I still picture that practice video where Geno tells her, "Make a three" and she looks at him and he repeats, "Make a three".......and she bangs one it, just like that. Early on in games, she did the same rather reliably.
Then, I thought she seemed to lose both her shot and her confidence, in no particular order. So, how she will perform this year is my biggest mystery (again, leaving out the injury issues), as I go down the roster list. I'd not only like to see her play very well, but I'd also like her to unleash the personality that beams thru on that uplifting thread about Fathers Day, showing the young women with their dads. Relax and do your great thing, Saniya.

 

[EricLA]

Barring injuries, Chong. My 2nd choice would be Nurse - IMHO I expect her to be a starter, even as a freshman, over Chong. She's hard to pinpoint in the sense that she's not played on American AAU or USA junior teams. She's a starter for the Canadian National team, and earned that at 17 years old. Is Canada not that good, or is Nurse that good?

 

[connboy77]

I would also say Chong because I don't have any idea how she is going to do next year. Hopefully, she will develop the confidence to shoot when she is open instead of immediately passing the ball to one of her teammates. We know from her high school days that she can score. Now she just has to prove it on the floor. Chong has the chance to play major minutes next year, but once again she has to earn the playing time.

 

[JoePgh]

She needs to fix her shooting motion, to get it overhead rather than from her chin. She is not big enough to get off very many shots with her current motion. Of course, if she isn't hitting her shots, she will get all the room she needs.

 

[semper]

Tuck. I know she could be an AA, or at least so I once thought. I'm so very curious about her future. After that

 

[HGN]

I am going with Kia Nurse as the biggest Mystery.........We know very little about her. Haven't seen any video or games. Or seen any consistent scouting reports . I beleive she is good and can play , if she couldn't I don't believe UConn would have offered.

So she is still my Mystery Player going into the season.

 

[msf22b]

For me, it's Sadie Edwards, first of all her lovely name, which peaked in polarity in the 1880's (and was my mom's nickname).
Then there is the fact that she is the least discussed of the recruits.
Nevertheless, she just won a huge trophy at an AAU event.
And of course, there was the (perhaps) disparaging discussion between Geno and the seniors overheard during the parade and ceremony.
Don't have any idea what to make of this kid.

Nurse..Forget about it…A Star is born.

 

[phil sampieri]

She needs to fix her shooting motion, to get it overhead rather than from her chin. She is not big enough to get off very many shots with her current motion. Of course, if she isn't hitting her shots, she will get all the room she needs.

She will not change her shooting technique nor should she. There have been several good shooters with similar style. In my opinion she needs to improve her ball handling.

 

[Wbbfan1]

For me its Courtney Ekmark because she was home schooled and spent the whole year training and getting prepared for her freshmen year. It such an unusual way to prepare for UConn.

 

[johnnyc]

Saniya Chong.

 

[2ndCity]

創

 

[j66kicker]

Starters to open the season:
Stewart
KML
MoJett
Stokes
Chong

Starters after 6 games:
Stewart
KML
MoJett
Stokes
Nurse

 

[CL82]

Gabby Williams. How fast and far does she come back from injury? Any loss of confidence?

 

[MilfordHusky]

For me, it would be one of the frosh, because we've seen the other players at this level. I'll vote for Gabby, because of her injury. If healthy, she could be phenomenal. I really want her (and Morgan) to make a full recovery eventually.

 

[Bigpetunia]

There is no bigger, and no more important a question heading into next season than the health status of Morgan Tuck. She is not only enormously good when she's at her best, but there's almost no player who offers Geno as many options as she does. One of those options is to start a very big front line, consisting of Tuck, Stewart, and Stokes, moving KML to shooting guard...in matchups where he needs to go big, that lineup is frighteningly imposing...there will be a lot of blocked shots on defense, and a ton of cleanup points scored down low on offense. Clearly, he will not always opt to do this, and will go for more speed with a smaller starting five and Tuck first off the bench....all depends on her knee and conditioning. The player I worry most about in terms of finding a place to fit in is Chong. She will hear a lot of footsteps from the group coming in behind her, and her shooting mechanics remain suspect.

 

[chrissaran]

There's no mystery with Morgan. We know how talented she is, and she will have an outstanding year. Don't be surprised to see a starting five of Stewie, KML, Kiah, MoJeff and Morgan when Geno wants to go big or even if he doesn't want to go big. Without question it's Saniya; will she be the Saniya of the first half or the second half. Hopefully, she'll be the Saniya we saw the first half of the year. If not, she could wind up way down on the bench. There are many very talented guards we have coming this year.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

Have been intrigued with preparation approach by Courtney Ekmark since first reading about her senior year (high school) plans. Commented earlier on what the totality of physical and mental approach might bring to initial preparedness and a fast start. Nurse second. Overall 14-15 performance will probably be most impacted by level of return by Tuck - need a total player with high inside skills (and desires) to complement Stokes and to free Stewart to continue to be a full court threat - impossible to guard.

