Will the real Paige Bueckers please stand up

[my2cents]

Expecting Paige to step and do more is just a ridiculous comment to make. In the two games we lost she needs other players to step up and they haven't. She gets the oppositions best defender and the player guarding Brady, because you don't have to guard her.
Win or lose, I am just going to enjoy watching her play her last games for UConn.

 

[hoophuskee]

Sadly, she is not the best player in the country. Ju ju is the best player and massively outplayed her straight up. Paige is a great player but not meant to take over scoring against great teams. She needs some help and unfortunately not getting it. uConn should have won tge USC game. paige took an poor transition 3 and chen took a 1 on 3-4 shot in successive possessions. Chen needs to play less and let the better youngsters have those minutes so they are ready for march. Paige needs more help to shine, she can be the best but she needs more help to let all of ger skills shine. Azzi can’t stay on the court so the sophomores need to elevate their play otherwise paige will not win a championship.

1-- There is no way Paige taking that pull-up 3 was a bad shot. Not even close. Not even a 2nd thought c,lose. Not even a smidgen close to being a bad shot.

2-- How could you say Chen took a 1-3 fatsbreak shot when both Shade and Paige were also on the same side of the court as Chen when she took the 2 pointer INSIDE THE LANE?

 

[cferraro04]

After watching just about all of UConn's greats...Jen Rizotti, Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Barbara Turner, Ann Strother, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Tina Charles, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Moriah Jefferson, Tiffany Hayes, Naphessa Collier, Renee Montgomery, Nykeysa Sales, Katie Lou Samuelson, Crystal Dangerfield, Kara Wolters, Svetlana Abrosimova, Christyn Williams, Aaliyah Edwards, Gabby Williams, Megan Walker, Shea Ralph, Ashley Battle, Kia Nurse, Ketia Swanier, Morgan Tuck, Stefanie Dolson, Mel Thomas, Wilnett Crockett, Charde Houston, Maria Conlon, Kia Stokes, Kelly Faris, Bria Hartley, Azura Stevens, Kelly Schumacher, Saniya Chong, Jessica Moore, Paige Sauer, Tamika Williams-Jeter, Nika Muhl and yes...the newbies: Azzi Fudd, KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Sarah Strong and the subject of this thread Paige Bueckers. I did not mention Kerry Bascom because I never saw her play.

Having watched all the above play...I can say the following:

1. We as UConn fans are extremely blessed that all these great players decided to come to the cow pastures of Storrs, CT. We have had the opportunity over the past 4 decades to watch on a fairly consistent basis some of the best women's college basketball that is being played anywhere in the USA.

2. It is extremely difficult to pick out who is the best player of all time at UConn. There were just too many great players and all of them brought with them different skill sets. Yes, we could hone in on the biggest bringers of natys like Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Tamika Williams, and Maria Conlon but that doesn't cut it because there is such a difference between a player like Breanna Stewart and Maria Conlon. If we focused on the big 4 based strictly on skill set: Diana Taurasi; Maya Moore; Breanna Stewart; and Paige Bueckers based on what era you became a UConn fan and your personal preferences in a player anyone could put together a 1-4 rating. It could be argued that Napheesa Collier be included in the elite group of four making it an elite group of five.

3. Each player's success as a legacy builder is somewhat dependent on the players around them, the historical time in which they played, and unfortunately the severity of the injury bug's influence on the team. None of the greats above did it in a vacuum...they had a great supporting cast. Only Diana Taurasi was able to win one by putting the team on her back.

4. Our latest star Paige Bueckers doesn't have the natys to go with her greatness...she may end up having to be judged simply by her play on the court, her leadership, and her ability to bring other players along with her. She may get that elusive naty but it may also remain elusive. Disqualifying her on that basis would be patently unfair. She is different in skill set, in personality, and has had to endure the worst injury record for herself and those around her in the nearly 40 years that I have been a fan. We have been truly blessed that Paige picked UConn as the University where she would display her talents on the hardwood. Her influence will be felt after she is gone by the players she leaves behind who are all better players for having had the opportunity to play with her.

5. There will be other greats that we will be talking about and adding to the big 4...Sarah Strong comes to mind and who knows what other kid is going to walk through those doors at Gampel Pavillion. And let's not forget the lasting impact that UConn has on all these players. The impact that Geno and his staff have on them. The life-long lessons they have learned there and their willingness and eagerness to come back and visit.

