Aaliyah has been a force

[HuskyNan]

 

[Bone Dog]

Aaliyah is a force.

I have been puzzled by a recurring theme here, that Aaliyah hasn't played well against tough teams. We know last season that she played exceptionally well against tough teams like SC, NC St, Tennessee, Iowa, Villanova, Creighton and even DePaul when she convincingly outplayed Morrow. But the SC game was the most telling, when she scored 25 on 10-14 shooting against Boston and Cardoso. Now it's true that she didn't do as well this season in the first few games as the only big on the floor most of the time. But I doubt very much WNBA scouts will expect her to do much of that at the next level.

 

[BobbyJ]

Aaliyah is a force.

I have been puzzled by a recurring theme here, that Aaliyah hasn't played well against tough teams. We know last season that she played exceptionally well against tough teams like SC, NC St, Tennessee, Iowa, Villanova, Creighton and even DePaul when she convincingly outplayed Morrow. But the SC game was the most telling, when she scored 25 on 10-14 shooting against Boston and Cardoso. Now it's true that she didn't do as well this season in the first few games as the only big on the floor most of the time. But I doubt very much WNBA scouts will expect her to do much of that at the next level.

Edwards is doing her imitation of Custer's Last Stand. The opponents don't have to account for Juhasz on offense, on the boards, and especially protecting the paint. She needs help, she's not a dominating big but she can be a very good complementary piece as a pro up front.

 

[Oldschoolbb]

Yeah. No.

 

[RadfordRam]

View attachment 94361

AE has been incredible and in my opinion the most important piece of this team. She's a mismatch every game!

 

[oldude]

Edwards is doing her imitation of Custer's Last Stand. The opponents don't have to account for Juhasz on offense, on the boards, and especially protecting the paint. She needs help, she's not a dominating big but she can be a very good complementary piece as a pro up front.

Alas, I had hoped that by this time in the season Jana would have established herself at the 5 in the rotation, giving Aaliyah the freedom to wreak havoc at the 4. With that said, one of the reasons that Aaliyah’s numbers have jumped over the past few games is that the 3 freshmen, along with Paige, Nika & Aubrey have all been moving better as a team, spreading the floor and knocking down 3’s.

 

[HopJim]

As the only true producing big, it would be unrealistic to expect much more from Aaliyah. She is consistently doubled every time she has the ball, and often has 2 or more defenders down low pushing her away from rebounds. I watch a lot of college basketball and have not seen any one in the US display her combination of offense, defense, rebounding, and energy. Just taking the beating she does every game and not respond must take great self-control. Now that the 4-guard offense is beginning to peak, she should start to see things open up.

 

[HuskyNan]

Aaliyah is a force.

I have been puzzled by a recurring theme here, that Aaliyah hasn't played well against tough teams. We know last season that she played exceptionally well against tough teams like SC, NC St, Tennessee, Iowa, Villanova, Creighton and even DePaul when she convincingly outplayed Morrow. But the SC game was the most telling, when she scored 25 on 10-14 shooting against Boston and Cardoso. Now it's true that she didn't do as well this season in the first few games as the only big on the floor most of the time. But I doubt very much WNBA scouts will expect her to do much of that at the next level.

Her best game was, arguably, against one of the biggest teams the Huskies faced, Texas. Ironically, it was Texas’s guard play that won the game for them. She seemed subdued against UCLA which Geno suggested could be due to the team’s mental state after Azzi tore her ACL.

 

[Nolefan]

Good ? Yea .. Force ? Not really imo

 

[Bone Dog]

Now that the 4-guard offense is beginning to peak, she should start to see things open up.

Before the season, many of us figured she’d have a breakout season with awesome perimeter shooting keeping opponents from packing the paint, and maybe having two budding stars in the post in Jana and Ice. Then all that changed and we suddenly had a very thin post and perimeter. No surprise, but Aaliyah was double and triple teamed every time she touched the ball. Gone were the dazzling stats and the double-doubles as far as the eye could see. Even worse, her elbow jumper and her signature drives down the lane and along the baseline were now very vexed propositions.

