I'm not a UConn fan, but I agree with wanting to see if Paige would have hit the shot against Iowa. It really ticked me off when the refs made that moving pick call with the game on the line. If the foul occurs away from the ball under those circumstances, you let it ride, and let the players decide the outcome.
Full agreement, and any real fan would agree. We tune in to watch the players not the refs, players expect consistency from the refs and the refs in the women’s game are simply in over their heads with the higher level teams. Contrast this with the men’s final 4. A little slide on a pick or a little push on a shooter or a 3.5 step travel with 8 sec to go would have been an absolute no call for the men. Anyway, important to say that fans both wanted to see if PB could hit the shot AND see if the Iowa defense could get a stop at a key moment. Refs denied us this special moment and determined the outcome. We all lost out.
Well I AM a Huskies fan, and as painful as it was to watch, it was of course the right call - it was egregious. My only problem with Aaliyah this season was her inability to resist the temptation of making a key play off the ball by generally committing a foul. SHE put the game in the refs hands. Think about this, people complain about refs being inconsistent, right? Well how do you become consistent? You try to call what you see, when you see it. You try to be automatic. Edwards didn't just shift her weight into the defender (which I hate when they call), she took a huge step with her left foot (we call that a lunge). Bang bang and I wouldn't see it. In slow mo it was blatant. Credit the official for her training to kick in. We need to stop complaining about this. If anything, we need refs to do this more, so players will just get the message and not do bone-head things that cost your team the season. Two more things: 1, it was mostly a "clean" game, but I did feel like the "Caitlin Rules" were in effect for the refs. They were (as it always seems to me) really protective of her, and really ticky-tacky with UConn. The second thing is, that something was definitely off with Paige. The only one who's mentioned it was Geno. But she never said what was up. She was just off, for some unknown reason. I wonder if it was the same thing she experienced the last time she played her buddy back in 2022 in the Sweet 16, but she had a more complete all around game then. She just wasn't aggressive, and they needed her to be. Nika brought her A+ game, Aaliyah brought her typical hard-hat game but got ate up by refs and double-teams. KK was a menace, Shade wasn't that great, but if Paige showed up like she had for every other game of this tournament, we would be talking about why they did or did not win the championship.
As far as Bettencourt, I would move her grade up to a "+" because with her very limited minutes and very limited skill set, when she got in, about every other game she would make a hustle play. Nothing about her game will jump off the screen at you other than the hustle. And hustle is what it's all about.
I agree I liked Ines hustled every time she got on the court and whoever gets her I hope they take the time to develop her I think she can play at this level.
Q and Ice i think are both yet to be determined. They both played like what most freshman look like their first year. The good thing is they both have gotten to experience playing under the big lights and in front of big crowds early with the team. This off season is where a ton of work will be put in for both. Q's shooting and defense and Ice's shooting around the basket.
When it comes to grades, everything is relative, so I play too. Nika: B++ or A--, preferably the latter. Ines: B Every time she took to the field she did so with character, determination and making few mistakes, and even with the limited time she knew she had at her disposal, she was always altruistic
I agree on Nika. I love Ines, and she sees the whole court every time, plus your comments. However she had a habit of turning the ball over. I’m with B- or C+ because of that.
It’s hard to fully judge Nika on the turnovers. A lot of them fall on her, but this team has had constant players out of action. Hard to fully develop a team when most are injured.
Great point you make about Uconn's coaching staff. Take a 👀 at how they responded to three grueling years of non-stop injury devastation...... DURING THE 3 YEAR INJURY PLAGUE UCONN: -Won their conference championship all every year, regular season + tournament. -Finished the three seasons as follows: -National Runner-Up -Sweet-16 -Final -4 -Won at least 30 games every year Bottom line performance during the nightmare..... Overall Record = 94-W 18-L Conf. Record = 52-W 3-L Not a team in America could have accomplished anything remotely close to what Uconn did, after sustaining equivalent decimation, yet this miraculous job still goes grossly underreported in the national sports media. Uconn fans, however, won't forget what Geno & company accomplished with threadbare lineup.
KK has to work on finishing in the summer. She also needs a midrange game cuz she got blocked way too many times. If she learns to slow down her speed will be more of a threat
Yep but think she played well for a freshman. Struggled at times but was solid starter - hence the A. I think must would be happy with her running the Pg after Paige goes
Totally agree! She either wanted to go all the way to the rim or shoot with her feet set. She definitely needs a pull up jumper and that set her apart from Ashlyn Shade who got freshman of the year.
Hopefully UCONN has no long term injuries so that Geno can play his team like he truly wants to e.g. In the Duke game he wanted to keep up the pace once his team had a double digit lead but had to slow it back down bc of fatigue concerns among his players thus allowing Duke to close the gap again.
@@FlagrantHolmes The ND game would have been a lot closer and probably a UCONN win. I feel the same way about the TX game too. The South Carolina game would be definitely closer and probably still a loss though. If we face UCLA later in the season without those long-term injuries its a win.
How are u gonna give Ines and Q both a C? Q deserves at least a C+, she played way more than Ines. Though I’m glad you went fair on Nika. I appreciate all of the love she’s been getting however Aaliyah has been way more consistent than her through their time at UConn and I wish she also gotten more love this season as well
My thoughts exactly except with Nika, her intangibles, her glue, her leadership gave her an A+. That being said, on Shade, I really believe her PPG will definitely improve big time. Now that the newness, the awe factor, has worn off she will be more settled and take it to the next level. The coaching staff will work overtime bringing the facets out on this diamond. Hope I'm correct in that assessment.
