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Post by bulkey on Sept 25, 2021 14:30:45 GMT -5
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Post by swash on Sept 25, 2021 16:04:07 GMT -5
I know all shots swish in clips like this one, but notice how often Azzi is the one draining a three. Bodes well, methinks. |
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Post by linkster on Sept 29, 2021 15:23:15 GMT -5
My two favorite sounds in sports are the sound of a golf ball falling into the cup and the sound when a basketball hits nothing but net.
It sounds like ..... victory.
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Post by linkster on Sept 29, 2021 15:25:07 GMT -5
I know all shots swish in clips like this one, but notice how often Azzi is the one draining a three. Bodes well, methinks. In her 3pt contest with Curry she made 23/25 to his 24. |
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Post by swash on Sept 29, 2021 16:43:41 GMT -5
I know all shots swish in clips like this one, but notice how often Azzi is the one draining a three. Bodes well, methinks. In her 3pt contest with Curry she made 23/25 to his 24. Re-watching, it looks like she's also playing the Wing everywhere in that clip, not the SG spot. I think she steps into the two when Christyn sits, but I read those tea leaves to mean that Geno is planning to play Williams (always a two guard) and Fudd (showing as a three-guard in all of these clips) together regularly this season. By extension, that moves Bueckers to the point, because she's proven starting material. I'm going to project that starting trio. Liv is a lock to start at point center. The final spot ... Seems to me will be either Evina (four guards) or another big ... Dorka or Aaliyah. I'm leaning toward Westbrook. If that's my starters, ... hmm. Let's imagine nobody moves around - of course it doesn't really work that way, but this is just a thought experiment anyway. I would have Edwards behind Liv - She played more four last season, but held her own at the five. Amari and Piath, too. Juhasz and Griffin behind EW. Caroline, Saylor, and Mir checking into the Wing. And Nika always on point. That leaves no backups for the SG spot ... except that Azzi, Paige, Evina, Caroline, Saylor and even Nika can fill that role long enough to provide a rest for CW. | Player | Role's | | Nika | 1 | | Paige | 1,3,2 | | Christyn | 2 | | Azzi | 3,2 | | Evina | 4,3,2,1 | | Saylor | 3,2, maybe 4
| | Caroline | 3,2, maybe 4 | | Aubrey | 4,3 | | Mir | 4,3 | | Aaliyah | 4,5 | | Dorka | 4,3,5 | | Liv | 4,5 | | Amari | 4,5 | Piath
| 5 |
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Post by linkster on Sept 29, 2021 17:02:14 GMT -5
The versatility is amazing. Edwards came in calling herself a wing and I expect big things for her this season in multiple roles. Last season I forgot she was a freshman because of the aggressive way she played and her physical strength. She put a couple of dazzling moves on Smith and Egbo in the second half, one being a layup on the laft side after an ORB and being doubled by both of the Baylor bigs. Up fake, up and under and an easy 2. It's one thing to have a college-ready body and another to have the poise and confidence to pull off a play like that.
Her body and her head reminds me of Tuck, only stronger. All she needs is a spot up 3.
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Post by bulkey on Sept 29, 2021 17:43:41 GMT -5
In her 3pt contest with Curry she made 23/25 to his 24. Re-watching, it looks like she's also playing the Wing everywhere in that clip, not the SG spot. I think she steps into the two when Christyn sits, but I read those tea leaves to mean that Geno is planning to play Williams (always a two guard) and Fudd (showing as a three-guard in all of these clips) together regularly this season. By extension, that moves Bueckers to the point, because she's proven starting material. I'm going to project that starting trio. Liv is a lock to start at point center. The final spot ... Seems to me will be either Evina (four guards) or another big ... Dorka or Aaliyah. I'm leaning toward Westbrook. If that's my starters, ... hmm. Let's imagine nobody moves around - of course it doesn't really work that way, but this is just a thought experiment anyway. I would have Edwards behind Liv - She played more four last season, but held her own at the five. Amari and Piath, too. Juhasz and Griffin behind EW. Caroline, Saylor, and Mir checking into the Wing. And Nika always on point. That leaves no backups for the SG spot ... except that Azzi, Paige, Evina, Caroline, Saylor and even Nika can fill that role long enough to provide a rest for CW. | Player | Role's | | Nika | 1 | | Paige | 1,3,2 | | Christyn | 2 | | Azzi | 3,2 | | Evina | 4,3,2,1 | | Saylor | 3,2, maybe 4
| | Caroline | 3,2, maybe 4 | | Aubrey | 4,3 | | Mir | 4,3 | | Aaliyah | 4,5 | | Dorka | 4,3,5 | | Liv | 4,5 | | Amari | 4,5 | Piath
| 5 |
So interesting. Of course, they're playing only half-court and against only 4 guys. (I've been to that type of practice and I don't recall it ever being full-court and certainly not against 5 guys.) And Geno interrupts the flow very often to make them practice a particular set. So, not sure this reflects where Azzi would set up in a game. OTOH, there is that funny post Azzi made about needing to rebound, so maybe she is playing the 3. |
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Post by semper on Sept 29, 2021 18:34:45 GMT -5
I hope they send us more tapes as we are starving out here.
