Carolyn Ducharme an upgrade at No.33?

[eebmg]

I was also impressed how she ripped the ball through Hailey Van Lith's grip a few times. She definitely has real good upper body strength

 

[sun]

To be clear that’s a fan page, not “Caroline’s” page.

Thanks, I wouldn't have known that.
I thought that maybe she was trying to emulate Paige and her youtube channel to some extent.

Paige's channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTl0qQATNYOKj_kBXqMy1QQ/videos

I understand that it doesn't claim to be Caroline's channel, but it also doesn't say that it's not her channel.
How do you know that it's not Caroline's channel?
The channel's "about" page only says that it's a fan page.
The channel is certainly trying to promote Caroline's popularity.
Is there any possibility that she has authorized its creation, or are you speculating like I did?
Maybe someone is running the channel for her or on her behalf, and with her permission?
Maybe she delegated the posting of highlights to someone she trusts but the channel belongs to her?

 

[Sam.the.Man]

How do you know that it's not Caroline's channel?

Because he's been around for more than five minutes!

 

[npignatjr]

This is so inaccurate I don't even know where to begin. By all means give Caroline her props and flowers and accolades but let's not diminish KLS. KLS had Napheesa collier, Gabby Williams and Morgan Tuck and Stewie playing in front of her as a freshman and still managed to be a starter by s

I'm pretty sure she started alongside Jefferson, Nurse, Stewart and Tuck. Collier and Williams were coming off the bench. The only reason she wasn't starting in the NCAAT is because she was out injured.

Final game only started until then hurt in first half of semis

 

[pvdoggy]

I'm pretty sure Caroline will eventually more productive in the big games than KLS was.

It is truly amazing that people can come to this kind of conclusion (based on 2 games that she is forced into action) even though I am sure that Caroline will be a very good player at Uconn. I am afraid to see some of the same people throwing her under the bus if she goes into a slump the next 3-4 games. Just think of what people were saying about CW after the first ND game and what they are saying now.

 

[CL82]

Maybe once Caroline becomes an AA and makes 10 straight 3s in the same game, maybe...

Pssh just 10? What, is she only going to play one half?

 

[Blueberries]

So 2 weeks ago, I was picking up a foster kitten in Dedham, MA, and both on my way off rt 128 (interstate 95) and back on, I passed Caroline’s school and thought “this is such a lovely campus. Reminiscent a bit of UConn” if nothing else, she’s used to living away from home in the same climate, and driving through gave me a happy and peaceful feeling. Let’s hope she develops live Lobo and other locally grown talents. She sure has the ability and drive, let’s hope it all pans out as a good fit for her and UConn…. Sure seems to be so far!

 

[Inthepaint]

Love the way #33 Shea approaches the game.
Be ready for anything, take nothing for granted, make the other team's players beat you,.
Hope she can bring that philosophy to Vandy and impart it to her players. They will be relevant once again.

#33, KLS was what got me interested in following UCONN WBB. Her shooting, her leadership, the way she telegraphed Geno's plan out on the floor, her enthusiasm. Can only imagine what would have been had she been healthy at some critical times.
She and Phee will always have a special place in our hearts as the Dynamic Duo
Hope she can make her mark in WNBA.

If # 33, Caroline Ducharme, can stay sound of body and develops her leadership skills, the sky's the limit. In the admittedly short time she's been able to really play, her natural abilities have become apparent.

 

[baggerbob]

Seeing a tall UCONN player with the number 33 and long range shooting has to bring KLS immediately to mind. And recognizing the very small sample, I have seen Charmer show a significantly greater skill set than Lou at the same stage. Lou basically was fixed just beyond the arc as a frosh. She didn't rebound, drive or make great passes. She had a very potent long range shot and not much else. Caroline Ducharme opened my eyes with her down court dribbling, including behind the back, against L'ville. I don't recall Lou ever having such ball handling skills. This of course on top of the obvious ability to score from anywhere on the floor, to rebound at both ends and some nifty passing to boot.

I think we have a permanent starter and potential star in number 33.

You had one of the greatest players in college basketball history in Stewie, along with Moriah, Tuck, Nurse, and Williams, you wouldn't expect either KLS or Collier to come in and star on that team.
The only injured current player who is in that class is Paige.

