Saniya, De'Janae & Natalie not playing tonight

[msf22b]

Take-aways from (most...streaming issues) of the 2nd half

Stevie is Stewie,,, Moriah is Moriah, Tuck didn't come back

Nurse is going to be a major force, a leader...taking right up from where she left off this summer, self-possessed, an assassin.

KLS is still figuring out the spacing, the D and the best way to get her shot.

Napheesa, committed a few too many fouls, missed a few chippies, and bricked a few foul shots ... and looked bloody marvelous anyway. Just love her nose for the basket. She has no fear, this kid...knows hows how the game should be played

I've been musing about what an Olympic-class athlete like Gabby would work on over the summer.
Her free-throw shooting has become proficient. She has a mid-range game
All the thing that she did well last year seem even better this time around...a force

Sadly, Courtney didn't demonstrate that she belongs

 

[HoopsFan21]

Take-aways from (most...streaming issues) of the 2nd half

Stevie is Stewie,,, Moriah is Moriah, Tuck didn't come back

Nurse is going to be a major force, a leader...taking right up from where she left off this summer, self-possessed, an assassin.

KLS is still figuring out the spacing, the D and the best way to get her shot.

Napheesa, committed a few too many fouls, missed a few chippies, and bricked a few foul shots ... and looked bloody marvelous anyway. Just love her nose for the basket. She has no fear, this kid...knows hows how the game should be played

I've been musing about what an Olympic-class athlete like Gabby would work on over the summer.
Her free-throw shooting has become proficient. She has a mid-range game
All the thing that she did well last year seem even better this time around...a force

Sadly, Courtney didn't demonstrate that she belongs

Too early to read anything into individual performances I think especially in the context of an exhibition game with new rules. The returning starters are going to be a force to reckon with, that much we know.

 

[TitleTown]

Definitely a tough game for Samuelson and Collier but that is to be expected from freshman.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Too early to read anything into individual performances I think especially in the context of an exhibition game with new rules.

The new rules were not in force tonight.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The new rules were not in force tonight.

Well they were playing quarters, weren't they?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Well they were playing quarters, weren't they?

That's a permanent change. I thought you were referring to the experimental ones re: ball size, lane size, shorter shot clock, longer 3-pt line.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Hope Tuck is fine....

Yup, a hamstring can be fine right until it's not.

 

[Kibitzer]

I watched the video of the game while listening to Bob Joyce doing the radio PBP. Some observations:

• I really like Bob Joyce and especially after reading comments about whiny Lubbock announcers.
• Only two (my estimate) TV cameras, so the video coverage was at HS level.
• I commented elsewhere that Stewie, Moriah, Kia and Bob Joyce were in midseason form. Add Gabby.
• We expect greatness from Stewie and Moriah and they delivered.
• Permit a shout-out to Kia and Gabby. Both defend as tenaciously as Kelly Faris - a comment I do not make lightly. Kia made driving layups, pull-up jumpers, and treys. Gabby has a nose for the ball like Dennis Rodman did. Her confident FT shooting is a testimony to her off-season dedication. I can see her as perfect first off the bench - as a "swing" she could replace either a "wing" or a "big."
  
• Lou, Pheese and Courtney will get into their rhythm soon - a little more film, practice and game PT is the elixir.

No selection of a single badass in such a blowout practice game. Scrimmages don't count.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

• Lou, Pheese and Courtney will get into their rhythm soon - a little more film, practice and game PT is the elixir.

Collier still makes all kinds of things happen even when she's not making shots. And she will make shots.

KLS' shot won't always be as off as it was tonight. That's a big arena with a large shooting background.

Wish I had as much faith in Ekmark as you do.

 

[Bestiarius]

Take-aways from (most...streaming issues) of the 2nd half

Stevie is Stewie,,, Moriah is Moriah, Tuck didn't come back

Nurse is going to be a major force, a leader...taking right up from where she left off this summer, self-possessed, an assassin.

KLS is still figuring out the spacing, the D and the best way to get her shot.

Napheesa, committed a few too many fouls, missed a few chippies, and bricked a few foul shots ... and looked bloody marvelous anyway. Just love her nose for the basket. She has no fear, this kid...knows hows how the game should be played

I've been musing about what an Olympic-class athlete like Gabby would work on over the summer.
Her free-throw shooting has become proficient. She has a mid-range game
All the thing that she did well last year seem even better this time around...a force

Sadly, Courtney didn't demonstrate that she belongs

Basically what I saw too.

They played under the new rules, but did they use the new ball?

Regarding the Lubbock announcer, I'd give him some slack for picking on the announcers. When you lose by 56 points, someone has to give the fans some rationale to keep the faith.

