Crystal!

[divots]

Hmmmm...Could you possibly be talking about MoJet?

 

[divots]

Or perhaps you mean Dee.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I don't understand this obsession with having her start.

What's the benefit of bringing her in off the bench? She's going to start eventually, so why wait? Basically you're saying to hell with the first 3-5 minutes of the game and that you don't care what happens. The great UConn teams of years past would take your soul in those first five minutes to quote the Duquesne coach. When UConn is clicking on all cylinders, they will be up 10 by the first media time out, not down 5 as they were to an inferior Dayton team last night. They just don't click when Chong is in that particular line up for whatever reason. It's no ones fault really, but that's why you experiment with different combinations, and the Chong-Kia-KLS-Gabby-Collier combo does not run smoothly. I think it's because neither Kia nor Saniya are decisive enough so things kind of bog down and look like there is no plan on offense. I'm willing to give it a few more games for a larger sample size since there were mitigating circumstances the first few games (foul trouble with some of the starters), but the trend is becoming obvious that the team simply works better with Crystal running the show. Make her a starter now as there isn't better talent ahead of her as there was when Mo was a freshman, and by next year the starting five will have an entire year of playing together under their belts. We still have the big 3: Stewie, Tuck, and Mo are just wearing KLS, Collier, and Crystal Dangerfield masks and uniforms.

 

[HoopsFan21]

View attachment 17112 Or perhaps you mean Dee.

Diana is the queen of ridiculous passes. Look on youtube at some of the highlights.

 

[pacific 44]

If anyone wants to know how good next year's team is going to be just look at it backwards.Lets assume that next year's team was the incoming 6 players.Coombs at the 1, AEH at the 2,Walker at the 3,Camara and Stevens at the 4&5 positions and Lexi who can play the 2-4 positions subbing in.How far would this team go by the following March,April?Is this a final 4 team in and by itself?Geno would probably coach this team up to at least an elite 8 finish by tourney time.
Then one of those tv infomercial guys leaps out from behind a curtain and shouts,"But wait,if you order now i will throw in another starting 5 that is even better and shipping and handling are free."These are two potential final 4 teams united and molded into one of the most outstanding teams ever by the greatest wcbb coaching staff in the history of the sport.
Yes it is ok to talk about this We have a whole week before the next game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I would argue that she already has the keys. I don't understand this obsession with having
her start. She has already played 30% more minutes than Saniya, and I would expect that
margin to grow. To me, what counts is minutes, not starting.

Starting slow can happen to any team. Sometimes a team starts slow and the other team takes control and never lets go. Saniya as PG slows this team down and is a defensive liability. Currently her offensive production is very low. But I do understand the benefit of trying to have her work out of some issues; the defense is not going to change. Ultimately she will spell the 2 guard and the PG so they can have a blow.

 

[NewCorn]

As I watched the game again, I couldn't help but to laugh, because I did jump ahead to next year. Just the thought of Crystal and Megan on the floor together, it gives me so much joy .

Yes, but this year we have Danger to Lou, Danger to Pheesa, and Danger to Gabby. Three drumsticks on the plate is better than one in the oven. Your brother-in-law is going to get that one. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[cbraarj]

I would argue that she already has the keys. I don't understand this obsession with having
her start. She has already played 30% more minutes than Saniya, and I would expect that
margin to grow. To me, what counts is minutes, not starting.

I will say it this way then. The offense runs smoother with Crystal. The other starters know what Crystal brings with her skills and confidence. She has played with 2 starters for USAB for a few years.She is better than Saniya now.

 

[dtbtbtb]

I don't think I've ever seen a freshmen pass as well as Danger! She's got already the mastery of the pick and roll and some of those passes on fast breaks bring to mind Magic J.

 

[Carnac]

As I watched the game again, I couldn't help but to laugh, because I did jump ahead to next year. Just the thought of Crystal and Megan on the floor together, it gives me so much joy .

Join the club. You're not the only one. UConn is going to be exciting to watch for at least the next 5 years.

 

[hoophuskee]

So next year we'll have two #1 (Walker, KLS) and a #2 (Crystal Dangerfield) recruit from their respective classes to go along with adding AZ to the mix? The 2017-19 seasons are going to have absurdly good and deep teams.

When slu provided links to Danger's games last year and I had a chance to watch her, I immediately thought she would do wonders for Lou. Now that we have Meg Walker- I'm thinking of the absurdity when we have a lineup of Walker, Gabby and Collier at the 2/3/4 spots with Danger running the show. Can you imagine the defensive pressure that could be placed upon an opponent?

And after misses or turnovers the ball gets to CD to lead a fastbreak? It will be sick.

 

[warbler1055]

Join the club. You're not the only one. UConn is going to be exciting to watch for at least the next 5 years.

LOL!!!! Never mind about the future, I am REALLY enjoying this team this year!!!!

 

[bags27]

LOL!!!! Never mind about the future, I am REALLY enjoying this team this year!!!!

