wow, Brianna Banks

[uconnfan68]

what a great game... she's really been very good this year... I think Geno will find more time for her in bigger games this year.

 

[UConnCat]

what a great game... she's really been very good this year... I think Geno will find more time for her in bigger games this year.

She was close to flawless on offense. No TOs, assists, shot well and attacked the basket. The only thing she needs to do better to ensure minutes in big games is to focus a little more on defense, including not losing who she's guarding and fighting through screens (not going behind the screener on good shooters). I know Shea and Geno will work with her on that.

 

[Fiftyish]

what a great game... she's really been very good this year... I think Geno will find more time for her in bigger games this year.

Just got home from the game. Have to agree it was an outstanding game by BB. She was on fire from the 3 line. Listened to the "Daily Recap" on WTIC during the ride home and CD gave BB tons of praise. Said she couldn't be happier for the progress BB has made since last year and said it was all due to her hard work. She said improvement was not only made on the court but also in the classroom

 

[UConnFan23]

Brianna is such a good story. Shows what is possible with a lot of hard work ... on top of a ton of natural athletic talent. Really proud of her and very pleased the team has her. So much fun to watch Brianna and M. Jefferson working together to shut down the other team. Love that quickness and execution. A BYer commented last year that they met Brianna's parents at a game and found them to be really nice people. I am sure they must be very proud of Brianna. Looking forward to BB's continued growth and UConn career!

 

[DEK1234]

A few weeks ago, someone said she was painful to watch. Well if that was the case then, tonight's game must have been torturous!

 

[MilfordHusky]

A few weeks ago, someone said she was painful to watch. Well if that was the case then, tonight's game must have been torturous!

For Colgate.

 

[Icebear]

The great great news is the pain has shifted from Geno's hairline to the opponent's headaches.

 

[Bigpetunia]

I am beginning to sound like a broken tecord with respect to Brianna, but I have to admit that I've taken some perverse pleasure in her journey this year to expose the ignorance of those who have failed to recognize her burgeoning talents. The physical gifts and the natural athleticism have been apparent from the beginning. But the work ethic she has brought to her game this year, her determination to be a real factor for the team and not just a fill-in, and Geno's recognition of those things translating into lots of minutes on the floor have all contributed to a growing level of confidence that is here to stay. I think we can all expect great things from her going forward. The next player that I ardently wish to see demonstrate that kind of breakout performance is Kiah. I find her game so tentative right now, and her self-confidence so lacking. She has the physical gifts, but she needs to develop a whole lot more aggression to earn her way to more PT. Hope she does...for Brianna, on the other hand, it's a done deal!

 

[Icebear]

Petunia, no one failed to recognize her talents last year. She simply did not apply them in any meaningful direction. She was without discipline. She admitted it herself. Geno noted it several times last as did CD. All three have said she is a completely changed player this year starting in practice. Her teammates agree. It adds nothing to perpetuate the myth that people didn't notice her tremendous talents. The opposite was true. Everyone could see her talents and was afraid she might squander them without ever putting in the work to maximize them.

 

[cohenzone]

I can't recall any player in the GA era showing such a dramatic change in impact in one year. Like going from 0 to 100 in 5 seconds. And she has done it against all the opposition, not just teams like Colgate. The way she is playing opens so many doors for the team on offense and when she and MJ are on the floor together on defense they become a nightmare for most guard combos we will face.

 

[Blakeon18]

Her game reminds me a lot of Tiffany Hayes: she has the 1950's one hand set shot [gets it off a bit quicker than Tiff]....the pull-up jumper....and the state of the art sleek drives to the basket. I think she is a bit quicker and faster than Tiff which is saying a mouthful. The games next week against sterner stuff will be fascinating...especially for BB and Moriah who seems to be adjusting to the college level and the Geno expectations for a point.

 

[RadyLady]

Her step is so quick...when she changes speed and direction in a split second, you can see the look of "what th'" on the person's face whom she has just blown by......wonderful!

 

[msf22b]

Ice et al. I for one, didn't see it last year, especially the "matador" defense.
Sure she looked like a player, but I just didn't get it.
Seems that every other post I have to apologize for the last one, but this kid looks like a handful.
Just think of what a great coaching ensemble we have to have secured this transformation

 

[msf22b]

And just think, other teams were planning their defensive schemes, surely not thinking about BB and now, another monster threat to take into consideration.

The next one of "our girls" to start to turn heads will be Ms. Tuck. Anyone notice that she seems to miss a bunch of shots when she first comes in, but when you look at her final line, its usually about 50%.

