Thoughts on Lou this season

[Los24]

Right you are bbball.... I view UCONN WBB as a TEAM....and when I watch games, they play TEAM ball more than most other teams out there. Each UCONN WBB player is a key cog to the overall success of the team (especially the starters and 1 or 2 off the bench). Each has a role to play, each has to do their job. If someone is lacking in the performance of "their job"...the others pick 'em up. and I don't like comparing one UCONN player against another. I believe Los24's purpose for this thread was to discuss Lou and her growth and play this year, but things tend to get a bit off track in these kind of threads.

A point I'd like to make to those who knock Lou's defense... I read a stat somewhere here on the BY that OU's Robertson hit something like 6 3pointers in the first half, then Lou was assigned to her, and she only hit 1 3 pointer in the 2nd half. Maybe it was fatigue by Robertson...or maybe it was Lou's defense, length, or experience. Regardless, if someone didn't shut Robertson down, we may very well have lost that game.

I am a big fan of Lou have really enjoyed watching her game develop...but I am also a fan of Pheesa, Danger, Meg, CW, ONO, Kyla, Mikayla, Molly and hope to become a big fan of Touly. GO Huskies!!!!

You are correct. I only watch this sport because of the way UConn plays it, team ball. That said its okay to call out certain things about certain players. The bench players serve a purpose, are valuable, play a role but not as significant as others. That said, I was just pointing areas that Lou is growing and plays a major role.

To your point if I did a similar write up on Pheesa I can easily go on about her ability to rebound and score over larger post players despite being 6'1", etc.... on and on.... This does not mean I am putting Crystal Dangerfield down because she is rebounding less and is a point guard. Pheesa is practically unguardable one on one, but help defense is easier and comes much faster in the post. During these big games, think about the ones we have lost, the moment is from a perimeter player making a big play.

If offended anyone I apologize but hopefully we can stop reading into everything, obviously its a team effort but there is a reason why some players can make 20 million and some only 3 million because not everyone's impact is the same. I have read plenty of threads how MM or DT are the greatest, does that slam the teammates who they played with? Off topic of what I originally posted but since it was bought up.

 

[Los24]

To be honest, she looks tentative & slow to me. I think its the ankle. After surgery, the physical injury may be mostly healed, but the mental aspect is still there. Might not be until Spring until she "feels" confident & plays at 100%. Look at Gordon Hayward - he's nowhere near what he's capable of...but he's getting better.

Interesting observation. I do not agree but respect your point of view. I tell you one play that made me think she is in a physical place I have not seen ... is skying for a rebound in the ND game. Never seen her vertical or aggression to rebound that way, ever. I actually think she looks quicker and it shows in her defense, although she still has challenges staying in front of extremely fast and smaller guards.

Thanks for the reply, I will pay more attention in tomorrow's game to see if I can catch some of the points you made.

 

[Los24]

I completely agree that Lou is playing really well just as MilfordHusky mentioned, and frankly she's needed to show more of an all around game if, as we all believe, she is going to move on to the next level. Her only problem this year has been the inconsistency of her outside shot. That problem has its roots in last years injury. For a shooter everything is about muscle memory and repetition. What some of us have forgotten is that last year Lou had to change things because of her injury. By not being able to jump as high for her shot it changed her release point, her motion, and the angles of her shots. In many ways she's had to relearn some things about her shot and her limits as a shooter. Give her time y'all, it'll come together.

Good analysis and something I have not given great thought about but absolutely makes sense. I would also point out that she normally starts out a bit slower in 3pt shooting accuracy, but ends up at or near the top by seasons end.

