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Post by linkster on Mar 8, 2015 0:21:26 GMT -5
I just finished watching the last 3 quarters of the Mater Dei - Chaminade game.
The good: Samuelson is a phenomenal shooter. And she is tough. She was mugged the entire game and never backed down. In the second quarter she ran down a Chaminade player on a break and blocked her shot out of bounds off Chaminade ala Maya and Stewart. I think she scored over 30 but other than KML- level shooting she didn't show me much other than toughness. She got undercut on a drive to the basket and landed on her back, got up and calmly walked to the line.
The Bad: Based on this one game Lou hasn't a clue about playing defense, nor about rebounding. She stands straight up on defense and Doesn't seem to want to rebound. She strolls up and down the court like EDD or (heaven help me) Parker and only showed any life in the second half a half dozen times when it seemed like her team was actually trying to get her the ball, which wasn't often as their point guard seemed to call her own number when she wasn't losing the ball or throwing it away. When Lou was able to scrape her shadow off on a screen she was able to get her shot off in a flash. Anyone who has her penciled in as a starter next season had better get out their eraser. She didn't look close to being ready for that tonight.
The ugly: The me first play of Mater Dei. A bunch of one on one players that showed little in the way of teamwork. They blew a 12 or 14 point lead in the second half by losing the ball to double teams, by taking piss-poor shots or by lazy passing that was easily intercepted. They looked like they were playing defense but Chaminade scored every which way late in the game, wide open 3's and unopposed drives to the basket with MD's players standing like 5 pillars, watching. MD's late defense reminded me of UConn's at Stanford. If this was the best HS team in the country I didn't see it.
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Post by Pinsky on Mar 8, 2015 5:00:47 GMT -5
Thanks for the report. Did Breanna, DT or Maya start from day one? As a 6'3" 'small forward' I'm hoping her wing span can alter lots of shots. Generally, Geno will sit anyone who is not playing defense. Starter or sub, he pulls them and makes them sit down. In front of the fans, their teammates and the TV cameras. Napheesa may end up a great one on one defender.
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Post by rockymtblue2 on Mar 8, 2015 9:51:38 GMT -5
In a recent interview Lou acknowledged needing considerable work on defense and Geno says everyone, yes everyone arrives at UConn clueless on defense and offense - the curse of too much playing and too little practice and coaching.
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Post by meyers7 on Mar 8, 2015 10:48:51 GMT -5
In a recent interview Lou acknowledged needing considerable work on defense and Geno says everyone, yes everyone arrives at UConn clueless on defense and offense - the curse of too much playing and too little practice and coaching. Exactly. I'm not sure anyone has penciled in our 5th starter for next year. Not that it will matter all that much. With Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck and Nurse as the other four, pretty much anyone can step into that 5th spot. UCONN could probably even win with me playing.  |
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Post by linkster on Mar 8, 2015 14:09:27 GMT -5
I'm just as excited as anyone about next year's freshman class. Maybe it's just that I don't watch much HS BB but the energy level by MD in last night's game was poor. I don't expect flawless execution or sophisticated plays but there is no reason not to run up and down the floor with some urgency. Here's the link to last night's game. You have to hunt through the menu of games but watch and judge for yourself. player.theplatform.com/p/fs-rsn/n7GiFpCmyw4t/select/tYXFpRf3zqn4 |
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Post by Pinsky on Mar 8, 2015 14:24:46 GMT -5
Thanks for the link:)
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Post by pap49cba on Mar 8, 2015 15:43:42 GMT -5
In a recent interview Lou acknowledged needing considerable work on defense and Geno says everyone, yes everyone arrives at UConn clueless on defense and offense - the curse of too much playing and too little practice and coaching. Exactly. I'm not sure anyone has penciled in our 5th starter for next year. Not that it will matter all that much. With Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck and Nurse as the other four, pretty much anyone can step into that 5th spot. UCONN could probably even win with me playing. I will be shocked if it's not Butler. |
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Post by rockymtblue2 on Mar 8, 2015 15:53:47 GMT -5
Exactly. I'm not sure anyone has penciled in our 5th starter for next year. Not that it will matter all that much. With Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck and Nurse as the other four, pretty much anyone can step into that 5th spot. UCONN could probably even win with me playing. I will be shocked if it's not Butler. Very ditto! |
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Post by semper on Mar 8, 2015 16:26:40 GMT -5
Butler...yes! Wow, it will be so good to have a true center in the game again. I'm glad that Stewie has stepped up, but it has taken its toll in some ways.
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Post by meyers7 on Mar 8, 2015 17:20:36 GMT -5
Exactly. I'm not sure anyone has penciled in our 5th starter for next year. Not that it will matter all that much. With Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck and Nurse as the other four, pretty much anyone can step into that 5th spot. UCONN could probably even win with me playing. I will be shocked if it's not Butler. I wouldn't be. But I wouldn't be if it was either. Or Samuelson or Williams or Chong or Collier. I think a case could be made for any of them. We'll see how it goes next pre-season. |
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Post by linkster on Mar 8, 2015 20:41:40 GMT -5
It's way off but I'd say that Williams is out front right now.
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Post by uconncat on Mar 8, 2015 21:09:10 GMT -5
I don't know who will slip in to KML's starting position next year but whoever plays a lot of her minutes will need to do what KML has done for 4 years at UConn: stretch the defense/space the floor to give Stewie, Tuck, etc room to operate. I've seen nothing to suggest that Williams will be able to do that and that is critical to UConn's offense. Samuelson will play a lot next year because she can make 3s. She'll be able to play at UConn's pace without any difficulty and will get better in those areas where she needs to get better. No high school player plays good defense; there are a lot of college players who still don't. Every high school player's game can be picked apart.
