Why Is Kelis Always The Last Player To Enter The Game? | Page 2 | The Boneyard
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Why Is Kelis Always The Last Player To Enter The Game?

Centerstream said:
I was going to post basically the same thing.
I sit in my La-Z-Boy recliner and watch what seems to happen almost every time she gets the ball...she immediately dribbles to the basket and just chucks up a shot, regardless of what is happening around her. Of course the exception is when the 4th quarter game clock is under 30 seconds and we go on offense...then she will dribble out the clock.
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Agreed! She is a point guard but does not seem to ever do point guardy stuff. She looks like a Ferrari but so far, cannot stay on the track. I really like her but I think I can see why she’s not getting much run.
 
Stagnant said:
I would bring her in before Caroline, but I think we just have more guards. And sometimes Geno is thinking he still needs to get minutes for Allie and Kayleigh. And that delays her appearance in the game.
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Don't Caroline and Kelis play different positions? Kelis is more of a PG, Caroline is not.
 
Blond D. said:
I think maybe her nickname kinda gives us a clue to why shes last. BIG FISH. She was a big fish in a small pond before UCONN. Not now. She has skills but she needs to learn to use them in coordination with the other players instead of being the "Big fish".
Serah is having to learn the same thing but has 3 years of college to see what shes up against so her transition has been easier.
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Um, actually NO, she was the 3rd option or 4th option on a very talented IMG team in Florida (Somfai, Prawl, Nylah Wilson and Manuella Alves-Fernandez).

This thread is so illogical and just full of absolute conjecture. This team IS LOADED. Kelis is the 3rd PG and 5th Guard on the team. Just who, exactly do you think she should be jumping in front of for more minutes? It makes no sense to post guesses out of thin air.

From what I have seen in all the games and warmups, Kelis has a nice shot, can finish at the basket (unlike KK her freshman year), can handle the ball well, passes ok to me but then again it is in mop up duty with the other non-core rotation players. She is very proactive on the bench with all her teammates (I sit right behind the bench at Gampel) and I think has a very bright future as both a PG or SG. She has very long arms and legs (and hair!) that will aid her in her defense when she gets fully up to speed.

So I ask the @JoePgh, who do you think Kelis should be taking time away from?
 
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Roster is stacked. It’s almost as simple as that. If she had some unique talent that stood out from others playing the same position….things might be a little different, but I doubt much. She just needs to be ready when they call her number. I could see her playing a bit more if they really wanted to play small ball, press all game or just overall accelerate tempo. Maybe the TN game?
 
sun said:
You know, if a player were asked about starting for the 1st time in a big upcoming game, they would probably respond by saying, "It's just basketball...a simple game of basketball which I've been playing for many years."
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And when the point guard throws the ball into the stands because she doesn’t know the offense or doesn’t switch on D because she doesn’t know the defense, the coach will say, “Take a seat, you’re hurting the team”.

Playing point guard is more than passing the ball around the perimeter until someone is open - much of what the Huskies do are designed plays that have options depending on what the defense does. The first step as a PG is to learn the plays and options.

 
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DefenseBB said:
Um, actually NO, she was the 3rd option or 4th option on a very talented IMG team in Florida (Somfai, Prawl, Nylah Wilson and Manuella Alves-Fernandez).

This thread is so illogical and just full of absolute conjecture. This team IS LOADED. Kelis is the 3rd PG and 5th Guard on the team. Just who, exactly do you think she should be jumping in front of for more minutes? It makes no sense to post guesses out of thin air.

From what I have seen in all the games and warmups, Kelis has a nice shot, can finish at the basket (unlike KK her freshman year), can handle the ball well, passes ok to me but then again it is in mop up duty with the other non-core rotation players. She is very proactive on the bench with all her teammates (I sit right behind the bench at Gampel) and I think has a very bright future as both a PG or SG. She has very long arms and legs (and hair!) that will aid her in her defense when she gets fully up to speed.

