Recruits, 2015

[winlots]

Is the glass half empty, half full, just starting to fill, or otherwise? Your take and why????

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Seriously?

 

[Icebear]

Too early. No need to stoke the fever or the panic.

 

[rtm5]

I'll stoke ....... I mean play.

The current wisdom (from CD and others) is that there just aren't as many true Bigs out there. But you look how effective we were defensively with both Stef and Kiah and you gotta say we need to recruit one in '15.

 

[winlots]

Seriously?

O1N: yup, I was serious. Will be a rather quiet time on the Yard probably, and I was interested in how folks were feeling after this first commit. (Not so quiet here; a root canal this AM and an echo stress test this afternoon.)

 

[winlots]

Too early. No need to stoke the fever or the panic.

ICE: Oh. (I always believed in starving a fever.....and calming a panic......done a little of both over the years.)

 

[Icebear]

Exactly, we should starve a fever not fan it.

 

[winlots]

RTM : glad you gave it a whirl. Are you saying "half full"? And your reason is that our defense will suffer without a good big. I can relate to that. Thank you.

 

[winlots]

Exactly, we should starve a fever not fan it.

Grin here. Thanks.

 

[rtm5]

RTM : glad you gave it a whirl. Are you saying "half full"? And your reason is that our defense will suffer without a good big. I can relate to that. Thank you.

Gun to my head I'd say "just starting to fill". We've gone 2 yrs in a row without a BIG. I think it's imperative that we get one in this next class. I know what CD is saying and there's some truth to it. So it's no easy task.

 

[FollowerCT]

I do not see any "imperatives" or "must haves" here ... the interactive concoction of ingredients all the women possess will be simmered and boiled by Geno and the coaches into a unique mix that will be unique only to itself ... and yet ... rival all those of the past ... the cup is already full even if more should be added to it - the cup will change its shape to accommodate the new contents ... no worry at all here ...

 

[xHunt3r]

I think UConn is still looking for the 2015 glass... let alone trying to determine if it is filling, full, half, or other wise....

 

[JRRRJ]

RTM : glad you gave it a whirl. Are you saying "half full"? And your reason is that our defense will suffer without a good big. I can relate to that. Thank you.

Oh, ye of short memories...

There have been times in the past when the team has had no dominant posts (2001-4, 2008 for instance) and done quite well.

There have been many games in the past when Geno has filled the floor with guards and wings for extended periods of time.

Not being able to out-muscle/out-reach the opponents' post isn't a problem on defense if your players are agile enough to deny them the inlet pass.

And Geno has always liked the versatility that having a floor full of inside-outside players on offense gives him.

Even this year, our tall players functioned more like SFs than PFs or Cs on offense.

I think, if Geno had a team composed of ten 5' 10" - 6' 1" athletic players, he'd be happy as a pig in #%@.

 

[rtm5]

Oh, ye of short memories...

There have been times in the past when the team has had no dominant posts (2001-4, 2008 for instance) and done quite well.

There have been many games in the past when Geno has filled the floor with guards and wings for extended periods of time.

Not being able to out-muscle/out-reach the opponents' post isn't a problem on defense if your players are agile enough to deny them the inlet pass.

And Geno has always liked the versatility that having a floor full of inside-outside players on offense gives him.

Even this year, our tall players functioned more like SFs than PFs or Cs on offense.

I think, if Geno had a team composed of ten 5' 10" - 6' 1" athletic players, he'd be happy as a pig in #%@.

Speaking of short memories, did you catch the championship game? With no BIG, ND got embarrassed down low.

I would never bet against Geno. Out of necessity, could he pull it off with all wings? Possibly. But that's not the way you draw it up.

 

[msf22b]

Speaking of short memories, did you catch the championship game? With no BIG, ND got embarrassed down low.

Notre Dame played some pretty big players: Reimer, 6'3', Wright, 6'2" and Braker, 6'1."
They also had a 6"4" center and a 6'3" wing on the bench.

They were embarrassed not by pure size but by nimbleness, speed, and team ball…great moves around the post by Stef,
relentless rebounding by Kiah, tough inside play by the undersized KML and Stewie…just say the name and consider your own adjectives.

Not just size: Mo covers much larger players all the time (by necessity, few are smaller).
and remember Kelly?

Notre Dame had plenty of size; just not enough quickness and talent

 

[UCONNfan1]

Speaking of short memories, did you catch the championship game? With no BIG, ND got embarrassed down low.

I would never bet against Geno. Out of necessity, could he pull it off with all wings? Possibly. But that's not the way you draw it up.

Totally agree. Having said that, Texas AM won the NC with Danielle Adams in the post - their only post player, and she's not a 5 at all. Still, you are correct - not a way to have sustained success. BUT as a short term solution (Walker did a pretty good job on Griner and Walker is only 6'1")...

