Marco
Husky4ever
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Post by Marco on Mar 24, 2024 3:22:46 GMT
Shade’s explanation stole the show.
“I think this shirt sums up coach’s relationship with me,” Shade said. “This is what he looks like most of the time on the court. But when he yells at me, I’m just starting to translate it into ‘I love you,’ instead of ‘you suck.’ So when he goes, ‘You suck,’ I’m just like, ‘Love you, too.’”
Said Auriemma, directed at Shade: “You need a new translator.”
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Post by storygordon on Mar 24, 2024 3:39:34 GMT
I imagine other coaches interact with their players as Geno does, but he is on the mark.
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Marco
Husky4ever
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Post by Marco on Mar 24, 2024 15:35:30 GMT
Ashlynn Shade adds her mark in the year of the freshmen
Shade scored a UConn-record 26 points in her NCAA tournament debut on Saturday.
It’s been the year of the freshmen in women’s college basketball. USC’s Juju Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo are well on their way to being consensus All-Americans. Hidalgo joined Texas’ Madison Booker and South Carolina’s Milaysia Fulwiley in capturing conference tournament most outstanding player awards in their rookie seasons. Iowa State’s Audi Crooks scored 40 in her NCAA Tournament debut on Friday night.
On Saturday afternoon, Ashlynn Shade became the latest freshman to make a splash on the national stage. In UConn’s win over Jackson State, she tallied a career high 26 points, the most by a Husky in their NCAA Tournament debut.
The way Shade looked on the court, consistent with many of the others in this year’s class, it was easy to forget she was a freshman playing in her very first tournament game. Despite it not being evident on the court, the weight of the moment — transitioning from watching March Madness to being a part of it — wasn’t lost on the Indiana native, nor were the butterflies that come with it.
“I had a lot of nerves and this anxious feeling before the game, when I went to bed, when I woke up,” Shade said. “To step out on the court and going through the starting lineup, to hear how loud out crowd was, I felt like it was just a dream. It was such a surreal moment to be out there.”
Shade, however, quickly shook off the nerves and got locked in. She missed her first shot but knocked down the second — and the subsequent free throw — on a steal and score shortly thereafter. From there, she never looked back. By halftime Shade had nine points, including two triples and two steals.
“I think she puts a tremendous amount of pressure on herself and sometimes that gets the best of her. I was really worried. The tournament is a really big stage, and you don’t need to be putting any more on yourself, it’s already there,” Geno Auriemma Auriemma said his freshman postgame. “So when she came out and started the way she started, I think it made her feel really, really good.”
That much was clear when Shade came out in the second half. She took a good performance from the first half and made it a great one with 14 points on 6-10 shooting from the floor in third quarter. She also knocked down two more threes as part of that explosion, giving UConn the third scoring threat it needs alongside Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards.
With the game in hand in the final frame, Shade added one more three to tally 26 in the game. Notably, just two other UConn freshman have topped 25 points in the tournament in the NCAA Tournament since 2010 — Bueckers and Breanna Stewart.
“Man, she’s a dawg,” Arnold gushed. “Just for the nation to see her, and just for her to flourish like that, she really proved to everybody why she was freshman of the year.”
While Shade’s scoring will grab the headlines — and rightfully so — it’s often the little things that win games in March, especially as the tournament advances. Perhaps the most impressive part of Shade’s debut was the way she was involved in every facet of what the Huskies did on the court against Jackson State.
Four offensive rebounds in the game (also a career high) from the freshman helped create extra scoring opportunities for the Huskies, and the two steals Shade was credited with in the box score led to transition opportunities.
Beyond what shows up on the stat sheet, Shade seemed to be everywhere on the court. If there was a loose ball, she was in the mix. She created deflections in the passing lanes even when they didn’t necessarily end up in a change in possession.
Even without the 26 points, Shade would have made a positive impact on the court for the Huskies — and they’ll need that as much as the offense going forward to continue advancing. Getting both on Saturday in the first round helps to build the confidence of both Shade and the team going forward.
“To come out in a huge stakes game, March Madness game, where it’s win or go home and perform like that on your first time on the stage is really huge, especially getting confidence in what you want to continue to do the rest of the way,” Bueckers said.
