Who will be the most improved player next year... Let's rank them

[cferraro04]

We will not include Saylor Poffenbarger as she only came in late in the season...we will include her in next year's class.

1. Mir McLean - I think Mir is an intriguing player. She is extremely athletic and she really hasn't had time to show her stuff yet. I believe she has a lot to show and will once she gets the opportunity. She will have the benefit of the sophomore leap and I believe Geno will reward her hard work with more minutes on the floor.

2. Evina Westbrook - Unfortunately, for us, we haven't had the opportunity to see Evina play at 100 percent. She has been recovering from two left knee surgeries and rehab. Her season last year was managed. I believe we will see the real Evina Westbrook this season... Since her stats weren't really that bad...her upside is a little less than MIr's. If Evina shows that kind of improvement that I think she is capable of...it is going to be hard to keep her off the floor. Senior leadership is something that Geno truly appreciates.

3. Nika Muhl - Nika had an up and down year...both at the beginning of the season and at the end of the season. It prevented her from showing any real consistency. Her scoring, 3 point shooting averages were not given the chance to be truly appreciated. I think if Nika stays healthy, she will get the kind of minutes that would allow her to impact the team positively. Her defense will improve and she could emerge as a lock down defender. She will also benefit from the sophomore jump.

4. Aubrey Griffin - Aubrey continued to be a mystery. With athleticism off the charts...I kept waiting for her sophomore jump but it just didn't come. I thought well last year she had a couple of break-out games this year that just didnt' happen. Aubrey didn't live up to her expected sophomore leap but I think we may see her reach the potential we all believe she is capable of. Of course, the big if...is whether or not Aubrey can get more consistent with her shooting. I think Aubrey has the ability to be a break out player and I pick her fourth on the most improvement list.

5. Olivia Nelson-Ododa - All Olivia would have to to do next season is to show more consistency in her play against the tougher side of the competition. Olivia dominated against weaker opponents. If Olivia could raise her numbers up so that she is a consistent double-double threat she could move up the most improved chart.

6. Piath Gabriel - Piath size gives her a tremendous upside...however, she has continued to be a work in progress. If she can impress Geno enough for him to give her more minutes we might just see some major improvement...And while it usually takes longer for bigs to show improvement I hope more minutes coupled with her sophomore leap will give us yet another big who can contribute,

7. Aaliyah Edwards - Aaliyah had an impressive freshman season. As a result her sophomore leap my not be as noticeable as some of the others in her class. I think that Aaliyah will be a starter next year and if not...she will certainly get significant minutes. If Aaliyah is able to add a couple of rebounds and more consistency on the scoring end she could be a real difficult player for other teams to have to defend.

8. Christyn Williams - We all know what kind of player Christyn can be, after all, she was a number one recruit coming out of high school. Why she disappeared in some games is just one of the those mysteries that is unexplainable. She is a great player and we are definitely better when Chrisyn is playing her "A" game. I am looking for her senior leadership next season as well as for her to be a more consistent player game to game.

9. Paige Bueckers - Last on the most improved list but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement. Next year Paige will have a lot of movable pieces around her. I might even expect some of her offensive numbers may come down as the offense will depend less on her taking on more of the scoring responsibility. With incoming players like Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and her returning cast...I expect to see Paige's improvement to be in her ability to make her teammates better.

 

[Heytherego]

I’d say
Nika
Evina
CW
AE
And I’m hoping there’s a big jump for Aubrey and Mir but being realistic I don’t think it’ll happen.

 

[LoboDays]

The big jump needs to be ONO. She has amazing in-conference stats. Needs the same against the bigs on the best teams.

 

[bballnut90]

I think it depends on how players fit into the system. Players like Mir McLean and Piath Gabriel I can't see breaking into the rotation next year if they weren't able to this year considering there will be a lot more depth and talent at their position. They may improve a lot, but chances are we wont see that improvement in games besides blow outs.

Going through the rest of the squad, giving a realistic outlook I'd say:

Christyn Williams-UCONN needs her to play at an All American level consistently to win a title. She's a great Robin to Paige's Batman, can hit shots, takes care of the ball and is generally a good decision maker but needs to play with more focus and intensity like she did at the end of the season.

