UConn Vandy some thoughts

[Tonyc]

Wow were back. The Chemistry was terrific. A lot of energy. Tuck and AA how bout Nurse to go along with Stewart MoJeff and KML. Tomorrow nite will be a test and Im looking forward to that game but next Monday @ ND and if we continue to play like this...well its number 10 in April. Geno is a genius and is confident enough to change lineups without worrying about losing. Tonite Stewie was on the bench in foul trouble. Vandy is a pretty good team. We had them by 50. It goes to show that all those teams in WCBB with hs AAs who struggle its all about chemistry and confidence and that all starts at practice with tuff love. Discipline, and hard work. When you know what your suppose to do in a game and you do it and everybody else does what theyre suppose to do then the team wins. When you depend on one player to take over a game against a good team it aint happenin. Its amazing who good UConn looked the past two games even with some hiccup's. Tomorrow nite Im lookin forward to because there is something about the phoenix I like. There hustle their determination and their pride. I just hope the layoff til ND doesn't make us rusty. I don't think it will.

 

[RadyLady]

I agree Tony. Great chemistry tonight, great communication, help defense - the team appeared to play smoothly and with confidence....a lot went very well, and as I observed and others as well, they looked as though they were having fun tonight. Sure, there were some things to take back to the gym and work on, some things needed to be polished. However, I believe that several strides in the correct direction have been taken, and I believe that this is only the beginning.

 

[UConnChapette]

I agree Tony. Great chemistry tonight, great communication, help defense - the team appeared to play smoothly and with confidence....a lot went very well, and as I observed and others as well, they looked as though they were having fun tonight. Sure, there were some things to take back to the gym and work on, some things needed to be polished. However, I believe that several strides in the correct direction have been taken, and I believe that this is only the beginning.

So true, Rady. There will ALWAYS be things to work on, but things seemed to really click tonight on all fronts.

 

[calpedaler]

I think having to play without Stewart and Jefferson, due to fouls, was actually good for the team. But I certainly don't want it to occur too often.

 

[msf22b]

For me the key was the reemergence of the Ms Moriah we know and love.
She dominated whenever she was in and if she missed a couple of her new jump shots in the lane, no matter because that shot is going to be a winner.
She and Nurse are an amazing pair tres formidable!
There's still a few things to work on, especially on D…there were a few (not many) breakdowns…a couple of easy buckets on what looked like the same out-of-bounds play.
But all in all a splendid game to watch in a virtual home setting, only lacking the band and the cheerleaders (or whatever they're called these days).
Other highlights…Kiah blocking every other shot in the 2nd half. Saniya's confidences little by little coming back.
I can't imagine that Green Bay will ail offer much opposition

 

[calpedaler]

For me the key was the reemergence of the Ms Moriah we know and love.
She dominated whenever she was in and if she missed a couple of her new jump shots in the lane, no matter because that shot is going to be a winner.
She and Nurse are an amazing pair tres formidable!
There's still a few things to work on, especially on D…there were a few (not many) breakdowns…a couple of easy buckets on what looked like the same out-of-bounds play.
But all in all a splendid game to watch in a virtual home setting, only lacking the band and the cheerleaders (or whatever they're called these days).
Other highlights…Kiah blocking every other shot in the 2nd half. Saniya's confidences little by little coming back.
I can't imagine that Green Bay will ail offer much opposition

Geno said Green Bay plays like Villanova. If so UConn's patience and discipline (especially on defense) will be tested.

 

[Icebear]

One thing we know is that playing in the Verizon League is they will have great coverage.

 

[rvwsleep]

One thing we know is that playing in the Verizon League is they will have great coverage.

Great coverage is on the horizon for Green Bay.

 

[rford53]

One thing we know is that playing in the Verizon League is they will have great coverage.

I think the joke is funny and rvwsleep doesn't get it! OR just expanding it. Ok, I get it now!