 

[Los24]

Since you asked for thoughts, here are mine.... and I will try to tread carefully here.
I am usually uncomfortable when fans try to anoint a leader, or most important player, or whatever they fancy about their favourite player. This always, though probably not intended, undervalues the contributions of other players. Lou is not the most important player on this UCONN team. I am sorry, but she is not. Are UCONN offensive plays predominantly run for Lou, yes! She is more often than not, the beneficiary of screens set by other players (very rarely do you see Lou setting screens for others). Now, as it seem that's how Geno wants it, I am not complaining. But just because Geno runs plays for her does not make her the best player. Lou's game (and her ability to score) depends immensely on her team mates setting her up. This year she has definitely diversify her game, but off course this is year 4 so she has to in order to succeed at the next level. Is she an important component, yes! But so is Pheesa, CD, CW, and yes, Megan also. The team is a team for a reason. Each member brings a special skill set. When each does what they are good at very well, the team succeeds. When someone does not, the team becomes unbalance. Now, regarding what each brings, Lou has been fortunate in that she has always play her natural wing position at UCONN. Pheesa is not a natural 4 or 5 but she had been enlisted to play those positions in the interest of the team. Don't tell me Megan is a 4, yet she is playing that this year, banging with players who are bigger and taller than her. That has an effect on one's offense, don't you think? Same thing happened with Gabby. She was made to play a position that, in my opinion, is negatively impacting her professional career, at least in her first WNBA year. I know it may be sacrilege to some, but in my opinion, Lou was given a starting position in her Freshman year. There was no evidence that she earned it in practice. Geno, at that time wanted to balance the team with an outside shooter, so he put Gabby on the bench and inserted Lou into the starting five with Stewie, Tuck, Kia and Moriah. If playing time or starting was all due to how you perform in practice, Gabby would have started (see the Ohio State game from 2015-2016 with Moriah, Kia and Gabby in the back court, and Tuck and Stewie up front).
The bottom line is this.... Lou has improved her game a lot, and it will probably benefit her at the next level. But at heart, she is still a finesse player, dependent on her team mates for the most part to get open looks. Yet, with those open looks she still misses quite a bit, especially in the big games when the opponent has athletic, rugged players on her (they types she will see in the WNBA). She needs to continue to diversify her game, improve her rebounding (she is the tallest player among the starting five so it should be expected), and improve her defense, especially her lateral movement (opposing players do not respect her defense or shot blocking in spite of her height, so they almost always drive at her - see OU, ND, St John's...).
Any way, this is how I see it.
Cheers!

Thanks for the reply. I agree with some of what you wrote and disagree with some as well. Not going to go down every point but a few I thought worth mentioning.

The last part pointing out where Lou needs to improve I agree outside of her being a finesse player. She plays a very physical game and has had too in order to do what she does. I guess I disagree with her missing open shots in big games too. The two losses we had in the FF she shot 50% which was either top or near top for the game. I think she struggled to separate from very athletic defenders but was a focus of defenses to not let get open and also her teammates often do not get her the ball as quickly as she can get them the ball. In the close games this year she scored when it mattered in the second half.

Pheesa is not a wing, she is a post player that happens to be 6'1" That is where her game is best suited. She is not a three point shooter, does not have a strong pull up jumper nor a great handle. She has great skills around the paint whether its driving from the foul line, hitting a fade away jumper or putting back a rebound for 2. My opinion but that is what I see.

Lou played more her freshman season because she earned it, I don't buy into she didn't practice better etc... so I guess in this one case Geno said I am going to give it to someone that didn't earn it or puts us in the best position to win. Lou is the best 3 and that's why she plays there end of story. She was doing great in March before her foot injury, she was not skating by.... Lastly, since her sophomore year, she is the player that is last to go to the bench until the game is in hand. Geno has said more times than any other player in the last 3 years we are not the same team when Lou is not on the floor.

