Why didn't Geno have a bigger bench available?

[Florida Fan]

Next season with 14 players, everyone will wonder how will players 9-14 get any minutes...

Too bad it has to be either-or, feast or famine.

 

[sun]

Next season with 14 players, everyone will wonder how will players 9-14 get any minutes...

There's different ways that it can be done.
One way would be to let some of them play every other game so that they can play more minutes than they would if they were only a small role player.
Instead of giving a player 5 - 7 minutes, they could get 10 - 15 minutes every other game, when it's doable.
That could be better than letting some players stagnate on the bench for too many games.
Even if it takes 3 games to get a player some decent PT, it's better than nothing.
The reality is that most everyone practices & trains hard when they get to UConn.

 

[visitingcock]

There's different ways that it can be done.
One way would be to let some of them play every other game so that they can play more minutes than they would if they were only a small role player.
Instead of giving a player 5 - 7 minutes, they could get 10 - 15 minutes every other game, when it's doable.
That could be better than letting some players stagnate on the bench for too many games.
Even if it takes 3 games to get a player some decent PT, it's better than nothing.
The reality is that most everyone practices & trains hard when they get to UConn.

Just do it!

South Carolina vs. Stanford - Women's College Basketball Box Score - November 20, 2022 | ESPN

 

[faithfulfan]

Consider that not all players recruited finish their four years of eligibility at their original school. Players who would’ve been on the roster this year had they not transferred or left early.

Senior- Ana Makurat
Junior- Mir McLean, Piath Gabriel, Autumn Chassion (walk on)
Sophomore- Saylor Poftenbarger

That’s 5 players who left the program, likely allowing room for Lou and Ines this year.
Geno was clearly worried about depth this past offseason when Bueckers got hurt, and thank goodness he was able to pick up those two guards.

Historically we have carried a roster under the maximum number of scholarship players. But next season we’ll have 14. It’s just bad luck that this season we’ve had historic number of injuries. I don’t think he’s against having more depth.

very true, and now a couple of those players who left might wish they hadn't

 

[billnaples]

How “good” are they if they’re 7th or 8th?

Right now only Brady has no collegiate track record. Nika. Paige, Aayliah. Dorka, Aubrey, Azzi, Caroline, Lou....Ines, Patterson,, Amari, Seems to me that without Paige and Ice we have a pretty good team on the floor with the first seven. And my money says almost every team in the country would love to have anyone of the seven taking up a starter slot on most teams, With Paige and Ice (projection) I really see 9 players could start and play significant minutes for most D1 schools. Just my eyes looking at talent.

 

[Skeets]

Years ago the major men’s sports teams at most of the larger universities had junior varsity and freshmen teams. If a varsity player was lost to an injury they would elevate one of the junior varsity players to the varsity team. Freshmen teams went the way of the rotary dial phone and party lines when freshmen became eligible for varsity play. Junior Varsity teams have been in a steady decline toward obsolescence for years. I don’t recall any jv women’s teams at UConn - but Avery Point had a women’s basketball team for years. Does anyone know the status of that team (does it still exist, or is it on hiatus, the number of available players, or if players on that team are considered UConn players who could be moved to the Storrs team, immediately, in an emergency situation)? Hopefully this now a mute point - but could be useful if we get another 100 year’s storm sooner than later.

Avery Point has (or had) a baseball team. I watched them practice during a campus visit with my daughter years ago. I vaguely recall a newspaper article about a regional UConn campus's basketball team. Might have been UConn Waterbury? They got hand-me-downs from Storrs.

BTW, Avery Point is a beautiful campus.

 

[driveway]

I'll bet a few months ago you said how is Geno going to give everyone enough minutes? And now what's with Geno? Why doesn't he carry 15 scholarship players and stash 3 or 4 more on a track or water polo or tiddlywinks scholarship?

No, I never said that. Snarkiness becomes you.

 

[amishboy]

It amazes me that with all UCONN has accomplished (repeated final fours, 11 national championships etc., etc. not to mention recruiting great players) people still question Geno as to why he does or doesn't do certain things

Two things can be true (and in this case are):

Geno is a coaching genius.

He is not infallible.

 

[amishboy]

Next season with 14 players, everyone will wonder how will players 9-14 get any minutes...

How about if he gives them 5-10 minutes in blowouts?

So this year, for example, they could have played in 11 of the first 17 games (i.e., not against SC, Stanford, Texas, Iowa, ND, Maryland), and probably all 12 of the remaining BE games.