2014-15 Uconn women pre-season preview

As we approach the first preseason game, I thought I would provide some information and opinion on the upcoming season. Coming off an undefeated championship season and consecutive championships expectations are sky high.

Players leaving - Dolson, Hartley, Banks.

Gee, only two AA's and WNBA first round picks. Ain't no biggie....lol. 

Dolson and Hartley were great leaders last year. And they contributed so much offensively and defensively that goes way beyond the numbers. There is no doubt how much they will be missed, not only by their teammates and coaching staff, but also by so many Uconn fans. Sometimes four years is not enough. Uconn also loses Banks. As sometimes happen with players, once injured they just don't get it back the following year. Hopefully a year off will allow her to reach her potential at Penn State.

Players arriving - Ekmark, Williams, Nurse, Edwards.

Uconn has one of the best incoming freshman class in the country. They were ranked #1 by ASGR. Hopefully you read my previous blog entries about these wonderful incoming players. I'm looking forward to see how they fit into Geno's rotation. As we all know, some freshman are ready to contribute right away and some aren't. 

Kia Nurse 6'0" Guard                    
In this group, I think it's clear from watching the videos that Nurse is the more prepared of the freshman. I'd guess that she will be getting double digit minutes once the season starts and will stay in the rotation for the entire season. Her maturity showed in her solid play for the Canadian national team. As pre-season AAC freshman of the year, Nurse is well respected but the coaches in the AAC. And Geno has stated that of all the freshmen she has best shot at being the next All-American. Quite the compliment from the coach.

Gabby Williams 5'11" Guard
I initially thought that Williams would be brought along slowly in her recovery from her knee surgery this spring. But now I'm not so sure. She was back to full practices in mid-October.  After a tough first practice -  "She was good today,” Auriemma said of Williams. “She went through the whole practice. Every time I looked over Rosemary (Ragle, UConn’s athletic trainer) was on her knees with her fingers crossed, holding a lucky rabbit or something but I kept saying ‘what do you think? She is great, she said she feels great.’” I'm confident her talent and incredible athleticism will show as the season progresses.

Courtney Ekmark 6'0" Guard
Ekmark comes in with the reputation of the best 3 point shooter in her class. I always believe that shooter will find a way to get minutes. But with UConn, we will have to see if she can play defense well enough to satisfy Geno to allow her to get minutes in order to show her shooting range.

Sadie Edwards 5'8" Guard
Edwards, if you watched her interview in a previous blog, is a delight. She seems very bright and confident. I wish I had seen more video of her play. I can't wait to see her in the pre-season games to get a better idea of what she will bring to the table.

So, four terrific freshmen to add to the returning players. Geno has to be excited with the addition depth he will have this year.

Returning player - Stewart, KML, Jefferson, Stokes, Tuck, Chong, Lawler and Pudilo.

While losing the firepower and leadership of Dolson and Hartley, there is not a team in the country with nearly as much talent coming back as UConn. Start with three almost certain All Americans in Stewart, KML and Jefferson. Add in a talented defensive center in Stokes. Throw in a healthy Tuck. I don't see any team that comes close to those 5 players in talent and experience. 

Ya gotta love Lawler and Pudilo. Great teammates and their contributions last year in allowing UConn to run full practices on the road with a short roster were well know. And of course the trivia question on who had the highest 3 point shooting percentage on the 2013-14 team is a favorite of many a UConn fan. If her 3 pointer in the First Night scrimmage is an indicator that might just continue this season.

Saniya Chong 5'8" Guard
2013-14 Stats - GP 39, MPG 17.1, FG% 42.0, 3PT% 32.3, PPG 4.7, RPG 1.8, APG 1.5, Steals 24, Blocks 8 