Last point, I was not saying Lou was the most overall important player. Rather in the big game in the area we have fell short in our losses, I think she is the player we will need to go to. CW has this potential too but she is still a freshman. Also, I was just admiring her growth and improvement as a player this year. My opinion, I can have it, and it does not mean I am putting any other players down. That said, its silly and nonsense for folks to act as if some players are not more valuable. Pretty sure that Tom Brady (pains me to say it) is more important than than the punter even though the punter has an important role on the team and may have a big play pinning a team within there own 10 yard line. Same with LBJ, Jordan, Larry Bird, etc... team game but there are some players that are better and more important. In fact they even have awards for it I believe. I actually won a few of them and my teammates congratulated me. They knew I could not have done what I did without them doing their part but were not offended either that I was MVP, all league, player of the year, or what ever was the case.

 

[donalddoowop]

Correct. Here is KLS's 3FG% team rank in her seasons as at UConn:

2015-16 (fr): 4th
2016-17 (so): 3rd
2017-18 (jr): 1st
2018-19 (sr): 3rd

Seeing how she is third, how can that be considered the best. The best should be whoever has the highest percentage, it seems to me.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

To be honest, she looks tentative & slow to me. I think its the ankle. After surgery, the physical injury may be mostly healed, but the mental aspect is still there. Might not be until Spring until she "feels" confident & plays at 100%. Look at Gordon Hayward - he's nowhere near what he's capable of...but he's getting better.

Averaging over 20 points a game... her assist, points, rebounds all up... she has become a more complete player and tends to handle the ball more.... and you think she looks tentative and slow. Interesting.

 

[calpedaler]

Seeing how she is third, how can that be considered the best. The best should be whoever has the highest percentage, it seems to me.

By your logic this player could never be considered the best.

2000-01 (fr): 8th
2001-02 (so): 6th
2002-03 (jr): 6th
2003-04 (sr): 6th

 

[cohenzone]

We need to enjoy KLS and Pheesa for however this season turns out. Absent some spring signing surprises, next year gonna be a whole lot different.

 

[donalddoowop]

By your logic this player could never be considered the best.

2000-01 (fr): 8th
2001-02 (so): 6th
2002-03 (jr): 6th
2003-04 (sr): 6th

This is about the best three point shooter. That player was not the nations best three point shooter, percentage wise.

 

[Los24]

This is about the best three point shooter. That player was not the nations best three point shooter, percentage wise.

I see both sides but just remember that Lou led the nation in 3pt% last year. She also is the only player to go 10 for 10 in NCAA history. She has credentials to back up the claim.

The best shooter is not going to shoot the best or have best percentage from day one. Mike Trout may not lead in a specific category or none of them, doesn't mean he is not the best hitter in baseball.

All that and she may not be the best 3pt shooter so I understand your point but it's still early.

 

[MD#12Fan]

So I was thinking about the season, especially after the high of ND and the near low with OU. We lost twice in the FF on last second shoots in OT. In those games I think many of us felt the biggest detriment was a clear leader taking over especially taking the big shot(s.) I think the fact we were right there in those games, even though being outplayed, we may be over stating the point but maybe not...

I believe, even with CW on the squad, the key is Lou. For all the griping on Lou last game, let's remember a few things:

1) She is finally healthy and her mobility, defense and rebounding is an obvious area of improvement because of it
2) Kia and Gabby seemed to own the leadership role the past 2 years so Lou (more than Pheesa) is really the one this year
3) She is still the focus of any team to ensure "do not let her beat us" and thus opens floor for rest of team and gets best defender (yes more than Pheesa, think about who ND talks about and had Young and Turner on...)
4) She will be the one to hit the big shot to win it. You can not count on the red sea opening for Pheesa to hit easy drive like OU. That will not happen in 4th against top opponent with true bigs. Pheesa will still be key and right there, so I am not saying she is not important or critical for our success.
5) For her shooting struggles she still was key in 2nd half of close games this year and key contributor for us to win.

19pts STJ / 6 ast in 1st half and 15pts in 2nd ND / Finished with 20pts 11rebs against OU / Her shooting consistency will be there.

In ND loss she had 16pts on 50% shooting and 7 rebs but only shot 12 times (Only Crystal Dangerfield had less shots in game by 1)
In MSST loss 15pts on 50% shooting and 5 rebs but only took 10 shots 3rd on team.

