Who are you looking forward to seeing play with the most anticipation?

[EricLA]

Choose 2

To me it's a tough question - I'm looking forward to seeing literally every single player next season. But a few stand out to me with the most anticipation:

Dorka - will she play like a top 5 draft pick as Geno has challenged her to do?
Lou - she may be the biggest surprise this season. Some have pooh-poohed her experience at Fairfield. We will see soon enough how that translates to UCONN.
Aubrey - what will she look like after a serious back injury?
Azzi - finally 100% healthy, will she play like a NPOY contender?
Nika - no one plays harder or has more intensity, but has she added to her game to be a complete player and the floor general the team really needs this season?
Caroline - shadow of herself after her injuries and others came back from theirs. Can she up her game and play with the confidence to be a nationally recognized name after the season?
Amari - No one was a better bench cheerleader last season. But while she has all kinds of potential, will she simply be satisfied as a role player, or can she be much more?
Ice - very polished, strong, and lots of buzz surrounding her. How will it pan out this season?

I guess that's more than a few. But I put all 11 available players on the poll so... what say you?

I decided to let this be a "choose 2" poll because there are so many great story lines coming into this season that i thought choosing 1 was maybe short changing another worthy candidate (for the poll).

 

[Bone Dog]

Ha! I chose 3: Azzi Caroline Lou

 

[EricLA]

Ha! I chose 3: Azzi Caroline Lou

Only allows 2. if you tried to choose 3, your votes were not registered.

 

[Bone Dog]

I was supposed to vote?

 

[The deacon]

OP's prerogative, EricLA? I love it. You choose eight and we get two each... LOL!

Okay, given those parameters, and prefacing that virtually every one of them except perhaps Ines has the potential to be a pivotal force for the Huskies, I'll go with Ice and Ayanna.

Not only could a strong freshman season for one and/or the other be game-changing for the Huskies, that duo might well be key players for UConn all the way through the '25-26 season. I hope I'm still around to see that!

 

[Bone Dog]

Ines may surprise the doubters, even the doubtiest among us. There’s a spark in that girl. Of course, it may take more than one season to catch fire.

 

[Carnac]

I chose Azzi and Amari. Azzi because I want to see what a pain free Azzi looks and plays like. I want to see if Amari wants to be a starter, role player or cheerleader. Amari does have a wealth of potential and can be as good as she wants to be. The only person that can hold her back is her.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I chose Lou and Azzi.

Re Lou, maybe it’s my partially French roots. But I’ve done some research and verified that Fairfield used the same size and height rims as UConn. Yeah, the competition was lower, but the ball went in the basket. A lot! Lou is a bucket. She’ll be a major scoring option. Like Dorka, she’s auditioning for the WNBA. Look for her alongside Gabby Williams on Team France at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Re Azzi, she and Aubrey may be the sweetest kids on the team. Her parents were kind enough to chat with me multiple times last season. Also, she’s a local NoVa kid, and I saw her 9x in high school. She has the best shooting touch since the great KML. She is so much fun to watch. Like her mentor Steph Curry, she pushes the human limits on shooting the basketball.

Look for UConn to have much improved shooting percentages this season. Lou and Azzi will be the reasons behind it.

 

[mbr33ct]

I chose Aubrey and Ayanna.

For me high on the list would be Aubrey, considering she has not played all of last year and Ayanna for all the reasons I have read on the Boneyard.

If we had couple more choices I would also have picked Lou and Amari...basically gone with "newer" players I somewhat know what returning players are capable of.

 

[Skeets]

I chose Azzi and Caroline. I expect they will be the big guns this year. (didn't pick Nika??? WTH is up with that?)

 

[eebmg]

I guess Aaliyah doing all the dirty work does not raise an eyebrow. I voted Azzi and Lou so I cant complain but I did not expect a "0" so far in 31 votes. I guess we know what to expect.

Dorka and Nika with only 1 vote also a bit surprising since there has to be some uncertainty . Dorka coming off the wrist surgery and Nika with very new responsibilities

Clearly, a need to see the shiny new toys.

 

[HuskyPhan]

I went with Azzi and Ayanna. I can't wait to see what a 100% healthy Azzi can do! I was incredibly impressed with what she did last year and we know that she was physically limited most of the season.

Regarding Ayanna, we have never had a player with her physical capabilities and she has sooooo much upside. I'm hoping it will be like when I used to watch Maya and Gabby-every game I'd be thinking, what amazing thing will they do tonight!!! Go Huskies!!

 

[cancontent]

I guess Aaliyah doing all the dirty work does not raise an eyebrow. I voted Azzi and Lou so I cant complain but I did not expect a "0" so far in 31 votes. I guess we know what to expect.