So I ask the @JoePgh, who do you think Kelis should be taking time away from?
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Kelis was the starting point guard for IMG. She’s very talented but needs to retool her game for college and for UConn specifically. She has a great attitude and seems to be a hard worker - essential to be a good player for the Huskies


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HuskyNan said:
And when the point guard throws the ball into the stands because she doesn’t know the offense or doesn’t switch on D because she doesn’t know the defense, the coach will say, “Take a seat, you’re hurting the team”.

Playing point guard is more than passing the ball around the perimeter until someone is open - much of what the Huskies do are designed plays that have options depending on what the defense does. The first step as a PG is to learn the plays and options.

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So true! And even if it were simply a question of passing, even that requires a ton of practice. But knowing the plays is yet another layer that requires practice and training.

Even Kayleigh, who is much (much) further along than Kelis, can throw bad passes. She doesn’t do it often, but even she is on the learning curve still. Against SH, Kayleigh threw a pretty good pass to Allie in the corner, who was set up to catch and shoot. But the pass was off target and Allie had to shift her feet to corral it and then reset. As a result, she missed the shot after hitting 4 in a row.

The level of precision possible here is really high.
 
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I agree with the majority opinion, namely that she is not yet ready and that the PT she is being given is appropriate under the circumstances. Kelis has an average PT of 6.6 minutes and has appeared in 13 of the team's 15 games so far. As many have pointed out, she is very good at sneaking to the basket, as evidenced by her presence at the free throw line with 10 out of 12, which is as many shots attempted as Allie and Blanca, and more than Ashlynn. However, her outside shot is not a threat, and she needs to work on it. Kelis has speed and should use it more to quickly move the ball up the court, as PG Geno requires them to ensure a quick transition, which is not yet the case with Kelis. In recent games, we have seen her enter the game at the very end, with Geno making sure to always keep KK or K9 on the play to cover her.

This has not always been the case. In the game against Utah, Kelis appeared in the last minute of the first quarter, with UConn leading 32-8 after a strong start. At the start of the second quarter, Geno tried leaving her in charge, with her on the game were Azzi, Allie, Serah, and Sarah, but he finally replaced her after three minutes into the second quarter, the score was 34-13, the team had no rhythm. The game ended with a 52-point lead and Kelis finished with a -4. I don't pay much attention to +/- stats, except for substitutes.

For me, the first thing a substitute player must do is maintain the point difference on the scoreboard. If she can increase it in favor of her team, so much the better, but that's not currently the case with Kelis. In the last game, she played the final 5:46, finishing with -9. Against Providence, she did well with +3 in 5:27, but against Butler, she finished with -3, and the game ended with a +47 margin. From the very first practice, Geno asks for it, as we see in the attachment. He wants traps on the opposing point guard in the offensive zone, he wants speed, he asks for a quick transition that leads to layups and open shots, and if that's not the case, it gives more time for the set offense. Watch until the very end when he talks to Blanca, we can see that she has the green light and that he encourages her to put the ball on the floor to counterattack, it's the same for Sarah. As far as I'm concerned, I see Kelis more as a shooting guard.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
JoePgh said:
In the three games since the holiday break, Kelis Fisher has gotten about 5 minutes per game (in each case, the LAST 5 minutes of the blowout game). Since, as a would-be point guard, she has only 1 assist over those 15 minutes, I am not claiming that she has earned more minutes. But still, given her obvious size, speed, and athletic skill, you would think that she could have found a way to earn more minutes in blowout games than she is getting.

My hunch (and it's only a hunch) is that she has been slow to learn the offensive and defensive schemes. That can sometimes be a problem for highly talented athletes for whom the mental aspect of the game is more difficult than the physical skills.

Do others have other suggestions as to the cause of this minor mystery?
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I would say that you'd need to ask Geno.
 
I look at the Kelis, and to some respect, the Gandy situation as follows. If you are coaching a recreational team, the rules usually say that everyone gets half a game. However, for youth players, once they progress to a competitive team, where there are tryouts, playing time is based on skill level, what the team needs for each game, and the last 3-4 players on the bench may not see much or any PT at all. It stinks, however it's the reality of the situation.
 
