****************************************************************************
2015-16 Stats
Yesterday I took a quick look at Tierney Lawlor, Courtney Ekmark, and Natalie Butler. Today I look at Saniya Chong, Napheesa Collier and Gabby Williams.
As I write about the players with more expectations for for 2016-17, the longer my write-up will be.
As one of only two seniors on the roster, much will be expected of Saniya. The Big Three are gone. There is a lot of leadership to be had. She has been a quiet type player so far in her career, but I believe she will take the next step. But to do that, she needs to stay healthy and play well enough on the court. Clearly improving her knee situation is the number one priority. I'm no medical expert (but I play one on TV) but I have checked out the rehab program and there are ways to mitigate this issue. Rest, stretching, strengthening the muscles around the area in question. I am sure she will be back and 100% this summer. Hopefully the new trainer will be well versed in this. Once healthy I am convinced she will contribute big time to this team next season.
We have all seen what she can do when given minutes and she is confident. Ahh.....the C word. CONFIDENCE. It's tough to keep when you are in and out of the lineup. Any poor play just amplifies it. So, if healthy, and if she regains her confidence.....what can she do? Well we know she can shoot. That has never been in question. When she started for Jefferson against Tulsa, she played 29 minutes, scored 18 points, had 4 assists and only 1 turnover. She was also 6-11 from the field and 4-8 on threes. Now, no one should expect that every game. But there is no reason other than health that should keep her from playing a solid 20 minutes every game with close to double digit scoring. Her defense has improved enough to keep her on the court.
2015-16 Stats
33 Games - MPG 12.4, FG% .424, 3PT% .368, PPG 3.7, RPG 1.3, APG 1.0, 21 stls, 2 bks
Napheesa was ranked 6th in her class and was expected to have a big impact on the 2015-16 team. While she did have a solid year, I'm sure that she thinks it should have been better. As most freshman do, she had plenty of ups and downs. But one thing that she didn't lack was consistent effort. She did seem tentative too many times on the court. My opinion is that tentativeness was just her deferring to the big three. And that was certainly understandable.
The "C" word comes up here again. More confidence will go a long way to her improving her contribution to the team and we all know it will be needed. I would like to see her build on her performance in the U19 USA games last summer. I watched her outperform everyone on that team in most games, including college players A'ja Wilson, Shakaylah Thomas, Mariya Moore and Azura Stevens. She was second leading scorer and leading rebounder. She shot 54% from the field and even took 10 threes, making three. It was a brilliant performance that has me excited about next season.
Look for Collier to work on her outside shot, including three pointers. UConn really needs more shooters. And she can get stronger and will with more intensive workouts. Some of her improvement will come from better decision making and that will come from having a full season under her belt.
I would expect her to be over 12 ppg and 7 rpg. She has so much to offer!
The "C" word comes up here again. More confidence will go a long way to her improving her contribution to the team and we all know it will be needed. I would like to see her build on her performance in the U19 USA games last summer. I watched her outperform everyone on that team in most games, including college players A'ja Wilson, Shakaylah Thomas, Mariya Moore and Azura Stevens. She was second leading scorer and leading rebounder. She shot 54% from the field and even took 10 threes, making three. It was a brilliant performance that has me excited about next season.
Look for Collier to work on her outside shot, including three pointers. UConn really needs more shooters. And she can get stronger and will with more intensive workouts. Some of her improvement will come from better decision making and that will come from having a full season under her belt.
I would expect her to be over 12 ppg and 7 rpg. She has so much to offer!
38 Games - MPG 17.2, FG% .533, 3PT% .154, PPG 6.8, RPG 5.2, APG .9, 50 stls, 47 blks
Gabby had a terrific season in 2015-16. I believe the main reason is that she will put in the time in the gym to get better. She certainly proved that by improving her FT percentage from 45% in her freshman year to 75% this past season. She also added a terrific mid-range jumper that she seemed to hit at a high percentage. Her athleticism is off the charts and just that will make her an eventual AA.
All she needs now is to continue her offensive game improvement. Can she add a three point shot to her arsenal? That would be huge. Can she improve her post moves even more than she has in two years? I would say so. Geno will have to figure out where her skill set fits in with this new roster. But it would be advantageous to her and the team if she could swing from the front court to the back court. To do that she will have to improve her handle (51 assists 45 turnovers), her outside shot, and her passing. I expect her to do all three!
2015-16 Stats
38 Games - MPG 18.6, FG% .636, 3PT% .000, PPG 8.8 RPG 5.6, APG 1.3, 72 steals, 13 blocks
*****************************************************************************
UCONN LINKS
UConn trio could lead the way in WNBA draft's first round ESPN
UConn seniors hope to make more history at WNBA Draft Carl Adamec
The Women’s Beat with Bob Joyce: Perfection, History & Domination CBS CT
Jordan Brand Classic diary: Crystal Dangerfield on enjoying the ride, UConn and more USA Today
UConn Coaches Cite Huge Budget Deficit Courant
WCBB LINKS
Four Teams Earn NCAA Public Recognition Awards UConn Team Site
Tourney upsets, UConn's dominance impact women's hoops landscape ND Insider
2 Spanish guards sign with UMaine women’s basketball team Bangor Daily News
UMaine women’s basketball coach gets 4-year contract extension Portland Press Herald
WNBA /WORLD TEAMS LINKS
Moriah Jefferson Pre-Draft Diary: From Fan To Name On The Board WNBA
WNBA Mock Draft Roundup WNBA
Seattle likely to get an up-close look at Breanna Stewart, ‘the LeBron James of women’s basketball’ Seattle Times
Dallas Wings weigh options with fifth pick in WNBA Draft Star Telegram
How Glenn Heights product Moriah Jefferson could make Dallas-area history at the WNBA draft Dallas News
Texas Star May Soon Follow Mother Into W.N.B.A. NY Times
Sun still debating their WNBA draft options The Day
Mitchell 1 of 12 Invited To Attend WNBA Draft ABC Columbia
Dallas Wings set to unveil new jerseys at draft day party on Thursday Dallas News
Four draft prospects who the Mystics could realistically select SB Nation
WNBA Draft: Stewart, Jefferson At 1-2 Seem A Lock, But What About Tuck? Courant
WNBA Draft 2016: Start Time, Schedule, Round 1 Order and Mock Predictions Bleacher Report
USF's Courtney Williams aims high in WNBA draft Tampa Bay Times
WNBA Draft Watch: Brittney Martin SB Nation
Huskies Walton invited to WNBA draft The Herald of Everett
WNBA Draft is open to public Jim Fuller
Breanna Stewart ‘going to be great right away’ for Storm Seattle Times
*******************************************
Message Boards
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!!
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else
No comments:
Post a Comment