Edwards was the only one who aced the midterm, the final and all the quizzes. Amazing consistency and productivity. I don’t think PB should have been graded higher than Edwards, if the standard is performance vs expectations. You were too kind to DeBerry, she should have dropped the course before the midterm and retaken the 101 course. Maybe A- for Shade, but she definitely exceeded all expectations and maybe should seek out some extra credit courses next year. Ducharme? May need to strongly consider another major for her own health. Hope she is getting good advice.
Paige kicked it up a notch and deserved a great grade for march. January and December were a bit disappointing. She got outplayed by guards in the marquee games. I do kind of buy the explanation that she was still getting in shape and mentally was overcoming her fear of injury though. That sounds like a viable explanation for the slow start.
@@TheDisruptiveOne I agree with you. Did people forget they had Paige playing forward for most of the year after Griffin went down. When she had to move she led the team in blocked shots. Her rebounding went up significantly also. Also agree Caroline if the same thing happens next year is done.
Paige had a legitimate, all-American season, and probably wound up #2 behind Clark as NPOY. No way is she overrated. Aaliyah had a great season too and it's ridiculous that she wasn't even in the AP's 2nd all-American team. However her season as a whole was not as dominant as Paige's. Not even close. Sounds like you're trying to give her a 4-year participation award, which is arguable at best. With Paige, Final Four - without Paige, Sweet 16. No shade on Aaliyah - she is awesome! It just feels like you're undervaluing PB with no evidence to back it up.
@@alanlee3236 PB had an outstanding second half of the season, but most definitely did not ace the mid term. Forgotten her getting her butt kicked by Hidalgo? Was she still recovering? Was she unable to raise the game of teammates at that time due to other factors? Who knows, but it is clear she did not have the impact in the first half season that she had in the second, and greatness is all about consistency and titles. Paige has acknowledged same, and great thing about her is no doubt she has ND already circled on the schedule for next season and will show up ready to serve up some pay back.
DeBerri was the ultimate F she should have left a year ago. I never got the impression that she ever truly tried as Geno complained about her not taking her practices seriously every yr. I agree with you on Bettencourt. I agree with you Edwards and Bueckers. But Bueckers still needs to shoot the ball more especially in big games like the ND game and the Iowa game. Muhl frustrated the hell out of me with turn overs, stupid needless fowls like she did in the Syracuse game needlessly fowling out. I agree with you on the grades on you on Shade and KK A Arnold, Ice Brady scares me with how overwhelmed and nervous and she can sometimes get. I expect her to be Sarah Strong's backup. Q needs to improve her D but there is so much to like about her shot. So I'm expecting more from her. I totally agree with on the incompletes on Fudd, Griffin, Jana El Alfy, Patterson, and Ducharme. I'm seriously worried abt Ducharmes health with her recurring concussions. The Staff and Geno definitely deserved an A+. Their coaching was especially outstanding in the Duke, USC and Iowa games. Excellent work, your review was so on point as usual keep up the great work.
1) It's foul(s) not chickens (fowls) 2) Not sold on Sara Strong yet. She was great in HS games and tournaments where there is very little defense (all offense) and she has faced same known opponents in her HS career (like Amari DeBerry who also had nobody to match up with her in her region of play). Whole different story when you arrive at the NCAA where equal or bigger size, caliper or better players are playing against you, stifling man-2-man or zone defense, and most all players she has never faced before.... so based on Strong; being a Freshman, and NCAA expirence, I wil give Ice the edge... will see how this summer goes for Ice.
@@MooreCEJr Ok very good points especially comparing the HS experience vs the college experience. However I don't expect to see Sarah Strong being anywhere near as bad as DuBerry seen that both of her parents played the game beyond college and I expect her to at least take practices and development seriously unlike DeBerry.
@@thanep9667 I still think that will be good at 4 position. However, I've been advocating all season long for UCONN to acquire an experienced productive BIG like Raegan Beers from the portal so that we are not total dependent on a recovering Jana El Alfy.
@@calvinh.4682 She's recovered.... and Geno has already sang praises ""I can't say enough about her as a person. Nobody has seen her play. No one at UConn nation has seen her play, and they don't know anything about her. All they know is what they see. Myself, the staff, the players, and everyone associated with our program has been really truly, truly blessed that she's come into our life because I can honestly say in 40 years I've never coached anybody better at Connecticut, never, in my life."
I think Shade will shoot better next year because she won't have to play 40 minutes. When her legs were tired she was short on her shot. Nobody should have to play huge minutes next year. Ice improved some the 2nd half of the year. She has a ways to go. Jana isn't a typical freshman she has had 2 years to study the team. There should be less freshman mistakes for her. She will know the offense and defensive sets. Sara is a different type of player. Very intriguing.
Critique for Shade is she went missing a lot during the tournament when her shot wasn’t falling and defense was not great. Needs to work on being able to do other things when she isn’t shooting well and her defense
She played awesome defense for a freshman was always hustling and had many steals. Yeah she did not shoot great for her first tourney. But SHE IS A FRESHMAN!!! I thought she did a great job to bad her worst game shooting wise came against Iowa but hey that shit happens to the best players in the world.
Exactly. We need to stop it with the "for a freshman" remarks. When she was playing in the playoffs last year in high school, I'm sure she never stopped playing defense or shooting when her shot wasn't falling. It's about effort and finding other ways to contribute. Juju Watkins, Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo, Mikayla Williams, Zoe Moore, and KK Arnold showed us all what freshmen can do when their shots aren't falling. So did Paige, CC, and Aaliyah.