There has been some early positive reports on Saniya Chong and UConn fans should be looking for a big jump in her performance. At the AAC media day, Geno was feeling really good about Chong's preseason play.  Geno said ``She goes hard all the time and every minute she gets better and better and better and better.''
There certainly were games last year where she looked like she could make a regular contributions as part of the rotation, but her confidence waned and her minutes shrunk. “I think I am very much more confident this year,” Chong said. “You come in as a freshman and it’s new and the intensity is different. Even though you think you’re ready and you’re playing for the No. 1 team in the country and for Coach Auriemma, it’s a shock. But I think that since the summer I’ve stepped it up to another level and we’ll see what happens." Yes, we will see what happens. We will know more after the two pre-season games. But I'm convinced she has the skills to step right into Hartley's starting role. She knows it won't be easy.
“Being a sophomore I should be more prepared and I should work harder,” Chong said. “Coach always says the sophomores, juniors, and seniors always should be working the hardest. So coming out here and knowing any of those four freshmen can take my spot makes me work five times harder.”
It looks like the debate on who will start Sunday is settled. Geno said ``Saniya’s going to start (vs. Westchester Sunday) because she’s been unbelievably good.’'  You go Saniya!!!

Morgan Tuck 6'2" Forward
2013-14 Stats - GP  8, MPG 14.5, FG% 49.0, 3PT% 41.2, PPG 7.5, RPG 2.4, APG 1.0, Steals 4, Blocks 1 

Great news on the injury front with Morgan Tuck. She was not limited in any way during the grueling opening practice after knee issues forced her to miss 32 games a season ago and she has been practicing full out all pre-season. “I was really excited when I woke up this morning,” Tuck said. “I was in class ready for practice, it feels really good. I am able to practice so it was a long time coming. “I am trying to give them a full season. I don’t want to sit out of practice. I am feeling really good and my knee doesn’t bother me so it is going well.”  On having the surgery and sitting out the last season - “Now that I look back on it, maybe it was a Godsend,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Maybe it was the best thing that ever happened because she looks great.”  Moriah Jefferson said “Morgan has been killing it since she came back this summer, looking better than I have ever seen her.” UConn will be even harder to beat if  she is better than the player that scored 11 points going 2-4 on 3 pointers against Stanford, or the player that scored 19 points on 8-10 shooting going 3-4 on 3's against Houston.

Kiah Stokes 6'3" Center
2013-14 Stats - GP 39, MPG 18.5, FG% 60.0, 3PT% 00.0,PPG 4.2, RPG 7.1, APG 0.9, Steals 13, Blocks 89 

Ok Kiah. It's your time to shine. No, she won't be taking many three pointers, even if she did go 1-2 in the First Night Scrimmage. But it's easy to see how her shot blocking and rebounding numbers can be off the charts. I have no doubt that that she can average a double double with 3 blocks a game. Some fans have mentioned she is foul prone, but that is not based on facts. She averaged less than 2 fouls per game. Even with additional minutes I don't see that being a problem. Kiah has the mechanics to be effective from the perimeter with her jumper and I'm sure the coaching staff will be encouraging her to take the open shots. Clearly the AAC coaches see the potential when they voted her pre-season all-AAC 2nd team. She is talented enough to make some national AA teams. She will be the anchor in the middle.

Moriah Jefferson 5'7" Guard
2013-14 Stats - GP 40 MPG 29.7, FG% 57.5, 3PT% 41.8, PPG 10.0, RPG 3.4, APG 4.9, Steals 106, Blocks 9 

With the leadership skills of Dolson and Hartley gone UConn will need Jefferson to take another step up in taking the reigns of this years Huskies. Geno thinks she will so just that. “I think part of it is her natural personality and you add the position that she plays, she has the ball in her hands a lot. She gained a lot confidence last year and she is very comfortable with her teammates." 
And there is no doubt that is exactly what she will do.  Last season she led the American Athletic Conference in field-goal percentage, assists, and a-t ratio.  She was named to the all-AAC first team and was a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award that goes to the nation’s top point guard. This year she was voted first team all-ACC and that is just the beginning of the honors for Jefferson. All expectations are for her to play like an AA. We all know how quick she is. We saw her improved outside shooting. Her on the ball defense is as good as anyone in the country. And she will only be better this year. “I did a lot of work this summer, like I did last summer, to become a better player,” Jefferson said. “I worked out a lot, even more than last summer. I didn’t want to really tire myself out, but I would head over to 24-Hour Fitness at 5 a.m., go back midday, then head back over late at night. It’s what I like to do and it helps me stay focused.” Focused. I'm sure we will see a lot of that this season from Jefferson along with her trademark intensity.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 5'11" Forward/Guard
2013-14 Stats - GP 28 MPG 29.2, FG% 46.5, 3PT% 41.3, PPG 13.4, RPG 5.4, APG 2.6, Steals 20, Blocks 5