+1000

There is an exciting fragility about this club, because
1. we still don't know how good the 5 starters (including Crystal, whether or not she actually "starts") can be individually and working together: there is enormous unproven upside.
2. an injury or foul trouble puts enormous stress on this club, because there is no telling how Saniya will perform on a given night, and Natalie is great, but only in certain circumstances; the other two freshmen remain works in progress.

These unknowns make it very exciting to watch, and everyone better beware, because This is a very dangerous (pun intended!) basketball team. It will only get better as the year goes on, and everyone but Saniya is back next year to be joined by an incredibly talented group of other players.

 

[warbler1055]

Great post bag27, you NAILED it!!!!

 

[Carnac]

“You could coach some guards until they’re 25 and they still wouldn’t be able to see the things she sees,” Auriemma said. “That’s not from coaching, that’s from an innate ability that she has."

Final Score: UConn Women Cruise Past Dayton, 98-65

Nice 69 pix game gallery at bottom of this article.

Some fans have eyes that see not. Some have ears that hear not. Crystal Dangerfield is NOT your average point guard. Some of us can see that now, even in her infancy stage. If you can't see her potential NOW, and how robust and vital she's going to be in four years, you're not paying attention, or you just don't have an eye for talent. Are we signing her praises, yes. Crystal's play now is the worse it will be while she's at UConn. She's going to get better with every practice, every game. She's better now than when practice began in October, and much better than this time last year.

Sometime during the season, the light will go on. She will have arrived. She will know (from game experience at this level) exactly what she can and can't do, and when she can do it.
Moriah Jefferson was much better at her position as a junior than as a freshman. The same will be true for Crystal. I don't need any rabbit's feet, crystal balls (pun), or tea leaves to see what's in her future. Crystal has all the earmarks of greatness. She has skills that you can't teach.

Carnac sez...................Very soon this season, she will make us forget about Moriah Jefferson, as we will be so caught up in the jaw dropping things she'll be doing. I'm not predicting any individual awards just yet, but they will come.

Everyone (including the coaching staff) with eyes can see that UConn's offense is smoother and flows better when she's in the game. The more she plays with the starters, the more comfortable she will be. She'll learn where each player likes to get the ball and when (no 2 players are alike). All point guards have to learn this about their teammates. i.e., you can't give Butler the same passes on a fast break that you can give to Lou. Success breeds confidence. At some point soon, after she sees enough of the competition at this level, she'll stop making those freshman mistakes, and play like a seasoned veteran. Crystal is not the type of player that will keep making the same mistakes over and over. Whether she starts or not is really not important. It's how many minutes she plays. She's averaging 26 minutes a game over the last 3 games. That in itself should tell you something. We're watching the maturation of a future star. Don't blink, you might miss something.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Some fans have eyes that see not. Some have ears that hear not. Crystal Dangerfield is NOT your average point guard. Some of us can see that now, even in her infancy stage. If you can't see her potential NOW, and how robust and vital she's going to be in four years, you're not paying attention, or you just don't have an eye for talent. Are we signing her praises, yes. Crystal's play now is the worse it will be while she's at UConn. She's going to get better with every practice, every game. She's better now than when practice began in October, and much better than this time last year.

Sometime during the season, the light will go on. She will have arrived. She will know (from game experience at this level) exactly what she can and can't do, and when she can do it.
Moriah Jefferson was much better at her position as a junior than as a freshman. The same will be true for Crystal. I don't need any rabbit's feet, crystal balls (pun), or tea leaves to see what's in her future. Crystal has all the earmarks of greatness. She has skills that you can't teach.

Carnac sez....Very soon this season, she will make us forget about Moriah Jefferson, as we will be so caught up in the jaw dropping things she'll be doing. I'm not predicting any individual awards just yet, but they will come.

Everyone (including the coaching staff) with eyes can see that UConn's offense is smoother and flows better when she's in the game. The more she plays with the starters, the more comfortable she will be. She'll learn where each player likes to get the ball and when (no 2 players are alike). All point guards have to learn this about their teammates. i.e., you can't give Butler the same passes on a fast break that you can give to Lou. Success breeds confidence. At some point soon, after she sees enough of the competition at this level, she'll stop making those freshman mistakes, and play like a seasoned veteran. Crystal is not the type of player that will keep making the same mistakes over and over. Whether she starts or not is really not important. It's how many minutes she plays. She's averaging 26 minutes a game over the last 3 games. That in itself should tell you something. We're watching the maturation of a future star. Don't blink, you might miss something.

Well said...but "forget" about Mo? Nah...never!

 

[OldAlum]

I recall watching Dangerfield and Collier in USA basketball. They were both really impressive. In particular I was blown away by the maturity of the not-yet-Junior Dangerfield. She is even better now. Looking forward to watching her. But nobody will make me forget Mo!

 

[Carnac]

Well said...but "forget" about Mo? Nah...never!