I like the idea of player grades. But it is pretty difficult considering the injuries. KK and Shade deserve high grades. Ice on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment in her first season. The hype was pretty high and she mostly wasn’t dependable this season. As far as being a cheerleader is concerned. I give el alfy an A+ and Deberry an F.
Amari was a decent cheerleader her freshman year. I thought she had bad body language at times this year. I also thought the camera would be on Amari and she would just be goofing around. Half the team is injured and she is goofing around and not taking things seriously??? Really? Sorry. Not a fan.
Ice wsa a freshman, so not sure what the disappointment was. Plus, she really stepped up in the BE tourn when AE went down. She certainly can improve, but I think her freshman season in some ways was compared to Shade and KK which is unfair all around.
@@dougpost8958 If Ice gets her act together, folks like you will be praising her for how much she's progressed over the summer. But that's only because she stunk up the place so many times this season. Ice already is a polished, highly skilled player. She works hard and has way above average shooting skills. She is much better than what she showed this season. If she plays just to her current capabilities, she will be a leader on the floor and stat-wise next season. No freshman excuse allowed for her this past season.
@@alanlee3236 This season was Ice's 1st in colege comppetition. She was coming off a major injury. Even Paige was tentative resuming play after her injury. And as the season progressed, she was inserted inconsistantly, as the rotations were destroyed by the other injuries. The BE Tourn showed what she could do when playing consistanty (albeit maybe too many minutes given she was the only option in the frontcourt.) With Jana and Sarah and likely someone like Rachel B, her time can be better managed, she won't have to be looking over her shoulder because of minor mistakes and I expect she will have a better season all around. And if she doesn't there will be other options in the post.
KK is not an A unfortunately... She stepped up in final 8 and thats why she really deserves a strong B. Before the tournament she was a massive ball hog, slowed the game too much and went into so many unneccesary basket drives which mostly ended with her being blocked or with turnover.
So a A she did a good job as a freshman to lead this ream. Scored when she needed to. Pass and got teammates baskets and played outstanding defense with steals and charges
She had 5 steal games. She drove to the basket once or twice a game . Not a big deal. She is learning She needs a 6 to 8 foot floater. It's not 10 times a game like some people think. She didn't turn the ball over too much.. She played good in the big games. Excellent defender
KK was awesome. Yes she made a lot of freshman mistakes but still had the confidence to play her game her way. She obviously has room for improvement, but you're undervaluing her contributions if you're just looking at her shooting. I watched every Husky game except the secret Syracuse scrimmage, and I've seen zero evidence of Arnold being a ball hog. Glad you mentioned it though, because I think she deserves a HUGE shout-out for playing through all the foul trouble in the last 3 games with zero drop in intensity. I wish she hadn't gotten those fouls but not at the cost of her not being her normal, hyped, aggressive, hounding self. She showed me a lot this season.
You're being too something here - not sure what. True that Nika's Achilles' heel was turnovers, but she cut back on them drastically, and even fought her own nature by cutting back on all the senseless fouls (minus the Notre Dame game). She should have an A - easy. As demonstrated by that final game, Aaliyah's Achilles' heel was unnecessary fouls she thought no one could see, but she still deserved the A. She also had big turnover issues all season long (probably from fatigue, poor girl), but she contributed to that 33-6 record is off the charts. Ice would be a C-, if not worse, for me. I just love her game, but she gets the jitters for some reason. If you saw her in a closed gym practice, you'd probably think she's an all-American. She's that good. She never truly represented herself or what she's really capable of. I really hope she can change whatever that is next season. She is amazing. Q gets a C+. She was an average freshman, in that her offense and defense were inconsistent, but when she was on, WOW. You can't give Aubrey an incomplete. Didn't she play half the season? I'd give her a B+. She ALSO got ate up in the Texas game by Madison Booker. She didn't have her typical impact-filled performance in any game like she had last season against NC State, Maryland, Princeton, etc. I believe she would have progressed and improved, and then perhaps been even more decisive on offense. She gets a B+, but this is definitely an A-type player. I'd give Ines a C-, and that's generous. I expected more from her in her second season as a Husky. She seemed lost at times, and the offense always took a step back with her on the floor. She has physical skills, but from my perspective as a casual observer, she seemed to underestimate her importance to this team. Imagine how huge it would have been if she could run the offense like Nika. Nika was doing that in her second season. Heck, with a back court of Paige, Evina Westbrook, and Christyn Williams, Nika still got way more playing time than Ines did. I don't think she studied and committed the offensive schemes to memory, and now we'll never know. You're definitely wrong about Paige. A+ is way to low for her. She's a freaking goddess in sneakers with other-worldly, Avengers powers...😎 You unconsciously rated the "Incompletes" higher than the C/D players (as demonstrated by you image with all the grades). That's incorrect. Availability counts for a lot, therefore Amari DeBerry's D- is more valuable than Azzi Fudd's incomplete. You have no value on the floor if you can't be on the floor, and a poor performer on the floor is at least on the floor. Finally my favorite new Husky, Ash Shade, who I knew was going to be huge this season, I'd give an B+. It's probably an "Azzi thing" with her being in her head way too much, but she'd disappear at times and it was felt. Hopefully she can be consistent next season. When she brings it, it's just unfair to the other team. She's that demoralizing - but she's gotta stay aggressive. I think freshman need to understand that they can be as critical and impactful as any other player on the floor. I think they let themselves off the hook way too much. Great video, as usual🔥
@@bennybenson5 The woman played way beyond her potential starting last season. Don't penalize her because you think she should be better. If nothing else, just raising her 3-point percentage to 40%, playing tough defense, and leading this team get her an A. She went from 3.5 turnovers a game last season to 2.6 this season. All you can ask for is improvement. Just to demonstrate how ridiculous the turnover argument is, Aaliyah Edwards, who is not a primary ball handler averaged 2.5 turnovers this season.