I can still hear the screams. When KML went down last year against Stanford, landing with a horrible thud on her shooting elbow, all of Huskie Nation fell silent and those screams were all you could hear. Many fans felt she was done for the season. It was that ugly. Thankfully, she was able to return after missing 8 games. She missed 4 more games due to a bout with Mono. It was difficult to stay in game condition. Geno made what I think was a decision that helped her be ready for the NCAA's and played her extended minutes every game, using the March contests to improve her conditioning. It certainly worked as she could have easily been voted the MOP of the Final Four with her spectatular performance. And while she never was in peak condition, she showed great lateral quickness whenever UConn put her in the backcourt and she had to guard a quicker player. She was ferocious on the boards and took advantage of her size against smaller defenders. I believe we will see a lot more of that this year. One big improvement we need to see is her ability to get to the foul line. When you shoot 90% from the line you have to get there at least 100 times. I'd also look for her 3 point percentage to rise closer to her outstanding sophomore year of 50%+.
KML is looking at this year like most seniors do - “This is my year, my last chance to make an impact at UConn before I go onto something else exciting,”. And toward that end, Mosqueda-Lewis spent much of her summer with Amanda Kimball, UConn's strength and conditioning coach.
“The focus has been on what I can do to help her. I see her everyday because she needs someone everyday to help keep her going. And she was here every day this summer and able to make some nice gains with her in terms of keeping her strong, working on her lateral quickness and enhancing her endurance.” 
I hope fans understand that it's not how she looks, but how she feels. As Kimball said, can she move and run better, can she move as well as everyone else can. I'm excited to see her play to her full All-American potential.

Breanna Stewart 6'4" Forward
2013-14 Stats - GP 40 MPG 30.5, FG% 49.7, 3PT% 34.3, PPG 19.8, RPG 8.1, APG 3.1, Steals 63, Blocks 110 

What a shock. Stewart is pre-season AAC player of the year. Next will be every pre-season national poll having her as POY. And why not. After an inconsistent freshman season, she used her MOP performance in the NCAA's to catapult herself to the top stop in WCBB. She was by far the best player in the country last year, no insult intended to McBride, Sims and others. And after an off season of playing with the best players in the world, she will only be better. "I’ve learned a lot, just the way that people prepare themselves and the fact these are people I look up to and want to be where they are in their professional careers. I’m just excited to have this opportunity to take this all home." And UConn will be the beneficiary of what she learned.
So, where can Stewart improve? Looking at her stats, her 3 point percentage jumps out at me. While 34% is not bad, it's not great. Her form is a little awkward, so we will see if she changed anthing to improve that aspect of her game. With Dolson gone, Stewart will find herself playing a little more at the top of the key initiating the offense on occasion. I expect her assist numbers to improve again. She took a big jump her freshman to sophomore year in that category. Even if she comes back as the same player as last year, no one will complain. But expect a more physically mature and even more dominant player than last season. And all of WCBB should be shaking in their boots at that prospect.

So, there are the players in a nutshell. A terrific roster that can't be matched at any other school. But talent only goes so far without direction and coaching. And UConn has the best. It's hard to believe but I think Geno just gets better and better at preparing his team for a long season and to peak at the end of the year for the NCAA's. Geno, Chris, Shea and Marisa are the best coaching staff in identifying talent and then putting them in the best position to succeed. They are always looking for new approaches such as workouts with local Marines. The players loved them and the best conditioned team will been in even better condition.