 

[Sonny44]

Have been intrigued with preparation approach by Courtney Ekmark since first reading about her senior year (high school) plans. Commented earlier on what the totality of physical and mental approach might bring to initial preparedness and a fast start. Nurse second. Overall 14-15 performance will probably be most impacted by level of return by Tuck - need a total player with high inside skills (and desires) to complement Stokes and to free Stewart to continue to be a full court threat - impossible to guard.

Have to agree with you HoopsHappy and WbbFan1 considering the mysterious (unprecedented) approach Courtney has taken in her preparation, reveals a very focused and motivated young lady who knows what she wants and will let nothing stand in her way. It will be interesting if she learns Geno's system as fast as I suspect.

 

[slimmer56]

Morgan Tuck ! She is awfully good, and can make a play inside or out when we need one.

As I said in another post, watch out for Courtney Ekmark. I would not be at all surprised if she did not start at shooting guard. She can make all the shots, has played with, and coached by best. She has a VERY high basketball I.Q., and really loves UCONN and Geno.. If she does not start, I think she will get a bunch of minutes because she doesn't make mistakes.

 

[dtbtbtb]

All of the Freshmen are a mystry as to how will they adjust to college ball and to Geno. We'll know fairly quickly who "gets it" from the playing time distribution. Chong needs to find her confidence and Tuck needs to find health but I don't see much mystry in what they can bring.

 

[bschwartz]

Kiah Kiah Kiah!!!

 

[ochoopsfan]

As I said in another post, watch out for Courtney Ekmark. I would not be at all surprised if she did not start at shooting guard. She can make all the shots , has played with and coached by best. She has a VERY high basketball I.Q., and really loves UCONN and Geno - If she does not start, I think she will get a bunch of minutes because she doesn't make mistakes,

Just some stats from Ekmarks former teammates(2012 National #1 HS team) and how they fared in their first year in D1 ball. Although Ekmark is probably the best player of the group, there may have been high expectations out for her former teammates at their schools, that just dont materialize.

Osahor - Washington --2.7ppg
Tummala - Harvard --4.7ppg(only played 15 games, none since early January)
Johnson -San Diego State --2ppg (played 30 games and started 14 games)
Cortnee Walton - Louisville --2.6ppg
Brandee Walton --New Mexico State --1.2ppg
Dom Williams --UCLA --<1ppg (played 31 games started 15 games)
Danielle Williams --Michigan <1ppg
Ekmark --UConn next season ??
As a team they may have collectively been very good. However, each moving on to a new school and teammates, we shall see.

 

[winlots]

Boy, a lot of interesting comments....especially impressed with the "why" portion of the responses from posters like ERIC, HG, MSF, WBB, CHRIS, HOOP and others .

At this point in the thread, Chong seems to lead (when you leave out the "injured" variable) as the one about whom you have the most sense of mystery re how she will do. Edwards and Nurse seem to be the next two in line, with a lot of good "why" comments.

OCHOOP: thought your post was very fascinating as well. Thanks for putting those interesting stats together.

 

[Buzzyboy]

She needs to fix her shooting motion, to get it overhead rather than from her chin. She is not big enough to get off very many shots with her current motion. Of course, if she isn't hitting her shots, she will get all the room she needs.

I posted something a little earlier on another topic that said exactly the same thing. I don't know if she's changed anything since high school but she doesn't have a very high release point at all and it appears to me that her shot would be easily blocked. Even early in the season, the shots she was making seemed to rattle in rather than fall in cleanly. I had heard of all the 3 point shots she'd made throughout her high school career and yet she didn't come across to me as a "pure" shooter.

 

[hoophuskee]

There's no mystery with Morgan. We know how talented she is, and she will have an outstanding year. Don't be surprised to see a starting five of Stewie, KML, Kiah, MoJeff and Morgan when Geno wants to go big or even if he doesn't want to go big. Without question it's Saniya; will she be the Saniya of the first half or the second half. Hopefully, she'll be the Saniya we saw the first half of the year. If not, she could wind up way down on the bench. There are many very talented guards we have coming this year.

I hope this won't be the starting lineup. It's okay - whatever Geno thinks.