GO HUSKIES!!! GO PAIGE!!! GO TEAM!!!

 

[freshler40]

Expecting Paige to step and do more is just a ridiculous comment to make. In the two games we lost she needs other players to step up and they haven't. She gets the oppositions best defender and the player guarding Brady, because you don't have to guard her.
Win or lose, I am just going to enjoy watching her play her last games for UConn.

Our pace of play seems much slower under Chen, fewer shots up and more turnover chances. The second half of the USC game was the reverse with great defensive ball pressure. This resulted in a less scripted offence for the Huskies but better flow and disruption. We had a great initial result except when we turn down fast break opportunities as often happens with this team. We need more on court decision making by our talented players including Beckers. Our guards look to the bench for what to do next. Odd. That should be for timeouts and practice.

 

[PacoSwede]

This about says it all. When we used to argue about Paige and Caitlin, I thought Caitlin was great because she beat opponents with her offense, which was formidable. But Paige beat opponents with her team, which she wielded like a club. The problem for Paige has always been the "Moore Syndrome' or what Geno calls "Paige Watching." If she can get this latest iteration of the Huskies past this, they can contend for an NC. It may require putting another dazzling player on the court, like Azzi, to make it impossible for teammates just to focus on Paige or Sarah.

i got a feeling that's extremely risky ... not the third scoring threat. u r right there, but citing azzi ... well, great --- but then we are waiting for the inevitable 'not dressing due to injury.' if that time is in the tournament uconn's crippled. a more reliable option than azzi needs to step up by then.

 

[Cuango]

Sadly, she is not the best player in the country. Ju ju is the best player and massively outplayed her straight up. Paige is a great player but not meant to take over scoring against great teams. She needs some help and unfortunately not getting it. uConn should have won tge USC game. paige took an poor transition 3 and chen took a 1 on 3-4 shot in successive possessions. Chen needs to play less and let the better youngsters have those minutes so they are ready for march. Paige needs more help to shine, she can be the best but she needs more help to let all of ger skills shine. Azzi can’t stay on the court so the sophomores need to elevate their play otherwise paige will not win a championship.

Ever hear the saying, “One swallow does not a summer make?” Obviously, Paige did not have her best game against USC. However, she is still imo, the best, most complete player in the country. I’m not sure where the, “Paige is a great player but not meant to take over scoring against great teams.” comes from, as she’s done exactly that on many occasions! To each his/her own though! I’ll just say there’s no player currently playing College ball I’d rather have on this team than Paige! We will see, I suppose. The season continues….

 

[cferraro04]

i got a feeling that's extremely risky ... not the third scoring threat. u r right there, but citing azzi ... well, great --- but then we are waiting for the inevitable 'not dressing due to injury.' if that time is in the tournament uconn's crippled. a more reliable option than azzi needs to step up by then.

And yet...in Geno's comments, he said that he wants Paige to take more risks. He said he always wants his stars to take more risks that playing safe for them is not his preference.

 

[PacoSwede]

Expecting Paige to step and do more is just a ridiculous comment to make. In the two games we lost she needs other players to step up and they haven't. She gets the oppositions best defender and the player guarding Brady, because you don't have to guard her.
Win or lose, I am just going to enjoy watching her play her last games for UConn.

indeed that's absolutely a problem. what's the cure?

coaches i assume are trying to find it. the players MUST realize this problem needs fixing and rightfully should blame themselves and take responsibility. they probably are working on how to address this team weakness, but don't know how. it's not an issue of desire or determination or hard work.

i think paige can be faulted here. she has to be the one righting the ship. she also must find out how she can do this. it's not easy. but finding the winning formula involves more than her on-court performance, it includes getting teammates to do their part. again, not easy. but as the team's leader, she has to find a way. it's a huge burden that shouldn't be on her, but is.

 

[hoophuskee]

indeed that's absolutely a problem. what's the cure?

coaches i assume are trying to find it. the players MUST realize this problem needs fixing and rightfully should blame themselves and take responsibility. they probably are working on how to address this team weakness, but don't know how. it's not an issue of desire or determination or hard work.

i think paige can be faulted here. she should be the one righting the ship. she also must find out how she can do this. it's not easy. but finding the winning formula involves more than her on-court performance, it includes getting teammates to do their part. again, not easy. but as the team's leader, she has to find a way. it's a huge burden that shouldn't be on her, but is.