2014-15 Prognosis

I'm sure you can tell by my exuberance about every player that I'm feeling pretty good about UConn this upcoming season. It's hard to contain my enthusiasm, so I'm just giving in. As I mentioning in the beginning of this incredibly long preview, no one brings back the talent that UConn does. While teams like South Carolina, Tennessee, ND and a few others are terrific teams, there appears to be a wide gap between these teams and UConn. Of course I need to mention the obligatory possibility of injuries impacting the team. But I'm not one to think about that. I always assume that players will be healthy besides the little nicks and bruises that come up. It's more fun for me and certainly a more positive way to look at the season.

Starters - Jefferson PG, Chong SG, KML SF, Stewart PF, Stokes C.
First off the bench - Tuck, Nurse.

After that, I really need to see how the other freshman perform. There will be many blowouts (frustrating to many) that will let Geno give plenty of playing time to Edwards, Ekmark and Williams. It will be a lot of fun to see how these young players develop as the season progresses.

While this team has plenty of fire power to score a ton of points, it's the defense that will carry this team to another championship. With Jefferson harassing the opposing teams point guard, Stoke and Stewart protecting the basket I don't see a drop off at all from their incredible defensive performance last year. With the addition of the four freshmen, UConn should be able to pressure the ball more and the players will just be that much fresher.

So, here it is. My season prediction. No surprise here. I believe they will continue their dominance of WCBB with another undefeated season and National Championship.

I'm sure I've left off some stats, insights and possibilities so feel free to comment. I'd love to hear from you all.

GO HUSKIES!!!!  


 

Another 2016 verbal...meet Kyla Irwin

UConn got a great jump on the 2016 class with the commitment of Crystal Dangerfield and now have added forward Kyle Irwin from College Park PA.

 

Here's a video and interview from her sophomore year. Geeeze, these kids are young!

 

Video and Interview

 

And here's a local article on her commitment.

 

Local Girl Commits to National Power

 

Gotta love this from that article.

 

“UConn has always been my dream,” Kyla Irwin told PennLive. “I remember sitting in class in fourth grade and telling my teacher that’s where I wanted to go.”

This week, Irwin’s dream came true.

State College’s top scorer and rebounder paid a visit to UConn on Sunday and Monday, and before she left, coach Geno Auriemma and his staff extended a scholarship offer to Irwin.

She said yes. Immediately.

“No pressure,” Kyla Irwin said. “This was it. This is what I wanted. I couldn’t pass it up. This is where I wanted to be, 110 percent.”   

 

This is what you want from your recruits. Total commitment.

 

From John A of the Hartford Courant about her local connection -

She is a player a state connection that goes back to the start of Geno Auriemma’s coaching career at UConn in 1985. Irwin is the daughter of State College’s longtime coach, Bethany Irwin, the former Bethany Collins, who played basketball at Branford High and helped the Hornets to two state championships until her graduation in 1984, when she began her career at Penn State playing for Rene Portland. Collins was a teammate at Branford of Krista Blomquist, one the players on Geno’s first UConn team in 1985-86. And they both played high school basketball for Dave Maloney, a friend of Auriemma’s who has worked with him on many educational initiatives over the years.

 

And from Blue Star -

 

Kyla Irwin – 2016 – 6-1 – Forward – Central Pa. Elite – Lemont, Pa. – She’s solid and plays an aggressive game at 6-1. There’s no hesitancy about putting to work her physical tools and the State College, Pa. native is offering up some play that’s going to impress more college coaches than the ones already aware of her potential. In addition to being effective down low she’s got some ballhandling in place and one of the best outlet passes in club or high school basketball. Not many players still throw the baseball pass but Irwin will pull a defensive board and throw it to halfcourt on a line that triggers a fast break that’s a challenge to contain. Obviously at her age there’s plenty to work on but this is someone to keep a close watch on the next several years.
Has been on the map for some time and proves her elite status by the continual refinement of her game. Beyond the skills and tools we’ve written of before you have to take notice of her work ethic and approach. Go a step further and watch her on the bench and you know that all the intangibles are in place to go with a text book skill set. Reads defenders on the catch and makes good choices in her attack or passing decisions. She appears physically stronger these days and is more than willing to put it to use defensively and on the boards. Hard to imagine but Irwin is an elite player showing an even greater upside.

