Is Nika the X-Factor? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Is Nika the X-Factor?

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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.
Your original question was “ is Nika the X factor”. In terms of a PG, you pretty much just answered your own question. She’s basically the only factor unless you want to crank up Autumn and fire her in there. And I don’t see that happening.
 
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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
isn't that true for many young players though? Obviously if Geno didn't see potential beyond just another bench player he wouldn't have traveled to Europe to sign her. I'm not saying she's going to be a starter at UConn because we all know she's not. The question is whether she can play any kind of helpful role off the bench in the next three years. I'm hoping she can.......
 
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The level of certainty some posters try to convey about a players future after seeing said player for a limited time in a few games, some while playing hurt, is ridiculous to me. Muhl is in a new country, in a Covid season, a new style of ball, and a new role, namely coming off the bench. Add in that very, very few freshman have been able to step right in at Uconn, and I think definitive judgements are premature to say the least.
I have no idea what she will be but I do know enough to know it is way too early to draw any conclusions. Auriemma and Popovich may both be wrong but I am still in we shall see mode.
 

CocoHusky

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isn't that true for many young players though? Obviously if Geno didn't see potential beyond just another bench player he wouldn't have traveled to Europe to sign her. I'm not saying she's going to be a starter at UConn because we all know she's not. The question is whether she can play any kind of helpful role off the bench in the next three years. I'm hoping she can.......
We are all hoping for the same thing. I just pointing out that she is here now and we need to get over her prior hype tapes-I would say the same for for any players.
 

oldude

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Your original question was “ is Nika the X factor”. In terms of a PG, you pretty much just answered your own question. She’s basically the only factor unless you want to crank up Autumn and fire her in there. And I don’t see that happening.
Yes, as a judge might rule, “Asked and answered.” But it’s a little more than Nika being the only factor. I am also laying down the predicate that if she continues to develop and is able to limit her mistakes, she might just be a “good answer” to the guard rotation challenge at UConn. Of course, time will tell.
 
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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.
The post was about her being an "X" factor. Her current stats 14% shooting, 21% from 3. 10 assts, 15 turnovers...the real bad one for me is .8 rebounds per game ( in 16 minutes) which concerns me about effort.
As a Uconn fan I hope she improves, but right now she is a negative factor.
 

CocoHusky

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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?
That is exactly the point. I was very effusive in my praise of Nika based on those tapes. In addition to overlooking her "perceived" short coming as a shooter I also projected her to be a very useful to UCONN on perimeter defense. The Nika in those videos is not performing like the Nika currently in a UCONN uniform. I listed a list of reason why that might be; "the level of competition, the ability to finish and the physique". To clarify the level of competition is the difference between where she was in Croatia and DI competition she is facing now. It happens to many high school players not just Nika. I was not expecting her to come in and perform as Paige has nor was I expecting Piage to perform as well as she has. BTW Coombs was not lacking offensively she was McDonalds AA and averaged over 25 Points per game in HS and had a reliable (although somewhat quirky) jump shot.
 
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The post was about her being an "X" factor. Her current stats 14% shooting, 21% from 3. 10 assts, 15 turnovers...the real bad one for me is .8 rebounds per game ( in 16 minutes) which concerns me about effort.
As a Uconn fan I hope she improves, but right now she is a negative factor.

hey don't laugh at 14%...........she was at 0% for the entire season.........one good shooting game and she's golden!!.........:)
 

CocoHusky

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hey don't laugh at 14%...........she was at 0% for the entire season.........one good shooting game and she's golden!!.........:)
:eek: Yea making a layup of two might also shut this whole thread down then I've have to find something else to complain about. :D
 

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had a reliable (although somewhat quirky) jump shot.
I have to comment on the idea that Mikayla Coombs had a reliable jump shot in HS, something she’s never demonstrated at UConn or UGA. Other than on her HS highlight tapes, where she makes 100% of all her outside shots because they wouldn’t be included in a highlight tape if she didn’t make them, there is little indication that Coombs possessed a reliable jump shot.

