UConn is in great hands for next season

[alexrgct]

i'm enjoying the heck out of this season and hope it ends in a championship outcome. Having said that, I've been thinking about 2015-16 after Senior Day. The losses of the best distance shooter in UConn history and one of the best Husky shot blockers ever- I mean, that fills s void, right? Well, maybe...and then again, maybe not.

First of all, this team will return four of five starters. If anything, Mo and Stewie may make for an absolutely lethal 1-2 punch. Meanwhile, Kia should only be better, and Morgan will maintain a high standard of play at least.

Secondly, in adding Natalie Butler to the rotation, UConn is getting just the kind of player it doesn't have this season. That could be momentous in and of itself.

There's also improvement developing on the bench. Saniya is only getting better. Gabby, meanwhile, is doing great things already, especially as a scorer and rebounder. I was worried about Ekmark at first, but she's showing signs, especially as a distance shooter.

Finally, add to this compelling rotation of eight the fact that the recruiting class of 2015 is stellar. I mean, Katie "Lou Conn" Samuelson and Collier are as blue chip as it gets, and Boykin is hardly a slouch.

Yes, we will absolutely miss Kiah and KML, and the skill set that's leaving won't be readily replaced. However, I am expecting this team to be a heavy favorite to win yet another national championship, one that projects to be attained on the strength of an embarrassment of dazzling depth.

Pretty amazing when the pain of a couple minuses is washed away by a surge of pluses.

 

[LouS]

here here, 100%

 

[RegisteredUconn]

... Mo and Stewie may make for an absolutely lethal 1-2 punch...

Not sure why you included the word "may" but your point did get get me thinking. Will Mo and Stewie be UConn's most lethal one-two ever? If not, who? Maya and Tina? Sue and Diana? Rebecca and Jen? Svet and Shea? Who?

 

[Wbbfan1]

UConn will be the early season favorite for the Final Four and a National Championship.

However Lady Vols will be significantly improved with the addition of Diamond Deshields and if they get any production from Te'a Cooper. Oregon State is a young team that is having a great year and don't lose any player and will only be better next year. Notre Dame and South Carolina should also be in a great positions next year. Next year might be a harder year to win a National Championship as the majority of the best players this year are Sophomores and Juniors who will have more experience and extra motivation to win a National Championship, especially if they don't win this year.

 

[reno tony]

Not sure why you included the word "may" but your point did get get me thinking. Will Mo and Stewie be UConn's most lethal one-two ever? If not, who? Maya and Tina? Sue and Diana? Rebecca and Jen? Svet and Shea? Who?

Excellent question. As a defender I would hate to look up and see Sue bringing the ball up court with Dee, but I would go with Maya and Tina as the best 1-2 punch, for now. Maybe a Morgan-Stewie combo might make me change my mind next year.

 

[Geno-ista]

Not sure why you included the word "may" but your point did get get me thinking. Will Mo and Stewie be UConn's most lethal one-two ever? If not, who? Maya and Tina? Sue and Diana? Rebecca and Jen? Svet and Shea? Who?

Sue & Diana---hard to beat. Maya/Tina and Stewie/Mo Jef... How good is it that we are splitting hairs over this concersation!

 

[Geno-ista]

UConn will be the early season favorite for the Final Four and a National Championship.

However Lady Vols will be significantly improved with the addition of Diamond Deshields and if they get any production from Te'a Cooper. Oregon State is a young team that is having a great year and don't lose any player and will only be better next year. Notre Dame and South Carolina should also be in a great positions next year. Next year might be a harder year to win a National Championship as the majority of the best players this year are Sophomores and Juniors who will have more experience and extra motivation to win a National Championship, especially if they don't win this year.

Great pts- and we return 4/5 and 6/8 as well! We will be even better next yr I believe, as well! It will be fun!!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

We lost two 2-time All-American players after last season, but we managed to survive.

We'll miss Kaleena and Kiah as people and players, but the outlook is very good. In terms of their skills, filling the void depends on 2 players, in my view: Can Natalie be a strong and reliable post presence, grabbing lots of rebounds and blocking some shots? Can Lou be approximately the 3-point threat that Kaleena is and do other things reasonably well?

I think the inside game will also be bolstered by Napheesa and De'Janae, as well as a rapidly improving but undersized Gabby. And Stewie, of course. The outside shooting will also come from Moriah, who can shoot 45%, and Saniya. Plus, Kia has shown that she is a solid shooter. Hopefully, all will get as open and hit with the same frequency as this season.

The key season may be the following year. What happens when Stewie leaves?? And Moriah? And possibly Morgan? It would really help for leadership if Morgan comes back.