@@alanlee3236 she increased her shooting percentage yet went down in scoring lol. Would’ve given her more props if she increased scoring too. Her performance in the last game of the season is what I expected from her all season. Turnovers only went down cuz she was sharing the ball with Paige and KK. She still led the team in turnovers, most of which were a little foolish. I do wish her the best at the next level. I just wish she gave us more as a 3.5yr starter
@@bennybenson5 It must infuriate Nika critics that she leaves UConn with virtually every meaningful assist record, as well as being the 14th overall pick in the WNBA draft. I’d say that rates an A.
I mostly agree. No, that's not strong enough; I agree completely, with some minor tweaks. Nika, I'd give an A from a B+. Maybe you were right; you were right on her going in the second round when I though her tournament games should have upped her stock enough to go in the first. It's hard to say. Her minutes were down compared to last year, and she didn't have the ball in her hands as much. But if you look at her Her Hoop Stats advanced record, you will find the bigger the game, the harder she tries. And that shows. Yes, her turnovers were horrifying. Yes, she thought she could make passes that a love child from Sue Bird and Jen Rizzotti couldn't have made, not if Jesus was the coach. But doesn't her trying count some? Sometimes she did, just not usually. And damn, was she fun to watch. I though Caitlin was going to hit her by the end of the Final Four game. Go, Nika! I don't care what Back 2 Sports thinks. You're number 1 in my book! Ines... it's really hard to say. I mean, we didn't see her much, unless we were up big in the garbage minutes. But she always did something to make me notice even if she only played a minute or two. Do flashes of brilliance count? She was raw as all get out when we got her-- she was a frosh, remember-- and she needed playing time to develop. But from what I could see, she got better with every game. I wish I could grade her higher. More than that, I wish Geno could work on her for more time. It wasn't her fault she was the number four point guard, behind Paige and Nika and KK. I agree she's making the right move. But I could wish things were different. She might do something wonderful. Ice... I might have bumped her down a grade. She had some good games, and after them she got better playing limited minutes. But Geno's comment somewhere after Aaliyah got hurt was spot on, too: she wasn't working hard enough. That's a cardinal sin at Uconn. Maybe she'll grow out of it. Maybe she'll be Amari. Who knows? The rest, you're right.
I agree with everything you say here, except that maybe Ice will be Amari. As nervous and jittery as she is, she's already passed DeBerry in contributions.
Academically, Paige is a senior, the same class as Nika and Aaliya. Playing eligibility, she is a red shirt junior due to missing the 22-23 season. She will be a red shirt senior in 24-25. And she could come back in 25-26 for her COVID season. Fact.
I would given Aaliyah a B+ - for a person who isn't a PG, she had too many turnovers for the last 4 yrs. She will need to improve on that when she goes to the next level. One way is to improve on her ball handling skills... Obviously the last one of her career was a disaster. I thought that was a call that shouldn't have been called but it was...
Completely agree with all of your player ratings and comments. But coaching only gets a B+ from me. Yes, it was incredible how he got a squad decimated by injuries to a Big East championship and a Final Four. But once again, Geno could not get his team up for a national semi-final game. Could not get his best players to play their best in April. That's been a recurring problem for this program for almost a decade now. You have to bring it in April, you don't want your stars to underperform in the final weekend.
I'm not a UConn fan, but I agree with wanting to see if Paige would have hit the shot against Iowa. It really ticked me off when the refs made that moving pick call with the game on the line. If the foul occurs away from the ball under those circumstances, you let it ride, and let the players decide the outcome.
The play didnt occur away from the ball. Paige got open for that potential shot due to the illegal moving screen/elbow.
Full agreement, and any real fan would agree. We tune in to watch the players not the refs, players expect consistency from the refs and the refs in the women’s game are simply in over their heads with the higher level teams. Contrast this with the men’s final 4. A little slide on a pick or a little push on a shooter or a 3.5 step travel with 8 sec to go would have been an absolute no call for the men. Anyway, important to say that fans both wanted to see if PB could hit the shot AND see if the Iowa defense could get a stop at a key moment. Refs denied us this special moment and determined the outcome. We all lost out.
Well I AM a Huskies fan, and as painful as it was to watch, it was of course the right call - it was egregious. My only problem with Aaliyah this season was her inability to resist the temptation of making a key play off the ball by generally committing a foul. SHE put the game in the refs hands. Think about this, people complain about refs being inconsistent, right? Well how do you become consistent? You try to call what you see, when you see it. You try to be automatic. Edwards didn't just shift her weight into the defender (which I hate when they call), she took a huge step with her left foot (we call that a lunge). Bang bang and I wouldn't see it. In slow mo it was blatant. Credit the official for her training to kick in. We need to stop complaining about this. If anything, we need refs to do this more, so players will just get the message and not do bone-head things that cost your team the season.
