Dangerfield

[HoopsFan21]

The idea that Danger could have dribbled away from the defender is a stretch. If you look at the play, Danger had her back to the defender and was leaping and falling backwards, towards the defender to steal the ball. She would almost have had to reverse her momentum in midair to miraculously avoid being fouled. While it would have been nice to see her make the foul shots, the play itself was tremendous.

As for Mo, go back and take a look at some of the games late in her freshman season, including the NCAA tournament. Sometimes she played well, but on other occasions she came in for a few minutes, turned the ball over a couple times, shot a couple bricks and earned a seat on the bench for the remainder of the game.

In the championship game vs Louisville, Mo played 14 minutes, mostly at mop-up time. She had 3 pts, 3 assists, 2 to's, 2 fouls, 0 steals & 0 rb's.

Which was basically Mo's season in a nutshell. I'm sure there were doubters back then too.

 

[BroadwayVa]

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!

Good stuff again---I have pondered that of which you speak.
In previous years and previously this season I asked the question---why do Top Recruits perform at ND ,Duke, MD , elsewhere at a top level and Uconns kids sometimes don't. (Notice the sometimes). Because not all of Uconn newly commissioned players from recruits have performed highly---Rene, Maya, DT,
KML, Stewie (eventually) did as frosh.
Obviously it is different coaching philosophy --a question I asked beyond the one above: Why does Geno--bring some players along slowly and others much faster--DT, May, Rene--others. The only answer to that is --immediate need and talent. Had Danger been the Frosh point for the Rene team--Danger would have been leading that team by now--Geno would have needed her.
Now with Saniya and Kia--and Molly--Geno rolled the dice early on - and crapped out. Opting to fix Dangers defense and practice attitudes. Dangers physical issues compounded her trail or trial to lead this team. No one suspected that the monument known as Kia had feet of clay and would cause her problems.
So this brings us to today and the beginning of this years future---both Danger and Kia pose questions. Danger will get better--Kia may take longer.

 

[oldude]

I'm sure there were doubters back then too.

I was one myself. So very pleased to have proven wrong.

 

[BroadwayVa]

The idea that Danger could have dribbled away from the defender is a stretch. If you look at the play, Danger had her back to the defender and was leaping and falling backwards, towards the defender to steal the ball. She would almost have had to reverse her momentum in midair to miraculously avoid being fouled. While it would have been nice to see her make the foul shots, the play itself was tremendous.

As for Mo, go back and take a look at some of the games late in her freshman season, including the NCAA tournament. Sometimes she played well, but on other occasions she came in for a few minutes, turned the ball over a couple times, shot a couple bricks and earned a seat on the bench for the remainder of the game.

In the championship game vs Louisville, Mo played 14 minutes, mostly at mop-up time. She had 3 pts, 3 assists, 2 to's, 2 fouls, 0 steals & 0 rb's.

Moriah and Danger are different types of guards. Moriah was all you say she was--and now among the greatest in the world.
In the ND games---Muffet targeted Moriah--as the Tulane coach targeted Danger
to be the easiest to turn over---it worked for both coaches. Freshmen are freshmen--even the greatest--

 

[BroadwayVa]

I was one myself. So very pleased to have proven wrong.

I was wrong that Moriah wasn't as great as i thought she was--but eventually proven right---I posted the greatness of Danger early this year---I hope my record prevails.

 

[donalddoowop]

Its difficult to compare Slocum and Crystal Dangerfield just yet. Slocum has been handed the keys to PG position and averages 30 min per game and practices with the first team everyday.That experience has to do wonders for your confidence and comfort level particularly with her supporting cast. Crystal Dangerfield had an injury and usually plays with a lineup that varies every few minutes. It will just take a bit longer for her comfort level to settle in, particularly to get to a point where she is not thinking too much and playing instinctively.
Having watched Slocum play a couple times and knowing what Crystal Dangerfield can do with the ball including pinpoint passing, I'd rather have CD on the team as , IMO, she has more upside than Slocum.

