Saturday, November 04, 2006
One exhibition game--only one exhibition game...i don't think one player has ever created so much buzz from one exhibition game performance, but that's what Houston has done...practically the entire basketball world (at least the entire UConn basketball world) hasn't been able to stop talking about Houston, her performances in practices and against Team Concept, and most importantly how much she has improved in every area of herself and her game...how she's finally ready to create good memories and forget the old (aka bad) ones...she's even back in the past, present, and future stars of the women's basketball world equation
The Juniors...
6'1 PF Charde Houston: holy cow!! what a difference an offseason of almost transferring, being lectured by teammates, refocusing and recommitting yourself to UConn and its history, learning the plays as well as from your mistakes, and getting into better shape makes...she was on fire last night...there wasn't one player on the court who could or was going to stop her...her focus, concentration, and moves were unreal...it was like a totally (and i'm not at all exaggerating) person and player...drop steps, pull ups, reverse lay-ups, put backs, made FT's, rebounds, wrap around passes, steals, blocks, leadership, hustle...if she even gives us only 75% of what i saw on any given night she'll average 14-17 ppg and 6-8 rpg easily, but if we get 100% of what i saw then we are talking All-American, BE POTY, 18-20 ppg and 8-10 rpg
6'3 C Brittany Hunter: did not play (knee)...please take your time and rest that knee...we need you Feb-Apr not Nov-Jan!!!
5'7 PG Ketia Swanier: fast, faster, fastest...the girl's got speed and now she's also got a shot to go with it...nailed back-to-back treys and looked confident doing it...still the wonderful game changer she has always been...still just needs to make the unspectacular play/pass at the right time instead of trying to make the spectacular play/pass at the wrong time
5'9 SG Mel Thomas: well what can you say about her that no one already doesn't know...Mel is Mel...all out hustle all the time...off shooting night, but don't forget about the experimental 3-pt line that was in use...as are post play improves Mel will have that second longer to make sure most of her 3's go in (which is usually the case when she is set and not rushed)...i look for her to take people off the dribble even more this season and hopefully get to the line much more often
6'1 PF Charde Houston: holy cow!! what a difference an offseason of almost transferring, being lectured by teammates, refocusing and recommitting yourself to UConn and its history, learning the plays as well as from your mistakes, and getting into better shape makes...she was on fire last night...there wasn't one player on the court who could or was going to stop her...her focus, concentration, and moves were unreal...it was like a totally (and i'm not at all exaggerating) person and player...drop steps, pull ups, reverse lay-ups, put backs, made FT's, rebounds, wrap around passes, steals, blocks, leadership, hustle...if she even gives us only 75% of what i saw on any given night she'll average 14-17 ppg and 6-8 rpg easily, but if we get 100% of what i saw then we are talking All-American, BE POTY, 18-20 ppg and 8-10 rpg
6'3 C Brittany Hunter: did not play (knee)...please take your time and rest that knee...we need you Feb-Apr not Nov-Jan!!!
5'7 PG Ketia Swanier: fast, faster, fastest...the girl's got speed and now she's also got a shot to go with it...nailed back-to-back treys and looked confident doing it...still the wonderful game changer she has always been...still just needs to make the unspectacular play/pass at the right time instead of trying to make the spectacular play/pass at the wrong time
5'9 SG Mel Thomas: well what can you say about her that no one already doesn't know...Mel is Mel...all out hustle all the time...off shooting night, but don't forget about the experimental 3-pt line that was in use...as are post play improves Mel will have that second longer to make sure most of her 3's go in (which is usually the case when she is set and not rushed)...i look for her to take people off the dribble even more this season and hopefully get to the line much more often
The Sophomores...