Two more things: 1, it was mostly a "clean" game, but I did feel like the "Caitlin Rules" were in effect for the refs. They were (as it always seems to me) really protective of her, and really ticky-tacky with UConn. The second thing is, that something was definitely off with Paige. The only one who's mentioned it was Geno. But she never said what was up. She was just off, for some unknown reason. I wonder if it was the same thing she experienced the last time she played her buddy back in 2022 in the Sweet 16, but she had a more complete all around game then. She just wasn't aggressive, and they needed her to be. Nika brought her A+ game, Aaliyah brought her typical hard-hat game but got ate up by refs and double-teams. KK was a menace, Shade wasn't that great, but if Paige showed up like she had for every other game of this tournament, we would be talking about why they did or did not win the championship.
Coaching staff definitely deserves an A+.....
As far as Bettencourt, I would move her grade up to a "+" because with her very limited minutes and very limited skill set, when she got in, about every other game she would make a hustle play. Nothing about her game will jump off the screen at you other than the hustle. And hustle is what it's all about.
Ines tried her best. Never cheated UConn with her effort.
@@TheDisruptiveOne Well said
I agree I liked Ines hustled every time she got on the court and whoever gets her I hope they take the time to develop her I think she can play at this level.
@@AnthonyTomassi-y3j I'm actually of hoping that Fairfield picks her up. Kind of a pay back for getting Lou Lopez Senechal for that year.
@@buzzard6410 why is it payback Lou came to UConn because her coache was retiring her last year there.
Q and Ice i think are both yet to be determined. They both played like what most freshman look like their first year. The good thing is they both have gotten to experience playing under the big lights and in front of big crowds early with the team. This off season is where a ton of work will be put in for both. Q's shooting and defense and Ice's shooting around the basket.
When it comes to grades, everything is relative, so I play too.
Nika: B++ or A--, preferably the latter.
Ines: B
Every time she took to the field she did so with character, determination and making few mistakes, and even with the limited time she knew she had at her disposal, she was always altruistic
I agree on Nika. I love Ines, and she sees the whole court every time, plus your comments. However she had a habit of turning the ball over. I’m with B- or C+ because of that.
If you consider Nika a B++. Then I give the rest of the team a C++.
It’s hard to fully judge Nika on the turnovers. A lot of them fall on her, but this team has had constant players out of action. Hard to fully develop a team when most are injured.
Great point you make about Uconn's coaching staff. Take a 👀 at how they responded to three grueling years of non-stop injury devastation......
DURING THE 3 YEAR INJURY PLAGUE UCONN:
-Won their conference championship all every year, regular season + tournament.
-Finished the three seasons as follows: -National Runner-Up
-Sweet-16
-Final -4
-Won at least 30 games every year
Bottom line performance during the nightmare.....
Overall Record = 94-W 18-L
Conf. Record = 52-W 3-L
Not a team in America could have accomplished anything remotely close to what Uconn did, after sustaining equivalent decimation, yet this miraculous job still goes grossly underreported in the national sports media. Uconn fans, however, won't forget what Geno & company accomplished with threadbare lineup.
And I rate your season an 'A' - insightful takes on the under-served women's sports scene.
And she was just the best defensive guard we’ve seen in more than a decade. Needs to cut down on fouls and take more 3’s, which she’ll do in the pros.
That was about Nika. B+ my aunt Fanny.
KK has to work on finishing in the summer. She also needs a midrange game cuz she got blocked way too many times. If she learns to slow down her speed will be more of a threat
Yep but think she played well for a freshman. Struggled at times but was solid starter - hence the A. I think must would be happy with her running the Pg after Paige goes
Totally agree! She either wanted to go all the way to the rim or shoot with her feet set. She definitely needs a pull up jumper and that set her apart from Ashlyn Shade who got freshman of the year.
Hopefully UCONN has no long term injuries so that Geno can play his team like he truly wants to e.g. In the Duke game he wanted to keep up the pace once his team had a double digit lead but had to slow it back down bc of fatigue concerns among his players thus allowing Duke to close the gap again.
that was all season. I really would like to see what that ND game and a few others with a healthy squad look like.
@@FlagrantHolmes The ND game would have been a lot closer and probably a UCONN win. I feel the same way about the TX game too. The South Carolina game would be definitely closer and probably still a loss though. If we face UCLA later in the season without those long-term injuries its a win.
How are u gonna give Ines and Q both a C? Q deserves at least a C+, she played way more than Ines. Though I’m glad you went fair on Nika. I appreciate all of the love she’s been getting however Aaliyah has been way more consistent than her through their time at UConn and I wish she also gotten more love this season as well
Expectation. Did not expect much from Ines she is what she is. Thought Q was ok but think she can be much better in 2024-25
My thoughts exactly except with Nika, her intangibles, her glue, her leadership gave her an A+. That being said, on Shade, I really believe her PPG will definitely improve big time. Now that the newness, the awe factor, has worn off she will be more settled and take it to the next level. The coaching staff will work overtime bringing the facets out on this diamond. Hope I'm correct in that assessment.
Edwards was the only one who aced the midterm, the final and all the quizzes. Amazing consistency and productivity. I don’t think PB should have been graded higher than Edwards, if the standard is performance vs expectations. You were too kind to DeBerry, she should have dropped the course before the midterm and retaken the 101 course. Maybe A- for Shade, but she definitely exceeded all expectations and maybe should seek out some extra credit courses next year. Ducharme? May need to strongly consider another major for her own health. Hope she is getting good advice.
Paige kicked it up a notch and deserved a great grade for march. January and December were a bit disappointing. She got outplayed by guards in the marquee games. I do kind of buy the explanation that she was still getting in shape and mentally was overcoming her fear of injury though. That sounds like a viable explanation for the slow start.