My thought here was that we will be so "caught up" in the after glow of what Crystal will be doing, that Mo will be an after thought. At some point, Crystal will no longer be compared to Moriah like she is now. Please understand me. Mo was my favorite player on last year's team. I love Mo, and still do. Mo has the heart of a champion, the the guts and guile of a warrior. I followed her progress all season in the WNBA, and look forward to watching her again next season. Because Crystal Dangerfield was brought in to take Mo's place at pg, the comparisons are expected.

I see the same fire and desire in Crystal that I see in Mo. Like Mo, Crystal wants to be great. I almost jumped out of my chair when she threaded a perfect bounce pass (in traffic) to a player filling the lane on a fast break for an assist. It was no big thing to CD, it what she does. THAT (among other things) is what makes her special.

BUT........................... our memory of Mo, and the things she did will begin to fade as we watch Crystal perform, and dazzle us with HER brilliance and athleticism. Out of sight, out of mind. Of course the things that Mo did will never be forgotten, but those feats will fade to black as we watch and enjoy Crystal make her mark in WCBB over the next 4 years before our very eyes. Make no mistake about it Bigpet, she will live up to the "hype".

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Very soon this season, she will make us forget about Moriah Jefferson

Oh, what you said!! Moriah is enshrined. But we have room for more as well. It's the Husky way.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

There is an exciting fragility about this club

The same can be said for a peptic ulcer!

 

[oldude]

I remember watching Danger during the McDonald's AA game last spring and thinking then that she was going to be something special at PG.

Now the McD AA game is one of the worst examples of TEAM BB that you will ever see. A bunch of stars dribble around for a while & then shoot the ball. No passing & very little defense.

However, Danger was steady, actually trying to run the offense. She consistently broke down her defender off the dribble and penetrated into the lane, only to be surrounded by other defenders while the rest of her teammates stood around and watched.

I knew that once Danger was in UConn's motion offense she would have shooters spotting up for open 3's, wings cutting to the basket for layups & everyone running the floor with her on fast breaks.

It's going to be a beautiful thing to watch over the next 4 yrs.

 

[donalddoowop]

Hey Carnac. What do you mean by signing her praises? (smile)

 

[Carnac]

Oh, what you said!! Moriah is enshrined. But we have room for more as well. It's the Husky way.

OK, I'm getting a lot of "push back" on this. Perhaps I used a poor choice of words here. I completely agree that Moriah is enshrined in the hallowed halls of UConn lore.
She's still in our collective sub-conscious because she just left. Mo made an indellible imprint on us. Those of us that got to see her play in person, or on TV will never forget her, or the things she was able to do. She will always be a member of the BIG 3 that won 4 National Championships at UConn. It would not surprise me if someday they named a trophy after her (at least at UConn). Nancy Lieberman was a great player, but she did not win 4 NC's, she won 2 NAIA NC's. Here's a little background on Lieberman:

From 1976 to 1980, Lieberman attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and played on the women's basketball team there.[21] During that time, she and her team won two consecutive AIAW National Championships (1979, 1980)[22] and one WNIT (Women's National Invitation Tournament) Championship in 1978. She was the first two-time winner of the prestigious Wade Trophy,[23] a national "player of the year" award in college women's basketball, and was selected as the Broderick Award winner for basketball as the top women's player in America.[24] Lieberman also won three consecutive Kodak All-America awards (1978, '79, '80).[25] Lieberman was one of six young adults to win the Young American Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1980.[26]


Lieberman earned the nickname "Lady Magic," a nod to Earvin "Magic" Johnson of NBA fame.[27] Lieberman set a school record for career assists (961) that still stands today. She led the team in assists each of the four years she was on the team—in her sophomore year she averaged 8.9 per game.[28] Lieberman amassed 2,430 points along with 1,167 rebounds in her collegiate career, producing an average of 18.1 points per game.[28] Lieberman achieved a triple double (40 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists) against Norfolk State in her sophomore year.[28] Lieberman stole the ball 562 times and assisted a basket 961 times in her college career, believed to be modern records.[12] She is the holder of several single-game and single-season records, including best free-throw shooting percentage in her freshman and sophomore years.[28] Lieberman earned her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Old Dominion University on May 6, 1980.[29] She was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.[30]


Awards and honors

• 1979—Winner of the Honda award for basketball[31]
• 1979—The Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.[32]
• 1980—Winner of the Honda award for basketball[31]

Moriah has not been gone a year yet. Out of sight, out of mind. Eventually we will not think of Mo on a nightly basis, nor will we (at some point) compare Crystal to Mo. At some point, sooner or later, we will get use to the things Crystal does, and take them for granted, just like we did for Mo. That is the thought I was trying to convey. Mo is Mo, and Crystal is Crystal, each comfortable in their own skin. Two amazing athletes that we will have had the pleasure and privilege of watching play under one of the best basketball coaches of all time.

 

[donalddoowop]

Lieberman was SPECIAL.

 

[NewCorn]

I expect to see fantastic things from Danger, but we will only know she has reached her potential when someday she wins the Moriah Jefferson Trophy. Check out my picture.