5'10 SG Kalana Greene: didn't show us what the coaching staff has been bragging about for the past few weeks, but i'm sure they will fix that problem fast(CD addressed it in the post game interview)...she just has to figure out how to translate great practice play into great game play...although i'm sure having someone like Taurasi defending you and having to defend didn't help matters much...look for her to get into the flow early in next Wed.'s exhibition game...got better as the game went on, nice put backs on the offensive glass, and had some nice moves during set plays--just didn't hit the shots
6'3 PF Cassie Kerns: didn't play much, but only because Houston and Charles were playing so well...does all the dirty work like box out and sets solid screens...with Hunter out she'll definitely see more playing time especially while Geno is yanking the freshmen in and out to coach mistakes...and i'm sure there will be plenty of them
5'7 PG Renee Montgomery: off shooting night, but still Renee was Renee...great floor general who found people in their spots...had many awesome Hammon-like scoop shoots with taller players draped all over her...the undeniable vocal leader of the team...will make up for not fully rising to the challenge of Bird and Williams...got beat a few too many times last night on defense especially by Williams, but i don't think Geno nor Renee will allow things like that to occur again this season...another thing is she needs to make sure she hits 90-95% of her FT's because the ball will always be in her hands at the key moments in the games and we need our PG to be almost automatic from the charity stripe (see Bird)
6'0 SF Tahirah Williams: still seemed unsure of herself out there...sort of like a deer in headlights, but again facing the likes of the UConn greats didn't help her confidence...there's something special about her that i haven't quite figured out yet, but i look for much better things from her in the future (and hopefully near future)...she's too athletic to not be in the rotation even if it is just for defensive purposes...needs to work on her shot so she can hit the open jumper if and when left open (which will be a lot since everyone on the court will be more of a threat)
5'10 SG Kalana Greene: didn't show us what the coaching staff has been bragging about for the past few weeks, but i'm sure they will fix that problem fast(CD addressed it in the post game interview)...she just has to figure out how to translate great practice play into great game play...although i'm sure having someone like Taurasi defending you and having to defend didn't help matters much...look for her to get into the flow early in next Wed.'s exhibition game...got better as the game went on, nice put backs on the offensive glass, and had some nice moves during set plays--just didn't hit the shots
6'3 PF Cassie Kerns: didn't play much, but only because Houston and Charles were playing so well...does all the dirty work like box out and sets solid screens...with Hunter out she'll definitely see more playing time especially while Geno is yanking the freshmen in and out to coach mistakes...and i'm sure there will be plenty of them
5'7 PG Renee Montgomery: off shooting night, but still Renee was Renee...great floor general who found people in their spots...had many awesome Hammon-like scoop shoots with taller players draped all over her...the undeniable vocal leader of the team...will make up for not fully rising to the challenge of Bird and Williams...got beat a few too many times last night on defense especially by Williams, but i don't think Geno nor Renee will allow things like that to occur again this season...another thing is she needs to make sure she hits 90-95% of her FT's because the ball will always be in her hands at the key moments in the games and we need our PG to be almost automatic from the charity stripe (see Bird)
6'0 SF Tahirah Williams: still seemed unsure of herself out there...sort of like a deer in headlights, but again facing the likes of the UConn greats didn't help her confidence...there's something special about her that i haven't quite figured out yet, but i look for much better things from her in the future (and hopefully near future)...she's too athletic to not be in the rotation even if it is just for defensive purposes...needs to work on her shot so she can hit the open jumper if and when left open (which will be a lot since everyone on the court will be more of a threat)
The Freshmen...
6'4 C Tina Charles: dynamite...wow that's all i can say...i get the feeling that she is going to have the greatest impact that a freshmen has ever had on UConn...she played awesome last night and yet Geno's only had 3 weeks with her...blended in with the vets like she was a vets...made some mistakes, but so did everyone so i wouldn't even call them rookie mistakes--just unfamilarity with each other mistakes...great post moves, handle, rebounding...just needs to work on them FT's...deserves to be in the starting line-up even if Hunter comes back
5'9 PG Jacquie Fernandes: hustler...not even in the game for one minute and dove over the UConn bench through trainer Rosemary to save the ball...obviously nervous, but that was totally expected...went from scholarship at D-111 WCSC to walk-on at D-1 UConn to scholarship at D-1 UConn to guarding All-Everything Diana Taurasi in her very 1st game...talk about life changing experiences for one person...she is already a fan favorite and exceeding all expectations
6'0 SG Meghan Gardler: tough...played the best one on one defense on Taurasi last night and that's saying a lot since almost everyone got a shot...very good shooter from anywhere on the court and didn't seem to hestitate even for her 1st game...i don't foresee a redshirt year, but rather a gradual increase in minutes and a steady place in the rotation maybe even ahead of some vets
