Will the real Paige Bueckers please stand up

[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.

 

[browns]

I continue to shake my head at the considerable misunderstanding of just exactly what Paige is doing on the basketball court this year. I challenge anyone to watch Paige’s movement at both ends of the court for an entire game and then make a determination of whether or not she has anything more to give to this team.

Paige probably runs 5+ miles a game. She works harder to get open on offense than anyone in WBB. She typically is matched up against an opponent’s best defender, who typically face guards her in an effort to deny Paige the ball. When she has the ball in her hands, she is frequently double teamed.

On defense Paige runs as much or more than she does on offense. I’ve seen her frequently dive down to the low post to double an opposing center and then fly out to the wing to close out an opposing shooter when the ball is reversed.

In addition, Paige is the leader and QB on the court. She is constantly barking out directions and encouragement to her teammates. Unlike last season, Paige doesn’t have Nika & Aaliyah to pick up some of that responsibility. Kaitlyn is helping somewhat. But that’s about it.

Despite all the responsibilities that Paige has on and off the court, she is having one of the most efficient seasons ever. The only way she can provide more is if her teammates step up. Specifically, Ice & Jana need to develop confidence and consistency at both ends of the court, the team needs to play the kind of relentless defense they demonstrated during the second half of the USC game and players need to make open shots.

I am hoping that both Aubrey and Azzi will be back and healthy. Having those two back on the court will remove a great deal of pressure from Paige at both ends of the court, freeing her up to play with a certain freedom on which she thrives.

Sorry your wrong..Last year during the tournament Geno was screaming at her to not stand around and to fight thru screens..It was just a few weeks ago during half time time that Geno said that Paige tends to stand around when the ball isn't in her hands..this coming from her coach!!!

 

[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.

 

[and one]

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

What I meant is what I said. Both Sarah and Azzi are proven good shooters and as such need be shooting when good shots are available. Poo

 

[packwrap]

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

Thanks for this info!

Quite illuminating that Taurasi with 16 4 and 5 was carrying the team,

while Paige with 21 5 and 4, is not performing to her potential.

If one end of my bench is Ziebell and Q, who both played well last night, and the other end of the bench is Paige, Azzi and Sarah, this is all going to work out.

 

[oldude]

I continue to see suggestions from my fellow BY’ers to the effect that Paige should have the ball in her hands more, or just about all the time. While that worked for CC and to some extent for JuJu, there are a bunch of reasons why it doesn’t make sense for Paige.

First off CC & JuJu have had some abysmal shooting games when they became the only real scoring option for their respective teams, resulting in several ugly losses. Add the fact that CC in particular didn’t waste a lot of energy on defense and what we see is an all or nothing at all strategy by Iowa & USC respectively.

The misconception stems from the idea that Paige should have the ball in her hands for 94’ every possession, bringing the ball up the court, initiating the offense and, more often than not, taking the shot. UConn has had a number of great players through the years. But that style of play has never been the way Geno coached the game. Even during Paige’s NPOY season, she shared the PG responsibilities with both E & Nika.

Assume that Paige brings the ball up on every possession. First off, she will be dogged by the opposing team’s best defender. Once she gets to the top of the key and attempts to initiate the offense, opponents will double her, force the ball out of her hands, and the other 4 players will be “stuck” running the offense.

Add the fact that Paige does more running on defense than any other Husky, and certainly more than CC. Not only does she guard her man, but she also drops down to double the post when the ball goes there and also flies out to the arc to close on open shooters when UConn is in “scramble mode” on defense. Take a look at Paige when there’s a stoppage of play. She’s in great shape. But when you see her in a closeup during a time out, she is often breathing deeply trying to recover from literally playing her butt off.

The way to get Paige the ball is to let somebody else bring the ball up and initiate the offense. Get the ball to Paige with a dribble handoff, elevator screen, feed her in the low post, etc. The absolute key for Paige to be successful is for everyone else on the team to make more plays and hit their shots with a lot more frequency.

 

[HuskyNan]

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

It was really a 6 man roster

 

[HuskyNan]

Thanks for this info!

Quite illuminating that Taurasi with 16 4 and 5 was carrying the team,

while Paige with 22 5 and 4, is not performing to her potential.

If one end of my bench is Ziebell and Q, who both played well last night, and the other end of the bench is Paige, Azzi and Sarah, this is all going to work out.

The real meat and potatoes is the post-season, not the regular season. Here are the NCAA tournament stats for Diana's senior year

 

[packwrap]

The real meat and potatoes is the post-season, not the regular season. Here are the NCAA tournament stats for Diana's senior year

View attachment 105855

This still makes my point. Great info.

I'm not knocking Diana, she's the GOAT. She played tough and got to the foul line, as she initiated contact in the lane instead of trying to avoid it.

Still, if Paige (or JuJu, Hannah etc) averaged 20 4.5 4.5 shooting 47 37 76 splits, the headline would read:

'Despite sub par tournament from Bueckers, Huskies hang in there to win 12th NCAA title.'

Expectations are just sky high.

Note also the poor teammates Diana had contributed 53 points a game!

 

[Plebe]

This still makes my point. Great info.

I'm not knocking Diana, she's the GOAT. She played tough and got to the foul line, as she initiated contact in the lane instead of trying to avoid it.

Still, if Paige (or JuJu, Hannah etc) averaged 20 4.5 4.5 shooting 47 37 76 splits, the headline would read:

'Despite sub par tournament from Bueckers, Huskies hang in there to win 12th NCAA title.'

Expectations are just sky high.

Note also the poor teammates Diana had contributed 53 points a game!

The quality of Taurasi's supporting cast in her junior and senior years is consistently underestimated on this forum to the point of bordering on disrespect. Players like J. Moore, Turner, Strother, Battle, etc. may not have been All-Americans but they were mentally and physically tough, played strong defense, were warriors on the glass, and did all the little things it takes to win big basketball games.

Obviously Diana was the star and leader, and they wouldn't have won without her, but their contributions were substantial and they deserve to be remembered as much better than chopped liver.

 

[Bald Husky]

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.

Kaitlyn Chen is just fine and are glad that Geno went after her. She shouldn't be disrespected.

 

[Steelerone]

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.

Thank you fan. I've watched several games this year and while trying not to compare her with some of the past point guards (or off or shooting guards) it seems that the better players she is vested to defending leave her in the dust and when she shoots the ball she doesn't take that necessary second to set herself properly. I would much rather see KK or some other younger player get the needed experience knowing that they will get better.

 

[Steelerone]

Kaitlyn Chen is just fine and are glad that Geno went after her. She shouldn't be disrespected.

BH, I don't think people are disrespecting Kaitlyn Chen. They are just saying that she is not "just fine" and that not everyone is happy Geno went after her with some of the talent he has on the bench.