Will we see debut of Natalie Butler on Saturday?

[mhshuskies]

Will Natalie get any playing time?

 

[Bgillon]

I hope Natalie starts getting some minutes Saturday. Regardless of who starts , she will add a dimension to our team that makes UCONN more formidable and less susceptible to errant foul calling by some refs. And remember , Geno said she was a game changer when he accepted her transfer. While some of us got wrapped up in debates on who would be the 5th starter, what we are seeing is Geno and staff utilizing each player's strengths for a given situation. Thus Gabby has a great game vs. one type of opponent and KLS excels against another type. As long as the staff manages each player's expectations and gets their buy in, UCONN can match up with all types of teams they will face this year. WOW!

 

[Charles T]

I trust Rosemary, Geno, and CD to keep NB healthy, short-term and long-term. NB may not be in pain. That would be good. But @ 1:00:30-1:01:00 in the DePaul game tape it's clear the young woman is enthusiastic on the bench but cannot clap her hands. When she cheers for the team she uses her left hand to smack her right elbow, not her right [bandaged] hand. Not a great sign.

 

[EricLA]

I trust Rosemary, Geno, and CD to keep NB healthy, short-term and long-term. NB may not be in pain. That would be good. But @ 1:00:30-1:01:00 in the DePaul game tape it's clear the young woman is enthusiastic on the bench but cannot clap her hands. When she cheers for the team she uses her left hand to smack her right elbow, not her right [bandaged] hand. Not a great sign.

I did not catch that. I'm sure she's more bummed than anyone and chomping at the bit to get on the court. But she needs to be kept out until she's completely healed, IMHO. Not 80% or 90%, but 100%. Of course the trainers know best, but there's no need to bring her back till she's 100% ready. UCONN can win the NC without her and playing with nagging injuries seem to have a way to last forever, or turn into something more serious. Get well soon Natalie!

 

[UcMiami]

Eric - she likely will not be '100 %' this year - hence the plan to use a brace all year. She is medically cleared so that is not the issue - Geno is just waiting for her to 'look right' when she catches the ball - she is obviously now practicing so it is just figuring out how to compensate for the brace and becoming comfortable doing so.

 

[Aluminny69]

Personally, this is not a game I would want as her first UConn game, unless we have a huge lead. Put her in a game that we know will be a blowout, ease her into the lineup. Her presence could be a major change to the offense.

 

[HGN]

I think we see Natalie on Saturday.............And I think it's been Geno's plan all along. Up until now he really didn't need that size in the middle in UConn's earlier games.. But I think she gets her first taste of floor time on Saturday if just for a few minutes to see how she holds up. Plus , he gave her extra time to heal. I think Geno wants to make sure that thumb and hand is ready before risking any further injury.

Can't be too careful when a NC could be riding on it.

 

[magic]

First of all, I didn't read , or hear, that she will need the splint for the rest of the SEASON. I heard the rest of the year. My guess is the Maggie Dixon Classic at the end of December. But, who knows . It would be nice to get some kind of report on how functional she is at practice.

 

[Zorro]

He doesn't need that size in the middle against ND either. Cable is edequate, but not much more, and certainly nothing that Stewie, Gabbie and Morgan can't handle. Still, I do hope that she gets some action.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I trust Rosemary, Geno, and CD to keep NB healthy, short-term and long-term. NB may not be in pain. That would be good. But @ 1:00:30-1:01:00 in the DePaul game tape it's clear the young woman is enthusiastic on the bench but cannot clap her hands. When she cheers for the team she uses her left hand to smack her right elbow, not her right [bandaged] hand. Not a great sign.

Yes you could see Natalie wasn't great on just watching HER team play a tough game. Oh, I don't know about "signs" sometimes you "favor" your once hurt hand only because it WAS hurt. (I hope that is true of Natalie).
As much as I want to see her get started, knowing that experience will be needed soon, I too trust Geno and Rosemary--she won't play until she is ready.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I did not catch that. I'm sure she's more bummed than anyone and chomping at the bit to get on the court. But she needs to be kept out until she's completely healed, IMHO. Not 80% or 90%, but 100%. Of course the trainers know best, but there's no need to bring her back till she's 100% ready. UCONN can win the NC without her and playing with nagging injuries seem to have a way to last forever, or turn into something more serious. Get well soon Natalie!

