Who has been the biggest surprise this season?

[EricLA]

When I say the biggest surprise, I mean "who has surpassed your expectations by the biggest margin"?

We knew Evina was good, but she is an incredible leader and "mom" figure for the youngsters. She gives whatever the team needs, whether scoring, dishing, rebounding, etc.

Was hoping for an Aubrey sophomore leap, and she earned a starting spot before her injury - biggest surprise?

Paige was hyped to the hills, but is she even better than we thought by a wide enough margin?

Nika - went from (often) an afterthought as one of the freshmen recruits, battled injuries, butted heads with Geno, but given the opportunity to shine and play, has been nothing short of fantastic.

Aaliyah - has had some up and down games, but showed when given minutes, can put up eye popping numbers with incredible efficiency. And has there ever been a stronger freshman??!!

Mir - also seemed like an "afterthought" at times for the freshman class - maybe because few saw her play and we knew not much about her aside from athleticism. But has earned some good minutes at times and shown she can impact the game on both ends of the court...

So what say you? Who is even better than you imagined - by the widest margin? And I'm not trying to be disrespectful of Christyn, Olivia, Piath, Autumn, or Saylor, but I don't think any of them have come close to substantially exceeding pre-season expectations (unless you want to count the surprise of Saylor leaving high school early to join the team!).

Really there is no wrong answer. It's been fun to see the growth and development of the newbies, and we knew they were going to have to be good for us to be great.

 

[Mouse]

For me, close between Paige and Nika. HM to Aaliyah and Evina.

 

[ABCDFE]

Even with the hype, PAIGE. I never thought I'd see a freshman point guard do so much this early and shoot lights out on a team without great shooters so teams know it's basically Paige and streaky shooters. What Paige has done in almost every statistical category to me has far exceeded expectations. This is how crazy good she's been thus far.

 

[Argonaut]

I only say Nika because Autumn isn't an option.

The kid is fearless and can shoot. She would have been a star in a smaller program.

 

[Waquoit]

I think the sky is the limit for Aaliyah.

 

[Longtime fan]

When I say the biggest surprise, I mean "who has surpassed your expectations by the biggest margin"?

We knew Evina was good, but she is an incredible leader and "mom" figure for the youngsters. She gives whatever the team needs, whether scoring, dishing, rebounding, etc.

Was hoping for an Aubrey sophomore leap, and she earned a starting spot before her injury - biggest surprise?

Paige was hyped to the hills, but is she even better than we thought by a wide enough margin?

Nika - went from (often) an afterthought as one of the freshmen recruits, battled injuries, butted heads with Geno, but given the opportunity to shine and play, has been nothing short of fantastic.

Aaliyah - has had some up and down games, but showed when given minutes, can put up eye popping numbers with incredible efficiency. And has there ever been a stronger freshman??!!

Mir - also seemed like an "afterthought" at times for the freshman class - maybe because few saw her play and we knew not much about her aside from athleticism. But has earned some good minutes at times and shown she can impact the game on both ends of the court...

So what say you? Who is even better than you imagined - by the widest margin? And I'm not trying to be disrespectful of Christyn, Olivia, Piath, Autumn, or Saylor, but I don't think any of them have come close to substantially exceeding pre-season expectations (unless you want to count the surprise of Saylor leaving high school early to join the team!).

Really there is no wrong answer. It's been fun to see the growth and development of the newbies, and we knew they were going to have to be good for us to be great.

At the moment, one would have to vote for Nika. In her first few outings, she played as though she was fighting for the 8th or 9th spot on the bench. Now, she is emerging as a legit point guard, with tenacious defense and unlimited energy. She is a fine distributor of the ball and is showing an ability to shoot.

 

[PacoSwede]

ain't no way paige is a surprise. egads.

ye of little faith

the stats aren't gonna continue as is -- but the performance certainly is and her leadership and influence is gonna grow. not a surprise

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Nika is now playing as I thought she would, but I didn't expect her to be a starter as a freshman. I hope she stays there so "the twins" can help make everybody better and I want 12-14 a game out of her. So I say Aubrey. Many others had more confidence in her than I. Hope she continues to grow. How are we ever going to sort out who starts new year?

