The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Leaps and bounds
Freshman Patterson ready to show her game is more than dunking
STORRS — There will probably come a time over the next four years when UConn women’s basketball freshman Ayanna Patterson dunks in a game and sure, that will be a hoot. XL Center and Gampel Pavilion crowds would eat it up. Patterson herself would enjoy the moment.
“Hopefully down the road somewhere, I can get one here,” she said last week, when all the Huskies, newcomers and veterans and healthy players and injured ones, spread out in the Werth Champions Center to meet the media and discuss basketball goals.
One of Patterson’s is to show that she is more than what she is known for. Yes, she can stuff the ball through the hoop. Quite easily, in fact. Off two feet, even. Videos from workouts go viral, a buzz develops and voila, the summation in some circles becomes as follows: UConn has that kid who can dunk.
“I want to show that I have the skill to go with that athleticism, and I’m going to continue to build on that skill,” said Patterson, a 6-foot-2 forward who is suited to the fluid, position-less basketball Geno Auriemma prefers. “I also want to show I’m a really good defensive player, being able to block shots and get rebounds. … I’ll do a little bit of everything everywhere. I’m still trying to figure out where my strength will be.”
A dunk counts for the same two points as a layup or pull-up, of course, but one’s ability to actually throw one down, particularly in the women’s game, does showcase potential to impact a game in numerous ways.
Patterson’s ceiling, like her vertical leap, is high. She was the consensus No. 4 overall recruit in the high school Class of 2022, and the top-rated wing. She averaged 25.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a senior at Homestead High in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was named a McDonald’s All American and
and getting into the open field and making people miss.”
Sophomore Brian Brewton, who is second on the depth chart, has compiled 82 yards on 15 carries (5.3 average) while Houston has run for 45 yards on six carries (5.7 average).
“Then you put Devontae (Houston) and Brian (Brewton) in there,” Mora said. “They have that first step quickness where they can go lateral, put their foot in the ground, hit the hole and get vertical.”
On Saturday freshman Victor Rosa saw the field for the first time in his career, taking his second career carry into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown.
“It was good to see Victor (Rosa) in there,” Mora said. “I liken him a little more to Carter in terms of style.”
Also on the depth chart is grad student Robert Burns, who has two carries to this point.
“Then the guy who hasn’t carried the ball a lot but has done a good job is Burns,” Mora said. “He had a huge play the other day when we ran a quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 and he basically carried Zion (Turner) for the first down. Plays like that don’t go unnoticed by us as a staff.”
With the loss of top two wide receivers Cam Ross and Keelan Marion to a
broken collarbone in Week 0, the running back room has carried the load.
“Losing two big receivers really hurt but it is always next man up in this game,” Houston said. “We are a team, so we have to rely on each other to pick up that slack.”
The group of running backs will need to keep pace with a prolific Syracuse offense featuring running back Sean Tucker, who has generated Heisman buzz following a 100yard rushing, 84-yard receiving, two-touchdown performance in the Orange’s 31-7 win over Louisville on Saturday.
“They are big, they are fast, they get there in a hurry and they make plays,” Mora said of the Syracuse defense. “Their two corners are good cover guys, they can play some man. When you can lock guys up on the outside as a coordinator, it gives you a lot of flexibility to be aggressive up front.”
In 2021, Syracuse finished 21st among FBS schools in average total yards of offense allowed (332.2), while allowing 127.9 rushing yards and one touchdown per game.
In its opening game against Louisville last Saturday, Syracuse allowed 137 rushing yards on defense.
For UConn, the plan is unchanging. Establish the running game to create passing opportunities for its young quarterback.
“Schematically we are at the point in our development where best thing for us to do is just do what we do and continue to try and do it better and better,” Mora said. “Because we haven’t played a lot in this scheme together, only two games.”
In both games, UConn backup quarterback Cale Millen has shown off his legs, rushing for 32 yards on four carries with one incompletion on his lone pass attempt.
While Mora was clear that he and the coaching staff are committed to Turner as the starter, Millen could gradually be worked into the game plan more in the coming weeks.
“I have watched Cale (Millen) for a long time and know his throwing motion, and when he got here, he wasn’t throwing it like he used to throw it,” Mora said. “What we have seen in the last few weeks is the motion is starting to be smoother and he’s putting zip on the ball. He’s becoming that guy who went to Oregon on a scholarship as a big-time prospect. We will start to involve him more in the game plan.”
Just over 69% of the Huskies’ total offensive yards have come on the ground through the first two weeks of the season, so when the lights come on at the Rent this weekend, all eyes will be on the backfield as Carter and his crew look to “pound the rock” to victory.