Geno made it tough on Paige too. I think he played her out of position all season.
On Caroline. I don’t see how UConn can ever play her again.
@@TheDisruptiveOne I agree with you. Did people forget they had Paige playing forward for most of the year after Griffin went down. When she had to move she led the team in blocked shots. Her rebounding went up significantly also. Also agree Caroline if the same thing happens next year is done.
Paige had a legitimate, all-American season, and probably wound up #2 behind Clark as NPOY. No way is she overrated. Aaliyah had a great season too and it's ridiculous that she wasn't even in the AP's 2nd all-American team. However her season as a whole was not as dominant as Paige's. Not even close. Sounds like you're trying to give her a 4-year participation award, which is arguable at best. With Paige, Final Four - without Paige, Sweet 16. No shade on Aaliyah - she is awesome! It just feels like you're undervaluing PB with no evidence to back it up.
@@alanlee3236 PB had an outstanding second half of the season, but most definitely did not ace the mid term. Forgotten her getting her butt kicked by Hidalgo? Was she still recovering? Was she unable to raise the game of teammates at that time due to other factors? Who knows, but it is clear she did not have the impact in the first half season that she had in the second, and greatness is all about consistency and titles. Paige has acknowledged same, and great thing about her is no doubt she has ND already circled on the schedule for next season and will show up ready to serve up some pay back.
Good point on shade. I wonder also if she is already near her ceiling.
Since you mentioned Sarah Strong, maybe do a video with the entire roster i.e., Allie Ziebell, Morgan Cheli and rank in terms of talent/potential?
I hope that they don't automatically give Azzi a starting position next year. She needs to earn it.
She will be a starter no doubt.
DeBerri was the ultimate F she should have left a year ago. I never got the impression that she ever truly tried as Geno complained about her not taking her practices seriously every yr. I agree with you on Bettencourt. I agree with you Edwards and Bueckers. But Bueckers still needs to shoot the ball more especially in big games like the ND game and the Iowa game. Muhl frustrated the hell out of me with turn overs, stupid needless fowls like she did in the Syracuse game needlessly fowling out. I agree with you on the grades on you on Shade and KK A Arnold, Ice Brady scares me with how overwhelmed and nervous and she can sometimes get. I expect her to be Sarah Strong's backup. Q needs to improve her D but there is so much to like about her shot. So I'm expecting more from her. I totally agree with on the incompletes on Fudd, Griffin, Jana El Alfy, Patterson, and Ducharme. I'm seriously worried abt Ducharmes health with her recurring concussions. The Staff and Geno definitely deserved an A+. Their coaching was especially outstanding in the Duke, USC and Iowa games. Excellent work, your review was so on point as usual keep up the great work.
1) It's foul(s) not chickens (fowls)
2) Not sold on Sara Strong yet. She was great in HS games and tournaments where there is very little defense (all offense) and she has faced same known opponents in her HS career (like Amari DeBerry who also had nobody to match up with her in her region of play). Whole different story when you arrive at the NCAA where equal or bigger size, caliper or better players are playing against you, stifling man-2-man or zone defense, and most all players she has never faced before.... so based on Strong; being a Freshman, and NCAA expirence, I wil give Ice the edge... will see how this summer goes for Ice.
@@MooreCEJr Ok very good points especially comparing the HS experience vs the college experience. However I don't expect to see Sarah Strong being anywhere near as bad as DuBerry seen that both of her parents played the game beyond college and I expect her to at least take practices and development seriously unlike DeBerry.
@@MooreCEJr Good point. All the more reason to get some inside help from the portal.
@@thanep9667 I still think that will be good at 4 position. However, I've been advocating all season long for UCONN to acquire an experienced productive BIG like Raegan Beers from the portal so that we are not total dependent on a recovering Jana El Alfy.
@@calvinh.4682 She's recovered.... and Geno has already sang praises
""I can't say enough about her as a person. Nobody has seen her play. No one at UConn nation has seen her play, and they don't know anything about her. All they know is what they see. Myself, the staff, the players, and everyone associated with our program has been really truly, truly blessed that she's come into our life because I can honestly say in 40 years I've never coached anybody better at Connecticut, never, in my life."
Shade shooting % will only improve..
I think Shade will shoot better next year because she won't have to play 40 minutes. When her legs were tired she was short on her shot. Nobody should have to play huge minutes next year. Ice improved some the 2nd half of the year. She has a ways to go. Jana isn't a typical freshman she has had 2 years to study the team. There should be less freshman mistakes for her. She will know the offense and defensive sets.
Sara is a different type of player. Very intriguing.
I think Jana Is going to be a beast. You never know but just her passion on the sidelines hopefully tells us what kind of player she is gonna be.
@@AnthonyTomassi-y3j I agree💯
Great assessment, everyone has their own opinions, but overall, I would agree.
Good idea, fun video. Happy 7K!
Thanks so much!
I am not a Geno fan- but I agree with your rating for the staff. They pulled miracles to get that team to the final four
Critique for Shade is she went missing a lot during the tournament when her shot wasn’t falling and defense was not great. Needs to work on being able to do other things when she isn’t shooting well and her defense
She played awesome defense for a freshman was always hustling and had many steals. Yeah she did not shoot great for her first tourney. But SHE IS A FRESHMAN!!! I thought she did a great job to bad her worst game shooting wise came against Iowa but hey that shit happens to the best players in the world.