I agree with all you say----But can Natalie handle being on the bench for 2 years and watching her playing time slip away?? Maybe a little give and take with Geno and Rosemary---a minute here , a minute there??

 

[BroadwayVa]

Eric - she likely will not be '100 %' this year - hence the plan to use a brace all year. She is medically cleared so that is not the issue - Geno is just waiting for her to 'look right' when she catches the ball - she is obviously now practicing so it is just figuring out how to compensate for the brace and becoming comfortable doing so.

A brace on her RIGHT hand thumb, if that is her dominant hand, will hamper passing, shooting, rebounding. Your thumb is needed for all three==4 fingers need a thumb to hold, balance, control. If she is left handed--that's a different (brace ok) story

 

[winlots]

I did not catch that. I'm sure she's more bummed than anyone and chomping at the bit to get on the court. But she needs to be kept out until she's completely healed, IMHO. Not 80% or 90%, but 100%. Of course the trainers know best, but there's no need to bring her back till she's 100% ready. UCONN can win the NC without her and playing with nagging injuries seem to have a way to last forever, or turn into something more serious. Get well soon Natalie!

Hi ERIC: she looked WAY bummed to me two games back, which is highly unusual from what I've seen of that very enthusiastic and personable young lady and great supportive teammate. Wife and I wondered if it was the injury itself or not being allowed to play after supposedly getting medical clearance ??

 

[DriveLH]

A brace on her RIGHT hand thumb, if that is her dominant hand, will hamper passing, shooting, rebounding. Your thumb is needed for all three==4 fingers need a thumb to hold, balance, control. If she is left handed--that's a different (brace ok) story

Natalie has her LEFT thumb bandaged not her right.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Natalie has her LEFT thumb bandaged not her right.

Thanks---the question now is---is she left or right dominant handed?? Appreciate the info---.

 

[Bgillon]

Thanks---the question now is---is she left or right dominant handed?? Appreciate the info---.

Right handed and she injured her left or off hand.

 

[JavaMan]

Personally, this is not a game I would want as her first UConn game, unless we have a huge lead. Put her in a game that we know will be a blowout, ease her into the lineup. Her presence could be a major change to the offense.

It just might be a blowout if Natalie is in the low post, with Stewie and Lou the forwards. That's 6'5, 6'4, and 6'3 for UConn against Westbeld at 6'2" and two sub 6 footers for ND.

 

[uconnfan68]

I trust Rosemary, Geno, and CD to keep NB healthy, short-term and long-term. NB may not be in pain. That would be good. But @ 1:00:30-1:01:00 in the DePaul game tape it's clear the young woman is enthusiastic on the bench but cannot clap her hands. When she cheers for the team she uses her left hand to smack her right elbow, not her right [bandaged] hand. Not a great sign.

I did see that... now we know why she didn't get in. She doesn't need to be forced into playing. Just let her heal.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Right handed and she injured her left or off hand.

Fantastic---thanks that's great news. She can stabilize the ball with her left 4 fingers and control the ball with her dominant hand. Left hand shots will have to wait. Thanks...

 

[huskyd]

I don't think this game is going be close, so seeing Natalie in mop up time is a possibility. W/out their regular bigs, ND should be soft in the middle. Maybe Butler will take a pass in close and get her first bucket for UConn. Let's hope.

 

[UcMiami]

First of all, I didn't read , or hear, that she will need the splint for the rest of the SEASON. I heard the rest of the year. My guess is the Maggie Dixon Classic at the end of December. But, who knows . It would be nice to get some kind of report on how functional she is at practice.

I may be wrong, but my interpretation was the rest of the season from the reports I read - that is not an unusual time frame - 5 months after surgery, if you are going to be in a stressing environment - it would be precautionary to make sure the same action to the thumb that caused the injury can't be repeated - not unlike the braces for knee issues or the harness that Turner may end up wearing and wore last year.

 

[TroyHouse66]

Nats can beat ND with one hand tied behind her back!

 

[ChicagoGG]

I think we will see her at Colgate next week. Not today.

 

[WestCoastFan]

Nats can beat ND with one hand tied behind her back!

Not if she's left footed! She'll balance on the right foot and slip left to use her good hand. Then, she'll...forget it.

 

[easttexastrash]

I hope to see her, but hate to see her. She is going to give Geno many more lineup options. One of the options is that Stewart is going to be able to float even more and the more she moves the more effective she is since she can score from any spot on the floor.