Doggydaddy's Den: DoggyDaddy's Dailies 9/23/16

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Yesterday I asked "Can the freshman Dangerfield come in and take over the point guard spot?"

The second part of that question was "Or will Chong come in for her senior season and embrace that role?"

First let me say that I have been a big Chong fan from before she committed to UConn. She played with incredible confidence in HS. Her drives to the basket were done with total distain of the defense. She dribbles through and around her defenders finding inventive ways to finish the drive with a basket. She easily used both hands to do that.

She also had unlimited range on her three pointer and showed no hesitation in releasing the shot with the slightest opening. On offense she had no conscience.

Here is a great video illustrating my points.

She scored 54 points in this game. Her senior year she averages 30 points and 10 assists. Remarkable stats, albeit against not the strongest competition. But when she went out west with her team in a tournament playing some of the best teams in the country, she still excelled scoring over 25 points average in her three games.

So........what happened?

Well, HS is not College and that jump goes up a notch when you go to UConn. She never was able to play continued minutes her freshman year and with Jefferson running the team for 30 mpg, Chong was not the player in control like she was in HS. It was a big adjustment.

Then of course the last year, her knee injury impacted her ability to play extended minutes. She went from 19.2 to 12.4 in minutes played and never got in a comfort pattern. She certainly had some highlights during the season when she did play well and to me that bodes well for her getting 20+ mpg and possibly the staring pg spot for much of the season.

From her bio - " Scored in double-figures four times, including a season-high 18 points against Tulsa on January 6. Chong was 6-11 from the floor, including 4-8 from long-range, to go along with four assists and four rebounds against the Golden Hurricane ... That game was preceded by a 13-point, four-rebound effort against Cincinnati on December 30. The Ossining, N.Y. native was a tidy 4-6 from the floor, chased down four rebounds and dished-out three assists against the Bearcats"

For Saniya it comes down to two things. Health and confidence with the first leading to the latter. I'm hopeful that Geno gives her the key to the car and we see a lot of the star I saw in HS.

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I couldn't figure out how to imbed the video but here is a link to a great video of 2017 recruit Lexi Gordon. What a fabulous talent and a known recruiting magnet for players to come to UConn. She is well loved by the players on the AAU circuit. And one of the main reasons I am hopeful that Walker will come to UConn.

Nice form on her jumper. I love that she is a gym rat and will do what it takes to improve.

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It's not over till it's over!!!!

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Turnovers, especially in the back court by guards, are very noticeable. They often result in a layup by the defensive player and obvious embarrassment by the guard who was just pick pocketed. (Think MoJeff on any number of occasions.) Turnovers by UConn have been on a downtrend for the last few years, due in no small part to the ball handling skills of Moriah. Last year there were 452 UConn turnovers. Prior to that there were 474, 471 and 557. So last year, UConn had 105 fewer to's than when Jefferson was a freshman.

UConn fans will probably not agree who should replace Moriah as the primary ball handler this season. But, everyone can agree replacing MoJeff's steady hand running the offense will be critical. The choices are numerous. Saniya is coming off two seasons with only 63 turnovers in 1,133 minutes. that compares nicely with her 108 assists. Kia Nurse also has the skills to be a point guard. Over her two season, she has 212 assists vs 114 turnovers. And then there is the wild card, rookie Crystal Dangerfield. Her play for Team USA was stellar, but the competition against Notre Dame, South Carolina and Ohio State will be much tougher. The even wilder, wild card is freshman Molly Bent. Stay tuned...

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Scores (links in the WNBA link section)

Elimination Games Wednesday

Top Performers/UConn Performers (bold)

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