Paige Bueckers- Skill wise she's the best player in the country but I think she has a couple of big areas for improvement that are needed to elevate UCONN to a new level. First, she needs to attack the game from the get go rather than let the game come to her. Geno harped on this all year and Arizona won the game in the first half by holding Paige to just 1 FG. Yes she was being blanketed but if you're the POY, you have to find a way. Along those lines, she also needs to develop better leadership skills. When calls weren't going her way in the Final Four, she'd complain to the refs and body language/demeanor wasn't good for a go to player. She usually exudes confidence but you don't see her instilling that same confidence in her teammates. And when the going gets tough, she needs to stay composed and be a steady presence for her teammates. A lot of this may improve just by having one season under her belt and Paige developing confidence being a year older and in her sophomore year.

Aaliyah Edwards-she had a terrific freshman season being a great finisher in the paint and a big physical presence. She needs to work on staying out to foul trouble and improving basketball IQ. 26 to 57 isn't a good A/TO ratio, especially for a player in a disciplined UCONN offense.

Evina Westbrook-sort of an odd ball observation, but after looking at box scores, Westbrook's production was significantly lower playing with both Bueckers/Muhl in the starting lineup compared to when Muhl came off the bench. Westbrook averaged 11.4 points without Muhl starting and 7.4 points when she did. Fans can comment on this but I think Evina's effectiveness with Muhl in the lineup is something that needs to be worked out. Westbrook was more of a scorer at Tennessee but has taken on a glue player role at UCONN, hitting open looks, making good decisions, finding open teammates, and playing off the ball more. I don't see huge improvements for next year besides maybe shooting higher percentages, though I expect her minutes and production to decline with the additions of Fudd and Ducharme.

Olivia Nelson Ododa-she just needs to work on being able to score against opposing bigs. She dominates weak competition but is completely ineffective against better teams. Defensively she is excellent and doesn't get enough credit for that, along with her passing from the high post. She has the frame and length to be a dominant big, she just needs to slow down and work on finishing shots inside. She also gets baited into too many midrange and perimeter jumpers. If she can hit them, great, but if she can't, taking those shots is a detriment to the team.

Aubrey Griffin-she's one of the best athletes in women's basketball but hasn't been able to elevate her game yet. Being able to hit open shots and hitting from the perimeter/midrange will be crucial. I think she's also in a tough spot for next year with Fudd coming on board and Westbrook returning. If she can become a little more disciplined she could become one of the nation's better defenders.

Nika Muhl-similar to Bueckers but even more so, I think her body language is the #1 area that needs improvement. She looks frustrated on the court when the game isn't going her way and would throw her hands up looking at the refs if she didn't get calls. You need your point guard to have a steadier presence. I fully understood having less talented players like Geno put Conlon/Chong in the starting 5, but they were always a consistent steady presence out there. Muhl needs to keep emotions in check and stay consistent with demeanor and body language.

 

[Rb335]

I’d say Aaliyah. She really came on strong at the end of the year, and I think we can expect a big season from her. Consistently our best interior player should be the goal. Then Nika and Mir by virtue of their age and room for improvement. I think Paige will be better, if possible, but in subtle ways. Like on ball defense, knowing when to do what, and even better passing. She’s already pretty remarkable.

 

[HopJim]

Edwards and Williams will likely each be more confident and therefore more consistent. Westbrook will have had another year to heal and we should expect her to be at full speed every game. If all others can maintain their level of play and these 3 improve, we will be a championship team.

 

[CocoHusky]

The big jump needs to be ONO. She has amazing in-conference stats. Needs the same against the bigs on the best teams.

Let’s not get carried away here! Amazing conference stats would have make ONO 1st team all BE- she wasn’t.

 

[UcMiami]

I am not sure there is really a jump for Williams from where she was at the end of her junior year - defensive stopper and 20 ppg.

I expect Paige to hit the same numbers in 5-8 fewer MPG - more energy, fewer minutes.

I expect Muhl to hit the same numbers she had in January/Feb/March, shooting a better % and a better A/TO probably in fewer minutes.

