The problem why UConn isnt looking like UConn teams of the past is not anybodys fault.
The problems with this years team is a direct result of not having enough healthy guards. Guards run the offense and control the team as well as the game and tempo. Tack on that UConn has lost our NPY and having to start two players Caroline and Dorka who are learning Genos system as starters and not as subs. As starters they have no one to turn to when they miss a play or make a mistake. As subs they have 4 other players with experience to run the team and they can play without any pressure on them. If they screw up Geno yanks them and the coaches explain to them why they were yanked and explain what they should have done. Now with all the injuries, the team has to live with those mistakes and play through those mistakes. Dont forget either UConn is playing without their point guards that run the show and are now depending on Evina to run the point which is not her natural position. All the above is a direct result of injuries and Covid.
We now have a short bench which also does not have enough experience playing within Genos system. Sometimes they look lost on the floor because of that. Until it becomes reflexive where they dont have to think about it, they may be a liability to the team in the game. By starting players who dont know Genos system and have to learn it on the go. well that aint easy as we are witnessing, sometimes players are looking lost because they arent where theyre suppose to be or they just dont see plays developing until its to late. Not being able to execute within the system, or having to think about where to be, or what play is suppose to run run, while playing with 3 seniors who do, hurts team chemistry, confidence and continuity. That all breeds lack of confidence and lack of confidence breeds hesitation to react and to run plays ala flow of the offense and defense. UConn has many times in the past always started the season with a good nucleus of players who could play within Genos system. New players would learn the system by coming in off the bench for a few minutes. In past seasons Geno would recruit kids to come in and come off the bench to play when they learned in practice what was expected of them. Geno wins because he gets players that are coachable and if theyre not coachable they see less minutes. These kids are coachable which is a good thing. FWIW our nucleus next season will be Dorka, AAliyah, Caroline, Paige, Nika, Azzi, Griff and Amari. Piath when shes learns.
UConn has an unbelievable roster of talent and some of that talent is young and needs to be developed and once developed they will play with confidence knowing what to do. All this talk about Geno has to change. Geno has adapted to game changes or else his teams wouldnt be ranked in the top 4 every year and every year be thinking of winning a NC not just making the NCAAs or just making the Final 4. His records are proof. Geno attracts top players while other coaches have to recruit recruit recruit and other coaches know that Geno has the upper hand in most cases when recruiting because of what he can offer and he can offer as based on his record of being on TV, being in the NCAAs and being in the Final 4. Please stop talking about Geno needs to change. Right now Geno does not have the horses, he has the talent and much of that talent has to get healthy and the others have to learn his system or else it wont run properly. You take Paige Nika Azzi and Griff out of the lineup and those are four positions you have to fill with players who dont know the system well enough and thats where we are right now and why we're not what many of us are used to seeing and frustrated about.
Fans are talking about the seniors not steppin up this season with all the injuries. Well Geno is playing Caroline and Dorka who were not expected to start right away. They were suppose to come off the bench and be worked into the lineup. With the injuries they were thrown in to the lineup and had to learn Genos system on the run. Usually Geno would work them into the lineup without any pressure as his nucleus of players knew the system and would run it. Now we see Caroline and Dorka playing better which will take some of the pressure off our seniors and allow our seniors to play more efficiently. Opponents left Dorka and Caroline alone for the most part daring them to do something. That most likely wont happen as much now as both Caroline and Dorka have proved they can play within Genos system.
Genos system may need to be tweated each year but it is a proven system that works. This year is an odd year with KEY players out with injuries and Covid. Some other teams are not suffering with Key injuries like UConn has. For example how bout you take Boston and 2 starting guards out of the lineup for SC. How good would they look? How bout taking the top player and 2 starters off LVille or NC State or any other team. The so called problems at UConn arent problems you can blame on anybody.. The problem is KEY injuries to Key players and lack of experienced players knowing and running Genos system who are replacing them By lack of experience I'm talking about lack of experience in Genos system not lack of experience playing BB.
I have said this many times. When Azzi and Nika get back and up to speed UConn is gonna be very tuff to beat and when Paige gets back....well UConn may not loose a game for the rest of the season. UConn has way to many really good outside shooters, and Paige will be very difficult to contain. Couple that with our height that is now showing they can rebound and Caroline and Dorka both look like they are almost up to speed which will make defenses have to play us one on one.
Watching other games and I hear that Stanford is hurting because of lack of a good point guard and the same with SC and LVille doesnt have really good offense so their defense creates offense and what announcers are saying about what other teams lack. Well when healthy we have it all. We have shooters who can shoot and create and we have ball handlers and most other top teams cant compete with that. So yeah I will continue to believe we will win it all when healthy and up so to speed and if because no other team can put up the numbers we can when were healthy
