Year 2 for Allie coming up | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Year 2 for Allie coming up

Cuango said:
One of my (many) favorites. I’m hoping she comes back in top shape and forces Geno to play her. I watched a lot of her games in HS and she can flat out light it up! Not just from three either. She can drive and finsh with the best of them and has a solid midrange game as well. As for defense, yes she may have struggled, though I didn’t see any major issues but I know her HS coach said that after he asked her to take on more of a defensive role, she worked hard and ended up being their best defensive player. He said she would take the opponent’s best player every game. I realize that’s no gurantee as to her potential in college but it does say that she is willing to work on that aspect of her game. I think we’re gonna see a leaner, tougher Allie next season and it would not surprise me in the least for her to be a star here before it’s all over.
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I noticed, in her limited time, that she was able to drive to the basket and finish with her left hand. Just because she didn't get a lot of opportunities to show that, doesn't mean she can't.
 
PhillyCoach said:
If you go back to las year and watch the early games Geno brought Allie in before others. (Morgan was hurt). Geno just wanted her to hit those threes -- just like in practice. Geno gave her 3-4 games to lite it up. College is different than HS. She did not shoot well. Geno thought she could be another Azzi off the bench. The shots did not fall. She had her opportunity to play more. When Morgan was healthy she got her opportunity and had some production--more than Allie. Hopefully Allie can be confident enough to produce at game time.
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This post is overly harsh. In the first four games of the year, Ali attempted nine three-pointers. She made three of them. In those four games, she played a low of three minutes (North Carolina) and a high of 15. I don’t think that’s being given a chance to “light it up”. No freshman in their first games, especially at the school like UConn, is going to rule the world unless you are a Sarah or Paige or Maya. Saying that Geno thought she could be another Azzi is a stretch. Azzi was the number one recruit in her class and thought to be the most pure shooter in the game. Allie was the third guard in her own class, behind Cambridge and Swords.

I think that the competition at guard was intense last year and not likely to get better this year. I just hope that she hasn’t become so discouraged that she won’t be able to realize her potential.
 
Charliebball said:
If you go back and look at her high school highlights, you'll see that she's got a very well-rounded offensive game.......she's not just a three point jump shooter.......we still don't know how effective she can be based on the small sample size.....I view her as Azzi insurance because she will be the best three-point shooter on the team if Azzi gets injured
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^^^ this. She's Azzi's backup for sure.
 
Puppy Love said:
This post is overly harsh. In the first four games of the year, Ali attempted nine three-pointers. She made three of them. In those four games, she played a low of three minutes (North Carolina) and a high of 15. I don’t think that’s being given a chance to “light it up”. No freshman in their first games, especially at the school like UConn, is going to rule the world unless you are a Sarah or Paige or Maya. Saying that Geno thought she could be another Azzi is a stretch. Azzi was the number one recruit in her class and thought to be the most pure shooter in the game. Allie was the third guard in her own class, behind Cambridge and Swords.

I think that the competition at guard was intense last year and not likely to get better this year. I just hope that she hasn’t become so discouraged that she won’t be able to realize her potential.
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the 3 minutes of the no car game was the last game AZ played “meaningful “ minutes
unfortunately in those 3 minutes she got beat badly off the dribble for a lay up and did not contest a 3 pointer and was generally did not seem ready to play against a quality team
 
I hope Allie gets a good and fair shot, she deserves it. Now, this is the problem when you have a full complement of players (15) and they all are really good players. Five or six players will not get real playing time if everyone stays healthy. Thankfully, they are all locked in for next season. It should be a real tough and interesting preseason. We start in October with the Louisville game in Germany, then the exhibition double header with the mens team against Boston College at Mohegan. I love starting early, so maybe a good time to evaluate the young guns. Can't wait.
 
I think Allie's issues are speed and confidence. Speed can be remedied by intense workouts this summer. I'm sure that she will fine tune her shot and up her speed through drills and play. Confidence, comes from belief that one belongs and reinforcement by teammates. I think that she can get the reimforcement. Her past career in Wisconsin will support the team support because, as a McDonald's All American is is known to be good. She is a gunner. I trust that Geno will find a way to utilze her shooting skills.......
 