Exactly. We need to stop it with the "for a freshman" remarks. When she was playing in the playoffs last year in high school, I'm sure she never stopped playing defense or shooting when her shot wasn't falling. It's about effort and finding other ways to contribute. Juju Watkins, Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo, Mikayla Williams, Zoe Moore, and KK Arnold showed us all what freshmen can do when their shots aren't falling. So did Paige, CC, and Aaliyah.
Can you do lsu as well? That would be interesting
Ok Fair !
I like the idea of player grades. But it is pretty difficult considering the injuries. KK and Shade deserve high grades. Ice on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment in her first season. The hype was pretty high and she mostly wasn’t dependable this season.
As far as being a cheerleader is concerned. I give el alfy an A+ and Deberry an F.
Yes! Janna was an A+ as the cheerleader. Love her. Actually Amari, as a cheerleader, was up there.
Amari was a decent cheerleader her freshman year. I thought she had bad body language at times this year. I also thought the camera would be on Amari and she would just be goofing around. Half the team is injured and she is goofing around and not taking things seriously??? Really?
Sorry. Not a fan.
Ice wsa a freshman, so not sure what the disappointment was. Plus, she really stepped up in the BE tourn when AE went down. She certainly can improve, but I think her freshman season in some ways was compared to Shade and KK which is unfair all around.
@@dougpost8958 If Ice gets her act together, folks like you will be praising her for how much she's progressed over the summer. But that's only because she stunk up the place so many times this season. Ice already is a polished, highly skilled player. She works hard and has way above average shooting skills. She is much better than what she showed this season. If she plays just to her current capabilities, she will be a leader on the floor and stat-wise next season. No freshman excuse allowed for her this past season.
@@alanlee3236 This season was Ice's 1st in colege comppetition. She was coming off a major injury. Even Paige was tentative resuming play after her injury. And as the season progressed, she was inserted inconsistantly, as the rotations were destroyed by the other injuries. The BE Tourn showed what she could do when playing consistanty (albeit maybe too many minutes given she was the only option in the frontcourt.) With Jana and Sarah and likely someone like Rachel B, her time can be better managed, she won't have to be looking over her shoulder because of minor mistakes
and I expect she will have a better season all around. And if she doesn't there will be other options in the post.
KK is not an A unfortunately... She stepped up in final 8 and thats why she really deserves a strong B. Before the tournament she was a massive ball hog, slowed the game too much and went into so many unneccesary basket drives which mostly ended with her being blocked or with turnover.
So a A she did a good job as a freshman to lead this ream. Scored when she needed to. Pass and got teammates baskets and played outstanding defense with steals and charges
for a freshman I think she played pretty dam well A-
She had 5 steal games. She drove to the basket once or twice a game . Not a big deal. She is learning She needs a 6 to 8 foot floater. It's not 10 times a game like some people think. She didn't turn the ball over too much.. She played good in the big games. Excellent defender
KK was awesome. Yes she made a lot of freshman mistakes but still had the confidence to play her game her way. She obviously has room for improvement, but you're undervaluing her contributions if you're just looking at her shooting. I watched every Husky game except the secret Syracuse scrimmage, and I've seen zero evidence of Arnold being a ball hog.
Glad you mentioned it though, because I think she deserves a HUGE shout-out for playing through all the foul trouble in the last 3 games with zero drop in intensity. I wish she hadn't gotten those fouls but not at the cost of her not being her normal, hyped, aggressive, hounding self. She showed me a lot this season.
If we are getting nitpicky, Ashlynn could get better on defense
You're being too something here - not sure what. True that Nika's Achilles' heel was turnovers, but she cut back on them drastically, and even fought her own nature by cutting back on all the senseless fouls (minus the Notre Dame game). She should have an A - easy.
As demonstrated by that final game, Aaliyah's Achilles' heel was unnecessary fouls she thought no one could see, but she still deserved the A. She also had big turnover issues all season long (probably from fatigue, poor girl), but she contributed to that 33-6 record is off the charts. Ice would be a C-, if not worse, for me. I just love her game, but she gets the jitters for some reason. If you saw her in a closed gym practice, you'd probably think she's an all-American. She's that good. She never truly represented herself or what she's really capable of. I really hope she can change whatever that is next season. She is amazing.
Q gets a C+. She was an average freshman, in that her offense and defense were inconsistent, but when she was on, WOW.
You can't give Aubrey an incomplete. Didn't she play half the season? I'd give her a B+. She ALSO got ate up in the Texas game by Madison Booker. She didn't have her typical impact-filled performance in any game like she had last season against NC State, Maryland, Princeton, etc. I believe she would have progressed and improved, and then perhaps been even more decisive on offense. She gets a B+, but this is definitely an A-type player.
I'd give Ines a C-, and that's generous. I expected more from her in her second season as a Husky. She seemed lost at times, and the offense always took a step back with her on the floor. She has physical skills, but from my perspective as a casual observer, she seemed to underestimate her importance to this team. Imagine how huge it would have been if she could run the offense like Nika. Nika was doing that in her second season. Heck, with a back court of Paige, Evina Westbrook, and Christyn Williams, Nika still got way more playing time than Ines did. I don't think she studied and committed the offensive schemes to memory, and now we'll never know.
You're definitely wrong about Paige. A+ is way to low for her. She's a freaking goddess in sneakers with other-worldly, Avengers powers...😎
You unconsciously rated the "Incompletes" higher than the C/D players (as demonstrated by you image with all the grades). That's incorrect. Availability counts for a lot, therefore Amari DeBerry's D- is more valuable than Azzi Fudd's incomplete. You have no value on the floor if you can't be on the floor, and a poor performer on the floor is at least on the floor.
