End of the WNBA??

[tomcat]

Regarding differences in style of play (mainly on offense, I assume) between WCBB and the WNBA, I would offer the following observations:

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  [ ]The 24-second clock in the WNBA is a significant factor. That 6-second difference from the college game puts a significant damper on how many passes can be made before a shot is taken. I remember that Ketia Swanier, in particular, had difficulty adjusting to that. But overall, that is a positive difference in favor of the WNBA; in fact, Geno has advocated a 24-second shot clock in the college game.
  [ ]If those who see the WCBB game as "purer" mean that there is less emphasis on individual play (especially by stars) in the college game than in the WNBA, then I question how valid that distinction is. When UConn has had superstars (Diana, Maya, Tina, Stewie), Geno has allowed and even encouraged them to score using their individual talents. If it looks like it is "within the flow of the offense", that's because Geno designs the offense around the individual offensive talents of his players in a particular year.
  [ ]Many of the "pretty plays" that produce layups for UConn take advantage of predictable defensive breakdowns (in particular, defenders getting hypnotized by the ball and losing their man) that are simply not as likely to occur at the professional level.

If Geno coached in the WNBA under a 24-second shot clock, with stars on his own team and experienced and savvy defenders on the opposing team, I think his offense would look very much like what many WNBA teams (Minnesota, Mike Thibault's Sun teams) already run.

For all of these reasons, I don't think the holier-than-thou attitude towards women's professional basketball is really warranted.

You probably were responding to my comment, or at least partly, so let me respond to this. You're probably right on all counts. The issue for me is a purely selfish one: What style do I like watching? And when I look, every time, it comes up to WCBB. I think your second point is especially telling. As Geno has gotten players with all-star talent, he has designed plays so that teammates put those stars in a position to succeed, using their spectacular skills. For an observer like me, who does not pretend to know the intricacies of the game, that just looks like a superior form of the teamwork that most WCBB coaches, at some level, try to preach.

Let me take an extreme example in the other direction. Remember Oklahoma State back in the days when they had Andrea Riley, who I would argue is the biggest ball hog I have ever seen in WCBB? Their then-coach, the guy who later was tragically killed in a plane crash, had one strategy: Get the ball to Riley, say a prayer, and see what happens. This was not a good strategy, as it turned out, in an NCAA game against Georgia that I attended. The reason was not because they ultimately lost, which they did, but because Okla State had at least two other talented players who the coaching staff and Riley shut down when the game was on the line. Had the coach's plan been to teach Riley how to consistently help make the other talented players successful, Okla State would have gone a lot farther. Still, what he was trying to do was put his players in a position to make Riley successful, and in that, he succeeded. And yup, she's in the WNBA.

And while you're right -- many of those pretty plays are because of the other guys' defensive lapses, many others are because UConn players are taught to look for the extra pass and to see all their teammates on the court. It's the beauty of that kind of action that keeps me coming back. I'll concede that it may be that it is because UConn plays games against teams that usually are inferior that their style of play is so good (don't get me started about a perfect 12 minutes of basketball I saw them play years ago against an overmatched Villanova team). Because there is not that disparity in the WNBA, I'm less likely to see the plays I enjoy. As a result, I'll probably always enjoy WCBB more.

I don't think it's a holier-than-thou attitude, by the way. The two games are just different. Some appreciate one more than the other. And those of us who actively dislike the NBA game -- and think that it has gotten away from basketball -- tend to get edgy whenever the women's game comes closer to its style.