KK or Kayleigh, who's your guess?

[RSHERMVIKES]

KK will start as she's earned the spot with her play over 2 seasons!

 

[Happydad745]

Probably KK will start at PG, she has the experience....luckily Geno will be the one to figures it out.

 

[Tonyc]

Wow alot of good points about who will start. One thing is for sure alot of players will get alot of playtime. A lot of that will depend on our injured players coming back and how ready they are physically. Alot will also depend on preparing players to be ready for next season. Last season we had 3 great shooters. Pull up jumpers were a big part of our game with 3 point shots taken when open. This season defenders will focus on Azzi and Sarah on the outside and Searh will get a lot of attention on the inside. I would like to think that Ash will have a good pull up jumper and that would be huge. Question marks preseason are Caroline Yana and Morgan. How will the come back and how long will it take? This presents how much playtime everyone gets . Team chemistry and being able to execute the offense and defense will play a large part on playtime minutes. We are such a strong team this season that developing everyone may not hurt our performance. Starters will most likely be based on being able to execute and team chemistry. Next the development of players for this and next season. The first part of the season will be a learning process on playing as a team within the team. Once everyone is on the same page they will see more playtime. The competition and comroderity at practice will be huge. This team is one of Genos most talented and most promising.

 

[PacoSwede]

adjustment to the absence of paige also should interesting. will the team adapt? how long will it take? will some players radically change their games/approach/attitude?

 

[Urshurak]

KK. I don't think there is any question about that, unless Geno is going to change it up now and then. These two will interchange beautifully IMHO.

 

[Bone Dog]

adjustment to the absence of paige also should interesting. will the team adapt? how long will it take? will some players radically change their games/approach/attitude?

I think this will be one of the most interesting stories next season. I doubt Sarah or Azzi will change much. They are exactly who they are. But KK and Ash are a different story. They made their sophomore leaps and it was wonderful to watch. Now they have an opportunity to take it up even another notch. They are still “works in progress.” It’s going to be an exciting year for those two.

Everyone else is too new or too re-newed to recognize a change in them. Maybe Carol, though I suspect we all asssume she’s just aiming at recovering her previous basketball persona. And that would be more than enough for anyone.

 

[Bigboote]

adjustment to the absence of paige also should interesting. will the team adapt? how long will it take? will some players radically change their games/approach/attitude?

My one question about that is who will be the secondary ballhandler. Paige was a second point guard. Azzi and Ashlynn are both heady offensive players with good shots and good handles (1.7 and 1.2 turnovers per 40 minutes). Neither has Paige's court vision, though. I have no doubt that KK and Kayleigh will spend some time on the floor together, but that's giving up a lot of shooting.

As we all say, Geno will figure it out.

 

[oldude]

My one question about that is who will be the secondary ballhandler. Paige was a second point guard. Azzi and Ashlynn are both heady offensive players with good shots and good handles (1.7 and 1.2 turnovers per 40 minutes). Neither has Paige's court vision, though. I have no doubt that KK and Kayleigh will spend some time on the floor together, but that's giving up a lot of shooting.

As we all say, Geno will figure it out.

Don’t get hung up on the idea of “pg”. Sarah is the best passing forward that UConn has had since Gabby.

 

[Bone Dog]

My one question about that is who will be the secondary ballhandler. Paige was a second point guard. Azzi and Ashlynn are both heady offensive players with good shots and good handles (1.7 and 1.2 turnovers per 40 minutes).

I agree with this. A pg is a very specialized position and one that doesn't exactly fit Azzi or Ash. It's not just about bringing the ball up the floor, which is just the tip of the iceberg of what a pg does. It involves a complicated set of responsibilities on both ends of the floor.

Azzi can play pg in a pinch, but it's not her best position and could well take away from her strength as a spot-up shooter. In so many games, her defensive positioning allowed her to get down the court to the opposite wing on a steal or a long rebound, ready for a 3. As others have noticed, this spread the floor and put immense pressure on the opposing team's ability to defend against Uconn's transition offense. If Azzi is your pg in the full sense of the word, that position may slow her down in transition. Paige was rarely the one who finished plays in transition unless they began with her stealing the ball up top. She was usually the one who initiated the transition game, and trailed behind the break to clean it up if needed. The 'tip of the spear' was mostly Sarah and Azzi.