People somehow expect Ono to play the same game whether her opponent is 6' or 6'5+. It isn't going to happen as a post player - her defense is going to be VG regardless, but offensively she is a 4 being forced to play as a five - she doesn't have Tina's strength and she is giving her all, but it isn't natural for her. As a pro she will play a 4. So ... I expect her to be more aggressive defensively with better bench support, and to have more space in the post because of Fudd and Carolina and maybe Saylor.

Edwards, with her international career, showed us already what she has as she adjusted to US college wimps - hoping she is working on her jump shot between international duties. The A/TO probably isn't getting much better - when she catches she scores, she picks up travels, offensive fouls, and occasional fumbles and occasionally she may pass out to an open teammate when double teamed - not many assist chances from the new black hole.

Evina, not sure there is going to be much difference - she is a mature player with good instincts and an all around game. With this roster her minutes will be fewer, but production could remain similar as she will not wear down in games.

Mir, just no idea. Fire drill kind of play freshman year - can see the athleticism, haven't seen the game. Would be nice to see but does she get a chance? If this is a pressing team she may carve out a niche in that aspect. She throws the ball at the rim when she is 3 feet away - from the free throw line she shoots 75% so she should be able to actually shoot but in the game flow it looks painful.

Piath, I get the sense she may need another year before she sees significant time - team would love good minutes from her, but ...

Aubrey - I see someone who hasn't been able to 'read' so just 'reacts' which is a problem in a read and react system. Does she figure it out this off season? The athleticism and natural talent are clear, and if this team presses she will be a big part of that. Not sure she is getting more minutes, but hopefully they will be more productive.

The big thing is we have five new skilled players in Dorka, Azzi, Caroline, Saylor and Amari - those folks are getting a lot more minutes than 342 minutes that left with Anna and Autumn (11.4 minutes per game - they played 16 and 8 games respectively.) I suspect they will combined take 56 minutes/game at a minimum. (Dorka, Azzi, and Caroline at 14 minutes each, Saylor and Amari at 7 each) That is a reasonable breakdown - Mir averaged 7, Muhl 24, Edwards 20, and Paige 36 as freshmen, and Dorka is a senior, Azzi is Paige part two, and Caroline has beaten Azzi twice in 3pt shooting now.

That would be an average of 8 minutes less per player for the seven players that had significant minutes which would read as: Paige 28 mpg, Williams 26, Evina 22, Ono 18, Muhl 16, Edwards 12, and Aubrey 9 which probably is crazy, but shows how efficient the current roster will need to be simply to produce the same stats and how little room for error anyone has in terms of playing time - produce or sit.

If Edwards is as good as she has been, she will demand 20 minutes, if Azzi is as good as we think, she is going to demand 20 minutes so right there is 14 more minutes per game that need to be found from the rest of the roster.

FYI - I used the Uconn stats page for current roster minutes even though only two players played all 30 games. The mpg totals will therefore be greater than 200 mpg, but injuries and illnesses do occur.

 

[UcMiami]

Evina Westbrook-sort of an odd ball observation, but after looking at box scores, Westbrook's production was significantly lower playing with both Bueckers/Muhl in the starting lineup compared to when Muhl came off the bench. Westbrook averaged 11.4 points without Muhl starting and 7.4 points when she did.

The simple explanation ... When Nika started Paige was the SG and primary offensive option, when Nika didn't start Paige was the PG and was looking to set others up - the others including Evina.

When Nika was starting she was also shifting into 3/4 and probably her rebounding and assists went up - the line-up was Nika 1, Paige 2, Williams 3, Evina 4, Ono 5. Nika out at the end Edwards replaced her and Evina and Williams traded 2/3 assignments.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The big jump needs to be ONO. She has amazing in-conference stats. Needs the same against the bigs on the best teams.

Here are Liv's overall stats for this past season:

25.9 mpg
12.0 ppg
7.8 rpg
56/27/59 shooting

In conference:

25.6 mpg
14.3 ppg
7.8 rpg
64/40/65 shooting

Shooting and scoring were definitely better in conference.