So my thought process on her taking many shots in some of these closer games is that she is learning the role of taking over as many of us have yearned for throughout the years. Just like any other skill set it takes game time to learn and get mentally comfortable and best she does it now before March. I think CW has that potential and one game does not make her that for the team yet. I still would want the senior with great passing skills, deadly shot and the experience in the spot. (Don't think Geno will?Remember he gave Saniya Chong the ball at end of MSST game.)

All this to say that I do not mind Lou's efficiency (FG% & 3PTFG%) numbers being down a little at this point of season because I think they will come up quite a bit, I like the other numbers (rebounds) trending up and want her to act like this is her team. Thoughts???

Appreciate the post. Concern regarding Lou! Big-time. I'm disappointed! It's her time to step up and be a player of the year type player. It's not happening and as a fan I'm not enjoying watching it. Pheesa is rock solid, but she has limitations.
Some players have the gift of super-stardom. Lots of intangibles that makes up those players. UConn has had a lopsided number of these players- D, Maya, and Stewie in particular. (nothing to do- google UConn girls- and see how many of Geno's titles were influenced by the 3 of them. Short answer, almost all of the 11.) Everyone else is a notch below- Tina, Swin, Sue, Moriah, Morgan, Kyesha, etc, etc.
I do not think Lou can physically be that great player. She lacks strength, quickness, and agility. She rarely finishes when she feels contact. She does not protect the ball in traffic. So many of those plays when her arms flail out after the ball has been touched. Super stars finish! And one!
She forces shots, hence her poor percentage and her streaks of misses. I believe the grand experiment of her being a prolific scorer is over! Time for role-playing. Lou hits open shots when they are not forced and she is on balance. Those are the shots she should take in addition to transition layups and follow-ups. She still shoots like a high school kid, from her chest, and she cannot shoot under duress and she cannot create her own shot. So, let's stop pretending.
She is an all-American player in the best program in America, but we must cultivate her strengths and not expect some of these plays that she is not capable of making. Keep the ball moving and where the mismatches are materializing is around the freshman and the sophomore. Katie will rise when teams get tired of the youngsters killing them and all will be right in the world.
IMO Katie Lou will be a WNBA stalwart for a decade but she will never be at that top echelon. Now IMO Geno has to start reining in her shot selection and more clearly define her role. She can't do what she wants to do, she's not that good! It's ugly and as a fan I find it aesthetically unpleasing. BTW Kudos on her passing and rebounding. My rant is about the shooting ineffectiveness and shot selection. Out

 

[eebmg]

I've had enough. Time to ignore this thread.

 

[BobbyJ]

Appreciate the post. Concern regarding Lou! Big-time. I'm disappointed! It's her time to step up and be a player of the year type player. It's not happening and as a fan I'm not enjoying watching it. Pheesa is rock solid, but she has limitations.
Some players have the gift of super-stardom. Lots of intangibles that makes up those players. UConn has had a lopsided number of these players- D, Maya, and Stewie in particular. (nothing to do- google UConn girls- and see how many of Geno's titles were influenced by the 3 of them. Short answer, almost all of the 11.) Everyone else is a notch below- Tina, Swin, Sue, Moriah, Morgan, Kyesha, etc, etc.
I do not think Lou can physically be that great player. She lacks strength, quickness, and agility. She rarely finishes when she feels contact. She does not protect the ball in traffic. So many of those plays when her arms flail out after the ball has been touched. Super stars finish! And one!
She forces shots, hence her poor percentage and her streaks of misses. I believe the grand experiment of her being a prolific scorer is over! Time for role-playing. Lou hits open shots when they are not forced and she is on balance. Those are the shots she should take in addition to transition layups and follow-ups. She still shoots like a high school kid, from her chest, and she cannot shoot under duress and she cannot create her own shot. So, let's stop pretending.
She is an all-American player in the best program in America, but we must cultivate her strengths and not expect some of these plays that she is not capable of making. Keep the ball moving and where the mismatches are materializing is around the freshman and the sophomore. Katie will rise when teams get tired of the youngsters killing them and all will be right in the world.
IMO Katie Lou will be a WNBA stalwart for a decade but she will never be at that top echelon. Now IMO Geno has to start reining in her shot selection and more clearly define her role. She can't do what she wants to do, she's not that good! It's ugly and as a fan I find it aesthetically unpleasing. BTW Kudos on her passing and rebounding. My rant is about the shooting ineffectiveness and shot selection. Out

