GAME THREAD: @ #1 UCONN, Sunday, 1/30, 12:00 pm EST (Fox)

[lvocd]

I love this photo. Way to fight for a rebound.

Love this photo. Civil clearly takes pride in her rebounding.

Poor Barker. Still photography obviously snaps literally one moment in time and so can paint an unflattering picture if the single moment captured was one where a player looks to be standing nearly flat-footed and merely observing. Would love to see what she was doing inthe seconds before that frame was captured. Hell, she may have been COMPLETELY flat-footed and stuck to the floor being no help whatsoever. Or, she may have battled right before or after that moment. But we'd never know which from a still.

Just musing on sports photography.

 

[cabbie191]

What it tells me is that he is keeping three and sometimes four starters on the floor at all time. I think that is the best way to get your most efficient return. They are starters because they are the best players. They give you the best result and he certainly got it yesterday and every game this season.

I think you are generally correct in your observation about Geno's sub patterns. They are very different this year than in previous year and that stems in part from 1) having started the season with the deepest bench he's had in years (until recent spate of injuries and illness took out 6 players at one point), and 2) the surprising emergence to most of freshman Blanca Quinonez as the first one of the bench. She generally comes in midway through the 1st, usually with Heckel.

Coming into the season, the most highly touted freshman was Kellis Fischer who now is entering the games she plays in generally in the 4th quarter. But you can see flashes of brilliance in her game and it's easy to see why she was recruited. But this is why I say what Blanca has been showing and accomplishing was an unexpected bonus.

One change of the course of this season once UConn entered conference play is that he almost always leaves at least one starter on the court at all times, even in 40+ blowouts. And often two starters.

 

[Volfan2012]

I love this photo. Way to fight for a rebound.

That vertical is awesome a lot more lift than Strong. Still waiting for Coaches to turn her loose more. Still playing tentative especially about taking charge or putting up a shot.

 

[RetroVol]

Rick Barnes, talking about Bishop Boswell the other day, said he went so fast and hard on defense that he tended to keep that pace on offense where he needed to slow it down. Jaida is similar. All on, all out, all the time works much better of defense than offense. Changing speeds is important offensively, slow then fast, fast then stop. Stopping fast is as important as going fast (James Harden). All of which is mostly awareness, repetition, and confidence. We're seeing what she (and Deniya and Mia) are capable of, and they are nowhere close to their ceiling. I think Lauren and Mya also have more to show us and believe they are focused and working to get there.

 

[Orange007]

this game says all we need to know about this current team. they can play at the highest level of play against the best team in the country....until they can't. so frustrating. an outsider like me thinks this is more about chemistry than anything else. lots of alpha types on one team. they still haven't truly found themselves as one unit. lots of basketball left though.

 

[lvocd]

this game says all we need to know about this current team. they can play at the highest level of play against the best team in the country....until they can't. so frustrating. an outsider like me thinks this is more about chemistry than anything else. lots of alpha types on one team. they still haven't truly found themselves as one unit. lots of basketball left though.

interesting. You could be right, but I'm not really sensing "too many alpha types"/chemistry issue when I watch. I'm more getting that the team goes in and out of believing in what they're trying to do, and when they begin to give in mentally to the thoughts that "maybe this ain't gonna work," then they spiral.

Against a good team they can work through that, but against the greater teams that just keep piling on and on, they show they are not sure they have it in them to keep going because they're not sure it'll do any good.

I'm probably waaaaaay overreading body language.

As for Coop and HER body language (and literal body), I suspect she's going through something off court that has her feeling down. That's what she looks like to me. Maybe even looking for comfort in snacks and such. Wouldn't be the first time a young college-aged found herself feeling kinda low.

I hope the support staff is checking on her mentally.

 

[madtownvol]

interesting. You could be right, but I'm not really sensing "too many alpha types"/chemistry issue when I watch. I'm more getting that the team goes in and out of believing in what they're trying to do, and when they begin to give in mentally to the thoughts that "maybe this ain't gonna work," then they spiral.

Against a good team they can work through that, but against the greater teams that just keep piling on and on, they show they are not sure they have it in them to keep going because they're not sure it'll do any good.

I'm probably waaaaaay overreading body language.

As for Coop and HER body language (and literal body), I suspect she's going through something off court that has her feeling down. That's what she looks like to me. Maybe even looking for comfort in snacks and such. Wouldn't be the first time a young college-aged found herself feeling kinda low.

I hope the support staff is checking on her mentally.

I agree with that. Right now, I think Mia Pauldo is the LV with the most self-belief and "dog" in her. Maybe her aura will spread to her teammates (soon!!).

For a team that is perhaps struggling with confidence and belief issues, being immersed in a system that is either incredibly difficult to learn (OR an inconsistent mix of messages and goals) is a particularly challenging situation.

I wish CKC and staff would reduce the "quantum physics" component of their gameplans. Sometimes basic algebra can solve the problem.

On Coop, I think many people are misreading her "body language'. You can go back to last season and find people criticizing Coop for "looking" disengaged and lackadaisical , even though she was playing very well. Some players just have a "cool" demeanor and it is all to easy to make them the scapegoat when times are tough (I am not saying that you are doing this but just speaking more generally).

 

[lvocd]

I agree with that. Right now, I think Mia Pauldo is the LV with the most self-belief and "dog" in her. Maybe her aura will spread to her teammates (soon!!).

For a team that is perhaps struggling with confidence and belief issues, being immersed in a system that is either incredibly difficult to learn (OR an inconsistent mix of messages and goals) is a particularly challenging situation.

I wish CKC and staff would reduce the "quantum physics" component of their gameplans. Sometimes basic algebra can solve the problem.

On Coop, I think many people are misreading her "body language'. You can go back to last season and find people criticizing Coop for "looking" disengaged and lackadaisical , even though she was playing very well. Some players just have a "cool" demeanor and it is all to easy to make them the scapegoat when times are tough (I am not saying that you are doing this but just speaking more generally).

No, I'm definitely not scapegoating Coop. We'd be in deep doo-do without Coop, even if she IS a little out of sorts sometimes. I love me some Tay-Coo! (my nickname for her when I yell at the tv after she's done something great lol)

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Last thing I meant to say. Uconn even looked better with their shirts tucked in. I am not even old and think it just looks better and more ready if they don’t wanna tuck them take them back to the old school uniforms that were left untucked

 

[1morevol]

What kind of stats did they have shooting in their high school careers and AAU (talking about our former MCD AA’s). I just keep hearing how we don’t have shooters yet we supposedly have this elite talent. I guess I should google their highlights from their recruiting days.

I would venture a guess they played against better defenses in high school than in AAU. Have no data to back that up.