Auspicious Amari in Storrs for the summer

In their first National Championship game since 2016, the UConn Huskies faced the toughest team to beat after their adversity-filled season. Losing to South Carolina by 15 points, UConn was able to outscore the Gamecocks in the second quarter to shorten the scoring gap. Those last four minutes let freshman Amari Deberry disrupt the game.

The decision by Coach Geno Auriemma to put Amari Deberry in as a substitute for Olivia Nelson-Ododa while Aaliyah Boston was on the bench was a wise decision. Nelson-Ododa had picked up two early fouls in the first quarter and Auriemma was already without his third rotational big. Graduate-student, Dorka Juhász, fractured her wrist in their Elite Eight game versus NC State. With Nelson-Ododa and Juhász both posting at 6’5 against a tall South Carolina team, it only made sense to put DeBerry in the game.

“She’s [Deberry] in so Olivia Nelson-Ododa doesn’t pick up her third and she’s a big body who can mix it up and has five fouls to give,” Rebecca Lobo stated with a chuckle during the national championship game.

“Geno Auriemma told us earlier in the year that Deberry is his most skilled big he has ever had,” Ryan Rucco added to Lobo’s comment.

While Deberry did not score in her four minutes on the court, her immediate presence forced Coach Dawn Staley to put Aliyah Boston back on the court. DeBerry had the primary role of defending Victoria Saxton, a 6’2 forward. UConn stayed in their man-to-man defense, keeping DeBerry out of her typical center role when they play a zone defense. UConn was able to go on an 11-2 run with DeBerry on the court. The freshman did not score on her one-shot attempt and did cause a turnover. The question that lingers is why didn’t DeBerry earn time in the second half when Nelson-Ododa had added two more fouls?

Subbing out a freshman for a senior who had only played three total minutes in NCAA tournaments was an interesting decision. With Juhász out, it was either going to be DeBerry or sophomore Piath Gabriel to sub in when Nelson-Ododa or Aaliyah Edwards got into foul trouble. With all of the injuries UConn faced earlier in the season, Auriemma did not play Deberry in most games. There were reasons and Deberry recently talked about this.

“There was a big trust factor,” said DeBerry. “I showed Coach that I wasn’t trustworthy enough to be on the court when needed even when we were down a couple of people. Once we got into the NCAA tournament, he said, ‘With what you did this year, you could have been helping us a lot more right now.’ Even today we had a conversation about how I shouldn’t leave it up to him for me to play in games. I should be the one to make him think, ‘I can’t have her on the bench.’ ”

The summer training sessions have begun and the Huskies are in a full strength and conditioning program. With Nelson-Ododa playing professionally for the Los Angeles Sparks, there is an opening for that third rotational post player.

DeBerry has committed to staying on campus all summer to train and improve with the coaching staff. She was the first to arrive on campus and continues to show effort in the training videos UConn promotes.

The question is, who is going to be UConn’s starting bigs? Height and strength are important as the Huskies have a large non-conference slate starting in early November. They have eleven opponents outside of the Big East conference ready to face the Huskies plus an invitational tournament in Oregon.

The probable starters are Juhász and Edwards, the seniored forwards. With redshirt junior Aubrey Griffin preparing to play again, it is likely her minutes may be limited. Griffin missed this past season due to a lingering back injury that led to surgery in January. With two, top ten freshmen recruits coming in at the forward position, this becomes tricky. If Juhász and Edwards are starting, will DeBerry be the third?

“What he wants isn’t complicated,” said DeBerry. “He wants you to do it exactly the way that he wants it and that’s a high expectation. CD [Chris Dailey] reminds me, ‘You’re not the tallest person here. You have to be smart, make moves, be stronger than your opponent.’ Coming in here, I thought I was doing ok. Playing against Liv and Dorka, I quickly realized that this was something different. You have to live it to know it.”

There are only a few weeks left of the summer break before the players return to campus for fall training. DeBerry spent some time at home last week and has already returned to Storrs. Her height will be critical against non-conference opponents Texas, Duke, Notre Dame, Tennesse, and South Carolina. Alongside Juhász, DeBerry is one of the tallest players in the Big East Conference with Piath Gabriel transferring to UMass Amherst.

The Huskies begin their season with an exhibition match game against Kutztown University, a D2 team, on November 10th.