Sometimes Geno may have to back off just a little with some players to ease their tension. In the Maryland game Maryland's coach told Slocum to go playground on Uconn. That seemed to inspire her and she proceeded to have a good second half, something that would not have happened if someone had gotten in her face and guarded her. Dangerfield seemed to play that way against Baylor. The freshmen on other teams don't have to go through what Uconn's freshmen go through and in the long run that is why Uconn players seem to reach their full potential. Geno pulls as much as he can out of them and I believe he will do the same with Dangerfield. Some players said they know what to expect before they come to Uconn but, when they actually start practicing, find it is a lot harder than they thought, especially mentally. Dangerfield thought she was prepared based on comments attributed to her.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think a distinction needs to be made with respect to Maya and the others in this group when it comes to "hard-headedness" vs. "effort, drive, discipline, focus" or however you want to phrase it.

Maya was hard-headed. Still is to some extent, I'm sure; most of the great ones are. She famously decamped to Geno's office after the FF loss to Stanford her freshman year, where she announced an epiphany she'd had, that she "could not win the game all by herself." Which Geno had been trying to tell her. The others listed (DT, Stewie, Sveta, possibly Tina) also were hard-headed in their own way.

However,

When it comes to the issue of Crystal needing to ramp up the intensity, and give 100% on a consistent basis--at the UCONN WBB level that Geno expects--this is very much par for the course for players in their freshman year. Almost everyone that has stepped through the door has had their eyes opened to what it really means to sacrifice, perform and give the real 100% all the time, consistently. Particularly for many of the uber-talented, since they have been able to do so much at a lower level of intensity than Geno demands at the college level. It's a shock to the system. Geno & Co. push them to reveal what their true 100% really is. This is a process.

But this is where Maya set herself apart. To my knowledge, she came already equipped in this respect. (Possibly Kelly Faris as well.) She always always always gave her true 100%, for every minute, in every drill, in every moment, in every play, in every situation, from day 1. Not day 50, or day 100, or day 200, but day 1. I'm not saying that Maya didn't grow, didn't develop and didn't need coaching just as anyone else ever has. But her drive was singular, and it never wavered. Further, it pushed others to greater heights.

Edit: OK - I have to qualify what I just said ... there was one (and only one) time that I saw Maya's energy and effort at less than 100%. It was late in the streak-busting loss to Stanford. I remember distinctly a few moments where she was no longer hustling and busting her ass the way she normally did. It might not have been noticeable with mere mortals but with her, it definitely was. She showed she was human! The rest of the time at UCONN, she was in Geno's words, "like a Corporation."

Yes, to be historically accurate, Maya Moore--the player who never took a play off--did not chase down a Stanford player after a steal and may have been at less than full effort on a few others. It was so shocking to see. I know that both Geno and Tiffany had the flu, but UConn doesn't make excuses. My guess is that Maya also was under the weather, plus she was manhandled by the Ogwumike sisters. Maya's steal against DePaul or her late threes that almost caught Rutgers, both in her freshman year, were more typical of her play.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think Crystal will be fine. Every freshman, with the possible exception of the great Maya Moore, who finished 2nd in the AP POY voting, had struggles as a freshman. Diana couldn't make a three in the Final Four against ND. Tina struggled with layups and FTs. Kaleena had a shooting slump and pouted. Stewie got pushed around, slumped, and was a nonfactor against Baylor. Moriah was out of control at times and shot the ball poorly.

Geno is certainly pushing Crystal hard, but he also clearly says that she has the potential to be great. We see her offensive moves and slick passes. I think she just needs to keep working hard, listening to the staff, and keeping her head up. I would also like to see her practice her FTs, as a response to the Tulane game. She was 2-6 and only 1-4 in crunch time. She's a better shooter than that shows, but she needs to put in more work and be confident.

 

[Husky pride]

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

No one is saying that Geno is looking to give her a break. We all know his approach ( which has worked in the vast majority of instances) and, if for some reason we don't , he made it abundantly clear in what he's said about Crystal's performance and it's "up and down" tendencies.
What's being said, is that many of us posting think it's fair to give her a break in that she's up against a difficult freshman year challenge, playing for a team continually in the spotlight, having to face and overcome injuries and having to live-up to a high standard of play-- as performed by the best team in the nation!
If Slocum, as a freshman, can overcome and stand-out...more power to her. Dangerfield, from all indications, has an outstanding UConn career ahead of her and may show further signs of it before this season ends!!

