Aaliyah Edwards!

[Bigpetunia]

Well, just because she deserves a thread of her own!!

We Husky fans, insanely spoiled as we already are, find ourselves on the threshold of a new platinum era for our favorite program. Paige, of course, is going to grab the lion's share of the attention, and deservedly so...she's the real deal! But this, after all, is basketball we're talking about here, and certain immutable facts apply. A hugely talented, beast-like presence down low is one of them. Opposing teams inevitably struggle mightily to have an answer for them on both ends of the floor. Coaches quickly find it impossible to keep them riding the pine for very long.

Comparisons to Tina will prove to be inevitable. But even Tina Charles, as talented as we knew she was when she first landed at UConn, didn't really become TINA CHARLES until her Junior year, after Geno and staff gradually transformed her into a beast. I get the sense that Aaliyah's trajectory will be much faster. That's a lot to put on a Freshman, I know, but it is what it is, particularly owing to Paige's presence (and Anya's), who will find her again and again. Geno's got a monster minutes distribution problem already, even before next year's Freshmen arrive...a wonderful problem to have. Certain players are going to make that 9 man rotation we've all been talking about much more difficult to transform into a practical reality - this'll be fun to watch!!

 

[warbler1055]

Great post. Geno is no dummy. AE will get her minutes!!!

 

[oldude]

Agree with your point about Tina. Her first 2 seasons in Storrs were uneven to say the least. So far, Aaliyah’s upside appears to be obvious and inevitable.

 

[DEpup]

I am on the Asja Jones comparison when it comes to Aaliyah. She may have Napheesa's motor but they don't have the same type of game. As many have mentioned, Charles took awhile to become Tina Charles. Aaliyah on the other hand is showing out immediately being a beast and making shots with high efficiency like Jones.

 

[eebmg]

Hmmm. I guess she outgrew the Naphessa Collier comparison.

 

[Kaizen]

And, Aaliyah is ranked by ESPNHoop only #23. Very underrated.

 

[ju6381]

And, Aaliyah is ranked by ESPNHoop only #23. Very underrated.

For some reason her ranking dropped while she was with the Canadian National Team.

 

[oldude]

For some reason her ranking dropped while she was with the Canadian National Team.

Probably happened after she was flattened against the US National team by one of Steph’s patented blindside picks....

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

 

[CL82]

Agree with your point about Tina. Her first 2 seasons in Storrs were uneven to say the least. So far, Aaliyah’s upside appears to be obvious and inevitable.

Uh...

"We're doomed."

 

[huskyd]

IMO there's no such thing as a 9 man rotation at UConn. Geno usually settles on his starters and then adds one or two in the rotation--so 7 max. Next year may be easier to figure than this one because Azzi will start immediately with Paige. I think Edwards must start next to Liv. We have a few genuine forwards coming in, who might press Ania for playing time. Westbrook will sit and sub-in for the guards.
This season I believe the starters will eventually be Liv, Christyn, Edwards, Paige, Ania.
Geno will probably flip between going small or big, 3 guards or 2 guards plus Aaliyah this season. Ironically, if Evina doesn't start to score double digits, look for the big line-up now.
For many of these players, there will be no room at the inn.

 

[Dokey]

IMO there's no such thing as a 9 man rotation at UConn. Geno usually settles on his starters and then adds one or two in the rotation--so 7 max. Next year may be easier to figure than this one because Azzi will start immediately with Paige. I think Edwards must start next to Liv. We have a few genuine forwards coming in, who might press Ania for playing time. Westbrook will sit and sub-in for the guards.
This season I believe the starters will eventually be Liv, Christyn, Edwards, Paige, Ania.
Geno will probably flip between going small or big, 3 guards or 2 guards plus Aaliyah this season. Ironically, if Evina doesn't start to score double digits, look for the big line-up now.
For many of these players, there will be no room at the inn.

I see same starting five this season as you do. Next season it will be Paige, Azzi, CW, Edwards and Anna. Movement will be name of the game.

 

[JellyBean]

She is nice!! She is going to take somebody's spot! Just a matter of time.

 

[huskyd]

I see same starting five this season as you do. Next season it will be Paige, Azzi, CW, Edwards and Anna. Movement will be name of the game.