Finally my favorite new Husky, Ash Shade, who I knew was going to be huge this season, I'd give an B+. It's probably an "Azzi thing" with her being in her head way too much, but she'd disappear at times and it was felt. Hopefully she can be consistent next season. When she brings it, it's just unfair to the other team. She's that demoralizing - but she's gotta stay aggressive. I think freshman need to understand that they can be as critical and impactful as any other player on the floor. I think they let themselves off the hook way too much.
Great video, as usual🔥
Soft but too hard on Nika?
She came in the same year as Caitlin. They shared freshman of the year I thought
4:10 Graphic shows ranked #5 but voiceover says #15????
Updated last ESPN rankings she wad15
News article was when she was higher ranked
@@back2sports Thanks for clarifying. The voiceover could have benefited by sharing that information.
Too many incompletes! Again, that’s why the staff gets an A+
Can’t wait to see a healthy bench next year *knock on wood* 😬
Yes & yes
you don't give shade an A (which I agree w/btw) and not Nika. Nika is an A..
Nika wasn’t an A. She ended the season strong but as a whole she didn’t play to her potential
@@bennybenson5 The woman played way beyond her potential starting last season. Don't penalize her because you think she should be better. If nothing else, just raising her 3-point percentage to 40%, playing tough defense, and leading this team get her an A. She went from 3.5 turnovers a game last season to 2.6 this season. All you can ask for is improvement. Just to demonstrate how ridiculous the turnover argument is, Aaliyah Edwards, who is not a primary ball handler averaged 2.5 turnovers this season.
@@alanlee3236 she increased her shooting percentage yet went down in scoring lol. Would’ve given her more props if she increased scoring too. Her performance in the last game of the season is what I expected from her all season. Turnovers only went down cuz she was sharing the ball with Paige and KK. She still led the team in turnovers, most of which were a little foolish. I do wish her the best at the next level. I just wish she gave us more as a 3.5yr starter
@@bennybenson5 It must infuriate Nika critics that she leaves UConn with virtually every meaningful assist record, as well as being the 14th overall pick in the WNBA draft. I’d say that rates an A.
I mostly agree. No, that's not strong enough; I agree completely, with some minor tweaks.
Nika, I'd give an A from a B+. Maybe you were right; you were right on her going in the second round when I though her tournament games should have upped her stock enough to go in the first. It's hard to say. Her minutes were down compared to last year, and she didn't have the ball in her hands as much. But if you look at her Her Hoop Stats advanced record, you will find the bigger the game, the harder she tries. And that shows. Yes, her turnovers were horrifying. Yes, she thought she could make passes that a love child from Sue Bird and Jen Rizzotti couldn't have made, not if Jesus was the coach. But doesn't her trying count some? Sometimes she did, just not usually. And damn, was she fun to watch. I though Caitlin was going to hit her by the end of the Final Four game. Go, Nika! I don't care what Back 2 Sports thinks. You're number 1 in my book!
Ines... it's really hard to say. I mean, we didn't see her much, unless we were up big in the garbage minutes. But she always did something to make me notice even if she only played a minute or two. Do flashes of brilliance count? She was raw as all get out when we got her-- she was a frosh, remember-- and she needed playing time to develop. But from what I could see, she got better with every game. I wish I could grade her higher. More than that, I wish Geno could work on her for more time. It wasn't her fault she was the number four point guard, behind Paige and Nika and KK. I agree she's making the right move. But I could wish things were different. She might do something wonderful.
Ice... I might have bumped her down a grade. She had some good games, and after them she got better playing limited minutes. But Geno's comment somewhere after Aaliyah got hurt was spot on, too: she wasn't working hard enough. That's a cardinal sin at Uconn. Maybe she'll grow out of it. Maybe she'll be Amari. Who knows?
The rest, you're right.
I agree with everything you say here, except that maybe Ice will be Amari. As nervous and jittery as she is, she's already passed DeBerry in contributions.
@@alanlee3236 Oh, no doubt.
There sure were a lot of 'Incompletes' for the season. Hopefully that trend is over!
Cadance should be B, I thought she did good.
I think Paige is a senior.
Thought she was red shirt jr last season. Need to check again but pretty sure on that
Paige is a red shirt Junior who actually has 2 years of eligibility left for her injured year and covid year.
She just graduated with her bachelor’s, and yes a redshirt.
Academically, Paige is a senior, the same class as Nika and Aaliya. Playing eligibility, she is a red shirt junior due to missing the 22-23 season. She will be a red shirt senior in 24-25. And she could come back in 25-26 for her COVID season. Fact.
I would given Aaliyah a B+ - for a person who isn't a PG, she had too many turnovers for the last 4 yrs. She will need to improve on that when she goes to the next level. One way is to improve on her ball handling skills... Obviously the last one of her career was a disaster. I thought that was a call that shouldn't have been called but it was...
Edwards stays a A as she carried UConn upfront this season without Dorka. Overall, I think she was very under appreciated
I agree that she had way too many turnovers, but no way she is less than an A - probably A+.
These women aren't perfect, you know.
Completely agree with all of your player ratings and comments. But coaching only gets a B+ from me. Yes, it was incredible how he got a squad decimated by injuries to a Big East championship and a Final Four. But once again, Geno could not get his team up for a national semi-final game. Could not get his best players to play their best in April. That's been a recurring problem for this program for almost a decade now. You have to bring it in April, you don't want your stars to underperform in the final weekend.