In defense of Dorka

[HuskyNan]

I’m seeing some criticism of Dorka in the post game thread and rather than reply to all the posts, thought I’d start a new thread.

It was mostly her rebounding that was criticized and, yes, it seemed some bounced off her hands. She wasn’t the only one, though. I found myself yelling at Aubrey to go chase rebounds rather than watch them. Their key stats were similar, btw, 13 points, 6 rebounds.

Anywho, Geno had Dorka playing a more perimeter oriented game, often initiating the offense from the top of the key, rather like Stef Dolson used to do. While Dorka had only 6 rebounds, she did have 5 assists by passing to cutters and three point shooters. As for the rebounds, it’s hard to grab an offensive rebound when you’re standing at the arc. And didn’t it seem a lot of balls took weird bounces, mostly towards an LV player? I’m not complaining, btw, it happens. That’s the way the ball bounces.

One of the reasons Dorka was on the perimeter is because she can make threes, and sh had 2 last night. Now a post player has to come out and guard her, opening the lane for Aaliyah and Aubrey.

Dorka’s defense in the 4th quarter was big, too. She stole the ball away from the LV posts (who told them to do so much dribbling in the paint anyway?) and had 3 steals during the game. I loved the one where she snagged the ball right out of the air.

Sometimes people get so wrapped up in numbers that they lose sight of the small things, like screens and defense. I just want to go on record that I feel Dorka made some valuable contributions that were not as noticeable as some missed rebounds.

 

[Urshurak]

Rebounds were weird in this game. I think you’re spot on. Also, there seemed to be several that just bounced right into the LV hands. It was just a weird night in that regard.

 

[AmeriConn]

It was just one of those nights where she did something great and then something not so great. Frustrating for her I’m sure. Move on to the next game.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Dorka has a protective thing on her injured thumb. That has to affect her at least a little bit.

 

[my2cents]

We won a big game, no need to be overly critical.
When a player is 6'5", they never learned to box out properly. Why? Because they never needed to.
Its just something to look at before SC.

 

[GoUconn7961]

We won a big game, no need to be overly critical.
When a player is 6'5", they never learned to box out properly. Why? Because they never needed to.
Its just something to look at before SC.

I'm sure Geno will address rebounding before SC, but we have a Villanova game first.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I'm sure Geno will address rebounding before SC, but we have a Villanova game first.

And Providence.

 

[Carnac]

Dorka played 38 minutes. She had to be a little tired. Geno said in a recent interview that they’re all tired physically and mentally. They battled hard for 40 minutes and won by 17. They all played major minutes. They got 11 minutes and no points from the bench.

Some fans want perfection regardless. I can imagine the tenor of some comments if UConn had lost. If folks feel they need to point out the obvious, let them and simply move on. We all saw the game.

Dorka did not disappear last night. She showed up to play. She stayed shoulder to shoulder in the trenches with her teammates the entire time. That’s all you can ask. Her teammate’s made enough plays to cover her.

I’m elated we won. I’m happy the Tennessee fans are upset at Geno coming in their house and beating them convincingly. That is not an easy place to play. Word is they were irate in their comments directed at the players and coaches in their chat room. Good. I’m still smiling and giddy like the Joker. A great win ladies. You made UConn Nation very proud. Thank you very much. Proud to be a UConn fan this morning.

 

[BBallF]

We don't win that game without Dorka. The only legitimate criticism of her last night in my mind were the turnovers when she had the ball stripped from her hands or simply did not maintain control of it. If you go back and watch the plays carefully you will see that slapping on the wrist or arm was not being called. When Dorka had the ball taken from her at half court in the fourth quarter she was slapped so hard she would have needed gorilla glue to hold onto it. Sure, the hand is part of the ball but the wrist and foreearm isn't.

