UConn finds simpler is better in practice
With March just around the corner, UConn coach Geno Auriemma did what he normally does. He streamlined his playbook, opting for simplicity over complexity.
It’s no coincidence, he says, that practices have been sharper and to the point of late.
“We’re a little more comfortable with each other,” Auriemma said Tuesday on Zoom. “It doesn’t take as much mental energy to get some things done. … We’ve taken some of the thought out of it and just tried to keep it simple for them.”
That chemistry has carried over to games. The Huskies, winners of eight straight, are hitting their stride at the right time.
“We’re playing quicker,” Auriemma said. “These last couple of games, we’ve gotten up and down the floor quicker, and it’s opened up the floor a little bit. There’s more opportunities.”
Better ball movement is reflected in the numbers. Top-ranked UConn had 26 assists on 32 baskets in Saturday’s win over Xavier. That’s as in sync as the Huskies have been this season and markedly better than they were earlier this month against South Carolina and Seton Hall.
The transition game, a staple of Auriemma’s teams, has been a big focus in drills.
“That’s where we’re our best,” freshman forward Aaliyah Edwards said. “It starts with defense, being disruptors there so we can build that momentum into our transition game. Definitely a lot of drills with that.”
The change, it seems, has been a popular one with the players.
“They’ve grown up a
little bit. They don’t hate practice,” Auriemma said. “They’ve come to embrace the fact that practicing well can really make you a good player, and they’re starting to enjoy that part of it.
“They’re feeling better about themselves, and I think it carries over.”
This year, Auriemma has a particularly young team, with seven freshmen and no seniors. Because of that lack of experience and togetherness on the court, the Huskies struggled to pick up some of the concepts Auriemma threw at them earlier in the season.
“In years past, you might start out with some things in November, and you really like them, and you stay with them the whole year, and that’s all you need. … This year we kept adding stuff because none of the stuff that we had worked,” Auriemma said. “‘Hey, let’s try this, maybe this will work. Hey, let’s try this, maybe this will work.’ It was every week, we were trying something different to find anything that would work.
“Finally, we hit on one or two things and we’ve settled on those things, and that’s both ends, too.”
Subsequently, as a team, the Huskies — 18-1 and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the ninth straight season — have been evolving into a more complete product at the perfect time. Offensively, they rank seventh in scoring (82.9), second in assists (22.0) and lead the country in field goal percentage (52.1%). Remember when Auriemma claimed they were the worst shooting team in America? They’re also fifth in scoring defense (51.3).
“A lot has to do with our chemistry,” junior forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa said. “That’s a key piece right now why things are starting to click together. … It’s clicking at the right places, at the right time because of chemistry. We’ve been able to work in practice and things like that.”
Notes: Nelson-Ododa was named one of 10 semifinals for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. … For the second year in a row, the McDonald’s All-American Game won’t be played due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, three future Huskies — Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and Amari DeBerry — were named to the roster.