 

[baggerbob]

You had one of the greatest players in college basketball history in Stewie, along with Moriah, Tuck, Nurse, and Williams, you wouldn't expect either KLS or Collier to come in and star on that team.
The only injured current player who is in that class is Paige.

Meant to add that the 4 straight was built on defense, not just offense. The Stewie teams were great defensively as a team. Since they left the teams have been good defensively but not great.
During those 4 years Uconn as a team could dismantle opponents with their defense. I don't see that with this year's team. Even if Paige comes back, this team needs to get much better defensively to win a championship.

 

[Mdoggie]

I have to disagree there. You think these kids don’t compare themselves to other players? Obviously (like anything) it could be odious if couched in a pejorative way. Not sure how saying that a young player “plays like, reminds me of, shoots like, has a release like”, etc is somehow hurtful to anyone?

Wrong! High level players compare themselves to pros not players at the same level. Caitlin is not comparing herself to Paige. Azzi is not comparing herself to destiny Henderson. These players are trying to cut out their own legacies and style.

 

[Cuango]

Wrong! High level players compare themselves to pros not players at the same level. Caitlin is not comparing herself to Paige. Azzi is not comparing herself to destiny Henderson. These players are trying to cut out their own legacies and style.

? Funny, I didn’t realize pros were no longer “players”? Players in all sports routinely compare themselves and are compared to other players, pro or otherwise. The question was whether that is somehow a bad thing. I happen to believe it is not.

 

[Mdoggie]

? Funny, I didn’t realize pros were no longer “players”? Players in all sports routinely compare themselves and are compared to other players, pro or otherwise. The question was whether that is somehow a bad thing. I happen to believe it is not.

Ok. I misunderstood. I thought you were saying they were comparing themselves to players at the same level. I need to slow down and actually read what is written.

 

[Conndog]

Meant to add that the 4 straight was built on defense, not just offense.

Fantastic defense starting with Stewie and MoJeff; having a super quick lockdown defender for guard is such a blessing. And Stokes could spell Stewie if need be and play defense just as well.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I have to question if you ever saw KLS play. Great shooter, yes, but also a great passer and cutter. Many, many layups made off of picks and intellient movement without the bass. Made everyone else better since other teams had to focus on her. Love Caroline and hope she continues to warrant this conversation.

@HopJim: I always enjoy your posts and I sincerely think we tend to view reality through similar lenses. [seriously]

But I would never consider a movement without the bass.

 

[Orangutan]

Which big games did you have in mind? KLS scored over 20 Points in her first 2 of her first 3 NCAA tournament games.

I believe the big games are whichever games make the point of the person who is posting

 

[Orangutan]

Many times Geno told KLS to be more aggressive or takeover games. Was waiting for her to do so in both final 4 games vs ND but she never did. That will not happen with Caroline if the situation presents itself.

See, this is the crux of it. Lou missed the Final Four of her freshman year and then never got back to the National Championship game. So people have seen her play in big games where UConn came up short.

And then she's gone on to a pretty good pro career but has yet to have a breakout WNBA season. So people have seen and dissected her flaws there, too.

Meanwhile, Caroline just scored 28 against a top-5 team. From there, it's easy to write off all her flaws and assume she'll never struggle. To just pronounce that she will not fail to takeover Final Four games, easy as that.

By the way, check the box scores of those ND final four games. Lou played well in both.

 

[baggerbob]

Fantastic defense starting with Stewie and MoJeff; having a super quick lockdown defender for guard is such a blessing. And Stokes could spell Stewie if need be and play defense just as well.

And Moriah could be right in a players face knowing, someone was back there to erase anything that got by Moriah.

 

[Childhood]

Caroline plays smartly. She has high basketball IQ and her off ball movement is really good. She is getting better for each game. Caroline probably is the best player in the starting lineup. I can't wait to see her playing with Paige.

 

[jdote33]

This thread made me watch KLS college clips, so thanks for the unintended Xmas gift! KLS was special. I mean when you average 20 a game at UConn u know ur pretty special. But she was a probably a better passer than what she gets credit for as she averaged close to 4 assist multiple seasons. Also I kept thinking that she was a lot bigger than Caroline, like her size allowed her to get the basket and get to spots in the mid-range where she could be on balance and pull up. But it appears she is 6'3 while Caroline is listed at 6'2 so not too big of a discrepency. Physically she got a lot stronger over the course of her 4 years.
Looking at her clips also made me think back to something Geno said early in the season. He was talking about how certain players only feel comfortable in certain spots and he's not used to that. He was used to having players who can make plays all over the court. You look at some of the bigs 12-18, Gabby, Phee, KLS, Azura,Stewie they all could play the 4 and even spot minutes at the 5 and they all had great ball skills. So I get what he was saying. I think eventually Caroline will be able to play the 3 and the 4.