From UConncat of the Boneyard via John A of the Courant -

Kyla's mom

But as a coach, it was practice that I really loved to see. And she loved it just as much. I’ve been telling her how important it was to see how the teams [recruiting her] practice. You want to make sure you understand what it is they do every day and you need to decide for yourself if you can do it, can you handle it, can you deal with the mentality and physicality. I wanted her to watch a full practice and it was great to see.”“Kyla had some questions, Geno had some answers,” Bethany said.

“I told her, ‘Kyla, they are not recruiting your parents, they are recruiting you. But you are also recruiting a team that will be a perfect fit for you. You need to come up with questions. You need to be able to relate to the coaches on a daily basis, be comfortable walking into their offices to talk about life situations for four five years unless you get to know them.

“She brought in her notebook and asked them all kinds of questions; personal and basketball alike so she could have an understanding what they were looking for. It’s part of her personality and she handled it very well.

“I can tell you, as her coach, I can tell as her mother, she is going to work extremely hard,” Bethany said. “She will push until she gets as far as she can go. She grew up in my gym, my basketball gym. I’ve coached for 22 years and Kyla’s been there with me for 17. She’s been on the bus rides, sitting on the couch with me breaking down film or scouting as asking questions. She wants to coach college. That’s her goal.

“It’s amazing to know that the game that I love, that has taken me so many places, is having the same impact on my daughter.”

Kyla:

“Coach Auriemma asked me what position I thought I was best at and I told him I thought I was a post player. He said he agreed with me. Then he explained that the plan was to bring two guards and one post in [with the Class of 2016] but the thinking now was to perhaps focus on two posts and one guard. Then he asked the others coaches if they thought they should offer me and they all said ‘yes’”.

I just love how hard she is willing to work. A great addition to the Husky family. I would have voted yes too!!!

 

Welcome to UConn Kyla!!!

 

 

Dangerfield getting plenty of respect

I tell ya when I was a kid, all I knew was rejection. My yo-yo, it never came back!
When I was a kid I got no respect. The time I was kidnapped, and the kidnappers sent my parents a note they said, “We want five thousand dollars or you’ll see your kid again.”
I tell ya, my wife was never nice. On our first date, I asked her if I could give her a goodnight kiss on the cheek – she bent over!
I tell you, with my doctor, I don’t get no respect. I told him, “I’ve swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills.” He told me to have a few drinks and get some rest.

Ok...enough Rodney jokes. Now Crystal Dangerfield? That is a different story.

One of the top players in the 2016 class has committed to UConn after experiencing an amazing evening at UConn's First Night.

This is a great start for UConn in building it's 2016 class. Here are the returning players that UConn has coming back. Seniors Tuck and Chong, Juniors Butler, Williams, Nurse, Edwards and Ekmark, Sophs Samuelson, Collier and Boykin. That's 10 players and now 11 with Dangerfield. My guess is UConn will take only 1 or 2 more in this class.

So, what kind of player is Dangerfield? Take a look at this video.

She has amazing speed with the ball, a strong dribbler with either hand. Her range appears to be well beyond the 3 point line and with the quick release, I don't see her "push" shot being an issue. Anyone playing her close to prevent a 3 pointer will soon be looking at the back of her jersey as she drives by.

She also appears to have excellent court vision, keeping her head up as she drives the lane.

Here are some specifics about this delightful young lady.

 “I am blessed to be able to say that I committed to UConn this weekend,” Dangerfield announced on Twitter Sunday evening.

Dangerfield is the first UConn recruit from Tennessee.

She chose the Huskies over LSU, Maryland, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Mississippi.
She played for USA Basketball’s 2013 U-16 team that won gold at the FIBA Americas. Dangerfield was a teammates of two future UConn teammates, Katie Lou Samuelson and De’Janae Boykin.

I'm sure we will hear more about this wonderful young lady before she finally comes to Storrs.

The beat goes on......



 

First night impressions, Photos and Videos

I want to thank DannyK for permission to repost his videos and pictures from First Night. There is no bigger or better Uconn fan than DannyK. He travels all around the country with his distinctive headgear rooting on our wonderful women's team.

Here is Danny with Moriah Jefferson.

