Lou: If she plays like she did today which one of the pre-season best 5 will she knock out for first team All-American?

[mbr33ct]

 

[cgshuskie]

BY give Lou a chance!!! Allow her to play a couple games so that she can show what she can do. Anyone who knows the game, knows that she will be great in many games. She has already proven her metal at Fairfield. She probably will surprise many and torch most so called D1 teams. She played great against Texas last year. No doubt she is a mature baller. Go Lou!!! Go Huskies

 

[Plebe]

Over all the years I've watched basketball I've rarely made such an early assessment. I watched a player today who was far more than just someone who started because Caroline couldn't. I may be wrong but you don't always need a large sample.

How many times do you think Geno had to see Paige play before he knew she had the goods? (No, I'm not comparing Lou to Paige so please don't go there.)

So you're not comparing Lou to Paige, but you are comparing yourself to Geno?

 

[JBK]

As the season progresses, what will be critical in close games will be who is on the floor to close the game, not who starts the game. I fully expect Lou to be one of the closers!

Clark has proven her worth on the big stage. Lou has not done that yet.

Why are we comparing Lou to the most talented player in the country and a 1 or 2 draft choice.
If Lou can give us 15 a game and play good defense - that is all we need and she will get drafted.

 

[GEAinAustin]

She' going to average more than 15 a game.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Geno has said several times that Lou is very steady. Very consistent. I’ve been saying for months now that our best lineup is Azzi, Dorka, Lou, Caroline and AE. Our primary subs Nika, Ayanna and Aubrey. Lou is no surprise to me. She’s a proven 3 point shooter with size to finish at the rim and a lot of experience as a go to scorer.

 

[eebmg]

Let’s wait and assess her play over the next 5 games after they return from their 2 game Phil Knight showcase in Oregon. We’ll have a better sample size. It sure looked to me like we’ve got something in Lou. No doubt Lou feels better about her ability to play with this team.

I look at it differently. Lou played as well against Kutztown as any of our other “proven” veteran players. I think she started in place of Ducharme who did not dress today, but should play and start Thursday against Northeastern. I’m guessing Lou will be the first one off the bench.

Based on Geno's comments, I think he sees Caroline and Lou as basically even skill wise and temperament.

Caroline I think is a little better driving and posting and defense while Lou is probably a better 3 pt shooter

 

[eebmg]

I am surprised no one had brought up that they think Lou2 is the best Lou we ever had

 

[MSGRET]

Geno has said several times that Lou is very steady. Very consistent. I’ve been saying for months now that our best lineup is Azzi, Dorka, Lou, Caroline and AE. Our primary subs Nika, Ayanna and Aubrey. Lou is no surprise to me. She’s a proven 3 point shooter with size to finish at the rim and a lot of experience as a go to scorer.

Geno has stated that Nika is the PG with Azzi filling in, so it will either be Lou or Caroline coming in off the bench.

 

[Scud49]

I am surprised no one had brought up that they think Lou2 is the best Lou we ever had

Not surprising, there's one pre-season game in the books, and the Boneyard is doing, well, Boneyard kinda things.

 

[cohenzone]

Um, amusing, off the wall thread. Lou looks like a very good player. Today proves nothing as far as comparisons. It was against a team inferior in talent to maybe every other team we will play. More relevant, she seems to have fared well for Fairfield against some of their better opponents. At Fairfield she was not surrounded on her team by the level of talent she has at UConn. Meaning she is unlikely to be the focus which should be helpful to her. If she becomes the focus it means she is even better then expected or, heaven forbid, some of the others might be performing below expectations. I’d guess the former is more likely and she has a long way to show she should be mentioned in the same breath as Clark. I just hope she is good enough to both help us beat good teams and make her own name. She looked for real. Quick good decisions and quick accurate shot.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I am surprised no one had brought up that they think Lou2 is the best Lou we ever had

I love Lou2 and think she could be a WNBA 1st round pick, but Lou1 was a 3x All-American. If Lou2 is not quite as good as KLS, everyone here should be ecstatic.

 

[Cuango]

Let’s wait and assess her play over the next 5 games after they return from their 2 game Phil Knight showcase in Oregon. We’ll have a better sample size. It sure looked to me like we’ve got something in Lou. No doubt Lou feels better about her ability to play with this team.

I look at it differently. Lou played as well against Kutztown as any of our other “proven” veteran players. I think she started in place of Ducharme who did not dress today, but should play and start Thursday against Northeastern. I’m guessing Lou will be the first one off the bench.

After this performance and after listening to Geno’s postgame talk, I think it’s possible/likely that Caroline and Lou may alternate starting. I certainly think Caroline is much less of a certainty to start than she was before this game. I was fairly sure that Lou would be coming off the bench and that Caroline would be starting. Now, who knows? It’s a good problem to have though!
Lou was really impressive in this game. The whole team was impressive!

 

[eebmg]

After this performance and after listening to Geno’s postgame talk, I think it’s possible/likely that Caroline and Lou may alternate starting. I certainly think Caroline is much less of a certainty to start than she was before this game. I was fairly sure that Lou would be coming off the bench and that Caroline would be starting. Now, who knows? It’s a good problem to have though!
Lou was really impressive in this game. The whole team was impressive!

I think you are underestimating Geno's willingness to reward players on seniority and past performances so all things being equal, he would like to start Caroline who had earned alot of consideration with her performances last year that effectively saved our season.

I also think Caroline has a significant edge in defense, is a bit longer, a bit better post up and maybe facilitates the break a little better. (JMO). But Geno will not hesitate to start Lou if Caroline's play is below par.