6'2 PF Kaili McLaren: sweet...has a very nice touch with the ball...great nose for the ball and moved a lot better than i expected...seemed unsure of herself during set plays, but flurished once shots went up...offensive rebounds and put backs...will play 15-20 min/gm and more once she grasps the concepts of UConn style and improves her conditioning
6'5 C Kristen Phillips: did not play (ankle)
6'4 C Tina Charles: dynamite...wow that's all i can say...i get the feeling that she is going to have the greatest impact that a freshmen has ever had on UConn...she played awesome last night and yet Geno's only had 3 weeks with her...blended in with the vets like she was a vets...made some mistakes, but so did everyone so i wouldn't even call them rookie mistakes--just unfamilarity with each other mistakes...great post moves, handle, rebounding...just needs to work on them FT's...deserves to be in the starting line-up even if Hunter comes back
5'9 PG Jacquie Fernandes: hustler...not even in the game for one minute and dove over the UConn bench through trainer Rosemary to save the ball...obviously nervous, but that was totally expected...went from scholarship at D-111 WCSC to walk-on at D-1 UConn to scholarship at D-1 UConn to guarding All-Everything Diana Taurasi in her very 1st game...talk about life changing experiences for one person...she is already a fan favorite and exceeding all expectations
6'0 SG Meghan Gardler: tough...played the best one on one defense on Taurasi last night and that's saying a lot since almost everyone got a shot...very good shooter from anywhere on the court and didn't seem to hestitate even for her 1st game...i don't foresee a redshirt year, but rather a gradual increase in minutes and a steady place in the rotation maybe even ahead of some vets
6'2 PF Kaili McLaren: sweet...has a very nice touch with the ball...great nose for the ball and moved a lot better than i expected...seemed unsure of herself during set plays, but flurished once shots went up...offensive rebounds and put backs...will play 15-20 min/gm and more once she grasps the concepts of UConn style and improves her conditioning
6'5 C Kristen Phillips: did not play (ankle)
Friday, November 03, 2006
Former Husky Barbara Turner update from Israeli League play. Her team is 2-2 and she had 23 pts. (9-12), 4 asts., and 2 rebs. in a 93-56 win for her team Maccabi Ramat Hen...she's averaging 17.8 ppg, 62% 2ptFG%, 6.2 rpg, 32 mpg.
Former Huskies and All-American Huskies returning to Storrs to help out in practice and help make the current roster better has been going on for as long as I can remember, but now Geno says other programs think those days should end.
"God forbid you are to use some of the positives that come out of your program and go forward," Auriemma said. "Maybe we should do a poor job of coaching them and treat them poorly the four years that they're here so they won't want to come back."
"God forbid you are to use some of the positives that come out of your program and go forward," Auriemma said. "Maybe we should do a poor job of coaching them and treat them poorly the four years that they're here so they won't want to come back."
She made Gampel glow for 4 years and made it glow again last night. She is always having fun, but is always on top of Her game. Fade away-rainbow 3's, turn-around baseline jumpers, 3-quarter court bombs, pull-up in your face shots, trash talking, jersey grabbin', shot blockin', running defenders into screen after screen, throwin' no-look dimes, touch passes, you name it--She did it. No one does it like or better than Her. She is UConn. She is the best. She is Diana Taurasi, still walkin' the walk and talkin' the talk!!!
Speaking of talking...as my father and I drove past the new football practice facility I said to my father, "Where's the new basketball practice facility...they're the ones who have the rings!!"...and he laughed and said, "Your crazy, why would they need one!" But what he doesn't remember is that I went to school here for 4 years, had cheerleading practices in Gampel after the basketball teams, and know that Gampel isn't always available due to other obligations--sending teams to the fieldhouse. I've always thought they needed a seperate practice facility and now it looks as though my thoughts are becoming UConn Athletic Dept. thoughts as well. As UConn A.D. Jeff Hathaway looks to bring UConn Athlethics to the forefront of the collegiate world.
Speaking of talking...as my father and I drove past the new football practice facility I said to my father, "Where's the new basketball practice facility...they're the ones who have the rings!!"...and he laughed and said, "Your crazy, why would they need one!" But what he doesn't remember is that I went to school here for 4 years, had cheerleading practices in Gampel after the basketball teams, and know that Gampel isn't always available due to other obligations--sending teams to the fieldhouse. I've always thought they needed a seperate practice facility and now it looks as though my thoughts are becoming UConn Athletic Dept. thoughts as well. As UConn A.D. Jeff Hathaway looks to bring UConn Athlethics to the forefront of the collegiate world.
Considered by many the #1 Recruit in the 2008 HS Class, 6'5 wing Elena DelleDonne was in the house Thursday on an unofficial visit to see the Houston & Taurasi show--I mean the UConn vs. Team Concept exhibition game. "It was an awesome atmosphere...the fans are crazy!" she says.
UConn won its exhibition opener last night vs. Team Concept.