On Hoopgurlz, Olson assesses Coombs over 3 successive years. Only in his first year assessment does he even mention her outside shooting to suggest she has, “stationary range at the arc,” a somewhat dubious assessment. In subsequent years Olson emphasizes Coombs ability to finish at the rim, but makes no mention at all of her outside shooting.

The suspicion of Coombs lack of shooting prowess is further bolstered by her performance in the McD AA game. In a game when everyone is firing up 3’s, Coombs didn’t take a single outside shot. In just 10 games, Nika has made 3 times as many 3-pt shots as Coombs did in 2 full seasons at UConn + 14 games at UGA.
 

eebmg

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I have to comment on the idea that Mikayla Coombs had a reliable jump shot in HS, something she’s never demonstrated at UConn or UGA. Other than on her HS highlight tapes, where she makes 100% of all her outside shots because they wouldn’t be included in a highlight tape if she didn’t make them, there is little indication that Coombs possessed a reliable jump shot.

On Hoopgurlz, Olson assesses Coombs over 3 successive years. Only in his first year assessment does he even mention her outside shooting to suggest she has, “stationary range at the arc,” a somewhat dubious assessment. In subsequent years Olson emphasizes Coombs ability to finish at the rim, but makes no mention at all of her outside shooting.

The suspicion of Coombs lack of shooting prowess is further bolstered by her performance in the McD AA game. In a game when everyone is firing up 3’s, Coombs didn’t take a single outside shot. In just 10 games, Nika has made 3 times as many 3-pt shots as Coombs did in 2 full seasons at UConn + 14 games at UGA.
One thing that Coombs has done well which I did not expect is playmaking.
 

oldude

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One thing that Coombs has done well which I did not expect is playmaking.
Yes, as I’ve said before, when UConn signed her she appeared to check all the boxes: great defender, talented athlete, ability to attack the basket and good passer. While her ability to shoot the ball was suspect, I don’t think Geno and his staff had any idea how fundamentally flawed her shooting mechanics were.

I am happy to see she’s doing well at UGA. But as for her shooting, through 14 games Coombs has taken only one 3-pt shot, a miss.
 

RedStickHusky

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If Paige has to miss another game, I'd consider playing EW and CW in the backcourt with Nika rotating through as needed; that leaves liv, AG, AE, and Mir to divvy the frontcourt minutes. Presents a big vs small problem for Arkansas though. More zone?
 
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Not sure what is meant by X-factor. My thinking Aubrey is the X-factor. If she were to blossom, which is not that far off, it would jettison this team to another level.
Not Nika IMO. But I see her and Mir in the same category, as contributors to a really good team.
I think point guards cannot be judged in the same way as other positions. Think of the star point guards in this program. I would argue that they are all unique. Different shapes and sizes. She has talents and characteristics that no one else has had. With improved savviness, can you picture her penetrating a defense, like a wrecking ball. Can you see her hitting the open shot. Can you see her cashing in on a steal in the open court. Can you see her stepping in and taking a charge? I can see these things. Keep giving her minutes. Press Geno!
 

CocoHusky

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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.
Your request was for suggestion to alter the rotation for this season. Awful myopic of you to just be looking at the next game for which Saylor will likely not be available.
Try Again Ice T GIF by SVU
 

oldude

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Your request was for suggestion to alter the rotation for this season. Awful myopic of you to just be looking at the next game for which Saylor will likely not be available.
Try Again Ice T GIF by SVU
No, I actually appreciate the fact that you answered my inquiry. I just don’t think Saylor will have an impact this season, although I would be delighted to be proven incorrect.
 
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Yes, as I’ve said before, when UConn signed her she appeared to check all the boxes: great defender, talented athlete, ability to attack the basket and good passer. While her ability to shoot the ball was suspect, I don’t think Geno and his staff had any idea how fundamentally flawed her shooting mechanics were.

