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

[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.

 

[EricSD]

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.

 

[boontonbomber]

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.

I think she could "safely" play a couple of minutes against the rather weak competition that UConn is often going against. You don't. That's fine. No need for any more of your sermons. I'm not part of the choir.

 

[EricSD]

I think she could "safely" play a couple of minutes against the rather weak competition that UConn is often going against. You don't. That's fine. No need for any more of your sermons. I'm not part of the choir.

Sorry you are so overly sensitive. If you don't like my comments, put me on ignore. Also please be sure to read carefully, as I never said she "couldn't safely play against rather weak competition". If you are going to criticize me, at least practice reading comprehension.

 

[hoophuskee]

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.

+1 Nan.

The teams Gandy has beaten with her Gill St. Bernard were regional teams none of them a national power team. I could be wrong and if I am I apologize but I believe the context of your post meant by even being the tallest she still needs time to adjust. There's a huge difference for a team Gill St. Bernard is a Region Team vs what UCONN normally recruits as s National Power team or a h/s usa player that's gone head-to-head and done pretty well against elite competition. .

Let's put this in perspective, Kellis Fisher was approximately the 25th ranked recruit. Among UCONN players from USA, she is the lowest ranked recruit on this team ahead of only Gandy, and she has gone head-to-head vs Saniyah Hall among others. As far as I can see, Gandy never played against near this competition.

What I fear - and hope it won't turn into a reality is that next year if she doesn't get many minutes (vs. the way Geno was quoted on this thread), that posters won't hammer her or Geno for not being better. She just hasn't played vs the top competition and 1 year might not/imo probably won't be enough.

 

[boontonbomber]

Sorry you are so overly sensitive. If you don't like my comments, put me on ignore. Also please be sure to read carefully, as I never said she "couldn't safely play against rather weak competition". If you are going to criticize me, at least practice reading comprehension.

I didn't criticize; just said we disagree.

 

[EricSD]

I didn't criticize; just said we disagree.

You could have left out the "No need for any more of your sermons. I'm not part of the choir." At best, snark. At worst, rude.

 

[Cuango]

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 tink Jana was showing a significant amount of improvement in the last three or four games. So much so, that I was thinking she might start taking minutes away from Serah. Unfortunately, she was injured and the question is, how much will this injury set her back?

Hopefully, not so much as I believe her obvious improvement may have been more due to an increase in desire than any physical thing. She just looked (to me) like she had become tired of sitting on the bench and had decided she was going to do something about it. It was very clearly manifest in her effort and on court attitude over these recent games. I am just hoping she does not lose any of that increased focus when she comes back!

 

[Bone Dog]

What I fear - and hope it won't turn into a reality is that next year if she doesn't get many minutes (vs. the way Geno was quoted on this thread), that posters won't hammer her or Geno for not being better. She just hasn't played vs the top competition and 1 year might not/imo probably won't be enough

It difficult to decipher this paragraph, some peculiar subjunctive construction I suspect. But now you have me thinking about what 1 year of practice might end up doing for Gandy if she gets real minutes next season.

She’s a big big. And she’s also a fast big who runs the court well. Not as well as Sarah or Blanca or even Sara Okeke (if she comes to Storrs), but better than Jana. And probably better than almost all other players 6’5” or taller. Her offensive skills are raw at best. She’ll mainly score on putbacks if she scores at all.

The real question for Geno (and us) is whether she can rebound and discourage guards from driving into the paint. And maybe defend other bigs for a while until she fouls out. My guess is she’s not very far from this standard. The key factor, I think, is footwork and understanding court positioning, and she has already said as much herself. This is stuff she can develop in practice against some of the best bigs in D1.

Worst case scenario is she gets into foul trouble quickly. But this isn’t a crisis given the many front court players Geno will have at his disposal. Can she give Geno as much as 10 mins of solid effort? I’m betting on yes. If Jana starts and plays 18-20 minutes and Gandy and Olivia each provide 8-10, I think we won’t be disappointed. There will be plenty of time to run a super big lineup occasionally, a traditional lineup and also a smallball lineup.

 

[uconnfan68]

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?

I don’t make the rulings. I simply googled about redshirt rules. AI gave me that list.

 

[JoePgh]

I don’t make the rulings. I simply googled about redshirt rules. AI gave me that list.

I think the difference is that Rori Harmon had a season-ending injury in the year that she got the redshirt. When there is a season-ending injury, the rules are different than for a "discretionary" redshirt year, which is what Gandy would need based on present circumstances.

 

[BBallF]

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.

There is currently pending a class action lawsuit in federal court about the redshirt rules so I am not the only one who thought of this. While the lawsuit interestingly enough was initiated by football players arguing against a time period to finish their eligibility, it encompasses the "one play disqualification" rule. Also, a rule can be found to discriminate without the intention to do so. As long as you have one sport with a different rule, it creates the appearance of being discriminatory. The counter argument in football is that they need that 4 game initiation period to develop their players and to give playing experience because the teams are so big. I see no harm in a similar rule applying to all other sports. In the age of NIL and the portal, the athletes are trying to maximize their earnings, most of them never seeing any earnings for their athletic participation beyond college. Why should they have them lessened arbitrarily if someone plays one minute of college basketball?