 

[arty155]

... rvwsleep doesn't get it!... OR... Ok, I get it now!

It happens to all of us: just another signal when we've been roaming between too many bars again…..

 

[Icebear]

I think the joke is funny and rvwsleep doesn't get it! OR just expanding it. Ok, I get it now!

Yeah, I think he got it. Mine was an intentional malapropism.

 

[Jim]

Hey, at least he posted and didn't just phone it in.

 

[meyers7]

Ran into Kylie Galloway last night after the game. The female ref from our game. She was getting a slurpee and snacks. I guess they give them a post game buffet? Asked her if she had fun and told her I didn't yell at her, too much.

Very nice lady. Is down with her family from Atlanta for the weekend. She's originally from Australia. She said we had a nice team. I said of course, we're UCONN. She asked about #41, the one with all the blocks. What year she was. I told her a senior and she said she didn't remember her from last year. I had to explain, Stokes doesn't always play like that, unfortunately. But sometimes when she's really on, she's tremendous. Just needs the consistency. Anyway wished her luck with her last game today.

Seems the refs are real people too.

 

[pap49cba]

Ran into Kylie Galloway last night after the game. The female ref from our game. She was getting a slurpee and snacks. I guess they give them a post game buffet? Asked her if she had fun and told her I didn't yell at her, too much.

Very nice lady. Is down with her family from Atlanta for the weekend. She's originally from Australia. She said we had a nice team. I said of course, we're UCONN. She asked about #41, the one with all the blocks. What year she was. I told her a senior and she said she didn't remember her from last year. I had to explain, Stokes doesn't always play like that, unfortunately. But sometimes when she's really on, she's tremendous. Just needs the consistency. Anyway wished her luck with her last game today.

Seems the refs are real people too.

Better send your note to Carl....

carl adamec @CarlAdamec · 12h 12 hours ago
Don't know who this official Kylie Galloway is but she's embarrassing herself here.

 

[huskeynut]

Vandy learned a lesson last night that all teams need to take note of:

Double team Stewie at your own peril. We have at least 4 others who can score at will at any time.

Green Bay will have their hands full tonight.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Just curious regarding no pregame prediction thread? A tradition in such early season tournaments to avoid or post Stanford are we all getting superstitious or gun shy? Thinking about it pregame I didn't have a clue about the margin and was concerned that the Commodores would play a very rough game.

 

[Ouremblem]

Wow were back. The Chemistry was terrific. A lot of energy. Tuck and AA how bout Nurse to go along with Stewart MoJeff and KML. Tomorrow nite will be a test and Im looking forward to that game but next Monday @ ND and if we continue to play like this...well its number 10 in April. Geno is a genius and is confident enough to change lineups without worrying about losing. Tonite Stewie was on the bench in foul trouble. Vandy is a pretty good team. We had them by 50. It goes to show that all those teams in WCBB with hs AAs who struggle its all about chemistry and confidence and that all starts at practice with tuff love. Discipline, and hard work. When you know what your suppose to do in a game and you do it and everybody else does what theyre suppose to do then the team wins. When you depend on one player to take over a game against a good team it aint happenin. Its amazing who good UConn looked the past two games even with some hiccup's. Tomorrow nite Im lookin forward to because there is something about the phoenix I like. There hustle their determination and their pride. I just hope the layoff til ND doesn't make us rusty. I don't think it will.

Hi Tony!
Kia has certainly shown herself to be a nice shooter and the type person who will work on getting better all the time. An amazing replacement for Bria. I am a little concerned about the ticky tack foul calls we seem to get. That said, Kiah did a marvelous job, and I think all she has to do is take the open shot-even if she misses it more than she'd like-so she will make them later in the year when it will matter most. We don't even have Courtney yet. Imagine how she will help stretch the defense. The only other thought is free throw shooting and missed layups. Gabby needs to improve her free throw shooting, but she's such a joy out there. I never would have thought of playing her inside, but she is a match up nightmare. If she can get her free throw shooting up so they don't foul her late in games intentionally she's going to be a problem for opponents. I'll be very curious to see how well we do versus Notre Dame.