Where's Liv? Do you replace her with Aaliyah? I sit Ania and play Edwards (but keep Liv).

 

[cferraro04]

When I watch Aaliyah Edwards play...Asja Jones comes to mind...it is in some ways uncanny.

 

[Watchdog]

I am on the Asja Jones comparison when it comes to Aaliyah. She may have Napheesa's motor but they don't have the same type of game. As many have mentioned, Charles took awhile to become Tina Charles. Aaliyah on the other hand is showing out immediately being a beast and making shots with high efficiency like Jones.

Great comparison. Asjha was not the big name in her class but immediately showed how tough she was and was great inside.

 

[eebmg]

If you watch the end of the SH postgame presser with CW and Paige, the last question is to basically describe Aaliyah.

Paige: Man, she comes off the bench, rips off her mask, goes hard into the game. Everything she does is with intensity. Glad she is on our team.
so strong and she sweats alot.

 

[EricLA]

I see same starting five this season as you do. Next season it will be Paige, Azzi, CW, Edwards and Anna. Movement will be name of the game.

Agreed. It is FAR too early to talk about starters next season. Not even Geno has any idea what the quartet for next season will look like when they get to campus and start playing.

Heck, even if Aaliyah averages 18PPG off the bench for the rest of the season, it's doubtful she will crack the starting lineup UNLESS one of the starters goes into an extended slump. Having said that, I'm super impressed with how college ready Aaliyah already is.

Even this season, we've seen sophomore Aubrey literally disappear for almost an entire game and Evina and Anna struggle a bit to get on track offensively. But Aaliyah comes off the bench, plays super powerful, and is making an impact early.

Those of us who discuss rankings felt Aaliyah was at least a top 10 recruit, and possibly top 5. But for whatever reason (probably because she did not play in the US and there was no frame of reference for her play vs. other AAU US players), she was unranked by most and lower for those who did rank her.

She's much more mature for a freshman post player than anyone I can think of in recent memory. Post players traditionally take at least a year or 2 to develop - a-la the Tina Charles comments. I think Edwards also has a ton of upside. How awesome is it that she is already a beast with aggression and the ability to finish around the basket?

Add in even more post moves, a hook shot, the mid-range and deep game (so far she's a better FT shooter than junior ONO so maybe her mid-range game is already developed), and she's going to be special. Future AA for sure if she continues to grow and improve. I find it stunning that any service ranked Nika ahead of her (that international service did so). Love this kid and am so excited to watch her grow and develop.

 

[ConnecticutBB]

For sure I expected to enjoy watching Paige play for UCONN, and she has not disappointed, but I can not say enough about Edwards. It will be fun for all of us watching her continue to develop under the great coaching staff at UCONN.

 

[seeya27]

With the obligatory "only two games in" as a given...I think Aaliyah may be in a category by herself pretty quickly. Tina needed to believe in herself and Geno pushed her hard to reach her potential. Aaliyah appears to the athletic and personal confidence to become a different and dominant player quicker. A lot of bigs are reticent to use their size and strength. Aaliyah has no qualms about being a physical force immediately.

This whole class may be its own category very soon. Paige is a given; Mir is a potential superstar with no ceiling and crazy athleticism.

The depth of this team, between this year and next year, is something I can't fully wrap my head around.

 

[Waquoit]

I love this type of young player. Works hard and doesn't try to do things beyond her skill set, so she won't hurt you when she's out there. In fact, she's productive. But already you can see the ability and athleticism that tells one her future will be more than just as a role player. Watching her build her game is going to be a treat.

 

[huskeynut]

I know Geno is still tinkering with starting line-up and substitution pattern, but I think we are going to see the so called "twin towers" a lot. Liv is more of a finesse player and Aaliyah, so far, is a more physical, banger.

We could be seeing the hi-low game reappear.

 

[EdSaid]

And, Aaliyah is ranked by ESPNHoop only #23. Very underrated.

There are 20-30 people on the Boneyard that could rate players better than HoopGurlz.

Geno gave some insight into his recruiting on the Undefeated show on SNY. It is worth the watch.

 

[JoePgh]

My prediction: Geno is at most a game or two away from replacing Anna with Aaliyah in the starting lineup. I think his postgame comments (in the floor interview with the TV announcers) strongly implied this. ("To advance in March, you need a strong inside presence -- offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding -- and she provides that.")

