Who's Next

[Zinethar]

All I really know is I now have my 2 shots and am looking forward to finding games next year where I can watch UConn in person and get caught up in the excitement. This should be a fun ride.

 

[BBallF]

Very few of us thought Evina would stay a second year, especially with how weak this draft class is, but here we are.

Dorka might stay...
Dorka might go...

Evina is staying because she wants a ring and has a sense of responsibility to this team and program. She is acutely aware of what UCONN is all about. When she said she had "unfinished business" she was throwing the gauntlet down. I look for a great season from her. I think she will condition and practice very hard this off season and her leg will be improved and she will get on anyone's case who doesn't give 110% next year..

 

[Rb335]

From reading Kelly Grave's comments about his two outbound transfers, its easy to see that a lot of players want more playing time as opposed to playing backup on a successful team. We have a very deep and crowded roster this upcoming season, but I believe that most players can see that CW, ONO, and Evina all leave after next year, opening up a lot of minutes. I think it's great that our freshman won't feel the pressure to carry the team from day one, but can learn and grow and be ready for when our seniors graduate.

Each position has a very good player who wasn't in our final four starting lineup. Muhl, Fudd, Ducharme, Griffin, and Dorka. 3 of these players have proven to be effective D1 players & Azzi is supposedly the chosen one, so there is no reason to think our rotation won't be at minimum 9. I'm more intrigued to see which freshman of Ducharme, Deberry & Poffenbarger are able to carve out a consistent role.

 

[and one]

Here is how I think minute distribution will look next year:

Season average

30+
Paige and CW.

25+
EW, AE, Nika

20+
ONO, DJ, Fudd

15+
AG

10+
Ducharme, DeBerry, Saylor

5+
Mir, Piath

In competitive/close games

35+ Paige

30+ CW, EW, Nika, DJ

25+ Fudd, ONO

15+ AG

3+ Ducharme, DeBerry, Saylor

The core 7 are Paige, CW, EW, Nika, DJ, Azzi and ONO

My most obvious assumption is that Azzi will prove to be so good from the start that keeping her out of the line-up won't be possible. A second is that DJ will play as well for Uconn as she did for Ohio State. I see no reason why not and think that Geno accepted her into the program expecting her to be in the short rotation.

AG is a wild card. If she develops a shooting touch over the off season her minutes go up. She has so many good things about her game that relegating her to 15 minutes a game is tough, but competition for minutes will be fierce and she'll have to add scoring to her game to turn the core player number from 7 to 8.

I have no idea how Ducharme, DeBerry and Saylor will look this coming season - all three hold great promise. I doubt any of them will be so good they average major minutes. The time for them will come in 22-23.

 

[FairView]

Amazing album.

 

[Bama fan]

Amazing album.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Just something to ponder when talking about Aaliyah Edwards:

 

[Zarathustra]

Just something to ponder when talking about Aaliyah Edwards:

Interesting " Factoid" , thanks for posting!

 

[veryolddog]

Well Tony, your points are well founded. The comments and conversations on this thread are also very interesting with good points.

I thought that this was a good year for the UConn team. With all the young players and help from the Juniors, it turned out better than I expected. In my opinion, Chrystin and Evina were very helpful and made key plays consistently during the season. ONO on the other hand, had her ups and downs, as she moments of exceptional performance and then there were times when she was non existent.

I was excited to see this season with the incoming Freshwomen, but next year, with the addition of another crop of new talented players including Dorka, I am more interested and enthusiastic as you are about the potential of this team and a National Championship. I am sure that the other teams like Stanford, Baylor, Maryland, et al., are going to field some very competitive teams, but Geno has got the players to match these folks.

Here's to another exciting season and this one ending with a National Championship back to UConn.

 

[HopJim]

Well done @Tonyc , but I'd like to throw a couple of wrinkles into your plan. I feel the twitterverse comments regarding a reduction in roster may come to pass.

