Why Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli are the "perfect fit" for UConn (article)

[BRS24]

Article from Daniel Connolly's UConn WBB Weekly on Substack:

Why Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli are the "perfect fit" for UConn

This is my favorite Geno quote, which he also said in video talking about NCSU loss, and I think it goes a long way in describing what coaches are dealing with every year.

“The most rewarding thing about recruiting both Morgan and Allie was how incredible the fit is — that this is where they wanted to come and we knew that as we were recruiting them,” he said. “There was no extraneous bullshit to the recruiting process. It was very straightforward, very upfront, very transparent with the parents, the kids. There was complete buy-in almost right from the beginning so you knew you're getting a kid — both of them — that are tremendously committed to UConn women's basketball and what it means.”

If this article is behind a paywall, I have three 1-month gift subscriptions if anyone wants them. Just DM.

 

[BRS24]

Article from Daniel Connolly's UConn WBB Weekly on Substack:

Why Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli are the "perfect fit" for UConn

This is my favorite Geno quote, which he also said in video talking about NCSU loss, and I think it goes a long way in describing what coaches are dealing with every year.

“The most rewarding thing about recruiting both Morgan and Allie was how incredible the fit is — that this is where they wanted to come and we knew that as we were recruiting them,” he said. “There was no extraneous Stop to the recruiting process. It was very straightforward, very upfront, very transparent with the parents, the kids. There was complete buy-in almost right from the beginning so you knew you're getting a kid — both of them — that are tremendously committed to UConn women's basketball and what it means.”

If this article is behind a paywall, I have three 1-month gift subscriptions if anyone wants them. Just DM.

Ooops ... I should have vetted the article for bad words as Geno said (and I abbreviated it here) - "There was no extraneous BS to the recruiting process." LOL

 

[Linart]

It puzzles me when he said "how many 6'2" guards do we have? Zero." Did he forget about Caroline?

 

[BRS24]

It puzzles me when he said "how many 6'2" guards do we have? Zero." Did he forget about Caroline?

Although Caroline is listed as a guard on the roster, IMHO I think she plays more of a 3/4 role than a 2, especially when you have a duo of Paige/Nika/Azzi/KK on the floor.

 

[JellyBean]

Solid article. I love Morgan's game. She has that ability to be that "Dawg" we need. We will see what develops.

 

[dogpause]

If four years of South Carolina taught us anything, it's that you need some muscle, toughness and athleticism in the lineup too.

 

[Bone Dog]

It puzzles me when he said "how many 6'2" guards do we have? Zero." Did he forget about Caroline?

Have we ever had a 6’2” guard? We’ve had guards who play bigger than they are, like Evina or Diana, and wings and forwards who ran the point sometimes. Heck, we even started a 5’11” center for two seasons.

I’ve never thought of Caroline as a guard even though she’s a good perimeter shooter, because post moves are central to her game.

Is Qadence a guard? That’s how she’s listed, but ‘wing’ seems more accurate. And is she 6’2”? She looks taller than the 6’0” she’s listed as.

Is Aubrey a guard? She’s quick enough for the position. But her handles don’t seem quite good enough and she often picks up her dribble in awkward positions. On the other hand, she’s a wonderfully disruptive defender at the top of the arc. Also, not really 6’2”, though she plays like she’s 6’3” sometimes. And her rebounding and shooting profile says forward more than guard.

In hs, Aaliyah often played point-forward, bringing the ball up the floor and initiating plays from the top of the arc or driving through the lane. Geno hasn’t encouraged her to develop those skills at UConn.

I love what I’ve seen of Morgan’s game. She’s quicker than Caroline and seems sturdier. She has great handles. She’s not afraid to take the ball right at opposing bigs. She’s also an excellent distributor off the bounce in the paint.

