Why UConn WBB freshman Gandy Malou-Mamel could be a 'really big factor' next year

[BBallF]

I think it's obvious why a sport with an average of 119 (FCS) to 142 (FBS) players on the team would need a lot more developmental redshirt decision time than a sport with an average maximum of 15 players.

However, the wisdom or legality of these NCAA policies are tangential to this thread about why Gandy doesn't get playing time.

I don't buy any argument that Geno sits Gandy, even in big blowouts, because he's trying to set her up for a developmental redshirt year or for a medical redshirt year (via hypothesized bylaw changes). Nor do I believe any argument that keeping Gandy pinned to the bench will enhance her abilities or sharpen her skills to play center for UConn in future years.

It's something else, in my oft-wrong opinion, unless he does start to play her.

Cherchez la practice.

 

[oldhusky]

I don't understand Gandy's lack of use in blowouts. In the last game our backup 5 was out and our starter didn't play major minutes. Geno decided the backup 5 was a guard instead of Gandy. Makes me wonder if Serah was also out as well, if he even would have used Gandy then, or would he say 5 guards is better than using her?

One reason it is so puzzling is how it fits with his comments on the bigs. Reading between the lines, I think Geno has been somewhat disappointed at Serah and Jana, while his comments regarding Gandy are far more positive. Of course much of that may be due to the expectations for each of those players being so different.

I fully expected Jana to make a significant sophomore leap, and I thought Serah would be better too and have an easier adjustment as a senior than has happened so far. I didn't expect Gandy to play much, but did think we would get glimpses of how she was doing in blowouts.

As far as the competition is concerned, I know there are many that are concerned about how much playing time several of our bigs might get in the future depending on many things. From my perspective the only big that has a pretty much guaranteed role for next year is Sarah. I would add Jana to that if we don't add Okeke or a portal 5, but if we do even she could be bumped from the rotation.

Ice and Ayanna have had plenty of injuries, but haven't come close to meeting expectations either, nor has Jana. Are they good players? sure but by Uconn's standards, but they are also players that we could improve upon. If Gandy is currently at the end of that list it is not encouraging even when factoring in the fact that she is inexperienced and very much the definition of a project.

The playing time and Geno's comments seem to paint completely different pictures. I also think blowout playing time is part of the learning process, so I don't get it.

 

[JoePgh]

Gandy played in the blowouts against Loyola of Chicago on November 12 and Xavier on November 20, but not since.

I don't recall any UConn scholarship player, or even a walk-on, who got NO time in the fourth quarter of blowouts. Maybe they only got a few minutes, but they got in the game.

Speculative reasons propounded for Gandy's situation make no sense to me.

1. Gandy can do (or is already doing) a traditional redshirt year, so this year won't count against her four years of eligibility. Wrong. She's played four minutes, and has hence burned one year of eligibility. The 2025-26 NCAA Division I Manual, Bylaw 12.6.3.1 states: "Any competition, regardless of time, during a season in an intercollegiate sport shall be counted as a season of competition in that sport, except [for some sports other than basketball.]"

2. Gandy can nevertheless seek a medical hardship waiver (colloquially called a "medical redshirt") to get another year of eligibility. Wrong. Unless she has had "an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness" since that Xavier game (Bylaw 12.6.4.), and there's been no evidence of that.

3. Gandy and/or UConn are going to challenge the NCAA redshirt/hardship bylaws in court as unlawful discrimination. No chance of that, in my opinion.

4. By depriving Gandy of a few game minutes in blowouts, Geno is "more effectively developing her on the bench" as an eventual game player. This just makes no basketball sense to me. How can a bit of game time decrease a player's ability to perform in game time?

5. Gandy doesn't want to play this year but just wants to sit on the bench and "take notes." This also makes no sense to me. I've never known a bench player who didn't want to get game time minutes—to say nothing of a brave, young teenager who came all alone from Ireland for the very purpose of playing basketball in the U.S.