And Ash is not a pg by temperament or skill set. Nor does she typically lead the break. She is a tremendous spot-up shooter, a fierce on-ball defender, and is great at harrying opposing rebounders under the rim at both ends of the court. None of these really fit with the role of a pg.

I am pretty confident that only KK and Kayleigh will play like true point guards this season. But once again Geno has stacked the team with excellent ball handlers. I'm thinking of players who can break a press, but also who can slash into the lane, score off the dribble, as well as beat opponents in the open court. KK and Kayleigh fit this bill, of course, but also Azzi and Morgan and Kelis. These are all very skilled players. Slightly less skilled, but still very good ball handlers are Ash, Sarah, Allie and Carol. These players won't freeze anyone with a 'killa-crossover' but they are heady enough to break a press in a pinch. The new x-factor as a ball handler is Blanca. Videos suggest she can break down a defense with her handles and actually does have a 'killa-crossover.'

What I see is 10 very strong ball handlers on this roster. This means I think Geno will always have at least 3 of them on the floor in any unit. Last season, UConn was not a press-able team, and this will be even more true this season. Of course, it also means that Geno doesn't really need to have a simple pg on the floor. His positionless offense thrives when anyone can initiate the transition game or the half court offense.

 

[Stagnant]

KK will start as she's earned the spot with her play over 2 seasons!

I agree KK will start. I disagree with this rationale. To me “she’s earned the spot” should only be a factor if it is a tie between her and Kayleigh. If Kayleigh Heckel is just better in camp and in preseason… then she should start.

My money is on KK winning that battle.

 

[Bigboote]

I agree with this. A pg is a very specialized position and one that doesn't exactly fit Azzi or Ash. It's not just about bringing the ball up the floor, which is just the tip of the iceberg of what a pg does. It involves a complicated set of responsibilities on both ends of the floor.

Azzi can play pg in a pinch, but it's not her best position and could well take away from her strength as a spot-up shooter. In so many games, her defensive positioning allowed her to get down the court to the opposite wing on a steal or a long rebound, ready for a 3. As others have noticed, this spread the floor and put immense pressure on the opposing team's ability to defend against Uconn's transition offense. If Azzi is your pg in the full sense of the word, that position may slow her down in transition. Paige was rarely the one who finished plays in transition unless they began with her stealing the ball up top. She was usually the one who initiated the transition game, and trailed behind the break to clean it up if needed. The 'tip of the spear' was mostly Sarah and Azzi.

And Ash is not a pg by temperament or skill set. Nor does she typically lead the break. She is a tremendous spot-up shooter, a fierce on-ball defender, and is great at harrying opposing rebounders under the rim at both ends of the court. None of these really fit with the role of a pg.

I am pretty confident that only KK and Kayleigh will play like true point guards this season. But once again Geno has stacked the team with excellent ball handlers. I'm thinking of players who can break a press, but also who can slash into the lane, score off the dribble, as well as beat opponents in the open court. KK and Kayleigh fit this bill, of course, but also Azzi and Morgan and Kelis. These are all very skilled players. Slightly less skilled, but still very good ball handlers are Ash, Sarah, Allie and Carol. These players won't freeze anyone with a 'killa-crossover' but they are heady enough to break a press in a pinch. The new x-factor as a ball handler is Blanca. Videos suggest she can break down a defense with her handles and actually does have a 'killa-crossover.'

What I see is 10 very strong ball handlers on this roster. This means I think Geno will always have at least 3 of them on the floor in any unit. Last season, UConn was not a press-able team, and this will be even more true this season. Of course, it also means that Geno doesn't really need to have a simple pg on the floor. His positionless offense thrives when anyone can initiate the transition game or the half court offense.

Bingo! A secondary ballhandler isn't the same thing as a second point guard. We saw the importance of a secondary ballhandler in a few games when Nika was all UConn had.

And as OD said, Sarah will likely be a point forward.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I agree with this. A pg is a very specialized position and one that doesn't exactly fit Azzi or Ash. It's not just about bringing the ball up the floor, which is just the tip of the iceberg of what a pg does. It involves a complicated set of responsibilities on both ends of the floor.

Azzi can play pg in a pinch, but it's not her best position and could well take away from her strength as a spot-up shooter. In so many games, her defensive positioning allowed her to get down the court to the opposite wing on a steal or a long rebound, ready for a 3. As others have noticed, this spread the floor and put immense pressure on the opposing team's ability to defend against Uconn's transition offense. If Azzi is your pg in the full sense of the word, that position may slow her down in transition. Paige was rarely the one who finished plays in transition unless they began with her stealing the ball up top. She was usually the one who initiated the transition game, and trailed behind the break to clean it up if needed. The 'tip of the spear' was mostly Sarah and Azzi.