 

[Bald Husky]

Geno has said several times that Lou is very steady. Very consistent. I’ve been saying for months now that our best lineup is Azzi, Dorka, Lou, Caroline and AE. Our primary subs Nika, Ayanna and Aubrey. Lou is no surprise to me. She’s a proven 3 point shooter with size to finish at the rim and a lot of experience as a go to scorer.

Let's face it, Nika is our point guard. She is our leader on the floor. I was at the game, and you could see the interaction between Nika and Geno during free throws on the sidelines. He trusts her, and so do I. If we start Caroline and Lou together, we won't have a "difference maker" shooter coming off the bench. This is our opportunity to have such a player in Lou. It's tough when Azzi or Caroline come to the bench, but if they are replaced by Lou, the anxiety of missing those players do not exist. Back to Nika, rebounds, steals, assists, and of course tough defense is what makes her so valuable. Putting that input on the bench weakens the team, not improves it. Yes, there will be times when we may need all our shooters on the floor together, but if we don't have to, we should not.

 

[huskeynut]

Team First - Nika is the point guard and the team leader. The starting lineup with be Nika, Azzi, Caroline, Aaliyah and Dorka. This has been my position since Paige went down.

Off the bench with be Lou, Aubrey, and Ayanna. That is a very solid 8 person rotation. And will not be surprised if Ines gets minutes. She may be the last on the team but she showed yesterday she belongs. Remember, Geno plays the players he trusts.

 

[Bone Dog]

Lou was awesome. It will be hard to keep her off the floor. Nika looked great, too, even better than last season. What an awful luxury Geno has with this group! If it takes a couple more games for Caroline to get on the floor, we’re all going to get way too used to watching Lou… like shades of Lou Gehrig. Just kidding. When Caroline is ready, I’m going to be just as thrilled to watch her! I am used to great things from her too.

 

[Bama fan]

If she plays like she did today which one of the pre-season best 5 will she knock out for first team All-American? Of course she won't have the same time and space against the top opponents and we don't know about her defense against the top players she'll face. She can shoot from outside, closer to the basket, she drives and puts it up with either hand, she can pass the ball, and she can grab a few rebounds.

Convince me Clark is better.

The Law of Small Numbers is about to get you , friend. Sample size weighs heavily in Ms Clark's favor when considering D1 performances. But Lou is a fine addition to the UConn squad.

 

[meyers7]

How many times do you think Geno had to see Paige play before he knew she had the goods? (No, I'm not comparing Lou to Paige so please don't go there.)

Not sure, he probably watched The Kid a few times. He probably waited until he saw her in an actual game too.

You're not comparing Senechal to The Kid, but you are comparing her to Clark. You're comparing someone who we are not even sure is going to start for UCONN (she may or Ducharme might??) to an All-American, a NLC winner, a Staley winner, and a NPOY candidate.

A better comparison would be The Kid to Clark. And at this point in their careers, Clark might be a little ahead. At least until The Kid can have a injury free year.

 

[BobbyJ]

Not sure, he probably watched The Kid a few times. He probably waited until he saw her in an actual game too.

You're not comparing Senechal to The Kid, but you are comparing her to Clark. You're comparing someone who we are not even sure is going to start for UCONN (she may or Ducharme might??) to an All-American, a NLC winner, a Staley winner, and a NPOY candidate.

A better comparison would be The Kid to Clark. And at this point in their careers, Clark might be a little ahead. At least until The Kid can have a injury free year.

I’ll take Bueckers over Clark every time. In her one injury free season she accomplished everything that Clark is still trying to. Plus she didn’t have to flop and beg for calls while doing it.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’ll take Bueckers over Clark every time. In her one injury free season she accomplished everything that Clark is still trying to. Plus she didn’t have to flop and beg for calls while doing it.

The NPOY voters agreed with you two years ago, even though Clark had better basic stats... and so do I. But be careful about saying it here -- on a UConn board! -- lest you collect a few "red thumbs."

 

[BobbyJ]

The NPOY voters agreed with you two years ago, even though Clark had better basic stats... and so do I. But be careful about saying it here -- on a UConn board! -- lest you collect a few "red thumbs."

Careful saying what? I don’t care about stats, they can be manipulated. My point was that Bueckers is a better all around player than Clark.

 

[Bone Dog]

Careful saying what? I don’t care about stats, they can be manipulated. My point was that Bueckers is a better all around player than Clark.

I’ll take Bueckers over Clark every time. In her one injury free season she accomplished everything that Clark is still trying to. Plus she didn’t have to flop and beg for calls while doing it.

Clark's basic stats were better all around, but the NPOY people still preferred Paige, and so do you and I. But if you point out a difference like this one -- which might account for it -- there are those on this board who will ding you for it.

For example, if someone says Nika only got so many assists yesterday because she was passing to great scorers, and you point out that this is also how Clark gets a lot of her assists, instead of seeing this as defending one of our own (ya know, by comparing her to another great player) you will get dinged for it.

 

[BobbyJ]

Clark's basic stats were better all around, but the NPOY people still preferred Paige, and so do you and I. But if you point out a difference like this one -- which might account for it -- there are those on this board who will ding you for it.

For example, if someone says Nika only got so many assists yesterday because she was passing to great scorers, and you point out that this is also how Clark gets a lot of her assists, instead of seeing this as defending one of our own (ya know, by comparing her to another great player) you will get dinged for it.

That’s not what I was saying. Clark does the flopping and begging. Bueckers doesn’t have to, she’s above it.

 

[cometjo]

Caroline I think is a little better driving and posting and defense while Lou is probably a better 3 pt shooter

Is this the same Caroline who beat Azzi in a three point contest before they came to UConn?