I see the Asjha Jones analogy more than the Tina Charles analogy, but a more recent exemplar for Aaliyah is Morgan Tuck. Morgan was also a star in her freshman year, before she re-injured her knee. Morgan had the same strength in the paint and rebounding ability, with the flair to hit the occasional jump shot from further away. Morgan also knew how to position herself without the ball to get a pass and finish without opposition. I see all those things in Aaliyah.

The biggest question with Aaliyah is how many minutes she can play before she gets into foul trouble. Can she learn to control her fouling without losing her aggressiveness?

If you want to find someone to compare to Tina Charles, I suggest that you consider Mir McLean. Mir isn't as tall, but she has the same rock solid body and the same competitiveness in the paint. She also has the same immaturity as a freshman that Tina also had of going on "space walks" and missing assignments, i.e., not consistently having her head in the game when she isn't battling for a ball in the paint. It will take a year or more for her to outgrow that, and then her physical skills (strength, speed, and athleticism) appear to be comparable to Tina's.

As I said elsewhere, I think both Olivia and Evina will remain in the starting lineup all year, and before long their statistical production will justify that. Evina's stats other than scoring have been exemplary in the first two games, as Olivia's was tonight. Olivia really just had a "bad 4 minutes" at the beginning of the 3rd quarter of Saturday's game during which she shot 0-for-7; otherwise her productivity offers little to complain about. Her running the floor and getting transition opportunities has been superb in both games.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I agree that the team is going to need more of Aaliyah to go deep. I think the quote from @JoePgh , "To advance in March, you need a strong inside presence -- offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding -- and she provides that." is quite telling. I know this is the minority opinion (and I am ready for the fall out) Buuut, I am not on the Olivia bandwagon. I know it's early but we have played two relatively small clubs. Games that were there for Liv to dominate and she played well. But she should have dominated and did not. My opinion is she is too nice and plays too polite. I expected monster improvement this year and really have seen none. She has the same habits that caused her difficulties against better posts last year. Namely she starts her shot very low, frequently around the shoulder. I'm no talking about her 15 footer, but underneath the hoop. Secondly she has to gather herself to make a second jump. Now I admit that she looked terrific catching the ball on the run and scoring open layups and also I was shocked that she made 3 15-17 footers. (I think that was an abberation based on her catapult shooting style and her free throw percentage). Compare Aaliyah's stat line for the last game against Liv's when Liv played 25 minutes and Aaliyah played 18. Remember which player sent the opponents flying and which was knocked off her shot by shorter players, thus preventing and 1's. In the future I don't see us benching Anna because we need her threat of 3's and she also makes the offense flow. I think Aaliyah's minutes come from Liv. Now I understand that many feel that we need Liv's defensive presence and I also remember many BY posts about her swatting at shots.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Well, just because she deserves a thread of her own!!

We Husky fans, insanely spoiled as we already are, find ourselves on the threshold of a new platinum era for our favorite program. Paige, of course, is going to grab the lion's share of the attention, and deservedly so...she's the real deal! But this, after all, is basketball we're talking about here, and certain immutable facts apply. A hugely talented, beast-like presence down low is one of them. Opposing teams inevitably struggle mightily to have an answer for them on both ends of the floor. Coaches quickly find it impossible to keep them riding the pine for very long.

Comparisons to Tina will prove to be inevitable. But even Tina Charles, as talented as we knew she was when she first landed at UConn, didn't really become TINA CHARLES until her Junior year, after Geno and staff gradually transformed her into a beast. I get the sense that Aaliyah's trajectory will be much faster. That's a lot to put on a Freshman, I know, but it is what it is, particularly owing to Paige's presence (and Anya's), who will find her again and again. Geno's got a monster minutes distribution problem already, even before next year's Freshmen arrive...a wonderful problem to have. Certain players are going to make that 9 man rotation we've all been talking about much more difficult to transform into a practical reality - this'll be fun to watch!!

One of the common pieces we are seeing is the international competition they (Bueckers & Edwards) have faced and rose to the top (MVP for Bueckers) to medal with their respective teams goes a long way in transitioning to the college game. I am happy for the early success for both of these Fantastic Freshmen, as it is an omen for the next four years....