VAMike23
The Virginian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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Zone defense is not something UCONN uses often, sticking instead to our great M2M almost all of the time, but the next few weeks might find circumstances shifting a bit.
Yesterday I read a quote by Geno about his plan for the new/modified starting lineup in the absence of KML. He said it will likely be "situational," depending on matchups game to game. So right there we see that Geno, perforce, is going away from the tried and true (set staring lineup) and acknowledging the need to improvise in certain respects for the time being. Perfectly sensible and not surprising given the injuries and bench situation. Quite the monkey wrench that's been handed to the team this week.
My thought then was, as long as we're having to be a little more situational about things, "Why not zone a little more?" In the past, the zone has been one of those situational things in and of itself.
To Exploit Matchups: I think use of the zone will crop up a little more now, particularly against teams like UMD that don't shoot as well from the perimeter---especially considering that Geno is now quite comfortable having both Geno and Kiah on the floor at the same time, and even the three bigs (Stewie as the 3rd big) together on the floor all at once. Right there you have an EXTREMELY intimidating front line (the best 3-woman back line ever for UCONN?) that is also mobile. Not one of these ladies is slow of foot. Meaning you can use the zone and still close on shooters in the gaps and along the baseline.
To Limit Fouls There have been rare occasions when Geno went to the zone because of fouls to key post players, keeping them on the floor rather than heading to the bench when he couldn't afford to lose their offense. So there's another reason we might see zone a bit more going forward. In most situations (not every situation), it's easier for the offensive player to drive and create contact when the defender is riding her as she makes her way into the lane, or off of screens and switches. The challenge--especially with the tighter rules--is to keep a bit of space so as not to foul when the player makes a sudden burst but stay close enough to stop the play. With a zone the situation is flipped: the space is already there to begin with. Now you're trying to close that space quickly enough to stop a successful shot or assist. I think our bigs can do that. In fact, I think they could potentially employ a zone better than almost any WCBB front line that's ever stepped on the floor.
Fun to Watch now and then Finally, though UCONN's defense under Geno will likely always be a great, helping M2M, I just enjoy watching us play the zone sometimes, especially when Kiah is in the game with Stef. I love watching those two patrol the paint. Throw Stewie and her 7'1" wingspan (has Kiah's every been measured? If not, it should be...) and the zone could be a really formidable weapon for us for key stretches. Not as a bread and butter, but as a viable option. Having players with both agility and wingspan is everything with the zone. Passing lanes to the inside are also cut down, *if* you have defenders with wingspan.
I think we could see Geno's use of the zone climb from "hardly ever" to maybe 25% of the time against certain teams, possibly more if it's really working well. Again, matchup dependent.....Maryland seems a good candidate.
Yesterday I read a quote by Geno about his plan for the new/modified starting lineup in the absence of KML. He said it will likely be "situational," depending on matchups game to game. So right there we see that Geno, perforce, is going away from the tried and true (set staring lineup) and acknowledging the need to improvise in certain respects for the time being. Perfectly sensible and not surprising given the injuries and bench situation. Quite the monkey wrench that's been handed to the team this week.
My thought then was, as long as we're having to be a little more situational about things, "Why not zone a little more?" In the past, the zone has been one of those situational things in and of itself.
To Exploit Matchups: I think use of the zone will crop up a little more now, particularly against teams like UMD that don't shoot as well from the perimeter---especially considering that Geno is now quite comfortable having both Geno and Kiah on the floor at the same time, and even the three bigs (Stewie as the 3rd big) together on the floor all at once. Right there you have an EXTREMELY intimidating front line (the best 3-woman back line ever for UCONN?) that is also mobile. Not one of these ladies is slow of foot. Meaning you can use the zone and still close on shooters in the gaps and along the baseline.
To Limit Fouls There have been rare occasions when Geno went to the zone because of fouls to key post players, keeping them on the floor rather than heading to the bench when he couldn't afford to lose their offense. So there's another reason we might see zone a bit more going forward. In most situations (not every situation), it's easier for the offensive player to drive and create contact when the defender is riding her as she makes her way into the lane, or off of screens and switches. The challenge--especially with the tighter rules--is to keep a bit of space so as not to foul when the player makes a sudden burst but stay close enough to stop the play. With a zone the situation is flipped: the space is already there to begin with. Now you're trying to close that space quickly enough to stop a successful shot or assist. I think our bigs can do that. In fact, I think they could potentially employ a zone better than almost any WCBB front line that's ever stepped on the floor.
Fun to Watch now and then Finally, though UCONN's defense under Geno will likely always be a great, helping M2M, I just enjoy watching us play the zone sometimes, especially when Kiah is in the game with Stef. I love watching those two patrol the paint. Throw Stewie and her 7'1" wingspan (has Kiah's every been measured? If not, it should be...) and the zone could be a really formidable weapon for us for key stretches. Not as a bread and butter, but as a viable option. Having players with both agility and wingspan is everything with the zone. Passing lanes to the inside are also cut down, *if* you have defenders with wingspan.
I think we could see Geno's use of the zone climb from "hardly ever" to maybe 25% of the time against certain teams, possibly more if it's really working well. Again, matchup dependent.....Maryland seems a good candidate.
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