I am happy to see she’s doing well at UGA. But as for her shooting, through 14 games Coombs has taken only one 3-pt shot, a miss.
I don't see how they could have missed it. They had to have decided to overlook it. I don't know about them but the first thing I look at is if the kid can shoot. They either can or they can't. At that point I'd decide if it's fixable and if I don't think it is, they'd have to be elite in the other areas or I'm moving on. But of course that's their business and recruiting prerogative they followed. What's surprising to me is that neither she nor they seem to have attempted any changes. It's not like there was any risk to her results involved. And that would include her HS coach.
 

oldude

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I don't see how they could have missed it. They had to have decided to overlook it. I don't know about them but the first thing I look at is if the kid can shoot. They either can or they can't. At that point I'd decide if it's fixable and if I don't think it is, they'd have to be elite in the other areas or I'm moving on. But of course that's their business and recruiting prerogative they followed. What's surprising to me is that neither she nor they seem to have attempted any changes. It's not like there was any risk to her results involved. And that would include her HS coach.
We don’t know what went on at practice with Coombs shot, but IMO, by the time you get through HS, with fundamentally flawed shooting mechanics, it’s almost impossible to correct.

In contrast, Megan Walker also had a shooting problem out of HS with a flat trajectory. That was a simpler problem she was able to correct in college to become an excellent 3-pt shooter.
 

CocoHusky

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I don't see how they could have missed it. They had to have decided to overlook it. I don't know about them but the first thing I look at is if the kid can shoot. They either can or they can't. At that point I'd decide if it's fixable and if I don't think it is, they'd have to be elite in the other areas or I'm moving on. But of course that's their business and recruiting prerogative they followed. What's surprising to me is that neither she nor they seem to have attempted any changes. It's not like there was any risk to her results involved. And that would include her HS coach.
I agree with you that it should have been noticed and fixed in HS or UCONN. I also could understand why it wasn't. At UCONN there simply isn't enough time and I struggle to think of any player who has rebuilt shot mechanics while playing for a top 10 program. In HS is the classic problem. 99.9999 of HS & AAU coaches don't have a player as talented as Mikayla. Those that do are so happy with having a player of that caliber improvement is the last thing on their minds.
 
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We don’t know what went on at practice with Coombs shot, but IMO, by the time you get through HS, with fundamentally flawed shooting mechanics, it’s almost impossible to correct.

In contrast, Megan Walker also had a shooting problem out of HS with a flat trajectory. That was a simpler problem she was able to correct in college to become an excellent 3-pt shooter.
To me it looks like pretty much nothing. She was the same going out as she was coming in. I agree that in some cases bad mechanics can be unfixable. I won't bore anyone with details but I believe hers were correctable.
 
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I agree with you that it should have been noticed and fixed in HS or UCONN. I also could understand why it wasn't. At UCONN there simply isn't enough time and I struggle to think of any player who has rebuilt shot mechanics while playing for a top 10 program. In HS is the classic problem. 99.9999 of HS & AAU coaches don't have a player as talented as Mikayla. Those that do are so happy with having a player of that caliber improvement is the last thing on their minds.
I 100% agree with your AAU reasoning however I'll throw out one name who just fixed her own this past offseason. Aaliyah Boston, from the foul line and 3 point line. Plus she's done in one offseason what ONO hasn't done in 2 at UConn, she's learned how to turn and shoot a jumpshot AND a baby hook with no dribble. The kid just has to know they need it and want it.
 

oldude

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To me it looks like pretty much nothing. She was the same going out as she was coming in. I agree that in some cases bad mechanics can be unfixable. I won't bore anyone with details but I believe hers were correctable.
I’ve seldom seen worse shooting mechanics. Coombs sort of slings the ball from her waist. You would almost need to completely scrap her current mechanics and start from scratch. I guess it’s possible to fix, but it would be the basketball equivalent of Anne Sullivan teaching Helen Keller to communicate, kind of a basketball miracle worker.
 
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I’ve seldom seen worse shooting mechanics. Coombs sort of slings the ball from her waist. You would almost need to completely scrap her current mechanics and start from scratch. I guess it’s possible to fix, but it would be the basketball equivalent of Anne Sullivan teaching Helen Keller to communicate, kind of a basketball miracle.
LMAO, if she calls me I'll still give it a shot!
 

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