 

[Heytherego]

Let’s not get carried away here! Amazing conference stats would have make ONO 1st team all BE- she wasn’t.

I don’t agree. Olivia performs phenomenally in the Big East and I think her stats back that up. She was co defensive player of the year, that isn’t nothing. That’s where she shines...because she’s playing undersized opponents. Her problem is against out of conference opponents. But Big East wise, she’s a star and I believe GA was saying she got snubbed for not making first team.

 

[dtbtbtb]

if everyone plays about the same as they did last season but ONO improves to where she finishes lay-ups against the top teams, UConn is practically unbeaten...i do think AE and NM will show improvement in their games. I don't know how Paige can improve aside than getting stronger which i don't know if it will happen with her surgery and all...

 

[cbraarj]

UConn is not winning a NC with Ono as the post player.

 

[CocoHusky]

I don’t agree. Olivia performs phenomenally in the Big East and I think her stats back that up. She was co defensive player of the year, that isn’t nothing. That’s where she shines...because she’s playing undersized opponents. Her problem is against out of conference opponents. But Big East wise, she’s a star and I believe GA was saying she got snubbed for not making first team.

Olivia does not perform phenomenally in the Big East and the BE coaches who voted on the 10 Player BE first Team back me up. On most nights in the Big East ONO is going up against centers that are 2-4 inches smaller than her . Being Co-defensive defensive POY is not nothing but it is Co-defensive.

 

[Bald Husky]

if everyone plays about the same as they did last season but ONO improves to where she finishes lay-ups against the top teams, UConn is practically unbeaten...i do think AE and NM will show improvement in their games. I don't know how Paige can improve aside than getting stronger which i don't know if it will happen with her surgery and all...

It has been noted that Paige is strongest going to her right. Watching that workout video, it seems that she is indeed working on going to her left. She looks awesome whichever way she goes. I'm just concerned that her ankle surgery did stop her progress, although its a safe bet that she planned her improvement workouts early this spring knowing that surgery was already in the works.

 

[oldhusky]

I think I will approach this more from a standpoint of anticipated or hoped for improvement than an actual rating. First from the upperclassmen I don't expect much improvement, except additional familiarity with the impact freshmen. Of those I actually think Evina has the best chance of significant improvement for two reasons. First she will not need to play out of position as a PF for much of the year, like she did last year. She did a very good job as a "swiss army knife" but could probably be a better player if she could concentrate on a more defined role. Remember she was a point guard at Tennessee and a PF after Anna got injured.

Also I think the fact this was her first year coming back from injury is very undervalued. There is a long history of players coming back from knee injuries, where the first year they come back part way, but it is nor until the second year that they are all the way back. Remember they had to manage her minutes in practice somewhat this past season, so she could improve just because of health.

I don't know if it will happen, but Liv will have players to benefit from in practice. For her first two years she didn't have anybody, last year Piath was added. This year she has two much higher level bigs to go against everyday in Dorka and Amari. I hope that toughens her up a little for the competition she would face in the tournament.

Aubrey has areas she could improve on if she widens her skills to play other positions, but if she doesn't as a backup PF behind Aaliyah she is very good in that role right now. Mir could improve a great deal and not have it result in any more playing time. Unless she leapfrogs over Aubrey she looks to be #3 on the depth chart at PF, with two new bigger players in Dorka and Amari that also may threaten her time.

Piath and Saylor like Mir could improve substantially, but that improvement would have to be enough to pass a player ahead of them to get more minutes. It is what it is.

For last year's freshmen there is much hope for improvement. I think Aaliyah has much growth ahead of her. She was very very good last year, but still had categories where she wasn't, like fouls, turnovers, assists for example. Those are categories that frequently improve with experience. Uconn bigs in particular usually achieve assist/turnover ratios that are much better than other teams, and we foul less too, so out of all the potential areas of improvement for Uconn players, these areas for Aaliyah are probably near the top of most likely to happen.

