Is Nika the X-Factor?

[pvdoggy]

How many minutes did she play against TN?

Isn't it more about match up? TN was much more athletic and even then, Mir who is supposed to be uber-athletic, only got about 5 min in the game and did not do anything to speak of. Too early to tell about the freshman.

 

[Kaizen]

Remember she is a freshman with little playing time at this level. She will be very good.

We can not expect her as good as Paige but she has confident in yesterday's game. Good control of the ball and plenty energy in the court.

She will be great after years. She can be a backup guard for Paige and Anna.

 

[JordyG]

Dude, I agree with 99% of your posts but this is in that 1% and one of the reasons I hope Geno recruits a good point guard (Yes, I understand they would have to be ok to play behind Paige for 2 years). Nika is barely adequate when playing against the worst teams in one of the worst leagues. No defense, little offense - other posters net out the picture.

Geno already has recruited his PG of the future, and she's a better shooter than Paige. Her name is Azzi Fudd.

 

[CocoHusky]

Isn't it more about match up? TN was much more athletic and even then, Mir who is supposed to be uber-athletic, only got about 5 min in the game and did not do anything to speak of. Too early to tell about the freshman.

Definitely about the matchup and the readiness of the player and always Geno’s choice. Geno’s choice not to play her at all in TN is a better measuring stick vs him playing 35 minutes against Georgetown when his other two scholarship guards were unavailable. I understanding this thread is intended to be positive and help other cling to hope that NM is coming along. Deja vu : Mikayla Cooms.

 

[fang]

Old dude is a tad optimistic on this one..."If you look past her mistakes she is good .is like saying if you look past my big gut, I look like Brad Pitt.
If she can barely handle Georgetown, how is she going to do against top ranked teams? Will not be pretty.

If we all were judged by our first day at work, no one would have advanced. I see Nika as more like Kelly Faris - smart, hard working, but maybe a little limited on offense. With time, I believe she will be a regular contributor.

 

[JordyG]

We can not expect her as good as Paige but she has confident in yesterday's game. Good control of the ball and plenty energy in the court.

She will be great after years. She can be a backup guard for Paige and Anna.

Sorry. In the years to come Nika will be lucky to get off the bench with Fudd and Ducharme taking up positions at PG and combo guard. As for Anna, once Saylor gets up to speed and Ducharme comes her position as combo guard and PF will also be overtaken.

 

[CocoHusky]

If we all were judged by our first day at work, no one would have advanced. I see Nika as more like Kelly Faris - smart, hard working, but maybe a little limited on offense. With time, I believe she will be a regular contributor.

 

[jabstep]

What I liked about Nika's play against Georgetown was her defensive intensity and hustle and going on the floor to get the ball. Yes, she still gets beat on the dribble but so does all players on the overplay man to man. We have Liv the SWATTER to scare all the drivers into bad shots or mistakes. On offense, Nika is still playing as she did in Europe. I mentioned last summer that Nika might have trouble at UConn because of her turnovers to assist ratio. I am surprised by her inability to finish on her drives which she did rather well in Europe. I did compare her to Molly Bent and was surprised to see others see that comparison now. Her 3 point shot is a work in progress and looked better against Georgetown but she still takes a lot of time for her release and setup. I am surprised she hasn't had the training she is now getting. If she plays within herself and does the things she does well we will be OK. We need Paige,Liv, Christyn, Evina, and Aubrey to carry us.

 

[BBallF]

The Molly Bent comparisons are absurd. She is a far superior overall player to Molly in every respect except between the ears right now. She is a freshman, thousands of miles away from home, in an interrupted season, missing several games due to injury, playing a different kind of game with a much different way of playing defense than in the pro league in Europe she was playing in. She has the motivation and the desire and the intensity. We can't expect a straight line up from her, it will be fits and starts. I see good form in her 3, a good head about the game, someone who is not afraid to take control at the point, and a toughness on defense. It is true that she turns her head on defense at times, loses an assignment or doesn't switch correctly but you can learn our defense. She can also work on her quickness. On offense she does not have the right discipline as Geno discussed yet. You can't force at this level, not even against Georgetown. As someone pointed out, Geno isn't playing her for 34 minutes for fun. The team needs her and she needs the team. I watch her on the bench as to her reaction to her teammates. She is all in but just very young and emotional right now. Let Geno push the buttons with her which is what he is doing now and Shea will help her immensely. Hopefully Geno still has the master puppeteer finesse and it will work. I for one am sanguine about her future here.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Geno already has recruited his PG of the future, and she's a better shooter than Paige. Her name is Azzi Fudd.