I'm getting out the popcorn. This should get interesting.

 

[Los24]

Appreciate the post. Concern regarding Lou! Big-time. I'm disappointed! It's her time to step up and be a player of the year type player. It's not happening and as a fan I'm not enjoying watching it. Pheesa is rock solid, but she has limitations.
Some players have the gift of super-stardom. Lots of intangibles that makes up those players. UConn has had a lopsided number of these players- D, Maya, and Stewie in particular. (nothing to do- google UConn girls- and see how many of Geno's titles were influenced by the 3 of them. Short answer, almost all of the 11.) Everyone else is a notch below- Tina, Swin, Sue, Moriah, Morgan, Kyesha, etc, etc.
I do not think Lou can physically be that great player. She lacks strength, quickness, and agility. She rarely finishes when she feels contact. She does not protect the ball in traffic. So many of those plays when her arms flail out after the ball has been touched. Super stars finish! And one!
She forces shots, hence her poor percentage and her streaks of misses. I believe the grand experiment of her being a prolific scorer is over! Time for role-playing. Lou hits open shots when they are not forced and she is on balance. Those are the shots she should take in addition to transition layups and follow-ups. She still shoots like a high school kid, from her chest, and she cannot shoot under duress and she cannot create her own shot. So, let's stop pretending.
She is an all-American player in the best program in America, but we must cultivate her strengths and not expect some of these plays that she is not capable of making. Keep the ball moving and where the mismatches are materializing is around the freshman and the sophomore. Katie will rise when teams get tired of the youngsters killing them and all will be right in the world.
IMO Katie Lou will be a WNBA stalwart for a decade but she will never be at that top echelon. Now IMO Geno has to start reining in her shot selection and more clearly define her role. She can't do what she wants to do, she's not that good! It's ugly and as a fan I find it aesthetically unpleasing. BTW Kudos on her passing and rebounding. My rant is about the shooting ineffectiveness and shot selection. Out

Great feedback and reply. I feel some of those limitations too but not to the same degree. I also think her shot selection is not as bad as you are making it seem. She just missed shots in OU game, although a couple may have been rushed. This goes to my point that she is learning this "take over the game component" more now. You can say the same about players you would consider to have this capability such ND and LV stars.

However for Lou if you look at the Maryland game a couple years back, Louisville last year, 2nd half ND, etc... these will provide evidence she is capable of taking difficult shots in critical games with the defense on top of her. So I agree she is not as gifted athletically as Stewie but I believe there is more there now that she is healthy and in the senior leadership role. We will see but again good insight and feedback. Thanks.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Seeing how she is third, how can that be considered the best. The best should be whoever has the highest percentage, it seems to me.

She's not the best shooter on her own team, let alone the nation. I would say based on the stats, she is one of the best shooters in the nation though and leave it at that.

 

[Zanzman]

Lou? She's on a mission. She has double-digit rebounds in the past two games, is also defending, and does what needs to be done to win. She's playing at near-Mt. Rushmore level.

She should never be in discussion for my rushmore

 

[Los24]

I just wanted to write that I am glad Lou backed up and proved much of what I was writing about today. Her overall game was great and her improvement is impressive. I hope she and the rest of the players continue to improve and they have as good a chance as anybody to win in March.