Geno said 2 things this week that I think are relevant. He noted that Maya may have been the best player in the country as a freshman. She won the BE FOY and POY awards and was second in the AP voting behind Parker. Are there any freshmen who are THAT ready to impact the game? Kaleena and Stewie were very good as frosh. Kia has had a good season. Will Lou or Napheesa be close to Maya's level? I'm hoping so. The other thing that Geno said was that he would have been despondent if Napheesa had decided to go elsewhere. She has taken a team that lost several Division I recruits and carried them to the verge of a championship, while shooting 70%, making 80% of her FTs, rebounding, and blocking shots. She has an impact on all aspects of the game and is a winner. She sounds a lot like that other kid from Jefferson City, the 4x consensus All-American. I'll be interested in seeing how Geno uses the talent at his disposal next season.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Excellent question. As a defender I would hate to look up and see Sue bringing the ball up court with Dee, but I would go with Maya and Tina as the best 1-2 punch, for now. Maybe a Morgan-Stewie combo might make me change my mind next year.

I wonder what the criteria should be for selecting the best 1-2 ever might be? Both were 1st team AAs? How about both were national players of the year? How does having two national players of the year limit the choices? I think Rebecca/Jen were both NPOY. So were Sue/Diana and Tina/Maya. I don't know about Sveta/Shea. One thing about Maya and Tina, both were NPOY at the time they were teammates. I think Jen was NPOY after Rebecca graduated. Ditto for Sue/Diana. How many other schools have had two national players on the same squad?

 

[jcoton56]

Don't see a loss any time soon

 

[alexrgct]

I wonder what the criteria should be for selecting the best 1-2 ever might be? Both were 1st team AAs? How about both were national players of the year? How does having two national players of the year limit the choices? I think Rebecca/Jen were both NPOY. So were Sue/Diana and Tina/Maya. I don't know about Sveta/Shea. One thing about Maya and Tina, both were NPOY at the time they were teammates. I think Jen was NPOY after Rebecca graduated. Ditto for Sue/Diana. How many other schools have had two national players on the same squad?

Well, Maya and Tina were not only NPOY winners, but they also SHARED NPOY awards in 2010. That is certainly one criterion. They also managed two undefeated NCs and 78 wins in a row together. Neither feat has been accomplished in WCBB history. So I guess monumental and unprecedented accomplishments should serve as the criteria.

And I'm not saying UConn will win this NC in April and the next one in 2016 as well, but if they did, well, Stewie and Mo would have done something unprecedented, too...

 

[CTGirl15]

Well, Maya and Tina were not only NPOY winners, but they also SHARED NPOY awards in 2010. That is certainly one criterion. They also managed two undefeated NCs and 78 wins in a row together. Neither feat has been accomplished in WCBB history. So I guess monumental and unprecedented accomplishments should serve as the criteria.

And I'm not saying UConn will win this NC in April and the next one in 2016 as well, but if they did, well, Stewie and Mo would have done something unprecedented, too...

Maya and Tina are also the #1 and #2 scorers and rebounders in UConn history (Maya top in scoring, Tina top in rebounding), while overlapping for 3 years, which I think is absolutely incredible. They combined for 5,382 points and 2,643 rebounds in a total of 306 carer games over 5 total years (source is 2014/2015 Media Guide).

 

[EricLA]

UConn will be the early season favorite for the Final Four and a National Championship.

However Lady Vols will be significantly improved with the addition of Diamond Deshields and if they get any production from Te'a Cooper. Oregon State is a young team that is having a great year and don't lose any player and will only be better next year. Notre Dame and South Carolina should also be in a great positions next year. Next year might be a harder year to win a National Championship as the majority of the best players this year are Sophomores and Juniors who will have more experience and extra motivation to win a National Championship, especially if they don't win this year.

Tennessee loses a TON. Harrison, Burdick, and Massengale are their top 3 scorers and all 3 are/were starters. Imagine UCONN Losing Stewie, Morgan, and KML and see what they would be like next year.

It remains to be seen just how "improved" they will be. I suspect they will be preseason #3 or 4 which is pretty much what they were this year, and 4 losses plus one injury later, and it looks like they won't even be a 1 seed. I'm not saying they don't have potential - they do. I'm just not ready to "crown" them anything, especially a final 4 contender just yet.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Tennessee loses a TON. Harrison, Burdick, and Massengale are their top 3 scorers and all 3 are/were starters. Imagine UCONN Losing Stewie, Morgan, and KML and see what they would be like next year.