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Post by momandapplepie on Mar 25, 2024 18:16:52 GMT
Shade’s explanation stole the show. “I think this shirt sums up coach’s relationship with me,” Shade said. “This is what he looks like most of the time on the court. But when he yells at me, I’m just starting to translate it into ‘I love you,’ instead of ‘you suck.’ So when he goes, ‘You suck,’ I’m just like, ‘Love you, too.’” Said Auriemma, directed at Shade: “You need a new translator.” I chuckled at that quote. It is quintessential Geno! I am going to miss those quips when he retires from coaching. This is probably a subject for its own separate thread but I wonder if Geno is just going to ride off into the sunset when he retires from coaching or if he is going to take a TV gig. I'm sure he is set financially for life but am also fairly certain a network would pay stupid money to put him on the air. Know he wants to spend more time with family. A TV gig would involve some travel but during the off-season he would not have to be out recruiting anymore. I imagine he would have more time to spend with Kathy if she travels with him to announce games as well....way more than he ever did if/when she traveled with him to a game where he was coaching. |
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Marco
Husky4ever
Posts: 2,587
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Post by Marco on Mar 26, 2024 15:20:14 GMT
Shade almost never commits turnovers. And very rarely fouls.
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Post by storygordon on Mar 26, 2024 17:24:12 GMT
Shade almost never commits turnovers. And very rarely fouls. and she has that killer 3 from the corner. When the defender comes out she dribble in for a nearly automaticv 2. |
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Post by momandapplepie on Mar 26, 2024 19:31:48 GMT
KK is the slasher who attacks the rim. Ash is the sharpshooter who rains bombs from the outside. In that way their skill sets complement each other nicely. I wouldn't mind Ash driving a little more to draw fouls though. She shoots FTs at a crisp 91.3% clip, better than even Paige's 84.3!
But let us not be like Geno and leave Q out of the picture. She had played in all 35 games leading up to yesterday, the first game all year she did not see the court. I wonder what is going on with her non-appearance against Syracuse. I mean...Nika fouled out and Ice was not exactly lighting up the court. I thought Q should have gotten some court time. Was she not feeling well? Was it something she did in the Jackson State game? Bad practice? I am left pondering why she did not play yesterday.
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Post by storygordon on Mar 26, 2024 21:21:49 GMT
KK is the slasher who attacks the rim. Ash is the sharpshooter who rains bombs from the outside. In that way their skill sets complement each other nicely. I wouldn't mind Ash driving a little more to draw fouls though. She shoots FTs at a crisp 91.3% clip, better than even Paige's 84.3! But let us not be like Geno and leave Q out of the picture. She had played in all 35 games leading up to yesterday, the first game all year she did not see the court. I wonder what is going on with her non-appearance against Syracuse. I mean...Nika fouled out and Ice was not exactly lighting up the court. I thought Q should have gotten some court time. Was she not feeling well? Was it something she did in the Jackson State game? Bad practice? I am left pondering why she did not play yesterday. Good assessment. I thought Ice was struggling, too, but her +10 on the +/- box Marco posted was the highest on the team, especially in a win by 8. Geno may have stayed with Ice for size in the paint. If he calls I'll ask.  |
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Post by momandapplepie on Mar 27, 2024 18:32:05 GMT
Good assessment. I thought Ice was struggling, too, but her +10 on the +/- box Marco posted was the highest on the team, especially in a win by 8. Geno may have stayed with Ice for size in the paint. If he calls I'll ask. I am still not sure what to make of those +/- numbers. You are one of five players on the court. So if Paige gets hot and scores a quick 10 while we get a quick spate of turnovers and/or defensive stops while you are on the court, YOU get a +10 even though you did not score a point or make any defensive plays? You get that for just being on the court during that run? If that is the case, I don't know how meaningful that statistic really is.... |
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Post by storygordon on Mar 27, 2024 19:04:11 GMT
Good assessment. I thought Ice was struggling, too, but her +10 on the +/- box Marco posted was the highest on the team, especially in a win by 8. Geno may have stayed with Ice for size in the paint. If he calls I'll ask. I am still not sure what to make of those +/- numbers. You are one of five players on the court. So if Paige gets hot and scores a quick 10 while we get a quick spate of turnovers and/or defensive stops while you are on the court, YOU get a +10 even though you did not score a point or make any defensive plays? You get that for just being on the court during that run? If that is the case, I don't know how meaningful that statistic really is.... True. The +/- numbers are one indicator on how the team performed when the player was on the floor with four others. That's all they mean, but they are one clue added to other stats. Sometimes they seem telling like Nika's +13 during her 19 minutes of PT in the ND loss. They are relative performance indicators. |
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Post by momandapplepie on Mar 27, 2024 19:13:58 GMT
True. The +/- numbers are one indicator on how the team performed when the player was on the floor with four others. That's all they mean, but they are one clue added to other stats. Sometimes they seem telling like Nika's +13 during her 19 minutes of PT in the ND loss. They are relative performance indicators. If Nika got a +14 for scoring zero points in 19 minutes vs ND - fouling out and committing 2 TOs to offset 4 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals - then I must further question the value of that stat. My recollection of that game is that Nika was a complete non-factor due to foul trouble. |
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Post by storygordon on Mar 27, 2024 22:06:50 GMT
True. The +/- numbers are one indicator on how the team performed when the player was on the floor with four others. That's all they mean, but they are one clue added to other stats. Sometimes they seem telling like Nika's +13 during her 19 minutes of PT in the ND loss. They are relative performance indicators. If Nika got a +14 for scoring zero points in 19 minutes vs ND - fouling out and committing 2 TOs to offset 4 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals - then I must further question the value of that stat. My recollection of that game is that Nika was a complete non-factor due to foul trouble. Understood. It's not a Nika stat. It's a team stat. UConn was +13 during the 19 minutes she played. You are correct that it doesn't reflect on her play, only the team, but everyone else was - with Paige the best at -5. Since she played less than half the minutes I think her play had something to do with it. Also, when you average the +/-s you get the final score difference. uconnhuskies.com/documents/2024/1/27/21_NotreDame_Box.pdf |
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Marco
Husky4ever
Posts: 2,587
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Post by Marco on Mar 28, 2024 15:01:04 GMT
Why UConn freshman Ashlynn Shade has thrived during March Madness
Ashlynn Shade has scored more points in her first two NCAA Tournament games than any...