Looking at Geno's recent comments that if Liv doesn't change in a couple areas it's going to be a long senior year for her and his rave over Aaliyah saying she will get most of the touches in the post in the coming year, plus the transfer in of Dorka, it appears that Liv is the #3 option in the low post. That is before Amari has a chance to demonstrate he abilities, which are formidable. Liv may be pushing Autumn for the 3 point high five tradition.

Evina's playing time will be dictated by the condition of her knee. Geno has stated his desire to return to the full court game and that E's knee (and Anna's leg) prevented him from doing so. If Evina's knee can hold up she is probably a lock for 25 minutes a game.

A full court game fits best with Christyn and Nika in the game. Paige has to become a better on ball defender. A rotation of those 3, Azzi and Aubrey will handle the point and wings with liberal substation (depending on Azzi's ability to run the floor. I am skeptical because of the recent lower leg issues).

I have more thoughts but I'm starting to ramble. Just say I am excited for the coming year and anticipating some news worthy events in the coming days.

While hopeful, skeptical about UConn being able to sustain significant full court pressure next year in the big games. Christyn, Paige, and Nika have histories of sprained ankles, Evina has a bad knee, Fudd is getting over knee and foot/ankle injuries, and Paige likes to play entire game. Geno has a history of rarely giving more than 7-8 maximum minutes when we play teams like Baylor and South Carolina. Perhaps if 8-9+ can get minutes throughout the season, the starters will be better rested in the playoffs.

 

[Tonyc]

UConn is loaded big time BIG TIME. We have depth and height that can play We're Oliva 6'5 Piath 6'5 Amari 6'5 Dorka 6'4 Edwards 6'3 Caroline 6'2 and Saylor 6'2. We have guards Christyn HS number 1 Paige HS number 1 NPOY BE PLY NFOY BE FOY Fudd HS Number 1 and PLY Evina HS number 2 and some of you are dwelling on the negatives.?????? Years ago I used to play negative golfers and I'd say to them I can beat you with a 5 iron and a wedge. Do you know what they thought????? Whats he gonna putt with???? Well I putted with a sand wedge. I never lost that bet and I never took their money. The point Im making is focus on the positives UConn is that good. UConn WBB is a team game not and individual game. Just because you've got a great player to carry you they can only carry you so far. You need to learn how to win and thats why girls come to UConn because Geno has proven he knows how to get his teams to win.

Now this coming season we have another fantastic freshman class and its gonna take them time to learn the system and for the coaching staff to develop them. Be Patient. UConn is the team to beat every season and it doesnt matter what anybody think. UConn is the mark. One thing Geno is very good at and he is a master at and thats turning Negatives into Positives. When your a great player it comes down to fundamentals, and attitude. SC and Stanford are really good next season and Baylor NC State and MD arent far behind, but when it comes down to it UConn is the team to beat. With that said it gonna be really hard to beat UConn over the next 4-6 years. The cream has risen to the top and it doesnt matter who the other teams have it gonna take an unbelievable game to beat this team next season.

 

[MSGRET]

UConn is loaded big time BIG TIME. We have depth and height that can play We're Oliva 6'5 Piath 6'5 Amari 6'5 Dorka 6'4 Edwards 6'3 Caroline 6'2 and Saylor 6'2. We have guards Christyn HS number 1 Paige HS number 1 NPOY BE PLY NFOY BE FOY Fudd HS Number 1 and PLY Evina HS number 2 and some of you are dwelling on the negatives.?????? Years ago I used to play negative golfers and I'd say to them I can beat you with a 5 iron and a wedge. Do you know what they thought????? Whats he gonna putt with???? Well I putted with a sand wedge. I never lost that bet and I never took their money. The point Im making is focus on the positives UConn is that good. UConn WBB is a team game not and individual game. Just because you've got a great player to carry you they can only carry you so far. You need to learn how to win and thats why girls come to UConn because Geno has proven he knows how to get his teams to win.

Now this coming season we have another fantastic freshman class and its gonna take them time to learn the system and for the coaching staff to develop them. Be Patient. UConn is the team to beat every season and it doesnt matter what anybody think. UConn is the mark. One thing Geno is very good at and he is a master at and thats turning Negatives into Positives. When your a great player it comes down to fundamentals, and attitude. SC and Stanford are really good next season and Baylor NC State and MD arent far behind, but when it comes down to it UConn is the team to beat. With that said it gonna be really hard to beat UConn over the next 4-6 years. The cream has risen to the top and it doesnt matter who the other teams have it gonna take an unbelievable game to beat this team next season.