Dorka and Nika with only 1 vote also a bit surprising since there has to be some uncertainty . Dorka coming off the wrist surgery and Nika with very new responsibilities

Clearly, a need to see the shiny new toys.

That's how I'm taking it. Canadian fan bias aside, I'm looking forward to seeing how her performance in the summer translates to this season.

Second would be Aubrey because she's returning from injury. Her athleticism and instincts sometimes makes my jaw drop. I don't know if calling her a wildcard is fair/appropriate, but that's how I see her. In addition to getting healthy, she could have expanded different aspects of her game that teams may not be ready for.

 

[ucbart]

Lou and Ice

I picked two newcomers who play positions where we desperately need help.

I want to see how well Lou shoots it from 3 and how much Ice can be a big, physical presence in the post.

 

[rvwsleep]

My picks were Amari and Ice.
If Amari can substantially improve her game over last year, it will go a long way to UConn's championship goal.
I think Ice will have the biggest positive differential between what is generally expected of her and how she'll perform.
By the end of the year, I can see Ice getting major minutes in important games. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns into UConn's most effective shooter from mid-range to and down low.

 

[385nwct]

I picked Ayanna and Azzi.
Ayanna was an easy choice. I have a feeling she’s going to be even better than we are anticipating.
Azzi because I can’t wait to watch her play at 100%.
Nika would have been my third choice. I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten many votes! Maybe people are a bit nervous more than excited about her this season with the new role.

 

[Beemer]

Nika, because I just love that kid and want to see how much progress she's made in improving her game. I think she surprises a lot of people.

Azzi, because she's finally healthy.

 

[Carnac]

I chose Aubrey and Ayanna.

For me high on the list would be Aubrey, considering she has not played all of last year and Ayanna for all the reasons I have read on the Boneyard.

If we had couple more choices I would also have picked Lou and Amari...basically gone with "newer" players I somewhat know what returning players are capable of.

I could only choose two. I’m very interested to see these two also.

 

[Carnac]

I guess Aaliyah doing all the dirty work does not raise an eyebrow. I voted Azzi and Lou so I cant complain but I did not expect a "0" so far in 31 votes. I guess we know what to expect.

Dorka and Nika with only 1 vote also a bit surprising since there has to be some uncertainty . Dorka coming off the wrist surgery and Nika with very new responsibilities

Clearly, a need to see the shiny new toys.

You pretty much know what to expect. I looked at those listed and to me, Amari is the biggest question mark.

In other news, congratulations to Aaron Judge on hitting home run number 62 last night. All rise for the judge. Being a free agent after this season, a team will have to make him a “mega- offer” (300 million plus) to get his name on a contract for the next 5-6 years.

 

[Majic Hands]

I clicked Aubrey.
I'm anxious to see what level she can play, returning from a back injury.

After that. I can't remember when I was this "anxious" to seeing what Every Single Player looks like and is able to bring to the team this year.

 

[eebmg]

You pretty much know what to expect. I looked at those listed and to me, Amari is the biggest question mark.

In other news, congratulations to Aaron Judge on hitting home run number 62 last night. All rise for the judge. Being a free agent after this season, a team will have to make him a “mega- offer” (300 million plus) to get his name on a contract for the next 5-6 years.

My guess is 8 yrs. 400 million and less than a 50% chance of the Yankees doing it.

And as far as Amari, I expect improvement but not as much as we may hope for, Looking at her still backing up Dorka and not really dominating until she is a starter in her junior year.


I say this because we have not heard any magical "hushed" rumblings about her wowing during summer session etc while Geno has given alot of positive signals on what he has seen in Dorka both in attitude after missing the FF and potential as a top 6 WNBA pick

 

[DEFCONN1]

What I like most about this post is there are no bad choices

 

[CocoHusky]

KK Arnold

 

[hoopsdiva]

I can't choose just two. I'm looking forward to seeing our new, hopefully deeper frontcourt. By definition, that's more than two right there. And then there's the super athletic duo of Aubrey and Yanna. They look to be super exciting. And then our backcourt - I think they'll turn out to be the most efficient backcourt in the nation. I can't wait to see them raining threes, cutting and slashing to the basket and dishing spectacular dimes.

 

[cgshuskie]

Ayanna and Ice. The newbee's will take this team higher than expected. And we have high expectations.
If I could choose two more I'd pick Azzi and Amari. Azzi for the hope that she overcomes her foot injury and meets expectations of AA. Amari because she can be a real power in the post. She needs to sit down with Tina Charles and/or Stef Dolson to get some inspiration.