 

[Cheddie]

I recall an interview several months ago where Geno said he was concentrating on guards with the incoming class and would primarily look for frontcourt players among rising seniors. I'm pretty confident he'll get Stewie and Morgan some help for 2015.

 

[UcMiami]

Agree with msf22b and Uconnfan1 - NDs problem had nothing to do with size and everything to do with experience and maybe skill. They went 36-0 with a 6'3" power forward. And they went 1-1 without her. Against MD (a team with plenty of height) they played an inspired game and out-rebounded them by 29 - the same MD team that we out-rebounded by 2 earlier in the season. In the NC game, the emotional high they reached in 'winning one for Natalie' crashed and burned, and they in turn were out-rebound by 23. I truly believe if we had played them in the semis it would have been a closer game than the NC turned out to be, because they just could not re-summon that energy a second time. (MD may have had the same sort of hang-over after beating Walz in the E8.)

 

[rtm5]

Notre Dame played some pretty big players: Reimer, 6'3', Wright, 6'2" and Braker, 6'1."
They also had a 6"4" center and a 6'3" wing on the bench.

They were embarrassed not by pure size but by nimbleness, speed, and team ball…great moves around the post by Stef,
relentless rebounding by Kiah, tough inside play by the undersized KML and Stewie…just say the name and consider your own adjectives.

Not just size: Mo covers much larger players all the time (by necessity, few are smaller).
and remember Kelly?

Notre Dame had plenty of size; just not enough quickness and talent

I didn't say we needed size. I said we needed a BIG and by that I mean a legit BIG; like Stef or Kiah or Achonwa. All of those players you mentioned were either too young, too small, too soft, or just plain not good enough.

 

[rtm5]

Agree with msf22b and Uconnfan1 - NDs problem had nothing to do with size and everything to do with experience and maybe skill. They went 36-0 with a 6'3" power forward. And they went 1-1 without her. Against MD (a team with plenty of height) they played an inspired game and out-rebounded them by 29 - the same MD team that we out-rebounded by 2 earlier in the season. In the NC game, the emotional high they reached in 'winning one for Natalie' crashed and burned, and they in turn were out-rebound by 23. I truly believe if we had played them in the semis it would have been a closer game than the NC turned out to be, because they just could not re-summon that energy a second time. (MD may have had the same sort of hang-over after beating Walz in the E8.)

Achonwa was playing at a ridiculously high level. She was a force in the post, both offensively and defensively. She's obviously no wing. The 2015 class could really use someone like her.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I didn't say we needed size. I said we needed a BIG and by that I mean a legit BIG; like Stef or Kiah or Achonwa. All of those players you mentioned were either too young, too small, too soft, or just plain not good enough.

Trying to figure out who wouldn't want a"legit"big...

 

[JRRRJ]

Speaking of short memories, did you catch the championship game? With no BIG, ND got embarrassed down low.

I would never bet against Geno. Out of necessity, could he pull it off with all wings? Possibly. But that's not the way you draw it up.

Nobody on the 2001 starting team was over 6' 2".

Others have already made any points about the N.D. game that I would have brought up.

 

[Geno-ista]

Totally agree. Having said that, Texas AM won the NC with Danielle Adams in the post - their only post player, and she's not a 5 at all. Still, you are correct - not a way to have sustained success. BUT as a short term solution (Walker did a pretty good job on Griner and Walker is only 6'1")...

Walker kept Griner at bay and off that low block for approx 25-30 minutes till sh fouled out. I was right behind that basket amazed at what she/Samarie was accomplishing, while Steph was only able to play for 2-3 minute clips. Having said all this- Collier seams like she is made for our program in every way. But having Steph, Stewie, and Kiah blocking 8-10 shots per game, and altering probably twice that at least, wasn't too shabby!!!! Gave us many options to create match up problems, and rest our superstars with great defense! If we can land maybe two of these 6'2-6'3" offensive stars for 2015, we probably create so many problems on our offensive end for the opposition, our athletes will learn how to play defense UConn style. Hopefully Morgan will be healthy enough to anchor those Freshman with Stewie!!!
We'll be fine!!!!! No Fear! That's why we pay Geno & CD the big bucks!

 

[easttexastrash]

You can certainly get by without a "big" if you don't have to play other teams that do have a nice inside presence. On the other hand, a team like USC, which will be similar in the paint to the UCONN team of this season, is much more difficult to beat. It simply makes it much more difficult to defend.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Totally agree ETT. It's going to be fascinating to see how USC develops. With Coates, Wilson and White they could be have some intimidating height. We should beat them easily next year at home. But when we have to travel to Columbia in two years, without Kiah (or KML), things could be very interesting. That should be an awesome game.