By Carl Adamec
Mar 28, 2024 09:00 AM6 min. readView original
That Shade and the Huskies will play a third tournament game is due to a play the rookie guard made on the defensive end on Monday.
With 50 seconds left as No. 3 UConn hanging on to a three-point lead over sixth-seeded Syracuse, Shade tipped the ball away from Orange star Dyaisha Fair as she cut into the lane and Paige Bueckers was able to grab it and call time out while on her knees to deny Syracuse a chance to tie. KK Arnold nailed a 3-pointer on the Huskies' ensuing possession and they went on to a 72-64 win at Gampel Pavilion to earn their 30th consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 berth.
"Definitely, it's satisfying," Shade said. "To get that little tip at the end there when she was coming down in transition definitely felt good. It was kind of like a little turning moment. They could have cut the lead even more and it would have given them momentum. It was really helpful, and Paige was with me by my side. We handled it pretty good."
STORRS, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: Ashlynn Shade #12 of the Connecticut Huskies grabs the loose ball against the Jackson State Tigers during the second half of a first round NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 23, 2024 in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies defeated the Tigers 86-64. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
STORRS, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: Ashlynn Shade #12 of the Connecticut Huskies grabs the loose ball against the Jackson State Tigers during the second half of a first round NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 23, 2024 in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies defeated the Tigers 86-64. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
UConn (31-5) will take on No. 7 Duke in a Portland 3 Regional semifinal game Saturday (8 p.m.) at the Moda Center in Oregon.
The steal was the second of the game and 36th of the season for Shade. She also has four blocked shots in her 35 games.
"I missed a shot so we were determined as a team to get it back," Bueckers said. "Ash picked up the ball great trying to contain Fair and try to make her take a tough shot, and she ended up getting her hand on the ball. I saw it loose, and I wanted to do everything I could to get it back. I knew we had time outs left so I wanted to get the ball and call time out to give us possession going the other way."
Arnold's 3-pointer with 27.9 seconds left doubled the lead to six. The Huskies got a stop and Aaliyah Edwards' two free throws with 2.7 seconds to go accounted for the final score.
Shade's impact has mostly been on the offensive end in her first season in spite of the encouragement from coach Geno Auriemma to improve and be more defensive-minded when she's playing on that side of the ball.
"He probably doesn't think my defense is the greatest," Shade said with a smile. "You can't really focus on what he says throughout the game or else you'll just dig yourself into a hole. If they shoot a 3 in my face, who cares? I'll just get it back next time. It doesn't matter. I just have to keep working on it and keep getting better. That's what we practice for. That's what we prepare for."
Shade did have some issues chasing Syracuse's Georgia Woolley. With so much attention on Fair, Woolley and teammate Sophie Burrows had 18 points apiece. The Australian pair, who came in shooting a combined 26.3 percent from behind the arc entering the game, were 9-for-19 shooting Monday with Burrows making six.
But when Shade needed to step up defensively, she did.
"We talk a lot about winning plays and impactful plays," Auriemma said. "It's not like it has to be a lot like they all came in the first quarter or the second quarter. Impact plays that you make in the last three minutes of the game, that says a lot about you and who you are. For those kids, Ash and KK, that make those plays, they have really grown up a lot. It' been awhile since we've been in this situation where two freshmen in the starting lineup have been asked to do this much."