I would say that Geno is the "Pinball Wizard" of Women's Basketball.

 

[MilfordHusky]

It’s hard to say if Azzi is better than Paige, thought it’s possible. Azzi was the first high school sophomore to win NPOY awards (she won 2 of 4, and Haley Jones won the others). Paige was the first college freshman to win NPOY (she won all of them that considered freshmen). I think Paige has the advantage of one season of UConn coaching. I’ve seen Azzi in person several times. In her sophomore year, she looked roughly comparable to high school senior Maya Moore, though not as physically dominant. In short, both Paige and Azzi are as good as it gets. Azzi could be the best shooter ever, in addition to being solid all around. I’m excited to see her. Among other things, she’s the ultimate zone buster.

 

[Happydad745]

If I remember correctly, each coach is allowed 3 All American nominees...which is why Kia Nurse did not make AA, but could have. Tonyc stated that we could have 5 AA's, and that is an impossibility.

 

[huskiemaniac]

UConn is the team to beat every season

If only this were true.

 

[SLY63]

In competitive/close games

35+ Paige

30+ CW, EW, Nika, DJ

25+ Fudd, ONO

15+ AG

3+ Ducharme, DeBerry, Saylor

The core 7 are Paige, CW, EW, Nika, DJ, Azzi and ONO

You forgot AE !!!!!!

 

[Jingo]

Well done @Tonyc , but I'd like to throw a couple of wrinkles into your plan. I feel the twitterverse comments regarding a reduction in roster may come to pass.

Looking at Geno's recent comments that if Liv doesn't change in a couple areas it's going to be a long senior year for her and his rave over Aaliyah saying she will get most of the touches in the post in the coming year, plus the transfer in of Dorka, it appears that Liv is the #3 option in the low post. That is before Amari has a chance to demonstrate he abilities, which are formidable. Liv may be pushing Autumn for the 3 point high five tradition.

Evina's playing time will be dictated by the condition of her knee. Geno has stated his desire to return to the full court game and that E's knee (and Anna's leg) prevented him from doing so. If Evina's knee can hold up she is probably a lock for 25 minutes a game.

A full court game fits best with Christyn and Nika in the game. Paige has to become a better on ball defender. A rotation of those 3, Azzi and Aubrey will handle the point and wings with liberal substation (depending on Azzi's ability to run the floor. I am skeptical because of the recent lower leg issues).

I have more thoughts but I'm starting to ramble. Just say I am excited for the coming year and anticipating some news worthy events in the coming days.

We know that Liv will start .. where it goes from there is a crap shoot, eh?

 

[HuskylnSC]

We know that Liv will start .. where it goes from there is a crap shoot, eh?

I don't know if Liv will start. Geno's comments about the post position were some of the strongest and most direct I can remember (but at my age don't hold that against me). But it's up to Liv. She needs to get stronger. She needs enough muscle mass to not be thrown off on her putbacks. She needs the strength to hold her ground against some of the banging posts (read Boston). There are times when she doesn't need to chase blocks like when an opposing offensive player is shooting under duress. Then she needs to be blocking out to cover a rebound. And she needs to develop consistency. If she does three things she will be the best post in the country. If not then the UConn 4/5 will be in the hands of a sophomore, a transfer, and a freshman, IMO.

 

[MooseJaw]

I don't know if Liv will start. Geno's comments about the post position were some of the strongest and most direct I can remember (but at my age don't hold that against me). But it's up to Liv. She needs to get stronger. She needs enough muscle mass to not be thrown off on her putbacks. She needs the strength to hold her ground against some of the banging posts (read Boston). There are times when she doesn't need to chase blocks like when an opposing offensive player is shooting under duress. Then she needs to be blocking out to cover a rebound. And she needs to develop consistency. If she does three things she will be the best post in the country. If not then the UConn 4/5 will be in the hands of a sophomore, a transfer, and a freshman, IMO.