6. Gandy and Geno are saving her for "big things" in her sophomore and junior years. I don't think that's a realistic expectation because Jana El Alfy is already better than Gandy and because incoming freshman Olivia Vukosa and (possibly) Sara Okeke are much better talents than Gandy. Both, or all three, of those players would play over Gandy every year. Geno knows this, and Gandy should surely expect it.

I think the reason for Gandy's non-play is likely something else. My speculation isn't about something bad, but it is speculation, so I'm not going elaborate any further. I mainly just wanted to present the above arguments against other folks' speculations I've read in media and on the web.

Or, the more simple explanation (which the previous post suggested and which I also mentioned in another thread) is the Geno and UConn are simply making a bet that by the time a 5th year becomes an issue for Gandy (summer of 2029), the redshirting rules will have changed to allow the 2025-26 season to be considered as a redshirt season (but the more she plays, the less likely it is that a rule change would cover her).

I understand that the rules for football already allow a football player to play in some games but still be considered as a redshirt for the season. So I think the NCAA would find it hard to defend (either in the court of public opinion or in an actual court) the apparent discrimination between sports, which becomes gender discrimination if applied to women's sports but not to football.

 

[Bone Dog]

I don't understand Gandy's lack of use in blowouts. In the last game our backup 5 was out and our starter didn't play major minutes. Geno decided the backup 5 was a guard instead of Gandy. Makes me wonder if Serah was also out as well, if he even would have used Gandy then, or would he say 5 guards is better than using her?

One reason it is so puzzling is how it fits with his comments on the bigs. Reading between the lines, I think Geno has been somewhat disappointed at Serah and Jana, while his comments regarding Gandy are far more positive. Of course much of that may be due to the expectations for each of those players being so different.

I fully expected Jana to make a significant sophomore leap, and I thought Serah would be better too and have an easier adjustment as a senior than has happened so far. I didn't expect Gandy to play much, but did think we would get glimpses of how she was doing in blowouts.

As far as the competition is concerned, I know there are many that are concerned about how much playing time several of our bigs might get in the future depending on many things. From my perspective the only big that has a pretty much guaranteed role for next year is Sarah. I would add Jana to that if we don't add Okeke or a portal 5, but if we do even she could be bumped from the rotation.

Ice and Ayanna have had plenty of injuries, but haven't come close to meeting expectations either, nor has Jana. Are they good players? sure but by Uconn's standards, but they are also players that we could improve upon. If Gandy is currently at the end of that list it is not encouraging even when factoring in the fact that she is inexperienced and very much the definition of a project.

The playing time and Geno's comments seem to paint completely different pictures. I also think blowout playing time is part of the learning process, so I don't get it.

@oldhusky you raise several interesting points. Since this thread is explicitly about next year, I’ll begin by observing that Geno will lose another AA guard, just like last season. I have a feeling this is on his mind as much as anything else. He used a small-ball lineup last season to overcome bigger team with a thin frontcourt. He appears to be lining up a similar strategy this season even though his frontcourt looks a bit deeper. I suspect he would be likely to do something similar next season if he still had a dominant scorer in the backcourt.

Without Azzi, Geno may be less confident in the small-ball lineup fo next season. Some here have imagined that Blanca could allow for a slightly different approach, a medium-ball strategy, given her size and speed. She’s quick like a guard and big like a forward. If his forecasted lineup can get healthy — especially Morgan, but Ayanna too — then Geno would have three very mobile 6’2” players with good ball skills. Obviously a lot of this forecast rides on Morgan’s recovery and return to shape. But this depth would be hard to overlook next season.

I’m not saying the backcourt will be weak next season. But it is not likely to have a dominant scoring threat, a bucket-getter, a luxury Geno has relied upon for the last 5 seasons. Allie and Ash can take up some of the scoring load, of course. But they are not likely to achieve obvious AA level dominance. Our backcourt will likely still be bulletproof on offense and defense, but it is not likely to be quite as terrifying as it is currently.

If that’s the context for next season, and Geno’s roster will lead him to design a slightly different approach, what will the role of the post players be? There will be one proven center, Jana, a known quantity. If Ice can return to form, Geno will know how he can use her. After that, it’s all question marks. Olivia will likely be much closer to D1 form than Gandy was this season, but still a freshman on a learning curve. Even Serah, an experienced senior, has been on a significant learning curve this season. If she comes, Sara Okeke will also be a question mark for the same reason.