And Ash is not a pg by temperament or skill set. Nor does she typically lead the break. She is a tremendous spot-up shooter, a fierce on-ball defender, and is great at harrying opposing rebounders under the rim at both ends of the court. None of these really fit with the role of a pg.

I am pretty confident that only KK and Kayleigh will play like true point guards this season. But once again Geno has stacked the team with excellent ball handlers. I'm thinking of players who can break a press, but also who can slash into the lane, score off the dribble, as well as beat opponents in the open court. KK and Kayleigh fit this bill, of course, but also Azzi and Morgan and Kelis. These are all very skilled players. Slightly less skilled, but still very good ball handlers are Ash, Sarah, Allie and Carol. These players won't freeze anyone with a 'killa-crossover' but they are heady enough to break a press in a pinch. The new x-factor as a ball handler is Blanca. Videos suggest she can break down a defense with her handles and actually does have a 'killa-crossover.'

What I see is 10 very strong ball handlers on this roster. This means I think Geno will always have at least 3 of them on the floor in any unit. Last season, UConn was not a press-able team, and this will be even more true this season. Of course, it also means that Geno doesn't really need to have a simple pg on the floor. His positionless offense thrives when anyone can initiate the transition game or the half court offense.

Just thinking out loud: what do a historic amount of ball handlers (especially at the W/F positions) and posts, a stacked full roster and mix-match portend, if anything?

• This is the situation Geno and CD find themselves in this coming season and the next (more so with Olivia?);
• The conventional wisdom on having many high BBIQ ball handlers are that many of the best players are that and they greatly enhance read-and-react;
• And what if all players — except longer-runway freshmen — have made their cases in practice for Geno to play them?
• This past season, exceptional guard depth (with Paige calling Jokic-point-forward Sarah a “big guard”), led Geno to hone small ball (no traditional center) as a winning time combination;
• Could the Geno-curated rosters this season and next (with Olivia?) portend to Geno honing another family of winning time combinations where there are no purer 1’s (a la MN Lynx) or the purer 1’s vastly improve on their 3-pt accuracy;
• Of course, these combinations must be TN and SC proof;
• With agile posts and wings, these combinations are not necessarily strategically confined to games mostly played in the half court.

But only Geno can truly answer this question, but it is fun to speculate anyway. This past season, he had the Big 3 exceptional hybrid ball handlers, but the team was a little bit thin and green in the post.

 

[Bone Dog]

Just thinking out loud: what do a historic amount of ball handlers (especially at the W/F positions) and posts, a stacked full roster and mix-match portend, if anything?

• This is the situation Geno and CD find themselves in this coming season and the next (more so with Olivia?);
• The conventional wisdom on having many high BBIQ ball handlers are that many of the best players are that and they greatly enhance read-and-react;
• And what if all players — except longer-runway freshmen — have made their cases in practice for Geno to play them?
• This past season, exceptional guard depth (with Paige calling Jokic-point-forward Sarah a “big guard”), led Geno to hone small ball (no traditional center) as a winning time combination;
• Could the Geno-curated rosters this season and next (with Olivia?) portend to Geno honing another family of winning time combinations where there are no purer 1’s (a la MN Lynx) or the purer 1’s vastly improve on their 3-pt accuracy;
• Of course, these combinations must be TN and SC proof;
• With agile posts and wings, these combinations are not necessarily strategically confined to games mostly played in the half court.

But only Geno can truly answer this question, but it is fun to speculate anyway. This past season, he had the Big 3 exceptional hybrid ball handlers, but the team was a little bit thin and green in the post.

Wonderful post! Lots of food for thought.

One recurring theme in the background seems to be smallball, which is a variant of the transition offense-defense. Geno saw how Sarah was perfectly setup for the transition game, especially since she was such a threat from the perimeter but also a great shot blocker and rebounder. Her mobility and ball skills was just the icing on that cake. In past years, the break was usually finished by a big guard like Aubrey or Christyn or even Evina. But last season, the main finisher was Sarah. She didn’t need to be quicker than opposing guards because she was too big for them to stop once Paige or Azzi or KK found her with a long pass. I expect to see more of this next season, though Blanca may do a lot of the finishing too.