Bald Husky said:
I hope Allie gets a good and fair shot, she deserves it. Now, this is the problem when you have a full complement of players (15) and they all are really good players. Five or six players will not get real playing time if everyone stays healthy. Thankfully, they are all locked in for next season. It should be a real tough and interesting preseason. We start in October with the Louisville game in Germany, then the exhibition double header with the mens team against Boston College at Mohegan. I love starting early, so maybe a good time to evaluate the young guns. Can't wait.
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every player gets a “good and fair shot”
 
victor64 said:
Allie was the seventh ranked recruit in the 2024 class.
With her limited time, she showed a pure outside stroke.
Maybe her minutes were limited because really good players were ahead of her. Maybe she is a step slow defensively. I am not questioning whether she should have played more because we aren't privy to the staff's reasons.

In this age of the portal, she could have bolted and would have received interest from a wide range of suitors.

She stayed. The guard room is crowded so the competition for time will still be there.

I, for one, am cheering for the sophomore leap and she earns the minutes and has a great career at UConn.
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Nice post. Allie & Morgan were higher ranked coming out of high school than K9. I hope all 3 have amazing sophomore seasons!
 
PhillyCoach said:
If you go back to las year and watch the early games Geno brought Allie in before others. (Morgan was hurt). Geno just wanted her to hit those threes -- just like in practice. Geno gave her 3-4 games to lite it up. College is different than HS. She did not shoot well. Geno thought she could be another Azzi off the bench. The shots did not fall. She had her opportunity to play more. When Morgan was healthy she got her opportunity and had some production--more than Allie. Hopefully Allie can be confident enough to produce at game time.
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It took Azzi a couple of seasons to consistently show herself to be the player she was in hs, in part due to injuries, of course. I think that Allie will grow each year & be a major factor by her junior season.
 
uconnfan68 said:
High BBIQ will make that difference.
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Yes, like Maria Conlon, "she may be short, but she's slow", smarts go a long way for athleticism. Allie needs to play defense smartly.

Ever see a collie herding other animals? Allie needs to be that dog.
 
Galaxyshooter said:
All she needs to do is get in better shape, do some speed and agility drills, and work on footwork drills ( study film of Jalen Brunson) to become more than just a spot-up shooter from the corner or wing. She needs to learn how to shoot pull-up jumpers and attack closeouts while finishing at the rim or jumpers/floaters in the lane. He should study Azzi's game, who was known as a shooter when she came to UConn, but is not a shooter or scorer. Hopefully, she's working on those skill sets this summer.
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I agree. She has limited foot speed and lateral movement defensively. She can shoot but a bit slow-a-foot.
 
I’ve probably said this before, but kids who were the go-to players on their high school teams seem to find their way to Storrs at a high frequency. This isn’t surprising since outside of the basketball academies, there will typically be only one or two players in a given class who catch the attention of top college coaches. But even with this, some kids stand out more than others as leaders. They’re used to being the kid all the others look to for the clutch basket or rebound or steal, the one they can all count on in the high pressure moments.

In the past few years we can point to a few kids who fit this profile. In her freshman year, there was Paige, obviously. But beyond her only Aaliyah really played that role in high school. Although they were great high school players, this wasn’t the case with Nika or Mir or Saylor for example.

In the following classes, Caroline fits this description even more than Azzi did. While Ayanna was clearly the best player on her high school team, and her teammates relied on her, she didn’t stand out as their go-to player in everything. KK and Ash were absolutely these sorts of leaders in high school. They did all the hard things and carried their teams through the most difficult moments. This is also what Morgan and Allie were to their high school teams. Their teammates routinely looked to them in high pressure situations. I’m not sure we have such a player coming in the fall. Maybe Blanca, but her high school experience may be too irregular to read in this way.

The point of this rambling post is to reflect on Allie and what she might be able to accomplish next season. Unlike Ash, whom she somewhat resembles, she wasn’t thrust into prominence by accident and injury. She’s had to fight through a very clogged depth chart to earn any meaningful minutes, and it will still be an uphill climb in the fall. She’s used to having to earn her position, to fight for it, and then to carry her team once she gets there.