This leaves Gandy. She’s bigger and stronger than all the posts except Jana. She’ll have had a year of practice to learn what Geno expects from a post player. She’s also got quicker feet than Jana and probably Olivia and Sara. I suspect she could play a role similar to what Kiah Stokes did next to Stewie, though she’s much bigger: an athletic rebounder and rim protector. If Geno has a long term plan for Gandy, playing this sort of role next season would set her up well for the following two seasons, when she is likely to be an important support piece for Olivia. I think of her senior season, after Jana and Ice and Sarah have moved on. At that point the frontcourt is likely to consist of Blanca Olivia Gandy and maybe Sara.

Back to next season, if we’re wondering what Geno might be preparing Gandy for, I have a feeling the rotation is likely to include her in some role. She won’t just be playing mop-up minutes. We can already see how Geno is tending toward a 9 player rotation for this season. What would that look like next season? My guess is something like Sarah Blanca KK Ash and Jana, with Kayleigh Allie Morgan and Gandy first off the bench. This is no longer the small speedy lineups we’ve gotten used to, though it is by no means slow. Team speed is much more about positional IQ and passing than it is about mere foot speed. And all of our bigs would be quite mobile.

Olivia might be able to take some rotation minutes from Gandy during the season, but that remains to be seen. As nice as everyone says Gandy is, she’s also very competitive and won’t give up her spot easily. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that Olivia doesn’t get major minutes until her sophomore season.

Anyway, I’m probably wrong about most of this stuff. But I think the departure of Azzi will have a bigger impact on how Geno designs his rotation than anything else. She has largely filled (together with Sarah) the hole left by Paige’s departure. We all feared this would be a problem this season. But as they say, the bill may only really come due next season.

 

[HuskyNan]

Or, the more simple explanation (which the previous post suggested and which I also mentioned in another thread) is the Geno and UConn are simply making a bet that by the time a 5th year becomes an issue for Gandy (summer of 2029), the redshirting rules will have changed to allow the 2025-26 season to be considered as a redshirt season (but the more she plays, the less likely it is that a rule change would cover her).

I understand that the rules for football already allow a football player to play in some games but still be considered as a redshirt for the season. So I think the NCAA would find it hard to defend (either in the court of public opinion or in an actual court) the apparent discrimination between sports, which becomes gender discrimination if applied to women's sports but not to football.

What has been dubbed the “five-for-five” rule, allowing athletes to play five seasons without using redshirts, has been an oft-discussed topic among college football and basketball coaches, with some saying they expected the change soon.

Changing eligibility rules under the current conditions would likely expose the new rules to legal challenges as well.

Still, multiple coaches have publicly said they expected five-for-five to take effect and advocated for it to eliminate issues where players decide to redshirt unexpectedly to preserve a season of eligibility. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said on Tuesday that he thought five-for-five “needs to” happen.

NCAA considering 5-for-5 rule, NY Times

I’ve seen predictions that this rule might be effective for the 2027-2028 season

 

[Gael]

Such epicyclic theories. I prefer Occam's Razor.

 

[Geew1992]

I don't understand Gandy's lack of use in blowouts. In the last game our backup 5 was out and our starter didn't play major minutes. Geno decided the backup 5 was a guard instead of Gandy. Makes me wonder if Serah was also out as well, if he even would have used Gandy then, or would he say 5 guards is better than using her?

One reason it is so puzzling is how it fits with his comments on the bigs. Reading between the lines, I think Geno has been somewhat disappointed at Serah and Jana, while his comments regarding Gandy are far more positive. Of course much of that may be due to the expectations for each of those players being so different.

I fully expected Jana to make a significant sophomore leap, and I thought Serah would be better too and have an easier adjustment as a senior than has happened so far. I didn't expect Gandy to play much, but did think we would get glimpses of how she was doing in blowouts.