 

[Icebear]

Ice et al. I for one, didn't see it last year, especially the "matador" defense.
Sure she looked like a player, but I just didn't get it.
Seems that every other post I have to apologize for the last one, but this kid looks like a handful.
Just think of what a great coaching ensemble we have to have secured this transformation

I consider the matador defense something that was about her lack of focus and effort NOT about the skills and athletic gifts that she had. There was considerable agreement that she was not getting the job done last year but that is different than saying people didn't see her talents. There were always hints but they largely went unfulfilled.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Ice, I always enjoy your posts because your analyses are, unfailingly, spot-on. It's true that many of us spotted BB's potential last year, and ardently hoped that some of that potential would be realized quickly. For all of us in that category, the transformation of what was once just obvious potential into current undeniable reality is most gratifying. Whether or not that early potential was recognized last year is a matter of indifference to me...I am only mystified by the stubborn unwillingness of one or two frequent posters to acknowledge what has, happily, since transpired. This kid is the real deal!

 

[Icebear]

Petunia, she is indeed awesome and is contributing tremendously at this point. Last night as she came off the court at one of the breaks Shea gave her a really big "Way to Go!!!"

 

[VAMike23]

She does still regress into 'matador' defense from time to time. I saw it again last night. But overall her 1-on-1 defense is *much* improved. Where she really shines is on jumping the passing lanes, trapping, and hounding players that have picked up their dribble. She is a terror in these situations!

RE: comparisons with Tiff, I agree she is a little faster than Tiff....if she had Tiff's (inborn?) desire to take charges she might make 1st Team Defense AA!

 

[Icebear]

She does still regress into 'matador' defense from time to time. I saw it again last night. But overall her 1-on-1 defense is *much* improved. Where she really shines is on jumping the passing lanes, trapping, and hounding players that have picked up their dribble. She is a terror in these situations!

RE: comparisons with Tiff, I agree she is a little faster than Tiff....if she had Tiff's (inborn?) desire to take charges she might make 1st Team Defense AA!

Not always, but at times I see her a little too much on her heels. Especially, when someone crosses her over. When that after the first move and changing direction back she seems to get her weight back. At that point the only option remaining is the matador stab. Sometimes she does get a hand on the ball from that position.

 

[Goodgood]

Shea has done an outstanding job with the guards all summer (when she was not in England). Who do you sit? they all can play flat out and with KF and BB shooting the way they do now, the posts will have field days down low. I used to think that the strong point of this team would be the post play, now I don't know. It is the Olympics all over for Geno will all-stars everywhere and the level of production will not decline when he substitutes. Now, even the blowouts are worth watching because there will be a lot of them!!!

 

[UConnFan23]

Sounds like everyone is taking different directions to land on essentially the same spot: BB is really athletic, she has made phenomenal progress from her freshman year but has areas to improve in (what early sophomore year player doesn't?), we were all a little perplexed by last year, and her contribution to the team and the play of the team are both areas we're really excited about. Bring on the challenges of next weeks opponents (Gosh it is hard to wait that long...)

 

[cohenzone]

If Banks and Faris have indeed become consistent scorers, it will drive teams nuts trying to figure out how to defend this team, including the fact that Stewart and Tuck can shoot the 3 and Dolson and Stokes are good from the foul line in (Stef allowed an occasional 3).

 

[meyers7]

She does still regress into 'matador' defense from time to time. I saw it again last night.

Saw that a couple times last night too. It looks like she is actually trying to give the player a lane to drive into someone, but no one is there. Geno looked a bit exasperated the second time, but didn't pull her off immediately.

Maybe she forgot Stewart wasn't on the floor?

 

[MilfordHusky]

I agree about Brianna's improvement. We saw the athleticism, quickness, pull-up jumper, etc. last year, but her performance was very spotty. Geno lacked confidence in her. Her play this year suggests that she could be a starter on just about any team in the nation. CD was right in June when she said that Brianna was a new person. Keep it up!

 

[Rb335]

I know I am notorious for not appreciating Brianna Banks. I do recognize her improvement and applaud her changed attitude. HOWEVER, here are her stats against ranked and non ranked opponents this year.

NON-RANKED: 12.0 ppg, 2.75 apg, 2.0 rpg, 1.25 spg, 0.5 TO's pg, 70% FG, 60% 3FG, 19 mpg

RANKED : 4.5 ppg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 TO's pg, 50% FG, 0% 3FG, 17.0 mpg

My problem with the new perception is the quality of opponents. I do not consider playing well against Wake Forest, Charleston, Marist, and Colgate a premise for declaring her an amazing turnaround. Her improvement is clearly evident. However, I do not see her ever being a star this season. She will be a solid role player and I do not see that changing. Her points, rebounds and assist numbers are lower against quality opponents. Her TO's are up and her shooting is down. Minutes are close. It is for that reason that I am still skeptical.

Call me out all you want but until she improves her play against quality opponents, she will not serve any large role late in the season or in the NCAA tournament except potentially buying a starter a breather for a couple of minutes.

I will continue to track her stats against both ranked and non ranked through the season.

I understand that stats are not everything (Kelly Faris) and Banks brings things to the court that don't show up in the box score.