HuskyNan
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She’s still a young player and not too polished with the press yet. I wouldn’t dissect her statements too carefully. To me, the takeaway is that Amari is determined to get inthe regular rotation and willing to prove Geno he should put her there. The rest is filler.She seems to contradict herself a few times. “I was too laid back. . . it’s aggravating I took it as lightly as I did. . . I was working hard every practice, as hard as I could.”
She still sounds unsure of herself. Can she fill a role? “That remains to be seen.” I would have hoped her response would be “Damn right, I’ll fill a role.”
I have been predicting great things from Amari so I hope you are right. We have little to base our evaluation on except a few open jumpers when the games were out of hand.One thing is undeniable. She is a skilled offensive player.
The available data is minimal. She appears to have decent range facing the basket (she was more than willing to put it up), Amari and Piath had several nice two man games from the high and low post position. The unknowns are whether she can score with her back to the basket, can she catch and finish off a pick and roll, is she consistently able to use her left hand to score.I have been predicting great things from Amari so I hope you are right. We have little to base our evaluation on except a few open jumpers when the games were out of hand.
Contradiction? Maybe. But her statement could also be viewed as her being a young, immature basketball player. Now, she’s a year older, a little bit wiser, somewhat smarter, and finally realizes how hard she has to work for a spot on the floor. I believe in her, and am rooting for her to show the talent and skills she’s blessed with.She seems to contradict herself a few times. “I was too laid back. . . it’s aggravating I took it as lightly as I did. . . I was working hard every practice, as hard as I could.”
She still sounds unsure of herself. Can she fill a role? “That remains to be seen.” I would have hoped her response would be “Damn right, I’ll fill a role.”
Wow! Sounds very immature! I don't see this changing. Peoples' value systems do not change easily. I expect zippo from Amari. If she jacks around this season like she did last season, well pull the scholarship and send her packing. Focus on the players committed to working. There is only so much time to teach the players. Why waste time and effort on someone not committed to the UCONN way?It wouldn't let me read the article without a subscription.
Grains of truth, but overly harsh. Why do we feel the need to trash our own players? I would rather support Amari than trash her.Wow! Sounds very immature! I don't see this changing. Peoples' value systems do not change easily. I expect zippo from Amari. If she jacks around this season like she did last season, well pull the scholarship and send her packing. Focus on the players committed to working. There is only so much time to teach the players. Why waste time and effort on someone not committed to the UCONN way?
Ok! If Ayanna and Isunah came to UCONN to do more than OK, focus on them and forget Amari.
- Amari doesn’t want a repeat of what was a lost freshman season.
- “This season I’m going to show them I’m going to work hard all summer so I gain that trust that they know I can be counted on when needed. Geno: She comes and goes.
- It was a test-the-waters type of year when I could have done a little more.” If I were her teammate I'd read her the riot act!
- DeBerry could not deliver even when there were only seven or eight players available due to injuries.
- “I was working hard every practice, as hard as I could. (Obviously not!) There was more that I could have done. Yes it was aggravating. … for Geno and CD and your teammates.
- At the NCAA tournament, Geno said, ‘With what you did (didn't do?) this year, you could have been helping us a lot more right now.’
- “The day before we had a public practice and he pulled me to the side and said, ‘I want to let you know you have to be ready. I’m serious now. Be ready and don’t pee your pants when you’re out there.’ So I told him, ‘I’ll go the bathroom before the game and I’ll be good.’ He goes, ‘I’m serious,’ and I told him again that I’d be fine. Grow up kid!
- Can DeBerry fill a role? “That remains to be seen,” Auriemma said. “I would love to see that happen.” (Bet he is not holding his breath.)
- Coming in here I thought I was doing OK. Playing against Liv and Dorka I quickly realized that this was something different. Who goes to UCONN to do OK?!
Wow, what a rant. You think it’s easy to be an 18 year old freshman for the Huskies?Wow! Sounds very immature! I don't see this changing. Peoples' value systems do not change easily. I expect zippo from Amari. If she jacks around this season like she did last season, well pull the scholarship and send her packing. Focus on the players committed to working. There is only so much time to teach the players. Why waste time and effort on someone not committed to the UCONN way?