Fudd is the PG of the future. You are right. Future being at least 3 years from this season. As long as Paige is healthy she will be the PG.

 

[MainefanSC]

If we all were judged by our first day at work, no one would have advanced. I see Nika as more like Kelly Faris - smart, hard working, but maybe a little limited on offense. With time, I believe she will be a regular contributor.

I am inclined to agree with your assessment. There was a point in the Butler game that was quite ugly. Geno called a timeout and yanked her. Going back and looking at what transpired, it appeared she did not have any defense on the previous Butler offensive play. Didn't seem to have a plan on who to defend, easy Butler 2. As she came out Geno was pretty much in her face. That occurred at the 1:35 mark of the 3rd quarter. Shortly after the 4th quarter began SNY focused on Geno talking with NM on the bench. During the exchange it appeared Nika was close to tears. Geno was coaching her on what had transpired, I'm sure. The good news is she went back in with 5 minutes left and stayed in. IMHO, history dictates that she is NOT in the dog house and he sees something in her that he is desperately trying to develop. If he thought she was uncoachable (is that a word?) or practiced lousy, I don't think he would have put her back in. Let's hope that her freshman mistakes/play begin to mature very soon. I also like her energy but she doesn't seem to have a plan, a lot of the time.

 

[DefenseBB]

Definitely about the matchup and the readiness of the player and always Geno’s choice. Geno’s choice not to play her at all in TN is a better measuring stick vs him playing 35 minutes against Georgetown when his other two scholarship guards were unavailable. I understanding this thread is intended to be positive and help other cling to hope that NM is coming along. Deja vu : Mikayla Cooms.

Well, I am a bit dismayed by the lack of a) compassion b) you are ignoring normal growing pains by freshman c) bad grammar d) misspelling of our players or former players. You are better than this.
To wit:
1. Nika does put lots of effort and Geno seems to regularly have come in off the bench as the 1st or 2nd Player. Coombs NEVER WAS that option, even as a Sophomore. Nika, for all her shooting woes, has a much better form than Mikayla will ever have.
2. Geno saw something to play her 35 minutes, after all it WAS Georgetown and he could have yanked her but he didn't. She needed playing time to get past jitters and mistakes. She gets a C+
3. "I understanding"? Given the less than positive response to a thread you note should be positive, not sure how you meant to phrase the start.
4. We all get it, you are not a Nika fan as evidenced by this threads numerous posts noting all here short-comings both real and imagined.

If Geno keeps bringing her in games as the 1st or 2nd option, than we know he sees something none of us do in practice. The freakin negativity not just by you but by others "declarations" is tiresome. Why do you watch this team if you don't want to positively support and assess vs. constant criticism????

 

[CocoHusky]

I am inclined to agree with your assessment. There was a point in the Butler game that was quite ugly. Geno called a timeout and yanked her. Going back and looking at what transpired, it appeared she did not have any defense on the previous Butler offensive play. Didn't seem to have a plan on who to defend, easy Butler 2. As she came out Geno was pretty much in her face. That occurred at the 1:35 mark of the 3rd quarter. Shortly after the 4th quarter began SNY focused on Geno talking with NM on the bench. During the exchange it appeared Nika was close to tears. Geno was coaching her on what had transpired, I'm sure. The good news is she went back in with 5 minutes left and stayed in. IMHO, history dictates that she is NOT in the dog house and he sees something in her that he is desperately trying to develop. If he thought she was uncoachable (is that a word?) or practiced lousy, I don't think he would have put her back in. Let's hope that her freshman mistakes/play begin to mature very soon. I also like her energy but she doesn't seem to have a plan, a lot of the time.

Uncoachable is definitely a word. I know this because Geno used the word recently referring to players that are not responding to coaching instructions.

 

[Kaizen]

Sorry. In the years to come Nika will be lucky to get off the bench with Fudd and Ducharme taking up positions at PG and combo guard. As for Anna, once Saylor gets up to speed and Ducharme comes her position as combo guard and PF will also be overtaken.

I don't mean Nika to replace Azzi or Ducharme next year. But this year she is definitely a backup guard for Paige just like yesterday's game.

I like to see a girl working hard and gets some respect. Everybody cheers when Autumn hit a three why no one gives credit to Nika's 2 three yesterday?