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Post by linkster on Sept 29, 2021 21:28:49 GMT -5
So interesting. Of course, they're playing only half-court and against only 4 guys. (I've been to that type of practice and I don't recall it ever being full-court and certainly not against 5 guys.) And Geno interrupts the flow very often to make them practice a particular set. So, not sure this reflects where Azzi would set up in a game. OTOH, there is that funny post Azzi made about needing to rebound, so maybe she is playing the 3. What I think is that Geno has told the entire team that being able to play multiple roles is the way to get more minutes. With the multitude of guards being able to play the 3 could mean some more court time and to play the 3 you need to rebound and to be strong enough to guard larger players. I re-watched a Geno video from late last season. First, Geno said that the team had no cohesion until the loss at Arkansas. He said that after that they changed, especially on defense. Then he went on to say that for several years UConn's roster was filled with position specialists and that the 2021 team looked more like what he had in the past. Unrelated to Fudd but in the same video he mentioned that Bueckers would rue winning the POY awards. He said that they must award like in football, one for offense and another for defense. He pointed to the S Car game as an example of Bueckers' poor defense. |
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Post by semper on Sept 30, 2021 6:52:13 GMT -5
I think that this switching around coupled with this year's depth is going to make it hard to scout our team. Geno can hit 'em with this or that or that or something else.
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Post by semper on Sept 30, 2021 6:54:37 GMT -5
Also, with Swash's plan, there are significant minutes for Nika.
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Post by chicagogg on Sept 30, 2021 7:38:18 GMT -5
Swash: "And Nika always on point."
YES! YES! YES! A thousand times YES
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Post by bulkey on Sept 30, 2021 9:01:24 GMT -5
Swash: "And Nika always on point."
YES! YES! YES! A thousand times YES Ah, but is point always on Nika? This is a huge question. Nika does so many things UConn needs. She's a fantastic perimeter defender, pushes and distributes the ball quickly and accurately, and is a measured shooter (she will even shoot more this year). But will Paige go back to starting at point if Azzi (and of course Christyn) also starts? |
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Post by swash on Sept 30, 2021 15:37:56 GMT -5
Swash: "And Nika always on point."
YES! YES! YES! A thousand times YES Ah, but is point always on Nika? This is a huge question. Nika does so many things UConn needs. She's a fantastic perimeter defender, pushes and distributes the ball quickly and accurately, and is a measured shooter (she will even shoot more this year). But will Paige go back to starting at point if Azzi (and of course Christyn) also starts? I think we can presume that Paige and Christyn will start. Yes? Now if Azzi also starts ... Well, she's not playing the four or five ... can we agree there? That leaves PG, SG, and W slots for those three players. Williams has played a smidgeon at the one, but almost all of her WCBB experience is at the two. Her ball handling is good, but not outstanding. Ditto rebounding. Geno has talked about liking flexibility, but hating it when say a PG is out and so a SG tries to take her role, then say a natural wing struggles to play in the back-court ... Thus with one missing player, the entire team gets worse. He'd rather have a backup PG who isn't as good as his usual starters, but is playing her "home position", because this leaves excellence and familiarity for the rest of the players on the court. With all of that, I think CW is a lock to play the two. Now... think quickly what is the greatest skill for the remaining two? They're both really stinking good at a lot of things, but each has one other-worldly ability ... Azzi shooting, and Paige passing. Finally ... where are those two skills most important? Passing = Point Guard = Paige. Shooting = Azzi = Wing (or SG, but we already have that spot covered above). |
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Post by linkster on Sept 30, 2021 16:03:35 GMT -5
In Geno's dreams a player is able to play the 2 in one possession and then be a 3 on the next possession. It makes it tough on a defense.
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Post by swash on Sept 30, 2021 16:22:21 GMT -5
In Geno's dreams a player is able to play the 2 in one possession and then be a 3 on the next possession. It makes it tough on a defense. Agreed. That is the basis of the motion offense, but those players still have their place in the rotating offense. Defensively, although they switch regularly, they also have "normal" roles |
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