Well, now our perimeter shooting is looking a lot sharper and could get even sharperer. And — surprise surprise — Aaliyah’s game is looking a lot more like what we expect. The post is still a very thin position, which means she still has to be extra careful about fouling. But I expect she’ll do very well this season as long as the freshmen progress as we all hope.

 

[JellyBean]

Aaliyah has been a force from the jump this year. Minus the subpar games against UCLA and Kansas, which happens to anyone, Aaliyah has been great. That Texas game, Aaliyah really stood out. I hope she lands on the right team in the WNBA.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

If we had to lose either Paige or Aaliyah for the rest of the season, which would be the more
devastating loss? I would have to say Aaliyah since those who would replace her are less
ready for prime time than those behind Paige.

 

[Bone Dog]

If we had to lose either Paige or Aaliyah for the rest of the season, which would be the more
devastating loss? I would have to say Aaliyah since those who would replace her are less
ready for prime time than those behind Paige.

I have my fingers in my ears and I'm muttering "Lalalalalalalalalalalalalala, make it stop" to myself.

 

[JellyBean]

If we had to lose either Paige or Aaliyah for the rest of the season, which would be the more
devastating loss? I would have to say Aaliyah since those who would replace her are less
ready for prime time than those behind Paige.

Whoa! Let's not even go there.

 

[Skeets]

If we had to lose either Paige or Aaliyah for the rest of the season, which would be the more
devastating loss? I would have to say Aaliyah since those who would replace her are less
ready for prime time than those behind Paige.

You need to soak your typing fingers in bleach.

 

[BRS24]

If we had to lose either Paige or Aaliyah for the rest of the season, which would be the more
devastating loss? I would have to say Aaliyah since those who would replace her are less
ready for prime time than those behind Paige.

Bad juju. Now I'm going to have to wear a UConn shirt every day until the next game.

 

[Bone Dog]

Bad juju. Now I'm going to have to wear a UConn shirt every day until the next game.

Be sure to wear it inside out on odd numbered days for triple the mojo

 

[Zonepress]

Aaliyah is a force.

I have been puzzled by a recurring theme here, that Aaliyah hasn't played well against tough teams. We know last season that she played exceptionally well against tough teams like SC, NC St, Tennessee, Iowa, Villanova, Creighton and even DePaul when she convincingly outplayed Morrow. But the SC game was the most telling, when she scored 25 on 10-14 shooting against Boston and Cardoso. Now it's true that she didn't do as well this season in the first few games as the only big on the floor most of the time. But I doubt very much WNBA scouts will expect her to do much of that at the next level.

Agree with your post but would add Imho AE has a game that will translate to
Wnba
Due to the endless injuries she has been forced to
Be a “scorer” which she has done quite well
But imho is not natural to her
running the floor, rebounding and defending at an incredibly high level is her real strength
Her improvement as an offensive player over her time at UConn has been immense and is a credit to her and the coaches
As a freshman, she did not have a passable jumpshot had trouble putting the ball in the floor and going by somebody
Did not have any post moves and could not finish with her left hand
She is now a polished offensive player and any limitations in her game, come from having play out
Of position as a center
And the nonsense about not playing well, in big games is simply people who look at metrics and don’t actually watch the games or go to the games

 

[cancontent]

If she's a 4 instead of a 5 as some have stated, she has more freedom. This was evident during the summer when she played for Canada when she was paired with Kayla Alexander. When the team ran their offence through these two it was fun basketball to watch. When the guards didn't, the team struggled mightily which is why Canada is on the outside looking in for the Olympics at the moment.

She continues to work and get better which is all that UConn fans want. Her outside shooting is better which also opens up the floor for her and the team too. With a nice break before the grind of conference play, ND and SC, I'm looking forward to seeing what she does.