As far as the competition is concerned, I know there are many that are concerned about how much playing time several of our bigs might get in the future depending on many things. From my perspective the only big that has a pretty much guaranteed role for next year is Sarah. I would add Jana to that if we don't add Okeke or a portal 5, but if we do even she could be bumped from the rotation.

Ice and Ayanna have had plenty of injuries, but haven't come close to meeting expectations either, nor has Jana. Are they good players? sure but by Uconn's standards, but they are also players that we could improve upon. If Gandy is currently at the end of that list it is not encouraging even when factoring in the fact that she is inexperienced and very much the definition of a project.

The playing time and Geno's comments seem to paint completely different pictures. I also think blowout playing time is part of the learning process, so I don't get it.

I think you forgot about the incoming recruit, Big O.

 

[boontonbomber]

I certainly hope Gandy gets to play some, but, if not, would she set a record for fewest minutes in a season for someone not injured.

 

[Ralph]

"AI Overview"



In NCAA basketball, a "redshirt" year means a player practices but doesn't play in games, preserving eligibility, but the rules are strict: playing even one game usually costs a season, unlike football's allowance for up to four games. Medical redshirts are possible for season-ending injuries in the first half of the season (under 30% of games played), requiring school application, while regular redshirts just involve sitting out, often for development. The NCAA is considering aligning basketball rules with football's "four-game" threshold.



Types of Redshirting

• Traditional Redshirt: A player chooses to sit out a season to develop skills, adapt to college, or recover, without using a year of competition.
• Medical Redshirt: For season-ending injuries, granted if the injury occurs before the halfway point (around 30% of games) and the athlete played fewer than 3 games or 30% of contests.
• Academic Redshirt (D1): For freshmen not meeting initial academic eligibility but showing progress, allowing practice but not competition.nn

so how come Rori Harmon got a redshirt when she played 12 games? Is it 30% of regular season, or regular season plus post season? Texas played 39 games including SEC and NCAA tourneys. Would she have lost her redshirt if Texas lost early in the NCAA tourney?

 

[Charliebball]

I certainly hope Gandy gets to play some, but, if not, would she set a record for fewest minutes in a season for someone not injured.

sadly, even walk-ons played more minutes in the past...........

 

[oldhusky]

I think you forgot about the incoming recruit, Big O.

Not by design. I was talking about bigs that are not a sure thing for big playing time. My assumption is actually that the Big O will be ahead of all those players, that she and Sarah may consume the bulk of the 4/5 minutes, and the others are all fighting for backup minutes, unless someone steps up from existing players,Okeke, or a portal addition, that would allow Sarah to play a lot at the 3.

It may not happen, but I would expect the Big O and Okeke if she comes, to both be ahead of Jana, Ice, and Ayanna even in their first year with the Huskies. I would think the odds of either being better than Ice or Ayanna are quite high, whereas leapfrogging over Jana is a significantly higher bar, but still probable IMO.

 

[Topdawg]

I believe Jana will figure out how to play better by the end of this season and become a double digit threat in points and rebounds, given the minutes. Gandy will start contributing important defensive minutes by next year. The offense will follow.

Wishful thinking on my part at this time. Players don’t travel this far to be mediocre and bigs take longer to develop than guards…

 

[hoophuskee]

Gandy played in the blowouts against Loyola of Chicago on November 12 and Xavier on November 20, but not since.

I don't recall any UConn scholarship player, or even a walk-on, who got NO time in the fourth quarter of blowouts. Maybe they only got a few minutes, but they got in the game.

Kiah Stokes may have gotten several DNP's in some blwoouts during the 2011-2012 season. She missed several games in December/ early Jan. Later a game vs Syracuse. But I don't know if they were injury related.

I can make some guesses throw out opinions but it would just lead to more - plus it would lead to a novel of "if-then-and when . . ."

And I'l just say this-- this team so far has been spectacular.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not by design. I was talking about bigs that are not a sure thing for big playing time. My assumption is actually that the Big O will be ahead of all those players, that she and Sarah may consume the bulk of the 4/5 minutes, and the others are all fighting for backup minutes, unless someone steps up from existing players,Okeke, or a portal addition, that would allow Sarah to play a lot at the 3.