 

[EricLA]

I taped the game and watched it at this morning. My thoughts - some good, some not so good...

Vandy was overmatched. They rely on a bunch of freshmen who at times did some good things individually, but more often got steamrolled by UCONN. I liked their center a lot - she had one terrific post move in the first half and scored over Stokes, which is no small feat.

I thought the team played really well as a whole. A lot of communication, and especially help defense when a player was beaten by the kid they were guarding. Did not see that in the Stanford game as much. 2 nits to pick from the announcers - again Meghan went on and on about the "energy" of the team. I think that's a bit incorrect to say that only vs. Vandy did they play with good energy. I think they've had good energy all season, but the chemistry was better (communication, spacing, etc etc). Also, she mentioned again several times when referring to the energy as "UCONN wanting it more". That's a load of horse crap. It's like saying UCONN won the NC because they wanted it more than ND. I hate that saying and have no idea why announcers continue to use it in their broadcasts.

While I like Stokes' size in the post, Morgan Tuck deserves to start. She seems to be involved in one way or another in almost every play. The kid is just fantastic and we are starting to see now why she was ranked #1 at one point when she was a freshman or sophomore in high school.

Kia Nurse also deserves to start. She's mature beyond her years, has a confidence about her, and can score from pretty much anywhere. Also she makes terrific decisions - often we "complain" that freshmen make dumb freshman mistakes. I don't see her doing any of that.

I still don't see the same Moriah we saw last year - I thought she was spectacular and the 2nd best guard in the nation. But I thought she was really solid vs. Vandy. Liked seeing her shot fall. She seemed to be shying away from it in earlier games. Then again, with so many scorers, she does not need to jack up shots...

Stewie seems to be struggling. At least one of the foul calls in the 1st half was bogus, but if she can't figure out how to score more when being double teamed, she won't be NPOY. 12 points, 2 assists and 3 boards is not the production we should be getting from the reigning NPOY. Still, I think some of her problem was the foul trouble. 3 in the first half but only 1 in the 2nd half.

KML has been the most consistent scorer on the team this season, Stanford game excepted. She's averaging almost 20 PPG and I really focused on her vs. Vandy. She has a great handle - much better than I thought. She seemed to move well and was not noticeably slow or deficient on defense.

Stokes had a few good moments in the 1st half, and a ton in the 2nd half. Thought she looked really good - intense, and really strong on defense.

Chong is a bit of a mystery to me. Geno raved about her in the preseason, but her defense is swiss cheese. She gets beat constantly on defense because she does not get down in her stance, does not keep her arms up, and does not defend with her feet - but rather with her hands. It's disappointing to see a sophomore play such poor defense. And her offense is only average. I don't like her with the ball in her hands directing traffic. I'm much more comfortable seeing Moriah or Kia with the ball in their hands. I think Saniya has the chance to be a really solid reserve - maybe something like Ashley Battle. I don't really ever see her starting, at least not till her senior year when Jefferson is gone. I hope I'm wrong, but I have not seen a large jump from her freshman to sophomore years.

Gabby Williams - what an energizer bunny. Reminds me a bit of Morgan - in that when she's on the court, she's involved in most of the plays in one way or another. She needs to work on FT's but really seems to be picking things up quickly, especially for a kid who missed almost 2 years with injuries.

 

[j66kicker]

I taped the game and watched it at this morning. My thoughts - some good, some not so good...

Vandy was overmatched. They rely on a bunch of freshmen who at times did some good things individually, but more often got steamrolled by UCONN. I liked their center a lot - she had one terrific post move in the first half and scored over Stokes, which is no small feat.