 

[meyers7]

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....

And Dangerfield played like an AA against Baylor. Sooo......???

 

[Zorro]

I think y'all are projecting. I see nothing in her facial expression that would indicate fear or apprehension. The fact is, sometimes the damn ball just won't go through the hoop. If that occurs in a pressurized situation, then a lot of people immediately assume that the player choked under the pressure. 'Taint necessarily so". Lou missed a bunch of easy (for her, normally) shots early on; did she choke under the pressure of playing a team that we had previously beaten by 40+?

 

[meyers7]

Danger, as I have written often, was my preseason Uconn Freshman to excel beyond expectations then came a concussion (again, is she really over this??),

You keep bringing this up. Yes, she is over the concussion. If she still had lingering effects from the concussion (headaches, unable to focus, blurred vision, etc.) she would not be cleared to play. That's what the concussion protocol is for. If you get through the concussion protocol, then yes you are over the concussion.

 

[bags27]

Most of us think Crystal will be just fine, and that her play so far is not unexpected, given the UConn system. At some point next year, she will be running the finest offense in all of basketball and we will be amazed by her court play.

I'm thinking that the thread on where to park tonight at the XL Center is now more exciting.

 

[Geew1992]

And Dangerfield played like an AA against Baylor. Sooo.???

And South Carolina

 

[meyers7]

Of course I appreciate Geno, the coaching staff, and the whole program. I would not have evev been upset if they had lost to Tulane given the way huskies shot the ball. Any team can have a horrible shooting night. I just find it hard to believe that Geno is not looking for a way to either motivate or inspire self motivation to improve her consistency and play.

What exactly do you mean by that?

 

[meyers7]

For those of you ( and it's seems very few) who watched the Geno show, we know Geno laid out pretty clearly what Dangerfield's "problem" is. Her maturity is not up to the same level as her talent (which is pretty damn high according to Geno). He said she need to grow up. When her maturity does catch up to her talent, then you're gonna see something. She's gonna be as Geno would say, really, really good.

 

[Zorro]

Only two reallys, Meyers

 

[Gus Mahler]

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

Dangerfield stole the ball!!

 

[meyers7]

Only two reallys, Meyers

I think some on here are the ones who use more than 2. Geno mostly keeps it to 1 or 2.

I'd be very happy with a Gen0's "really, really good" player.

 

[Carnac]

[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.

During this past summer, I wrote comments regarding Crystal, and the inevitable comparisons to Moriah Jefferson that were sure to be made during the upcoming season. I didn't need any envelopes, crystal balls, or tea leaves to see that one coming. I suggested that any comparison to Moriah was unfair. She was going to be compared to the Moriah Jefferson we saw in her junior and senior year; because those are the most recent images we have of her. We all know Jefferson was not the player her freshman year that she was during her junior and senior years. Moriah struggled big time during her freshman year. Moriah got progressively better each year, as Dangerfield will. Crystal is much better today than she was back in October.

Dangerfield still has a lot to learn. As another poster commented, being the point guard at UConn is not easy. So many thoughts come to mind here, I could write a novel, but I'll keep it short. Another poster commented that in the final stages of the Tulane game (at the free throw line), she had the look of a deer in the headlights. She did. This was the first time she's been in a game at this level with the game possibly riding her making her free throws. How many times have we seen seasoned veterans miss free throws in that situation? I hope I don't sound like I'm making excuses for Crystal, I'm not. I'm just reminding everyone that Crystal is still a work in progress, and it can't be rushed.

Let's not forget, she did make a huge play at the end of the game, she stole the inbound pass and was fouled going to the basket. Which IMHO should have been called an intentional foul (2 shots and retain possession out of bounds). The player grabbed her from behind in an attempt to stop her. Most refs don't have the stones to make that call in that situation.