It remains to be seen just how "improved" they will be. I suspect they will be preseason #3 or 4 which is pretty much what they were this year, and 4 losses plus one injury later, and it looks like they won't even be a 1 seed. I'm not saying they don't have potential - they do. I'm just not ready to "crown" them anything, especially a final 4 contender just yet.

I doubt you'll be upping your "Like" count with that post!

 

[Tonyc]

Just a couple of thoughts. We will be very strong next season. The only question mark for me is the year after when Mojeff and Stewie are gone. Will next seasons freshman class who will be sophs be able to step up to the talent we are accustomed to? With Geno at the reigns I say yes but time will tell. We may not be blocking as many shots the next two seasons as we are this season but then again we will be a different team running the same offense and defense. Butler is a terrific rebounder and Collier and Boykin are no slouches either. Don't forget we still have Tuck. The key are the guards and we still have terrific guards. What we will need is another guard and another big 6'4 or above. This seasons team is special and will be hard to duplicate. I dont expect us to duplicate this years team but have a different team that continues are tradition.

As far as other teams giving UConn a run, well they have a long way to go defensively. Next season we will be very tuff. Stewie Mojeff Tuck Nurse Saniya will be tuff. We lose KML and Stokes but with one more year under their belt this group will be very difficult to keep up with. We have the best freshman class in WCBB next season and we have them for 4 years. Losing KML and Stokes is huge and replacing them with who we have and have coming in makes it less of a loss then many anticipate. The key is we still have a great nucleus and we will maintain that nucleus for the next 2-3 years.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell more then make up for the loss of Harrison and Burdick. Diamond DeShields is a proven difference maker and should average close to 20 points. Closely equaling what Harrison and Burdick average points per game. I'm not impressed with Massengale so existing guards and/or Te'a Cooper will make up for her loss. Even with the losses, the Lady Vols should be a better team, even if Mercedes Russell is not the player she was supposed to be coming out of High School.

As of today, I like the Lady Vols to win the SEC next year over South Carolina due to Diamond DeShields.

Tennessee loses a TON. Harrison, Burdick, and Massengale are their top 3 scorers and all 3 are/were starters. Imagine UCONN Losing Stewie, Morgan, and KML and see what they would be like next year.

It remains to be seen just how "improved" they will be. I suspect they will be preseason #3 or 4 which is pretty much what they were this year, and 4 losses plus one injury later, and it looks like they won't even be a 1 seed. I'm not saying they don't have potential - they do. I'm just not ready to "crown" them anything, especially a final 4 contender just yet.

 

[PalPa]

I only hope our incoming 2015 class turns out to be better than the incoming 2012 class has.

 

[bballnut90]

UCONN should absorb the loss of KML and Stokes just fine. They still return 4 starters, get 2 of the top 3 recruits, bring in a good transfer and have two other rotation players returning.

I think UCONN will be improved from this year, but I also think the rest of the country will be significantly more competitive than they have been this year:

Notre Dame returns everyone, and if Turner develops a post move or two in the off season, she could be a 1st Team All-American. They also have a strong recruiting class coming in.

South Carolina should be even better next year. Welch is great, and Ibiam is a good role player but improvement made by Wilson/Mitchell/Coates/White/Cuevas should offset this.

Tennessee loses their three seniors, but gets back Russell/DeShields/Jasmine Jones. As Eric mentioned, they could be worse, but if Russell is healthy I'm betting they'll be a better team in 2015-16. DeShields is also the best player to come through Tennessee since Parker. Tennessee still returns three starters and have three huge additions next year, not to mention Cooper who should be a serviceable backup PG.

Oregon State turns their starting 5 after winning the P12.

Baylor returns 4 starters and brings in a good class. More importantly, they add in AA caliber PG Alexis Jones who will make a great 1-2 punch with Davis.

As bad as Duke is, they get a good class coming in and have a lot of good young players that will be a year older.

Maryland, I believe, returns almost everyone and they are having a fantastic season. A lot of young talent in their lineup, they'll be better next year.

Louisville returns their super freshmen and has a very good class coming in, including #2 recruit Asia Durr

Florida State returns all but one contributor from a 27-3 team.

I still think UCONN will be in a league of their own, but there is more hope for me that a non-UCONN squad can compete for a title as the rest of WCBB will be a lot better.

**Edited to add in FSU/Louisville

 

[hoophuskee]

Just a couple of thoughts. We will be very strong next season. The only question mark for me is the year after when Mojeff and Stewie are gone. Will next seasons freshman class who will be sophs be able to step up to the talent we are accustomed to? With Geno at the reigns I say yes but time will tell. We may not be blocking as many shots the next two seasons as we are this season but then again we will be a different team running the same offense and defense. Butler is a terrific rebounder and Collier and Boykin are no slouches either. Don't forget we still have Tuck. The key are the guards and we still have terrific guards. What we will need is another guard and another big 6'4 or above. This seasons team is special and will be hard to duplicate. I dont expect us to duplicate this years team but have a different team that continues are tradition.