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Post by scotter on Mar 9, 2015 0:50:38 GMT -5
If you're worried at all about Samuelson just think back to how lost Breanna Stewart was on defense as a freshman even with all of her ability It'll just take time, which UConn will have the luxury of with KLS next year.
As for the starting lineup there will be options, but as long as Tuck is starting there is very little chance that Butler is starting as well. I don't see them being on the floor together at the same much at all, particularly with another big player like Stewart. Defensively it's not enough foot speed and athleticism. I also don't expect a freshman to start primarily because of defense. That makes Gabby the favorite for that position in my eyes. She has shown the type of drive to go and seize it. And I do think that what Gabby brings to the table fits very well with Stewart and Tuck's offensive versatility. Even if Gabby's jumper doesn't develop over the summer UConn would still have 4 3-point shooters in the starting lineup so Gabby could continue to play in the post offensively even if she is guarding the perimeter defensively.
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Post by Pinsky on Mar 9, 2015 6:40:20 GMT -5
It's an embarrassment of riches.
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Post by meyers7 on Mar 9, 2015 7:27:37 GMT -5
It's an embarrassment of riches. I'm not embarrassed.  |
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Post by rvwsleep on Mar 9, 2015 8:18:52 GMT -5
Although Butler could start (similar to Stokes starting this year at the beginning of the season), that would leave UConn without a big on the bench. If Butler doesn't start, I would think that Gabby has the edge for that spot based on her experience and defense. KLS seems like a natural replacement for KML but Geno generally doesn't start freshman when there's a reasonable alternative.
Jefferson - Chong
Nurse - Collier
Stewie - Butler
Tuck - Boykin
Williams - KLS/Ekmark
That's to start the season. How it ends up is another question.
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Post by Pinsky on Mar 14, 2015 2:06:30 GMT -5
Collier is a possible for point guard? Of course, MoJeff is point guard but Geno likes to have 2 points on the court.
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zorro
Husky Puppy
Posts: 225 
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Post by zorro on Mar 14, 2015 14:33:05 GMT -5
It's an embarrassment of riches. I'm not embarrassed. Me neither. Nor rich. If I were Dawn Staley I would be much richer than I am. |
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Post by Pinsky on Mar 15, 2015 7:57:00 GMT -5
It will be interesting to see if Dawn goes Thug Ball against UConn next time? A lot of coaches with all her bigs would go Hack a Shaq on us.
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Post by doggydaddy on Mar 15, 2015 9:13:02 GMT -5
It will be interesting to see if Dawn goes Thug Ball against UConn next time? A lot of coaches with all her bigs would go Hack a Shaq on us. Hack a Shaq was done because Shaq couldn't hit free throws.
It doesn't pertain to UConn unless they plan on hacking Williams when she has the ball.
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Post by milfordhusky on Mar 15, 2015 10:33:23 GMT -5
I don't know who will slip in to KML's starting position next year but whoever plays a lot of her minutes will need to do what KML has done for 4 years at UConn: stretch the defense/space the floor to give Stewie, Tuck, etc room to operate. I've seen nothing to suggest that Williams will be able to do that and that is critical to UConn's offense. Samuelson will play a lot next year because she can make 3s. She'll be able to play at UConn's pace without any difficulty and will get better in those areas where she needs to get better. No high school player plays good defense; there are a lot of college players who still don't. Every high school player's game can be picked apart. I agree about Kaleena stretching the floor. Our offense runs so much better when she's in the game. In terms of shooting, the obvious replacement is Lou. She shoots at 50% from distance, like Moriah and Kaleena. Gabby provides a lot, including uber athleticism, bit she doesn't open the offense. A few high school players play good defense, though not at the level needed for college. I think Kia Nurse, Kelly Faris, Lorin Dixon, and maybe Tiffany Hayes were very good defenders. |
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Post by linkster on Mar 15, 2015 14:57:31 GMT -5
Who plays next year depends alot on who else plays. By that I mean that the questions are at the 5 and at the 3. Butler has shown to be a good rebounder but to start she needs to play defense, pass, and most importantly, score. Lack of offense kept Stokes out of the starting lineup. If Butler can score and play defense, it frees up Stewart to maybe play the 3. If not, Stewart plays the post again. That would seem to give Lou an opening, but with Butler on the bench UConn will need rebounding help. And that means Williams, or maybe one of the 2 other freshmen.
UConn seems to have a ton of options and who starts and where will depend a lot on what players do over the summer. Can Butler become a scorer? Can Williams develop an outside shot? Is Collier as polished and as complete a player as she appears? Is Samuelson more than a shooter?
The more I look at next year's roster the more I see that position assignments will be blurred except for Butler and Jefferson. Players roles will be determined by who is on the court with them and playing time by how many roles they can play.
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Post by Pinsky on Mar 16, 2015 4:10:05 GMT -5
Good point but only part of the story. If you bump Stewie enough she may fatigue quicker. Getting leaned on by all those SC BIGS knocks you out. She isn't built like Shaq. Also, if you get hit enough you hesitate in your shooting. Anticipating a hack changes a shooter's game. Do I think it will work on Stewie? No. Unless, the refs let them get away with it. Then, it may be their only chance. I guarantee Dawn has gamed it out. I hope she doesn't do it. I hope she takes her next 25 point beating sitting down;).
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