I really hope she has a “breakout” season.
A lot of people succeed with great accolades in high school, in various sports, due to little more than the nature of their birth. They are bigger, stronger and faster earlier. Some retain this advantage as to move too higher levels of competition, but no longeI have never forgotten about Amari. Folks have mocked me for my optimism about her. She’s got excellent skills. But she’s yet to show the sort of energy we need to see. I can hardly wait to see what her decision to spend the summer in Storrs means for next season.
In the video, she says she wasn’t used to playing against kids her size in high school. I think that says a lot about why her first year at UConn unfolded the way it did.
Have to correct myself here:Anna gone, Saylor gone, Mir gone, Aubrey out for the season, various injuries and illnesses at various times to various people.
Liv and Dorka doing double duty when they were available to play.
Can’t even describe exactly what Piath’s status was for most of the year.
With Amari’s height and obvious athletic ability, not to mention the high expectations for her, she couldn’t have been forgotten by anyone.
Was her near disappearance due to her own lack of effort or commitment?
Was it the coaching staff’s collective determination that she just wasn’t prepared to make enough of an impact on the game to warrant the key extra minutes needed to let her work herself into the rotation?
I , for one, was high on Amari from the beginning and, as the available roster shrank and shrank, looked for Geno to get her in by hook or by crook.
He obviously just didn’t see something critical in her that would earn his confidence.
Was very frustrating because we really needed every weapon at our disposal.
Now , with Ice and Ayana coming onboard, let’s see if they, Amari and yes, Piath can, with Dorka and Aayleah, present a formal front court rotation that can keep pace with their potentially stellar backcourt.
November can’t come soon enough.
I have never forgotten about Amari. Folks have mocked me for my optimism about her. She’s got excellent skills. But she’s yet to show the sort of energy we need to see. I can hardly wait to see what her decision to spend the summer in Storrs means for next season.
In the video, she says she wasn’t used to playing against kids her size in high school. I think that says a lot about why her first year at UConn unfolded the way it did.
Gustafson was the same way in college.I watched the video again and one thing stands out, namely that she knows how to shoot quickly without bringing the ball down. That's just instinctive for her I suppose. How many times did we see Olivia and Aaliyah bring the ball down and then get caught by smaller players stripping it or forcing a jump ball? That's not going to be Amari's problem. The question for her, I think, is can she play energetic, ball-hawking defense? I hope so.
I think of someone like Monika Czinano, a bit undersized, but if she gets the ball in the low post, she turns and shoots so quickly that larger players often don't have time to react. Brink does something similar.
the fact Uconn needed bigs most of the season and she barely saw the court is a concern. I read people saying it was due to effort, that's a bigger red flag to me than anything.
But, it's practice!It’s not that complicated:
"The thing abut Amari is she's so bad in practice some days, but she's never that bad in games," Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. "So I think she's trying to tell me something. 'Coach, if I don't come to practice, I'll play really, really well. Stop bugging me at practice.' I'm not ready to go that route yet."
At UConn, WNY native Amari DeBerry eyes national championship
I can’t find the article now but there was one where Amari was quoted as being determined to turn it around next season.
Auriemma said DeBerry has committed to spending the summer in Storrs to continue training. He’s already excited about what she can do for the Huskies next season. With Nelson-Ododa’s departure, DeBerry can be a regular contributor with Edwards and Juhász.
What's next for UConn women's basketball as it chases unfinished business
The Huskies will finally have an experienced roster next season, with an eye on a return to the national title game.theathletic.com
But, it's practice!
I hated that when I saw it live, and do now. I gave just as much effort in practice as in games in HS and College, and really had no time for teammates than didn't do the same.
How did Iverson think he got so good? Could it been from all those hours on the playground (essentially unstructured PRACTICE)?
Not disputing that, just adding some context. A lot of people assumed he was disparaging practice when there was more going on.Ok, fair - but he continued to play in games. If he didn't play, he wouldn't be paid.