Well, the UConn offense looked impressive, especially Houston and the post...the defense on the other hand, needs some work as the Huskies downed Team Concept 101-87. Houston lead the way for UConn with 30 pts. (14-20), 19 (12 off.) rebs., 6 stls., 3asts., and 2 blks. in 28 mins. while, of course, Taurasi lead the way for Team Concept with 31 pts. (11-26), 3 rebs., 4 asts., 3 stls., and 2 blks. in 35 mins. The 4 freshmen (#5 Phillips sat out) combined for 32 pts. and 27 rebs. (mostly Charles and McLaren) and overall looked great in their first outings!!! Check back after 5pm for a player by player and complete game analysis.
Well, the UConn offense looked impressive, especially Houston and the post...the defense on the other hand, needs some work as the Huskies downed Team Concept 101-87. Houston lead the way for UConn with 30 pts. (14-20), 19 (12 off.) rebs., 6 stls., 3asts., and 2 blks. in 28 mins. while, of course, Taurasi lead the way for Team Concept with 31 pts. (11-26), 3 rebs., 4 asts., 3 stls., and 2 blks. in 35 mins. The 4 freshmen (#5 Phillips sat out) combined for 32 pts. and 27 rebs. (mostly Charles and McLaren) and overall looked great in their first outings!!! Check back after 5pm for a player by player and complete game analysis.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Geno's Hall of Fame banner will be unveiled in Gampel prior to the Purdue game on Nov. 30th at 7pm on ESPN2.
Also, two seperate Recognition Nights will be held prior to games (TBA at a later date) to honor the intial group of "Huskies Of Honor"--one for the men and one for the women. These honorees will also have a plaque created on a wall space near the entrances of Gampel. The coaching staff of the respective teams and a committee within the athletic dept. will determine those selected for the initial ceremony and then annually.
Also, two seperate Recognition Nights will be held prior to games (TBA at a later date) to honor the intial group of "Huskies Of Honor"--one for the men and one for the women. These honorees will also have a plaque created on a wall space near the entrances of Gampel. The coaching staff of the respective teams and a committee within the athletic dept. will determine those selected for the initial ceremony and then annually.
Officially, Phillips and Hunter are out for tonight's exhibition game vs. Team Concept. Charles will get the starting nod due to Hunter's injury, but Geno's thinks in some ways she might have earned it anyway. McLaren is also progressing and is expected to see a lot of time tonight. She has finally starting playing rather than playing and coaching. He just hopes they doesn't lose their confidence early because he thinks freshmen take longer to get it back. Someone who is finally confident, especially with her shot, is Swanier.
I hope all you have your tickets...remember exhibition games aren't on TV. Diehard fans debate who to root for here. I'm rooting for UConn to not back down and try their hardest to win and for Team Concept to not pretend and just let us win!!
I hope all you have your tickets...remember exhibition games aren't on TV. Diehard fans debate who to root for here. I'm rooting for UConn to not back down and try their hardest to win and for Team Concept to not pretend and just let us win!!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
5 Freshman, including Charles, to watch for this season...and none of them belong to the ACC or SEC.
Preseason awards continue....the 30 preseason Wooden Award candidates were announced today. Suprisingly UConn's Houston makes the cut and not Big East ROTY Montgomery. No offense to Rutgers Vaughn as a player, but where is BE DPOTY Carson, BE ROTY Montgomery, or even BE MIP Thomas. Vaughn didn't even make the BE coaches preseason all-big east team.
Finally, after all these years of great players and teams after great players and teams UConn will recognize "Huskies Of Honor" and replace the old team banners with new ones and add banners of the UConn Greats!!! No retiring of numbers, but it's better than nothing.
Thomas and Montgomery face a tough test tomorrow night as they will take on the starting backcourt for the USA Women's Senior National Team. Talk about having your HANDS full on defense and then having your EAR chewed off on offense....but they are used to it, as many former Huskies come back during the Fall months to scrimmage against the current roster. Ahhhh more Husky Traditions...and just in time for the holidays!!!
Meanwhile, Greene is emerging as the team's star in practice, but I'll be patient and wait to see how it translates to games!!!!
Meanwhile, Greene is emerging as the team's star in practice, but I'll be patient and wait to see how it translates to games!!!!
USA Today/ESPN Coaches Preseason Poll is out.....shockingly Maryland is #1!!!! No but seriously, the only real suprise is the 6 (yes 6) Pac 10 schools ranked in the Top 25. I guess injuries, transfers, and loss of seniors don't effect the preseason ranking of some teams.
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