As far as other teams giving UConn a run, well they have a long way to go defensively. Next season we will be very tuff. Stewie Mojeff Tuck Nurse Saniya will be tuff. We lose KML and Stokes but with one more year under their belt this group will be very difficult to keep up with. We have the best freshman class in WCBB next season and we have them for 4 years. Losing KML and Stokes is huge and replacing them with who we have and have coming in makes it less of a loss then many anticipate. The key is we still have a great nucleus and we will maintain that nucleus for the next 2-3 years.

I believe once Stewie and Mojeff (and I believe Tuck will leave)- we're not going to be favored to win. For example I expect Notre Dame to be a team better than us (as fo now but anything can change). that next year. The other team's have stars and they will get better too. Anyhow - this is why I think this year (and to an extent next year) we have to win and dominate when we should. It's extremely important for us to keep our advantage over ND-- and now USC.

Next year -while I think we'll be better - the teams underneath us are much better than this year. Thus in a one game and out scenario - I'd argue that they have a better chance than this year. They have the capability of pulling a "Villanova" as they did to beat Georgetown. Or what Duke did to UNLV. I think they are less likely this year.

***If we were in the same conference as Notre Dame was last year - we would have had to have played them 4 times. If Achonwa was healthy 4 times how often do you think we beat them in those 4 games? The would have had a decent chance to beat us once, right?

 

[cferraro04]

However Lady Vols will be significantly improved with the addition of Diamond Deshields and if they get any production from Te'a Cooper. Let's see Tennessee loses Isabelle Harrison, Ciera Burdick, Ariel Massengale and they gain the multi-talented Diamond Deshields, a freshmen top recruit in Te'a Cooper and an player who is recovering from foot injuries who hasn't played a full season in quite a while. Will they be "significantly improved as the OP says? That's an open question. I think Nared, Carter and Reynolds may play a role in answering that question. Do I think that it will be enough to put them over the top and in position to win a national championship? No I don't actually.

Oregon State is a young team that is having a great year and don't lose any player and will only be better next year. Yes, true but no where near the elite quality necessary to compete for a national title.

Notre Dame and South Carolina should also be in a great positions next year. This is absolutely true...I think Notre Dame and South Carolina have their best chance to break through for a championship next year. Notre Dame...will have Jewell Lloyd returning for her senior year. Brianna Turner who will make the sophomore leap and should be a force in the middle and of course, Notre Dame's cast of supporting players who always seem to know their roles and seem content to play within their roles. South Carolina is just loaded with talent and they have amazing size and assuming they don't win the championship this year...may just believe that they are a team of destiny.

Next year might be a harder year to win a National Championship as the majority of the best players this year are Sophomores and Juniors who will have more experience and extra motivation to win a National Championship, especially if they don't win this year.[/QUOTE] Well, that might be true but as the OP indicated in his post UConn will be deeper and will be loaded with talent. It is true that they lose KML, a talent that is not easily replaced...but, keep in mind UConn played 13 games without KML and they found a way to win quite handily I might add. Losing Kiah Stokes offensively may not be significant but defensively you always know what you are going to get with Kiah. You will get good interior defense, blocked or altered shots, rebounds basically just a strong defensive presence. However, UConn will have the number one power forward in WCBB; the number one point guard in WCBB, a steady consistent presence in the post with Morgan Tuck, a true center in Natalie Butler (6'4" / 6'5"), improved play from Kia Nurse as she taps into the sophomore surge, Saniya Chong is showing late in the season why Geno thought she was the best player in practice earlier this season and I believe will play a huge role in next year's run to the final four. Gabby Williams will continue to impress with her strings of double / doubles, Courtney Ekmark will continue to improve on her ability to shoot the three and show why being a coaches daughter usually translated into heads up smart play. Throw in the sharp shooting, high basketball IQ from the number one recruit in America, What I believe to be the steal of the class in Napheesa Collier, and the solid post play of Boykins. While I may agree with you that there are other teams out there who may challenge for the national championship next year...the championship still has to go through Storrs and assuming that UConn fulfills expectations this year and "threepeats" winning a third national championship in a row that doesn't promise to be an easy task with seniors Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson looking to be the first class to ever win 4 national championships.