 

[Zarathustra]

Rebounds were weird in this game. I think you’re spot on. Also, there seemed to be several that just bounced right into the LV hands. It was just a weird night in that regard.i

I was also amazed on how those ? non=Nike ?? balls just found their way to Volunteer Hands.
But a W is a W , I no longer ask that they be pretty, or even according to my prognostication!
Dorka is a " peach". Go Dorka!!

 

[victor64]

The LVs had 23 offensive rebounds. UConn had 16 TOs after not having any in the first quarter. It was a great win but it wasn’t perfect. They never are.

 

[HuskyNan]

The LVs had 23 offensive rebounds. UConn had 16 TOs after not having any in the first quarter. It was a great win but it wasn’t perfect. They never are.

LV had a lot of offensive rebounds because they missed their shots. Who cares?

 

[Wilderness]

I am happy I opened this thread. Been warned now - I'll skip the game thread. I sometimes wonder how many posters experience the withering critique some feel appropriate to articulate here. Let's carry on with celebrations of a solid win and a remarkable, inspiring year for UConn WBB. How the heck do the bench stars and star to be sustain their (public at least) cheerful, engaged support. They're role models for the rest of us.

 

[victor64]

LV had a lot of offensive rebounds because they missed their shots. Who cares?

I bet Geno does.

 

[Carnac]

The biggest takeaway from last night is we won and nobody got hurt. That’s a win win.

 

[LarryLegend]

I’m seeing some criticism of Dorka in the post game thread and rather than reply to all the posts, thought I’d start a new thread.

It was mostly her rebounding that was criticized and, yes, it seemed some bounced off her hands. She wasn’t the only one, though. I found myself yelling at Aubrey to go chase rebounds rather than watch them. Their key stats were similar, btw, 13 points, 6 rebounds.

Anywho, Geno had Dorka playing a more perimeter oriented game, often initiating the offense from the top of the key, rather like Stef Dolson used to do. While Dorka had only 6 rebounds, she did have 5 assists by passing to cutters and three point shooters. As for the rebounds, it’s hard to grab an offensive rebound when you’re standing at the arc. And didn’t it seem a lot of balls took weird bounces, mostly towards an LV player? I’m not complaining, btw, it happens. That’s the way the ball bounces.

One of the reasons Dorka was on the perimeter is because she can make threes, and sh had 2 last night. Now a post player has to come out and guard her, opening the lane for Aaliyah and Aubrey.

Dorka’s defense in the 4th quarter was big, too. She stole the ball away from the LV posts (who told them to do so much dribbling in the paint anyway?) and had 3 steals during the game. I loved the one where she snagged the ball right out of the air.

Sometimes people get so wrapped up in numbers that they lose sight of the small things, like screens and defense. I just want to go on record that I feel Dorka made some valuable contributions that were not as noticeable as some missed rebounds.

people cant lose sight of the amount of minutes these young people are playing. Fatigue will lead to mental mistakes.

For god’s sake, they still won by 17 points

 

[Boreifs]

I’m seeing some criticism of Dorka in the post game thread and rather than reply to all the posts, thought I’d start a new thread.

It was mostly her rebounding that was criticized and, yes, it seemed some bounced off her hands. She wasn’t the only one, though. I found myself yelling at Aubrey to go chase rebounds rather than watch them. Their key stats were similar, btw, 13 points, 6 rebounds.

Anywho, Geno had Dorka playing a more perimeter oriented game, often initiating the offense from the top of the key, rather like Stef Dolson used to do. While Dorka had only 6 rebounds, she did have 5 assists by passing to cutters and three point shooters. As for the rebounds, it’s hard to grab an offensive rebound when you’re standing at the arc. And didn’t it seem a lot of balls took weird bounces, mostly towards an LV player? I’m not complaining, btw, it happens. That’s the way the ball bounces.

One of the reasons Dorka was on the perimeter is because she can make threes, and sh had 2 last night. Now a post player has to come out and guard her, opening the lane for Aaliyah and Aubrey.