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma speaks with UConn guard Ashlynn Shade (12) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the Big East Conference tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena, Monday, March 11, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma speaks with UConn guard Ashlynn Shade (12) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the Big East Conference tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena, Monday, March 11, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Jessica Hill/Associated Press
After scoring 26 points against Jackson State Saturday, a UConn record for most points by a freshman in her NCAA Tournament debut, Shade added 19 points Monday including a 5-for-9 effort from 3-point land. Her first trey came off a pass from Nika Mühl and allowed the senior to break Moriah Jefferson's UConn career for assists with No. 660.
The Big East Freshman of the Year's 45 points tops by one the 44 Bueckers scored in her first two NCAA games in 2021 (24 against High Point, 20 against Syracuse). UConn legend Maya Moore holds the freshman record for points in back-to-back NCAA games with 49 as she scored 24 points in a second-round win over Texas and 25 in a Sweet 16 victory over Old Dominion in 2008.
"My teammates found me, and I was open when I shot them," Shade said. "So I had to be confident, because my team needed me to step up and be able to knock down shots."
Shade played all 40 minutes for the fifth time since Jan. 27 and was off the floor for only 27 seconds of the subregional. Going 10-for-19 from the floor against Jackson State and 7-for-12 from the floor versus Syracuse marked the first time since Jan. 7 and 10 that she had made more than 50 percent of her shots in back-to-back games. On the season, her numbers are still formidable at 49.5 percent from the floor, 36.5 percent from 3-point land, and 91.3 percent in limited attempts (23) from the foul line.
The Noblesville, Ind., native has played 1,093 minutes. The only Huskies to play more in their freshman season under Auriemma are Christyn Williams (1,217), Bria Hartley (1,209), Ann Strother (1,196), and Moore (1,121).
"We were talking with the strength and conditioning coaches and we got to a point where we said, 'She has no legs,' " Auriemma said. "She's played so many minutes, so many games, totally unanticipated, and you could see every shot was short. She struggled. I told her, 'You have to get out of the gym and let the ball feel good again.' The ball was feeling heavy and sluggish. At some point I think she got her second wind.
"When someone tells you, 'I really don't care how you feel. I don't care, and neither does she and neither does she, and nobody really cares how you feel.' This was a message to all of them right before the Big East Tournament. They're like, 'I'm not confident because I'm missing shots. I got a cold today.' I don't care because we're all here and we're all trying to win and we all have issues. We could all come here and look around and, 'I can't believe I have to play 40 minutes again. I can't believe I have to practice.' We could all feel that way, but that's not going to help us win."
UConn and Duke (22-11) have met three times in the NCAA Tournament with the Huskies winning the last two in 2011 and 2018. The Huskies and Blue Devils faced off in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in Portland on Nov. 25, 2022 with UConn coming away with a 78-50 victory.
UConn guard Ashlynn Shade (12) dribbles in the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
UConn guard Ashlynn Shade (12) dribbles in the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Jessica Hill/Associated Press
The UConn-Duke winner will take on either top-seeded USC or No. 5 Baylor Monday night for a spot in the 2024 Final Four in Cleveland.
Shade will try to build on her first two tournament games in her first Sweet 16 experience.
"We definitely grew up a lot this game," Shade said. "It definitely gives you a taste of what March Madness games are really like. The Jackson State game we were up a lot more of the game. That felt like one of our usual regular season games. The Syracuse game you could really feel the pressure. You could feel the intensity. So it kind of puts you in a situation you can learn and grow from it, and we did that."
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Post by momandapplepie on Mar 28, 2024 15:29:13 GMT
Understood. It's not a Nika stat. It's a team stat. UConn was +13 during the 19 minutes she played. You are correct that it doesn't reflect on her play, only the team, but everyone else was - with Paige the best at -5. Since she played less than half the minutes I think her play had something to do with it. Also, when you average the +/-s you get the final score difference. uconnhuskies.com/documents/2024/1/27/21_NotreDame_Box.pdfHow do we interpret that stat in relation to each player's individual performance? What is it designed to reveal? I know it says while the player was on the court the team did well even if that players had zero points and played zero defense (extreme example that would never happen but it illustrates the point) but what is the value of that piece of information? That the player is a good luck charm? |
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Post by momandapplepie on Mar 28, 2024 16:20:52 GMT
I did some independent research and googled the +/- statistic in basketball. It is designed to measure "the impact a player has on the score of the game when they are in the game without measuring any specific statistic". (https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/stats/definitions.html)
That purpose does not assuage my feeling that that statistic is completely useless. A player can score zero points, play no defense, commit fouls and turnovers, and generally play like crap but if the other 4 players all get hot and the team ends up with a + point rating, that first player would have a '+' point rating in the box score. I know that is an extreme example but the underlying principle is that +/- is a team stat, not an individual stat, so to me it has little value for gauging performance and does not belong in a box score.
And yes...I realize that everyone has their own opinion on this and few care about mine but hey, this is a safe place where we all share our opinions isn't it?
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