 

[Cuango]

See, this is the crux of it. Lou missed the Final Four of her freshman year and then never got back to the National Championship game. So people have seen her play in big games where UConn came up short.

And then she's gone on to a pretty good pro career but has yet to have a breakout WNBA season. So people have seen and dissected her flaws there, too.

Meanwhile, Caroline just scored 28 against a top-5 team. From there, it's easy to write off all her flaws and assume she'll never struggle. To just pronounce that she will not fail to takeover Final Four games, easy as that.

By the way, check the box scores of those ND final four games. Lou played well in both.

Actually, she scored 24 I believe. If you are questioning the too early comparison of Caroline to KLS, I’m with you 100%!

 

[Orangutan]

Actually, she scored 24 I believe. If you are questioning the too early comparison of Caroline to KLS, I’m with you 100%!

Thanks, you're right.

I misremembered the box score/conflated Caroline's game witht the talk about Christyn's 28 point game against ND her freshman year.

24 pts, 8 reb are the correct totals for Caroline v. Louisville.

 

[Alydar]

Ducharme may be the kind of player that will be a streaky scorer. At least right now. I think she will be a lot more than that as time goes on. The nice part is that Fudd is the best shooter on the team so Ducharme is not critical to UConn's offense. Being 6'2" she can shoot over a lot of guards and has enough guard skills to go by slower defenders.

The more games I watch the more I see teams struggling to score. A lot of that is good defense but so is poor shooting. UConn's shooters are sitting. That's why I'm not concerned about their scoring down the road. Fudd & Bueckers are possibly the 2 best shooters in wcbb. I don't care how big the defense is. People are going to remember SCar's inside power as the marginot line of wcbb. UConn will just use rockets from a distance and go right over them.

 

[TeamFirst!]

There are so many things that are impressive about Ducharme but she will find stronger defenders on her going forward. Other teams will pay more attention to her. The thing is though that I don't think it will stop her. If they come out to stop the 3 she will keep driving by them. If she can play against their poorest offensive player she can cheat for rebounds more. She will often face opponents who are much shorter and she can post them up or beat them off the dribble enough to get to the rim and she finishes well. If anything, she hasn't got a roll all year. Her field goal percentage should go up in my opinion. Her efficiency overall should improve over time. She's STILL JUST A BEGINNING FRESHMAN essentially playing her 4th or 5th real game as the earlier stints were just a few minutes a game. In those opportunities she's scored 14 twice and 24 once I think.

When Paige comes back it should only open things up for everyone. And Caroline is capable of hitting 3 pointers at a higher percentage. She was a knock down 3 point shooter in high school, with terrific range and shot speed. Her percentage seems to go way up when she doesn't have to hurry. Chances are her efficiency is going to improve folks and that is terrific news.

The match ups against Depaul should be good I would think, for her. For her and Christyn. Evina generally puts up solid numbers against most teams. Depaul is going to want to run and we will need some sub guards in that game. It should be a great game to watch.

 

[Skeets]

Ducharme may be the kind of player that will be a streaky scorer. At least right now. I think she will be a lot more than that as time goes on. The nice part is that Fudd is the best shooter on the team so Ducharme is not critical to UConn's offense. Being 6'2" she can shoot over a lot of guards and has enough guard skills to go by slower defenders.

The more games I watch the more I see teams struggling to score. A lot of that is good defense but so is poor shooting. UConn's shooters are sitting. That's why I'm not concerned about their scoring down the road. Fudd & Bueckers are possibly the 2 best shooters in wcbb. I don't care how big the defense is. People are going to remember SCar's inside power as the marginot line of wcbb. UConn will just use rockets from a distance and go right over them.

Hmm, "the marginot line of wcbb"? I certainly hope so. Remember the marginot line was a complete failure, designed to refight WWI. How did that work out?

Childhood said the Caroline Ducharme was probably the best player in the starting lineup. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the last few games certainly showed Caroline Ducharme has a great upside.