 

If you ever have a chance, check out all Danny's photos from all the games he's gone to on Facebook. They are fantastic and I'm so jealous for his ability to get to all the great games AND to meet so many of the players. He has a special relationship with Elena Delle Donne's family ever since UConn started recruiting her and still exists today.

On to First Night, and what a night it was. I loved the new fan interaction of the introductions with the players coming down the stairs slapping hands with the fans. Geno and Kevin like to give back and it shows. The interaction between the two coaches shows true respect and as many know, that was not the case in past.

Here is Danny's video of the introductions and pre-scrimmage festivities.

 



Watching the 13 National Championship trophies carried out by former players was so much fun. I could not stop smiling. The hugs between the former men and women players were real and heartfelt and certainly shows the true family tradition that has been a part of the two programs for almost 30 years.

I especially loved seeing Maria Conlon again. There is no women's player that was unrated and underestimated as much as she was. And UConn would not have been as successful her last two years with her steady hand. 

The ceremony video speaks for itself and I hope everyone enjoys it!!!

Danny was also kind enough to share his video from the mixed scrimmage.

Since this a blog about women's basketball, I'll focus on that.

I did read on somewhere fans making predictions on player performance based on the scrimmage. Probably one of the silliest (I'm being nice here) things I have read. No one plays defense, there are men on the court bigger and stronger than anyone the women will see during the season.

What I did like is how much fun they were all having, how full the stands were, how loud the fans were, and no one got hurt.

So, while I won't make predictions based on this scrimmage, I will comment on some of the players and some of the plays.

If you get a chance, watch the alley oop from Jefferson to Purvis. She just looked so comfortable making that pass, you know she would love to throw one to Stewart where Stewart actually throws one down! Maybe in practice.

Did any women's player look more comfortable with the entire event than the freshman Nurse?

I loved watching the pre-game warm up with KML shooting 3's with the greatest 3 point shooter of all time Ray Allen. They kept moving further out. Very cool.

Kiah Stokes makes a 3. Enough said.

I do wish the GTown transfer, Butler, was playing this year. Great size and she loves to run the court.

ESPN3 had the entire night on their site. Here is a link from the great site that has many UConn games saved.

http://uconnhuskygames.com/2014-2015-womens-basketball-game-replays/

Next......my Gabby Williams write up........

Freshmen - last but not least

Gabby William

Wow. Look at those guns. Remind you of anyone?

Yeah, me too.

Gabby is the best athlete to come to Uconn since, well, you know who. She is Kelly Faris on steroids. Ok, not really. Don't call the NCAA. But I think you are get my point.

As everyone knows, Gabby was the best HS high jumper in the country. She finished 5th at the Olympic trials at the tender age of 15.

A lot of elevation there. Think she can jump a little bit? We can only hope that she still has her explosiveness. She is still not cleared for 5-5 work, but she is doing every other drill in practice and without a knee brace. All positive signs.

Gabby has the complete skill set and is only working harder to get better. Limited by her knee rehab she took hundreds of shots, working on her outside shooting.

Here's a highlight video from her sophomore season. Set to music, they repeat a lot of plays...over....and over...and over again. But you can see her skill level and boy is she smooth.

Similarly to Morgan Tuck, she was ranked at close to the top of her class before her injuries.  

 

So, how will this talented freshman impact Uconn this year? Hard to say. I'm sure her minutes will be limited early as Geno gauges how healthy she is and how she confidently she plays after her second ACL. If she displays her physicality on the court in her limited minutes early on, her time will increase. We will easily see her world class athletic skills. But that might not happen until the last 3rd of the season.

 

"I don’t have any fears,” she added. “It’s something that you always think about when you first have surgery … ‘Oh man, when I come back I’ll probably always have it in the back of mind.’ But the better you feel, you just go out and play and it’s like nothing ever happened.”

 

Let's all hope so!! We all want to see plenty of this!!!

 

 

 

Is there a Nurse in the house???

Kia Nurse  

Kia is probably the more watched freshman and because of that, the most critiqued freshman this year. Playing for the Canadian National team Uconn fans got to either watch her live in the exhibition game against team USA or on one of the ESPN channels during the actual tournament.