 

[CocoHusky]

Well, I am a bit dismayed by the lack of a) compassion b) you are ignoring normal growing pains by freshman c) bad grammar d) misspelling of our players or former players. You are better than this.
To wit:
1. Nika does put lots of effort and Geno seems to regularly have come in off the bench as the 1st or 2nd Player. Coombs NEVER WAS that option, even as a Sophomore. Nika, for all her shooting woes, has a much better form than Mikayla will ever have.
2. Geno saw something to play her 35 minutes, after all it WAS Georgetown and he could have yanked her but he didn't. She needed playing time to get past jitters and mistakes. She gets a C+
3. "I understanding"? Given the less than positive response to a thread you note should be positive, not sure how you meant to phrase the start.
4. We all get it, you are not a Nika fan as evidenced by this threads numerous posts noting all here short-comings both real and imagined.

If Geno keeps bringing her in games as the 1st or 2nd option, than we know he sees something none of us do in practice. The freakin negativity not just by you but by others "declarations" is tiresome. Why do you watch this team if you don't want to positively support and assess vs. constant criticism????

Mikayla was absolutely that option as UCONN despartely needed a third guard to be part of the rotation in both her freshman and Sophmore years.
grammar?
I don’t have any “perceived’ weakness for NM just real ones.
Please never feel like you have the option of telling what to what to watch or don’t watch-very out of pocket of you!

 

[Charliebball]

I am more in the Coco Husky camp. She played ok against Georgetown. But she is not ready for against very good teams. She has no one single part of her game that is strong, only average or below average. I love her energy and I love her personality. But I am only describing what I see.

after watching her this season. I see someone a little better than Molly Bent in terms of talent. She cannot shoot unless absolute wide open. She cannot drive and finish. She has tough time against fast guards. She is out of control at least a few times a game. She has some good passes and some very bad ones.
With all that said she is a freshman and learning the game. I hope and believe she will be much better going forward. But at this point she is not ready to be out in big games unless we are absolutely in need of a body.

based on video of her play in Europe there's a lot to like about NM that we have yet to see...........she simply has to calm down a bit and stop worrying that she has three minutes to prove how good she is.............AM's injury gives her a chance to to do just that and I think over the next few games we will see a more confident shooter, passer and defender.........BTW............. driving to the basket is her strong point...................she is fearless and has good basketball instincts...........she just needs to play more under control.........with extra minutes, I expect her to start quieting the naysayers a bit in the next few games.........

 

[hjoerring]

I am more in the Coco Husky camp. She played ok against Georgetown. But she is not ready for against very good teams. She has no one single part of her game that is strong, only average or below average. I love her energy and I love her personality. But I am only describing what I see.

after watching her this season. I see someone a little better than Molly Bent in terms of talent. She cannot shoot unless absolute wide open. She cannot drive and finish. She has tough time against fast guards. She is out of control at least a few times a game. She has some good passes and some very bad ones.
With all that said she is a freshman and learning the game. I hope and believe she will be much better going forward. But at this point she is not ready to be out in big games unless we are absolutely in need of a body.

I would add here by saying- the people responsible for recruiting her were fooled. Looking through another window one may see a young player adjusting to a completely different style, expectations, talent, etc. A player with few games under her belt and not a lot of playing time. A player who, suddenly, was given the keys to drive a very expensive car filled with important passengers, etc. I don't know how good she is/will be but I try to avoid statements that cannot be used for anything. Playing an inferior team does not necessarily bring out the very best in a player. Also, take a closer look at the way in which Molly Bent functions in your overall discourse. For many (including me) Molly was a lot more than a "Not"

 

[Charliebball]

Fudd is the PG of the futre. You are right. Future being at least 3 years from this season. As long as Paige is healthy she will be the PG.

gotta agree with you on that..............as fine a passer as she is, if Geno tells PB to shoot more what do you think he'll tell ?

 

[oldude]

As with many threads, this thread has, to some extent, gotten off the tracks. There is a lot of discussion about next year’s options at guard from a number of posters who seem to have no suggestion about who plays if Anna is out for an extended period of time and, god forbid, Paige doesn’t return to the lineup soon. In addition, whether or not Nika is better than Molly, Mikayla or anyone else no longer at UConn is immaterial since all of those players are not currently an option.