 

[psconn]

My feelings are in line with the poll.

Nika is most surprising. Not only did I know the least about her, but then she got injured, shot poorly, and fouled like it was her job. I now believe that was not the Nika that impressed Geno overseas. Based on European videos, this is the Nika he recruited. The question is how high is her ceiling from here. I have no idea.

Paige is my runner up. We've seen top recruits come in (even #1s) and not live up to our lofty expectations on numerous occasions. Paige's hype-train was ridiculous coming in, and although it was obvious she was a very good player, no one could be that good right off the boat. WRONG! She's that good and appears to have plenty of upside to develop from here... unreal.

Aaliya would be my third pick. They talked about her toughness and that was obvious from the start. What is somewhat surprising is her tireless hustle and ability to make the right moves within the offense. Rapid improvement! She has not looked tentative since the first few games. The new Asjha Jones?

 

[my2cents]

I think we have had 11 top HS players come to UCONN. Paige in 13 games has outperformed them all. That is a surprise. Megan Walker got benched, several times her freshman year...Paige will not get benched .
Most times with high expectations, movies restaurants, etc, you go away disappointed. Paige has exceeded any and all expectations.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Paige for me is the biggest surprise because of how much better she is than even the most optimistic of UConn fans could have expected. Yes, she was supposed to be good and even real good but WBB POY, good as a freshmen?
My second surprise is E. - watching her in TN she seems like a high turnover player who while had obvious skills seemed un happy and pouty when things didn't go her way and far from a leader. What a revelation she has been. While Paige is clearly the Superstar of this team, E. is the heart and soul.

 

[Monte]

I think the sky is the limit for Aaliyah.

You're right. She HAS to start against big, strong teams. She seems to gain more confidence with each game!

 

[victor64]

I knew Paige would be good but not first team
All—American good.

 

[huskyd]

The player who (so far) has exceeded my expectations is Nika. No one who watched Paige in high school should be surprised at how good she is. She's playing as she always has; her game was always exceptional. Glad others appreciate Nika (so far).

 

[eebmg]

I picked Evina because I was not sure she could make it back on the court and then fit into the UConn system

 

[Bigboote]

Geez, this is a tough one. I wound up voting for Evina. After her two years at Tennessee, I wasn't sure she would develop into a disciplined player who fits into a rigid yet creative system. She's done a great job on the court, but her impact may very well be greater as the momma.

I also considered Paige. I watched several of her games last year, so I'm not surprised that she's a great player or that she leaves my jaw on the floor occasionally. The thing is, she seems as far ahead of DI college players as she did above Minnesota high schoolers. I still feel like she has a gear we haven't seen yet, although we've seen more evidence of it the past couple of games. She shows emotion on the court, but she seems to have that inner calm that Collier has, she never looks rattled.

I've seen a few entire games of Nika, some footage of Aaliyah, and some clips of Mir, plus Mirs a Maryland kid so I've read a bit more about her than some. They're all doing pretty much what I'd expected before the season started.

The great part is they've all improved over the course of the season, and I don't expect that to end soon.

 

[MSGRET]

Nika has a chance to be one of the top PG in the Country and NO ONE, including me, thought that she would get more than clean-up minutes after her first couple of games. So to me it has to be Nika.

 

[Majic Hands]

Mir is the most surprising to me. I don't recall seeing videos about how good she is or how she would be bumping someone out of the starting line up. I think most of the conversations were whether she would get any quality minutes or not. Isn't she getting quality minutes?

I get so many picking Nika. However it seems to me for Nika to be the biggest surprise you have ignore the videos and Geno. I though Geno was very high on her. As Anna, she didn't come to America to sit. Her only position is point. The only disparaging comments I heard about her were here on the BY.

Page so far has been excellent. However, I think it would be impossible to exceed the expectations or be the biggest surprise. Right now she is the least of what she may become.

Aaliya. Big fish from a good size pond? Playing with the Canadian National Team along with the high praise about how quickly she picks up the teams concepts. I don't think she is anywhere near what she will be by the end of this year.

E? I thought with E on the floor one of the other 4 could take a break. Sit on the bench and talk with CD.