When asked in an interview about being compared to Jefferson, she said that she was not going to try and be like Moriah. She said that she and Moriah were two different players. She can only be who she is, and will try to be the best player that she can be. It was no secret that Dangerfield was brought in to replace Jefferson, so the obvious comparisons are not surprising. I also predicted that the comparisons would continue into her sophomore year. So far, it looks like I was right.

It's not easy playing for Geno because of the expectation of near perfection is always present. Remember what Gabby said at the beginning of her sophomore year? She said that now, she knows what she's doing, and where she is supposed to be on either end of the floor. She said last year, that was not the case. I suspect Crystal will have a similar revelation this fall.

Finally, I completely agree and with, and endorse the responses by Bags 27, tonehill68 & oldude. As tonehill68 wrote: "My final point is even though she has the accolades from AAU and USA tournament ball, playing college is a different game and she'll adjust". oldude said "Let's give Danger a break. She's doing fine and she will be a great player before she's done at UConn". Bags27 put it best..........."patience".

 

[Florida Fan]

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 !

Was Crystal emerging from a dream against Baylor? How could a freshman play any better than Dangerfield that night? As for breaking a recruit before the rebuilding can start, I don't know about that psychology. She has the skills and seemed to be brilliant when she wasn't thinking about anything but delivering the goods. And she delivered, bank shots, perimeter bombs, great passes, a step ahead of the defense.
whatever her time table, Danger will get there and I agree, tonight would be okay.

 

[UcMiami]

Collier was a failure as a starter last year, but is doing OK this year. Gabby hasn't played in a single losing game at UConn, because the last loss she was so bad as a freshman that Geno didn't trust her on the floor for a single minute. Playing at UConn is tough as a freshman. Stewart, one of the best players ever to play in college wasn't the best freshman during her first year. And DT had an absolute zero of a game at the FF her freshman year, but turned out OK. Maya I believe is the only UConn player in over a decade to be deemed the best freshman in the country.
Crystal Dangerfield is going to be fine. Whether she 'arrives' at fine this year is still up in the air. And she has had a tougher freshman year from an injury standpoint than most players coming through UConn. Hard to be stop and start through the first three months when you're still trying to figure it out.

 

[SCspur]

Long time---come on, you as I were not Shocked to see Danger have issues under pressure at the end of the game---did you look at the performances of the rest of the team prior to that?/ They all were not living up to expectation--and looked often bewildered when all those easy layups and 3's failed to go in.

I wasn't shocked---I saw the look on her face--I did hope for better--but she was the target of the Tulane coach in crunch time--she knew Freshmen with limited playing time are the weakest links at crunch time--and so do you and I. No shock.

I honestly think Dangerfield is going to be fine. I doubt any freshman pg could go to play for Auriemma and be stellar out of the gate. Next year you guys will see the speedy, crisp passing and electric Dangerfield that we all saw in High school. That said the point guards of the future is going to be Dangerfield, Slocum, Harris, and Sutton. Those four are the most composed and talented point guards that I've seen this year and I expect their games to get much better over the next few years.

 

[Blueballer]

Ah the yearly obligatory "Freshman isn't living up to the ranking" complaint. We only see this every year.

 

[JoePgh]

I know it's not the same position, but Tina Charles (not just as a freshman, but also as a sophomore and even the early part of her junior year) was another example of someone whose maturity did not catch up to her talent until she had almost graduated from UConn. She was the one who inspired the comment from Geno about Carl Sagan -- that telling Tina something was like speaking to someone in a distant galaxy who was light-years away. The message wouldn't be received until the light passed through that entire distance, and that some day when Tina was married and had children, she would come back and tell Geno that she finally understood what he had told her when she was at UConn.

I'm realize not all of that has occurred yet, but that memorable analogy proved to have a lot of validity in Tina's case, and I suspect the same thing will play out in Crystal's case.

And Moriah as a freshman was not way ahead of where Crystal is now (if she was ahead at all). Crystal is being depended on to help win key games in a way that Moriah never was as a freshman (when Bria, Kelly, and Caroline were the first three guards in the depth chart).