I thought the team played really well as a whole. A lot of communication, and especially help defense when a player was beaten by the kid they were guarding. Did not see that in the Stanford game as much. 2 nits to pick from the announcers - again Meghan went on and on about the "energy" of the team. I think that's a bit incorrect to say that only vs. Vandy did they play with good energy. I think they've had good energy all season, but the chemistry was better (communication, spacing, etc etc). Also, she mentioned again several times when referring to the energy as "UCONN wanting it more". That's a load of horse crap. It's like saying UCONN won the NC because they wanted it more than ND. I hate that saying and have no idea why announcers continue to use it in their broadcasts.

While I like Stokes' size in the post, Morgan Tuck deserves to start. She seems to be involved in one way or another in almost every play. The kid is just fantastic and we are starting to see now why she was ranked #1 at one point when she was a freshman or sophomore in high school.

Kia Nurse also deserves to start. She's mature beyond her years, has a confidence about her, and can score from pretty much anywhere. Also she makes terrific decisions - often we "complain" that freshmen make dumb freshman mistakes. I don't see her doing any of that.

I still don't see the same Moriah we saw last year - I thought she was spectacular and the 2nd best guard in the nation. But I thought she was really solid vs. Vandy. Liked seeing her shot fall. She seemed to be shying away from it in earlier games. Then again, with so many scorers, she does not need to jack up shots...

Stewie seems to be struggling. At least one of the foul calls in the 1st half was bogus, but if she can't figure out how to score more when being double teamed, she won't be NPOY. 12 points, 2 assists and 3 boards is not the production we should be getting from the reigning NPOY. Still, I think some of her problem was the foul trouble. 3 in the first half but only 1 in the 2nd half.

KML has been the most consistent scorer on the team this season, Stanford game excepted. She's averaging almost 20 PPG and I really focused on her vs. Vandy. She has a great handle - much better than I thought. She seemed to move well and was not noticeably slow or deficient on defense.

Stokes had a few good moments in the 1st half, and a ton in the 2nd half. Thought she looked really good - intense, and really strong on defense.

Chong is a bit of a mystery to me. Geno raved about her in the preseason, but her defense is swiss cheese. She gets beat constantly on defense because she does not get down in her stance, does not keep her arms up, and does not defend with her feet - but rather with her hands. It's disappointing to see a sophomore play such poor defense. And her offense is only average. I don't like her with the ball in her hands directing traffic. I'm much more comfortable seeing Moriah or Kia with the ball in their hands. I think Saniya has the chance to be a really solid reserve - maybe something like Ashley Battle. I don't really ever see her starting, at least not till her senior year when Jefferson is gone. I hope I'm wrong, but I have not seen a large jump from her freshman to sophomore years.

Gabby Williams - what an energizer bunny. Reminds me a bit of Morgan - in that when she's on the court, she's involved in most of the plays in one way or another. She needs to work on FT's but really seems to be picking things up quickly, especially for a kid who missed almost 2 years with injuries.

Great observations!

Regarding Saniya possibly starting when she's a senior, I think her time to either be an impact contributor or not is this year. Great players (ie. UCONN starters) usually assert themselves much earlier than their senior years. There are more great players on the way and Geno will play them if they can make an impact.

 

[EricLA]

Great observations!

Regarding Saniya possibly starting when she's a senior, I think her time to either be an impact contributor or not is this year. Great players (ie. UCONN starters) usually assert themselves much earlier than their senior years. There are more great players on the way and Geno will play them if they can make an impact.

Thank you! What I meant by her possibly starting as a senior is that it will be the year after Moriah graduates. When Saniya is a senior, we will have Nurse, Edwards, Ekmark, Dangerfield, and maybe no other guards on the team unless Geno lands another won from 2016. I think it's unlikely that freshman Dangerfield would start over senior Chong, and could see Nurse and Chong in the back court with Edwards, Ekmark and Dangerfield off the bench. But you are right - under normal circumstances, "starters" assert themselves before their senior years...