Ok! If Ayanna and Isunah came to UCONN to do more than OK, focus on them and forget Amari.
- Amari doesn’t want a repeat of what was a lost freshman season.
- “This season I’m going to show them I’m going to work hard all summer so I gain that trust that they know I can be counted on when needed. Geno: She comes and goes.
- It was a test-the-waters type of year when I could have done a little more.” If I were her teammate I'd read her the riot act!
- DeBerry could not deliver even when there were only seven or eight players available due to injuries.
- “I was working hard every practice, as hard as I could. (Obviously not!) There was more that I could have done. Yes it was aggravating. … for Geno and CD and your teammates.
- At the NCAA tournament, Geno said, ‘With what you did (didn't do?) this year, you could have been helping us a lot more right now.’
- “The day before we had a public practice and he pulled me to the side and said, ‘I want to let you know you have to be ready. I’m serious now. Be ready and don’t pee your pants when you’re out there.’ So I told him, ‘I’ll go the bathroom before the game and I’ll be good.’ He goes, ‘I’m serious,’ and I told him again that I’d be fine. Grow up kid!
- Can DeBerry fill a role? “That remains to be seen,” Auriemma said. “I would love to see that happen.” (Bet he is not holding his breath.)
- Coming in here I thought I was doing OK. Playing against Liv and Dorka I quickly realized that this was something different. Who goes to UCONN to do OK?!
Alternative link to articleIt wouldn't let me read the article without a subscription.
Seemed like a rant against Amari to me but, po-tay-to, po-tah-to, same difference.Alternative link to article
It is an interesting read.
(@HuskyNan - I’m not sure I would call it a rant, it seems more like a ramble. I do find Amari‘s use of qualifiers in her quotes interesting. It’s a little different from what we typically hear from Huskies.)
My bad, I thought you were referring to Amari‘s quotes, which, obviously, didn’t seem like a rant. On the reread, I agree that @SVCBeercats post did seem like it was a little higher energy than it needed to be.Seemed like a rant against Amari to me but, po-tay-to, po-tah-to, same difference.
She better play more than 83 minutes total.If you really are objective about Amari's development, she improved a lot last year. She's much quicker than she was in high school. She lost a lot of weight. She made substantial progress. She was a big lumbering post in high school slow to get up and down the floor and succeeding mainly on her height advantage and a few post moves. Now she is developing her outside shot, and more mobile on defense. She still needs further shot development, strength for rebounding and defense. More agressiveness. I think she's developing as fast as she can and she may be an ONO level player by the time she graduates. I love her personality and team spirit. She's obviously a very likeable person. I think she's got a problem though with both Ayanna and Ice taking some of her expected PT.
Thanks for sharing this awesome article. Reading Amari's comments, I love the maturity of this young lady. I am rooting for her and believe that she is going to be a solid player this season.
Me too, but I read his comment with an open mind. I’m always interested in the thoughts and observations of other “UConn fans” (not trolls). We don’t have to agree with everything that is posted here. There was some truth mixed in those comments. I agree that players (people) mature and gain a sense of awareness at their own pace.Seemed like a rant against Amari to me but, po-tay-to, po-tah-to, same difference.
Rebecca has said many times she thought she was working hard in her freshman year but turned out to be wrong. I finally found this:
(Auriemma) helped me realize that I could go farther than the boundaries I had set up for myself. When I thought, ‘This is all I can do, this is how hard I can work and I can't work any harder, I can't go any farther,' he wouldn't accept that and he'd push you past that point. Next to my parents, he's had the biggest impact on who I became as a young woman, just because I look at things differently. I don't look at anything as impossible and I don't look at anything as being something I am unable to do.
Collected Wisdom: Rebecca Lobo, former UConn/WNBA star and ESPN broadcaster
Before becoming one of ESPN's top women's basketball broadcasters, Rebecca Lobo was one of the sport's pioneers. She helped lead Connecticut's rise as a national power, capping a perfect 35-0 season …www.oklahoman.com
Rebecca also said she nearly transferred in her sophomore year because Geno was so hard on her so it’s not like she woke up during her freshman year and decided to do what he wanted. People need to be patient. Everyone matures and blooms in their own time.