It may not happen, but I would expect the Big O and Okeke if she comes, to both be ahead of Jana, Ice, and Ayanna even in their first year with the Huskies. I would think the odds of either being better than Ice or Ayanna are quite high, whereas leapfrogging over Jana is a significantly higher bar, but still probable IMO.

My money is on Jana sttarting next year.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I can make some guesses throw out opinions but it would just lead to more - plus it would lead to a novel of "if-then-and when . . ."

And I'l just say this-- this team so far has been spectacular.

As spectacular as this UConn team is, mid-season, Geno and CD have an idea how much better they could become by March/ April (See last year as a recent example).

Every bandwidth of training is geared towards that level. It’s a cost/benefit resource allocation exercise, with soft constraints (chemistry, load management, future rotation players’ development, etc.). Geno and CD are very methodically effective in everything they do, it seems.

As others have noted, perhaps Gandy not getting more PT preserves the future possible option (should rules be changed) of a redshirt.

 

[boontonbomber]

sadly, even walk-ons played more minutes in the past...........

Yes, even walk-ons. Very sad.

 

[BRS24]

Folks, I shared this article to give the BY some perspective of what Geno and Gandy are saying/thinking. I'm not reading anything more into it than what was stated in the article, and we're not privy to what is happening in practice, nor what Geno has planned for Gandy's development. I was hoping that this thread would do nothing more than shed as much light as Geno wanted to share, that's all.

 

[oldhusky]

Yes, even walk-ons. Very sad.

While this is very true, roster size makes a difference too. Walk-ons played more than Gandy, but still very limited minutes on the 2015-16 team. Lawlor and Pulido were the last two on that great team, but they were 11 and 12, not 14 or 15. The reason we had walk-ons that year is otherwise the roster would have only been 10.

My point is it is logical to think that being last on a 15 player roster is going to get less time than last on a shorter roster all other things being equal, but that certainly doesn't fully explain Gandy's extreme lack of minutes even in blowouts.

 

[Skeets]

Well, it's obvious that no one on the BY knows why Gandy is not getting minutes. What might be the most plausible explanation is the hope that she can redshirt this year at some point in the future.

I do believe that playing the last minute or 2 of a game with 9 other bench players does next to nothing for a player's development. It pales in comparison to going against starters in practice.

 

[boontonbomber]

Much is made of Gandy not having played the game that many years. But her game at Gill St.Bernard in NJ last year was quite good. NJ girl's basketball is strong, Gill St. Bernard is usually ranked among the better teams, and they were highly ranked last year. Gandy was their leading scorer and rebounder, by a lot. She made the 1st team all state non-public schools , and was nationally ranked in the top 5 centers. She did that against a schedule of strong NJ teams. Can understand a frosh big at UConn not getting much playing time, but seems to me that she can dribble and chew gum at the same time. That's enough about Gandy.

 

[HuskyNan]

Much is made of Gandy not having played the game that many years. But her game at Gill St.Bernard in NJ last year was quite good. NJ girl's basketball is strong, Gill St. Bernard is usually ranked among the better teams, and they were highly ranked last year. Gandy was their leading scorer and rebounder, by a lot. She made the 1st team all state non-public schools , and was nationally ranked in the top 5 centers. She did that against a schedule of strong NJ teams. Can understand a frosh big at UConn not getting much playing time, but seems to me that she can dribble and chew gum at the same time. That's enough about Gandy.

There are strong teams in NJ but not the league Gandy’s team played in.

Even for those that started the sport early, there is a steep learning curve for post players. They’re used to being the tallest player on the court (Gandy was the tallest player in NJ last year) and in college they have to adjust to kids that are as big or bigger, probably stronger, and far more experienced. The post in college becomes more cerebral and good footwork is essential. Just shooting over smaller players like they did in high school is no longer possible. Let Gandy develop on her own timeline.

 

[hoophuskee]

As spectacular as this UConn team is, mid-season, Geno and CD have an idea how much better they could become by March/ April (See last year as a recent example).