BRS24 said:
I look at the Kelis, and to some respect, the Gandy situation as follows. If you are coaching a recreational team, the rules usually say that everyone gets half a game. However, for youth players, once they progress to a competitive team, where there are tryouts, playing time is based on skill level, what the team needs for each game, and the last 3-4 players on the bench may not see much or any PT at all. It stinks, however it's the reality of the situation.
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I think it is life. I think for people to be as good as they can be, they need to compete for it.
 
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She has a ton of potential, but what I see almost every time she enters the game, she drives to the basket and misses a layup. I’m sure they will start falling soon. In the mean time maybe she can begin with setting one of her team mates up to score. Take the assist.
 
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LwrcasefaN said:
Roster is stacked. It’s almost as simple as that. If she had some unique talent that stood out from others playing the same position….things might be a little different, but I doubt much. She just needs to be ready when they call her number. I could see her playing a bit more if they really wanted to play small ball, press all game or just overall accelerate tempo. Maybe the TN game?
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I agree but would like to see her get a bit more time in the fourth quarter of these blowouts to work on her flaws in game situations......she's already shown she's very skilled but mistake prone.........most freshman are...........she can get to the basket just as easily as KK and K9 and soaks up contact just as they do.........that's a pretty important talent these days....
 
Charliebball said:
I agree but would like to see her get a bit more time in the fourth quarter of these blowouts to work on her flaws in game situations......she's already shown she's very skilled but mistake prone.........most freshman are...........she can get to the basket just as easily as KK and K9 and soaks up contact just as they do.........that's a pretty important talent these days....
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Thought I'd throw this out, because it bugs me.
I do not think it is fundamental basketball when a player leaves their feet on a drive to the basket farther than a layup away from the basket. In other words, the player penetrates through an opening and then the player is cut off and has already committed to shooting. IMO the shot is basically a prayer. Players with soft shooting touches can make these shots sometimes, but even so, they are throwing the ball up at the basket. Kelis does this. Last game I think she hit the top of the backboard. Shot selection is hard, especially for quick, fast scorers. Geno says it may be one of the most difficult skills. Hidalgo does it a lot! It's akin to leaving your feet on a pass. You run out of options when you're in the air.
In football, one attacks that opening and goes as far as possible. George Allen, "Run to Daylight". That's not basketball. It's not about gaining territory but putting the ball through the bucket. I say, you don't body up Hidalgo, keep a little distance, team defense like we do, and when she leaves her feet, challenge the shot straight up. Keep her off the FT line.
 
FanSince17 said:
Thought I'd throw this out, because it bugs me.
I do not think it is fundamental basketball when a player leaves their feet on a drive to the basket farther than a layup away from the basket. In other words, the player penetrates through an opening and then the player is cut off and has already committed to shooting. IMO the shot is basically a prayer. Players with soft shooting touches can make these shots sometimes, but even so, they are throwing the ball up at the basket. Kelis does this. Last game I think she hit the top of the backboard. Shot selection is hard, especially for quick, fast scorers. Geno says it may be one of the most difficult skills. Hidalgo does it a lot! It's akin to leaving your feet on a pass. You run out of options when you're in the air.
In football, one attacks that opening and goes as far as possible. George Allen, "Run to Daylight". That's not basketball. It's not about gaining territory but putting the ball through the bucket. I say, you don't body up Hidalgo, keep a little distance, team defense like we do, and when she leaves her feet, challenge the shot straight up. Keep her off the FT line.
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the trick is to drive without leaving your feet until you have a shot, a clear pass or can force a foul....all three UConn guards are great at drawing fouls, although they can get caught in the air at times.......KK has learned to limit those freshman errors over time and part of that is that she's gotten plenty of playing time to work it out....
 
Charliebball said:
the trick is to drive without leaving your feet until you have a shot, a clear pass or can force a foul....all three UConn guards are great at drawing fouls, although they can get caught in the air at times.......KK has learned to limit those freshman errors over time and part of that is that she's gotten plenty of playing time to work it out....
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You explained it better than I did.
I actually think our guards do not do it much except for Kelis.
Azzi, never, Ash, never, KK, not so much. What's funny about KK is that she jump stops inside and goes up. I used to teach jump stops on layups as an option.
 
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