 

[Biff]

Appreciate the post. Concern regarding Lou! Big-time. I'm disappointed! It's her time to step up and be a player of the year type player. It's not happening and as a fan I'm not enjoying watching it. Pheesa is rock solid, but she has limitations.
Some players have the gift of super-stardom. Lots of intangibles that makes up those players. UConn has had a lopsided number of these players- D, Maya, and Stewie in particular. (nothing to do- google UConn girls- and see how many of Geno's titles were influenced by the 3 of them. Short answer, almost all of the 11.) Everyone else is a notch below- Tina, Swin, Sue, Moriah, Morgan, Kyesha, etc, etc.
I do not think Lou can physically be that great player. She lacks strength, quickness, and agility. She rarely finishes when she feels contact. She does not protect the ball in traffic. So many of those plays when her arms flail out after the ball has been touched. Super stars finish! And one!
She forces shots, hence her poor percentage and her streaks of misses. I believe the grand experiment of her being a prolific scorer is over! Time for role-playing. Lou hits open shots when they are not forced and she is on balance. Those are the shots she should take in addition to transition layups and follow-ups. She still shoots like a high school kid, from her chest, and she cannot shoot under duress and she cannot create her own shot. So, let's stop pretending.
She is an all-American player in the best program in America, but we must cultivate her strengths and not expect some of these plays that she is not capable of making. Keep the ball moving and where the mismatches are materializing is around the freshman and the sophomore. Katie will rise when teams get tired of the youngsters killing them and all will be right in the world.
IMO Katie Lou will be a WNBA stalwart for a decade but she will never be at that top echelon. Now IMO Geno has to start reining in her shot selection and more clearly define her role. She can't do what she wants to do, she's not that good! It's ugly and as a fan I find it aesthetically unpleasing. BTW Kudos on her passing and rebounding. My rant is about the shooting ineffectiveness and shot selection. Out

Wow....just wow.

 

[Los24]

Wow....just wow.

I had a lengthy reply but the one part I didnt touch was "I believe the grand experiment of her being a prolific scorer is over!"

She is gonna finish top 5 and maybe top 3 in UConn history in scoring. As a sophomore avg over 20 pts a game. Led the nation in 3pt% last year. All while playing on a bad foot. This year Avg 20+ but added better defense and rebounding now that she is healthy. She will finish #1 or #2 in UConn history in 3pt baskets made. She will also be a 3 time AA. I guess she is a role player with those credentials.

 

[hugefan]

Wow....just wow.

Yep. Got some fake posters on here trying to trash up a storm, hmmm wonder why.... some peeps are getting a Little nervous.

 

[Zanzman]

Actually that was for los 24 [ ]

 

[Biff]

Hey come on. Stay away from the personal insults.

 

[Los24]

Who am I someone that doesn’t think Lou walks on water

Ok did I misstate any facts? Excuse me, again why I don't post on this thread much. I was defending my original statements that she is improving and I think she will be the one we need to hit some big shots, that is it.

I never posted she was the best, she should be in the hall of fame, Mount Rushmore at UConn, etc... It is a forum so when someone states a pretty outrages comment about "I believe the grand experiment of her being a prolific scorer is over!" I came with some information to counter the comment.

Instead you make some pretty stupid comments with no point or anything to counter what I am saying. If you do not have anything interesting say why are you bothering to state anything at all. I respect the other folks that disagreed with me and said as much because they were trying to make some interesting points with observations unlike yourself.