Watch how the ship "magically" will be righted once Azzi and Aubrey are healthy.

 

[hoophuskee]

Really?

Yes. Really.

 

[KCD]

I believe that she is the most complete women's college basketball player. She has proven that over and over again despite her injuries. The team will have learned from these two losses (as well as the wins). That's why Geno and CD schedule these games. And I (seemingly unlike some on this site) still have great faith in the greatest college basketball coaches ever. I believe that the last few years have been some of their best coaching jobs ever based on the extent of injuries, etc. To get back to Paige, she would have been my #1 pick over anybody in the last several years.

 

[packwrap]

I believe that if Geno allows Paige to play the way she wants to play, she will thrive the way she did her freshman season. Let her play her game. When Aubrey and Fudd come back, they can contribute to what has been missing. I believe there is too much pressure on Paige to play like Clark. Just my opinion.

I beg to differ with you here. Freshman year Paige usually had the ball in her hand like Clark.

Since then she has played off the ball.

To be fair, as soon as she receives the pass off the ball, she has still on the move been able to both shoot and pass from there. Even at power forward last year.

Still this year off the ball she has been double teamed often, making it hard for her to get the ball in a useful spot. Her scoring is still fine, but her assists are down, which is normally her strength.

Clark never had this problem, as she always had the ball. When she was doubled, she shot a bomb 3 over everyone, dribbled through it, or passed to wide open teammate.

No one pressuring her to play like Clark, in fact just the opposite. (Note: Paige assists this year 4, Clark as senior 9 per game.) Again Clark led EVERY play, there was no Nika, Chen or KK for Iowa, just forwards and spot up shooters.

 

[maple]

3. Each player's success as a legacy builder is somewhat dependent on the players around them, the historical time in which they played, and unfortunately the severity of the injury bug's influence on the team. None of the greats above did it in a vacuum...they had a great supporting cast. Only Diana Taurasi was able to win one by putting the team on her back.

Which is what I think all of us wish Paige could/would do.

This may or may not be a realistic expectation.

 

[Bone Dog]

Only Diana Taurasi was able to win one by putting the team on her back.

I find this sentiment really frustrating. Paige put the team on her back in her sophomore year and carried them all the way to the NC, even though she was held together by spit and glue, duct tape and baling wire. She engineered 3 upsets in a row to get there. And in the NC game she went up against the dominant team in D1 that year in SC, loaded with seniors who had no injuries and they sent 7 players into the W. Meanwhile, her team was falling apart around her. Yeah, they lost. And I know they sent 3 players into the W that year and more the following years. But I don't care. The team was a shambles by the time they limped into that final game.

What else could anyone ask of Paige more than what she did at the end of that season? She deserves to be on Mount Rushmore just for that season alone.

 

[and one]

I just don't believe that for this team to succeed that Paige needs to jack up 20+ shots a game.. Not when we have two other good shooters in Sarah and Azzi that also need to be getting their share of shots.

 

[mainerhuski]

Some opinions and observations. This might be similar to other posts. Paige typically starts off slow. She let's the game come to her (God, I hate that phrase). Why? She's not getting open, and I don't believe it's 100% her fault. She's running around all over the place trying to get open. The other 4 kids on the court share some responsibility for Paige not getting open. When the efficient Paige can't get open, she passes the ball to someone most likely less efficient. Bingo! That's the other team's scouting and game plan.

What happens a little later in the game? It becomes a little more helter/skelter. The other team's game plan starts to break down. Paige is open a little more often and scores more. What needs to happen, especially against better teams is that the helter/skelter needs to start from the opening tip. And the other 4 kids have to work a little harder at getting Paige open.

“The other 4 kids on the court share some responsibility for Paige not getting open.” Yes! If only the rest of the team would set screens for Paige the way that Sarah does!

