Dangerfield

[magic]

Like a lot of posters, being a very long time husky fan , I tend to be a lot tougher criticizing men's basketball than women's. Why? [mod edit: removed knock on the board #1] When I watch our ladies play, I try and separate what my eyes see from " my attachment " to this team. I think it is high time Dangerfield begins to start playing to a " higher " standard ! She came into the program as the highest rated point guard, with a long list of USA basketball and hs credentials. We see a few flashes of " brilliance ", and suddenly everyone go OOH , AAH ! THEN I watch Destiny Slocum ! Enough said. Danger was put in a highly pressurized , end of game situation against tulane, really for the first time. Totally different situation than against Baylor. The look on Danger's face at the line against Tulane, was that of an Fear/AWAKENING . The next couple of weeks will be make or break her as far as this season goes , and how she is utilized during the tournament !

 

[Hongster]

Don't forget she's a frosh. She has the talent. She just need some experience and confidence to catch up with her talent. That may comes sooner than anybody thinks.

 

[HoopsFan21]

And she's missed a bunch of games and practices with two injuries. Her decision making has been noticeably better as of late. Some folks forget what an adventure it was having Mo out there when she was just a freshman.

 

[Geew1992]

Hmmm..... Did you say the samething about Stewie when she was a freshman looking like a deer in headlights at times. Give the girl a break. She's a freshman hitting a freshman wall that they all hit. She has been in and out of the line up due to injuries.

 

[Roundball fan]

I am kind of thinking it is in her head, she played great against Baylor and pretty good against South Carolina so why has she struggled against teams that may not be as good? Geno has seen her all season and that is why he has said that she doesn't all ways like to work up a sweat. It is end of the season she is no longer a freshmen, time for Crystal to shine and I am hoping it starts tonight.

 

[Kmoney]

Wasn't Jefferson about the same as a freshman? I can't think of a tougher position in college sports than being a freshman point guard at UConn.

 

[Geew1992]

Wasn't Jefferson about the same as a freshman? I can't think of a tougher position in college sports than being a freshman point guard at UConn.

Pretty much. And Jefferson didn't have the "pressure" that Danger has

 

[Huskylove3]

She'll show us next year why she was the highest rated point guard in high school. Until then, we will have to deal with the freshman roller coaster.

 

[magic]

Hmmm..... Did you say the samething about Stewie when she was a freshman looking like a deer in headlights at times. Give the girl a break. She's a freshman hitting a freshman wall that they all hit. She has been in and out of the line up due to injuries.

[mod edit: Removed knock on the board #2. Don't let there be a third. Just state your opinion.] But , since you ask about Stewie ? Stewie was actually having quite a decent freshman season, until Geno decided he didn't like something in practice . At this stage of her freshman season, she was light years ahead of Danger. She was also being physically manhandled . March is a few days away, and I seriously doubt the coaching staff is treating Danger as a " poor little freshman " any longer. Yes, she has missed a couple games because of an injury. I am looking at basketball, and separating it from the " emotional " thing.

 

[bags27]

This points to a really, really interesting phenomenon. UConn recruits extremely highly ranked high school players who, in their early UConn careers, often seem to underperform other highly recruited players at other colleges. Perhaps UConn's recruits just aren't as good? Well, no, because by the time they graduate they're All-Americans.

It may be therefore that there's method in Geno's madness. That he's investing a year or more in breaking down his players and rebuilding them into champions. Sure, they're also under more stress (and miss foul shots) because they're not playing in their comfort zone--which in high school was to be the star. But eventually virtually all of them seem to make the transition to being cogs in a well-oiled machine and, as well, All-Americans in their own right.

Patience!

 

[magic]

Pretty much. And Jefferson didn't have the "pressure" that Danger has

Really ? Just what pressure has Danger faced before the Tulane game ? Besides coming in and fitting in w/ 4 starters . And why isn't Slocum hitting that big freeshman wall ?

 

[magic]

She'll show us next year why she was the highest rated point guard in high school. Until then, we will have to deal with the freshman roller coaster.

Next year is now ! It's not like she is being asked to put up 20 points a game. I'm not sure she has taken her game and work ethic as seriously as as needed. Time for her " internal " wakeup call !

 

[Geew1992]

Next year is now ! It's not like she is being asked to put up 20 points a game. I'm not sure she has taken her game and work ethic as seriously as as needed. Time for her " internal " wakeup call !

You must not have watched the Geno show. He clearly said she hasn't.

 

[Geew1992]

Really ? Just what pressure has Danger faced before the Tulane game ? Besides coming in and fitting in w/ 4 starters . And why isn't Slocum hitting that big freeshman wall ?

Pressure?? maybe coming into a successful program and having to perform great right away. Mo didn't have to and honestly, didn't have to perform great until her Junior year.
Funny, the only player that looked good in the Tulane game was Pheesa.
Well, I can't say why Slocum hasn't hit a wall, but I can say, they are 2 different programs, 2 different expectations as to what is expected from them

 

[CtQuip]

Slocum didn't have a great game against their biggest rival in Ohio State. 5 for 19 shooting, 4 assists and 5 TOs....