 

[hoophuskee]

Since you asked for thoughts, here are mine.... and I will try to tread carefully here.
I am usually uncomfortable when fans try to anoint a leader, or most important player, or whatever they fancy about their favourite player. This always, though probably not intended, undervalues the contributions of other players. Lou is not the most important player on this UCONN team. I am sorry, but she is not. Are UCONN offensive plays predominantly run for Lou, yes! She is more often than not, the beneficiary of screens set by other players (very rarely do you see Lou setting screens for others). Now, as it seem that's how Geno wants it, I am not complaining. But just because Geno runs plays for her does not make her the best player. Lou's game (and her ability to score) depends immensely on her team mates setting her up. This year she has definitely diversify her game, but off course this is year 4 so she has to in order to succeed at the next level. Is she an important component, yes! But so is Pheesa, CD, CW, and yes, Megan also. The team is a team for a reason. Each member brings a special skill set. When each does what they are good at very well, the team succeeds. When someone does not, the team becomes unbalance. Now, regarding what each brings, Lou has been fortunate in that she has always play her natural wing position at UCONN. Pheesa is not a natural 4 or 5 but she had been enlisted to play those positions in the interest of the team. Don't tell me Megan is a 4, yet she is playing that this year, banging with players who are bigger and taller than her. That has an effect on one's offense, don't you think? Same thing happened with Gabby. She was made to play a position that, in my opinion, is negatively impacting her professional career, at least in her first WNBA year. I know it may be sacrilege to some, but in my opinion, Lou was given a starting position in her Freshman year. There was no evidence that she earned it in practice. Geno, at that time wanted to balance the team with an outside shooter, so he put Gabby on the bench and inserted Lou into the starting five with Stewie, Tuck, Kia and Moriah. If playing time or starting was all due to how you perform in practice, Gabby would have started (see the Ohio State game from 2015-2016 with Moriah, Kia and Gabby in the back court, and Tuck and Stewie up front).
The bottom line is this.... Lou has improved her game a lot, and it will probably benefit her at the next level. But at heart, she is still a finesse player, dependent on her team mates for the most part to get open looks. Yet, with those open looks she still misses quite a bit, especially in the big games when the opponent has athletic, rugged players on her (they types she will see in the WNBA). She needs to continue to diversify her game, improve her rebounding (she is the tallest player among the starting five so it should be expected), and improve her defense, especially her lateral movement (opposing players do not respect her defense or shot blocking in spite of her height, so they almost always drive at her - see OU, ND, St John's...).
Any way, this is how I see it.
Cheers!

I don't agree with how you look at the college game nor do I agree with how you look at the pro game. For starters Collier is more of a 4 in college-- not a 3. Same with Walker but maybe she could live as a 3 (she's a 3/4) if she was good skills as a penetrator and can pass well off of it. I haven't seen her enough.

Collier and Walker don't shoot well enough from outside 15 feet and just as important set up other players for passing for a championship team offensively. Potentially they could win defensively 51-50 but that's not the UCONN WAY. There's a reason why Geno gets the #1 recruits often- the number1 recruits know he'll look to optimize their skill set WHILE WINNING. In the college game guard/perimeter play extremely important. Passing and shooting from the perimeter is extremely important.

If you run into a team like Dayton from the past NCAA and their offense is clicking and you have Collier or Walker as one of the prime weapons from the wing, you're going to lose unless you have an elite defensive team. KLS is a favorite for a reason. IMO not what you imply but her presence is such a threat as wing- to play her at any other position more than an occasional game is wrong She shoots better than players like Collier and walker and passes better. KLS is a natural wing.

As far as Gabby- she's in the WNBA BECUASE Geno had her play 4. She can't shoot well enough. Just because you play her as a guard in college doesn't mean she'd automatically be good enough to be one. And how many games need to be sacrificed for one player? The idea is to win. Geno and Gabby showed the WNBA teams that her style can be successful. Playing her at guard may very well have cost the team wins and Gabby a WNBA career. That's not the UCONN way.

 

[hoophuskee]

reading some of the other posts I just want to add Collier is a great 4 better than KLS. KLS is a better 3. I don't get the little shots at KLS. She's been a 1st team a/a deservedly so. This is not KLS vs Collier. They compliment each other extremely well. These two have yet to lose a reg season game and lost two final fours on last second shots it OT. They both deserve huge accolades and it has been a joy watching both.