Yanna putting in work

[psconn]

psconn- -- -olddude was referring to Watkins of SoCar not Juju of USC the G!

 

[HuskyNan]

Not correct.

From the media notes at UConn huskies.com

 

[MSGRET]

I believe that this team will have the highest point per game average of any UConn team when you take in consideration that their are 20 games in the Big East. Right now with 6 of their 9 non conference games already known; Tennessee & Ohio State at home, USC & USF on the road and Louisville & Iowa on neutral courts. Louisville at Ramstein AB in Germany and Iowa in the Champions Classic at MSG.

That leaves 3 non conference games and a multi team event like the Cayman Islands Classic. Geno wants to renew the ND home and home series. Then you should have the homecoming game for Ice in San Diego on the same away trip to USC, that only leaves one game and Geno has already stated that they may not renew the South Carolina home and home at the end of the season.

The only game that is known that UConn plays next year that may be a challenge is USC, even without JuJu. The other known games that are to be played should be cake walks and many of them above or very near 90 points.

 

[oldude]

I believe that this team will have the highest point per game average of any UConn team when you take in consideration that their are 20 games in the Big East. Right now with 6 of their 9 non conference games already known; Tennessee & Ohio State at home, USC & USF on the road and Louisville & Iowa on neutral courts. Louisville at Ramstein AB in Germany and Iowa in the Champions Classic at MSG.

That leaves 3 non conference games and a multi team event like the Cayman Islands Classic. Geno wants to renew the ND home and home series. Then you should have the homecoming game for Ice in San Diego on the same away trip to USC, that only leaves one game and Geno has already stated that they may not renew the South Carolina home and home at the end of the season.

The only game that is known that UConn plays next year that may be a challenge is USC, even without JuJu. The other known games that are to be played should be cake walks and many of them above or very near 90 points.

The Huskies will undoubtedly run roughshod over most of their opponents. The one thing that will keep UConn’s scoring average down is just how quickly Geno calls off the dogs, either taking off the press or emptying his bench. I could see a situation where UConn frequently doesn’t press after the first half and starts to empty the bench midway through the 3rd qtr.

 

[PacoSwede]

The Huskies will undoubtedly run roughshod over most of their opponents. The one thing that will keep UConn’s scoring average down is just how quickly Geno calls off the dogs, either taking off the press or emptying his bench. I could see a situation where UConn frequently doesn’t press after the first half and starts to empty the bench midway through the 3rd qtr.

ya realize that no matter how far the husky bench is 'emptied' the players on the court in most cases would be frontline players for the opponent. ... so any 'bloodlust' must still be kept under control by someone.

 

[MSGRET]

The Huskies will undoubtedly run roughshod over most of their opponents. The one thing that will keep UConn’s scoring average down is just how quickly Geno calls off the dogs, either taking off the press or emptying his bench. I could see a situation where UConn frequently doesn’t press after the first half and starts to empty the bench midway through the 3rd qtr.

Last year Geno played 9 players who averaged 11.3 to 30.2 minutes per game played with the remaining 3 eligible players playing 3.7 to 8.2 minutes per game played. I don't see him playing Azzi, KK and Sarah less than 25 minutes on average, with the other 2 starters averaging around 18 to 20 minutes.

 

[HGN]

You can do a lot of moves when there is no defense.

Very true…but I’m just glad to see her do anything, defense or no , without pain.

 

[Dogstar]

This team will sleepwalk to 75 points. The three-headed monster, by itself, will average 65 points.

That leaves 25 points for the other 12 players: I would be hard pressed to think that if these players get into the game that they wouldn't score the following points. KK - 5; Quinonez - 8; Shade - 7; Jana - 5; Ice - 4; Cheli - 4; Ziebell - 4; Caroline - 4; Patterson - 2; Heckel - 4; Kelis, Gandy combine for 2. (This totals 49 points). The reason why the bench won't average 49 points is that there are going to be 3-4 players who will be a "DNP". Just not enough minutes to go around.

So, for UConn to average 75 - 80 points, and not push into the 90s; one of three things could happen: 1. The three-headed monster has to play beneath its ability. 2. The 12 nonstarters have to do nothing. They would have to have virtually no offense. 3. The injury bug will have raised its ugly head again.