Every bandwidth of training is geared towards that level. It’s a cost/benefit resource allocation exercise, with soft constraints (chemistry, load management, future rotation players’ development, etc.). Geno and CD are very methodically effective in everything they do, it seems.

As others have noted, perhaps Gandy not getting more PT preserves the future possible option (should rules be changed) of a redshirt.

Gandy should have been red-shirted. I'm usually a major defender of Geno but in this case she should have been.

All the other players need minutes - every one of them - in order to be ready for March April. IMO those last few minutes matter to players like Jana and Patterson as an example. For example Jana should strive to dominate if she is in late and take that f/t line jumper too. As for Patterson, she hasn't played in 2 years. Was a number 6th ranked recruit. If anyone saw the recruiting vids that slu used to post of her in high school you could see she was a freak athlete. Yet even the little she played her freshman year you could see that wasn't the same athlete. Now she's worked her butt off (now at least for me it’s pretty exciting to see that her athleticism has come back – that’s exciting) and potentially going against big teams she can contribute provided she gets minutes. And after two years and all she has gone through I'm sure those extra few minutes are valuable for her too. IMO these aren’t garbage minutes the way fans sees them or the UCONN staff sees them. If Gandy comes in great but I can understand if she didn’t either. And I just want to add maybe I’m off my rocker but I still hope to see some further magic from Caroline. Part of the magic is that she’s come back.

 

[EricLA]

Yes, even walk-ons. Very sad.

Why sad? Sad for who - the fans? Maybe. Sad for Gandy? Well if Geno and co. had conversations with her that went something like "we'd love to have you and while you are a great kid, hard worker, good potential with a great attitude, your lack of basketball experience has you way behind other elite college players and your PT will be extremely limited until you get up to speed".

I'm not sure of the convo went exactly like that, but Gandy seems to be one of the happiest players on the team - always engaged, always smiling, and has garnered some nice recent compliments from Geno. It seems like she's getting exactly what she was promised and is thrilled.

Not every kid expects to come to UConn and play right away. Jess Moore, who went on to have a solid WNBA career, was redshirted her first season for non-medical reasons so never played a single second her freshman year. Turned out alright for her, I'd say.

 

[boontonbomber]

There are strong teams in NJ but not the league Gandy’s team played in.

Even for those that started the sport early, there is a steep learning curve for post players. They’re used to being the tallest player on the court (Gandy was the tallest player in NJ last year) and in college they have to adjust to kids that are as big or bigger, probably stronger, and far more experienced. The post in college becomes more cerebral and good footwork is essential. Just shooting over smaller players like they did in high school is no longer possible. Let Gandy develop on her own timeline.

Not sure you are that familiar with who Gill St.Bernard has on their schedule. They played and defeated some of the top ranked teams in the state last season( St. John Vianney, Rutgers Prep, Hillsborough, St. Rose, Franklin, all ranked in the top 20 by Maxprep)and Maxprep ranked them 7th at the end of the season. They lost a hard fought game to Morris Catholic, the top team in the state. Talk all you want about footwork,etc., and I understand bigs don't play early at UConn, but Gandy has played against some good competition. I expect those teams had players that Gandy couldn't just shoot over. Considering the lack of size on many of the Big East teams, she might just be able to " shoot over" a few of them. She can probably make layups as well as UConn's other bigs( of course, that's not saying much). Anyway, makes no sense to me that she sees 0 minutes.

 

[Rowdy831]

I agree that those are the rules. Since Gandy has played in a game, she can't redshirt except for an injury. So one game renders you ineligible without an in jury, but 30% is allowed with an injury. Ask yourselves this question, why is football, a male only sport, treated so differently? Is it just a matter of "he who makes the rules..."? I think it is just another glaring example of gender inequity brought to you by the NCAA. When will they learn? They seem only to react tio litigation.

Yes! That has to be it, gender inequity. Please. The leaders of the sports decide what they want and then send that proposal to the NCAA for consideration. Basketball for some reason, both men and women haven't seen a priority in petitioning for a change. Maybe one day they will. As an aside though the possibility of getting an extra year outside normal channels has increased as the NCAA overall power has declined.