Is Christyn a chucker..?

Some UConn fans are up in arms because Christyn was in the Villanova game at the end and shooting the ball. Imagine that..!  She had the audacity to put herself into the game and then shoot the ball. On a serious note, consider the final stats at the end of the game:

1. Geno determines who is on the court at the end of every game. Nika is hurt, Paige is tired, Anna is on a minute limit and Autumn is reportedly injured. Who is left to play with all the freshman. That would be Christyn.
2. In the last 6 minutes of the game, the players on the court, not named Christyn, went 0-4 shooting, committed 3 fouls and turned over the ball 2 times. 
3. In those last minutes Anna shot twice and was fouled twice. Aubrey shot and missed. Aaliyah shot twice and missed. Mir shot once and missed. 
4. The "shake & bake" shot CW made with 1:22 to play, was made with 1 second on the shot clock.
5. Christyn had 9 passes in those final minutes. The players on the court either missed the shot or passed the ball.

The term "chucker" is slang for a ball hogging, high volume shooter. Christyn is a lot of things, "chucker" is not one of them.

I am going to go against the grain a tiny bit here. There was a possession late when she drove, shot and missed, got the rebound and shot it from three. At that time in the game that was a selfish play. At that time of the game, you look to get your teammates who play less the ball. Yes, she is a chucker in that she is always looking for hers first and if she gets jammed up then she finds a teammate.  BTW - she's 6th on the team in assists per game and rebounds per game.

I'm not saying her high volume shooting isn't necessary.  It's just that her mentality happens to align perfectly with what the team needs this season.

There is a highlight reel from this game specific to Christyn on YouTube.  I think nyhuskyfan is conflating two different plays.  On one, she shoots, gets her own rebound and drives back underneath for a reverse layup.  That looks to me like the best play available in that circumstance.  There is also a late-game three with 18 seconds on the shot clock.  It is fair to question that one.  Even if we charge her for both as misdemeanors against a beaten foe or her short-minutes team-mates, those two plays don't make her a chucker - to borrow the term from davidinnaples . 

If you've followed Christyn and her various interviews throughout the season, you will note that the early term was "Leader" and now we keep hearing the term "aggressive" in various forms.  The coaching staff has been pushing her to be a finisher, and to get inside of the defensive perimeter and score or get fouled.  Those two feel intimately related to me.  Part of her troubles last season and early in this one (exaggerated and/or over-lamented, though they were) seemed to be tied to indecision.  Christyn's improvement has aligned nicely with her being the one to convert an assist for someone else, rather than to give one to another player.  For a while there, Liv and Paige were the only ones taking shots (intentional over-statement).  But both of them are balanced in their passing and scoring skill levels.  Olivia from 6'5" and Paige from ... the stratosphere.  Williams, on the other hand, is a much better scorer than passer.  So they told her to focus on her strengths and be "aggressive".  Translation: Plan to convert the dimes from our top-shelf passers: Paige, Nika, Evina, Liv, Anna, rather than look for "the extra pass".  Since that transition, she's playing better in all phases of the game.  Her turnovers are way down.  Her points are up, but critically so is her efficiency.  The nuances are there, though.  It isn't "touch it" = "shoot it unless you can't" (Ogunbawale's rule).  More like take every open shot and take some risks on the drive ... so what if you get blocked, you'll get fouled enough times to make it worth the risk.  This is a really good place for CW.  It also has significantly increased ONO's assists, making her even more dangerous for opponents' defenses.

In a completely different body and playing style, Aubrey is doing the same.  Aaliyah maybe didn't need to be told, but her instructions are probably similar.  With those three looking to get shots off, Paige gets a little less hammering to shoot it.  Others like Evina and Nika gain confidence knowing that we're putting up points, so there's less pressure if I miss.  Rebounders know to get into position, because a shot is coming... and the game flows.  

Funny that Meyers brings up the "Ball hog chick"...great ditty BTW... I've noticed Paige works the refs just like DT did. Little side chats, elbow bumps, even an arm around the shoulder from time to time. It's like Baby Dee! Except that Dee could knock her into next week due to the difference in their physiques.

I am going to go against the grain a tiny bit here. There was a possession late when she drove, shot and missed, got the rebound and shot it from three. At that time in the game that was a selfish play. At that time of the game, you look to get your teammates who play less the ball. Yes, she is a chucker in that she is always looking for hers first and if she gets jammed up then she finds a teammate.  BTW - she's 6th on the team in assists per game and rebounds per game.

I'm not saying her high volume shooting isn't necessary.  It's just that her mentality happens to align perfectly with what the team needs this season.

For context, Diana was anything but a ball hog, but some fan of another school made reference to the ballhog chick, and it hit the funnybone in many UConn fans mainly because it was so far from being true. A serious UConn fan whose name escapes me at the moment decided to write the code to the ball hog chick. There's even music somewhere.