At the 30,000 foot level, this game looked like almost every UConn exhibition game except the freshmen didn't look much like freshmen. Lots of shots were missed, but most of the shots were good ones. As Stewart said in a post game interview, it was their first game and jitters were to be expected. Stewart, Jefferson, Nurse, and (Tuck didn't play in the second half), were their usual confident, capable selves.

Williams showed the same abilities she exhibited in high school only more so. She has developed over the summer.

Samuelson showed me why she was #1 in her class. She too missed shots, but I was expecting a defensive liability based on Geno's comments. What I saw was more than enough ability to perform defensively with a small amount of tutelage. Her offense, ball handling, quickness and speed seemed really good. She kept up with the Seniors.

Collier's enthusiasm and abilities were abundantly on display, although she was called for fouls. A bit of training will easily fix that. This is an amazing freshman class.

In this game, Ekmark looked a lot like she did at the end of last year. Hopefully the stress she is likely suffering trying to make up for lost time will dissipate quickly and her skills will come to the fore.

The game hinted that we have a lot to look forward to, particularly the return to health of Boykin and Butler.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Tuck's issue was with her knee. Gulp....

 

[Intpseeker]

Courtney way slimmer. Moved better than anytime last year. Still overthinking/hesitating on her shot, especially in the second half.

Gabby...just one of those players who cleans up. In the right place at the right time, over and over. Given that the foul line in exhibition games is still the same distance from the basket, she shot well.

KLS and NC: the ball didn't drop but they looked pretty good for frosh.

Mo: made moves that you couldn't believe, snaking her way through traffic to score easy hoops.

Morgan looked ok, but found the bottom of the rim repeatedly.

Kia is a force. She wants the ball and is ok with the 3 or penetration.

On the officiating: I thought there were a lot of ticky tack calls. NC had two all-ball plays go against her, while Stewie had a couple of blocks with lots of contact that were no-calls.


A color note: LCU brought an exceptionally large fan base, all wearing Uconn Lubbock November 2, 2015 tees. This was a big deal for them, and I'd be surprised if they didn't do well in their conference.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

“Rosemary (Ragle, UConn’s athletic trainer) took Morgan out because she was complaining about her knee, that she felt something on one of her layups but she is fine.”

 

[TitleTown]

“Rosemary (Ragle, UConn’s athletic trainer) took Morgan out because she was complaining about her knee, that she felt something on one of her layups but she is fine.”

When watching the game in real time I thought I saw Tuck stumble awkwardly after she attempted that reverse layup when she was caught underneath the basket.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

“I think for (Katie) Lou, players that are great shooters eventually make enough shots, that’s not a problem,” Auriemma said. “She’s not going to stop shooting I don’t think, at least I hope not…so yeah I’m not worried about that aspect of her game."

 

[Intpseeker]

When watching the game in real time I thought I saw Tuck stumble awkwardly after she attempted that reverse layup when she was caught underneath the basket.

Yup. That's what I noticed, too. Just a little hitch as though she felt something and tried to take weight off it.

 

[meyers7]

Thanks. That was not spelled out by Heckle and Jeckle.

It was the 5th foul in the quarter, 2 shots now with the new rules.

 

[meyers7]

Hoops, you're right. My biggest observation and improvement of the evening was Gabby 6-7 FT.

Yes I noticed that too. That will increase her pt totals because she gets fouled quite a bit.

 

[Hoopdreams]

Take-aways from (most...streaming issues) of the 2nd half

Stevie is Stewie,,, Moriah is Moriah, Tuck didn't come back

Nurse is going to be a major force, a leader...taking right up from where she left off this summer, self-possessed, an assassin.

KLS is still figuring out the spacing, the D and the best way to get her shot.

Napheesa, committed a few too many fouls, missed a few chippies, and bricked a few foul shots ... and looked bloody marvelous anyway. Just love her nose for the basket. She has no fear, this kid...knows hows how the game should be played

I've been musing about what an Olympic-class athlete like Gabby would work on over the summer.
Her free-throw shooting has become proficient. She has a mid-range game
All the thing that she did well last year seem even better this time around...a force

Sadly, Courtney didn't demonstrate that she belongs

Uconn 2017 recruit Andra Espinosa Hunter and Courtney Eckmark have splitting image games. Same type player. FYI

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Uconn 2017 recruit Andra Espinosa Hunter and Courtney Eckmark have splitting image games. Same type player. FYI

This strikes me as an inaccurate comparison. AEH moves much better than what CE has shown at UConn, much more athletic and mobile. Far better handle with an ability to drive off the dribble.