Saniyah Rivers and Sheyanne Sellers are sometimes listed as 6’2” but I think they’re probably closer to 6’0”. They’re long and lanky though, so the difference may not matter. They also may be quicker than Morgan, though first step quickness is more about confidence than velocity — they make decisions quickly. I suspect Morgan will be quick in this sense too.

 

[Rowdy831]

I would define a guard as a player who can defend a guard so I don't think Caroline, Cadence (yet) and Aubrey are guards. They might be better ball handlers that your typical forward or wing position but that is where they are most effective on both ends of the floor. Watching video of Morgan and Allie they both have offensive games that have guard skillsets but like others it will come down to how well they can defend other guards out there. Both will be great players regardless of what position they end up playing.

 

[HuskyNan]

Have we ever had a 6’2” guard? We’ve had guards who play bigger than they are, like Evina or Diana, and wings and forwards who ran the point sometimes. Heck, we even started a 5’11” center for two seasons.

I’ve never thought of Caroline as a guard even though she’s a good perimeter shooter, because post moves are central to her game.

Is Qadence a guard? That’s how she’s listed, but ‘wing’ seems more accurate. And is she 6’2”? She looks taller than the 6’0” she’s listed as.

Is Aubrey a guard? She’s quick enough for the position. But her handles don’t seem quite good enough and she often picks up her dribble in awkward positions. On the other hand, she’s a wonderfully disruptive defender at the top of the arc. Also, not really 6’2”, though she plays like she’s 6’3” sometimes. And her rebounding and shooting profile says forward more than guard.

In hs, Aaliyah often played point-forward, bringing the ball up the floor and initiating plays from the top of the arc or driving through the lane. Geno hasn’t encouraged her to develop those skills at UConn.

I love what I’ve seen of Morgan’s game. She’s quicker than Caroline and seems sturdier. She has great handles. She’s not afraid to take the ball right at opposing bigs. She’s also an excellent distributor off the bounce in the paint.

Saniyah Rivers and Sheyanne Sellers are sometimes listed as 6’2” but I think they’re probably closer to 6’0”. They’re long and lanky though, so the difference may not matter. They also may be quicker than Morgan, though first step quickness is more about confidence than velocity — they make decisions quickly. I suspect Morgan will be quick in this sense too.

Katie Lou Samuelson and Svet. Lou Lopez is 6-1

 

[Bone Dog]

Katie Lou Samuelson and Svet. Lou Lopez is 6-1

Exactly. Lou was taller but not a guard. And Lou was a guard/wing but only 6’1”. I can’t quite recall but Svet wasn’t a guard was she?

 

[HuskyNan]

Exactly. Lou was taller but not a guard. And Lou was a guard/wing but only 6’1”. I can’t quite recall but Svet wasn’t a guard was she?

Your question is kind of disingenuous. You know as well as I that Geno doesn’t define a player as strictly as guard, a forward, or whatever. He favors positionless teams with versatile players. IMO, Geno calls anyone that has a good handle a guard.

 

[CTrefugee]

We still need a big.

 

[wingsfan055]

We still need a big.

We need several Bigs. Our only valuable Big is 6'3" and she's probably graduating this year.

 

[Bone Dog]

Your question is kind of disingenuous. You know as well as I that Geno doesn’t define a player as strictly as guard, a forward, or whatever. He favors positionless teams with versatile players. IMO, Geno calls anyone that has a good handle a guard.

Not disingenuous at all. In fact, you've just now enunciated the main point of it. Thank you. I've made this point many times before and didn't feel like spelling it out yet again.

The Gabby-led teams were essentially what you describe more than any others. Not all the players would be suitable as traditional point guards, but it hardly mattered since the offense could be initiated by anyone on the fly. I've often wondered if these were his favorite teams. He often speaks in general terms of the UConn offense as if he were thinking of them.

One implication of your suggestion is that anyone listed as F or C is a player he doesn't expect to be bringing the ball up the floor and initiating the offense.

 

[HuskyNan]

Italicized names indicate an available 5th year