You and I can agree tht the 24-25 team was a great team right? They stayed relatively healthy (compared to recent years), besides KK and Ash, the rest of bench was so-so, maybe the portal players will hold their own but the freshman will be Question marks until we see them against D-1 talent. We lost Paige, Kaitlyn and Aubrey, a lot of scoring, rebounding, assists experience and maturity, they won the NC and SET the record for PPG scored in the history of UCONN wcbb at 81.7 while giving up 52.2. The 3 headed monster as you call them and I'm assuming tht you mean Azzi, Serah, and Sarah, would have to average 21.5 pts a game each...and tht ain't happening, minutes and possessions won't allow it, not in the system tht UConn runs esp when opponents try to slow it down and muck up the game. 2 players may approach it but not 3. I hope I'm wrong and you're right but every year we have posters predicting the same numbers and its yet to happen and I don't see it happening this year...but I hope it does lol

 

[MilfordHusky]

If Ayanna is healthy, I'll be interested in seeing what she can do.

 

[jazz]

I think Yanna could be the women's version of Kevin Freeman. I think she has a similar game. She isn't the biggest player, but strong and uber athletic. That would be awesome if she could reach that level and I think she can. Maybe not next year, but later on. I can't see where anybody has confirmed this, but I do believe she was top 3-5 in her class.

My apologies for those who do not like a male comparison, but when I think of Yanna, Kevin Freeman is the first to come to mind.

I really hopes she puts it together this year. If you got your big on Serah and your athletic big on Sarah, who are you going to have to stick with Yanna?

If she just comes off the bench and gets rebounds and a few put backs, that would be huge. But I think she may have a bit more in the tool box...

 

[Galaxyshooter]

If she's healthy this year and can play up to her ranking, she'd be an X-factor that could take advantage of the attention paid to Sarah, Serah, and Azzi this year; basically, she'd be gravy or extra spicy sauce, an extra sprinkle seasoning needed for the recipe of Championship pie

 

[oldude]

If she's healthy this year and can play up to her ranking, she'd be an X-factor that could take advantage of the attention paid to Sarah, Serah, and Azzi this year; basically, she'd be gravy or extra spicy sauce, an extra sprinkle seasoning needed for the recipe of Championship pie

Suddenly, for some reason I’m really hungry…….

 

[HopJim]

I would be happy to see Yanna contribute by the end of the year, get her confidence back, and be the star we all hope she can be next year. While my hopes are high, my expectations are that with so much time off, she would be well served to use UConn's depth and rebuild her skill set to something better than before being injured.

 

[HopJim]

Last year Geno played 9 players who averaged 11.3 to 30.2 minutes per game played with the remaining 3 eligible players playing 3.7 to 8.2 minutes per game played. I don't see him playing Azzi, KK and Sarah less than 25 minutes on average, with the other 2 starters averaging around 18 to 20 minutes.

Ditto. While most of us have whined for Geno to sub more, the past two years, the top 7-8 players (6 two years ago) played most of the minutes in the playoffs. It worked! No other team appeared to have the high level of fitness and teamwork as the Huskies. Practice helps, but getting ready for the NCAA's MAY be one of the reasons Geno tends to sub less than other top coaches.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ditto. While most of us have whined for Geno to sub more, the past two years, the top 7-8 players (6 two years ago) played most of the minutes in the playoffs. It worked! No other team appeared to have the high level of fitness and teamwork as the Huskies. Practice helps, but getting ready for the NCAA's MAY be one of the reasons Geno tends to sub less than other top coaches.

I think I agree with you about subbing and stamina this past season. Prior to the tournament, Geno kept the rotation well under 30 minutes. Including the tournament, those numbers crept closer to 30 and Paige’s crept over 30. The energy and stamina the team showed in the tournament seems likely to be a result of that policy.

The previous season, when they only had six, seemed to have a real impact on tournament stamina. That year the starters all averaged over 30 for most of the season well before the tournament. By tournament time, only Ice and Qadence had significantly fewer minutes. And the consequence was really visible in the last three games. Against Duke, USC and Iowa, the entire team seems spent in the final quarter each time. In the first two of these games, they almost lost in the final minutes after surrendering big leads.

 

[martyn]

Yeah, she looks great, trimmer than I remember.

 

[cgshuskie]

I expect Yanna to show out this year. She really hasn't had a chance to put forward her best while at Uconn. She was injured from the start. We need some of what she showed in her HS videos. A tough girl who can sky and play above most opposition. I think ( and hope) that (after all of the medical intervention) she will show out this year.