 

[SVCBeercats]

Danger was put in a highly pressurized , end of game situation against tulane, really for the first time. Totally different situation than against Baylor. The look on Danger's face at the line against Tulane, was that of an Fear/AWAKENING . The next couple of weeks will be make or break her as far as this season goes , and how she is utilized during the tournament !

I saw the same tenseness in her face. The moment was weighing heavily on her. Maybe her performance in the Baylor game gave her false confidence or it is just her bravado, In any case her facial expression and demenor at the foul line was quite different than in the video below starting at the 4:36 mark. She was expressing to the world how she has faced big games before. So the Baylor game was no big deal. Will she say the same thing today? I wonder if Geno remindered her this interview.

 

[augustaTC]

From Geno's comments during the year it sounds like at the beginning of the year Dangerfield just wasn't working very hard (by his standards - she probably thought she'd never make it thru practice), and that the effort is still inconsistent. Combined with a certain "hard-headedness" that seems to be present with a lot of highly touted, all-everything, players. Stewie had it, Maya did, Dee, Sveta did, etc. Along with the pressure she carries of "no-Kia". All that said, she's getting better, and she'll be fine, but it will probably be sometime next year before she earns the elusive "Geno trust".

 

[oldude]

Slocum didn't have a great game against their biggest rival in Ohio State. 5 for 19 shooting, 4 assists and 5 TOs....

Sounds like Slocum did in fact hit the freshman wall

As far as Danger is concerned I will remind everyone what Mo told her during her recruiting visit about what she would face at UConn, "They will break you down and build you back up again."

No one knows that better than Mo, who's performance was inconsistent throughout her freshman season. By the time she left Mo was the best PG in the nation.

Let's give Danger a break. She's doing fine and she will be a great player before she's done at UConn.

 

[magic]

Going back to the Tulane game . Geno obviously wanted to purposely put her in that " end of game situation" , or an inbounds play would have been drawn up to get a more experienced player the ball. This was all by design. Unless, you want to tell me suddenly the coaching staff can't run a play to get KLS the ball in a foul shooting situation. I just don't think Geno and staff are looking ahead to next year !

 

[iamcbs]

Slocum didn't have a great game against their biggest rival in Ohio State. 5 for 19 shooting, 4 assists and 5 TOs....

That may be true, but she played like an AA against Connecticut and if she'd gotten any help from SWK or anyone else(Kaila Charles was in foul trouble) that game may have ended differently. The tOSU game is an unfair comparison, because she spent the evening guarding Kelsey Mitchell not an easy task for any single player, not named Moriah Jefferson....

 

[magic]

Sounds like Slocum did in fact hit the freshman wall

As far as Danger is concerned I will remind everyone what Mo told her during her recruiting visit about what she would face at UConn, "They will break you down and build you back up again."

No one knows that better than Mo, who's performance was inconsistent throughout her freshman season. By the time she left Mo was the best PG in the nation.

Let's give Danger a break. She's doing fine and she will be a great player before she's done at UConn.

Oldude, do you really think Geno's attitude is......"give her a break, she's a freshmam ? "

 

[bags27]

Oldude, do you really think Geno's attitude is."give her a break, she's a freshmam ? "

magic, I think you're spinning your wheels, because trying to "read" Geno on any specific point (as opposed to, say, reading him over time) is nearly impossible. It's extremely tough for me to know what I'm thinking at a given moment, let along for me to know what someone else is thinking, let alone to know what a master psychologist and BS artist like Geno is thinking at any given moment. The best we can do is pull back, appreciate his unbelievable success and how over time he both respects and treats players. I think that's what oldude is reflecting.

 

[warbler1055]

Danger did have that steal at the end of the Tulane game and won the game for UConn!!!

 

[VAMike23]

Like a lot of posters, being a very long time husky fan , I tend to be a lot tougher criticizing men's basketball than women's. Why? First of all, god forbid we are negative concerning " our ladies " about anything, especially on this board. When I watch our ladies play, I try and separate what my eyes see from " my attachment " to this team. I think it is high time Dangerfield begins to start playing to a " higher " standard ! She came into the program as the highest rated point guard, with a long list of USA basketball and hs credentials. We see a few flashes of " brilliance ", and suddenly everyone go OOH , AAH ! THEN I watch Destiny Slocum ! Enough said. Danger was put in a highly pressurized , end of game situation against tulane, really for the first time. Totally different situation than against Baylor. The look on Danger's face at the line against Tulane, was that of an Fear/AWAKENING . The next couple of weeks will be make or break her as far as this season goes , and how she is utilized during the tournament !

I think the Baylor game was also a highly pressurized situation, not at the FT line, but still the way things were going it was riding on her shoulders. Did you catch that UCONN-produced video where the mic caught Geno on the sideline late in the game, calling out to her saying "Crystal! Go win this game for us. Go win this game for us." Or some words to that effect. It was very direct. And right away she made a couple more spectacular plays that sealed the deal.

But I agree the next couple weeks are important for Crystal to see how she bounces back from the Tulane pressure cooker end-of-game stuff.

 

[magic]

Slocum didn't have a great game against their biggest rival in Ohio State. 5 for 19 shooting, 4 assists and 5 TOs....

I'm looking at season as a whole , not one game.