So, of course, she is open to the usual fan criticism, some warranted and some off the wall. My favorite is the refrain that she is not athletic. Huh? All I know is a 17 year old incoming freshman was the starting point guard for a top 5 team in the FIBA tournament where most of the best players in the world were participating.  Not only did Kia start, but she was a huge contributor to the teams success.   

So, what does she bring to Uconn her freshman year and what can we expect from her? Well, there are a few certainties.

1. Maturity. When you play with older players, you grow up quickly, both emotionally and physically. Her skills at the point matured to where she instinctively knew where to be and where her teammates were.

2. Physical strength. She has a WNBA ready body – a strong upper body which she is able to use in a solid post up game for a guard. Her strength really shines through on the defensive end. She can body up the guards and handle herself in the post on defensive switches.

 

3. Basketball smarts. This is a recurring theme with the incoming freshman and can't be 

underestimated. Yeah Geno is doing his usual thing in making fun of them for not knowing the plays but Kia will pick it up quickly. I loved the Canadian teams' offense and it's not that different than Geno's. 

Did I whet your appetite? Time for a video.

What I noticed is how much bigger and stronger she has become since her junior year when this video was made.

Here is another on from 2012. An interview after a tough game against Netherlands. I just love her enthusiasm.

There are fair questions about her shooting. She appears to be inconsisten with her jumper and more so from 3 point range. But she passes the eye test with me. Her shooting form is excellent and I expect her to improve greatly as time goes on. 

I am really looking forward to hearing practice reports on her progress and the early games to see how Geno will utilize her skill set. My guess is she will come off the bench as the backup point guard to Jefferson, splitting that duty with the freshman Edwards. One of those two will get more minutes and I wouldn't be surprised at all if that is Nurse.

Next.......you wanna talk athlete??? Introducing the last but not least freshman. Stay tuned...

Freshman -take two

Courtney Ekmark 

Courtney has been one of my favorites as soon as I heard she had verballed. Just watching her videos, reading about how hard she works on and off the court. The controversial home schooling she did to finish her senior year was something I admired. I found it hard to believe the harsh comments on several message boards where fans took her to task for leaving her  HS teammates in the lurch. Crazy, huh. 

So, let's take a look at Courney. Here is a news report on her decision to be home schooled her senior year.

I don't know how anyone can argue with her decision after seeing that.

Besides her obvious maturity, she is a coaches daughter. I'm always a big fan of players that have that upbringing. She has extreme basketball smarts. If there is a freshman in the country better prepared than her I'd be surprised.

Courtney is known as a 3 point shooting specialist. I've seen her do much more than that, but there is no doubt that is a big part of her game. She shoots a bit of a push shot, but she has a very quick release. There is definitely a similarity with 2015 recruit Katie Lou Samuelson. 

Here is a link to the Full Court mix video.

So, how do I see her impact to the team in 2014-15? I believe she will get plenty of time backing up 

KML at the 3 and will see some minutes at the 2 as well. Her maturity and game vision will shine though and her minutes will hold, even against competitive teams. I can see her becoming one of Geno's favorites in the Kelly Faris mold. Only with unlimited range....!!

Next.......O Canada......

Our local freshman

Sadie Edwards

Uconn fans are always excited about in state recruits, regretting the ones that got away but showing special love to the local girls that Geno ask to come to Connecticut.

While last year,Uconn added a local walk on in Tierney Lawler, Sadie Edwards, a Meriden product, was a McDonalds AA and top 10 recruit in several recruiting sites. Much more will be expected from her. Not quite on the Nyskesha Sales level, but still a high value recruit.

Edwards attended Mercy-Middletown as a freshman and earned a starting guard position. The next year she transferred to Nazareth High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was part of a New York Catholic High School Athletic Association state championship squad. Edwards then moved to Blair Academy in New Jersey for her final two years. As a junior Edwards averaged 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds per game as Blair earned the Prep A state championship. Edwards topped off the year by being named the New Jersey Prep Player of the Year. She was first team all-prep her senior year and averaged just about the same in her senior campaign.