Danny Strong said in interviews before she came to UConn that Sarah did not want to be stuck in the low post even though she has all the skills to thrive there. I think this was meant as a warning to recruiters, and it looks like Geno really heard him. Because Geno used Sarah in exactly the way her whole family could have wished for.

One interesting prospect is that the smallball lineups may not be so small this season. Geno has three little guards (~5’9”) but a lot of his ball handlers are 6’ or bigger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a roster like this before. He can put units on the floor with nobody under 6’2” and still have them outrun all opponents. Those lineups should make ‘short’ work of Tennessee.

Of course, I don’t think we’ll see many lineups that don’t include Azzi or Ash for their perimeter shooting, even with Sarah and Carol on the floor. But the potential is there and I’d really be curious to see what a lineup like Sarah Blanca Morgan Carol and Ayanna could accomplish.

 

[HopJim]

I completely agree with the first two. But KK does slow down. The amount of energy she puts out is enormous and I’m not sure she can sustain that for more than 20-25 minutes a game. Last season she could be her best self for 20+ minutes and that really made a difference, especially in the second half of tough games. In her freshman year she played 30+ minutes in many games and the toll it took on her was noticeable. Watch the tournament games when Geno shortened the rotation and it’s easy to see how tired they all were in the 4th quarter. Well, everyone but Ash who can run like a mad thing for 30-35 minutes without slowing down. We almost lost to Duke and USC from fatigue that season.

This is why signing Kaitlyn was so important last season. Geno needed a platoon at pg to allow KK to put out maximum energy at the end of games. Just watch the 4th quarters of the final four games to see the truth of this. KK came in and practically ran UCLA and SC off the court singlehandedly. Like @Monte says, who finishes may be more important than who starts. The only reason Kayleigh might start games is with an eye to the 4th quarter.

Of course, we may dominate the tournament again in this coming season and take huge leads into the 4th quarter. But I doubt very much Geno is counting on this. I’d bet he’s thinking of building a team that can win the 4th quarter of close games. And this may mean giving Kayleigh a larger role at the start of games.

Sometime in February, I can picture a 1st quarter lineup like this:

• Kayleigh Azzi Ash Sarah and Serah.

And a 4th quarter lineup like this:

• KK Azzi Blanca Morgan and Sarah.

Why? Because in the 1st quarter Geno will have one speedy slasher, 3 rainmakers and two awesome posts. And by the 4th quarter the opposing bigs will be exhausted if they haven’t fouled out. They will not be able to run with our 4th quarter unit.

Predict that KK and Kayleigh will be in different rotations. KK will bring unlimited energy and be replaced by Kelis. Little drop off in speed or energy. Pity the poor competitive players who have to keep up with those two.

 

[Bone Dog]

Predict that KK and Kayleigh will be in different rotations. KK will bring unlimited energy and be replaced by Kelis. Little drop off in speed or energy. Pity the poor competitive players who have to keep up with those two.

The Big Fish may prove to be lightning in a bottle. Wouldn’t that be fun? I wonder if KK will become a role model for her.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Geno LOVED the PG duo of last year. There was a fresh PG the entire game. They split the "meaningful minutes" almost evenly. I see the same system this year. KK and K9 will be a great duo. Kelis will get clean-up. KK will start and Geno will know when the change is needed.
For all the posters who know more than I do --- What team (last year) had a point guard duo that could be interchangeable with little variation? I can't think of any? In fact, it seems that most teams (like ND) had point guards that played 35 minutes or more in big games. UConn has a BIG advantage with that duo.

 

[huskeynut]

KK starts. She knows the system and she knows her teammates. K9 is going to get plenty of playing time. She has the skill set and the chemistry with her and the team will developed quickly. And I would be surprised to see both of them on the court at the same time.

 

[browns]

Okay, you'd think in my 70th year that I would have learned to be clear in my thoughts, Bigboote. Maybe I finally will be if I make it to 80. But until then, I completely agree with your assessment that Azzi will be a starter. So, here's my 1-5 starter thoughts:

1 - K.K.
2 - Ashlyn
3 - Azzi
4. Sara
5. Jana

And here's why; Geno loves his guards. He basically started 3 guards this past season: Kaitlyn, Azzi and Paige. In my opinion, Paige was essentially occupying the 3 spot, even though she's a guard. I expect Azzi to slide over to that "spot" this season. Ashlyn Shade was somewhat overshadowed by Paige being on the floor this season. She can be streaky, but we've seen enough spurts to know that she can also be a devastating offensive presence. With Paige gone, I expect she will have many more opportunities and will be a force as a junior. I could see penciling Shade in for a consistent 15 points a game. And she's absolute gold on the defensive end, even if she does foul occasionally. I love how she wrestles rebounds away from much taller players. My sympathy goes out to Chloe Kitts, who probably has nightmares about her.