I would also point out that while Nika did not play at TN, Geno doesn’t just throw out PT to players for no apparent reason. Geno gave Nika the start and 35 minutes against Georgetown, a team where her mistakes would not affect the outcome of the game, precisely because he knows he’s got to get her ready for Arkansas, because UConn may still be down 2 guards in Fayetteville on Thursday.

So if any BY’er has a better suggestion for how UConn can alter their rotation, other than Nika, for this season, while down one to two guards, I’m all ears.

 

[CocoHusky]

based on video of her play in Europe there's a lot to like about NM that we have yet to see...........she simply has to calm down a bit and stop worrying that she has three minutes to prove how good she is.............AM's injury gives her a chance to to do just that and I think over the next few games we will see a more confident shooter, passer and defender.........BTW............. driving to the basket is her strong point...................she is fearless and has good basketball instincts...........she just needs to play more under control.........with extra minutes, I expect her to start quieting the naysayers a bit in the next few games.........

I honestly think it’s time to put those videos in our rear view mirror. Not much is the same, most notably: the level of competition, the ability to finish and the physique. Look at the arms, face and lower body specifically.

 

[CocoHusky]

So if any BY’er has a better suggestion for how UConn can alter their rotation, other than Nika, for this season, while down one to two guards, I’m all ears.

Saylor!

 

[donalddoowop]

Sorry. In the years to come Nika will be lucky to get off the bench with Fudd and Ducharme taking up positions at PG and combo guard. As for Anna, once Saylor gets up to speed and Ducharme comes her position as combo guard and PF will also be overtaken.

You, like some others, are taking for granted the incoming freshmen are going to grasp the UConn system quicker than the current group. I doubt it, except for maybe Fudd. Let's see how quickly Poffenbarger learns this season. If Anna gets over her injury, I believe she will continue to start. She came to UConn this season in great physical shape but due to the pandemic, she lost that edge, and now the injury. I believe Anna will play a lot next season even with the new additions.

 

[oldude]

Saylor!

So your suggestion is to take a kid just out of HS who hasn’t played any organized basketball this season and will only start practicing with the Huskies this week, assuming she clears the protocol, and give her major minutes against a ranked team on the road.

I would be ecstatic if Saylor can provide meaningful minutes anytime this season, but you and I both know that’s not going to happen during the next several weeks.

 

[donalddoowop]

I honestly think it’s time to put those videos in our rear view mirror. Not much is the same, most notably: the level of competition, the ability to finish and the physique. Look at the arms, face and lower body specifically. View attachment 63888

The level of competition does not fly. Some, if not all of those teams Nika played back home were better than the high school teams in the USA. When I questioned last season why UConn would want Nika, who was questionable offensively, and not stick with Coombs, who was also lacking offensively, you had nothing but praise for Nika. That is why I say UConn fans need to wait until a new player actually plays a few games before saying how good they will be. Nika will be fine in time. How many freshmen come in and perform as well as Paige has?

 

[Dokey]

With Paige & Anna hobbled, Geno gave Nika 35 minutes in yesterday’s game vs Georgetown. This morning I rewatched the game focusing on Nika’s play.

At times Nika’s game was rushed and she made a number of bad decisions, turning the ball over on 5 occasions. But when you look beyond the mistakes, there are some intriguing elements to Nika’s game that may predict well for the Huskies.

Nika plays as hard as anyone on the team. She is constant energy. While she had several defensive breakdowns, Nika had 3 steals and forced several other turnovers with her agressive play and quick hands.

On offense, Nika is starting to make shots. She was a very respectable 2/5 from the arc. If Anna is out for an extended period of time, UConn will most certainly need another player capable of knocking down 3’s. While Nika made a number of bad decisions with the ball, she also dropped a number of beautiful dimes on her teammates. Nika only had one assist, but there were several missed shots, and one great pass under the basket that turned into a hockey assist.

It will be interesting to see how much, if any, Geno plays Nika against the small, guard oriented lineup at Arkansas. If Nika can continue to progress, and cut down on her mistakes, she just could become the X-factor for UConn with key minutes off the bench as a guard who can provide defensive pressure, passing and scoring.

The main problem I saw in her game, now that she is shooting, though still hesitating too much, is that her ball movement is very weak. On the perimeter she kept passing the ball back and forth to one player much as if they were playing a backyard game of catch. Still, I am hopeful...

We keep saying a deep bench is beneficial and it is to a certain degree but it also slows the development of the prime five plus one. With Anna and Paige, the prime ball movers out, Anna obviously hampered all season with injury and Paige out for a shorter period, things are going to be ragged.