 

[mainerhuski]

The Huskies will undoubtedly run roughshod over most of their opponents. The one thing that will keep UConn’s scoring average down is just how quickly Geno calls off the dogs, either taking off the press or emptying his bench. I could see a situation where UConn frequently doesn’t press after the first half and starts to empty the bench midway through the 3rd qtr

 

[DEpup]

I don't think a Geno team will ever average over 90 pts. UConn prioritizes defense too much. IMO, teams that average over 90 generally don't spend a lot of time on defense so they can get enough possessions to get those points. There are also the teams that play only cream puffs.

I like to measure a UConn team by if the starters are on the bench cheering by midway through the 3rd on a regular basis.

 

[oldude]

I don't think a Geno team will ever average over 90 pts. UConn prioritizes defense too much. IMO, teams that average over 90 generally don't spend a lot of time on defense so they can get enough possessions to get those points. There are also the teams that play only cream puffs.

I like to measure a UConn team by if the starters are on the bench cheering by midway through the 3rd on a regular basis.

I agree that UConn will probably never average over 90 ppg, and certainly the fact that the starters usually call it an early night is a factor. But the fact that UConn prioritizes defense is absolutely a reason why the Huskies score a lot of points, not the reverse.

Geno has always promoted agressive defense as a way to speed up opponents, force turnovers and score easy baskets in transition. That worked beautifully this past year when UConn was 9th nationally in scoring offense, 1st in scoring defense, 1st in FG percentage, 1st in A/TO ratio and 1st in MOV.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

A friendly reminder that Patterson was ranked #2 in her class by ASGR, #4 by ESPN, #6 by Prospects Nation, and #7 by Blue Star.

She may be the joker in the deck.

If she didn't have bad luck she'd have no luck at all. I'd love it if her nickname this coming season is "The Joker".

 

[Dogstar]

From the media notes at UConn huskies.com

View attachment 109666

Some times you just gotta hit em with facts!

 

[DEpup]

I agree that UConn will probably never average over 90 ppg, and certainly the fact that the starters usually call it an early night is a factor. But the fact that UConn prioritizes defense is absolutely a reason why the Huskies score a lot of points, not the reverse.

Geno has always promoted agressive defense as a way to speed up opponents, force turnovers and score easy baskets in transition. That worked beautifully this past year when UConn was 9th nationally in scoring offense, 1st in scoring defense, 1st in FG percentage, 1st in A/TO ratio and 1st in MOV.

I don't necessarily think either of us is wrong. Yes, the defense leads sometimes to fast run outs. I'm just saying that there can be a number of seconds before that happens or their defense also leads to a lot of last second desperation shots or shot clock violations that also eat up game time.

 

[oldude]

I don't necessarily think either of us is wrong. Yes, the defense leads sometimes to fast run outs. I'm just saying that there can be a number of seconds before that happens or their defense also leads to a lot of last second desperation shots or shot clock violations that also eat up game time.

It’s the constant pressure that forces teams into taking quick shots, often faster than they normally would if they ran their regular offense. UConn’s small lineup in particular forced teams to speed up. Shorter possessions = more possessions = more shots = more points.

UConn’s small lineup with Sarah at the 5, the Kaos twins pressure, Paige running free safety and Azzi providing solid defense as well probably resulted in more offensive possessions per minute for UConn than any other 5-player combination in WBB.

 

[visitingcock]

I watched a bunch of Ayanna’s high school games before she arrived at Storrs. You can probably still find them on YouTube. There’s even one in which she plays against Ashlynn’s team. The thing that struck me was that Ayanna was always the most athletic player on the floor in any game. There were taller kids, but none as strong or physical as she was. As a result, her offensive skills were not all that subtle, since she was used to being able to simply muscle past defenders.

When she got to Storrs, it was quite clear that she was a bit intimated trying to score against D1 opponents. She lost a lot of opportunities from making too many shot fakes. Later in the season, she seemed to have gotten over this, but by then her injury status inhibited further development. But her defense was staunch from the very beginning.

If she’s ready to go this fall, I’d expect her to pick up where she left off on the defensive end. But there will probably be a learning curve on offense.

If I remember correctly, She also had a peripheral vision problem. Hope that’s been remedied too.