In my totally sentimental assessment, I'd love to see Caroline Ducharme break into the starting lineup at the 3 but unfortunately, I think all the injuries have taken their toll. I would love to be proven wrong about that. And I hope that Ayanna Patterson has something to say about the starting lineup if she's now completely healthy.

Anyway, thanks for your reply to my comment. I'm looking forward to learning if any of my thoughts are rational when the season starts. And I've got my fingers crossed about injuries, as always.

You have Jana starting instead of Serah..can't see that happening

 

[oldude]

Geno LOVED the PG duo of last year. There was a fresh PG the entire game. They split the "meaningful minutes" almost evenly. I see the same system this year. KK and K9 will be a great duo. Kelis will get clean-up. KK will start and Geno will know when the change is needed.
For all the posters who know more than I do --- What team (last year) had a point guard duo that could be interchangeable with little variation? I can't think of any? In fact, it seems that most teams (like ND) had point guards that played 35 minutes or more in big games. UConn has a BIG advantage with that duo.

Duo? UConn had no less than 5 players on their team who played pg in HS, and were capable of initiating the offense this past season, 6 if you count Sarah. The others were Paige, Kaitlyn, KK, Ash & Allie. For opposing teams it was “death by a thousand point guards.” 😎

 

[PacoSwede]

Duo? UConn had no less than 5 players on their team who played pg in HS, and were capable of initiating the offense this past season, 6 if you count Sarah. The others were Paige, Kaitlyn, KK, Ash & Allie. For opposing teams it was “death by a thousand point guards.” 😎

and morgan

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

All i know is that if KK develops a consistent 3pt shot, its basically game over. I suspect that most teams will probably dare KK to shoot the 3ball, adding an extra defender to Sarah or Azzi. But if KK knocks down anywhere from 2-4 3 pointers per game, Uconn will be simply unguardable.

KK's overall focus next year should be ball distribution and reading the defense being thrown at Uconn. Paige was a magician as far as reading what other teams are trying to impose. This allowed Paige to understand the flow of the game and know in what parts on the floor her teammates should be in.

 

[Bald Husky]

The way KK was a difference maker coming off the bench last year, it would seem right to do the same this year. BUT, KK has earned the starting spot at PG, and even if Kayleigh does seem better in practice, Geno will still start KK. She has earned the starting spot, as has Ash. PT will be determined by how everyone is playing in each individual game, so I believe KK and K9 will play similar minutes, with each one playing more, which will be determined on how the game is going. Each will play an important part in this offence, and each will be able to show off what they bring to the table. We know KK, but K9s play will still be a mystery to us until the season tips off.

 

[Bone Dog]

One recurring theme in Geno’s remarks before every season is that you can only “earn” anything — minutes, starting spots, etc. — in practice. Various players have said similar things over the years too. Neither Ash nor KK can have earned anything for this year in last season.

I think when we say stuff like that we’re responding to what we saw in the previous season and making a guess about how competitive they’ll be in practices. In a summer presser in Storrs, Serah was asked what struck her about the team and she says she was surprised by how competitive even casual pickup games are. She’d never experienced anything like it at Wisconsin. This is what Geno is talking about.

 

[PJCLaw]

Viewing the season as a whole, not just the first week. One will start, one will come off the bench, and occasionally both of them will be on the floor together. And we're just prognosticating here. No one who matters in Storrs will be influenced by anything we say here.

My guess is by February Kayleigh will be the starting PG, but they'll divide the minutes pretty evenly. And it is possible, in my view, that they'll both start. I wouldn't put it past Geno to start KK Kayleigh Azzi Sarah and Serah.

If KK starts the season as the PG, which I believe she will, Kayleigh Heckel will come off the bench the whole season or only start if someone gets hurt. KK is not relinquishing her starting role once she gets it back. She has experience starting and coming off the bench, but she will do what she needs to do to ensure she starts and remains the starter. In KK I trust!