Nika had a very up and down first year, and a horrible start. she also was fighting injuries for much of it, and had some battles with coaches. By the end of the season she had already emerged as a much better player, but offensively there is still a lot of untapped potential, and I don't mean scoring. Nika's game was toned down or reigned in more than anybody's. She is pretty limited scoring wise to just spot up threes and hard drives to the basket. But she can create offense with her drives leading to great passes. She gets flashy passes and a fair number of turnovers. If she improves the decision making enough Geno could turn her loose more to make things happen and turn her into a greater offensive threat mostly from passes. She also could be a major beneficiary of a pressing and fast breaking style.

Paige can just get a little better at everything, but the closest thing to a weakness is her on the ball defense, so maybe just the normal evolution to a sophomore for her. She, Nika and Evina as the best passers will benefit from having far more outside shooting with the additions, in addition to a couple more options inside with Dorka and Amari.

 

[diggerfoot]

In a normal year the stats of the outgoing seniors, even in a small class, are going to be greater than those of the incoming freshmen. This usually means the stats of the returning players will be better. UConn faces a much different situation from the norm. The cumulative stats of the incoming freshmen are going to be much greater than the one player who left. Even if the team improves dramatically as a whole it’s not likely to show up in most of statistics of the returning players, hindering an assessment of who improved more.

One exception is the A/T ratio (as well as other ratios such as per minute stats). I will guess the following improvement occurs in regards to this one stat alone.

Edwards
Muhl
Griffin
Westbrook
Bueckers
ONO
Williams
McLean
Gabriel

 

[DeeHusky]

I’d say it’s between Edwards and Muhl —they both showed improvements towards the end of the season. So now with proven ability that they can play in a system comes more trust from Geno and more playing time. Having already played a year in UConn’s system and proving to Geno that you can play will only lead to more confidence, assurance, and comfortability out on the floor

 

[CONN78SEJ]

We will not include Saylor Poffenbarger as she only came in late in the season...we will include her in next year's class.

1. Mir McLean - I think Mir is an intriguing player. She is extremely athletic and she really hasn't had time to show her stuff yet. I believe she has a lot to show and will once she gets the opportunity. She will have the benefit of the sophomore leap and I believe Geno will reward her hard work with more minutes on the floor.

2. Evina Westbrook - Unfortunately, for us, we haven't had the opportunity to see Evina play at 100 percent. She has been recovering from two left knee surgeries and rehab. Her season last year was managed. I believe we will see the real Evina Westbrook this season... Since her stats weren't really that bad...her upside is a little less than MIr's. If Evina shows that kind of improvement that I think she is capable of...it is going to be hard to keep her off the floor. Senior leadership is something that Geno truly appreciates.

3. Nika Muhl - Nika had an up and down year...both at the beginning of the season and at the end of the season. It prevented her from showing any real consistency. Her scoring, 3 point shooting averages were not given the chance to be truly appreciated. I think if Nika stays healthy, she will get the kind of minutes that would allow her to impact the team positively. Her defense will improve and she could emerge as a lock down defender. She will also benefit from the sophomore jump.

4. Aubrey Griffin - Aubrey continued to be a mystery. With athleticism off the charts...I kept waiting for her sophomore jump but it just didn't come. I thought well last year she had a couple of break-out games this year that just didnt' happen. Aubrey didn't live up to her expected sophomore leap but I think we may see her reach the potential we all believe she is capable of. Of course, the big if...is whether or not Aubrey can get more consistent with her shooting. I think Aubrey has the ability to be a break out player and I pick her fourth on the most improvement list.

5. Olivia Nelson-Ododa - All Olivia would have to to do next season is to show more consistency in her play against the tougher side of the competition. Olivia dominated against weaker opponents. If Olivia could raise her numbers up so that she is a consistent double-double threat she could move up the most improved chart.

6. Piath Gabriel - Piath size gives her a tremendous upside...however, she has continued to be a work in progress. If she can impress Geno enough for him to give her more minutes we might just see some major improvement...And while it usually takes longer for bigs to show improvement I hope more minutes coupled with her sophomore leap will give us yet another big who can contribute,

7. Aaliyah Edwards - Aaliyah had an impressive freshman season. As a result her sophomore leap my not be as noticeable as some of the others in her class. I think that Aaliyah will be a starter next year and if not...she will certainly get significant minutes. If Aaliyah is able to add a couple of rebounds and more consistency on the scoring end she could be a real difficult player for other teams to have to defend.