Aubrey. Hummmm. Wasn't some here on the BY talking how she would be the leading scorer as a freshman? Is she better as a sophomore? I would say thankfully yes. Surprisingly so? No. I think she still isn't sure as to where she should be on the floor.

I'm surprised that as a team in 2021 they are getting it together as soon as they are. Hoping that trend continues tonight and onward.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I knew Paige would be good but not first team
All—American good.

She has beaten Briana's score total through the first 10 games. A commentator/analyst for the WNBA says she could be one of the 5 best point guards right now. She's got tremendous skills and the heart of a lion.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Nika has a chance to be one of the top PG in the Country and NO ONE, including me, thought that she would get more than clean-up minutes after her first couple of games. So to me it has to be Nika.

NO ONE ... not so. I may be stupid but I'm loyal to a fault. BTW I forgive you.

 

[oldhusky]

For me the clear answer is Mir. I think everybody else is close to my expectations, but Mir I had seen little video on, and with her rankings and the people ahead of her, I thought she would be more of the 9th player in an 8 player rotation.

I also had trouble figuring out how a 5-11 player known mostly as an athlete with great rebounding would find a role in the offense. But the go get the offensive rebound, and throw up a grenade approach, has allowed her to carve out some meaningful minutes which to me was a big surprise.

 

[Bald Husky]

When I say the biggest surprise, I mean "who has surpassed your expectations by the biggest margin"?

We knew Evina was good, but she is an incredible leader and "mom" figure for the youngsters. She gives whatever the team needs, whether scoring, dishing, rebounding, etc.

Was hoping for an Aubrey sophomore leap, and she earned a starting spot before her injury - biggest surprise?

Paige was hyped to the hills, but is she even better than we thought by a wide enough margin?

Nika - went from (often) an afterthought as one of the freshmen recruits, battled injuries, butted heads with Geno, but given the opportunity to shine and play, has been nothing short of fantastic.

Aaliyah - has had some up and down games, but showed when given minutes, can put up eye popping numbers with incredible efficiency. And has there ever been a stronger freshman??!!

Mir - also seemed like an "afterthought" at times for the freshman class - maybe because few saw her play and we knew not much about her aside from athleticism. But has earned some good minutes at times and shown she can impact the game on both ends of the court...

So what say you? Who is even better than you imagined - by the widest margin? And I'm not trying to be disrespectful of Christyn, Olivia, Piath, Autumn, or Saylor, but I don't think any of them have come close to substantially exceeding pre-season expectations (unless you want to count the surprise of Saylor leaving high school early to join the team!).

Really there is no wrong answer. It's been fun to see the growth and development of the newbies, and we knew they were going to have to be good for us to be great.

I didn't vote for Nika because I did expect her to have an impact. Not to the extent of what she has done so far, but I did think she would be a good back up for Paige. I voted for Mir because I honestly thought that there was too much competition for her position. She was the least known recruit and really didn't know what to expect from her. She has been my biggest surprise. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it.

 

[Charliebball]

I too voted for Mir as she does things that somebody her size just isn't supposed to do.............I might have voted for Geno if he was on the list.........who knew he would play the freshmen as much as he has......

 

[psconn]

Nika has a chance to be one of the top PG in the Country and NO ONE, including me, thought that she would get more than clean-up minutes after her first couple of games. So to me it has to be Nika.

...he said, speaking for everyone in the world (including Darko)...

 

[hoophuskee]

1- Nika. Thought at best she'd be 7th - 8th off the bench with a significant drop off. Now I want to figure out how to have her start and how ot get her looks at the basket! Seems to have a very good 1st step too.

2- Paige-- I did expect terrific play - but what she is doing now - so far - - hope it continues is just crazy. It's one thing for a player to be an A/a. Then to be a 1st team A/a it's impressive. But what Paige is doing is all-time great so far (Please let it continue tonight!). Historically great so far. Literally pointing out to players in halfcourt sets what to do-- - wow.

3- Edwards- You can argue she could be 1st too! Her strength and just super understanding what she is doing for a frosh - I didn't expect she'd be this physical - and even though she made Canadian Team at one point - it's clear she just has such an amazing understanding for a frosh.