Dorka’s defense in the 4th quarter was big, too. She stole the ball away from the LV posts (who told them to do so much dribbling in the paint anyway?) and had 3 steals during the game. I loved the one where she snagged the ball right out of the air.

Sometimes people get so wrapped up in numbers that they lose sight of the small things, like screens and defense. I just want to go on record that I feel Dorka made some valuable contributions that were not as noticeable as some missed rebounds.

Post of the year.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

She played fine to me. In some games, it just takes time to settle in and allow the game to come to you. And this was a little more than...some game. I wouldn't be surprised if she had to work that crowd out of her head.

 

[Littlemin]

IMO, Dorka needs no defense, she pretty obviously was having trouble grabbing the ball with two hands at times and since that is not her recurring MO, I will assume it had something to do with her thumb or wrist. Anyone who has played basketball knows how vital the thumb is in grabbing and being strong with the ball.
As Carnac posted, she was in their fighting the whole game and that’s all you can expect; results are not always there but effort should be, and it was.
The other aspects of her game yielded fine results and at the end of the day, she had ONE less rebound than Edwards.

 

[jaydee602]

I’m seeing some criticism of Dorka in the post game thread and rather than reply to all the posts, thought I’d start a new thread.

It was mostly her rebounding that was criticized and, yes, it seemed some bounced off her hands. She wasn’t the only one, though. I found myself yelling at Aubrey to go chase rebounds rather than watch them. Their key stats were similar, btw, 13 points, 6 rebounds.

Anywho, Geno had Dorka playing a more perimeter oriented game, often initiating the offense from the top of the key, rather like Stef Dolson used to do. While Dorka had only 6 rebounds, she did have 5 assists by passing to cutters and three point shooters. As for the rebounds, it’s hard to grab an offensive rebound when you’re standing at the arc. And didn’t it seem a lot of balls took weird bounces, mostly towards an LV player? I’m not complaining, btw, it happens. That’s the way the ball bounces.

One of the reasons Dorka was on the perimeter is because she can make threes, and sh had 2 last night. Now a post player has to come out and guard her, opening the lane for Aaliyah and Aubrey.

Dorka’s defense in the 4th quarter was big, too. She stole the ball away from the LV posts (who told them to do so much dribbling in the paint anyway?) and had 3 steals during the game. I loved the one where she snagged the ball right out of the air.

Sometimes people get so wrapped up in numbers that they lose sight of the small things, like screens and defense. I just want to go on record that I feel Dorka made some valuable contributions that were not as noticeable as some missed rebounds.

Let's not forget that Dorka hit a dagger 3 point shot late in the game. She never lost focus & seemed very determined. Some players become frastrated & hesitant after a few misplays. But Dorka shrugged them off & fought through an intense, physical battle. She wanted the ball & looked very confident.

 

[GoCardinal]

I would imagine she is still somewhat in her head about the injuries she's had to her wrist and fingers. She made some mistakes, but she also had some important defensive plays. The one where she came over and stole the ball from Jackson immediately sticks out to me. On the other end, she made some really nice passes and reads for her teammates. I think she played fine, and the mistakes she made could be corrected with some film.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Let's not forget that Dorka hit a dagger 3 point shot late in the game. She never lost focus & seemed very determined. Some players become frastrated & hesitant after a few misplays. But Dorka shrugged them off & fought through an intense, physical battle. She wanted the ball & looked very confident.

She sure did. When she hit that, I thought to myself ok this is over, and then Lou piling on sealed the deal.

 

[PhillyCoach]

When the Vols got within 2 points I was very concerned. At that point the true warriors have to do things at the highest level. Yes, I saw a few rebounds that made me wonder what's wrong. However, Dorka played way above a 6'5" big. How many bigs hit 3 point shots in the heat of the battle? Dorka did. How many bigs get 5 key assists when needed? Dorka did. And the best in my mind, how many bigs strip/steal the ball on a driving player. Dorka did. She is a winner.