8. Christyn Williams - We all know what kind of player Christyn can be, after all, she was a number one recruit coming out of high school. Why she disappeared in some games is just one of the those mysteries that is unexplainable. She is a great player and we are definitely better when Chrisyn is playing her "A" game. I am looking for her senior leadership next season as well as for her to be a more consistent player game to game.

9. Paige Bueckers - Last on the most improved list but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement. Next year Paige will have a lot of movable pieces around her. I might even expect some of her offensive numbers may come down as the offense will depend less on her taking on more of the scoring responsibility. With incoming players like Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and her returning cast...I expect to see Paige's improvement to be in her ability to make her teammates better.

The seniors and juniors will be really pushed next year by the incoming freshman and sophomores. I think Ducharme and Azzi, as well as Edwards and Bueckers will be pushing the upper classmen for playing time.

 

[Stymie]

Aaliyah Edwards, in my opinion, showed fantastic growth during her first year.
If she’s picks up where she left off last year, I look forward to her being one of the dominant bigs in the game.
Aggressive under the boards, runs the floor well , PHYSICAL; incredible upside.
VERY IMPRESSED. She will give Boston all she can handle.

 

[UcMiami]

Just a follow on to my first post above ... really looking at all the incoming players (freshmen and Dorka) and the returning player minutes I seriously wonder if Uconn was looking at any additional transfer in however great the skill set/size. Just not a lot of room at the inn once Dorka committed.

(Also, one sort of wonders how SC is going to manage - 11 player roster this year and their only senior returning for a 5th year (Grissett), 4 highly ranked recruits coming in (2,3,4,14 per ESPN) for a 15 player roster and now a xfer freshman added. Front court is Grissett 5th yr, Saxton, Wesolek sr, Boston, Amihere jr, Cardoso soph, and Feagin fr. - The returners average 96.8 minutes/game. Someone not going to be happy.)

 

[Charliebball]

UConn is not winning a NC with Ono as the post player.

I think you are forgetting that she will be the fifth scoring option on next season's team...............12 ppg is ging to be just fine.............she just needs to concentrate on her defense and rebounding.........if UConn doesn't win a NC it won't be because of ONO's play

 

[CocoHusky]

I think you are forgetting that she will be the fifth scoring option on next season's team...............12 ppg is ging to be just fine.............she just needs to concentrate on her defense and rebounding.........if UConn doesn't win a NC it won't be because of ONO's play

ONO last three games of the season against Iowa, Baylor and Arizona netted 4, 3 and 0 points.
She netted 2 points against Arkansas. Against South Carolina she netted 6 points. Against TN she netted 7 points. Do you see a pattern here? UCONN is not going to play teams like High Point every game where ONO can score 22 and boost her average to 12. She needs to show up in big games and be a reliable and consistent impact player.

 

[and one]

The higher one's known floor the less room to the ceiling, so I'm eliminating almost all the major minute players from last year. That includes Edwards and Paige. Can they improve? Of course. Twice as good as last year? Nope.

Gabriel has plenty of room to improve but most bigs take longer to get good so although I hope she takes a big jump I tend to doubt it.

Muhl is the major minute player I kept in consideration. If she shows the skills and inclination to be a significant scoring threat consistently the team will hugely benefit.

That leaves Griffin and McLean. Both have the most room to improve and could well do so. Both need to slow things down, see the game and react accordingly, and take shots that aren't rushed prayers. Griff will be most pushed by the incoming frosh for playing time so I'm hoping she manages to be what we hoped she would be and solidify a major minute role. I'm going with Griff for preseason favorite for most improved.

 

[bluedevil]

if everyone plays about the same as they did last season but ONO improves to where she finishes lay-ups against the top teams, UConn is practically unbeaten...i do think AE and NM will show improvement in their games. I don't know how Paige can improve aside than getting stronger which i don't know if it will happen with her surgery and all...

Well ONO was not first team all Big Least while DJ was all Big 10 first team. So DJ and AE to me will be the difference makers.