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Don't forget to click on This Week In WCBB 12/24/14 in the list to the right.
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I was trying to think of what to write about and my inspiration came from the wonderful holiday season where gifts are given and received and the present Geno and the UConn fans got on May 14, 2014. That is the day that Natalie Butler's transfer from Georgetown to UConn.
Butler, a 6'5" center out of Fairfax Station, Virginia and Lake Braddock High School. Not highly regarded by the recruiting services, Butler exceeded all expectation by winning the Big East FOY and making 2nd Team all Big East. She started all 32 games and had double figures in rebounds in all but 4 games. Her season averages were 13.8 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, and 1.8 blocks per game.
With Stokes leaving, Butler is more than just a replacement. Her offensive skills are much better than Stokes. And her rebounding is on par if not better. The only place I see where UConn is losing something is Stokes fantastic shot blocking ability. But at a big 6'5", I'm sure Butler will more than adequate defending the basket.
So, what possibly could be an issue with her? Well, based on what I have seen from the UConn fans, I guess there is plenty. Many seem to think she won't start and others believe that playing at Georgetown diminishes her accomplishments. As you can probably guess, I don't agree with those sentiments.
First, she started 32 games for Georgetown, so who knows how she will play off the bench. Sometimes a player has a starters mentality.
Second, there are only a few players in next years lineup that might start. As Geno has shown in the past, he is very reluctant to start a freshman unless there is no alternative. Butler and Williams would be the most likely candidates.
Third, Geno prefers to have a traditional center whenever possible and Butler certainly is that. And with Butler moving to the middle, Tuck can move to the 3 position. She certainly has the skills for that.
So, there are the reasons I believe show that Butler will start next year. It seems to be an easy decision for Geno. Of course she has to earn it, but reports are that she has been working incredibly hard and will be even better next year than she was at Georgetown.
The other concern I have been hearing is the fact that Georgetown is in a weaker Big East, that the teams they played were not as challenging as they would be at UConn.
Now, some of that is true. UConn has one of the toughest OOC schedules but certainly we would all agree that the in conference schedule is pretty lame. Maybe a little better than the Big Easy? Maybe not. So, if you had to guess, how bad was Georgetown's SOS in 2013-14? 100? 150? 200? Nope, it's actually pretty damn good in the scheme of things.
realtime RPI - 41
Wbbstate - 38
Nolan - 49
Three very reputable sites you can find at the bottom of the blog in the links section.
Georgetown in 2013-14 schedule was in the top 15% of all of WCBB. That is nothing to sneeze at. So how did she do against the good teams? Teams under 100 RPI?
RPI 15 Penn State - 12 points 9 rebounds
RPI 25 DePaul - 9 points 10 rebounds, 15 points 13 rebounds, 8 points 11 rebounds
RPI 26 St. John's - 14 points 10 rebounds, 8 points 14 rebound
RPI 27 California - 16 points 15 rebounds
RPI 32 Michigan State - 7 points 12 rebounds
RPI 50 Villanova - 19 points 14 rebounds 12 points 13 rebounds
RPI 65 Florida - 16 points 18 rebounds
RPI 67 Creighton - 24 points 13 rebounds, 13 points 14 rebounds
RPI 69 Princeton - 14 points 5 rebounds
RPI 70 George Washington - 17 points 8 rebounds
RPI 86 Marquette - 12 points 12 rebounds, 14 points 8 rebounds
Against the teams with under 100 RPI, she averages 13.5 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game. Not as good as her overall numbers, but most player are like this. But certainly averaging a double double against these teams should alleviate the concerns that Butler won't be able to duplicate these numbers next year for UConn. And that will more than make up for the loss of Stokes. Much more.
She is one reason that as good as this years team is next years team will be better. There just aren't that many big 6'5" posts that can run the floor. Something to look forward to.
Here is a great article about her in late February. Natalie Butler
There are a lot of great quotes in this article. Here are a few:
"My dad taught me the art of boxing out," Butler said. "Rebounding comes down to heart, and that's the way I was raised. I still play against my 6-foot-6 little brother, James. We feed off each other, and he has helped me become a better player."
About Offensive rebounding - "They're harder to get than defensive rebounds, because you're farther from the basket and have to work your way around the defense," she said. "But I know that offensive rebounding is another way I can score."
In regards to starting every game - She said she appreciated the opportunity to play immediately in one of the nation's most demanding basketball conferences. "Coach [Jim] Lewis has given me the chance to play against this type of competition," Butler said. "The post players here are incredibly physical and strong, and really test you. Being agile and quick is how you survive in the college game, and I need to continue to get stronger and quicker."
And from another great article:
"There are not enough words for me to use to describe Natalie Butler," said Amanda Kimball, UConn's strength and conditioning coach. "She wants it and you can tell she wants it by how hard she wants to work. That's the kind of kid you want, someone who comes here [to UConn] by choice with the understanding that she's going to be playing with the best and for the best because she wants to be the best."
"I remember my dad asking me to watch her play on television and saying to me, 'Look at the way she [Dolson] moves, how she uses her body,'" Butler said. "It was encouraging to me. I know I have a lot to work on, but I can sense the potential for how much better I can be with this coaching staff working with me."
And from the most current article:
Butler has clearly found a home at UConn. She usually finds herself matched up against reigning national player of the year Breanna Stewart in practice. Other times she will try get her shot off against senior Kiah Stokes, UConn’s career leader for blocks per 40 minutes.
“She practices hard all the time and she really wants to learn,” Stokes said. “I think it is a big factor. She has a whole year to learn and she is going against me, which is good for me because she is taller. So it is good competition. She really wants to play. I know it is going to be hard for her to sit out this year but I know next year she will be really good.”
“At first, I thought it could be the hardest thing I could ever imagine doing because you sort of have the fever after the first year and you want to keep going,” Butler said. “I kind of got the rhythm down in my work habits, so at first I thought it was going to be very tough. Coach Geno and I had a very candid discussion and we called it a development year, a year to get bigger, faster, stronger.”
“Just being exposed to Kiah and Stewie the last couple of months has really kind of opened her eyes,” Auriemma said. “She is already significantly better than she was when she got here. Her ability to score around the basket has gotten better. She has always been a pretty good shooter from 10-12 feet. She still does that, but she is understanding that she has to pass the ball better, she has to move better defensively."
“When she is in the lane with Stewie, Stewie can’t guard her, Stewie can’t move her and when Stewie is in the lane, she can’t get anything done because she just physically manhandles Stewie. But she also has to understand that she is going to be guarding a lot of other guys bigger than her. Every day she is learning something, and she is the kind of kid that every day she is going to get better.”
I think you all get the picture. Don't underestimate this young lady.
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Statistical Sites
NCAA 2014 Stats
NCAA 2014 Stats
UCONN Information
Message Boards
The Boneyard - Women's message board mostly about UConn
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else
Intesting Blogs
Women's Hoops Blog By Boneyarder ThisJustIn
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Great write up on Natalie, DD! Man, I cannot wait to see her play next year. She will be a lot of fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work.
Yes, exactly right Chapette.
ReplyDeleteShe is practicing with and against the best team in the country and is being coached by the best coaching staff in the country. I believe she will be more than ready.
ReplyDelete