I loved her answer to how transferring to Blair helped her improve.

“when the level of competition grew, I had to get better,” Edwards answered. “I always have to get better. When I got to play in New York, I got to play against the best competition in the country. It really pushed me and allowed me to showcase my talent. I was pushed not just in the games, but by my teammates every day in practice. I think it’s one of the best decisions that I’ve made.”

"New York is hard because of the shot clock, but I like that because I will have a shot clock in 
college,” Edwards said. “Between New York and New Jersey, it’s pretty tough. It’s a tough 

environment to play basketball because the competition is so good.”

She sounds like a Geno type player who loves to be pushed. Check out this interview.

What a bright young woman.

As mentioned, she was a McD's selection. Her performance in that game was not great. She kinda disappeared, but as with many of Geno's recruits, that type of helter skelter game was just not her style of play. Of course, many fans used that to worry about her future performance. It's what fans do. I'm more inclined to wait and see.

She is a big guard at 5'10". She has a nice jumper with great form. Very quick to the basket and does a terrific job setting up her teammates. She is equally comfortable at the 1 or 2.

I fully expect her to compete for regular playing time. She has the skills and intelligence to playat the next level. As usual for incoming freshmen, how quickly they grasp the defensive rotations will have a big impact on how much pine time she sees. I'm really looking forward to see her in Geno's system I believe she is a great fit.

Let's tawk freshmen.....

Late last season Geno cut back his rotation to 6. He clearly didn't trust Chong and Banks with meaningful minutes.

With four terrific freshmen coming to Storrs this year, I'm anticipating several finding their way into the regular rotation, even against the quality opponents.

Over the next several days I'm going to write about each one and what I see as their role and their prospects for meaningful minutes and what they have to do to earn them.

Stay tuned.....

Can you feel it?

The air is cool and crisp. Leaves are turning into their fall colors. And basketball practice will start next week.

There is a lot of great expectations for the Geno and the returning players. We know how great KML, Stewie and MoJet are. I'd be shocked of all three are not on the 10 player AP AA team both pre-season and year end. But there are lots of concerns coming into this season with the rest of the returning players and of course the new kids coming in. Some concerns are real and some are fans just being fans.

Morgan Tuck  - returning from knee surgery, Morgan has now been cleared for full practice. That is excellent news for Huskie Nation. But her health during the season will be a real constant concern.

Kiah Stokes - some seem to think that Kiah will struggle with the probable extra ten minutes a game. Fatigue? Doubtful. Foul trouble? Her FPM was almost exactly the same as Dolson? My guess is this concern falls under fan paranoia.

Saniya Chong - she feels like the forgotten returning player. Early in the season, she had a few nice games. And then it was over. Playing time was just a step north of the walk-on's. I loved watching her HS videos. She was such a dynamic scorer. Her long range "push" shot was money. She always had her head up, weaving in and out of traffic, and either finishing with her left hand or passing to an open teammate. Can she be that player at this level? I think that is a fair concern.

Of course being the optimist that I am, I fully expect a full and productive year from Morgan and a terrific Sophomore leap for Saniya. Oh yeah, and a double double average for Kiah.......

Next......the freshmen.

Congrats to Jeff Jacobs

My friend Jeff Jacobs, after recovering from major heart surgery, has completed his walk from Hartford to Storrs.

He fulfilled his obligation after promising he would make this walk if the UConn men's basketball team won the National Championship. It seemed a safe bet at the time...lol.

I met Jeff at a taping of his talk show on CPTV, Beyond the Beat. I represented The BoneYard, the Uconn basketball fan forum of which I am no longer associated. He can come off as a little gruff, but Jeff is a standup guy. He spoke at a charity fundraiser at my request, driving straight from NYC after covering the Rangers hockey playoff game.

Congrats to Jeff and best continued health.

Here is the link to that famous interview.

Beyond the Beat

So it starts

This is my new blog for my Uconn women's basketball opinion. As you will see, I have plenty of them.

Look for game previews, post game analysis, inside info and more.

It's still off season, but look soon for a preseason look at the National Championship Huskies!!!

DD