What you say has merit, however there are more ways to get to being a top 4-5. Lets face it Liv will never be Charli Atlas she doesn't have the body type, she can get stronger and imo she should start with increased hand strength, which will help with her ball control, put backs and catching passes. She can work on quickness, anticipation and reaction, all of which will aid her in going after balls below her waist. Finally think about some of the best 4-5 that were not built like Wilt. Think about Kareem, he was not bulked up, he had moves, speed and unblockable shots.
There is no way Liv can or will come back to Storrs in June looking like the incredible Hulk. She can come back improving those things that will compliment her body type, those things I listed above. I hope she does, UCONN Nation deserves another NC, Liv can help bring home the hardware.

 

[chrissaran]

When Tina Charles arrived, Geno said that he thought she would be an All-American all four years. At one point Tina wanted to quit, but her mom told her you chose UConn, so you need to stay. It wasn't until the tournament of her junior year that she live up to the billing, which turned out to be the first of two consecutive undefeated seasons. It did happen before he junior year was over, and she was a monster. It is now Olivia's senior year. I don't see Olivia turning into a monster player. She doesn't have the aggressiveness for it.

 

[PJCLaw]

That had to be a typo. She's better, or at least on her to being better, than ONO IMO.

 

[Jingo]

I don't know if Liv will start. Geno's comments about the post position were some of the strongest and most direct I can remember (but at my age don't hold that against me). But it's up to Liv. She needs to get stronger. She needs enough muscle mass to not be thrown off on her putbacks. She needs the strength to hold her ground against some of the banging posts (read Boston). There are times when she doesn't need to chase blocks like when an opposing offensive player is shooting under duress. Then she needs to be blocking out to cover a rebound. And she needs to develop consistency. If she does three things she will be the best post in the country. If not then the UConn 4/5 will be in the hands of a sophomore, a transfer, and a freshman, IMO.

Yes, I agree, Liv has the potential to be the best post in the country and a sure lottery pick. Mebbe Dorka and DeBerry will motivate her to be the best she can be, eh?

 

[Alydar]

While hopeful, skeptical about UConn being able to sustain significant full court pressure next year in the big games. Christyn, Paige, and Nika have histories of sprained ankles, Evina has a bad knee, Fudd is getting over knee and foot/ankle injuries, and Paige likes to play entire game. Geno has a history of rarely giving more than 7-8 maximum minutes when we play teams like Baylor and South Carolina. Perhaps if 8-9+ can get minutes throughout the season, the starters will be better rested in the playoffs.

I don' t see full court pressing but I do expect a lot more pressure defense and more intense MTM. Foul trouble won't be an issue for the first time in a while.

Sprained ankles are endemic to the game. Fudd's knee was repaired over 2 years ago. Evina has a "repaired" knee.

Teams like Baylor and S Car have liked to trade fouls with UConn in recent years because they had the depth to win that battle. That hopefully is no longer a problem.

I doubt that any UConn player averages 30 min/g but there will be games where Bueckers, Fudd and Edwards play 35. Geno isn't going to completely lose his spots, even with a huge roster.

 

[BobbyJ]

I don' t see full court pressing but I do expect a lot more pressure defense and more intense MTM. Foul trouble won't be an issue for the first time in a while.

Sprained ankles are endemic to the game. Fudd's knee was repaired over 2 years ago. Evina has a "repaired" knee.

Teams like Baylor and S Car have liked to trade fouls with UConn in recent years because they had the depth to win that battle. That hopefully is no longer a problem.

I doubt that any UConn player averages 30 min/g but there will be games where Bueckers, Fudd and Edwards play 35. Geno isn't going to completely lose his spots, even with a huge roster.

I agree, the full court pressure stuff is overrated IMO. They don’t need it against BE teams, they’ll win most games by 20-30 without it and I don’t see GA rubbing his coaching friend's faces in it trying to win by 50. And the top teams are top teams for a reason, they don’t have much trouble handling it. A little change of pace once in awhile, that’s about it.