 

[EricLA]

Tennessee loses their three seniors, but gets back Russell/DeShields/Jasmine Jones. As Eric mentioned, they could be worse, but if Russell is healthy I'm betting they'll be a better team in 2015-16. DeShields is also the best player to come through Tennessee since Parker. Tennessee still returns three starters and have three huge additions next year, not to mention Cooper who should be a serviceable backup PG.

To be fair, I didn't say they would be worse, I just said they lose a ton and it remains to be seen how improved they will be next year. And historically, every year when Tennessee has bowed out before the final 4, their fans have said the same thing - "just wait till next year"... which inevitably comes and it's not that different from the previous seasons. But I do acknowledge that DD is a great talent. That, more than anything, is what Tennessee "adds" next year. I think I did say Tennessee should be #3 or 4 preseason next year...

 

[HuskyPhan]

Well said cferraro. As I have mentioned before, I truly believe that next years team has the potential to be the very best UCONN team ever! While at Gampel yesterday, every time I saw Natalie Butler, I got a bit more excited for next year. With a full year of Geno's practices under her belt, she is going to come out strong-I expect huge things from her and we will be so incredibly strong at all 5 starting spots and will have one of the best benches ever (by the time we get to February!!

If our women run the table this year and next (and I firmly belief they will) look for Geno to schedule SC, ND or Stanford for the potential 90th or 91st win in a row-he will make them earn it!!!!

OK, back to the 2014-2015 season-Go Huskies!!!!!!

 

[bballnut90]

To be fair, I didn't say they would be worse, I just said they lose a ton and it remains to be seen how improved they will be next year. And historically, every year when Tennessee has bowed out before the final 4, their fans have said the same thing - "just wait till next year"... which inevitably comes and it's not that different from the previous seasons. But I do acknowledge that DD is a great talent. That, more than anything, is what Tennessee "adds" next year. I think I did say Tennessee should be #3 or 4 preseason next year...

I'm still not sold on Tennessee either. And I didn't mean to imply that you said they would be worse, but by your post it was implied that they could be worse and it's an unknown, which I agree with. I've been in the camp all along saying I don't think Tennessee sniffs the Final Four until Diamond is on board. A lot of Tennessee fans feel the same way and don't think Tennessee will make the Final Four this year, although we are all hoping they pull through.

Next year the question mark for Tennessee is Russell. Tennessee has good depth at the guard positions and a strong quartet of forwards in DeShields, Jones, Nared and Graves. For post play, they have all of their eggs in Russell's basket. She needs to be healthy enough to be able to play 20-25 minutes a night for Tennessee to be a contender. She also needs to be better than she was as a freshman. I don't know if her underwhelming first year was due to injury or if she just didn't adjust well, but at her size and frame she needs to blossom into a strong option into the paint next year, or else it will be tough for Tennessee. Graves can spot her minutes in the post, but Moore isn't the answer, and Graves doesn't have the size and strength to compete down low by herself against big teams. Tennessee has done a good job playing small ball so far, but I think their lack of size will be their undoing in the post season and in the SEC Tournament.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Oh I really want to focus on this year and sprinting through the finish line..... we should have what it takes...... let's hope we play our best ball when it counts..... as is our custom.....

Yes, looking at next year..... we do lose a lot.... and thank you Kiah and KML for all your contributions..... I too feel good about who is coming in...... Collier, Boykin, Samuelson, and Butler...... come to think of it the coaching staff will have their hands full..... with 4 newbies.... but Natalie has been practicing all year this year so she knows the drill and has a year of Big East competition under her bely......

Handicapping the rest of the field..... I really like (after us of course) ND, USC, and Texas, because of roster as well as the commensurate coaching, and Tenn, so long as Mercedes can run on her repaired feet, and Diamond and Holly work well together.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Tennessee loses a TON. Harrison, Burdick, and Massengale are their top 3 scorers and all 3 are/were starters. Imagine UCONN Losing Stewie, Morgan, and KML and see what they would be like next year.

It remains to be seen just how "improved" they will be. I suspect they will be preseason #3 or 4 which is pretty much what they were this year, and 4 losses plus one injury later, and it looks like they won't even be a 1 seed. I'm not saying they don't have potential - they do. I'm just not ready to "crown" them anything, especially a final 4 contender just yet.

ericsandiego- - - - I agree wholeheartedly! TN is going nowhere! They will never make another final 4 anytime soon! They have Holly "I'm lost in space" Warlick! How'd she coach 30 years with a legend and learn absolutely nothing? It'll be interesting to see how good a coach DD is!
It'll be like the 1960's Red Sox where they said 25 guys 25 cabs! TN will be 14 girls 14 basketballs!