 

[cferraro04]

I find this sentiment really frustrating. Paige put the team on her back in her sophomore year and carried them all the way to the NC, even though she was held together by spit and glue, duct tape and baling wire. She engineered 3 upsets in a row to get there. And in the NC game she went up against the dominant team in D1 that year in SC, loaded with seniors who had no injuries and they sent 7 players into the W. Meanwhile, her team was falling apart around her. Yeah, they lost. And I know they sent 3 players into the W that year and more the following years. But I don't care. The team was a shambles by the time they limped into that final game.

What else could anyone ask of Paige more than what she did at the end of that season? She deserves to be on Mount Rushmore just for that season alone.

Bone Dog my only response to your comments is not in disagreement that Paige did yeoman's work that year...but, to point out that I was referring to winning a national championship...only Taurasi was able to win a naty by putting a team on her back and carrying them across the finish line. If I remember correctly Diana was held together by duct tape and if you want to throw in some glue, spit, and baling wire that would be okay too.

 

[donalddoowop]

I am watching Michigan play USC at USC and the score at halftime is 34 to 31 USC and Michigan is without it's best player. No way there is more talent on Michigan than on UConn. So, UConn's problem goes deeper than Paige not playing well.

 

[donalddoowop]

Bone Dog my only response to your comments is not in disagreement that Paige did yeoman's work that year...but, to point out that I was referring to winning a national championship...only Taurasi was able to win a naty by putting a team on her back and carrying them across the finish line. If I remember correctly Diana was held together by duct tape and if you want to throw in some glue, spit, and baling wire that would be okay too.

Diana had more help than some people are willing to admit.

 

[cferraro04]

This was the Roster and stats for the 2003-2004 season (Taurasi's senior year)​

​

Roster​

• Glossary

Player	#	Class	Pos	Height	Summary
Diana Taurasi		SR	G-F	6-0	16.2 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 4.9 Ast
Barbara Turner		SO	G-F	6-0	13.7 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Ann Strother		SO	G-F	6-3	11.0 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Jessica Moore		SR	C	6-3	9.5 Pts, 7.1 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Ashley Battle		JR	F	6-0	7.3 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Maria Conlon		SR	G	5-9	5.9 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.9 Ast
Willnett Crockett		SO	F-C	6-2	4.1 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Liz Sherwood		FR	C	6-4	4.3 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Ashley Valley		JR	G	5-9	3.0 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Morgan Valley		SR	G	6-0	2.1 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Kiana Robinson		FR	G	5-8	1.7 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Stacey Marron		JR	G	5-9	0.8 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Nicole Wolff		SO	G	6-0	3.0 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast

 

[Zarathustra]

I just don't believe that for this team to succeed that Paige needs to jack up 20+ shots a game.. Not when we have two other good shooters in Sarah and Azzi that also need to be getting their share of shots.

I think that you probably meant: "Sarah and Azzi MAKING their share of THEIR
shots". Just a modest clarification??

 

[Zarathustra]

“The other 4 kids on the court share some responsibility for Paige not getting open.” Yes! If only the rest of the team would set screens for Paige the way that Sarah does!

Did you notice that in the Providence game the sequence where Azzi
gave Paige the ball for a right corner three pointer? On that particular
play watch for the UCONN player, # 23, screening out TWO FRIAR
players trying to close in on Paige, to no avail. That player? Morgan Cheli!!

 

[cancontent]

I am watching Michigan play USC at USC and the score at halftime is 34 to 31 USC and Michigan is without it's best player. No way there is more talent on Michigan than on UConn. So, UConn's problem goes deeper than Paige not playing well.

And how did the game end up in the second half? They fell apart where UConn clawed their way back into the game and had a chance to tie. The team is still figuring things out and are competitive while doing so.

 

[Rowdy831]

I think that Paige is being held back by Geno, not her play. She is mostly playing off the ball when Chen is in the game and that limits what Paige can do. Defending her without the ball is much easier than defending her with the ball. Secondly I think that is also what limits the team. Paige is great with the ball. She makes great decisions and can beat the defense in a number of ways.

To me UConn will start to dominate when they remove Chen from the line up and put in Azzi as the shooter. I would have Sarah and another person with some length on the wings and Jana in the middle. I realize a few players need more time but time on the bench isn't going to get them any better.

Chen can be a great player to spell Paige when she needs a rest but other than that her skillset is not at the same level as other players on the team. I still think a line up with Ice and Jana might be their best.