My point in all this is that kids like Allie (and KK and Ash) are indomitable, even if like Allie they seem mild mannered on the outside. She chose UConn as much as Geno chose her. I suspect she knew it would be the most difficult path for her and yet she chose it anyway. She may not crack the rotation next season, but I think she will persevere. That’s who she is. And when she does win prominence, I suspect she will really show us something.
 
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Bone Dog said:
I’ve probably said this before, but kids who were the go-to players on their high school teams seem to find their way to Storrs at a high frequency. This isn’t surprising since outside of the basketball academies, there will typically be only one or two players in a given class who catch they attention of top college coaches. But even with this, some kids stand out more than others as leaders. They’re used to being the kid all the others look to for the clutch basket or rebound or steal, the one they can all count on in the high pressure moments.

In the past few years we can point to a few kids who fit this profile. In her freshman year, there was Paige, obviously. But beyond her only Aaliyah really played that role in high school. Although they were great high school players, this wasn’t the case with Nika or Mir or Saylor for example.

In the following classes, Caroline fits this description even more than Azzi did. While Ayanna was clearly the best player on her high school team, and her teammates relied on her, she didn’t stand out as their go-to player in everything. KK and Ash were absolutely these sorts of leaders in high school. They did all the hard things and carried their teams through the most difficult moments. This is also what Morgan and Allie were to their high school teams. Their teammates routinely looked to them in high pressure situations. I’m not sure we have such a player coming in the fall. Maybe Blanca, but her high school may be too irregular to read in this way.

The point of this rambling post is to reflect on Allie and what she might be able to accomplish next season. Unlike Ash, whom she somewhat resembles, she wasn’t thrust into prominence by accident and injury. She’s had to fight through a very clogged depth chart to earn any meaningful minutes, and it will still be an uphill climb in the fall. She’s used to having to earn her position, to fight for it, and then to carry her team once she gets there.

My point in all this is that kids like Allie (and KK and Ash) are indomitable, even if like Allie they seem mild mannered on the outside. She chose UConn as much as Geno chose her. I suspect she knew it would be the most difficult path for her and yet she chose it anyway. She may not crack the rotation next season, but I think she will persevere. That’s who she is. And when she does win prominence, I suspect she will really show us something.
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Great post.

One question. In a team full of "go-to" players, who emerges as the alpha dog next year? (Hint: Her first name is Sarah and she didn't just transfer in. HaHa.)

I watched a lot of Allie's high school games on You Tube. You described her perfectly. No game or moment was too big for her even though her opponent's defensive game plan often focused on stopping her. It didn't matter. She never seemed rushed or panicked.

I also agree with your prediction of what her career looks like at UConn. There are lots of thoughts of what kept her from getting more time. (I have a hard time believing that a lackluster three minute effort early in the season against NC doomed her for the year.)

Allie demonstrated over and over again in high school that she wanted the ball in a close game, often with great results. She is more than just a three point specialist.

When she eventually enjoys the same type of success at UConn as she did in Wisconsin, I will not be surprised.
 
victor64 said:
Great post.

One question. In a team full of "go-to" players, who emerges as the alpha dog next year? (Hint: Her first name is Sarah and she didn't just transfer in. HaHa.)

I watched a lot of Allie's high school games on You Tube. You described her perfectly. No game or moment was too big for her even though her opponent's defensive game plan often focused on stopping her. It didn't matter. She never seemed rushed or panicked.

I also agree with your prediction of what her career looks like at UConn. There are lots of thoughts of what kept her from getting more time. (I have a hard time believing that a lackluster three minute effort early in the season against NC doomed her for the year.)

Allie demonstrated over and over again in high school that she wanted the ball in a close game, often with great results. She is more than just a three point specialist.

When she eventually enjoys the same type of success at UConn as she did in Wisconsin, I will not be surprised.
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As far as the "alpha dog", Sarah definitely has the skills but maybe not the temperament. I can see her deferring to Azzi who will be playing her last year at UConn. I also think next year Azzi will be more vocal than she has ever been now that Paige is gone and see her taking a leadership role. She works hard on her conditioning and her game, has earned the respect of her teammates and can be the difference maker when needed. I see Azzi taking over as the "alpha dog".
 
A mea culpa to HuskyNan for my previous comments above trailing off track. This thread is supposed to be about Allie who we all hope shows us her true ability on the floor and what she came to UConn to accomplish.
 
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